Strike Two More Items Off My Bucket List.... Celine And The Zip Line

Yes, after the most hair-raising flight I've ever been on, and the hairiest landing ever, we are indeed home again. We weren't even able to get cocktails on the flight (due to severe turbulence), which I really needed in order to get through the scary stuff. Didn't happen. Of course, the winds from Hell were still blowing here at home, which made for a very precarious and frightening landing. The pilot even had to approach the airport from a direction that we had never experienced before. It was crazy and the sky was full of blowing 50 mph gusts of dust and smoke from more wildfires. Everyone on the plane clapped and cheered when we were finally on the ground. Yes, it was that bad. I bowed to the pilots on the way out of the plane.

As always, we had a great time in Vegas even though we I lost all the money I had for gambling. The card gods completely failed to *cover my back*, which I just wasn't accustomed to. It went really well the first night, after dining at Hugo's (which we weren't so impressed with this year). I met some new *friends* I'll never see again and we were rocking and rolling with the cards, which was great fun. I didn't get back to the room until 2:30 AM because things were going so well. Then, I slept until 3:00 PM the following day. Apparently I needed the sleep, right? That was Sunday night.


Monday (after I finally woke up) we just walked around the Fremont Street *Experience*, did a minimum amount of gambling, AND I scratched another item off my *Bucket List*. Yup. They now have a Zip Line on Fremont Street, which I took full advantage of. Now, Mr. Snoots would rather have his fingernails removed with household pliers than do it, so he was the perfect (or not) photographer for my *Bucket List* chronicles. Yes, that's right. I. Rode. The. Zip. Line. With great enthusiasm. Woo Hoo! That night we ate at Vic & Anthony's (inside the Golden Nugget) and it was absolutely the best meal we had this trip, as was the service. Outstanding meal and service.


I actually wanted to do the zip line again but Tuesday I had to get ready to go see Celine Dion at Caesar's Colosseum, which I'd have had to be jailed or hospitalized to keep me from seeing her concert. So, Tuesday, April 12th, we hit the pool for some much needed vitamin D, then I spent the afternoon primping for the concert and yes, I dressed to the nines. It turned out to be everything I'd hoped for and, of course, I cried. I'm the town crier, remember? Before the concert we dined at BOA Steakhouse (inside the Caesar's Forum of Shops but I dutifully had my blinders on as we passed the dozens of high end shops  except Judith Leiber but I merely drooled, nothing more), which was quite lovely but not nearly so much as its Santa Monica counterpart. They overcooked my grilled salmon and we had to make the concert so there was no time for sending back mistakes. Yuck. Wish we'd gone to Spago.



Anyhoo, Celine was divine and both Mr. Snoots and I were thrilled with her live performance. You can see it on video or on the internet, but nothing prepares you for the experience of seeing this talented woman up close and personal. Live. She puts on quite an astonishing show. Honestly, Mr. Snooty was almost as taken with her as I, which actually surprised him. He liked it even more than "Wicked". Celine Dion gives it everything she's got. Also, her 36 piece orchestra/band is an amazing collection of talented artists, as are her backup singers and all the others who work behind the scenes to make the magic happen. It's not just a concert, but almost a Broadway worthy *production*. Anyway, after the concert my eyes were so swollen that I didn't even go out to gamble that night. We just went back to the room, watched a pay movie, and fell asleep before it was over. We are such Party Animals!
 


But, I have to say that I would have preferred less bells and whistles. It's not about all that. It's about Celine and her incredibly beautiful voice. I had absolutely no desire to go into her store but somehow found myself buying a t-shirt. What is wrong with me? I DO NOT WEAR T-SHIRTS! I suppose I just got caught up in it all, which is what they're shooting for. I think I liked her better in the days of old. However, that's the Las Vegas Experience, right? Pay for all the extras that you really don't need or want. It's part of the deal.






Wednesday we ended up trying an Oxygen Bar, which I'll never do again. All they do is try to sell you hundreds of dollars worth of completely ridiculous items you don't need, which spoils the whole oxygen experience anyway, all the while making sure to not speak enough English for you to understand. Whatever. No more Oxygen Bars for me or Mr. Snoots. Extremely. Annoying.

We ate at The Chart House on Wednesday night, which is inside The Nugget. What a fantastic meal we had while gazing at their 75,000 gallon tank of tropical fish (but not for consumption). Our Tuna Tartare with fried plantains was to swoon for and the service was truly impeccable. I had their Lobster Francese which was unlike anything I've ever had. Needless to say, I gained like 3 lbs. on this trip even with all the walking. What a bummer. Then I ran into my new best friends again and proceeded to steadily lose my stash of chips. Why is it so much easier to lose those cute little chips? I was with some really high rollers and they lost way more than I did. Somehow, that was comforting. But then, they all deserted me because apparently I was the loser wooden nickel at the table, so I tucked my tail between my legs went up to bed to lick my wounds.




Thursday morning was the airplane ride from Hell and Mr. Snooty was really sick already. So, as he recovers from his *stomach thing*, I try to recover from my swollen feet, various blisters from wearing the *pretty shoes* instead of the *sensible* ones, along with a little leg shaving mishap, and a slight fall in the casino when I missed a chair at the blackjack table (I swear it wasn't the martoonies). Aren't you sorry you weren't with us to enjoy all the mishaps FUN? And No! There isn't a picture of me missing the chair. Thank Gawd!


I didn't mean to write a book, really. It just worked out that way. And today, we are finally recovered from the trip. Geeze! I need to start training for these trips.....

These Senior Moments Are About To Get The Best Of Me.... Argh!

I suppose we all have *Senior Moments* as we approach old age. The older we get, the more we expect to have. I was rather hoping to not have any until I was up around 60 or 65. Hmmm...

When Mr. Snoots and I were getting ready to leave Las Vegas we of course, piled all of our chips together and cashed them in for real money. I was almost certain that I'd broken even until the hubby counted up his then mine, before combining them for the total. He told me that I'd come up like $200.00 short. I immediately leapt to my own defense by saying I did not lose $200.00. I admitted that the last night while playing Black Jack, I might have lost a $100.00 chip by accident, because I was unable to find it the next morning.

Mr. Snooty looked at me as if I were a complete moron. Well, that was the only conceivable thing that could have happened because I know I didn't lose it at the tables while playing.

So, fast-forward a few weeks to last Friday. I misplaced my main credit card and Sam's Club card and couldn't find it for the life of me. Growing ever more frustrated, I set aside time this afternoon to start going through everything I own, in order to find the missing credit card.

In my search to find those cards, I stumbled upon a black $100.00 Golden Nugget chip, along with $87.00 in cash that were still hiding in the side pocket of my little bronze evening bag. Can we just agree here that was a big old DUH of a Senior Moment? Now, I think I'll go through the rest of my things. No telling what I might find…. Oh The Riches That Must Be Hiding In My Closet and Drawers!


Apparently, today is my one day of clarity for the week...