We got back from Vegas late Sunday night. What a wonderful vacation! We had an absolute blast. For
those of you who don’t know, I got married to the most wonderful man in the world on February 12. We
stayed at The Mirage for four nights.
We got there at around 12:30 on Wednesday, got checked in, got into our room, and went hunting for a
restaurant because by that time it was 3:00 pm by our stomach’s clock. We found the California Pizza
Kitchen right there in the hotel. We ordered a couple of beers, an order of shrimp rolls, and a wild
mushroom pizza. Incredibly good! Then we went exploring. Found the craps tables, and lost a bit. (Who
didn’t know that? 
)
I had been to Vegas once before, but Tom had never been. He was in awe! It was fun to watch him. We
called up the chapel, and the limo came to get us to go get our marriage license at the courthouse.
Eddie (the driver) was great! Telling us everything we needed to know. Later that evening we walked the
strip and went into different casinos, gambling a little here and there. I can’t seem to remember eating
dinner that first night! We went to bed around midnight I guess. We were pooped, and just a little
drunk!
The next day was our wedding day. The limo was due at 3:30 to take us to the chapel. We got up and had
breakfast at The Mirage Buffet. We went to Treasure Island and made reservations at The Steakhouse for
dinner at 8:00 pm. We went across to Harrah’s and were accosted by vultures, hawking a time share resort.
In return for the sales pitch, we were to receive tickets to the Improv, tickets to the Fresh Market
Buffet for dinner, and tickets to the afternoon show by Mac King, comedian and magician. We signed up
for Friday at 10:00 am. We also went to the rent-a-car place and rented a PT Cruiser for Fri, Sat, and
Sun, to be dropped off at the airport. So more gambling, and drinking! Tom hit $150 on video poker.
That was very cool! Back to the room around 1:30 to get ready for the wedding. It took Tom much less
time than me, and after he helped me into my long line strapless bra 
he was free to go back down to
the casino and pace. I did my makeup, took a few deep breaths, and headed downstairs in my wedding gown.
I couldn’t find him! He wasn’t where he was supposed to be. So I stood there looking lost, and
fiance-less, for what seemed an interminable time, maybe 5 minutes. Granted, I was earlier than I said I
would be.
Finally, it was time to go. We went outside to wait for the limo, lots of people congratulating us as
they passed us. The limo came, and whisked us to The Las Vegas Garden of Love Chapel. It was a cute
little box, off the Strip on Sahara Ave. We went inside, signed a bunch of papers, and there we were,
standing up in front of Jesse, the reverend. He was wonderful! We both got very emotional at one point.
Then it was over, and back to the hotel in the Limo. (I had never been in one before.) We changed
clothes for dinner, and actually split up for a while! Me to play craps, and him to play video poker. I
lost, as usual. So then it was time to go to dinner. We took the little tram across to Treasure Island,
and waited in the bar for our table. We met a fellow Texan there, and talked oil for a bit. Then we
were seated, and served the best steak and lobster I’ve ever eaten. Wild mushrooms on the side! It was
very intimate and romantic. It got even better later on!
The next day - 
- we slept late and got ready to go to our little tour of the resort. Our salesman was
a whiny little dork. Talked about his allergies, and asthma, and his shoulder with the bad rotator cuff.
We put up with it, and at the end when two other salespeople gave us the hard sell, we turned them all
down and got our free stuff. It was worth it. Over $100 worth of tickets! Then we were free!!! More
gambling, and I won at video poker. $50. Tom went up to the room for something, and I was waiting for
him. I walked toward the blackjack tables, and who should I see? The Big Show! Paul Wight, the
wrestler! I was almost speechless! I asked could I shake his hand. His hand engulfed mine. This guy
is 7 feet tall and 500 lbs. He introduced me to his wife, who looked like a body builder. About 6 feet
tall, with huge fake boobs! I wish Tom had been there to take my picture! Oh, well. We picked up our car.
So we go to the Improv Friday night. The host was Amy Anderson, and the Headliners were Kenny Bob Davis and…uh…I forget. A black guy, James Something the Third. They were VERY funny though. Before the show we ate at The Fresh Market Buffet. It was OK, but it had a little bit of everything - American, chinese, Seafood, Mexican - and because nothing was specialized, it was all mediocre. But Tom chowed down on some crab legs, and thought it was great. The dessert bar was to die for, though! Mmmm. Then we cruised the strip, and head way down to the other end to go to the House of Blues at Mandalay Bay. But no one was playing! Oh well, we had a couple of drinks.
Saturday. We get up early, and head down to the little coffee bar, The Roasted Bean. We have a roll and some coffee, then get our Cruiser and drive out to Hoover Dam. What a beautiful lake! The view is fabulous, blue skies, mountains. We were imperssed. And the dam itself is a marvel. We didn’t take the tour, or go inside. Just looked at stuff and took pictures. On the way back we ate some very good burgers at some diner in Boulder City. Then we window shopped the antique stores. Lovely afternoon.
Back to the Strip, and traffic! California had arrived. When we had reserved our car on Thursday, the clerk warned us. Three day weekend? California is on its way. We thought he was kidding around! After about 30-45 minutes, we got down to New York, New York, and rode the roller coaster. Whee! The inside is so cool. All designed to resemble New York streets. The Village, Times Square… way cool! Eventually we get back to The Mirage, and I’m ready to crash! It’s only about 10:00 though, so Tom talks me into a “nightcap” at the video poker bar, where I had already won a bit. I ended up hitting 4 deuces for $250!!! I was awake then! We stayed until about 2:00, and I didn’t lose any of the money - played for free. He lost some, though!
Our last day. We skipped breakfast and went out to do some souvenir shopping. We hit M&M World, The Harley-Davidson Cafe, and The Mirage Gift Shop. I got my picture taken with Elvis! We ate lunch at a little Mexican place that I can’t remember the name of. They had great margaritas! We had chicken, beef, and shrimp fajitas. Mmmm. We head out to the airport at the last minute, and got to our house about 1:30 in the morning. We were whooped.
I am now a married woman! And I’m so happy.