Vegas Baby!!!! Okay...so Bobby and I started out the journey to Vegas on Friday afternoon...after about the first two hours is was a gorgeous drive (4-4.5 hrs total drive), including the Hoover Dam too - which was totally incredible. Here are some pics!
On the road...ready for Vegas!
Can't wait to get there!
Hoover Dam
Right before you crossed into Nevada, at the base of the Hoover Dam
Right after you crossed into Nevada
So...after we got there, we got freshened up and headed to the Hard Rock Hotel for the Jonny Lang concert. We found out that the concert got postponed for some reason...and Bobby and I were pretty disappointed about that. So...we walked around the Hard Rock a bit, ate some dinner...and I think were up by $10 when we left. =)
Before we headed out for the night
After we found out the concert was cancelled, we decided to go back to our favorite casino/hotel - The Riviera. We were there last year for my 30th birthday...and even though it's more of the "old school" casino/hotel....it's one of our favs! Well...not only was it a good thing that Jonny Lang decided to cancel...but it's a good thing we went to this casino! After playing a stupid little slot machine that I loved last year, titled, "Mad Money Martian"...(yes, that IS the name)...Bobby hit it big! His machine landed on a "10 times pay" icon, then the 7, then another "10 times pay" icon....so...that technically means he got a 7-7-7...times TEN, times TEN! It ended up being 5000 credits, or $1250 since it was a quarter machine. Needless to say, we were a big boggled at first, not sure if we should believe it or not! We had to get an attendant, it wouldn't pay out any other way even! We were giddy with excitement! Of course, I had to capture the moment with some pictures!
For some reason my site is not letting me upload any more pictures, dang it! I'll post them in the next few days hopefully instead. But, the picture at the top of the blog is Bobby and I after the big winning!
So...we had a pretty fabulous Friday night in the end! = ) Saturday morning we woke up and met his brother Ray and wife Brenda (that live in Phoenix) and they had his other brother, Kenny with them. We drove to the condo that Kenny had gotten for us...and it was a great spot. It was a few miles south of the strip...but it was right on Las Vegas Blvd. still....and it worked out really well in the end. After that, the rest of his family was supposed to be flying in late-afternoon, early-even....so the five of us ate some dinner and then headed to downton Vegas , Freemont St. to meet the rest of the family waiting there (by the way, don't ever take the Deuce bus from the Vegas strip to Freemont...it may only cost you $2, but it takes a good hour!) there I met his three sisters, their husbands, nephews and his mom! There were 16 of us total. We were introduced and talked for a bit and enjoyed the whole experience on Freemont St. (which was a lot cooler than I remembered it!). After that, we went back to Harrah's, which is where many of them were staying and hung around for a bit more and that was the night!
The next day, we met Bobby's mom and Erma and Eddie (sister and brother-in-law) for lunch and took them to Cafe Babareeba's. This is the restaurant that Bobby and I love from Chicago (and where we got engaged too!). The only other city with this restaurant is in Vegas and found that out the last time we were there, so we wanted to take his mom there this time around. We had a great lunch with a little sangria and tapas, and then headed to the Venetian and took his mom on a gondola ride. We had a pretty authentic "driver" who sang his mom "happy birthday" in Italian and some other wonderful songs as he steered the boat. Even though his mom is turning 75, she really kept up well with all the walking!
That night, we went to a restaurant in Harrah's for Bobby's mom's birthday dinner and everyone ate together there. After dinner, we all walked to the Bellagio and checked out the fountain show...after that...we all split and went our separate ways...so Bobby and I headed back to our old stomping grounds at The Riviera, just in case we had a little more luck left there! Actually, those silly martian slot games are just fun and a $20 bill can last an hour or so...which is what ended up happening....I think I was up by $100 at one point, but I had won money earlier, so I just kept going...and what do you know...I eventually lost it all! But, all in all, we had a couple more hours of fun and excitement.
Bobby and I left the next morning and made the four hour trip back. Bobby and I always have such a great time in Vegas...gambling or not...we just always have a blast with each other even just walking the strip. It's so nice that it is close to us...and pricelining hotels (since we don't really care where we stay there since we aren't in our rooms that much at all!) makes the stay pretty cheap too! Plus, this time around with meeting his family (finally!) I am so happy to know them and click with them a bit even. They are a fun family...there's always something happening with them. They really did make me feel welcome in the family...and I truly appreciate that!
I'll try and get the pics up as soon as my blog lets me!