Viva Las Vegas

We're on Day 6 of the kitchen remodel project, and while my kitchen is getting better by the day, I can't say the same for the living room:

I knew that the new appliances were being delivered on Friday, however I had not expected to come home to find one of them in the middle of my apartment. I'm not ever going to complain about getting a washer/dryer, but I hadn't anticipated that it would spend time anywhere but my soon-to-be laundry room.

Fortunately, I had the foresight to make out-of-town plans this weekend, and first thing Saturday morning got up to go to Las Vegas. My friend Lauren had invited me to go with her and her roommate, Matt, and since they were driving and planning the whole trip, I thought it would be a nice, easy excuse to get out of town for the weekend. Matt invited his two friends, and by 10 AM, the five of us were on the road driving towards the Nevada desert.

I was a bit hesitant at the idea of five people in one car, especially since three of those people were 25 year old boys. My oh-so-mature self didn't like 25 year old boys when I was 25, and mentally prepared for the worst. Naturally, they turned out to be the highlight of the trip.

When did I (and my friends) get so old? That's what I kept thinking as the boys kept us in stitches with their back-and-forth banter, their stupid jokes, the way they teased each other and, as the day wore on, us. Everyone I knew (myself included) would be talking about mortgages, work, relationships, remodeling. Maybe how The Fashion Show compares to Project Runway (it doesn't), or, for guys, how Pointless Sport Number 1 compares to Pointless Sport Number 2. These guys were just hilarious in their effortless interactions, and it made me miss the days when everyone I knew used to be so carefree.

In case you were wondering, hotel prices are incredibly inexpensive right now, and we ended up in a suite at the Venetian. That's the nicest I've traveled to Vegas, yet! We arrived around 2:00, got settled in, and headed back out to chill by the pool at Tao. For the next 30 hours, I swam, drank, danced, and reveled in the energy of everyone around me. And while my body is physically exhausted, mentally, I feel remarkably refreshed. Photos are here.