Vegas Vacation: Part 1 of 2

This past weekend, I found out that there's more to Vegas than looking like a hooker and going to strip clubs! Albert's family invited me to come along on their family trip to Las Vegas. We stayed at MGM (a first for me) Saturday through Monday. This was the first time (post turning 21) that I've been to Vegas without going to a club, going to a strip club, and/or gambling. Still plenty of drinking, but not to the point of throwing up or blacking out.

On the first night in town, Albert and I watched Team USA's Exhibition game. Jello made the drive up that evening to join us at the game too. A lot of the players I was looking forward to watching (actually, just Kobe), ended up not playing, but it was still fun to watch. It was definitely different from watching a Lakers game because I was a lot more easily distracted. Khloe Kardashian was there (our seats were closer to the court than hers was!) but left during halftime because she got mobbed for pictures. I think the white team won, but I honestly wasn't paying attention. There was a tequila station there and I was busy yelling "Hi!" to the players in an attempt to get them to wave or nod.

I got to introduce Aloha Kitchen to Jenny, Kristen, Albert, and Jello...2 Local plates, one kalua & katsu plate, one kalbi plate, and one adobo fried rice omelet later, I think I convinced them to make this restaurant a must-do whenever we come to Vegas. The food is pretty delicious, but I'd argue that it's even better the morning after a night of drinking :) After dinner, the girls turned in for the night and we hung out with Albert's cousin from Wisconsin (Bernard) for a little bit. It was Bernard's first trip to Vegas so he was ready to party hearty...unfortunately, it was our first night after driving in, so we were ready to call it a night at 2am.

Jello had to drive back to LA on Sunday, but we had a full day ahead of us. The itinerary: eat, pool, eat, drink, midway, movie, eat, and sleep...hahah! The pool was packed for a Sunday, but that didn't stop us from getting in and walking the lazy river. The pool is so refreshing in the middle of the desert and great for people-watching, one of mine and Albert's favorite things to do together. That evening, Albert introduced us to a new restaurant: Metro Pizza. OMG...I LOVED it! Best pizza place in Vegas hands down. Between the 4 of us (Jenny, Kristen, Albert, and me) we shared Fried Calamari, Garlic Romano Fries, and a small stuffed pizza called The Stockyard. Do you think we finished all of it? NOPE. I wanted to, but there was no more room in my stomach. The Stockyard pizza was so delicious. The pizza packed with pepperoni, sausage, and ground beef, then covered with another layer of dough, baked, and topped off with tomato sauce. If you're looking for a solid place for pizza, on or off The Strip, it's Metro Pizza. You gotta give it a try.

Yesterday, we took a Greyhound bus home. Albert thought his parents were coming back to LA on Monday, but they moved their departure date to Tuesday so we were scrambling for a way to get home in time for work on Tuesday (today). I remembered that my mom and dad used to take the bus to Vegas all the time when they first started dating, so I suggested that as our way home. It was definitely cheaper than flying home ($50 for a bus ticket vs. $161 for a plane ticket). Turns out, Albert and his mom used to use the bus to get to Vegas too when his Dad lived out there. The bus ride is about 5 hours long with a stop for food in Barstow. It's a nice ride and great for taking naps while someone else worries about the traffic. This year seems to be the year I'm traveling to Vegas in all modes of transportation!

Albert and I are headed out to Vegas again...this time with my family. It's also T.J.'s 22nd birthday on Friday, so we're hoping we can take him out on a couple of the roller coasters out there. He loves his roller coasters :) T.J.'s been there since Sunday and won't be leaving until this coming Sunday...lucky guy is definitely enjoying his summer break! Definitely going to try to hit up Metro Pizza again and fit in Bachi Burger! Stay tuned for Part 2!

Birthdays: Enjoy As Directed

This is a little late, but my boss is on vacation this week and I got caught up in doing non-work related things at work (e.g. checking Facebook, cringing over Fantasy Football results, chatting, etc.). I was going to write this long blog about how much I do not like celebrating my birthday and why, but it was getting pathetic and I sounded like a whiny, pessimistic little kid. Instead, I wanted to write this particular blog as a small token of thanks for those who thought it was important for me to celebrate my birthday, even when I did not.
The following is what I learned during the week of my 28th birthday. They're not ranked in any particular order and serve more as a reminder for me not to be such a curmudgeon about becoming a year older - hopefully this will come in handy and I can get my attitude in check for next year. 
* Don't resist presents from your mom- there's no point. Ever since I moved out for college, my mom has made it a point to have flowers delivered to me. Every year I tell her to save her money because flowers will die and every year I get a beautiful vase full of flowers. This year I tried especially hard to stop her from sending flowers so that she can use the money toward necessities. I thought I had finally reasoned with her and won the argument. Instead, my mom decided to have flowers sent to me during an event for work. Only your mom can make your day, guilt you into feeling bad about telling her to save her money, and remind you that no one knows you better than she does all in one simple gesture.  
* Cake and ice cream always brightens everyone's mood, so have some! Our office is really short-staffed right now and we're helping each other get things done. One particular task included picking up 60 vans last week. There are only 8 of us in the office so you can imagine how many trips we've had to take to get these vans and how stress levels were bound to soar. I was no different, in fact I was getting ready to write up one of my newer colleagues for being an idiot, but I decided to go to my desk and take a breather. As I walked over to my area, I saw that my boss had decorated my desk with a banner and balloons, which no other boss in our office has done. After that, she called me into the kitchen and all my coworkers were there waiting with cake, ice cream, poppers, and party blowers. What a difference that made in my mood! What a difference it made in everyone's mood. The rest of the afternoon was still spent picking up vans, but we were so sugared up that we were actually enjoying each other's company. The idiot coworker was saved by cake and ice cream...for now. 
* Do something for you. With so many important people in your life, it's inevitable for your plans to be compromised. You want things to go one way, someone wants something else, you figure out a happy medium. However, since it is YOUR birthday, you deserve something all for yourself. For me, it was keeping my Twilight addiction at full force. I decided to bring my copy of "New Moon" with me everywhere I went and squeeze in some reading wherever I could. Sounds simple enough, but I was in Las Vegas...who the hell reads in Vegas?! Apparently, I do. On top of that, my friends agreed to take pictures of me with every person that was dressed up as Edward Cullen.  Something as little as reading a favorite book or indulging in a guilty pleasure was what I was all I wanted it and I gave it to myself :) 
* Savor the quiet moments. One of my most favorite memories about this birthday will be when Victor, April, Phil, Albert, and I all ended up in the same bed on Saturday morning. We weren't doing anything in particular except laying there, hungover, and talking about what had happened the night before (as is usually the case after a drunken night in Vegas). In that moment, I felt that I had everything I needed in life and I couldn't ask for anything more than what I already had. Then Albert says, "I like that my I'm in between two sets of boobs right now." (he was lying between me and April).  That made me smile even more. 
* Being original can be sexier than being sexy. In recent years, I usually picked up a packaged costume from any of the Halloween shops that popped up. I've been a sexy devil, a sexy taxi driver, a sexy lion tamer...you get the idea. I wanted to do something different this year, something a little more creative. Albert and I decided to put together our own costumes instead of buying packaged ones. He was set on being Alan from The Hangover and I had my heart set on being Lady Gaga. Luckily most of our friends decided to do characters too: Phil = Miles from the Dharma Initiative, April = Dora the Explorer, Victor = 80's PE Teacher, Jello = guy from Jabbawockeez. I might be a little biased, but we all pulled off our looks really well. Albert was seriously the best Alan that I saw all night. And, even though I was walking around in my underwear, I felt confident and silly (in a good way), which always translates into sexy. No more packaged costumes from now on. 
*It's a Celebration- don't spend it in line! Vegas in Halloween attracts A LOT of people, which means there are going to be loooong lines to get in any of the clubs. Unfortuately, I'm not famous and I'm not filthy rich so I have no way of getting into clubs without waiting in line for hours and shelling out some cash. We were in line for Tao, but when we saw it was going to be a bust, we looked elswhere for fun. We ended up at Carnival Court near Harrah's, got in after waiting around 20 minutes, paid $10 and made a night out of it! Sometimes it's good to get down with your ghetto self and opt out of the fancier, more expensive option. 
* Try something new. This year I wanted to go to Hofbrauhaus. It was the first time I've ever had Bavarian food and drank (what seemed like) a gallon of beer. It was good times and worth going back, especailly since Phil didn't get to do the stein holding contest. Is it better than Tokyo Delves...not really, but I love me some Japanese food so I'm probably not being fair :P 
* When you want to have a good time, surround yourself with happy people. It's pretty self-explanatory, but I learned this one the hard way and figure I should write it down as a reminder to myself. 
* Let your loved ones love you and don't forget to say thank you. I used to think birthdays are about what I wanted to do and how I wanted to celebrate. If it were up to me, I would run and hide and wait until November 1st was here. That way of thinking, as it turns out, is pretty selfish. People in our lives see birthdays as a time of celebrating you and showing they care. Friends and family get to show me some love and I get to be gracious and thank them. Everyone wins. I need to grow up and stop being selfish about it. 
* Albert won't let you down. There's a story here, but it's more for me and Albert to remember. Chalk it up to it being a couple thing. Just know that Albert has to deal with my craziness as my birthday nears and when he says he won't let me down, he won't let me down. That's more important to me than infinity birthday presents. I love him more than Kobe Bryant, Tom Brady, Justin Timberlake, and Edward Cullen/Rob Pattinson put together.