Vegas with the Bens

Vegas is one of Kirk's favorite places to be...Anita & Jerry are two of our favorite people to hang with...throw in the twin, David and my new best friend St. Germain and you have my favorite weekend in Vegas in a long time.

First of all, I love hotels. Love the ridiculous amount of time and thought they put into all of the details and textures of the hotel (although the cost of said details could feed entire nations), but I do love it, especially around the holidays.

We stayed at the Vdara, which is in the City Center where Kirk has been wanting to stay. His engineer side has been aching to stay there since he forced me to watch a bunch of documentaries on how they built all of the structures and buildings in the center. It did not disappoint. Although there is no casino at the Vdara, it is super close to The Cosmopolitan and has a tram that connects it directly to the Bellagio - and I LOVED that it did not reek of smoke like the other hotels.

After settling in at the hotel we met up in the lobby for drinks before getting ready for dinner. Hotel bars in Vegas are not only great for cocktails and free snacks, but amazing for people watching. We were lucky enough to sit down next to a Russian bride and her bridal party all dressed up for the wedding...and got to overhear the bride letting someone have it in Russian over her cell phone. Note to self - don't mess with a Ruski on her wedding day.

Drinks were delivered...

Drinks were taken down...

Then it was off to dinner at Blue Ribbon Sushi where we ordered Sake and had really great food. The visual highlight being the plates that David and Jerry ordered.

That is a crap load of sushi...they EACH had one of these!

 And they BOTH finished every bite!

 Kampai!

 After the guys finished their sushi plates the kitchen took back the fish bodies and deep fried those suckers and brought them back to the table. They are apparently super yummo, but I did not partake. 

 Wendy did, but she would kill me if I posted the pic I took of her right after she took a bite of that fried tail. Anita on the other hand took down that fried fish head in a hot second and loved every bit of it.

After dinner we headed down to the penny slots, being the big high rollers that we are. Wendy got Anita hooked on the Sex & The City penny slots...they were just a training ground for the penny slots to come later in the trip.

 And then David snuck away for a photo op in a over-sized high heel. And why wouldn't he? 

The next day we took the Ben's to the HB House for our traditional German Pub experience.

 Good Times, Good Beers, Good Food...

and standing on the benches singing German songs.

Prost!

Then we headed to the Bellagio to window shop (or in my case buy myself a little happy from Prada), then hit up the Monopoly penny slots where Anita was a big winner.

Anita starting to play her bonus game...

 Anita continuing to win during the bonus game, a crowd begins to gather...

 Anita's final winning total from a 20 cent spin...$3,088.60!!!

 You go Anita!

Then we headed out to dinner at one of our faves - Scarpetta. The one in Vegas sits overlooking the Bellagio and they sat us next to the window with an epic view of the fountain show.

 Dinner was delicious as usual and they brought us some complimentary desserts from DOCG (the restaurant next door) that were to die for. Salted Caramel Pot de Creme with chantilly cream and Chocolate Pretzel Carmel Brittle. I believe this is what will be served in Heaven.

 Then the guys found a seat...

 And Wendy and Anita found their way to the giant high heel.

Winners, Winners, and Chicken Dinners!

Legacy

My sweet aunt Suzy passed away last week after a long battle with ALS. Although it is still pretty much impossible to believe she is gone, it does bring me peace to know that she is no longer suffering.We had a beautiful Celebration of Life party in honor of her yesterday and over 100 people showed up to share a glass of wine, a margarita and lots of hugs. That is what she wanted...no funeral, but instead a party with margaritas and wine...and NO tears. Well, the margaritas and wine were covered and we did the best we could holding back tears. Some of us wrote a little something about her for everyone to read.
This was mine:

Aunt Suzy was and will remain one of the most amazing people in my life. They say you don't know what you have until it's gone, but with her, WE ALWAYS KNEW what we had! A truly beautiful woman inside and out. Getting to spend 30 years with an aunt who never judged me or my decisions and loved me unconditionally. I only hope that getting those years with her will rub off on me for the rest of my lifetime. I will spend the rest of my life trying to live life like she did.

Laughing...

Celebrating...

Never Giving Up...

...and Loving the TRUE LOVE of my life.

What an amazing example of love and devotion these two gave me!

She will be missed in so many ways, but never forgotten. Legacies like the ones she leaves behind will last for generations. I love you so much Aunt Suzy!
xoxo Twink 2