Wednesday, May 20, 2009

I've Got Some Catching Up To Do!!

Wow do I have lots to share! I'm going to shove as much as I can into this post to finish up telling you about Vegas, my return home for a day, and my stay with my Mom. That way next post I can get back to telling you about CRAFTS!

So, Saturday of my Vegas trip we slept three and a half hours, and then got up for Starbucks and a new day. We recuperated from a hard night of partying at the spa. It was wonderful, except for when a big naked lady bent over, with her rear-end in my face, causing me to quickly stand up, aggravated, turn around in a huff...and promptly trip over the bench to land three feet away spread out on the floor (minus one shoe). I saw lights, and the spa attendant said she almost gave birth right there, the whole thing had scared her so badly (she was about 7.5 - 8 months pregnant). Other than that Tenasha and I luxuriated in the spa with a massage, fruit, juices, herbal tea, water, the sauna, the steam room, the whirlpool and decadent showers with top shelf toiletries...it was heavenly, despite the black and blues from falling :)



Three hours later, we got dressed and headed out into the sunshine for Paris. There we had lunch at Mon Ami Gabi, a classic French bistro with a fabulous view of the Bellagio water show.

For lunch I had Onion Soup au Gratin (wasn't overly fond of it), and Steak Classique (steak frites with an herb butter topping..delicious...looked like the photo below). We ate leisurely, enjoying the view, and then walked across the street to the Bellagio to visit the Conservatory and Botanical Gardens. There were many beautiful photo opportunities there, including the Japanese Zen garden and teahouse, water features everywhere, and beautiful butterflies flying in enclosed garden structures.
















Even the registration desk on the way out was gorgeous with umbrellas and greenery hanging just beyond the desk.

After leaving the Bellagio, we walked down the strip looking for souvenirs at several different hotels and casinos, and Tenasha was looking for the perfect place for a leisurely dessert. We found just the place back in New York, New York. We picked two things we both thought sounded good, New York Cheesecake with Strawberry Topping and a chocolate peanut confection that I picked that was heavenly. We sat and people-watched, and took in the atmosphere while sipping lattes and sharing bites of our desserts before heading on to do more souvenir shopping and a little more video poker playing.







Now, I wish I could say that we spent our last night raising hell, but, honestly, we laid down to "rest" and never got back up! Our feet hurt from all the dancing and walking, and we never made it to dinner that night.
The next morning we went to the champagne brunch at the Luxor and had champagne, shrimp, eggs, potatoes, etc., until we made up for not eating dinner the night before. Then we went back to the room to finish packing, and checked out. We headed to the airport, had a coffee together and then parted ways for our gates.


I had the window seat on the return flight to Charlotte, and though I was squeezed in by my seatmate who didn't get up so I could use the restroom, the view was spectacular.


Especially the view of the Grand Canyon.


We passed Atlanta, and I knew we were close to home. I got to my car in Charlotte, to learn that I had left a light on in the car and the battery was dead. I had to get the car jump-started, and then I was on my way home.
I wasn't home long before I left again for PA. I took small planes, one to Atlanta, and the other to Allentown, PA, where my brother's friend picked me up from the airport.
I won't go into all the details of my stay in PA right now, but it was rough on my Mom the first week to 10 days. In fact, she had a bad word that she used to describe the whole thing. Even eating dinner together after she was released from the hospital was a pain in the arse, as she went upstairs and then couldn't use the stairs again for the day. So there my brother, she and I were, eating on trays in her bedroom. Everything took on a ridiculous tint...everything was complicated, and everything became hilarious in the delirium caused by non-restful nights. A couple of times we screamed out in frustration, it was very therapeutic...they should have suggested it when she was discharged from the hospital, but, like so many things, we had to figure it out for ourselves.



Next post (hopefully in the next day or so), I'll finish up what I want to say about hip replacement, and then I'll get on to the crafting, because, believe it or not, I actually did manage to get some things done!

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

The pics from Vegas..and the plane are fab! Those desserts...to die for, and, who would have thought my getting to eat in bed would be so complicated? Thanks for all you did...frustrating as it was! Getting around well with the cane now..off to do my excercises. Love, Mom

Sinéad said...

Those pictures of the gardens are gorgeous! Such luxury! And the desserts look divine. I love peanut butter. I hope your Mom is feeling better, it's hard to recover after such a big surgery.
Thanks for your kind comment on my blog too; it's nice to know I'm not alone!