Vegas, Baby!

I can't believe it's already Thursday and I haven't gotten around to blogging yet. The proverbial shit seems to have hit the fan for just about everyone coming home from Vegas, and I think we've all felt consumed by life for the past few days. But I'm one of the lucky ones--I got off pretty easy. I took the red-eye home on Sunday night, leaving Vegas at 11:30 p.m. and arriving in Baltimore at 9:15 a.m. (after a plane change in Milwaukee). My plan was to go to work, but who was I kidding? I felt like crap and I looked worse, so I went home and tried to take a nap. I dozed a little and then left to pick up the boys at 3:30. I got a call on my way to school from Seth's teacher--Seth had a fever. When I got to school, he was so pathetic. He was lying on his cot and when he saw me, he just started crying. He didn't even sit up. Not the welcome home I imagined.

I scooped him up and got William (who DID give me an awesome welcome home, I'm-so-happy-to-see-you hug) and we went home. On the way home, Seth threw up all over himself. Oh joy! The funniest part of the ride home was when William--after watching Seth throw up--said, "You know what we had for lunch today, Mommy?" I had a pretty good idea. LOL.

Once we were home, I got Seth cleaned up and he went to sleep in his crib. Then I cleaned up the car seat and did a load of laundry. Seth woke up a while later and threw up again, but he was okay for the rest of the night. I stayed home on Tuesday and Seth only had a fever in the morning. Later in the afternoon, William started coughing. And coughing. And coughing. That night, he started wheezing. Ed stayed home with the boys on Wednesday and took them to the doctor. Seth is fine now and William just has to do nebulizer treatments a few times a day. He was barely wheezing when he went to the doctor, so that was good. Both boys are back to school today, I'm at work, and all is well.

So now--the good stuff: Vegas! The trip was awesome. The company was amazing. We ate fantastic food and laughed until our cheeks hurt. Friday night for me began late--Bridget and I arrived on the same plane from Atlanta and were met by Laura, Joanna, Lindsay, and Jenn at the airport. We went to In and Out Burger (Yum!) and then headed to the hotel where we met up with Julie, Desi, Heidi, Rita, and Tenaya. Drinks and talking and much giggling ensued. It really felt like we had all known each other for years. (Maybe because we have!) Saturday was the cabana day. The cabana was by the pool, but that was completely irrelevant for us. We drank, talked more, laughed and  laughed, ate, drank, talked more, and laughed some more. Not even a crazy thunder storm could drive us apart! We simply closed the cabana curtains, asked the waiter for clean drinks, and kept right on talking. Saturday night was dinner at Lotus of Siam--a fantastic Thai restaurant located off the strip. Heidi (the local) suggested that the group have the waiter bring out a bunch of different recommended entrees for everyone to share. Jenn, Joanna, and I opted for some old standbys, but everything was fantastic.

Saturday night was our true taste of Vegas nightlife--after hours at Tao. I wasn't drunk enough to truly enjoy it, but I'm so glad I got to experience it for a little while. It was amusing and reminded me of my much younger days when I first moved to DC and went to clubs and bars every weekend. Good times! After a good night's sleep, we met up for brunch at Bouchon on Sunday morning. And OH.MY.GOD. it was so delicious. The BEST waffles I have ever had! After brunch we headed outside and walked along the strip. We walked around some other hotels and casinos, we watched the fountain show at the Bellagio, I got a makeup consult at the MAC counter, Joanna picked up a gift for Andy. Even though we walked a ton, it was relaxing. After resting at the hotel, we got ready for our dinner at Aquaknox--an awesome seafood restaurant. It was delicious! I ate an entire bucket of mussels by myself and loved every bite. Lindsay picked a fantastic Pinot Grigio and the company was, of course, the best part of dinner. (Besdies the fact that Joanna, Jenn, and I all ordered the same thing AGAIN!) After dinner, I had to say my goodbyes and head for the airport. The rest of the girls planned to go out and do a little gambling. Did anyone win???

So now that you know what we did all weekend, here are my thoughts about this amazing group of women that I am so privileged to know:

I'll start with Julie and Laura--the women that I already knew IRL. It was so awesome to see Julie again. She looks fantastic! Seattle really agrees with her. Julie is so smart and funny and thoughtful. I could hang out with her for hours and never grow tired of talking to her. She makes me feel like I'm an interesting person (which is quite a stretch! LOL) and she is so comfortable to be around.

And Laura--the glue that holds us all together! You know how some people are the-glass-is-half-full people? Well Laura is a the-glass-is-overflowing kind of person--the most positive and uplifting person I know. When the experts say you should surround yourself with people who inspire you to be a better person, they were talking about Laura. I've never been with Laura around a big group before, though, and I have to say that she was much quieter than I expected. She lets everyone else talk and tends to sit back and enjoy the company. Kind of a new twist!

Laura mentioned that last year in New York, Rita was Lindsay's girl crush. Well Desi would definitely by mine for Vegas. She has an awesome, self-deprecating sense of humor. And yet she is so confident and charming. She cracked me up the whole time I was in Vegas and I instantly felt so comfortable with her.You can tell she is an awesome mom--the kind that doesn't take crap and lays down the law. Can't wait to hang out with her again!

Heidi was the one I knew the least, and the one who surprised me the most. She is so freakin' cool. She's hip but super down to earth and obviously super smart. She is the kind of mother that I want to be. I admire her so much because she has started a full-time grad school program with 3 kids at home. If that isn't awesome, what is?

Speaking of awesome, there is Jenn. She is organized and put-together, And yet she is so laid back and easy going and easy to talk to. Jenn is super thoughtful, too. I had mentioned wanting to go to a MAC counter to have a makeup consultation, and Jenn went out of her way to make sure that happened for me. It really meant a lot to me, and it's a small example of how Jenn takes care of her friends!

Joanna is as funny in real life as she is on her blog. She is a story-teller and she might be the most stubborn person I've ever met. She has such an amazing sense of self that I truly admire. I can't wait to see her again and think I might have to make a special trip to Philly just so I can hear more of her hysterical stories.

Lindsay is the one with whom I spent the least amount of time, which bums me out because I really really wanted to get to know her better. She is in real life as she appears on her blog--sweet, good-natured, always taking care of everyone. She is also beautiful and taller than I expected. She has the warmest smile and makes everyone feel special. I want to room with her at our next girls' weekend! (Or at least sit by her during a meal!)

Bridget has the best sense of humor of anyone I know. She has had to deal with so much crap, and yet she does so with so much grace. She is a true Southern lady--poised and fashionable (which is an understatement), strong and independent, completely charming!

Rita can be summed up with one word: Passion. She is passionate about everything--food, her boys, work, life. I love the way she describes food and I definitely think she should have her own cooking show. America would fall in love with her!

And Tenaya, who I didn't know at all before this weekend since she doesn't blog. But now I'm really wishing she would blog! She is so smart and seems so "California" to me. Gorgeous and stylish and down to earth and intelligent and funny--the whole package. She's on the board at her kids' school, too, and I realized we probably have more in common than I ever imagined. I would love to meet up with her again!

In short, I had an awesome time in Vegas--a whole weekend of chatting, laughing, eating, relaxing, and even a little bit of sleeping. I came home wanting to be a better mom and a better wife and feeling so very fortunate that I had the opportunity to bond with such amazing women. Can't wait 'till next year!