Valentine's Day in Vegas! Part 1.

I may have lost my voice a few days before Valentine's Day, and thankfully got it back on Saturday, but there was nothing that was going to stop Jamie and I from going to Vegas on Sunday for a little Girl's Trip!  We had talked about taking a spontaneous trip a couple days earlier and since it was Valentine's Day weekend, we figured it would be a little bit less crowded and the price was right!

I drove us to Vegas and we had booked a room at Mandalay Bay.  It was beautiful; floor to ceiling windows across the whole room, two huge fluffy beds, a double vanity/sink in the bathroom, glass shower and Jacuzzi tub.  Why didn't we take a little swim when we got back to the room that night, Jamie?!  Once we got settled into the room and freshened up we had a little bite to eat and wandered around the Casino before stopping at a Craps Table.  I had never played but Jamie said it was really fun, so we watched (and I tried to learn a little more about the game), had some cocktails, did some slot machine gambling and then went up to the room to get ready for Dinner.

Valentine's Day in Vegas with Jamie!

We took a cab to the Aria because we were having Dinner at Carbone which was one of the top-rated new restaurants in Las Vegas.  We got two spots at the Bar and were ready to feast.  Jamie and I decided on the Caesar Salad with White Anchovies and the Mushroom Fettucine.  Jamie was going to order another Appetizer but the Bartender stopped us saying we'd have plenty of food after their Appetizer course of Assorted Bread, Pickled Vegetables, and Charcuterie.  He was right!  I had started to lose my sense of taste and smell the day before and sure enough it was long gone by the time we got to Las Vegas.  I had tried eating Wasabi at Happy Hour earlier and nothing.  So unfortunately, I can only go off of how I imagined the food would taste as texture and appeal are all part of eating as well and I had a little sense of it.  I actually ate a White Anchovy and it didn't scare me and the Fettucine seemed perfect!  I want to go back and eat the meal all over again!  We got a little after Dinner dessert that accompanied the meal and I ordered a glass of Moscato from the elegant drink cart.  It was a beautiful dining experience and the perfect Valentine's Dinner Date.

Dinner at Carbone in the Aria Casino :)

Then we took a cab to the Luxor and we were able to find a $5 Blackjack table.  We did have to wait a little bit to finally get some seats but both of us were able to play and enjoy ourselves for a few hours.  It was amazing how quickly the time flew by as we were playing.  I ended up breaking even at the end of our gambling adventure and then we headed back to our hotel.  It was nearly 3 am by the time we were back and we had another full day on Monday!

Part two of Valentine's Day in Vegas is continued below...

Valentine's Day in Vegas! Part 2.

There's nothing like a little trip to Las Vegas on a whim...

On Monday we went to Wicked Spoon in The Cosmo for Brunch!  This buffet was crazy; it's voted as one of the best buffet's in Las Vegas and it had something for everyone.  Everything is already portioned out so you can take as many as you like from any of the stands, carts, cuisines, etc.  As you know, my sense of taste was completely gone, so I was eating as much as I could and imagining what it would taste like.  I knew it all would have been incredible.  This restaurant will also be at the top of my list to visit the next time I'm in Las Vegas.  The options they offered, and the quality of food, was better than anything I've ever seen.  I even tried eating horseradish to get some sense of taste back but that did not help.  It was almost like the Jackass episode where they feed the guy wasabi and he eventually gets sick.  I was getting to the point where I was so desperate to taste food, I was eating anything pungent and trying to get something out of it but nothing worked.  Jamie seemed to really enjoy it and they offer a $15 Bottomless Bloody Mary, Mimosa, or Bellini for two hours which I'll oblige in the next time we visit.  Also, you can't skip dessert as there is a whole section designated to it including a Gelato Bar!

Brunch options at Wicked Spoon in The Cosmo!

Until next time Vegas...

After Brunch we walked from The Cosmo to the other end of the strip to The New York, New York Casino to seek out another $5 Blackjack Table.  We found one with slightly different rules; they automatically bet for you when you could Double Down or Split, so no matter what, you wouldn't lose, but the Dealer also pushed on 22.  It still ended up in our favor as Jamie won back all the money she had lost the day before and while I had gone done at the table, I came back up.  Over the course of our gambling I only ended up $20 in the hole.  Not too bad for at least five or six hours of gambling over two days!  We walked back to The Cosmo to grab my car and decided to stop at the Secret Pizza Place there and get a slice; one with lots of garlic for me and I'm sure that would have been great as well.

By six pm we were ready to head back to LA so we made one stop at the Outlets at Primm for a little late night shopping.  Jamie made out really well there getting some fabulous deals while I just did a little browsing.  Then we chatted, listened to music, read quotes for the rest of the long traffic-ridden drive back to Los Angeles arriving around 1 am and so ready for bed!

It was seriously such a fun trip even though I was sick the entire time.  It was a Ladies Valentine's Day and I couldn't have asked for a better date!  We had great food, a blast gambling, a beautiful room, and of course, each other to laugh with.  It's a trip to Vegas that's still chill but super fun that makes me really excited to go back sooner rather than later :)

Broadway LA Style

CAC Studios put on a Broadway Cabaret LA Style show at the beginning of February to celebrate Valentine's Day with songs of Love.  I was singing in the show which was at Three Clubs in Hollywood and it was so great to be a part of this fun Cabaret with some beautiful music and even more fabulous performers!

Before Showtime...Kerstin, Kenni, Cassandra, Max, Giana, Elizabeth, Hadiyyah, myself, and Dani :)

 The show opened with 'Elephant Love Medley' from "Moulin Rouge" and we all had some solo's throughout the song and were spread apart in Three Clubs so our voices were coming from any open space we could find.  I love that movie and I love that song so I was really excited to be a part of it.  Adam also sang from "Moulin Rouge" doing 'Your Song,' which he just kills every time he does it!  Elizabeth played Patsy Cline, while Cassandra did 'Let it Go' from "Frozen."  Milton did one of my all-time favorite songs, 'Lady' by Kenny Rogers, and Hadiyyah sang 'One and Only' one of my favorite Adele songs.  Kenni showed us a different side to Peggy Lee's "Fever" by doing it as Anna from "Frozen."  I did 'Time After Time' by Cyndi Lauper (had a little costume change from our opening number) and changed into my New Year's Eve dress, and Julia complimented it by turning on the disco ball during the song!  We closed out the Cabaret with 'Seasons of Love' from "Rent."

Thanks to Adam for jumping in and singing back-up for me during 'Time After Time!'

Songs of love, happiness, tears of joy, and more were shared by the audience and all of the performers.  Thanks to Neil for coming and taking pictures!  We had a packed house and I was so glad to be a part of such a great show and sing in honor of my Mom!

Love.

I love Love.  I love being In Love.  What I don't love...Valentine's Day.  For as long as I can remember, it's always brought feelings of anxiety, frustration, confusion, and sadness.  It started in elementary school and has continued throughout my entire life.  In fact, my parents still send me flowers, candy, or cookies on Valentine's Day to show me, no matter what, I always have them.  I greatly appreciate their love and support and do look forward to a day when that can be shared with someone else as well!

As a child, you have no expectations of Valentine's Day, and just look forward to the candy and Valentine's Day cards.  Unfortunately, for me that wasn't always the case.  Some kids would buy Candy Grams for every other person in the class but me, some of these kids were even my friends, and would explain that they wanted to fit in, and this way, maybe they could get me into the 'popular crowd' if they just followed along.  Let's be honest, that never worked, and is a load of bs.  As I grew up, and went to High School, where I never even had a date for a Homecoming or Prom, and then went to College, where my first real boyfriend and what I thought at the time, was the love of my life, and I broke up on Valentine's Day, it really wasn't getting any better.  I'm not innocent either; because of the past, this day scares the crap out of me and I let my emotions get the best of me and have doomed the day, and because of my own insecurities, even ruined it.  But by this point, you do have expectations, you hear stories from your friends and family, and although I had high hopes, it was just never in the cards for me.

I can't completely deny that EVERY Valentine's Day was terrible because I remember my older crush in High School taking me home on Valentine's Day one year, and I still have the stuffed animal and Love Letter my later College Boyfriend gave me, but over 90% of my Valentine's Days have been sub par or even crappier.

So what's so special about Valentine's Day?  Nothing.  It's just a day that Hallmark assigned to be a day to tell someone you love or care about them, a day to plan a special date, or do something different and romantic, or express feelings you haven't yet said.

Here's my question...why does anyone need a specific day to do those things?!  I do those things every day when I'm in a relationship.  I'm honest and open about my feelings, love planning dates and doing something fun, love taking care of someone, and just spending time with the person you care about.  I don't need it to be February 14th to do any of those things.  I think as we all get older, we do hope that our Prince Charming will one day surprise us and sweep us off our feet, making all those other Valentine's Days non-existent.  Here's the thing, it doesn't take a fancy or outlandish dinner, a crazy romantic date, an expensive gift, or even a proposal.  Kind words, a thoughtful idea, and compassion and love go so much further.

I refuse to be jaded by this day and even though the majority of my thoughts about Valentine's Day are negative, I do hope that I can find someone who will one day, change my perspective and idea about this day, because to him, he just wants to see me happy.  And being with the one you love, is just that.  Love is enough :)