Vegas Baby, Vegas - A recap

Let me start this post off by saying that I am not a "Vegas Girl". Typically, when someone says "Let's go to Vegas!", I feign ignorance and pretend that I didn't even hear them. Don't get me wrong. I am not anti-Vegas or a prude. In my 20s, I partied in Vegas like the rest. I have many hazy memories of my past trips and the debauchery I participated in.

My last trip to Vegas completely burned me out. Three years ago, Cicely and Gary got married at the Monte Carlo. We were there for 4 days. I shared a room with Cicely's other friends who I had not met previously. Let's just say, it was a colorful experience. Between running around helping Cicely and Gary prep for their wedding and my roomies' drunken ridiculousness, I lost my love for Vegas. This is not to say that the trip did not have its finer points. I loved being there for my best friend's wedding and the intimate dinner reception that followed. However, I did not enjoy being treated like a big nerd by Cicely's other party-loving friends. On the plane back to L.A., I swore I would probably never return.

Flash forward to a few months ago, Wendy invited me to join her Bachelorette Party in Las Vegas. I accepted her invitation with the idea that she wasn't completely serious. After all, who invites someone they just became friends with to Vegas? I had a moment of panic when I found out that she was serious. Wendy has become such a dear friend to me that I decided to just keep an open mind and go.

The Mini-Van Group (L-R)
Me, Wendy, Mike R., Suzi, Jordana, & Mike H.

Wendy rented a mini-van and 6 of us departed L.A. for Las Vegas. The car trip flew by. We spent the entire trip chatting incessantly. We arrived at Mandalay Bay Hotel at 4:30. Wendy had reserved a suite for all of us to stay in.

Photo of the Vista Suite from Mandalay Bay Website

View of the Las Vegas Strip from our suite.

We had dinner with Wendy's fiance Lior and his family and friends. We met up at the Grand Lux Cafe in the Venetian. There were 22 people at our table!

Group photo at the Grand Lux Cafe

After dinner, we retreated back to our suite to get the party started. On the way back, we stopped by a liquor store to stock up our bar at the suite.

Wendy showing off her bachelorette necklace.

Around 12:30 there was a knock on the door. Gee... I wonder who it was.
Wendy: I didn't realize we were making that much noise.
Guy at the door: I guess I'll have to come in and check it out....
As you guess it, the guy at the door wasn't who he said he was. A few minutes later "back-up" arrived.

Here is a hint as to what they actually do for a living.

There are other photos, but this is all I'm going to show. Let's just say they were very entertaining. It was more comedy than anything else. All of this happened on our first day.