It really did take me 49 hours to get there. I'm counting from when I left London. I did get to sleep at my folks house for about 5 hours. That does help. Five hours horizontal has to be worth 10 hours vertical [keep it clean; this is a G-rated blog!].
So Friday. A lot of sleep and little coffee and a pedicure later, we were ready to go. The pedis we got [M
om and I] was a first for Mom. It was a great way to melt away the travel stress from the day before. I had to go right out and buy Vegas flip-flops. Zebra striped with sparkles. My nieces would love them. Later that afternoon, I had the opportunity to catch up with some Semeter at Sea friends, Debbie [see picture], Marvel, Jill and Lee. It was great to see them all. Last January, I sailed in the Bahamas with Debbie, Marvel and Jill. It's great that we can find time to catch up. It was the first time I had seen 
Lee since we walked off of the ship in May of 1995. Everyone looks awesome, of course, and before I knew it, it was time for Bette Midler on stage. My folks and I were about 6 rows from the stage. I have one word for you: Go! http://bette.aeglive.com/
Oh wait! I forgot that we had dinner at Spago in Ceasars Form [shops], a Wolfgang Puck restaurant. About the time for coffee, THE Chef [do I call him Mr. Wolfgang or Chef Puck-?] came out to greet the tables! We were there to celebrate my Dad's birthday. It was a great meal and a nice way to get ready for the concert. http://lasvegas.citysearch.com/profile/7023123/las_vegas_nv/spago_at_caesars_palace.htmlOf course, we went back for dessert after the concert. I was very lucky to have my friend Kristin join, who has recently moved to Las Vegas from Chicago. Kristin could be Trisha Yearwood's sister. I'll have to insert photos so that you can decide! The desserts were great [all highly recommended], and I also recommend Margaritaville, across from Ceasar's. Kristin and I headed over there after dessert to catch up. Great band playing! Did you know that bars close on the Vegas strip?
Saturday's good weather meant it was time for a walk-about. We went from Ceasar's to New York, New York [okay, further than I thought] to the Venetian, then tried to see the show at TI [Treasure Island], and back to the hotel. Everyone was ready to pack their feet in ice by the time we got back! Quite the walk-about. We had a nice dinner at Joe's Crabs [not Joe's Crab Shack]. A great Chicago staple.
Sunday was an "iffy" weather day, which meant a good day for going to the outlet mall. Just a few bargains found as my suitcase was already full [when did I become a high-maintenance traveler?]. Then back to my room for Oscar night. Thanks to Kristin for providing all of the snacks. A few pizzas and we were good to go on the awards. What a treat to watch them on the West Coast time zone, finishing at 9 pm when it's still an early night, versus Midnight from the Eastern time zone.
On Monday, there were a few slot machines that took my money [but I did earn enough credits to get a Ceasars Las Vegas sweatshirt!] and then it was time to start the journey back to St. Louis, and then the U.K. Getting to St. Louis was uneventful. My flight to U.K. was delayed due to snow. My only anxiety was getting here before the dogs, which you can already assume that I did!
