My Mom's 60th Birthday- Vegas Style

My Mom loves Las Vegas, much like the rest of us do.  It is a great place to relax, roam freely, soak up the sun, dance, and make great memories.  My Dad came to us in November and said, "I want to take your Mom to Vegas for her 60th birthday and I would love it if you girls would meet us there!"  It was a tough sell, but we all decided to go.

Originally, we planned the weekend to be a giant surprise.  We were all going to fly to Vegas and then sneak up on my Mom with a big SURPRISE! However, my Dad used his discretion about eight weeks before the trip and told her.  At first we were bummed but then we thought, Who cares- we're going to Vegas! 

Heather was nice enough to watch my kids for the weekend so Damien and I could get away for some fun.  The kids were all okay with it, too!  Emily even had the nerve to say to me, "Mom, can you leave now?"  Heather plays makeup and lets Emily chew gum so it is a huge selling point for her to watch the kids!  We flew down to Vegas with Gina and started having a blast the minute we stepped out the door!

We landed ten minutes before my parents (who flew with Natalie) and made an obnoxious (yet predictable) scream when we saw each other.  Let the birthday weekend commence!  We decided to stay at Caesar's Palace because we all love it there.  We had a great lunch at Margaritaville and then cruised the strip a little bit.  My parents then went back to the hotel to get ready for The Beatles LOVE show at the Mirage.  Damien and I have seen it before and it is out of this world!

While they went to a great show, Gina, Damien, Natalie and I ended up at a Chinese restaurant in Caesar's that might have been the most awkward dinner I have ever had in my life.  You take an elevator up to the restaurant and then walk into a big white room.  It was super quiet and just had a weird vibe.  Don't worry about us, though.  We managed to laugh and be inappropriate enough to drown out the weirdness.

After my parent's show and the not so normal dinner at the Chinese place- we took my Mom to an Ice Bar in the Monte Carlo called Minus 5.   Everything in the bar is made of ice.  The benches, the cups, the walls, and the many ice statues around the place.  Everyone is given a pair of UGGlike boots and the four girls upgraded to the fur coat package.  Honestly- when else would I wear a huge white fur coat? (We took them off for this picture.)  We even got cute hats that we might have worn for the rest of the evening.

My Mom and Dad loved it in there.  It certainly was hilarious and something I won't soon forget.  We went to a karaoke bar at the end of the night and listened to the woman sing my Mom into her 60th year at the stroke of midnight.  It was a pretty perfect way for my Mom to celebrate the ringing in of her birthday.

The following morning, we sat by the pool for about three hours and tried to pretend that the 106 degree heat wasn't affecting us.  Nope, not at all.  Not hot.  We shared in some great laughs and walked around the circular pool talking politics.  Kind of unexpected but we managed to make even that, funny.  And for the record, my Dad walked with his hands in his pockets in the pool.

In the afternoon, my Dad took a quick nap while the rest of us walked the entire strip and ended up at New York, New York.  Natalie wanted to ride the roller coaster.  Gina peer pressured me into it and before I knew it- the three of us were buying tickets and going to stand in line.  I noticed that Natalie went and stood with Gina and left me in my own line to ride by myself. 

Gina told Natalie that she thought it would be good if Natalie went on this alone and conquered her fears.  Natalie fiercely refused.  So, I gave Natalie an offer I thought she wouldn't refuse. "Natalie, if you go on this roller coaster alone- I will never ever bring up the moment or tell people the story of you bawling your eyes out on the Haunted Mansion ride at Disneyland when you were eighteen years old.  I swear- it will be like it didn't happen."  She DID NOT take the offer so writing about it in detail here is perfectly legal!  By the way, she might have even had mascara streaked down her face after the haunted Mansion ride.   Anyway, the roller coaster was well worth the money if you want to feel like you are going to barf, lose your life and your lunch all at the same time.

We headed to the Venetian for dinner at one of Emeril Lagasse's restaurants called Delmonico Steakhouse.  Honestly, it was amazing from start to finish.  It was a little on the expensive side but I can tell you that we enjoyed everything we ate to the fullest.  Bonus, was that we got to see Lisa Rinna while using the bathroom!  This was my Mom's official birthday dinner and she absolutely felt the love surrounding her and had a fantastic evening.  We were sad that Jill and Jake weren't able to join us on the trip.  From the time we arranged the trip and eventually took the trip, she became pregnant with a sweet little girl!  We felt Laura and Jill there with us in spirit, for sure.

After dinner, we all took a gondola ride through the canals of Venice, I mean- The Venetian.  It was a wonderful way to bring the weekend to a close.  My Mom had a great birthday weekend.  We did so many fun things, truly enjoyed one another's company and made memories that I will NEVER forget.  Happy 60th Birthday, Mom!