This past weekend, I met my sisters (and a few of their husbands) in Las Vegas to go see Celine Dion perform at the Colosseum at Caesar's Palace. Our husbands all collaborated on this for Christmas this year and I love how thoughtful they were to think of something fun we sisters could do together.
All of us except Jade and Melanie flew into Vegas on Saturday morning, so we waited at the airport until we were all there, and when we went out to find a shuttle to our hotel, it turned out to be only $3 more per person to ride in a limo for an hour. This being a first for many of us, of course we had to take pictures. :)
I had to take a picture of "the Statue of Liberty! . . . the small one from Las Vegas" to show my kids which one was stolen by Gru and his minions.
It was SOOO windy the day we were there. So windy, that the Bellagio didn't have it's fountains on, which was sad since that's something I'd have liked to see. I think we stopped by this random statue because it was sheltered from the wind. And then we found an even better place for a picture--the conservatory inside Mandalay Bay. (below)
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| Just a cute picture in the conservatory in Mandalay Bay |
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| The secret Garden and Dolphin Habitat that we did NOT go into despite our walking around for 30 minutes to find it, because it cost like $25 per person. We just turned around and decided to do this instead. <---------------- |
How many people can we fit in a phone booth?
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| One of the cool fountains in the Forum Shops |
We kept seeing these giant fountains that reminded us of the scene in Music Man where Mrs. Shinn is leading the busy bodies of the community in some lyrical dancing.
This is "One Grecian Urn . . . (trickle, trickle, trickle)"
DRAGON FACE pose, in honor of Chinese New Year, (the year of the Dragon). My kids rated us in order of scary-ness. 1-Natalie, 2, Sharee, 3 Jenny, 4 Julianne, and 5 Melanie. Sorry Mel. You are not scary at all according to my kids. And Julianne, you are just "playfully scary."
A word about Vegas Strip. Or maybe a few. I thought it was one of the most wretched places I've ever been. It's like Chucky Cheese on steroids. (And I don't even like Chucky Cheese to begin with.) Everywhere we went we got cigarette and cigar smoke blown in our faces, our eyes were assaulted with billboards and ads showing people with not enough clothes on. The flashing neon lights and the noise from a million different slot machines pounding in our ears gave me such a headache. It was a relief to get outside into the light and breathe some fresh air. But once you were outside, you had to dodge all the "porn-slappers" as we called them. (The people out on the strip handing out Satan's version of the "pass-along card." They slap the cards on their hands waiting for someone to make eye contact with them.) It just made me sad to see so many people sitting in a dazed stupor in front of the slot machines, drinking and puffing their smoke on everyone. What a waste of humanity. Melanie basically summed up how we all felt about Vegas in her blog--you should check it out. She is a very witty commentator.
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| Wow. This is what I felt like by the end of the night. TOO MUCH NEON!!! |
After a long day of walking, we pulled ourselves up the only free seating in Vegas--the edge of a fountain. (Natalie's feet were NOT happy!) I'm sure it's on purpose that the only places to sit in Vegas you have to pay for--either a restaurant, or in front of a slot machine.
Finally it was time to go find our seats (the most expensive ones of the day) for the absolute BEST part of the trip---Celine Dion! I've always thought Celine Dion was good, but wouldn't have necessarily called myself a fan. Well, I am now. I was sitting there thinking that I really wish she were my friend. She was classy, gracious, genuine, beautiful, and I think I can honestly say she is the most talented and versatile vocalist I've ever heard. There were so many breathtaking, goosebump-raising, and just completely thrilling moments through-out the show. She did a lot of her own classics, but she also sang an Ella Fitzgerald song and nailed it, she sang as a tribute to Michael, "Man in the Mirror" and nailed it, and she also sang this incredible piece in French that I couldn't understand a word of, that left everyone in the audience speechless because she sang it with such raw, heartbreaking emotion. It was such a great concert--easily the best thing to see in Vegas.
Thanks for the fabulous Christmas present, Arthur! You are the best gift-giver I know.
Here is Celine's opening number of her show in Vegas.
(I think she did even better when we saw her.)
(I think she did even better when we saw her.)
