Sin City, Emilie style

We went to Las Vegas last week. Garrett went to watch basketball, and I went to be warm. (But really, I liked the basketball, too.) I hadn't been to Vegas for almost 10 years — since playing in a lacrosse tournament there when I was 17. I remember feeling kind of alone on that trip because I didn't have a friend to hang out with. I had a few close friends on the team — well, one or two — but for some reason I got separated from them at some point and my best memory of the trip is wandering around Caesar's Palace alone one night. That was back when there was a Virgin Megastore there, and after an hour of listening to random music on those huge headphones (remember those?), I "discovered" Something Corporate. Then they became big, and I was always smug that I heard about them before my friends.

And now I can't remember the topic of this post, and I've probably lost eight of my 10 readers. (Thanks for sticking around Mom.)

Oh, Vegas. Last weekend. Well. I had a list of things I wanted to do: Go to H&M (went to three); buy a new tub of A Perfect World lotion from an Origins store (check); bask in the sun (accomplished, but not by a swimming pool, which is fine because I'm fat right now and don't look great in a swimming suit); drive past the LDS temple in Vegas (did that, but it is most definitely not in Vegas proper); and see some basketball games (yes, and the Aggies won).  Oh, I just had a horrible thought that some of you might have thought I went to see BYU play, but please be assured I only wish them many losses. We're Utah State fans. Period.

Anyway, I didn't plan to get giant blisters on the balls of my feet the first day, but oh well. I'm sure the folks around me thought it was hilarious watching me trying to decide which foot to limp when both hurt equally.

So, other than the painful foot issue, it was a good trip. And in the midst of the horrid desert of Nevada was color galore in the middle of the Bellagio.

I had heard there was some sort of a botanical garden in the hotel and was, quite honestly, disappointed when I saw it. But really, I should have known Vegas wouldn't do a botanical garden like the rest of the world. It consisted of a bunch of potted flowers in a lobby with a skylight. And there was craziness all around with fake balloons, a butterfly house, carousel and other ... stuff. The room was beyond crowded, and everyone was shooting photos. You would have thought no one had ever seen a flower. And then, suddenly, my camera came out, too. Because it occurred to me: I haven't seen a flower in almost SIX months. And then the little "lobby" with its potted flowers became a lot more awesome.

(Oh, and guess what? I came home and found that my little tulip and anemone and crocus bulbs outside my front porch have begun to sprout. Just in time, too, because one more month of this winter crap and I probably would started heading back down south pretty soon. I know, I know, it'll snow again. Just let me think it won't for a few minutes.)

Oh, I'll leave you with the most strange image that showed up on my camera. Please click on the photo to enlarge, check out the guys behind us and tell me what they're doing. Are those really Books of Mormon?