Fall 2006: Living Large in Las Vegas

Build your own website on Tripod It's fast, easy and economical.

Share This Site More

This trip holds a lot of promise, as well as a lot of pitfalls. My longsuffering S.O. is competing in a Sweet Adelines International. That's a good thing. It's in Las Vegas,

Nevada. That could be amusing. Her mom is coming along for the ride. That could be trouble...or it'll make life interesting, to say the least. I've already decided to go

femme on this trip, because the original plans called for her mom to stay in a separate room. That, I come to find out, has been changed. So basically, it's the three of

We leave, terribly early in the morning. I'm in a 40c bra, panties, white sox and princess shoes, light blue slacks, navy belt, and a powder blue Johnny-collar top.

Jewelry is my sterling/turquoise ring, lapis slide, and copper bracelet. Due to the hour of departure, I have no makeup on.

The first leg of this trip sees us off to my folks place. Not much to tell, other than my S.O. is getting over being sick (she's on antibiotics, poor dear), and I am trying

(and failing) to not catch what she has. Having spent the weekend in a drafty shell camper (it was my District Convention; my chorus took 7th overall), this is essentially

not working. Highlight of the trip came at the rest area; the three of us were greeted with "Good afternoon, ladies." My S.O. was a little beefed; I just smiled. My hair is

in need of a trim, which I just ran out of time to get done. With arched eyebrows and my shoulder bag, I do have a rather feminine look.

It was good to get to the folks place. Dinner was Strictly To Go pizza and a salad, and sleep came (sort of).

We got breakfast at home, and took off leisurely for Barstow. I'm in a royal blue tee, a 40c bra, panties, white sox and shoes, light blue slacks, and navy belt. Jewelry

is the Mt. St. Helen's ash pendant (it's a blue, diamond shaped piece on a black ribbon), my Celtic knot ring, and the Liz Claiborne blue bracelet. It's a lot of blue on a

day where I'm feeling green; I am officially sick. As a result, I just don't want to futz with makeup. I feel miserable, and if my folks weren't flying to Vegas (and we weren't

headed for the Grand Canyon again), I might have told them to go on and I'll see them in a few days. No can do.

Lunch was at the Harris Ranch-this is a pretty nice restaurant and by the time we got there, I was actually a little hungry. After lunch, I slept as the S.O. drove and the

Mom in law yakked. Dinner was leftovers in the room. Heartburn ensues, due partially to being sick and partially to eating too much red meat and sitting in a car. We

go out to buy some more Rolaids; I only brought a few.

Barstow, CA to Flagstaff, AZ. via Lake Havasau, AZ

After getting dressed, we breakfasted in the hotel, and then headed out. Another travel day, and while I'm feeling better, I'm still not 100%. Clothing was a turquoise

and white stripe with sparkle accents tee, a 40c bra, panties, white sox and shoes, light blue slacks, and navy belt. I put a pad in my panties today just because.

Jewelry is my sterling/turquoise ring, lapis slide, and Liz Claiborne blue bracelet. Makeup is light-some pre-makeup cream, a little mascara and lipstick, and some

eyebrow gel-and for today, I put the girls in. The girls are a set of gel pushup pad inserts that fill me out to a very full 40c. I don't normally wear them around the Mom

in law, but frankly, I just didn't care today.

We stopped at Lake Havasau, AZ to see the London Bridge. They actually have the rebuilt London Bridge crossing a river/waterway of some sort; it's quaint...and

probably worth stopping for when everything is open. Since a lot of the little shops were closed, it gave the area a run down, touristy look.

After seeing this, and driving over it, we went on to Kingman, had lunch at the Cracker Barrel there, and got into Flagstaff about dinner time. Dinner was at Buffalo

Wild Wings; DRMJS got some trivia time in. I was also treated like one of the girls, which was fine with me. Then it was back to the hotel, where I took a shower,

shaved some more hair off my legs, then got into my pj's and called it a night. Tomorrow will be a big day. I woke up in need of Rolaids--again.

And it came waaaaaaaaay too early. I am surrounded by...morning people. Clothing is the following: a long sleeve blue shirt from Dress Barn, a 40c bra, panties

(and a pad today), white sox and shoes, light blue slacks, and navy belt. Jewelry is my sterling/turquoise ring, phoenix necklace, and copper bracelet. Makeup

is a little more today--pre-makeup cream, mascara, eyebrow gel, a little Zen perfume and lipstick-and I put the girls in again today.

Breakfast was at the hotel, then off we went to the Grand Canyon. I am now Mina Sakura, Girl Photographer, taking pictures of everything I could. With a circular

polarizer and a beautiful day to work with, I got some great shots in. Lunch was in the GC Café, and after that, I got within few yards of a bull elk. He was gorgeous!

I have some great pics of that little encounter.

What else can I say about the Grand Canyon that hasn't already been said? Okay, so it's a big hole in the dirt. But it is a beautiful big hole in the dirt, and words just

can't begin to do it any kind of justice. If you have been there, you know. If you haven't...you really need to get there.

When all was said and done, we piled back into the car, and headed back to Flagstaff. Dinner was at Little America, and we called it a night after some relax time.

Flagstaff, AZ to Las Vegas, NV. via Hoover Dam

Uhhhhhh, I'm still not 100%, and now I'm stiff on top of it. (But not like my S.O. and her Mom!)

After getting up and around, we breakfasted at the hotel, and got on our way. Today I wore a three quarter sleeve blue blouse, 40c bra, panties (but no pad), white sox

and shoes, light blue slacks, and navy belt. I left the girls out today--the blouse has lots of spandex in it, and it shows things off a little too well. Makeup today is

light...just pre-makeup cream, mascara, and lipstick. Jewelry is my opaline slide, celtic knot ring, and Liz Claiborne blue bracelet.

We make a stop at the Kingman WalMart; we get a snack at the McDonald's there. We also discover that there is a TSA checkpoint 9 miles from the Hoover Dam.

They have the right to inspect vehicles, and I'm not too thrilled with this.

I needn't have worried. We got waved on-"have a nice day, ladies"-and drove across the Dam.

Lunch was at a Chili's in Las Vegas ("May I take your orders, ladies?" Goddess, I love Chili's!) and then we had a little time to kill before we could check in. So we

went to the outlet mall. I replaced a top that had been purged back in May; I'm a happy woman.

We then made a big mistake--we drove up Las Vegas Boulevard, which is better known as the strip. (Well, not where we started from, but it turns into it fast enough.)

It took us 45 minutes when we got onto the part called "The Strip" to move 2 miles. Let me tell you--CSI makes it look easy to maneuver. They lie. There is also no

sense of scale in this area. Two miles looks like forever. There is always lights, signage, noise...there is an overall sensory overload. When we finally checked into the

Best Western Mardi Gras, we were in shock, hungry, tired, etc. This is where my S.O. did quite possibly the smartest thing of the entire trip. She wanted to have dinner

at the Las Vegas Hilton, home of the "Star Trek Experience." After changing into my Starfleet Academy polo and mini communicator pin, off we went.

Because it plopped my butt right into the 24th century, which is a very familiar place for me to be. It allowed me to reattach my head to my body, get my bearings, and

get grounded quickly. One of us had to be grounded. Now that I was no longer on sensory overload, I could kind of take charge. So, after taking in both shows, dinner

was at Quark's. I had the Sulu Toss, chicken and shrimp, and a Frozen Hirogen.

The prices, for the food you get, are not unreasonable--and in my opinion, are among some of the best deals in Vegas.

After a nice meal (and shows for me-the others opted to not take them in), we went back to the hotel, I changed back into my three quarter sleeve blue blouse and we

What a letdown. All this is, is a 500 yard TV screen that they show music video type things on every so often. We all had a Krispy Kreme donut-mine promptly attached

itself to my thighs-and wandered around a bit. This was more like the Vegas I expected; Glitter Gulch at its finest, neon filled best. (?)

After the show, we went back to the motel, where two people slept. I didn't sleep well at all, and the thunderstorm that came in certainly didn't help. More Rolaids going

Breakfast was some cold Sulu Toss-no microwave, and we didn't quite want to buy breakfast. I tossed the remaining Toss, and got dressed. Today it's a royal blue tee,

40c bra, panties (with pad), white sox and shoes, light blue slacks, and navy belt. I leave the girls out. Makeup today- pre-makeup cream, a little mascara and lipstick,

and some eyebrow gel-and jewelry was my sterling/turquoise ring, lapis slide, and Liz Claiborne blue bracelet.

After loading the car, and parking it at The Stardust, we take off to go explore "The Strip." We walked, shopped, walked, ate, walked...well, you get the picture. We

wandered around the Forum Shops at Cesar's, lunched at Todai at the Desert Passage (and stuffed a stuffy at Build A Bear), and went back to The Stardust to check

in. FYI--The Stardust closed November 1st, 2006, at high noon-a victim of Las Vegas' massive makeover. Too bad; I liked the place. It was comfortable, clean, and

Dinner was at the Fireside Lounge at the Peppermill coffee shop, across the street from the Stardust. I pick up the tab for everyone tonight; our bar tab alone is $23.

Then we walked around some more. We walked 10 miles today! And that was after riding the best travel deal in town: the Deuce. A double decker bus-24 hours for $5.

Took in a water show at The Bellagio, wandered into Treasure Island and The Mirage...we saw a lot. And once again, the Girl Photographer went to work, taking night

pics of Vegas. (Some day, I may very well post them, just for giggles.)

Once we got back to The Stardust, I got into my Tinkerbell sleep shirt, and called it a day. And once again, I wake up with heartburn. Good heavens, what is wrong

Too many days with too much walking. In three days, I'm showing 22.43 miles on my pedometer. That's a lot, even for me. And there'll be more today, I am sure.

Starting with breakfast-which for me, is at McDonald's. But first, I have to get dressed: homme tee shirt, 40c bra, panties, white sox and shoes, khaki slacks, and

brown belt. Girls are off today. Makeup: not today. Jewelry: my class ring, medic alert bracelet, and the abalone necklace.

This is the one day I am playing coy. We are doing mostly convention stuff, and so I just don't want to be too obvious. (Tomorrow's another day.) After doing all our

convention shopping, we return to the Peppermill for lunch-but this time, it's in the coffee shop, not the lounge. We return to the room and get ready for dinner tonight--

this is a chorus function, and as such I can relax a little. I change into a Liz Claiborne polo-a black and white job; these are chorus colors-and change the belt from brown

to black. Jewelry as well: a mahjongg tile bracelet, my Chinese slide, and the sterling/turquoise ring. A little makeup-just some mascara and lipstick-and we're off. Dinner

was nice, catered by the staff of The Stardust, and followed by a rehearsal for the gals in the S.O.'s chorus. They are singing not as well as they ought, but they also have

When all is said and done, we retreat back to our room, I get out of my clothes and into my Tinkerbell sleep shirt (a lavender colored sleep shirt, with Tinkerbell and the

words, "Dreams do come true") and crawl into bed. I got smart tonight-I took Rolaids before I lay down.

Today, my folks arrive. But before they do, we get to do some more touristy stuff. As such, I decided to live it up to start off: Clothes were a blue tee, 40c bra, panties

(and pad), white sox and shoes, khaki slacks, and black belt. Girls are in today. Makeup: pre-makeup cream, mascara, eyebrow gel, a little Zen perfume and lipstick.

Jewelry: my celtic knot ring, Liz Claiborne blue bracelet, and the abalone necklace. I get to do all this because the S.O .had a rehearsal, so I get to enjoy a shower--

which means shaving some more hair off my legs.

The long walk to McDonald's for breakfast is my time-since I go alone, I get a chance to wake up a little-and get to thinking about how much fun it might be to do Vegas

Once the S.O. is done with her rehearsal, we go back to the Mirage to look at tigers, then it's over to the Venetian for lunch. That took place at Nathan's Famous Hot

Dogs; we just didn't find anything we liked that we could afford. (For fun, I ordered our lunch in the New Yorker's native language.) After that, we were all pretty hot and

When my folks came in, I had changed back into my Starfleet Academy polo and mini communicator pin, my class ring, and medic alert bracelet. I had sweat enough

to warrant fixing my makeup. The three of us went to dinner at "Star Trek Experience." My folks did the shows with me, as well as picking up dinner. We had a great

time, and I got to dump a little on them. But not much; we were chatted up by a member of the original Blue Man Group: an Andorian checked on us over dinner. (My

dinner, by the way, was a Captain's Cut steak-rare enough to moo-and a 20 ounce soda. I wanted the caffeine desperately. Then we all went back to the Stardust and

called it a night...tomorrow was going to be a very looooong day.

Not that I slept much. My steak was talking back to me, and so another round of Rolaids. This keeps up, I'm gonna have to find a doc when I get home.

Today isn't about me. It's about the S.O., and her chorus. For the record: 40c bra, panties (and pad), white sox and shoes, khaki slacks, and black belt. Plus a

bright red polo from her chorus, that reads over the left breast "Pride of Portland." The girls got the day off. Jewelry is: the sterling/turquoise ring, Chinese slide,

and copper bracelet. Makeup is minimal-just basecoat mascara and clear lipstick. Today is the Chorus Contest, which is why we're in Las Vegas to begin with.

Months of hard work come down to this day, this event...and the calling of the competitors for Saturday's finals.

Pride sung their hearts out. They did a fantastic job with volume, dynamics, emotion. I'm proud of them all-all 114 of them. I know they'll be a hit Saturday night.

But...the competition is tough this year. A lot of high-powered choruses came to play, and more than a few came to win. The S.O.'s former chorus-The Melodeers-are

singing in 5th position. That's good; we wish them well.

Singing in 9th position--Spirit of the Gulf!

Dinner-a pepperoni pizza, which has become a traditional meal during a chorus contest, somehow-is now talking back heavily. Very heavily. As is my breakfast from

McDonald's, and my lunch from the World's Fare at the Riviera that the Momma and Daddy and I all left the contest for. Meaning I missed seeing a few choruses, and

two of those have made the cut. I am suddenly not feeling so good about Pride's chances.

Finally, singing in 10th position--North Metro Chorus!

A roar goes up from the crowd. Part of it is joy for those who made the cut and will be competing on Saturday. But a fair number of that is a sound of unhappiness for

They didn't make the cut. Everyone is stunned.

Some are in tears. If not for our chorus, then for theirs, for we all thought we'd have a shot. Everyone their wants to see their chorus move on. From what I'd been told

later, the folks running the webcast were even stunned that Pride didn't make the cut-and told the world as much!

The S.O.-who won the whole shooting match some 9 years ago with the Melodeers-is waxing philosophical. Some of her risermates are angry--angry at the judges,

angry at the system, angry at me. As a certified director for the men's Barbershop society, I have a decent ear, and told a bunch of them that based on what I heard,

they'd made it. (I was forgiven later that night, after Ryan-their sweetheart of a director and a prince of a guy-went through the score sheets with everyone.)

Yes, we are all terribly disappointed. But in one regard, there is relief. No more heavy makeup, tall hair, and all-in-ones.

Later on, we run into a number of Pride in the Stage Door Lounge, singing. The S.O. and I join them (though we chose to not have a drink) and sing a few songs.

Having been a former assistant director of a Sweet Adeline chorus in Indiana, I can sing the bass parts for a number of songs, and having heard a lot of

what Pride sings, had picked up the bass line for those as well. This means that the S.O. and I can truthfully tell people that "We've sung at the Stage Door Lounge

Morning arrived, finally. (Technically, it arrived while we were singing at the Stage Door Lounge, but now the sun is up.) Clothing is a little different today: black Liz

Claiborne shirt, 40c bra, panties (and pad), white sox and shoes, khaki slacks, and black belt. I gave the girls the day off, for good reason. Jewelry is: the

sterling/turquoise ring, Chinese slide, and copper bracelet. Makeup is light-just mascara, some eyebrow gel, and lipstick. Breakfast was McDonald's again, but

lightly today. After putting on a maroon dress shirt (hence the reason the girls got the day off), we all went to the MGM Grand for lunch at Emiril's New Orleans Fish

House. We being the S.O., the Momma and Daddy, the S.O.'s mom, and myself.

After checking out the Lion exhibit (and taking pictures), we went on for lunch. It was fabulous! I had some Ahi Tuna that was absolutely marvelous, and well worth

the price. Cheap, it wasn't...which is why we lunched there, instead of having dinner. The food was excellent, the atmosphere, refined but relaxed. I recommend

it-but be aware of the prices and the dress code (business casual, when I went for lunch).

Once lunch was finally consumed, we all wandered about the MGM Grand for awhile, then returned to our rooms at the Stardust for a few minutes. Yesterday had

taken a toll on us all, and tonight was the Coronet Club show. Before the show, however, there was a change: I pulled the black shirt, swapped it for a black and

white Liz Claiborne Polo and added my new Starfleet Command pin, and it was off to dinner at the Fireside Lounge at the Peppermill coffee shop. We all had a blast,

eating and chatting over munchies, and then off to the show. In the rain. We took a cab to get there-the line for the busses was obscene.

Once the show was over, and we finally got back to The Stardust, I gladly got into my Tinkerbell sleep shirt, and called it a day. And once again, I wake up with

Oooohhhhh.........mmmmmm......ohhhh......yesssss...right therrrre, darl---wha? I woke up, feeling very frisky. Fortunately(?) it was at 5 in the morning, and I could

roll over and go back to sleep. Which I did. I may be playful, but at 5 AM, I am more asleep than awake to enjoy this.

Today is the last day of the convention, and as such we not only have to pack a few things early on, but I want to look nice. It is the Chorus finals, after all. Clothing:

black Liz Claiborne shirt, over which I wore my Harmony University shirt; 40c bra, panties (and pad), white sox and shoes, navy blue slacks, and black belt. I gave

the girls today off. Jewelry is: class ring, abalone necklace, Starfleet Command pin, and medic alert bracelet. Makeup-premakeup cream, mascara, eyebrow gel,

Breakfast was picked up from the Sports Book at the Stardust; McDonald's was packed. Then off to the Chorus finals, to cheer on the Melodeers. (Ultimately, they

took second to a Rich-Tones Chorus that, while good, I didn't have in first or second place, frankly.) Lunch wasn't-and dinner was at the Stardust, in the Sushi King

restaurant. I grabbed the camera and took some pictures of the Stardust while I could; I won't ever see it except on film (or digital imagery) again. Also took some

pictures of the Stratosphere...that took a little doing. Okay, from the parking lot of the Stardust, a lot of doing.

In some ways, I'm looking forward to getting out of here. In others, I'm really not in that much of a rush.

Tonight, we are going to be staying at the S.O.'s very best friend's home. So I have to be in drab today. I'm okay with that. Clothing: Starfleet Academy polo and mini

communicator pin, 40c bra, panties, white sox and shoes, navy blue slacks, and black belt. No girls, and no makeup. Jewelry: the abalone shell necklace, my class

Breakfast was picked up from the Sports Book at the Stardust again. We loaded the car, and went to the Hard Rock for a pin for my friend, the Luxor to see my folk's

"tomb with a view" (The Luxor is a pyramid, and pyramids are what the dead pharaohs were buried in), and back to the Hilton so I could make one last shopping trip

at the Star Trek Experience. We had a snack at a different McDonald's, got some gas for the car, and left Las Vegas.

We stopped in Baker long enough to get a picture of "The World's Largest Thermometer." We also stopped at a Jack In The Box for another small snack, and finally

pulled into Exeter about 7pm. Dinner was at a little Mexican place in town, and after we all returned to the house for homemade brownies and some talk-time. Yes, I

woke up with heartburn. No shock there-I ate a burrito as large as my head. With tortilla chips and lots and lots of salsa. I am running out of Rolaids. Again.

Outside of that, there's nothing to tell. When you are on the road all afternoon, there's just not much to say. I dozed a little...but did you really want to know that?

We head back to the folks today. They are flying in and will meet us at the house. I was a smart girl and packed the house keys this trip.

Clothing today: Starfleet Academy graduate tee-shirt, panties (and pad), white sox and shoes, navy blue slacks, and black belt. No bra, no girls, and no makeup.

Jewelry: the abalone shell necklace, my class ring, and medic alert bracelet.

More of the same as yesterday: traveling in the car. Lunch was at Pea Soup Andersen's in Santa Nella, and dinner (once the folks got home) was at the Buffet King.

It is always good to be in my girlhood home, and we all laughed and had a really good time. Rolaids again tonight, but no surprise. I took them before I went to bed,

knowing I'd have heartburn. It's what I get for eating my weight in raw fish and other goodies. I hope I don't need more Rolaids...I'm out.

Today we have to hustle; I have to be home for my chorus rehearsal tonight. We began our Christmas Chorus last week, and my director's already thrown a

snitch about my being gone. (He's good at that, really.)

Breakfast was at the folk's-after getting dressed: a Dr. McCoy t-shirt (Dammit Jim, I'm not a doctor-I just play one on TV!) panties, white sox and shoes, navy

blue slacks, and black belt. No bra, no girls, and no makeup. (No time.) Jewelry: the abalone shell necklace, my class ring, and medic alert bracelet.

Lunch was at Applebee's in Redding (Are you ladies ready to order?-the clerk was apologetic, but I batted my eyes at him and said it was okay), and

dinner was picked up for me by the S.O. at Taco Bell-and delivered to rehearsal.

This trip started out in a hurry, and ended the same way. It's good to be home, I guess...I couldn't tell. I was only there for maybe 40 minutes. After a short meeting

at break, the S.O. dragged me home, where I crawled into my Tinkerbell sleep shirt and plopped into my own bed.

When all was said and done, I had a good time. I'd like to go back alone and totally en femme someday, but only for a few days. A week is too much time, I think.

I'd also like to fly in next time. Still, to go there and be there as the woman I am was fun.

Since returning home, my consumption of antacid has dropped by like 95%. Seems that this trip-between being sick and being under a certain amount of stress-