This past weekend, Pants and I packed our suitcases and hopped on a plane to Vegas for a little vacation. I’d never been west of Chicago, so I was very excited to visit a city on the other side of the states. Our flight left Saturday afternoon and I gasped in delight when Pants arrived to pick me up…I had forgotten the boyfriend always travels in style ::swoon::

We slept part of the way and then Pants listened to metal and I started reading The Hunger Games. By the third chapter I was already enthralled and excited for the movie to come out.

[ How to barf mid-flight??? ]

We stayed at The Signature at MGM, which I would 100 percent recommend. The room was beautiful (I took pictures, but not until after we’d trashed it so those aren’t getting posted :p), the staff was helpful and it connected to the MGM casino and other hotels while still being quiet and out of the way. We had a wall-sized window with a beautiful view of the mountains (and airport, but mostly mountains!), a king bed and pull out couch, a mini kitchen on one wall, and big fancy bathroom.

After a bumpy landing and erratic hard-braking cab ride my brain was a little scrambled, so we wandered the casino, got Japanese food for dinner and then headed off to sleep.

On Sunday morning we found a little diner nearby using UrbanSpoon. Not completely sure what direction it was, we ended up walking around and through two hotels, up to the monorail, through a parking garage and past a line of sprinklers. By the time we found Coco’s we starving and a bit soaked, but it was worth the walk. Omelets, muffins, hash browns and OJ and we were feeling much better!

Sunday night I had the pleasure of meeting the beautiful and sweet Vanessa from HelloVanny. After an awkward moment explaining to the concierge why I did not know the last name of the person picking me up, Vanessa pulled up in front of the hotel and headed over to Punk Rock Bowling. It was great to get a little tour from someone who lives in Vegas and she gave me a bunch of tips on where to eat and what to see. She was just as awesome as she comes across on her blog, which is always a relief when meeting someone from the internets!

Finally, the entire reason I flew across the country…the Descendents. It was everything I could have imagined. They sounded FANTASTIC and played all the songs I wanted to hear. The crowd was so into it, singing at the top of their lungs, fists in the air. I think everyone realized they were witness to something really special, something that might not happen again for a long time. I think they last time they toured was when I was in high school – aka a very long time ago. I feel really lucky that I was able to see them live and am definitely going to get my ass to Riot Fest this year so I can see them again!

After the show Vanessa dropped me back at the hotel and I power walked through the casino, all the way over to Tropicana because my brother was in Vegas too! I had been a little sad watching the progress map on the place ride because we were so close to San Diego, but not close enough for a visit. So I was thrilled when I got a text from my mom saying he was in Vegas too! We played slots until I lost the $20 in gambling money my mom sent with me  and then parked at the bar for a bit and had a drink.

Monday Pants and I hung out on the strip most of the day, wading through crowds and checking out the other hotels. We found el Jimador margaritas in a can and downed them while riding the monorail.

And as soon as we realized there was a Ben and Jerry’s we stopped in to check off another flavor – chocolate peanut butter swirl. One of my favorites so far!

We wandered around the Venetian, watched the singing gondoliers and had Chipotle (and Panda Express >_<) for lunch. Then we headed back to the hotel for a little rest and a dip in the pool because it was finally warming up!

Monday night I decided I wanted to look very Vegas-y and pulled out my sequins, sparkles, and veeery tall wedges before we headed out to see Cirque.

Mystere was as spectacular as I had imagined. I love their shows because there is something interesting going on in every little corner of the set; characters sneaking out of the floor and popping out of the ceiling. The aerial bits were beautiful. They swung from trapeze and then jumped off while hanging from a bungee harness, flipping around and around, the jeweled fringe on their costumes turning them into sparkling jellyfish. There were strong men doing acro,  a team of acrobats swinging around and climbing up poles, and a little old tuxedoed man interacting with the crowd and making everyone laugh. I only wish the show had been longer, but it got me pumped up to perform again at the end of the month.

[ Post-show pizza on the balcony of the Venetian ]

After Cirque I changed into flip-flops, though I already managed to get a blister on the bottom of my foot >_< We wandered down the strip and watched the fountain show at the Bellagio. But after a while, the crowds were so thick I started to panic a little, so we headed back to the hotel for movies and drinkies in bed.

Now I’m home and happy to have my piglet back to snuggle at night. He had a lovely vacation too, spending the weekend at my parent’s house. Being away made me completely appreciate my own little town. Vegas was fun, but nothing compares to my adorable city and cozy little house. ::swoon again::