Viva Las Vegas!

We love Jon's career and his perks. He manages to take us all over the place. This time we were closer to home than usual. LAS VEGAS, baby! Jon had some meetings throughout southern Utah so he drove into Vegas where I flew in to meet him on Wednesday afternoon. That evening, after a fabulous dinner which officially converted me to sushi, we set out to do a meeting in Henderson. How I love to watch my man do his thing. I'm so proud of you, Baby!

The main reason for our venture was to celebrate with distributors their accomplishments on an incentive trip. We stayed in the Mandarin Oriental which was fabulous. It was dark and intimate and free of the jingling of gambling machines. It was paradise in the midst of chaos. And, did I mention incredibly lavish. We could open our curtains with a button. We could control the temperature in the room with a button. We could watch TV, listen to music, summon our car to be pulled up with the push of a button. I concluded that the rich are lazy but it sure was nice.

We could sit in the gigantic tub and look at the view of the city out our wrap around window at the same time. It was nice to say the least.

The service was AMAZING at the good 'ol Mandarin. Everywhere we went we were addressed by our names, doors were held open, good mornings were wished. But my favorite was going to the pool. "Good morning. Would you like sun or shade?" They would walk us to a cushioned lounge, lay out our towels, set an ice cold water next to us and later come around with a lavish popsicle made from foreign fruit. I most definitely could get used to this. Ahhhhh.

Our hotel was in the city center. The buildings next to us were built on an angle which was pretty trippy. Such a unique place. I think I'm safe to say that Vegas is above and beyond. It's gaudy at its best. Just too much. But, it works.

The first evening we enjoyed a little gathering poolside with yummy h'orderves and an open bar that served the best sprite. It was quaint and warm and friendly. It was so nice to put faces to the distributors Jon talks frequently about.

Jon was business as usual. And I tried to get used to being without children.

My spoiled Jonny golfed two of the most elaborate courses in Vegas early a couple of mornings. I attempted to sleep in. I missed my babies most in the mornings but I was grateful for that quiet alone time. Of course we walked around the strip. And, of course, the gardens in the Bellagio were extraordinary. I wished the girls were there to see the gigantic bugs made of flowers and ferns. They would have been so impressed.

On Friday evening we spent our time with some distributors from Arizona and Indiana. We ate a lavish dinner atop The Palms in a booth overlooking the strip. Breathtaking. The food was delicious and despite my spilling a pepsi all over myself, it was a joyful dinner.

We narrowly missed having to mingle in the Playboy lounge on the top floor because goody- two- shoes Brittany didn't bring her license. Not my style anyway. And, on our way out of the Palms we realized where all the hookers hang out. Was that rude? I assumed they were hookers since their boobies and tooshies were hanging out of their dresses. YIKES!

We finished the evening on the balcony of the Bellagio watching the fountains from the most perfect spot.

Our party friends were very fun but needless to say, Jon and I felt very out of place. I joked with Jon that I had "mormon" scribed on my forehead. It was very obvious since we weren't gambling or drinking and I looked as conservative as a nun. Too funny. But, they were very respectful and understanding of us.

Our last night was wonderful. We all got together, corporate and distributors, and had a wonderful dinner at Sage in the Aria Hotel. The food was definitely high end, unique, but delicious.

We ended our night with a show. Viva Elvis. All the Cirque shows are wonderful.

This was a marvelous getaway. I enjoyed every moment. Thanks, Baby! (Aug4-8, 2010)