New Years' Eve 2012

After returning from a week away for Christmas vacation, apparently, we still needed more of an adventure. Sitting on the couch the Thursday before NYE (which was on a Friday), a few of us decided we should make a spur of the moment drive to Las Vegas. We discussed this option, yet no one made a final decision (apparently this is why we are all in a committment-challenged phase of our lives...). We decided that we would make the decision by 10AM the following morning. As Kristen and I walked to our apartment, we agreed that the trip would never happen. 

Friday, I was scheduled to take the GRE at 4PM. I had studied the week before and was ready to get it over with. That morning, we decided we would go to Vegas, but we now faced the problem of me not getting out of my test until 9PM. I called and was able to take the test early. By 7PM, we were on the road to Vegas. It was quite the adventure!

 This was the 1st stop of our trip. It might have been taken in Beaver, Fillmore, or Cedar City. Not really sure.

 Caesar, Mike, Amber, Kristen, and Mike 2 

 We were able to stay at a home of Mike's friend, Caesar's friends older brother? (Not really sure where to put the comma's in that phrase...) I have no clue who the brother is, but for some reason the dog lives there by itself. It is big. Really BIG. It had a lot of hair--EVERYWHERE. For being a dog, it was a cute little chunk. Well, big chunk.

 Kristen, Mike, Caesar, and Mike outside Treasure Island

 To fill up the middle of the day, we bought tickets to Madam Taussad's Wax Museum. While there, we ran into these celebrities. They asked to pose with us. Not suprised.

 Love this man. Judge me. I'm confident in my admiration and will back it up. 

 Poor Mike was sick. Unfortunately, 1/2 of it was self-induced by drinking 19/20ths of this bottle of DayQuil in a 8 hour span of time. We got some good secrets out of him while he was experiencing a "haze." I think he learned his lesson.

 A very poor quality picture of the 3 of us waiting for Cirque De Solei Mystere to begin. It was amazing. I would highly recommend it.

 The rest of the evening (pre-midnight) was spent watching people loose hundreds of dollars (which was extremely intriguing) as they played blackjack and other games, following around an individual so we could figure out if "it" was a man or woman, exploring the casinos, and braving the crowds.

Some individuals might or might not have gambled ($1). One person might have almost won enough to pay for the gas for the entire trip. All people might have lost all the money they won. That is addiction, ladies and gentleman. (Pictures are not being included just in case said people decide to run for public office some day).

Our evening ended as we counted down the seconds of 2011 and welcomed the new year. After the fireworks ended, everyone realized that they needed to leave the Strip at the exact same time, which created a monstrous traffic jam. We all latched on to one another and inched our way out of the crowd. Kristen had some drink poured down her and we all had it splash against us. Sick. I am pretty sure that a stampede could have easily occurred if some one would have fallen. It was crazy and while I will probably never go to Vegas again for New Years', we have lots of great stories.

The next morning, we woke up and jumped on the road. We stopped in St. George and went to church and drove the rest of the way home. It was a great trip--one that will not soon be forgotten.

 Since I am a teacher, this is what I taught my students about the day I returned to school:

1. Don't gamble.

2. Dogs belong outside.

3. Men should never live without women because they are dirty

4. Don't drink an entire bottle of DayQuil.

5. Alcohol smells bad and turns people ridiculous.

6. Stay in school and don't do drugs (well, I just tell them that every day).