Birthday Tomfoolery

From Mike:
This past week or so has been full of birthday celebration! It all started with our trip to Las Vegas. We got to the airport on Friday afternoon and promptly ran into our travelling companions: Beth, Carter, Jamila and James. The fun had begun. We spent the time waiting for the plane to board chatting about our plans for lounging by the pool and winning the jackpot, and were soon on our way to see the bright lights of the Las Vegas Strip. We arrived around dusk, got a couple of taxis to our hotel, and met up with our fifth and final Vegas buddy, Mike, who had arrived earlier that day. Poor Mike was already a little bitter, having already handed over a large portion of his gambling budget to the various casinos around town. Despite that, we were all ready for a night on the town.

We checked into our (dated) hotel room at the Tropicana and promptly set out towards our first stop of the evening: the MGM Grand Casino. We made a quick stop by the bar for a drink, and roamed between the slot machines and card tables until we found a spot at one of the blackjack tables. Kelly spent a few minutes playing, while I eyed the roulette table across the way. After our luck ran out, we decided to tempt our fates in a different locale, so we headed to the Planet Hollywood. We spent some time playing the slot machines and many of us soon decided to give up gambling for the night and visit a nightclub. So we stopped at the Hawaiian Tropic Zone because it was Ladies’ Night and they got free drinks. It was a nice, warm evening, so we sat out on the patio soaking up the neon light, chatting, and listening to people attempt to sing karaoke. After awhile we were all getting tired and hungry, so we made our way back down the Strip, stopping by the Paris, Bellagio, and Monte Carlo hotels on the way, and eventually landed in the Tropicana’s all-night restaurant for a midnight snack of nachos and grilled cheese. We managed to make it to bed, exhausted and bleary-eyed, around 4am.

We began the next day relaxing by the hotel’s massive 5-acre pool. We soaked up the hot sun while reading, snacking, sipping pina coladas and daquiris, and taking quick dips in the water to cool off. We tried to take advantage of the swim-up blackjack tables, but they were full, so we were content to return to our lounge chairs. After spending a few hours outside, it was time to explore more of the Strip. We all got cleaned up, pressed, and dressed, and took a taxi to the Treasure Island Casino in search of the city’s best dinner buffet. The cabbie recommended the buffet at the Wynn Hotel, so that’s where we headed next. We entered the Wynn and wandered through a corridor full of high-end stores, through the lavish casino, to the buffet. We stood in line for about 45 minutes and by the time we got to the food, we were ravenous. We piled our plates high with, among other things, crab legs, prime rib, lamb, veal rib tips, shrimp, sushi, and ceviche, and devoured it until we were ready to burst. Did I mention that the buffet also had an entire room devoted to desserts? This glorious addition to the meal had pretty much every dessert you could dream of, including: strawberry shortcake, crème brulee, mint chocolate mousse, pudding, ice cream, a crepe station, and about 20 others that have names that I can’t pronounce. We all heaved our bellies away from the table, raving that we had never eaten so much amazing food in one sitting. It was definitely a major highlight of the trip.

After dinner we wandered around the casino, walked to the adjacent Encore hotel, and eventually made our way back to Treasure Island in time for their famed live outdoor pirate show, complete with dancing sirens, scurvy pirates, and lots of fire. It was great, but short-lived, and we were soon making our way through the dense crowd back into the casino. We visited three more hotels and casinos before returning to ours: the Venetian, the Palazzo, and finally New York New York. We later found out that Bruce Willis, Demi Moore, Ashton Kutcher and a number of other celebs were at the Tao Nightclub in the Venetian to celebrate Rumer Willis’ 21st birthday. We didn’t see anyone famous, but I managed to win back a lot of the money I had lost the previous day; however the poor birthday girl wasn’t so lucky.

The next day Kelly, Carter and I woke up in time to take advantage of the breakfast buffet at our hotel. It couldn’t compare to the Wynn, but we left full and satisfied, and returned to our room to pack and check out. Our flight didn’t leave until 6 that evening, so we had time to explore. We walked across the Strip through the Excalibur to the Luxor hotel. After stopping in a couple of shops and winning a few rounds of roulette, we decided to brave the 100-degree heat and walk to the Bellagio to catch a glimpse of their famous fountain show. We entered the welcomed air conditioning in the hotel and had a few minutes to kill before the next fountain show, so we walked around the hotel’s atrium which was decorated with sculptures made from fresh flowers, jumping fountains, and even had a small aviary full of colorful birds. Afterwards, we grabbed a drink at the bar and sat and watched golf, played video poker, and headed outside in time for the show. After a delightful display of dancing streams of water, we returned to the hotel to pick up our bags and head to the airport, but not before making a quick stop by In-N-Out to grab dinner, which was deliciously artery-clogging.

The Tuesday night after we got back from Vegas, we drove up to Morrison to meet up with Carter and his friend Kerri for dinner. We initially intended to go to Film on the Rocks afterward, but the idea of getting home at 1am on a work night dissuaded us. We sat on the roof of the Morrison Inn and enjoyed Mexican food until our bellies were full, and then headed home. Wednesday night was our last regular-season kickball game. Despite playing against the worst team in the league, we only managed to tie them, 10-10. However, everyone makes it into at least one playoff game, so we’re not done yet!

Thursday was Kelly’s birthday, so she took the day off and celebrated by sleeping in, getting a 90-minute massage, having lunch with her mom, and going out for dinner at Sushi Zan Mai with me, my parents, and Beth. Unfortunately, I had to work that day, but I did manage to put together a delicious home-made ice cream cake before heading to the restaurant. After stuffing our faces full of delicious sushi we all came back to the house to meet up with Beth’s parents, open gifts, and enjoy the cake. Friday after work we met up with a group of friends for happy hour at the Downtown Tavern and then went to the Rockies game afterwards. Even though they lost to the Giants, we all had a great time.

Saturday was spent preparing for Kelly’s birthday party that evening. We decided it would be fun to have a picnic in the park, complete with food, games, and beer. So we packed the coolers, grabbed the lawn games, and headed to Washington Park in Denver. When we arrived, we found a nice shady spot under a large tree and set up camp. After people started arriving, we ate and played several rousing games of bocce ball, badminton, volleyball, and ladderball, and before we knew it, the sun was setting. We scrambled to get everything packed up and put into the car before we couldn’t see anymore, then we all drove to the Wash Park Tavern for a few drinks, some lively conversation, and to catch the end of the Broncos’ and Rockies’ games. Overall, it was a fun end to a busy week, and the birthday girl said it was one of the best birthdays she had ever had!

Sunday morning we decided to try a new church that Kelly’s co-worker attends. It’s called Northern Hills and it’s only 15 minutes away from our house! The church holds two services simultaneously; one being more edgy than the other. We decided to try the edgy one this week, so we ventured into what is appropriately referred to as “the garage,” and found a couple of open seats. The worship service was definitely edgy and seemed more like a rock concert than anything, but the band had a lot of talent and we were both impressed. The speaker was articulate and genuine, and his sermon was peppered with bible passages and sound theological teachings, and Kelly and I left with every intention of returning soon. That afternoon Kelly had a hair appointment with my sister, so I went with her to my parent’s house, hung out, and watched as Kelly went from being a blonde to a brunette in a matter of hours. Afterwards we drove to the Murphy’s to celebrate Cindy’s birthday. Yesterday was Kelly’s mom’s birthday, so we celebrated by first going to Sharon’s house to open gifts, then going to dinner at Rock Bottom Brewery.

Whew, that’s it! Until next time!