Little Alexx Blog

What a trip. First off, the day that we left, I had already packed but had forgotten my suitcase at home, which I asked my lovely mother to bring for me. So, all packed up, the three of us said goodbye to my roommate and headed to the airport. I am awful with directions, however I am not fully to blame because it seems to be a genetic trait brought to you by three generations of Greek women with absolutely zero sense of direction. Not even five minutes into the trip, Yiayia missed a turn and thus began our trip with us all screaming at one another in Greek. 10 minutes into the trip, I lamented how I completely forgot my contact solution…. We finally got to the airport, with our cute little carry on luggage and, you guessed it, a to-go box of Spanikopida. It’s a Greek spinach pita pie, that my Yiayia somehow found appropriate to put into individual baggies for us to eat on the plane. Spinach stuffed into small baggies… I’ll let you put two and two together.

So, right as we walk into the airport, after being shuttled in from the parking lot, seemingly 20 miles away, Yiayia had a full freak attack about how she left her phone in the car. What does any good Greek granddaughter do? Complain the whole walk there to get it and complain the whole walk back. She seemed to have lost her phone at least 10 times on this trip. Basically this trip was me watching Yiayia do a Yiayia thing, watch my mom do a Yiayia thing, and then wonder when I will one day do a Yiayia thing.

Now, my mom and Yiayia are not tall ladies. We are very short people but lord, they are pitbulls. This past weekend, they were no longer my family members but my personal body guards, glaring at those who’s eyed lingered too long as we walked past.

I personally love plane rides and I will admit, I like a little bit of turbulence, just like I like a little pulp in my orange juice, otherwise it gets boring. I’m weird, I suppose. I happily had nothing to do and I spent my time reading a very scandalous romance novel while my Yiayia and mom passed out. In hind sight, I should have been sleeping every chance I could. We live and we learn. Finally, after what seemed like a 9 hour flight (technically only 3 hours), we were finally in Vegas. Oh boy, the look on my face when I saw those mountains, I felt so happy to be in the desert!! Let the vacation begin!

Yiayia has never used Uber before. I am a huge fan of it and use it all the time. So, when I told Yiayia we were going to use it this trip, she was so confused by what “HUBER” was. Vegas and I’m assuming other major cities have really gotten the whole thing down, having separate lots and drop off stations for them driver, where as Uber in Arkansas is basically pick up/drop off anywhere you please. I was really impressed with how organized the casinos and theaters managed their taxi, shuttle, limo, and rideshare services.

We jumped into the uber and find out way down to the Bellagio, which I was dying at the sight of. It’s basically in the main area of the strip and honestly just drop dead gorgeous. All over the strip, each hotel has their own casino inside, as well as a shopping area and theater. They also have their own themes, such as Paris or New York, New York…. Let me tell you. It’s thrilling.

So, we get to our room, (presidential suite…OH MY GOSH SO BEAUTIFUL), and I make myself at home in probably the biggest bed I have ever been in. I’m a tiny individual so it swallowed me whole. We got all dressed up and walked around Caesars Palace, which was just breathtaking and went shopping, right up until the time for dinner at Spago, a Wolfgang Puck restaurant. I’m a foodie and enjoyed every single morsel of it. The drinks were fantastic, the food was delicious, and the overall ambiance was just so romanic. We had a ridiculously beautiful table on their patio, over looking the Bellagio fountains, and I could have cried right there and then eating my dinner and watching the waters show while Celine Dion’s “My Heart Will Go On” played in the background.

After a hearty meal and a quick walk away, we went to the Flamingo hotel, where we saw the X Burlesque show. For those who don’t know what burlesque is, go watch the movie with Christina Aguilera and Cher. It was phenomenal. It was a topless show, but was done in such a way that was so empowering. It was uber classy. The women were beautiful and so talented, their dancing ranging from ballet to jazz. I was so impressed by their athleticism and their overall stage performance. It was a really late show, so we ended up going back to our rooms after and passing out hard!!

The next morning, we hopping in the uber and went to the famous Peppermill. It is a 50’s themed diner with a hint of mystery and sex appeal, from their booth only restaurant and their fire fountain lounge, with neon lights and mirrors covering the walls and ceiling. There is a reason one could lose track of time in Vegas. They do a great job at distracting you from the real world. It was honestly such a yummy meal and because the portions are kinda large in Vegas, one doesn’t need to eat three square meals while there.

We went to the Venetian after brunch and shopped till we dropped, literally. My advice, bring comfortable shoes. There is so much walking. While in the Venetian, it’s Italian themed and we rode in the gondola on their man-made river right in the center of the strip mall. It was so gorgeous and honestly, I felt like I was in Venice. After being half lulled to sleep by sweet Italian opera, we went back to take a nice nap before the big night ahead of us. THUNDER DOWN UNDER. Need I say more?

Okay, so let me tell you something. I literally almost died. Actually, I’m drooling just writing this. If you have seen Magic Mike, well, this was 10 times hotter than that. Not only were these men, and yes, they were MEN, have the most beautiful and toned bodies I have ever seen, but they had Australian accents. They all came from a body building or dance background and OH LORD. They were so talented. And complete gentlemen. So, in a room full of 250 (screaming) women, we had the pleasure of seeing 8 blessed by the Lord himself, men perform. What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas, but let me tell you that I thoroughly enjoyed the show. And it was a great way to celebrate my 21st birthday.

The next morning, we took our time getting up and awake, lounging in bed and really just enjoying being with each other. We had only gambled a little bit, (I’m not a huge fan of being on the casino floor, mostly because of all the smoke, *please stop smoking. It’s so unattractive* but I do like black jack!) We took our time to get downstairs to eat at  Sadelle’s , which honestly reminded me of a French salon, with their robin blue ceiling and walls. It was all just very classy looking.

It was nice to sit and just relax, drink a mimosa, enjoy being a basic white girl eating avocado toast (which I had never had before and now realize why everyone goes crazy for it) and simply just laughing and joking with my family. We walked around, saw the sights but for the most part, just rested, having been going crazy staying up so late the past two nights before. I think one of my favorite parts of that afternoon was the three of us on the balcony overlooking the pool, drinks in our hands, and taking in the almost 70 degree weather while it was snowing back in Arkansas and Missouri. I was living the good life.

That night, we went to see Blue Man Group, which was honestly very trippy and odd but I really enjoyed it. I honestly had no idea what to expect from them, not really ever understanding it was a show. I highly suggest seeing them at least once in your life!

After the show, we went over to the Palazzo, where we went for some yummy food when all of a sudden, the power goes out and we are sitting in the dark in the middle of this restaurant, with only candle light. It was hilarious. Now, of course the restaurant managers and chefs were freaking out, but us being in the restaurant business so long, it was quite humorous and no problem for us. For me, it was just yet another thing for my to discuss in my blog entry, as I wrote down our misfortunes in my notes. All in all, it was still a great last night in Vegas, but My gosh, was I worn out. It didn’t help much that we had to be up at 4 am to pack up and catch a ride to the airport.

Instead of the bright eyed woman who first arrived ready to conquer Las Vegas, in her place was a very swollen eyed girl who looked like she was 15, glasses and all. As much as I wished to stay in the near no humidity city that never seemed to rest, I was looking forward to being in one place for longer than a few hours and just sleeping. And sleep is what I did. Call me a baby, but I get so tired that I can’t even keep my eyes open, much less function talking to someone. I was so lethargic when we got back, that when I did wake up after sleeping for 4 hours in the afternoon on Sunday, I could open just one eye and use one hand to text back people to let them know I was alive and home before passing out again into oblivion. Oh the joys of Alexandra. Not much of a snorer but definitely a sleep talker.

It was such an amazing trip and I was honestly so incredibly blessed to have gone with my mom and Yiayia, just as my mom went 25 years ago with her mom and Yiayia!!

Today’s Mantra: 

“I AM enjoying this time in my life. “

love love love your age and this moment.

blessings, a