Viva Las Vegas!

OK, it's not my first choice for a destination. Hell, I can think of a hundred American cities I'd rather visit.

But I can hardly wait till very early on Friday morning when Elisabeth and I will take an all expenses paid mother and daughter trip to Las Vegas. Yup -- just the two of us, both over 21 and both ready for a vacation... even if it is just for a day and has to be "paid for" by a three day drive back to Seattle!

Elisabeth gets a company car and can upgrade nicely (because someone in Vegas left the company) if she picks up the car. The company will fly us both there and put us up at the Monte Carlo. We "simply" have to drive back home. So we're planning to make the most of the 24 hours we have in Vegas! A show or two, a buffet or two, a drink or two by the pool, served by a Chippendale's waiter or two... Who knows?!

We'll go from seedy to classy in a day as we leave Sin City and drive about 800 miles (I dread that!) to the location of the best Shakespeare festival in the US and my dad's home, Ashland, Oregon, where Elisabeth will meet my father's lady love and the four of us will see the season's final performance of Two Gentlemen of Verona. Then we'll drive all day again, all the way to Seattle.

From the time Elisabeth was tiny, Tom (who for some reason loves Vegas) had promised her that he'd take her there for her 21st birthday. That never happened because life got in the way, so he took her for her 22nd birthday and they had a wonderful time, walking (fast) all over town, observing (because Tom's not a joiner), and staying up all night. This trip with me will be a whole different experience. We'll lounge instead of walk, we'll engage and chat with strangers (because we're both the social type), and we'll be back in the room by 2 AM at the latest (because unlike her dad, I'm no night owl!). And dammit, we'll have at least as much fun as they had!

We'll take lots of pictures and blog away with the "best of the weekend"! Stand by...