Mike has told Breanna for years that when she turns 21 he would take her to Vegas. So when they invited me to go along, I packed my stitching and went with them.

Yes, my stitching. Moving on.

We were there for 3 days, and although I dragged my camera everywhere, I didn't actually take very many photos. Here are a few I did take, though, along with a couple of highlights from our trip…

We stayed at Caesar's Palace, and every time we walked the halls to and from our hotel room, Mike would say, "We should check out the pool," and "Look, I can see the pool from here, " and "Maybe one of these days while we're here we can go swimming in the pool."

So Bre and I took him to see the pool, which was really very pretty. These fountains were in the middle of it…

Here's Bre in front of it, wearing her Vegas pants, as they came to be known…

This is the view of part of the hotel, towering over the pool (you can see the reflection of the opposing tower in the windows)…

And here are some of the beautiful statues that were around us…

While we were there taking photos, two security guards started chatting with us. They were there to make sure people didn't go inside certain restricted areas, but after a while, one of them said to the other, "Should I them to the place?" And the other said, "Yes, take them to the place."

When in Vegas, one should not follow a perfect stranger blindly into a place called the place, but since we were in Vegas, we decided to follow.

I realize that was an odd statement.

So our security guard, named Seth, led us past the restricted area, around a corner, along the hidden length of the pool, and up a long flight of stairs. When we got to the top, he told us that this was the place: the place where celebrities go to enjoy outdoor parties like the one Celine Dion just had here to celebrate her baby's christening…

(That's Bre and Seth, walking farther ahead)

Inside those archways are lounging areas with large flat-screen televisions…

Even though I personally wouldn't plunk down a million bucks to reserve the area, it was a lot of fun to see. It was like our own private tour, and Seth was as pleasant as could be. He took this photo of the three of us up there…

And then we passed the camera around and behaved like regular tourists…

We also visited the New York, New York casino, where Mike and Bre rode this crazy roller coaster that you can see tangled in the facade…

And somehow Mike managed to talk Bre into helping him fool all passers-by into thinking that they were actually going to consume the Statue-of-Liberty-made-entirely-out-of jelly-beans…

Nobody really paid much attention though, bc we were in Vegas, and people do that sort of thing there, I suppose.

On our first night there, we decided to see David Copperfield's show. Breanna has always been a huge fan of magic, and loves to try to figure out how things are done. (I, on the other hand, become incensed when I can't figure out an illusion, and I always want to storm out, screaming something unpleasant.) So up to the ticket window we went, only to be told that there were no tickets left, but we could check back later to see if Mr. Copperfield had returned any to the theater. (He keeps some tickets back for friends or family, but if they don't get used, then he returns them for the theater to sell.)

So back we went at 9 p.m. to see if luck was on our side. And yes, it was! We got front-and-center seats, and we were thrilled! (Even me, the magic-hater!) At the beginning of the show, David told everyone to find him on Twitter and send him a tweet, and one person would be chosen via direct-message on twitter to meet him after the show. So Bre took out her phone and sent him a text that said something like this: "It's my 21st birthday, and it would be an awesome gift to be able to meet you!"

And this is how the story ended:

(Btw, when she got the DM in the middle of the show, we all just about squealed with excitement. We couldn't believe it! The guy who led us backstage to meet him told us that during the show, David takes a break and runs to read all of the tweets, and then he chooses one person.)

And btw, his show was so amazing, I am now a convert. It was truly mind-boggling, and he has quite a sense of humor, which I didn't expect. 🙂

The next night, we went to see Cirque du Soleil's Ka and then watched the fountain and lights show in front of the Paris casino, which was fascinating…

It was a fun trip, but since there were no quiet stitching corners to be found on the Strip, I'm very happy to be home. 🙂 Plus, these two clowns took the whole "what-happens-in-Vegas-stays-in-Vegas" thing a little too seriously…

Happy 21st, Bre!