Welcome to Fabulous...Las Vegas

Glamorous me and friends

If you don't know the story of how I ended up in Flagstaff, it starts with Las Vegas.

I spent last weekend on a pilgrimage of sorts--a bachelorette party in Las Vegas. A best friend from college is getting married this fall, and she's asked me to be a part of her wedding.

My fascination with Las Vegas began with The Killers--one of my favorite bands hails from Sin City. Yet it wasn't until the lead singer put out a solo album about finding himself, God, and everything in between in Las Vegas that I became fixed on moving to the Southwest. His entire album pays homage to the contradictions of Las Vegas--the fabulous and the sleezy, the cheap and the lux, God and the devil. I fell in love with the album "Flamingo", and now here I am in...well, Flagstaff. It's not Vegas, but it is the Southwest.

My friend's finance is from Henderson, Nevada, so Las Vegas actually wasn't that bizarre for his side. I feel that I lucked out in that Vegas is only about four hours away by car. The other bridesmaids needed plan tickets.

The Strip is fantastic. Though disorienting, expensive and pretentious, there is something magnificent about the glamorous, enormous buildings that loom like gods above the crowds. The lyrics comparing the worship of the sins of Vegas to the worship of God suddenly make more sense.

Las Vegas is the perfect escape. For a weekend, anyone can pretend to have the money, time and class to live it up. It's a right of passage in Vegas to pay too much for sashimi and cocktails, blow money on slots, and wait in line for exclusive clubs. Women can wear too short, too sparkly, too tight clothing and heels that only Gaga could love. Even as a self-described "frugal-ass broad", I could pretend for two days that I was a classy, well-paid, well-vacationed woman.

I wish I had a more articulate explanation of Vegas. I reconnected with old friends, made new friends, and escaped for a weekend. Las Vegas is nothing like I expected, yet "Flamingo" makes more sense now that I've experienced the muse myself.

Here's to Vegas, big dreams and getting married.


Give us your dreamers, your harlots and your sins
Las Vegas
Didn't nobody tell you?
The house will always win.

Photo from my Mom

My Mom is not much of a coffee drinker; yet in honor of this tremendous blog, enjoyed a vanilla latte at this coffee shop. Thanks, Mom!