Under my Thumb by the Rolling Stones

So much of my first trip to Vegas truly falls under the "what stays in Vegas" category, but there are still plenty of anecdotes that I CAN share. Bryan A. invited me to come along as his date to a wedding in September, 2001.  Lucky for him, it was mere days before 9/11/01.  On our way to the airport (in Oakland), he realized he had forgotten his wallet.  Being that this was (just) before 9/11, a game of 20 questions was enough to get him on the plane.  I can't remember exactly how he got the wallet, but I think that someone came by the house and picked it up and brought it to Vegas.  Bryan then somehow lost his boarding pass between the ticket counter and the gate, but again, this was no big deal.  We made it to Vegas in one piece!

Vegas was amazing and I immediately understood why Bryan thought I would enjoy it there so much.  Lights!  Drinking!  Beautiful people!  Nightclubs!  Pools!  Music!  Staying up all night!  No rules!  It truly was the adult version of Disneyland and I had a blast.  The wedding was also 100% Vegas.  The bride walked down the aisle, accompanied by Elvis.  Elvis officiated the wedding and it was still totally sweet and she wore a white dress and had a wedding party and everything.  Elvis serenaded the happy couple with Love Me Tender and it was a lovely service.

The rest of the trip was all about those things I exclaimed about above.  I think my favorite thing we did the entire weekend was a walk down the strip.  We each had a 40 oz, which you can drink, right there on the street, legally (right?).  We walked to each hotel to check out its spectacular features, like the fountains and amazing ceiling at the Bellagio and the Roman columns inside Caesar's Palace.  But my very favorite memory of the entire trip was just a little thing.  Bryan and I were getting ready to meet the group and we were hanging out in our room, listening to the radio.  We were about to leave and Bryan says, "Wait!  I have to listen to this song!"  It was Under my Thumb, admittedly an excellent song.  He sits down on his bed and starts bobbing his head, tapping his toes, and drumming his fingers on his legs.  He might have been singing under his breath.  It was so hilarious and endearing, the cutest thing Bryan had ever done!