Vegas

So, for those of you who haven't heard, I went to Vegas this weekend. My roommate Amy lives there, so Kirsi, Amy, and I decided to go for the weekend! We left Friday afternoon and pulled into Vegas that evening to watch Amy's sister Sarah play a game of powderpuff football. We went to Amy's house, where we had a delicious meal, and then watched My Big Fat Greek Wedding before going to bed!

Thursday was great. We got a huge breakfast spread, then went shopping at H&M and the mall before going to the Las Vegas Strip. We walked around the Bellagio and the Forum, where I picked up a Mother's day present... :) We shared appetizers at the Cheesecake Factory for lunch. Then we just wandered around City Center and walked up and down the strip before going back to the car to avoid the drunk people that were starting to come out as late afternoon turned to evening.

Here is my take on Las Vegas, particularly the strip. There is such a huge divide. There is the overwhelming opulence of the huge hotels, some of which change their millions-of-dollar displays weekly or monthly. Then there are the beggars sitting at the side of the roads holding signs saying "I won't lie - it's for beer," and the people dressed in grungy pants and oversized t-shirts snapping cards for nightclubs and drinking parties as you walk by on the sidewalk. You can't look down or up, because those cards are scattered all over the sidewalks and there are billboards for different clubs up above the roadways. But down the street there is a M&M world playhouse for little kids, not to mention the temple only a few miles away. The marble bathrooms in the hotels are contrasted with the dirty, gum-covered sidewalks and greasy gutters. And tourists buying trinkets at the numerous jewelry stores walk right by the nightclubs where desperate people resort to desperate measures to survive. The opulent parts were cool to see, and it was fun to look at the flower displays, the choreographed water shows, and the impressive architecture. But even doing that left me with a dirty taste in my mouth. I'm not really in a position where I can do a lot to help someone overcome an addiction that is supported by begging on the side of the road. But I'm walking the same halls as the people who can ignore others and even take advantage of them, all for a little fun. I can understand why people get drunk in sin city - how could you live with yourself being there, ignoring others' suffering, without drinking your conscience away? Then that made me think - what am I doing, that I can even look down my nose at these people? It's not like I'm doing a lot to make the world a better place. I guess right now what I can do is just make everyone around me a little bit happier, and work my hardest to get in a position where I CAN help those people. It's a little hard to balance it all.

So, enough with the gloomy self-reflection. We had a fun time at the strip, and then we went back to Amy's house to watch the last half of the BYU basketball game. Unfortunately, we lost. But Amy's dad made steak and her mom made a delicious salad that reminded me of Sarah Salad, so that helped us to get over the loss. We went out and stuck our feet in the hot tub and talked for a while, about life the universe, and everything. Then we came in and watched Tuck Everlasting, which is pretty much like Twilight except that the girl makes the right choice and lives her life without giving up everything for some guy who could make her live forever. It was fun.

This morning we went to church with Amy, then came home and ate lunch before packing up and leaving. We stopped in Cedar to have dinner with Kirsi's grandparents, which was great fun. We got home late tonight, and now I need to get ready for this CRAZY week coming up. Talk to you all soon!!!

Love,
Eliza

P.S. I bet you'll be surprised - I was the first one ready to leave every time we went somewhere. When we left to go to Las Vegas, when we were going to the strip, when we went to church, and when we left Vegas for home. Ha!