Karried Away December Issue

My dear friends of LSM, I have a fun story to share with you all this month that I hope will serve as entertainment and give you some helpful travel tips for your next destination! This month, I want to tell you all about a special trip that I went on with my mom, my aunt and my cousin. My aunt and my mom are cousins and very close in age. They practically grew up together, and are the best of friends. They have told my cousin, Taryn, and me stories from their twenties when they would travel together, visit each other’s colleges, and make memories together.

            Taryn and I want to do the same thing, explore the world together and make lasting memories to share with our daughters. We have both gone to visit each other in the past, but the first of our adventures as cousins in our twenties was this September when we did a Vegas girls trip, with our moms!

            This trip was extra special because it also meant to commemorate Both Taryn and me turning 21-years-old in the same year! You might say, we waited to do this trip until we could have “real fun,” and that we did!

From blackjack, to the Penn and Teller theater, to wine tastings, there was always something to do, and we did it up! I have to say, I do think I experienced beginner’s luck when I was playing Blackjack because I turned my five-dollar bet into nine dollars! I was feeling quite proud of myself. Unfortunately, though, I think I need to listen to the song, The Gambler, a little more because I did not know when to hold’em and when to fold’em. My nine dollars quickly turned into fifty cents, and I figured by that point, I had set myself back too much that I would be better off laying by the pool, instead of gambling.

Of course, there are so many activities in Vegas other than blackjack, and we kept busy. We made sure to visit all of the grand hotels, walking in the lobbies with awe over the architecture and the art. The Venetian, in particular, is my personal favorite. It makes you feel like you have been transported through time and space to Venice. There, you can eat traditional Italian dishes and drinks. You can even take a gondola ride, steered by a singing gondola driver, riding the stream that flows throughout the hotel's lobby, under bridges, alongside cobblestone streets.

It was there, at the Venetian, where Taryn and I had matching custom birthday sashes made. We wore our birthday sashes during the entire trip, especially when we went to shows. On the first night of the trip, my mom and I saw Penn and Teller live at The Rio! The magicians were incredible, performing breathtaking tricks that blew our minds! At one point, Teller made twenty goldfish appear out of thin air in a fish tank that had been sitting on the stage empty right in front of our eyes the whole time.

The next night, the four of us went to the Park MGM to see Maroon 5 in concert! It was the best venue I have ever been to, allowing us to be within 100 feet of Adam Levine. His singing voice is so incredible, with so much range, making this one of my favorite concerts I have ever gone to.

Last, but certainly not least, we were completely in awe when we went to The Bellagio to see O, the Cirque du Soleil water performance. It was the perfect combination of intensity and beauty. The show kept us on our toes the whole time, watching the talented dancers flip across the stage, performing wild stunts above pools of water.

This trip was short, but so sweet, filled with family and memories that will last forever. Taryn and I will always cherish our girls trip to Vegas, as we continue to plan vacations and grow up together.