So yeah, Las Vegas. My home for the last 23 or so years. Funnily enough (hahah, sisters you like that huh, it IS a word) it doesn’t feel like home anymore. When we moved I planned on flying back to Vegas every couple of months to work. I had my first trip last weekend and let me just say, I won’t be going back as often as planned.
I wasn’t all that excited to go to begin with. Leaving the twinzies and Jeff and leaving our beautiful weather for the 108+ temperatures of Vegas wasn’t all that appealing. On the plus side I got to see my sisters, brothers, Mom and Dad, and a few of my nieces which was really awesome.
So the flight to Vegas pretty much sucked and I almost barfed, which would have been a first for me. The plane descended so fast it left me dizzy and nauseous. The plus side was I met a really nice lady from Bend on her way to visit her grandchildren in Vegas.
I stepped out of the airport and was assaulted a dose of the heat, tons of smoke, and the stink of Vegas. I’ll be honest, living in Vegas I rarely noticed the stink, but after a few months of yummy air I am spoiled for life. This trip reinforced that I will NEVER live in Vegas again. So it was really, really hot. And how quickly I forgot just how hot 110+ feels. It feels like shit! I had 6 sessions booked, all outside, so for the majority of my trip I had sweat dripping down my back. Gross, I know.
I rented a car (more drama there) and hit the freeway. Ahahahah. I almost got hit right off the bat. Apparently going 35-45 miles an hour for the last few months took away my city driving edge. The road rage (which has been absent since we moved) came back with a vengeance and life was not good. When we first moved to Bend it took me awhile to get used to the slow driving (as in it drove me crazy), but now I love it. My sister Stacey was having anxiety over my going the speed limit (nobody goes the speed limit in Vegas, whereas most people follow it in Bend).
Friday night after my engagement session I met one of my oldest and best friends Denise along with my sisters for a yummy dinner. My sister Ang had just got back from Disneyland and made a surprise appearance which made me so happy. Thank you girls for a wonderful night!!! We sat up talking till way past my bedtime, but it was totally worth it. Saturday brought more sessions and more heat. Luckily I was able to escape the heat for a few hours in my sisters pool.
Saturday I made a pit stop to 7-11 and had to drag all of my equipment in with me since I’m too scared to leave it in the car. Once I was back in the car I put all of my gear in the passenger seat. Next thing you know a lady was opening up the passenger side door of my car and I immediately knew I was getting robbed. I was sitting there thinking what in the hell I was going to do when she grabbed all of my gear and ran. Ha, she looked at me with surprise on her face and hastily apologized for getting in the wrong car and ran away. Whew, that would have really sucked if it was a real car robbery.
Sunday brought even more sessions, but the highlight was definitely Sunday night dinner with my sissies followed by Eclipse. Due to my late session that night we had to meet for the late show so by the time I got home and into bed it was past 2am. I had to be up for my flight home at 4am. Needless to say I was TIRED.
So anyway, it is 4am and I’m driving to the airport in the dark when a car comes zooming up behind me. There were 2 other lanes open and only me on the road so I immediately thought about those stories you hear about people rear ending you on the freeway only to jack your car or hurt you when you pull over. I was pretty worried (scared) and had my cell phone ready to call the cops. I swear, our first night in Bend I had to make a 4am trip to 7-11 (one of the VERY few stores open all night here). The roads were pitch black, I had never driven anywhere in town and had no idea at all where I was going, and it was raining. I was not scared at all, once again reinforcing I am a small city girl at heart. Combine that to the fake car jacking and I was ready to be home!!
It was great to see my clients and even meet a few new ones. I got some awesome photos that I’ll be sharing on my photography blog in the next few weeks. So there you have it, Las Vegas sucks and I’m so, so very glad that we are not there anymore.
*So just a side note before I get all of Las Vegas hating me. There are some good things to Vegas, but I guess I’m just not a lover of big, crazy cities. When I was living there it wasn’t all horrid, but compared to Bend it seems so much worse.