dear las vegas, i love your bright lights and big colour!

as you know, i was lucky enough win a complete registration to this year's wppi, and because i have the most generous family and friends in the world i was able to actually go to wppi 2011 in las vegas!!

this was my first ever trip to las vegas, and while i could have done without the secondhand smoke (indoor smoking, really?) and i could have done without the loud cackling women in the hotel room next to me, vegas is probably one of my favorite cities. then again i love exploring any new city and each one quickly becomes one of my favorites.

i loved the local colour. my mom and aunt (who accompanied me on the trip) and i took advantage of the local bus system as an inexpensive way to explore the city... randomly, i met the same transportation-bus-security dude on three different occasions. a very brilliant man who loves his city and is grieved that the government would rather invest in the casinos rather than education. another bus driver provided some wonderful entertainment for her passengers on my first evening there. her wit had me doubled over with laughter. for example... an automatic message kept playing over the speaker on the bus, advising passengers to remain seated until the bus came to a complete stop; no one was to be standing while the bus is "in motion." some passengers found this message amusing and kept repeating it to one another. at this time, the bus drive piped up and said over the speaker while the bus was at a complete stop, "honey, if you think this bus is in motion, then you'd better stop drinking now!" hmmm... perhaps you had to be there.

on our first evening in las vegas, we rode the bus up to freemont street and enjoyed the 'freemont experience." freemont street is the original las vegas strip and is what i imagined vegas to be like... crowded, wonderfully noisey, impersonators galore and drag queens walking around. the street is closed to most traffic and has a huge canopy covering the street with a light show and ziplines creating a spectacular spectacle.

i love bright lights... my favorite time of day while in las vegas was at night after the sun had set and the lights from the casinos and traffic lit the city. i siezed every opportunity to be outside walking in the fresh air, taking in the sights and sounds - this was partly due to the fact i was in a conference room from nine am to eight pm all most every night, and partly due to my love for walking around new places and taking in all the local culture and watching fellow tourist indulge in famous past times!

one thing i personally indulged in while in las vegas was live theatre! i love live plays and musicals alike more so than concerts so i was thrilled to the opportunity to see the lion king at mandalay bay.  one word: magical. i could see this show over and over and over again. i was crying during the opening scene... the music and the way the performers moved cut through all my anxiety and weariness and overfilled my heart with joy! you have to go see it! you have to. and when you do, take me with you. oh my heart!

i still have so much share from my time in vegas, particularly all the tips tricks and sage wisdom i gleaned from the convention, but for now i am happy to share with you some fun photos of my las vegas adventure!

at our hotel the palm trees were getting some love and much needed pruning!

little purses made from m&m packaging! what a great way to up-cycle trash!

hmmm m&m's galore!

the freemont experience 

ziplining on freemont street!

ummm... some of the local colour!

the vegas strip from street level.

waiting for the bellagio fountains to begin.

bellagio fountain, one.

bellagio fountain, two

enroute to mount charleston

still enroute - joshua tree.

joshua tree up close.

inside the bellagio gardens - chinese new year theme.

foyer at the bellagio. the ceiling is venetian glass.

the paris.

the vegas strip from the top of the "eiffel tower."

the sugar factory - a store dedicate to sugar!

this one's for you krissy!

a big thank you to everyone who made it possible for me to go, and to all those i met while i was there. my life - both personally and professionally - has been transformed!