Views of Las Vegas

My sister Lindsey took me to Las Vegas for my birthday, and we had more fun in four days than most people pack into months of everyday living.

Takeaways from the trip:

-There is nothing like the desolate beauty of the desert. Driving with the top down, far from the city, it's quiet and eerie and lovely. There was a full moon for my birthday that bathed the entire desert in whitewash. Stunning.

-Five-star dining is worth every. single. penny. Watching the Bellagio fountains while sitting right on the lake, having the sommelier pair your wine with your courses, sitting surrounded by fresh flowers and original Picasso paintings, eating food that puts you as close to heaven as you can get on this earth.

-Vegas has the highest concentration of the shortest skirts and the highest heels in the entire U.S.

-Aussie men sure can move (highly recommend the Thunder from Down Under show for you ladies when you visit). Whew. That still makes my heart beat fast.

-Cirque de Soleil shows are worth every. single. penny. We saw "O." I doubt any production can rival it. It was a feast for the eyes and ears.

-A day by the pool in your own personal cabana calms the mind and soothes the soul.

-There is no other city in the world where a gigantic chandelier made of tequila bottles seems totally appropriate, and even pretty.


Quotes I'll always remember from the trip:

"We stop at pancakes house."
"They don't call it sin city for nothin'."
"That's a totally different dude!"
"Acapulco lilies make me sneezy."
"I was marked."
"The club can't even handle me right now."
"It gives me a thrill to come out of a place knowing the Mustang is waiting."

Oh, and though it's not really a quote: the blank stare I got from the young, fit-looking guys who work at the hotel when I asked them where I could go to hike. Suffice it to say that Vegas is not really an outdoorsy, exercise-oriented town.

Thanks for the trip and the beautiful memories, Lindsey. SF.

Ode to Lindsey

Your infectious, funny chortle
As a baby in the back seat
Was one of the many joys
You gifted to me as a tiny treat.

As you grew older and wiser,
And your little hand grew bigger in mine,
I sometimes had quick twinges—
The baby that you were was gone in no time.

But now that you’re a big frog
All sassy and grown,
It’s a joy to watch you learn
As you make your life your own.

Should you feel lost,
All you need to know
Is that you’re surrounded by love
And you’re perfect, smart, and beautiful, so go!

The Jar of Love

My sister Lindsey and I agreed that we would make gifts for each other this year to save money and to put our respective talents to use. Lindsey made Gary a dee-licious pumpkin pie and some beautiful handmade cards that he can send for birthdays and other occasions. He was pumped! Lindsey made me some very cool handmade Christmas trading cards and three dozen peanut butter balls, which are my very favorite cookie/candy in this whole wide world. They freeze well, too, so I'll be rationing those out at least until Valentine's Day, when I can maybe beg for some more.

For Lindsey, I wrote up six of my favorite recipes, made two pairs of earrings, and thought up some great coupons (with Gary's help) that I put together in the coolest little coupon book. But the most fun present to make was the "jar of love."

Gary and I had a couple of marathon sessions where we talked out loud about everything we love about Lindsey. I typed up our thoughts and printed them out. Gary made them look good by mounting each separate thought on a piece of patterned paper. Then we put them all in a jar and labelled it "Reasons Why We Love You." One of them was: You always have a suggestion about how to improve a bad situation. Another was: You're insightful about how people relate to one another. You get the idea...

We were pretty proud of ourselves for making such a cool gift, and Lindsey cried when she opened it. (It runs in our family--my mom cried about one of her gifts, too.) I hope that my sister will open that jar any time she needs a boost or a positive thought or to feel loved. I hope that it makes her feel like the special person that she is.

But I got more out of that gift than she ever will--insight into why my love for her runs so deep. It's not just because I helped change her diapers and held her hand when she crossed the street and got up with her when she was sick sometimes. It's not just because I watched her grow from a baby into a woman. It's not just that we have a psychic link (no kidding--we're complete opposites on the Myers-Briggs scale and still routinely say exactly the same thing at the exactly the same time in exactly the same tone of voice!). I love her because she is funny and smart and loving and loyal. Even if she weren't my sister, I'd count myself lucky to be her friend.