Sister, Sister: Part I

Viva Las Vegas! The biggest perk about living in Sin City is that people actually come to visit me. This past weekend it was my big sis Robin Jean and I knew when she e-mailed me 12 hours before she arrived stating that she was ready for alcohol by the yard that I was in for a fun filled 63 hours of sisterly bonding.

Day 1:

We grabbed some yard drinks filled with Everclear from LA BAYOU on Fremont and hopped from casino to casino just hanging out and having fun. Next thing I know we're in the men's bathroom of the Main Street casino posing in the urinals with a piece of the Berlin wall behind us.

I may have missed a few steps in this sequence, but as mentioned above, there was a lot of Everclear being consumed. So after recruiting a nice man to stand lookout and also be our photographer (he was actually an off-duty security guard --- thanks for not kicking us out!), we ended up at Denny's for a 1:00am breakfast before making it home and crashing for the night.

Day 2:

We awoke around 9:30 to a pounding headache and a tipsy-turvy tummy which should have taught us to lay off the happy juice for a while, but as my older and wiser sister told me, the best cure for a hangover is more drinking. After we stopped and bought some souvenir cigars for her husband Larry, we headed to Fat Tuesdays! After getting our drinks, we decided that we'd had a lot of empty calories in 12 hours so we walked up and down the strip taking in the sights. Here are some highlights:

On the bridge:

Rubbing Buddha for some good gambling luck:

And while I cannot disclose how she earned them, all I can say is, "Wow sis. I'm impressed":

Finally, we stopped to watch the water show at the Bellagio and thought it was a perfect time for a photo op. Unfortunately, the camera just wouldn't seem to work (or so we thought), so we had to keep trying and trying and trying to get a picture, and when it FINALLY worked on the last shot, we reviewed the pictures, and here is what we found:

Take 1:

Take 2:

Take 3:

Take 4:

Take 5:

Take 6:

Take 7:
Maybe we weren't ready to be drinking again after all. So we moved on to the next logical sin - smoking! That's right - sister taught me how to smoke! Things started out a little rocky, as I have never in my 23 years tried to work a lighter, and my seasoned pro sister laughed at me while I was trying to figure it all out:

After several failed attempts, sister stepped in and coached me through it. After my first few puffs, I got a little arrogant and thought I would look REALLY cool while trying to drink, smoke, and document it on film all at the same time. I was wrong. Very, very wrong.

A few hours, 3 cigars, and several re-lights later, I had it pretty much figured out, although I still don't look nearly as cool as I thought I would. Let that be a lesson to you, kids. And mom/dad, if you're reading this, Robin made me do it!
With our hangovers fresh in our minds, we decided to call it a night before it got too late so that we would have enough energy to go out again the next and final night.

Day 3:

Yard drink refills and lots and lots of gambling! Here's Robin winning big!!

Needing some fresh air, we headed outside and found this perplexing sign:

Despite Robin's best efforts to yell through the concrete and ask if anyone was down there, she did not get her Prime Rib.

So, we searched elsewhere and stumbled upon a bar called Hogs & Heffers where Robin entertained herself between drinks on a spinning bar stool:

And while we were having a lovely time just hanging out and chatting with the fun bartenders,

the music they were playing was just not dance worthy, so we spoke up to our new friends, Red and Dirty Gerty, and requested something we could boogy to. Ask and you shall receive. Only catch? We had to get on the bar and dance. Higdon sisters afraid of a little bar top dancing? I think not!

We even broke out the shimmy. That's right. No fear.

After such a SUPER FUN weekend with my big sis, I had to take her to the airport today so she could return to the frozen tundra of Iowa. What's next for me? A long nap --- because in T minus 3 days, yet another sister comes to see me! Love you Robin Jean, thanks for a great sister weekend!!