What Happened in Vegas (via LilySpeak)

Blogger’s note: this post was imported from an old blog from my previous anonymous life, LilySpeak, but I wanted it to live here too – enjoy!

Remember that one I time I packed my bags, met Rachel in Phoenix, flew to Burbank, road-tripped with Rachface, Nicole, and Andrea, and spent the most amazing weekend on the Last Vegas strip?

I do, and it’s a beautiful, hazy, sparkly, colorful, HUGE, heart-swelling, love-filled, wine-clouded, margarita-colored, cheese plate-filled, family-reunion of a memory.

I’m a little late on the recap wagon, and so many others have already expressed such amazing sentiments about how awesome and indescribable it was. I’m going to steal a couple of your words by echoing that it felt so much more like a reunion with your closest friends (even if they didn’t know they’d be your closest friends yet) than it did meeting others for the first time.

I left Vegas on Sunday morning a more complete, more full version of myself. I feel like pieces that were missing are now in place, and like Rachel said, I know that I left a piece of my heart with each of you.

Vegas is best experienced LIVE, in person, and IN COLOR (or sepia, or black and white because editing in picnik = win), so I’ll relive it once again by showing you these pictures. Here’s my side of the story:

~

Meeting 26 bloggers-(and their husbands and fiances who were AMAZING)-turned-best-friends-turned-FAMILY in Vegas went a little something like this. So what was Vegas?

It was reuniting with Nicole in Burbank, stocking up on wine and chocolate-covered peanut butter pretzels at Trader Joe’s, a pasta picnic on her patio, and a 7AM departure for a four-hour road trip across southern Cali and into Nevada ~

It was walking around the strip with full bottles of wine and making friends because people recognized it as the Best Idea Ever

It was posing in front of fountains

And playing in fountains

It was dinner at Caesar’s Palace with EVERYONE

And Cirque du Soleil with everyone – Zumanity!

Sorry, pictures weren’t allowed in the theater, but I do have this photographic memory from the show: before the show even started, as I was sitting CALMLY in my seat, my strapless bra SNAPPED IN HALF. Just like that. Out of no where. SNAP. Before ANY excitement started, WHILE I WAS JUST SITTING THERE. I mean, it was the 18+ Cirque show and all, but HOW DOES THAT HAPPEN?!

Anyway… Vegas was also The Most Epic Happy Hour in all of happy hours, complete with $5 wine…

In a trattoria with an award-winning bathroom that REQUIRED we play photo shoot:

It was an unforgettable street dance party

That ended with balloon hats

It was hugging and kissing and seeing facial expressions and individuality of the people I’ve talked to almost daily for the better part of the last year. People whose words and thoughts and lives I’ve connected with and was finally able to squeeze the daylights out of them over and over.

Seriously, my apologies to those of you I kept petting and exclaiming, “You’re REAL!”

You liked it, admit it.

It was building on relationships that had just started developing and meeting some new people who touched my life instantly.

It was hugging, laughing with, and falling head over heels in love with the most amazing group of bloggers, women, men, students, professionals, explorers, musicians, photographers, writers, lovers, friends, sisters, brothers and family that I will never, ever forget.

My heart is fuller, my life is richer and my world is bigger having spent those 48 hours with these amazing people. To all of those who wanted to come and for whatever reason couldn’t, you were so truly missed and I can not WAIT for the opportunity to meet you next time. Because there will be a next time.

And now? I’m back in a world where people don’t say WIN and FAIL and FTW and vagina like it’s regular conversation. And they look at me funny when I do. Sad, huh?

So there it is, five days late because I sold my soul to Picnik this week and had too much fun playing with photo collages. But Vegas was a total freakin’ win.

~ * ~ * ~ * ~

Additional photo credits: rachel, katelin (with awesome edits by wishcake), amanda, and elizabeth. If I missed anyone else whose pictures I included here out of the insane amount of pictures taken, please let me know so I can give appropriate credit!