After 4 hours of delay, my bus arrived around 11pm. My parents picked me up around 12:30am after waiting two hours for a car rental. We arrived to our Airbnb home to find ourselves locked out and it was incredibly hot (99 degrees at night 116 in the afternoon :0)! After an hour of contacting our host and trying to break in we settled on a hotel for the night. The host apologized and ended up paying for our hotel! Anyway, we drove to the Venetian Hotel the next day to see my sister and relatives. Driving down the strip is insane! Vegas has no shortage of hotels, casinos, food, and shows. There’s also no shortage of business cards with half-naked women flooding the streets…
Saturday my sister got married at the Graceland Chapel! Before the wedding, I visited the famous pawn shop from “Pawn Stars” (less than a 5 minute walk from the chapel). Seven minutes later, they were married and 32 of us were hurried out of the chapel by two Elvis impersonators. I joined the bride and groom and others in a limo to the reception dinner. Keri and Drake are so happy together and I’m glad the ceremony/reception went well! The next day I made $25 in blackjack, hung out by the pool, watched a dueling pianos battle, and explored famous hotels down the strip. I left that night to the airport for an overnight flight to Fort Lauderdale.
Duration
3 days
Accommodation
Hotel (1 night), Airbnb (3 nights)
Favorite Food
Spinach drink from La Bonita
Favorite Site
The Strip!
Cool Person I Met
Deon. Deon is a 30-year-old “tatted up” man currently working as a veterinarian assistant, born and raised in LA. He travels twice a month to Las Vegas to see his daughter who lives with her mother. Deon loves his little girl (he quickly showed me a few pictures), and plans to eventually move to Nashville with her. I could sense this guy has experiences many struggles in life and that he greatly appreciated our pleasant conversation. We talked about the traumas working in a veterinarian hospital, LA culture, the Biblical flood story, and alleviating poverty.
Highlight
Watching my sister get married in a chapel (maximum occupancy: 35) conducted by two Elvis impersonators, which lasted about 7 minutes. Here’s how it went down… https://www.facebook.com/GracelandChapel/videos/1353082864729473/
Big Takeaway
Family relationships are important and a blessing. I’m fortunate to have two loving parents, two awesome big sisters, now two brother-in-laws, and an extended family! Times when we can all be physically together are special. I think people are designed to thrive corporately and the family unit is a primary way to receive comfort and joy. Of course, not every family relationship is healthy. Although, these become opportunities to thrive in a different sense, that in unhealthy family relationships give us the opportunity to love. Learning to love someone unconditionally is a beautiful quality. We don’t always get along perfectly, but we always have each other. You cannot undo a blood relationship. Therefore, see the blessing for what it is, enjoy the relationship, and make the most of opportunities!
Your Turn
As a Christian, what is your perspective on gambling? What distinguishes gambling from everyday risk-taking like driving to work or going for a run?
Any advice you’d share about staying in touch with family members?
Please note: I reserve the right to delete comments that are offensive or off-topic.