I could use one of these right now.

I never understood the appeal of an oxygen bar. Then again, I don’t know much about them at all.

Proponents claim this practice is not only safe, but enhances health and well-being, including strengthening the immune system, and enhancing concentration. It has been alleged to alieviate hangovers and help with migraines, but no formal studies have yet confirmed any of these claims. Individual flavored scents (aromas) add to the experience.

I wanted to try one but was unsure if I was allowed with being pregnant and all. No one with me would do it either. They scare easy with this hippy stuff.

You tried one?

By the way, I’ve been Flickring Vegas photos like a mad woman. Still have about 300 more!

Recovering for Vegas is taking more out of me then I ever thought it would. Sure, I have this cold that I picked up somewhere along the way, and sure I’m 5 months pregnant, but hell. I feel like I haven’t slept in weeks.

I found that I was a little more upset then I thought I would be about not being able to drink and party it up on New Years like everyone else. I mean, you go to Vegas for New Years for one thing, right? I feel like it was wasted in a way. I know, it sound ridiculous doesn’t it? There is so much more to the city and I really didn’t want to spend my days with shitty hangovers not being able to enjoy what there is to offer. So, maybe it actually worked out for the better.

For those that think there is nothing to Las Vegas but hookers, partying, drinking and filth (which is what a friend said when she told me she would never ever go to Vegas). You’re wrong. So utterly and completely wrong. I’ve never seen a cleaner city; I was truly shocked at how clean it was - even the day after nearly 400, 000 people filled the streets to celebrate New Years Eve. I find Toronto to be a far dirtier city than Vegas.

Though most of the casinos are new and appear to be of old design and architecture, they truly are amazing. There is a sense of fantasy and wonderment when standing in front of New York New York and can see Paris down the street.

Nothing can compare to the fountains at Bellagio which are timed to music like Luck Be A Lady Tonight by Frank Sinatra (not my video, but it was my favourite song played).

Or the first time you see the Grand Canyon. Pictures do not even do it justice.

Cost is not a factor when putting on a show; even something that appears to be lame - like I thought about a volcano made out of water at The Mirage - has an ambiance of mystery and magic.

Gondola rides through mock Grand Canal in The Venetian with your very own singing gondolier. Only a trip to Vince could top this.

I can’t even tell you how wonderful it was to see. This isn’t even a quarter of the pictures I’ve taken from the trip. I have so many to share, which I will upload to Flickr sometime this week and input into posts sometime or another.

And completely off topic: Mike’s contracted the cold I have and is a complete wimp about it. I have shown no remorse whatsoever to the whimpering and whining after the treatment I received while I was plagued with morning sickness. I said straight to his face that I had no sympathy for him and don’t want to hear about it. After the initial shock wore off, I think he’s finally understood how evil he really was to me.

Happy New Year! Belated, but better then never, right?

Arrived back yesterday afternoon after leaving The Strip at 9pm to catch my flight on Saturday night. I spent most of the night tossing and turning on the plane, anxious to get home to see Carter and fighting a horrible head cold picked up somewhere along the way. Got home only to be bombarded by a toddler craving attention; needless to say, sleep is lacking considerably.

I don’t even know where to start. I heart Vegas so hard. The lights, the action, the food. I can’t complain. Even family feuds and squabbles had nothing on seeing the magnificent buildings and lights. I was running on adrenaline almost the entire time and now my body is telling me just how pissed it really is. I have a monster head cold from hell and I am so fatigued - it was far from a relaxing vacation, but! a much needed break from the regular grind.

Though we had little time alone, Mike and I found ourselves happier and kinder to each other for the most part. We had each other to lean on when my family came to be too much to bear at times.

[Need I remind you that I was travelling with my mother, step-dad, brother and his girlfriend: Recipe for disater at times - and proved to be toxic on New Years Eve, but worked itself out in the end.]

By New Years Eve (the second day of the trip), we had our first fall out. No one could make a decision on anything which caused us to spend most of the day huddled in a small group contemplating our next move. By 10:30pm New Years I had just about enough of it and walked away into a sea of people on The Strip. Mike was able to find me, but once I turned around, no one else could be spotted through the jumping, dancing and rambunctious crowd.

Just what I needed. Space.

Mike and I spent the night cruising The Strip through a sea of crowds, taking in the sights and sounds while walking in the general direction back to our rental condo, only stopping at MGM Grand to watch the fireworks display once the clock hit midnight. There’s really nothing like standing amongst a pile of strangers watching fireworks take off into the night sky from atop five of the most luxurious hotels in the area, all while laying a big fat sloppy kiss on a loved one. Since I wasn’t able to get shitfaced like the rest of the people there (and none of the hotels or casinos were letting patrons in unless they were guests), we headed back early to the hotel and watched the repeat of the ball drop from New York’s Time Square.

[As sad as it sounds, it was really the best New Years I've had in about 4 years since most times I'm in bed even before midnight.]

Pictures are to come. I have many but just haven’t had the time to look at them let alone load them on the computer.

Bullets from the trip:

Even if you don’t drink and really don’t go clubbing or partying there is so much to do. There’s something for everyone - families included. I was skeptical before I went, thinking that everyone was going to be drunk and crazy, but it wasn’t that way at all (except for New Years).

I just wish I won some more money so I wasn’t sitting here at my desk at work - tired and miserable, wanting to be back in Vegas.

Thank you for the encouragement on my last entry. As you can tell, I’ve been more then a little emotional over the past week, give or take, and it’s getting to me. The stress of Christmas, sick child, absent spouse, and being pregnant and TIRED! has taken a lot out of me.

I know I am not cut out to be a single parent. I have more and more respect for my mother, who raised to little children with little help while carrying the brunt of household duties as well as working full time. It’s no easy feat., and I really look up to those that have it in them to do it all. It’s not so much the physical toll as it is emotional. There are so many ups and downs throughout the day with a toddler, THEN to have household and marital stress on top of that is a little much to bear some days. It’s something ALL us parents tend to deal with at one point or another.

Yet, sitting home three days straight, without leaving the house - with a sick toddler who’s been pissing out his ass about every hour - tends to blur your perception of being a parent. The good times are forgotten and dwelling on the bad takes the forefront. Personal outlook creates the situations, and I just have to clear my head and remember that THIS isn’t forever. I. Can. Do. It.

As for today, we are keeping warm inside as we are hammered by this snowstorm. I woke to a relatively empty driveway and light flurries, a little disappointed by all the hype of this “Storm of the Century” only to have it hit an hour later; now, it’s relentless.

I just hope Mike’s home to shovel us out so I can get the hell out of here tomorrow.