~Vegas Thanksgiving~

That night as I packed my things to go over to Trae's I was excited to see the family soon. I was hopelessly wanting this to mend our relationship. This time away from everyone here. When I arrived to his house the night before we chilled and watched TV. It was an early morning for us, we were flying on Thanksgiving morning, bright and early.

This was my first time ever away from my family for the holiday so it was a bit different. We woke up close to the time we were supposed to leave. We barely made it on our flight. But at least we made it. Next stop was Salt Lake City for our layover. We made it there for our 3 hour layover, which we spent most of the time watching football in one of the pubs in the airport. Like I mentioned before this was one of my favorite things to do with him.

A sharing little bit of food, a little bit of beer, and a game of football to watch sounded like a perfect layover to me! It was good to see him smile. That was one of my favorite things about him and his laugh. We we finally landed in Vegas and we were starving! We needed to unpack for the weekend and I was ready for a shower and to get ready for dinner. I thought we had plans somewhere for dinner but these two didn't make a reservation thinking it would be easy to get in somewhere. Well that wasn't the case, and the only thing on their minds was poker. So they did a quick change and headed  down to the tables while I got ready. When I met them down in the casino, we tried to figure out what we wanted to do. I haven't been anywhere but home for Thanksgiving so I was bit lost other than I wanted, you know the usual feast. So we chose the Buffet, not thinking it would take the line long to move, well needless to say we were wrong.

We spent two long hours of our night waiting to eat!! This was crazy! It was time well spent though. We made friends with a mother and daughter who took this trip together every year. They were so sweet, two hours later our table for 3 became a table for 5. That's what Thanksgiving was about, making friends, giving, and sharing thanks for what we had in this world. It was a joyful dinner full of laughter and stories we shared with our new friends. Although I was finally happy to eat I wasn't feeling very well. So after dinner I went to the room to sleep and the guys played poker. I was ready for everyone else to get in town though. The next day I spent shopping with Trae, he let the girl at Sephora talk me into red lipstick, we bought wine for the evening in.

We decided there was no need to go out since it was just us two. Which was fine to me, I wanted the alone time with him. When everyone arrived the next day, it was a day of gambling. Blackjack, Poker, Sports book, slots...this family definitely loved to play and bet. After watching the games that evening in the Sports book, we couldn't decide what to do, so the plan was to take me to Old Town, where the original Las Vegas strip was. I was so excited, of all the times I had been to Vegas I hadn't gone down to see this. The lights, the people, the cold weather, bundled up next to Trae as we walked was an evening unforgettable.

We even sat and played dollar blackjack with the addicted.  After we left, Trae went back to the poker tables and Troy and I played blackjack, we bonded that night I think. As he was having problems with Julie, we could relate on opposite terms with our relationships. It was good talking with him. Learning things I never knew. Well the weekend was over and we were getting up the next morning to fly back home. I was sad to leave, because I would be going back home to my harsh reality. That this was maybe only just a dream a glimer of hope that this could bring back together. I was soon to find out it wasn't.

.:XOXO TMARIE:.



.:Leather and Studs:.

A month had gone by and it was finally time for our road trip. It was just the 4 of us, Trae, my parents and I. Friday after work, we loaded up the Harley's and hit the road to Louisville, KY for the weekend. This was my first time riding on a bike that far. I was so excited, number 1: because this was Trae's idea. It meant alot to me that he had planned a weekend to spend with my parents. We had been fighting a lot lately but I was hoping this would help us reconnect.

Simply just letting time go by. This trip was so fun though. We stopped about half way for gas and to rest and stretch our legs. It was a beautiful summers evening in the middle of August for the ride. The purring of the engines and my hair blowing in the wind, holding on to my love and trusting him with my life. I wasn't scared at all. He made it comfortable for me. I did know that I was getting so hungry and couldn't wait to get to the hotel and check in.

Once we checked in we freshened up and headed downtown to 4th Street Live, for drinks and dinner. It was first time out in Louisville downtown. Trae had been ranting about this place. I was good time we stayed out for a little but were ready to head back to the hotel. It had been a long day and a long ride.

The next morning we got up and had breakfast in our hotel and headed to the Harley Davidson dealer closest to us. My Dad loves to grab shirts from the local dealerships when he road trips on his bike. After we left our next destination was the casino....Yep if anyone knows Trae and I, we love playing cards and with the casino across the river of course we had to go. Once we got there, we made a deal....whoever had the most winnings at the end of the day was buying lunch/ dinner (depending on what time we left).

So I left Trae to play poker for a while, and I hit the blackjack table. I had never been to a casino with my parents, and they were floored when they saw me playing blackjack LOL....I was doing pretty good, and then not so well. So I walked away from the table and went to the bar to have drinks with my Mom and Dad played slots.

My Mom was funny, we sat there for hours and played those little electronic cards games and she won with a Straight Flush!! I was shocked, I have never seen anyone win over $25 on those little games, but she hit over $200!! I was so jealous, I lost on that day. My Dad and I were having a great time, after Mom won we tried our luck on the slots, because at this point we were all waiting on Trae to finish poker fix for the day.  So at the end of our gambling, Mom and Trae ended up winning...LOL looked like Dad and I were taken care for dinner.

We drove back over to the Louisville side of the river and had dinner at this cute little restaurant on the water. This trip had been so much fun so far. We stayed there for most of the evening, watched the sun set of the water, and just enjoyed the last night we had in The 'Ville. We debated on going out after, over by 4th Street to finish up the evening but decided to head back to the hotel to relax and pack since we were leaving the next day. We got in kinda late but it was a great day. We laughed so much and enjoyed each others company in a peaceful bliss. The next morning as we woke up and loaded the bikes to hit the road back home, we took a detour down a rural road along the river back to downtown to snap a few pictures.
We found one of Abe Lincolns many tributes in Kentucky. We also drove by the Louisville Slugger field all in all it was a successful trip and I was ready to get home. The heat all the way home was pretty miserable, and also I'm pretty sure my ass was bruised from the shocks on the bike being too tight, this was not found out until the morning we were leaving. LOL Oh well .

XOXO  .:TMARIE:.

vegas...Vegas...VEGASSSS

THEY CALL IT... "SIN CITY"So lets recap here...Its only 2008....and I landed my internship, made my first trip to the "CITY of ANGELS" (LA), had the best birthday ever, visited my P.I.C Alys to see her new joy of life for the first time, and just finished up my last full semester of college!!! There was no better way to celebrate this and my boyfriends 33rd birthday, and Memorial weekend 2008, than my first ever trip to VEGASSSSS!!!! I wish I could say "what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas" but that wasn't the case here. LOL kinda hard to keep it there when you go with the person you are with, BUT! I wouldn't have had it any other way. I was sooooo excited! The days counting up to our departure was nothing but SHOPPING!! hahaha of course! Oh but it was a sight to see me pack hahaha! Finally the day arrived, the limo picked us up, we boarded our jet plane and flew off into the sunset...next stop was SIN CITY and I had my party hat on!!! As we were descending into Las Vegas McCarran International Airport....I felt like I was 5 years old seeing Disney World for the first time! All the bright neon flashing lights that ignited the evening sky, it was amazing! I could feel the excitement building up inside me and I was ready to release it!!! ( COME oN PEOPLE get your carryon's faster and get to steppin!!! We don't have all night!!! ) LOL my own personal thought about how slowww people are when they get off the plane...yes at times I can be a little impatient...ok, ok maybe ALOT impatient... but come on who wouldn't be, am I right?? VIVVVAAAAA LAS VEGAS!!! So we weren't the only ones who were in Vegas of course we brought a few with us...and Trae's twin drove over from LA...and one of my good friends came with her boyfriend from San Diego...We had a suite at Bally's...and once we got there and unloaded Trae was headed straight to the poker tables...he couldn't wait. As for the rest of us (girls) we unpacked and got dressed to head out on the town! LAX nightclub was the party destination for that night....we got in VIP of course no lines for us that's how we roll...It was a wild night tons of alcohol...I think we finished 2 bottles of goose plus extra drinks between 6 people. Needless to say the buffet was calling my name at 5 am! The next morning I think I was still drunk but I woke up at 9:30 am and was ready to go shopping....I finally got everybody up and we headed across to the Bellagio for a wonderful breakfast in the sunroom. I had the most wonderful eggs Benedict and a bloody mary....then we and continued to drink (springbreak mode) come on don't judge me its Vegas People! LOL The Forum Shops at Caesar's Palace were mind blowing...OH my Gosh I was in heaven!!! I could have done some serious damage there, but I was good...I had to keep in mind that I had like NO extra space in the suitcase...But it was fun to look, and the boys were ready to head back to the poker tables, and I needed a nap. So the agenda for the night originally was to go to PURE at Caesar's but because we got such a late start getting out they were at Capacity with no VIP tables left...so we trucked it on over to LAX again we figured well at least we know people here and got a BAD A** table on the dance floor, and we were ready to throw down...That night they had a guest DJ in from Atlanta I don't remember who it was but he was AWESOME!! We rocked out so hard we had people buying us bottles of Dom Pérignon just so they could hang out with us. Jen was so excited about the sparklers that came on top of the bottle...I think we had like 4....man that night became a bluuuurr. It was sooooo much fun we partied and danced our asses off. I dont think that I have ever seen Trae like that before. I couldn't blame him tho it was his bday! So after the club we made our way back to Bally's LOL the BOYS decided they wanted to play poker....hahaha can we say drunken mistake...so the girls leave to go get food...I was soooo drunk I handed the server at the end of our meal our room key as a credit card for her to charge it to the room...and proceeded to walk barefoot through the casino to find Trae and deliver his Cheeseburger. LOL they didn't come in til I think 8:30 am...I later found out that Trae kept falling asleep at the table LMFAOO wish I coulda seen that one. Well we all got up and managed to find our way to breakfast, and then out to the Blu Pool for a little of VitaminD aka SUNSHINE!!!! We spent the day out there and then came in for some after 'zzzzzzzzz and then managed to do it all over again only this night we headed out to the PALMS at Ghost Bar. It was a little more of a relaxed lounge drinks party night but it was just as great. I absolutely was blown away from the view of the Las Vegas strip from the balcony of Ghost Bar. It was so surreal...was this really my life?? The cool night breeze twisted through my hair as I looked into the eyes the man standing before me and at that moment I felt so blessed to have him in my life....it was our last night here with friends...so we enjoyed their company as we had the time of our lives. The next morning was kind of bittersweet. I was kind of sad that everyone would be leaving us a day early, but I was kinda happy to have the last night in this magical city to ourselves. We spent the day in our own world of therapy....I went to the pool and the spa...while Trae played some poker...then we met back at our suite to relax and get ready for an amazing dinner at Bally's Steakhouse its rated 4.0 out of 5 on tripadvisor, and I definitely give it a 5! The service was wonderful and the food was too die for! After dinner he took me to the black jack table and wanted to show me how to play. I previously had NO idea how to gamble I was a little intimidated by it. It was fun we broke even and called it a night....As I got ready for bed we talked and laughed about what an amazing weekend it had been and how we finished it off perfectly...so I closed my eyes satisfied and ready to wake up the next morning and come home back to our normal life together....I had a summer class to finish before I left Nashville for a couple months to live in Atlanta for my internship.

.:XOXO TMarie:.