A Vegas Goodbye

Now, here's the last of Vegas. [Find the first two recaps here and here.] Also, I'm being featured today on Hollie's blog. You'll be sure to learn a thing or two about me so head on over there, too :)

Back to the recap. Since the Neon Boneyard had been such an unexpected disappointment, luckily, I had planned out another [and final] fun day for us. Thanks to my go-to Vegas girl Katy, I heard about the Shark Tank pool at the Golden Nugget and HAD to go! I have absolutely zero desire to ever swim with sharks, pet a shark, etc. so I really have no idea why this appealed to me so much. Maybe because it’s AWESOME? How many times can you say you’ve gone down a slide that went straight through a shark tank?!

So, we woke up and headed downtown to the Golden Nugget. If you’re not a hotel guest, it costs $20 a pop to get in. It probably would have been worth it if we could have stayed all day, but we were only there for 2 hours or so. The chaise lounges are super comfy, but limited. So, the earlier you get there, the more prime real estate you can get.

Soon after arriving, we were headed for the shark tank! We climbed the stairs and off we went, down the slide! The slide is enclosed and yellow but toward the end, everything goes kind of dark until you’re hurled into the pool. I didn’t realize it the first time going down, but the dark area is the shark tank! It happens so fast you can’t really see anything but it’s still fun! Now, this shark tank is smack dab in the middle of the pool. So, not only can you see all the colorful fish and big sharks through the glass, but you can watch other people go down the slide!

Another cool touch the pool had were the chaise lounges in the water! There’s a very shallow section of water with about a dozen white chairs in it, allowing you to lie out in the sun while also feeling the refreshing cool water!

The rest of the day progressively went downhill. I started realizing that all the hopes I had had for this being a refreshing trip of growth and togetherness were being put out by reality. The reality was, I saw the same man I had left eight months earlier in Utah. I was so afraid to admit it to myself – that he hadn’t changed, that I was still so unhappy with the way he treated me; the way he treated life. As the hours of our last full day together passed, that reality crept in. It was a painful, heart-wrenching blow to see that after all this time, and all the hope I had in my heart, I still had made the right decision to end our marriage.  Everyone wants to believe in love. Everyone wants to see the good – to see two people work hard at repairing something that had been shattered. I wanted SO badly to believe that that could happen. But it didn't.

Later on, we headed off to dinner at The Hard Rock Hotel followed by an evening on Fremont Street. The Fremont Street Experience is a must! I had wanted to visit this place for so long. The canopy that hangs above the street is the largest LED screen in the world! Every 15 minutes or so, a new “show” starts and everything around you stops as everyone looks up to watch and listen to a medley of music from artists such as Bon Jovi and Queen.

Then, once the show is over and the lights come back up, all the street performers start up again. But these street performers are the real deal – unlike the trash you’ll see on The Strip. There was an Al Pacino impersonator, Ozzy Osbourne, Stevie Wonder. You name it, they were there and they were GOOD! There are amazing street artists, saxophonists, and concerts going on all simultaneously. Quite the “Experience!” Has anyone ever done the zipline down Fremont? Is it worth it?

After a while, we left and went for a drive, although the time was filled mainly with silence. My eyes felt like they were constantly welled with tears as the reality finally sunk in for good. This was it. I could have listed a hundred different ways that he continued to hurt me and be so careless with my heart. But that was it. Through the loss of my mom and the end of my marriage, I learned something important: Sometimes time changes nothing at all.

I packed my bag that next morning, with this feeling in my gut that I couldn’t ignore. This was really it. No matter how many times he told me we’d continue to see where things went, it’s like my heart already knew this was the last chapter. I sat and waited as he showered and packed, checking my watch as time sped past. I had a flight to catch but that didn’t seem to phase him as he went along his merry way. For the first time ever in my life, I missed my flight. We had arrived at the airport too late for me to check in. He, of course, still managed to make his flight back to the city where we once lived together. After I hurriedly figured out a new flight leaving an hour later, we walked toward Security. We kissed, said, “I love you” and just like that… I knew that would be our final goodbye.

Goodbye, Vegas. Goodbye, love.

April in Vegas [Part Two]

It’s time for recap #2 of my trip to Vegas in April [you can catch part one here!] I feel like we probably spent 50-60% of our time in Vegas at the Venetian/The Palazzo. That’s definitely what these pictures hint at, at least! These pictures would also hint at the fact that I was hardly ever the one actually holding my camera throughout this trip as 50-60% of the pictures are of me… ha.

The Venetian is one of my favorite spots on The Strip because, well, Venice is one of my favorite places that I’ve visited. I love how so much of the resort closely resembles a lot of the sights in the real town itself. The electric blue water would be one of my only complaints.

I can’t get over how quickly time passed that day. Before, I knew it, we were headed back to Henderson to get ready for a double date dinner at PF Changs. Have you had dessert there? You really ought to get the Banana Spring Rolls: Crispy banana with coconut-pineapple ice cream. It’s like this dessert was created for me from Heaven. This was probably the highlight of my trip! Okay, just kidding. The sharks were…

After dinner, we took an evening drive over to the apartments I had taken a tour of the day prior [yep, that’s right. I was planning a potential move to Vegas.] Then, we headed back to The Strip. The Venetian to be specific. At the beginning of my trip, the ex had said he wanted to record a bunch of fun footage on video of us and put it together into a montage with music. So, the goal for the night was to get a lot of footage. We got A LOT. Me walking. Me walking some more. Pointing at random things. More excitement. Here’s an unedited version of what he had me doing:

The day left me exhausted with still a lot to be processed and thought about. Check back tomorrow to find out how this story ends [and to see some sharks, too.]


Where do you spend most of your time in Vegas?

April Letters

Dear Las Vegas,

Thank you for having me. Thanks for your heat warmth. The sun's rays felt so good on my skin and the crisp blue sky sure looked good as my backdrop for pictures. You always leave me feeling refreshed and inspired. 

Dear Instagram,

I love how you challenge me to find art in my surroundings while capturing memories at the same time. [Follow me on Instagram: @chelseasunset]

Dear Heart,

I know you're a little confused and unsettled right now but just stay patient. Everything will be okay in the end. Just you wait and see.

Dear Dad,

You're awesome. You always have been and I just don't tell you enough. You are so strong and smart about everything. I hope that one day I'll know even half of the things you do. Thanks for all that you do everyday and for hanging out with Stella while I was out of town.

Dear Sunburn,

It looks like you only found your way to my shoulders which I'm grateful for. I'll gladly accept the tan on the rest of my skin. Is it weird that the slight pain you're causing makes me smile because it reminds me where I got you in the first place? #desertsun


Dear Blog Readers,
Wow, thank you! I can't believe there are 500 of you now! It sure puts a big smile on my face to see and feel how far blogging has brought me :) You are all wonderful and I've found some of my closest friends through this amazing community!

Dear Brother,

I know you read this from time to time and I don't tell you enough how proud I am of you. You've always been the best big brother I could have asked for. You're smart and funny. Thanks for always being there for me.

Dear Dreams,

Please stay with me. I've put you off for years but I promise this is the year I start making you come true as I get you figured out little by little. I've learned that life is too short to do things that make you unhappy and I know that you would end up bringing me the greatest joy. I won't give up or sell myself short.

Dear Mom,

Not a day goes by that I don't think of you. Yesterday thinking of the library made me think of you. My soul misses you. I still don't know how to live this life without you and I think I might not ever know. I just have to make it work somehow and I know you'll find a way to help. Keep watching over me...

For more Friday's Letters, head on over to Ashley's sweet blog :)

Last of Vegas in January

Let's continue on with my recap of Vegas in January, shall we? Here's part one and two if you haven't read those yet. After gelato and exploring a little of the Aria, we headed over to Paris for the Eiffel Tower tour. We had wanted to do it during our last Vegas trip but didn't for some reason. You buy your tickets and they tell you what time to be back to meet with your little group in order to take the elevator up.

We decided to go once the sun had already set to get a magical view of the Strip all lit up.

There ended up being a group of maybe ten of us who took the elevator up all the way to the top of the Eiffel Tower. The attendant let us know some fun facts. This version of the Eiffel Tower is really nowhere near as tall in comparison to the one in Paris, but still. Pretty cool!

We get up there and walk around a little to take some pictures and take it all in. It was pretty windy as it was January and once that sun goes down, it gets chilly. But we still had a great time. We were able to watch the fountains at the Bellagio twice! SUCH a cool view from above!

Earlier in the day, we had been handed a "Free Appetizer" pass for Planet Hollywood so we figured we had better take advantage of that. Funny story: We had been to this Planet Hollywood back in 2010 and the hostess seated us right around all the horror movie stuff. Not happening. So, we kindly asked to be seated elsewhere and we were. This time when we went back, guess what. They seated us at the horror movie section. Oh well. It was meant to be I guess.

We got some free spinach & artichoke dip [yum!] and ended up giving our other coupon to the guys sitting next to us who had offered to take an awesome picture of us! Seriously, everyone in Vegas is great. My meal was SO good. I was way hungry and all diets are out the door on vacation so I ordered the chicken mac & cheese. Our server said it was one of the most popular dishes and now I know why. SO tasty!

Once we were done, I figured we'd be going home but he had something else up his sleeve. We drove to the end of the Strip to see the legendary sign. Not only did we get to see the sign, but we also got to meet somebody...

Yep, finally met Elvis in Vegas! You just have to get a picture with him at some point in your life. Check!

Our final full day in Las Vegas was pretty low-key. We had lunch at the Cosmopolitan at a fun burger joint we had spotted earlier called Holstein's. You need to go. Get one of their milkshakes if nothing else. Are you hungry yet?

I had always wanted to go inside the Wynn [I think the only reason is because I really like the font on the building. Figures.] so we went in there and explored a little. Not a ton to see there so we headed on over to New York New York, parked on the top deck of the garage and watched the sun set :) Sigh.

And that's where that picture comes from :) It was a great way to say goodbye to a city that I love so much. But I guess it wasn't goodbye after all. It was just "see you later." Thanks, Vegas. You never disappoint.

Vegas in January

Happy Monday! I'm allowed to say that because, while you're reading this, I'm still in Vegas having an awesome little mini vaca! On Friday, I posted about the beginning of my Vegas trip back in January so check that out here if you haven't already because I'm about to continue with the recap.


The day after my birthday started off at the Paris hotel. We had been to this little crepe place about a year and a half ago when we were there visiting and I just had been craving one of those crepes! Probably because it had peanut butter, bananas, and nutella in it.

After we stuffed ourselves with delicious food, we decided to head on over to City Center to explore some of the new hotels! The Cosmopolitan is probably one of the coolest hotels I've ever been it. The decor was absolutely gorgeous. Totally chic and modern and fun.

We probably would have willingly lived in that hotel. Sigh. It was so beautiful. We walked through some shops, checked out the "Pop-Up Wedding Chapel" there at the hotel and then grabbed some yummy gelato over at the Aria!

But, the night was far from over! There's one thing you just HAVE to do while you're in Vegas. Okay, so there are like three a million things you HAVE to do while in Vegas and later that night, we did two of them. Hmm... what could it be? You'll just have to wait until tomorrow to find out :)