There were things I wish I did – like Bingo at the Plaza… and maybe cruise on the strip a little more, but overall it was a great time. My first time gambling, ever. I broke even, which was pretty cool. I used the money from my stimulus check since I’d never cashed it so it didn’t feel like I was spending my own money anyhow. 25 and 50 cent slots, and the keno machines saved me. I wasn’t gutsy enough to stick with roulette but won $20 off the number 29.

There’s something lonely and crowded about Vegas. I took a lot of pics in the downtown area and met a lot of interesting people there with whom I had random conversations — never to meet again. It was that kind of place.

On the last morning there my mom and i decided to split up to do our own thing until dinner time. I tackled the blackjack table, and lost $100 in a little over an hour. And it hit me that I missed my mom. I felt suddenly lonely, but also relieved she didn’t witness me losing $100 cause that woulda freaked her out!

It was this epiphany that made me realize what a great mom she is. I felt like a small kid wanting their mommy, like I almost wanted to bawl. Kinda weird, I know. Suddenly sad, I called a few hotels I knew she liked and had her paged but no answer. I spent a coupla hours trying to find her in the downtown area. I finally found her in front of a slot machine at the California Hotel in the early afternoon. I don’t think she knew how glad I was to see her. We gambled a little and then went back to the room and started packing a bit. We had dinner together, and it was a good ending to my trip.

On the flight home I was sad that I’d have to go back to work the next day since I didn’t win enough money to quit. But I was happy to have experienced Vegas for the first time as an adult, and with my mom.