This one's for you, Bill!

It's been a shitty few weeks.  After returning from my Dad's funeral, we got the awful news that our best friend at home, Bill, died.  Not able to afford the whopping $$$$ to fly back to pay our respects, hubby and I decided to do our own thing to honor our friend.

If our recent losses have taught us anything, it has taught us to do things we want to do NOW.  Don't wait.   So with that mantra in mind here in Vegas, I gave hubby a list of things we wanted see/do in Vegas before we leave for home at the end of March.

So hubby (aka Mr. Ticketmaster) got online and started booking things for us to do.  I thought he might spread things out a bit, but at this point, we have gone to 3 shows in 3 nights with more to come!  Whew!

We saw "Jersey Boys" about the life of Frankie Valli.  It was great!  That was preceded by a romantic dinner at Martorano's in Paris Casino.

Next night, we saw Santa Fe and Fat City Horns.  This band is made up of the A List background musicians from the big shows that play in Vegas like Celine, Beyonce, Donnie and Marie.  And the shows are pretty much word of mouth advertising.  Their music is awesome.  If you are ever in Vegas, they are at the South Point Casino Showroom on Monday nights at 10 PM.  Only costs $5 to get in at the door.

Last night, we went to see Penn & Teller the famous magicians.   Once we got seated, we listened to a great jazz combo entertain and we were told that all of the audience was asked to come on stage and sign a manila envelope that was to later be used in the act.  Hubby and I went on stage to sign.  We were the only ones up there since we were early.  And the music coming from this combo was great.  So I grabbed my darling hubby who had had dance lessons 15 years ago so he could dance at our wedding and he gave me a twirl right there in the middle of the Penn & Teller Theater stage--just us.  We didn't get any applause--just in our hearts.  I couldn't understand why no one else would want to do that, too!

Here's the thing, though.  Every time we have done something fun like this, we have had our best friend, Bill, or my Dad in mind.  Before every show, we play blackjack and get the requisite free drinks.  We always order Tanqueray and tonic, a favorite drink of Bill's.  And we make a toast at the blackjack table TO BILL! or TO DAD! and have everyone else there join us.  We honor those we lost and loved by doing things they would have also enjoyed.  Hope some day someone will do the same for me.