Bday, Vegas, Etc.

My bday was last monday...it was a big one. To soften the blow, the hubby surprised me by organizing our daughter to stay with my brother and his family for the night while we skirted off to Red Wing with bikes in toe. We went on a lovely 40 mile ride on the cannon valley trail. I was sort of flattered the hubs thought i had the stamina to ride 40 miles while pregnant, and i tried to step up, but it definitely tired me out towards the end. I think my butt bones almost fell off (possible?), and just to make sure i knew i was a tuffy, the hubs hit my spokes with his pedal while passing water to his dehydrated pregnant wife and we both went tumbling off our bikes. Luckily, me into the grass and him into the pavement. Here's me at the half way mark. Note the fake smile.

We stayed at a beautiful B & B in red wing and as we explored the small town on the mississip, i fantasized what it would be like to live there. I sometimes feel a draw to live in a small town with a preserved historic downtown. I'd live in an older house (circa 1870, perhaps?) and serve on various community commitees and make friends with the quarky senior citizens and have a reserved table at the local cafe (the owner would be a good friend of mine). Perhaps i'm misdirected by the quaint tv shows i grew up on.

The next morning, the hubs had arranged for a massage in our room (by a masseuse, not by him). It was all very lovely.

On my actuall bday (monday), i abandoned my child with the hubs and headed to vegas with a girlfriend who also graduated with her masters degree. This was our "celebrate being done with higher education" trip. We stayed at the crappy tropicana. We had warning from a friend of a friend who recently stayed at the tropicana and, among other crappy finds, had dried blood in the bathtub. My friend and i, on the other hand, had high standards. We could tolerate the large hole in the carpet, the large holes in the chairs leaving the stuffing exposed, dirty grout in the bathroom tile, calcium deposits on the bath fixtures, but we would have requested a room change if there were any blood, which there was not.

The redeeming qualities of the hotel was the pool and the spa. We splurged for facials at the tropicana spa, and it was a nice surprise. It wasn't enough; I will not stay there again. Not ones for hard-core gambling, instead, there was lots of relaxing, eating and taking a break from studying for my certification exam and reading Jane and People magazine instead. We had a couple of star sightings (Dennis Hopper, the little guy from Dumb Ass...er, Jack ass?) and lots of hoochi sightings. My friend had never been to vegas and her interpretation was, "It's as if america threw up." Even so, we had a fab time.