Vegas: Summer nights and nostalgia part 4

Believe it or not, it's not impossible to maintain some form of zen-like calm while in the city of Sin. I'm not saying that it's easy- this is a city that gladly swallows entire savings accounts and spits the sad, spent losers out onto the streets with hardly a cursory glance (though it's getting better with a newly opened secured 24/7 site open to the homeless population of the city). There's a strong religious presence both on and off the strip, whether it's the guys with megaphones shouting at people to repent on a corner of the Las Vegas Boulevard proper or the multiplicity of religious buildings, temples and centers dotting the city, so if you find your zen in godliness you've got plenty of places to turn to for your gospel. If you're more into stones, and hippie-dippie granola type stuff, there's plenty of that to be found throughout the city too! Whether it's the psychic eye bookstore or any of the countless stone and gem shops, yoga or a vegan lunch you're pretty well covered in the metaphysical shopping department. 

Given that Antho and I were both born and raised here in Las Vegas, we've had little interest in exploring much of the city geared towards tourists... it's just kind of what you do, when you're a local, after all. This adversion towards the most consumption geared center of the city might help in our efforts to stay zen... We tend to spend much of our free time at the Springs Preserve (if you haven't noticed by now, with the prodigious amounts of posts I have about it) or driving out to Valley of Fire or Mount Charleston...  but when we do make it out to the strip, as we have been doing more lately due to my working in the area, there's more of an excuse to explore the area and play tourist. Due to my having to work, I was unable to tag along on most of the adventure so the photos in this post were all provided by Antho... when I was free for the night we were able to catch up and sally forth together, though! 

Vegas: Visit from Kelly and wandering The Strip at night

I've written about the incredibly talented Kelly O'Brien before, and when she messaged me one day to let me know she'd spontaneously found herself Vegas bound I was super excited to show her around! We'd met up before in Seoul, South Korea, and had dinner together but she'd never been to Vegas before this so we felt duty-bound to show her some of our favorite spots. We made sure to hit up the Flamingo's hidden garden, the Linq Promenade, the Venetian, and Caesar's palace before eventually making our way back to the Linq Promenade and topping the night off with cupcakes from the 24-hour cupcake ATM at Sprinkles. What, your city doesn't have a 24-hour cupcake ATM? Huh. 

Kelly was rocking one of our tie-dyes, too, which made me so happy! There's always the initial thrill and pride of selling one of our creations, but to see them actually being worn and enjoyed is kind of like what a bird must feel seeing it's little ones take flight for the first time. In the end, we had a lot of fun and some memorable moments, though after drinking a Fat Tuesday it's questionable how much will actually be remembered! Lol. If you've never had one, those drinks are seriously strong but also seriously tasty, and they're available all over the Vegas strip. You can get vessels shaped like bongos, guitars, rubber duckies, any number of silly novelty shapes to tote your booze slushy around in. They're perfect for this summer heat, but because they're so sweet and tasty it's easy to slurp it down before realizing how strong it is. When it was time to take her back to her temporary home for the evening, we let Kelly sprawl out on the bed in the back of the van since the drink had gotten the best of her, and we made sure to provide a big bottle of cold water to try to fight the hangover. Hydration is extremely important, kids, especially in the heat we get here in Vegas! 

And this was an overcast week, guys. Ugh. One reason, out of many, that I refuse to die in Vegas is that of our summers. Despite this city being my home, and birthplace, thus having a special place in my heart, every summer I vow to be my last summer living in this infernal desert. I know that for many this is ideal, a dry, hot heat that makes it an inhospitable climate for many types of pesky insects (but not for scorpions or centipedes and other creepy crawlies) with predictably sunny weather all year long...  but I like having seasons and weather! When we got hit by typhoons in Japan I was so excited to experience such extreme rains and wind, because it's something that never happens here. I don't mind the rain, I actually quite enjoy it. But I digress... while here in Vegas, it's best to make the best of my location and enjoy the privilege of being able to play host to my friend during her stay! 

Art: Bellagio Fountains Caricature

The day after Christmas, despite the cold air and crowds, I found myself sitting near the Bellagio fountains awaiting a friend. It was a pre-destined meeting that evening, one that had been eagerly anticipated and planned in hushed whispers. Rumor had spread among our colleagues and Antho sighed as I hopped from the van, tools in hand. I had to be quick, stealthy. Hands stiff and cracking in the cold I set up my station; a chair, a clipboard, art supplies and a purse. And then, I waited. 

And waited a bit more.

My phone would buzz with the occasional update, until final confirmation: "We're on our way."

Yes, we.

You see, this stealth caricature set up was all a rouse, a grand set up for what was about to come. Our friend and my colleague Brando (the man behind VR Evolution on Youtube) had long-since planned his proposal to his lovely girlfriend Tia, and I was to help him pop the question via an "impromptu" caricature of the two. I had done most of the drawing prior to meeting with them so that I could guarantee it being of a quality I felt satisfied with giving them for such a monumental event. Once they found me I had to downplay my own excitement as I added the finishing touches and stalled for time to try to make it feel more organic. Luckily, Antho managed to find parking at a nearby casino and was able to make it back in time for the final reveal. He captured the photos to commemorate the moment, and this blog will hopefully help provide a little reminder of this precious experience. Thankfully for all involved, Tia said yes and the two went away on a staycation for a few days after this to celebrate! Brando's sister also arrived to stealthily capture some photos or video from a different perspective, which is awesome. 

All in all it ended happily and I look forward to seeing the next stage of their sweet story while grateful for what part I could play. 

💗Congratulations guys!💗