Hi, friends! I'm here with an edition of This Is Life where I recap a full day in my life. Unlike previous recaps, this will be highlights from my trip to Las Vegas last week for IDEA/Blogfest.
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Wednesday
Arrived in Vegas Wednesday afternoon. It was a whirlwind of a day. Storms were in both Phoenix and Vegas causing flights to be pushed in and out. My flight was supposed to be 3 hours late then it was suddenly on time so I mad dashed it to the airport. By the time I got to the hotel, I was exhausted.
Not to mention I did something funky to my bad hip earlier in the week. The guy looked at it before I left, and said it was some obscure gluten bone. I was in so much pain earlier in the week I wasn't sure I was going. Luckily, cutting back on my workouts did the trick. Still not sure what I did though.
After checking in at the Westgate Resort & Casino, I registered at the expo then met Kelli for dinner, and I wouldn't say it was a real resort because the rooms left little to be desired. The dresser drawers wouldn't stay closed and the only outlets in the room were the strip you see on the floor.
The restaurants weren't great either. The food was cold and the desserts tasted like they were from last week. On the bright side, the nightly cost rate was cheap. You pay for what you get!
Thursday
Thursday morning Blogfest kicked off bright and early after I worked out at the hotel before.
We got our swag. It was a little light compared to last year. We noticed not as many brands were at the Expo this year either. Oh well, it was just enough to fit in my carry-on.
The biggest surprise stashed in the swag were brochures from Eggland's Best with coupons. When I opened the brochure, to my surprise one of my most popular recipes was there.
Of course, I had to run downstairs to the Expo to find their social media manager, thank them and get a pic.
For lunch, I grabbed a crudité platter and ate it with a tuna pack I brought from home along with a bunch of random samplings from the expo, which convinced me there are way too many "healthy" processed foods out there.
For dinner that night, we decided if we were going to spend an absurd amount of money on food this trip we might as well go somewhere worth it, and we desperately needed to get out of the hotel. Hey, we're in Vegas! So we went to B&B Burger at the Venetian.
I had a turkey burger sans the cheese with fries. My only non green carb of the day.
On the way back from the restaurant to the hotel, our Uber driver went a haywire complaining about his bad passengers and kept missing our turn. The whole time I kept looking at Kelli trying to figure out what to do, but she wouldn't make eye contact with me. As soon as we escaped the crazy Uber, she ran into the hotel and did this. That wasn't quite my reaction.
Friday
Friday morning started with another early morning workout. My rooftop view every morning.
Then it was time for more Blogfest fun! Todd Durkin spoke and I have to say he was by far my favorite presenter. He gifted us free copies of his WOW book, which I can't wait to dive into. His words really reignited passion in me. Something I've been needing lately.
Blogfest wrapped up after lunch so I headed to the room to nap before dinner. Dinner was at Chica Las Vegas at the Venetian. The food was phenomenal and the portions were just right.
After dinner, we went to a Blogfest happy hour. Let's just say you don't want to see those pictures.
Saturday
Saturday morning started like all mornings. Waiting in the Starbucks line. The things we do for coffee.
With my coffee in hand, I spent the rest of the morning taking cycle classes. As a spin instructor, I was happy to hear the instructors advising against some of the crazy things people are doing now like push ups on the bike and all kinds of goofy things that have no business being done on the bike.
After class, I worked in the room and made a picnic with my usual lunch victims on the bed. Then I crashed out until Kelli messaged me saying it was time for Zumba.
She wanted me to meet her there to take pictures. I told her no, but ended up surprising her. Better yet, I ended up dancing with her. It was another sweaty workout. We had a blast and you can watch her flashy dancing skills here.
After dancing, we got ready to go out. I promised her we would go out for her birthday which was earlier this month.
I should have know this duo would be trouble.
For dinner, we went to Canonita at the Venetian. Their food was so good. The chips were the best I think I've ever had.
The rest of the night? Well... this pretty much sums it up!
Overall, it was a FUN night and a FUN {and expensive} trip. I met new friends and reconnected with old ones which is my favorite part of blogging!
Your trip looked fun, and love the video clip of your friend in the Zumba class.
Had so much fun with you bestie!
Me too! We have to do it again. Karaoke night.
Um so jealous! Vegas is fun everytime I go! Never heard of that hotel before, but I have been to the venetian too! Looks like a blast 😉
It's not on the strip. Obscure, cheap and not something I'd recommend. The conference was there so it was convenient.