Mall Madness

Sometimes its the small things that remind me I'm getting older.

I went to the mall today to return some stuff and really just waste some time. This is something I used to do ALL THE TIME as a child. I lived up the street from the mall and whenever I'd get bored, I'd call up a friend (usually Katie or Michelle cuz they were my best friends and close in distance) and we'd walk down to the mall. Yup, walk. We started this when we were like 10.

Generally, we'd start by cruising through Target and then head out into the actual mall to do some sight seeing. If it were Katie and I, you could almost guarentee that we'd be in Dillard's or Deb's for some time trying on Prom Dresses. Yes, this is how we spent our childhood Saturdays! It was thrilling. I loved getting dressed up in the silky smooth dresses that always made me feel pretty. I'd try on a million different types each time. I never tired of it. When we were younger, we obviously didn't do the Prom Dresses, just all the fun clothes we knew we'd never get our parents to buy for us. I always felt elated during and after these events.

The afternoon usually consisted of a stop at the food court for maybe some crab rangoon or a soft pretzel also. We'd wander around until we were bored or tired and then begin our trek home.

Ahhh...those were the days.

So, like I said, today I went to the mall to waste some time. I walked in and out of a bunch of stores but tried nothing on except some lotion. I got tired quickly and was disgruntled with the fact that I didn't have the money or the body to get the clothes that looked exciting anymore. I sat down for a pretzel, but it wasn't the same without a friend to share it with.

While I really wouldn't want to live through jr high and high school again, I do miss some of the things that came with that time period. The thrill of just trying things on. The enjoyment of an afternoon spent with a best friend doing nothing productive.

Can you tell I'm having an "I don't want to grow up!" day?

Vegas Baby!

I needed a vacation. Like bad. I just needed to get out of Central Illinois and not have to think about anything. I really wanted to go to a beach and just sit on it and soak up some sun. I wanted my biggest decision of the day to be "what am I going to drink today?"

However, apparently everyone has the same idea in March/April. Stupid people. So the condo things were all booked up down South. Emily declared she would come with me, so we just had to find a place and a weekend. Finally, we settled on Las Vegas!
While it wasn't the warm sunny beaches of Florida or Aruba, it also wasn't Central Illinois, so therefore it was pretty darn good. Some how we ended up there on a 'cold' weekend and the temps the first two days didn't get above 65. Slightly unfortunate. We did however have a indoor heated pool and hot tub, which we took advantage of.

We did A LOT of walking up and down the strip and just taking it all in. Saturday night we went to go see LOVE by Cirque du Soleil. It was pretty darn awesome! I would love to see some more of the shows. It was just cool. I highly suggest seeing a Cirque du Soleil of some type if you can.

There is honestly so much to do out there that we atually had to make a conscious effort to sit down and gamble. And it was more to get the free drinks than to really gamble. Of course we hit the penny slots. :) In the end, Emily finished $5 up and I was out a whole $7. To prove we did so, the following:


It was an awesome trip and I only wish it could have lasted a few more days! I can't wait for the next trip.