Brews, Bros, and a Billion Blinking Lights

With all the business of wedding week approaching, I finally have a few minutes to sit down and tell you about my (aka Nate) recent adventures. On Friday a few weeks ago I, along with three of my best friends boarded a plane for Las Vegas. I was joined by my best man Travis, groomsman Jason, and my good buddy Eric. None of us had ever been to Las Vegas, so it was a fun adventure for us to explore together. Now, I know what you're thinking... Ive heard the stories, have assumptions, and have seen the Hangover, I know what goes on when the guys have a weekend in vegas. Well let me set the record straight. That's EXACTLY they way things went!!! ... Ok, not really. We were nothing like that. But we did have a great time. We stayed at the Excalibur. It's a huge hotel that's themed like a medevial castle.

It's located near the south end of the strip, across from New York-New York and MGM Grand. There are internal hallways connecting it to the Luxor and Mandalay Bay, so we spent most of our time around there. Not surprising, Vegas is hot. like 106 F kind of hot. So Jason and I spent a few hours each day at the pool. The first day we found a spot by the main pool and there were tons of people there. The second day, we wised up a little bit and hung out at the 18+ pool. There's really nothing special about it, except that it's less crowded, quieter, and there are no kids running around and splashing you.

We're not huge gamblers, as we don't have huge bank rolls. But we were in Vegas, so we had to enjoy the games a little bit. Eric and I found some video poker machines that we liked, but I wanted more. I love playing Texas hold-em at home with the guys or my brothers, So I had to try it in Vegas.... and let me tell you, it was a blast. I got to learn a new version of the game (2-6 Limit) and all about proper Vegas table etiquette. And I actually had some success. I played three separate times (made $42, lost $40, and made $63), and came out ahead. It was a fun experience, but not somethings I have any desire to do habitually. Anyway, that's all I have for now, below are a few more pics of the weekend.
~Nate