Let me begin by apologizing that it's taken me so long to actually write this post. Recovery from seven days in the chaotic flash of the notorious party city proved to be harder than I thought.  But the main thing is that I did survive and I did like it - most of it - even though there were times that I thought I really really wish my sister was here with me right now!  In the midst of it all, I shared seven things I'd learned so far. Now I'd like to share seven more:

1. Feet are precious - flip-flops are not. The amount of walking we did was staggering and I was ill prepared with two pairs of flip-flops and my favorite little canvas slip-ons. Blisters were nearly immediate and immediately vicious and my legs ached each morning after hours of walking with poor support. Of course, we didn't let this stop us from walking some more and I purchased exorbitantly priced band-aids to counter the quarter-sized bubble between my toes.

2. All coffee is bad coffee. When caffeine is your only real vice, finding yourself without a good cup of joe can really put a downward spin on a good day.  There wasn't one cup I could even finish.  And it was at least $3 for a small coffee at any of the little shops along the strip.  Even the complimentary k-cups in our hotel room were a cheap donut shop brand that tasted like ashes and earwax. I stuck with water. Who wants to carry around a steaming cup in forty degree weather anyway?

3. Dresses are a girl's best friend. It was heat like I'd never experienced before but it was heat that I actually really loved because there was something pure about it - it was dry and light and as long as you were moving it didn't make you sweat.  The idea of walking around in jeans was just absurd. I packed one pair of just-in-case-denims but they never came out of my suitcase. It was dresses every day for me because they allowed the least amount of material against my body. And let's be honest: there is nothing more comfortable than a dress you can just pull over your head and call yourself ready for the day!

4. Your skin will thank you. I don't know if it's the heat or the desert breeze but my skin felt better than it's ever felt. It seemed smoother and brighter and healthier and clearer - even with the near-abusive layers of SPF 40 I slathered on each day when I got out of the shower.

5. Vegetables are just a distant Canadian memory. Seriously. They must not eat vegetables there. Nothing comes with vegetables. Unless you get a salad but even then it's so slathered in such a ridiculous amount of dressing that you can't tell if it's cabbage or carrots you're biting into. One of the little shops in our hotel sold brown bananas for a dollar a piece and I found a 16oz box of grapes that I paid $5 for at a Drug Store. I also bought an $8 mini tray of raw veggies because broccoli seemed as wonderful as chocolate.

6. Know your limit - stay within it. I don't mean gambling {though that's good advice} I didn't gamble once. I mean in crowd participation. Because we were going with a whole group of people I knew I had to have boundaries for myself so I wouldn't get resentful or annoyed.  There were times that they all went out and had their version of fun and I stayed back in our hotel room and ate day old mini carrots and watched George Clooney movies.  It was good for me.  It gave me the space I needed without hampering anyone else's plans.

7. Fifteen years is way too long between times away together.  In fact, I think it might be unhealthy for a relationship. We have done little one or two night trips but never a week away from our children.  A whole week!  It was GLORIOUS!  And we're going to do it again.  Because GLORIOUS!

I have so many other things to tell you. So much that it will probably get annoying...so I'll try to keep it minimal.  

Watch later this week for A Sober Girl's Guide To Las Vegas - because surely I can't be the only person in the universe who had anxiety about seeing the city without beer googles!