Luck be a lady... Part 1 - The Arrival

This past weekend, Weston and his parents, Teresa and David, invited me to Tunica, Mississippi to the Gold Strike hotel for an amazing casino getaway. From the free hotel suite, to the free buffets and steak dinners, to the highs of winning and the lows of losing, there was not one dull moment. There are a lot of fun stories from the trip, so I am going to break up the breakdown into a couple of different entries this week. (I never have anything exciting to say on the week days anyways...) Hope you enjoy :)


Part one - The arrival.

I have never been much for gambling. One of my favorite Broadway musicals is Guys and Dolls and yet, I don't think I fully understood the game those characters were playing as I belted out the tunes in my car pretending I was a Broadway star. (Snake eyes? Um.. sure). And after turning 21, it was never a thought to hit up the slots... me and my money are friends and I don't like to toy with that special bond by inviting "luck" into our relationship. But this past weekend, Weston and his family - poker player extraordinaires - encouraged me to do just that, and to my surprise, luck turned out to be quite the lady.

After a long day at work, we packed into the car and got on the road at about 6pm (despite our best efforts to kick it into high gear a little earlier). A few detours later, we had been on the road for about two hours and had only made it 1/4 of the way there. Yes - Zaxby's chicken and the woe's of driving a crippling Ford Expedition set us back a bit. But playing 20 questions and realizing I don't know what race means (Mila Kunis is apparently white. I thought since she was Ukrainian, this meant she wasn't white. She doesn't look white. Anyways...) made for a fun journey of laughs.

Finally at 10pm we pulled up to the Gold Strike hotel and casino. My wallet laid fearful as I stood enamored by the lights and glitz of this Mississippi gem. It was an Oprah Ahah! moment - so this is where adults go to play when I go to Disney World.... I can only imagine how I will feel when I go to Las Vegas this summer and unlike the last time I went, I won't be a buck-toothed 12 year old who can't gamble. Oh. It will be ON.

We walked into the lobby of the hotel and I soon realized that while it felt late to me, it was just the dawn of night for everyone else there. Almost like an alternate universe, we stepped out of the drizzling rain into an over-stimulating playground of lights and sparkle.

It was time for a 5 hour energy, a cup of coffee, or a splash of cold water. I did all three and despite my slight nerves (lots of noise.....real money.... lot's of people.. lot's of scary looking people spending real money and making a lot of noise...) I went from yawn town to PUMPED CITY. With my credit card swiped, chips in hand, and heart buzzing, I was ready for that beginners luck I heard so much about to find me.

And find me, it did. Craps was the game of choice - Weston downloaded me the app on my phone to practice a few weeks ago in preparation for the trip. A real table in a casino was a little different to say the least. But the energy and comradery of the game kept our spirits as high as the stakes. The table was packed with eager people throwing their chips down like I throw potato chips down on those nights I pretend calories don't count. When the roll finally came around to Weston and me, we both crapped out quick, but it was Teresa who was on fire as we stood around for hours and hours watching her roll like she not only had luck, she created it. With Weston whispering in my ear what to bet and say to the dealers, I walked away with winnings of $500 (and probably lost a year off my life from the heart pounding caffeine over dose).

As to what happened to those first night winnings, you'll just have to find out in part 2 :)