Zip Lining

When Randy first brought it up I thought he was crazy. "How about zip lining, in Fremont Street in your wedding dress?" My initial response was, "that's funny" and "I guess you do only wear a wedding dress one day, so I should get a lot out of it." He keep pushing the issue. The day we got married he said, "OK, now it's time to go to Fremont street". I was hesitant. First off, it was really cold in Vegas the week we got married, my second concern was the straps, and how they would go around my dress. Yes, and a distant third, was people looking up my dress, I figured I could get some cheer leading briefs and I'd feel more comfortable.

The time came and I was very nervous. I yelled at Randy and became really annoyed.  My sister Jennifer, who I believed to be scared of heights, went and her boyfriend (Ray) and Randy's brother Rob,  we were all going. My Best friend Anna, and Randy, were both going to go, but after looking at the paperwork there was a change of heart. As we stood in line filling out all the paperwork, the "I promise not to sue you if I get hurt doing this," I got more and more irritated.  Why did I have to do this in my wedding dress? My hair was going to be a mess, what if I fell? I started talking to the girl at the desk, who kept assuring me I would be fine. I asked flat out if anyone had ever fallen and did not get a response. That made me even more mad, but she was probably more than annoyed at my hesitation.  I displaced my anger on him, I felt really pressured to do this, but I had total control. I did not have to do this, I did want to, but in my dress?  I decided to keep going because it was going to be fun, scary fun.

After filling out all the paper work, taking all the loose pins out of my hair, and unloading my camera on Randy, we walked to the elevator. The paper work had said, "You must be able to physically climb the steps up to the platform" when I repeated this to Ray  (my sister's boyfriend) he said, "you actually read that?".  Apparently, Ray just signed it without reading it.

We waited in line and it was raining, Jennifer was worried about her hair, Ray was talking to the people in line, Randy's brother, Rob, was smiling. I was worried. I kept watching these people scream happily as they passed by us on the cable, watching them suit up, "just one mistake" I kept thinking. Finally, I stopped thinking because I was in line to get the harness on, which looked problematic in my dress. The person who gave me the harness, set in one the ground and said, "step in to it here, good luck" and walked off. This concerned me. I tried to step on it, pull it on, finally another attendant walked up to help me.  He told me where to hold my dress and helped me get it on, it was really funny because he seemed very young and didn't want to "touch me anywhere inappropriate". I told him to just get the harness on and don't worry about it. He got the whole thing on and said, "uh-oh". What-oh? "We have to take it off and put it back on, we missed a loop." At this point I was cursing at Randy.  As I was talking to the kid hooking me up I told him how nervous I was, he said that I should be, I would be hanging six stories up by a cable. Thanks for the reassurance.

We got the harness on and had to wait in another line and climb a very small number of steps. Ray pointed out that those must be the steps that were in the paperwork.  As we waited at the platform, we got to hang in our harnesses just above the platform. It was a really cool view to look down on Fremont street with all the lights and people. I was a lot less scared looking down and also knowing that the harness was holding me. It wasn't uncomfortable and I didn't feel exposed.  The attendant gave a little speech about what to do and not to do, no cameras, don't pull your phone out,  don't put your hand over the red strap, don't lay down or go upside-down.... stuff like that, then they let go and you fly.  It was a really unusual sensation, kind of like a roller coaster, but with more freedom.  It was a lot of fun,  I think it goes about 30 MPH  (about 18.64 KPH).  The ride took about a minute and it was a lot of fun, I wanted to go again. At the bottom of the stairs they actually show you pictures that they've taken while you were on the ride and you can buy them, which I did and included one in this blog.  Fremont Street in general was pretty cool. If I ever go back I'm going to buy an entire day pass to ride the zip line.

Where I went:

http://www.vegasexperience.com/
http://flightlinezfremont.com/
http://flightlinezfremont.com/waivers/

Elvis and the Ice Chapel

When Randy and I first met we talked about how we never wanted to get married or have children. We agreed that it was just too much work. Well, he asked me to marry him four months later...... I guess things change. We didn't talk to much about it. He wanted to just go down to the court house, not make it a big deal. Many people kept telling me that I needed a wedding, I deserved a wedding. I don't know about all that, but it did give me time to think about what I really wanted and what I wanted was a Vegas Wedding.

As a child, I always wanted to be a writer, go to Peru, get a degree, have a career, look like Barbie and I didn't care much for babies or wedding dresses, domestic things.... We wanted something fast, something easy. I have quickly learned that any kind of wedding, is just as I thought, kind of pain in the ass. Everyone, and I mean everyone, has something to say about it. A suggestion, advice, maybe you should do this... or that. Not that I'm not appreciative, but I didn't need any more suggestions, any more ideas, plus Randy (who I love very much) gets easily distracted. "let's do it Florida, let's do it on a beach, lets try a cruise..." I was getting really sick of it. I wanted initially to get married in Arizona because I love the desert and Randy's dad and one of my aunts live there, then I thought about it. Why not Las Vegas? It's quick, it's easy, Randy and his family love casinos (me as well), and well, it's Las Vegas, that's what they do.

Randy was unsure, until he talked to his friend Danny. "Oh yeah, they have an ice lounge".... this was the turning point, everyone was on board now.

So, I had to find a minister, a dress, invite people. I decided this was going to be so very Las Vegas. Invitations? There were no paper invites, we invited 30 through Facebook. Dress? There was no white wedding dress, I bought my dress at a Mexican dress shop. It had gemstones and I looked like a salsa dancer. Minister? Yes we had one, he was an Elvis impersonator. Location? Where else could Randy feel comfortable getting married other than an Ice lounge?

We decided to stay at the Venetian. I always wanted to stay there because it looked really cool. I liked the art work and the shops. It just seemed really fancy. It was. Everything they did exceeded my expectations. I used the salon for my hair, which was expensive, but it was last minute and they did a fantastic job. My best friend and I also got our makeup done too. I had never had my makeup professionally done, she airbrushed our faces and we got fake eyelashes, something I am thinking about investing in now. I felt extremely lucky to be pampered like that and I figured I deserved it, after all it was my day right? The ladies in the shop kept telling us bridezilla stories, "oh we had one in here yesterday...." They were very professional and we looked amazing when we left.

When we arrived at the ice chapel everyone put on fur coats except Randy. I got to wear the only white coat and everyone else had to wear black ones. It was 15 degrees in the ice lounge, but it didn't really feel like it. Our Elvis was so excited. He had never had a wedding in an ice lounge before and kept telling us it was special. He was very very good, the ceremony was very tender and not a cheesy Elvis ceremony at all, he told the story of how I met Randy, he talked about love and open heart moments. When it came time for the ring, my best friend Anna realized she left it in her purse, in the locker, outside the ice lounge. It was very much welcomed comedic relief, it was needed because crying in a freezer is not a good thing, it will freeze to your face.

After the ceremony ended we all had a drink than proceeded to go into the casino and gamble. All in all it was a fun day, followed by zip lining in my wedding dress on Fremont Street. More to come on that adventure....

This is where we went:

http://www.minus5experience.com/
http://www.themobileminister.com/
http://www.venetian.com/

Niagara Falls: The View from Canada

Randy and I decided to take a surprise road trip to Canada. It was impromptu and we weren't really sure where to start. I told him he should see Niagara Falls because it is beautiful and I had only seen it from the American side. I heard the Canadian side was nicer. We decided to leave at 2:30 PM, we left at 3:30PM, but at least we left. The drive through Canada was boring. I fell asleep.  Ontario is not the most exciting place to drive through, but it's a lot faster than driving through the US. The most stressful part was the boarder crossing, but I must say it was the easiest time I've ever had. They always seem to want to search me.  We arrived in Niagara at about 9pm that night. Just in time to see the falls light up. We had the most incredible view from our room. We could see the entire falls. Niagara Falls from the Canadian side looks so much bigger. The Canadian Side view shows the island in the middle of the falls.

This view is from the Canadian side, this is the American Falls. As you can see the hotels on the American Side are really far away, it is really difficult to see the falls from the American Side. 

There were many things to do on the Canadian side, I got to see some of my friends who were also in Niagara at the same time. They asked the valet where he would go to lunch because we didn't want to go to a place that was a chain or to "touristy". This place was awesome. They actually had a pizza burger. It was two slices of pizza with a burger in between.  I had a calzone and it was very tasty. The tomato sauce tasted like it was from fresh grown tomatoes. They also carried local beers. 

 This is the Burger King in downtown. The whole street was full of very very touristy stuff. We went to the wax museum, I had never been to one before and I didn't think the figures were very life like, but there was a lot more wax museums, one with rock stars, one with famous killers, and one with just basic celebrities. The Canadians are just hot for wax I guess. The Burger King had Frankenstein attached to it.  This specific Burger King had a haunted house in it. Right across the street was the Ripley's Believe it or not museum, packed full of all the gross, bizarre stuff that a person can handle. They even have a 4D moving theater, yes a Moving theater. The theater movies to simulated the action in the 4D movie.   I made a video of our experience there:

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hiw65NlKKws&feature=g-upl&context=G279fe3dAUAAAAAAAAAA

The view from our room was amazing. We stayed at the Embassy Suites. There are many other hotels that are very reasonable nearby, they all boast of these wonderful views and they really do have them. We were closest to the Canadian falls, the "Horseshoe Falls". They were amazing. The amount of water that passes through them is incredible.  There is so much history from the area too, many people have lost their lives trying to take a barrel over the edge of the horseshoe falls, also people have tightrope walked across it. The place has traditionally been a honeymoon spot, but it is very family friendly and it also isn't super expensive unless you want to do everything they have available.  One thing I was kind of disappointed about was the "maid of the Mist" wasn't open. That's the boat that goes into the falls. Also we almost took a helicopter ride over the falls but we opted out of it. I have never been in a helicopter and hope someday to go in one, it looks like a lot of fun. Overall, I think Niagara is a pretty fantastic place to visit, I wish I would have had more time there, the falls are beautiful, there is fun things to do, and I don't think you can ever really "see it all" in a place like Niagara. 

Indoor Skydiving: The Opposite of Free Fall...

I have been skydiving before. Falling out of the sky at 250 miles an hour while strapped to a stranger's back, that is what I did, but indoor? I was a little apprehensive.  Skydivers have to practice and many of them use indoor skydiving places simulating free fall. I realize that the stream of air pushes a body off the ground probably about 10-15 feet, maybe 20 if you are a professional, but it's the landing I was concerned about. Just like skydiving, the landing is dangerous. Before beginning the session you have to learn to "tuck and roll" into the mats. This is difficult for me and probably for most people. I don't normally fall by curling up into a ball and rolling. I am not a stunt person. I think most people have a tendency to put their hands out in front of them to cushion the blow.

In the case of indoor skydiving, putting your hands out can create serious injury. So we had to practice throwing ourselves against the walls and tucking and rolling. I discovered that no matter how padded those walls are, it still hurts a little bit. The walls are cushioned, as is one layer of the outside floor. The middle there is a circle with lots of grates and it's kind of springy. Looking down underneath is extremely scary because you can see the propellers. I felt a little nausea looking down in it and it scared me really badly at first.  

I decided to keep going, plus I was in the room and they had already shut the door, so there was no turning back.  When the fans came on the room became very very loud. I was glad they made us put on ear plugs. The air flow was intense and it became very chilly. I was the third to go, so I got to watch the other two people go. They took their positions and jumped. The air seemed to do the rest. The instructor used hand signals to tell us what to do, if we needed to bend our legs, relax our bodies, or move out of the way of the operator's window. Luckily, no one actually stepped in the way of the operator's window. 

When it was my turn to go, I was a bit hesitant. All I could think about was the giant propellers under me, the off chance that I could break my arm or neck and of course, even though I had a helmet on, closed head injuries. I didn't even notice in the next second when my body was lifted weightlessly off the ground and I was flying. Really flying. If I bent my legs more, I went up higher. If I tensed up, I sank. Luckily the instructor was there the entire time to guide us and lead us. The experience was amazing. He even helped me do twists and turns and at one point flipped me upside down.  We were in the circle for 22 minutes and we all took turns in order. Also, unlike real skydiving I did not hear myself saying weakly, "when do we land?"  

This was where we went:  

http://www.niagarafreefall.com/freefall/index.htm