Goodbye, 20s! Hello, 30s.

This year I turned 30. I've handled it as gracefully as possibly. I have always felt society-induced stress in regards to where I need to be in my life at any given age. It's the inner control freak I blame for this. So, naturally, turning 30 was a very dooming, black cloud that hung over me. I'm still in school. I live with my in-laws. At 30, I should be in my home, working full time, listening to adult contemporary in my minivan, and throwing seasonal parties... right?

About six months ago (or maybe longer), I jokingly mentioned to my husband that I would like my 30th birthday to be BIG. I mentioned Vegas. Needless to say, it stuck. We moved money around, sold some things, and began saving. We booked our hotel room and airline tickets through our hotel's web site.

We left early in the morning just a week or so after my actual birthday. My son, who has not been by my side for almost two years, was dropped off at Grammie's house for the week. It was a tough goodbye.


Vegas is extraordinary in a way that would make an alien planet extraordinary. It's different. It's unique. What I was most impressed with, however, was that no matter if you were on the strip or in suburbia, you are surrounded by beautiful mountains! I barely noticed the Vegas strip during the day. I was mountain-struck. At night, when the ranges are no longer visible, I had no choice but to notice my surrounds of neon and nakedness.

Did you know people bring their kids to Vegas? I mean, that's their right. They can do what they want. I just couldn't imagine bringing my child there and have them ask me why there is an almost naked woman dancing on the table ten feet away from us. Or why there are stripping cowboys on the jumbo-tron TV outside. But, to each their own.

My husband and I are a horse of a different color. Everyone was shocked, after we had gotten back, that we had (of all things) eaten breakfast every morning. I'll confess. We didn't party. We barely gambled. What we did do was to enjoy the unparalleled variety of food that Vegas provides. I'm not talking buffets either.

We ate at Payard (in Caesar's Palace) three mornings in a row. It was just that awesome. And, my husband loves French cuisine. However, his favorite meal the entire trip was the miso sea-bass at Sushisamba in the Palazzo. I had THE best vegen burger at Holsteins in the Cosmopolitan. There was only two occasions in which we were forced to eat a hurried lunch or snack. Every other meal choice was made with deliberate precision.

Another thing my husband and I enjoy doing is exploring. We went to every casino and toured each one. We made a point to also get away from the strip and go view those gorgeous mountains I hadn't been able to keep my eyes off of since our plane landed.


We spent an entire day at Red Rock Canyon. Not because we wanted to, oddly enough, but because we got lost on one of the trails. It was such an epic adventure!

We decided to pick the hardest of the hiking trails. We figured it wouldn't be that bad. Boy! We were wrong. It was borderline horrifying.

It started out easy enough. The trails, at first, was clearly marked. However, when we reached the base of the mountain peak the trail was named after, it became clear that we might have signed up for something we shouldn't have. The trail utterly disappeared.  There were no markers telling us we were going the right way. So, we winged it.

The goal of the hike was to get to the top of Turtle Head Peak. Yes, a mountain peak. I must have been out of my mind. I am a novice hiker at best. We ended up going far left of the peak we were meant to be on. We climbed the peak nearest us and then walked across to Turtle Head Peak, which was still a huge climb. It is the highest peak in the canyon. We probably tacked on another two hours to our trip by going the way we did, but we saw no choice. Like I said, there was virtually no trail and no signs.

In the end we climbed to Turtle Head Peak with our bare hands. I felt so accomplished when we reached the top that I started crying. Somehow, we had navigated through the Nevada wilderness (which is beautiful!) with nothing but our gut instinct and each other.

At the top of the peak we found an old military ammunition box that people put things inside. There was a journal for writing down your experiences, a first aid kit, some snacks, a lighter, and other bits and pieces. We wrote down our thoughts. We left a rock with our names on it. Then we tracked back down.

In total it took us 5.5 hours (the guide said 3.5-4.5 total). The climb up took 3 hours, the climb down took 2.5. We were exhausted. It was almost 7pm and the park closed 8. As tremendous as our trip up that mountain had been (and down, I fell twice and cried for my life once), we were glad it was over. I can't believe we didn't see a single animal (besides the chipmunks) and escaped snakes. Someone must have been watching over us.

That night, back at the hotel, we got a quick bite to eat and then went to see a show. It was a perfect day, but the Cirque De Soliel's O just made it better. It was such a contrast to go from outdoors thinking you're going to die to sitting in a fancy theater wearing a nice dress and watching people fly through the air. The perfect combination of raw natural beauty and pure fantasy.

It was a monumental birthday - one I will never forget. I was so glad to have been able to share it with the best husband. If the trip taught me anything, it's that I am nothing without him. Who needs marriage counseling or therapy camp? Just go hike up a mountain. It will do wonders for your relationship.