what happens in vegas . . .

. . . doesn't always stay there ;) 

We definitely brought back plenty of memories (some of which we're trying to forget), but we learned a lot on our short trip to Sin City, too. You always learn the most when you're out of your comfort zone, right? Well here are our biggest takeaways from Vegas. . . .

Annye learned. . . 

1. To go with the flow. Traveling in groups is sometimes a challenge because not everyone wants to do the same things. But with seven girls, we really had not one bit of drama. I was very impressed by my girlfriends!
2. You don’t have to be single to have fun. I may not have been able to over indulge, but I certainly had my share of good times, free drinks and even a little dancing on tables.
3. Dancers really do have the hottest bodies. In my next life, I’d like to come back as a Vegas go-go dancer or showgirl. Holy hotness.
4. Sometimes you just gotta suck it up and rally. On our last night in Vegas, I was suffering from what I like to call a case of dehydration (otherwise known as severely over hung) and my stomach was not handling it well—up until an hour before we were set to leave for dinner. I did what any respectable girl does when in Vegas. Got in the shower and forced myself to have fun anyways. You can't keep a good woman down, Vegas!
5. Which leads me to my next point—one glass of water for every two drinks. Did not follow this rule and I definitely learned it the hard way. Though the amount of alcohol certainly didn’t help, I do think dehydration was my biggest problem in Vegas. Damn that desert air ;)

Jena learned. . . 

1. Being 25 is kind of a fantastic age. Over our fancy dinner of crab and filets, we were sharing our proudest accomplishments and what we're hoping for in the year ahead. We sounded like a table of pretty accomplished adult women. Then the birthday dessert for our friend Leigh arrives. It's a brownie with two big scoops of ice cream, a candle in each. Leigh: "Does this look like boobs to anyone else?" Cue the giggles. It was one of the best moments in the trip, to me at least. We're in betweeners, and that has such a beauty in and of itself. We're kind of adults, and we're kind of not.  
2. Girls are more fun than boys. Had we gone on this trip at 21, I'm pretty sure our mentality would have been a little different: Let's meet boys! But we were there to party it up with our gal pals, and that's exactly what we did. Despite a few brief make outs by the single gals, that was the extent of any interest in the opposite sex. Oh, and in conning them to buy the $16 drinks, which was just an exercise in intelligence. Any more than that? No one was interested. 
3. I have an alter ego. And I like her. Yes I got up and got my groove on with one of the dancers, surprising all my pals. I used to dance in high school, and a little in college. When I dance, I feel like I am the sexiest woman alive. It's just me and the music and everything else fades away. I'm not sure what her name is yet, but I'm taking suggestions. 
4. The sum is greater than the parts. I had my reservations about seven women traveling for a weekend together. But I will say of these amazing ladies, that everyone wanted everyone to get to have fun and do what they wanted. And I think that mentality worked.
5. Vegas will kick your ass, but you can kick its ass, too. After I returned from Vegas Monday night on little or no sleep from the night before, I got in a fight with a significant person in my life, had a midterm at 9 a.m. the next morning, and came down with a wicked sickness of sore throat, 102 fever and vomiting. Vegas. kicked. my. butt. But, despite all of that, I got an A+ on that midterm. Take that, Vegas.