I found myself hanging out in Las Vegas during Thanksgiving weekend again this year. Last year, the kids were with me and my husband in Las Vegas. This year, they declined the invitation to join us. They did get to spend time with my Honolulu brother and his family so they weren’t on their own. (Thank you, Charles and Al!) For the first time for me, it is a no-kids Thanksgiving. The first one since we became parents. Well, one year, we split up because of a soccer tournament on Oahu but each parent still had one child with them.

I left after work on Wednesday evening and took the redeye on Hawaiian Airlines and arrived in Nevada on Thanksgiving morning. To prepare for the flight and the relaxing weekend, I downloaded a few books on my Kindle and have a few shows on my device. I used some Hawaiian miles and upgraded my seat so I could stretch out on this overnight flight. A few friends were on this flight so I was able to catch a ride with them to the Orleans Hotel and Casino where my husband was staying. After getting in, I had a ham and eggs breakfast at the hotel at the Copper Whisk. The ham steak was bigger than my head! After that overnight flight and a big breakfast, I took a wonderful nap. After getting up in the afternoon, I unpacked, got some exercise in at the gym, and then finished watching Thirteen Lives which I started on the plane but didn’t get to finish. It was time for Thanksgiving dinner at Bailiwick at the hotel. I ordered a shrimp “tempura” and a wedge salad for my dinner.

On Friday, my brother stopped by the hotel so I could deliver some KTA pie crust manju to him. That is about all I did since I indulged a little too much the evening before and needed to rest up. That evening, we saw Englebert Humperdinck and thoroughly enjoyed it. While waiting to enter the theater, we noticed that the audience was a pretty mature group but I did see two people who were very young. It was so fun to see all the mature Humperdinckies go up to the stage, dance and get a picture of and with Englebert. The piano and guitar players were awesome. And you know the young people I saw outside? Turns out one of them was Olivia, his granddaughter who has some strong and awesome pipes and performed on stage with him.

On Saturday, we rented a car and completed my Trader Joe’s run. We ate at Arby’s at my husband’s request. Somehow, I was still tired and didn’t make it to the gym on that day either. I got some work done, read books on my Kindle, and packed up for the return flight home. The first class seat on the way home had even fewer amenities than on the way up. The HNL-LAS flight had a blanket and a pillow and a little pack with earplugs and a blindfold. The LAS-HNL flight had only a blanket. No pillow. Fortunately, I didn’t need any of those extras. I just wanted to stretch out and get some rest on the flight home. What a quick few days. But maybe not so quick for my dog. He was happy to be picked up from the Pet Hospital on Monday. Living Hilo Style in Las Vegas.