Blackjack in Vegas

At the age of 21, the world dramatically changes. For some, this change becomes the last "Big Event" in their lives. Unfortunately, they dwell too heavily on their new-found freedoms - i.e. drinking, gambling, etc, and are content living like they just turned 21 for the rest of their lives. A healthier and more rewarding philosophy of "becoming legal", should it be adopted, would exhibit a casual deviation from the previous life lived at the ago of 20, with the occasional beer at a family gathering or the convenience of being able to rent your own car. Unfortunately, Cheryl was working this weekend so I flew down by myself to celebrate my cousin Andrew's 21st birthday.


The first order of business was to purchase some alcohol for the birthday boy. Tammy and I took a little stroll to the Fashion Show mall and picked up some snacks and drinks to welcome the birthday boy once he got to his room.

Andrew brought along some good friends from back home to help him celebrate.


Any opportunity to spend some time with my sisters is a good one.

Everyone arrived in Vegas on Friday afternoon, but Andrew didn't turn 21 until midnight. So we had to kill a little time exploring the Hotel and Casino. We all stayed at the Treasure Island, but sadly, it wasn't the same Disney-inspired pirate themed fantasyland I remembered from years ago.


As you all know, of all the things Las Vegas is known for, and there is alot of them, the buffets are probably my most favorite. The decision to have Andrew's birthday dinner at the Treasure Island buffet was both brilliant and delicious. Needless to say, I made sure to try everything.

What do you do when they are making cotton candy at the desert station of an all you can eat Las Vegas buffet?

Make cotton candy facial hair of course!

The pastry chef made Andrew a little chocolate birthday cake and wrote happy birthday with chocolate icing. How sweet.

As we were finishing up the last few words to Andrews "Happy Birthday" song, this fine gentleman came right up to us and yelled "ONE MORE TIME!" I almost fell out of my seat laughing and so, with him leading us, we sang it again. We never got his name, but I did get a picture :)

The whole family(almost). Not a bad picture considering there were 5 different cameras going off at the same time.

My mom's family: Her brother Vahe, sister Zepure (Andrew's mom), and Grandma Gina.

Now that Andrew was 21, it was time for some fun.
Which one of these is not like the other...

On our way to the Bellagio for some brunch.

The last meal before we all said goodbye and headed back home - wherever that was for us.

Happy 21st birthday Andrew. Remember, just because the house always wins doesn't make you any less of a champ in my book. C'mon BLACKJACK!