"sparks."

2009. it's here and i like it.

actually...

i'm lovin' it.

let me take you back to the last 26 hours of 2008. i was supposed to leave for vegas at 12am on december 31st with devyn, mike b, and christian. i was packed up and ready to go...excitement building up as i got closer to starting our drive. at 10pm...i am stopped by my parents who realize my car keys and house keys are missing. for the next two hours, we tried in vain to find my keys. i looked through my trash dumpsters, searched every drawer, container, and closet...hoping to solve the problem that was stopping from going to vegas with my friends. it was a hope that never came that night, and i was prevented from leaving the house. it was sad and very painful to send off my friends as they left with the same excitement i had hours before. i didn't have a good night's sleep. i woke up even sadder knowing my friends were waking up at the hotel, getting ready to rock it while i was going end up celebrating the coming of the new year stuck in my house. things got worse when i found out i had to pay to reprogram the car alarm, get new keys, and reconfigure the car key locks...which came out to about $500. this was how i was going to end 2008 and start 2009...on a bad and unfortunate note.

at 2pm...my hope finally arrived. i got a voicemail from tiffany telling me she had my keys. moping on my sofa watching tv...that suddenly changed as i jumped out of my seat and yelled for joy. pat was able to get the keys for me from tiff's house and at 3:30pm...i was on my way to vegas with david and jenny, who were still in the area and were so kind to give me a ride. there was no way i wasn't going to miss out on vegas now. i was given an opportunity to save my new year's eve and day and i capitalized on it. breezing through the 15 with no traffic, we arrived in vegas at 9pm and with plenty of time to get ready for the festivities. through the rowdy crowd in the streets, i was able to meet up with the rest of my friends and when midnight striked...i was in the presence of loved ones at the venetian watching an amazing display of fireworks all around the strip.

seriously, i owe pat, jenny, and david (as well as tiff and her parents) for saving the end of 2008/start of 2009 for me. my new year's miracle wouldn't have been possible without them.

the vegas trip was a good one ---> nothing grand and crazy...just pleasant and budgeted. we watched nick and norah's infinite playlist (even better the second time around), ate dim-sum at harbour palace in chinatown (private room status), enjoyed the fountains at bellagio, dined with the utmost delight at the rio seafood buffet, caroused the miracle mile shops, chilled at tao (saw michael phelps, pauly shore, cheryl burke, and maurice greene), and i took my first cab ride. i missed out on the forum shops and jet and it was a shame that we didn't eat at the wynn buffet as planned, but it was still all good. coming full circle, i returned home with devyn, mike b, and christian. i enjoyed my mini-vacation and i've come back to the hills rejuvenated, confident, and loving life more than ever.

to katrina, nick, tiff, ana, betty, chris, dennis, mike, jen, christian, arthur, devyn, jenny, david, melinda, eddie, meagan, martin, katrina's parents, jimmy, and cheryl from chicago...thank you for making my time in vegas worthwhile.