Friday
6:30am
Keila and I headed to the airport to park the car, check-in luggage, and wait on our flight. Lala decided to pull an all-nighter so she could sleep on the plane, even though the flight was only an hour and a half! LoL I miss traveling with you...
8am
We boarded the plane. We were in the second half of boarding groupl B, so we ended up in the very back of the plane so we could sit together! Guess what babe, I didn't need any help putting my seat belt on this time:)! That felt sooooo good!!! I looked through the SkyMall magazine and smiled at all the silly-gadgets. I remember how you'd nudge me throughout our flights to show me something you'd want and tell me about how you wish you'd thought up some of that stuff yourself:) LoL
9:30am
We landed in VEGAS! You know, it didn't even hit me till we landed that the weekend we got married was my first time in Vegas, and this past weekend was my first trip there without you:(. What a thought to start off my weekend in the city that never sleeps!!!!! I miss cutting off the circulation in your hand during while landing...
11:30am
Met Sarah, Marc & Siara Alonzo at Tahiti Joes for lunch. It was so nice to see them! We tried to meet-up with them in Monterey so many times before before 11/4, but something always came up (on our end). It really tore me up inside that the last time they saw us was at your funeral. From SoCal to the bay, their friendship has always meant so much to us.
12:20pm
We got checked-in at Excalibur. While I was checking us in, all I could think of was one of our trips to Vegas when you shmoozed your way to an upgraded room at check-in. You made a best-friend out of almost EVERYONE you spoke to!
12:45pm
As we were walking to our room, I got some bad news via email. The job I was soooo excited about was given to someone else. That was the first time I teared-up through a hotel! Thank GOD Angie & Keila were there to make me smile/laugh through the tears... I couldn't believe it! The day before, I had the most amazing interview and was told that it was between me and another candidate, AND was told I'd get a call by Monday to schedule the next interview. But I got rejected before getting the opportunity to WoW the next manager. Another thing to affect my mood so early in the trip. And although I got a lot of love and support from Angie and my family, I really miss your ability to cheer me up in all situations...
1:30pm
Our luggage STILL wasn't dropped off to our room! Considering the news I got about the job, I probably shouldn't have been the one to call the bell desk! LoL Good thing I gave the phone to Angie before the supervisor came on the phone! If you were there, you would've gone downstairs and got our stuff yourself! LoL
2pm
After our luggage finally arrived, Keila went to hang out with her cousins while Angie and I hung-out downstairs at the casino. I probably shouldn't have been told that in Vegas, you get free drinks even playing penny slots! LoL I had a few glasses of merlot due to my mood AND the fact that they were free! I miss how you'd know exactly when to cut me off because you knew my alcohol-tolerance-level better than I did...
5pm
Angie rescued me from the penny slots and we went to eat at a resturant in our hotel. Dick's Last Resort, known as "The Shame O' the Strip." THAT, my dear, was the strangest experience ever! Service with sarcasm is their motto, yet there was more sarcasm than service! Angie and I had a blast though:).
6:45pm
After dinner, I went up to the room to take a nap because the wine totally messed me up! I didn't wake-up till 5 hours later! Ha! I came to Vegas to take a friggin nap! LoL But considering the way my day went, the best thing for me to do was spend my night resting! Without a doubt, I missed how you used to spoon me and lightly stoke my forhead to relax my eyelids till I'd knock-out! That was the BEST way to fall asleep while stressed...
Saturday
7am
Rise & Shine! We all (Me, Angie, Alana & Keila) got up to get ready for the reason we went to Vegas! Luckily, I showered before I went to bed hours earlier...4 chicks in a hotel room with an hour and a half to get ready?!? hahaha We got to Bally's at 9am. As soon as I walked into the convention room the music brought me back to the YTB convention in St. Louis that we went to! You were the DJ at the after-party. I went around and said hello to the life-long friends we made through YTB. Next thing I knew, they called up "the family of Mark Aragon" to the stage. Al, Alana, Moe, Aaron, your Mom, Myk, Jamie, Keila and I made our way up there as Arlyne said amazing things about you. Al said a few sweet words about his baby brother, your mom shared, then my heart spoke a little about the Man of God you were, your passion for our biz, then said thanks. Here's the beautiful plaque they presented in your honor:
What a privlege and an honor to be a part of such an amazing YTB family! We share so many memories with so many of them from meetings at Marie Callendars, to road trips and "YTP" ;), to karaoke with Arlyne while she does her hammer-dance, the 2009 convention in St. Louis, and so much more. I miss the way you'd passionately work our YTB biz! It was always about BLeSSiNG others...
Later that night at around 9 or 10'ish, Angie and I headed back to Bally's to kick-it with friends. Louis, Myk & Jamie chilled with us at Indigo Lounge, there at Bally's. There was a filipino band performing and they were pretty good. A little after Joy joined us, I had to "peace-out"! I didn't think being there would be so sad for me. I never had to sit while everyone was dancing. Ya, I could've got on the dance floor and danced with friends, but all I could think of was YOU! A couple of the songs played and performed even brought me back to specific times being on a dance floor with you. So, before becoming a party-pooper, I excused myself from the fun. I SOOOOOO miss the fun we had anywhere and wherever there was music...
Sunday
2am
We made it back to our room where we got all our stuff packed and ready to go. Then Keila, Angie & I had a late dinner/early breakfast at the McDonalds in the hotel. We got back to the hotel room around 4:30 and took a half-hour power nap before checking-out and heading to the airport because Angie's flight was at 7am and she had to return the car. Mine and Keila's flight wasn't till 8 so we chilled and snored until it was time to board...then we just snored:).
11am
We got home at 11am to find a mailbox full of mail addressed to YOU! Not one piece for us...all for you! Wassup with that babe??? LoL After settling in, I made the mistake of browsing through the show's I had DVRd. I started the "Grey's Anatomy turned Glee" episode, thinking it would bore me to sleep, but instead it brought me to tears and I watched the whole thing! So much for KO'ing as soon as I got home! LoL
It was an interestingly-wierd episode...but it made me think of you and the moments surrounding your death and how much I hope an angel-version of me was there to serenade you through it all...
ANYHOO...I pretty much slept till this morning:). Jason picked Keila up before heading to Jiya's 1st birthday party at 3. Then Isa, Jin & Lala got dropped off at home around 9pm. I smothered them a bit before falling back to sleep, then woke-up this morning to bring them to school:).
So that, my love, was the shortest version of our weekend that made the most sense:). Thinking of you and missing you 24/7...1434
