And I've already broken rule #1

One of my best friends recently moved to South Africa. She's an attorney and decided to go there and volunteer full time at a legal aid clinic. She's representing schools needing more services, under-priveleged individuals... very noble. I've never traveled with a cause . I have to admit I've drawn a line -- vacations for me have been very self-indulgent. I'll take care of my noble causes when I get home. :-) Not sure that's a good thing, but it is what it is.
This same friend celebrated her 40th birthday last year. She rented a villa in Tuscany, Italy and invited her friends and family to join her. it had to be one of my favorite vacations ever. We drank, ate, drank more, ate more for two weeks straight. I'm still dieting to make up for those sins.

So... clearly I have a super cool friend. I'm really proud of her and I'm actually a bit envious too. The real reason I'm writing about her is that my 40th is coming up this summer. At first I planned a rafting trip through the Grand Canyon, but when I asked my friends who wanted to join me I only got one taker. Turns out my friends aren't exactly the outdoorsy type. So then I thought I'd do something oversees too, but with the economy the way it is.... it's not worth it. Too pricey. Not sure I could afford it, let alone my friends. What I've settled on is a trip to las vegas. Should be fun. I'm excited. Any suggestions what to do while I'm out there? So far 12 people have rsvp'd... mostly those same girlfriends that declined the rafting trip :-) The plan is to relax in the sunshine by day; eat and drink by night. The guys will gamble I'm sure. We girls will probably shop or sit in the sun more-so. I had a hard time getting my boyfriend to rsvp. Is there something girly about evites? He didn't know what to say and certainly wasn't in a hurry to rsvp. Is that a girl thing? I wanted him to be the first to confirm. Somehow that would prove his commitment to me, right? Oh well. One month post-invite he confirmed with a "vegas :-) " Yeesh!!!!

I know I don't do well traveling with boyfriends. I'm already breaking my very first rule. But, I'm hoping that long weekends don't count. Wish me luck!