The Day After Christmas

Another Christmas come and gone. We enjoyed spending time with each other and our families, but Santa wasn't able to deliver what we really wanted this Christmas - our HPT was negative on Christmas morning. I wasn't surprised, I could tell that my progesterone level was dropping for several days prior. We were so hopeful this time because the numbers were the best they'd ever been: two eggs, 25 million sperm, and a level of 32 the day they tested my progesterone. Wish I knew what was preventing me from conceiving. We'll go in tomorrow for the official beta test, but after that I don't know when we'll be able to do any more treatments. Michael's prostate biopsy is the first week of January. Even if he's cancer free, we may have to wait for his prostate to recover from the biopsy. So, we're in a state of limbo right now.

We had a great time in Vegas! On our drive out, we were treated to a winter wonderland as it had snowed just two days before. From the time we reached San Bernardino until we pulled into the outskirts of Las Vegas there was snow on the ground. It's kind of weird to be driving through the desert and seeing the cacti standing in several inches of snow!

Our first three nights were at The Orleans, because that's where Michael was working. The Orleans is off The Strip by several blocks. The minute we walked in we were overwhelmed by the smell of smoke. I hate that! Furthermore, the place is outdated and the rooms aren't anything special - they aren't even comfortable. The only thing The Orleans had going for it was a movie theater. So, one night while Michael was working I saw Seven Pounds, which I thought was horribly depressing. By the time our stay at The Orleans was over, I was depressed. There is nothing about that place that gives one a sense of well-being.

Come Monday, my birthday, we packed up and headed for The Strip. Well, we made a little detour to have breakfast at The Original Pancake House over at Green Valley. Now, I like that casino! It's in Henderson, at least twenty minutes from The Strip, but it's classy. I'd like to stay there some time.

After breakfast, we headed over to the Wynn. My goodness! What an incredible place. Our room was nearly as big as my house - I'm not kidding! We had an amazing view of the mountains, the golf course, and the new Encore which had its grand opening that night. We strolled through the Palazzo and the Venetian, where we made dinner reservations at Pinot Bistro and reservations for a late-night gondola ride. Late in the afternoon, I sipped a glass of fine French champange in the lovely Parasol Up lounge, before heading up to the room for a soak in the oversized tub. I felt like a princess! It was the best birthday ever. The next morning we walked over to the Encore and found it to be just as lovely as the Wynn, but in its own way. Then we enjoyed the fantastic breakfast buffet at the Wynn, before losing some more money in the slots. Then it was time to check out and head home.

Michael took pictures and I'll post some later when I can get to them.

So, even though we are sad and disappointed about this cycle, we have had a wonderful week together, and I'm grateful for that.