This summer, I noticed Mackenzie had added the song "It's All Coming Back to Me Now" by Celine Dion to her summer Spotify playlist. I instantly remembered how much I loved that song in middle school and texted her to compliment her on her excellent music taste. She told me that Ainsley was going through a Celine Dion phase, and after hearing the music play while Ains was showering, her love for Celine was also reignited.
I became an avid Celine listener, especially after discovering Luke (the little boy I nannied) would instantly calm down and fall asleep when listening to her music. I remember a great number of hours in his dark room, rocking him while humming along to "Because You Loved Me" and "All By Myself", admiring his most adorable face. After I got my gallbladder and appendix out, the first thing I did when waking up from anesthesia was listen to "It's All Coming Back to Me Now". As summer continued, so did the love for Celine. Towards the end of June, Ainsley texted me asking if I would want to go to Vegas to see Celine in concert. Of course! However, for a while, everything seemed very dreamy/hypothetical. I didn't think it would actually ever happen, but the oh-so-persuasive Ainsley somehow convinced her parents to go to Vegas and see the queen for her 16th birthday, along with her best friend Maya (who actually dreamed up the whole trip idea), Mackenzie and me. It all worked out wonderfully, and we were scheduled to head to Sin City over Labor Day weekend to see Celine freaking Dion.
We left late Friday night, so so excited! On our way to the airport, a piece of Eileen's car literally flew off, causing a quick put stop and so much laughter. We made it to the airport with plenty of time, Mackenzie and I scored Schlotzsky's for dinner, and the flight was super short. Mack's dad planned for a limo to pick us up from the airport to take us to our hotel, The Venetian. However, only Mack and I knew about it, so we got to be the ones who surprised everyone! We made sure to get ahead and find the driver, and I explained to him the surprise situation. Eileen just knew we were in charge of transportation, and I told her my dad gave me a great company to call that he had used. While we "waited" for the car company, I suggested we go take some flashy pics next to a limo. Ainsley and Maya were convinced they wouldn't let us, but we went over and sure enough, they let us! lol. We talked to the driver for a bit, and I eventually asked if he could take us for a spin. At this point, Maya and Ains were freaking out, especially after he said yes. I then told them that the limo was our ride, and everyone was very confused/nervous/freaked out, but Mackenz and I just got right in and they followed! We drove through the lit up strip, admiring all the lights, drunk people, and yelling with excitement for the concert. We got to the hotel pretty late and went to bed right away.
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| Airport selfies are always essential |
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| our weekend itinerary made by the birthday queen no less |
Saturday morning, we had a quick breakfast before heading out to do as much as we could before the concert. We went to Madame Tussad's Wax Museum and it was worth every penny! It was so freaky but fun to see wax figures of celebrities like Cameron Diaz and Oprah. The best part was when we go to see the wax figure of Celine. After the wax museum, we explored several of the hotels. The architecture of the entire city is pretty phenomenal. After walking around in the heat for several hours, we retreated back to the hotel to get ready for the evening. I'd say on levels of hotness, we went from 7s to 10s, without a doubt. We ate at the Hard Rock Cafe before heading to the Colosseum at Caesar's to see Queen Celine. Along the way, we took pictures and just marveled by the oddities of the human race.
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| Your newest Playboy bunnies (I know, I can't stop laughing too) |
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| YES |
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| Our queen |
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| Oh yeah and this happened! hahahaha |
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| Quick stop in Paris |
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| There's a lot I love about this picture |
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| Did Caesar really live here? |
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| Eileen's Vegas bf |
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| Ainsley's birthday present bahahaha |
Then came the concert.
I don't think I'll ever have the words to adequately describe the magic that happened that evening. Celine truly has the voice of an angel. The concert began with a little video montage to "I Drove All Night", and then suddenly, she appeared. She began singing
"I Surrender". Right at the chorus, the white curtains dropped to reveal an orchestra and back up singers and honestly, I don't think I've ever felt so close to tears at a concert. Ainsley really did bawl a steady stream of tears. The entire concert, I had goosebumps and was just in disbelief of the beauty of her voice. It's something I will never, ever forget. She certainly left us on a a Celine high.
Sunday, we went to the pool for about an hour in the morning before checking out of our room and heading to New York New York. Ainsley, Mackenzie, and I rode the roller coaster three times. We indulged at Shake Shack for lunch, and no shake will ever be as amazing as the Black and White, and no crinkle cut fry ever as worthy. Honestly, we were so exhausted, so we went back to the hotel and camped out on some couches until it was time for us to take our limo back to the airport.
The weekend as a whole was quick, but so fun. Vegas is such an interesting city, and I look forward to going back- when I'm 21 that is, so it's a little more enjoyable lol.
The moral of this long vacation recount is GO SEE CELINE DION IN CONCERT. Your life will never be the same. You will truly be touched by an angel.
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I just had to get this babe a shirt since he is Celine's biggest fan. Also, this picture is my favorite EVER.
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Oh, and of course Mackenzie and I made a video of the weekend. Enjoy!
xo
Hannah
