Day One Las Vegas Trip

Here it is the 11th of January and we are packed and ready to leave for Las Vegas. Having looked online for the weather report we find the Las Vegas area was having 15 - 20 mph winds. Hopefully when we get there the winds will have died down and we will have enjoyable weather.
I have done quite a bit of flying since 1990 for the hospital I work for as well as vacations. I am very much afraid of heights and being in a plane does not make me feel any better. I was given Xanax for my flying fear when I first started out. Of course now I can get on a plane and feel safe. My fears have been narrowed down to take offs and landings and even those don't bother me much anymore. Pills, I don't need any stinking pills.
The flight from Pasco to Seattle was uneventful and we arrived safely. Now, to find our next gate to get on Alaska Airlines. We had to go from a satelite to the main terminal and our tickets said gate D and the terminal screen said gate C. We decided to follow the terminal screen. We had to travel on 3 different underground trains to get to the C terminal. Once we arrived we verified the plane we needed was actually leaving from this gate.
The plane left and we were to arrive in Las Vegas on time. As we were getting closer to Las Vegas the pilot came on the overhead and asked the attendants to secure the cabin earlier than usual and he wanted them seated early due to 40 mph wind gusts in Las Vegas. It was already getting bumpy and the plane was being jostled around. As the plane was about to land the nose of the plane rose up, as I notice all planes do, to land on the back tires first. At that moment the planes left side lifted and the right side tires touched the ground. The pilot immediately put the engines in reverse and put the brakes on to get the plane to come down on the left side and then the nose of the plane came down. The attendant came on the radio and said "wow", "folks that was for real". I am rethinking my use of medications to travel. Getting off the plane and into the terminal felt good. We found our luggage at the baggage claim and headed for the shuttle. When we stepped out of the terminal the force of the wind hit us. It was almost hard to stand up and not be blown over. We found the shuttle and got into the bus.
We are staying for the next three days and two nights in the Monte Carlo. Very nice lobby. We were able to get checked in and we are on the fourth floor with our room near the core of the Hotel. We decided to eat a a cafe since we had not eaten yet.
We made plans for the day in our room. We would start walking through shops and look at the casinos. Our first stop was the Bellagio. The Monet exhibit was there and we decided to go through that. The paintings that were here were from the Boston exhibit. The attendant gave us each a wand so you can walk throught the exhibit and listen to the history of each painting. I found this very interesting to be able to see the actual paintings from the 1890 - 1900's. The stories about the different styles and what he was trying to achieve. My favorite painting was the one that took two different seasons to complete. You can see the different seasons in the way he painted the hills and the fact he paid the owner of the land to pick the leaves off of the tree so it would look the same during the two seasons. Another painting was a bridge over his man made pond in his back yard. The exhibit was interesting and was fun to visit.
We continued the walk over to Caesar's and walked through the shops. It has grown so much since the last time we were here. It was getting dark outside and were getting ready to head back to our room. We crossed the street and went into Paris. Each Casino we walked into was so elaborate. The lobbies were beautiful. We walked the shopping area and decided to eat in a restaurant which had an outside eating area to the casino. Our meal was very good. Cindy had soup and I had Prime Rib. Our feet and legs were very tired. We still had a ways to go to get back to the Hotel. We had decided not to take our coats with us and now we wish we had.
Back in the room Cindy decided to stay there and go to bed. I was ready for my first night of gambling. I first walked the casino floor to see where the machines and tables were located and get the feel of the place. I decided to start the evening off with Video Poker. Having done quite a bit of reading on strategy I wanted to try it out. I found a set of machines that looked like they met the criteria I was looking for. I started out by putting $50 into the machine. About 30 minutes later I hit a 4 of a kind. Four K's with an Ace. I cashed out for $96.25. Not bad for 30 minutes. I then went looking for a blackjack table. I did find one and the seat was in the 7th position. I gave the dealer $105 to start my evening. I will always start with a certain amount and when it is gone I will not keep going. I will walk away from a table if I am not doing well or if I have lost what I started with. I was not doing well at this table. My strategy was fine it was the hands I was being dealt and what the dealer was getting. I would get 18 and the dealer would get 19. I would get 20 and the dealer would get 21. The table was starting to remark about how unlucky I was. I finally played down to my next to last chip. I was given an Ace to start the hand. My second card was an Ace as well. I split the hand with my last chip. The next card was another Ace. I then pulled out the wallet and gave the dealer $20 to play another card. The next card was another Ace. I now had 4 aces out on the board. Each of the Aces now get one card. I recieve a 4, 2, 3 and my next card was a face card. The dealer drew 21. I loose on three and push on the last one. I now play a few more hands with the chips I have left and then with my last chip I get an Ace. The next card is another Ace. I pull out the wallet again and give the dealer another $20 to play the split. I get a 3, and a face card this time. The dealer draws a 21 again. At that point my luck turned around. I was able to build my stack up to $100 and I decided to call it quits for the night. I had played about 2 hours. Total for the night was +$1.