TBs Rockin' the Night Away!

After a fulfilling dinner...most of us wanted to get our grooves on...but first a quick change into clubbing gear.  All, except for Will who left after dinner to finish packing for his move cross country, went upstairs to Joy and Jillian's room to check out the Red Rock digs.  Rusty red with dark earthy tones decorated the long, long, long, long, long hallway to their room.  Did I mention the hallway from the elevators to the room was LONG!  Inside was very stylish and posh with modern fixtures and furniture...plush beds with many pillows, a long cushiony sofa, and flat screen TVs in the sleeping area and in the bathroom for easy TV viewing when soaking in the large bath tub which can fit at least 3 people.  

We headed to the Rocks Lounge, all except for Jenn who tried to catch some zzzs in Joy & Jillian's room and John who was tired from work.  I don't remember what time we got to the Rocks Lounge...all I know was that it was hella late or was it hella early in the morning?  Even before entering Rocks Lounge, the place was jumping.  Harriet, Jillian, Joy, Mel, James, Matt, and I immediately hit the dancefloor to bump and grind to the awesome jams the live band played.  The live act on stage was surprisingly good...upbeat and rockin'and really worked the crowd!  The act was called Zowie Bowie...apparently...they have been voted as the Best Act in Vegas.  They are onstage nightly at the Rocks Lounge on Thursdays through Saturdays.  Somehow we lost track of James and Joy in the crowd.  When the band left the stage...the joint slipped into a coma...so we (sans James and Joy) headed back to the room to wake sleepy head Jenn. 

Jenn and I were crashing at Mel's crib so we all jumped into the Tacoma and got to Mel's right quick.  Jenn started blogging as soon as we got inside...crazy!  I guess we made an impression...hehehe!  I guess it was like 4 am when we all fell asleep.  OMG we had to wake up in a couple of hours for the hike...were we f@#$ing nuts to agree to this?!?  Hell Ya!

What great timing...Jenn and I got to the Red Rock Casino around 9 pm...just in time for the Pre-Meet dinner at Terra Rossa.  I was too casually dressed in athletic wear for the drive so I quickly rummaged through my stuff in the nighttime darkness to find something appropriate to wear. After a quick change...no not in the parking lot as Jenn suggested I do but in the casino restroom...Jenn and I made our way through the casino to Terra Rossa.

As we entered Terra Rossa there was a barrage of high pitched greetings, warm introductions, and suffocating hugs...awh...what a fabulous welcome!  You could just feel the LOVE emanating from our TravBuddy group!  It was a delight to finally meet new TBs in person. ..Harriet (africancrab) and Jillian (jillianj) and I was super siked to hang with my TB friends again ( Mel melleme8, James pearce2you, Joy pvtjoy, Matt mattrilla, and Jennifer jenn79).  We were so loud from the wine and euphoria in the restaurant foyer...I am almost positive the other patrons were irritated by our loudness...or was it the blinding, paparazzi-esque camera flashes...f!@# it...we didn't seem to care...we were so ecstatic about being in Vegas...TOGETHER! 

Just after we were seated, our waiter placed antipasti (marinated artichokes, red peppers, and black & green olives, parmesan cheese chunks, and zucchini chips) and a breadbasket with olive oil and balsamic vinegar on the side for dipping.  I was starving because I only had a couple of Sunchips for lunch.   Harriet and I were devouring the olives...they were so good and flavorful!  Not too long after, Will (w_clemmons) joined us and sat at the head of the table. 

Before we even had a chance to order, Mel revealed the much coveted Pinkie (The Most Furthest TB award) so we could all sign it.  WOW!  The shirt was even more tackier than the shirt Matt got at the Santa Monica/LA Meetup last week...I guess Matt got his revenge cuz apparently he picked the shirt out. 

We finally ordered our meal and I got my drink...the pomogranate martini...it sure was tasty!  The other man of the weekend, John (jpchoi), joined us just as we we started our meal.  Dinner was YUM-O.  I splurged and had the ossobucco.  And it was so worth it...a large tender veal shank on a huge mound of saffron rissotto...so good!   Oh did I mention...Jen is super smart...she took the bill and calculated what we each owed with tip...saving us from having to dine and dash!  There was never a dull moment at Terra Rossa...insightful conversation, snappy repartee, hysterical laughter, crazy antics (Mel with the pizza stand on her head), oh and lots and lots of pictures...we all were picture whores!