Sunday drive home from Reno after Diva Las Vegas

Well let’s start back on Saturday night as after I got back to my hotel I went across to the casino and they have about 6 Blackjack tables so I found a $3 table as the $2 tables was full. I sat and played for about 2 hours yes I know I said I would be in bed by 10 but I just didn’t want this trip to end. Any way I broke even, now as this is a small casino the casher is also the front desk for hotel where I checked in. When I got up there it was the same lady I had checked in to the hotel with 5 hours earlier. She asked how I did and we chatted for a moment and she was very pleasant. Then she Said “Have a good night Susan” she actually remembered my name. Now I realize I was probably the only crossdresser that checked in so I probably stood out but it was still nice and made me feel good.

Sunday morning I got up and got all dressed up and did my makeup then loaded my car and checked out. I went into the coffee shop and sat at the counter as I didn’t want to wait for a table. It was sad to think it was almost all over. I was on the road by 10:30 for the final 9 hour drive home.

On the way home I thought back over the week and all the wonderful friends I made and ones I got to see again from last year. It really was a great week and a big thanks to all the volunteers that put this together. Something this big takes a lot of work and I hope they all know how much all of us appreciate what they do.

It is hard to believe that I have spent 10 days straight living as Susan, hair and makeup every day and of course my beautiful Acrylic nails which I will sadly have removed Monday morning. It will seem so strange to go back to my male clothes as I remember last year how strange they felt. The shoes are heavier and the clothes not as soft and it will take me some time to get use to not having my nails. Well I guess there is next year to look forward to.

On the way home I got to Portland about 7:30 and I knew the group I belong to here would be out at a club tonight so I stopped and joined them for a couple hours. It was good to see them as there were about 7 of them there. We talked about my trip and a couple of them are planning on going to Diva Las Vegas next year. Well by 10 I was done and went home to go to bed.

Monday I think I will get up early and maybe go get breakfast or maybe find a Starbucks to go to before my nail appointment. As much as I enjoy going to the nail salon it is always sad when I have to remove my nails as that is the official end of my trip. Then it is back home and get cleaned up and make sure all traces of makeup are gone and Susan goes back to her place of going out on Friday nights and maybe a midweek Starbuck’s trip.

All my pictures are posted on my Facebook and also My yahoo page as it turns out if you are not on Facebook you can’t view the pictures even if they are public.

Saturday trip back to Reno after Diva Ls Vegas 2011

Well I stayed out way to late last night so had a hard time getting going this morning. The first thing I had to do was figure out which way I was going home and find a hotel for tonight. I had planned on Reno but for some reason when I looked last week and the weeks before I left they were all $100 a night or more. Well I used expedia which is how I booked my room on the way down and there was a hotel casino in Sparks not far from the Nugget where I stayed on my way to Diva Las Vegas that had rooms for $85, just for fun I called them direct to see what they had and by calling I got it for $79 so I went ahead and booked the room so I knew I would have a place to stay when I got here. I had hoped to be on the road by 9 but as I didn’t get up till almost 8 it was 10 when I pulled out of the hotel parking garage.

I drove to Beatty and got gas at the nice candy store. I also picked up some snacks for the drive back. I nice man let me go first in line. The lady at the counter was very pleasant and asked where I was headed and when I told her home from Las Vegas she asked if I had a good time there which I did. I only needed one more stop for me otherwise it was a straight drive. I made the trip in 7 hours and 15 minutes and really did not drive that hard. It is a really nice drive and very pretty down through the desert. I also had snow showers, I hit the first one about an hour out of Las Vegas but the big one was just after I left Beatty, it snowed hard for about 30 miles and at one point there was about an inch on the side of the road but the pavement was just wet.

The hotel I am at is a small one maybe 300 rooms with a small casino right off of I-80. Now when I pulled in it was probably the hardest one I have had to check in as this hotel is right next to a big truck stop and has truck parking of its own so there are trucker’s everywhere. I really think most of the people who stay here are truck drivers but it seems like a nice place.

When I checked in the lady at the counter asked for my ID and credit card which I gave her, she then asked if she should call me by my male name or if I had a preferred name, how cool is that so I told her Susan and that is how she addressed me while I checked in. that was the first time that has happened at the hotel, well the pit boss at the Imperial Palace did the same thing but I was gambling. In all so far it has been a good trip. I got to my room and it is very nice.

I went out to the Nugget where I stayed on the way down to get something simple for dinner as snacking while I drove I really wasn’t that hungry and I thought the Starbucks in the casino. Something to drink and a muffin would be perfect and I could catch up on my blog and e-mails. Plus as it is really busy Saturday night it would be great for people watching. I lucked out and got a parking spot right in front or the back entrance as someone pulled out just as I came in.

From here I will stop and get some gas so I don’t have to do that in the morning and then back to my hotel. I may play a little Blackjack but plan on being in bed by 10 at the latest as I have not gone to bed before 2 am all week. Well that is it for today, I think this is one of my shorter blogs this week.

Pictures also on my Yahoo profile

Friday of Diva Las Vegas 2011, final day

Well I got up a little later today and got all ready. I really hadn’t planned on doing anything till I met some of the girls at the Paris for lunch. I was all ready to go by 11:30 and didn’t need to be to the Paris till 1 so instead of just sitting in my room I went down and checked out the casino, they were already getting busy being a Friday but I did find one blackjack table with an open seat that was only $5 so I sat down and played. At noon they changed it to $10 and the pit boss said that we would all have to play $10 even though we had sat down when it was $5. Well I was slightly up and didn’t want to play that much so I decided to go check out the Paris before lunch, actually everyone at the table left so I don’t think this helped them as they had other $10 tables with seats open so really they just chased off the 5 of us that were playing.

I drove to the Paris and with the traffic I probably could have walked it faster, since I have never been there before as far as parking I decided to do the Valet parking. This was really nice as I got out right in front and did not have a long walk in. it is a very pretty casino inside. I ran into Pam the wife of Tess and we chatted for a few minutes, while she waited for Tess to come down from the room. I was trying to locate the buffet as that was where we were meeting. Joan and Beverly showed up just a couple minutes later and the three of us headed for the Buffet.

There was really no line for the Buffet which was nice. I think we had 12 of us there for lunch. The buffet was really good, a lot better than the one at the Imperial Palace. We had a very enjoyable lunch filled with good conversation. It was nice to get a chance to talk with the other girls and learn a little about them.

After lunch most of us walked out together as we all valet parked. Out front it was so nice and the sun was shining I got a couple more pictures with some of the girls; the first is Julie, Valorie and me. They were such a nice couple and very friendly. The second picture is Joan, Valorie and me. I have met Joan at several other events but first time I got a picture with her. Joan lives here in Las Vegas and walked all the way to the Paris so I gave her a ride home.

I had a few hours to kill before the farewell dinner so I decided to drive down to the Sahara where we stayed last year as they are closing it down on May 16. It will be sad to see it close as it is one of the remaining old hotel casinos on the strip. I am sure it will get torn down and a new hotel casino will go in there once the economy gets better. They have close all there restaurants but one and even taken out some slot machines. It is really sad; I played a little blackjack and talked to the dealer about what was happening. When I lost $20 I figured that was enough. This has not been a good trip for gambling as the dealers have all been really hot but still fun.

For dinner we had our farewell dinner at the Bahama Breeze. They opened up their gazebo room for our group. The staff was wonderful. Our waitress Autumn, what a cute name was just great. She said the staff that was working requested to work tonight for our dinner, as a matter of fact she was having a bad day and said if it was not for our group she would have called in sick but knew she would have a good night with us, how cool is that. So of course I just had to get a picture with her. There were so many pictures taken and I even took a bunch which I posted on my Facebook page.

After dinner most of the group was going to the Paris to a club for dancing. Now I don’t dance and had my 4″heel on but didn’t want the night to end. The girls said if I valet parked the club was just inside the door to the left so I went, well the main valet parking was full so I went to the back. So I had to walk down a long hall and down to the shopping promenade and then all the way through that and across the casino to the club in my short black dress and 4″ heel but since I was already there I did. There were probably 40 of us there. The music was good and I was glad to sit down for a while to rest my feet.

Well after a while and some arm twisting I was out on the dance floor for a little while. I had a good time but that did my feet in. I was almost tempted to take my heels off for the long walk back to my car but I knew I would never put them back on plus it was fun to walk through the casino and shopping area in heels even though the floor was smooth. I got to the escalator to the walkway to the garage and the up side was not working so I had to walk up two flights of stair. I got back to my hotel about 1:30 which is way later then I wanted as I have to be up early to start my drive home tomorrow. Well off to bed now. Thanks for reading and you can see all of my pictures on my Facebook page also on my yahoo profile.

Thursday of Diva Las Vegas 2011

Well today I got up and realized Diva Las Vegas is almost over for the year. Tonight I have a dinner with the girls and the farewell dinner Friday night. It has been an incredible week and gone by so fast which I knew it would. As of 5 PM tonight I have had my beautiful acrylic nails for 7 day and loved every minute of they. Well enough dwelling on what is to come.

I got up this morning and got a quick bite to eat and then headed off for some shopping as I have yet to do that here in Las Vegas. Today the wind was really blowing just like last year on the day we had the golf tournament, I am sure glad this year it waited till today after this year’s golf tournament. I hit the usual places, Burlington Coat, Ross dress for less, Wal-Mart, and Walgreens (needed some face powder), and I even found a wig shop just to look. It was a fun morning and mid afternoon.

When I got back to the hotel I of course went through the casino and stopped at a blackjack table. I blew through $80 in a matter of a half hour before I started getting any kind of hands. I ended up playing about 3 hours and in the end was only down $40 so I guess I could say I won $40, Glass half full type of thing. About 4:45 I went up to my room to freshen up my makeup and get changed for dinner as I wore a cute purple top with my grey skirt during the day and I just couldn’t go out tonight in the same outfit. Plus I wanted to change wigs to my new long blonde one for the evening. For tonight I wore my Black dress.

Dinner is at McMullan’s Irish pub with the happy hour just before. It is out by the Orleans hotel casino. There were about 12 of us there and the food was good. Several of the girls go there pretty regular so they are known and the staff treated us great. Our waitress, Jennifer was so awesome; she came in a couple times and just sat down with us to talk. There were not many customers besides our group so I guess it was a slow night for them. Before I left I had to get a picture with her and she said it was fine as long as she could take one too and you know me I never pass up a photo opportunity.

After dinner there was a get together at the Orleans, they have a group called the Fab (Beatles tribute) that play in one of their bars, no cover so you can just go in and listen to them play and sing Beatles songs. Only 3 of us showed up. The lead singer came over and talked to us; as it turns out the two I was there with go there all the time. It was a fun time and they did a really good job.

It was after 10 pm when I left there and went back to my hotel. I made a really quick stop at the blackjack table, 6 hands $10 each, one push and 5 losses. The dealer drew 20 or 21 every hand, the one hand I did push on was a 21. So I called it a night as I have been up way to late every night. It will do me good to go to bed earlier.

Tomorrow (Friday) is the last day and then on Saturday I will start my trip home, wow this week has gone by so fast. I guess it will be time to start planning for next year. Thanks for reading.

I am putting all my pictures on my Facebook.

Wednesday of Diva Las Vegas 2011

Well I was up early today as I had to be at the golf course (Desert Rose) by 8 am. This is the same course we played last year. They treat us so well and the price is very good, $48 each and we even got lunch.

Well right from the start I knew it would be a better game than last year as the wind was not that bad but it was a little on the cool side till about noon as we had cloud cover all day. We all warmed up on the driving range also included in price and as my nails are a little shorter this year I could get a good grip on the club. Now I have not played sense last year so didn’t expect much. The foursome I was in was Karen, Cammie, Valorie and myself. We had a total of 21 this year.

I started off with a par and then a triple bogy as I lost a ball (the only one of the day) in the water on hole 2. On the third hole a par 3 I put but tee off shot about 2 feet from the cup, it turns out this was the hole with the closest to the pin flag which I ended up winning. I also got a birdie on this hole. Tonya the beverage cart lady came around and I bought some snacks as I did not get breakfast. She remembered me from last year and told me to tell Cassandra she checked out her YouTube golf video she did as we put Tonya in part of it. The day went well and we all had a good time. My score was very consistent as I shot a 44 on the front and a 44 on the back for a total of 88, now under the rules we were playing under if your ball went in the water if your foursome thought it was the water had an unfair advantage you could drop without the penalty stroke so I did use that on the one hole so really my score should have been a 89. This is still really good for me as I am happy if I can get on the low 90′s and playing with long nails, jewelry and my boobs which through my swing off a little I am very happy. The best thing is I played the whole round with one tee, never lost it or broke it till the very last tee shot when it snapped in too.

After wards we went in and had lunch and did prized, I got one for the closets to the pin and took lots of pictures. Which I have included here. It was such a fun day.

When I got back to the hotel I had about an hour and a half before I had to get ready for dinner so I went to the blackjack tables, the ones where the dealer’s impersonate celebrities as I these are the really fun tables to play at. I bought in and gave them my players card the one with my male name on. There was a different pit boss tonight and she looked at the card and then looked at me and then put me in and then came over to me and told me this was not my card. I smiled and said yes it was and she took a closer look at me and apologized for the mistake. I told her it was fin and I really didn’t mind.

Now I had the same outfit from golf my white skirt and pink top which I wore because I can use my trick to make it look like I have cleavage. The guy next to me looked at my face several time but was constantly looking down my top. I really think he was confused as my voice and face said male but my chest said female. Every time I caught him looking I just smiled and he quickly turned his eye back to the game. Well the first dealer Adam Lambert (all I know are the celebrities they impersonate) cleaned me out of my $40 down to my last chip when Shakira came over to deal so he could perform which was good for me as I played almost an hour more and walked away with $65. Pretty good and had a fun time. For dinner I went to Milano’s and there were about 15 girls there.

I got back to my hotel with just enough time to change. I brought my red dress that is low cut and I thought the Diva’s show would be a good place to wear it. It was a little different walking through the casino in a dress like this as it is an attention getter. We had about 30 of us going to the show and all had bought preferred seating which we found out late came with a free drink and a souvenir plastic cup. Before the show we took lots of pictures and some of the people waiting took our pictures. I think they thought we were part of the show. Once inside I had several women come up and want pictures with me, I guess the dress paid off. I was only too happy to have my picture taken of course I also wanted pictures with them and they all agreed. The show was great and afterwards I even got a picture with Frank Marino the star of the show plus he also took a group picture with us. You can see all the pictures from the golf tournament and the Frank Marino Diva’s show on my Face Book page or photos of Diva Las Vegas.

After the show I decided to do a play a little blackjack before going back to my room, mainly I just wanted to be in the casino in my dress a little while longer. All they had were $ 10 tables which is a little more than I like but I figured why not give it a try. I was up for a while then they changed dealers and things went down so when I got back to my buy in so I moved to a different table and lost 4 hands in a row so again moved to another table and pushed a couple before losing what I had started with so I called it a night and came upstairs. So now just a quick blog update and then off to bed. Thanks for reading.

Tuesday of Diva Las Vegas 2011

Well today I slept in as I stayed up way to late last night. I think it was after 10 when I finally got up. I was trying to figure out what to do so decided to go to one of the events I hadn’t signed up for (signup was not required), it was called lunch with Ginger. I was taking my time getting ready when I noticed it was almost 12:30 and it started at 1 so I quickly looked at where it was, the Hilton and sense it is right next door to my hotel casino I was okay. I left my room at 12:45 and made it to the Hilton by 12:45 but as I walked in it hit me, this was the Flamingo Hilton and I suddenly realized it was a good chance it was the Las Vegas Hilton which is a few miles away and I knew I would never make it so I checked the buffet just to make sure and I was right they were not here. Well by the time I would have got back to my hotel got to my car and drove there I would have missed almost all of it so I decided to just skip it and head back to my hotel.

On the way I stopped into a small casino called Oshea’s casino, they had a small food court with some fast food places so I got a chicken teriyaki rice bowl. On my way out I stopped and played a little black jack and ended up playing almost 2 hours before my $40 was gone. So now it was back to my hotel by the way all this between casinos was walking on Las Vegas Boulevard with all the other people in the sun shine and it was so nice out. I walked by the black jack tables and they had they had some open seats at a $5 one Shakira one of the dealers I had so much fun playing with so I sat down and she remembered me. I played about an hour till 4 and then went upstairs to my room to touch up my makeup before heading out for dinner.

Dinner was at the Firefly on Paradise, Happy hour from 5 to 6 with dinner from 6 to 7:30. It was a nice time and about 25 girls were there. Part of happy hour they gave us all sample plates of some of their food one of which was bacon wrapped cooked date with an almond inside, oh so good. For dinner I had their Herb roasted chicken which was also very good. After wards everyone brought out their cameras and pictures were taken. These are the girls at my table in this picture. I wanted to use my Susan credit card so sense everyone was paying cash I collected the money and then just put the whole bill on my card, need to work on Susan’s signature though.

From here most everyone was going to the Erotic Heritage Museum so I went along. They kept the museum open for two hours just for the Diva’s group as a private party. All they asked was a $10 donation as they are a nonprofit group. The girls who worked there were so awesome, I even got a picture with a couple of them. The one on the right in the hat gave a tour and talked about all of the exhibits. In all a fun time.

I left here and went back to the hotel to update my blog and go to bed earlier then I have been as I have to be up by 6 to be to the golf course by 8. On my way through the casino at one of the black jack tables was Dolly Parton as the dealer so of course I had to sit down and play even though it was a $10 table. I played maybe an hour and was way up and then cam 3 hands in a row where I had an 11 and the dealers up card was a 6 or less. I doubled on each had and the highest card I got was a 7 and the dealer did not go bust once; I lost all three $60 just like that. I was still up $30 so I quit and came up to my room to quickly do my blog and then to bad.

Tomorrow will be so fun as I have golf in the morning than dinner and then the Diva’s show here at the Imperial Palace. Thanks for reading.

Monday of Diva Las Vegas 2011

Well I slept in today till 9 guess I was pretty tired. Any way I got all ready and chose to wear my white skirt (not the one I just bought) and purple top so I went down for breakfast about 10:30. The Imperial Palace has several restaurants and they were all really busy so I ended up at the Buffet. I ran into a 4 of the girls I met last night but they were just finishing. I was hungry so I went in as there was no line at all. The food was good but the selection was not that great, in the morning they do a brunch so you have both types of food out which is probably easier for them. Any way they had French toast so I was happy. Well as I was going back to my table a little girl came around the corner and ran right into me and well some of the maple syrup from my plate spilled onto my top and then dribbled right down on my white skirt. What a way to start your day, good thing I brought more clothes than I need. I wiped it off and you really couldn’t see it but it was sticky. I only went back one time as Susan is really trying to watch what she eats.

After breakfast I stopped at the gift shop in the hotel for some sun tan lotion for the golf tournament Wednesday, another thing I forgot and they has a three pack of single use tide so I got that two so I could wash my skirt and top. I was going to use my new credit card with Susan’s name on it but the guy in front of me used his card and they asked for photo ID, so sad I had to use my male credit card. I gave him my card and had my ID out for when he asked for it which he did. Now here is the best part, he looked at me and said. Sorry but I need your credit card and drivers license Miss you can’t use this one. I paused for a moment and then had to convince him that was me on the driver’s license. Now he was probably about late 50′s and did have glasses on but wow I have never had that happen before. He also thought the sun tan lotion was because I was going to lay by the pool but I told him it was for when I go golfing and then we chatted about golf where we were playing and he told me about the course at Wynn’s and said it was a really nice course.

I went upstairs to change and do a little laundry in the sink, wow something my male side would not have even cared about, and change so I dug out my new white skirt, not as cute as the one I had on but still cute and my black top and then I headed back down stairs to see if any of the Diva’s group were around or maybe find a black jack table to play at.

Well the Imperial Palace has a pit of tables that is called Dealinator’s; all the dealers impersonate different celebrities. They also do shows in the pit where the lip sing and dance every hour and a couple of them really sing and sing well. Any way I found a $5 table and the dealer was a Bette Midler impersonator, she looked kind of like her but really had her character down. She was so much fun as a matter of fact after she left the table she came back over and talked to me several times. As a matter of fact all the dealers were great, Elvis, Tina Turner, Pink, and Shakira. They were all so awesome, they made it a party at the table’s joking around, and high fiving everyone when they went bust or you got a good hand. I played a couple hours then took a break as I was way up then way down and then back up and wanted to leave with more than I started with.

A little later I walked back through the casino and again sat down at a table, this time I had my players card with me (boy name on it but what the heck). The pit boss came over and remembered me and commented I hadn’t gave her the card before so I told her I had left it in the room so she entered the money and time from earlier also. She also had come over and talked to me several time and this time she asked me what name I liked to go by so I told her Susan and the rest of the time when she came by she called me Susan. Beverly (in boy mode) came by and sat next to me a played for a while too. It was a total party atmosphere at the tables compared to their regular pit. It was almost like Cassandra was there. Cassandra came last year with me and she could get a table going and cheering on her own she would love these tables but wow I don’t think Las Vegas could handle that. Well it turns out with my short 30 minute break I played from about 11:30 till almost 5 and in the end lost $30, some of the tables I played were $5 and some were $10, did better on the $10. Bette Midler, Shakira and pink all commented on my nails and how beautiful they were, Pink even guessed the color by OPI which was amazing as several of them look a lot alike.

As I was leaving the first dealer I played with, Bette Midler came over and talked with me a little and thanked me for playing and wished me a fun trip as it was her Friday and she would be off the next 2 day so I told her I was here till next Saturday and would see her again.

Our big opening dinner was tonight at the Artisan hotel and I was a little late. This is the big get together of the week with about 135 in attendance. I sat with Mia, Monica, Brianne, Alexis and Lulu for dinner. This was Alexis second time out last night being her first and she was pretty relaxed. It was also Lulu first time out, and she seemed a little nervous but then who of us wasn’t our first time. They both look very nice but Lulu was so passable, everyone really looked nice. We had a great dinner and had a good chance to talk and get to know each other.

After dinner about 9:30 the group broke up and some of us went to the Beauty bar for Karaoke and before you e-mail me and ask, no I did not sing, no one wants to hear that. It is a nice but small place down on Freemont Street just a block away from the Freemont Experience. We had to park in a parking garage about two blocks away and walk; wow should not have worn the 4″ heels tonight. We sat and talked more till they got the Karaoke going and then it was a little loud for talking. Monica sang two songs and was pretty good. I only made it till about 12:30 before I called it quits. Lulu also left then so we walked back to our cars together which is always nice as it is safer than walking alone at that time of night.

Well I have two pictures for today. First is me standing on balcony of hotel and the second is from the dinner.

Sunday of Diva Las Vegas 2011

Well Day one of Diva Las Vegas, I left Reno a little after 7 and made the drive to Las Vegas. I only made a couple stops on the way for food and gas and made it to my hotel a little before 3 pm. I am at the Imperial Palace which is an older hotel casino on the strip but still good sized. I parked and went in to check in. I got to the front lobby where the hotel registration is and there was a line about a mile long, well maybe not that but I bet there were 100 people a head of me so I got in line and waited. I was surprised as I only got a few looks considering how many people were there and how close we all were. Beverly a T-girl I met last year was a head of me in line and recognized me and came over to chat for a moment, took me a second to recognize her as she was in boy mode. It took me from 3 pm till 4:15 to work my way to the front of the line and check in. they have 5 towers here and I am in tower 1 on the15th floor. My room even has a balcony that look down on the pool. The bad part is the elevators are slow and so far they are always crowded, you can hardly move as people just cram in them. Once checked in I only had a short time to change and freshen up before it was time to head out. Tonight I had signed up for dinner at Margaritaville; happy hour was at 6 with dinner at 7.

I was ready to leave at 5:50 and went down to the casino and out the door. Margaritaville is just up the street so I decided to walk it. It only took maybe 5 minutes to walk it right down Las Vegas Boulevard (the Strip) which was fun in itself as there were hundreds of people on the street walking. I got inside and went to the third floor and there were already several girls on the terrace overlooking the strip. We sat at the bar and I had a couple drinks, Lemonade as I am not a drinker.

We chose to sit on the terrace for dinner also and as the sun went down it got a little cold till they turned on the overhead heat. Our waitress was just awesome and treated us so nice. We all enjoyed a wonderful dinner and good conversation and a chance to get to know each other. I think we had 15 there and I really tried to remember names but I at this time I have forgotten some, forgive me if I leave you out but I find putting names in my blog helps me remember them. Okay here we go. Holly and her wife Toni, Sabrina (who hosted tonight), Darlene (who helped host), Mia, Sue, Jackie & Steve (met them last year) Monica, wow only 9 out of 15 well at least it is better than 50% but I need to do better.

We stayed there till a little after 9 and lots of pictures were taken so of course I will post a couple, the first is a group shot during happy hour so not everyone is there yet and then one of me with Caesars Palace behind me. Some of the girls were going to a club to go dancing but as I have been up sense 5 am I just decided to go back to my hotel. Again about a 5 minute walk down the Strip. Once back at the hotel I checked out the casino, it was pretty busy and most of the tables were full and everything was $10. So about 10:30 I came upstairs to put my pictures on the computer and update my blog before I forget something.

Trip to Reno as Susan

Well my plan was to leave home between 6 & 7 am to drive to Reno as it is a 9 hour drive. Well I went to bed last night as soon as I got home from Starbuck’s so I would be well rested. I had set my alarm for 5 am and wouldn’t you know it I woke up a little before 4 and couldn’t get back to sleep. I guess I was a little excited about the trip so I got up and got ready and was out the door by 5:45 as Susan.

I drove almost to Eugene and stopped at the last rest area as Susan does not like to use gas station bathrooms. My next stop was for gas before I headed across the mountains, I had enough to make it all the way to Klamath Falls but as they had snow last week just felt better with a full tank of gas plus I got to use my new credit card with Susan’s name on it. The drive was pretty ordinary and when I got to Klamath Falls I got more gas with again using my new credit card. I then went next door to Burger King for lunch and paid with my credit card. It is strange as a guy it always bugs me when they don’t ask for ID when I use a credit card as I worry what if someone else had mine but now I see a silver lining to this as there are many places that I know the odds of them asking for ID on a credit card are low so I will be able to have fun.

From Klamath Falls to Reno there really is nothing except a couple rest stops. I stopped at the last one about an hour from Reno which was really busy and I figured it was good practice for me when I got to my hotel. I am staying at the Nugget which is actually in Sparks and is one of the bigger hotel casinos in the Reno/Sparks area. I think it has about 1,600 rooms. Now I have never been here so was not sure where to go. I drove around looking it over and found a parking lot on the west side by a small entrance which I figured was good for me to slip in and check out where things were and where I needed to go. I walked in and started up through the casino and found the hotel registration desk and got all checked in, no problems. Actually the young man that helped me was very nice and polite and never even gave me a second look when I handed him my driver’s license which is of course my male self. My room is on the 23 floor of the West tower which turns out the elevators are right inside the door I came in, how lucky is that.

The trip up the elevator was a little different as you have to put your room key in a scanner to make the elevator go up. The first elevator I got in had the scanner but the sign was gone so I rode up with another lady to the 4 floor and then when she got off I could not get the elevator to go up and for a moment thought I was stuck so I pushed the lobby button and went back down and tried another elevator and of course this one had the sign that read “Scan room key to access hotel floors”, boy did I feel blonde. Once I scanned my room key I was on my way up to my room.

Well after I got settled into my hotel room I freshened up my makeup and went down to the casino. For the most part everyone paid no attention to me but there were a few who gave me a good look but that was it. I walked through and checked everything out and then sat down at a poker slot machine and played for about a half hour and then went and got something to eat at the sports bar pub. As I was walking back to my room I noticed they have a Starbucks in the lobby with free Wi-Fi so you can guess where I am at this point. I am going to spend a little time here and then maybe drive down the street and check out another casino. I will be in bed early tonight as it has been a long day.

Not sure what I will do tomorrow, some shopping for sure but may take a drive up to Lake Tahoe as it has been many years sense I was there. I am including a couple pictures. One of my nails they are just a little shorter than last year. When I got them done last night she trimmed them a little more than I wanted. They still look great and I should be able to grip the golf club better this year. The second picture is from my hotel room before I went down to eat. Not the best pictures but it is hard to get good ones with a self timer.

All ready for Diva Las Vegas

Well it is almost time to leave for Diva Las Vegas and I am all ready. I just finished packing all my cloths. I am taking 2 wigs, the one I wore last year for the drive down and back and my new long blonde one, this one is so long I have to clip it up when I drive not the look I want going down the road. I am still thinking about taking my black wig just for fun. So many choices to make but I love every minute. I will have 2 suit cases with me as Susan does not travel light.

Thursday night I get my nails done; it will be a busy night as I will get home from work and have an hour to get Susan ready and out the door to make my nail appointment. I am getting a full set of acrylic nails which I so love doing. I look forward to this all year long. I plan on stopping at Starbucks after for a little while as this will give my nails a little longer to dry.

One new thing for this year’s trip, well new for Susan herself. Several weeks back I was talking with Teresa and Cassandra at the P-club. Teresa had gotten a credit card under her female name by telling them she wanted to add her sister to her account and Cassandra was thinking of doing the same. I really liked this idea so I called my credit card company to see what was involved in putting someone on my credit card account. To my surprise the person on the phone just asked the name of who I wanted and I said Susan Miller. No questions were asked of me they just said she was added and I would have a card in 5 to 8 days. Well when I got home today in my mail was a credit card with Susan’s name on it. Now I know I will have to be careful where I use it because I have no ID to go with it if asked but there are many places that never ask for ID or you swipe it yourself. I spent about an hour practicing signing my name as Susan till I got a consistent signature. Thanks to both Teresa and Cassandra for giving me this great idea.

I hope to blog every day and post pictures.