HOUSEWIVES IN THE CITY TAKES OVER VEGAS | PHILADELPHIA HOUSEWIVES

If you follow us on social media, you know that I joined 10 fellow Housewives in the City babes in Las Vegas for the ConnectHer Media Conference. This was my first time in Vegas, so I wanted to share my experience with you all!

August 3, 2017 | 11:55PM PST | My 5.5 hour flight lands in LAS and MOCO Housewives and I take an Uber over to our hotel, the SLS Las Vegas. We aren't disappointed with our home for the long weekend.

After checking in and meeting up with some of the other early Housewives ladies for a few hours we decide to go to get ready for dinner and our plans for the night. We take the monorail (seriously, best $22 I've ever spent) over to the MGM where we decide to have dinner at Emeril's New Orleans Fish House. I don't eat seafood, so I order the Herb Roasted Free Range Chicken Breast which is accompanied with Bacon Braised Brussle Sprouts (heaven), Country Smashed Potatoes and Natural Reduction. 

After dinner, we strolled on over to the Excalibur Hotel & Casino where we had a table at Australia's Thunder From Down Under show. This is NOT something that is within my comfort zone, but it was hilarious to actually be a part of something like this with my girlfriends and we had a blast. This is the only photo I can share from that experience, ha!

By 11:30PM PST we were all feeling exhausted after our long flights and staying up to what normally feels like almost 3:00 EST so we headed back to the hotel and to our beds!!

August 4, 2017 | 7:00AM PST | After a great night of sleep, I wake up and NOVA Housewives is up too. We decide to head across the street for some much needed coffee and eventually the other ladies meet us over there. As you can see, we all enjoy our caffeine (photo two is of MOCO and I all hyper as we wait for the elevator!).

Since it was Friday, most of the other HITC girls were going to be flying in, so we decide to make the official meeting spot the Foxtail Pool. I loved the vibe out here - the palm trees, the cabanas, the DJ... so much fun! It's SO hot in Vegas, and I'd been warned by EVERYONE that dehydration comes on quick there, so I made sure to get plenty of water out here. I also made sure to get a meal in - always hungry over here!

After the pool, we had a fun influencer dinner that the conference set up as a welcome for us at Giordano's which is a deep-dish pizza establishment with its roots in Chicago. It was located at the Grand Bazaar Shops at Bally's on the strip (right by the Bellagio Fountains!).

We had so much fun taking pictures together, connecting with other media influencers from around the world and sampling the amazing food here. I was especially excited that there was a gluten-free/vegan pasta option and a super tasty salad. Though Giordano's doesn't have a location in our area, they ship!

Afterwards, we decided to walk along the strip a bit and then headed back to the hotel for a little gambling. When in Vegas, right? I learned how to play Blackjack on this trip!

Saturday, August 5 | 8:00AM PST | Conference Day
Our conference began with a special breakfast sponsored by got milk? and then we launched into the presentations. What a valuable day this was! The Opening Keynote was from Katie Ann Rosen Kitchens (co-founder & editor in chief of FabFitFun) who inspired us with her personal anecdotes on kicking fear in the butt and becoming more comfortable with failure. As a business owner myself, it was so wonderful having an opportunity to hear this serious boss babe tell her story and helpful to hear her be so real and put the reality of being a business owner out there. Looking at her and hearing her talk about all of this and then knowing how successful she has become was so inspiring!

The remainder of the day was full of valuable information that I look forward to using to improve the quality and content of my blog and video for you all.

On Saturday night, we were treated to another fun influencer dinner, this time hosted by Johnny Rockets inside of Mandalay Bay. Salad, fries (three different kinds!), our choice of a burger, and milkshakes? We were stuffed! Take a peek at our photo booth fun too (myself, MOCO, Jacksonville, Charleston/Columbia) ... we couldn't stop laughing!

On our final conference day, we had an opportunity to watch our leader (NOVA) sit on a panel of professionals who have successfully grown large online communities. I'm so honored to be a part of Andrea's community, HITC! I also had a chance to connect with even more new faces and organizations, including Survivor Eyes. This strong cancer survivor has created a product that is so inspirational and heartwarming - please check her out!

By Sunday afternoon, it was time to go home and I was so upset to have to leave so many new friendship, Vegas, everything. My flight was so quick home ... just over three hours thanks to a great Southwest pilot and some wind ;) I love the view taking off/landing in Vegas and made sure to get plenty of photos of the surrounding scenery. Overall, the weekend was such a great time and I hope to go back to Vegas sometime soon!