The perfect Birthday

What should a birthday be?

Sleeping in, having a jammie day, recieving wishes from freinds and family, and eating good food! Well it's noon and so far my day is perfectly on track. Yesterday the Napa's arrived and we all went to the Olive Garden for supper. There was an hour and half wait, but it's worth it so you really don't care. Anyway, me and Maddie discovered the secret of the Olive garden. So many times when we go, we are so full from the awesome breadsticks and salad, that we can't eat supper... :-( or we don't eat the bread sticks and have room for dinner but are so sad we missed the yummy morsels... so we decided that we should eat all the bread and salad we want, nibble at our supper and have a wonderous lunch tomorrow :-) and that's exactly what we did

Maddie has no school this week, so we got to send my birthday together :-) we just finished our wonderful lunch from leftovers and are getting ready to play video games later today. The Napa's left at noon and Dean will be home to make a scrumptious supper later. So, I am having a wonderful birthday.

On a side note... Maddie gave me my gift this morning... and it made me cry! Hehe, I'm so sappy. Awhile back... quite awhile actually, I was talking about this hotel called the Moulin Rouge. I love Vegas history and this hotel has my favorite history above all the other hotels. Let me share some facts :-)

In May 1955 a hotel opened off the strip. THE first integrated hotel in Vegas. Sammy Davis Jr would be hired to play in the strip hotels, but then was escorted out the kitchen after the show, becasuse he wasn't aloud to stay in the hotel!! Good enuff to make them money, but not good enuff to stay in their hotel. So he would go to the Moulin Rouge, him and the whole rat pack, and all their followers. The place was so popular the hotel added a show at 2:30 am to accomodate the crowds. Sadly the hotel closed after only 6 months.. the true reason was never discovered, but rumour has it the mob that ran the strip hotels put the pressure on the owner. They didn't appreciate their business leaving the strip. Although the hotel was shortlived, it started the civil rights movement that ended the racial discrimination in Nevada.

The hotel was never sold. If it had it would have been bulldozed. But it wasn't open for business either. Different groups thru the years have tried to get funding to make something historical out of the landmark, but it always fell thru. There have been 3 fires at the Moulin Rouge in the past few years, each one taking a bigger toll. The last and final fire took all that remained of the hotel up in smoke. One last lucky moment happened weeks before the fatal fire. The Neon Museum aquired the rights to the Neon sign for the hotel. They saved it... and now it will shine on, in the museum!

So what did Maddie get me for my birthday..... way back when, she remembered this tidbit and saw how intrigued I was by the story. She found me a Moulin Rouge casino chip! Sooooo kewl!!! This chip could've been used by Sammy Davis Jr! It was an awesome awesome gift!!!