On Aug. 6, a group of us traveled to Las Vegas to celebrate my sister’s 84th birthday. God has truly blessed us with her and we all wanted to show our love and appreciation of her. Las Vegas’ bright lights was the perfect place to do it.

The journey was exciting, we could hardly hold back the bliss of anticipating the ringing of the machines, sightseeing and meeting with the other members. Shawnequa, my sister’s daughter-in-law, planned the entire trip. We celebrated my sister Beulah by singing happy birthday and then we had cake and ice cream. Beulah received various gifts, one of her gifts was a funny pair of Champagne sunglasses. She looked simply gorgeous and ready to take on Vegas.

The group did not lack for any entertainment because Shawnequa had an itinerary for us. I have always wanted to visit the Grand Canyons National Park and the Hoover Dam and by golly, she had it on the list. Let the sightseeing begin.

Shawnequa and I drove to Grand Canyon National Park, South Rim via Arizona. We visited the Grand Canyon Village. It’s a full-service community that had lodging, food, trails and guide walks. We took pictures of various things, including the teepees; they were so colorful and beautiful.

When we arrived at the Hoover Dam the driver said “Mother, you do not have to walk the trail to the Dam.” I started looking around because I knew he wasn’t talking to me — but guess who he was looking at — me. I was not embarrassed because he thought I could not make it, instead I was determined to walk the trail. I’ll show him.

Not only did I walk the trail, I also walked over half of the “Mike O’Callaghan-Pat Tillman Memorial Bridge” before having to return to the bus. It was hard going and I was getting tired, but I continued because this was something I wanted to accomplish. One time I said, “Mary, old girl, maybe you bit off more than you can chew” but I kept going and I felt great. When I got back to the bus I told the driver I not only walked the trail, I walked halfway across the bridge. I gave him a “who’s your mother now” look and sashayed back to my seat where I recuperated, cause “mother” was tired but he didn’t need to know that.

While sightseeing was fantastic, I can’t leave out the slot machines. I love playing the slots but I hate losing my money. Now that I think about it, who does? All in all, it was a fantastic trip. I can’t wait to see where she celebrates next year but where ever it is, you better believe I will be there. Be bless in Jesus’ name.

Mary Simmons can be reached at marysimmons@ embarqmail.com.