Our total time involved in getting to Vegas is generally around 12 hrs. so we were a little tired. Checked into a studio unit at Polo Towers, then over to San Remo for the prime rib special.

After that we went back to the room to rest up for the remainder of the week. Breakfast was coffee and a cheese danish at the Starbucks in Polo Plaza. Then up the strip to take some pictures for my wifes web page.

We walked up to Bally's, over to Bourbon Street to check out their offering, across the street to Bellagio, quick trip through Bellagio's conservatory, then back South to Polo Towers were we picked up our car. Along the way we stopped in the Barbary Coast to rest out feet at a couple of nickle Dueces Wild machines. We ran $10 in and took $2 out for a net loss of $8. After lunch we needed to run back to Polo Towers to complete and upgrade to a one bedroom unit.

While we don't spend a lot of time in the room, we find we're more comfortable with a little more space. The design of the two bedroom units puts a door between the studio unit and the dinning area of the one bedroom unit. Last trip we had some REAL EARLY risers who needed to turn up their hearing aids.

I swear everything they said to each other was shouted.Lunch was at Barley's Brew Pub on Sunset Road. I really like their cheese pizza and beer for $4.95. Last time I had a pepsi instead of the beer but this time I choose the Blue Diamond beer they make. It's was all right but I should have stuck with the pepsi.

While waiting for Shelley to return from the bathroom I stuck a few nickles in a Dueces Wild machine and cashed out ahead $3.50 (Whoo Hoo LOL), Shelley couldn't resist and turned around and lost my hard one profit. LOLBack to the strip to walk around MGM and play for a little while. $20 each into a Bonus Poker machine, I lost mine, Shelley broke even.

Afterwards we went over to the Bettty Boop bar for a Martini and a Pina Colada. Both were excellent drinks and the service was great.That evening we headed back downtown to add to our knowledge of poker rules and strategies. Went into the Gold Strike and wasn't overly impressed. I will say I was impressed with the casino area in the Plaza. It was fairly large, clean, and easy on the eyes.

From the Plaza we walked down to Main Street Station to meet a couple of people at their brew pub. We were there early so we played a few nickles through a Deuces Wild machine and broke even. The Brew Pub is nice but we really weren't all that hungry. We had a couple of appitizers and soda's while there.From here we went to the Stratosphere.

We had recieved $237 in vouchers from our previous trip that I wanted to cash in. We also wanted to try to concentrate our gambling here since they seemed pretty loose with the comps. Since signing up for their slot club, we've recieved some decent mail offers.

After cashing out vouchers, we headed over to the machines. We settled in on the Bonus Poker machines and managed to hold our own, putting in $300 and taking out $280.We went back to the Strat. after that to do the lions share of gambling. We started with a stake of $250 and took back out $100.

Shelley hit the Dollar Bounus Poker machine and it ate her $100 bill pretty quickly. She's starting to understand that it takes a larger stake to tolerate the swings on the dollar machines vs the quarter machines. Still, she likes the feeling of being up 100 credits and that means $100. She put another $50 into the quarter Bonus Poker machine and that one was pretty nasty to her as well. I had started with $100 in a Bonus Poker machine and held my own, cashing back out with the same $100. poker

A sure way to tell I’ve grown up is to examine my finances. Let’s face it: managing money is hard. And it seems the more I make, the harder it is.

Gone are the days (almost) of my frivolous twenties when the only thing my earning potential determined was my spending potential. Today all I can think is "How much money will I have after I pay off my online cash advance?”

University is where it all began. I admit it – I was enticed by the "student” credit card with the $500 limit. What nobody told me was that when I maxed it out and had to stop using it, the credit card company would benevolently raise my limit. After all, I was a struggling student. And what if an emergency came up? This continued until I graduated.

That was only the beginning.

Then I graduated and got my first job, complete with a bona fide annual salary. With money like this, I thought, I’d have my credit card paid off in a couple of months and everything I earned after that was mine to spend, right?

Wrong.

What I hadn’t fully thought through was that while I was earning money to clear my debt, I still had expenses to pay like rent, phone, cable, food (a girl’s got to eat, right?) And of course, there were birthdays to celebrate, dates to go on – "dutch” of course, because I was an independent woman with a real salary. I’d have to scrape to make the minimum payment on the credit card.

It was time to look for a new job. And in order to get that new job, I’d have to buy a new suit. So I bought the suit, got the job and now I earn more money. I’d wipe my debt out in 16 weeks, if I was good. I religiously worked out my budget every month: two paychecks a month equals, I spend this amount on bills which leaves me with…

But a new job has meant new clothes and lunches everyday. I often buy dinner too, because who feels like cooking after a long day at work? And the new job is miles from home which meant buying a car that has as many added expenses as it does features.

And to top it all off, I met a man with just what it took for me to agree to marry him.

Now I’ve got rent, phone, cable, food, clothes, car, insurance, parking, wedding, honeymoon, house, kids, and eventually university educations to pay for…

I might as well accept the fact that I’ll have debt until my kids get their own instant cash advance loans!

So what am I doing about it?

For a start, I make the effort to get to a grocery store.

There was the "I-won’t-spend-another-dime-till” solution. But that doesn’t work. No matter how well I budget, something always comes up.

I’ve settled on the piggy bank approach. Except, it’s a Classico spaghetti sauce jar that accepts everything from pennies to twoonies. This is relatively easy to do and adds up quickly.

Of course there’s the fiscally responsible "invest your money” approach. After 3 years I don’t yet have enough for a down payment on a house, but it’s a start. And what they say is true: I don’t miss the monthly amount.

I’ve also learned to be less impulsive and to shop around. I consider more carefully the value of things (with occasional relapses).

Lastly I can tap into my creativity. What marketable skills do I have that might help me out of the financial doldrums?

Well, one of them is writing.

"Hey congratulations!" I kissed Brenda on the cheek and squeezed her hand. The wedding reception was in full bloom and she was every part the radiant bride.

"Thanks, Carrie. I'm so glad you flew down for the wedding. I couldn't have imagined this day without you here."

"Well, we certainly talked about marriage enough for the last ten years," I joked. "I had to at least witness it myself." I looked around the crowd of middle-aged people and realized I didn't know anyone but Brenda's family.

"Who are all these people?" I asked.

"Mostly relatives and a few friends that we work with." She followed my glance around the room. "That's John's family sitting over there with my parents."

"So how are the in-laws?" I asked with a smile.

"They're very straight," laughed Brenda. "John won't even throw my garter with his folks in the room."

"I hope he doesn't take after them."

"Excuse me..." came a voice behind us. I turned to see the photographer touching Brenda's arm and smiling at me.

"Oh, Hi Mark," said Brenda. "Carrie, this is Mark Baylor, a good friend of John's and our photographer for the day."

Mark reached out to shake my hand, holding his camera to his chest with the other to keep it from swinging forward. His blue eyes stood out against the sandy hair and deep tan - too deep of a tan for May.

"Hi," he said quickly. "Nice to meet you." He seemed to notice me and yet not notice at the same time. I was used to men acting awkward around me or staring at me because I was considered pretty. I was surprised when he didn't.

"Brenda," he said turning to her. "They're ready with the cake whenever you and John are. We will need a few minutes for some pictures before you cut it."

"Sure, Mark," she answered. "There's John over by the bar. Probably best I go rescue him now anyway." She laughed and winked at me as she left the two of us to retrieve her new husband.

"Big day," I said in an attempt to make small talk. "Do you do a lot of weddings?" I had decided that this guy was probably my best bet for having any fun at Brenda's wedding. It seemed most of the guests were either married or not my type. Although I was unaccustomed to not having an escort to a party, I had learned not to invite dates to weddings.

"Enough to survive," he said with a shrug. "I prefer quieter settings."

"What other kind of work do you do?"

He smiled at me and then looked around the room without answering. When he looked back and noticed I was still waiting for an answer, he laughed.

"I shoot models for magazines."

"Really?" I asked, somewhat fascinated by the idea. "How fun."

"Oh, it's not as fun as it sounds," he said. "It's really very long and tedious work for everyone involved."

"How hard can it be to stand and model clothes," I said. "I would die for a job like that."

"You could probably model if you wanted to," he said looking me up and down in a professional glance. "But the women I shoot usually don't have on any clothes." He gave me a quick wink just as Brenda and John waved for him by the cake table.

"Excuse me," he said politely. "Time to go to work."

His last comment had caught me off guard and I was glad that he was called away so I could regroup my thoughts. I was trying to imagine what kind of photography he did. Those centerfolds for Playboy or Hustler... or those weird magazines in the porno stores?

I moved closer to the cake table and watched him as he took pictures of Brenda and John. He seemed so methodical in his work. First he would walk behind Brenda and put his arms around her from the back and put her in the position that he wanted her to pose. Then he would move John in and take his hands and place them on Brenda or the knife.

It wasn't until after they cut the cake that they were allowed to act freely and feed each other while Mark snapped off pictures. Soon after, Brenda relinquished the knife to one of the servers and off the two of them went to the dance floor. More pictures were taken of the first dance, then Brenda dancing with her father and John dancing with his mother. Before long, I started to tire of the traditional festivities and headed outside to the gardens.

It had been a beautiful day for a wedding and the grounds were blooming from the spring rains. I was glad I had flown down for a few days. Not only to see Brenda and John get married, but to spend a weekend on the California coast. Rarely did I take myself away alone.

"Hi," said Mark walking up and eating a piece of cake. "Did you get some cake?"

"No," I said stopping and turning toward him. "Wedding cake is rarely worth the calories."

"I don't know..." he said shaking his head. "This one is cheesecake. Pretty good stuff."

"I may have to reconsider then," I said, taking a closer look at his plate.

"Here," he said scraping off a bite and holding it up to my mouth. "Try it."

Our eyes met as he fed me the cake. It was an innocent exchange and yet sensual in a way. Enough of a gesture to let me know that he was interested.

"Mmm..." I purred. "You're right."

He ate the last bite and dropped the plate into a nearby trash can as we started to walk toward the large statues in the garden.

"How about posing for a picture?" he asked.

"With my clothes on?" I teased.

"Well, it's your choice of course." He smiled and held his arm out toward one of the statues. "Here," he said standing in front of a large, male statue. "Come and stand here."

I walked over to the spot where he was standing and turned in the direction in which he had showed me. Walking up in front of me, he put his hands on my waist to move me back against the statue. I realized the movement was probably a normal one for him, but I found myself aroused by his closeness.

"Lean back against him," he said quietly. I did as he requested, looking down so that our eyes would not meet.

"Good," he praised. "Now take your hand," he said touching my fingers, "and put it on his arm there behind your head. Yes, just like that." He stepped back and looked at my pose, then came nearer again. "Put your other hand on his thigh down here," he said taking my hand and placing it on the statue. I could imagine that it looked as if I were sitting in the statue's lap.

"Charming," he said stepping back a few feet and looking through his lens. I heard the shutter click a few times and then he came back up me again.

"Your face is catching the shadow," he said touching my chin. I looked into his eyes and felt my heart stop as our eyes met. Damn, he was magnetic. He seemed so unaffected by my presence that it threw me off.

"Turn your head this way," he said turning it to the right. "Look at those trees over there." I stared in the direction in which he had me pointed, but he didn't move. He continued to just look at me until it got so uncomfortable that I looked back at him.

"No, don't move," he said touching my face and turning it back. "I'm just looking at light on your face."

"Your models must not get paid by the hour," I said sarcastically.

He chuckled as we walked back to take the picture. I stared at the trees ahead as I heard the shutter clicking.

"It's too bad you're not naked," he said finally. I turned to look at him and heard the shutter click once again.

"That was a great shot," he said putting the cap back on the lens. "Most of the good shots from any shoot come at the end."

"Why is that?" I asked as we started to walk back toward the reception hall.

"I don't know...," he shrugged. "I used to think it was because it took the model a while to relax. Now I think maybe it's me."

"You don't seem nervous."

"It's not nerves, really. It's more like getting to know the subject, the model... to capture her personality in the picture. You have to get to know her before you can capture that on film."

"Are all of your models nude?"

"No," he smiled. "I do boudoir and glamor photos."

"I think it would be fun to do one of those," I confessed.

He opened the door of the reception hall and we walked back into the noisy room. Brenda and John were sitting at the family table and waved toward Mark, beckoning him over.

"Well, duty calls," he sighed.

"Go ahead," I said. "I'm going to check out the cheesecake."

"Here's my card," he said reaching into his shirt pocket and pulling out a business card. "I would be glad to take some pictures of you."

"Really?" I asked. "How much to you charge?"

"No charge."

I started to get suspicious. Nothing in life is free. Perhaps this is how he got his models naked.

"Why not?" I protested.

"Brenda and John are paying me a fortune for today. Consider it their treat." He smiled and walked toward the family table.

I walked toward the cake table and looked at the cheesecake, but opted for a second glass of champagne. Brenda's sister waved me over to her table where I sat and got caught up on her family. I tried to act interested, but my eyes followed Mark around the room while he took pictures.

There was something about him that I found attractive, but I couldn't quite put my finger on it. He had kind of a rugged look about him and yet at the same time he carried an air of sophistication. Some of John's friends obviously new him, and yet he didn't seem to spend more than a moment with any one person. He would take a picture and then move on. Perhaps he was just the strong, silent type.

"Carrie," said Brenda tapping me on the shoulder. "Come and help me change. We haven't had a chance to talk all day." I excused myself from her sister's table and followed her into a room that had been set up as a staging area.

"I hate to take this off," she said looking in the mirror at her beautiful dress. "Even though it's as uncomfortable as hell." She took her veil off and laid it on the vanity as she turned for me to unzip the dress.

"It was a beautiful wedding, Brenda," I said. "Everything was perfect."

"Well, I wish we had had more time to visit," she complained. "The worst thing about getting married is all of our friends are in town and we're leaving for a honeymoon."

"We'll be back," I promised.

"I saw you and Mark walking in the garden," she teased as she stepped out of the dress. I noticed her garter was still on her leg.

"What's his story?" I was curious to find out more about this guy.

"He's cute, huh?" she winked at me. "One of John's more fun friends."

"Does he really photograph naked women?" I asked. Brenda laughed as she pulled her travel dress out of the bag.

"Yes, he just got back from Maui where he shot some photos for a hot ass adult magazine," she said. "I think it's ruining his chance for a successful relationship."

"Why?"

"Most of his girlfriends end up getting jealous of him being around naked women all day."

"Oh, well... I guess I see your point. It would be kind of hard to not sample a cookie once in awhile."

"No, I don't think Mark is that type," she defended. "He says he never mixes business with pleasure."

"And you believe that?"

"Yes, I do," said Brenda. "He took some pictures of me and was a complete gentleman."

"Naked pictures?" I asked in disbelief.

"Well... kind of." She looked away kind of embarrassed and put on her dress.

"Come on, Brenda," I pressed. "Spill it." She laughed and looked around at me.

"John has seen a lot of Mark's work and thought it would be really neat to have a .... oh I don't know... a centerfold of his own. So he asked me if I would let Mark take one."

"He didn't mind Mark seeing you naked?" I asked.

"No," she answered. "Maybe he realizes that it's not that big of a deal with Mark. You've seen him. He's not exactly easy to get a rise out of."

"I won't believe it if you tell me he's gay?" I was starting to get worried that my thoughts of future fun were dissolving.

"Oh heaven's no. I don't mean that kind of a raise," she laughed. "I just meant he is kind of a hard nut to crack, and a naked woman is not exactly a rare thing for him to see."

"So, how did the picture turn out?" I asked still in disbelief.

"John has a whole collection of free porn online tucked away somewhere," she said slipping on her shoes. "God help me if we die on the plane to Hawaii and his mother finds them."

We both laughed at the thought.

"Un-pin my hair for me, will you?" She sat down in front of the vanity and I began to removed the dozens of bobby pins holding her hair up.

"He offered to take some pictures of me." I realized I wanted her to know I was thinking about it. "Do you think I should let him?"

"Really?" she asked, looking at me in the mirror. "Are you going to?"

"I don't know..." I lied.

"What would you do with them?"

"Probably throw them away," I laughed.

Bill paying used to be easy, when I was a young woman without a steady supply of those window envelopes waiting in my mail box every day. This activity has never been at the top of my list, even when there were more than adequate funds to use. It is a feat in and of itself just to get ready to pay the bills. Find the checkbook and a pen, and then find the bills that are due. Which pile do you look through first? The household inbox was the kitchen table, the counter by the phone, and the nightstand. Bills ended up wherever I opened mail that day.

It became obvious that I needed a central place to put important papers so I found a central place and put the bills there. Unfortunately other things were put in the same pile, like the card I got from my mother for my birthday, a magazine, a catalog for my favorite clothing source, as well as the myriad of other junk mail that comes through the post. I still had not eliminated the weekly search and rescue. I needed some kind of system that I could use that would allow me to do the job in minutes instead of hours.

At the time a weekly paycheck was coming in so bills had to be paid accordingly. I decided on a five folder filing system. One folder for each week and an extra for things like the bank statements, stamps, address labels, extra envelopes, etc. Even if you do not receive weekly paychecks this system will work to keep you organized and on track. For non-regular bills like magazine subscriptions, auto insurance, property tax, put them in the necessary folder according to the date they are due.

I took the following steps in determining which bills to go in each folder:

1. Get a file box and folders. Hint: get a box big enough to hold other important papers.

2. Label folders by week and due date.

3. Find all the bills.

4. Make a master list of each bill, account number, payment address, customer service number, due date, and payment amount. Place this list in the folder labeled Extra.

5. Sort the bills into the folders according to the due dates.

6. Pick a specific day of the week to pay bills, typically the day of the week you get paid.

Once bill-paying day arrives all that is necessary is to determine which folder(s) to pull out and go through. If you pay bills on a weekly basis you would normally choose the folder for the week following the day you are paying bills. If today were the 24th then you would be paying bills from the Week 1 folder. It is necessary to do this since you have to allow mailing time. Having the bills separated makes it easy to go through the next folder to determine if there are any bills due that should be sent off. There will be times when you are sitting down to pay bills on the 7th of the month and won’t get back to them for another seven days.

I quickly determined that this system worked wonders with bills I received in the mail every month. What about other regular monthly bills like rent or that same day payday loan that didn’t have a monthly statement in the mail? Also as electronic funds transfer payments became available I needed something to alert me to write down the debit for my life insurance premium as well as many other odd bits here and there. I made an index card for the bills that I paid monthly but did not receive a statement. I listed the 12 due dates for the year and as I went through the folder to find bills due marked off the payment and entered it into the checkbook.

I chose weekly folders because even when paid on a monthly basis it is not always feasible to pay all the bills all at once. Often they are not always available on payday. Once you have cycled through a month or two you will have a good idea of how the system works. Keep in mind that occasionally the due dates change as well as the interests rates of payday loans online and financial circumstances. This system is meant to be flexible and adjusted to the needs of the individual.