Last night was the holiday party for Guardian. They paid for our dinner and passed out cards with HaulMart gift cards worth $25 in them, and basically called it a night.

Corey and I hung out with a couple that we're friends with afterwards, and I got to play my favorite casino table game, Let It Ride. I started out with $40, and ended with $321!

In case you need to see that a little better:

I still have the chips because we're going to the hospital's holiday party (the Snowflake Ball) tomorrow at the same casino.

The first time I hit a good hand, I kind of panicked, and left the table to give Corey the $100 chip. I went back with the rest that I'd won in the hand, and played some more.

I was dealt three clubs. It took every fiber of my being not to pull back one of my bets. When the dealer turned over the next card, another club, my heart started pounding, and again, I felt a powerful urge to take back my last chance to not lose the entire bet. I left it there, though, and when he turned up the last card, my last club, I imagine that the feeling I had was pretty close to what it feels like to faint. 6 to 1 odds, plus $50 because I played the bonus. That's a total of $140, plus all the little bets I'd won on the way, I walked away with $250. Actually, I damn near RAN away. I went back a little later, but they'd changed dealers, and it seems like I always have bad luck when they do that. This time was no different, and I wound up losing $33.

Anyway, it was much fun, and I hope to repeat it a little more tomorrow!

the last trail...the next path