N+1 is burning a hole in my pocket!

[zoom-zoom]

If you go to the wedding, how long would it take you to save up for the bike?

When were you planning to buy the bike (assuming no wedding to go to)?

Just wondering if there is a way to accommodate both, even if you have to delay the bike a bit. Is it possible to shave any time off the trip (i know, this is hard b/c you prob have to travel day before, day after, etc). Can you share a room with someone?

Do you think your sister really wants you there? Forget about the backlash she might give you for not going, but do you think deep down in her heart, she wants you there?

It's a hard decision...families are tricky business, for sure....

It's really hard to say if she wants me there, or not. She's long been all about what can she get for free from family...lodging, childcare, birthday/Christmas/Mother's Day presents--all without ever reciprocating (in the case of holiday gifts she frequently buys stuff the day of the holiday and doesn't even bother wrapping...little-to-no thought/effort goes into gifts from my sister. She thinks it's down-right hilarious, of course). I'm sure there's part of her that does want me there, but there's a part of me that wonders what strings are attached. She is also the one who ALWAYS starts family drama. There was one occasion when we were all together--except for her--and we all independently came to the realization that it was the first time that everyone got along perfectly well and had a fabulous time--because she wasn't pitting anyone against anyone else. Ever since then we've all been sort of on-guard to her shenanigans.

Rooming with someone else isn't the big expense. I can get a nice room on the strip for $40/night. The flight, food, and other transportation around Vegas are what get a person. Vegas is ridiculous--they don't even have coffee makers or mini-fridges in the rooms, so there is no way to cut costs by eating leftovers or brewing coffee in-room. It's all Starbucks, all the time. A single person could easily expect to pay $40-50/day in food costs. Insane.

We'd been talking bike this Summer...maybe waiting to see what the 2013 models look like, if our LBS buddy can direct us on whether or not to pull the trigger in the next month or so or wait for late Summer/early Fall. With the wedding related expenses we'd probably have to wait until next year, which means no good way to go mountain biking with the rugrat for another year, even though he's ready now and he and I are probably not all that different in terms of ability (in large part because he's sorta fearless and surprisingly agile on the bike).