Viva Last Vegas–Pawn Stars

One of Andy’s most favourite programmes was Pawn Stars and when he was planning his trip to Last Vegas  he wanted to go to the “The World Famous Gold and Silver Pawn Shop” and try to pawn something ...... now we must take on that mantle for him.

We didn’t have a clue what we could pawn, so before we left England we gathered up some old bits and pieces and hoped that there would be something of a suitable pawnable type nature amongst it ………

…… so we could fulfil Andy’s dream.

When we went to ask our holiday reps for directions to the shop and told them of our quest they were very kind, but warned us that there was always a huge queue round the building, without shelter from the baking sun and if/when we got in none of the stars would be there, because they rarely worked in the shop now that they were famous! ….. We said that it didn’t matter, we just wanted to go there for Andy, no matter what it took, but as a precaution booked a taxi for 8.30am to ensure we were in the aforementioned huge queue nice early when it was "fairly" cool!

When we finally arrived …. our excitement was soooooo robustly palpable and tangible …… we were all shaking and our hearts beating like mahooooosive drums in our chests ……. and OMG …. there wasn’t a queue …..

….. we walked straight in ….. to find the shop almost empty …. again we were all too overcome to speak at first and could only look around, breathing in the air and embracing every single minute detail, all thinking the one same thought “We really are here, we really are here” ……. and hoped that Andy could see us ….. and that we were fulfilling his dream.

There was no photography allowed at the “Pawn Desk”, what went on there "stayed in Vegas" and was thus sacrosanct and very private ….. but when my turn came and I proffered the gentleman our box of bits and pieces my heart sank when he said “It’s just costume jewellery” …. but then,  he delved a little more and found an old silver coin in a pendant, at this he got his microscope thingy out, weighed it, looked at it again and then offered me $4 for it (about £2.50) …. OMG ….. all I could manage to splutter was “Book it Danno!” ……. the deal was done!

All we really cared about was that we made a pawn!!  The aforementioned gentlemen then filled out the appropriate paperwork and handed me my copy, plus four dollar bills ….. all of which I put very carefully, though my hands were shaking furiously, in a plastic pocket I had the foresight to bring with me …. to afford its contents safe passage back to England, so we can put it all in a memory frame to remember for always.

And then,  OMG the MOST INCREDIBLE thing happened, the shop filled with a frisson of excitement and then ….. The Old Man came in and started signing autographs and having his picture taken …… OMG, OMG, OMG, you can just imagine the state of flux that put us all in ….. hence only a couple of photos,  as our hands were just shaking far toooooooo much to take any good ones!!

It’s hard to spot us ….. but yes, we are in the queue, somewhere,  and The Old Man signed our Pawn Stars postcard ….. a totally unexpected extra special something to add to our memory frame …… What can we say …… “someone” was up there looking after us yet again ……. and our Last Vegas holiday of a lifetime holiday just keeps getting more and more unbelievable and wonderful by the day!!

xxxx WE DID IT ANDY xxxx

xxxx JUST FOR YOU xxxx