Floor Seats At Chappelle, We’re All In!
If you've ever wanted to manifest an experience or ride the wave of spontaneity, this story is for you.
I was getting Krystal moved up at Salon 1085 with my girl, Jasmen. She is a miracle worker. For those of you who don't know, Krystal is my weave, Jasmen is my Hairstylist. As we all do, I was verbally vomiting anything and everything that had been going on in my life over the last 4-6 weeks while Jasmen meticulously removed each bead from my grown-out extensions. While my highlights were processing and I madly scrolling on social media, I saw that Dave Chappelle and Joe Rogan would be performing in Las Vegas. My boyfriend, JaMarr's all-time favorite comedian, is Dave Chappelle. I thought to myself, how cool would it be to get us tickets to see Dave perform? We're also fans of Joe's, me being a podcaster, and JaMarr from the podcast perspective and UFC.
As Jasmen began to sew a rejuvenated Krystal back in, I asked her thoughts and looked up ticket prices. When you decide to do something like this, it doesn't make sense to cut corners. You do it right. Tickets were pricey. The front row was anywhere from $12k to $17k. This was obviously out of my budget, but I also didn't want to buy seats in the nosebleeds. So I decided to sleep on it.
Over the next week, I envisioned what it'd be like to be in Las Vegas with my man, to go to the show and laugh together, to bump into Dave or have him remember JaMarr from the last show JaMarr attended. That is a story in and of itself. I looked at airfare. I had plenty of points from all my travels. I shopped hotel rates. I kept my eye on ticket prices, but I didn't pull the trigger. I had my Mexico trip approaching, which was a big expense, and it'd really leave me less than 24 hours to return from Puerta Vallarta, unpack, repack and then head to Vegas. What if I didn't pass my Covid test coming back from Mexico? Would JaMarr go without me? These are the crazy things and roadblocks your mind can pull if you aren't aware of your thoughts. I reframed and thought this thought, one I learned recently from Cathy Heller, who's become a mentor to me. How can you not go?
From that point, plans that initially seemed hard to put together, too expensive for my budget, started to come together. All the while, I envisioned us laughing, holding hands, walking on the strip, plopping our heads onto the pillow at night after the show, recollecting our favorite jokes from Dave's set. I watched ticket prices and said to the Universe that I'm in if you can get them to this price. My brother gifted me a voucher for one night at the Wynn. It was the equivalent of what someone would pay for a night in the Motel 6. Now I couldn't get the Wynn for two nights because the Biebs was performing that Friday, and his presence alone made the cost skyrocket to $1000/night. I remembered I had hotel points saved up from old corporate travels and was able to pay for half a night that way at the Virgin Hotel Curio. I booked our flights with points on my favorite airline, Delta. I even used a few extra to get us Comfort +; however, our seats weren't near one another. Up until this trip, we hadn't ever sat together on a flight. JaMarr's a trooper and will fly Delta for me but doesn't have status yet, so most of the time, I'm in First, and he's in the Main Cabin. And the Universe delivered floor-level seats. Two were in the price range I was willing and able to pay.
I made sure he didn't have any plans, then I BOOKED!
I made little cards for each day I was gone in Mexico for JaMarr to open. On each card after my sweet message, I left a little clue about our upcoming getaway. I wanted him to get excited, and I'm not the best at keeping secrets, so I figured I'd allow him to guess where we were going. Each day he sent me a photo of the card he opened. It's safe to say he liked the gesture.
I passed my Covid test heading home from Mexico! Take that, negative thoughts! And upon him retrieving Katie and me from the airport, we chatted about our adventure. He guessed the location on the second try. Then his eyes lit up, and at the redlight between Hermosa and Redondo Beach, he said, "Wait! Are we going to see Chappelle?!" He told me this was the best, most thoughtful gift anyone has ever given him.
The synchronicities of this trip were incredible. I'm going to list all the ways the Universe made this trip amazing to illustrate that manifesting a once-in-a-lifetime or incredible experience is possible.
A nice man offered to switch seats on our flight so we could sit together.
The Delta Flight Attendant brought us drinks even though the flight didn't have service since it was so short.
The Wynn upgraded us to a suite at the Encore.
Our seats at the show were unbelievable (they cost 3xs the amount I paid the following night).
Everyone sitting near us was high-energy and fun.
Talib Kweli surprised everyone and performed a few songs to close out the show.
The Virgin Hotel Curio was full of guests from the Big 3. Tons of former NBA players in the lobby and throughout the hotel. Exciting for both JaMarr and me. He knew everyone! Some fighters too!
Our AMC passes worked out of state. We escaped the heat and enjoyed the Black Widow free of charge.
While we waited for our Uber, we hid out in the Yardhouse to escape the heat. It was standing room only at the bar. I found us a small space to order a drink. We ended up making friends with the man sitting next to us, had great conversation, he invited us on his boat, and picked up our tab.
On a whim, we tried to score tickets for the second night of Chappelle. While weighing our options, I asked security for suggestions. He sent us to the box office. At the box office, Jaleel White (Steve Urkel) was in front of us. He and JaMarr dished about Purple Urkle and Club Nirvana. Of course, Jaleel was on his way in to hang with Dave and Joe. He was very nice and gave us fistbumps as he rolled out.
We found a fantastic spot to get a couple's massage on Saturday. After our 90 minute rub down, knowing how hard it had been to get an Uber this weekend, the massage therapist offered to drive us to our hotel and the airport.
The seat was empty next to JaMarr on our return flight. We were two for two sitting together on this trip!
How amazing were these three days, right? No, we didn't run the craps table or hit the jackpot on the Wheel of Fortune machine. We're not big gamblers, to begin with, but we created memories to cherish a lifetime, made some unbelievable connections, and laughed our asses off. And we did it all together.
For any skeptics, I share this not to brag or boast but to illustrate that anyone can manifest anything they put their minds to. Manifestation doesn’t always equate to a free experience, it’s the Universe aligning whatever it takes to make something possible. You have to be vigilant not to miss an opportunity and sometimes take a leap of faith, or trust that the Universe will continue to guide and provide. I want to point out that some things occurred during this trip that weren't the highest of highs.
Extreme recording-breaking temperatures, 117 degrees making it almost unbearable to be outside.
JaMarr getting his bag searched twice at the Wynn because it looked "tactical." Others with similar bags weren't receiving the same treatment.
Our flight was delayed 4 hours on the return due to extreme heat. Delta stated the incoming flight, our plane, was unable to land in McCarran because it was too hot.
Typical growing pains of learning how to travel together when you're a new couple.
Such is life. It's never going to be perfect. Ten more small bumps in the road could have occurred, but it wouldn't have mattered. We were meant to go on this trip. Seeing the joy on JaMarr's face as he laughed and dissected Dave's jokes brought a smile to my face. His acknowledgment of this gift and my thoughtfulness was priceless. That will stay with me far beyond the walls of the MGM Grand, close to my heart, forever and always. Until our next adventure.
Let this be a sign to book the trip, manifest the adventure, allow the Universe to surprise you. When you're operating on that higher vibrational level, anything is possible. If you’re interested in learning more about manifestation and how to utilize a vision board to bring your dreams to life, consider signing up for my free 60-minute mini-workshop. Register below.
