Oh what a nice little Saturday, complete with a family trip to Foxwoods Casino.

Growing up, my grandparents were always at Foxwoods. Bingo games, video poker, and lots of free gifts from the casino! I counted down until the day I turned 18 when I could join them in the bingo hall. Casino bingo is intimidating! Huge papers covered with bingo cards, stampers to dab your spaces, numbers on the screen, numbers being shouted, ahh! I’ve only played a few times and I’ve never won, but each experience has still been memorable.

This trip to Foxwoods wasn’t for bingo. We were there for the final weekend of the Princess Diana exhibit, Diana: A Celebration.

My grandparents were able to get 4 free tickets and they gave them to my parents and me. After Princess Diana was killed, I became fascinated with her life and legacy. I read books and watched documentaries. It was so interesting to see items from Diana’s childhood and I spent 10 minutes admiring her wedding dress. The dress is VERY different from the one I’ll be wearing on 8.10.12. A few less ruffles and a much shorter train.

Diana: A Celebration was a really nice tribute celebrating Diana’s life and work, and if it comes to your area, I’d highly recommend it.

Since Foxwoods is an hour away, we had to make the most of our visit. We didn’t want to leave after the Diana exhibit so walked through the casino and introduced Jared to a place that has been part of my family’s daily conversation for as long as I can remember.

We made it through lunch before we were all bit by the gambling bug.

My grandparents headed off to the Rainmaker Casino to play video poker. My dad was on the hunt for penny slots. Jared was looking for a spot at a Black Jack table.

Jared didn’t find a Black Jack table that struck his fancy so he decided to join a game of roulette. He put $20 on the table and received his chips. He spread them around the table, placing one or two chips on various numbers. All bets were placed and the ball when set in motion. When it stopped, it had landed in #12. Jared had placed 2 chips on #12! He won $70!

Lucky #12! My brother has always been number 12 throughout his entire hockey career, from a tiny mite through high school and college. My family’s love for the number 12 finally paid off. Thanks Matt!

Jared was ready to take the money and run. We cashed out, collected the losers (bad day for penny slots and video poker), and decided to hit the road.

I think everyone had a really nice family day at Foxwoods. Miles seemed like he had a good Saturday too, except when I got a little too close while he was trying to chomp on his bone. Apparently corgis need their space.