i was just reminded of this story yesterday when i was talking with my mom and had to share:
we've lived just 90 minutes from las vegas our whole entire life, and just 30 minutes from mesquite, nevada, where my mother grew up, which has casinos and gambling galore.
being of good and faithful mormon pioneer stock, my parents believed in not gambling and didn't participate in it.
every time we would go to mesquite or las vegas, we were surrounded by the bright, shiny, flashing lights and oh-so beguiling siren's song of the slot machines. they had them everywhere, and i mean EVERYWHERE--in convenience stores, grocery stores, restaurants. it's almost escapable and it was especially beguiling to us kids as we knew it was strictly forbidden. which made it that much more attractive of course.
every time we would go to mesquite or las vegas, we were surrounded by the bright, shiny, flashing lights and oh-so beguiling siren's song of the slot machines. they had them everywhere, and i mean EVERYWHERE--in convenience stores, grocery stores, restaurants. it's almost escapable and it was especially beguiling to us kids as we knew it was strictly forbidden. which made it that much more attractive of course.
we wanted to pull that lever soooooo badly and begged for mom or dad to put a quarter in every time we ever saw one. mom never would, saying, "you will just lose your money, kids--that's what happens when you gamble."
so this particular trip, i was about 10 and my two younger brothers, ages 6 and 4, walked into a gas station to go to the bathroom and there was our dream: an oversized slot machine and it was the biggest one i'd ever seen. i distinctly remember it was a \'dukes of hazzard" slot and had a huge picture of daisy duke in her daisy dukes and just two good old boys. who was never meaning no harm.
we begged and my mother decided that it was finally time to teach us this lesson. the money would be gone in a flash and we would understand once and for all that gambling was evil and then she put the quarter in and pulled the lever.
i think you already know where this is going and you're right--she won $15.00 that day from putting one nickle in that slot machine. we children were beyond thrilled and we never let her forget it. it was part of early larkin family lore and it couldn't of happened to a sweeter or more innocent lady.
which kinda made it better.
we begged and my mother decided that it was finally time to teach us this lesson. the money would be gone in a flash and we would understand once and for all that gambling was evil and then she put the quarter in and pulled the lever.
i think you already know where this is going and you're right--she won $15.00 that day from putting one nickle in that slot machine. we children were beyond thrilled and we never let her forget it. it was part of early larkin family lore and it couldn't of happened to a sweeter or more innocent lady.
which kinda made it better.
28 comments:
Are you serious? That is a great story!
I have always been attracted to things that get my adrenaline up and I am guilty as charged...I love gambling but have learned at a younger age to only gamble with what you can afford to lose!
We make a few trips out to Mesquite and Vegas yearly! My man is on a mancation in LV now. It's a great place to spa, dine, shop, people watch and indulge!
Ohhhh... Lana! i love it because she is the total June Cleaver standing in front of Daisy Duke trying not to scream! THis is the funniest thing I have ever imagined. That was probably the ONLY time she EVER played the slots and won. Some people have all the luck!
That is awesome! Totally backfired. That is funny.
I would love to plan a girls trip to Vegas with you.
P.S. I feel lame emailing every time I post, but I will if you still want me to.
This EXACT same thing happened to my mom with my brother...it's funny because out of all of our siblings, he is the one who has been a gambler.
I can just see you guys jumping up and down and your mom's dumfounded face as the gas station clerk looked on also dumfounded thinking, "I don't think I have EVER seen someone win on this machine before."
Funny.
LOL - that is hilarious. Kind of like on my honeymoon, Ben wanted to gamble and I told him it was wasting money. I ended up relenting, and deciding we could each spend $10. Thinking it would be gone in less than 5 minutes, I found a machine where I could play a quarter at a time. Ben on the other hand, bet the entire $10 at once, and ended up winning about $500. SO funny.
LOVE IT! That stuff doesn't happen to me...
I'm just trying to wrap my head around the fact that someone actually grew up in Mesquite.
The first time I played a slot I won 100.00. I think it's a myth that people lose money in those things.
Isn't that how it always goes? So classic! I love it!
Ha ha - I love it! Your poor Mom and her ruined teaching moment!
Lol! Poor Lana she was probably ticked.
That is a GREAT story! I can't resist the nickle poker machines....but I am cheap so I only spend like $20 total :)
That story is priceless! And your poor mom...that would have been devastating!
Too funny! Of course, that'd NEVER happen if you actually *wanted* it to.
Oh man, that is too funny! I have so many of your posts to catch up on, especially now that I'm "holly h." and I'm off your comments list. I've got to work my way back up!
haha that is funny. We set an amount to gamble after that when it's gone it's gone. I know it's such a waste of money but it's fun though.
Would it be wrong if I stalk you in Vegas I wanna see Joel too? My and the old man need a weekend away from teh kiddies.
I wish that worked on the lottery tickets when we go up through Idhao to Montana!! My hubs calls it his $1 worth of entertainment.
that is too funny! the same thing happened to me when my grandpa tried to teach me and my friend that you never win when you gamble. he said he would put in 2 bucks worth of quarters but wouldnt get anything back, but if he did, we could split the winnings. my friend and i (being 12 yrs old, stood by the bathroom door and watched). my grandpa put in his last quarter and won 80 bucks!! that was the best lesson ever!
AWESOME!!! I wouldn't blame you if you'd been addicted ever since!! =)
girl, you're a crack up!
Soooo, what hotel did I stay at in cabo? it was the pueblo bonito rose. I would definitely recommend it. It's right on the beach and a 5 min. walk away from the city. Is it kid friendly? well, I would just steer clear of cabo wabo and the mango deck and you'll be good to go. We saw more than our fair share of boob action and free love going on... slightly awkward. so other than that it would be an awesome, fun family trip.
PS. I have a couple friends that grew up and live in St. George. They’re both dentists now. Do the last names heideman or maxwell sound familiar?
Your poor mom! This story is hilarious. Can you imagine the odds of her lesson backfiring like that?!?!
Are you drunk? How do you just come up with a story like that out of the blue?
That is hilarious! I remember being in a casino once with my mom and she gave me a quarter for the slot machine, only I was 21 at the time, and I didn't win anything....gee thanks mom!
That is SOOO awesome and actually, we had a similar experience this past week while we were in Tuscon. It involved one of those "Toy Shoppe" machines that have the claw thing to pick up the stuffed animal. It's a pretty funny story. I was actually going to do a post about it. It's a little EERIE actually that you have beat me to the punch with this similar one! I swear. . .GREAT MINDS. . !
I'm just glad she tried to teach you a lesson there and not on the streets of Las Vegas, Wonder what lessons are worth learning there?
Poor Lana! Here she tries to teach you a "very valuable" lesson...I SO wish I would have been there!
I love your mom ;)
I LOVE IT!!!! I too am a "nice" mormon girl, but bring on the machines baby!!! Actually, the roulette wheel and BINGO with the indians in Mesquite!! That's my favorite part about Sta George is heading into Mesquite for "bingo with the indians"!!! Thanks for the refreshing story!! Bingo with the Indians!!!
I love that story! And the saddest thing in the world to me is how the slot machines no longer spew quarters. The best part about winning on the slot machines was the ching ching ching ching sound!
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