Las Vegas Baby

Las Vegas Trip March 2017

A few years back I was invited to join the birthday celebration group.  Three friends had been doing that for years and they invited me to join them so now there are four of us ladies that go out to celebrate one another's birthdays.  It always includes dinner, sometimes a movie, sometimes shopping and sometimes it even includes brunch too.

Well this time, it included an awesome trip.  One of the group turned 50 this year so we had to do something special to mark the occasion, hence, a trip to Las Vegas. 

We do most of our travelling on our own so this was going to be a different experience for us and I'm so glad we went, it was so much fun.

Plus, two of these ladies are also my coworkers so I would have been so envious to be sitting in the office working away knowing they were off on this great adventure.

Driving to the airport I did not feel one iota guilty about leaving this snowy weather behind.

Seated on the plane and ready to go!

We decided to ride to the hotel in style, also, since there were 8 of us, it was the only way we could find to all travel together. 

Our limo driver was great, he had the tunes blaring for us and even made a pit stop at the liquor store for us.

We stayed at the Linq and this purple zebra was our meeting place every morning.

As soon as we were settled in our rooms we went for a walk on the strip.  This lamp is so cool.  My mom loves tiffany lamps so it made me think of her, wanted to take a photo of it to show her.

Our first destination was the Bellagio to see the fountains.  I love watching them, my very favorite attraction on the strip by far.

Saw this little fellow driving by in style.  What kid wouldn't love to have that ride?

Got some pictures in front of the fountains, J&B.

My Honey & I

S & B

After our walk we headed to Hash House a Go Go.  We'd eaten there before and I was awed by the size of the chicken & waffles so was wanting to go back ever since.  Luckily there happens to be one right in the Linq now.

Friday morning we went to The Peppermill for breakfast.

The food is good, not spectacular, but I love the vibe.

Here is the whole group.  They actually come around and take your picture, which they later sell to you at an inflated price,but I wanted a memento of the trip so I bought it.  However, between then and now, I seemed to have lost it so I was happy that I had gotten the waitress to take our group picture.

Seeing this "small" side order of fruit arrive to the table was neat.  What an awesome deal.

We left the Peppermill and headed to the Wynn to pick up some tickets we had purchased at the ticket booth.  They had this spectacular flower display in there.

A hot air balloon made out of flowers.

And a working carousel all made with flowers.  The attention to detail is so amazing.  Someone sure put a pile of work into this.

Then in another section they had these cool hanging lamps.  Wish I had gotten a better photo but it was hard to get close and get them all in the picture at the same time.  They were beautiful.

The lamps were all hanging over this lobby area which led out to the hotel pool area.  That is a waterfall wall in the back.  What a lovely place to sit and enjoy a sunny afternoon.

We left there and continued up the strip on our way to the Wax Museum.  Saw some more fountains and there was a rainbow dancing in the midst of it.

These fountains were set to old crooner music, which I love.

We have been to Vegas a few times before and never had any desire to check out Madame Tussauds.  Our friends really wanted to check it out so we did and that is one of the great things about travelling with others.  We did something we normally wouldn't have and it turned out to be so much fun.

Got the obligatory photos done on the way in, we did a few poses but this was one turned out best.

It was expensive but I am glad I got it.

S with her dream guy.

J and My Honey being the gentleman that he is.

B and Bond, James Bond.

Me & my other dream guy - Elvis!!!  I love that you could get up close to the wax figures and take pictures.  They encourage it and even provide props.  Totally fun to do.

Evil Knievel 1 & 2!

Liberace was getting a little fresh with My Honey!

Ha ha!

I look like I'm in severe pain or something.

My Honey looks like he's just petting his big green buddy.

What happens in Vegas, ends up on this blog!

Friday evening we went and saw La Reve at The Wynn.  Another thing we wouldn't have done had it not been for the other couples.  We've seen a few Cirque du Soleil productions & were kind of done with them.  This wasn't an actual Cirque show but some of the producers were the same and the show was like a Cirque show. 

It was AWESOME.  Best one we have seen, I highly recommend it.

The stunts they did were amazing and the way the theatre was set up is wonderful.  There are no bad seats in the place.

First time I've seen real synchronized swimmers too, I can't believe they can hold their breath for that long.  The whole production was just fantastic.  I am so glad that we went.

Even the bathroom mirrors in Vegas are blinged out.

Saturday we were feeling a bit tired so decided to try out the oxygen bar.

Don't know if it helps any but the massages they give you while you are sitting there are worth it.

After the Oxygen fix, My Honey & I headed hopped in a taxi to pick up a van we were renting to go on an outing the following day.  The traffic was crazy & the cab driver told there was an active shooter in the area.  What?

So yes, this was going on Saturday afternoon.

So horrible, someone lost their life for no reason.

Saturday evening we headed to the Mirage to see Terry Fator.  We had seen him once before and really enjoyed it.  He has changed up his show since last time (and his wife).  He is very talented. 

There was a lady in the row ahead of us (directly in front of J&B) who may have been Terry Fator's biggest fan in the whole entire world.

She was very intoxicated and kept jumping up in her seat and clapping & shouting about how great the show was, even at times when everyone else in the audience was being quiet.

I guess it's good that she was enjoying it,I thought she was kind of amusing myself. but it got old real quick for those sitting directly behind her. 

After the show we headed to Freemont St. to check things out.

There were three bands playing so it was packed with people.

We saw these guys and just had to get a picture with them.

Despite how they are dressed, the were very polite & mannerly.

We went into a restaurant in the Golden Nugget to get something to eat before heading back to the hotel.  B ordered this piece of chocolate cake. 

The waiter asked if she'd ever had it before and when she said no he told her he would bring extra utensils so she could share.

No wonder he laughed at her when she insisted she wouldn't be sharing her dessert with anybody.

Sunday morning we had plans to go to Hoover Dam and Boulder City.  We stopped for breakfast at a little place called Black Bear Diner.  There was a 40 minute wait to be seated so we walked across the street and shopped around a bit.

I was so happy because there was a Trader Joe's to check out.  I'm not sure that anyone else shared my enthusiasm about that.

We also checked out a little home décor store and they had these awesome cards.  This is definitely My Honey's kind of humor and he ended up buying a couple for his niece and nephew.

Wish I'd thought to take pictures of more of them when we were in the store.

They really made me giggle.

Finally we had breakfast.

There ended up being some kind of mistake with our order so it took almost another hour to get food but it was delicious when it finally arrived.

I had the cinnamon roll French toast.  It was delightful and I would so have it again.

B had never seen a real live palm tree before and had always wanted to so we had to get a picture.

Hoover dam.

It really is very spectacular to see.

We lucked out and had a beautiful, gorgeous day.  It was so bright we had to wear shades.

The birthday girl N and her guy K.

Hoover Dam selfie.

I ended up having a bit of an anxiety attack while I was there.

I saw a man with his little one sitting on his shoulders leaning over to look at down at the dam and all I could imagine was that little one falling over.

I couldn't get the picture out of my mind so I just had to get out of there.

With the extra long breakfast and then really bad traffic, we decided to skip Boulder City.  We still drove through to have a look but we didn't get out.

We did end up going to Lake Mead at K's suggestion to feed the fishies.  Who knew you could do that?  Yet another great thing we wouldn't have done if we'd been by ourselves.

I couldn't believe how the fish just came right up looking for food.

I loved the guys with the big mouths, they just had them open hoping that food would drop in.

You could even buy popcorn there to feed the fish.  Everyone really enjoyed it.

This little guy was trying to touch one of the fish, N was egging him on a little.

He did end up touching one and she gave him a dollar for accomplishing his feat which made him quite happy.

J had this brave little duck literally eating out of his hand.

Lake Mead was fun & beautiful.  Wish we'd had more time, a boat ride would have been nice.

Here is the beast we rented to cart us all around.

My Honey did the driving, I did the navigating (we make a good pair).

We rented from AVR at the airport and they were awesome, friendly and cheap.

Will definitely be renting from them again.

The High Roller at the Linq.

We had been on it before so skipped it this time but walked out to the parking lot to take pics while J, B, N & K were on it.

Before heading back to the room we stopped for a Salted Caramel sundae at Ghirardelli's.  It was delicious.

We only had 3 full days but it was a fabulous time!

Until we meet again Vega, I'll be thinking about you.

That's it for the Vegas trip, until next time, be happy!

Cozy Winter Day in Mid April?

I woke up this morning and looked out my bedroom window hoping to see some sunshine and....

What the heck, it is still snowing!!!!

My car is almost entirely covered! 

I had to shovel off the front steps & walkway and clean about a foot of snow off of the truck just to go to the store. 

While I was gone my neighbour, bless his heart, came over and plowed out our driveway.

There was a marathon of this show on this morning so that's what I did for most of this snowy morning

.  Of all the decorating, house flipping shows out there I enjoy this one the most.

The chemistry between Chip & Jo Gaines is wonderful and Jo's decorating style is the best.

I love the farmhouse look anyway and the way she mixes styles together is amazing.  Makes me want to move to Texas and buy a fixer upper just so I can hire them.

We stopped in Waco last year when we went on our trip to Texas but I didn't know Magnolia existed at the time.  So obviously I need to go back again just so I can pop in there and check it out.

Kind of got me to thinking that I want to do a project here in my home.

When I was young I always dreamed of being an interior designer/decorator.

Creating is just so fun and I get such a sense of satisfaction when a project moves from my imagination into reality.

 I've always rented before now so couldn't do much besides cosmetic things to the homes I've lived in and although we own our home now, we prefer to spend our extra money on travel.

Home renovation can get super expensive and one thing always seems to lead to another.

Watching Joanna has inspired me though and the little bathroom of off our bedroom seems like a perfect size project, not much potential for it to get out of hand.

My Honey built this bench and I love the look of it.  I am already dreaming up a version to use in the bathroom for a vanity.  This is going to be fun!!!

Picked up a few ingredients so My Honey could come home to a hot, home cooked meal.  Clam chowder and soft dinner rolls is on the menu at our place tonight.

Once I had dinner on the go, I decided a nice relaxing bath would be a great idea.  I just started a new book and there aren't many things better on a cold, blustery day than a hot bubble bath and an intriguing new story to read.

I am just getting started but so far it is a page turner.  Although it is a fiction novel I know things were like this in the past and it is horrifying to think about the conditions slaves lived in.  I am drawn to stories about it though even though some parts are difficult to read.

Chowder is done and smelling deeelicious.

My Honey is laughing because he knows I'm taking his picture to post here.  Think he enjoyed his supper!

True to form, in spite of having worked all day, he still wanted to make a treat for me.

He & a friend are going to be running the kitchen at the local golf course this summer so he has been trying out some recipes to possibly add to the menu.

This was a milk chocolate filled doughnutty type dessert.  It was ooey gooey good and I think it will be a hit. Who can resist a doughnut full of melty chocolate?

Well that's it for today.

Until next time, be happy!

Back in the Blogging Saddle

I stayed up so late last night that it was really tough to get out of bed this morning for work.  The scene outside didn't help much either.

Just yesterday I was marvelling at how all the snow had melted and even though everything was looking very dead & brown, it felt like spring was just around the corner.

Then this happened!

This is the view from my office window.  It has been snowing all night and it hasn't stopped yet.

Winter is in the air again, snow shovels are back out.

I had some delicious mango for a snack this morning hoping it would bring some sunshine into my day.  It was perfectly ripe & sweet.  Yummy!

Later in the afternoon I popped a snack size bag of popcorn to munch on.  The label said it was about 5 cups popped.  I don't even think it was much over 1 cup myself.

It continued to snow all throughout the day so the boss at work told us to just stay home and not bother to come back after lunch. 

I ended up working almost until the end of the day anyway as I had lots to do.  It was nice of him to give us the option and I did go home a little early.  Not a bad way to start a long weekend.

This kind of weather makes me just want to curl up, eat snacks and watch Netflix . 

I've really been enjoying this show lately.  It was hard to find to watch but I have made it to the third season. 

I enjoy this family just as much as the Duggar family. 

I've wanted to visit Nashville for some time now and watching this show makes me want to go there even more. 

They live in Tennessee and some of the places they go in the show look just beautiful.  On one of the episodes they went to Dollywood which is another location I've wanted to check out. 

Probably won't be too long before we plan a trip there.

I've also started watching the new Anne series that just began on CBC. 

I am a huge Anne of Green Gables/Lucy Maud Montgomery fan, always have been. 

Being from PEI myself and having a great love for the island is part of it, it feels like home to me.

It's not all though, I love the characters, the stories, the setting, just everything about it.  

The Anne of Green Gables mini series starring Megan Follows is my absolute favorite show of all time.  If I were stranded on a desert island and could only bring one thing to watch, this would be it.

So this new series had a lot to live up to.  It's hard to imagine new actors playing the roles that I have loved so dearly for so long.  Megan to me is Anne and Anne is Megan.  I knew before watching this new version that I might not like it but of course I wanted to give it a chance.

The verdict is in and I like it, a lot.

I don't think it will replace the original Anne as my favorite but I am enjoying it.  Amybeth McNulty does a great job as Anne.  She plays the role a bit differently but she does a fantastic job and I am really warming up to her.  The rest of the cast I like as well.  Matthew and Marilla seem more reserved but there is underlying warmth which is slowly being revealed.  Mom & I have been watching together and I am looking forward to more episodes and lots of fun adventures.

My Honey ended up working late again (he didn't get home until after midnight last night) so I decided to watch a movie that I'd been wanting to watch for awhile that he wasn't very interested in watching. 

It was a great show.  I learned lots about the events that I didn't know before.  Not only do I learn things in the movie but it peaks my interest and then I am googling information about the events. 

I especially like how they had some of the real folks that this happened to in the movie at the end.  Their stories were so touching and their positive outlooks were so uplifting. 

My Honey ended up getting home about a third of the way through and he was surprised to like it as well.

As usual, seeing a place in a movie made me want to go there for real.  We were there a few years ago but just for two days.  I would love to go back and do some more exploring.

 Also made me think about running a marathon which is something that I have always wanted to do.  Not sure if I could run Boston but what if I could?  Not a bad goal to shoot for.

I didn't track my eating today and didn't work out either.

I didn't go crazy with the food intake, I just didn't take the time to record it and my foot is still bothering me so I am going to continue to rest it.  I know we'll be doing lots of walking in New York next week so I want it to be as healed as it can be before we go.

That's all for now.

Until next time, be happy!