Vegas, baby!

Vegas was great! We flew out on Thursday evening- even during the day, flying over the strip is quite a sight to see. The hotels are just massive! Will and I arrived a couple hours ahead of his sister Cari and her boyfriend Curtis. We stayed at The MGM, and they have a reception area at the airport so he was able to check in while I waited for our bags...got to avoid the massive lines at the hotel. Bonus! Vegas is hot...like super hot. Like still 100 degrees out at 8:00 PM hot. I knew to expect that, but it's nothing like actually experiencing it.

As soon as we got to the hotel we dropped our bags and headed straight to the casino. We found a $25 (gulp) per hand PaiGow table...my first Vegas gambling! I had only played PaiGow online before. I'm way better at it online...lost $50 in about 20 minutes. Cari and Curtis got in around 10 and we all grabbed a quick bite to eat then set out for the strip. Seeing the strip at night is awesome. It's one of those views that everyone should see at least once in their life. We stopped in The Bellagio (where I won some of my money back on blackjack! Yay!) and Bills then headed back to the hotel. It doesn't seem like we went that many places, but by the time we got back near the MGM it was after 2 AM! Everything looks so close, but they are in fact miles from each other. I did not wear comfortable enough shoes. Lesson learned. On our walk back we did see a (wasted) guy get pushed- he fell face first onto the pavement, and didn't move after that. He probably needed a hospital...and was definitely going to have a terrible hangover in the morning! Will and I weren't quite ready to hit the sack for the night so we stayed in the casino...long enough to each lose another $45 on blackjack in about 5 minutes. Boo. We decided it was OK to go to bed after that.

Friday we spent the day at the pool. It was nice because it wasn't very crowded with the weekend crowd so there was a lot of room to spread out and enjoy the pools, including a lazy river that has a current in it so you just sort of float along. Very relaxing. We also enjoyed many, many buckets of beer. They were on special, we couldn't resist! We had a lot of fun just hanging out and met a fun couple from Boston to chat with...she was super Italian and tan; he was super Irish and pasty white; and both were definitely from Boston, evident by their thick accents.

Friday night was the big night! Will and I left Cari and Curtis sleeping in the room and headed out on the town. We had tickets to the 10:30 Love show- I finally got my birthday present! Right outside the Love Theater was a blackjack table with a $100 minimum. We watched in pure awe as a man played $10,000 hands. Yes, that is the correct number of 0's. When he doubled down, $20K on the table. Boom, just like that. He had enough money in front of him to buy a house. I can't imagine having money like that. The dealer was making $200 tips at a time. That's about how much money I brought with me to gamble with for the weekend! I had to practically pull Will away from the table so we didn't miss the show!

Love was SO FANTASTIC! I'm such a huge Beatles fan- I had chills throughout the whole show. Watching any Cirque de Soleil show is fascinating, but you add Beatles music to it, and WOW. That's all I can say. I was on cloud 9. I'm sure I looked like a big goof- my smile was HUGE through the whole show, and I was totally that girl who whooped and hollared the whole time. Our seats were perfect. High enough to see the whole stage, but low enough to really feel like we were right there. There were a ton of parallels in the show that directly reflected events that happened to The Beatles. I loved trying to pick them out, and I'm sure I bored Will talking about them later.

After Love we hit the casinos. I don't remember which casino we went to, but one of them had "Dealertainers"- dealers who were celebrity musician impersonators. They were great! They would deal some blackjack, then get onstage and lipsync. We saw Gwen Stefani sing "Spiderweb"- she looked remarkably like the real Gwen!

Friday night was a late night...we came home around 5:30, just as Cari was waking up from the night before. They ended up staying in all night. Unfortunately they had to leave town and head back to Nashville to be with Curtis' mom who was sick in the hospital. We were bummed that they had to leave, but very happy that Curtis was able to be with his mom.

Will and I spent Saturday afternoon casino hopping. I finally worked up the nerve to play craps at a $5 table in Harrahs...and proceded to lose $75 in about 5 minutes. Craps sucks. We walked through several hotel lobbies- they are incredible! I especially liked the Wynn and the Venetian. We also found a new game that we both liked- video blackjack. $7 to play 7 hands...cheaper than the table! Since it was just the 2 of us that night we decided to go see another show. This time we went to Zumanity. It was another Cirque show, also very cool, and very sensual. Lots of nekked people, and a drag queen host(ess?). The show was very entertaining. Lots of audience participation, which is always fun to watch! We got home relatively early Saturday night- around 3 AM, after a few rounds of video blackjack to end the night.

Our flight on Sunday didn't leave until 5:30 so we checked our bags with the bellmen and spent the rest of our time at the pool. It wasn't quite as nice as Friday. We were both red on our chests from our pool time on Friday (I swear no fewer than 5 people made a point to say "Someone got some sun today" to me on Saturday night...I was getting so annoyed!) so we were trying to stay out of the sun. The pools were much more crowded so shade was hard to come by. We did our best, though. Had lunch at the Cabana Grill poolside and then headed to the airport.

It was a great first time in Vegas, and I'm even more excited about my 2nd time. We leave in less than 4 months for another crazy weekend- this time seeing Jimmy Buffett! Sin City full of crazy Parrotheads. I can't wait!

My little brother, the superhero!

Shaughn's new name should be Superman. Just got a call from him and Mom. He had another MRI taken on his neck today. The same technician that took the first MRIs back in March (to confirm the broken C2 bone) took these, and apparently the newest MRIs show NO TRACE of any broken neck bones! The technician said that had he not been the one who took the initial MRIs he never would have believed that Shaughn's neck was ever broken. Absolutely amazing, possibly even a miracle??...

Thank God that Shaughny has some tough guardian angels who are obviously working a lot of overtime to get him back to his old self! We are so lucky to have our baby brother with us today, let alone (nearly) back to normal!

Next step for him is to hopefully get his brace off on Tuesday. He is seeing his new doctor, Dr. Pensick, and they are going to take his brace off and test his range of motion and such. But if the MRI results are any sign, Shaughn is going to be losing his beard and showering again in just a few days!

I'm a bit emotional about the whole thing again today, but probably because it's finally almost done. Thanks again to everyone who kept Shaughn in their thoughts and prayers the past few months. There's no doubt in my mind that you helped his recovery!

Granby, CO

Wow, have we been busy the past month...and it's not done yet! We spent the weekend in Granby, CO with Lisa and Andrew and Chi. Granby is about 20 minutes past Winter Park, which is a beautiful drive from Denver over Berthoud Pass. There is still quite a bit of snow on the pass, and we saw a few people back country skiing in shorts on the drive home yesterday. So weird to see people skiing in June...not to mention in shorts!

The weekend was pretty relaxing- we did some hiking to the top of a ski mountain just outside the condo. The hike was short, but steep and definitely left us winded, but the views from the top were amazing- definitely worth it! Chi loves being up there. She has endless energy running up and down the mountain, and then she is calm and relaxed for the rest of the day. I had to laugh at the fact that she could manage to find the one mud puddle on the mountain and roll around in it.

We spent Saturday afternoon in Grand Lake, sitting by the lake and enjoying some beer and wine while asking ridiculously funny questions. Some examples:
"Would you rather be able to fly or be invisible for a year?"
"Would you rather be a rock star or a movie star?"
"Would you rather have $25 million and live to the age of 50 or die at 85 but only make $30,000 a year?"
"If aliens suddenly offered to take you to outer space for a year, but you couldn't talk to anyone on earth the whole time, and you are not going to be part of some weird science experiment, would you go?"
We ended the afternoon doing some go-karting. Well, rather, everyone else go-karted. I opted to sit out and take pictures. I got some really good ones, too, so worth the sacrifice!

Saturday night we went to The Devil's Thumb restaurant for drinks and appetizers. Lisa and Andrew were engaged there last year, so it was cool to get to see where everything went down. It is such a neat restaurant. Lots of organic and free range food and awesome views. We even saw a moose walk through the horse stables and hop over a fence to get to the woods. I couldn't believe how he could hop the fence with zero effort. Cool animals. And big. Very, very big.
We headed back to Denver early yesterday afternoon and actually got to enjoy being home! And alone, too! I can't really remember the last time we've had a lazy Sunday afternoon. We watched Tiger tie Rocco Mediate to go to a playoff for the US Open, then watched the Lakers squeak out a win over the Celtics to stay alive. We also watched a terrible movie, The Eye. I don't recommend it.

Next stop on the crazy train- Vegas, baby! We leave Thursday night!

Mountain Mamas

Our cabin was soooo cool. We had everything there- pretty views of Pikes Peak, comfy couches, cable (a plus for Will and I!) and an air hockey table! Friday night we made dinner and relaxed at the cabin...and Ella kept us entertained with her funny sense of style- Grandma's shoes and Andy's Indiana Jones hat.


Since that was our view all weekend, we decided to head to the top of Pikes Peak on Saturday. We took the tram up to the top- to 14,110 feet. Mom and Andy got altitude sickness on the way up, which was too bad because the views at the top were awesome! They waited in the gift shop while Dad, Will, and I braved the severe temperature change to get some pics from the top...

We spent Sunday exploring the Cripple Creek area. We went on a tour of a gold mine that took us 1000 ft below the ground. I thought the tour was really interesting. And we all looked great in our hard hats! :) Then we stopped by the Pikes Peak Heritage Center, which is kind of like a tiny museum about the area and what used to be there- dating back to when the dinosaurs roamed around! Ella found, what else, a phone to play with! We had a quick lunch in Cripple Creek (where I got a random, severe bloody nose), played (and lost) our obligatory money in the slot machines, and then headed back toward home. On our way back to Denver we stopped by the Garden of the Gods to take some pictures. Seems to be a trend with Will and I. We have yet to explore the park, but we have taken pictures there!

Sunday night was bathtime for Ella! She is so stinkin' cute! I love how crazy her little bit of hair is. When she was a baby we called her shark fin...you can see why the name is still appropriate for her! :)

Off to the Mountains...

Hilton Head was wonderful! It was great to get to spend time with Will's family. Lots of lazy days by the pool or the ocean, drinking beer or daquiris, eating lots of seafood, and sweating! It's amazing how quickly your body forgets about humidity. But it's also funny how the humidity and sweat drives me crazy in the midwest, but doesn't bother me in the slightest when I'm near the ocean. :) Will's nieces and nephew are such cute kids. They say the funniest things- I was laughing the whole time! My favorite spot in HH was definitely the Tiki Hut, which was right next door to our condo. Nothing's better than a pina colada on a hot, sunny afternoon while you watch beach volleyball players and listen to a man play Buffett covers. I can definitely see why the Masons have been going there for so many years. What a perfect place to vacation!

My family (minus Mom, who was already here) got in yesterday and today we are heading to the mountains to stay in a cabin near Pikes Peak. What a rough life I lead...beach vacation to a mountain cabin for the weekend. :) Mom and I bought enough food and drinks yesterday to last us a week...should be a fun weekend!

I love having my niece out here! She is starting to talk so much now. She loves my exercise ball, and taking pictures. I snapped these this morning and had to share them. She's such a cutie, even with crazy morning hair! Amazing that she can actually have crazy morning hair since she's such a baldie. Hope everyone has a great weekend!

Vacation!

Another busy weekend ahead! We are leaving for Hilton Head in just a few hours! Will's family has been vacationing there for about 30 years, and this is Will's first trip back in a couple years. I am so looking forward to a relaxing beach vacation, even if it is only for a few days. Will is like a little kid, he's so excited to leave. :)

I am flying back to Denver late Wednesday night while Will spends an extra couple days with his family. Meanwhile, my mom will be waiting for me at our apartment here when I get back! She has a conference to attend in Denver next week that ends on Wednesday. So she'll be in a hotel until Wednesday, then she'll head to our apartment and work until I get home. Thursday morning Dad, Andy, Molly, and Ella are all flying in to spend the weekend here. Shaughny is staying behind. He has tickets to see Dave Matthews at Busch Stadium next weekend, plus he's still in his brace so travelling isn't that comfortable for him. I can't really blame him for postponing his visit out here. He's going to try to get out here before the end of the summer after he's free and clear of the brace.

It is going to be so fun to have the family out here! Plus a whole week off work. Ahhhhh.... Can't wait!

Memorial Day Weekend

Good times this weekend! Will and I took off Thursday evening for St. Louis to attend a wedding for one of Will's high school friends. We were scheduled to get in to the Lou around 10 PM, but weather in the Denver area chose not to cooperate so we ended up leaving Denver about 2 hours later than expected (and about 5 beers into the night, thanks to the delay- we made the best of our time at a bar). Will's good friends Colin and Lee were at the airport to pick us up, which was great since we were too late to catch the hotel shuttle.


We stayed in Clayton, which was different for me. Of the 4 years I lived in St. Louis, I can count on one hand the number of times I spent time in the Clayton area. We were pleased to see that there was a bar, CJ Muggs, 2 doors from our hotel, which we took full advantage of for the last hour and a half it was open. Then we continued the party in our suite (which Will insisted we get so that we could have the "party room"). In retrospect we definitely hit the drinks WAY too hard, but we've been looking forward to this trip for a long time- I was pumped to get back to St Louis and Will was excited to see his HS buddies- so we just got a bit ahead of ourselves.


Needless to say, I was NOT feeling well Friday morning. I just can't drink the way I used to! Will and the guys headed to Fitz's for pool and bar food and I headed to lunch with Todd, a college friend/former Fox employee. It was great to see him and catch up. It had been a loonnnggg time since we had hung out. I had been so excited to go to Llywelyn's for lunch...and I'm sure lunch would have been delicious, had I been able to eat it! I was feeling terrible! 2 bites and I was done. My beautiful Llyweln's chicken was tossed. Sad day.


The wedding was for Colin's brother Adam. It was in a pretty church right in the middle of Clayton and the reception was in Forest Park's Visitor Center, a cool venue to have a party.

Saturday morning we had brunch with Colin's family then said our goodbyes to the wedding crew. Lee, Will, and I switched to the Hilton downtown for the night. I made the guys walk around and see SLU's campus and the Central West End. I was really happy to hear that Will was impressed with St. Louis. He always gave me crap about going to school there and such but he had never spent any time there. I love when the Lou makes a good impression on people! We had dinner at Favazza's (quite possibly the best Italian food. In the world.) with my friend Megan from college, then hit up the new casino downtown, The Lumiere. Lee didn't do so hot, but Will and I both came out ahead, which is nice!


Sunday Lee headed back to Nashville and Will and I met up with my family. Mom, Dad, Molly, Ella, and Shaughn all drove down for the day to hang out. First of all, I haven't seen Shaughn since he was in the hospital after his accident. I was SHOCKED by his beard. It is out of control. And red. Wow. He looked like Forrest Gump when he was running cross country.

Ella is just starting to talk so it was fun to watch her interact with everyone- "Mommy, Papa, Sha, Mommy (no word for Grandma yet)". Now that she is putting it all together, I think she just likes to hear herself talk. She is so smart! At lunch (Llywelyn's- round 2. I was NOT leaving St Louis without eating a Steak and Cheese, for real!) she could point out who was who, and she also knows her anatomy really well. She can point to her cheeks, ankles, knees, ears, fingers. Such a smart little girl!


We took her to the Science Center and the zoo to play. She wasn't that impressed with the Science Center- I think she is not quite old enough to understand that leaving one fun exhibit will lead to another. She was really upset everytime we moved away from whatever it was we were playing with. Of course, one of the first exhibits she made a beeline for was the phone. She just loves phones!

She had a great time at the zoo. We ate some Dippin Dots and then walked through the River's Edge section. Everything she saw was a "puppy". Hippos? "Puppy". Elephants? "Puppy". Cheetahs? "Puppy". All the while she threw in a few roll calls to make sure everyone was accounted for- "Mommy, Papa, Sha,...".

After the zoo Will and I had to take off for the airport. It was so great to catch up with friends and to hang out with my family again in St. Louis. I miss that town!

Monday was Memorial Day, which was great! It is so nice to be able to sleep in a bit when you get back from a long weekend. We had breakfast with Jess and Ryan, some friends who recently moved to Wichita but were back in town for a wedding. Then we went up to Boulder to meet with Paul and Erica, who were also in town for the weekend. They were recently engaged so we talked a lot about their wedding plans. We spent the evening back in Denver, and went to see Baby Mama. I wasn't all that impressed. It's one of those movies where they show all the funny parts in the preview so there wasn't much left to laugh at. I was one tired puppy by the time we finally crashed Monday night.