Las Vegas, Day Two

On day two of our Las Vegas trip, Mitch and I spent the morning at a time-share presentation.  Mitch signed us up for the "fun" the previous evening in order to get free breakfast, free Blue Man Group tickets, and $50 of food vouchers.  The experience wasn't completely awful, just took three hours of our vacation time.

Once we returned from the resort, Mitch and I spent the afternoon wandering the strip and popping in and out of stores that caught our attention.  We visited the Coca-Cola and M&M stores, both of which I thought were wonderful; it was fun seeing all the merchandise these companies have to offer!

The Coca-Cola store offers photos with the Coke bear with a superimposed background - not just a green screen - but Mitch and I were too cheap to shell out the $30 for a photo that wasn't all that important to us (the green screen beauty was free with our camera).  I mean the bear is cute but not THAT cute.  Plus, we are both Photoshop savvy and can make our own background. ;)

So many awesome color combinations and fun names for those combinations at the M&M store!

Blue visited the store while we were there so of course we had to get a photo with him!

After visiting the fun stores, Mitch and I ventured to the Luxor hotel and visited the Bodies: The Exhibition.  If you ever have a chance to see this exhibit (I believe there are several around the country), I HIGHLY recommend it.  I found it extremely gross but incredibly interesting; definitely not something you want to miss out on!

The exhibit in Vegas features 13 whole-body specimens and more than 250 organs and partial body specimens, dissected and exquisitely preserved (amazing in itself!).  You are given an up-close and personal look at the skeletal, muscular, respiratory, digestive, circulatory, and reproductive systems; there was also a very interesting area showing the development of a fetus.  Unfortunately (and understandably), you're not allowed to take any photos in the exhibit but you can find plenty of photos online if you just do a simple Google search.  (Perhaps you want to see what you're getting yourself into before you go!)

After our extremely in-depth anatomy lesson, Mitch and I visited the Monte Carlo to watch the Blue Man Group (our FREE show!).  Very fun and high-energy; a little strange at times but extremely entertaining!

After the show, Mitch and I walked the strip again.

We had to get photos of the exterior of the Coca-Cola and M&M stores all lit up; so cool!

And then we ventured into the Coca-Cola store to try the "Around the World" sampler, a collection of 16 different sodas from around the world.  This was so much fun and if you visit Las Vegas, you must do this!  So many interesting flavors, some very delicious and one so horrible neither Mitch nor I could even finish the little cup full.  They really should record people's faces as they are tasting these sodas!

Las Vegas, Day One

Mitch and I got back yesterday from a week-long vacation to Las Vegas.  We had a good time on our trip but it was definitely nice to get back to the quiet calm of North Dakota (and our little fur-baby, of course!).  I figured I better start blogging about our trip right away before I forget everything and it ends up being a year or more later (*cough*Florida trip*cough* and *cough*Salt Lake City trip*cough* and *cough*Mexico trip*cough*).

Mitch and I arrived in Vegas late afternoon.  We spent our first day getting settled and wandering the strip.  That evening we visited the Paris Las Vegas and ventured up the Eiffel Tower.  The Eiffel Tower replica in Vegas is half the size of the original in Europe but that was certainly high enough for me!  We were 46 stories above the city and my palms were sweating, my heart racing; I hung on to the rail as much as possible.  It was a beautiful sight, though, and definitely not something you want to miss out on.

Almost 30

Happy Birthday, Mitchy Joseph!  Enjoy the last year of your 20s!

Book Club Member

I was recently invited to join a Facebook book club.  As I'm sure you can imagine, I was completely giddy when I received the invite.  I've always wanted to be part of a book club and now I am!

The book chosen for February is Boy's Life by Robert R. McCammon.  I'm excited about this read (it was the novel I voted on, after all) and excited to hear what the others think about it.

Interesting side note:  I started the book on Sunday evening (yes, a bit early but I'm a slow reader so I figured it was okay); within the first twenty pages, the narrator witnesses a car plunging over an embankment into a lake.  Also on Sunday evening, a woman here in my hometown reported seeing a car sinking into our river.  Crazy coincidence, huh? 

Happy reading!

Young at Heart

My dad is retired.  My dad is also young at heart.  This combination resulted in a sledding ramp built around a cottonwood tree in my parent's backyard.

I stole these photos from my sister's Facebook page after she shared them today.  They are probably two of my favorite pictures now; they capture my dad perfectly.  And to steal my sister's quote, "He's pretty much the coolest 60-year old I know."

Time to Accessorize

Four pieces of jewelry have been added to my collection this past month.  Excited to have them and look forward to wearing them (once I get over the usual worry I have that I look silly in jewelry).

I received this adorable necklace from my mother-in-law for Christmas.  She purchased it from The Animal Rescue Site which helped fund 28 bowls of dog food for a shelter.  Isn't that wonderful?  Such a great idea for the dog-lovers in your life!

I received these beautiful earrings from my mom for Christmas.  I love all the vibrant colors dyed in the soft thread and the magical teardrop shape.

I've been eyeing necklaces like this one for several years and decided to finally just go ahead and buy one for myself.

The Etsy seller from whom I bought the book and spectacle necklace sent along a pair of earrings as a thank you.  Such a lovely surprise to find in my already exciting package!

Google Today

In honor of Dian Fossey's 82nd birthday, here is what Google is displaying today (LOVE it!):

Dian Fossey was a zoologist best known for the two decades she spent studying and protecting the endangered gorillas of the Rwandan mountain forest.  While reading about Ms. Fossey today,  I learned that the movie I saw about her when I was very, very young - "Gorillas in the Mist" - is actually based on the novel she wrote; I had no idea! You can bet I will be adding her novel to my "must-read" list right now.  While I know it's going to be heartbreaking (I still remember how upsetting the movie was), I think it will be a fascinating read.

A wonderful photo of Ms. Fossey

source

and a beautiful quote from Ms. Fossey

"The more you learn about the dignity of the gorilla, the more you want to avoid people."

Mexico Christmas Ornament

Per our tradition of buying a Christmas ornament on every vacation we take, here is the bulb Mitch and I bought when we visited Mexico last February.  I love the vibrant colors and the fact that you have to turn it all the way around to get the full effect of its beauty.  Definitely one of my favorites we've brought home!

Christmas in Every Room

Yesterday I started putting the Christmas decorations away.  It's been a slow process - mostly because I don't want to do it - but it's already looking empty and less cheerful around here.

I do believe our dresser is the only area that remains untouched at this point in time.

I think that's because I'm extra fond of this area.  Normally I have wedding mementos on our dresser and have never taken them off for other decorations; they have felt a bit like permanent fixtures but this year I decided they didn't have to be and changed things up.  I love that I did this and will certainly be doing it again next year.

It's nice having lots of Christmas magic in every room.

Christmas 2013 Recap, Part 2

Christmas, Round 4 was spent with several of my girlfriends.  I'm very lucky to have met such wonderful women at this age (roller derby brought them all into my life); they are truly some of the best friends I've ever had.

Christmas, Round 5 (the final round!) was spent with my family.  We ate dinner, opened presents, and then played a new game.  My sister's boyfriend got Telestrations from my parents and we decided to give it a try.  It was a great game and I highly recommend it; be prepared to laugh A LOT!  I even took photos to document this round of celebrating so here you go!

Photos in front of the tree before present opening begins.

Mitch always gets lots of gift cards for Christmas.  Makes for exciting photos, doesn't it?

My sister was pretty excited about cleaning her hair with Burt's Bees shampoo and conditioner!

Mittens made by my sister!  They are the warmest mittens I have ever had (and the insides are so soft!).

Movie and book for the retirees.  Don't want them getting bored, after all!

I suspect there will be at least one or two more Christmas posts in this blog's future.  Just not ready to be done talking about my favorite holiday season yet!