We Heart You, Vegas

...but only in small doses. A weekend is about all I can handle there before I'm dying for my own bed and a smoke-free environment. :) Nikki and I still had so much fun on our last-minute getaway! It was an awesome way to cap off my birthday week and I'm so glad we did it.

So we drove there Thursday night, which was actually great because we left around 8, got there just about midnight and had almost no traffic. And like she promised, it was so much better waking up there Friday morning rather than driving that day! We slept in a bit and then headed to the Hash House a go go for some amazing brunch. It was so cute! There were at least 15 things on the menu that I wanted to try, but we both opted for the dish they're known for, the sage fried chicken biscuit benedict.

Holy mother, please don't hurt me now.

Us before, and after:

Hurts so good...there's also one in San Diego that we plan on hitting the next time we're done there. :) From there we did outlet shopping for the rest of the day and then headed back to the hotel to change for dinner. Nikki decided she wanted prime rib, and where else should you go except Lawry's?

All I can say is it was seriously one of the best meals I've had in a loooong time. I'm not a prime rib fan, so lucky for me the only other thing on the menu was lobster tails. Heaven.

The place was really nicely done in an art deco style, they had old music playing and fantastic service, including the old school carts that they bring to your table to cut the piece of prime rib you want. Worth every penny, I have to say.

How'd that Hash House photo get in there? I do apologize, my staff is getting sloppy.

Unfortunately Saturday was pretty much a wash for me because a migraine took me out, but Nikki was happy as a clam gambling all day (and staying even, too!). After sleeping it off I was in good enough shape to go out for dinner. To add insult to injury, however, the restaurant we decided to try - B&B Ristorante in the Venetian, Mario Batali's restaurant - was terrible. You know it's bad when Nik and I look at the dessert menu and don't want a thing. Save yourself the money and go across the way to Delmonico instead!

However the karma gods must've been smiling on me that night, as I actually won at video poker for once!! Usually I'm happy to put in my $10 or $20 and play until it's gone (as compared to Nikki, who knows all the rules and tricks and has the best luck), but this time I actually kept winning and then hit 4 of a kind! So I cashed out with my $77 after starting with only $10.

Love that "excited face" for me means "wide open mouth" (hold your jokes, please, I've heard them all before!). Oh well - what a perfect way to finish the weekend! Especially since we drove back Sunday and got home in the early afternoon, so I had the rest of the day plus Monday (I knew better than to try and go straight back to work) to relax and enjoy myself. Couldn't ask for a better getaway! :)

xo

Finally Fall!

I can't remember if I mentioned it before, but after {we are} storytellers closed up shop, I was recruited by the amazing Angela Powers to be a part of her creative team for her new shop at The Lilypad. It's been so much fun getting to know a new digital community the past few months and I'm so glad I decided to join her team!

So I just had to share a page I made using her latest creations, Autumn Remix. For today only it's just $1 as part of the weekly Tadpole Tuesday specials! You can't do better than that!

Plus, I got to use photos of my favorite time of year. :)

In other news, one of my closest friends Mindy started up an Etsy shop of her embroidery! I'm super excited, because the woman's got crafty talent up the wazoo. Plus she's an art historian, so all her work is inspired by vintage illustrations - specifically the 19th century. Thus you wind up with amazing stuff like this:

Unfortunately for you guys, that one was custom made for me as a birthday gift! Go ask for your own custom order. :)

So, what's been inspiring you lately?

Lately...

The days have been going by sooo quickly. Soon it will be dark by the time I get home, and then what will I do for my daily photos? A challenge, I see.

My birthday came and went, been spending a lot of time in the garden supervising kitty playtime when I get home from work, gorgeous sunsets and weather (until today), and the one Angel game for the season with my dad. :)

xo

Tuesday Poll

Well we made it back from Vegas, safe and sound, if a little bit on the tired side. We're getting old! :) I'll be back with a full report once I steal Nikki's photos, but for now I'll entertain myself (and, hopefully, you) with Karen's Monday Poll on a Tuesday, because I took yesterday off to recover. :)

1. Mood: It's always a bit jarring coming back to work after being out of town, but okay otherwise. And so happy we're finally getting some decent rain!
2. Do you read or study with the TV or music playing in the background? I can definitely tune out the TV as background noise if I'm reading a good book, but for some reason music not as much. I could never study with that kind of distraction though.
3. Do you wear glasses? Oh yes. Ever since college. But I tend to alternate between glasses and contacts.
4. Outfit: Black tunic-style top, tan pants, black heels. (Yup, boring for work.)
5. Cold weather - love it or hate it? LOVE. Except when I don't dress appropriately. Then I whine until somebody gives me their body heat. And yes, I realize I'm seriously in the wrong part of the state.
6. Eyes/lips/cheeks: Stila Baked eyeshadow trio, NARS blush in Orgasm, Fresh Sugar Rose lip balm
7. What was the last nice thing to happen to you? Besides my best friend taking me out for dinner at the amazing Lawry's while we were in Vegas? Winning $65 at video poker. :)
8. Something you'd like to remind yourself of today: Rain = even shittier traffic. Gotta get up earlier tomorrow!
9. Guys who carry man purses - yes or no? Totally depends on the particular guy.
10. Weekly goals: Get my iMac fixed (finally), walk more, take Dante to the dog park (weather permitting), catch up on Project 365.

Sooo...what are your answers? :)

xo

26? Are You Sure?

Whoa. Today is my birthday, and I've got that mixed feeling of "can't believe it's been a year!" with "wow that was so long ago!" Things in my life are a hundred times better than they were this time last year, and while I'm sure I'll always have things I want to improve, I'm still proud of how far I've come.

On Sunday I had an awesome dinner surrounded by my closest friends at our favorite restaurant, Honda Ya, followed by some time at Disneyland. It was a great night! We all stuffed ourselves beyond belief, and then walked it off at the park. :) Tomorrow night I'll be celebrating with the family, I can't wait for mom's homemade beer battered shrimp and marsipan torte for dessert! Then Thursday night Nikki and I hit the road for a weekend trip to Vegas, I'm so excited to have some real time off I can hardly stand it. She's the best to travel with and I know we'll have a great time!

Thanks to all who have put up with my antics and encouraged me and listened to my whining this past year - I love you all more than I can say!

xo