Celebrating in Las Vegas

We have had a great weekend!!!

Thursday, I went and got my hair cut again. You can read about it and see pictures here.

Friday, I got a promotion at work. I have been working hard for it, and I was so excited. I am now the Seminar Administrator for my company. We have two week long seminars per month, and I am in charge of them. Putting them together, scheduling the food and catering, helping clients when they want tickets to local shows, games, ect, handling all the stats- basically, I do everything from start to finish for it. I am SO excited. It's going to be a great position.

That night we left for our big anniversary weekend. Selo had booked for us a concierge room at the Venezia, which is the private tower of the Venetian. Can you believe that?

Saturday, we went to breakfast in the breakfast room. It was beautiful. Then we hung out in our room and watched some movies from the complimentary DVD library with our complimentary popcorn. We could borrow as many as we wanted and have as much popcorn and drinks as we wanted. I was in heaven.

Saturday night, we got dressed up and went to dinner. We started at a B&B Ristorante. Unfortunately, we didn't stay there long. The ambiance was incredible and the service was fantastic, but we just aren't duck and lamb people. So we made a graceful exit. We opted to stop instead at a little deli and grabbed something a little more . . a little less exotic. After our food (which was yummy!), we went to get in line at to see the Phantom of the Opera. Oh yes, wow, he took me to see Phantom. It was an incredible show. I recommend it to anyone and everyone. Worth savings pennies for, if you have nothing else.

After the show, we went back to the room. In the room, a romantic bath had been set up. Rose petals, apple cider with wine glasses, chocolate covered strawberries, romantic music playing. I couldn't believe my eyes., and Selo was just grinning at me. Isn't he amazing? Here's a quick video of our suite and the romantic bath.

Sunday, we again enjoyed breakfast in the breakfast room. It was such a luxury. Then we took our time packing. Here's a pic I took of Selo looking out the window of our room. Isn't it a cool picture? The concierge had a bellman come get our bags so we didn't have to worry about them at all, and prioritized our car so the valet would have it ready when we got downstairs. It was so incredibly easy! We stopped for lunch at our favorite chicken place- one we don't have at home- called Raising Cane's. Mmm so good. We've decided we have to go there anytime we are in or near Vegas, because there's just no comparison. We stopped at Fry's, because you just can't go near one without stopping, and Selo got into a video game match with another kid there. It was fun to watch them and watch the challengers. Then we got on the freeway and headed home. There was this fantabulously beautiful lamborghini.

It was a truly amazing weekend. I've never been treated like such royalty from everyone around me. Selo planned such a beautiful and romantic getaway weekend. It was the best weekend either one of us have every had in Las Vegas and best anniversary for both of us. Happy 2nd anniversary to us, we've got plenty more to go.

Day 8 in LV - Saturday

On Saturday, we didn't do much besides pack and go home. We had lunch at a little place near the resort, where Sue ordered really fancy water and played some video poker. When we got back to SLC, we went with Beka and Andy the The Cheesecake Factory. And finally, when Selo and I were home, and crawled into our own bed, we snuggled with our kitty, who thought she had been abandoned and couldn't have purred louder if she tried. It was a great trip.

This is the fancy water that Sue ordered. And Selo and I toasting to it lol
This is Sue playing video poker.

This is Nobi in her new bed. She stayed at my mom's while we were gone, and Mom gave us the bed because Nobi liked it so much. Even now, while I'm writing this out, Nobi is sleeping in it.

Day 7 in LV - Friday

I know I'm behind in posting, so I'm going to just put the pictures of for this day. We mostly had an easy breezy relaxing day.

This is Kramer in his car seat. It attaches to the back of the passenger seat, and has a short lead that hooks to his collar.

This is Selo getting ready to jump into the lazy river at the resort. He loved playing it in. He's such a water kid.

These are pics Selo took of me in one my my new swimsuits. I think he loves seeing me in it as much as I love wearing it. I'm not a big fan of the second pic, but Selo says I look great in it, so I have to put it up. lol Alrighty then.

Day 6 in LV - Thursday

Thursday morning we had a big day planned. We got up and packed up for the day. First we went to see the temple. Look at the gardens and enjoy how beautiful it is. Then we went to the new Marriot Hotel to find out about their program. After being very UNimpressed with it, we left without purchasing or even promising to think about it. After comparing the two, the Marriot is no better than what we already have. But it is more than double the price. Just because of the name. We'll stick with what we have, thankyouverymuch. Leaving the Marriot we rode in a limo shuttle. It was impressive! Black leather seats, beverages, ect. We picked up our tickets for the show that night, and went to find the car. We couldn't find it! So we got this bright idea to hit the alarm button a few times and follow the sound. Three floors later, we found it. Can you believe we heard the alarm through three floors! By that time we were ready for food and then to head off to our show. We went to this wonderful buffet. I was surprised that no one said anything about us having a dog with us, but then again he's a service animal so maybe they knew better than me. When we went to the show, we decided to valet park the car. OMGosh why hadn't we done that all along. What a luxury! We decided right then and there we would valet from that point on. We went to the V show, and it was great. A little bit of everything, and no nudity. All three of us loved it. After the show, we walked around the shops. I went into Victoria's Secret and found an awesome sale. ;) I got a pretty to wear for my husband. Sue found this boutique that was selling a cleaner product she had been looking for. We ended up buying some because of how well it worked. After shopping, we were all exhausted, so it was back to the car, and back to the resort. Thursday was a nice, busy, and fun day.

These are two pics of Selo on the limo shuttle. Sprawling out and enjoying the ambiance.

This is a picture of a dragon on the ceiling.

Day 5 in LV - Wednesday

We woke up reeeeeeaaaaalllly early so we could get Nicole, Isaac, and Danielle to the airport for their flight. We gave lots of hugs and handshakes, talked about when we are going to meet next (next year, in NYC he he), and they left for their flight. Sue, Selo, and I drove to the car rental area, and Sue and I took her car back. When we got back to the resort, we all went back to bed for a few hours.

(I took these pics because my hair looked good. And I was impressed to look this good at such an early hour.)

When I got out of bed, I smelled something wonderful. Going into the kitchen, Sue was there, and she offered me some corn chowder. Oh, it was so good. I love corn chowder already, but this was heaven! After Selo woke up, we went back to the pool to play around some more. Instead of swimming, I layed in the sun with a book.

That night, Selo and I got dressed up and went to see the Blue Man Group. It was a fantastic show! We sat in the poncho section, in the very front row. There were ponchos on our seats. Through out the show, we didn't get splattered at all. We didn't really need the ponchos but we still had the best seats in the house! Both Selo and I were part of the show. One of the Blue Men kept tapping my shoulders and getting my attention, and another one played with Selo and a camera on the big screen. It was the neatest show I've ever been too. I would do it again in a heartbeat.




After the show we wandered around the Venecian. We opted to go see the new Marriott in town, and they gave us free tickets to the ultimate variety show - The V Show for tomorrow night. We walked down to Godiva and bought some chocolates. Oh, how I adore Godiva chocolates. Selo bought me some for Christmas and I have been hooked ever since.

Day 4 in LV - Tuesday

Tuesday was a pretty simple day.

In the morning we woke up bright and early. Okay, it was bright outside and it was earlier than everyone else lol. Selo and I got ready and went to the Las Vegas temple. We love to go to any temple we can every time we go on a vacation somewhere. (Although, I really wonder how many people "elope" to the LV temple?) We did initiatories, which is my favorite thing to do there. Then we visitited the distribution center and bought more garments, which we both needed and had fun doing. lol Anyone else have fun buying new undies? Anyway, we had a really good morning at the temple.

Beka and Andy were packing up to go home when we got back. Sue took them, and Danielle went with. (They had no trouble with their flight- boarding or landing in SLC.) Since everyone else was happy and dandy, Selo and I headed down to the pool to play. I got to wear one of my new swimsuits. It's so comfortable, and it covers me wear I want to be covered and reveals where I want to reveal. I like it a lot! LOL And so does my husband.
That night, Nicole, Isaac, Danielle, and Sue all went to see Zumanity, the sensual side of Cirque De Soleil. Selo and I dropped them off, and then headed off for a date of our own. We were planning dinner and some time to relax and play on the strip, just the two of us.

For dinner, we went to the always friendly and dependable Applebee's. As usual it was very yummy. Selo had their Bourbon Street Steak, and I had the Chicken Fried Chicken, then finished it off with a Hot Fudge Sundae Dessert Shooter. I love the CFC, and the dessert shooters and so worth the two bucks for them. Unfortunately, Selo wasn't feeling so great. In fact, he was feeling . . . a little drunk? I know, the bourbon is supposed to be all cooked out of the steak. But he still wasn't feeling good. Rather than go to the strip, we went back to the resort. My poor husband crashed as soon as he was horizontal on the couch. I curled up with him and a book. It wasn't the night we had planned, but it was cozy and comfortable. And at least he slept off his illness.

The other four came home around midnight. From what they told me about the show, it was amazing. They had a great time. We all talked for a little while, and then everyone drifted off to their bedrooms and beds.

Day 3 in LV - Monday

Monday morning Selo and I got up and left to go an appt we had made. We ended up getting lost on the way, and missing the shuttle. (Stupid directions. I *knew* there was no boat dock in the middle of LV, but the dumb lady kept insisting it was there. Moron.) Instead of waiting an hour and a half for the next one, we cancelled our appt and went to lunch instead.

Back at the resort, everyone was playing in the pool. There are nine different pools. Nine! There was a lazy river, and five hot tubs. It was all a lot of fun. I didn't get in the water, because I didn't like my swimsuit (that's what happens when I gain 15 lbs and try to wear last year's swimsuit- it looks painted on. Yuck), so I layed out in a lawn chair and soaked in the sun.

After swimming, we got ready to go to the strip. This time, we took the shuttle and everyone went- except Sue. We browsed around. We hit the show at Ceasars Palace, and the water show at the Bellagio. The show at Ceasars was blah. It was loud and obnoxious. But the aquarium that is was on top of was awesome. The water show at the Bellagio was totally worth seeing, we all enjoyed it.

Since it was midnight then, we started back to the shuttle. It was a nice comfortable ride back to the resort, and then we all tumbled into our soft beds.

This is the ceiling. Isn't it pretty?
(Pictures taken with my phone.)

These are pictures of the huge aquariam.
Sorry the pictures are blurry, fish don't sit still for photo opps :)




This is the sting ray that was in there. It was really huge!

Day 2 in LV - Sunday

When we woke up, Isaac was in the kitchen. He cooked us all a fantastic breakfast. It was so yummy. For most of the day, we layed around the condo and relaxed. We played cards, read books, walked around the resort to see the gardens, the pool, ect. Once it was time to take Kristine to the airport, Sue, Selo, Kristine, and I piled into the car to see her off. We dropped her off at the airport around 4pm for her 5:30 flight, and made our way back home.

Walking in the door, we discovered that Isaac was cooking again. It all smelled sooooo good. He had made bbq chicken, pasta salad, and corn. It tasted better than it smelled! Not that I doubted him before, but I see now why he works as a chef. The man certainly knows what he is doing in the kitchen. We were all very happy when we were done eating.

After dinner, Issac, Nicole, and Sue got dressed up to go to the strip. They spent a few hours gambling, playing the slots, trying a few drinks, and sight seeing. Danielle, Beka, Andy, Selo, and I stayed at the resort and lounged around.

Kristine let us know around 7pm that she was STILL in LV- her plane had been delayed. A few hours later, she called and said she was in Boise. She said she didn't know why, but they had just landed in Boise. I called the airline, and found out what was going on. The SLC airport had so much snow and ice, planes couldn't land safely. Since the plane Kristine was on was low on fule, they had to be re-directed to another airport to land. In Boise, the plane was refueling and then turning around to go back to SLC. (SLC had plowed and de-iced. Planes were able to land again.) She ended up getting home, but it was midnight when the plane landed in SLC. Her 65 minute flight from LV to SLC turned into an all night experience.

Day 1 in LV - Saturday

We left the house at 6am for the airport. I wanted the dishes done (at least in the dishwasher and ran) and the bed made before we left. While I did the dishes, here's how Selo made the bed. Isn't he cute? Teresa, Andy's sister, picked us up with Beka and Andy. We grabbed McDee's for breakfast. on the way to the airport. I love sausage mcgriddles. We got to Las Vegas, got our bags, and got in line to get our rental car. That was a mess. Instead of getting the price I was quoted, they charged us more than double. I was livid. But their reasons- although way over priced- were legit and legal. I will certainly be on the lookout for that next time. While at the airport waiting, we met the Rochester kids. I found out the term "Rochester kids" was so not literal. They weren't kids, they were our age! I was expecting Barbie style teenagers. Not even close. (Oh, how I was embarrassed.) Danielle was this tall, beautiful, spunky chick that was so friendly. Nicole was a pretty little chicka with great long hair and a quick smile. Isaac was tall (taaaaaallllllll) and strong and polite. What a pleasant surprise. Anyway, as soon as we (the Utah group) got our car, Danielle, Nicole, and Isaac took off for some time on the strip so we could have some time with Sue. Kristine and Sue in one car, Selo, Andy, Beka, and I in the other. Check out this video. This is Andy and Selo doing the dancing in the rental car as soon as we got it. OMGosh we laughed so hard.

Then we headed for Hoover Dam. We stopped at a view point, and got this picture.

We kept on and drove over the dam several times. Beka got some good pics of it. Then we stopped for lunch, and tried some of the homemade peanut butter Sue made. Not too bad. After the dam, Kristine and Sue took off to find out about the Stratosphere, while the four of us went and checked into the resort. This is where we stayed. Isn't it simply incredible? We had a three bedroom, two bath condo. Full kitchen, balcony, w/d in the condo, all amenities. Oh it was amazing. I cannot tell you how wonderful it has been to be owners with Worldmark.

Okay, after the checking into the resort, we all met at the Stratosphere. And it was then that I made a very brave move. I rode the Big Shot (the one pointing straight up). Danielle, Isaac, Selo, and I rode it. It was . . . invigorating. I've never had an experience like that in my life. Wow. Then the other three rode the Xscream (pic) and the Insanity (pic). I will have pics of them on the rides as soon as I get them off my camera. Even Sue ran off behind all of us and jumped on it herself. Have you ever seen a 70 year old woman volunteer to be dropped off the side of a building?

After our very long and exciting day, we were all exhausted. We went back to the hotel and crawled into our wonderfully soft and comfortable beds.

Not too shabby. Not too shabby, at all.

Things are going pretty good right now!

We are going to Las Vegas one week from tomorrow. I am so excited. It will be wonderful to get away for a week. We are planning to relax, play in the pool and the hottub, visit the Las Vegas temple, go on a fancy date, spend time with Sue and the Rochester gang, do a ton of sight seeing, touring, and shopping, and just plain enjoy our break in Las Vegas away from the norm. We reserved our car, and we are splurging just a bit on it. Because of the fantastic deal we get from our timeshare club, we were able to get a fun car for the same price as a regular car. We get to drive a Chrysler Sebring convertable or a Ford Mustang convertible. Don't they both look like fun? I can just see my sexXy husband driving down the strip in Vegas with the top down on our date. Makes me giggle like a school girl with a crush.

Plus, Beka and Andy are coming, too. They just found out they would have no other conflictions, and Beka was able to rearrange her time. So they are flying down there with us, and flying back on Tuesday. I am almost as excited to have them go, too, as I am to just be getting away.

Our car is finished being worked on. It turned out to be better than we thought. They only had to replace the lock cylinder in the driver side door, and they keyed it to fit our existing key. Plus the price was only half of what we were expecting. We will be going to pick it up tomorrow. They are also going to look into getting us a keyless entry for it, to make our lives even easier.

And, work is going a lot better for me, too. I have been given a couple more responsibilities in a couple more divisions of the company. It's made a world of difference for me. I am busier, and I feel so much better. Sitting around doing nothing is just not for me. And I was thinking about the people I work with. I love it here. The people are good people. They aren't drunks or druggies or crude/rude or pushy. I work with professionals, who know what's personal and what's not, know how to set and achieve goals, know when to cross the line and when not to, and know when to be laid back and when to be business. The atmosphere of my work is amazing. I have an awesome boss, a flexible schedule, a good salary, and great people. Honestly, what more could I ask for? I love my job.

A good day

I have been working to organized my address list. I am re-organizing the layout of it, alphabetizing it, updating peoples' addresses, and I will be adding phone number and email addresses to it soon. Once that is all done, I will be adding of that information to my phone. That way I have an updated spreadsheet in my email to access from any computer and I have all the information up to date on my phone.

I did some more work on the medical bills. I seem to do a lot of work on them, every other month. I make payments, get caught up on details, re-organize. But I only do it every other month.

Our vacation last weekend was wonderful. We went to AZ, and had a great time. We left Friday morning, stopped at Four Corners, and continued on to the resort. Friday night, Beka and Andy went to Joseph City to visit the city he used to live in. Saturday we all bummed around. We had a late breakfast, played in the pool, got sunburned, shopped in the little shops on the resort, had a picture done in old western style clothes, the boys cooked dinner for us, we had a toast for Beka and Andy's wedding, and we watched some movies. Saturday we left around mid morning, stopped for a few hours in Blanding, had lunch, saw a taxidermy shop (that was a first for me!), and then left to go home. It was a fantastic and relaxing weekend.

I booked the Vegas resort today. Oh my excitement! Selo and I, Andy and Beka, and possibly Kristine and another friend are all meeting our grandma Sue, two of her grandkids, and one of their friends down there. We are going to stay for a week. Boy are we planning a lot of stuff to do.

I received two very interesting emails this week. They were from two different ladies, asking me to apply to be in a pageant. I have been invited to be in the Mrs Utah United States 2009 and the Mrs International 2009 pageants. For both of them, someone referred me as a good participant. I am getting a packet of info from the Mrs Int one and I will be attending an orientation in Nov for the Mrs Utah one. I must say, it was a serious boost to receive those invitations. If I do either one, I will need to get working on my platform right away. Beka and I have been brainstorming through a couple of ideas, and she came up with a good one for me. I like it, and I think I would be able to do well with it.

Thought I'd Post An Update

It has been forever since I've posted an update, so I thought now would be a good time. We've had a lot of changes.

We are doing fantastic.

Selo's health is good right now. He hasn't had any attacks for about a month, all his meds are steady. We had a bit of trouble with his stomach med, since all it was discontinued, but we got it changed and he is doing a lot better. He feels good, he looks good, and he is able to carry on a normal and active life again.

Work is going well for both of us. My job is booming, especially with the financial market dropping so harshly. I am busier than ever at work, and it is great. Selo has something in the works that could be a very, very good thing for us.

We are making progress in our finances. We are getting things caught up, and paying all of our monthly bills, with money left over. At this point, we are also making some serious payments on Selo's medical bills. We have made some excellent progress, and have high hopes for our financial future.

We are traveling again. We are traveling people, and it's diffuclt to stay put for so long!For Thanksgiving, we will probably be gonig to Saint George. Christmas might be in California. We are planning a 7 day trip to Las Vegas in January to spend a week with another side of the family. Look how beautiful the resort we will be staying in is! Our time share has really paid off. We have gotten more out of it than we ever paid. It has been sooo nice to able to travel again.

We have a sweet new baby. Her name is Shinobi, and we have enjoyed having her. We spoil her, and she loves to show us how grateful she is. She is a little snuggler and is constantly on one of our laps or curled up next to us. And she is very much a daddy's girl. He picked her out and named her, and she has him wrapped around her little finger.

No plans to have any children yet. We just finished with a big mess with his ex wife. (Thank heavens it is over!) We are enjoying it be just the two of us, and having the time to get to know each other, strengthen our marriage, and the freedom to go whenever we want. We are planning another year or so, and then we will talk about starting our family.

We are loving our home. Our apt is wonderful and we haven't had any problems. We'll probably stick around here until we have our first child. Our new ward is suited very well for us. There are a few kids, but mostly married couples that are in the same life phase that we are. We will probably be getting callings soon, and we are looking forward to all the friends in the ward.

I think that's it for now. Have a wonderful day!