Back From Las Vegas

I just got back from a fun filled vacation in Las Vegas!  I didn't have a lot of internet access out there, so I was unable to update the blog.  I can't wait to write about all of the things that I did while I was there.

Kyle was in training for 4 of the days, so I had them all to myself and either walked around sightseeing or sat by the pool reading.  The weather wasn't that great for the most part, so a lot of the time I was in jeans and the one sweatshirt I had taken with me.  I think I went in to almost all of the casinos on the strip and I can tell you that my favorites didn't change from the last time I was there.  My list of the top casinos are Bellagio, Mandalay Bay, Palazzo and the Venetian.  Sahara is also another favorite of mine, but for different reasons. 

At the Bellagio, they have the fountains up front and they have a beautiful garden on the inside that they change with the seasons.  This time they had a covered bridge, orchid house and a huge scarecrow.  The fountains outside go every half hour during the day and every 15 minutes at night.  What a sight they are to see when you're at the top of the Eiffel Tower!

Mandalay Bay has wonderful shops, a wonderful place that makes crepes and a beautiful pool.  Their spa is also wonderful!  I had a 50 minute facial and a 50 minute massage.  Pure heaven!  Talk about relaxation........................

The Venetian and the Palazzo are just beautiful to be in and walk around.  You feel like you're in Italy and yes, you're supposed to be walking on the wrong side of the hallways, because that's how they do it over there.  It's just a very relaxing place to be.

I love the Sahara mainly because of the Nascar Cafe inside.  I love the atmosphere of the cafe and the whole sports feel.

I loved a lot of the food we ate while we were there and I liked the fact that Kyle and I could get something different, especially since I am a little bit more adventurous than he is.  He still says that Emeril's Stadium has the best burger he has ever eaten! 

We went to Hash House A Go Go for breakfast twice while we were there this time and they have the best orange juice.  It is fresh squeezed and I am thinking that I'm going to have to start doing that at home.  We went to La Salsa Cantina another day for breakfast and that was really good as well.

One of the lunches we had was at KGB (Kerry's Gourmet Burgers) and I don't recommend it.  I wasn't too impressed with the food at all.

Margaritaville was awesome (of course) but very loud inside.  The food was delicious though.

We did three buffets.  The one at Harrah's was the best in my opinion.  The one at Imperial Palace came in second and the one at Flamingo Bay I would never go back to. 

We went to Coyote Ugly one night and I definitely recommend that everyone go there!  I had the best time!!  The girls there make everyone feel great and welcome and they genuinely want you to have fun.  It was definintely an experience I would love to repeat in the future................

We saw two shows while we were there.  The first was Cirque du Soleil's Mystere and it was fabulous!  Definitely worth the money we spent on the tickets. 

The other show we saw was Nathan Burton's comedy magic show.  It was a free show for us, so I wasn't sure what to expect, but boy did he deliver!  He was so funny and the magic that he did was great.  He told us things about when he was younger and when he started to do magic.  After the show, he took time out to meet everyone and talk to all of us.  He didn't seem rushed about it either.  It was so nice to have someone who is in show business actually care about the people who come to see him.  It is definitely a go to show that should be on everyones list.

As I remember more of what I did and saw in Vegas, I'll update you all.  If you have any comments you would like to add, please feel free to do so.  I would love to be able to get into discussions with all of you about travel and other things.......................

I hope you all have a great day!

Rough Week

It's been a rough week around here. I had a bad cold, a headache and did a lot of sleeping. While I was sleeping one day, my husband finished up with painting the kitchen. He sure knew I wasn't feeling well, because I slept through all of the banging and vacuuming, etc....

We had a great weekend last week!  We went to Liberty Ridge Farms for the all scouts weekend and the kids had a blast!  :)  Bonus for mom and dad.......  They went through the huge corn maze, saw pigs race, sat in a hen house filled with corn,walked in giant gerbil wheels, drove pumpkin vine 500 cars and had their faces painted.  There was a lot more there, but that's all that time would allow.  This weekend, my youngest has his "homecoming" football game and then we're thinking of heading up to Great Escape for their frightfest. Also, I see some apple picking in our future. Kyle is taking Jared to the super dirt races on Sunday in Syracuse and he is taking both boys hiking with the cubscouts on Monday. Prospect Mountain get ready, 'cuz some cubs are coming to climb!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I accomplished a lot this week, despite everything. I went through all of the gifts I ordered and put them on my Christmas list and put them in bins. I organized the office a little and cleaned out some things. Today I went to the springs to get water, went to Price Chopper for the deals and went to the library to return some books and get one they were holding for me. I've also done laundry, dishes and cleaned out my daughter's closet (not pretty!).  Now I've been relaxing and catching up on some computer stuff, before I go swap out laundry and I'm thinking about making FishMama's Apple Slab Pie.  You can find the recipe on her website at http://www.lifeasmom.com/.  She's got a lot of make ahead freezer recipes and I can't wait to try this one.  It is definitely the day for it. 

Then my evening will start as will the rest of my countdown to my vacation without children next weekend.  I'll spend a wonderful week in Las Vegas with my husband and no children.  I see many hours relaxing by the pool and seeing the sights and hopefully reading lots of books.  Also, I am hoping that my foot will hurry up and continue with the recovery process.  Still hanging in there with it, but boy is it getting tough!  (as you could probably tell, since you all know I can't go into stores myself without my crutches. So you all know I was cheating when I was shopping earlier today)  I can't wait until I can walk again without the crutches and without the cast.

I hope all of you have a wonderful weekend with your families and I know some of you will have a longer weekend because of Columbus Day.  Let me know if you find any great deals out there this holiday weekend!

By the way, Old Navy has coats on sale for the whole family tomorrow. $16 each with a limit of 5 per customer. Get there early for the best selection!

Finally Friday!!

It's finally Friday and I'm sitting here relaxing with not much planned for the evening! What a rare event......and with all of the rain we have had the last 2 days, there will not be a soccer game tomorrow. That means that tomorrow afternoon will be free as well. Wonder what I should do with all of my time? Don't worry, I have a list.

I have to go through all of the gifts I have purchased for the holidays the past few weeks. Then I have to make sure that I have them all written down and know who they are going to. Then I have to put them away. I have to figure out who I still have to shop for and get the whole amount of money for each person figured out. Then I hope that I can find things on super deals to save even more money.

I have to also clean up the house and reorganize the office/craft area. I have really been putting this one off, since I broke my foot, because I don't think it is going to be an easy job. I also have all of the usual cleaning that needs to be done every week. I try to split it up so that I'm doing the same jobs on the same days each week, but guess what? Life happens and the best plans always get messed up! I am getting better at being okay with this. I have found that it doesn't go anywhere if you don't get to it right away.

I would also love to have some extra quality time with my kids and with my husband. That is always the best part of my weeks! Nothing could ever be better than that. Not a million dollars or all of the possessions in the world.

Speaking of family, I think I'll go and see what they are all up to. I love updating the blog, but sometimes there are better things in life to do!