Besties!

Sin City

There is a lot to say about our trip to Vegas, so I think that I will blog about it one day at a time.

This trip was an item on my Thirty by Thirty List - "It's a secret until I do it". Well, the secret was that I wanted to surprise Freddy with a trip to his Disney World - VEGAS!

I found a good deal on Southwest Vacations and in a matter of two days I had organized our vacation. We had friends going with us, Hag, Natalie, Andrew and Kacie and Josh and Melissa. They all knew that it was a secret and that Freddy would only find out when our friends popped up at the airport and the hotel. It was a brilliant plan.

I surprised Freddy with the trip as an Anniversary gift. He was surprised and sooooooo excited. Neither one of us had ever been.

Then Hag spilled the beans. Freddy said that it wasn't necessarily a bad thing because it gave us the opportunity to plan activities together.

And after Hag RUINED EVERYTHING, he ended up not going, which also took Natalie out of the mix.

And a month and a half lately we were off...

Melissa and I were huge dorks and wore matching outfits on the plane.

When we got to the airport, Freddy and Melissa each played a dollar slot. Freddy lost his buck, but...

Melissa won $10. And it wasn't even her lucky slot - the double diamond.

The boys managed to make it to the sports betting place and bet on Monday Night Football. They won! We were off to a good start.

And just to give you a little insight on how I gamble...if you had asked me at any point in the vacation how much I had to lost or won, I could tell you. "I'm up five. I'm down ten. I've only lost 13. I'm back up 23. " My saying for the week was "Cash Out!". Freddy and I are complete opposites in that way.

We stayed at the Treasure Island. It was fun for first-timers, but next time I will want to stay closer to the middle of the strip. The room was beautiful and we had an amazing view of the strip. Too bad I couldn't get a good picture through the glass. You would have liked it.

Monday (the first day) was REALLY rough for me. I don't know why, but I was BEAT. I could barely keep my eyes open. I downed gallons upon gallons of coffee in an attempt to not face plant in to my dinner or a slot machine. My eyes have never been that heavy.

That first night we went and saw Jubilee - the burlesque show - typical Vegas with huge, elaborate head pieces, kick lines and topless women. Yeah, I know. My review: The costumes were beautiful, but I likely won't go back. The show started at midnight Texas time, so I was battling to stay awake.

Bed time could not come soon enough.

I was a brave grasshopper, or so I was told.

Even before the 3 Day came my experience with Vietnamese food. I knocked another item off of my Thirty by Thirty list when I tried a new cuisine.

My good friend Sara took me to one of her family's favorite Vietnamese food restaurants. She said she opted for this one because the one she really wanted to take me to was a hole in the wall with ripped booth seats and she wanted me to be impressed adn not frightened.

I must say that Sara was a total trooper. Yes, Sara. She listened to T-Tiny cry and scream for the entire 30 minute car ride there and back. Does it come as a surprise that I tell you she is also a mommy? Thanks, Sara, for being so patient.

Once we got to the restaurant and Carly knocked over an ENTIRE glass of ice water, she was fine. No more crying.

Sara was beyond excited to walk with me through this experience and I was glad to have done it with her.

I really liked all of the food (except for some egg thing that is Sara's favorite and the boba tea at the end, but more about that in a bit). It definitely reminds me of Chinese food, but it is much lighter and healthier. I actually want to go again and experiment a bit more, especially with the spices and seasonings. Did you hear that, Sara?

Unfortunately, I cannot tell you what all I ate, but if you would like to know, you can check out Sara's blog. I think that she kept everything relatively "safe" for me when she ordered.

A few people mentioned to me beforehand that I should try this coffee drink with eagle brand milk in the bottom. Sara had no idea what I was talking about and ordered boba teas instead. Next time I am going to ask a waitress about the coffee drink. The boba tea itself was good, but the jelly-like balls that come rushing up your straw in to your unexpecting mouth were just not for me. That's why I spit them out in to the water glass.

Okay, Sara. I am ready for round 2. Perhaps we can talk the SMS girls in to having the Christmas Party at a Vietnamese restaurant?

Three Day Hay Day

Way, way, back...in a month called November...two of my friends walked in the 3-Day. It's a 60 mile walk that benefits breast cancer research. Carly, Sara, Austin, Josh and I went to cheer on Melissa and Jodi on their last day.

We made festive shirts (thanks, Shelby, for the idea) and I even made Carly a matching bow. I thought it looked HUGE on her, so I took it off after this picture.

Carly was a SMASH HIT! Walkers, spectators and passers-by all stopped to comment on how cute she looked. Some even took pictures. Can you blame them?!

Here we are with our 3-Dayers! They did an amazing thing that weekend and I am proud to call them my friends.

The event (which basically consisted of standing in the street cheering on walkers) was AMAZING! I was inspired, touched and moved to tears on more than a couple of times. Kleenex was everywhere! I highly encourage everyone to look up this event next year and head to a cheer station at least once over the three day weekend. You will get more out of the experience than you can imagine!

Where have I been?!

Where have I been? Why haven't I been blogging? Should I blame it on the holidays and all of the busyness that comes with it? An increased work load? I mean, I DO work for a non-profit and it IS last quarter. My vacation! It was, after all, internet-free. Nope. I can not use any of those excuses because the blame falls flatly on me. The thought of sorting through the HUNDREDS of pictures I have taken lately has not been on my list of things I want to do. And the fact that I am yet to figure out how to upload my pictures in the order in which I want them to appear only makes matters worse.

But...I have decided that it is time for me to suck. it. up. Be forewarned, you are about to get caught in my blogging blizzard!

To start it off on a good, happy, cute, adorable note...Here is a picture of me and T-Tiny watching the Cowboys.

Fishy Face

Carly has a new trick - she makes a fishy face ALL the time! Isn't it cute?

She is most definitely OUR child

Freddy and I ALWAYS cover heads with pillows while the other one is getting ready in the morning. You know, to block out light and sound.

So when we found Carly like this we knew she was going to take after us.

Please ignore the random pink sock. That was a naptime casualty that I forgot to take out.