Wednesday, April 22, 2009

Viva Las Vegas

Well, Sierra and I had a great time in Vegas. Unfortunately, I didn't sleep well and was kinda grumpy with her the whole time... but I think we were ok. I want to start by saying, I am NEVER taking 100% initiative on a trip ever again. It was so frustrating to have to navigate, plan and decide everything we did, which is another reason I was grumpy with her. I guess I didn't expect her to not make any decisions. Also, on our last day we both got kinda homesick for our families. I haven't been away from Lance for that long since way before we were married! I missed him so very much.

Nevertheless, we had fun.
The Drive Down:
The drive down was interesting. Sierra sure is a speed demon! I think she hit 95mph at one time. I don't think I said anything to her about it, except that if she got pulled over I wasn't going to help pay her ticket. ☺ We stopped in Beaver, UT to go to the cheese factory. I remember stopping there as a child with my family and extended family. I have this memory of sitting at a table outside eating ice cream with my cousins Mandy and TJ. Anyway, I hadn't been there in a long time because it's always closed when I go by there, so I was really excited to go. It's totally different from what I remember, and a lot smaller too. They used to have this area where you could watch them making cheese, but they don't even have that anymore! They still have cheese curd, but it's not cool if you can't watch them make it.
After Beaver, we stopped again in Parowon, to switch drivers. Parowon is about half way to Vegas. So that's when I started driving! We filled up with gas, and we didn't stop again until we got to Vegas.

I borrowed my parents' GPS for this trip, and called her "Judy." Sierra called her "Juanita" or "Lolita" or... something, I think it changed every time. Anyway, Judy was extremely helpful in finding our hotel. I was little hesitant at first because she told me to go from I15 to another freeway... which was strange to me, but it ended up that the exit I took from the other freeway Judy told me to go on, took us straight to the Binion's parking garage. How convenient!
The First Night:
Then came the nerves. I did a mail-in for my new ID about 3 weeks before we left for our trip, but it didn't come in time. So I just had my expired ID to check in to the hotel, and you have to be 21 to check in. I was so worried they wouldn't accept my expired ID, but they did, thank goodness, and everything was just fine.
After resting for a bit, we decided to go to the Ethel M Chocolate Factory out in Hendersen, NV. Judy was very helpful in giving us directions there. We both bought some chocolates, and then consulted Judy for a place for dinner! We decided on Italian cuisine, and Judy showed us all the Italian places in the area. We decided on Rosati's Pizza. OMG it was soooo good! I definitely want to go there again with my hubby when we go back. The pizza was so fresh, and delicious, and cheap! Sierra got pasta and garlic bread, which looked amazing as well. Thank you Judy!
We then went back to the hotel, and did the Fremont Street Experience. Which is basically walking up and down Fremont Street, which, I might add, isn't really a street. It's covered, and it's walking only. Sierra described it as an "outdoor mall." We watched the laser show, and walked around for a bit and took a couple pictures. After I took Sierra's picture by the giant high heeled shoe, a deaf hobo came up to us. I think he was asking for money, but he scared the crap out of Sierra because he came up right behind her when she wasn't looking. I think she almost punched him in the face. Lol... the best part is, he's in the background of one of the pictures I took of Sierra. Now we can always remember him. ☺
After walking around Fremont Street, we went over to the strip to walk around for a bit. We parked at the MGM (only because that's the parking garage I'm the most familiar with). We then walked over to the M&M Store, and then to Coke World. Yes I know, I stop here every time.... At Coke World we did the Tastes From Around the World. Which is 16 different sodas from different countries. They change it up, so it's not the same every time. This is the 4th time I've done that, and they still had different sodas.

After this we decided to go back to the hotel for the night. On our way back, this skinny, old guy wearing sun glasses came up to Sierra and said, "I lost my phone number, can I have yours?" I laughed, and Sierra said "No" and walked away really fast. It was awesome. Agh, I love crazy people!
Saturday Morning/Afternoon:
We woke up and went straight down to Fremont Street to get in line at Tix4Tonight. The line was actually super short. We didn't have to wait that long to get our tickets to Marriage Can Be Murder, and after we did, we went back to our hotel to go swimming.

The pool was pretty sweet. It was on the roof of Binions and you could look over the city. Very pretty, I bet it would have been prettier at night, but that's ok. We got in the pool for maybe 5 minutes... it was just a tad bit too chilly to swim. So we got out of the pool and just laid out. It felt so good to just lay in the sun.
After this we went back to our room and got ready for the day. We decided to go eat at Inn N Out Burgrer (MMM) and then go shopping at the Premium Outlets. Sierra bought a cute dress, but I didn't buy anything. They have a True Religion outlet, that sells their jeans for $99! But it was crowded in there, so I just walked in and right back out of that store.

Basically after this we just laid around for awhile, waiting for it to be time to go to the show.

Marriage Can Be Murder:
We were in the VIP line, so we were one of the first ones to be seated, pretty sweet! We sat down and started chatting with the people next to us. Across from me was a cute couple from New York who Sierra said reminded her of Lance and I. They were very nice people, who I actually had a lot in common with when it comes to music and stuff like that. The people to the left of us were (I think) lesbians. They were older, and incredibly nice and funny! They were a lot of fun. One of them was a computer forensics expert person, and that sounds like a stinking awesome job! The other couple at our table I didn't talk to very much, because the girl seemed a little stuck up. But, the guy, Michael, proposed to her, right there in front of everyone! It was so sweet!
The bartender then took our food and drink orders. You could choose between teriyaki chicken, steak, or salmon. I chose steak. It was delicious!
There were parts of the show where you just chat with people from different tables, I guess to try to find someone suspicious, but I didn't really talk to anyone suspicious.
Soon enough though, someone died, and we figured out who the actors were. I won't give you a play by play of the show. But Michael and Jill (the stuck up girl I mentioned earlier) were actually actors, and the proposal was fake! I couldn't believe it. Pretty freaking sweet though. Michael ended up dying too, and I guess he wrote my name down saying I was "giving him eyes" all night, so I was accused of murder and had to talk to the cop. It was awesome!
All in all, the show was amazing, and I'd definitely go again. They said they change it up every 3 months, so just in time for my next Vegas trip in July!
After the show we went to the strip, and Sierra wanted to go to the Paris, and ride to the top of the Eiffel Tower. Honestly, I was going to cry, because I'm terrified of heights. But it really wasn't that bad. I felt safe, so if you're afraid of heights, don't be afraid to go up there, it's not bad at all! We watched the Bellagio fountains from up there, it was so pretty!
So, I started writing this post a week ago... and it's pretty long. I'm really only going into this much detail for my own benefit, so I can remember ('cause this is like, my journal, right?). So I think I'm just going to end it here. ☺

Thursday, April 16, 2009

Happy Birthday To Me!

My birthday this year was AWESOME! The day started out like any normal day, and when I got to work there was a card on my desk. All my co-workers had written nice things to me... aww, how special. Then Dana, my boss, said that he was going to get lunch for everyone for my birthday and asked me to pick a place, so I picked... Cafe Rio. Mmm, it was delicious!

My husband is so sweet... roses were delivered to me at work. I felt really special, but also embarassed. They are so pretty! And it even came with a vase!


Lance had been planning this whole big barbeque all week, and of course on my birthday it rained all day. But the barbeque went on! I don't think our house has ever had that many people in it at once... but it was awesome to be surrounded by my family and friends. If you know me, you know that I don't like a whole lot of attention, most of the time. So... when Lance made me open presents in front of everyone, I felt so incredibly awkward, and I just wanted to hide. But I tried to be a good sport for Lance, because he put so much effort into this whole thing.

He even made my cake!



Oh, it was so cute! He got little star candles, and covered it in sprinkles. He tried to get Funfetti icing (that's my fav!) but Pillsbury LIED on the container. It's ok though, vanilla frosting is still way good. So lance, the poor guy was out grilling in the rain...for the first bit of the party. The burgers and hotdogs were delicious though! Well, I didn't try a hot dog, but the burgers were good! I hope he knows that I am so thankful for everything he did, and I had a wonderful birthday. I love him so much, and I hope he has a good birthday this year too (his is this upcoming Tuesday...).

The worst part about my birthday was....... nope, not the rain... the JAZZ LOST... Boo. I doubt we'll make it past the first round in the playoffs. Ugh... I guess there's always next season to look forward to. We already paid for our season tickets. ☺

The birthday party continues tomorrow (!!) when Sierra and I set off for our adventure in Vegas. It's my first time going to Vegas "alone." Yes, I won't be alone, because Sierra's there... but who do you think is going to be the navigator/planner/responsible person? Yeah, that's me. Kind of a lot of pressure, dontcha think? Nonetheless, I'm totally excited.

Friday, April 10, 2009

Check Out My Hotness!

Ok... I know in my previous post I talked about how bad of a dancer I was... but I guess I'm harder on myself than I should be. Last night's rehearsal is on YouTube today, and I am PROUD to say CHECK ME OUT!!!

You know you love it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UFkyZnCtDSo

PS: If you can't figure out which one I am, I'm the one in the yellow shirt... I know the focus is a little fuzzy on this one.

Oh... and if you decide to watch the other videos of our rehearsals.... well... I can't stop you, but please don't make fun of me. ☺

Thursday, April 9, 2009

Rock My Face Off

I went to a show last night... it was really good! Eric/Jared's band, Quido played, along with Bring the Night, The Making Of, and The Trademark. It was a really good show. It pretty much rocked my face off. I think the Trademark is going to make it real big someday. They are so amazing, I don't understand why they're not all over the radio yet.

The lead sing for The Making Of had a super cute haircut! I would LOVE to cut my hair like hers, but seriously, I don't think I could pull it off as sexy as she did. I tried to find a picture but I can't. Basically it's a really short pixie, with super cute bangs. I was supposed to get my hair cut on Tuesday, but Kellyanne (the lovely gal that does my hair (Lance's cousin)) wasn't feeling too well so we rescheduled for this Saturday. I want to change my hair up a bit, but I'm not sure how much I want to change it. Aggh, decisions decisions.

So, Jordan Mikesell is the choreographer of our dance, and he has been video recording our rehearsals. He put up a couple videos of us dancing our alumni number on YouTube. It's pretty freaking embarrassing, so I'm not sharing the link with you. Let's just say I'm a slow learner, and I make funny faces when I'm trying to get the footwork down. Not to mention the fact that I'm about 4 years behind with technique from the least talented person dancing with us. Yea... I'm that bad. And, the only person who I actually knew going in to this whole thing, dropped out. So there I am, with a bunch of people who I don't know, trying to dance and looking like a fool. I honestly don't know if I can go through with it.

That's pretty much all I have to say.

Thursday, April 2, 2009

Happy April!

This past week has been quite interesting.

Monday, Lance and I dropped our Dodge off at Cascade for them to repair it, and we got a rental car from Enterprise. Our insurance doesn't cover rentals.... so we had to pay out of pocket for it. It's not really that bad of a price... but guess what I'm driving? A disgusting PP Loser (PT Cruiser). It's so ugly, seriously. I like the small size though, it's nice being able to tell where the front of your car is. Made me realize how big our Dodge really is... Anyway, we pick up our Dodge today, so I don't have to feel so ugly on the roads any more. ☺

Jared's endowments were on Tuesday. It was very special. I was so happy to see a whole bunch of people there supporting him. I was kind of upset though. Lance and I got there late and so there was no room on the row for me to sit next to my family. But, I got to see them all in the Celestial room, so it wasn't that big of a deal.

Yesterday, April Fool's day, the coolest thing I saw was the YouTube "new layout." Everything was upside down! They even had a link for "tips for viewing" which said to turn your screen upside down, or tilt your head way over to the side. It was pretty sweet. It also had a link you could click that changed it back to the old way. How silly!

Lance and I bought some stuff at IKEA this past weekend. We bought a coffee table and matching end table for our upstairs living room. It looks so nice up there. We also bought a new entertainment center and two end tables for the basement (TV room). Then we spent Sunday rearranging everything. It looks a lot nicer down there now. And we hung our surround sound speakers on the wall, so now you don't see the ugly holes from where the previous owners' speakers were. I also hung up some decorations I've been procrastinating. I'm pretty excited about it. Come check it out sometime!

April is the BEST month of the year, I swear. It has so many "fun" days!
April 1st: April Fool's Day
April 3rd: Sierra's (my best friend) birthday
April 6th: Brayden's (my nephew) birthday.
April 10th: Good Friday
April 11th: My dad's birthday
April 12th: Easter
April 14th: My birthday (woot!)
April 20th: My parents' anniversary
April 21st: Lance's birthday
April 30th: Jessica's (my little sister) birthday

It is also the month where I am the most broke. ☺

Happy April everyone!