Vegas Baby! Girls Weekend!

I haven't been to Las Vegas in 3 years (click here to read THAT blog post! haha!). And I usually treat Vegas like an amusement park- see the casinos (like going to themed lands), ride some rollercoasters, see from free shows, walk too much and eat too much. This time around though, I did Las Vegas how it's supposed to be done! My bestest friend, dearest Summer, is moving to JAPAN in like 4 days. So she thought it would be fun to get all her best girlfriends together for little vacation. With me being in CA and everyone else in AZ, she decided Vegas was the perfect retreat. We had visions of shopping, spas and poolside tanning on our minds. UNTIL, we were told that we would be on 16 different VIP lists. As we all panicked with "what are we going to wear?!", the following day we were driving to sin city. Summer and I arrived first at the hotel, followed by Casey. Our hotel suite was GORGEOUS, of course because it was at the Venetian! Then as Terri and Danielle arrived, our beautiful room was soon filled with dresses, snacks, coffee, water and BYOB! Oh yes, and 5 hour energy shots (hello, we are old we can not hack Vegas without some help!). We got all dressed up for our first night out and let me tell you, I was with some beautiful ladies! The 5 of us walking around was a sight to see! Our first VIP list was Lavo where we went straight to the front of the line and given special bracelets (=free drinks! Yay we're poor!). Soon we were dancing on a catwalk?! Yes. I turned in early around 12:30 (I know, I'm such a grandma) while the rest headed to yet another posh VIP spot. I'm pretty sure everyone stumbled back in around 4am? The next day, we were treated by Danielle at the Oxygen Bar. You basically put an oxygen tube on your nose and breathe in pure oxygen-plus some flavor smells. Then as you relax and feel rejuvenated, you get a massage! Ah, so awesome! After we were feeling good again, Terri treated us to a yummy lunch at our hotel. We were happy with our bellies full, so we walked over to Ceasars Palace. Then I got to treat everyone to a frozen hot chocolate from SERENDIPITY! Seriously, I have been wanting to go to Vegas just to visit this dessert place! (I saw the one in NY but it was closed!) I know I am lame, but that was probably my favorite part of the trip! After our delicious dessert, we went shopping before heading back to our hotel to get ready. This night, we got allll glammed up because we were invited to a CELEBRITY BIRTHDAY PARTY! Yes, I know. I'm totally not cool enough for that and we were kinda freakin' out, but excited at the same time! We got to Pure in Ceasar's Palace at just the right moment. As soon as we walked in, the birthday boy, P Diddy, got on stage and actually sang all his songs (see video below)! It was like a mini concert! We were not expecting that one. Even though other celebrities were there, we didn't see anyone else. But hey, just seeing the one gave me 10 cool points LOL. Before heading to bed, we decided to eat some more yummy food at our hotel. We then realized it was 4am yet again and our check out was at 11am! Not to mention we were all driving the next day. My oh my, what happens to the time when you're in Vegas?! The next morning, we managed to stumble around and pack. We then had the most fantastic breakfast ever, once again, at our hotel! I was too tired to realize I didn't even take a picture, but the place was amazing. Somehow, I made it home and wondered where the weekend went! Time flies when you're having fun! Most of the girls who went, I had never met before. Summer has surrounded herself with some amazing friends and I just adored them. They were beautiful, smart, fun, lovely ladies. And because we stayed at the Venetian where Lisa was proposed to, her spirit was with us as well. Summer, we will all miss you dearly. Thank you for an incredible getaway weekend!

Missing...........

Sorry, I guess I've been MIA for quite a while.... and I probably won't have a proper post until sometime in November. But, here's a little summary of what has been going on since August.


Our roommate and my best friend Janelle moved to Florida to work at Disney World. Yes, you knew that part. But we threw her an awesome Disney Masquerade Farewell Party! Also, because she moved out before our lease ended, she brought in her friend Lindsey to take over her portion. SO we actually still have a roommate.





We threw an end of summer luau party! Originally intended for my birthday- the supplies were there, why not throw a party? I made pina colada cupcakes that were incredible! And Sparkles wore her luau outfit! So cute!





At the end of August, I switched jobs! I now back working for my old boss (meaning the job I had before Jan-Michael and I got married and moved to PA). We've kept in touch over the years and when he lost his full time office manager, he came back to me! I'm so lucky! A lot has changed though since I left and I've been playing catch up. The office has also grown, both with clients and employees. It has been quite the transition! But I'm happy to be back working for a company I believe in and a boss who is exceptional! Plus I can WALK TO WORK. That's amazing, I know!



My Dad came to visit in September for Memorial Day weekend and his birthay! For the first time ever, we went to the Ronald Regan Library. It was pretty incredible. We also went to the L.A. County Fair (another first). It's probaby the biggest fair I have ever been to in my life! And of course, my Dad and I had a father-daughter day at Disneyland =)












In the middle of September, we had far-away visitors from Pennsylvania! Our dear friends Ellen, Stacey and Laura came for about five days. We played tour guide around L.A., Hollywood, Disneyland, Universal Studios and Horror Nights. We even went to a taping of Chesley Lately (they love that show!). It was so nice to see their pretty faces! It had been WAY too long! Come again soon ladies!!!







My favorite Disney movie was re-released, which meant another amazing event at the El Capitan theatre! Beauty and the Beast! My good friends Scottie, Arevik and Danielle joined me as we had breakfast with Belle and sang-along to Beauty and the Beast in the El Capitan Theatre.


We are moving. Yep, our lease is finally up and Jan-Michael and I are finally getting our own place!!!!!!!!! I know, you can't believe it! Neither can we. We have never lived on our own since we got married. That's three years of having roommates! Pretty strange for a married couple, but hey, you do what you gotta do! Anyway, that's finally ending and we are moving in to a studio. We should be moved in by the end of this month. Details coming soon........

Up and coming- a visit from Summer! Miss Australia herself is back in the states and coming to CA! I'll be soaking in her visit because she's moving to JAPAN! Special girls trip to Vegas towards the end of her stay is in the works too. Vegas baby!
And that's our life in a nutshell!

Stay tuned! LOL!

Oldies

I found some old pictures on my computer last night and decided to share...... =)

Just Sad =(

I'm just sad today. I don't have anyone to talk to about it at the moment, so I'm going to blog about it instead. Yay for internet medium outlets?

I have to admit, I've always been the one who leaves. I've never experienced being the one left behind. The closest I came to that was when Summer left for Australia. But technically, I had already left her when I moved to PA. Hmmm...

Anyway, my best friend Janelle just moved to Florida today. I'm happy for her. She's going to have a lot of opportunities with Disney World. Heck, if I wasn't married, I'd be going too. Selfishly, I am sad. She is my only friend/family here... Ladies, you understand! You love your husband but you still just need that special girlfriend sometimes...

Part of the reason I was ok with moving back to CA (a state I honestly loath sometimes) was because I'd at least be with my BFF again. So, now I just feel sad and lost. Don't get me wrong, I'm excited for those Disney World trips... and there's always Skype/text/e-mail/Facebook.... I guess I'm just a little more sad than the average friend because she was also my roommate. There's an empty space in our apartment now. I've never lived in California without her. So, it's just weird.

Seven years ago, I moved to CA with my best friend. Five years ago, I met my husband. Three years ago, we moved to PA. Last year, we moved back. And today, my best friend moved away.

SO... who wants to visit this lonely lady???!!!

I'm Running A Half Marathon... Say What?!

I was reading an article about something new Disney was doing when information about a Princess marathon caught my eye. The Disney Princess Half Marathon to be exact. The more I read in to it, the more I wanted to do it. Which, is simply crazy because I don't even run. Ever. But sometimes, once an idea gets in my head, I pretty much end up just doing it.

So, dun dah da dun, I'm running a half marathon in February!

I've already started training- which basically means I've actually started running... and boy, is it hard. In fact, it hurts. My shins were hurting and my lungs were hurting... Apparently I have to watch HOW I run and HOW I breathe. I didn't realize there was a technique!

Luckily for me, I've had lots of encouragement and support- which is a definite life saver. Try doing something you hate and see how long you last without people believing in you. Jan-Michael, Mele, Vanessa, Janelle, Summer, Amber, Mom and Dad are the first on the list that I hope will grow.

I'm keeping a separate blog about the run. You can read about the marathon, laugh at our training, or make a donation by visiting http://teambelieve2011.blogspot.com/. Believe it, we're doing it!

American Girl Looses Another Doll.... um, Employee

Janelle's last day at American Girl was last Sunday. Hard to believe she has been there for 4 years and didn't even know what American Girl was!

Jan-Michael and I, along with the help of Arevik, surprised Janelle with some balloons... which, by the way, were delivered by Samantha! The pictures are just priceless!!!



Because she was at work still and had to actually, um, work, we couldn't have a photo session with her. SO Samatha took Janelle's place and we took pictures of her around the store. They are just funny!


Janelle and Jan-Michael actually got a job in the cafe at the same time. Here they are for the last time together in the dining room! Bittersweet!

Surprise Date with Frankenstein

I had a wonderful idea to take Jan-Michael on a surprise date to see In The Heights at the Pantages Theatre. Well, I missed it. However, it was like it was meant to be because Young Frankenstein took it's place. If you know my husband, you know that this was a better choice anyway. So I secretly bought tickets and told him to dress up! He still had NO idea where we were going when we got in the car. And I think it threw him off that Lindsey and Janelle were coming too. He said he thought we were going to some premiere or something. haha! Obviously he finally figured it out as we pulled in to the Pantages parking lot and you could see Young Frankenstein pictures and signs everywhere. The funny thing is that the day after I bought the tickets, he saw a commercial for Young Frankenstein on TV and stated that he wanted to see it. =) =) =) haha!

Jan loved every part of Young Frankenstein (ok, minus the few F-bombs and some sexual innuendos). His favorite part was when Dracula came to buy real estate! He loved the sets, the backgrounds, the outfits... It was right up his alley. I think I was a little tired because I didn't seem to laugh as much. Of course, compared to Legally Blonde and Wicked, I guess it doesn't quite rank up for me. But it was still pretty cute.

I think we may start as series with the Pantages theatre. I have been missing touring Broadway shows! Some great ones are coming this season too, so you never know...

Atlantis

Have you ever worked at a company that had an office party... outside the office? Not a party for clients, or brokers, or managers only- a party for the employees!?!

The company I work for knows how to throw a party. Probably because they have a party planner on their payroll =p The theme was Atlantis and it was very "under the sea". Appetizers were served when you arrived, which was a table of goodies and a taco stand (the guy made 3 kinds of tacos too). There was a bartender and 3 gambling tables. We were all given $500 in chips and could play poker, black jack or roulette. Then a couple hours later, we were served dinner which was yummy kabobs, rice, hummus, grilled vegies, and lots of other goodies. After dinner was cake, pastries and champagne.


The best part about this party was the fact that we got to bring our significant others! So, Jan-Michael got to join me, and Siaki got to join Mele in meeting all our co-workers. After eating some yummy tacos and drinking some yummy drinks, we pretty much stayed at the roulette table. Not being a gambler, I wanted to learn how to play this fun looking wheel game. Luckily, the roulette dealer was really nice and showed everyone how to play. I think she enjoyed herself because we were all laughing a lot. It was a pretty fun game I have to admit. Vegas, here I come! haha! In the end, Jan-Michael ended up with the 2nd highest number of chips =) Of course, I gave him mine and ran off to take pictures haha. After the gambling was over, the people with the highest number of chips won a prize! So, Jan-Michael won a Jamba Juice gift card! Dinner was fun because we talked to some co-workers that I don't normally get a chance to talk to at work. Including a very funny, very intelligent 10 year old boy. He had our whole section laughing! After dinner, although we were stuffed, we joined our CEO at the cake and had a mini ceremony. The cake was so-so, but the chocolate cake balls were delicious!!

Normally when you think of going to a company party, you sort of roll your eyes and dread the day it comes. However, our party was so much fun we are still talking about it at the office! So, give those parties a shot... you might just have a good time =)