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pancake fun!
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If only...
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Between Merida and Cancun, Mexico
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Salmon BLT Sliders with Chipotle Mayo by howsweeteats #Salmon #Bacon #Chipotle #Sliders #howsweeteats
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Lamb Sliders with Tzatziki by fotocuisine #Lamb #Sliders #fotocuisine
Vegas Birthday Bash!
My oh my! Boy, I had no idea what I was in store for on my trip to Las Vegas.
It was my birthday two weeks ago and I chose to celebrate with two of my girlfriends out in Vegas! It wasn’t a milestone birthday but I needed the break. I am SO glad that we decided to do this! (By the way, it was their birthday’s just the month prior) This was my first girl trip and I have to say that we all lucked out…there was no cattiness or drama amongst us! I couldn’t have asked for better chemistry.
While I don’t believe in the saying, “What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas” I won’t go into the details of every day as we were there for 4 days!
Luisa and I arrived just after noon on Thursday and headed straight for the Bellagio, while waiting for Catie’s flight to arrive. Have you seen the recent commercials where they surprise the kids with a trip to Disneyland? Yeah… that’s pretty much how you can describe my excitement level. It had been so long since I had taken a vacation … I felt like I could explode inside (which would probably explain all the jumping up and down). As we arrived, it was hard for me to process everything… that an entire city is made up of hotels, not office buildings. Where in a normal city, hotels are spread out over miles but here there was one connected to the next and all shopping and stores were actually IN the hotel not separate buildings. Then there was the drinking… you didn’t have to finish your glass of wine before leaving a location, you could just pick it up and take it to the next.
The first day was filled with bonding between the three ladies, running various errands and settling into our hotel. We attempted to plan out our adventure, ok, well I guess it was more ME attempting to plan out our trip then US (cut to me in the lounge with a laptop and the other two laughing at me). There was just so much to discover and squeeze into our schedule! All three of us had ideas and things we wanted to check off our to do list. Things like going down to Freemont Street, sitting in on a Las Vegas wedding, Madame Tussaud’s Wax Museum, seeing a Vegas Show, you get the idea. Well, after we (I) made the list, it pretty much went out the window from there… and instead we flew by the seat of our pants (skirts). The nights were filled with wonderful dinners and drinks, club hopping with dancing and meeting new people. Days were spent in the sun drenched pool and exploring a scene that I have never experienced.
After the four days, I think we ended up crossing off over half of our list but there are still things that I didn’t get to do like actually gamble at a table or visit some of the other hotels. But we also stumbled upon other events that I never thought would happen like the VIP pool lounge at Liquid which felt like something out of MTV Spring Break, complete with bikini clad women, dancing to the bumping beats of a DJ. In the end, I wasn’t worried about getting all the items off the list because I figure it just gives me an excuse to come back next year! Well, maybe two years, because I have some serious saving of money to do before I visit next time. Who knows… maybe it can become a regular girls getaway every year… but next time I am hoping that Ms Gretchen could join us (my “twin” who couldn’t come and her birthday is the day before mine) because who knows what other trouble we could get into!
I can’t believe it took me almost two weeks to write this but I think I needed to recover… a lot. Although I had a lot of fun, I think for the next year I will enjoy my chill Denver bars like Prime Bar or Cheeky Monk to hang with friends and save the hard partying for once a year.
Cha cha cha changes…
So much has happened in the past six weeks I just don’t know where to start! I guess we will start in chronological order.
I moved out of my parent’s house into my own apartment. I originally planned on buying a condo when I moved back to Colorado, but I didn’t find one that I liked AND could afford. Then I ended up with the bartending job which could barely pay the bills that I currently had but since I had never been to school before, I didn’t know how school was going to go and luckily that job allowed flexibility with my schedule.
In April, my brother moved back from Japan (he was working over there for the school year) and as much as I love my family, we are all old enough to know that we shouldn’t be living within the same home as adults. That would definitely be a FULL HOUSE! So, since I was unable to buy a place, I decided to rent. Oh… I love and hate shopping for an apartment. I am so particular when it comes to where I will be living. I have specific things that I need (my mother laughs at this all the time)
- High ceilings
- A big kitchen with lots of cabinets (I have so much kitchen stuff, let’s put it this way, I currently have 4 ovens in my kitchen…yep)
- Windows that let in natural light
- Space! At least 700 sq ft
That is pretty much for my needs. As for wants, it would be hard wood floors, not a 1970’s style kitchen, balcony and gas stove top are just an example. One of my BIGGEST rules is NEVER pay more than $1 per square foot! Well after looking for over a month, I think I got to point where I didn’t want to look any more. I settled on a place a little farther east of the city then I wanted, as I was looking for more of a neighborhood feel, but I fell in love with this…
A kitchen with enough cabinets! The island even has cabinets and I have filled every single one! There are things that I am not fond of but I think that come with every apartment. Unless you have the money, you have to be willing to compromise. And the thing you need to remember is that I can always move in a year, just like I used to do in the past. It is just nice to have my own space and independence that I haven’t had in almost 3 years when I first moved into my parent’s house to save money for a wedding. Dinner at my house? Yes!
I guess this brings me to my other recent change. In order to afford this new apartment, I also needed to get a new job…which I did! I found a fantastic job working as a Financial Aid Advisor for an online college. The job provides me with enough income plus benefits! I am truly lucky! It is something that I have never done before and it is my first job that is not food and beverage related but I think it will work perfectly with school. You see, it is challenging during the day to keep my mind stimulated…extreme multitasking. But when the day is over, it’s over. I can’t take this job home, mentally or physically! I have only been there one week but I really enjoy the people that I work with and looking forward to getting to know more about them in the future. I will miss my bar “family”, but whenever I feel that way, I can always go and visit them!
And the last change is I have completed my first year of college! I still can’t believe I did it. Now it seems like such a silly thing but I am proud of myself. I decided to take the summer off though to get settled into my job, but am looking forward to registering for the fall semester!
I think that brings everyone up to date for the most part. I still haven’t found a swimsuit (this one below I loved but it was discontinued) and have another two weeks left on my vegan diet.
On a similar note… I wanted to wish my good friend Luisa a big CONGRATULATIONS! She recently made a change in her life too (but I can’t say here because I don’t have her permission) and I am SO happy for her!
CONGRATULATIONS LUISA!!!!
An old one of Luisa and me
Bikinis, tankinis and full pieces…Oh my!
Despite the recent Colorado snow storms (the last one dumping 10 inches) spring is upon us! I enjoy driving through town seeing the green grass peeking out under the snow, the buds growing on the trees and higher temperatures reoccurring day after day. I am so ready for spring but with all these beautiful reminders of warmer weather…comes the dreaded bathing suit season… eekk!!!!
I have made a promise to myself (and others) that this season I will buy a bathing suit. I am DREADING this shopping experience! I have not bought a swimsuit since 2003 (I think) when my cousin and I took a trip to Florida. I still own swimsuits from when I was on my high school swim team! I know I know, I need to get with the program, but just the thought of even starting this challenge stresses me out.
Why am I so scared of this, I have no idea….well that’s not true, I know why… Back in 2002 when I did my first round with Lupron Depot, I gained weight, about 40-50 pounds worth. It took dedication, a lot of time and hard work to take the weight off. Ever since then, I have been on the Oprah weight roller coaster. Gain 15 pounds, loose 10, gain 5, loose 15…well you get the idea. I am proud of my body and love my figure (no matter if I am at the top or bottom of the roller coaster ride) but for some reason I am still hesitant to bare my … legs, specifically my thighs. I haven’t worn shorts in who knows how long, I don’t even own any!
I am sure that once I find a comfortable suit and make my way to the pool for the first time, I will be fine but even writing about it right now, I can feel the anxiety building. *Deep breath* *sigh* baby steps… first the suit, then wearing it around the apartment to feel comfortable, and THEN the public pool. Maybe I will have a (couple) glasses of wine…for each step. When I find one I will let you know and post it here. Wish me luck!