Vegas

Have you ever been to Las Vegas?
I've never had a big interest in going but when my SIL said her company was sending her
 for a conference and asked if I wanted to join,
I was all-in!

We stayed in The Palazzo.
It was so plush.
Three TV's!

Yes, the bathroom with glassed shower, jacuzzi tub, vanity, double marbled sinks & a separate water closet also had a TV.

I chose not to carry my camera so my pics 
are from my phone or google images.

There were more pools than I needed.

Do you know what 104 degrees feels like?
I had to constantly jump in the pool.
I'm not a fan of that kind of hot.

We packed in as many things possible during our week.
I enjoyed walking through the different hotels & casinos and seeing the artistic detail throughout.


These displays are totally covered in flowers. 
The pics do not describe how large they are.
This was in the Wynn Hotel.
It was stunning.
My favorite hotel was Ceasar's Palace.
I love all the Roman statues and the grander of the hotel.

How did they accomplish curved escalators?

The famous water feature at the Bellagio 
thrilled me. I watched it several times.
I videoed it once but you need to see it in person 
to get the full effect. 
The street noise hushes when the fountain begins and background music begins to hum in the scattered speakers.
It's so moving.
I almost cried.

The famous Dale Chihuly is known for some incredible glass displays in the Bellagio. 
The balloons below are blown glass and were seen throughout.

 This ceiling below is an impressive display of his glasswork. 


 The New Yorker in Vegas reminded me 
that I was still in America 
(which was questionable at moments).
 You can see the roller coaster that weaves through the hotel.

We went to the Laugh Factory one night.
The highlight of my week was going to see 
Celine Dion.
She does an amazing concert.
I almost cried.

The best part of the trip was being able 
to spend some quality time with Delores.
We talked into the wee hours of the night
we laughed till we cried
 and we agree with each other
that some things do need to stay in Vegas.
We did agree on that, didn't we Delo!? 

Hope you are having a great week!
Any big plans for the 4th?
My kids are coming!
Yes!
Tomorrow!


Oh by the way,
I was talking to Whoopie and she sends her regards. 





It's Good To Be Home

Kansas, Florida, Minnesota, Vegas.
That's where I've been in the last few weeks.


I do love to travel.

Mark's job took him to Minnesota and seeing as I've never been further than the airport,
I was happy to accompany him.

We stayed in a nice hotel in downtown Minneapolis.
I fell in love.
I could move there tomorrow.
Of course, it's summer and it's possible I would change my mind after one winter.

Anyways,
a long time ago
I mean over 30 years ago
I had a highschool P.E. teacher.
This was back in the day when P.E.
was a real class.
We stood in squads and did
jump-n-jacks and all sorts of different exercises.
We wore uniforms that were ugly.
I'm getting side tracked,
stay with me.
My coach, Miss Schmidt & I became friends.
Well, life happened and I went to college,
got married, moved away, had a family 
& I lost touch with Miss Schmidt.
Finally,
about a year ago
via Face Book
I found my long lost friend.

Are you wondering where the heck this is going?

I'm getting there.
Guess where Miss Schmidt lives!?
She goes by Joan now.

Yes! She lives in Minneapolis.
She is married and has her own family.

Can you imagine the reunion we had when we met for dinner?
It's like we didn't miss a beat.
I enjoyed the whole week reconnecting with my dear friend.
(insert happy scream)



It was wonderful to share a week
catching up and seeing where life had taken her.
She has a wonderful family.
She works with the Salvation Army.
I love that she gets to be a part of such a great company.
I had no idea what all the Salvation Army 
provided for the needy.

We spent one day seeing the charming area she is from.

We were sitting on the patio having lunch and she says,
"across that river is Wisconsin."
What?!

I made her drive over there so I could say I'd been in Wisconsin (say it with me - "Visconsin").


I also spent a day in the city by myself.
I rented a bike and drove around exploring downtown Minneapolis.

I had no idea what I'd find.
I knew they are known for lakes.
What I wasn't aware of is the fact that the Mississippi River runs right through the city.
Shouldn't the Mississippi be in Mississippi?
I don't believe I was in school the day that was taught.
As I was crossing over a bridge,
I looked down and my heart stopped when I saw the dam.


I had no idea. 
It was amazing.
I rode my rental bike all over downtown 
and took more pictures than my iPhone could handle.



How would you like to live on a houseboat?

It was a wonderful week.
Memories were made that I will always treasure.

A piece of trivia for you...
Did you know there is a Mary Tyler Moore 
statue in downtown Minneapolis? 
Did you know the show was filmed there?

You probably knew.

I've yacked enough in your ears. 
I will tell you all about Vegas in one of my upcoming posts.

It's good to be home!
I need some rest.







Pinky

My sweet father, Pinky.
My dad knows no strangers.
He introduces himself to everyone.
I remember when he moved into their present home,
watching him rush to the road to introduce himself to the garbage collector.
He is always looking for someone to talk to.
Mom says that's the only reason he goes yard-saling with her,
so he can talk to people.
He is a great guy!

My dad is always there for me.
He is a jack-of-all trades.
That turns out to be in my favor
because I always have ideas scheming in my head.
Anything to do with anything,
he can do it.
Any time I call...
he comes running.

Thank you dad for loving me.
Thank you for loving Christ.
Your faith amazes me.

Meet Sam.
This is has been my father-in-law for over 30 years.
He is a retired Baptist preacher.
He is the best example of a pastor ever.
He truly loves the people in his congregation of 33 years.

He has taught me to love unconditionally.
This is my hearts desire...
to love everyone.

He truly loves me and I know 
this because he tells me all the time.

Pinky & Mark

Another dad in my life that I know quite well is my husband.
I really got to witness him being a father to our 3 kids.
I have seen him play on slip-n-slides.
He coached them in Little League for too many years.
He laughed with them.
He apologized to them.
He prayed for them.
He led them to Christ.
He is blessed with wisdom.

I love you honey for how you loved our kids
& now our grandkids. 

Another amazing dad in my life is my son Daniel.


I am beyond proud of you!
I love how you play with your kids.
How you read with them.
How they all can sleep in your bed with you.
How patient you are for another night of chicken nuggets.
How hard you work.
I love seeing the pride in your eyes when you look at them.
I love how when I compliment one of the kids,
you always compliment the others.
You have always been that way.
On the play ground
in 1st Grade
You made sure all was fair.
You were big enough to make that happen too.

I love that you have made God the priority in your home.
I couldn't be any prouder.

As you see,
I've been surrounded by a legacy of great men.
What a privilege.

My favorite Father of all is my Abba.
He truly is always there for me.
He is the one who blessed me with earthly fathers.

Thank you Lord!

Happy Father's Day


Happy Birthday To My Honey



We used to say that we couldn't wait to grow old together.


Just didn't think it would be so soon.

The years have brought precious gifts.

Generations of joy.


We are beyond blessed.


I'm so thankful for you.



Six

Elijah turned 6 and we celebrated with a Lego Party.

The day was sweltering but it didn't matter
to these kids.
Bins & bins with every kind of Lego imaginable. 





There were several fun games.
This was a relay and the kids had to run down and sit on the balloon.
Once the balloon popped,
they had to find the lego and drop it in the bucket and run back to where you started & tag the next person in line.
This is the Lego relay which is similar to the famous egg race.

The kids house is perfect for parties because they
have every swing, slide, toy imaginable.







Aunt KK is the best.
Look at her playing "house" with Abi.


Time to blow out those 6 candles!


Cousin Brinleigh. 


Kristen is filling up the cups with popcorn. 


Abi 


The birthday boy with mommy & daddy.

I am so proud of Elijah.
It seems like yesterday when he rocked my world as he made his appearance. 
He is always happy and loves to laugh. 
(gets that from me)
He is above average intelligent.
(gets that from Pops)
OK, so maybe he gets it from his own parents 
but I'm taking the credit.
He loves to read, ride horses, swim & above all,
I would say he loves to be around people.

You don't have to go through all these pictures but I wanted to document some of my faves that I've taken through the years. 





Eli & Dani.

Cowboy.

Going to Preschool. 





 Swim team.

Grass angel.
It's what we do in Florida.


 He loves wearing my reading glasses.

Welcome to the Big 6 Elijah!

If you stayed with me this long,
I'm guessing you are family.

Is he gorgeous or what!?

I tell ya,
I love this kid!

OK, 1 more.


The End.