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I just spent last weekend with about 200 fellow scrappers at the Crop Classix in Stamford, CT. In three days I scrapped day and night -- literally scrapping until 2am and returning to my table by 8am. I love the comraderie at these events. Below are a few of my favorite layouts. Check out my photo album to view all of my weekend creations! (NOTE: CLICK ON A LAYOUT TO SEE IT IN A LARGER SCREEN)
The second half of August seemed like a good time for reunions. My first reunion was with my childhood friend Amy. We had met for lunch in July (the first time seeing each other in YEARS) but recently she spent the day with me in Connecticut. What started out as a simple "lunch date" turned into 6 hours of reminiscing, laughter and smiles.
Two days later I had my second "reunion" when my boys came home from sleep-away camp! They looked great and it was wonderful seeing them again. My summer with an empty nest was fun but I'm really glad to have them back!
So there I was, blogging daily through July and then . . . POOF! I disappeared without a word. Truth be told I was living it up in Sin City -- Las Vegas! Mark and I decided to celebrate our 15th wedding anniversary a little early this year. Our actual anniversary is the 29th but, with the kids still at camp, it seemed like a great opportunity for a romantic getaway. We wanted to wine and dine, gamble, and shop till we dropped! After a week there I can honestly say that we did it all!
We stayed at the Wynn Tower Suites and it was an amazing hotel. Our suite even had two bathrooms which I LOVED!!
The staff at the Wynn was top notch and they went out of their way to make us feel special about celebrating our anniversary. They even surprised us our first night with a special dessert in our room!
The shopping was first class there and, in celebration of 15 years of marriage, I actually was able to do more than window shop this trip! The hotel has 5 pools and an incredible spa as well. Even with the crazy temps we got outside early and used the pools and even ate outdoors at the Terrace Cafe. What's a little heat, right?
I learned to play CRAPS (the dice game for those who don't have a clue) and I did so well that I received a round of applause from my fellow gamblers. I got to roll the dice for 55 minutes before losing any money. Those around me said they hadn't seen anything like it. I was quite excited by it all! (Plus I won some money which was really cool!) Mark taught me about sports betting -- I "get it" but it's not for me. It takes sooo long to win or lose. I guess I like more immediate gratification!
We took a day trip to the Hoover Dam and through Joshua Tree National Park. I don't know what I was expecting but this wasn't it!
We continued toward the Grand Canyon West Ranch for horseback riding
and a helicopter tour of the Grand Canyon. Words can't describe it -- just stunning!
We ate at four "nice" restaurants -- two of which were outstanding. CUT (Wolfgang Pucks latest restaurant) in the Pallazzo was an extraordinary steakhouse. Probably the best one we've ever eaten in -- and we've eaten at many in the U.S. Also, BARTOLOTTA in the Wynn was an outstanding Italian seafood restaurant. We did a "grand tasting" there for dinner and it was incredible. Those are definitely restaurants we will return to next time.
Seinfeld and Leno were the headliners we saw and laughed out loud with both of them. We also enjoyed seeing Le Reve at the Wynn (a cirque style show using land and water elements) and V-The Variety Show at Planet Hollywood. The "TV Guy" in V was hilarious and I imagine we'll be seeing more of him in the future.
Like I mentioned earlier we "shopped till we dropped." Granted it was 107 degrees every day so being inside to shop was too painful for Mark! We met Pete Rose (who was signing items) at a sports shop in Caesars. He was very friendly!
We visited the Fashion Mall, the Esplanade at Wynn, the shoppes at Palazzo, the Grand Shoppes at the Venetian, the Forum Shops at Caesar's Palace and the Miracle Mile at Planet Hollywood. We got lots of goodies and still managed not to tip the scales at the airport on the way home!
My biggest thrill of the week though happened on our last day. We decided to spend the day just relaxing and gambling. We both lost at craps early on but I won a little back playing blackjack. Later in the day we tried our hand at craps again. I lost all I was willing to play with quickly and left Mark alone at the table. I tried the slots but it wasn't my thing. Finally I approached the video poker machine. Lady Luck must have found me again since I hit a jackpot for $1500 -- the lights flashed, the bells sounded, and I even got paid on the spot by an attendant. It was crazy!!
As you can see, I LOVED my Las Vegas vacation and I can't wait to return!
WOW!! I can't believe it -- the end of the month and I have actually taken a photo a day! I must admit that it wasn't as esy as I thought it would be. Between vacations and having company and internet issues, there were definitely days that I didn't think I'd complete the challenge. So glad I did. I thank all of you who accompanied me on this journey.
So, how did I spend this last day of July? I went back to NYC! I took the train into Manhattan and got out at Grand Central Terminal.
I shopped around for a couple of hours (quite easy to do in this city!) and then met up with Mark and our friends Alli and Mike for dinner. After dinner we headed to the Gotham Comedy Club which was a lot of fun! Although I can't stand commuting into NY, I always have a great time once I get there. Last night was a blast!
Sometimes my favorite days are days that I have nothing "planned" -- I can sleep later if I want to,and , do a little shopping or pampering if the mood strikes. Well, today was such a day!
I don't think I got out of bed before 10am. I ran a couple of little errands and then decided I would treat myself to a "spa" pedicure at my local Cleopatra Nails Salon. A spa pedicure is basically a regualr pedicure but they add all sorts of special products to the water. Also they use fancy creams and wrap your legs and feet up -- then use heat wraps to help soften the skin. Finally they give you a 15-20 minutes leg and foot massage. All the while you get to sit in a really nice massage chair and they bring you bottled water and/or hot green tea. It's a nice treat!!
After the massage . . . I mean pedicure . . . I was planning on heading home but then the sign in front of my car stopped me. "SIDEWALK SALE! $49.90 ALL SHOES" This was a GREAT sale because this is a very upscale shoe store and their shoes prices usually start at $150 so it was worth checking out. Of course I had to get ONE pair -- little black shoes with a cute heel. I couldn't resist!
