Day 1

Here are some pictures I took of our hotel, there were so many beautiful flowers!

We all had huge smiles on our faces while walking into our hotel, I think each one of us was on cloud 9. When we walked up to the check in, we were told that we were staying in the new tower, the Wynn, Encore and little did we know we had a 10 mile walk with all of our bags ahead of us. It was quite the journey; my arms have still not recovered, but it was worth the walk because our hotel room blew us away.

The Wynn is a fabulous place; we decided to devote our first day to exploring and enjoying our hotel. We spent the first couple of hours chatting and listening to the Ipod in our room…I remember thinking how much I loved these girls and I thought it was crazy since this was the first time we had met in person, it was like we had known each other for years.

We decided to have a champagne toast in honor of our arrival before getting ready. Thank goodness these girls knew how to fluff hair and wear jewelry; they helped me get ready for our dinner at Red 8.

Red 8

Dinner was nice, I would rate it a 7. I got the maple syrup sliced beef with zucchini, onions and peppers. It was very good, but just wait until I tell you about tomorrow’s meals. Afterwards we headed back up to our room and took a tiny nap. The girls woke me up with a huge smile and all I could return is a frown on my face because I’m not a person that can wake up very easily. After some fluffing of the hair we headed to Tryst which is in our hotel. We had a blast and ended up finding dollars all over the floor which made our night (I didn’t know the new trend was to throw money in the air) we did a little gambling after we left then headed to bed. I can tell you this was a great first day! I thought we couldn’t top it but we did. Day 2 coming soon.

Lesli counting the money we all had found

It was wonderful

Pictures from our hotel, it was beautiful!

You know when you book a trip, and at that time you think about it day and night for months, then afterwards you had wished you didn’t book it so early since you hyped it up so much and you’re disappointed that you overestimated it. That’s what I knew we had done with our Vegas trip. I just knew I had talked it up so much when we actually got to Vegas I would be disappointed.

It didn’t happen to me this time, matter of fact Vegas blew me away. I don’t think we could have had anymore fun then what we did. I must say it’s on my top 5 list of favorite vacations. I think it had to do with the company I was with. It was my first time meeting Lesli and Allie in person, we had talked on the phone for months but I was still nervous about meeting them for the first time. I received calls from the girls the minute they landed, I swear my heart stopped beating I was so nervous, I think I might have had a tiny heart attack, but the minute we met it was like we had known each other for our whole lives. I know I will have them as life long friends, we are so much alike and I miss them already. Girls, you’re great and I’m thankful to have you both in my life!

I will post more pictures later this week. I want to post them by day so I can have something to look back on.

Leaving on a jet plane!

I'm in the air right now flying over towns, mountains, rivers, and lakes. Vegas is almost on the other side of the continent, its a 5 hour plane ride. I hate flying, especially alone. It's the taking off and landing that freaks me out. I pray for a safe flight for me and my friends, and the safety of my family and friends when I'm away. Hope everyone is having a HAPPY SATURDAY!

Can you tell I like Black?

Since everyone else took pictures of thier bags, I didn't want to feel left out :)

I'm ready! Now the waiting begins...

P.S. My grandma helped me pack last night and couldn't believe how many black clothes I had, I think I have one piece of clothing that has color in it.

Happy Friday to everyone!

I'm like a child waiting for Christmas

I’m sure all of you are growing tired of me talking about my trip but I feel like a kid waiting for Christmas. All 3 of us eat, sleep, and breathe Vegas right now. I’m ready; all I need to do is finish packing! I wanted to share some Vegas photos from last year, just so you can see how fun it will be. I’m not trying to rub it in, I’m just excited!

Thank goodness for SPANX

Brandi and I in front of our ghetto limo...long story

Brandi, Me, and Jaclyn

Here is our cab driver, he ended up shuttling us around all night long. He even came into the night spots and watched out for us, so I started telling people he was my body guard. I really liked him :) He would be my friend if he lived here in FL.

When you go to Vegas, you can tell people you were in Paris

I received a call from my aunt this morning. A friend that she works with by the name of Luke has a wife with cancer. The doctor told them she has 6 months to live so Luke decided to take her and their 2 children to Disney. They made it last week and after the first day she became ill. They’re now stuck at the hospital here in Orlando and she can’t go home. She’s in her 20’s and she’s too young to be going through something like this. Please pray for their family.

We all need to be thankful for what we have because you never know what tomorrow brings. My prayers go out to Luke and his family.

EXCITED!

Vegas will be here in less than 1 week! I’m shocked because in less than a couple of days I will finally be meeting my friends I have been chatting with for over 6 months! It’s crazy how you can develop a friendship without even meeting a person face to face. That’s how I met my husband, and now 2 great friends! I have been making a list all morning long of things I need to do before I leave…

TOES must be freshly painted (What color should I choose? Eiffel for this color, or bubble bath?
Tan at least two times to give a pinkish hue to my face (I always look better with a red face for some reason)
Buy a new sticky bra
Get my eyebrows waxed
Find gold heels
Buy 2 sweet cards and hide in our bedroom for J to find while I’m gone
Pack Who’s your Daddy shots
Buy bottle of champagne so I can risk it blowing up in my bag (Should I do this)

(I'm sure this is what our champgane will look like when I open it...the cork will go to the moon)

Drop off and pick up dry cleaning
Pick out outfits so I can pack lightly (Yeah RIGHT)
BRING Ipod (Fingers are crossed our hotel has a dock so we can practice dance moves)
Transfer my shampoo into miniature bottles to save room

Get my camera batteries charged up

Can anyone think of anything else? If so let me know. Can’t WAIT!

HAPPY VALENTINES DAY!!

I hope everyone has a lovely Valentines Day! Here is a picture of one of my corn chips, he wants to be YOUR VALENTINE!

5 things I can’t live without

First is the "Green Egg" I swear it's the best grill on the market! It also turns into a smoker and an OVEN! Here are some of the benefits of the Big Green Egg:
Fast lighting -- ready to cook in 10 minutes with no lighter fluid
Ceramic walls retain heat with accurate temperature control and no hot spots
Fuel efficient so there is no need to add more charcoal while cooking; unburned charcoal can be reused (We use VERY little charcoal)
Constant tending not required; with enclosed cooking there are no grease flare-ups
Withstands temperature extremes from below 0° to 1800°F (It makes the best pizza's)
Can be used year around, even in freezing temperatures and rain
Surface stays cooler and is safer around children than metal grills
Weatherproof ceramics won't rust
Produces the juiciest, most succulent food you'll ever taste (This is true, you can sear steaks at 700 degrees, it locks in the juices and they are to DIE FOR!)

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Second, my Black and Decker drill

I used this twice last night! It drilled through cement and helped me hang my sunshine out back and it helped me drill holes for my craft project. I love it and if you don't have one, I would get one! I wish they made them in purple or pink.

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Third, Blistex Silk & Shine

OMG! This stuff is amazing. It leaves a silky shine and it tastes wonderful! One day you might catch me eating it. I keep this in my purse, car, and on my night stand.
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Fourth, Oil of Olay Daily Regenerating Serum

I have to thank Lesli for this one. She turned me onto this a couple of months ago and now my face is addicted to it. I forgot to put it on a couple of weeks ago and had to make a special trip to Walgreen’s to buy some so my face would stop having withdrawals. It’s a little expensive but it’s worth every penny. Just think, in 20 years your face will out shine a 20 year old!

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Last, Mod Podge! I LOVE THIS STUFF!

A high, clear gloss and easy cleanup makes Mod Podge the painter's choice. Use this multi-talented glossy paint as a finish for fabric, decoupage or as a glue. Great for kids crafts, paper, scrap booking and wood. I go through this stuff like water. I have been doing a lot of craft projects lately and I find myself using this ALL of the time! It's GREAT! :)

Fresh and New

Yesterday mom and I had a salon day. It was much needed since it had been before Christmas since I had highlighted! It took me 4 years to find Becca and I was so excited to have mom give her a try. It’s so hard to find someone that knows how to cut blonde hair since it shows every single strand.

Mom has been twisting her hair with these tiny clips; I call them polygamy clips, since her hair resembled the hair off of Big Love. (Sorry mother, the clips had to go) Beca did such a wonderful job even an old man in Publix commented on it! It made mom so happy! We both love it and now we even look more like sisters! The before and after shots are below. Now I’m ready for Vegas!

Before (Those are tiny clips your looking at)

After

Before (Poor little hair)

After

Frozen Sushi

Have you ever heard of frozen sushi?  Well, the Schwan man talked me into it and I thought I would be the first to try it.  I was scared to try the first piece, it was beautiful, the rice was snow white and the crab was pink.  I took a bite and to my surprise it was fresh!  They had packaged it perfectly.  It was freezer sealed, it even came with wasabi, ginger, and soy.  It's great having fresh sushi whenever you want it.  I will definitely be buying more.  TRY SOME!  

BUSY!

I’m back. Mom arrived on Wednesday and I swear I haven’t had a chance to stop and relax. I haven’t talked to any of my friends and I’m ready to get back into my daily routine. Thursday we all went looking at houses, Friday Memaw came to work with me and I had so much stuff to catch up on, I didn’t even have a chance to check the blog. Saturday we drove around looking for homes for sale and then ran to JoAnns to get some materials for my current craft project, and Sunday we went to Mount Dora’s Art Festival where I found the most perfect Valentines gift for my love. It’s been crazy!

I have so many pictures I want to post and will do through out the week. For now I will leave you with this picture of my new flip flops! I have had 5 people ask me where I got them. Anyone want to guess?

No..Not Target, not T.J. Maxx, not black and white co., YES WALMART!! I got them at WALMART!

The Last Night to Relax

Mount Dora

Tonight’s the last night we will have peace and quiet in our household for a couple of months. We’re making a night out of it and are heading over to Mount Dora, an artsy cozy town that lies on Dora Lake to have dinner tonight. There is a restaurant named Pisces’s Rising that has views of the lake that is outstanding!

I’m getting my usual, the La Te Da scallops.

The restaurant used to be a house built in the 20’s, the owner renovated it completely to maintain the architectural integrity of the classic “Cracker Bungalow” style. It’s darling! The picture below is out on the patio.


My family closed on their house this morning and everything went smooth, their headed down to Florida as I type. They plan on living with us until they find the perfect home to buy, which hopefully won’t take to long. That brings the total to 5 humans and 4 corn chip kids in the “RY” household. I love my family so much but it is nice to have your own space. I’m very excited for them to get here, which will be tomorrow afternoon. Since they will be on the road all day I'm planning on having our “FIRST” family dinner upon their arrival. The menu will be called “Florida”, I’m making garlic crusted grouper out on the green egg, boiled shrimp with baby red potatoes and miniature corn on the cobs…it will be a nice treat since they have been living off of TV dinners and hot dogs for 2 weeks. Everyone pray that they have a safe drive down.

Dora Lake