Confession

Okay, I have a confession for all of you. I LOVE LOVE LOVE Josh Groban. His voice makes me melt like butter. Jason makes fun of me (he says he's cheesy), but I still love him. And we were able to go see him in concert last night! I love living in a big city, because there are so many good shows and concerns. And JG did not disappoint. I loved the concert so much!! (Becky reminded me of something--during one song, JG walked through the crowd, he came by the aisle of the section where we were sitting. We were in the middle of the section, so I was about 10 seats away from him!!!!!!!!!) My current favorite song of his is "You Are Loved," but all of the songs on his new CD are good. His opening act was a band from Benin, West Africa, and they were very good as well. He also shared his experiences of traveling in South Africa, which was very touching. It was a great night! (and I didn't fall asleep like I usually do in musicals and some concerts, so that goes to show it was really good!)

Fall is in the air.....

....and I am so excited! The air is starting to feel crisp and cooler AND Starbucks now has their Pumpkin Spice Latte back. That's a sure sign that fall is just around the corner (and I LOVE fall!).

(Don't get me wrong, it still gets up to 90 during the day, but the mornings and evenings are cooler, plus there is just a different "feel" to the air. So don't be too terribly jealous!)

We did it!

Well, we did our first ever organized bike ride on Saturday, and we survived! We rode in the Tour de Cure, which is a bike ride to raise money for the American Diabetes Association. We rode the 50K (31 mile) ride and had an awesome time. It took me about 2 1/2 hours to finish (with 3 short rest stops along the way). Jason could have gone much further (don't you hate guys who hardly ever work out but can still beat the socks off you when you have been working hard?) but it was a good distance for me. It was a great feeling at the end, because there were people cheering for us at the finish line. We really enjoyed it and look forward to our next biking adventure! Thank you to all who donated money to help our cause.

For those of you interested in our training regimen, unfortunately it is nothing spectacular. We started riding in June, and we did our 27 mile ride through Glenwood Canyon mid-July. We did a short training climb up a canyon road several weeks ago, and I ride my bike to and from work a couple times per week (6.5 miles each way). My goal someday is to do Ride the Rockies, which is a 6-7 day ride through the mountains. But I have LOTS of training to do before that happens! Thanks for all your support and encouragement!

Pay It Forward

There is currently a game going around blogland called "Pay It Forward" (like the movie). I won a gift from Alfred's Mom, and I can't wait to see what she comes up with!

I will now pass my good fortune on to others..... "Here's how it works! I'll send a handmade gift to the first 3 people who leave a comment on my blog requesting to join this 'Pay It Forward' exchange! I don't know what that gift will be yet, and you may not receive it tomorrow or next week... but you will receive it within 30 days, that's a promise! The only thing you have to do in return is "pay it forward" by making the same promise on your blog"

Anyone want to play???

Books to Share

Sandy passed these two books along to me, and I LOVED them! They are a fun, easy read and great stories. Please let me know if you would be interested in them, and I will pass them along to you.

Las Vegas Day #3

Okay, this is the last you will hear about our trip to Vegas. Saturday morning we got up relatively early (earlier than the day before) and had some breakfast in the hotel. After breakfast, we checked out and started our day. Jason, his mom, and I went up into the Eiffel Tower. Here is the view--it was pretty cool to see everything from up high.

The fountains of Bellagio from the Eiffel Tower

After leaving Paris, we headed to New York, New York and rode the roller coaster. It was fun but not scary at all. Probably not something we will do again, but it was fun once.

And Jason played the gigantic slot machine in New York, New York.

We enjoyed some New York-style pizza in New York, New York

We also spent some time on Fremont Street Saturday, which I completely forgot to take pictures of. We weren't able to go down there at night to see the laser show everyone raves about--next time!

We had lunch in the Hard Rock hotel. I wanted to eat lunch at Hard Rock Cafe, but we didn't realize where it was until we had already had lunch somewhere else. Again, next time!

Then we headed to the airport. We flew back home and found two VERY tired pugs. They stayed with their best friend Moxie and apparently played very, very hard. When we arrived to pick them up, they didn't even budge from where they were sitting. I guess they really missed us! I am so thankful we have wonderful friends who will take them when we go out of town. It puts my mind at ease!

So all in all, it was a very enjoyable trip. I really didn't think I would like Las Vegas, but I had a great time and look forward to going back. I love to people watch, and there were literally people there from all over the world. So I would definitely recommend checking it out if you haven't been!

Las Vegas Day #2

Friday morning, Jason and I slept in until 9:30 (which is a big accomplishment for us! we are usually awake at the crack of dawn). We got ready, and then headed to an early lunch at In-n-Out! The one and only thing Jason requested that we do on our trip was to go In-n-Out, so we had to oblige. Thankfully we went early enough that it wasn't terribly crowded.

Mmmmmmmm!

After our early lunch, we did lots more walking around, exploring casinos.

Excalibur

Luxor

Chihuly's glass flowers inside the Bellagio

Inside the atrium of the Bellagio

Inside the atrium, there was a beautiful display of roses

Fun fountains inside

My mostest favorite thing in Las Vegas is definitely the Fountains of Bellagio. I had heard rave reviews of the fountains but did not expect to be blown away by them like I was. I seriously almost cried the first time we say them. We stopped several times to watch the show, and it never got old. I think I could watch it for hours!

We also spent some time in the M&M store. They had raspberry flavored M&M's--yummy!

My favorite--the yellow M&M

We also visited the Coke store, where I had an ice cold bottle of Coke

Back "home" after a long day of walking

On Friday evening, we had dinner at the buffet at the Planet Hollywood casino. But I was silly and didn't take a single picture of our dinner (sorry, Sandy!) or the casino. I really liked it inside. And the food was delish!

After our dinner, we walked through Paris. We planned to go up into the Eiffel Tower that night, but it had been raining and lightning, so it was closed for the night.

The fountains were even more amazing at night--pictures just can't do them justice!

Friday night, Jason and I saw KA by Cirque du Soleil at MGM. I hate to say this (especially to you Cirque du Soleil fans who plan on seeing this show), but we were a little disappointed. Severl weeks ago, I saw CdS's traveling show "Corteo" in Denver, and it was so amazing. I love all the circus acts (ie: acrobatics, tightrope, trapeze-like acts, swinging from the ceiling), but this show contained very little of that type of action. It was more like a play. The theatre was nice, and the set was awesome, but it just wasn't what I was expecting. (I have been reading reviews of the show on the internet from other people who saw KA and loved it, so don't let my one opinion change your mind if you were ever planning on going). I think both Mystere and O are more like what I would expect, but we weren't able to get tickets. Hopefully next time!

"Home" again

And what did I have to show for the day? Tired, blistered feet! I thought I was taking comfy shoes, but they just weren't cut out for that amount of walking. I sure will know better next time!

And for those of you who are curious, we won nothing. Zip, zero, zilch. We didn't do any hard-core gambling, but we did play slot machines. And they took all our money. Thank goodness it wasn't much.

Las Vegas Day #1 in Pictures

In the lobby of Caesar's Palace (where we stayed)

South end of the strip

North end of the strip

White tiger at the Mirage

The Forum Shops

In front of the Bellagio

I love this picture because the sun was setting behind the Bellagio, so the sunbeams are shining out all around it

Jason's mom with one of the "statues" in the Venetian

An outside gondola ride. We didn't get a chance to take a gondola ride, but it is something I'd like to go back and do
Dinner at the Rio

The show at the Rio

New York, New York at night. This was one of my favorite casinos because I loved the part where it felt like you were walking around all the little shops in New York

The strip at night

Back to Life, Back to Reality

Well, we survived our trip to Las Vegas and had a great time! We left early Thursday morning and got back late last evening. We had a jam-packed three days and have lots of pictures to share, which will be coming soon. But now I am off for a nap! Thank you all for your wonderful suggestions on what to do. We were able to do some of the things suggested but did not get everything squeezed into our time there. But there's always next time!

Under the Sea

Well, girls' night out was a success! Our dinner was wonderfully relaxing, and "The Little Mermaid" was excellent! It was great to get out with friends I don't get to spend a lot of time with and enjoy the evening. Thanks, girls, for the fun!

Viva Las Vegas!

Jason and I are taking a trip soon to Las Vegas, and I am very excited! He has been several times, but this will be my first trip there. If any of you have been and have suggestions of things we HAVE to do, please let me know!!!!

Girls' Night Out!

Tonight I am going out with some girlfriends, and I am so excited! We are going to dinner at Maggiano's and then going to see the musical production of "The Little Mermaid." It debuted here in Denver before showing on Broadway. Little Mermaid is my favorite Disney movie, and I have heard this production is very good! Then we are having a slumber party to celebrate one of their birthdays. I love my husband very much, but sometimes it is just good to get out with the girls!

I Heart My Mommy!

This year for my birthday, my mom ordered me some pug pajamas with matching slippers, and they finally came! They are SO adorable--I cannot wait until fall so I can start wearing them!

Thanks, Mom!

My New Favorite Drink

Over the past year or two, I have really started to love blueberries, so imagine my excitement when I walked into Starbucks a week or two ago to find a blueberries and creme frappuccino. Mmmmmm! I was so excited!!! It is really yummy but very filling--I had a venti for breakfast one day and was SO full. But it is good! And it even comes in light if you want less calories. Like I need yet another reason to visit Starbucks!

Chocolate Update

Well, both pugs have been 100% fine all weekend, so the chocolate didn't phase them whatsoever. I did go ahead and call the vet's office this morning, just to make sure there wasn't something I should be looking for, but they told me that if they hadn't had any symptoms, then we were in the clear. Whew! Thank goodness it was milk chocolate. But you better believe I will be extra careful about leaving anything out that might be remotely in their reach, because if they can get it, they will! Page, I agree with you, pugs just don't like to see us bored!

Weekend Scrapping

I spent a little time this weekend scrapbooking--I am working on the trip I took to Reno with my family earlier this year. Here are the first two pages:

Hobby Lobby has really started to get some very cute paper, and I like that they have a variety of papers that coordinate with each other. And last week, the 12 x 12 sheets were 5 for $1. Can't beat that! I love scrapbooking and could spend tons more time and money on it if I had more of both!

An Afternoon Snack

Well, Oscar certainly keeps things exciting around here. All week, I have had a soft-sided cooler sitting in the kitchen floor from our last camping trip. I had no idea there was a Hershey's bar, plus a chocolate peanut Kashi bar, inside the zipper pocket. The pugs did not bother it whatsover all week. Who knows what possessed them, but yesterday evening when Jason got home, there were bits of chocolate bar and Kashi bar wrapper all over the floor--and no chocolate anywhere! Apparently the puggies had a little snack while we weren't home! It must have happened very quickly, because I came home after work to feed them, and then left to run a quick errand. Maybe they were mad at me because I left them again! I really think Oscar ate the most, because when I picked him up, his breath smelled like chocolate! Jason did some on-line research and seems to think he'll be okay since it's milk chocolate, so I guess we'll wait and see before rushing anyone to the vet. They ate the wrapper and everything! (I blame it all on Oscar because things like this never, ever happened when we just had Daisy. But I still wouldn't trade him for anything!)

SYTYCD

Wow. For you fans of "So You Think You Can Dance?" did you see Neil and Lacey's routine tonight? I LOVED LOVED LOVED it! It was so touching and so well done--definitely one of my favorites. I love that show!

A Few of My Favorite Things....

A chocolate banana milkshake after a bike ride home

Pretty flowers

Two cute pugs

and my really handsome husband!