Bright Lights & Vegas Delights

Saturday, December 10, 2011 - 
Hubs and I made our way to Las Vegas for a long weekend. We both just needed to 'get away,' and we had a variety of reasons for a vacay.
  1. It was our delayed anniversary trip. When we got married, we promised one another we would always travel for our anniversary, alternating international with national travel. In addition, it had to be somewhere we had never been together. 
  2. I had won a two night stay at the Green Valley Ranch from a silent auction, so we had our hotel taken care of.
  3. I had a work conference in Vegas, so we were able to make this happen without me having to add another trip towards the end of the year.
A vacation was the perfect way to kick off hub's Advent calendar as well!  Day two brought winning big, an opportunity to walk the strip and gamble a little bit, to see all the hotels and what the strip has to offer. We walked around stores, dropped some money in the casino (and no, we didn't win big), and even sampled a local brewery, Sin City Brewing Company.


Day three - see the talent of Vegas - brought us to see a show on the strip. But first, we started with a day trip to Hoover Dam to take in the sites. We also stopped in at a local brewery, Boulder Dam Brewery. And let me tell you, that day, the 'dam' jokes didn't stop.


That evening, we saw Cirque du Soleil's Mystere show at Treasure Island. It was the first Cirque show in Vegas which is why we picked it versus all the others. The stage was immaculate - amazing how it could change and what it could do to impact the show. Of course, the actors/gymnasts were amazing, their strength is something that words just can't describe.

Unfortunately, hubs couldn't stay with me while I worked, so he found himself flying back to Indy on day four, themed vacation relaxation. When he arrived home, he found a simple gift of popcorn, popcorn shakers (honestly, hubs loves to flavor popcorn) and hot chocolate to help him relax after a weekend of fun in Vegas.

We had a great, unscheduled, relaxing vacation. It is always great to get away and enjoy time with your best friend. Hope everyone else enjoyed the first weekend of the holiday season in December!

Oh Christmas Tree...

Thursday, December 1, 2011 - 
I want to live in a house that has multiple trees.

There. I said it (again.)

This doesn't mean I need a huge house, but I just LOVE the idea of having multiple themed trees. One may ask, why would you want multiple trees?  Well, as mentioned, themes! I'm almost to the Disney themed tree that I've been collecting for quite sometime. Here are a few other trees I would like to have:
  • Classic red and green tree
  • Silver and blue tree
  • Family oriented tree - this means all those great ornaments from our parents and grandparents
  • Travel tree - since hubs and I collect ornaments when we travel, it would be great to have a tree just full of those ornaments
  • Snowman tree - I like snowman, so I have quite a collection of those ornaments
Really, there are so many more that could be had. And right now, I'm happy to report we've got two.  Sure, they aren't straight up themed, but both are pretty close.

Our artificial tree is on the first floor. This is a combination of a snowman and family oriented tree. This tree has seen a good few years, and I think after this holiday, it may be retired to the land of discarded holiday trees.The second tree is our real tree. And if I do say myself, this tree is a pretty great tree. We picked it out in a matter of five minutes, and it is perfect for us. Around 8 feet, it is a great size and has that classic shape.  Sitting in our main living area, it lights up our living room every night. And, this tree is almost a full Disney tree. There are a few ornaments regarding travel, or special meaning ornaments between the two of us.

With the trees up and ready for gifts (yes, I theme my wrapping paper every year too. This year, purple and green,) that means December is just about here.  December 1st means the return of hubs advent calendar.  I'll be keeping you posted on all the events as I did last year. It may be delayed though, because hubs and I are celebrating our four year anniversary a tad bit late (yes, September 29th has come and gone this year, I know that. Sometimes new additions delay things.) by taking a trip to LAS VEGAS!

Photo Credit

So...December 1 is "Sparkly Night Lights" meaning our night flight to Las Vegas to the strip lights!

And yes, if you keep track, I may recycle some themes from last year. Don't judge.

We leave today.  Bags are packed, pups are at the 'spa', and we are ready to go!  If you have advice on things we must do, please share. We have a slight itinerary, but everything is extremely flexible!