Birthday Week: Part II

So, Andy and I arrived in Vegas on Friday and two (out of our nine friends) met us in the airport and we got our bags and then proceeded outside to stand in line with thousands of people for a cab to our hotel. Once we got to the Luxor we stood in another hour long line to check into our rooms. Once we were situated the four of us headed out for lunch. This is then that I realized I truly was in Vegas…the long lines and the huge bills for simple food. After the very large lunch bill the four of us decided that we needed to head out for some cheap booze, and what better place to find it than O’ Shea’s. This is an Irish bar and casino that has a midget (probably not p.c. right there) promoting the bar/casino and very cheap booze. Beer was $1.50 while my vodka tonics were $5 and to us that was the jackpot in Vegas. After a short time we found beer pong in the back room…sweet! That provided us entertainment until Andy and I had to go back to the hotel to meet up with another couple for the Cirque du Soleil show KA. After a drunk run (because we lost track of time) back to the hotel to meet up with more friends we headed to the very hyped up show. I heard so many great things about this show, but I was completely let down and I was not the only one out of the four of us. I almost fell asleep and all I kept thinking was that I am crazy to be finding this show boring. I am into theatre and the arts so I was surprised that I didn’t like the show. The last half an hour out of the hour and a half show was great and filled with acrobats and crazy tricks. Now, if they just would have done that throughout the whole show, then the show would have been awesome. Sorry, but I just wasn’t that into it. After the show five of us trucked back to O’ Shea’s for some more beer pong and cheap booze and where Andy and our friend, Brian, declared themselves the beer pong champions of Las Vegas. This then took us to the wee hours before we stumbled back to the hotel to find some food. Come Saturday morning my whole group was in Vegas to celebrate my ripe old age of 30 and we all spent the day in a cabana by the pool. Some more hung-over than others, but it was nice to just chill by the pool and away from the “common folk,” like my friend Jessica would say. After a nice relaxing day in the hot sun sweating out the booze it was time to head out again. Of course we went back to our addiction, O’ Shea’s, for a couple hours of beer pong before heading to the piano bar at New York, New York. Since there was 11 of us we reserved a table in advance. It was the best time ever. We had so much fun singing and dancing. Of course the girls had to mention it was my 30th birthday so of course I sat next to the piano man at his bench and helped him play the piano. I also sang along to Jimmy Buffet’s song “Let’s Get Drunk and Screw” while screaming into the piano man’s microphone. Probably not my finest moment, but I am just thrilled that not one of my friends thought about recording this on their cell phone. As the night went on one-by-one my friends were dropping like flies and having to stumble back to their rooms. Andy and I eventually followed suit. On Sunday we sat lifeless in the Sports Book of the Luxor just waiting to head to the airport. I must say that I do have some pretty amazing friends. I had the best birthday ever and I am glad that my friends made the journey to Vegas to spend it with me.


The girls at the piano bar

Half our group at our table

The other half our group

Andy playing beer pong

Andy and I in the cabana by the pool

Birthday Week Part I

Yesterday was my birthday and therefore I reached the age of 30 and yesterday was also the day that ended birthday week. I am sure everyone knows that I get a whole week to celebrate my birthday and this year was no different. I took complete advantage of my full week. It was also a fabulous week and there is so much to talk about that I am not going to do it all in one post. Sorry, but this will be a two parter; maybe, even a three parter. Last Wednesday Andy surprised me with my birthday gift. He usually can’t pull off a surprise because I figure things out very easily, but this time he got me. I was just as thrilled with the fact that he surprised me as I was thrilled about the gift. Andy got me the tuner I needed to hook up Sirius satellite radio in my car, plus the subscription. My car is already equipped with satellite radio so I didn’t need the little radio box for your car with wires hanging everywhere. I just needed the tuner that gets plugged into my trunk and I asked for it for my birthday. Andy didn’t think it would be fun to wrap a “tuner” so he plugged it in my trunk while I was in the shower last Wednesday. He thought he was running out of time so he didn’t get to program the radio. He was trying to figure out how he could take my car without being suspicious. Well, that same day when I came home from work I mentioned that I need more windshield wiper fluid for my car and I was a little whiney about it. Hey, it’s monsoon season and my window gets pretty dusty and dirty. When I got out of the shower Andy decided to suggest that he go get the fluid for me. I was a little confused that he offered because that’s not really Andy’s style. He said it was my birthday week so he was just being nice. Well, then he asked for my keys because he wanted to take my car because it’s more “fun” to drive. While he had my car he got the radio programmed and he got my windshield wiper fluid and filled my tank. When I got in my car in the morning and pulled out of the garage I noticed the radio was programmed to 80’s on 8; which is awesome that he put that much thought into it. Andy knows I am a big fan of 80’s music. I have to give kudo’s to Andy for such a great gift and he delivered it with creativity. Following my birthday gift we finished the birthday week off with a weekend in Vegas from Friday until Sunday…

Trying New Things

Well, it was a pretty laid back weekend as we didn’t do much in this 115 degree heat. Yes, it was 115 degrees all weekend and at 10pm when you would think it would cool down it didn’t because it was about 102 degrees out. This is our fourth summer in Arizona, so we are used to it. Even though we are used to it I still think the temperature is a little crazy here. Even though we had a pretty boring weekend I had a couple firsts. Well, if you know me you know that I am not a fan of going under water when swimming. Ok, so I don’t swim, I prefer to float on a raft or just chill in the pool. I definitely don’t go under the water as I don’t like to get my hair wet and I have an issue with going under water. I am not sure what the issue is, but I get freaked out when I go under the water. Call me weird, but that’s just me. This weekend I just couldn’t help it as it was so damn hot that I just jumped in and I was completely submerged. So, I did it and I was ok. So, I did it a few more times all weekend. I am still not a fan, but when it’s that hot out I just said “What the heck” and I cooled off by jumping in. Another first is that I ate red and yellow peppers tonight. I have never eaten them before because they just didn’t look appetizing. More like they looked scary. Anyway, we made chicken fajitas tonight for dinner and I was feeling daring just like the other night when I jumped in the pool and went under water. I filled my tortilla with chicken, yellow and red peppers and mushrooms and it was so yummy. I don’t mind peppers anymore and I am glad I tried them. This new found self of trying things might be because I am turning 30 in a week, but that’s another story.

It Only Took Twenty Years...

…but I finally made it to a New Kids on the Block concert. Yes, I went to see the fab five last night with my girlfriends and it was a fabulous concert. No, Andy did not go with us as he chose to stay home since he was never the avid fan like I was growing up. Twenty years ago I was a huge fan of NKOTB, especially Jordan Knight. When I was ten years old I thought I was going to marry Jordan and become Mrs. Knight. How cute is that? I had all of their paraphernalia, ok, maybe not all, but I did have quite a bit. I had the t-shirts, giant posters, earrings, shoe laces, giant buttons, cassette tapes, etc. I wanted so bad to see them in concert, but they never made an appearance in Madison; however, they did show in Milwaukee, but how is a ten year old supposed to get there? Of course my parents were not about to take me, so I had to wait until I was 29 years old to see them. I guess I was a deprived child because one of my girlfriends who went last night was able to see them twice when she was a pre-teen. Well, let me tell you, it was definitely worth the wait. Plus the kids on the block are not kids anymore, so I could definitely appreciate that. They played all of their old school songs and it took me back to 1991. Some of the songs I haven’t heard since I was probably 12 or 13, but I remembered most of the words. It’s kind of crazy the things you can remember and the things you easily forget. I mean, how was I able to know the words to songs that I haven’t heard in 17 or 18 years? It was nuts and the girls and I were screaming right along with the songs looking like 10 and 12 year old little girls again. It was awesome. We had pretty good seats, but if they ever make it back to Phoenix again you can guarantee that I will be determined to purchase front row tickets. I may not be Mrs. Knight, but I still have that little kid in me that just love the New Kids on the Block. Of course after the concert the challenge for us ladies was to find my car in the parking ramp. This ramp was pretty big, so it took some time to figure out where the Audi was parked. Also, it was hovering around 100 degrees at 11:30 at night so it was not fun trying to figure out where the car was in the hot parking ramp. Once we found it we were all still revved up from the concert so once I got home it was hard to fall asleep. I definitely paid for my fun with the girls and the fab five last night as it was a tough day of work off only four hours of sleep, but it was well worth it. I would give up sleep again for such a great concert.

Our Newfound Hunting Dog

Izzy likes to chase birds in the backyard and when we were camping she would have chased the squirrels if we would have let her. So far I thought all Izzy wanted to do was play with the creatures because she is such a playful puppy. Tonight I found out she wasn’t interested in playing with the birds in the backyard, but instead she wanted to hunt them for food. I got home from work to get the grizzly details from Andy. I guess she ran after a bird and pounced on it when Andy yelled at her. Then the bird made its way from the grass to the dirt and gravel. Izzy ran after the bird and swooped down to pick it up in her mouth. Andy yelled and ran toward Izzy to get the bird out of her mouth. By the time he got there Izzy had already swallowed the bird. This is completely disgusting! All I wanted to do was let Izzy know this is not how ladies act. Poor birdie, it had no chance against my newfound hunting dog. I am just glad I was not here to see that because I would not have been happy with my princess Izzy. I am sure she was very proud of herself that she finally caught one of the birds that her mommy thought she just wanted to play with. On top of that, for desert she ended up in the litter box for a smorsel of turd. I have been good about keeping the litter box clean or keeping the gate up on the bedroom door so the dogs can’t get to the cat poop. I took the gate down for a minute, but then I forgot to put it back up and Izzy found her way to the littler box for desert. I guess you would think that we don’t feed our animals, but that is definitely not the case at all. All of our animals are completely fed and they get plenty of treats. Now, we are just anticipating the exit of the bird from Izzy’s stomach.

Camping for the Fourth of July

This weekend we spent it with our friends in the woods. Yes, Andy and I decided to go camping with our friends the Campbell’s north of Payson, AZ for another Fourth of July. We were in the same area as last year and that also means no flushable toilets, just us and a shovel to dig the hole for our toilet. We got there on Thursday night and it was a nice night to set up a tent. As we were unloading we realized that we (or Andy) forgot a couple of essentials, an extra blanket and our pillows. We brought an old comforter, but knew it would not be warm enough so we discussed bringing another blanket which is very warm. Andy decided he would take charge in getting out our warmest blanket and packing it, so yet, I blame the lack of warmth on him. So needless to say we were not off to a good start. I knew our nights were going to be sleepless as I knew we were going to freeze and miss our pillows. Of course I was right as the first night we didn’t sleep very well, but that was mainly because Izzy and Madison were so restless in the tent. We did allow the dogs to sleep on the Aero bed with us and this decision was made because we figured they would help keep us warm. Plus, that was a nice treat for the dogs because they are not allowed to sleep on our bed at home. Friday was a good day of being lazy. Andy and I were in charge of making breakfast and it was our first time having to cook in the woods. It’s all about being creative when cooking with a tiny Coleman stove that is set on an uneven ground. Andy and I displayed great team work and we got breakfast made. I was pretty impressed with us. Then we were onto a nice game of corn hole against the Campbell’s and I do believe we beat them in both games. Andy and I were in charge of dinner for Friday night, but I figured we did this so well for breakfast that it would be no big deal for dinner, and I was right. Friday night was another sleepless night as I froze my butt off in the tent all night long. I was dressed appropriately as I was wearing my North Face tights and my wool socks that my girlfriend game me a couple years ago. It didn’t matter…it was just COLD! So, we are onto Saturday and the girls were pretty playful so Andy and I took them for a walk in hopes of tiring them out. Not long after getting back to camp it was a torrential down pour, and then it hailed. It was pretty crazy weather that went on for 4 hours and left us all stuck underneath a tarp. This down pour created a river that ran underneath the Campbell’s tent which left them with a soaking wet tent. It was raining so hard that our tent just couldn’t help but leak a little and get our bed wet. Now, not only do we have lack of covers and pillows, but we now have a wet bed. This was all discovered after the four hours of rain and hail. I was ready to come home. I had enough and I was done with this camping adventure. The only reason why we did not pack up and leave is because we knew it would suck to pack when everything is so wet. We figured it would be better once things dried out the next morning. Once that was decided I was on a mission to get our bed sheets and comforter dry. That was a challenge, but we did get everything somewhat dry. At least dry enough to sleep in. Sunday morning couldn’t come fast enough and I was up and out of bed at 6:30am to start packing because I was ready to go home. I also think the dogs were excited to go home too. I am not anti-camping, but I am also not the first person to suggest to go camping. It’s not really my thing. All weekend I kept wondering who created “camping?” I mean, who said “Hey, let’s go sleep in the woods under a light plastic sheet, poop in the woods, freeze our butts off and get creative with our meals.” I am just wondering who would think of such a thing, because I never would suggest such a thing. I just go along for the ride. Despite the rain, cold and lack of supplies that we (meaning Andy) forgot to pack I still had a good time because of our friends, Amber and Brian.




Andy with both princesses.



Izzy loves to sit on mommy's lap. My little lap dog.



Madison and Izzy prefer to sit on the chairs over the ground.


Daddy's little lap dog.