Valentine's Day in Vegas! Part 1.

I may have lost my voice a few days before Valentine's Day, and thankfully got it back on Saturday, but there was nothing that was going to stop Jamie and I from going to Vegas on Sunday for a little Girl's Trip!  We had talked about taking a spontaneous trip a couple days earlier and since it was Valentine's Day weekend, we figured it would be a little bit less crowded and the price was right!

I drove us to Vegas and we had booked a room at Mandalay Bay.  It was beautiful; floor to ceiling windows across the whole room, two huge fluffy beds, a double vanity/sink in the bathroom, glass shower and Jacuzzi tub.  Why didn't we take a little swim when we got back to the room that night, Jamie?!  Once we got settled into the room and freshened up we had a little bite to eat and wandered around the Casino before stopping at a Craps Table.  I had never played but Jamie said it was really fun, so we watched (and I tried to learn a little more about the game), had some cocktails, did some slot machine gambling and then went up to the room to get ready for Dinner.

Valentine's Day in Vegas with Jamie!

We took a cab to the Aria because we were having Dinner at Carbone which was one of the top-rated new restaurants in Las Vegas.  We got two spots at the Bar and were ready to feast.  Jamie and I decided on the Caesar Salad with White Anchovies and the Mushroom Fettucine.  Jamie was going to order another Appetizer but the Bartender stopped us saying we'd have plenty of food after their Appetizer course of Assorted Bread, Pickled Vegetables, and Charcuterie.  He was right!  I had started to lose my sense of taste and smell the day before and sure enough it was long gone by the time we got to Las Vegas.  I had tried eating Wasabi at Happy Hour earlier and nothing.  So unfortunately, I can only go off of how I imagined the food would taste as texture and appeal are all part of eating as well and I had a little sense of it.  I actually ate a White Anchovy and it didn't scare me and the Fettucine seemed perfect!  I want to go back and eat the meal all over again!  We got a little after Dinner dessert that accompanied the meal and I ordered a glass of Moscato from the elegant drink cart.  It was a beautiful dining experience and the perfect Valentine's Dinner Date.

Dinner at Carbone in the Aria Casino :)

Then we took a cab to the Luxor and we were able to find a $5 Blackjack table.  We did have to wait a little bit to finally get some seats but both of us were able to play and enjoy ourselves for a few hours.  It was amazing how quickly the time flew by as we were playing.  I ended up breaking even at the end of our gambling adventure and then we headed back to our hotel.  It was nearly 3 am by the time we were back and we had another full day on Monday!

Part two of Valentine's Day in Vegas is continued below...

Valentine's Day in Vegas! Part 2.

There's nothing like a little trip to Las Vegas on a whim...

On Monday we went to Wicked Spoon in The Cosmo for Brunch!  This buffet was crazy; it's voted as one of the best buffet's in Las Vegas and it had something for everyone.  Everything is already portioned out so you can take as many as you like from any of the stands, carts, cuisines, etc.  As you know, my sense of taste was completely gone, so I was eating as much as I could and imagining what it would taste like.  I knew it all would have been incredible.  This restaurant will also be at the top of my list to visit the next time I'm in Las Vegas.  The options they offered, and the quality of food, was better than anything I've ever seen.  I even tried eating horseradish to get some sense of taste back but that did not help.  It was almost like the Jackass episode where they feed the guy wasabi and he eventually gets sick.  I was getting to the point where I was so desperate to taste food, I was eating anything pungent and trying to get something out of it but nothing worked.  Jamie seemed to really enjoy it and they offer a $15 Bottomless Bloody Mary, Mimosa, or Bellini for two hours which I'll oblige in the next time we visit.  Also, you can't skip dessert as there is a whole section designated to it including a Gelato Bar!

Brunch options at Wicked Spoon in The Cosmo!

Until next time Vegas...

After Brunch we walked from The Cosmo to the other end of the strip to The New York, New York Casino to seek out another $5 Blackjack Table.  We found one with slightly different rules; they automatically bet for you when you could Double Down or Split, so no matter what, you wouldn't lose, but the Dealer also pushed on 22.  It still ended up in our favor as Jamie won back all the money she had lost the day before and while I had gone done at the table, I came back up.  Over the course of our gambling I only ended up $20 in the hole.  Not too bad for at least five or six hours of gambling over two days!  We walked back to The Cosmo to grab my car and decided to stop at the Secret Pizza Place there and get a slice; one with lots of garlic for me and I'm sure that would have been great as well.

By six pm we were ready to head back to LA so we made one stop at the Outlets at Primm for a little late night shopping.  Jamie made out really well there getting some fabulous deals while I just did a little browsing.  Then we chatted, listened to music, read quotes for the rest of the long traffic-ridden drive back to Los Angeles arriving around 1 am and so ready for bed!

It was seriously such a fun trip even though I was sick the entire time.  It was a Ladies Valentine's Day and I couldn't have asked for a better date!  We had great food, a blast gambling, a beautiful room, and of course, each other to laugh with.  It's a trip to Vegas that's still chill but super fun that makes me really excited to go back sooner rather than later :)

Mom's Visit to LA and Vegas!

My Mom visited me here in LA last week and we had a full week of craziness planned!  She was spending a few days here and then we were heading off to Vegas for a couple days to celebrate my cousin's 21st Birthday and my Aunt's Birthday as well with some more of our family!

Talk about a busy week, it was literally go-go-go every day!  From when she got in on Wednesday afternoon, we went and had a late Lunch at Lemonade in Brentwood (which she loved and I had to have her try the Miso Short Ribs because they're so incredible) and then she helped me rehearse some songs for my Audition that evening and later on I Hosted Karaoke at Gabe's.  A bunch of my friends came to spend some time with her and to sing Karaoke, so it's always nice to see everyone together!  We did get to spend some time in the sun early in the mornings before the days really got going which was nice, and on Thursday she came with me to Afterbuzz TV to tape my 'Supernatural' Aftershow and that night she got to see 'Thenardier's Inn' for the second time.  She said she really felt the songs and music and liked it even more than the first time she saw it in November!

Wine at Bandera, Salmon at Sugarfish, Bloody Mary's before Vegas,
and Kalissa's famous Cookies and 'Crack Buns!'

Friday kicked off the weekend of work with Bartending at Irish Times, where Mom got to try out some of our new beers and we got some great goodies from C&M Cafe which I'd been waiting for her to try for months!  That night, Marty, Mom and I had Dinner at Bandera, which was an absolute blast and special treat.  Carolyn met all of us a little later on when we stopped at Gabe's for an after-dinner drink!  On Saturday, we went to Lunch at Sugarfish in Marina Del Rey (which was Mom's favorite sushi I've ever taken her to).  I also read in Church for our Palm Sunday services and it was nice to have Mom there in Church with me when I was such a big part of the Mass.  She came with me to Bar Lubitsch since I was Bartending that night, and Jamie met up with her, and they had a couple cocktails and some fun as well!  She even told me I made her the best Old-Fashion she ever had!!  YAY :D

Mom and I are ready for Vegas!

On Sunday I made Mom and I some Bloody Mary's and we hopped on a flight from LA to Las Vegas.  We stayed at the Riviera Hotel and got placed in a Suite for the first night but actually down-graded the following night because the first room was so spread out, we wanted a smaller space!  It was a typical Vegas vacation, with lots of gambling, a day by the Riviera pool, and walking around the casinos.  In fact, on Monday, Mom and I had walked more than 10 miles that day according to my phone!  We got the family together and played cards and had Dinner, checked out the Flamingo's Gardens, and just hung out.  Mom and I did the $10.95 Prime Rib Dinner at El Cortez off Fremont Street and it was awesome!  It was my first time checking out Fremont Street and old Downtown Vegas and is very different than the normal strip.  Our last day we all indulged in the Garden Buffet which was at the Silverton Casino and was delicious!  After that it was back to LA for me and back to Wisconsin for Mom.

The time once again went by way too quickly.  I would have loved another week together, especially since we were so busy, it would have been nice to have some time off to just hang out.  We always enjoy cooking a meal together and there was just no time for that, aside from making Kale Chips, which certainly is not a Wisconsin meal or snack to us, but still quite tasty.  Can't wait to see you again soon, Mom!  Thank you for everything :)

Catch up time!

I can't believe 2013 is over half-way gone and we're nearing Fall!  I'm proud because I've got some great jobs that keep me very busy and I'm able to save up money to do all the fun things when I've got some free days.  I've been keeping my Resolutions for the New Year; I'm going out of town and traveling to new places, having spontaneous vacations, seeing tons of live music and bands, and trying new restaurants and recipes.  I'm also working towards getting Representation and had fantastic headshots taken by Hillary and am just choosing my favorites so we can get them sent out to Agents and Managers soon!

At Universal Studios for the Matchbox Twenty
and Goo Goo Dolls Concert!

Just last month in July I went to Punta Cana for a week-long vacation with Family.  I had never been to the Dominican Republic and while we all had a blast, it'll be a while before I go back to the Caribbean anytime soon.  I also saw Matchbox Twenty and The Goo Goo Dolls perform; two fun bands from the 90's!

I had my 30th Birthday in June and got to spend it with friends and family throughout the month (including our week in Punta Cana).  I've been working on new recipes and posting them on here more often and had the last photo shoot of my 20's with my friend, Kristina, the day before my Birthday.  June also started my Lector Duty at Church and I've been doing that for the past 3 months and just got our schedule for the next 3, so that's a fun and exciting way to enjoy Church!

In May, I had my first ever BIG SAG Audition since I had joined the Union which was exciting.  Even though I didn't book the Audition I did film a couple Match.com Parodies and got to put my Princess Leia costume to good use, once again.  I also got to see one of my favorite artists, Sara Bareilles, perform at The El Rey Theater and to make the month even more exciting, Emily and I made a spontaneous trip to Las Vegas for 2 nights and had an absolute blast.

I made my first move towards creating my Web Series this past weekend, pulling out Neil's brand new Canon Camera and just playing around with the video and photo functions.  We took a couple headshots and also filmed me doing an opening sequence for my show in a few different ways so that was a lot of fun and super creative!  I've got some ideas for the show already written down and now it's a matter of filming a couple episodes so I can put together a Trailer and get the show up on YouTube.

Testing the new camera...

I can't wait to get started on a show that's all my own :)  Set those goals and you can reach them!

Vegas! Part Deux.

Since Emily and I had a late night on Monday with our dance party at Marquee thanks to Donnie and friends we went down to the Hooter's Restaurant to grab some Chicken Wings for a late Breakfast.  Then we got into our swimsuits and attempted to lay by the pool but the clouds were certainly trying to discourage us, hiding the sun for the most part, and an hour later, completely bundled up in towels we gave up and headed back to the room.  I thought we were in Vegas and it's supposed to be 90 degrees in May!

Date Night!

That night we had Dinner Reservations at Mon Ami Gabi which is at The Paris and our table was outside on the Patio right across from The Bellagio so we had views of the Fountain Show which was awesome!  I ordered the Famous French Onion Soup which was good but on the sweeter side.  My Mom still makes the best!  I got the Scallops while Emily ordered a Steak and we capped it off with an awesome glass of Pinot Noir that had notes of Violet in it.  I couldn't complete our incredible feast without a glass of Sambuca and after Dinner we walked around The Paris, gambled a little, did some people watching, a little window shopping, and even grabbed dessert at one of the pastry shops.  After that we decided to walk down The Strip back towards the New York, New York so we could hit up Coyote Ugly but it was late, we were tired, we had walked nearly a mile in our 5 inch heels so we ended up calling it an early night.  Emily went to bed but I wasn't quite ready to stop my Vegas Vacation even though my feet were begging me to, so I gambled for a little bit and won $40 playing The Wizard of Oz slot machine...hooray!

On Wednesday morning it was back to LA.  Emily and I had an awesome mini-vacay to Las Vegas for a couple of days and it only makes me want to go back again soon!  It's only a tank of gas and 4 hours away, and when you go during the week, the hotels offer awesome deals.  On top of it being an exciting spontaneous trip it was a very affordable so who's coming with me next time?!

Impromptu Vegas Trip!

On Monday morning, Emily and I were in our usual spots on our couches discussing our weekend and chatting about the upcoming week.  As we were talking about our work schedules we both found out that we had Monday and Tuesday off, and neither of us worked until Wednesday evening.  What did that mean?  Vegas!  

The adventurous side of me said yes, but the practical side said there had to be something going on that we couldn't just up and leave.  Spontaneity won and we packed our bags, stopped at the grocery store to pick up some cocktail supplies, snacks, and then we were on the road to Vegas.  We were going to stay at The Flamingo but by the time we called the rate had nearly tripled so we decided to stay at the Hooter's Casino since it was just off The Strip, super affordable, and we were barely going to be spending any time in the room anyway.

Roommates in Vegas!

Once we got to Vegas we poured ourselves some drinks at our makeshift bar in the Hotel Room and got ready for a night out at The Cosmopolitan.  Our first stop was The Chandelier Bar where Emily and I had some delicious specialty cocktails.  Next up was Marquee, thanks to my friend, Donnie, who had a table right by the dance floor.  We had plenty of space to hang out and dance, and what felt like an endless supply of Vodka.

Great music at Marquee!

Emily and I were dancing our Chicken Wings off and I was surprised that I liked the music because I'm not a huge electronic/techno/house music person but the DJ mixed some Top 40's with some Rock & Roll and on top of the confetti dropping from the ceiling and go go dancers, it sure was a party.  We ended up dancing all night and had a blast!

Night One in Vegas = Success :)

VEGAS!

Last week I got an awesome surprise from Neil that we were taking a mini-vacation, that I should pack a bag, and we'd be leaving early on Monday morning and taking a 6 and a half hour drive somewhere.  I was trying to think where we would be if we drove 6 and a half hours, was it Phoenix, could we be going up to San Francisco, was it Mexico, how far away was a 6 and a half hour drive?

After loading up our 2 suitcases and grabbing some coffee we were on our way East (which took San Francisco out of the running) at 7 am.  I was too excited to sleep the night before and didn't want to miss anything in the car because the last time we took a road trip together he let me sleep through Denver, and I'll never let him live that down!  We stopped for breakfast about 2 hours later and debated just jumping ship right there and staying in Riverside but then weighed our options and decided to continue on our adventure.  I started to fall asleep about an hour later but then woke up just after entering Nevada.  Neil asked if I wanted to drive down the Las Vegas Strip, and I said of course, we couldn't go through Vegas without a quick tour of The Strip.  So as we pulled off the Freeway, Neil said he needed to use the bathroom, and I'm thinking, 'This kid, as we're on probably the busiest part of our drive needs to use the bathroom now?'  To make matters worse, we drive almost all the way down it to turn back around and he says he wants to go back to the Monte Carlo.  So we drive back down The Strip and pull into the parking lot, leaving everything in the car and just walking into the Casino.  Then he asks if I want to walk around the Casino, and I'm again thinking, 'Shouldn't we get going, if we've got another 3 hours of driving ahead of us.'  I say, sure, and we take a lap, and as we're exiting the Hotel, he says, 'Nah, I think we should just check in.'  I stand there confused, and he says, 'Surprise!  Aren't you excited?  Why aren't you excited?'  And I tell him, because you've been throwing me off this whole time, 6 and a half hour drive, stopping to use the bathroom, walking around the Casino, and then say we're checking in!  I learned on the drive home that the total driving time was 6 and a half hours...very sneaky ;)

Winning!

Since we got there so early we weren't allowed to check-in right away so we did gamble for a little bit and got our first Free cocktails of the trip (Vodka rocks with a lemon) along with some winnings from the Golden Goddess game we hunted down that I always play when I'm in Wisconsin.  Neil had me get a Club Card and an extra one as well so we could both rack up points on it.  Not that I was winning the two days we were there, but I was certainly putting money into the machines.  Neil was definitely on a lucky streak because every game he played he was winning something, whether it was the Star Wars Game, the Wheel of Fortune Slot Machine, or some crazy Monster Game, he won over $100 and played for hours.  That's my favorite part about playing slot machines is that if you play the penny machines, you can play all day long and not lose a whole lot.  Another reason why I like $1 Blackjack, you can play for hours and come out ahead if even $50 and get to enjoy the game.  While we were waiting we took a tour of the pool, Spa, and Gym, which were all really nice and serene.

Around 1 pm we were getting a little antsy waiting over 2 hours for our room to be ready so we finagled another room that unfortunately wasn't on the 30th floor (this one was on the 22nd) but still had the view and specifics that Neil had reserved ahead of time.  As we made our way up the elevator and got to our room I was surprised as to how big it was.  It had a beautiful bar set-up with stools and a mirror along one wall, a ginormous bed that a whole family could have slept in, a nice seating area, and a huge hot tub over-looking The Strip!  It should have been called The Rockstar Suite!  We quickly changed and made our way down to the Pool which had a Lazy River, separate Adult Pool, and Wave Pool where we spent most of our time since it was over 100 degree's outside.  The edge of the Wave Pool was shallow enough that you could lay in it, stay cool and get a great tan!  But the 100 degree Vegas heat is far more intense than the LA Sun so after about an hour we went up to the room, changed, and walked to CVS to pick up some snacks and a bottle of alcohol since we didn't want to pay $12 for a drink everywhere we went.

There were a ton of restaurants and bars throughout the Casino but we decided on Diablo's for Happy Hour since we were watching the Bears Monday Night Football Game!  They had a wheel that was spun once every hour where the special changed.  It was $5 Beers for Happy Hour plus the Wheel Special.  We ordered Nachos and they were bigger than my head, and I'm surprised we even made a dent in them!  After the wheel was spun Neil asked if I could spin it the next time so we were excited at 7 pm when it was my turn to spin the Specials!  We kept our fingers crossed for $7 Flavored Margarita's but ended up getting $7 Patron Shots which the crowd seemed to be happy about.  Then two shots of Patron were placed in front of us and it was go time.  We were exhausted from the long drive, sitting in the sun, and watching the game, but we both got our second winds after the shot and a nap was no longer necessary before Dinner!

Diablo's Nachos in the Monte Carlo Casino for Happy Hour

After Happy Hour we went back to the room, poured ourselves a couple of drinks and got ready for Dinner.  In our matching purples, we headed downstairs to take a cab to the Rio where we were having an elegant Dinner.  I had no idea where exactly we were going and as we took the outdoor elevator up to the top floor I realized we had a 360 degree view of Las Vegas from our table!  We had Dinner at the Voo Doo Steakhouse and were going upstairs to the Lounge after Dinner.  We ordered some fun cocktails along with the Chilean Sea Bass and a Steak, cooked Medium Rare!  Both of us were excited for our food, and the Fish was by far one of the best I've ever had, but we were both disappointed with the steak.  It was a little meaty tasting and Neil wouldn't eat much of it because it was so rare, and even me, who practically likes my meat 'mooing' at me, had a tough time eating it.  Yes, we should have sent it back, but since we had cut it and eaten a few pieces at that point, I didn't want to cause a problem.  We also were the last reservation of the night and the only people in the restaurant at that point and I'm sure the chefs were just waiting for us to be done so they could clean up and go home.  We did agree that the cocktails were perfection and the Sea Bass made up completely for the Steak, plus the company and view were amazing.  Our next stop was the Rooftop Lounge where the Bartenders did a little flair while making our Specialty drinks (which of course, I loved) and then we stepped outside where we took in the incredible view of the lights, hotels, and everything Las Vegas has to offer.  The DJ was good and we even found ourselves dancing in between taking hundreds of pictures trying to get the perfect lighting in the background.  Sorry Neil...but I love my pictures!

Our cab ride back to the Monte Carlo was certainly not as fun as our first one as our cabbie never even spoke to us but it was all fun and laughs when we got back to the Casino and sure enough Neil won more money while I lost at the Ghostbuster's Game.  It was getting late so we made our way back to the room but were stopped by the VIP Host at Brand, the Night Club in the Monte Carlo.  We weren't sure if we wanted to go in but he gave us Free Admission wrist bands and told us to come back if we were up for it.  As we walked away, a couple asked where the Night Club was and we told them as we hid behind some slot machines to see what would happen, and sure enough, the Host was telling them they needed to pay an Entrance Fee in addition to what they would be paying for drinks in the club.  They declined but we decided at that point to check it out and see what all the fuss was about.  We walked into a nearly empty club; it looked like they were a group of girls in for a Bachelorette party and scattered couples or groups throughout the room.  Everyone was dancing and having a good time, and their Ladies Night Special of $20 for All You Can Drink was definitely a selling point but both of us just weren't feeling it so we headed back to the room for our own Free cocktails.

In-Room Cocktails :)

The room wouldn't have been appreciated without a swim in the party-size Hot Tub that 4 people could have easily fit into, and although I nearly scalded Neil with the hot water, he did get to enjoy it but didn't stay in for too long.  I had every intention of relaxing and enjoying it myself but I kept drifting in and out of sleep with my arms on the edge looking at The Strip, so I knew it was time for bed.

On Day 2 we went down to the Pool to get some more sun and sit in the Wave Pool for a while before going back to the room and packing everything up!  Thank goodness for Late Check-outs!  We had to hit up the Buffet since we had finagled the 2-4-1 price since we didn't get into our room at the time we were promised. 
'Would you like a table?' ~ Waitress

'That would be better than the floor.' ~ Neil

Literally made me laugh out loud!  I did some damage with 3 platefuls of food; getting breakfast, a salad, a Chinese plate, a Dinner plate with Roast Beef, mashed potatoes, and 3 kinds of vegetables, not to mention a few different desserts to enjoy.  The Buffet loses money on me...might make money on Neil, but certainly loses money on me :D  And leaving the Buffet I could have used a wheelbarrow but was still able to do some bell kicks.  I couldn't believe I was projecting myself off the ground with the amount of food I ate!

Vegas at Night!

We gambled for a long time on Tuesday, starting off at the Monte Carlo, and me playing a bunch of different games trying to win at something, but it just wasn't my day.  I lost at Gone With The Wind, and even tried playing some of the Video Blackjack and Pokers game, but would lose at those while Neil would win $10 and $20 off of them.  I was happy that at least he was winning, and I liked watching him play the Star Wars game and helping him choose which Robot had the most points, or what star ship was going to blow up.  One of the things I wanted to do at some point was to find $1 Margarita's, so we went to Palace Station where I had stayed when I worked with PowerTV at SEMA, 2 years ago, and sure enough, they still had the same deal.  They were $1 Margarita's, you could get them Strawberry flavored, and add a shot of Cazadores for $2.  DEAL!  We almost wished we had watched the Football game there with all the specials they had going on.  Yes, it may not be as fancy a Casino as some of the ones on The Strip, but their specials were awesome!  Neil won money at some Monster Game, actually won the Jackpot and at that point, it was 7 pm and we wanted to have some Dinner before heading back to LA.

My family always goes to the $7.77 Steak Dinner at The Hard Rock so after our unfortunate steak experience the day before, I thought this might make up for it.  Well, I was wrong.  I remember we came here a couple years ago with my friend, Ashley, and had it, and it was amazing!  It was one of the best steaks I've ever had, and this steak was tough, dry, and had tons of fat on it...not good.  At least we left with full bellies from the huge salad, mashed potatoes, and shrimp we also got with the entree.  

Then we drove the three and a half hour drive back to Los Angeles as we re-lived the fun and memories of an absolutely incredible mini-vacation and road trip to Las Vegas.  We laughed, we were spoiled, we had to do this again, and can't wait until the next time we talk about the Mouse Face 8:*)