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 :)

Road Trip to Phoenix! Part 1.

Sometimes you just need to get out of LA...stop and smell the roses and enjoy a little mini-vacation!  My family comes to visit a couple times a year and we usually take a road trip somewhere and I also go home a couple times a year to visit family and friends so that's a nice break from LA and I always come back refreshed and rejuvenated.  So I was stoked when Brad and I decided to drive to Phoenix and spend a couple days with his family and relax in the sun :)

The drive took just over five hours and we rocked out to Incubus' new album, along with some greatest hits, Tom Petty, Smashing Pumpkins, and more.  Our first stop was Todd & Carley's to say hello to them and so that I could meet Maylen for the first time!  She was nearly five months old and absolutely adorable.  In fact, the entire time we were around her for the three days we were there she cried only once.  Maylen is by far one of the best babies I've ever been around and getting to play with her was an absolute joy.

Lunch at a Triple D Restaurant!

Brad, his parents and I went to DeFalco's the next day for Lunch because it was on 'Diner's Drive-In's & Dives.'  We ordered Gnocchi, a Prime Rib Cheese Steak, home-made Sausage, and a Calzone.  It was a lot of food but we ate nearly everything because it was all so good!  My favorite was definitely the Cheese Steak; melted cheese goodness, with steak, onions, and mushrooms.

That afternoon we all decided to go to the Phoenix Zoo which was so much fun!  Although, I was a little scared of the vultures that could fly around in the bird area, thank goodness we got to look at snakes in between; I was far less scared of them.  We must have caught the animals right after Lunch because a bunch of them were napping but the otters gave us a good show so that was neat to see.  The best part of the Zoo was doing the Giraffe Edventure and getting to feed Makope and be up close with her.  It was one of the best Zoo moments I've had in my life!

Since we didn't get to see any Bears or Sharks at the Zoo we ended the night with a Documentary called 'Bears.' It's narrated by John C Reilley and one of my favorite documentaries to date.  I kind of want John C Reilley to narrate my life...it was absolutely hilarious and if you haven't seen it, I certainly recommend it!

Feeding Makope at the Phoenix Zoo!

Part 2 of our Road Trip to Phoenix continues below...

Road Trip to Phoenix! Part 2.

Maylen loved the Go-Pro!

Brad and I spent Tuesday with Maylen and his parents but not before grabbing Lunch at Erbert's & Gerbert's!  It's my favorite sandwich place in Wisconsin and Minnesota (thanks to Jeff for reminding us their was one in Tempe) and great to get a little taste of home out in Arizona.  I got my usual Narmer, Brad got the same, along with some Broccoli Cheddar soup.  After spending the afternoon in and out of the pool it was time to get a little exercise.  Brad and I went on a long hike; I got us lost for a little bit (I'm usually really good with directions) but we made our way up the giant mountain and then back down in about an hour so it wasn't too bad.  And the view was certainly worth it!

She's such a cute lil' nugget!!

That night we had Dinner with Todd, Carly, baby Maylen, Brad and his parents at Pappadeaux which Brad's Dad has been telling him about for months.  It was one of my favorite seafood meals to date, not to mention, the company was wonderful.  We started with a Lump Crab and Spinach Dip (holy cow, this was fantastic, and I'm usually not a fan of Spinach Dip) and the Hot Smoked Salmon which was also really good.  Next up was an awesome Greek Salad and then came the main course.  I got the Chilean Seabass that had a cheesy crab gratin on top along with brussels sprouts.  It was so amazing I just kept eating even though I was full!  We didn't have any room for dessert but we had some after-dinner drinks and headed home.  

Brad's Mom and Dad had told me that when you're out hiking at night you can see scorpions with a blacklight, so after we got home, we went in search of some scorpions.  We found one about five minutes into our hike...woo hoo!  Sure enough, it did glow in the dark under the blacklight and I was happy we didn't have to go too far into the hike to find one!

Wednesday morning we all went to Waffle House (it's tradition at this point when I'm in Arizona) for Breakfast!  Always delicious and kept us full on our drive back to LA!  I was bummed to be heading back to LA after such a nice vacation but knew it was back to work for me so we jammed out all the way back home, saying goodbye to fabulous Arizona!

Overlooking the Canals in Scottsdale, Arizona

I'm seriously in love with Arizona.  I LOVE the weather, even if I haven't been there in the dead of Summer when it's ridiculously hot, I feel like there's so many other positives about it.  There's so much to do, and even living in a suburb you're close to all the cities.  There are so many different stadiums and sporting events to go and see and I always feel safe when I'm there.  It's definitely a place I would move to!

*Special thanks to Harry & Nancy for taking such great care of us while we were there and for always giving me such a warm welcome!  Thank you :)

Bestie Time!

The last weekend that I was in Wisconsin I planned a little road trip to Minnesota to see my best friend, Sarah, from College.  I hadn't seen her in at least four years so I was really looking forward to catching up with her and just spending quality time together being nerds like we were at Winona State.  My other best friend, Sarah, from Winona State as well, let's call her my Twin, for non-confusion purposes, was spending the Holidays in South Africa with her husband's family, and I knew I was going to miss seeing her since she wouldn't be in Wisconsin while I was home.  Lucky for me, I saw her post as soon as she got back from South Africa, suggested she make a trip to Wisconsin, and she decided she wanted to see her family as well, so we made plans to have Lunch while I was on my way to St. Paul.

I hadn't seen my Twin in at least nine years, we couldn't believe it had been that long, but it was.  We met in Montello, a small town in Wisconsin where I didn't even get service on my cell phone but the friendly Wisconsin folk allowed me to use their cell phones in order to coordinate a meeting spot and then find a place to grab Lunch.  As the snow started to fall, she pulled into the parking lot and I think we hugged for a full minute straight!  Gosh did I miss this girl!  We decided on this little Diner where all the women working were incredibly cute and asking what we were doing in Wisconsin when we were currently living in California and Florida.  In fact, we spent at least the first hour talking and not even looking at the menu.  How do you catch up on nine years in just one Lunch?!  Well, we ended up shutting the restaurant down before they re-opened for Dinner later, talking for almost four hours.  My Twin is still exactly the same; we might have aged a few years but we didn't miss a beat.  I trust whatever advice she gives me is always out of love and believing in me, she's got a heart of gold, and our bond is really special.

Lunch at Spark's Cafe in Montello, Wisconsin with Sarah!

I got back on the road and made my way to St. Paul, Minnesota and my bestie's perfect home!  Sarah had a new addition to the household, Gemma, a beagle puppy, who I couldn't help but snuggle for the next 48 hours; talk about adorable!  We had Dinner and played catch-up that night but it was the next day when we walked around Minneapolis that I was confused and impressed all at the same time.  Of course, we had Erbert's & Gerbert's for Lunch, my favorite sandwich spot, and walked all around Downtown Minneapolis in the skyways.  Every single building in this metropolis is connected, and as long as you know where you're going, you can get anywhere in the city without having to go outside!  I was blown away.  We had Happy Hour at one of Sarah's spots, Sweeney's, before heading home to freshen up and get ready for a wonderful Italian Dinner at Scusi.  Along with a delicious bottle of wine, we had our fill of fresh amazing pasta!  Everything was so good and we even got this yummy dessert on the house, cheesecake with berries and lemon curd, and it was so good!  We still share the same jokes we did years ago in College and I always remember why this girl means so much to me.  Sarah always has my back, she'll always be honest with me, and have my best interest at heart.

Dinner at Scusi in Downtown St. Paul with Sarah!

I'm so lucky to have these two wonderful women in my life; I only wish that I could be closer to both of them so we don't have to wait this long between visits again!  The best thing about the distance is that they're always a phone call away, and no matter how I'm feeling, just talking to either of them brightens my day.  I hit the jackpot <3

Mom & Dad's September Visit to LA! Part 2.

After spending a wonderful couple of days in Carmel with family, Mom, Dad and I headed to Solvang to spend a couple days there!  It was just a couple hours from Carmel to Solvang but I was really bummed there were no Football games being broadcasted on AM radio in California!  How was I supposed to get my Sunday Football fix?!

Thankfully, after we arrived in Solvang and checked into The Hadsten House (where Mom and I had stayed this past May) we made our way to Los Olivos to check out a couple wineries before the day was over.  We were able to catch the tail end of the Packer Game, and lucky for us, they pulled off a win, after a huge deficit!  We really liked the wine at Arthur Earl & Alexander Wayne.  They had lots of options to choose from and we were able to tailor it to our taste.  We even bought some dips and hot sauce at these tasting rooms!  

First Wine Tasting in Solvang at Daniel Gehr's!

We did start our day at Daniel Gehr's since it was where my incredible Port came from!  I picked up a bottle of Pinot Gris from there while Mom and Dad decided on a Late-Harvest Sauvignon Blanc from Alexander & Wayne.  Thankfully we were sharing tastes at these rooms and that gave us all a chance to taste different wines.  As we walked back to the car we saw the Carhartt Winery.  What?  Could it be a Winery that Dad would actually like and be excited about?  The Tasting Room was small with just a couple stools and there was Led Zepplin on the radio...I loved it!  Unfortunately, there wasn't enough room for us in there so we went to the back patio where there was plenty of room and beautiful furniture.  We ended up moving back into the Tasting Room after some people left because the owner was there and just more friendly than our server was.  I ended up getting a Syrah from there and we found out throughout the day Mom actually liked Syrah's & Malbec's.  It just had to have certain components that appealed to her taste buds.  She likes more earthy reds that have a quick finish while I prefer the more fruity reds and full-bodied whites.

Banana's Foster.  Amazing.

That night we went to Dinner at Checco, and the only positive thing I can say about the restaurant was that the Caprese Salad was good.  It was really disappointing and the service was some of the worst we'd ever had.  Not to dwell on that Mom and I went to grab dessert at Hadsten House and had the best Banana's Foster I've ever had.  It's not something I would typically order but the way the Bartender described it, sold us, since we wanted something that would fill us up.  This dessert was so perfectly sweet and prepared I can't say enough amazing things about it!  Even if you're not a banana person, this dessert was incredible!  You just have to try it to see.

The next morning after a nice breakfast at the Hotel we went to Lucas & Lewellen where they have some sweeter white wines and then we checked out Tocatta, their sister Tasting Room.  I really liked the wines at Tocatta, and they had a Sweet Red Wine, that we ended up getting two bottles of.  One for me and one for Mom & Dad!  We walked around Solvang and checked out some of the shops and then went to the Chumash Casino so Mom could gamble for a little bit.  I came out $25 ahead so that was good enough for me and Dad and I enjoyed some refreshing cocktails at the bar until Mom was left penniless ;)

Dad & I hanging out at the Casino Bar...just waiting for Mom ;)

We did stop in Santa Barbara to check out a couple of the Tasting Rooms there.  We shared these as well, and couldn't even finish them because they were very red-heavy and I think at that point, we were all wined out!  We got to LA in the early evening and all ended up crashing early after such a long weekend!  More about the last part of our trip in Part 3!

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 :)

We missed Clint by an hour!

After a week filled with work I finally had a couple days off so my parents and I made the drive up to Carmel (which is near Monterey and about 2 hours south of San Francisco).  The main reason for our visit was because my Dad wanted to eat Dinner at Clint Eastwood's restaurant, so with a 5 hour drive ahead of me, we started the trek.

Let me start by saying I gave up Soda, Candy, and Fast Food for Lent, and of course, when you're on a road trip, all that you can really eat if you're stopping quickly is fast food, so while my parents ate their delicious smelling breakfast sandwiches from McDonald's that morning, I sipped my Chai Tea from Starbucks and pouted.  Our first stop was just beyond Santa Barbara at the Chumash Casino in Santa Ynez, because my Mom wanted to gamble some money away.  I ended up getting $50 in Free Play because of my 90066 zip code, and actually won $60 at the end of the day, so I came up ahead!  After our quick 90 minute excursion we were back on the road taking the scenic 101 the entire way to Carmel.  Once we got close, the sun disappeared and a cloudy marine layer appeared as we made our way to the Bay View Inn in Carmel.

We got to The Mission just after 7 pm and had a cocktail at the bar while we waited for our table.  We got seated about 20 minutes later and after ordering and talking to our waiter, found out Clint came in after 6 pm stayed for a little bit and then left.  He had also come by that afternoon for a little bit and our waiter told us sometimes even pops in later at night before the bar closes down.  I know we were all a little bummed we missed him by less than an hour but were still really impressed that he was even in the area when we were.  Our goat cheese appetizer was great but I wasn't all that excited about my steak until I got my hands on some horseradish that kicked it up a bit.  Unfortunately, Mom thought it was coleslaw, so she took a hearty bite and had a nice surprise.  The asparagus was perfect and my favorite part of the meal aside from my awesome Pinot Noir I switched to from my Hendrick's Gin drink at the bar.  We couldn't end Dinner without getting the Chocolate Cake so I got some Sambuca and enjoyed my aperitif and 3 espresso beans.

Dinner at Mission Ranch in Carmel

Before the night was over we sat back at the bar to have some after-dinner Drinks and even got Mom a Brandy Alexander that was delicious!  The piano player had been playing all evening and at this point, people were getting up to sing with her, so I asked if she knew 'Baby Love,' she said she did, and 15 minutes later I was singing to all the Regulars around the piano, a few of which who gave me some dirty looks for invading their Sunday Night territory, but it's all in fun, right!  The piano player asked me to sing again so later on I did 'Dreams' by Fleetwood Mac and then we all called it a night and made our way back to the Hotel.

Pacific Ocean

The next morning we walked downtown for a little bit, bought some fun gifts and then made our way to the ocean.  It was about 20 degrees cooler in Carmel and quite windy but it was beautiful to see the ocean, trees, and houses.  I wanted to take a different route on the way back to LA so Dad drove the first part and we cut over on the 198 near Coalinga and what a drive that was!  It was winding turns, narrow roads, fallen rock, and more cows than I could count, but it was awesome.  I took over once we got to town and I had my Bagel from Starbucks while Dad enjoyed his Whopper with Cheese and Mom got her Ice Cream Cone...way to rub it in my face, Guys!  The rest of the drive on the 5 felt quick because it was mostly farmland, tons of fruit trees, and some major mountain driving before getting into Santa Clarita but neat to take a different route on the way home.

The entire week with my family was awesome and taking the road trip with them was the icing on the cake.  We had so much fun, did so many different activities and kept busy!  I was so glad to have them out here spending time with me and can't wait to see them again soon :)