V E G A S

I'm just now blogging about our trip to Las Vegas because I have just now recuperated. WOW! SO much different than life in Tennessee! First of all, I need a whole lot of sleep and people don't sleep in Vegas. But even without sleep, we had a blast! I'm so happy we were able to spend some time with my parents who coincidentally had a Vegas trip planned for the same weekend. In one very short weekend we managed to squeeze in Cirque Du Soleil "O", Carrot Top, lots of hotel purusing, great food, and even some gambling and partying.


The 5 minute limo ride to the hotel. We do it up big!
You should know that this hard core crew had been up since around 3 a.m. for our early flight. Super Loopy!



We met up with my parents at Margaritaville. My Dad and I share a very special Jimmy Buffett bond. Our offical father daughter song is "Cheeseburger in Paradise". I was so close to having our Father-Daughter dance be to that song at my wedding, but I didn't want to seem like a weirdo, AND my Dad has killer dance moves that were better displayed by a classic country song.

Sing a-long if you know it..."Big Kosher pickle and a cold draft beer...."


Mom is doin' her thing! I had never even seen a slot machine in my life. She took me to her favorite slot machine, put in a $20 ...and it was gone within a few minutes.






smoochin' at Caesars :)

Headed to see Carrot Top with the work crew. I wasn't too sure about this one, but left the show exhausted from non stop laughing. Brad was laughing so hard the whole time that it just looked like he was crying.

Bellagio

Brunch at the Bellagio. What a beautiful hotel!

Hey, who is that handsome stud!





Rooftop fun with our friends from California

Sadly, I must have had a crazy good time that night because I squished my beloved camera. Grrrr.... Note to self, for the same reason you buy inexpensive sunglasses (b/c the nice ones get stolen, broken, or lost) - do the same with cameras.

In conclusion,
Vegas, you were crazy, fun, and wonderful. Thanks for the memories. We won't be seeing you for awhile because frankly, you are too dang expensive. It's not you, it's me. I just need a vacation that involves more naps, trips to the spa, and some more naps.

Don't knock it till you try it

Yet another snow day. Brad and I both came home early because our house is next to impossible to get to when the roads are bad. I've spent enough quality time with my car stuck in the ditch to not want to risk it again.

We were playing outside with Dallas and just now figured out that our yard would be perfect for sledding. Too bad we don't have a sled...we're from Texas, why would we? Thank goodness I'm full of ridiculous ideas. How about squeezing into a laundry basket...

A Year Already?

Really? I just looked back at my first blog post on February 12, 2009. I cannot believe we have been living in Tennessee for a year...I also can't believe I am still keeping up with this whole blog thingy. Both amazing.

It has been a year full of wonderful memories. The 2 day / 2 u-hauls to get here, the gorgeous scenery and hiking, having great friends and family come to visit, buying our first house, and so much more. I thank God for so clearly laying out this path for us, and helping us learn to TRUST Him. I can get frustrated when things don't happen on my time. A big one lately is no baby after almost 2 years of trying, crying, praying, and having my blood stolen monthly. I'll catch myself acting like a brat, when I KNOW that there is a big and beautiful plan for our lives and this past year is proof of that.

So I'm just going to sit tight. Enjoy every day because tomorrow isn't promised to me. And know that I know that God has a plan for us. He has it all planned out. Plans to take care of us, not abandon us. Plans to give us the future we hope for.







.....no more Debbie Downer. We are on Las Vegas countdown. I still can't believe that we won this trip from my work, and it just so happens my parents and their best friends will be in Vegas the same weekend. I should have some fun pictures after this weekend :)

Fancy

I couldn't go through life without my sweatpants, but it's fun to get all fancy every now and then. My office was attending a nice charity event last Saturday...no sweatpants allowed. The weather was nasty and I had been having fun all week with strep throat - but we still had a great evening - and maybe even made the newspaper :)

The snow/ice was so bad we couldn't get my car up the driveway, so I had to hike in the Uggs.

(Kristen, did you teach Dallas about Creepin'?)

2 of my sweet coworkers

This extra large picture of us in the paper is extra funny. I have a feeling we only ended up in the paper because they thought my coworker Mike was very important having 2 young ladies with him.

AT LAST

At last... I finally got to go home, and it was wonderful! The whole crew greeted me at the airport, and because they know me so well, they had a bunch of burritos with green chile waiting in the car. Now that's my kind of homecoming!

I am so accustomed to my slow and quiet life with just Brad, fuzzy baby, and myself. Going into the Mendenhall house when all 4 kids are under one roof is like a wild circus...the freakshow kind. And I LOVE every minute of it. I didn't take a whole lot of pictures because I didn't want to miss any of the live action...and the ones I did take are of Kristen being a weirdo. So I'll do the best recap I can with what we've got here.

Congrats Krissy! She is officially done with school and she is a licensed cosmetologist. It was so cool to have her highlight and cut my hair. I have a lot of experience with getting my hair highlighted, and hands down she is the BEST! And I'm not just saying that because I have to put up with her. My hair has never looked this good! Kristo has been obsessed with hair since she was a toddler. Back then she used to spend hours putting every bow and clip in my hair...and sometimes I would catch her using her spit for hair gel - and now she really knows what she is doing. I'm so proud of her! Oh yes, she also gave me a flippin' wonderful pedicure, foot massage and all!

This next section of pics is titled "Kristen Creepin". Long story, but the word 'creepin' was our word of choice for the week. It may or may not have something to do with Jersey Shore.

I wanted to get pics of all the family, and you'll notice Kristen's face somewhere in every picture. She was creepin'.

Me and little Tay after church (and Kristen)

Daddy watching football (and Kristo creepin)



Momma and Kristen

Beautiful baby Taylor all grown up (and Krissy creepin' around the corner)

Handsome brother Justy, and you know who else...

That concludes the creepin'. I will no longer use that word from here on out, promise.

A portrait of a mother and daughter

No - I did not photoshop that cat. She is huge!

I realize fat cats are no laughing matter because of serious health concerns. Please make no mention of this to Kristen because serious crying will ensue. Trust me.

We went to a Goddard Rockets basketball game to cheer on Tay shaking her groove thang at half time. That girl can dance! I'm pretty sure she got her sweet dance skills from me...

We were also at the game to cheer on the Rocket's handsome head coach, Coach Jones :)

Kristen Elyse,

I would put a normal picture of you on here if I had one.

You too Justin...

I already miss you guys! Thankfully we have cell phones, facebook, blogs, skype etc to keep up with each other. I won't have to miss my parents for too long because I will see them in LAS VEGAS in just a few weeks! WOOHOO!

I'll leave you with one last thought. Maybe you'll even dream about this tonight.

Someone should really let Kristen know that a lepard Snuggie should not be worn like a hospital gown and/or used as a towel. This girl is incapable of being embarrassed. That's one of the many reasons we love her!