The charm of me....

I decided I needed to buy travel size toiletries so that I wouldn't have to pay to check my bag on my flight to Amelia Island next week....

However, if I'm going to spend $20 on travel size toiletries... I could have just checked my bag.... I crack myself up....

That's what you get for wakin' up in Vegas.....

Gosh I'm terrible! And the verdict is! (in case anyone still cares)....Went to Vegas and had a blast. My lucky dollar did not hit (tear), but I had a ton of fun gambling. I ended up coming home $80 richer, which to me is a HUGE accomplishment. Here are some pictures from the trip.

Hands down, it was the best trip to Vegas so far. We tried to not go to the same places as last year so instead of Tryst and Body English, we went to Studio 54, Pure, Ghost Bar and Rain. Can I just say the rooftop at the Palms is AMAZING!!! It's almost worth the $20 cocktails they serve...

I mostly ate room service, but we did make it to Mesa Grill for dinner and cocktails, and it was DELISH! My blackjack skills have improved tremendously, so I really enjoyed playing this time around. It's funny how much fun gambling is when you are winning!

I am sad even to write this post because I am not sure if I'll be back for this particular Vegas trip again. My dear friend has a boyfriend now, and has already (9 months ahead of time) announced that he would be joining her next year. Of course I was invited to tag along, but it's not the same.... It was bound to happen though...the trip is always over Valentine's Day, and it was only a matter of time before the double bedded room shared with the old married lady became a romatic suite for her and the man in her life. Nevertheless, I am sure this won't be my last trip! Maybe they will break up ??:-) (just kidding!) (am I?) Ha!

Viva Las Vegas!!!!!

My Jamaican Vacation....

My sweet friend Shari got engaged last year, and had always known she would have a destination wedding. After the excitement of it all, she decided on the Riu Montego Bay, a brand new resort in Jamaica. I wasn't completely sure if my recession budget was going to be able to be able to handle the extra expense (I am working on my 6-8 months salary savings...Suze Orman called me and told me to tighten up) but my husband the workaholoic, insisted that he needed a vacation. Who am i to argue with that?

So I did all my beach shopping, and was completely excited about leaving Chicago's -20 degree weather and wind chill to relax on the beach with a mai-tai in my hand and a stack of books to read. I was jilted from this dream on Tuesday when my hubby came home from work early because he was sick. After running a fever of 103+ for 3 days, we decided that unfortunately, instead of heading to the airport, we were heading to the hospital.

He had the flu, and spent 7 days sick and shut in. I know you wives and girlfriends out there know what its like when you have to take care of your guy when he is sick. Men become the most pitiful, helpless human beings on the face of the earth. It gave me a real reality check on how life would be if i were a single mother. He woke me up in the middle of the night sick, i was waiting on him hand and foot, and cleaning up vomit. But all in all, after the first couple of days it wasn't so bad. Don't get me wrong....i certainly wanted to choke him half the time. I think it just provided an opportunity for both of us to reflect and be thankful for each other. After cleaning the house from top to bottom, doing all the laundry, taking out trash, walking the dog (in the snow!), grocery shopping, cooking 3 meals a day, and several Walgreens runs, i realized even more just how much he helps me out, and how much i appreciate it. I impressed him with my caretaker, and suzy homemaker skills, so i think i might have made a good enough impression that he might agree to giving me my dream job one day....... HOUSEWIFE!

Girls Trip 2008: ARUBA

My mother always told me that when it comes to marriage, you should start out the way you want to hold out... meaning, don't do things in the beginning of your marriage that you don't expect to keep up for the rest of your life. The one thing that i insisted upon before i got married (that i got my hubby to agree to) was an annual girls trip; a vacation that i would take with my girlfriends every year, to relax, shop, gossip....you know, all the things that men don't like to do...

I think i got this "request" pushed through because of three major reasons: 1)Ken loves me and knows how much i miss my friends since i relocated to Chicago, 2) because i work in the hospitality industry, i can travel to great places and make them affordable, and 3) let's face it, just because you're happily married, doesn't mean you don't need a little bit of a break from each other once and a while...

So Terri and I packed up and headed to Aruba for 5 days and 4 nights of sun, fun, relaxation at the all new Hyatt Regency Aruba Resort and Casino. It was also Terri's birthday, so we had plenty of cause to celebrate. We spent most of our days laying out on the beach, dipping in and out of the ocean to cool ourselves, and sipping cocktails. The water is so cool and still there, you can literally take drinks into the ocean without fear of them being knocked around because of waves. We spent our evenings dining at the very tasty restaurants on the resort, and finding all the hot spots where the tourists don't visit, to really get a feel for the people who lived on the island... which is our favorite part about traveling.

Although this trip was meant to be extremely laid back and lazy, Terri (always the adventurer) convinced me to do some snorkeling. We took a private boat with just us and the captain, and snorkeled for 3 hours. I am so glad that i went, because it was truly amazing. I liked it so much, that i am getting my own snorkeling gear... i fear i have a new obsession...
When Ken came to pick me up from the airport, he looked at me and laughed. "You look really tanned and really tired" he said. I replied, "Well i guess i did it right then." The best part about a fabulous girls weekend with a fabulous friend, is coming home to a fabulous husband that made it all possible.

Girls Trip 2009?: COSTA RICA!!!

Best Beach Weekend Ever.....

My sweet friend Callie just graduated from Vet School and in celebration we all headed down to Rosemary Beach, Florida for a weekend filled with sun, fun and a bunch of our friends. Our friend Napoleon's family owns a beach house there, and when i first heard of this, i was expecting a small beachy house, probably a bit older, with a cute white picket fence. What i got was a sprawling 5 bedroom mansion in a privately owned community outside of Panama City Beach with imported european sand....seriously....

When we walked inside, and i really thought i was stepping into the Real World House. It boasted 3 stories, a full gourmet kitchen, marble bathrooms, hardwood floors, 2 master suites including large full sauna/steam showers, 3 outdoor seating areas, a loft/game room, flat screens everywhere, and a booming surround sound system that we blasted music from all weekend long.... oh and a huge hot tub.... Needless to say, we were impressed.

We woke up friday morning, had some breakfast, and went to the grocery store to stock up on all the food we would need for the weekend. I was the resident chef, a job that i happily took, because i wanted control of the menu and again, the kitchen was amazing. Hands down, it was the best stocked kitchen i have ever seen... and to think, this is someone's SECOND home!

The day was a bit overcast, so we spent the rest of the afternoon at the house, and awaited the arrival of Napoleon's friends who were also joining us at the beach. This could have been a disaster. There is nothing worse than going somewhere and sharing space with people you don't know, only to have them end up being a complete pain in the butt and ruining your vacation. When they arrived, it was one of those very fortunate occurrences, where the dynamic of the house just worked. Everyone got along, laughed our pants off, shared stories of our lives, and were genuinely so excited to spend time with one another.... and what else do i like to do when everyone is getting along? that's right... KARAOKE!!

I quickly googled local bars that had live karaoke (did i mention the house had WiFi too?)..... and found a bar called Coyote's. We loaded up and headed out with nothing but a good time on our mind.... It turns out Coyote's was not our resort like accommodations in Rosemary...in fact...the closer we got to the destination, the more sketchy the situation became. Once we arrived there, we saw a parking lot full of dirty pick up trucks... this should have been our first sign... once we walked in, you could literally hear the record player scratch..... everyone stopped what they were doing, and gave us the most icy stares... i literally got goosebumps...

Now, if you know me, you know that my family is from the south... not just in the south, the country... the backwoods of lower alabama.....so i am used to finding myself in situations with scary looking men and women who look like they just stumbled out of the trailer park, with overalls on over their confederate flag t-shirts, cigarettes hanging out of their toothless mouths and arms covered in tattoos...however, this was one of the most uncomfortable experiences of my life...It honestly felt like i was in a scene out of a movie.....as all eight of us stood by the door, i was quite sure that we were about to get chased out of the bar with people swinging pools sticks at us.....had it not been the tequila in our system,we would have just left... but i looked over at Callie, we grinned at each other and knew exactly what to do.... I walked straight to the bar, ordered everyone a beer ( $3 each of course!) and placed my song request at the DJ booth.....the moment i took the stage and started singing my signature karaoke song, "Proud Mary"... all was well.... In fact, every time each one of us sang, more and more people lightened up, and by the end of the night, everyone was cheering us on and dancing to all of our songs... in fact, a lovely lady that we met called Crazy Connie said to me as we were leaving.." Girl, thank ya'll for comin' in and breathin' some li-ife into this funeral." You're welcome Connie...

Yes, there was an actual coyote statue in the bar.....

Saturday was a day dedicated to the beach... we spent the whole day laying out and swimming in the ocean. After our fun day in the sun, it was time to go back to the house a fire up the grill for Callie's official graduation bar-b-que. We all ate and drank way too much...

Roasted corn....delicious!

On Sunday as we ate breakfast and said our goodbye's i was very sad to leave, but so greatful that i got to spend quality time with old friends, and have the opportunity to meet wonderful new people. We are like a little crew now, we all send mass e-mails to each other every week, and have sworn to make this beach trip an annual event.

Napoleon sent an e-mail after we all returned back to our respective homes that i thought truly summed up our beach weekend:

I'm glad you all were able to come together for a good cause and party with a purpose. Although the venue was remote, all participants made the effort. I greatly appreciate you all for that, and also for making Rosemary Beach a memorable experience. Hopefully you will take the weekend, as I have, a harmonious moment where old friends make new friends & the sea meet the sky. Until the next time....