addisonemma

addisonemma

Tuesday, August 23, 2011

Aloha

ALOHA!




Addison's 5th Birthday party arrived after a very long countdown....she's been talking about it since February. It was a great success (aside from the mini monsoon that hit at the end). We had it all...grass skirts, leis, cake, balloons, pinata and more!

Let's take a look...

The Birthday Girl! So excited. She picked out her whole ensemble minus the coconut bikini top. That is where I drew the line.




The decor. Thanks to my friend Jennifer for the amazing topiaries (see top right, yes those are drink umbrellas!) and ruffled streamers (not pictured, but so cute).
Notice the palm tree Emma is next to. It's a cooler! I highly recommend it for your future luaus.








Party fun!



Wait for it...
Addison took Emma down the big slide for first time...such a good big sister! Emma LOVED it.


More party fun...it was really hard to catch them. They don't stand still long!








Finally, the pinata. I highly recommend for kids parties but they are HARD to break. We cheated and pulled the bottom apart.


STAMPEDE!



Happy Birthday to my sweet Addison.





Thursday, August 4, 2011

Vegas Baby!




After experiencing Las Vegas for the first time this summer,  I figured I would give you the good, the bad and the ugly guide to the "Fabulous Las Vegas".

The Good:
Amazing hotels. It seems one is always trying to "one up" the next, which means they are all simply incredible.
Great Food. I am not normally one for buffets, but Vegas does this well. We received some great advice from our Blackjack dealer (Alex) the first night....NEVER eat anywhere on the strip that is not fine dining (i.e. in a hotel). So, we played it safe and ate in the hotels and buffets are everywhere. In our hotel they had a breakfast buffet that had eggs, red velvet pancakes, prime rib, sushi and a full dessert bar! That is just the beginning. I have never seen so much food in one place on display.
Phenomenal Return on Investment. You can double, triple and make great money QUICK. On the last night we were there I bet all the chips I had in roulette and tripled my money in 2 minutes!


The Bad:
Lack of Sleep. Vegas is always open. They never close up shop and when you are inside you can really lose track of time. Bottom line, come prepared to not sleep and leave needing a vacation from your vacation.
Return on Investment. Sometimes you see a "phenomenal" return on investment. Most times, the casino sees a better return. When your are losing every hand and you think your luck is coming back, it's not. WALK AWAY.


The Ugly: Sometimes...Often times there is no return on investment. Accept that this is part of Vegas and you will have a much better time. Set a limit of how much you want to lose at casinos and cut you (or your spouse) OFF! Go hang out by the pool and let the hotel comp all your drinks and food to make you feel like you didn't lose it for nothing...but that can be one expensive drink!


It's all for fun though, and fun is exactly what we had!