Day 335 - Blue Skies and Snow

We saw the sun for the first time in like, five days. A welcome break from the gray skies.

I took a different route into work this morning, having to stop off at the auto shop with Scott to pick up the convertible. With the blue skies, I enjoyed the different scenery driving in.


But the clear skies were short lived, as a storm system rolled in and the snow started to fall. After dinner, we drove to the hospital to visit a friend who is recovering from recent back surgery (she's doing well) - one of the trees in the elevator lobby caught my eye, so I did what any normal person does - I took a picture of it.


The snow was falling at a good pace after we left and I think we'll receive more than the forecast 1-2":

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Day 308 - Spa and Love

After a full Friday, much of Saturday was spent relaxing. All the ladies indulged at the Aria Spa in the morning - I had an hour long massage, then soaked in the hot tub, then the steam room before jumping in the cold jacuzzi.

I had never experienced a cold jacuzzi - it's like an jetted ice bath! The ice cold right after a hot steam really gives you a jolt. I think my pores have never been so confused!

In the afternoon I walked South of the Aria, taking in the daytime sights:

The M&M Store


Part of NYC


Our home for the weekend - City Center and Aria

We enjoyed dinner at Sensi in the Bellagio, and took advantage of the lovely Bellagio decor, taking pictures:


I had the sea bass - prepared with Tuscan beans:


After dinner, we walked over to the Mirage and took in the Cirque Du Soleil show, Love, which features songs by the Beatles.

Lisa and Jeff managed to snap their picture in front of the Love sign, but Amy and Dan are just about to get busted by security in this picture.

The show, as expected was fabulous. I wish I could take pictures during the performance, but I understand why that isn't allowed. I was just happy they let me bring my camera into the theatre.

And some more Vegas neon from our evening:

I'm a sucker for the older establishments. A Total Classic.


Harrah's next to the Flamingo

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The Rest of Day 307 - Vegas At Night

First, dinner in Paris!

Well, not the real Paris, but a pretty good replica....


We enjoyed a birthday celebration dinner at Mon Ami Gabi where Scott ordered Country Style Pate (I haven't been able to find pate back at home) and Seared Sea Scallops. I ordered a daily special - rare tuna (totally yummy!).

As the guest of honor, Jill was presented with a cute birthday profiterole:


After dinner, we roamed the strip, checking out the Venetian:





Lisa and Jeff

We ended up at the Wynn and enjoyed the warm outdoor lounge overlooking the Wynn's Lake of Dreams. We even caught the end of the frog that pops up on top of the wall of water. Sorry, no picture, I thought it was a little weird.

Instead, here's picture of the parasols at the Parasol Up Lounge, just inside:


After the Wynn, we caught the Treasure Island "Sirens of TI" performance that combines pyrotechnics, bad acting and dancing. Oh, there's a cool pirate ship that sinks. Otherwise, I'm pretty sure our entire group thought it was tacky.

Scott and I decided to walk the rest of the way back to the Aria, and we stopped in at the Bellagio and caught the fountain show:


It was well past midnight when we got back to the Aria. We couldn't find the rest of our party on the casino floor, so we called it a night.

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Day 302 - Halloween

A perfect Halloween evening - clear and a little cool (but it is the end of October - it's supposed to be cool).

I drove Erica to her friend's house and then wove back home, passing by the endless stream of parked cars in the 'hood. I know people come to our neighborhood to trick or treat, but didn't realize the magnitude until today. No wonder our huge stash of candy goes quickly.

Erica and her friends are dressed up as a tennis pro, a bum and a sports fan:


[note - I do not endorse those Yankees. She is a product of her father when it comes to this baseball stuff.... and Go Red Sox!]

As usual, Brian and George went out together.

Brian's costume is a result of the past two years' costume meltdowns. So this year, I refused to put much time into it and he came up with his own costume idea. The boys only visited three houses - ours, George's and our next door neighbor's. I think they are at the age where they don't care about trick or treating. It's a phase that will pass in about two years.

At least George's brothers dressed up appropriately:


Part of the reason why Brian doesn't want to walk around the neighborhood, is he would rather spend time at George's house handing out candy and working the spooky "tricks" of the house:

After all, Jill has her house decorated to the max:

Brian's favorite activity - hiding in the coffin, making noises and jumping out to scare the visitors. If you look carefully at the above picture, you can see Brian peeking out of the coffin - he has the Elmo mask on his head.

It was another fun Halloween in our little town on the prairie! A great end to October.

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August 1 - 7 Summary (Days 211 - 217)

Scott and I returned home on Sunday, August 1, arriving into the hot and sticky O'Hare airport. When we pulled into the driveway, we could tell it had been hot and dry while we were away - the lack of green grass was the giveaway. Hey, at least there's less to mow.

Erica and Brian were glad to see us. Really!


We unpacked, distributed gifts and started laundry. We had only one "fatality" in our luggage - the cute divided dish I purchased in Montepulciano. I'm planning to glue it back together. Everything else - the 3 bottles of wine, the bottle of balsamic vinegar, the cheese - all survived the trip (and customs!).

Scott and I collapsed into bed around 8pm, only to be wide awake at 5am [really, not too bad, considering I get up at 5am at least twice a week].

August 2 -
At work, my newly carpeted office, with newly arranged furniture was waiting for me:

Previously, the desk was close to the door, now it is next to the window. I moved out the week before we left for Italy in order for the carpet to be installed and as a result, purged several binders and files from the desk. Let's see how long I can keep it this clean!

August 3 -
Did I mention how hot and humid the weather has been? So humid that the windows were covered with condensation this morning. Yuck.


August 4 -
Oops, no picture, but I registered the kids for school today. In the sweltering heat and humidity with no air conditioning. Still, I am thankful that Brian was assigned to the same 5th grade teacher Erica had, Ms. J, who I love.

August 5 -
Brian's last day of Sports Camp. We've been very happy with this camp - they use the beautiful facilities at the University and many of Brian's friends also attended. Brian swims every day, and started to fashion his swim gear into "swim dude":


August 6 -
Another road trip! This weekend, to St. Louis, and Six Flags Amusement park, where our company picnic was held. We drove up late Friday night, passing through St. Louis. Fortunately, the traffic slowed down enough for me to snap this photo from the car on the highway.


August 7 -
I don't take my big camera into the park anymore. Heck, I don't take anything I can't fit into a pocket. The park policies with loose articles have become so restrictive that I don't bother. I did take some pictures with my iPhone: The kids strapped in to ride "Mr. Freeze"


And even after a full, hot day of waiting in lines and rides, the kids were playing in the pool at 10pm:


We drove back home on Sunday, starting the unpacking and laundry cycle all over again.

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36/365 - Movie Night

Friday night has increasingly become "social night" for Erica and her group of friends, who manage to attend some sort of gathering together. Tonight, the venue was the movie theatre, even with the snow storm and opening day crows. They went to see "Dear John" and each admitted to crying during the movie.



I felt fortunate that we have a 4 wheel drive SUV with tonight's snow accumulation and subsequent blowing and drifting. I drove out to the horse stables in the Toyota Corolla, and nearly ended up in the ditch! Winter is certainly still with us.

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Mosaic Monday - Out At Night

With the gray, foggy days, I decided to take pictures at night instead. I love how the mysterious aura the fog creates, especially at night.



For more mosaics, head over to Mary's at Little Red House.

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22/365 - Middle School Dance

Erica attended her first middle school dance tonight - I think several of her friends decided to attend, because it was very "last minute" or "spontaneous". After I dropped her off, I watched other parents drop off their kids.

I'm hoping this picture will help her recall the details of her first dance in the future, because I know she won't divulge any details other than "yeah, we had fun".

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21/365 - Rainy Evening

More rain today, but I thought I would take a picture at night instead of during the dreary, gray day. I took Brian to TaeKwonDo after dinner.

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