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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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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279/365 - Colts Game and Shopping

The main driver for our trip to Indianapolis - the Colts game against the Seattle Seahawks. Scott is a huge Colts fan (remember my Serious Colts Obsession Post?), and makes a point to attend one home game a year. This year, he bought two tickets so that he and Brian could enjoy the game together.

Another big draw for Scott - Lucas Oil Stadium, which opened in 2008. I climbed to the top of the neighboring parking garage to capture this shot. They opened the "windows" while I was going up the stairs:


So, what did Erica and I do while the boys were watching the game? We went shopping, of course! And I came to realize that I am too old to even try on the clothes at the teen oriented stores - stores like Aeropostale and Abercrombie and Fitch. I don't know how the sales people even work at the A&F, with the loud music (I bet it barely passes the OSHA noise regulation of 85dB) and perfume scented air. I know, they're just working there for the employee discount ($20 for a wispy T-shirt - and that's the sale price!). I'm just thankful Erica doesn't have too big of clothing obsession. Yet.

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278/365 - Visit to Indy

After Erica's early morning (8:30!) soccer game (ended up in another 1-1 draw), we drove out to Indianapolis for our "Fall Respite" (Scott's name to this short overnight trip).

Even though the cloudy and cool day caused us to bundle up in coats, we enjoyed a short walk around the streets of the city, venturing down to Monument Circle.


The streets were bustling with crowds and activity, due to the Saturday afternoon's Circle City Classic football game and tomorrow's ensuing Colts home game. Scott commented that his last trip here to see the Colts wasn't nearly as crowded. The kids opted to spend their evening playing games in the hotel room (we stayed at the Omni Severin) while Scott and I took an evening walk.

We ate dinner at Buca's, a fun Italian eatery where "Family Style Portions" means tons of food. Hey, we'll eat the leftovers after we get back home tomorrow night!

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