Christmas Joy

It's been a tough year for me this year but when I see photos like this it just makes things a little better. My daughter and my great grandson...her first grand baby. Love these two, thanks Vickey for making me smile.

Casa de Shenandoah

What a fun day today with the gang at Cora Coleman, we had a very special tour today of "Mr. Las Vegas" ranch. Oh and did you happen to catch my photo with him ....AGAIN? He came to one of our parties 2 years ago and his wife took a photo of him and I. Fantastic tour and yes ...he and his wife were really there to say hello to us. The tour was a 3 hour tour and believe me I could have stayed so much longer there was so much to see. Just walking outside around the grounds to see his horses and exotic animals was just breathtaking and peaceful. I can't say enough good things about this day, the tour was great but the friends I was with really helped to. There were a total of 22 of us and what a ball we had during the tour and then all out to lunch. It's just one of these days I will smile about every time I think about it. We invited Wayne to come to our Christmas Party that is next week and he said he was going to really try to stop by. How lucky are we? I love my job.

Neon Museum

If you haven't gone to the Las Vegas Neon Museum yet you should and seeing it after dark well it's pretty cool. This weekend I was treated to the tour of 150 of the coolest, oldest signs that told a pretty awesome story of our special town of Las Vegas. It's just up the street from the downtown area and the tour is only an hour, I know it's the holiday season and all but if you have that extra hour especially if you have guests coming from the holidays it would be be a pretty special trip for everyone. You have to make an appointment in advance the tours fill up fast and it would be a shame if you got there and they were sold out.

Yee Haw...Cowboys everywhere

It's that time again for the whole town to be filled with Cowboys, music and SHOPPING. Yesterday I spent the day at the Mandalay Bay for the annual Cowboy Marketplace,In my opinion truly the best shopping of the 3 venues, there is the Cowboy Christmas event at the Las Vegas Convention Center and also the Stetson Event at the Sands Expo. Im sure you will find something you love at any of these events, it's a fun free day out...that is if you can resist pulling out your credit card. Have fun, stay warm and safe where ever you spend it today.

Dance, Dance, Dance

Well yesterday ended our five days of fun at the Dance Explosion 2015 at the Westgate Hotel. Every day was packed full of dance classes, music playing all day, dancing and laughing with good friends.
2 of the 5 days the dancers were able to take part of a huge flash mob in the lobby....with more than 1400 dancers we pretty much owed that hotel.
Friday night we were offered tickets to a special showing of the Prince Tribute show and so Ronna and I took them up on the offer. The show was great! the music was great and so much fun, this guy gets the entire crowd up on their feet dancing...as if we hadn't already danced 8 hours that day LOL.
I am already looking forward to next year's explosion, if you love music and line dancing you gotta go.

The event starts at 9 am everyday and if you are a die hard the parties go on until the wee hours of the morning. They have thought of pretty much everything...on Sunday morning they have a Sunday service with minister that does about a 3 minute mini sermon and then everybody learns a line dance to a gospel song, then another little sermon and more dancing... and it goes on like this for a full hour, it was quite beautiful to see everyone connecting.

 Winding down with a nice glass of wine makes for a perfect week!

Dance Explosion

Day 1 of 5

Ronna and Me just before the dancing begins

 Yesterday kicked off the 5 day 5 night Line Dance Explosion. With over 1,400 dancers that signed up it IS EXPLOSIVE. What a fun first day. Dancers from all over the world, Asia, Iceland, England, Ireland ...well it is apparent that we are all the same all over the world. Line dancing is a big big connection for all of us, and it feels so good just to be out dancing with so many from all over the world especially in lieu of what is going on in Paris and other countries.
Here we go Day 2 ..dance, dance, dance.

Gisele being her crazy fun self

Gisele and Sandy...the two who got me into this fun mess.

BBF.s ...really still great friends after all these years

I had two of my best friends visit from California this weekend, I have known them both for 45 plus years. We have been through pretty much everything together...our first of just about everything you can think of ... first boyfriends, jobs, marriages, kids and yes divorces and we have stayed true friends all these years, we can just pick up right where we left off. Had such a fun great weekend from brunching, bingo, The Jersey Boys, drinking, laughing and lots and lots of jewelry making. Thanks you guys for another fantastic weekend ...can't wait to meet up in San Diego next ....I feel a concert coming on soon.

California Dreamin

Another great weekend in California, had a relaxing, fun, beautiful weekend with friends this weekend, rooms right on the beach in Ventura...gotta love it. Up at sunrise every day for my 3 mile walk..quiet and beautiful on this private beach ...sigh.

My son has 2 Irish Wolfhounds...puppies The one on the right is only 10 months old and the one on the left is 15 months old. They are GIANT but so nice, my son is in a training program with them to be therapy dogs and will soon be helping by going to the VA to help Veterans and hospitals to help patients...perfect dogs for the cause.

35 years of friendship...how lucky am I?

So much fun this past weekend with my friends from California. Friends for over 35 years and still going strong ....not many can say that but we can. Thanks so much you guys for a fun fun weekend, we sure did a lot in such a short time. Who knew back then a little company called Edwards Healthcare that grew into a Global company known as Baxter Healthcare could bring such great lasting friendships...I am lucky.
Shopping, drinking, eating, pickle ball, movies and Las Vegas shows ....did I say drinking? whew!! so much fun with these girls.

OOps ....she did it again

 Spent a few days in California and went on a tattooing bonding day with my son, he got the Family tattoo that I got in June and I got my finger tattooed....I'm just saying...finger tattoos hurt like hell. Glad it's done Ryan did a fantastic job and I love it

Adele 25

Next month finally after 3 years a  new CD from Adele ...she is better than ever.

My littlest Pumpkin

My Great Grandson Caleb had a rough day looking for the perfect pumpkin for his very first Halloween...looks like he got the best one

Bad Boys Bad Boys...

Fun day out yesterday when my good friend Ronna invited me to go with her to watch the K9 competition at the Orleans Arena. The dogs and trainers came from all over the world and were put through some pretty difficult tasks. Of course Las Vegas won the Top Dog award, I mean really who else could win that award. This is an annual event that is open and free to the public, can't wait to go back next year and see some of the events I missed this year. Thanks Ronna for thinking of me...great fun yesterday.

The dogs are working on command, first they see the "perp" police talk for the bad guy...they go after him until his trainer calls him off. Then he sees a fight and sees his trainer being assaulted and goes for the bad guy. Last he is to go after the bad guy with the gun but stop just before on command of his trainer. So much fun and beautiful dogs.

Question: Whats the Difference between SWAT and K9? K9 doesn't negotiate.

Should I? 

Promises Matter

What a fantastic month.... the day after my sister and cousin left my really good friends from Saudi Arabia arrive. I lived in Riyadh Saudi Arabia for 8 years and during my time there I met Susanna and Yosef, Susanna and I were/are like sisters, we spent nearly every day together and when I left the Kingdom Yosef promised he would  make sure that Susanna and I would always stay in touch. He is a man of his word...they came to Vegas about 10 years ago to visit me and now again with this trip. In between visits we stay in touch via Skype, Whatsup and Facebook. It seems like we have never been apart. 

We crammed in as much as we could in this trip. Yosef wanted to go to the Pawn Stars Shop since he loves that show... Susanna brought her sister Jeane with her and the girls wanted to go to the Las Vegas Design Market and boy that place is beautiful & huge and across from The Smith Center. Susanna owns a boutique in Saudi and was looking for some funky things to go into the shop. We also went to the Shelby Car Museum ...that was cool to see all the vintage American cars. Of course there was the Yardhouse for lunch at the Linq and I got up enough nerve to go on the High Roller.

The last night they were here we took in a really really bad show but still had a great time. It was the best visit ever and I miss them already. Thanks Yosef for keeping your promises, you are the best!

Shelby Car Museum

Family Fun

Last week my sister from Portland Oregon and my cousin from Spokane Washington flew in to celebrate my birthday with me. First things first...I needed to get my tattoo touched up and my sister wanted to get a family tattoo with a feather, so happy I did...it looks so much better and love the color on hers. Then off to Tobey Keith's Bar and Grill for the best Chopped BBQ chicken salad ever, and of course we had to do the photo thing at the LINQ, what a crack up. We taught our cousin how to bead a bracelet and to knit. Took a day out to go to Boulder City for some antiquing So much fun to have them with me this year... Thanks you two for everything.

Camp Silver Pines

Camp photos taken by Mary Knight ...Thanks my friend.

Just home from my annual trip to Mt. Charleston at Camp Silver Pines. I swear every year it just gets better and better. This year we had 75 people that enjoyed the fresh air and 3 days of solid fun, friends and all the beauty that the camp has to offer. I taught 3 classes and I want to thank everyone of my students for providing loads of laughs and awesome projects that  you completed.

There was so much to do every day, cooking classes, craft classes, archery classes, hikes, high ropes and low rope activities, jam making, pickle ball, line dancing, hula show and dance classes, yoga workshops, daily stretch and tone classes, guest speaker Mark Hall Patton from the show The Pawn Stars and if that wasn't enough one night we had Country Singer Chris Heers and Terry Green come up and entertained us with a great show and had everyone was up line dancing. The following night we had the pleasure of the songs of Johnny Cash from the Johnny Cash band, close your eyes and you would swear it was Johnny and June Carter singing ...heck eyes open you might believe it too.

Bottom line??....the weather was beautiful and what a great 3 day event, can't wait till next year.

Chris Heers & Terri Green- Music available on iTunes and Amazon

Johnny Cash Band

Clint Holmes ...go see his show

What a wonderful evening I had last weekend when some very kind and generous  friends Invited me to spend a  relaxing evening with them for dinner at Capitol Grill and then to see The Clint Holmes show at the Smith Center Cabaret and Jazz Theater. My first time for both. The dinner was so delicious and the restaurant is absolutely beautiful- I haven't been out to a meal like that in ....well forever. Beautiful white linens, crystal, china and sterling and to top everything off our table was one that overlooks the Strip. Then off to the Smith Center, I have been to the Reynolds theater many times to see the Broadway shows but this was my first time to the Cabaret & Jazz Theater. The show was amazing and not a bad seat in the house but then of course Steve got us front row seats. Clint's voice is a smooth as they come and he is such a great entertainer. This show his theme was James Taylor and so he sang only songs from James Taylor, WOW! I can't wait to go back to see more...thank you so much Betty and Steve, It was the best night out I have had in a long long time.

Lunch with Friends ...what could be better?

How is it that days pass by so fast? Are we really that busy? It seems like forever since I spent time with these guys. So glad we finally found a day that worked for us all, lunch was yummy and catching up so much fun thanks everyone, we will do it again soon.

Hot August Nights Indeed

Yes we expect to have hot weather in Las Vegas but the last week has not only been hot but so humid as well. Lucky I live only a block away from the Hollywood aquatic center so when my daughter, son in law and grandson wanted to cool off we knew just the place to go. 2 big slides, a lazy river and lots of places to sit/lay to relax.

a few hours cooling off and then home to change to go for dinner at the Eastside Cannery and to see the King Of The Cage MMA event...whew! exciting, none of us had ever seen a fight or anything like it and was surprised at how much we enjoyed it. Thanks Kori,Jonathan and Kaleb for the fun visit and all the hard work you did while your were here.

Happy 4th

This weekend my son's family came to visit and so we decided to take Kaitlyn to the Discovery Children's Museum. We had a few things to do in the morning on the 4th of July so it wasn't until the late afternoon until we got started, that turned out to be the perfect time. The fact that it was a holiday and and late in the afternoon made the trip there a perfect one...meaning not a million kids trying to do and see the same things at the same time. We all enjoyed the day especially Kaitlyn with all the climbing and hands on things for kids to do there, I highly recommend this place if you have kids under I would say 10.

Oh ....The Tattoo???

The tattoo was an idea I had to keep us all connected, so many blended families loose touch after one parent passes and I didn't want that to happen and I know Greg wouldn't want that either. So the idea is that we are all getting the same tattoo, so far Vickey and I got them while I was in Hawaii. Greg was a Vietnam Vet and was awarded the Purple Heart so in honor of the solider, man, father, brother,son, friend and husband he was ...this is for you Greg, our family will stand strong together forever - we love you and miss you.

Vickey's foot/ my wrist

It was a beautiful but bittersweet trip saying goodbye was so difficult and I am so thankful I have all these kids to share all our memories, laughter and tears with.Thank you guy guys for everything.
L-R Front: Vickey, Ashley, William, Julie R-L Back: Ben, Oliver, Reese, Caleb, Ena &Me.

Vickey & Ben- Greg would love this picture

I used to love going to the swap meet when I lived in California so when the kids asked what I wanted to do I jumped on it and said I want to go to the swap meet. Very fun day spent with Vickey, Oliver, Ben and Julie.

Oliver and I, Yikes he is so tall now

Here is Julie and I trying to act like we knew what we were doing in the yarn shop we went to after the swap meet on our way to pick up some Manapua for lunch ...yum- the best ever

One Lucky girl

So proud of all my Grandsons and now I have a  Great Grandson. These are some of the nicest most respectful young men you would ever meet ...how lucky am I? So glad I got so much time to hang out with you boys.
L-R William, Oliver, Me, Caleb, Reese(Caleb's Daddy)

Caleb is so sweet...look at that little smile even when he is sleeping...must be thinking of his mama.