Summer Sunset

I love Summer!
Tonight Karli and I were sitting on the porch admiring the pale pink sky when all of a sudden it started to glow a firey fuschia color. We quickly ran inside and grabbed the camera and rushed back outside to snap some sunset shots.

Karli was a good sport as usual and let me take her picture even though she said she didn't look very good....what?

Vegas Oracle Style

A couple of weeks ago Pat and I made another trip to Vegas, this time compliments of Oracle. Every June Pat has a week long convention in Las Vegas... he hates it ... we love it! I wonder if it has anything to do with the fact that he has to work all day, and go to business dinners at night, while we get to play:) The convention is held at the Mandalay Bay hotel but Oracle employees also stay at the Luxor and MGM.
Last year Pat and I went alone and stayed in the new tower at Mandalay Bay and loved it, so this year when I found out we were at the MGM I have to admit I was a little disappointed. My disappointment quickly turned to excitement however when Pat called the first day he was there and told me that we weren't in the MGM after all but in the new MGM Signature Towers. Justin, Karli, Jake & I left early the next morning and after 6 fun filled hours on the road belting out some of our favorite tunes on Justin's ipod, and a quick stop for lunch in St. George at In-N-Out we finally arrived in sin city.
Here is what awaited us....

Our Hotel

The Kitchen

Dining AreaLiving RoomMaster BedroomMaster Bathroom
View of the pool from our balcony

When we stepped out onto our balcony we saw the hotel pool below complete with a lazy river that seemed to be calling our names... after all it was a 108 degrees here and somewhere in the 60's back home. We quickly threw on our suits and soon we were (as Jake would say) chillaxin by this incredible pool.

The float tube cost 16.00 a day to rent so instead of turning ours in when we were done I found some kids that didn't have one and gave them ours. They were so excited!! All three of them got a huge smile on their faces and jumped on it at the same time. As they floated away laughing and giggling it made me smile...I don't know who was happier them or me.

That night we got cleaned up and walked down the strip to get a bite to eat. After dinner we had plans to meet up with my neice Heather and her husband Shaun who happened to be in town. They were going to meet us at the Hawaiian marketplace so shaun and Justin could entertain us with some outdoor Karaoke. Unfortunately Heather got sick during dinner and they weren't able to meet us so we walked down to the Bellagio to be entertained by the dancing waters instead.

The next day we hung out at the pool and also went on the Roller coaster at New York New York.
With heights of 205 feet, drops of 144 feet and speeds of up to 67 mph it was a lot of fun but one rough ride! We laughed & squealed as we sped along its twists and turns and upside down whoopdee loops:)
Ashley flew down that night after work to join in the fun. Since it was late and we were all pretty tired we spent the rest of the night just hanging out in our room.

The next day found us at the pool again and then later in the day we went to Fashion Show Mall minus Karli and Jake (they hate to shop!) That night we drove out to Henderson and ate at the Cheesecake Factory for dinner. It's worth the 15 minute drive out to the suburbs where it is more family friendly and you dont have to fight the crowds at the Forum Shops where the wait is at least an hour.



After dinner we found a Ben & Jerry's and stopped for icecream, what were we thinking?!


Pat worked hard the whole time preparing for the presentation that he had to give on the last day of the convention. Even though he only gets to see us a few hours a day he still loves having us there with him. What can I say... he's a stud!

Our plan was to leave Vegas Friday afternoon and drive to my parents condo in St. George where we could spend the weekend celebrating Fathers day and Pat would finally get a little R & R. Sadly I got the news while I was in Vegas that my Mom's younger sister, my cute Aunt Shirley had passed away. Shirley was my Aunt that lived in Mesa Arizona and would host our annual Thanksgiving dinners every year at her home. This wasn't just a one day event it was 4 days of food, family, & fun fun fun!!! I loved her so much I just couldn't miss her funeral, so when my family left for St. George I hopped on a plane and flew to Phoenix.


Shockingly they still had fun without me:)

Here is how they entertained themselves on the drive back to St George.

"Jake, KFC called they want their chicken legs back!" :)

"Justin, Frodo called he wants his feet back" :)

"Karli, China called they want their rice back!"
(Karli is a picky eater and sometimes it

seems like all she eats is rice:)

Karli got Ashley back though and it was hilarious, a little personal but funny none the less! That didn't stop Ashley and she was right back at her with a little spin off of Karli's comment. Ha ha ha...who doesn't love a good road trip... they are the best!

So long Spring

So long Spring... Helloooooo Summer!

Five Stars for Five Guys!

FIVE GUYS IS HERE!

I found this little gem of an eating establishment almost 3 years ago. Here's how it happened.... My Dad was invited to a World War II reunion in Washington DC along with the other men from his squadron. My siblings and I thought it would be fun to go back and enjoy this awesome experience with him, so along with all our spouses we did just that. We spent five days together sightseeing and enjoying each others company in that beautiful historic city. A few days into our trip I turned 45 along with my twin sister Linda, so we decided to plan a little birthday celebration. We rented a limo to take us to dinner and then on to tour some of the monuments at night. Our limo driver was a little late picking us up so we asked him if he knew of a good burger joint where we could go for a quick bite to eat. He got a big smile on his face and said "I know just the place" and then he drove us to 5 guys. We all loved it!!!! We had no idea that this was a chain back East, we just thought it was a little hole in the wall restaurant and the only one of it's kind. It wasn't until Pat, Justin and Jake went on their trip back East last Summer that I found out we were wrong about that. They ate at a Five guys in Philadelphia, on the outer banks in North Carolina, and Atlanta Georgia.
Now not only were Pat and I big fans, but Jake and Justin were as well, and they have been anxiously awaiting the day they would come to town. So when Linda told me this morning that today was that day, we all made a mad dash to Five Guys! Oh how I love a good burger and fries... now if only they were good for you.

If you share my love of a good hamburger then I suggest you get your buns there (pun intended) and see for yourself how good this place really is! Here are a few things you should know before you go...
If you dont want a double patty then order the little burger, anything else comes double.
Don't be fooled by the french fries they are better than they look!
If you make your own fry sauce they will come and take a picture of you and your homemade concoction to send to corporate! ha ha ha

Grand Opening

Utah's first Five Guys

Below are some of the photos from our September 2005 DC trip....so fun!

Limo ride to Five Guys and our night tour of the monuments seen below

Lincoln Monument

Jefferson Monument

Vietnam Memorial

Theodore Roosevelt Monument

Happy Birthday to me and my twin!

My Dad the World War II Pilot wearing his cute aviation cap

The whole family at the World War II Memorial

I know... I'm tricky:)

Thousand Dollar Day

I spent a thousand dollars today and I didn't even get to enjoy it! You know what I'm talking about.... when you have to spend money on something that you weren't planning on buying but have to buy it anyway.  Now I know I should look on the bright side and be happy... after all it could have been worse, but for some silly reason I'm not happy about it!

Here is what I HAD to spend my money on today.

New rear brake pads, resurfaced front 

brake pads, oil change & tires rotated $271.99

New motor for the upstairs air conditioner. I guess I need to be grateful for the below average temperatures we have had so far this Summer, since this is the air conditioner that keeps us cool while we sleep.  The few hot nights we did have a couple of weeks ago reminded me that this needed to be fixed! asap

New motor = $808.00

Grand Total in under an hour  $1079.99

I hope this isn't a new Summer tradition!  Last June in just a matter of two weeks I had the appliances shown below go out on me as well.

Washing machine died and I had to get a new one. Call me crazy but I hate dirty clothes!

After having my dishwasher fixed a couple of times and then washing the dishes by hand for 2 months, I finally broke down and bought a new one. It was either that or eat out for the rest of our lives.  I'm starting to second guess my decision.

My vacuum wouldn't work and had to be fixed. This drove me crazy after a few days. I looooove my vacuum! 

The air conditioner on the main level had to be repaired. Thank goodness it didn't need a new motor!

As much as I complain about spending money on appliances, I would absolutely hate to live without them! So I guess I should quit my whining.... but just look at what I could have bought myself today instead :)

This awesome anniversary ring that I found at a high end jewelry store last year, and then recently found it on Overstock for about half the price. 

Two tickets to New York along with a couple of tickets to a broadway play

Some really cute clothes from Anthropologie

Two tickets to my favorite place in the world ....Maui!

Three nights at the Grand Wailea.... Woo Hoo!

Cute clothes from J. Crew!

Wahhhhhhhhhhhhh