Spring Break Day 3

Joe and I made the 5 hour drive from Vegas to San Diego this morning. I had this really weird experience with California traffic. It's as if I were expecting to just drive straight up to the cruise ship. I didn't factor in all the towns, freeways, and cars along the way. I had to pull over and make Joe drive because I was having so much anxiety -- but that just made things WORSE! He was tailgating people at 90 MPH, and his excuse was, "That's how all Californians drive. If you leave room, people will cut into your lane." Good thing I don't get car sick. I just had to focus on the Kindle or counting all the Chili's restaurants (I think I saw 15 between Vegas and San Diego).

I have to say that I'm VERY impressed with Carnival Cruise Lines. This was my ninth cruise, but my first one with Carnival. Despite showing up without any documents (we are slackers), we were on the ship in less than 20 minutes. And another cool thing we figured out for this cruise -- you can carry on one bottle of wine person. THAT saved us probably $100!

After checking out our room and unpacking, we toured the ship, which took about 3 minutes because it was pretty tiny. Then we headed straight for trivia. Here are some of the stupid questions they asked (answers at the bottom). We probably would have won but we got there late and missed the first few questions.

1. A bear is standing in a house. All 4 sides of the house face south. What color is the bear?
2. An electric train is going westbound at 50 MPH. The wind is blowing 50 MPH to the east. What direction will the smoke from the train go?
3. A plane crashes on the border of the United States and Canada. In which country will the survivors be buried?

We met a really cool couple from Mesa, Arizona, Dan and Lissa. We had dinner with them every night and hung out with them a couple other times on the cruise. Lissa got 2nd place in the ship's slot tournament. And on the second day, Dan and Lissa got engaged! It was really fun to share that with them. We're going to stay in touch through Facebook.

The food was really good on the ship. I had seafood every night. But the best part was DESSERT. I had the same dessert every night on the ship, and guess what it was? A cheese plate! It was amazing!! It was an assortment of cheeses like Port Salut, Brie, Gouda, Imported Swiss, and Danish Bleu. Best thing I ate all week.

After dinner we hung out in the Casino. I just kept losing all the money Joe won (just like in Vegas). We ended up about even after the whole trip. The ship had one of those cool new dealer-less card-less poker tables. It's a cool idea, but Joe didn't really like playing on it.

We checked out the dancing/singing show but it sucked, so we went to bed. Tomorrow, Ensenada...

Quiz answers:
1. White (if all 4 sides of the house are facing south, then the house must be located on the North Pole, so it's a polar bear)
2. Electric trains don't make smoke
3. Neither -- "survivors" won't be buried

Spring Break Day 2

Joe and I had all day in Vegas. We went to the strip mall, and sadly, I kept finding myself in the same stores that we have in Salt Lake -- Charlotte Russe, Nike, Bath and Body Works, etc. It was sad to realize how unoriginal and cheap I am.

We went back to the Strip to find some action. For those of you who have been to Vegas recently, you may have noticed a new hotel going up between the Bellagio and the Monte Carlo. We found out that it is going to be part of the new 67-acre CityCenter, "an intoxicating blend of culture, community, and creativity." It will have hotels, condos, casinos, shops, restaurants, etc. and it opens sometime next year. It looks really amazing and it will be fun to have something new to check out in Vegas!

We've been meaning to check out Freemont Street so we finally made it down there on this trip. Unfortunately we went during the day so we didn't get to see the amazing lights, but we DID find some cheap drinks and tables! Joe won probably $300 just by hitting "black" a bunch of times, which was a good thing cause I kept losing it all on "odd".

I used to hate gambling, but I've started to like it after a few winning-weekends in Wendover with my favorite new game, PaiGow Poker! Play it here for free. I think I won back most of what I lost in Roulette.

We went back to the Strip for dinner. I'd heard about this place in the Excaliber that I REALLY wanted to check out -- Dick's Last Resort. Their website says, "From Rug-rats to Old Farts, from High-Class to No-Class, from the Top of the Food Chain, to the Bottom of the Barrel, it’s FUN FOR ALL AND ALL IN FUN FOR THOSE WHO DARE TO ENTER! Sit back and watch, or join in the fun. Dick’s has always been known for its outrageous, surly, energetic waitstaff who inflict humor upon our guests. Our atmosphere makes everyone feel like they’re temporarily breaking all the rules…and getting away with it." Basically, I heard that they treat you like crap! But, once we got there, the wait was 2 hours and the menu looked shitty, so we ended up with Mexican again. HA I'm addicted.

Then it was off to another early (2:00 a.m.) bedtime so we could drive to San Diego in the morning!

Spring Break Day 1

St. Patrick's Day

Joe and I arrived in Vegas around 7:00 p.m. (we got a late start after a long night of drinking and one nasty hangover). We stayed at the Tropicana, which I would highly recommend for the following reasons:
1. cheap as hell
2. great location
3. mirrors on the ceiling!!!

This was my "free week" after a month of eating healthy to lose weight for the wedding, so we headed straight for Mexican food! We ended up at Gonzalez y Gonzalez at the New York New York. I have this goal to find the best chile relleno in Salt Lake, and let me just say, if this place were in Salt Lake, it would win by leaps and bounds. This chile relleno was amazing, not to mention the awesome salsa and the Dos Equis ON TAP!

We spent the rest of St. Patty's just walking up and down the Strip to check out the crazies. The Venetian dyed their river green, but it was too dark to get a good pic. There was reportedly a leprechaun wandering around letting people pick prizes from his pot of gold, but we never found him! Otherwise, the Strip was like Sodom and Gomorrah. I seriously thought I would turn to stone after I saw the people dancing nearly naked in front of Margaritaville. I like crazy, but this was even beyond me. I ended up just taking some lame pics of Strip and going to bed early (well early in Vegas means 3:00 a.m.)

Here are some of the pics I took:

The BellagioThe Paris

The MirageThe MGM

Joe LOVES getting his pic taken (The Venetian)

Check out the sweet Leprechaun tux (and the hottie wearing it)

My Favorite Things

Well everyone has been doing these "favorite things" blogs lately, so I thought I would jump on the bandwagon. Plus, it's been forever since I posted a new blog, and I don't want to lose readers, so I just went for the first idea I had ;)

Clean and Clear Oil Absorbing Sheets
My friend Stephany introduced me to these things while I was visiting her in Texas. I had seen Oil Blotter Sheets, you know the ones that are the texture of a toilet seat cover, but these Clean and Clear ones are different and so much better! They feel kind of rubbery with a fine powdery-texture all over, sort of like a dental dam (think dentist visit or safe oral sex). You would never think these things absorb oil, but MAN, do they! In fact, by the time you are done blotting your whole face, the thing will be see-through with all the oil it collects! It sounds gross, I know, but wouldn't you rather that oil be sitting in your trash can that on your face?





Bath and Body Works Instant Aromatherapy Oils
I had a coupon for a free body care item with any $10 purchase -- you know the ones -- so I picked up two of these the other day. They are normally $10, but are on sale for $5 this week. The bottles are cute and compact, and you just roll a bit on whenever you need a pick-me-up! I bought Headache Relieve (peppermint and geranium oil) and Optimism (jasmine and tuberose) and they are awesome! It might just be a placebo effect, but I swear they make me happier. They also have ones for Cold and Flu, Energy Boost, Sleep Sound, and Stress Relief.



Amazon Kindle
OK, OK, so it's not new. But I LOVE IT MORE THAN ANYTHING, so I'm going to make a shameless plug for it. I figure the more people who own Kindles, the more demand for electronic books, and the more choice I will have. So if you haven't seen mine: it's an electronic book reader, holds up to 200 books in just 10 ounces, comes with wireless network coverage so you can download a new book whenever you want, and uses eInk technology so there is virtually NO eye strain like on a laptop or PDA. New releases and best sellers are just $9.99, and most older books are cheaper. I can't tell you how much money this thing has saved me in the last year! Instead of $200 Barnes and Noble binges, I just download a couple cheap books, and put the rest in the wedding fund. It has paid for itself many times over. It's a must-have for any serious reader.



DecalGirl
This follows nicely after the Kindle rant...I recently bought matching skins for all my electronic devices: Kindle, BlackBerry, Zune, and laptop. What is it about girls that we just have to have everything matching? And the coolest thing is that they all come with a code so you can download a matching background!!



Today's DOD (Deal of the Day)
You've heard me talk about Whiskey Militia and Steep and Cheap. Then came Woot and Shnoop. Now, find those and dozens of other discount websites all in one convenient place! Check out my most recent purchase -- the Infinite Dress!

Botox
I know, I know, I'm shallow. I only did it because I'm getting married in October, and I don't want a frown line in every picture for all eternity. But shallow or not, this shit is AWESOME! Not only is my frown line gone, but my forehead DOES NOT SWEAT. It's amazing. Maybe I'll get some in my armpits next...


Private Practice
I've been watching this show for a couple seasons, but I just recently figured out why I love it so much more than the other stupid shoes I watch (namely, The Bachelor). Every episode presents an ethical dilemma, and the doctors all argue for or against their position. For example, one recent episode was about parents who don't immunize their kids because they think it causes autism (which is NOT true by the way) and the consequences it can have for their own families and for the community at large. But the show doesn't just take one position -- it always present all sides of the issue, so I could actually empathize with the mom who REALLY BELIEVED that her son got autism from his MMR shot (even though she's wrong and stupid).


Joe
I just have to tell everyone that he cleaned our whole condo for the Superbowl Party while I was at work on Saturday. He didn't just pick up -- he vacuumed, did the dishes, and EVEN CLEANED THE BATHROOM. He is amazing and I can't wait to be married to him.

Proud to be a Ute

What a lovely school song we have:

Utah Man

VERSE

I am a Utah man, sir, and I live across the green.
Our gang, it is the jolliest that you have ever seen.
Our coeds are the fairest and each one's a shining star.
Our yell, you hear it ringing through the mountains near and far.

CHORUS
Who am I, sir? A Utah man am I

A Utah man, sir, and will be till I die; Ki! Yi!

We're up to snuff; we never bluff,
We're game for any fuss,
No other gang of college men
dare meet us in the MUSS.
So fill your lungs and sing it out and
shout it to the sky,
We'll fight for dear old Crimson,
for a Utah man am I.

VERSE
And when we prom the avenue, all lined up in a row,
And arm in arm and step in time as down the street we go.
No matter if a freshman green, or in a senior's gown,
The people all admit we are the warmest gang in town.

CHORUS

VERSE
We may not live forever on this jolly good old sphere,
But while we do we'll live a life of merriment and cheer,
And when our college days are o'er and night is drawing nigh,
With parting breath we'll sing that song:
"A Utah Man Am I".

CHORUS

Adventures in a West Valley tire store

While sitting at Les Schwab last Saturday (my tire blew -- thanks for the awesome plowing last weekend, UDoT), I had the opportunity to step out of my role as a DCFS caseworker and observe the way my clients likely act when the State isn't watching.

This beautiful blonde 4-year-old walked in, followed by her toothless dad in Wranglers and her hillbilly grandparents. The first thing she saw was the candy machine, and she immediately began asking her three loving caregivers for a quarter. They were too busy looking at tires to answer her (even with a "no") so she kept asking louder and louder until her grandmother finally turned around -- probably to smack her and tell her shutup -- but she just ended up spilling her coffee all over the floor instead. And then, grandma had the nerve to yell at the cutie pie, like it was her fault that grandma can't hold a damn coffee mug.

So the little girl gave up (wouldn't you?) and came over to ask me what I was doing. Talk about poor boundaries. We made small talk for a minute about my shoes and what she got for Christmas, but it didn't take long for her to get to the heart of the matter: "Do you have a quarter?" she asks.

Of COURSE I had a quarter for this cutie! She wasn't asking for a dollar for the vending machine like most kids would. She wasn't running in circles all over the store like most kids would. She didn't even throw a tantrum when her grandparents said "no" like most kids would.

But before I could even say, "Let's ask your grandpa," he was already yelling at her: "No, you can't have a quarter! Didn't we already tell you no?! If you ask for one more thing, I'm going to lock you up in the truck and leave you there for a couple hours until we're done here!"

No he didn't. I almost pulled out my badge and removed her right there. And the worst part is, I got the feeling he only said that to put on a show for me, like he was some big tough guy who takes care of business. I thought about "accidentally" leaving a quarter for her on the floor when I left, but I was afraid they would smack her around for stealing if they found her with it.

I don't really know what the moral of the story is. I guess just don't let me see you talk to your kids like that or I might slash your brand new tires.

For all you non-believers

Yes, my family really DOES act out the Christmas nativity from the Bible every year. Here is physical evidence.

This is a video of the video from 2002. You can hear us in the background (in 2008) making fun of ourselves.

Narrator = grandpa
Mary = Devyn (sister)
Joseph = Cory (uncle)
baby Jesus = a doll
shepherds = Sondra (aunt), me, Tyson (brother)
angels = Kristyn (cousin), grandma
wise men = mom, Jessica (cousin), Cayden (brother)
camera man = dad

This is a short clip from this year's nativity. My cousin's boyfriend didn't know how to work my phone so he didn't quite get the whole thing.

sheep with rug on his head = Cayden (brother)
wise man in blue robe = Joe
wise woman on Joe's left = me
narrator = Devyn (sister)
Mary and Joseph = my grandparents

Here is another silly tradition -- the pinata -- also from 2002.

Worst Xmas Present Ever

We do the Secret-Santa thing at work -- we each draw a name so we only have to buy one present instead of ten. It works really well, unless you get a present like a got.

I won't mention any names here to protect the innocent.

I opened my envelope to find a gift card to Rock Bottom Restaurant and Brewery. I had never heard of it but my co-worker told me it was downtown; she had eaten there before. I went home, excited to tell Joe that there was a great new place in town for us to try. We looked up their website to find the address, and low and behold, there are no locations in Utah. We thought: "Maybe it's BRAND new and not on their map yet."

I explained the dilemma to my co-worker the next day, hoping she could tell me exactly where it was. All she could come up with was, "I know there is one here! I ate there two years ago!" She looked online and found Rockbottom in Midvale, but for those of you have been to this dive bar, you know it's no restaurant and brewery.

Long story short, she got Rock Bottom confused with Red Rock! She bought it at Smith's, a national grocery chain that sells gift cards to places that aren't necessarily in SLC. She saw "beer" and "food" and knew I would love it.

I'm sure there will be a happy ending to this story at some point. There are tons of locations in Colorado, so Joe and I will try to use in when we go there in March. Or, I might try to exchange it at Smith's for a different restaurant. So E., thanks for the card, and thanks for a funny story!!

The Economy

As many of you may already know, Steepandcheap.com and Whiskeymilitia.com are two of the best shopping sites around. Not only are their prices dirt cheap (usually upwards of 50% off), but their warehouse is here in Salt Lake, so you can pick things up and avoid a shipping fee. Well, not anymore. I got this email today:

We just wanted you to know that we'll no longer offer the option to pick up orders at our warehouse. If you have any orders still waiting to be picked up, you can come and get them, but from now on, we will only ship orders.

It's a bummer, we know, but it's what we have to do to keep the deals great. The good thing is that no matter which shipping option you choose, if you live the area, you'll usually get your order within a day or so.

Thanks for understanding.
Whiskey Militia

Can someone please explain to me how this will "keep the deals great"? If anything, it should be cheaper to pay one guy to stand at the counter all day and walkie-talkie to the back that I'm here to pick up my hoodie, rather than pay the $7 to ship it and lose $2 since they only charge $5 for shipping. Then multiply that $2 by the 500 hoodies they ship every day. And what if I buy a snowboard? I think it's still just $5 shipping, so now they are losing like $50 on shipping. Retards.

I guess I'm done shopping there since I'm not a boarder/skier/skater and the only reason I was shopping there was the deals. This is lame.

Excuses, excuses

Everyone makes mistakes. It's part of life. I'm all about "forgive and forget," but it really gets to me when people can't accept responsibility for their mistakes. See, for example, the allergy tech who messed up my face in October. How am I supposed to forgive you if you don't admit you did something wrong in the first place? No one likes to admit they are wrong, I get that. I HATE admitting when I'm wrong, especially to Joe. But sometimes you just have to suck it up and take the blame.

So this is why I was so annoyed to read this news story. It states, "People late for school or work because of New York City subway delays can get notes from the transit agency to give to their teachers or bosses." OK, I can see that this might be a legitimate excuse on occasion, but then I read how many notes they send out each year: 34,000!!! And this is not just a simple form letter, you see: "Each letter shows the subway line taken and the durations of the trip and the delay." And to waste even more time, "NYC Transit is working on an online system so it can accept Internet requests and e-mail the excuse letters."

Please stop wasting our tax dollars on this program. If you're late to work or school, that's your own damn fault. Leave an hour earlier. Buy a car or carpool. Get a different job. Or, keep being late if you must, but know that it's all on you. I'm late every damn day, and you don't see me blaming the traffic, the weather, or my alarm clock. I'm late cause I SLEEP IN. But when I need to be on time for something, I'm a big enough girl to make it happen.