Happy Halloween!

Las Vegas

My dad came for a visit and we decided to take the 5 hour drive to Las Vegas to try our luck! We started off HOT! Here's Dad trying his luck at the MGM on some Wheel of Fortune (our favorite slot machine).

Dad and I with the wonderful Tropicana in the background (haha). We went to see Love at the Mirage followed by a classic Vegas buffet. We seemed to lose our luck gambling after the show.

Finished the weekend with a champagne brunch. Cheers! We were happy to make back our money and came out pretty even all in all.

We made a stop at the Hoover Dam on the trip back to Phoenix. The water seemed very low. You can see the white rock behind us where the water if usually up to. We took the long route and drove through Flagstaff before getting back to Phoenix.

Arizona State Fair

The Arizona State Fair wasn't quite as top notch as the Texas State Fair, but they did have jumbo corndogs! Yum!

Trail Ride at Superstition Mountains

Alyson arrived in Phoenix without difficulty. Our first activity planned for the weekend was a trail ride. When we arrived at the OK Corral, Alyson was first most excited that Bess the barn cat was waiting to greet us. The cat lady was in full swing chasing Bess around the yard and shouting to take her picture. The ride took us around the desert (because everything is a desert here) near the Superstition Mountains. This is the view I had from Whiskey, my horse, of the trail ride and the most well known part of the Superstition Mountains. It was very beautiful and a nice cool morning in the low 70s at 8am. This was my view from behind. Alyson riding Poco, who was a little slow. And my friend Lauren behind her on Love. Love kept biting Poco because he was going to slow. It was a great time and I'm still sore a day later to help me remember. As a side note: I don't remember being this sore when I rode every summer as a kid.

Alyson's Coming!

We're getting ready for Alyson's visit. Elsie was helping me do laundry so Alyson would have clean sheets and towels for the weekend. Elsie has a passion for hot towels. I turned away and she climbed in the dryer when I wasn't watching. What a happy girl! Stay tuned for pictures from Alyson's visit.

Coyotes Hockey

Here is the traveling crew at the Coyotes hockey game. Going from left to right: Me to start, Lauren (works with me and is from Delaware), Meghan (from WI, works transplant), and Shawn (from MO, works Medical/Surgical ICU). Meghan's roommate works for the Coyotes and got us free tickets! Wayne Gretzky is the coach for the Coyotes. That's the best picture I have of the great one. We were 6 rows up from the ice. Here are the Coyotes themselves. They beat the St. Louis Blues in the end. There were a couple good fights and we had a great time! Wish the game could have gone on longer!

Texas Alumni Weekend

It's that time of year again when an ostrich, a penguin, and a quail must get together. I went to Austin for the weekend to enjoy UT Alumni Weekend. I think we are all much cuter now than any of our composite photos! Trust me...we checked!

We started with some Trudy's margaritas (and dinner too) and then hit 6th Street for a night on the town. That's right everyone...we got the party started on the dance floor!

We had fun without even showing our goodies! Let me tell you...wearing a red shirt on 6th Street will get you lots of attention. Who knew? We had some burgers at Players and stayed to watch the game on Saturday. We had to get milkshakes at halftime to try and cheer ourselves up. It didn't help, as the Longhorns lost the game. We went out for some great Texas barbecue to drown our sorrows. We finished the weekend with a walk down memory lane at the Alpha Xi Delta house. We actually made it to the sorority brunch this year. It was great to be in the house again and visit with everyone. We made one last stop at the Co-op before heading to the airport. It was a great weekend and I can't wait to go again next year! Val & Kathryn thanks for all the fun! Kellyn & Allison you better come next year!