On Friday, we decided to use the new monorail. We got on at MGM and rode it to the Hilton, which is the second to the last stop. We ate lunch at the Hilton Buffet and then played in the Space Casino.
Next, we took the monorail back to the Imperial Palace stop and walked across the street to Cesears Palace. In the forum shops, they were having a grand opening og a new Field of Dreams store. Pete Rose was on hand to sign autographs (for a fee...) but Danny was able to say hello and shake his hand.
Then, Danny went to look at an Exotic Car display at the other end of the forum shops while Grant and I looked around the Gap and FAO Schwartz (which is way different and not nearly as cool, in my opinion, although it had some ok features.... it just felt very stripped down...) then we went and played some slots at Cesears.
When Danny finished there, he and Grant went over to Imperial Palace to check out there car collection. I have dutifully walked through that place at least twice, so I opted out this time and instead I went to the Mirage to check out the white tigers and... what else? .... play some slots.
We took the monorail back to our hotel. We were pretty tired so we just had pizza delivered to the room and watched TV.
The next morning, we packed our bags and headed on out. First, though, we went to brunch at the Paris buffet, which was really good... they had many different kinds of things, like the crepe station, for example. It was quite tasty.
On our way out of town, we stopped at state line and did some shopping at thte outlets. I got some cute clothes at Old Navy and Charlotte Ruse, and found some great deals at the Bath and Body Works (like some of the discontinued Plumeria body wash!)
We ate dinner at the Red Robin in Victorville and arrived home around 8:30.We went over to Grandma and Grandpa's house to pick up our precious sweet puppies. Belle and Kanga were very excited to see us!
Sunday, July 30, 2006
Friday, July 28, 2006
Thursday - Vegas
Ok, this is going to be a quick one! We drove out to Green Valley ranch, one of the Station Casinos, to check out there buffet. We had lunch (hmmm, we got there at 2:00 and they brought out crab legs at 2:45 for dinner! WOW! Lucky me again!
We played the slots for a bit, and then stopped at Walmart on the way back to the strip.
That evening, we walked from our hotel to the Aladdin and looked around the shops. We had dinner at Cheeseburger in Las Vegas (from the same people who opened the Cheeseburger in Lahaina) - It was quite tasty.
We walked across the street and North to Cesears Palace, where we played slots, admired the statues, and wandered through the forum shops. We crossed the street and headed back down the strip, walking through Harrah's, Imperial Palace, Barbarey Coast, and Balleys before stopping in Paris to play some more slots. Grant had a prettty lucky day and we ended up a little bit ahead.
By the time we got back to the hotel, we were beat!
We played the slots for a bit, and then stopped at Walmart on the way back to the strip.
That evening, we walked from our hotel to the Aladdin and looked around the shops. We had dinner at Cheeseburger in Las Vegas (from the same people who opened the Cheeseburger in Lahaina) - It was quite tasty.
We walked across the street and North to Cesears Palace, where we played slots, admired the statues, and wandered through the forum shops. We crossed the street and headed back down the strip, walking through Harrah's, Imperial Palace, Barbarey Coast, and Balleys before stopping in Paris to play some more slots. Grant had a prettty lucky day and we ended up a little bit ahead.
By the time we got back to the hotel, we were beat!
Thursday, July 27, 2006
Wednesday - Vegas
This morning we got a slow start - partially becasue it was so nice in our room and we wanted to enjoy it, and partially becasue there was a E! True Hollywood Story on the new Kids on the Block on tv...
Anyway, once we got going we swung by to get our Pocket Book of values. We looked through to choose which coupon to use and we opted for the Carnival World Buffet at Rio. Oh. My. God. I had forgotton how good this buffet was. I mean I remembered - but it was better then I remembered. First of all much of the design was updatd, and the food stations were nicer. The food was good with many different nations represented in a huge variety. They had the teppenyaki where you pick your veggies and they grill it for you, as well as a variety of noodle soups. The best thing was, we went in at 3:00, and by 3:30 it was offically dinner, which meant they put out a mountain of crab legs!
After lunch, we went to pick up our club cards and the people there were so nice... they changed my name on my card and gave me RIO beads! (5 of them!) Then, Grant got his own card Circus Circus. One of the coupons were for two free decks of cards at the slots of fun casino next door. First, though, we went up to the midway and won a whole bunch of stuffed animals and played some arcade games. We ended up winning 10 stuffed animals between the three of us. (between the beeds and the stuffed animals, I am set for prizes this year!)
We went over to slots of fun and I got my two free decks of cards (again, this will help my classroom on rainy days...)
After that, we drove to MGM to pick up our tickets for Mystere, the Cirque Du Soleil that Grant and I were going to see later. Right next door to MGM was the new Hooter's hotel (redone from the old San Remo). We decided to eat there - we got buffalo chicken strips, I got a bowl of clam chowder, and grant got a Mahi sandwich. Danny just had the chicken strips. It was really good, and we ended up ordering a second order of chicken strips (hot instead of medium this time.)
Our waitress was really nice. We found out that this was her last night working, and that on Friday she was flying back to Oklahoma to get married. Ah.... so sweet! She looked really happy.
After that we drove back to our hotel and ran upstairs to change clothes. Danny stayed at the hotel and enjoyed the oversized bath tub, while Grant and I went to see Mystere at treasure Island. This was my second Cirque Du Soleil as well as Grant's and we both loved it. We loved what they were able to do with the sets and ths stage because it is a permanent show. And wow... the things these guys can do with their bodies. Amazing!
After the show, we went back to our hotel and down to the Marketplace to buy some snacks.
Another really great thing about our hotel here in Vegas is the washer and dryer - becasue one of the owrst things about Vegas is the way that the Cigarette smoke just permeates your clothes - so we've done laundry every night.
Anyway, once we got going we swung by to get our Pocket Book of values. We looked through to choose which coupon to use and we opted for the Carnival World Buffet at Rio. Oh. My. God. I had forgotton how good this buffet was. I mean I remembered - but it was better then I remembered. First of all much of the design was updatd, and the food stations were nicer. The food was good with many different nations represented in a huge variety. They had the teppenyaki where you pick your veggies and they grill it for you, as well as a variety of noodle soups. The best thing was, we went in at 3:00, and by 3:30 it was offically dinner, which meant they put out a mountain of crab legs!
After lunch, we went to pick up our club cards and the people there were so nice... they changed my name on my card and gave me RIO beads! (5 of them!) Then, Grant got his own card Circus Circus. One of the coupons were for two free decks of cards at the slots of fun casino next door. First, though, we went up to the midway and won a whole bunch of stuffed animals and played some arcade games. We ended up winning 10 stuffed animals between the three of us. (between the beeds and the stuffed animals, I am set for prizes this year!)
We went over to slots of fun and I got my two free decks of cards (again, this will help my classroom on rainy days...)
After that, we drove to MGM to pick up our tickets for Mystere, the Cirque Du Soleil that Grant and I were going to see later. Right next door to MGM was the new Hooter's hotel (redone from the old San Remo). We decided to eat there - we got buffalo chicken strips, I got a bowl of clam chowder, and grant got a Mahi sandwich. Danny just had the chicken strips. It was really good, and we ended up ordering a second order of chicken strips (hot instead of medium this time.)
Our waitress was really nice. We found out that this was her last night working, and that on Friday she was flying back to Oklahoma to get married. Ah.... so sweet! She looked really happy.
After that we drove back to our hotel and ran upstairs to change clothes. Danny stayed at the hotel and enjoyed the oversized bath tub, while Grant and I went to see Mystere at treasure Island. This was my second Cirque Du Soleil as well as Grant's and we both loved it. We loved what they were able to do with the sets and ths stage because it is a permanent show. And wow... the things these guys can do with their bodies. Amazing!
After the show, we went back to our hotel and down to the Marketplace to buy some snacks.
Another really great thing about our hotel here in Vegas is the washer and dryer - becasue one of the owrst things about Vegas is the way that the Cigarette smoke just permeates your clothes - so we've done laundry every night.
Wednesday, July 26, 2006
Las Vegas
Grant, Danny, and I drove to Las Vegas last night. The traffic was clear once we got out of Orange County and we got to Vegas in about 4 and a half hours (not counting our Barstow stop for dinner at Big Boy.
We are staying at Marriott's Grand Chateau, the new Vacation Club that has opened right off the strip (literally right off... you could easliy walk to, Say, the Aladdin hotel, which is next door.) this Vacation Club has only been opened for a year so everythign is still very new.
Grant has a coworker/friend who used to work at his property and now works here. As a result, we have a room on the 30th floor with a great view. In addition, she generously had our room ready complete with a bottle of wine, a letter for us, a 25$ Mariott "poker chip" that can be used in the Market place or at the pool bar, and two tickets to a las Vegas show (Tony and Tina's Wedding.) How very thoughtful!
Ourt room is nice. This vacation club has one, two and three bedroom units. Some of the one bedroom units are lock offs, which mean they connect to more bedrooms when a bigger villa is needed, while some of the one bedrooms are stand alone, like ours. As you walk in, there is a door immediatly to the right that leads to the bathroom. the kitchen is on your left and the back of the unit is the sitting area complete with a large flat screen (plasma, I think) tv, stereo, and dvd player. A door next to the tv leads to the bedroom with a king bed, another tv, a large bath tub, and another door to connect to the bathroom (By the way, the shower has two shower heads. cool)
I went to bed at like 12:30 (Im getting old) while the boys went out to walmart to get some breakfast food and snacks. So of course, now I am up and they are sleeping, which is fine becasue it gives me the opportunity to do some reading!
We are staying at Marriott's Grand Chateau, the new Vacation Club that has opened right off the strip (literally right off... you could easliy walk to, Say, the Aladdin hotel, which is next door.) this Vacation Club has only been opened for a year so everythign is still very new.
Grant has a coworker/friend who used to work at his property and now works here. As a result, we have a room on the 30th floor with a great view. In addition, she generously had our room ready complete with a bottle of wine, a letter for us, a 25$ Mariott "poker chip" that can be used in the Market place or at the pool bar, and two tickets to a las Vegas show (Tony and Tina's Wedding.) How very thoughtful!
Ourt room is nice. This vacation club has one, two and three bedroom units. Some of the one bedroom units are lock offs, which mean they connect to more bedrooms when a bigger villa is needed, while some of the one bedrooms are stand alone, like ours. As you walk in, there is a door immediatly to the right that leads to the bathroom. the kitchen is on your left and the back of the unit is the sitting area complete with a large flat screen (plasma, I think) tv, stereo, and dvd player. A door next to the tv leads to the bedroom with a king bed, another tv, a large bath tub, and another door to connect to the bathroom (By the way, the shower has two shower heads. cool)
I went to bed at like 12:30 (Im getting old) while the boys went out to walmart to get some breakfast food and snacks. So of course, now I am up and they are sleeping, which is fine becasue it gives me the opportunity to do some reading!
Wednesday, July 12, 2006
San Diego - Wednesday
So today, we checked in to the Waterfront Marriott in San Diego. We went out to the pool, ate at the Yacht Club and then went to see Rent.
Does this feel like deja vu? Don't scroll away... this is a new post.
You see, this morning, Grant and I checked out of the Gaslamp Marriott and checked into the Waterfront Marriott 3 blocks away, so that we could experience both hotels.
The room here is nice, with balcony that looks out over the lagoon pool and the bay between us and Coronado Island.
Out on the balcony, Grant asks me, "what do you want to do tonight?"
"I don't know, what do you think? Take it easy?" I ask.
"Well," he says, "We could see Rent," while pulling out two tickets to Rent for the July 12th show.
"Wha...wha...what?"
I stare, blankly, confused... "Rent? Tonight? We just ... wha ...?"
I stutter about, and Grant watches, amused, until he fijnally decides to explain.
After he had bought our tickets for last night (Tuesday, July 11,) he went out to search for information about the new RENT tour. The website had a contest you could enter, and low and behold, Grant found out a month later that he had won... two more tickets to RENT!
So, tonight, we would get to see Rent two nights in a row. I know your jealous.
That afternoon, we went down to the Yacht Club and had lunch there overlooking the harbor, and then went out to the pool.
After showers and getting dressed, we headed out to the trolley to the Civic theater.
So this time, we were in Orchestra section, row D, towards the right center.
So cool. It's neat becasue when you are farther back, like in the balcony, you can take in the whole stage, the big picture. But when you are so close, you can really focus on details. Its a different experience.
Roger (Bryce Ryness) and Mark (Jed Resnick) were both so full of expression from closer up. Again, I loved Joanne (Chante Carmel Frierson), amazing voice, and Collins ( Warren G. Nolan Jr.) showed so much emotion tonight!
"The opposite of war isn't peace... it's creation."
Now, we're back in the hotel. We just ordered room service for dinner, and it just got here, and it smells really good, so I gots to go!
Does this feel like deja vu? Don't scroll away... this is a new post.
You see, this morning, Grant and I checked out of the Gaslamp Marriott and checked into the Waterfront Marriott 3 blocks away, so that we could experience both hotels.
The room here is nice, with balcony that looks out over the lagoon pool and the bay between us and Coronado Island.
Out on the balcony, Grant asks me, "what do you want to do tonight?"
"I don't know, what do you think? Take it easy?" I ask.
"Well," he says, "We could see Rent," while pulling out two tickets to Rent for the July 12th show.
"Wha...wha...what?"
I stare, blankly, confused... "Rent? Tonight? We just ... wha ...?"
I stutter about, and Grant watches, amused, until he fijnally decides to explain.
After he had bought our tickets for last night (Tuesday, July 11,) he went out to search for information about the new RENT tour. The website had a contest you could enter, and low and behold, Grant found out a month later that he had won... two more tickets to RENT!
So, tonight, we would get to see Rent two nights in a row. I know your jealous.
That afternoon, we went down to the Yacht Club and had lunch there overlooking the harbor, and then went out to the pool.
After showers and getting dressed, we headed out to the trolley to the Civic theater.
So this time, we were in Orchestra section, row D, towards the right center.
So cool. It's neat becasue when you are farther back, like in the balcony, you can take in the whole stage, the big picture. But when you are so close, you can really focus on details. Its a different experience.
Roger (Bryce Ryness) and Mark (Jed Resnick) were both so full of expression from closer up. Again, I loved Joanne (Chante Carmel Frierson), amazing voice, and Collins ( Warren G. Nolan Jr.) showed so much emotion tonight!
"The opposite of war isn't peace... it's creation."
Now, we're back in the hotel. We just ordered room service for dinner, and it just got here, and it smells really good, so I gots to go!
Tuesday, July 11, 2006
Grant's Birthday in San Diego
We took the train down to San Diego today to celebrate Grant's birthday. The Marriott that we are staying in tonight is in the Gaslamp District. From our window on the 19th floor, we can see Petco park Stadium, the convention center, the bay, Coronado bridge and Coronado Island. It is an amazing room.
We went to an early dinner at Cafe Sevilla, where we shared an entree and two tapas. It was very tasty. Plus, Grant told them it was our anniversery (because he didn't want them to sing Happy Birthday) and they brought us a free flan desert!
Then we walked around Horton Plaza for a bit before walking to the Civic Center to see RENT!
God, there is nothing like seeing Rent live. Hearing the first few notes, Mark's narration, and the stage lighting up in music and energy...it is just amazing!
At one point, Roger's ear mike stopped working and he had to use a handheld for a few numbers. He was so natural with it and made it blend right in.
the crowd was FULL of RENT HEADS. Lots of cheers and screaming and loud applause. It was way cool to be there. Other then New York, this was the most energetic crowd I've seen... and actually, because the theater was so much bigger, the crowd seemed almost more enthusiastic, in my opinion.
"I trust my soul, my only goal, is just to be."
We went to an early dinner at Cafe Sevilla, where we shared an entree and two tapas. It was very tasty. Plus, Grant told them it was our anniversery (because he didn't want them to sing Happy Birthday) and they brought us a free flan desert!
Then we walked around Horton Plaza for a bit before walking to the Civic Center to see RENT!
God, there is nothing like seeing Rent live. Hearing the first few notes, Mark's narration, and the stage lighting up in music and energy...it is just amazing!
At one point, Roger's ear mike stopped working and he had to use a handheld for a few numbers. He was so natural with it and made it blend right in.
the crowd was FULL of RENT HEADS. Lots of cheers and screaming and loud applause. It was way cool to be there. Other then New York, this was the most energetic crowd I've seen... and actually, because the theater was so much bigger, the crowd seemed almost more enthusiastic, in my opinion.
"I trust my soul, my only goal, is just to be."
Sunday, July 02, 2006
The end of the week
On Thursday, Grant felt much better. While he was at his training, Mom, Bobby, and I had breakfast at IHOP, and then drove down to Celebration, the Disney planned community, to see what it was like.
Celebration is beautiful - every house has beautiful architecture and landscaping. There are lots of parks and community spaces, like pools and club houses. The downtown area is cute, with places to eat and shop and a movie theater. The only thing we didn't like is how close together all of the houses were. It felt a bit claustrophobic.
Check out the Front Porch
That night, we went to the pool for a bit, and then to Cracker Barrel for dinner. I got the Chicken and Dumplins. Grant got a hamburger. (o: Bobby got ham and Mom got chicken and rice. Yummers.
On Friday, we went to the Kennedy Space Center. Suffice it to say that there was WAY more to do there then could be done in one day! The cool thing was that there was a launch scheduled for the next day (Saturday, July 1st) to send supplies up to the International Space Station. It was very cool because we got to see the shuttle out on the pad! We didn’t even get close to seeing all of what the Space Center had to offer... which is awesome! It means we have to come back! But we did see an alligator.
That night we went to Dixie Landings, a sea food restaurant famous for its rock shrimp. This was good stuff ladies and gentleman. Everyone enjoyed their meals except for one piece of fish Bobby had that tasted funny to him.
So was it food poisoning or did he catch the bug Grant had? Who knows, but by 2 AM Bobby was sick, just like Grant had been on Wednesday! Poor Guy! We checked out of our villa at noon and got a room at the Airport Marriott for the afternoon (from 11 to 4). Bobby slept during the afternoon, and we took mom back to return her car and we went to lunch at TGI Fridays. Then we took mom back to the hotel and Grant and I left for the airport. Bobby felt better by the time their flight left, and luckily it was only a two hour flight. They went ahead and upgraded to Business class so Bobby would have more room. (The nice lady on the phone upgraded them for 25$ a piece!)
Oh - and the shuttle that was supposed to take off couldn't due to weather... so we'll see if it goes today!
Celebration is beautiful - every house has beautiful architecture and landscaping. There are lots of parks and community spaces, like pools and club houses. The downtown area is cute, with places to eat and shop and a movie theater. The only thing we didn't like is how close together all of the houses were. It felt a bit claustrophobic.
Check out the Front Porch
That night, we went to the pool for a bit, and then to Cracker Barrel for dinner. I got the Chicken and Dumplins. Grant got a hamburger. (o: Bobby got ham and Mom got chicken and rice. Yummers.
On Friday, we went to the Kennedy Space Center. Suffice it to say that there was WAY more to do there then could be done in one day! The cool thing was that there was a launch scheduled for the next day (Saturday, July 1st) to send supplies up to the International Space Station. It was very cool because we got to see the shuttle out on the pad! We didn’t even get close to seeing all of what the Space Center had to offer... which is awesome! It means we have to come back! But we did see an alligator.
That night we went to Dixie Landings, a sea food restaurant famous for its rock shrimp. This was good stuff ladies and gentleman. Everyone enjoyed their meals except for one piece of fish Bobby had that tasted funny to him.
So was it food poisoning or did he catch the bug Grant had? Who knows, but by 2 AM Bobby was sick, just like Grant had been on Wednesday! Poor Guy! We checked out of our villa at noon and got a room at the Airport Marriott for the afternoon (from 11 to 4). Bobby slept during the afternoon, and we took mom back to return her car and we went to lunch at TGI Fridays. Then we took mom back to the hotel and Grant and I left for the airport. Bobby felt better by the time their flight left, and luckily it was only a two hour flight. They went ahead and upgraded to Business class so Bobby would have more room. (The nice lady on the phone upgraded them for 25$ a piece!)
Oh - and the shuttle that was supposed to take off couldn't due to weather... so we'll see if it goes today!
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