One Of Those Rare "Kid-less" Nights Out...

A trip to Vegas, only with out the flight, expensive hotel or smokey casino area. It was so much fun sitting at a black jack table getting a glimpse of what our lives' were like a short 3.5 years ago. We all are so blessed and to have our 4 healthy babies and occasional nights like this add the exclamation point to that fact!

Thank you M&M for a fun night!

Vegas - Alli and Kelli

A handful of the memories when we are 80 and old (good thing we have Kelli's memory):

*i'm just packing a pair of flip flops and 1 other pair of shoes and probably carrying on*the man under the waterfall*disclosing our inner most secrets to the 60 year old women from washington state*kir royales*the dental student waitress*alla, guy and monty a.k.a blake*antonio, we will be your money managers*steve (kelli's dad,) lori & jim*late night pizza place*i really love red pepper*lookin' for ice*no rich people allowed on this floor*the only ones in vegas up at 8am*searching the wynne for coffee in our glasses, pj's and no makeup*carrot top or love*we were proud to be the girls at the european pool with the most clothes on*are we worse than the guys?*sam, dre and jay*champagne delivery*the fun cabana*the big straw hat*finally in the pool*taking time to smell the flowers on the way up to the room*each had our own way of getting it together and ready for dinner and the show*mellow dinner at sushi zamba*you either peak in high school or you peak in life*fun show at treasure island - love with the beatles* someone took a little nap*late night pizza place (again)*swiss guy at the table*we actually made ourselves sleep until 9*mommy time out wine*last time at the table with the dealer that loved to tell stories.

So... since I didn't have the blog 12 years ago when I first met thesetwo lovely ladies during rush when we all 3 pledged Kappa, I had fun tonight looking back through boxes and boxes of pictures and reminiscing our first nights together. I never knew back in 1998 which of these 2 girls would I live with for 2 years and have in my wedding 7 years later.

Oh, but let's not just stop at 2005... let's go back to when it all began... in the rooms of Texas A&M's Mosher Hall.

Nearly 4 years later (and 9 years ago) in a cab, Alli and I together in New York City!

Kelli and I 11 years ago... wow... look at those socks!

2004 all together again in College Station where I was living (right after Kelli moved to Boston!)

 In the fall of 2004, we all met up again in Boston to visit Kelli.

2005 Alli's Wedding and Bachellorette Party in South Beach!

New York City - Part One of Our Trip

Thanks to our wonderful moms, Blake and I were able to take a long weekend and visit yet another part of the country that we wanted to explore. After a long day of travel on September 11th, trying to make my way to New York City, I was put on hold by a long delay in Baltimore, Maryland. Although I was only a few short hours away form Blake, the airline wouldn't release my checked bag in order to rent a car or catch a train. That was until my step-father happened to be traveling that day through Baltimore at the exact same time and said and did who knows what, to immediately get my bag and did everything in his power including sprinting down a moving bus to get me to the train station in time. It all worked out perfectly and my one night in New York City proceeded without a hitch. Blake picked me up in Penn Station at 6:30PM.

I asked Blake to choose the Broadway Show and he got us tickets to the musical "Rock of Ages" with American Idol's Constantine Maroulis. We could not have asked for a more fun night out! The small intimate off Broadway theater was so different than the other stuffy formal shows we have been to in New York, San Antonio, Paris and Chicago. It was perfect... the top 40 1980's songs along with the most fantastic costumes that brought back so many memories. This show was silly and hysterical and just a fantastic night out together. It made me want to pull out my "be dazzler", crimper and all my old albums of New Kids On The Block memorabilia! Any one born in the 1970's or 60's would love the show and be dancing in the aisle by the end! As a plus... they served "beer" to you in your seat, so Blake was really in heaven.

That night, just before the show started, I surprised Blake with finding the best pizza place in New York City, it was this HOLE IN THE WALL place, called Patzeria Pizza Perfect, that lived up to the hype.... amazing! Blake and I love to try out the best pizza places in the cities we visit. This place probably ranked #1 of anywhere I have eaten pizza.

Since this was Blake's first time to NYC, I was thrilled when he had the opportunity to go to the US OPEN and see Rafefal Nadal play Fernando Gonzalez, which he said was an amazing experience. (Pictures to come later of Blake at thte Open)

We were also in New York, September 11, the night Derek Jeter broke the all time "hits" record for the Yankees... so the city was buzzing about that.
The next morning, while Blake worked a conference for a couple of hours, I explored NYC. I have to honestly say that I am kinda over it. This being my 4th or 5th trip, I think I have done the Times Square, 5th Ave, Broadway Shows, Rockefeller Center, TODAY Show, Statue of Liberty thing and was thrilled to get out of the crazy, loud, kinda smelly city and head to a place I had never been...

more to come...