Back from Vegas

I'm bbbaaaccckkkk!  Vegas was so much fun last week.  I flew out Monday morning and after the time change, I arrived about 10:00am.  My friends from work weren't arriving until the afternoon so I had the entire first day to myself.  I checked into my hotel and got out to explore.  Vegas is a little deceiving because everything looks so close but in reality, is so far away.

So, alas, after a couple hours of walking around I found myself sitting at the casino trying my hand at some three-card poker.  I just learned to play a couple months ago on a trip to Atlantis so after a brief refresher, I was ready to play.  I felt a little down on myself gambling in the morning, by myself, but hey...what's a girl to do.   

Once my group arrived we were ready to rock-n-roll.  We had some great dinners, sat in on some meetings, did some networking and a little more exploring.  I learned how to play Blackjack and ended up coming home with a little more cash than I left with.  After a long day in the air, I arrived back in Orlando on Thursday night.

I really thought I'd be drained on Friday but I popped up at 6:30 and went in to work feeling great.

Saturday morning we had a soccer tournament.  It was cold, rainy, muddy and windy.  All things terrible for outdoor sports.  My little girls rallied thru and played their hearts out.  We finished second and third and achieved our main goal, to get a special invitation to the National Championships at Disney's Wide World of Sports.  Woo Hoo!  So exciting.  It's an invite only tournament and we've been working hard to finish in the top three to ensure our invite.

Sunday we finally did some relaxing.  My husband went to Bass Pro with his buddies so I took my dog, Isabella to the local art show.  The weather was perfect for a little afternoon stroll.

I am back to work this week and have another tournament this weekend.  I also started another round of BBL yesterday so I will document it this week.  I had treatments done last year and was happy with the results.  Hope you're off to a great week!

Weekend Rewind: Atlantis - Paradise Island

I am back from a really fun weekend.  I actually got back Sunday afternoon but was so tired that I came home and crashed.  We had a sales contest at work and I was able to fly to Atlantis for the weekend with the crew.  Unfortunately, it rained until our last day but we still had a great time.

We explored all around the resort, did some gambling, some relaxing and had a really fun time.
Here are some pictures from the trip.  We were constantly getting rained on so excuse our messy hair.

 

 

Dinner at Seafire

Our visit to the straw market to pick up gifts

We hit up the straw market and took a (few hours) break at Senor Frogs.  It was raining when we left but we were all smiles

We caught the Junkanoo parade thru Marina Village outside our hotel

Headed to dinner.  We went to Seafire for some delicious steaks on our first night

We hit the slides and lazy river on Sunday afternoon

Summer vacation photo book

I took some time Sunday afternoon to create a photo book for the kids from our trip.  It came out pretty cute and I think they will enjoy flipping thru it to remember our stay for years to come.  See what you think.

Click here to view this photo book larger

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What are your favorite ways to remember your vacations?

River Ranch Wrap Up

We made it back!  What a trip.  In case you missed it in my post earlier this week, I loaded up three 5-year olds and a 4-year old and went on an overnight stay at Westgate River Ranch.  All in all, the trip was great.
I picked up the kids about 10:00am Wednesday and we headed to Vero Beach, about half way to our spot. There is a huge outlet mall there and we hit up Children's Place for some new clothes.  The kids were exceptionally well behaved and were treated to lots of new clothes plus new sunnies.

A quick bathroom break, some shopping and we were back on the road to River Ranch.  Official check-in is at 4:00pm but we got there early (about 1:30pm) and they let us right in.  We had "glamping" reservations so we immediately checked out the digs and started our adventure.  The pictures online were a perfect representation of the rooms and the resort.  The place is HUGE so we quickly decided to upgrade and get a 24-hour golf cart rental ($65).  Definitely worth the money!

 

 

We hit the petting farm, the kids each rode a pony, we also visited the playground and pool, all before dinner.  The kids all wore flip-flops (we should have packed baby wipes to clean their feet).  The pool had towels so we were good there but the kids would have enjoyed a couple pool toys.  They also had a rock wall and putt-putt golf on site.  

Additionally, they have a full-service marina and a small restaurant where we grabbed some dinner (and sat in the cool AC).  The kids loved the General Store, where they had cold drinks, ice cream, pizza and lots of touristy goodies for sale.  

 

 

 

After dinner we headed back to the glamping site and had some fun dancing and playing cards (NO TV in the glamping area--didn't know that when we booked) but the kids were great.  If we were staying longer, I would prob have moved to the hotel side of the resort so the kids didn't get too antsy.  

The night came to an end when "a real live cowboy" came and started the fire pit so we could have s'mores. The kids loved him and thought he was the greatest ever.  Check out our giant s'mores kit we got at check-in.

 

Thursday morning we woke up and had breakfast delivered right to our front porch.  We got cinnamon rolls, fruit and juice.  After that we packed up and headed home for a little afternoon pool party  and a quick stop for snow-cones before going back to mom and dad.  

 

The kids had a blast and I even got some tears when they had to go back to their parents.  I got enough pictures to make a little memory book for them and on our drive home they were already planning our next trip.  Hope you had a great week!  Dad and I head out at 5:15am Saturday morning for some racing.  Happy weekend y'all!  

Packing for Glamping

So, the kids and I are off to another adventure.  The summer has somehow slipped away and we haven't taken our traditional summer trip.  I am changing course a little this trip and taking the youngest kids and then taking Shane and Payton (14 and 9) on a separate trip.
We have a long tradition of doing some school shopping and a little 1-2 night overnight stay.  This trip I will take three 5-year olds and a 4-year old.  Serenity now! :)

On top of a car full of youngin's, we are headed to a new spot, Westgate River Ranch.  I am guessing it's about an hour and a half drive or so and we are going to stop by the outlets in Vero Beach on the way down for some school (kindergarten) shopping.

Our accomodations are "glamping".....glamorous camping.  I am slightly nervous of what we will find when we arrive but it's only for one night so I am sure we'll be fine.  The kids have never been camping, other than sleeping in my dad's 40' RV with beds, kitchen, wi-fi and flat screen TVs.
Here is our spot (as shown on website)

 I packed just a couple outfits and I am not sure if there is a pool there but I threw in a suit in case.

GAP tunic with skinny ankle length jeans, Ralph Lauren shorts, similar striped tops here and here

Loft Tunic - similar, Tory Burch gold Miller sandals, Ralph Lauren flip-flops

I love my travel storage and organized perfectly with these accessories:

J.Crew duffle bag with monogram, Thirty-One cosmetic bag - similar here, Pottery Barn similar laundry bag.

What are your travel essentials?  

Adventures in Destin, Florida

Last week we had our annual Adams Homes manager retreat in Destin.  Aside from the seven hour drive (booooooo), it's a really great trip.  The ride up is actually not bad because everyone in the car is chatting and excited to get there.  The ride home, however is a looong trip back.
This year we stayed in a new place and I wanted to share a few snippets from the trip.

The trip started off with a little snafu, once we got to Destin I was in charge of getting liquor for the weekend and my credit card was declined.  My bank, Chase called me right away.  I was still in the store and they explained that it had been declined since I was out of town and had never made an alcohol purchase that big. Too funny.  It was only $300.00 but for Chase it was too much.  Once I explained I was there for a work trip and authorized the charge, my card was turned back on and we were back in business.

Once we were loaded up we headed to our condos.  This year we stayed at Emerald Grande at HarborWalk Village and it was great!  There are some resident owned units there, mixed with vacation rentals.  The condos were top notch and I plan to return with my husband.  These condos are waterfront and the complex has a pool, hot tubs, restaurants and room service.  Love, love, love this place.

Check out the view of the condos from the water.  (We had a half-day boat trip)

There is always one daredevil in every group.  One of my colleagues tried the JetPack adventure.  It was about $200 for the package he chose and he had a blast.  He highly recommends it.  Five of us went out on the boat with him and it was so fun.

Meet the crew!  (Most of them anyways)  I am all the way in the back.  This was a lunch we enjoyed after morning meetings.  They are such a fun group. This trip was the perfect way to start summer.  

Some family you're born with, some you choose

One of my closest, dearest friends sets sail onto a new journey Sunday morning.  My friend of nearly 30 years, Julie heads to Chile with her boyfriend Alex.
Alex got a project at work to install 50 new towers there so off they go.  It's nights like these when you are saying goodbye that you realize some friends are as close as family.
I have known Julie since grade school.  We became fast friends at a very young age and I am proud to still call her my friend today.  She was in my wedding alongside my friend Kate and my sisters.  We have worked together and played together over the years and in just a matter of hours she embarks on a life-changing adventure.  They are expected to be there 12-18 months.
Tonight her sister Christie hosted a going away dinner and we sat around just chit-chatting for hours.  I know her sisters, neices, nephews, in-laws and parents.  They are the type of family that makes their guests feel more like family than visitors.  It was a great time and I will certainly miss having Julie around.
Adios muchacha.  Love you long time! xoxo

Tiger wins at TPC

Growing up a soccer player, golf was never in my future.  When I started a career in home building all that changed.  Turns out, golf is really popular for those in construction and banking alike.  I first learned to golf in 2005 and really enjoy it.

Five years ago I got the chance to go to my first professional event, TPC (The Players Championship) in Ponte Vedre.  It was amazing.  The facility is manicured to perfection and there are no other sports I know of where you can get THIS close to the professional players.  Well, five years later it is still one of my favorite annual events.

It starts on Thursday and runs through Mother's Day.  I have been twice on Sunday and this year marked my third Thursday visit.  A small group of us from work went and I snapped a few photos to share.  I watched the final round today on TV and Tiger finished with the win, on his 300th start.  It was pretty neat I was just a few feet away from him on opening day.  

Clockwise: Tiger Woods (orange), Phil Mickelson (white), KJ Choi (blue)