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10
May

Laaaaas Vegaaaaaaas

Wow – the middle of the week is HERE! We’re home from Las Vegas where we had a much-needed getaway, just the two of us. I think I realized just how badly we needed it when we climbed into bed last night here at home and I started thinking again of the billion things I need to accomplish in the next few days. Sometimes you literally have to get out of Dodge and escape. I didn’t answer a single email while we were gone! Liberating! Exhilarating! Panic-inducing!

We stayed at the Aria for a second time; those beds are just so darn comfy! No really – it might just be the most comfortable bed either of us have ever slept in. Even better than the Westin’s highly-touted Heavenly Beds. Plus there’s that delicious smell when you walk into the lobby; I don’t know what perfume they’re pumping in there, but it is oh so wonderful.

We spent the days eating, shopping, swimming, lounging, and then doing it all over again.

Vegas is all fashion and no style. The amount of skimpy get-ups is nothing short of mind-boggling. As I shimmied into my one-piece swimsuit, I said out loud, “I will be the only person out there under the age of 70 in a one-piece swimsuit.” Simon raised an eyebrow and looked at me. “After all the flesh we’ve seen the past few days here, I think that’s a good thing!”

If you’re an Instagram follower (username: pencilshavings), you might have seen this little lady below pop up in the photostream. She came home with me, but in navy!

We tried to hit some new-to-us food spots. Previously we’ve stuffed ourselves silly at Bouchon and other delicious locales, but this time we were a little more casual. The Wolfgang Puck Pizzeria in Crystals is utterly delicious (get a pasta and a pizza dish to split). The next night we hit Holstein’s in the Cosmopolitan from a recommendation by a friend, and holy cow – it really was the best burger I have ever had in my life. Cool, funky interior and amazing milkshakes too. Apparently there’s also some kind of hidden pizza place there in the Cosmo that’s supposed to be cool, although we didn’t try it. Simon had never experienced the classic Las Vegas buffet, so we tried the one at the Aria. I gotta say, it was pretty impressive, but by the end, we stumbled outta there ready for a nap. It was a carb explosion! The Todd English P.U.B. in the Aria was delicious and had a fun atmosphere.  Finally, it was a treat to check out Serendipity for their famous frrrrozen hot chocolate. Definitely a good way to end the night walking down the Strip.

A homerun for us! Now back to daily life.

How’s your week going?

Let's Chit-Chat { 9 }
4
May

Zee Weekend

Y’all. I married the right man. That Simon Shingleton, I tell ya. It’s been a crazy few weeks workwise, and we need to get away. So he found us a surprise last-minute deal and is whisking (wheee) me away to Las Vegas this very same weekend.  Happy birthday indeed!

For us, Vegas is a 3-4 day kind of town. After that, we’ve had enough clang clang clang of the smoky casino and we’re ready to head home.  Vegas is more fun than a cruise; it’s got better food, better shopping, bigger bathrooms in the hotel room, and there’s no seasickness! Bonus!

So my darlings, while I am gone with my honey to get romantic, eat, and window-shop myself silly, get excited about the amazing things I have coming your way next week, including a fantastic giveaway and the big reveal of Pencil Shavings Studio’s new blog look.

Check out these links as we head into the weekend (as I woefully didn’t pull together a #FF in time for today)…

Let's Chit-Chat { 2 }
19
Mar

Hello, Monday. Nice to see you.

Friends, can I just tell you how much I adore my husband? I love a man who wants to whisk me away for a grownups-only getaway that involves shopping, sleeping til 10am, copious amounts of food, and desserts on demand.  I love that he appreciates the value of getting away – just the two of us.

When we go to Dallas, we almost always get our hotel via Priceline. Inevitably we end up at the exact same Westin hotel. Every time.  We have a storied history at this particular hotel: this was the same hotel we stayed at when he asked my parents’ permission to marry me. I had no idea what was going on, but I did think it was suspicious when my mom tearily wanted to take our picture in front of the (otherwise unassuming) hotel.   Then there was the time when the scrapbooking convention was there, and Simon made the biggest Freudian slip when he said to one of the scrapbooking ladies, “Oh, I didn’t know there were that many crapbookers. I MEAN SCRAPBOOKERS!”

Then another time, we went down to celebrate our wedding anniversary when I was pregnant with Jude. As we headed back to the hotel to dress for dinner, we noticed lots of fire engines. I mean a bunch. And as we got closer, the fire engines were all based at our hotel. And wouldn’t you know it, the fire was on OUR FLOOR. All I could imagine was my curling iron being left on. COULD IT BE?!?!?! As it turned out, someone had thrown a cigarette into one of the fake plants sitting by the elevators. Poor Simon – he’d already endured a pregnant woman meltdown at A Pea in the Pod over all the ugly clothes and my ever-expanding waistline.

So it should have come as no surprise to us this time when it turned out there was – of all things – an accordion convention. Friday night as we came back from dinner, we were greeted with a live concert, no less. I swear the tears streamed down our cheeks as we cracked up at the craziness of it all.

Highlights of the trip include exploring the original Neiman Marcus in downtown Dallas, getting my hair done at The Dry Bar (OMG!), shopping for new light fixtures (can’t wait to show you!), accidentally buckling my seatbelt into the belt I was wearing, treating Simon to a 3-hour meal at Rise No. 1 (souffles!), and cake balls. LOTS of cake balls.

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Let's Chit-Chat { 2 }
20
Feb

Blast from the Past

About a week before we went to DisneyWorld, we were having dinner at my parents’ house. “Mom, where’s that old photo album full of the photos from our trip when I was a kid?”  She told me to go digging in one of the closets, and sure enough, there was the fantastic treasure trove of old photos. We have not stopped cracking up. I think this was roughly 1986 or 1987, putting me at a year or two older than Jude.  It really blows me away how much Jude resembles me when I was little.

Allow me to present a rough comparison of our trips. I give you “Disney World: 1986 vs 2012″.

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For the record, please note that for my traveling ensemble, I was carrying a single red rose, a My Little Pony, and was wearing that awesome pink polka dot frock. Dramatic much?  We also howled with laughter at my fantastic pose in the photo below left. I think I counted no less than 3 separate Mickey Mouse sweatshirts that make an appearance in these photos. So of course on our first day when we arrived with Jude, it was 40 degrees. For the high. And I had packed only warm weather clothes. So it was off to the nearest sweatshirt emporium where both Jude & I acquired the least-heinous Disney sweatshirts I could find.

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I really love that photo album that I got from Mom. The photos of us 3 together – me, Mom, and Dad – are utterly priceless. I see a happy little girl with crazy 80s outfits having the time of her life with her folks. And someday I know Jude will see the same thing when he looks at our photos.

Except without the puff paint and tiedye. And the mullet.

Let's Chit-Chat { 2 }
17
Feb

Disney World!

 

Can we all agree that Disney World really is the happiest place on earth? I’m pretty sure it is. Well, that and Paris.

Jude was the perfect age for this. It was a pretty taxing routine, and we blew on through naptime, but I was willing to be flexible as long as we were till having fun and not throwing tantrums. We spent four days total exploring the various theme parks. On Valentine’s Day (Tuesday), Simon ducked out of his conference and came to join us at the Magic Kingdom, and I’ve gotta say, it really was a magical day. I felt so glad to be with  my wonderful little family. We rode rides, we ate junk food, and we laughed until we couldn’t laugh anymore. Perfection.

For the record? My kid is a total daredevil. He is fearless. I think that’s one of my favorite things about Jude. He’s joyful, fearless, and it brings me ridiculous amounts of joy to show him things.

We rode Peter Pan over and over again, and I drug him onto It’s a Small World (my favorite!) twice.

But right up there with Peter Pan was anything having to do with rockets or Buzz Lightyear.  And when he finally got to meet Buzz Lightyear in person? I thought the kid was going to explode with excitement.

A big thank you to my sweet husband for taking us along on his conference. We really did have an amazing time.

 

Let's Chit-Chat { 5 }