24 Hours in Vegas

One of my friends was in Vegas for the annual CES convention, so I decided to be spontaneous and book a flight out to spend a night with her at the Cosmo.  After all, who can turn down free accommodations in Vegas?  We squeezed in a lot in the 24 hours that I was there!  I got in around 2PM and immediately met up with her at the Venetian hotel.  We made our way over to our hotel and squeezed in a quick workout.  Well, I actually didn't work out but I did guide my friend through one of my HIIT workouts!

It was a beautiful clear night and the view from our room was breathtaking.  I really love a skyline view.

Afterwards, we went to dinner at Scarpetta.  We ordered the braised short rib on risotto for an appetizer and shared the lobster pasta, brussels sprouts, and cod.  The food was pretty disappointing to be quite honest, but the bomboli dessert was pretty good.  Afterward, we headed to the Palms resort up to the penthouse for a private party.  I think my friends and I were the only females there.  Keeping an open mind, it was actually a really great time meeting her coworkers.  I can't remember the last time I laughed so hard.  

Afterwards, I was craving fries so I stopped by Wahlburgers and ordered the Walburger, tator tots and fries.  Darn, it wasn't as amazing as I hoped it would be and I paid for eating all that grease the entire next day!

The next day, we ate at Wicked Spoon and oh my gosh, it was the absolute worst!  I barely ate my $30 worth.  The buffet was just horrible - wasn't it supposed to be one of the best a few years back?  No wonder there was no line even at 11AM on a Saturday.  I guess you can see the trend by now...we didn't have much luck with food.

Finally, I hit the tables before leaving and lost $80.  Boohoo.  But, my trip was still worth it because I got to spend quality time with my sweet friends!

Good-bye 2016!

This year, I didn't make time to create Christmas cards like I have in previous years.  But, I also didn't want the the holiday season to go by without sending something to family and friends.  I decided to go the digital route and send out a 2016 recap.  Feel free to check it out!

December Noteworthies and Book Reviews

I really didn't do much this month except for a pleasant discovery of a new hiking trail.  I've only conquered half of the trail, but am looking forward to completing the full 8 miles sometime in the new year.

A photo posted by Truly Blessed 👩🏻🐶 (@trulyblessedssl) on Jan 1, 2017 at 9:13am PST

A photo posted by Truly Blessed 👩🏻🐶 (@trulyblessedssl) on Dec 31, 2016 at 3:40am PST

A photo posted by Truly Blessed 👩🏻🐶 (@trulyblessedssl) on Dec 10, 2016 at 12:06pm PST

I can't believe it...I actually read 12 books this year, one every month!  I am going to continue this goal through 2017 because I really do enjoy reading.  

In November, I read Trusting God When Times Are Tough by Ed Hindson.  I had been working on this book a while and finally finished it last month.  

I didn't find that this book had a lot of new insights as someone who has ready many spiritual books.  At the end of the day, it's just important to keep perspective and stay focused on God and not on our own desires and understanding, but trust that God has a plan and that His timing is perfect.

My December book was a long anticipated book written by my favorite chick literature author Emily Giffin.

Her books area always light and fun reads.  This one was no exception.  It's about two sisters who lost their brother in a tragic accident and 15 years later, they find that his death is interlaced with their current circumstances and independently, they work through years of buried emotions and secrets.  I finished this book in two days, so obviously I recommend it!

Till the next book!

November Noteworthies

November, November, November.  It frightens me how quickly you've come and gone.  This month, there was a lot of celebrating!  From baby showers to birthdays, wonderful things are happening all around.

A photo posted by Truly Blessed 👩🏻🐶 (@trulyblessedssl) on Nov 27, 2016 at 5:37pm PST

My little nephew (left) turned 1!  We celebrated with family at my sister's home and it was just such a blessing to see just how loved the little guy is.  The cutie on the right turned 4, and I just love him to pieces!  He's the boy of a close friend of mine and I am so happy to have been able to just watch him grow into his own so far.

A photo posted by Truly Blessed 👩🏻🐶 (@trulyblessedssl) on Nov 24, 2016 at 8:48am PST

I also ran in an annual Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving morning.  I only did the 5K this year and came in slower than I usually do, but faster than I anticipated.  

A video posted by Truly Blessed 👩🏻🐶 (@trulyblessedssl) on Nov 13, 2016 at 1:18pm PST

Echo has been making great progress on his agility classes!  I love watching him happily running through a course.  Oh how it warms my little heart!

As far as my book review is concerned, I shamefully admit that I have not finished this month's book yet!  But, I WILL double up in December and achieve my goal of one book per month for 2016.  Stay tuned!

October Noteworthies

This month, I coordinated not one, but two weddings!  The first wedding was at La Venta, a beautiful venue overlooking the ocean in Palos Verdes.  I truly felt blessed to be a part of this couple's wedding.  The Bride and her family were so gracious and sweet and they made my job so easy because they were so organized and go-with-the-flow.  I was also really fortunate to have my sidekick by my side partnering with me throughout the day.  It's amazing how well we work together and how much fun we have - it hardly feels like work at all!

A photo posted by Truly Blessed 👩🏻🐶 (@trulyblessedssl) on Oct 1, 2016 at 9:21pm PDT

My second wedding was at Figueroa House in Los Angeles.  It was raining pretty hard in the morning, but I promised the bridal party it would stop come time for the ceremony to start, and praise the Lord, it did!  Everything went according to plan with no major glitches - whew!  Now, I do have to say that I do not recommend this venue.  The venue coordinators were not pleasant to deal with as they were "fake nice" the type of nice where it's obligatory with an underlying tone of arrogance to boot.  They require onsite pre-production meetings, the couple to buy wedding insurance, the couple to rent basic 6' tables and trash cans (yes, even trash cans!), and the staff was just overall very hands off with everything, and complained when the bartenders had to bus the empty drink glasses because the caterers weren't cleaning up their glasses quick enough.  Ack, so high maintenance!

I also attended mid-week service at Angelus Temple to see Nick Vujicic speak.  This guy is truly amazing beyond words.  He has such a wonderful spirit despite the fact that he does not have any limbs...yes, you read that correctly.  He is truly a testament to how wonderful God is and how He can use anyone who is willing to follow Him to reach millions of lives.  I highly encourage anyone who has never heard of him to Google him.  Even if you aren't religious, you will still be inspired.

A photo posted by Truly Blessed 👩🏻🐶 (@trulyblessedssl) on Oct 13, 2016 at 9:05pm PDT

 

And, time for my book review.  I read The Girl on the Train literally in. one. sitting.  I don't think I am going to see the movie because I can't imagine the movie being able to top what I imagined in my mind while reading.  This book leaves you in suspense until the very end and is very difficult to put down.  It is a good mindless read if you want to just "get away".  It's basically about a woman who has gone through some rough times and finds herself single, barely existing, but rides the train to and from every day.  The train stops at a particular stop most days where she is able to observe a couple whom she idealizes in her mind until one day, something changes and she finds herself getting involved and way in over her head.

Finally, hoping you had a Happy Halloween!  I was disappointed that I didn't get one trick or treater again this year.  Gone are the days where kids trick or treat in their neighborhoods, but instead, their parents drive them to the popular streets where houses are fully decked out and swarms of children are going door to door where homeowners don't even have the time to close their front doors before their doorbell rings again.  Sad.