#2 -- DONE!!!!!

I can't tell you how excited I was to cross this item off my 101 Things list!  I have always wanted to visit Las Vegas, but for some reason I've never been...when I found out there was a work conference out there that was perfect for my experience level and also very relevant to the type of work that I do, I jumped at the opportunity to head out there.  And because the conference didn't actually start until Monday, Patrick and I were able to have the whole weekend to enjoy the sights of Las Vegas.  And now...without further ado, here are the details of our fun-filled weekend.

Our flight didn't land on Friday night until 9:00 so after waiting in the LONGEST line ever to catch a cab and checking into our hotel, we decided that we would check out Fremont Street.  For those who have never been to Las Vegas, Fremont Street is the older section of the city and is located downtown.  We were staying on the strip, but we decided it was worth seeing at night because of the laser light show.  I have to say that even though it's not nearly as fancy as the Strip, and everything is just a little bit old school, I still loved Fremont Street.  I loved the laser light show, I loved all the lights, and I also loved the lower minimums at the Black Jack tables.  =)  Here are a couple of pics from the evening.

Patrick and me in front of the Golden Nugget



I am ready to gamble!!!!!





Some pics from the laser light show!  Very cool!



I even had my picture made with Michael Jackson!  =)

I also have to report that I accomplished quite an amazing feat on Friday night!  I stayed up until 3:00 (which was 5:00 Nashville time).  I haven't been up that late in YEARS!!!!!  It was a fun night!

On Saturday, after sleeping in pretty late in the morning, and after eating breakfast at a buffet (I mean, we HAD to once, right?  We were in Las Vegas afterall), we decided to head out and check out the strip.  We pretty much just walked around all afternoon, and checked out several casinos, gambled a little bit, and even did a little shopping. 

Paris Las Vegas Hotel and Casino (probably my favorite casino that we visited over the weekend)

Patrick and me posing in front of the Arc de Triomphe

Enjoying the views of the Strip!

Planet Hollywood Hotel and Casino

Bellagio -- Oh, how I wish we could have stayed here...  =)



A view of the Fountains at the Bellagio

While we were at the Bellagio, we checked out the Botantical Gardens...they were so cool and we got some great pics:

After running around all over the Strip on Saturday, we headed back to the hotel to get ready for our big night on the town.  We had decided to go out Saturday night.  We were going to get dressed up, check out the Eiffel Tower, gamble, head to a nightclub and generally just paint the town!  Well, we made it through everything except the nightclub and "painting the town" part...by 11:30, we were so exhausted that all we wanted to do was go to bed...needless to say, we aren't as young as we used to be...2 nights in a row of staying up late was just too much!  However, we did get a great night's sleep that night.  =)  Here are a few pictures from the top of the Eiffel Tower...it was beautiful and a great place to see the strip.  Also, it was the perfect place to watch the Fountains at the Bellagio.

Me hanging out with Toby Keith  =)

Us being silly on our way to the Eiffel Tower



Patrick and me on top of the Eiffel Tower

After our wonderful night's sleep on Saturday night, we were ready to go on Sunday.  After having another buffet breakfast (I know...terrible), we decided to hit the Strip again.  We headed over to New York New York where I rode the roller coaster (which is very fun, BTW) and MGM Grande where we got to see the Lion Habitat.  Sunday afternoon was much of the same as Saturday; a great time with lots of walking around and gambling.  However, in true Melissa fashion, there were several pictures taken...


Having our picture made with a couple of Elvis's




Had to take a picture of a Sportsbook...looks a lot like the NY Stock Exchange to me  =)




New York New York Hotel and Casino



Oh, I almost forgot...one exciting thing that happened on Sunday is that I placed a bet on my very first sporting event and I won!!!!!  I bet on the Titans, and they came through for me!!!!!  Woohoo!  Yes, I realize that after reading this, it seems that all we did the entire trip was gamble, but honestly, I'm not a huge gambler.  I promised myself that I would lose no more than $100 gambling on this trip, and I managed to only lose $67...not too bad, considering we did spend quite a bit of time at the roulette tables.  Hence the reason that I like the lower minimums that you find off the strip...it makes my $100 go a lot farther.  =)

Sunday evening was (in my opinion) the most fun time of the entire trip...Patrick and I decided to go see a show and have a nice dinner to celebrate his last night there (I had to stay an extra 2 days because of my conference).  We went to see Zumanity (a Cirque de Soleil show), and it was AMAZING!!!!!  After the show we went to dinner at a steakhouse called Envy, and it was one of the best meals I've ever had.

All in all, it was an excellent trip, and I was so sad for Patrick to leave on Monday morning.  I wish he could have stayed and we could have spent the entire next day seeing more of the city...instead, I was hanging out in class all day...oh, well, you have to work sometime, right?  =)

Have all ever been to Las Vegas?  What are some of your favorites touristy things to do there?

Top Two Tuesday!

Top 2 Favorite Songs

1.  Brown Eyed Girl by Van Morrison

Anyone who has met me in person can totally understand why this is one of my favorite songs.  My eyes are REALLY brown...well, they used to be REALLY brown, but now as I am getting older, they are just normal brown.  Anyway, when I was a baby I got really sick and had to spend a few days in the hospital, and my mom said I had lost so much weight and was so weak from being sick that when you looked at me that all you saw was my huge brown eyes.  Ever since the first time I heard this song, it's always been my theme song of sorts!

2.  When You Say Nothing at All by Alison Krauss

Okay, unless you are a SUPER unromantic dude or you just haven't heard this song, there is absolutely NO WAY you can possibly NOT like it.  I loved it when I heard Keith Whitley sing it, but then Alison Krauss made it a whole new level of good for me.  This song makes me feel great every time I hear it and her voice is absolutely beautiful!

If you'd like to participate in The Undomestic Momma's Top Two Tuesday, head on over here and tell us your 2 favorite songs!

P.S.  Sorry for being MIA these last few days...I have been out of town for business...however, I have really missed blogging and my blog friends.  Therefore, I have made a goal to blog more often...soooooo, if you have any suggestions for future blog topics, definitely send them my way...I sometimes feel at a loss for stuff to talk about...I know, me at a loss for words...SHOCKING!!!!!  =)

Fill in the Blank Friday

It's time for the post for my favorite day of the week...FRIDAY!!!!! 

1. In the story of my life the actor who would play me would be hmm...this is a hard one...someone once told me I look like Natasha Richardson, but she passed away, so I don't think I have an answer for this one...

2. If I could change one thing about the world it would be for everyone to be more open-minded and accepting of others.

3. Yesterday I was sick...BOO!

4. My favorite comfort food is really anything that Patrick cooks because he is SUCH a good cook!

5. My new favorite blog find is The Survival Guide for the Young Fabulous and Newlywed -- she has such fun things to blog about.

6. If I could meet any blog friend (who I haven't met yet) in real life, I'd want to meet Marcie from Justin and Marcie.  She used to live in Nashville, so I'd like to talk to her about what she did for fun when she lived here.

7. My favorite breakfast food is probably anything from the Sunday brunch at a Nashville local called the Copper Kettle.

If you'd like to play, head on over to the little things we do and link up!

Well, that's all from me, friends!  I hope you have a great weekend!  I'll be hanging out with my beau in sunny Las Vegas!  Woohoo! 

Top Two Tuesday!

Top 2 Favorite Hair Products

1.  Aveda Phomollient Styling Foam

I officially have the most unmanageable hair EVER!  Okay, so I know that a lot of people say that, so I'm probably being a little overdramatic.  However, I do have very fine AND thin hair, and this stuff is a lifesaver!  It gives my hair volume and makes it very easy to style.  In fact, I really can't fix my hair without it.  If you have similar hair to mine, you have to check it out!

2.  Matrix Essentials Amplify Color XL Shampoo

Again, just like with the Styling Foam, this is a product that I have a hard time living with out.  It gives my hair so much volume and also helps the color stay and not fade.  Definitely the best shampoo I've ever used!

If you'd like to play along, head on over to The Undomestic Momma and tell us your favorite hair products!

Weekend Update!

I hope all of my blog friends had a great weekend!  Mine was very nice, and the weather here in Nashville was absolutely beautiful!

Friday night was spent like most of my Friday night's...stayed at home and caught up on all my TV shows.  Yes, I know this is pretty sad, but I am so busy during the week with work, Junior Chamber, and my personal life, that by the time Friday comes around, I am ready for some serious R&R.  Just like every quiet Friday night, this one did not disappoint.  =)

Saturday morning was time for my long walk of the week...I had to do 5 miles this weekend, and let me just say that it was NOT easy!  When I started training for this half marathon, I have to admit that I really thought walking 13.1 miles would not be that big of a deal...well, this has been a very humbling experience because it is way more tiring than I ever expected.  I'm really enjoying it no matter how much I may complain to my mom (the one who got me in this mess in the first place).  =)

After my walk on Saturday, I decided to run a couple of errands and then made it back home in time to watch the 2nd half of the Tennessee/Florida game.  I'm telling you...even though the game didn't go the way Tennessee wanted it to, I don't think I've been a bigger UT football fan since we won the National Championship back in 1998!  I LOVE our new coach (Derek Dooley)!  I think he seems like a great guy and a hard worker.  I also think that watching our boys play is just SO MUCH FUN.  I hope they have all the success in the world, and even though this is definitely a rebuilding year, I still have high hopes for them for the rest of the season!

Saturday evening Patrick and I hit up a couple of birthday parties.  We first went to Las Palmas (a local mexican restaurant) to celebrate Patrick's friend Greer's birthday, then we headed over to Rosepepper Cantina (yes, another mexican place...can you tell we LOVE our mexican food) to celebrate Kat's birthday, even though her b-day isn't until next Friday.  She will be hanging out at the beach that day, so we all go together last night to celebrate early.  Here are a couple of pictures from the evening:


All the Ladies enjoying our Mexican food!



Patrick and me just before heading to our next destination

Sunday was another very exciting day!  A year or so ago, Patrick and I decided that we wanted to learn to make sushi, so Patrick did some research and we started having Sushi Date Nights.  It was sooooo much fun trying new rolls and creating our own sushi meals.  After telling some of my Junior Chambe friends about it, we decided that it would be fun to have a few people over to give it a try.  Therefore, on Sunday afternoon, we had Chase, Kristen, and J.B. over to watch the Titans game and make some sushi!  We had an excellent time.  Patrick did a great job with the prep of the sauces and the fillings, and if I do say so myself, I did a great job making the sushi rice.  Everyone had more sushi than they could eat and the final results were amazing!  My favorite roll of the day was the Cheeseburger Roll...HEAVENLY!  Here are a couple of pics:

Our table spread...and this wasn't everything...there were pretty much sushi ingredients all OVER my kitchen!  =)

Me making my first sushi roll of the day!

Patrick is definitely the chef/teacher of the group!

Despite Chase's distaste of sushi, he still gave it a shot and I think he was impressed!

J.B. was a natural at making sushi, and Kristen was the perfect supervisor!  =)

Well, needless to say, after all the sushi making and football watching, Patrick and I were both EXHAUSTED!  We spent the rest of the afternoon napping/watching football on the couch.  Now I guess it's time to get the next work week started...why is it that weekends NEVER seem long enough?  Oh, well, only 4 work days for me this week!  Come this time next week, I will be enjoying my time in Sin City! 

Hope you all have a wonderful week!

New Web Address

Yesterday afternoon, I received an e-mail from my Beau, who just so happens to be a computer nerd by day (yes, the 2 professions that we are could easily create a very boring relationship...good thing neither of us have personalities that mirror our careers).  The e-mail told me to check out the following website:  http://www.nashvillesmelrose.com/.  Well, wouldn't you know that he had purchased me this domain name so that I don't have to keep telling people all the Blogspot nonsense every time!  I was so excited!  I know it's silly, but I feel like it makes me a truly legit bogger now!  Don't worry, the website above just forwards to my blogspot address, but it sure is convenient (and cool) to be able to tell people that I have a Dot Com.  =)

Have a great weekend friends...if you live in Nashville, get out and enjoy this BEAUTIFUL day!  I'll be back in a day or 2 with a Weekend Update.

Fill in the Blank Friday

Yes, I realize it is no longer Friday...in fact, a good portion of  Saturday is already gone...however, Lauren over at the little things we do does a Friday post that I've really been wanting to participate in, so I decided better late than never...

1. When I get a day to myself I like to stay at home and watch my favorite DVR'd TV shows.

2. High school was probably the worst time of my life!  SOOOOOOO glad things got better from there, right?  =)

3. A little dream I have is to mark everything off my "bucket list" before I die...guess I should actually CREATE a "bucket list" shouldn't I?  =)

4. A big dream I have is to do something to truly change someone's life (for the better) one day...

5. If I could drive any car my pick would be the Honda Accord that's sitting in my garage right now because in 8 months it will be paid off!  I know, I know, I'm such a boring CPA!

6. A time that I felt really and truly beautiful was on my 30th Birthday!  Not necessarily because I felt beautiful on the outside but because I felt so proud of the life I am living!

7. Tomorrow I will be having a sushi party with friends while watching the TN Titans game.

So, there you have it...my first Fill in the Blank Friday.  If you'd like to participate, head on over and check out Lauren's page.