A shawl and tea cozy ~ for you, Carolyn!

I love my job! :o)

Beloved Burger Bar Bliss...

I'm in Las Vegas this week for work visits. Kathi drove up to spend some time chillin' Vegas style. Unfortunately, she has to go home early tomorrow because her dog is having a bad case of vertigo (apparently K-9's get it too!) SO instead of lounging by the pool she will be heading the doggy neurologist. The joys of pet responsibilities.

BUT... we still had time to enjoy one awesome dinner together. We hit the Burger Bar at Mandalay Bay. It truly was the ultimate burger experience! Chef Hubert Keller's brainchild lives up to they hype!!!

This is not your average Hamburger Joint. Far from it! Think classic American burger on steroids. It's a foodie's playground! You pick your meat, gourmet toppings and bread. The fresh custom combo will not disappoint! (Do you see food critic in my future! :o) No hoitie toitie joints for me though...)

I had Kobe beef with caramelized onions, baby spinach and bleu cheese on a "plain" bun. OH! And I can't forget the a-ma-zing sweet potato fries. YUM-O! (Disclaimer: Staying true to my "embrace hunger" gentle nudge from my doctor, I did leave *some* on my plate... LOL)

Kathi with her creation.

The Twinkie Milkshake. This heaven in a glass actually has twinkie pieces mixed in! I shared with Kath and the 2 gals next to us. Diabetic coma alert but OH SO GOOD!

So next time you're in Las Vegas... make your way to Mandalay Place and experience Burger Bar. You'll exceed your suggested daily caloric intake for sure, but calories in Vegas don't count! :O)

Vegas Baby

Last week I had a work event in Las Vegas. Two of my coworkers joined me as well as my parents! We worked hard and also had some time to enjoy a bit of Las Vegas.

We even found a MARLO THOMAS slot machine!

I may have lost a few dollars... but I'll never tell!

We stayed at The Mirage on the Vegas strip. (Thank you to cheaphotels.com)

The Revolution Lounge. It brought me back to the days of being obsessed with The Beatles and singing along with Tia and Tysha in High School.

The pool. And no, I did not venture to the Mirage Venue, Bare.

Thursday we ate brunch at the Monte Carlo and then headed to The Wynn and Encore. They are beautiful! I love the interior decor. Butterflies and flowers... fun and whimsical...

Loving the flowers... would make a great quilt pattern.

Las Vegas doesn't appear to be suffering from much from the state of our economy. Everywhere that we went was jam packed with people....

Outside on Wynn patio...

What a group!

Nice bruise on my arm, eh? That was from the icky scary blood vampire blood draw-er last week.

Mariposas bonitas...

We visited the Guardian Angel Cathedral, in search of a stained glass window, donated by The Danny Thomas Family.

We didn't think that the doors would be open... but they were and we went inside...

And we found it!

The inside of the Cathedral was gorgeous!

My parents and I outside of The Wynn.

We saw Le Reve. It was PHENOMENAL and worth every penny. I'm hooked and want to see every Cirque du Soleil show!

Before the show...

Leslie loved it too!

Gelato cones at The Venetian.

Thanking all of the St. Jude Supporters!

My mom and dad came to help and it was so great to have them!

Jim, Leslie and I at the hotel... our work here is done!

Our next stop was Lake Las Vegas.

The gardens in The Lake Las Vegas Ritz Carlton. A girl can dream...

And on to the new M Casino and Resort. It just opened this week and everybody and their brother was their to check it out!

We ate dinner at Studio B. They have over 200 dishes and chefs prepare delicious appetizers, entrees and out-of-this-world patisserie desserts. There was a 2 1/2 hour wait...but...somehow I, "made friends," with a man and his wife in the VIP line and they added us to their party. Sweet!

Salmon cooked on bamboo

And on Saturday morning I was homeward bound; leaving Las Vegas.

Until next time...