Archive for August, 2016


Wednesday, August 31, 2016

Vegas Recap

Over the weekend we celebrated a friend’s Dirty Thirty in Las Vegas. It was my first time going and it was a lot of fun. I’m glad she did something big for her 30th and gave everyone an excuse to have a good time and a vacation.

The hubs and I flew in Thursday night. A storm delayed our flight so we didn’t end up leaving Houston until around 10:30pm. Good thing Vegas is the city that never sleeps šŸ˜› The group stayed at Planet Hollywood (reviewed here). Not the best customer service, but the atmosphere was very fitting for a Dirty Thirty weekend. Since it was late we grabbed a quick dinner and went to sleep.

The rest of the group arrived Friday. It was a pretty relaxed day since everyone had spent the majority of their morning traveling. The hubs and I walked over to the Bellagio to see their lobby, casino, and conservatory which included a custom fish tank by the company featured on Tanked. Afterwards, the hubs hung out at the casino and the birthday girl and I played slot machines. I lost everything I played šŸ™ I am not the person to take to Vegas. We finished up the night with dinner at Gordon Ramsay’s Burgr (located in Plant Hollywood). The food was amazing, especially the gooey fries (hand cut fries + vintage white cheddar + smoked gouda cheese + toscano salami + over easy egg). Totally worth the wait to be seated! After dinner the group ventured over to Fremont Street…never.ever.again. would I go there. To say it was an experience is an understatement. 
Saturday was the birthday girl’s big day! Partyyyyyy! We got a cabana at the Planet Hollywood pool which ended up being a fantastic idea and we stayed there for about 5 hours before heading in to get ready for dinner. We ate at Gordon Ramsay (see a theme here lol) Steak which was next door at Paris. I had their famous Roasted Beef Wellington and a Caesar Salad. Everyone ordered a different side dish and we got to taste them all. The favorited by the group was the Potato Puree (yukon gold potato, creme fraiche). I would highly recommend this restaurant for a special occasion.

After dinner we took a party bus (Highly recommend! Get Lacy Long to book everything for you and Ian to be your guide.) to the Las Vegas sign and two Vegas clubs; Ghostbar at the Palms and Light Nightclub at Mandalay Bay. By hiring the party bus it got us into both clubs without waiting in the long lines. Our favorite was Ghostbar. The view was fantastic, the energy was great, good music, and not overly crowded. Light was a little overwhelming, but I pictured it as your quintessential Vegas club. After Light the group split up to do different things. The birthday girl, the hubs, and I ventured off the strip to Count’s Vamp’d. That night they were home to KISS Night in Las Vegas (Started in 2012, KISS Night in Las Vegas is a non-profit project founded to raise awareness and funding for struggling public school music departments. All proceeds from this event go to the Imagine Foundation, which supplies musical equipment to Las Vegas area public schools.)

Sunday everyone headed home except for the hubs and I. We rested, walked over to Caesar’s Palace, had a buffet dinner, watching the Bellagio Fountains and called it a day.

Until next post…xoxo Becca

Monday, August 22, 2016

Back to School, College Advice

Can it really be that time of year already? Seems like a few weeks ago I was seeing Facebook posts from my teacher friends saying school’s out for summer (currently playing Alice Cooper’s version in my head). Growing up I was always excited for school. I enjoyed learning and liked being with  friends. As an adult I still like learning, hence the master’s degree.

Back to school means new clothes, new school supplies, more organization to make sure all the homework and projects get done. Ohhhh how I love a well organized calendar šŸ™‚ p.s. I already bought my 2017 planner and I am over the moon excited to fill it up! Nerd alert! This shirt would be perfect for me!

The start of a fall semester on campus is my favorite. The energy, the new students so cute and lost. I remember calling home after my first couple of classes ended and telling my parents I was walking to the bookstore to get the books I needed. I remember exactly where I was, what bookstore I went to, and how excited it made me to be in college. That’s my hope for all the students starting their first year of college in the coming weeks. Stay excited! It’s hard to keep that enthusiasm when you are bogged down with projects and finals and organization obligations. As someone who isn’t 18 anymore, but still remembers college vividly, when your parents (and other “old” people) say it is the best four years of your life…it’s true. Make the most of it. Study hard, but play hard too. Get to know people all over campus; other students, faculty, staff. Those relationships you build come with memories and maybe some connections down the road.

Of all the students I have worked with and all the situations I have seen I could write a book about surviving college. This experience is about finding out who you are, growing up, and making choices that will lead you to goals. If I had to sum it up I would simply say “stay excited.”

Good luck to all the freshman as you go off on this adventure. To the parents, let them go, let them explore, and let them make mistakes. They will learn. Sure it might feel terrible letting them fail, but I saw a quote recently that said a lot in few words. It said, “Failure is a bruise, not a tattoo.”

Let the first day of school pics on facebook begin!!! Until next post…xoxo Becca

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