Wow. I’m pretty sure it’s been over a month since my last Weekend Wanderlust post. Where has the time gone? This particular edition will cover more than the weekend because I also promised to tell you about my recent trip to Las Vegas. Without further ado, here’s what I’ve been up to.
Travel – Last week, literally 24 hours after my trip to NYC, I hopped on a plane and flew to Las Vegas for a long weekend. This was my first time in Vegas and the farthest west I’ve been in the United States so I was pretty excited. Plus, it was a family vacation which meant it came without the added stress of weaving work into it. I went with my dad and his wife, my brother and his wife, my step sister, my aunt, and two of my cousins. Other than the traveling (One flight was a red eye/), it was a pretty fabulous trip. We spent most of our time on the Strip checking out the casinos and seeing the sights. My favorites were Aria, Caesars, and Wynn. I’m not a big gambler, but I did play a few penny slots. We also saw Zarkana which is a Cirque Du Soleil show. It was amazing. On our final day, we headed to Hoover Damn and Red Rock Canyon. One man-made, one nature-made, both incredibly beautiful.
Jump – During our time at the Red Rocks, all of my family jumped in front of the rocks to create a really neat jumping picture like this one. When I have a few spare minutes, I’m going to frame them all together. To spare my family any embarrassment, I won’t show their pictures here, but I will show the final framed piece. All-in-all it was a wonderful trip and a huge reminder of how important family is. I consider myself so blessed to have such wonderful people in my life. (Also, I’d like to point out that little roll poking out of the top of my jeans. To everyone who’s ever asked, “How do you stay so thin?” now you know the secret. I don’t. I blame that bit of excess on Fall Cookie Week.)
Eat – This past weekend I had the idea to have a Dip Dinner. My BFF and I and lots of our friends each created a dip, brought it to a friend’s house, and feasted on the deliciousness. I made my Out-of-this-World Corn Dip and this Pumpkin Dip for dessert. Others brought crab dip, jalapeño popper dip, buffalo wing dip, pepperoni dip, and so many more that I can’t name them all. While it wasn’t the healthiest of dinners, it was pretty darn delicious. Paired with a few board games, a broken chair (Yes, I broke a chair as a result of laughing too hard), and lots of laughs, it was a recipe for a perfect evening.
Drink – In addition to my dips, I whipped up a batch of my Sangria Tinto. Even in fall, it’s the perfect little treat!
Caffeinated – While we are on the subject of drinks, I would also like to mention that I picked up my first PSL (otherwise known as Pumpkin Spice Latte) at Starbucks. I was a tad disappointed, however, because it just wasn’t as good as I remember. I will certainly be giving it another chance, but for now I’m happy to stick with my always favorite White Chocolate Mocha. Seriously, I can’t tell you how many I drank in Las Vegas. I’m pretty sure my family thinks I have a problem. (I know I’ve said this before, but I live nowhere near a Starbucks, so when I’m surrounded by them, I tend to overindulge.)
Decorate – Around here I’m in the process of finally clearing out my gift shoppe and gearing up for some painting and major redecorating. It should be a pretty exciting and beautiful process. I can’t wait to take you along on this new adventure.
Featured – In fun personal news, I was featured in one of BHG’s Special Interest Publications. Their newest Holiday Recipes issue is on newsstands and includes a recipe I helped create for Apple-Cinnamon Winter Sangria. If you happen to see it while you’re out shopping, be sure to check it out. I’ll share the recipe on the blog at some point this winter.
That’s it for today. I will have some exciting news tomorrow that I think my fellow interior / decorator / DIY lovers will appreciate. Stay tuned!
Your Weekend Wanderlust posts are always so fun. Um… a “Dip Dinner”? OK, I’m in. NOM,
And I have not yet had my first PSL of the season so I am due.
Also I will definitely be that annoying gal in line looking for your recipe in the BHG publication. Mission accepted. 😉
Have a great rest of your week!!
Tomorrow is my one year blogaversary (WOW). This year has flown by.
xo
Woot! Woot! Congrats on your blogaversary Claire!!
xo Michael
I love all the pics, especially the jumping! It really turned out great!
White chocolate mocha is my long time favorite too. During the holidays, I add peppermint and then go into a sugar coma:0)
xo
Yes – I’m totally loving that pic too! Plus we has so much fun creating them. We were all laughing so hard at the results. And I LOVE the idea of adding peppermint to the WCM! I MUST have that ASAP.
xo Michael
Vegas looks sooooo fun!! I have been dying to get father west than Ohio. I’ve been all up and down the east coast…time to branch out a little! And I may steal the “Dip Dinner” idea…genius! What a fun way to get the gang together…and crock pot dips are so ridiculously easy. I’m very excited to see your office space take shape, sure to be an adventure! OH PS. Can we get an update on your attic room you were working on? Any plans for that space since you no longer have a B&B/Shop?
Yes – the dip dinner was fantastic … as was Vegas. And I will happily give a little attic-update on the blog soon. It’s a bit of a disaster at the moment, but once I can spend a little time up there, I’ll fill you in. 🙂 Hope things are well, Gabby!
xo Michael
If your life is anything like mine…you have about 90 projects started all at once and none are finished…not to mention the other list of projects you want to start! 🙂 I will wait patiently while you organize the chaos!
I am well just can’t believe it’s OCTOBER already! I feel like it came around again entirely way too fast…but maybe that was because we hardly had a summer? Either way, I won’t complain. Fall so far has been picturesque and totally gorgeous this year!