Weekend Wanderlust: No. 28

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.

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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!