On a Kristin Chenoweth note . . .

I said I love this girl. In case you weren't sure you did - watch this!

A Music Break

Good music is always uplifting in times of worry and uncertainty. It can change a mood in an instant. There are two recent releases that have caught my attention and I want to share. The first:



We heard Jason Deere and the Nashville Tribute Band perform this at a recent Time Out for Women. This is the second CD in a series, the first being called "Joseph". I'm not normally a huge "mormon music" lover because of the sap level, but this CD is so fun! It tells the story (through music) of the pioneers' decision to trek across the plains and the hardships (and fun!) they faced along the way. There are some uplifting songs and some touching songs. It's a great mix and even kids would like this one. The beats are catchy. It's a great way to teach them about the pioneers. You can read about the history of the band and music here and listen to clips here. I highly recommend "Crack of a Whip". Fun!

The second:
I just love this girl! You may know her as Glinda in the Broadway show Wicked - she was right in her element singing "Popular"! You may also know her as Olive on the very quirky Pushing Daisies show. A reviewer described her as "what happens if you cross-breed a Barbie doll and a kewpie doll and breathe bubbly life into the mix". It's true, in the the most flattering way. Her voice is amazing and somehow just "happy"- if a voice can be happy :) Anyway, this is her new Christmas album and I MUST have it. I've already been listening to clips. You can too here.

When you can't have spa days everyday, you must have good music to pull you through.

Escape

For Christmas last year, Nate gave me a gift certificate to the Bellagio Spa. Yum!! I've been putting off going for almost a year now because I kept attaching conditions to get the treat - like when I lose those 10 lbs, I'll make the appointment or when I complete that project I'll go. Well, the 10lbs are still here and the project's not done - so much for motivation - but the spa certificates are expiring sooo . . . when I made the appointment two weeks ago, I purposely made it for the day after the election. I figured that if the news was good, it would be a little celebration. If it wasn't so good, the spa would be a good escape. A good escape indeed!!

Seriously, the Spa Bellagio is beautiful! 65,000 sq. ft beautiful, I might add. A huge place with some great features. I was scheduled for a hand, foot, and scalp massage, but I got there early to enjoy the relaxing environment. This is what greeted me in the women's spa lounge:
Had I thought to bring my suit, I would have enjoyed these 3 warm to hot whirlpools and 1 cold plunge pool. They are clothing optional, but naked in public's just not my style. I did sit in the relaxation room and sip a warm cinnamon tea as I waited for my treatment. This place is just luxury - from the robes to the lockers to the general surroundings and amenities.

After my treatment, which was glorious but never long enough, I sat in the amazing meditation room.
This was, perhaps, my favorite part of my spa stay. This picture doesn't do the dim, relaxing room justice. I was the only one in the room, so I picked a chair right in the middle and spread out. There are blankets on each chair, so I snuggled under and just closed my eyes. Thinking, pondering, dreaming. We don't get enough time for this stuff in our day to day. In a place like this, time sort of stands still.

Spa Bellagio was a wonderful way to spend a morning. I wish I could go more often. But alas, life calls and responsibility weighs. Thank you, Nate, for a great gift. I put it off too long, but in hindsight, it was a great escape at just the right moment.

Today

My Facebook Status tonight: "Wendie is feeling sad for the USA. People have been fooled. Change is coming, but I'm pretty sure you're not going to like it."

Now, I wonder, when we look back on this day one year from now, how many will wish they'd chosen differently? When taxes aren't lower, jobs aren't more plentiful, and our constitution is being attacked at its very heart, will we wish we'd chosen differently? When all the eloquent speeches are a distant memory, will we all be able to see the real truth we missed? The radical world around us is cheering today. They want a different America than we do. Will we be cheering with them next year?

I can only say what I feel today. I don't "know" any better than any of you. I just feel that we, as a country, have stepped away from God today. It feels like more than a political choice. I hope I'm wrong.

I Know!! A New Post! Shock!!!! Happy Halloween

This year's Halloween was quite busy for two people in a no-kid household. Chloe is really our "kid" now, so I focused on her outfit early. As you might recall last year, her outfit was quite embarrassing to her. This year we decided to go with something far more flattering. Funny thing is - she loved it! Every time I put on the dress she pranced around like she was the queen of the ball. Dogs are just hilarious sometimes.

I found her dress on Etsy. I love that place - some really cool stuff. The lady who made the dress was so impressed with Chloe's modeling, she made her a feature picture on the ad. Maybe I can work on sending my "kid" into modeling to make some extra money for the household :)

Friday night we headed over to the District, an outdoor shopping area here in Henderson that does a Halloween event with all the stores handing out candy. Music, lights, soooo many kids, adorable costumes, and food. It was a fun time and super, duper crowded - way more than last year. Chloe enjoyed eating candy off the ground (much to my dismay) and we enjoyed sauntering and costume-sighting in the beautiful weather. If I didn't appreciate Fall before we moved here, I certainly appreciate it now. Days here are still in the 70-80s, but evenings are fabulous high 60s. Amazing! One of my very favorite things about living here is that I rarely have to wear real shoes - flip flops are my constant foot companion and I love it!

Saturday night, Nate and I were invited to a Halloween party. The party was planned for Halloween night, but because of lack of babysitters the host moved it to the next evening. That's actually a great tradition - the kids have their fun first, then the parents get to have a fun night out. Anyway, Kari (go check out her amazing planning here) went all out and was a wonderfully creative host. Nate and I debated and debated over costumes (he's more Star Wars, I'm more "not so geekified") but finally landed on our costume idea out of desperation - the party was starting in 2 hours :)


We were Costco demonstrators - complete with sample trays not shown here. As I expected, Nate totally pulled out the design skills and pulled off a sign that everyone thought we stole from Costco. So funny!

Hope everyone had a great Halloween. I'm totally ready to pull out the holiday stuff now. I may even blog about it!