Friday, January 25, 2008

Las Vegas -avoiding the sin in Sin City !

Mike and I have never desired to go to Las Vegas. We picture "Sin City" to be about gambling , sex stuff and lots of desert heat. Not our idea of fun. During my visit with my friend Terri last month, I discovered that there is much more to the city than my sterotype. Mike and I went there exploring this last week and boy was it an adventure. First of all it was COLD, like 30 degrees, like winter coat and mitten cold. That was actually a nice surprise. Next, while the place is about gambling and lots of the shows do have sexual content there was loads of stuff to do that didn't involve either. We went to a Russian ice show at the Riviera hotel, the Cirque de Soleil producton of "O" at the Bellagio, "Mamma Mia" at the Mandalay Bay, "Stomp out Loud" at Planet Hollywood, and the 3D imax movie "Sea Monsters" at the Luxor. Considering we rarely go more than 5 miles from our Arlington home during our normal life for entertainment, and never see anything except movies we rent from blockbuster , seeing 4 shows in 4 evenings was over the top for us. We totally loved each production. So much imagination. So much great music and talent . WOW. In addition, just walking around each of the numerous hotels is like going on a mini Disney World trip to Epcot. Walking in the Paris hotel was like strolling down the Champs Elysee in Paris complete with the Eiffel Tower and Arc de Triomphe. The Venetian is a minature Venice with water ways and gondola boats thru out the shopping area. The Mirage has a volcano erupting every 20 minutes with steam and molten fire. The Bellagio has a lake full of fountains that are choregraphed to various musical pieces. Red Rock Canyon is a brief 30 minute drive west of the city offering all sorts of hiking trails with spectacular sights. Further is an actual ski resort at Mt. Charleston. Hoover Dam is 35 minutes east of the city and has a tour down into the "workings" of the dam along with a museum. Needless to say, we ran out of time before we ran out of things to do. Las Vegas will definitely get a "repeat" visit from us sometime in our future !

Friday, January 11, 2008

A New Year !

2008 is here. We had an awesome holiday time. Since Thanksgiving our home had been decorated and looking festive. Mike's family (Freddie his dad, Jessie his nephew, Deb his sister ) spent time with us eating and hanging out. I had a lot of extra days off from work to read, walk the dogs, watch movies, relax and work at learning my new Photo software. A present from Mike. The learning curve seems pretty steep. Bummer. We returned our home to "normal" always a dreaded chore. Taking down the decorations, puttings gifts away, cleaning up, paying bills brought us back to reality. Without all the decorative clutter the place seems bare and boring ! This is a picture of Mike, Jessie, Deb, Freddie, Cookie and Me.

Eyes Opened



Today as I was dwelling in Matthew 13 I revisited that time when God opened my blinded eyes to Himself. An act that was truly ALL God's doing. I spent my 41 years at that point unknowingly blind and deaf to spiritual things; doing what was right in MY eyes, walking MY path, basing life on MY ideas. Things of God may have been surrounding me but not being equipped to recognize them I passed them over. Then all of a sudden but in slow motion my heart was softened, the scales fell from my eyes, the earplugs were removed and I heard the Word of God resonate within me. I could not rest or resist. It was as if I had been asleep all my life and suddenly been awakened to a new and glorious reality. A reality that was all about the LORD Jesus Christ. How scary and thrilling. A new babe had been born into His Kingdom. The adventure had begun!

Saturday, January 5, 2008

My Terri Trip or "Talk Fest"

Last month I went to visit my girlfriend Terri in Las Vegas. Since she moved away a couple of years ago we rarely see each other and when we do we have a "talk fest". My visit was only 72 hours long and I think we talked about 60 of them! She treated me to a surprse lunch with her special and prescious BSF (Bible Study Fellowship) friends at the Four Seasons restaurant. Very classy. The day I left we had lunch at the Bellagio Hotel where this picture was taken. Spending time with her reminded me of how much I miss living close by. We used to hang out in my TV room, drink coffee and talk about the Lord and our lives for hours. She knows all my eccentricities good and bad and loves me in spite of them. How God has spoiled me with the gift of her special friendship !