Welcome To Las Vegas Christmas Ornament from Zazzle.com

I was in Las Vegas for the BlogWorld Expo 2010 conference in the middle of October.    Las Vegas is one of my favorite places so of course I took alot of photos.  One of the photos that I absolutely love is the one I took of the Welcome to Las Vegas Sign at the south end of the strip.   Everytime I went by there there were always lots of people taking pictures of the sign.  I designed this beautiful Las Vegas Ornament with a photo I took of the sign.

In addition to attending the conference I also spent an afternoon touring the Red Rock Canyon which I will write another post on later.  I was also lucky enough to be able to get tickets to the Cirque du Soleil Show Viva Elvis.  If you would like to read my Viva Las Vegas Review that would be great.


Welcome To Las Vegas Christmas Ornament from Zazzle.com



Royal Caribbean Cruise From the Port Of Los Angeles

In August 2008 my son and I took a cruise out of the Port of Los Angeles on the Royal Caribbean Monarch of the Seas.   The Port of Los Angeles is about 30 miles south of LA.   We had flown into Orange County and had spent a couple of very hot days at Disney Land in California.   Then we dropped our rental car off in Long Beach and took a taxi about 6 miles to the cruiseport where we boarded the Royal Caribbean ship. 

It was a four day cruise to Catalina Island and Ensenada, Mexico.   We really enjoyed the cruise and visiting Catalina.  Ensenada was ok.  It was an ok Mexican town.  I am a shopper so we went shopping and I found this totally awesome purse.  I paid about $57 for the Belle Rose Purse.  The quality reminds me of a Coach bag but for a much lower price.  The purse is 2 years old.  Since purchasing it I have used it probably 50% of the time and it is showing hardly any signs of wear.   When it gets completely worn out I will be really bummed so I have been looking for Belle Rose bags to be listed on ebay and I even purchased one and have it packed away in my closet for the day when I need it.  I have even get compliments on the purse from men like from my Dad.  I couldn't believe it. Check back later and I will post a photo of the Belle Rose purse.   Below are some items I created on Zazzle with  my Catalina Island travel photos.

Catalina Island Mousepad




After leaving the cruise ship we rented a car and drove to LAX where we had an early flight home the next day.   We stayed at the Renaissance hotel and reallly enjoyed our short stay there.   The car rental return was just down the street so it was closeby.  There was a Burger King across the street.  We were fooded-out from all of the food on the ship.

Just in case you are travelling through Los Angeles and find your self needing Los Angeles auto repair.   Repair Pal is a company that specializes in providing prices online for car repairs to auto owners.   So if you are visiting Los Angeles and the head gasket on your Honda Civic decides to conk out then its good to know there is someone available to help you.

Viva Elvis Cirque Du Soleil Show In Las Vegas

I just returned from a fabulous trip to Las Vegas where I attended the Viva Elvis Cirque du Soleil show at the Elvis Theater at the new Aria hotel located in City Center.

First of all let me start by saying that I was a little over 10 when Elvis died so I am a little too young to have really grown up listening to his music. I found Viva Elvis to be very educational on 'Elvis' life and legacy as well as entertaining. The show displays Elvis' life from the time he is a small child right through his singing career to the time he is drafted in the army, when he gets out of the army, his marriage to Priscilla, and his movie career.

The show, which at times is narrated by Elvis' manager Colonel Tom Parker, combines Elvis's music along with Cirque style dancing complete with amazing acrobatics and impossible looking feats performed by very talented entertainers. There are some very touching moments like when Elvis is drafted into the army and his parents and all of his fans are there when he leaves on the bus and when he marries Priscilla and the song playing is I Can't Help But Falling In Love With You.

The music is sometimes recordings of Elvis, and at other times a very talented female member of the cast does the singing. Some of the songs are You Ain't Nothing But a Hound Dog, One for the Money, Two for the Show, and of course Viva Las Vegas!

My favorite parts were watching video of the wedding of Elvis and Priscilla. The screen is beautiful pink fabric that drapes down from a girl on top of a giant wedding cake. I also enjoyed watching scenes from all of the movies that Elvis starred in. The scenes portrayed Elvis always kissing the leading lady of the film.

This was my first Cirque du Soleil show so I really was not sure what to expect. Overall I thought the show was amazing and very well done. It was much more than I expected and I really enjoyed it. If you are an Elvis fan, or even if you are not, I think you will thoroughly enjoy the show!

Whirlpool Fountain St. Joseph, Michigan MI, Silver Beach on Lake Michigan

My family visits St. Joseph, Michigan every summer to go to Silver Beach on Lake Michigan. This year the new Whirlpool Compass Fountain opened on a large piece of property that used to be used to be a sandy, gravel field that I think was used look like a parking lot. The fountain certainly beautifies the waterfront area. At set intervals the fountains go of. It was so much fun to watch my son and all the other children running through it. Here is a photo of the fountain on my Zazzle mousepad.  In the background you can see Silver Beach and Lake Michigan

Whirlpool Fountain St. Joseph, Michigan MI Mouse Pads from Zazzle.com

Michigan Winter Snow On The Trees Scene Mousepads from Zazzle.com

Although this is not a travel destination for me since this photo was taken in my own back yard I decided to include this in my blog.  I think the wintry, snowy scene is beautiful even if it was freezing cold the day the photo was taken.   

Michigan MI Winter Snow On The Trees Scene Mousepads from Zazzle.com

Looking at this snow scene reminds me again that winter is coming and I need to make a list of everything we want to do inside the house this winter.  We usually work outside in the summer and inside in the winter.  My son has been asking about bunk beds for his room.  There are so many options to choose from.  You can get trundle bunk beds, twin bunk beds with stairs, or even this pirate ship bed  The choices are overwhelming so we will have to do some more research before making a decision.

San Diego, CA

Dresden, Germany