Vegas Vacation {Picture Overload}

As I'm gearing up for a very busy week, I thought I would sit down and recap our Vegas Vacation for y'all.

We were very blessed to have been gifted this trip, and it was great to spend some one-on-one time with my hubby.  He has been really busy at work, especially last month...put in lots of hours, worked late, and we didn't get to spend much time together.  Even when we were home together, we'd be chillin' and trying to wind down from work rather than focusing on each other.

We had never been to Vegas, as I had mentioned before.  I always heard there was a lot of walking involved, lots of crowds, and bright lights.

One thing we knew for sure were the shows we were going to see.  I have been dying to see a Cirque du Soleil show for a very long time.  We were staying in the MGM Grand, and KA was playing there, so we just decided to see that show.  We also wanted to see The Blue Man Group.  My hubby was is a drummer.  He had to see  that show.  Both were excellent, but incomparable.

The sites to see are incredible!  The hotels are magnificent!!  And everyone is right. LOTS of walking was done.  34 miles to be exact.  In 3.5 days.  Crazy!

If we're friends on facebook, you've already seen this pictures.  But for those of you I'm not facebook friends with, here they are! {And in no particular order...}

I love looking out the plane window...I'm fascinated by God's creation!

Yes, we just had to go find the sign!  And my eyes aren't shut...I was just squinting.  It was bright.

We went to Shark Reef in Mandalay Bay and I got to touch a sting ray!

We saw Blue Man Group...were in the 4th row even!

We at at The Buffet at the Bellagio and I tried just about everything which included but wasn't limited to:  rack of lamb, crab legs, California roll, prime rib, duck breast, cheesecake...and other choices as well.  We didn't eat all day {except breakfast} so we could just eat the buffet.  It definitely was not worth the amount of money we paid for it.

We went down to Fremont Street one evening...

We saw a guy spray painting art while we were there!

Isn't it incredible?

The light show was interesting...felt like a hippie. :)

We went to M&M World one night! 

I was very impressed with all the escalators.  That city definitely caters to pedestrians.

Fountains at Caesar's Palace

We even won a little bit of money on the slots...the first night we were there! :)

My attempt at using the panoramic setting to take a picture of the fountains at the Bellagio while they were going off...

The swanky curved elevator at the Wynn...I had never seen one like it!

We had a really good time.  It was definitely a city to experience.  Honestly, being a Southwest Missouri girl, it was like Branson on crack.  LOTS more people, lots of shows, lots of lights.  We aren't rushing to plan a trip back to Vegas, but we'll see.

Crustless Low Carb Pumpkin Pie

What a week!
Since being back from vacation, this week felt like the l.o.n.g.e.s.t week of my life.
Lots of praying happened.
Lots of phone talking happened.
And what do you know?
I missed sharing a recipe yesterday.
So I'm sharing it with you today.

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups fresh pumpkin (or 1 15 oz  can)
• 3 eggs
• 3/4 cup Splenda Blend for Baking
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp cloves
• 3/4 cup cream (heavy or light)

Directions:

Mix all ingredients together.

Pour into a well sprayed pie pan.

Bake at 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes.

There ya have it!!  It's super delicious and tastes exactly like normal pumpkin pie.  But if you're like me, I miss the crust (I love the crust of pies).  So for Thanksgiving, I'm making my famous pumpkin pie (only famous because I make it every year) with crust.

Nutritional Information:

Serves 8 

Weight Watchers Points Plus:  3 per serving

99 calories

8.7 g fat

2.5 g carbs

0.3 g fiber

3 g protein

Happy Birthday, Daddy! {Picture Overload}

I always thought it was so cool that mine and my Dad's birthdays were two weeks apart.
They always fell on the same day of the week.
His is today {Friday}, so mine will be on Friday.
I discovered this early on in life...and was so fascinated.

Weird, I know.

My dad is so special to me.
I just have to share my favorite pictures of him.
I printed these off and they are sitting in my office at work.
To you, it won't mean anything.
To me, it means the absolute world.

This picture looks like we were caught mid-sentence.  But what you don't know is what he said to me that day.  He turned to me and said, "Don't worry if 'Your mother and I' turns into something longer."  I never picked up on what he was saying until we got down the aisle.  I absolutely love the fact that our photographer captured these special moments.

Here's the rest of the story.  Instead of giving me away with a simple, "Your mother and I," I got an entire poem written especially for me.  I had absolutely no idea.  That's the best part.  I keep a copy of that poem framed...and I hope to one day hang it in our house, in a more permanent spot.

My dad is selfless.

He is not one to do something for himself.

In fact, just yesterday he had surgery.

He was trying to convince my mom that she needed to go to her Bible study instead of sitting at the hospital with him.

I must say, he was a nut for even thinking that she would do that. :)

My dad loves Jesus more than my momma.

I'm so thankful for that.

I don't just know that about him.

I see it in their marriage.

When I was in high school, I hung out with 3 guys from my church.

They might not have had the best home life, but they were funny

and fun to hang out with.

After Sunday night church each week, we'd go to get some supper.

They would come with us, and I remember my dad paying for their food

most of the time.

He didn't care how much he spent on them.

He just knew that they were not getting themselves into trouble.

He was doing what Jesus would do.

After all, our money isn't ours.

My dad is constantly thinking about others in the church.

He's thinking about what he can do to help out.

He's thinking about who he can encourage.

He's thinking about who might need an extra buck or two.

My dad cares so much about his kids.

At different times in our lives {when we got older},

he's sat down to have conversations and to help

steer us in the right direction.

He would give us advice, but never

told us what we should do.

He never pushed his beliefs on us,

but taught us truth.

He has always supported us no matter what

we decided to do.

Dad's brother {my uncle} washing his feet at his ordination service when he was ordained as an elder of our church.

The elders praying for him at his ordination service.

Ben and Dad on the Thanksgiving 2010 ski trip to Keystone.

With my parents at my college graduation.

Random family photo circa 2007.

My dad is a goof! :)

Thanksgiving ski trip 2010.

At the zoo this past summer when they came to visit us!

Happy Birthday, Daddy!

I love you so much!!
I'm so blessed to be your daughter.

Thanks for always being a man of integrity and someone I can look up to!

Everywhere, All the Time

Today, I'm thankful that the God I serve is omnipresent.
He is everywhere, all the time.
I'm thankful that He can be in Springfield with my dad as he has a major surgery.
He can be in Joplin and Lamar at the same time with other family members facing medical procedures.

Even when I can't be in those places to hold my family close,
He is there.
When I can't be there to tell them everything is going to be okay,
He is there.
When I can't be there to tell them in person that I love them,
He is there.

He is here in St. Louis with me.
He's my strength today.
He is what is getting me through.

He is in the present
and He is in the future.
He holds us all together
even when we're miles apart.

He is.

Over at Rachel's

I've kinda taken an unspoken hiatus from blogging.
I apologize.
Life is crazy, busy right now.

But please!
Go over to my friend, Rachel's where I'm sharing a recipe AND a giveaway!
Please, take time to meet her!
You won't be disappointed.  
She's a true gem, y'all.
She's the real deal...living for Jesus.
And enter yourself for a chance to win a gorgeous ruffle scarf!

I'll be back soon!
I promise!