Drumroll please...

We got Enzo's genetic report back. It's rather dull, actually. He's a black lab / golden retriever mix....exactly what I wanted, and exactly what we thought he was when we adopted him. But then he started displaying some not-necessarily retriever characteristics, which got us wondering. And we kept running into Weimaraner / German Shepherd mixes that looked identical to him. I'm happy that's he's the mix I sought, but after the anticipation it was a bit anti-climatic.

The entire dog family...yes our hands are full. That's a Qwest line in the background, we originally called Comcast who booked the service call about two weeks out, only to find out it was Qwest. It was also hanging down in the alley, and one of the neighbors called Xcel. The joys of overhead lines. Buried cables are one thing I miss about living in the 'burbs.

Happy Birthday, Lisa!

Happy 3-oh Lisa! I wish I could be there to give you a big hug and share some cocktails. I miss hearing your laugh, which I hope you do lots of today. Have the best day ever, you deserve it! Can't wait to see you in July...

We're going to Italy!!!!!

We have been talking about going to Italy in October for a one-year anniversary trip, but I hadn't done anything to make that a reality. But on Sunday my Dad gifted us a few nights from their vacation club because they had nights that were going to expire. Come to find out, they needed to be booked within the week and travel within 120 days. Oh wait, their only property in Italy was completely booked within 120 days, just a single 3 day booking under tentative reservations. Turns out you can challenge tentative reservations, we did, the original guests canceled, and now it's ours!!! YAY!!!! I was trying not to get my hopes up over the past few days bc I didn't think they'd cancel and I AM SO EXCITED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Here's a picture of the house. This is not a sample, look how pretty Tuscany is sort of picture...this is the house. 20 acres and a private pool included.

Now we need to figure out the rest of the trip, if you've been to Italy I'd love to hear your feedback. Now I have to go pack for Vegas, my flights leaves first thing in the morning. I'm glad the house is settled, so I don't have to plan one trip while on another. But I must admit it would be typical of me. =)

Help with VEGAS! dining agenda

I am so excited for the upcoming VEGAS! trip. I type it like that because that is how it sounds in my mind. To be honest, I'm a little too excited and find myself looking up VEGAS! activities instead of working. But as hard as I've been working lately, I deserve a little internet time.

I've never actually prepared for a Vegas trip before. Well, not counting Leah's long ago wedding...Ivory and I did some prep work then because it was our first time. I usually am with larger groups, be it friends or customers, and just can't dictate what I want to do....from hotels to dining to day activities (for those I've gone to Vegas with, I had a great time, I'm not complaining!).

But now I get to do some trip planning! Yay! I agonized over hotel selections (went with the Venetian, because I wanted to stay somewhere new, Caesar's was too expensive and I feared Wynn would be too stuffy...plus I read up on tipping desk clerks for upgrades and Venetian has a high success rate). I can't even think of an appropriate word for what I'm doing over our dining agenda. Here's the tentative plans, please chime in if you have ideas.

Thursday - lounge at Mandalay day. I will eat lunch at my favorite little Mexican joint by the convention center, Border Grill. They have chips like Lime but better entrees. Thursday night is Craftsteak for Kathryn's b-day dinner. Yummy!

Friday - MGM pool day. I imagine we'll grab something quick for lunch at MGM pool, followed by Social Club (sushi) with the entire group.

Saturday is when the deliberations kick in. We're doing a special dinner on Saturday night before our 9:30 Phantom show, after much deliberation I made a reservation at Alex in the Wynn. In order to get their "recession" prix fixe menu you have to order by 7...so it's a 6:30 reservation but we can be 15 minutes late. That said, can we manage three large meals in one day?? I really want to go to Mon Ami Gabi for breakfast on Saturday bc they have a great patio with a view of the Bellagio fountains and the strip. But I want their steak frites. So steak frites for breakfast, followed by a burger at Mesa Grill (Bobby Flay's joint in Caesar's) followed by a multi-course dinner at 7?? It might be more than even I can manage.

The other complication is that I really want to try Bouchon (from Thomas Keller of French Laundry). Also French, but open for breakfast. So Bouchon for breakfast on Sunday, and Lotus of Siam (off strip Thai) before we head to the airport. We can go off strip on Sunday because we'll have a car because...wait for it....we're going to Hoover Damn!!!! I'm very excited for that as well. Wow, that was a very long rambling post, almost entirely dedicated to food. Does blogger offer the "continue reading" feature like Drea's blog has? Pretty sure not everyone cares about my dining extravaganza angst.

Yummy Smoothie Recipe

Yes, two posts in one day. For once I'm not swamped at work (mind you, there's plenty to do, I just don't feel like doing it). Sarah joined Mike and I for an outing to Golden for On the Border. Sadly the Denver location closed, but it's always nice visiting G-town. Sarah joined us for ice cream after dinner (Breyer's reduced-fat strawberry cheesecake is my new favorite food, sadly I'll have to ban it from my kitchen because I like it too much) and we were talking about smoothies. Since I love the french toast recipe that Katie shared, I figured I could return the favor. Assuming anyone likes smoothies as much as me.

1 orange (I just cut into quarters and cut out the fleshy part)
1 cup frozen mixed berries
1 serving Silken lite tofu
1/2 cup Dannon light n fit French Vanilla Yogurt
Ocean Spray light cranberry juice to consistency preference
Ice if needed

Cal = 255, Fat = 1 g (0 sat), carb = 52, Fib = 7, sug = 36, prot = 11

I think is the second best smoothie ever, right after Jamba Juice Caribbean Passion. When I'm being more mindful of my diet, I substitute one scoop french vanilla whey protein powder for the tofu, and 0% Greek yogurt for the Dannon (both have more protein than the original version). The modification shifts nutritional content to Cal = 334, Fat = 2g, Cab = 48g, Fiber = 7g, Sugar = 39 g, Protein = 34g. Since it has more calories that may seem weird, but the only way I can lose weight is by consuming tons of protein. And sadly cutting all carbs, so the smoothie ultimately doesn't acheive that goal, but oh well

Why business travel does not suck

Thursday morning I flew out to LA. As I always do when my flight is on a 777, I upgraded with miles. Business class on a 777 is so nice. Yes I still wound up next to an obese person (who needed assistance from 4 people to get her seat upright after it broke when she tried to recline), but since our seats were 6" apart she could not invade my space. thank heavens.

Our afternoon appointment canceled last minute, so Kyle and I worked from our hotel. Poolside. This cheesy camera phone doesn't do it justice. Our cabana had power for the overhead fans and thus our laptops. Palm trees were directly across, but all I could get was trunks from where I was sitting. The weather was perfect.



I love dining out. And the experience is so much better when someone else pays for it. From inventive sushi in LA to top-of-skyscraper steakhouse dining in Portland, this might be one of the best perks of my job.


Not only does business travel cut down on my expenses during the week, just three trips to the airport each month covers all of my gas. And then I get to use all of my miles to visit friends!

I might not always enjoy traveling as often as I do right now, but for the time being....I LOVE it!

Thanks for everyone who sent positive thoughts my way for the big meeting last week. It was a strange experience, to say the least. The top exec was about 15 minutes late, and spent the first five minutes venting on the director that scheduled the call. We jumped around the slideck, discussing items/slides completely out of order, and then ran out of time. But our end goal was achieved, so I guess it can be considered a success. If I ever have another opportunity like this in the future, I will definitely prepare differently.