Kira and I were headed to the grocery store to pick up some things for our first annual church picnic. And this is what we saw...honest to goodness...



Yes, he rode on the back. Yes, he has goggles. Yes, this actually happened.

Been messing around with past images. Enjoy...

This is me mum...



This is me dad...



This is me pooch...

Vegas

Inside the Bellagio, they had this really cool Japanese garden..



Kira and Sugar Ray



At the Hoover Dam..





This store sorta gets your attention. Was in one of the malls.



Photoshop Fun

I hadn't been to Las Vegas in over 20 years. I heard that it got pretty gross, that it was way overpriced now, and that you would explode on contact because of how much sin was in Sin City. Well, I'm happy to report that my experience was different from that. Kira and I had a great time celebrating our 2nd anniversary there. Here are the highlights.

The Best Things on our Trip to Vegas

1. The Shower in Our Room (West Wing/MGM Grand)

I wish I had taken a picture of this. Not sure why I didn't. Because, let me tell you. I never thought a shower would keep me in a room, but it did. We were told upon arriving that we had been "upgraded" to the West Wing. I had read about it online. The reviews said it was small but hip. Having already walked about 20 mins from our car to the hotel check-in, we decided to not wait for the room we reserved. When we got in the room, I felt a little closed in. One guy in the hallway even said, "This feels like a cruise ship." But let me tell you. That shower. It had dual heads with one of the heads sort of being a water pik that you could move pretty much anywhere you wanted. And, not to get too gross. But I did. Oh, the joy of a good cleanse. It led me to ask Kira how much it would be do build a bidet in our home. Ok, tmi. Let's move on.

2. The Buffet at Planet Hollywood
You would think (at least I did) that anything to do with PH would be a cheese factor of 11. But I was very much surprised by the hotel itself. Really cooly designed, not a ton of people, and voted the best buffet in town. I hadn't gone to a buffet in years either. And this was no joke. For about 22 bucks (we had the Sunday Champagne Brunch), it was by far the best I've ever been to. They had different stations broken up by different food genres..Italian, Salads, Seafood, American, Middle Eastern, Desserts, etc. My fave was the Middle Eastern section. Tandoori chicken pulled off a skewer, baklava, chutneys, gyros, you name it. I think we spent a good three hours just hanging out, eating slowly, calling family. Oh, I guess it didn't hurt that the Miss America pageant contestants were eating there, too. Not that I noticed. Kira said she heard them ordering, like, a "piece of cheese" while she gorged at her plate. Actually, Kira did like it, but she didn't do much gorging. :)



3. Our meal at Fammia
I guess you can tell I like food. Yeah, I really have to watch it. But this was a great meal. We had a $25 credit at the hotel and $30 from Grandma K (thanks, Gma!!!) to go towards a meal. So, we splurged a little. Fammia is located in the MGM Grand. Another coolly designed atmosphere. Kira got Spaghetti and Meatballs (the meatballs were made of Kobe meat. yum.) and I had a chicken dish. For dessert, they brought out homemade donut holes with three different kinds of dipping sauces. And then, to top it off, they brought some sort of raspberry liquer to cleanse the palate at the end. I was stuffed. And now I must exercise.

4. Visiting Sportsbooks
Like I said, it had been a while since I'd been to Vegas. And one of the things I (and every guy) loved to do was visit the Sportsbooks at each hotel (kind of like a big sports bar). I have to say, though. A lot of them weren't that up to date. Even the bigger hotels had screens with pics whose color was faded. But again, and you wouldn't think it, but Planet Hollywood, I thought, had the best Sportsbook in Vegas. It felt more like a living room than a stadium. And it had all new TV's. Very nice.



5. Watching Kira Climb Stairs
I married a hiker. And I'm glad I did. No matter where we go, Kira hates to use the elevator or escalator. She loves to "feel the burn". And Vegas was no exception. I took a pic (from the escalator) whenever she went hiking.



6. Shopping
I had heard a little about shopping in Vegas, but I thought it was probably a chick thing. But it was pretty cool. I think b/c I just like good design, I liked parts of Vegas. The malls were a little Disney-esque in the way they had themes and ceiling painted as skies. Stuff like that. Here are a few shots.







7. The Strip
Yes, there were people handing out cards for strip clubs and prostitutes (to which my response to them typically was, "Um, I'm married. I like to introduce you to my wife. She's right here.") But it really is a fun atmosphere. Where else can you see Elvis singing while driving on a tourbus going by?











8. The Drive
Granted, Kira's folks (for some crazy reason) let us borrow their Lexus (thanks so much!). So, that didn't hurt. But it really was a pretty drive. Especially Hoover Dam. Had never been there. Very picturesque. Thanks so much to everyone that helped make this a great anniversary trip.

Was messing around with ISO settings as I was watching the end of SNL (highlights: Bronx Wives' Club, Wheelchair Scene). Had never used 1600. Figured it would look like mush. But I sorta like this one. I'm sorry..our dog is cute.

Christmas was nice. My folks were here. We were treated by Kira's parents to a cabin at the South Rim of the Grand Canyon. It was fun for sure. But 1. It was between 12 and 28 degrees the entire team and 2. As we pulled up to the parking lot of the Canyon after our four hour drive, I got a call from our friend Mark Kaech telling us they I left him the wrong key to our house. Which wouldn't be horrible except for the fact that our dog Viva was imprisoned..and would continue to be for at least 24 hrs if we didn't find an alternative entry method. Luckily, Kira's brother, Davy, was nice enough to drive to the Stouts to get a key and then back to our place to let Mark in. I was picturing having to drive the four hours back early. But alas, we were able to break in '08 at one of the most beautiful places on earth. Of course, NO ONE in our party (not KIra's grandma nor myself) made it to the midnight hour. We are quite the party'ers. Anyhoo, here are some of the pics.

Is this insane or what? This is what we arrived to at the South Rim. I realized I'm starting to get annoyed with EVERYONE having a digital camera.



But this is why they come...





We woke up early to get some pics at sunrise. 12 degrees with a wind chill of who knows what. Cold.





Here's a few pics of the fam. Kira..at her alma mater..this one says "verility" to me...



...and my folks..my dad with his goofy glasses...

My wife and her brother share a December birthday with many other people..including Jesus. Well, at least the day we celebrate it. I always felt sorry for folks who had their day so close to the Big Guy's. Kira did said her parents would sometimes throw a birthday party for her in the summer, though. Here are a few pics from their birthday dinner (starring Grandma Eloise's homemade Chicken 'n Dumplings and Carrot Cake). We spent a little time decorating the tree, too...