Vegas 2010

Last week a friend and I spent four days in Las Vegas. Ever since I first laid eyes on the Bellagio I knew I wanted to stay there one day. Happily, 2010 was the magic year, and it was every bit as wonderful as I hoped.

Lakeside Deluxe Room - talk about a view

Is this really Vegas?
A little pool time - lovin this place

Fountain in the middle of pool number 6. Beautiful view but the water was freezing.

Fountain show at dusk.

Part Two

9/11 Memorial at the Pentagon

Washington D.C. Photoblog

This one is for my grandpa. Anchor's Away!

The big house itself.

How to get lost on the way to the Smithsonian

No trip for the El Toro project would be complete without it's adventures...here's one:

I must begin by saying that I am not typically directionally challenged. Now I admit I can't tell you the points on the compass with the snap of a finger but I am fairly map savvy and can find my way around a new location in fairly short order. I don't what happened on American Airlines but somehow my sense of direction all but left.

The day before my interview with the general Janet and I did a dry run so I'd know what Metro to take, where the museum was in relation Metro station, and how to enter the building. Everything seemed simple enough, however day of I accidentally got on what I thought was the wrong Metro and spent twenty to thirty minutes righting my little mistake. Two transfers and one helpful patron later I was back on track only to discover that night the blue line also went to the Smithsonian. Clearly, I was not using my head and panicked just a little. Anyway, back to the story. By the time I got off at L’Effant Plaza I only had thirty minutes to spare and was a little lost. Because my map wasn’t entirely to scale and National Mall landmarks were not visible from my position (how in the world can a building hide the Washingtom Monument!!) I asked six different people how to get to the Air and Space Museum. Not one of them knew where it was! Fortunately, I found a family who looked like tourists, and they were headed in what I thought was the general direction of the Mall. I decided to follow them and after about two blocks was back in familiar territory. Of course, it was ninety something degrees with very high humidity, and I felt like one giant sweat ball! Thank God for air conditioning.

Conclusion #1: Parisans know their city better than District of Columbinans and are much friendlier.

Conclusion #2: It pays to know the city map also as a diagram of the Metro system. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, it was on the other side...semi inside out, but on the back nonetheless.

Arlington Ladies

Touching.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/37416579/ns/us_news-life//

Two Days

Airplane time! On Tuesday I depart for our nations capital for a work related trip. Although much of our time will be spent indoors, my co-worker and I definitely plan on putting in some touristy time, including a nighttime monument tour. Can't wait!


Misc information about the trip:

1) Attending the Marine Corps Aviation Reconnaissance Association Reunion for the purprose of conducting oral history interviews with marines stationed at MCAS El Toro and put in face time for the project.
2) Interviewing a 4-star retired general (my first!) and current director of the National Air And Space Museum.
3) Interviewing aforementioned general at the National Air and Space Museum. Am I nervous? Nah! (don't believe a word of that)
4) Returning 10:30 Friday night so I'm back in SoCal for Seth's graduation. I will be awake on Saturday.
5) I made a point to watch Breach, All the President's Men, and the National Memorial Day Concert to ensure I'm in the D.C. mood by the time we land at Regean International.

Lemony Sniket: A Series of Unfortunate Events

I’ve been trying to come up with a witty subject for this post, but since this title keeps coming to mind I decided to use it. Fortunately, it is perfectly appropriate. Let me begin by saying all worked out but the past two days have definitely been full of little unfortunate events. Shall we begin?

Thursday night: As I mentioned in my previous post us public history chicks were L.A. bound to see South Pacific. The initial plan was to meet on campus for a 4:30 departure. That would give us plenty of time to battle rush hour traffic, enjoy a leisurely dinner at CPK, and arrive well before the 8:00 show. Perfect plan, right? Wrong! As fate would have it Amanda had a job interview…in Santa Barbara…and at 4:30 was still in Long Beach. That’s a long way from Fullerton when one is moving at a snail’s pace. Nothing to panic about…yet. Five o’clock comes. Bethany arrives. Since Amanda hasn’t even crossed the Orange County border we quickly realize we will seriously be cutting it close if we plan on eating in L.A. A solution quickly presents itself. Instead of CPK, we’ll have ourselves a little picnic in the car. Bethany and head to Subway to buy a car friendly dinner and time ticks slowly by. Five forty-five. Six. Six fifteen. By now I am seriously thinking there is no way we will make it by 8:00 and the planner in me strongly dislikes the idea of arriving late. However, as Bethany kept reminding me, it was all about being together, and we should enjoy the adventure. Well, I’m happy to report Amanda arrived at 6:30, and miracle of miracles we arrived at the Ahmanson in ONE HOUR! I’ve been driving to L.A. for years and could probably count on one hand the number of times I made such good time. And that includes me taking us on a slight detour, aka, we might have gotten a little lost. But thanks to good ole Miss GPS we were back on track and arrived with time to spare.

Three and a half hours and one terrific show later we are now leaving the parking garage. Mind you, we made took this same route in February and had no trouble finding the freeway. Not so this time. All I wanted was the 101. The only signs around were for the 110. After heading the wrong direction and battling one way streets we finally found a freeway. A freeway going north not south. However, I didn’t have much choice in the matter because the street dead ended on the freeway. To top it off construction crews are out in force, and three lanes are closed. Will this never end! It took a while but after going through three tunnels and missing a couple of awkwardly coned off exits that turned out to indicate a path off the freeway we managed to exit and get on the 110 south. I was never so happy to see Exposition in my life.

Oh, South Pacific was totally worth it. Good thing!

Up next: My latest adventure in dog sitting…

Girlz Nite!

Tomorrow night Bethany, Amanda, and I take L.A. by storm! We're celebrating Amanda's graduation (masters!!) and bidding Bethany farewell as she leaves for her prestigious internship at the National Baseball Hall of Fame. Fun times await...

Lynn Redgrave 1943-2010

I so wish I had seen her in Nightingale. She fought a good fight. Rest in peace.

I haven't blogged in a while. I've been extremely busy yet feel like I have nothing of consequence to report. Tonight I'm doing something I haven't done in ages...watching a television show as it airs! Shocking I know. Hulu is my usual television buddy but tonight tonight. 24 ends in 3 weeks. Here's hoping my favorite TV president decides to come to her senses before it's over.

One way streets are so over-rated

Picture it. Riverside. 2010.* A trio of ladies made their way to Riverside, California, to see my best friend in Pirates of Penzance. The exact details of the drive are irrelevant except to say google's directions were completely misguided, and we might have gotten a little lost...the performance itself was extremely enjoyable, and afterwards we made our way down the hill, to the car, and began what I thought was going to be a relatively easy task of getting to the freeway. Not! Might I remind the reader, there were three of us in the car, and we could not for the life of us figure out how in the world to exit the premises of Riverside City College. Not only was the signage nonexistent, but various parts of the campus were under construction making our departure even more challenging. Suffice it to say I made one or two wrong turns, and the only way to get out...wait for it...was to drive the wrong way on a one way street! I've never done that in my life! Considering it was a single lane road, it's a good thing no one was coming toward me because I had no where to go. So I kind of, sort of broke the law on a college campus, with witnesses, but at least I can say we found the freeway...in fairly short order.

*Reference to The Golden Girls. Sophia anyone?!

For all the tea in China

My dear friend Antoinette gave me a tea party in honor of my 27 years of life. It was a lovely afternoon of delicious food, delightful company, and memories to last a lifetime. Here are some photos from this lovely afternoon.

My best friend & I in our classic pose

These gorgeous flowers served as the perfect centerpiece

My place setting

Delectible favors: homemade marmalade and lemon curd

(courtesy of B.J.)

Rite of Spring

Amazing but true

One year ago today I saw my first glimpse of Venice. My how time flies.

Lady Liberty Video

I'm not sure why the ending remarks were cut off. :-/

Columbia Part 3

Columbia part 2

Columbia University!

Quote for a rainy day

Families are where you find them and how you make them, and home, it's said, is the place where, if you have to go there, they have to take you in.

-Roger Ebert

The Ball in Times Square

Here's a video I took of the ball in Times Square. I had no idea it would be so beautiful.

"The Colossus"

This has long been a favorite poem of mine, and it was such a thrill to finally see the original plaque that used to be on the Statue of Liberty. To me, Lazarus' words speak of such hope and possibility for the future, and I thought it would be interesting to juxtapose the dynamic words with a picture taken by Stephen Wilkes of the abandoned hospital wing at Ellis Island where that promise of a new future began for millions of hopeful of people.













Not like the brazen giant of Greek fame
With conquering limbs astride from land to land;
Here at our sea-washed, sunset gates shall stand
A mighty woman with a torch, whose flame
Is the imprisoned lightning, and her name Mother of Exiles.
From her beacon-hand
Glows world-wide welcome; her mild eyes command
The air-bridged harbor that twin cities frame,
"Keep, ancient lands, your storied pomp!" cries she
With silent lips. "Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore,
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!"

Lady Liberty

Here are some photos taken of our one and only Lady Liberty. These are the first pictures taken with the beautiful blue sky as a backdrop, however it was so cold I think I would have preferred good ole gray!

A Little Night Music (or how I saw my first "celebrity")

Last night I saw my first Broadway show, Sondheim's A Little Night Music. Considering it stars Angela Lansbury and Catherine Zeta-Jones I'd say I started my new Broadway habit off with a bang. It was also a real treat to hear Send in the Clowns in its proper context. I've loved Barbra Streisand's version for years, but now I really get it!

After the show we waited by the stage door so Christina could see a friend who was in the show. providing the catalyst for me to see my very first celebrity: Catherine Zeta-Jones! She spent a few minutes signing autographs, and let me say, she is as beautiful in person as she is on screen. Naturally, I decided this would be an excellent time to take photographs, however my perfect shot (and I mean perfect. I was approx 4 feet from her!) was foiled when an over excited fan stuck her head in my frame the second the shutter clicked. Disaster! To prove we really did see her, I offer a recognizable, albeit blurry, picture of Catherine exiting the theater. As for it's blurriness, it was snowing, my hands were almost numb, and apparently, I didn't focus before taking the picture. :-/ Angela had already left the theatre so I missed seeing the legend up close and personal. She must not have gotten the memo we were waiting for her!

Happy New Year Everyone!

To ring in the New Year Christina, Peter, and I decided to venture onto the Brooklyn Bridge to watch the "supposed" impressive firework displays. Per my research we should have seen up to three sets in Brooklyn, Manhattan, and New Jersey, however at midnight only one went off thanks to weather conditions. Regardless of the impromtu change of plans, the display we did see lasted for ten minutes, and the finale was amazing. And now we can say we walked the bridge not once but twice, toured DUMBO on New Years Eve, and saw the impressive Manhattan skyline as the clock struck 12:00.

Yours truly posing on the bridge. (cars are below) After our little tour

I have a hankering to watch Kate & Leopold again.

This photo was taken seconds after midnight. We called family back home to

wish them a Happy New Year from the future!

Observation

I love how I post when I'm out of town, but now that I'm back (and have been for 2 weeks) you don't hear a thing from me. Is this a sign my life is too busy?!

The Met

Original piece of the Ishtar Gate - Assyria

The Met's Christmas tree. (Apparently, I wasn't supposed to take pictures of this, but since I did why not share.)

The facade.

Inner pathway of the Cloisters.

Interior stained glass window. Breathtaking.

Say hello to Alvin!

This is Alvin. He lives in Central Park and has lots and lots of friends. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, yours truly started naming every chipmunk we saw Alvin...I think I was up to Alvin the XVI. Then I decided the numbers were getting to high so we started coming up with new names (such as Ben Franklin, Genghis Khan -Khan for short- Alexander the Great...you get the picture) This photo is either Alvin V or VI. :-)

November 24: The Met

We got started with a bang. We were up and out by 9:30 (meaning I got up at 4:15 California time...two days in a row) and headed for the Cloisters. We used public transit and our very own two legs to get around so I started feeling like a true New Yorker. If memory serves it was approximately a 2 mile walk to the Cloisters, a medieval inspired recreation of five French religious buildings which are part of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. We then walked/public transited ourselves to the Met itself and spent several hours browsing the museum. There is SO much to see. We basically had to select the highlights and hope to see a fraction of their collections by wandering from place to place. Afterwards Christina and Peter treated me to a delicious dinner at Frankie Spuntino's. It was a delightful evening of yummy food and fabulous company. (the ricotta cheesecake was amazing...)


Here's a brief sampling of our tour! (see next post.)

November 23: The Flight

Here I am in New York City for Thanksgiving. My trip here was no less eventful than in the past, and I experienced more traveling firsts...a canceled flight! Things got off to a great start, but when I checked the departure board in Denver (what was supposed to be my one and only layover) I noticed a flight to LGA leaving at the same time as mine was canceled. It didn't click it might actually be my flight, and I started scoping out the area looking for lunch and a place to charge my laptop. Fortunately for me, (although I didn't know it at the time) none of the outlets worked, and I had this nagging feeling I should check the board again. That's when I discovered my canceled flight. There was no one around for me to ask about booking on another flight so I trudged down to the other end of the terminal to inquire at the gate. No one was there either, and when I finally found personnel to ask, I was told to re-trace my steps to the customer service desk which by this time had quite a long line of passengers just like me.

Fast forward an hour and I'm on a plane headed for Chicago sitting next to Mr. Talkative who is already 3 beers down. Another one on this flight turns him into Mr. Obnoxious. :-( More flight delays in Chicago prevented me from landing in NYC until 8:30 (an hour and a half behind schedule), and lo and behold my luggage was not waiting for me! Will this never end?! Actually, I wasn't really upset about any of it. Granted, it wasn't the ideal situation, but things happen and at least I reached my destination. Since my suitcase was on the next flight Christina and Peter picked me up, and we drove around Queens until we found a coffee shop to wait in. My luggage arrived right on schedule, and we were off to Manhattan.

A Momentous Week

This week marks a first for me. After twenty-five Thanksgivings with my family I am spending the week with my best friend and her awesome husband in...New York City! Am I excited? You bet! Time with Christina and Peter, cooking, shopping, and fun touristy excursions await, but I'm also feeling a little bittersweet about not spending the holiday with my family in So. Cal. Part of the fun (and challenge) of adulthood is creating ones own traditions, and Thanksgiving '09 definitely fits the bill. :-)

Prayer of St. Theresa

May today there be peace within.
May you trust God that you are exactly where you are meant to be.
May you not forget the infinite possibilities that are born of faith.
May you use those gifts that you have received, and pass on the love that has been given to you.
May you be confident knowing you are a child of God..
Let this presence settle into your bones, and allow your soul the freedom to sing, dance, praise and love..
It is there for each and every one of us.

Celebrating a life. Remembering a friend.

Vicki & Larry, 2008

Vicki, Feburary 2009
Words: Deborah D. Smith
Music: Michael W. Smith

Packing up the dreams God planted
In the fertile soil of you
Can't believe the hopes He's granted
Means a chapter in your life is through
But we'll keep you close as always
It won't even seem you've gone
Cause our hearts in big and small ways
Will keep the love that keeps us strong

And friends are friends forever
If the Lord's the Lord of them
And a friend will not say never
Cause the welcome will not end
Though it's hard to let you go
In the Father's hands we know
That a lifetime's not too long to live as friends.

With the faith and love God's given
Springing from the hope we know
We will pray the joy you'll live in
Is the strength that now you show
But we'll keep you close as always
It won't even seem you've gone
Cause our hearts in big and small ways
Will keep the love that keeps us strong

Eleanor Roosevelt

"Life was meant to be lived, and curiosity must be kept alive. One must never, for whatever reason, turn his back on life."

-Eleanor Roosevelt