Vegas Baby!

Last weekend Ray and I spent 5 days in Vegas, with NO kids! It was bliss. We vowed to have a different trip to Vegas than last time. Last time, it was a short stay, with an agenda, no car, and little money. This trip was much different and fun indeed!

After an 8 hour drive on Thursday, we checked into our hotel and set out on the strip. After a short stop at Caesars Palace, we landed ourselves at Margaritaville to tackle their BIG margarita. Not too long after that a live band joined in, the night was great!



Friday was followed by more sight seeing and walking the strip. I also managed to get some retail therapy in as well. What girl doesn't love that?



Saturday was my little sisters BIG day! This was the day she would marry her high school sweetheart. She looked absolutely beautiful. We had so much fun at her wedding. The food was great, the venue was beautiful, and we stayed entertained. An all inclusive wedding is definitely the way to go.





Sunday we took a drive to see the pawn shop from the TV show (on the history channel) Pawn Stars. We got a chance to see many things featured on the TV show. Also, many collectors items, things that we probably would not have seen otherwise. It was cool! Later that night, we had dinner with my sister and her new husband. Followed by more Vegas strip drinking and gambling.





Up until the last night we were up by $200 but, I got greedy and lost it all on the last night. Oh well! We had a fantastic time on our vacation, did a lot of things that who knows when we will get to them again. I wouldn't change anything about it. Lots of drinking, walking, and laughing. I can't wait to do it again. Who knows when that will be!? For now, what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas!

House. A forever work in progress...

One thing is for certain around here... we always have some sort of house project going on. We bought this house as a fixer (got a really good deal on it) but, we never intended to fix it this much! Next month is will be one year since we closed on our house. Take a look for yourself and see the results.

Livng room before...



Living room after.



Kitchen before...



Kitchen after.



Dinning room before...


Dinning room after.


Our room before...


Our room after.



Everything has new paint, new carpet, and new tile throughout. The kitchen was totally gutted and put back together. Also, one of our latest projects has been the back yard this Spring. Hopefully, soon I will have before and afters on that. Then, next... Rayna's room. =)

My sweet Rayce

From an early age I have always known something wasn't quiet right with Rayce. With help from his school, we are working together in finding the balance of Rayce. Since starting Head start we have seen great improvements in Rayce. His social skills have really flourished immensely and he is excelling in Spanish as a second language. But, at the same time school has opened up a whole new world of issues for Rayce. He has experienced a lot of disturbing classroom behaviors which resulted in him seeing a play therapist. The play therapist noticed some ADHD tendencies so, next week he is meeting with a child Psychologist. Also, through school we have discovered Rayce has poor vision and he has an appointment next week as well with a pediatric Optometrist. He has come so far, but yet has so far to go. I am confident that we will soon find a good balance for him so he can shine like I know he is waiting to do.

Wordless Wednesday

Super Bowl Sunday

It's no secret that I am a Pittsburgh Steelers fan, so when it was known that they would be in Super Bowl XLV, I quickly made plans to have a Super Bowl party! I got online and ordered some super duper Steeler plates, cups, and napkins. Rushed out to find some black and yellow streamer. Called up my mother in law and asked her to make a football cake. Also, wrote up a menu. Oh, and lets not forget the jello shots! Black and Yellow ones to be specific. We were on our way to having a fantastic party my friends and it was going to be fun!

My little Steeler fan! (excuse the messy face she was eating a brownie)

The cake. (thank you, Sinda)

Black and Yellow jello shots

All looks great right?

Well, all that would soon come crashing down when the Steelers lost with a final score of 31-25. Devastated! I lost numerous bets. I thought for sure the Steelers were on the way to a record 7 Super Bowls. Crushing their own record of 6. Oh well, you win some and lose some. The party was fun and the food was fantastic, so that's all that matters. Until next year my friends...

Merry Christmas!

Dearest Loved Ones,

Christmas is the time of the year when we celebrate the birth of Jesus. A time filled with laughter from family and friends like you. Christmas cannot pass without wishing you a Merry Christmas. You have brought happiness and joy to our lives. These holiday season greetings are the most special gift from our family to yours.
The year has been very kind to our family, the blessings have been enormous and the year generally a memorable one. Most significantly, we bought our first house in April. After many months of renovations, we finally moved into our new home in June. We feel extremely blessed and it is truly empowering being a new homeowner. If you haven’t stopped by yet, please take the time to visit us during this coming New Year.

Ray is still working at First Interlock and I joined in working with him in May. We love what we do, and it is a great feeling to go home at the end of the day, knowing that we made a difference in helping get drunk drivers off the streets. Also we truly feel blessed that we both have jobs in this tough economy.

Rayce will be 4 next month and he is currently enrolled in Rio Rancho Head start. He absolutely loves school and has many friends. He growing and learning in abundance. His class is bilingual so, he is having fun learning Spanish as a second language. Right now, he is the only one in his class that knows all his colors in English and Spanish, as well as the alphabet. We are so proud of him!

Rayna will be 2 in April. She has been going to a home daycare since I started working in May. She also has many friends and looks forward to going there. Rayna is our typical girly, girl. She loves shoes, clothes, and her bows. I love her little diva personality! It truly brightens our day.

In closing, we would like to wish you a very Merry Christmas and a New Year filled with surprises and blessings. May the Lord shower you with happiness and fortune this coming year.

Merry Christmas everyone,