Vacation: Historic Pit Stop at the Hoover Dam

After three days in Vegas, we were ready to meet up with everyone in Arizona. We loaded up in the rental car, and stopped at the Hoover Dam along the way.

We didn't make it in time to take the Dam Tour, but we did get there in time to tune into the Hoover Dam information AM radio station, and hear a very official man repeatedly say "the Dam Tour". Naturally this became an instant catchphrase for the duration of our pit stop. (e.g. "I just wish we had been able to go on that Dam Tour." And then we'd all crack up. Yes, we're basically seven.)

10 facts about the Hoover Dam (found via Buzzle) just for all you history buffs out there:

1) The height of the dam is 726.4 feet (171 ft. taller than the Washington Monument!).

2)  The thickness of the dam is 45 feet at the top and 660 feet at the bottom (that's as thick as two footballs fields measured end-to-end).

3) The concrete used to build Hoover dam, was cured with cooling tubes, a previously untried method. Basically they were just making it up as they went along. If traditional methods had been used then, it would have taken at least 100 years for completion.(So, it would have been finished in the year 2031!)

4) It was named in honor of Herbert Clark Hoover, the 31st President of the United States. He was a mining engineer by profession, and made significant contributions to the construction of the dam.

5) It is made up of more masonry than the Pyramid of Giza.

6) Lake Mead (the reservoir created by the Dam) is spread over 146,000 acres and it is recognized as the largest reservoir of the world.

7) Six Companies, a conglomeration of six well-known companies, was awarded the contract to build the dam. They finished two years ahead of schedule.

 8) During construction, 96 men lost their lives in various accidents. The mascot dog, the pet of all construction workers, was buried at the site of the Hoover dam.

9) The Dam cost $49,000,000 to construct. (Great Depression Who? Sorry...too soon?)

10) Rubbing the toes of the two 30 feet tall winged figures (made of bronze), standing on the Nevada side's approach to the dam, brings good luck. (this one might be less of a "fact" and more of a legend, but who's counting?)

The fact that these men were able to build this enormous, powerful, concrete structure is so awe inspiring.

People would drive across the Hoover Dam when traveling on the highway, until the the Hoover Dam Bypass was completed in 2010.

Right after I took the picture of the warning signs, I asked Kourtney to pose for a picture. She immediately gets on the wall. Safety first!

I'm such a nerd and was so excited about all the Depression Era Art-Deco design on the buildings and signage. Cory thought I was crazy when I took a picture of the restroom sign. But its just so classy!

Lake Mead looks so pretty in the sunset. I didn't realize that the Hoover Dam was built right on the state line between Nevada and Arizona. They have clocks in the towers on either side with the time in Arizona and the time in Nevada, which I thought was pretty cool.

Then we packed back into the car, and continued on our merry way to Grandma's house. The moon rose while we were driving and it was HUGE. This picture doesn't even come close to capturing how pretty it was, but it was the best we could do. Cory kept saying, "It's like we're in "Hotel California" for real! On a dark dessert highway...cool wind in my hair..."

Anyway...we arrived to Grandma's house around 1:00 AM, and snuck into our bedroom/camper in the backyard. Our sneaking may have been more effective if we hadn't accidentally set off our own car alarm, but its hard to say for sure. Next up--Adventures in Joseph City. Things are about to get crazy, ya'll.

Vacation: First Stop Las Vegas (The First of Many Posts)

We spent the first two weeks of July on vacation. It was so lovely. It was the first real vacation we've ever taken together. It was the first time we'd even been on plane together! Long plane rides get infinitely better when you can hold someone's hand.

My Dad's family lives in Arizona, and we were all going to meet out there for a reunion week. Once we started planning for that, everything snowballed from there. We decided to start in Las Vegas, and spend our  two year anniversary there. My sister Kourtney couldn't resist our awesome plan, so we met up with her and  Juan there.

We stayed at the Trump Hotel. Walking in was like..whoa. So swanky.

The most important thing to know about Vegas: Comfortable shoes. You will be walking at least 6 miles a day. Pavement is hot. Your feet will get sweaty. You will develop giant blisters that cause you to buy orthopedic shoes in a store called "Easy Spirit". But man, I love those shoes.

Actually maybe the most important thing to know would be money. It's 'spensive there, for reals.

We just kind of wandered around looking at things. The Forum Shops and Caesar's Palace were our first stop. They painted the ceiling like the sky, and have Roman Gods threatening you with Tridents while you eat. It's a fun place.

Caesar's Palace had mountains of gelato. Delicious.  Our first bite of Vegas food:

On Monday morning (our anniversary!), we woke up and decided to try to see every hotel. We almost made it. I think the Palazzo was my favorite. They had canals and gondala rides inside (under the painted cloud ceiling). 

They had random moving sidewalks all over the place. You didn't even have to walk across the awesome bridge--you could just ride like the Jetsons. It was nice, but made me feel super lazy.

Also, we found Elvis and his twin brother, Shorter Elvis. I couldn't even try to tell you what that other thing is. Your guess is as good as mine.

The Bellagio lobby and shops all have a garden theme. The ceiling in the lobby was awesome:

Our big activity was riding the New York, New York Roller Coaster. Cory bought us the "all day, ride as much as you want" pass as my anniversary present. I'm one lucky gal.

We went to see the Cirque De Soleil show Mystere (pronounced "Mis-tear", not "Mr. Ray", FYI) as our big Vegas show. It was pretty mind blowing, but I was exhausted so I might have drifted off once or twice....Yep. I'm pretty awesome. 

We also went to a Variety Show and watched people do crazy tricks on roller skates,  and magic. And THEN, we went to a Hypnosis Show. They took volunteers, so I went up on stage and gave it a shot. It didn't really work, but I gave it a try. And it was pretty funny to watch the other people do crazy things (although I'm not convinced it really worked for them either...).

Vegas was fun, but it's definitely not somewhere I feel the need to go to again. It's pretty trashy, expensive, and it gave me blisters. But it was definitely cool to see it once, and check that one off the bucket list. And the Bellagio Fountains are mesmerizing. I'll give you that, Vegas. I'll give you that.

This one goes out to the one I love

via Kimbe

This is one of my very favorite wedding pictures. I had just walked up behind Cory and tapped him on the shoulder. It was the first time he saw me that day. He grabbed my hand and gave me this huge smile and just looked and looked at me.

Two years ago today I was excited and nervous. Today I'm less nervous but still excited. How has it been two years already? I love you so much Cory. Thanks for being mine.

A very pretty wedding reception brought to you by Sara and Chad

Sara and Chad are high school sweethearts who tied the knot this weekend. Their sealing was beautiful, and I'm soooo excited for these two as they start their married life together.  

Lara, Kristen, Sara and I were all room mates for a year right after Chad left on his two year mission. I can't believe it's been three years since then already! 

Anyway, they are also like, the most stylish couple ever. EVER. Sara poured their personality into every little detail, and while I know she had to be losing her mind--she also graduated with her BS in May, and started a Masters in Accounting program this summer--eeks!--I'd say all the stress paid off in a big way.  See for yourself:

Happy Wedding to Sara and Chad! Being married is such an exhilarating, exasperating, extraordinary thing. Enjoy the ride :)

A Wedding Roadtrip

This was Sara and Chad's wedding weekend. Cory had finals on Friday afternoon, so he wasn't going to be able to make the trip down to Orlando/Tampa for the wedding and reception. I was dreading making that drive on my own. After talking with Lara, we decided to make a girl's weekend out of it. Best. Decision. Ever.

I was super pumped about our plans (it's been way too long since Lara and I got up to our usual hi-jinks). We had a whole day of "big city" shopping planned. IKEA, Anthropologie, H&M...basically everything amazing. When I told Cory our plans he said, "That literally sounds like a nightmare I once had." To each his own, I suppose.

Anyway, we left Friday afternoon, and our first stop was the Orlando temple for their sealing. The Orlando temple is so brightly lit at night--its this huge gleaming beacon. Sooo pretty.

After the sealing we headed over to a highly recommended Mom & Pop restaurant down the street called Yellow Dog Eats. Everyone I've ever talked to about it raves and raves, so we finally gave it a shot. It was SOO good. It's definitely my new go to spot for after the temple sustenance. 

I ordered The Roofus (A vertiable mountain of pulled pork, brie, and raspberry sauce) and Lara ordered the Holy Crap sandwich (avocado, turkey, thick crispy bacon, and something else that is amazing).  We switched halfway through, so we each got to try two things, which is basically the premise of our entire friendship. Its a beautiful thing.

Kristen told us about this mystery 4 star hotel deal on Hotwire (they don't let you see the name of the hotel before you book), and I must say, it really worked out for us. After booking our deal we found out we'd be staying at the Rosen Shingle Creek Hotel and Convention Center, for less than 1/2 of the usual price. I don't think I've ever been in such a swanky, gigantic hotel before.  They had three swimming pools! When is that even necessary?? Also, they made you pay for parking, which sucks. But even with that, it was still a better deal than any other hotel, so we'll call it even.

We woke up bright and early Saturday morning because we had to get our shopping on. As my brother-in-law Juan would say, "Women be shopping!"

These are our game faces:

We didn't really go crazy and buy a ton of stuff. A lot of the places we were content to just look at pretty things and hold them close to our bodies. After an intense day of shopping, here are two of my favorite finds:

They just make me so happy. 

Our last stop on the consumer driven day o' fun was Cheesecake Factory. Neither of us had ever been before, and I must say, it was delicious (and the lunch portions are HUGE. Do dinner size portions come out to you in giant metal tubs? I just don't understand how they could physically be any bigger).

 We ate maybe a fourth of the food they put in front of us and could barely move our bodies out of the place. We were seriously considering asking for some kind of trolley service. They should look into that. Anyway, we dug deep and found the strength to walk our stuffed bellies to the car and began the journey to Odessa for the wedding reception. (Pictures of that to come soon).

We had to leave the wedding reception early to make it home before 1:00 AM. We both came home completely exhausted (and the later it got, the weirder things got in the car. I don't even remember half the trip home), but it was such a fun girl's get-a-way. Also, it should be noted, I can't count the number of times we heard that "So Call Me Baby" song on the radio. And strangely, it got better every time.

Dad's Favorite Movies

We don't really watch TV. I don't think my parents have paid for cable in the entire 30 years they've been married. Instead they buy movies, and when they want to unwind, they pop a classic in. We're the type of family that watches movies again, and again, and again. We watch them until we can quote them, and then we quote them while we watch them.

If my dad isn't out working on the yard, you can find him slouched on the couch (its a very particular posture--you have to sink down until your butt hangs off the bottom, and your head is awkwardly touching the place where your back should go. It sounds so wrong, but feels so right. Try it. You'll see.), snoozing away to one of his favorite movies.

In honor of Father's Day, I've compiled a list of the movies you can expect to be playing while he snores endearingly on the couch unwinds.

Here they are, in the order they popped into my head:

The Shakiest Gun in the West 
This movie has a drunken Don Knotts threatening to "spread dental hygiene across the west like a plague." Oh yes, its good. It was on Netflix Instant play a while back, and we definitely hit that up. Also the right answer to any question you don't know the answer to is "Waatay?"

The Music Man 
This is an amazing musical. And you haven't really lived until you've heard my Dad implore, "Play to me!! Play to me!!"

Singin' in the Rain
I know I've talked about my family's love for this movie before, but, I'm going to talk about it some more because, really. It's that good. Ever since Cory saw it if he hears a french sounding word he'll say "Oh Peirre, You shouldn't have come!" except he substitutes the french sounding word in there. The other day while I was telling him we need to buy an armoire he says, "Oh Armoire! You shouldn't have come!" And of course I reply with "Yes, Yes, Yes. NO. NO. NO!"


Entrapment 
Catherine Zeta-Jones and Sean Connery go all black ops on you. It's never gets old.

My Fair Lady 
My mom hates the ending of this movie. It makes her really angry that Eliza changes so drastically, and Dr. Higgins is all "Where the devil are my slippers?" Other than that one little thing though, we're all on board with this movie.

Pride and Prejudice 
The new one.  My dad can't stand the BBC version, and if it is ever playing will mock it. I think Mr. Collins is my dad's favorite character. He definitely laughs the most anytime he's on the screen (and for good reason).


Ever After
Drew Barrymore's best work, by far. Who doesn't love a good Cinderella story though, really?

The Princess Bride 
I can remember the day my dad picked this movie up at a Hastings Rental Store. We were expecting a serious, "Ever After-esque" movie. We got...well, The Princess Bride. We've overcome the initial disappointment, and now the movie has made it on to this list, so yea. We like it a lot.

The Count of Monte Cristo 
Who doesn't love this epic movie? Seriously, so good.

The Man from Snowy River 
If you've heard of this one, marry me. Right. Now.  It's got Australian accents, tight jeans, and rogue stallions.

The Return to Snowy River
The sequel to The Man from Snowy River. More accents, jeans, and stallions. Also, it ties up a lot of loose ends from the first one, so thats a bonus. I hear there was even a third one made, but thats not something we talk about here.

The Mask of Zorro
Action, romance, Spanish accents. There's something there for the whole family.

I can't watch ANY of these movies without thinking about my Dad. He's got pretty good movie taste, don't you think?

Now, I'm going to close with a million pictures of my Dad mostly because I can. And I really couldn't choose. They are all amazing, if you ask me. The non-ironic 'stash is so Ron Swanson. Holy cow, I just realized that if Ron Swanson were a real person, he and my Dad would pretty much be best friends.

I love my Dad. And I think I'm going to add all of those movies to my cart on Amazon. Because I need them in my life for always.