New Adventures Of The Traveling Bloggers Or The Chelf Life Of Flea Bytes

I enjoy travel. I love meeting new people. I adore getting to combine the two.

Back in July, on a Thursday, DH and I made a trip to Bricktown (downtown OKC). We met Jayme for dinner, with her immediate family, and some extended family, too. They were in town for the big annual family reunion, that was being held in a church building (less than a mile from my house). We had a really good Italian dinner at Zio's. We enjoyed walking around Bricktown and along the canal.

I had (conveniently for Jayme) left my camera in the car. Apparently, Jayme was nervous that I would chronicle our visit here. I don't like pictures of me, but I am happy to share pictures of others! No pictures this time. Good for Jayme, bad for the rest of us. Ha! I didn't want her to think that I had left her out of the journal, simply because there were no pictures. I loved visiting with them, and I wanted you all to know it!

We had a great time. Neal and DH are friends from many years ago, and it was nice for them to catch up, too. Ellie told DH he was "Ca-RAY-zy!" for not liking Strawberries. That was cute.

A month later, DH has this week off. He took a week of vacation to hang out with me, in honor of our 10th Anniversary (this Friday). We are doing much like we did when we took our honeymoon. Then, he was still in College, and I was working full time. I took one week, and we spent that week taking small trips. We spent our first two nights in a Bed and Breakfast in Guthrie, OK. We also took day trips to Wichita and Tulsa.

Monday this week we went to Tulsa. We met Flea. I don't remember precisely when I found Flea's blog, but we have been enjoying each other's blogs for around two years, I suppose. I knew when I started reading that we were kindred spirits.

She brought the "loquacious" Red Rocks with her. We met at DH's favorite place to eat that we don't have here in OKC, Fuddrucker's. We refer to it simply as Fudd's, as to not say terrible words accidentally. They make burgers to order... you can get a one pound burger that covers a plate! We ate, took pictures and visited for most of two hours!

This is Red Rocks... talking. He is quite into Classic Rock, and was a pleasure to talk to. He had to go home to make an original dessert for a Scout thing that night. Good looking, prepared, and smart. What more could you need from a kid?



Fred and Bessie also came, and enjoyed the picnic. This is Fred, making sure he got the last of the Jalapeno Cheddar Cheese sauce. (A must for the french fries.)



Here is Bessie, worrying about Fred and his balancing act to reach something.



Mr. Monkeysuit came, too. He is a ladies' man. Flea got some good pictures of him giving me a kiss.



Here is DH giving Mr. Monkeysuit the contemplative stare... and probably a warning about getting too fresh with me.



This is the Good Flea and Chelf, photo on my camera, courtesy of DH.



Thank you for coming along on the driving adventures of Chelf and DH. More entries to come, as the Anniversary Week progresses!

Road Trip To Sin City, Part 4

... and the last in this series, I hope. I had to add these fun and funny pictures. I am working on another post, a deep thoughtful one. So here is a break before the depth.

Bro and SIL at the dinner the night before the wedding. There wasn't really a rehearsal, and her family didn't come to this dinner. I don't know if they weren't there yet, or just tired. But our family and their friends came. Aren't they cute? Poor kids were both sick, but the good meal and hot tea helped a lot.



DH and me at the same dinner. Bro took the picture. The one I tried as a self portrait was a funny angle straight up my nose. I won't bore you with that.



This was a funny picture of SIL's mom. We were waiting impatiently for the Limo to show up at the Stratosphere, to take us to the wedding site. Everyone with cameras was taking pictures. SIL's Mom and I took pictures of each other taking pictures of each other. Then I tried to get a good picture of her. I got this first. She joked that this was more real. I have another picture that is nice, but this one makes me laugh. Our families are going to get along well.



This picture is for the pure funny of it. This is in the Paris, right beneath the Eiffel Tower. I gather from the stuff we could see, that it is Asian food, but the name... is fitting.



When we walked around the Miracle Mile shops, there were columns that had different words on them. Each column had a different word, and each word was in all different languages. "Desire" has Pig Latin.



There was "Love". We pondered what language had "HAHA" as it's word for love. My comment was, "They're joking, right?"



I know a guy named Fred. I didn't know the name meant "Peace".



"Peace" had the best words. This was the longest individual word we saw. It almost took the whole side of the column.



Bro got a kick out of this one. Goom-Jigi. I really need to find out what language that is!



This is one of the lions in the MGM Grand. This is the view up to her, from a walkway. The plexiglass is all scratched up, this is a very clear picture of our actual view. She moved her paws to cover her face for that guy trying to get a camera up her nose. It was so nonchalant, but full of personality. "No more pictures, today, dear."



Later, this same lion got up and gave the people a show. She urinated on the glass...and immediately about 10 cameras were up in the air, trying to get the picture, from underneath her in that walkway. I was not under the walkway by then. She had about 50 people laughing and taking more pictures. From this, I gather that big cats don't cover their excrement like domestic cats do. (I like my cats using the litter box!) When she was done, she went back and lay down in the exact same spot she was in before. Like nothing had changed.



Sisters. Better than by blood, we are sisters by choice. We each refer to the other's Mom as Mom Squared. Our Mothers act like sisters, too. I met Best BFF when I moved to Gallup, at the age of 6. She was 7, and would turn 8 before the first year was out. We have shared all sorts of adventures. Vegas was better than the Arizona State Fair! (My favorite vacations as a kid, once neither of us lived in Gallup anymore.)



This is the current state of construction of the new bypass bridge at the Hoover Dam. I guess the plan is that the dam can still be toured and stuff, but the majority of the traveling traffic is not going to go over it anymore. This bridge had a sign that they were hoping to be done by 2008. They missed. But it is tall and looks pretty impressive.



I found the place where steak sauce is from! A mountain road near Flagstaff, AZ.



So Mamma Mia knows that I was not telling stories, here is the proof. I tried to go to her Uncle's restaurant in Albuquerque.



They were, however, closed. The sign explained it was a private party. Entrance would be granted by Invitation Only. *Sigh* So I didn't get the *BEST* Mexican food in the state. They had just had a Grand Re-Opening, and I was told that the employees were probably all drunk anyway, so it wouldn't have been fun. It is on my list for the next time we go through. Maybe we can meet up with Looney Mom again. (Yes, I am hanging my head in shame. I am a terrible long-distance friend. I didn't call at all. Bad Chelf!)



The yummiest hot Chai latte away from Vintage. This was the second trip to Perennials, as it was so very good the first time. I bought two of those mugs, one for me and one for my friend. (He and his wife are also big fans of How I Met Your Mother.)



I hope you have enjoyed my vacation documentaries. I hope to have many more adventures, and share them with you.

Road Trip To Sin City, Part 3

Word of the Post
Today's word is: vacation
/va*ca"tion/
noun: The act of vacating; leaving a void; intermission of employment, leisure time away from work devoted to rest; on holiday.
verb: To spend or take a vacation.
This was the most fun I have had hurting myself on a vacation.
~~~~~~~~~~
On the way to Vegas, we stopped to have a late lunch in Amarillo, TX. I love my new little car... and I think it is scary how so many larger cars on the road may not see me. Partially because the color could blend into the road, but mostly because other drivers are distracted or just not looking. When I pulled into this space, I got tickled over the visual of small vs. large that I had created. The intimidating Hummer I parked near.



I used to have all sort of posters and t-shirts for the Roadkill Cafe'. This trip, I found a physical store that called itself that! I took this picture as much for my mom and her love of Windmills, as my own little sick fascination. This is down the street from the gas station we stopped at in Seligman, AZ.



All during this trip, and a couple before it, I had been saying in conversation the lyrics of songs we were hearing on the radio or the CD we were listening to. Last April, I said something about crack filling, and then immediately heard "..fill in the cracks..." on the Chicago CD. We also have noticed things that are related to movies. Signs, places, and songs that relate to movies we have recently watched. Jeff noticed the contrails that looked like a logo, to a movie I have seen, but he has not (that I know of). Do you see it? (I will tell you the movie was Fantastic!)



This is another view of the Revolution Lounge. The letters were turned, any that had a bottom had seats in them. This is where I got the idea to put DH in one, and take a picture of him. I like the effect of the people walking past. Not the greatest picture, but fun.



This is the entry to Ceasar's, and those circular things are actually escalators! Like the moving sidewalks, this is one of the coolest things I have ever ridden.



For Roadrunner, this is an ad on a facade of New York New York. You can see part of the support for the "Brooklyn Bridge", which is where we were walking when I saw this.



Best BFF said this was the closest she had been to NYC since she was an infant. This is the closest I have been since 1992. We drove past NYC, and I got to see Lady Liberty through binoculars... and she still appeared only about 2 inches tall. This replica is awesome!



DH and myself in front of Lady Liberty... behind us is the castle of Excalibur. We didn't go in there. It looked cool, though. We rode an escalator up like the one you see behind us. It was scary. If one leans over too far, one sees the traffic one could fall directly into! Add that it is more than one house story level high, because it has to go over traffic with double decker Deuce buses going past... and that as such a small construct, it shakes. Ferret would have been passed out by the time she got to the top. I almost was, and I am not scared of heights. I am not usually scared of man-made structures, either.



For Roadrunner's kids (mostly the little one), I saw this Nintendo PSP replica on the side of a building. It is more than a story high! It was an LCD billboard. Very cool for us gamer geeks!



The Kiss



It is a family joke that Dad really does not like getting dressed up. Ties are evil, we are certain. He might own two... one that stays tied up waiting to be put on, and this one that is clip-on. Bro wouldn't have cared if we were in Bermuda shorts and flip-flops, as long as we were there. I was surprised that Bro was in a suit, but he had to be. It was made for him, so not uncomfortable. But Dad still removes the tie when the need to show it is over. I asked him to move it, but New SIL said she thought it showed his character, so we had him put it back in the same place. Dad is surely a character.



The Siblings. DH, Me, Bro, New SIL, Her sis. Both of the families have decided that we are ALL family now. I can really get to liking this. Bro's MIL figures we all came with the package. She is not wrong; when blending families, every member is part of the experience.



I took this, to have a record of Mom's family ring. The large diamond is the solitaire from her wedding set, that fell out around their 20th anniversary. I found it (we were at the DMV when she noticed it was gone) and we had it reset. The small stones are for each family member's birth month, and the anniversary month. The stones are: February Amethyst, April Diamond, May Emerald, July Ruby and October Pink (to replace the Opal that is too soft to put with crystals). Also in the picture, a bracelet that one of Mom's friends gave her recently, a carnation (hers of the flowers that Bro and SIL gave all the women at the wedding), her watch, and the wedding band to hold the family ring in place.

The watch face has colored pencils or crayons for the hands, and colored numbers. She was a teacher before she retired, so that was special. The watch band was hand made by a friend of ours when we lived in Gallup. Turquoise, Coral and other colored stones, set in silver in a personalized new design that has Hopi, Anasazi and Navajo influences. Now that I think about it, that watch band is almost 25 years old!



Until I am struck by inspiration again...

Road Trip To Sin City, Part 2

After the wedding, the family all went to lunch, which turned into dinner it was so late. The Venetian is smelly (perfume overload) but fun. This was the disappearing statue man outside of the restaurant. I came back a few minutes later, and he was gone.



Mom wanted to go see the Hawaiian Village Market that was farther away than she knew. We watched the fountains at the Bellagio again, from almost the same vantage point as the night before. If you look closely, you can see Mom in the wheelchair, and behind her on the ledge is Dad, and DH is to his right.



Wednesday, Mom and Dad decided to leave a day early, to get home to rest. We visited more with Best BFF and her hubby.



We walked from the Stratosphere down to Circus Circus and played a few dollars at Slots of Fun. I had budgeted to play at least $20 each for each of three days; we had $120 in Blow Money. With all the little $1 and $0.25 and $0.05 slots we played in various casinos over three days... together we lost (played) only about $18. We both should have quit when we were $1 ahead on the nickel slots! Ah, well...it was fun. I can see how the addiction starts, but we had more interesting things to see and do in Vegas.

Best BFF and hubby then decided to go home, to see their girls before bedtime. We continued walking... down to Treasure Island again. We ate brunch at Denny's (figured it would be pretty standard) across the street from the Mirage, and then got the call from Bro and SIL that they wanted to hang out with us. Yay! This is a bronze statue of the faces of Sigfried and Roy... and probably the lion that ate Roy.



This is the Mirage, advertising the show that DH wanted to see. At first, I said we couldn't afford it. If it hadn't been for Uncle Sam this year, we wouldn't have been able to have a good time at all. So I tried, once we had a bit of money, to get tickets... and the show was on a rotation or something. It was not playing at all the week we were there. Bummer, Dude!



Do not despair, though. DH got his Beatles fix. Inside one of the hotels is the REVOLUTION, a Beatles Lounge!



Some of those letters had seats in them. The pictures I tried to take of DH sitting in them turned out horrible. So here is a sign for you.



We wandered all the way down to the M&M's store (They wanted $11.99 for ONE pound of M's! I figure they can keep them, and I will buy at Wal-Mart). We went to the Coca Cola store next door, and enjoyed "Tastes Around the World". This is a sample size of 16 drinks from all over. South Africa, Italy, Mexico, and others. I have but one warning for you... don't ever drink "Beverly" in Italy. That crap was nasty, bitter and had a terrible aftertaste. I hear they use it to cut their alcohol... and I can't imagine how bad their drinks become because of it. No wonder they prefer wine!

We went to the top of the Eiffel Tower and watched the Bellagio Fountains show from above... twice.



We then wandered back down to Planet Hollywood where they had parked their car. Hey, who can beat free valet everywhere? You park for as long as you need, and then you tip the guy a couple bucks for bringing it back. Easy, if you are willing to drive in Vegas. I am not. Bro was... and SIL was worried about the other drivers and the survival of her car. They offered to give us a ride back to the Stratoshpere. While on the way, we all decided we were hungry. In that decision, dinner was proposed.

Sally, I had an In-N-Out Double Double.



IT WAS... there are not words. YUM! I know I was extremely hungry, but I honestly believe that was the best meal we had in Vegas. I won't say the whole trip, because we ate at some awesome places while on the journey there and back again... but IN Vegas, that was the best. And even at $6 for a burger, it was the cheapest, too. Fries and a drink came with that sweet little taste of Heaven. Even McDonald's for breakfast was more $$.

We had been inside New York New York on Monday... and we laughed at this: For all the millions of dollars spent to build these massive Hotel/Casino luxuries, to find an obvious typo made my day! I am not going to say anything more, you have to find it. I apologize for the lack of quality in this photo... I was probably still shaking from giggling.



Then there was this sign. I know I am pretty sheltered and naive. Really. But... this was a bit much to think about.



And one more little delight for the member of the Society for the Protection Of Good Grammar (SPOGG) in me. It was in the Planet Hollywood Miracle Mile of Shops. There seems to be no reason beyond laziness that the T is missing from Entertainment.



At a second glance, it seems that they could have put the T over the corner... or cut it off at the pass. The view just seems incomplete without an attempt at the issue. I know... I am a Language Snob. These little things are part of the grander picture for me. With all the extravagance in Vegas, certainly they could hire proofreaders for their signs?

Join us next time, when Chelf has NOT attempted to correct every mistake she sees....

Road Trip To Sin City, Part 1

We went to Las Vegas, NV for my brother's wedding. We decided that if we had to drive two days to get there and two days to get back, we might as well make a whole vacation out of it.

On Saturday, we drove from Oklahoma City, OK to Albuquerque, NM and spent the night at Chez Jenna, in the Mom Room. We visited for only a few moments (let her dog, Charlie Brown, come and stare at me like he does with Mom) and then went to bed. We arose fairly early on Sunday. Several months ago, I had seen an interview on TV with Neil Patrick Harris, and he said his parents owned a restaurant in Albuquerque. It is a wonderful little Breakfast, Brunch, Lunch spot called Perennials. We found it, and enjoyed the most wonderful breakfast. We both had the Fiesta Bowl which was hash browns covered by a meat of your choice, eggs cooked your way, and chile of your choice (Red or Green). I loved it so much, I bought a mug with their logo on it. I recommend that you eat there if you can. They are a very nice neighborhood sort of place; no big bragging on their famous son, nothing at all in fact to attach him to their business.



We then went to Gallup, NM to meet my parents. From there, we were a short caravan to Vegas. (My parents drive a Dodge Caravan, so yes, the pun was intended.) There was snow on the ground in Flagstaff, AZ. (This was Devil Dog Road... had to have a picture of that for the Devil Dog dessert DH loves from Vintage Timeless Coffee.)



We stopped in Winslow, AZ, and let DH stand on a corner. I am sure that is not a new concept, but it was fun for us.



We didn't forget Winona, AZ (get your kicks on Rt. 66!).



We spent three days and four nights there. I have never before been to Las Vegas. It is huge, and growing all the time. It is fantastic and busy. We stayed at the Stratosphere, at the very north end of "The Strip". DH referred to it as the giant thumb tack... it can be seen from Henderson when you get close to Vegas... and it is a perfect landmark for finding your way. All that, and I never really got a good picture of it. My good pictures were from the top of it, looking down. Imagine that!

We spent Monday walking from Treasure Island (somewhere in the middle)...



...all the way south to the MGM Grand (the far south end).



We were sore and blistered, but had a fun time with Best BFF and her hubby.

Tuesday was the Wedding.



It was beautiful! Short, sweet, to the point, and no Elvis Impersonators in sight! I made sure as my first question to Bro that there would be none. He said that there wouldn't be any "within a MILE!" and then amended to say that he couldn't be sure how many Impersonators would be within a real one mile radius of the chapel, but there would be no Elvis in the building for his wedding. The officiant on staff at the chapel. Bro said he did a great job for not knowing anything about them.



Mom looked great!



The ducks were beating them to the punch! (I hear they were male ducks, so maybe they were fighting over a girl? I don't know.)



Lots of pictures being taken.

New Family. Bro and SIL with their new In Laws.



Sisters. This is Mom (in the middle) and her two sisters. In age order from right to left, and height order from left to right.



New couple.



They each asked their sisters to be witnesses on the official paperwork!
His sister... that would be me.



Her sister.



To be continued....