Rules to Live By

I just read an article in Entrepreneur magazine that gave some rules for having business meetings in bars.  Some I agreed with, some I didn't, but it got me thinking about the rules I live by.

1. Never have your picture taken with a drink in your hand...unless it's champagne.

2. Don't eat or drink anything blue.  It's not natural and gives me a stomach ache. 

3. When it comes to clothing, a size too big is better than a size too small.

4. A polite "no thank you" to an invitation you do not want to accept is better than telling a lie to get out of it.

5. When uncertain, over dress rather then under dress for an occasion.

6. Quality wins over quantity when it comes to friends. 

7. Life is too busy to spend time with people who are disrespectful.

8. Be extra kind to pedestrians and animals.

9. Food and drinks should be plentiful when having a dinner party...better to have too much than too little.

10. Don't get drunk in front of co-workers...not even at the company party.

11. Don't pack luggage any heavier than you can carry. 

12. Never ask someone to taste something to see if it is bad.

13. Questioning whether food has gone bad or not? When in doubt, throw it out.

What are some of the rules you live by?

Thursday 13: Things I Love About Spring

Here are thirteen things I love about spring!

1. Daffodils blooming

2. Tulips blooming

3. Azaleas blooming

4. Opening the windows in the house

5. Sitting on the deck and having a drink

6. Taking walks after work

7. Wearing shorts

8. Cherry blossoms

9. Annual vacation time in my house

10. Turning off the furnace

11. Wearing sandals

12. Bright green grass and trees

13. Winter is over...

What are your favorites?

Thursday Thirteen - How Did I Ever Live Without...

1. iPhone - I have never been much into tech gadgets, but I got an iPhone a couple months ago and I love it!

2. iPod - I think the iPod is getting people back into music because you can listen to your guilty pleasures and nobody will know. I'll admit to having the Backstreet Boys and Paris Hilton on mine.

3. Plasma TV - We finally just took the leap and got a plasma TV.

4. HD - Ok, I could live without this, but once you have it, regular TV looks awful.

5. Internet - I do everything I can on the internet since I don't really like talking to customer service people.

6. DVR - No more VCR tapes or commercials and now there's no need to fight about who gets to watch their show. My husband doesn't like most of the shows I watch so I tape them and watch when he's not around.

7. Roku - I haven't used this much yet because we have issues getting it set up to our audio system, but I have a feeling I am going to love it.

8. Amazon.com - I buy so much stuff here and the two day free Amazon Prime shipping is great (especially since I'm linked to my brother's account and he pays for it). It's usually the first place I look when I want to buy something.

9. Wireless home network - I love being able to have my laptop in any room of the house. I'm typically on the internet while my husband watches TV.

10. Pull out shelves in the kitchen - Our new kitchen has pull out shelves in the pantry and in the cabinets. Now nothing is lost or forgotten about in the way back.

11. Witnessing the beauty of Caneel Bay in St. John - This is one of my favorite places and is my happy place in my head when I need to relax.

12. My husband - He is my best friend and partner in life.

13. My kitties - Manny & Minky

What's on your list?

Thursday Thirteen - Holiday Weekend Plans

Here are 13 things I plan on doing this long holiday weekend

1. Enjoy the nice weather that has finally arrived

2. Sit on the deck and enjoy the flowers my husband planted last weekend

3. Have dinner with my husband at a restaurant overlooking a scenic river on Sunday evening

4. Go shopping for a new dress to wear to dinner on Sunday

5. Grill some meat and eat outside

6. Leave work early on Friday

7. Paint the front porch

8. Drink some wine or cocktails

9. Go for a walk every day

10. Play with my cats since they haven't had much attention lately

11. Try to get caught up a little on my chores & errands that need to be done

12. Clean the house (boooo!)

13. Avoid being bitten by mosquitoes

Thursday Thirteen: Random Update

I have not written much lately so here is a random assortment of updates.

1. I saw Chelsea Handler's stand up act last week. The opening act wasn't good, but Chelsea was great. She didn't really have a "routine", but instead just seemed to be talking to us about things that recently happened to her. It was shorter than I expected at 45 minutes. The crowd was a mix of 1) girls night out groups 2) people like me there with their husband 3) gay couples. It was close to what you would see at a Sex and the City showing.

2. The family has come and gone. It was an exhausting time with all the sight seeing and hosting them in my house. It was great to see them though and I missed them when they were gone.

3. The kitchen was mostly done the day the family arrived. There is a list of about 20 small things that still need to be done and these are not happening quickly at all.

4. While my dad was here (my niece and SIL had left already) we went on a winery tour. We hired a driver/guide and it was a great day. I didn't have to worry about driving, directions, or drinking to0 much.

5. I have been eating way too much lately and have gained some weight back. I don't know how much, but I feel much fuller in my pants. I'm scared to get on the scale at this point.

6. I joined a weight loss competition at work to try to get my motivation back. I am not running the competition, but I started a blog for it to try to stay engaged. I'll be posting weight loss tips/resources, recipes and results. It started a couple days ago so I still have a few days to get back on track before the weigh in.

7. I think Miss California is entitled to her opinion even though I do not agree with her. Her comments are not going to win her a pageant though and I wish the media would stop talking to her because it's just giving her more publicity.

8. I was saddened by the news of the Freddie Mac CFO death. I did not know him, but he lived very close to me.

9. I really need to cut back on the amount of time I spend reading gossip pages and Facebook. There has to be something more productive I can do with my time.

10. We went to the National Zoo when my family was here. It really angered me to see these animals in enclosures that seemed way to small. I decided that I would never go to another zoo again because I do not think they are what is best for the animals. I wondered if I was being too harsh so I looked it up on the PETA web site. Geez...reading the PETA site makes me feel like an awful person even though I love animals. I guess I am just a hypocrite because I don't like zoos, but I still eat meat and wear leather.

11. I got good seats (I think) for the U2 concert in September. I paid $50 to join the fan club to get access to tickets early so I hope the seats are good.

12. The weather is finally supposed to warm up so that means it's time for all the outside chores. Planting flowers, staining the deck and painting the porch either this weekend or next.

13. I really want to take a vacation. A real vacation, but it's not going to happen. We are going to California in June, but that's not a real vacation either.

Thursday Thirteen: Random Thoughts

I've been having a hard time coming up with topics for the Thursday Thirteen lately, so here are 13 random things on my mind lately.

1. This economy really has me spooked because anything could happen. I'm just hoping that my husband and I stay employed until things turn around.

2. For a long time I've wanted to become a financial advisor because I enjoy helping people with financial issues. The problem with it is that it is really more of a sales job. I'm thinking about taking online courses toward becoming a CFP (Certified Financial Planner) to see if it's something I really want to pursue.

3. Why is Jennifer Aniston going to the Academy Awards?

4. Brad Pitt was nominated for Best Actor?

5. One of my cats is successfully losing weight. He's gone from 18 pounds to 15.5 pounds (goal is 14 per the vet). The other cat needs to lose weight too, but has gone from 13 to only 12.6 (goal is 12 per the vet). This has been over about 2 and half years.

6. Suri is now way cuter than Shiloh.

7. Winter will soon be coming to an end. I'm ready for warm evenings on the deck drinking margaritas and eating chips & salsa.

8. I really want to go back to St. John.

9. What if I don't like the new kitchen when it's all done?

10. Will my neck and back ever get better? I still have daily pain from the car accident.

11. I love the TV show Friday Night Lights. I have been watching the past seasons from Netflix and I don't want it to end.

12. What is it going to be like having contractors in my house and no kitchen for who knows how long?

13. I can't believe all the people from elementary school and high school that I have reconnected with on Facebook.

Thursday Thirteen: Travel Tips

I love love love to travel. This is the time of year that I normally start planning a big trip for the spring, but we are in cost cutting mode at our house to pay for the new kitchen so for now I just read about places I want to visit instead. For anyone out there planning a trip, here are 13 travel tipss.

1. Book seat assignments on the airline's web site. Check seat locations on SeatGuru before booking your seat and it will warn you of seats to stay away from. For my husband and I, I always book a window and an aisle with an empty seat in between (if it is 3 across) and hope for the best that nobody will be in the center.

2. Fly as early in the day as possible to avoid delays. I usually try to get the first flight out.

3. Book directly with the hotel. You are more likely to get perks and if you really don't like it and want to leave, you may be able to check out early and go to another hotel, unlike with packages. Any other problems with the reservation will be more easily resolved as well. Also, if the price goes down, they will honor the new price. Sign up for hotel email clubs as well to find out about discounts.

4. Get a luggage scale to avoid over sized luggage fees. With the maximum luggage weight at 50 pounds (40 pounds for some smaller airlines), it is easy to exceed this, especially since the luggage itself can be heavy if it has wheels. Make sure to bring it with you as well in case you buy things to bring home. If your bag is over the weight, you can re-arrange between the bags and carry ons before you get to the airport to avoid extra fees.

5. Check in online and print your boarding pass from home. Then drop off your luggage at the curb side check in and you will be on your way. I really don't understand why people need to wait in all those long lines inside. Most hotel concierges will print boarding passes for you at no charge, or you can do it yourself if the hotel has a business center for about one or two dollars.

6. Keep checking to see if your airfare has gone down after you book. Most airlines will give you a credit toward a future flight that is good for a year. Some, like United, make you pay a change fee that usually negates this, but Southwest and Jet Blue don't.

7. The easier it is to get to a place means there will be more people. If you like quiet and seclusion, like I do, take the extra time to go off the beaten path. An extra small plane or boat ride makes a huge difference.

8. Check for online hotel check in. Hyatt has an online check in system now. You put all your information in the web site and then you just go to a kiosk to get your room keys. This also allows early check in if you check in online in advance.

9. If you are spending a lot of money or going to a foreign country, always buy trip insurance. Use a place like Travel Guard that provides coverage at a decent price. Things happen...if you get hurt or sick in a foreign country this will pay for you to get home or to a hospital of your choice. If buying a package, then look for the trip waiver from the provider that will usually let you cancel for any reason....this is separate from insurance though since the waiver does not cover medical or additional transportation costs. Most trip insurance is not "cancel for any reason" and is very strict on how to get your money back so the waiver (usually less than $100) is necessary.

10. Look for shoulder season rates since the weather is usually nice and crowds are usually less than high season.

11. Read reviews of hotels online at Trip Advisor. You will find out the the good, the bad and the ugly in the posts here since some of the people are overly critical. Also read the forums and ask questions from people who have been there.

12. For long flights bring food on board with you or buy something at the airport to carry on. Insulated tote bags are a great way to keep food hot/cold. It can double as your carry on and then you can use it as a day pack if you want to bring food/drinks with you on day trips.

13. Pack your liquid toiletries in small leak proof bottles. You can fit a bunch of these in a quart sized bag for carry on. Three ounces is actually quite a bit, so also look at the smaller bottles.

Thursday Thirteen: Holiday Songs on My iPod

1. A Great Big Sled - The Killers

2. Merry Christmas (I Don't Want to Fight Tonite) - The Ramones

3. Christmas in Hollis - Run DMC

4. Last Christmas - Wham!

5. The Chipmunks Song - The Chipmunks

6. The Chanukah Song - Adam Sandler

7. Mele Kalikimaka - Jimmy buffet

8. All I Want for Christmas Is You - Mariah Carey

9. Christmas (Baby Please Come Home) - U2

10. Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer - The Temptations

11. Christmas Wrapping - The Waitresses

12. Christmas Blues - Willie Nelson

13. Blue Christmas - Elvis Presley

Thursday Thirteen - Favorite Holiday Foods

Today begins the official holiday eating season. Here are my favorite foods for the holidays.

1. Pumpkin pie with whipped cream (cool whip is not acceptable)

2. Stuffing - made from white bread, not corn bread

3. Fudge

4. Jello cubes

5. Mashed potatoes with gravy - probably the only time of the year I eat them

6. Corn bread with butter and honey

7. Green beans with onions and bacon

8. Apple desserts - crumble, pie, turnover, etc...and always with vanilla ice cream

9. See's candy

10. Au gratin potatoes

11. Cranberry sauce

12. Champagne

13. Extra pie dough sprinked with cinnamon and sugar, then baked

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Thursday Thirteen - Famous Patrices

Patrice is not a common name here in the US. It is generally a female name in English and a male name in French. It peaked in popularity in 1958 at number 212 on the list of top baby names, but has fallen ever since 1987. The last time it made it on the top 1000 baby names list was in 1995 when it was ranked # 941. Here are 13 famous people with the first name Patrice.

1. Patrice Lumumba, 1st President of the Democratic Republic of Congo

2. Patrice Bergeron, notable for his ice-hockey career

3. Patrice de MacMahon, duc de Magenta, an ex president of the French Republic

4. Patrice Pike, notable for her music career

5. Patrice Hollis, Playboy Playmate Miss September 2007

6. Patrice Oneal, American stand-up comedian

7. Patrice Brisebois, notable for his ice-hockey career

8. Patrice Rushen, African-American R&B singer-songwriter

9. Patrice King Brown, television news anchor at KDKA-TV, Pittsburgh

10. Patrice Guers, French bassist, known for his work in Rhapsody of Fire

11. Patrice Evra, French-Senegalese football (soccer) player

12. Patrice Bart-Williams, notable for his reggae music career

13. Patrice Juah, Miss Liberia 2006

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Thursday Thirteen - Vacation Update

Here is an update on last week's Thursday Thirteen to see which things I actually did on vacation.

FLORIDA

1. Lay on the beach and soak up the sun. Only a few minutes at a time though because I burn so then I'll move back under the umbrella. Yes, but not as much as I hoped for. Day 1 the hotel was not putting up umbrellas (wind?) so I could only stay out a little while. Day 2 we were out in the swamps in the morning and it was cloudy in the afternoon. Day 3 I finally had a nice time under an umbrella on the beach.

2. Drink tasty drinks at the tiki bar. Yes, we had drinks, but they were really really weak.

3. Have a romantic dinner at the beach side restaurant. Done on the first night. We had a table outside with a view of the sunset.

4. Visit the Everglades. Done. We were on quite the swamp tour.

5. Watch the sun set over the ocean. Yep, from the restaurant and from the room balcony.

6. Go for a long walk on the beach. Every day.

VEGAS

7. Gamble! Mostly blackjack and maybe a little bit of craps. Yes, but not nearly as much as I hoped for.

8. Win the Megabucks jackpot. It's at almost $13 million! No...so I had to go back to work.

9. Drink too much and regret it since I don't bounce back like I used to. Oh yes, night number 1.

10. Sit by the pool and recover from # 9. Day number two.

11. Eat some yummy food. Yes. Red 8 at the Wynn, Fiamma at MGM and Fix at Bellagio were all really good.

12. Take pictures. For some reason I never seem to take pictures in Vegas. Nope...one friend took 1 picture that I know of and that's it.

13. Spend quality time with friends. Yep, but not as much as I hoped for since we were split into two groups part of the time.

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Thursday Thirteen - Vacation!

I leave on vacation on Sunday to go to Florida with my husband and Vegas with some girlfriends! Here are 13 things I plan to do.

FLORIDA

1. Lay on the beach and soak up the sun. Only a few minutes at a time though because I burn so then I'll move back under the umbrella.

2. Drink tasty drinks at the tiki bar.

3. Have a romantic dinner at the beach side restaurant.

4. Visit the Everglades.

5. Watch the sun set over the ocean.

6. Go for a long walk on the beach.

VEGAS

7. Gamble! Mostly blackjack and maybe a little bit of craps.

8. Win the Megabucks jackpot. It's at almost $13 million!

9. Drink too much and regret it since I don't bounce back like I used to.

10. Sit by the pool and recover from # 9.

11. Eat some yummy food.

12. Take pictures. For some reason I never seem to take pictures in Vegas.

13. Spend quality time with friends.

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Thursday Thirteen

I couldn’t think of a topic this week so here are just 13 random things.

1. I’m not into Dancing with the Stars this season. There’s nobody I think is really good or that I want to root for.

2. I finally broke down and bought the plane tickets out to California for Christmas…almost $1,500 for the two of us. Ouch! I don’t think my family realizes how expensive it is to visit…but they probably think it’s my punishment for moving away.

3. I love Chick Fil-A. I can get something healthy (grilled chicken sandwich and a fruit cup) and I don’t have to make any exceptions to hold the mayo because they do not put any condiments on anything. It’s all on the side. =)

4. I leave on vacation in 10 days! A four day trip to Florida with my husband and then three days in Vegas with girlfriends.

5. A portion of my driveway is shared with two other neighbors. It needs to get sealed so I’m trying to coordinate which is hard because I have never met one of them. He has another place and doesn’t spend much time at the house by mine.

6. The Biggest Loser is my favorite show this season. I was sad to see Jerry go. I like how they have changed the format so the contestants can’t target and vote out the strong ones.

7. I’m trying not to get freaked out by the economy and all the money our investments have lost.

8. The leaves are starting to change. Fall usually puts me in a funk and I’m trying to fight it this year.

9. I’m still struggling with my weight. I am an emotional eater and any good days I have can quickly be negated in one meal.

10. I think Angelina Jolie had some work done on her face. People are talking about her having a tummy tuck, but I think her face looks different too.

11. I am soon to become a Six Sigma Green Belt.

12. I still haven’t decided who I am going to vote for.

13. A co-worker’s wife asked me to make a treat for their dog’s birthday so I made a 5 inch bundt cake. It was a peanut butter cake covered with melted carob and decorated with yogurt. All dog friendly ingredients.

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Thursday Thirteen - Me on a Reality Show

If I was on a reality show...

1. The Amazing Race - I would want my brother to be my partner.

2. American Idol - I would sing Alone by Heart.

3. Survivor - I would probably be the sick girl who is nauseous for days from the boat ride to the island.

4. America's Next Top Model - I am too short and don't meet the height requirements so I can't even consider this one. I wonder what they would do to me on the makeover though.

5. The Hills - I would rather be friends with Brody than any of the girls.

6. The Biggest Loser - I would want Jillian to be my trainer and I would call Alison her Days of Our Lives name (Sami) instead of her real name. I would hate having to weigh in in front of America wearing the most unflattering outfit possible (sport bra and biker shorts).

7. Dancing with the Stars - I usually only like to dance when I'm drinking, which I'm pretty sure is the same for Cloris Leachman.

8. What Not to Wear - I like everything except having to throw out my current clothes so I would try to hide some to keep. I can't see myself at the grocery store or Baja Fresh wearing the outfits they pick out for people.

9. Hell's Kitchen - Chef Ramsey would definitely make me cry.

10. Top Chef - I would make either prosciutto wrapped chicken (with mozzarella cheese and fresh basil in the middle) or chicken wrapped in phyllo dough (with mushrooms, shallots, garlic, spinach and asiago cheese in the middle).

11. The Real World - No way I could put up with those people...although I'm sure I would have had fun on the Vegas season. I would put up with a lot to live in a casino for three months. I'm way over the age limit for the show though.

12. The Apprentice - I would try to win, then refuse the offer...like when the Bachelorette didn't want either of the final guys.

13. My work could be a new show...like a real version of The Office.

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Thursday Thirteen - What I've Learned from Blogging

This is my 100th post! Here are 13 things I have learned from this blog.

1. I did not think many people would actually read my blog, but they do! I just starting tracking visitors a few weeks ago and almost 150 people in eight different countries have read it since.

2. Everybody loves a list.

3. Some of the people I am closest to do not read my blog. This surprised me

4. People are nice. I was expecting people to write nasty things in the comments, but nobody has.

5. Writing is therapeutic, especially for the painful stuff like losing my mom.

6. I enjoy writing.

7. I have not done much writing since college so the thought of writing was intimidating and the first entries would take me an hour or two to write. I know I am not a great writer, but I can bang out an entry pretty quickly now.

8. Formatting looks different between my two computers…I still can’t figure out why. I thought it would look the same on all computers.

9. I am reading more blogs which has opened me to up to new people and their thoughts.

10. People actually like pictures of my cats.

11. I used to get nervous about what I wrote…that it would be too personal or someone might think it was stupid or trivial. Now I just write what I’m thinking about and don’t worry about it.

12. What a meme is and how great they are to get more readers.

13. I still have a lot to learn about how to format and make my blog look less like a template.

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Thursday Thirteen - Grocery Store Pet Peeves

Grocery shopping is not one of my favorite things to do. Here are my pet peeves

1. People who grab around or over you instead of just saying, "excuse me".

2. Check out people who want to talk more than ring me up. I've been in this store for an hour and I still have to put bags in the car, take bags out of the car and put everything away at home. Please just get on with it. And don't stop and look at my stuff for your future purchases.

3. People who have a coffee in their hand the entire time and think of grocery shopping as a social event.

4. People who stop and talk with another person and block the entire aisle.

5. When the store decides to rearrange everything. Why?!?!?

6. People who eat samples of produce and bin food...it's not free.

7. The top shelf. I'm short.

8. Food that is past its expiration date and still on the shelf. I shouldn't have to check it, but I do.

9. Meat that expires today.

10. Check out people that only put a couple things in a bag. I'd rather have less heavy bags than a bunch of light bags.

11. Those giant carts with a car attached for kids to sit in. They are just way too big.

12. The posts in front that prevent me from brining the cart to my car. I prefer to shop in the next county over to avoid this.

13. People who need all kinds of samples at the deli counter before buying what they came for.

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Thursday Thirteen - My New Kitchen

Here are thirteen things I want in my new kitchen.

1. Granite counters (current counters are corian)

2. Maple or light cherry cabinets (current cabinets are oak)

3. To get rid of the island that I am constantly walking around

4. Counter area with bar stool seating

5. Color other than dark red on the walls

6. Pull out trash can

7. Proper work triangle

8. Gas cooktop (we currently do not have gas in the kitchen)

9. Two ovens

10. Built in wine fridge

11. Tile back splash

12. More pantry space

13. Room for two people to cook and people to gather

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Thursday Thirteen - Fall TV Shows

Here are the shows I’m looking forward to watching this fall.

1. Lost

2. America's Next Top Model

3. The Biggest Loser

4. Ugly Betty

5. Gossip Girl

6. 30 Rock

7. Kath & Kim

8. Dancing with the Stars

9. Survivor

10. Hell's Kitchen

11. The Amazing Race

12. 90210? not sure yet

13. USC football - because it makes my husband happy

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Thursday Thirteen - Olympic Moments

Here are the most memorable Olympic moments to me. It's easy to tell what my favorite Olympic sport is.

1. Nastia Liukin winning the women's gymnastics all around gold medal. She cried...I cried...it was awesome. It was even better since another American won the silver.

2. The US men's gymnastics team winning the bronze medal. True, they blew it and could have won the silver, but they worked together and did great even though they lost their two best people right before the games started.

3. Trying to guess the real ages of the girls on the Chinese gymnastics team.

4. Kerri Walsh and Misty May-Treanor playing beach volleyball...all their matches.

5. Bella Karoli's reaction to Nastia's final routine in the all around competition.

6. Michael Phelps first gold.

7. Michael Phelps seventh gold that he won by one one-hundredth of a second. I was in a bar when it happened and people were chanting "USA, USA"

8. Shawn Johnson winning the gold on the balance beam. The very last event, and she finally got it.

9. I don't know exactly which swimming event it was, but the men's relay where they came from behind to win.

10. The music played at the beach volleyball matches in between points. My favorites are "American Woman" and "Keeerrrrry".

11. Watching Michael Phelp's mom. She must be so proud.

12. Alicia Sacramone falling off the balance beam then sitting down on the floor event during the gymnastics team finals. I felt so bad for her.

13. Nastia Liukin's "tie" on the uneven bar finals that got her the silver. That sucked.

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Thursday Thirteen - Vegas Hotels

Laura – This one is dedicated to you!

Here are thirteen hotels I have stayed at in Las Vegas.

1. MGM Grand – This is currently my favorite overall. The rooms are not as nice as some others, but I like that it has a fun environment with people my age, the blackjack minimums are reasonable and there are plenty of restaurants and bars all in one place. It also helps that I have been lucky at the blackjack tables on my last couple visits. I always have fun here and love the smell in the lobby. I am glad they got rid of the Wizard of Oz theme because that was creepy.

2. Wynn – Definitely the most beautiful room and hotel I have stayed at in Vegas. It also has a more calming atmosphere. There are not tons of people milling around and overly loud music being blared everywhere. I find the atmosphere to be a little boring at the tables, but gambling gets way too expensive for me on the weekends anyway. Last time I was there the lowest blackjack table on a Saturday night was $50.

3. Harrah’s – I enjoyed my stay here, but probably wouldn’t stay again. The rooms are decent, but nothing special. The Carnival Court is fun in the afternoon. We saw Boogie Knights (they go by a few names) in the Carnival Court. They are an 80’s cover band that we used to see in Santa Barbara in college. Just make sure to get a room that doesn’t face the Carnival Court because it is really loud.

4. Tropicana – This place is a dump and should be torn down. I stayed here because one of my friends wanted to go to the pool, and then she canceled and didn’t come on the trip. I wore shoes at all times…even in the bathroom…it was that gross.

5. Paris – I like Paris. It’s nice and has a smaller casino, but I’ve never had good luck here. On a recent trip it looked to be getting run down and over run with people just walking through looking around. It has a great location, but could use more places to eat since everything had a really long wait for breakfast/lunch.

6. Imperial Palace – This place is just creepy to me for some reason. I stayed here long ago in college. I tagged along on the trip with some friends at the last minute because my boyfriend dumped me. The most interesting part of the trip was when one person came back to the room in the middle of the night saying he won a bunch of money (I forget how much) and that he was leaving. I wish I had that kind of control to be able to walk away when ahead. I have not stepped into this casino since that trip.

7. Flamingo – Another place I stayed because one of my friends wanted to go to the pool…she showed up to this trip (see # 4). The rooms aren’t very nice and everything is more “old” Vegas here. It has a good location, but all I did was sleep, shower and eat a couple meals here. Otherwise I got in a cab or walked to another casino.

8. Casino Royale – I used to really like gambling here because they had 25 cent craps so I could play forever. The rooms are nasty though. I stayed here with some extremely frugal people and we had 4 people per room to make it even worse. The lowlight was when the toilet broke and nobody would come to fix it so I fixed it.

9. Showboat – This is where I learned to gamble. My first 2 or 3 trips to Vegas were here for a college bowling tournament. I was 18 on my first visit and this place was low key enough that I could gamble a little and get away with it.

10. Embassy Suites – I stayed here with a bachelorette party because the bride’s sister worked for whichever hotel chain it is that owns Embassy Suites and got us a really cheap deal. I think I paid about $12 for my one night stay. It doesn’t have a casino, but they do have a van and driver that will take you anywhere you anywhere you want to go. I mostly ran across the (big) street to the Hard Rock. Seemed like a perfectly good idea at the time.

11. Excalibur – I stayed here a long time ago and don’t remember much about it other than it seemed like everything was an overgrown toy.

12. Aladdin (now Planet Hollywood) – This is where my husband and I stayed on our one and only trip to Vegas together. He took me for my birthday after we had been dating for a year or two. This is where he learned how much I love to gamble and the he doesn’t ever want to go to Vegas with me again. The room was nice and the bathroom was huge. We had a view of the Bellagio fountains across the street.

13. Barbary Coast (now Bill’s Gambling Hall) – This is another “old” Vegas type place. I didn’t like it, but it had a good location. It doesn’t have a cab stand so we had to go to another hotel to get a cab.

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