the las vegas high roller observation wheel

while we were in las vegas, we couldn't pass up the opportunity to ride on the high roller which is the largest observation wheel in the world!  from the ground to the top of the highest cabin, the wheel is 550 feet tall, making it 107 feet taller than the london eye!

it takes 30 minutes to ride the wheel and the 360 degree views are incredible.  the wheel never stops moving and you enter/exit the cabins as the wheel glides at a speed of 1 foot per second.  each cabin can fit up to 40 people, but we lucked out because there were only 4 other people with us in the cabin when we went (a perk of going on a weekday instead of a weekend!) which meant there was plenty of space to move around and to see the views from all angles.

all of the views were great, but it was especially incredible when we got to the very top.  what made it even more magical was that the bellagio fountain show started at the exact moment that we reached the highest point on the wheel.  talk about good timing!  it was amazing!  (you can see the fountains and hear the countdown as we approached the top of the wheel in the video below.)

my travel tip: there is different pricing for daytime ride tickets and nighttime ride tickets.  to save some money, we purchased daytime ride tickets.  to save even more money, we purchased our tickets at one of the tix4tonight booths on the strip.  our tickets were good anytime between 11:30am and 6:00pm, and we opted to go at 3:30pm in the afternoon.  the afternoon lighting was absolutely beautiful.  although the lights on the strip were not illuminated at that hour, i'm glad we didn't wait until late at night because we would have missed the amazing views of the mountains off in the distance if it were pitch black.

^look how small we each look standing at the base of the high roller!  for this great view of the wheel without any buildings blocking it, we walked to the large parking lot behind the wheel.^

^the high roller is located on the LINQ promenade, across from caesars palace, and adjacent to the las vegas strip.  the promenade is so nice, and there is a great view of the wheel from the fountains.^

^there is a replica of the wheel made out of legos on display in the lobby of the high roller.  it's 6 feet tall and made from 10,000 lego pieces.  wow!^

^at the very top!  the in-cabin narration is pretty amusing and it lets you know when your cabin has reached the highest point on the wheel.  the ride is so smooth, you hardly know that you are moving, so it's a good thing that they remind you when you reach the top.^

^the bellagio fountains are great from any perspective, but they are really cool from an aerial view!^

^the wheel lights up at night and constantly changes colors.  it's really pretty against the dark sky.^

here is a little video that ryan took during our ride on the high roller . . .

{music: "ferris wheel" by jason jones}

love, laurie

viva las vegas!

for a while now, ryan and i have been talking about taking a trip to las vegas.  so, i was really excited when i found out that i had to attend a conference for work that was going to be held in las vegas!  the last time i was in las vegas was 12 years ago.  ryan has never been there, so it was great that he was able to join me for the trip.

we spent the last week in las vegas and we had a great time.  since the conference was held at the paris hotel, that is where we stayed while we were there.  we used every ounce of free time that i had between conference workshops and sessions to get out and explore the iconic las vegas strip as much as we could.

of course we took an insane amount of photos while we where there.  it's always so hard to narrow them down, so get ready for a bunch of vegas photos this week!

^as we flew into las vegas, we flew over the hoover dam.  ryan was able to snap a few pictures out the plane window as we flew over it.  it is crazy to see the desert from the sky and the mountains that surround the city of las vegas.  did you know that las vegas actually sits in an area called paradise valley?  i grew up in a town called paradise valley!^

^we stayed at the paris hotel since the conference was held there.  oh my goodness, the hotel is really incredible.  they have a replica of the eiffel tower, the arc de triomphe, and the montgolfier balloon.  while we were there, we got to go all the way up to the top of the eiffel tower!  (i'll share more on that experience later.)  the front of the hotel is modeled after both the paris opera house and the louvre.  if you can't get to paris, france, then paris in vegas really is the next best thing!^

^crossing the street in las vegas is no easy task.  in most places, there are between 6-7 lanes of traffic going each direction!  that means you need to cross over a dozen lanes of traffic just to get to the other side of the strip!  luckily, there are bridges in many areas to help pedestrians get to the other side over the traffic, but those few intersections where you have to cross on the actual street are nerve wracking (especially if you have short legs like me)!^

^the mirage hotel is home to cirque du soleil's beatles love show.  i have been wanting to see this show since it came out in 2006.  i bought the soundtrack as soon as it was released, and it is one of my favorite soundtracks ever.  after 9 long years of waiting, i was elated that we finally got a chance to see the show.  it was well worth the wait because it was so good!  the acrobatics were mesmorizing and now i think i want to take up trapeze in my free time!^

^the weather was dreary and rainy for the first three days that we were in vegas.  (of course, that's our luck to go to the middle of the desert where it only rains three days each year on the three days it decides to rain!)  we didn't mind though, because it eventually cleared and gave way to beautiful blue skies and sunshine.  palm trees in october?  yes, please!  i can't complain about that.^

^the bellagio hotel is iconic for a reason.  it is absolutely gorgeous and breathtaking, and their fountains really are something else!^

^we felt right at home in the new york, new york hotel.  there is a statue of liberty outside as well as a roller coaster that is themed like a runaway taxi cab.  the inside is decorated like little nyc neighborhoods.^

^i didn't even realize until i got home that i never took a picture of the outside of the luxor hotel.  the hotel is shaped like an egyptian pyramid and there is a gigantic sphynx outside.  i did manage to snap a few pictures inside though.^

^like it's name suggests, the venetian is themed after venice, italy.  just like canals run through the city of venice, they have canals running through the hotel complete with gondolas steered by italian-singing gondoliers.  i remember taking a gondola ride at the venetian hotel when i was in vegas with my family 12 years ago.  we enjoyed standing on the bridge and listening to them sing.^

^caesars palace is also italian themed and is incredible as well.^

^the wynn and the encore hotels are new to the strip since the last time i was in vegas.  they are both so extravagant and beautifully decorated.  i especially loved how the encore was butterfly themed.  the wynn and the encore have a great view of the stratosphere hotel too!^

love, laurie

have a wonderful weekend!

it's friday!  we spent this week traveling, and after getting home very late at night from a cross-country flight we are pretty exhausted and jet lagged.  we're looking forward to resting and relaxing this weekend and getting back to our normal schedules.

have a wonderful weekend!

love, laurie  

purrfectly timed cat photos

i stumbled across this series of pictures the other day and just could not stop laughing.  here's a selection of purrfectly timed cat photos taken at the right meowment.  they are just too good!

happy thursday!

love, laurie

snapshots of life lately, according to my iphone pictures

follow along with us on instagram

love, laurie

panera's broccoli cheddar soup {copycat recipe}

when the weather starts to cool down in the fall we turn to warm soup, and we are huge fans of traditional cream of broccoli soup.  we were walking through sam's club the other day and noticed that they sold panera's broccoli cheddar soup which you could just warm and serve.  i saw ryan eyeing it up and said, "look at the price of that!  who do they think they are charging that much for soup?!  if you want that we'll make it from scratch at home."

thus off to the kitchen i went to work on creating a copycat version of panera's broccoli cheddar soup.  what i like about panera's version is that instead of just broccoli, they add carrots, celery, and most importantly cheddar cheese.

this soup is easy to make and it is really wonderful.  you know me, i am always a fan of the homemade version of anything as opposed to the store-bought version.  you can control exactly what goes in it and there are no surprises, mystery ingredients, or chemicals.

this soup is one of those cool weather comfort foods.  it is really filling and warms you from the inside out!

broccoli cheddar soup
prep time: 10 minutes
cooking time: 20-30 minutes
yields: 6 servings

ingredients:
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 sweet onion, diced
3 carrots, peeled and diced
2 stalks celery, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
8 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
2 lbs. fresh broccoli, chopped
1/4 cup half-and-half
3/4 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/4 cup water
salt and pepper to taste

directions:
in a large soup pot over medium heat, saute the onion in the olive oil until the onions are almost translucent.  add the diced carrots and celery along with the minced garlic.  saute until tender, then cover and cook over low heat until the vegetables are soft.  add the broth and simmer over medium-low heat.

meanwhile steam the broccoli florets until bright green and tender.  be careful to not overcook the broccoli.  once cooked, add the broccoli to the soup.  transfer the mixture to a blender and puree until smooth.  return the soup to the pot and add the cream.  cook for 2-3 minutes then stir in the cheese until melted.  in a small bowl, whisk together the flour and water.  slowly add the flour mixture to the soup and stir until slightly thickened.  season with salt and pepper to taste.  serve warm.

enjoy!

love, laurie

5 lessons learned from my high school job

today we're teaming up with the folks at the ladders, a comprehensive online career platform that helps make job searching simpler, focused, and more efficient.  they reached out to me to share some experiences and lessons learned from my first job, and i thought that would be a great idea.

experience makes us wiser.  my first job in high school was working at a family-owned 1950s themed ice cream shoppe that served food and had an arcade, a miniature golf course, and a single-screen movie theatre.  i fell into the job because my dad knew the owners.  my brother and i both worked there after school, on weekends, and throughout the summers for about 5 years.  it was a lot of fun and that job was such a wonderful experience for both of us.  even though it was "just a high school job" i learned important lessons that helped shape my professional life.

1. patience
anyone who has ever worked in food service, retail, or hospitality knows that customers can be difficult.  although that old saying "the customer is always right" is not necessarily always true, the customer has to think they're right if you are ever going to get repeat business.  have patience and be nice to customers.  you need them to keep any business alive and thriving (and you might be relying on them for tips for your good service).

2. the value of a dollar
i grew up in a household with two parents who both had degrees in accounting.  needless to say, i have always been mathematically minded.  it must be in my blood.  my parents taught me all of the important life skills that you don't learn in school like how to balance a checkbook, etc., but when you earn your own money and get to manage your own money, you really learn the value of a dollar.

3. work ethic
there's no secret to success.  rather, hard work pays off.  when i hear the phrase "work ethic" i think of my dad.  he has the best work ethic of anyone i have ever known.  even though it was just a high school job, my dad always encouraged us to treat it like it was the most important job.  if we were scheduled for a shift and didn't feel like going in, we went.  if we were having a bad day, we left all of the nonsense that was going on at the door and walked into our shift with an open mind and ready for work.  we took ownership over what we were doing (even if it was just scooping ice cream some days) and we always put our hearts into it.  we worked hard and were rewarded for our work ethic.  a good work ethic will get you far in life.

4. expect the unexpected
you never know what each day brings.  learning to roll with the punches is an important lesson to learn in any business.  don't get caught up on the little things, and remember to keep the big picture in mind.

5. never burn bridges
life goes on and interests change over time.  if you disagree with a co-worker or a boss, or if you need to leave a job for one reason or another, don't burn bridges.  leave on good terms.  you never know when you will need to ask someone for a letter of recommendation, or if you are interviewing for a new job you want to know that your old employer will give you a good referral.

what was your first job?  i'd love to hear about it!
what lessons did you learn?

love, laurie

. . .

ps: this post is in collaboration with the ladders

happy anniversary, mom and dad!

this has always been one of my favorite pictures of my mom and dad (taken back in 1979, one year before they were married).  today is their 35th wedding anniversary!  i'm blessed to have two amazing parents who are such wonderful role models.  

happy anniversary, mom and dad!

love, laurie

fun links

it's friday!  let's give ourselves a round of applause and a pat on the back for surviving the week.  here are a few fun links that i found around the internet recently:

1. it's october, and i want to dive into a slice of this autumn spice cake with cream cheese frosting

2. speaking of fall recipes, this apple pie is gorgeous

3. i'm really intrigued by this spiral pumpkin twists recipe

4. looking for a pair of heels that won't kill your feet?  these are the most comfortable pumps i have ever owned (i like them so much that i bought them in two colors: black and taupe)

5. easy tissue paper pumpkin party favors

6. the cost of living around the world

7. an amazing realistic 3d drawing

8. 31 life lessons they don't teach you in school, but they probably should

9. cat logic

have a wonderful weekend!

love, laurie

blast from the past

over the weekend i was looking through some old pictures and i came across this gem.  it's a picture of us sitting at the light board console in the booth in the back the theatre.  we were running the lights for a music concert (typical) and the date on the photo is march 2007.

seeing this photo was such a blast from the past.  i never even realized that this picture was taken of us, but i do remember working that concert.  i have no idea what was happening in that moment when the photo was taken, but i just love the expression on ryan's face.

this was taken on a film camera before we had digital, so i had to scan it to share it (and to preserve it).  it's fun looking through old photos and remembering things you had forgotten.  this photo was taken before we were engaged or married.  it was only 8 years ago, but it seems like a whole lifetime ago.

love, laurie