I've been tagged!

Looking at this picture just makes me laugh out loud. This is the 6th picture in my 6th album. This was in early 2006, right after Ava was born. You can see a little Jack sitting in the toy container. I was taking the picture to prove what a mess kids can make when left alone. HA! If I only knew this kind of mess was just child's play....this is nothing compared to now!

I'm tagging whomever wants to show the 6th picture in their 6th album! Have fun!

Gobble Gobble

The Housewife is wishing you and your family a safe, warm holiday week! Here's some old pictures of our holidays gone by:

Thanksgiving 2006 with my husband and a little Ava. Isn't she precious?

Also Thanksgiving 2006- this is my mom- with her fire hat and martini in tow, playing with Jack. The holidays are never boring in my house!

March of Dimes - Nurse of the Year - Update!

I want to first send out a HUGE thank you to Gary Fox from the March of Dimes for inviting me to this incredible event! I had such a great time, and it was amazing seeing so many nurses from all over Las Vegas in one big room! Everyone was dressed to to impress, and I was happy to drink champagne and mingle among the beautiful people.

Nurse of the Year is held to appreciate the best and the brightest, and has been produced by the March of Dimes for the last few years. It started many years ago with a single award, and each year it continues to get bigger and better. I'm told Las Vegas has the biggest party of them all! This year, hosted at the Orleans, there were 24 awards given out. A nurse may be nominated by anyone- a fellow nurse, a doctor, a patient...and then the winners are chosen by other nurses. I think the awards mean that much more to the winners because they're voted on by their peers. I talked to a few nurses that said that there isn't a harder judge than a fellow nurse!

The night started off with a silent auction, and after the Chef's event, I feel like a silent auction pro! Most of the items up for sale were created and donated by the nurses involved. To me, that just made each item extra special. There were some really incredible things to bid on, from a hand-made quilt with pictures of little nurses on it, to gift baskets of goodies, to jewelry, to paintings and photography. My hubby and I bid on a few things, but my husband only had eyes for an large, artsy photograph of a Las Vegas building. We eventually won the picture (yay!) and it's now hanging in our kitchen.

Matt guarding the picture he bid on with his life. He wasn't going to let that one go!


The most appropriate item; A diaper bag.

Once the auction ended, we were invited into the main dining room. Again, the color of the night was purple! The tables were beautifully set, and salads awaited us when we sat down. There were people everywhere- I'm told there were 800 guests celebrating the evening! Each table had a sign telling which hospital was represented. It was incredible to see how many different practices were involved with the event. You can read a list on paper, but seeing the crowd in person makes it much more real.

Some of the nominees enjoying the night.

One of the coolest parts for me? I got to sit at the March of Dimes table! So, even though I'm just a blogger, and I sat among a crowd of amazing nurses, I felt like I belonged. It was a good feeling. For the past five years, I've been the arm candy for my husband's functions. This time, it was my turn to lead the way. I was wondering if the day would ever happen! Hallelujah.

Dinner was chicken stuffed with roasted red peppers (yum!), with baby squash and asparagus. It was complimented with a cornmeal side that was soooo good. I finished my whole plate (surprise surprise). Pumpkin pie with fresh berries was for dessert. They also served some of the best after-dinner coffee I've ever had. I must have crap coffee at my house because this coffee was SO much better than what I'm used to.

Each nominee received a beautiful carnation and a ribbon when they arrived. Each category had a runner up and a winner. To see the list of winners, click here. I was so touched watching the winners walk up to claim their plaque and give their speech. Most of them were in tears. You could almost drink their pride in. And listening to their passion for what they do, and hearing their voices crack with emotion was so amazing. I feel really lucky that this amazing group works in my city!

To sum the night up, March of Dimes throws one hell of a party. And they are such a generous, thoughtful organization. If you would like to volunteer for March of Dimes (there's lots of work to be done!), or want to donate to helping premature babies, click here to go to their website.

To read about my other adventures with March of Dimes, click here.

What did you just say?

Jack has started saying "seriously, mom" to me on a pretty regular basis. This sounds so bizarre (but kind of funny) coming from a 5 year old boy, but I think he got "seriously" from me. Here's what I'm thinking to myself when he says this-

Do I seriously say that? Oh shit....I just said it, didn't I? Oh shit, I said shit. I really gotta work on that swearing thing, too. I don't want my kid to grow up being an effing potty mouth....because I'm not a fucking potty mouth. Oh shit...I did it again. Did I seriously just say shit again?

My girlfriend and I were talking the other day, and the subject of our kids came up. She said "don't you hate it when your kid starts to say things that you know came from you?"

Shit, yes! I answered.

These funny things come out of Jack's mouth, and I seriously don't realize how silly they actually sound until he says them. Seriously. I'm raising a boy with a valley-girl vocab.

Sweet. Like, totally gag me with a spoon.

Rosemary's Restaurant review is up!

Remember I said I was reviewing my favorite restaurant for my column at Living-Las-Vegas.com? Well, I'm pleased to say the article is up!

Click here to read the article!

Leave a comment and let me know what you think. If you ever come to visit Las Vegas, call me and we'll go eat at Rosemary's!

March of Dimes - Nurse of the Year

The March of Dimes' Nurse of the Year awards were a hit! A great time was had by all.

Stay tuned for all the details!

Nurse of the Year - The winners and runners-up!

Here are the 2008 Nevada Nurse of the Year Winners and Runners-up! To read the blog that belongs with this, click here.

Winners

Category Winner Facility

Advanced Practice - Cristy Thomas - University of Nevada School of Medicine

Case Management - Victoria Licklider - Spring Valley Hospital Medical Center

Charge Nurse - General Medical & Surgical - Sharon Oliver Mountain View Hospital

Charge Nurse - Specialty - Christina Baker Sunrise Hospital

Critical Care - Debra Marlow - Southern Hills Hospital

Education - Alma Angeles - UMC

Emergency - Robert Reynoso - Centennial Hills Hospital Medical Center

General Medical & Surgical - Cecilia Fleming - Sunrise Hospital

Hospice/Home Health & Palliative - Allison Zieglmeier - Nathan Adelson Hospice

Infection Control & Occupational Health - Harsha Dave - St. Rose Dominican Hospitals – Siena Campus

Managed Care - Sandy Hessler - Southwest Medical Associates

Nursing Administration - Alice Chernich - Sunrise Children’s Hospital

Nursing Management - Mary Lou Haslach - LaGrutta Valley Hospital Medical Center

Oncology Nursing - Debbie McKinney - UMC

Pediatric Critical Care - Jennifer Quiner - Sunrise Children’s Hospital

Pediatric Nursing - Chris Mariano - Sunrise Children’s Hospital

Peri Operative Nursing - Una Jensen - Spring Valley Hospital Medical Center

Public Health, Ambulatory Care - Kay Godby - Southern Nevada Health District

Behavioral Health Quality & Risk Management - Sarah Lopez - North Vista Hospital

Rehabilitation/Long Term Management - Marie Guevarra - UMC

Women’s Health - Paula Hutchison - UMC

Nurses Choice – Administration - Sam Kaufman - Desert Springs Hospital Medical Center

Nurses Choice – Support Staff - Phyllis Stead Spring - Valley Hospital Medical Center

Distinguished Nurse - Minta Albietz - Sunrise Hospital Medical Center


Runners-up

Category Runner-up Facility

Advanced Practice - Jennifer Buitrago - Children's Center for Cancer & Blood Diseases

Case Management - Grace Jamison Gregory - UMC

Charge Nurse - General Medical & Surgical - Karen Kerkstra - Sunrise Hospital

Charge Nurse - Specialty - Linda Stacy - Sunrise Children's Hospital

Critical Care - Nancy Legaspina - Summerlin Hospital Medical Center

Education - Judi Carrion - Sunrise Hospital

Emergency - Joy Stoops - St. Rose Dominican Hospitals - Siena Campus

General Medical & Surgical - Haidee Rivera - Kramer Spring Valley Hospital Medical Center

Hospice/Home Health & Palliative - Lisa O'Driscoll - Nathan Adelson Hospice

Infection Control & Occupational Health - Giovanna Santovito - Carducci UMC

Managed Care - Serena Summerson - United Health Group

Nursing Administration - Ernie Stegall - Valley Hospital Medical Center

Nursing Management - Lynn Ray - Summerlin Hospital Medical Center

Oncology Nursing - Jane Edelman - Sunrise Hospital

Pediatric Critical Care - Cheryl Hayes - Sunrise Children's Hospital

Pediatric Nursing - Neely Sylvia - Sunrise Children's Hospital

Peri Operative Nursing - Vela Maria Orozco - Spring Valley Hospital Medical Center

Public Health, Ambulatory Care - Susan Michael - Desert Springs Hospital Medical Center

Behavioral Health Quality & Risk Management - Renee Christensen - Sunrise Hospital

Rehabilitation/Long Term Management - Anita Dioquino - Spring Valley Hospital Medical Center

Women’s Health - Sheila Hiramoto - Sunrise Children's Hospital

CONGRATULATIONS to all the winners!

The Housewife's Colorado Vacation- Part 3

As I mentioned before, I hadn't been back to Columbine since a few weeks after the massacre.

Clement Park is sprawled over a large area, including a lake, multiple playgrounds, and lots of open trails for walking or biking. Columbine High School (home of the Rebels) is right next to the park, and the school's "Rebel Hill" stands as the marker for the memorial. Isn't it a beautiful park?

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Here's what Rebel Hill looks like from afar. It's hard to miss! The trees to the left of the hill is where the memorial stands.



When you get to the actual memorial, there is an infinity fountain and a crossed ribbon etched into the cobble stone sidewalk. The memorial itself is a circle that you can walk into, and it has the names of each victim on it. Under each name is a personal note from their family about the victim. There is a larger wall surrounding the names with quotes from the students who experienced the day with the victims.


Rebel Hill stands over the memorial, and it's a short hike to the top. It's taller than it looks!

And at the top, you get an amazing view of the memorial....

...a view of Columbine High School.....

...and of the rest of Clement Park and its lake.

Although the Columbine massacre happened almost ten years ago, I don't think anyone who lived there, and saw what the entire city went through, will forget that day anytime soon.

It was comforting to me to see how beautiful the park and scenery are. Even though it's a dark day, it's a part of Denver's history, and I wanted to share it with all of you.

If you want to visit the memorial for yourself, you can get directions to Clement Park HERE.

The devil made me eat them.

I have a new food addiction. Can you guess what it is? I'm really ashamed. These are like the worst food on the face of this earth...are Cheetos even considered a food? No? Who cares- I love them. I *could* eat a whole bag, but I haven't .... yet. They taste so bad they're good. I swear the devil must have made Cheetos, because I cant imagine any normal human being creating these and not realizing they were going to Hell for it. Um hello!?

And what's with the natural part? Do they think that anyone is actually going to fall for that BS? These things are about as natural as my silicone breast implants.

Want to know what's even worse than ME liking them? Ava likes them, too, and I really don't want her eating them (at least not as frequently as I do). That means I have to sneak them- which makes me feel even worse. I feel like one of those food addicts who eats Ding Dongs in the bathroom at 3am after her family goes to sleep.

And if that's YOU, then call me. We'll go to food rehab together.

The Housewife's Colorado Vacation- Part 2

Here is my funniest picture of the trip. Did y'all know that Sarah Palin bartends at an Old Chicago in Denver? Me either! Okay, just kidding, it wasn't really Sarah. But the bartender sure looks a lot like her, doesn't she? This was her Halloween costume. Did you meet any Sarah Palins on Halloween?

I heart Old Chicago. It's one of my most favorite places to eat- they specialize in pizza and beer...two of my favorite things! I practically lived there in my early 20s. They don't have any in Las Vegas, so every time I come back to Colorado I have to eat there. Preferably more than once.

My two best girlfriends and I took all of our kids to The Denver Zoo one day. We have known each other for a really long time, so it's fun to get everyone together and just "wow" at the little group that we've created.

Matt made friends with the gorilla.

My sister and I had a double date with our husbands one of the nights while her kids stayed home and babysat my kids. Older cousins are good for babysitting! My sister and her hubby took us to the best sushi in Parker at Junz. Aren't they cute? I'm so proud to call them family.

We ordered THREE huge dishes like the one above. I love sushi so much- I could eat it every. My sister and I easily out-ate our husbands that night. Maybe big stomachs run in the family?

Keep a look out for another blog about my visit to the Columbine Memorial, and my girl's night out with my sister (including a Colorado Avalanche hockey game)!

Then and Now

I'm starting a new series, feel free to join in! It's called Then and Now.

Today's subject is the 'Then me' vs the 'Now me'. Are you catching on? I swear my 'then' person really existed at some point, but it sure feels like forever ago. Sometimes even I question my own memories but, I figured they had to have gotten in there somehow so they must to be real...

Here we go!


Then: I have to work in the morning so I have to get to bed by 3am- at the latest. That will give me a good 4 hours of sleep- which is plenty! Who needs sleep anyway?!

Now: I'm so fucking tired I swear to god I'm going to bed at 8pm tonight (while the "then" me is screaming in my head 'loser!!'), since my daughter likes to get up and the butt-crack of dawn every single morning.


Then: Yes, please. I would love to order dessert.

Now: Yes, please, I would love to order dessert. Can I get one to go, too? Ah hell, just give me a whole cheesecake to go. I'll eat it at home in bed while I watch 60 minutes.


Then: Oh my god, I just love the new CD from The Offspring! It's totally bitchin. I think I'll just put it on repeat all day!

Now: Oh my god, shut that horrid music off! My ears are bleeding! Oooowwwwww! It's too loud! Stop the insanity. And why is he screaming the lyrics? Hasn't anyone heard of real singing anymore? Did I seriously listen to this crap?


Then: I need a haircut. I haven't had one in almost 8 weeks!

Now: I need a haircut. I haven't had one in almost two years. Has it been that long? I swear I was just at the salon last week....


Then: I love kids! I cant wait to be a mom! It's going to be so much fun, and I want to have them really close together so they'll be best friends their whole life. I've got great mom instincts- I wont have any problems!

Now: What the HELL was I thinking? Best friends? Ha! All they do is fight with each other. Is this what my life is going to be like for the next 15 years? Playing kid-moderator? When do I get a vacation? I don't have any idea what I'm doing, either....but the kids don't know that, right?

The Housewife's Colorado Vacation- Part 1

Did you know that, if you drive straight through, the drive from Las Vegas to Denver is about 12 hours? It doesn't seem like very long, right? That is unless you have a 2.5 and a 5 year old in the back seat. In that case, the drive can be excruciating. Luckily, my kids are pretty good road trippers. So we packed our suitcases in the back of the car, brought the cooler with lots of snacks, and hit the road for Denver.

I dont think Jack looked up from his newly-purchased PSP video game the whole time we were driving.

Ava was happy as long as she had all her Polly Pockets and mini Cinderella dolls stored and ready to go in her princess trick-or-treat bucket. She also talked my friggin ear off during the drive, but hey, what else would you expect from a 2.5 year old? We had some nice conversations.

Colorado never fails to give good face. The entire drive was stunningly beautiful, with fall colors in all their glory. My pictures don't do the scenery justice.

The weather was perfect. There was just enough crispness in the air for it to smell and feel like Fall (which we dont really get in Las Vegas), but it was warm enough to leave the jackets behind. We couldn't have asked for better weather during the whole trip. The local Colorado radio stations said it was the warmest Halloween they'd had since 2001.

By the time we broke through the foothills, we were all tired and were ready to be out of the car. But look what we were welcomed with: beautiful Denver! I grew up near this park (below), and I had no idea how good I had it....until I moved away. This is a picture of Clement Park, which neighbors Columbine High School, and I visited the Columbine Memorial while I was there. I hadn't been back to the site since the massacre happened. I was living in Colorado then, and I still hold vivid memories of that day. Stay tuned for more about the memorial, and for the details from the rest of my trip, in an upcoming blog!

Housewife News

I'm such a lucky gal! Remember my Chef's dinner date, produced by the March of Dimes? Well, they have so graciously invited me to their next event! I think I may make Gary Fox- and the entire organization- my new best friends! They host such fantastic parties, and have been so kind to little old me- how could I say no? Plus, it should make for some exceptional blogging. Anyone who knows me knows that I am not shy...and I have been encouraged to take lots of pictures and talk to as many of the nurses as my heart desires. Doesn't that sound amazing? I am SO there.

The event is called Nurse of the Year, and it recognizes exceptional nurses in Southern Nevada. Each nurse is nominated by their peers and patients. There are other Nurse of the Year awards throughout the United States, but I'm told that the Las Vegas awards ceremonies are the best. I know that the March of Dimes plans to promote their Las Vegas party with a video, in hopes of increasing the nursing awards to other cities. So if you're a nurse, check to see if there's an event near you. The awards are growing!

Stay tuned to find out how the event went! And thank you March of Dimes for the invitation.

Also, stay tuned for a couple of blogs about my Colorado trip last week. There's talk about Sarah Palin, an Avalanche Hockey Game (sorry Liam!), Columbine High School, and lots of girlfriend and sister time.

There's lots to talk about, and tons of pictures to share- including all my family's Halloween pictures.

I've been tagged!

Danielle and the bitches at Mommy Mayhem have tagged me. Gotta love those gals!


So here's 7 random things about me...not like you don't already know everything.

1. I love the new HBO series True Blood. I'm not sure where they're going with it but I am following every episode so far.

2. I just got back from Denver, Colorado, last week. I was visiting my best girlfriends and my beloved sister. Thanks for everything, Joanie! Stay tuned for some Colorado bloggin next week.

3. I want to lose 25 pounds. Ick. How the hell am I supposed to do this? I've never had to lose weight before...turning 30 really fucked my body up. Now that I have the boobs, I have a newly-acquired big butt to go along with them. Bleh. It used to be that a little exercise and starving myself for a week did the trick. Well, it's been almost a year and my ass is still fat.

4. I am eating all of my kids Halloween candy....and they don't even know it! I'm pretty sneaky. Maybe this goes with the weight thing?

5. My daughter, Ava, will be 3 in two months and she isn't even close to being potty trained. Do I care? Not really...

6. I wish I had more time to devote to blogging. I have so many cool blogs in my head- living in Las Vegas is a never-ending story- but I have no time to get them out.

7. Go Obama! Wasn't that a fabulous speech he gave? McCain even gave a good one. Congratulations America!

I'm tagging anyone who wants to list 7 random things about themselves!

Potty training....Vegas style

Yes, this is a real potty. Buy it here at Safety1st.com. Cha-ching!

March of Dimes' Signature Chefs - The Dinner

If you haven't read the first parts of this blog, then go here (for the preview) and here (for the auction) to catch up and then come back. First let me show you how cute my husband is- he picked his tie (purple!) to match my blouse. Isn't that sweet?! I love couples who match. We're going to be one of those couples who wears matching reindeer sweaters when we're eighty. Heehee

So after we were introduced to the chefs who would be creating all of the delectable food we'd be eating that evening, the staff pulled a couple of large curtains aside to reveal another ballroom (and seriously, with the curtains there, I didn't even realize there was another room behind them). We entered the second ballroom- which was twice as big as the first- and it was such an amazing, glamorous set up, I had to remind myself to close my dropped jaw. And, as I said before, the color of the evening was PURPLE!

Remember that, ladies. The color of the season is purple.

At each place setting, there was a detailed "menu" (although it was more like a book) with a page for each chef and a detailed description of what they'd be serving. I glanced over the book, but really, I couldn't wait to get my hands on the actual food. Screw reading it...I want to eat it! I took the menu home and read it the next morning! It made me want to do it all over again...

To read what each chef was serving, click here.

Every food station- which had anywhere from 3 chefs to 10 behind it- each had their own set up. Some where very exotic, some were very simple. I think they each reflected the personality of the chef.


There were some really amazing ice sculptures in the middle of some of the stations. You can see on the table each little white china plate with a small sample of food. This was pretty much how every station was- you got a few bites from each plate.

Once I picked up a plate, each had a delectable, edible work of art. One of the popular things the chefs did was use the freshest herbs and vegetables. There were some pretty amazing flavors around.

Another really amazing thing about the event was that the actual chef would serve his dish. I made friends with a few of them...Luciano Pellegrini kindly posed for a picture with the dish he was giving me. Lobster Carbonara...mmmmm.

As you can see, some of the set-ups were incredibly elaborate and beautiful. Look at these- aren't they amazing? Doesn't it make you hungry?

While on my food rounds, I came to the Rosemary's restaurant table. (Read about my birthday dinner blog at Rosemary's here) Although I didn't meet him, I got to watch the owner, Michael Jordan work his magic behind the table and I even had a chat with his PR manager. By the way, his shrimp remoulade was to die for! While I was munching on his shrimp, I set up a table at their restuarant to have dinner the following week. Stay tuned to my column at Living-Las-Vegas.com in November for a review of my dinner at Rosemary's!

I heard that Clint Black and his wife were at the event, although I didn't see them. I did see Robin Leach walk by (champagne wishes and caviar dreams!), and Shelly Bruner and John Huck- our local Fox evening news anchors- were sitting at a table over from us.

At the end of the night, there was a short presentation from The March of Dimes. They told the story of little boy, who now was about 5 or 6 years old, that was born premature, and The March of Dimes helped save his little life. It was really sweet because we just happened to be sitting at the table next to this little boy's family. I got to watch his reaction to the movie they played- he was so proud watching himself on that screen! Inspiring stuff.

I have to say, next to the Epicurean Affair, this was one of the most amazing events I have ever been to in Las Vegas. If I'm lucky, it wont be my last.

If you'd like to make a donation to The March of Dimes, click here.