Vegas, Baby!

Hey, y'all!

So at the end of June, I went to Vegas with my boss and her mother to attend HD Vest's annual financial conference.  I wrote a blog post about it for work - you can read it here: https://lyncotax.wordpress.com/2017/07/24/what-happens-in-vegas/

And yes, I just linked to my work blog.  #SEO #Marketing #Followtheclicks

This was my first time in Vegas, and I had a BLAST!  (Although I did miss my hubby like cray and sometimes I wished I had more than $10 to blow on video poker, but c'est la vie.)

For the first two days, we stayed on the strip at a hotel named Harrah's - the conference we attended was a short walk away at the Wynn/Encore (pictured above).  I did a little shopping when I first got there and bought this really cute outfit for .... way more money than I'm used to spending.  And then, of course, when I got home, I accidentally washed and dried the pants that were hand wash only, and they shrank about 2 sizes and 3 inches in length  :'(

But that's okay, because life happens.

Aaaaaand, did I mention we got to see Sugar Ray Leonard speak?!  That was a pretty cool day for me.

After the first two days, we moved to Sam's Town, which is a little bit off the beaten path as far as Vegas is concerned, but I absolutely LOVED the whole hotel!

I went and saw a movie by myself FOR THE FIRST TIME!  I'll give you two guesses as to what movie it was - either "47 Meters Down" with Mandy Moore or "Despicable Me 3" with the minions.  Which do you think it was?  Because honestly, until I walked up to the ticket booth, I was still going back and forth.

Other fun things I did whilst in Vegas - gambled $10 (I lost it all...oh well), went to Fremont Street (it was during the day, so I wasn't that traumatized), and ate some kick-butt buffet dinners (I may or may not have gained a good 5 lbs on the trip).  Oh, and I got to take a picture with a million bucks.  No big deal.

Anyway, so that's pretty much it.  What do you think?  Have you been to Vegas?  What was your favorite thing you did while you were there?

Happiness in Hannover :)

Today was a MARVELOUS day!

I woke up at 7:45 and took a shower. Then, at 8:30, Wilhelm drove me to Bad Pyrmont to Cherie Webber's apartment so we could leave for our shopping excursion in Hannover! Before we left her apartment, we had breakfast together. Toast - very nice!

We rode in Bessie (Cherie's car) to the train station in Bad Pyrmont. While we were waiting to procure our train tickets (there was a very old and disgruntled Polish man in front of us who did not know how to work the machine), we started talking to the man behind us who was from France. He told us he was in the process of riding his bike from Hannover to Freiburg - a 7-day, 700 mile trip! How impressive is that?!

Fast forward to the train ride - which was lovely :) The trash can next to our seat kept rattling the whole way, so I contributed my monogrammed kleenex to stifling the noise. It worked. So I left a part of myself on the train today - yay! The train station in Hannover was bustling with activity. There were so many different restaurants and shops to choose from, it was almost overwhelming. We walked out of the train station and down the main street. The first few shops we went into were clothing shops - and they were very expensive. I was not about it. Then, we found a Claire's. And it was all downhill from there... I started spending money left and right. I couldn't stop! I bought a watch (finally! Now I can tell time!) and a scarf (to cover my poor, exposed neck. Really, it was an investment for my health!).

Then we started to feel a little peckish, so we each bought a huge pretzel from a kiosk on the side of the street - what a good choice. After we finished our pretzels, we were thirsty. So naturally, we went to a cafe and ordered some ice cream and drinks (Cherie got a cappucino, and I got a Coca Cola light.)

After we quenched our thirst and satisfied our hunger, we went back on the prowl for cute things to buy. We looked for shoes, but alas, it is as hard for me to find German shoes big enough for my feet as it is to find American shoes big enough for my feet. Sad. We did, however, try on some adorable hats!

The picture you see of me is of my favorite hat :) To see more pictures, you can go to my Facebook album. My purchases today included 2 scarves, 1 ring, 1 pair of earrings, 12 postcards (can't wait to write on them!), and 1 watch. Perfect - and not too heavy to take with me back to the States!

After we were done shopping, we decided to take some pictures of two of the pretty churches in Hannover. We also got some pictures in a flower shop on our way - they have such beautiful flower arrangements here! The second church was my favorite, and as you can see, right when we got to it, a wedding happened to be letting out! So I snuck a picture (of course!)

After that, we got back on the train and headed back to Bad Pyrmont where we had some yummy Chinese for dinner. The scenery wasn't bad either! Pictured below is me and Cherie waiting for the train, and also the view from our table at the Chinese restaurant. Try not to be too jealous ;)

After dinner, Cherie drove me back to the Dueck's house, and here I sit, posting in my blog and staying up much later than I intended. Also, Helen will be here in less than 7 days! Wahoo! And for those of you wondering, the status of my cold is this - my throat still hurts and I am still coughing occasionally, but it is much better than it has been. Praise the Lord! Also, I finished "Emma" last night - what a great book! I recommend it highly to anyone who hasn't ever read it!

So now I will leave you with a verse that I read in my devotions tonight, because God is greatly to be praised!

"God - His way is perfect; the word of the Lord is pure. He is a shield to all who take refuge in Him."
- 2 Samuel 22:31, HCSB

Take refuge in Him :)

PS: Gelatinize Your Card Table.

PSS: It makes me so excited to think that you are growing in your relationship with Him. I pray it continues daily. You know who you are!