"My My My My My My My My Pokah Face"

That's the song we sang all weekend in Vegas. We didn't actually play any poker, but did try our "hand" at a bit of blackjack, and played some slots. Most of the weekend we walked around (must have been 10 miles total!), and tried to take in the enormity of Vegas. Our hotel was right off the strip, and when we got in Friday night we headed straight to Vegas Blvd. and ate in New York New York at the Irish Pub. Our friends Adam and Jess Fairbanks, who came down from Massachusetts, met us for a few drinks in New York New York, and from there we walked the strip, spending most our time in the Paris casino.

Saturday morning Jason and I forced ourselves to get up, and walked to Madame Tussaud's Wax Museum, which was definitely worth the effort. We had tons of fun getting pictures with some of our favorite figures (see Obama above). Jason also found a replica of New York's Carnegie Deli in the Mirage Casino, where we went for lunch. Jason ordered a reuben that was bigger than his head -- pictures are below -- we laughed so hard when it arrived. In Jason's battle of Man vs. Food, food definitely won. With some nice frozen drinks in hand we walked through Belaggio, and met our friends Jake and Mary Isenburg, who just happened to be in Vegas the same weekend. We caught up over a few beers at MGM Grand, and watched the Red Sox beat the Yankees.

That night we ate at a swanky restaurant at The Palms with Adam, Jess, and some of their traveling companions, and visited "Old Vegas", which is about 2 miles away from the newer section of town. It was a cheaper section of town, but we bored quickly, and went on to The Peppermill, The Wynn, and finally Circus Circus.

The most amazing thing about Vegas is that you have no idea what time it is, and it doesn't feel too late until you realize you are out at 4:30 in the morning! Here is a slide show of our Vegas fun...



On the way home we stopped and got some pictures of the Hoover Dam, which is an amazing feat of engineering, but also causes major traffic jams. The road to Vegas goes right over the Hoover Dam, and traffic slows so dramatically it takes about an hour to go 5 miles. We'll need to find a new route for our next trip! Here are some pictures..



Today Jason headed to San Francisco until Thursday, and he then leaves for Tucson on Friday. I leave for SC (YAY!) on Wednesday, and Jason will fly out next Wednesday for Richard's graduation. Lots of travels to come!

Lastly, CONGRATULATIONS to our friends Monica and Ryan who gave birth their son Jackson today -- good luck!

XOXO
Helen & Jason

Randomness

I just got back from yoga, and wanted to do a quick post before I head out to tutor. We had been up to some random shenanigans this week; pictures are below. We can't wait until heading to Vegas tomorrow...lots of pictures will definitely follow on Sunday.
Here is a picture of Jason reading the manual and testing the grill for its first firing on Sunday

From My Documents

I think I mentioned in an earlier post that mum was reteaching me to knit, and I've been hard at work on baby hats for all my expecting friends. Here is a completed hat. I am getting faster, and messing up less, but I can say thank god for You Tube...do you believe they have knitting how-to videos?

From My Documents

We also went to our neighborhood park Tuesday night for a gathering for Mary Hampton's birthday. It was nice hanging out, and when people were chasing kids around, Jason and I hung out with Will. Here is a picture of us below.

From My Documents

Jason's trip to San Jose was canceled on Monday because the surgery was canceled (apparently that happens a lot). He was half way to Phoenix when he found out, but luckily not on the plane! I started "reverse shadowing" appointments at NAU, where an advisor sits in on a session with a student, and as of yesterday I am meeting my own students...very exciting!

I am heading out to tutor now, and then meeting a friend for dinner downtown. Shout out to Monica and Ryan...GOOD LUCK...my fingers are crossed for that baby to hurry up!

XOXO
Helen & Jason

UFC Nights!

Here you see Helen and Mary Hampton Lovekamp enjoying UFC night, with a couple new members:) Jason and I spent Saturday night at the Lovekamp's house, watching UFC, and getting in some good baby play time with Mary Hampton and Josh's twins, Kate and Will, now 6 months, and growing fast.

We did some serious socializing this week, going out to dinner Wednesday night with two couples we have hit it off with, and happy hour Friday with Jason's Gore co-workers. It has been great to get to know new people in town, and try new restaurants; it is beginning to feel more like home. All my fellow (and now former) Keith St. patrons will appreciate knowing that I joined another "beer club" during happy hour, and their card only has 65 beers...so easy! I am now making it a goal to get my name up on the wall of a bar in each town we live. I have pretty high aspirations, I know.

The funniest thing that happens when we meet new people is they always ask how we are surviving in their "small mountain town". We always laugh, and explain that Flagstaff has 10x the restaurants, bars, shops, and culture than Clemson ever could. They don't quite believe us, but I imagine anyone reading this who has spent substantial time in Clemson understands the joy of having a Target 5 minutes from my house! LOL. Flagstaff certainly isn't a booming metropolis, but we are finding a lot of restaurants that have fresh, local foods, quality drinks, and good company.

On Saturday, we also did another local hike called "Fatman's Loop". Unfortunately, I forgot the camera in the car (surprising, I know). Things were thrown off a little when 10 minutes into our hike, we came across a couple who couldn't find their 10 year old daughter. So, we headed down one off-shoot of the trail, looking for their daughter. Luckily, she was found after about 10 minutes, and we were back on track. But, it "threw us off our hiking game" as we like to say, and hope to go back again soon. If we make it to the top (about a 2000 ft. climb) we will be able to see great views of town...we'll work our way up to that one!

Work is going very well, and I learned I will be advising Engineering (insert laughter here) and business students. I was glad to hear this, as I like this team, and enjoy advising this area. I am still mostly training, learning to build schedules, and shadowing advising appointments. This week Jason is traveling for work to San Jose, California on Monday and Tuesday, and we leave for Las Vegas on Friday to meet a couple of Jason's friends from Massachusetts. Our trip to South Carolina is approaching quickly, and we can not wait to see everyone soon.

Crazy Weekend Weather

Saturday's view from the kitchen window

From Spring 2009

Sunday's view from the kitchen window

From New Folder (2)

That was our unpredictable Flagstaff weather this weekend. We woke up Saturday to snow coming down outside, and by this morning it was all melted and sunny!

We enjoyed the snow from Flagstaff Brewing Company Saturday afternoon. Saturday night I hung out with some ladies in the neighborhood with margaritas, and Jason held down the fort with Maddie.

This morning we went to an Easter brunch at a neighbor's house, pigged out on potluck goodies, got to know some really good people a little better, discussed the plot intricacies of "Sleeping Beauty" with our friend's three year old daughter, and played with bunnies and plastic bugs. After brunch, we went to Home Depot and bought a new grill! I also got a few herbs, and potted them in my kitchen (you can see them on the windowsill in the picture above). Jason "handyman" Hemmer put together the grill -- you can see him below by his finished project. We can't wait to get a lot of use out of the grill this summer.

From Spring 2009

This week we will be busy working, and hopefully meeting some friends for dinner. Friday we have a happy hour planned with Jason's co-workers, and UFC with the Lovekamp's on Saturday. Fingers crossed for no more snow!!

Busy Week in Flagstaff

First things first, HAPPY BIRTHDAY, RICHIE!! We are SO sad we are not there...the first of your birthdays I have missed:( Can't wait to see you at the end of the month for graduation.

This week has been a busy one; I started my new job at the Gateway Success Center at NAU, and loved it! I was training all of this week, learning how to use their different programs, learning the paperwork and processes, and observed some advising sessions. Starting next week, I'll be in 8-12 M-F, and hopefully by the end of next week I can start seeing students! It is really working out to be a perfect situation for me to be able to work part time, and still go to my yoga classes, keep tutoring, and do other things I enjoy:) As always, Jason is supremely supportive! The only downside is that NAU's parking situation may be worse than Clemson's (I know that shocks all my fellow CU drivers). The parking pass is almost 300 dollars, and parking is ridiculously limited. Luckily though, campus runs straight into downtown, and there is tons of legal street parking that is only a 10 minute walk to my office. All of you know how I love my daily walks, so it is working out.

Also, I have met some more neighbors this week. I was invited to a CABi party by someone I met a week ago, and I got to know her better, and met a few more women too. Most people I have met are very genuine, friendly, and a lot of fun. I also went to "Bunko" (it's a dice game of luck that is easy to play while drinking wine and talking) on Thursday, which is played by a group of women in the neighborhood once a month. Jason and I have been invited to a neighbor's house on Sunday for a brunch, and I'm doing a girl's night on Saturday with a few of the women I've hit it off with. It has been a lot of fun meeting and connecting with people across town, and Jason and I look forward to getting to know many of the couples this summer.

Today Jason and I did not have to work for Good Friday, so we decided to drive down to Sedona this morning for a hike. We tried a new trail at the Oak Creek Canyon, which looks totally different than the other Sedona hike we took a few weeks ago. Hopped up on coffee, we hiked about 2 miles into the canyon, and 2 miles back out, crossing streams, and jumping over trees along the way. After our exhausting workout, we went to the movies and watched "I Love You, Man" (Hilarious!!), and stuffed ourselves with popcorn, Red Vines, root beer, and slushies. You can see the sights in the slide show below.

Jason has been getting over a cold, so he is fast asleep as I write this, and as long as the snow holds back (Yes, apparently we get snow here in APRIL), we are going out tomorrow to do some shopping and try a new restaurant for lunch.

Lastly, check out this adorable video of our niece leading a game of Peek-A-Boo; she is quite the little ham!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5sLLRoLzdrg

Have a very Happy Easter weekend, and we will post more later this weekend.
Much Love,
Helen & Jason

Not quite what we had planned...

This past Friday night, we were supposed to be at a Bruce Springsteen concert in Phoenix. As fate would have it, I instead spent the evening at a Holiday Inn in Queens, NY. Here is how it went down...

I traveled to Barcelona, Spain earlier in the week for work. The meetings went well, and I had some free time to explore Barcelona, which is a great city. The people are friendly, there are plenty of historic sites to see, and some great food to eat. On Friday morning, I flew from Barcelona to London, where I was supposed to catch a connecting flight back to Phoenix. But, a number of factors got in my way, including bad weather, the G20 meeting in London, late airport shuttles, and a steady stream of slowpokes getting in my way at the airport. I did my best, but missed the flight back to Phoenix by 1 minute....no Springsteen concert for me. The quickest way to get to Phoenix at that point required a flight to JFK airport in NYC, a 4 hour stay at the Holiday Inn, and a 6 am (Saturday) flight from NYC to Phoenix. All told, by the time I made it back to my house, approximately 36 hours had passed since I left my hotel in Barcelona. I was a wee bit tired, but made it back safely, which is all that matters in the end. We'll just have to catch The Boss next time around.

Helen spent this week hanging out with Maddie, spending time with some nice gals she has met in Flagstaff, and preparing to start her job on Monday. We'll post later this week on how that is going. She also survived her first major wind storm in Flagstaff. We had always heard how windy the spring is, but with a little bit of snow, and wind gusts of up to 65 miles per hour, she drove Hwy. 17 home from the Lovekamp's at about 20 miles / hour...they weren't kidding about the wind! Have a good week!

2.45 hours...

...is the amount of time it took me to put this piece of furniture together!

From Furniture

In a normal world, I am pretty sure it should only take one hour - tops, but that doesn't account for my last of spatial awareness and inability to follow directions. Once it was finished, I was pretty proud of myself, and thankful for the wedding and anniversary gifts we saved to buy it!

The other good news I got today was that I got an advising position at NAU, and I start on Monday. It is a part time position right now, and may turn into a full time position in the fall -- keep all fingers crossed! It is at the Gateway Success Center - here is a link to check it out. http://www4.nau.edu/gateway/
I've met a few people who work there, and visited the facility, and I think it's going to be a great match.

Jason is having a successful trip in Spain. More updates after this weekend!