Ana's Surprise Birthday Party

I must say Robert really caught me by surprise this past weekend and out did himself! I was under the impression that Robert and I were going to BBQ with our good friends Dan and Melissa this past Saturday, May 21st. On Friday, May 20th, Robert went shopping for the groceries for our small BBQ. He came home with A LOT OF food. He bought two racks of ribs, countless chicken breasts, lots of kelbasa, an amazing amount of side dishes and A LOT OF BEER AND WINE. I looked at Robert and asked him, "Why the heck did you buy so much food for just four people?" He responded by saying, "Hunny, I am going to cook for the week." I then asked him, "Why the heck did you buy so much beer and wine?" He really couldn't answer that question so I just went with it and embraced all the food, beer, and wine.

Anyhow, Saturday comes and Robert starts slow cooking the ribs about noonish. At about 7 pm the door bell rings. I thought it was going to be Dan and Melissa. It was my good friend Heather. At this point, I still didn't register that it was a surprise. That didn't stop me and Heather from enjoying a bottle of wine together!



A little bit later, the doorbell rings again and I thought it was going to be Dan and Melissa. It was my friend Jose. I realized that Robert had a surprise going on:). Later, the doorbell rings another couple times and Dan and Melissa showed up along with Kwami and Rinita. And Robert screams, "SURPRISE! HAPPY BIRTHDAY!"



I finally figured out why Robert wanted my cousin Cindy (aka Tinkie) to come this weekend instead of Memorial weekend. He had a little something up his sleeves and he wanted her to be apart of it!

I had an amazing time with our friends and Robert. The food was great, the company was great, the beer and wine kept flowing, and we played a lot of Dance Central!

We are so blessed to have such a great group of friends and I am so blessed that I have such an amazing husband! Thank you Robert for such an enjoyable and memorable birthday weekend! I love you with all my heart!

Viva Las Vegas!

Robert and I decided to celebrate our anniversary and my birthday in Las Vegas this year! We gambled, ate great food, site saw, and went to a couple of great shows! We thought the trip was going to be a challenge since Robert is still recovering from his Achilles injury. Amazingly, Robert did really well. Everyday Robert and I would walk approximately 6 hours. Not only was this a workout for me and Robert but it was physical therapy for Robert's Achilles. The trip was awesome.

First things first...
Robert and I flew out of Houston at 6:00 am! We got to Las Vegas at 7:10 am Vegas time.

This time around we stayed at the MGM Grand Hotel. The hotel was awesome enough to let us check in at 8 am that morning even though check in time is at 3 pm. The Cirque de Soleil Ka is also at the MGM Grand Hotel and Robert and I had to go see it. It was an impressive show!







Once we dropped off our luggage we went straight to our favorite restaurant for breakfast, Mon Ami Gabi. It is at the Paris Hotel. They have the best coffee and second best crepes I have ever had:).





The view from Mon Ami Gabi is the Bellagio Hotel. The Bellagio Hotel is absolutely beautiful! The fountain show is awesome! The Bellagio also has a botanical garden inside the hotel. It smelled heavenly in there!











After breakfast we did some site seeing. We decided to go to the top of the Eiffel Tower. The Eiffel Tower is a half scale of the real deal. The initial plan was to build a full scale Eiffel Tower but it is too close to the airport so their plans were compromised. Hence, a half scale. Here are a couple pictures of the Bellagio and their water fountain system from the top of the Eiffel Tower.






Here are some pictures of the Hotels Robert and I visited.

City Center - The newest and largest hotel on the strip. It dwarfs the Venetian which was the largest the last time we visited Vegas.



Luxor Hotel - Also known for the Sphinx.











Excalibur Hotel and Casino - The exterior of the hotel was absolutely impressive but the interior needed some serious updating.



Mandalay Bay Hotel and Casino - That is where Robert and I saw Lion King. That is an amazing musical! I highly recommend it.



As most of you know Robert and I are somewhat of thrill junkies. We went to the New York, NY Hotel and Casino not only to enjoy some New York pizza but to ride the roller coaster! The top speed was 67 mph (which isn't too bad) but I don't know the height of the initial drop. It was pretty fun though!









After riding the roller coaster at New York, NY. We decided to go north of the strip and ride the coaster on top of the Stratosphere! Imagine you are 112 stories straight up and the rollercoaster climbs higher than that! I have never been so nervous for a thrill ride in my young life!













A lot of people are lead to believe that Vegas is expensive. That is not correct! The strip is expensive but Freemont is DIRT CHEAP! You can get yourself a prime rib dinner for 8 dollars. You can get a steak and lobster meal for 12 dollars! You can get a beer and hotdog for 2 dollars! Hotel rooms are 15 bucks a night! Anyhow, Robert and I decided to entertain the Freemont experience. It was a different crowd, that is for sure!