Hawthorne Suites, St. Robert, Missouri

Hawthorne Suites

St. Robert, Missouri

For my family visit to Missouri, I wanted to spend as much time with my family as possible since I had not seen them in so long. Well my sister and family lives in Waynesville, and there are not any hotels anywhere in Waynesville. I found one B&B but it really looked creepy. There is a road of hotels in St. Robert right off the interstate which was super convenient. 

I decided to stay at the Hawthorne Suites. I really did not need the kitchenette, but having a fridge was handy. They put me on the first floor in a room right behind the housekeepers laundry and storage area. The room had clearly been fairly recently remodeled with updated flooring, bedding and furniture. The weirdest thing about the room was the bathroom smelled like a wet dog. I don't think the hotel even allows pets. 

My first night there was the 23rd. Apparently, Dec 23 is national Elephant Bowling with roller skates night. The hotel has no real noise protection from the floors above. I have no idea what was going on with the groups that were on the floor above me. Honestly, it sounded like a herd of elephants were bowling while wearing roller skates. The elephants kept falling down. Apparently, the elephants were up until at least 2am. I did get lucky in that the elephants only stayed there my first night and my last night. So I did get some sleep. 

I will point out something that Hawthorne Suites had, that ALL hotels need to have. EASY ACCESS TO POWER OUTLETS!

The night stand in between the 2 beds had a power strip built right in. There were outlets on the desk, under the tv and other places.  With the amount of traveling that I do, I stay in hotels all the time. One thing that really annoys me in when a hotel remodels or is fairly new and yet they cannot make sure there are outlets where people need them. Definitely it was a welcomed surprise at Hawthorne in St. Robert.

Welcome to Uranus!

Uranus Fudge Factory, St. Robert, Missouri

My Sister moved to Missouri in 2014 when her husband was given new Military Orders. Since her living there in 2014, I had never gone to visit her and see where she is living. I decided since the husband was deployed at Christmas, I would fly out and spend time with the family for Christmas. I stayed in St. Robert at a Hawthorne Suites. St. Robert is the next town over from where the family lives in Waynesville. 

I saw the Uranus Fudge Factory when I was driving it. I thought it was hilarious. When my sister had to work on Dec 26, I decided to take the kids to Uranus Fudge Factory.

They DO actually make fudge there. But the store is more of a general store for tourists. Just about any typical tourist item you can imagine is there for sale. It is in a small shopping center with other "Uranus" businesses. There is a small circus / freakshow museum, an escape room and even a small playground for kids.

The best part?

When you walk in the door, Everyone yells "Welcome to Your Anus!"

If you are anywhere near St. Robert, you have to stop by. If for no other reason, then to say you tried Fudge from Uranus!

WOW - World Of Wonder - RIO Hotel - Las Vegas

WOW

World of Wonder

RIO Hotel & Casino

Las Vegas

What is the most constant thing in Las Vegas? Change. As soon as you get the hang of where certain shows, restaurants and clubs are located, something will change. Especially with shows. Shows definitely come and go, they also move from venue to venue frequently.

The show WOW World of Wonder started in 2017 I think, maybe early 2018. From the previews, I knew I definitely wanted to see it. It is currently at the RIO where the Raiding the Rock Vault show used to be. At one point, RIO had Raiding the Rock Vault, X Rocks, a tattoo parlor owned by Counts Customs, and the KISS Rock N Roll mini golf. RIO was sort of going for a Rock n Roll kind of theme. Maybe trying to attract a certain age group or certain crowd. 

Raiding the Rock Vault has moved to the Hard Rock and X Rocks has moved to Bally's. WOW World of Wonder is a thematic, show performed in a sort of half round, multi level stage. The center is water and it changes. The show is not high flying and performing water tricks as some of the other shows. But it is definitely a dramatic, elaborate show. It tells a beautiful story and it is fairly easy to follow.

The story encompasses pirates, mermaids, sea creatures, fantasy, dreams, love and adventure. I would definitely recommend it for all ages. It was not something that was "too advanced" for kids maybe ages 5 and up. It is a fantastical roller coaster ride. There are few shows in Las Vegas that I would pay to see again within 6 months, WOW is definitely one of them. Don't miss it when you are in Vegas.

La Reve - The Dream

La Reve - The Dream

Several years ago, (I think 2014) the season finale of Face Off was held at the Wynn in Las Vegas. The finalists had to create make ups for their final that would be worn in the show La Reve the Dream. Ever since seeing that episode, I was super excited to see the show. La Reve is super popular and sells out every night. It is consistently rated the Best Show in Vegas. Due to its popularity, it is very rare to find any discounts for the show online, or in person, even in the off season. Since moving to California, my husband and I have been visiting Las Vegas frequently, so I knew eventually we would get to see the show. 

My husband was deployed and I got an email offer from the Wynn hotel. It was a package that included 2 nights, 2 buffets, and 2 tickets to La Reve the Dream for about the price of the 2 hotel nights. I got a friend to go with me, and we took Wynn up on their offer. 

The show was every bit of amazing. The theater is in the round, with performers on the stage and in the air. Honestly, there really isn't a bad seat. It is truly a show where there is action every where. We were sitting sort of in the middle and we saw everything without an issue. Those who choose to sit closer to the stage might have an issue.

If you are going to be spending time in Vegas, you definitely need to check out the show. It is an amazing show that takes you through a beautiful journey. The show goes through love, dreams, happiness, challenges and sends the viewers on a roller coaster ride of emotions.

The acrobats and performers are extremely talented. The show takes place in and out of the water, and high in the air. Prepare to be thrilled and see the best show of your life.

Heroes and Villains Fan Fest, San Jose, CA

 

Heroes and Villains Fan Fest

San Jose, CA

December 1, 2018

 

 

 

Fan Conventions, or "Comic Con" are super popular these days. I think it is a combination of the fans going to any length to see their favorite celebrity in person and celebrities either trying to stay relevant or trying to reboot a career. Some of the conventions are super small, and some like the notorious Comic Con in San Diego are ridiculously huge.

 

 

After getting a ton of emails, I randomly decided to get tickets to Heroes and Villains. I have always been a huge fan of Arrow and Flash, so I felt like I just HAD to go.  Unfortunately for me, San Jose is a hike, so the cost of the convention was also airfare and hotel. But it was worth it!

 



 

 

 

The Heroes and Villains Convention was also in combination with a Walker Stalker event, which is a fan event for those fans of the Walking Dead. I've watched one episode of the show, so I am definitely not in the fan category for that show. I was there to see everyone from Arrow and Flash.

 

The panels were pretty good. The Flash panel was quite funny with Robbie Amell crashing and joining when his booth time was up. There were some good questions, and some typically bad questions. Overall, it was a good convention.

 

 

 

I feel like for the size of the convention center in San Jose, I figured the convention would actually have been bigger than what it was, especially with the Walker Stalker convention. I was thinking that there was going to be more vendors there. There was a fairly good quantity of vendors, but I guess I was just thinking there would be more.

 





 



La Mesa Oktoberfest, Sept 2018

La Mesa Oktoberfest
Sept 28, 2018

Being of German Heritage, there isn't anything in life I love more than German Food and Oktoberfest.  Back when I drank, I am sure I would put German Beer on that list of LOVES as well. But now, I haven't drank alcohol of any kind in years. Honestly though, I do miss German Beer.

I decided to pre-purchase the Hoffbrau House VIP Pass. I don't remember what the price difference was, but it wasn't much by buying it ahead. I do remember that with the web fees, it ended up being more expensive to buy a Ferris wheel ticket ahead online as opposed to cash in person.

La Mesa Oktoberfest goes over 3 days, Fri Sat and Sun. Each day there are bands, contests, lots and lots of vendors and plenty of food. Don't worry if German food really isn't your thing, because there were plenty of other food vendors. La Mesa Oktoberfest is held in the downtown area right across from the MTS Station, so there were other food options in the area as well.

There really isn't much parking in the area. I decided to take the trolley all the way from Moreno to La Mesa. In retrospect, I should have just drive to a few stops before La Mesa and parked. It took much longer to ride the trolley the whole way than if I had driven.

MSC Seaside, June 9-16, 2018

MSC Seaside

Miami, Florida

Phillipsburg, St. Maarten

San Juan, Puerto Rico

Nassau, Bahamas

Our First Cruise on MSC was MSC Seaside out of Miami. 

This was our 10th cruise overall. However, the first 9 were on Carnival.

Our cruise journey definitely started out quite interesting. First when booking and checking in, we had to get used to how MSC does it. I actually liked their system better.
Instead of opening your on board account ahead of time, you have until you have been on the ship for 48 hours before your account is "on hold" until you put a credit card down. It can be done from one of their many kiosks, so we definitely did not have to stand in some long line.

We have cruised out of Miami before but MSC was at a different terminal. When we got to the terminal, our Lyft driver pulled right to the luggage cart. He was actually not in a parking space. He was just trying to get us to the pile of luggage as close as he could.
As we get out of the car, I have my husband asking me questions, the Lyft driver talking to me, and the dock worker talking to me asking me questions. Even though the dock workers are unionized, get an $15 an hour, they still expect tips. We had 3 bags that the handlers had to move from the ground to the cart. That was it. We were right by the luggage cart. If we had been further away, I could understand. I opened my wallet while talking to the driver and my husband and THOUGHT I grabbed a $5 for our 3 bags. My standard in the past had been $2-$3 basically $1 per bag. If we are getting on earlier and our room isn't ready, we check more. If our room would be ready, we carry on more.

In this case, our room would be ready. The dock worker took our 3 bags, one spinner suitcase, one regular roller, and a garment bag. I thought I handed him a $5. He looked at what I tipped and gave me the world's dirtiest look. I have gotten worse looks from people when I intentionally did something bad to them. Finally the Lyft driver was satisfied and left, my husband took off towards where we would check in, and took off after him.
Later, I looked in my wallet and realized I must have given him a $1 instead of a $5 based on what was in my wallet. It was an accident. 
We got on the ship, ate, did the safety drill, went to dinner, waited and waited waited. My husband had his luggage. But my suitcase with our toiletries, my medication, ALL of my clothes was never delivered.
Finally at 9:15pm I could not wait any longer and I went to guest services and then was directed to the "no tag: area. Thankfully my suitcase was there, and my luggage tag was easily visible.
I could tell where the tag had been ripped off clearly the dock worker was angry that I had not tipped what he expected. It made the cruise start off on a sour note, but it was not MSC's fault.

Other things about the cruise definitely made up for it. 

San Diego Padres Vs Cincinnati Reds, June 2, 2018

Hawaiian Shirt Night!

We decided that the promise of a Padres Hawaiian Shirt was too much to turn down. So we ended up going to two games in 3 days.

It was a really good game. Of course the Padres won. We had great seats on the first base side. This season we have sat in a different section each time we have gone to a game. 

We plan to hop around and sit in every section we can, just to check out the view from each area.

For Saturday games, usually starts at 5:40pm. Within the first 3-4 innings, the sun is really changing as it is going down. Next time on a Saturday 5:40pm game, we will sit on the 3rd base side. We were right in the line of the sun being blinded.

The crazy part of San Diego is that when the sun is up, it was right in our face and we were melting. Then suddenly the sun is completely down, and its COLD! You gotta love San Diego!

San Diego County Fair, June 1, 2018

San Diego County Fair

"How Sweet It Is"

June 1, 2018

Living in Virginia most of my life, we never had a "County Fair". We had the State Fair, and that is pretty much what I relate the San Diego County Fair to. We had festivals, small fairs. But nothing on the scale of the SD Fair, in length or attendees. 

Since moving to San Diego County, I have made sure that we go to the SD Fair each year. The first day of the fair, opening day, is the military appreciation day. Military members with their families get in free. The fair also does a special event for Albertson's and Vons employees on opening day.

The theme this year is How Sweet It Is. It is very cute. It is like Willy Wonka, and Candyland witn unicorns. Even the food vendors have Unicorn specials. One of the vendors has a "Unicorn Leg", which is just basically a smoked pig leg. One has a "Unicorn Horn" which is basically just a churro with icing and sprinkles. It is cute. The San Diego County fair runs at the Del Mar Racetrack in Del Mar until July 4. 

San Diego Padres VS Miami Marlins, May 31, 2018

San Diego Padres 

VS

Miami Marlins 

Thursday. May 31, 2018

Final Score Padres 8 Miami 3

Another beautiful night at Petco Park. Tonight we sat in section 312. 

This season we have been going to as many Padres games as possible. We have always enjoyed baseball, but living about an hour from the stadium, it can be a challenge to go to games during the week after work.  We have decided just to make it work, and just to do our best. Without having season tickets, it can get really expensive to buy individual game tickets, plus parking. Luckily, the Padres have a military discount, and relationships with the ASYMCA that allows us to enjoy games on the cheap. 

CHILD FREE LIFE

I can remember being 12 years old and having the husband and kids discussion with a relative. I said when I was 12 that I did not want to ever get married or have children.
Of course I was told then, I would change my mind, I didn't know what I want, etc. All of the things that childfree people are told on a regular basis.

When I married my ex husband, I knew I did not want children with him. He was too much of a child,and I did not want two children to take care of.
Everyone told me that when I  met the right person, I would want children. I did meet the right person, but I knew that I never wanted to SHARE my husband. I never wanted to be the second string quarterback to a child.  I could not imagine having to share my husband with a child. I am so thankful that we will never have anything or anyone to come between us. The childfree life is the only way for us. 

Vista Strawberry Festival, May 2018

We had a great day at the Vista Strawberry Festival. 
The Vista Strawberry Festival is an annual festival in Vista California,  it is probably the biggest one day festival in North County. It is expected that over 110,000 people will attend in 2018. The festival is held on the Sunday of Memorial Day Weekend,  in the Historic Downtown Vista area.
The festival features the typical assortment of festival booths. Plus it also has a carnival ride area, a beer garden and an art show. With a crowd that large, parking is at a premium.  Thankfully,  there are 2 free shuttles that make the experience easier.

Night Nation Run, Del Mar

Saturday, May 12, 2018

Night Nation Run

Del Mar Racetrack and Fairgrounds, Del Mar, California

The race fee was $29.99 per person for the basic package. All the basic package included was entry, the race number and one single glow stick. 

The course was very sparse and voice of music or fun. The music and party atmosphere was only at the beginning and one place in the middle.

It definitely was not worth the money.

Poki Poki, Escondido, California

Poke is one of those things that when my husband first suggested it, I had no interest. When the Poki Poki opened here in Oceanside, my husband saw a post from a coworker, and immediately suggested we go and try it. I was having none of it. I did not want to try it, my suggestion was that he go and try it when I wasn't with him. 

Yes, I do eat sushi, but I do not like any of the raw tunas. Actually, most of the raw fish I do not like. I guess that I am one of those with a texture issue with sushi, not an issue with the fact that it is raw fish. 

Finally, my husband got me to try Poki Poki when they grand opened in San Marcos, and I have been a huge fan ever since. I even suggest it for my husband when he has to work. I go pick it up and take it to him. 

I like that Poki Poki is fast casual. The recent trend of more and more fast casual restaurants opening is really something that we have definitely enjoyed. Whatever you like, you can get it on your food, exactly how you want it. Try something different each time you visit. Get a salad, get a rice bowl, get a poke burrito, try it all. 

I am the type of person who does not like anything hot or spicy, where my husband wants all the spice he can get. Fast casual places allow us to customize exactly what we want.

When we visited Poki Poki in Escondido, it was during their grand opening. They were organized to keep up with the long line. My only note was that there were things at other stores that was not available, and there were things that are not an extra charge that they were charging an upcharge. 

San Diego Padres, May 9, 2018

 The San Diego Padres have numerous special theme nights. We ended up going to the game for Comic Con Night on May 9, 2018.

Not only was there a special Comic Con Hat ticket package that could be bought, but the whole game was themed around Comic Books and Superheroes. It was hilarious.

We try to go to as many Padres games as we can. Living an hour drive away from the stadium, games during the week are a challenge, but we do our best. 

Pinners Conference & Expo

Pinners Conference & Expo

The Pinners Conference is where Pinterest comes to life. It is a two day conference full of classes and vendors the represent all aspects of Pinterest.

Beauty, Party Planning, DIY, Crafts, Cooking, Fashion, Health, Fitness, Jewelry, Sewing, Travel, Photography, Plants, Canning, Renovations

Just about anything that would be on Pinterest is represented at the Pinners Conference.

I bought the 2 day, 2 class per day package. Two of my classes did not have a class fee. They were cardmaking classes and the kits were included.

The other classes I did was a Hello Sign, a USA sign and a Mermaid sign.
Many of the vendors had make n takes at their booth. I was able to make several things to take home. 

Everyone in attendance received a free reusable bag and a free planner.

Hollywood Cars Museum, Las Vegas

The Hollywood Cars Museum,  Las Vegas.

Get the Groupon Deal!

The collection is fairly interesting,  but most of the cars are from movies and tv shows only those over 40 or 50 would recognize. 

The Groupon deal includes sodas and sunglasses. Full price, it isn't worth it, but the Groupon deal definitely makes it worth it. 

Part of the former Liberace museum has been moved here. Several cars, a few outfits,  and a few pieces is all they have. 

Carnival Inspiration, February 2018

Carnival Inspiration

February 26, 2018

Long Beach, CA

Catalina Island, CA

Ensenada, Baja California, Mexico

Our second Carnival Premier Getaway, our 3rd cruise out of Long Beach, Our second short Mexico Cruise. 

This was our 9th cruise on Carnival. When we originally started cruising on Carnival in 2015, our plan was to not repeat the Ship, Embarkation port, or Itinerary. So far, we have not cruise on a Carnival Ship twice. We have done the same itinerary twice, and this was our third cruise out of Long Beach.

We board the Carnival Inspiration and then went to Catalina Island the next day. We decided to take a tour around Catalina Island and get to see some sights. It was a great drive to get to view around the Island. When we had been there before we did something else. 

Our next stop was Ensenada Mexico. This was my third time in Ensenada. Our first time we drove there. From where we are in Northern San Diego County county, it takes about 90 minutes with no traffic to get to the border, and then it is about 2 hrs to get to Ensenada after crossing the border.  The second and third time we visited Ensenada we were on a Carnival Ship.

Ensenada is a fun tourist town. The weather is pretty good all year, so there is a ton to do as far as activities. This trip we did a wine country tour. People do not really think of Baja California as being Wine Country, but it is. Due to the wonderful weather, it is a great place for grapes and olives, not just the infamous Agave for tequila. Our wine country tour included a bottle of wine at the first vineyard. The second vineyard had way more than just wine. It had all sorts of oils, spreads and seasonings. It was a great tour even for those who do not drink. 

Carnival Inspiration February 2018

Carnival Inspiration

Premier Getaway Cruise

February 2018

In October of 2017, we took our first Carnival Premier Getaway Cruise out of Long Beach, CA. The first cruise was on the Carnival Imagination.  At this point, we had taken 4 other Premier Cruises by Carnival. Premier cruises are basically a "Bonus" for Carnival Casino Players. The cruise goes on as normal, but there are special things in and out of the casino for players who booked their cabins with the special promotion.

Previously, when we had cruised out of Long Beach, the cruise terminal had been under some remodeling, so we were basically sitting outside waiting on our boarding group to be called to proceed. Then when we walked through, we could see that most of the terminal was blocked off. This was our first time where the cruise terminal was actually open and we walked through the entire thing. 

The cruise on Carnival Inspiration was very similar to the previous cruise on Carnival Imagination. The ships are close in age and are the same size.  Even on 2 ships that are close in size, age and style, every cruise is a completely different experience.

Our cruise went to Catalina Island and Ensenada, Baja California, Mexico. Ironically, due to where we live in San Diego County, both places are easily driveable. Well, we can drive to the ferry to Catalina. Obviously, we could not actually drive to Catalina Island.

Our first stop was Catalina, then Ensenada, then a Sea Day, then we disembarked back in Long Beach.  Each day of the cruise, whether we were in a port or Sea Day, there were special things going on in the casino at various hours. Some of the events like the slot tournaments are open to anyone in the casino who has enough points to qualify, but there are some events that are only open to the Premier invited guests. 

Even though the cruise is shorter than the regular Premier Cruises that Carnival organizes, the Premier Getaway is definitely not an afterthought. Carnival Players Club makes sure that these shorter cruises where they have organized a Premier Getaway Cruise are just as much fun for the Premier Players as any other cruise that they have been on, Premier or not. 

Cafe Sevilla, San Diego

Cafe Sevilla
San Diego, CA
February 14, 2018
Valentine's Dinner

For Valentine's Day each year, if we are together and I am not out to sea or working, we try to do something different for Valentine's Day. In this crazy military life, there are so many times when it is an important holiday and yet we can't be together.

For Valentine's Day, we decided to check out a place that we have been wanting to try. Cafe Sevilla is in downtown San Diego. It is probably the best authentic Spanish Experience that you can get in San Diego. For Valentine's day, it was a set menu, and a special show.  The food was excellent and we both definitely enjoyed the Flamenco Show. We both have been to Spain, but it has been a long time. We both would love to go back. Cafe Sevilla was a great "mini trip" to Spain for both of us.  It made an Excellent Valentine's Day!

Las Vegas for my sister's birthday, January 2018

My sister had always wanted to have a weekend in Vegas. At one point before our dad passed away she was discussing it with some of her friends, flying and meeting in Vegas for a few days. Since my husband and I moved to California, we have gone to Vegas at least once a month. With my husband playing in the casinos, he gets frequent deals or freebies. Basically, we can go to Vegas whenever we want.

The death of my father brought my sister and I together for 2 weeks. We hadn't seen each other since she moved from Virginia to Missouri. The military life had put us in Virginia at the same time for several years. We really enjoyed the opportunity to be together, see each other and spend the time with our parents. By the time that our father passed, we have both realized that we are never going to live in the same city again. Her husband and family love Missouri, my husband and I love California. We will probably move back to Virginia due to the fact that we own a home there. 

I was missing my sister, and I randomly just texted her and asked her what she was doing for her birthday. We ended up planning for her to fly to Vegas for a couple of days.  We drove on Thursday, and then my sister flew in on Friday. 

After we left the airport, we went to the Welcome to Las Vegas sign, and then we decided to go to Freemont Street. Within a couple hours of being in Vegas for the first time, my sister talked in me into getting on the Slotzilla Zip Line. 

While my sister was in Vegas, we stayed at Planet Hollywood, we ate at Whalburgers and Mesa Grill, and we saw Jabawockeez and The Tenors of Rock. I will do separate posts for all of the things we did. 

Get Over It

We all make our own choices in life. The best thing you can do in life is make the choices that work for you and what you want out of life. We have chosen to not have children so that we can be free to travel and enjoy our free time. We wanted a life without constraints.