Notes from the ‘Chop

I just found out that in a few months I’ll be headed to Las Vegas to work at an event: Cisco Live!

What happens in Las Vegas… stays with you forever.

This year’s Cisco Live Customer Appreciation Event is set to deliver the complete Vegas experience under one roof; from beautiful showgirls to flying Elvises, from top Vegas acts to a rockin’ concert performance by one of today’s hottest bands.

It will be five crazy days of work and aching feet, but it ends July 1st, which means I could have a super 4^th of July vacation in Vegas and around the area. I think seeing the Hoover Dam is at the top of my list. What else should a first-time Nevada visitor see and do?

Just a couple more photos, while I’m on an updating kick today:

Susan and I sat with Hannie last night so Karyn and Bryan could go have a quiet dinner and buy socks.

She’s so close to taking her first, unsupported step! I can’t believe she’s almost 11 months old already.

So, I am pretty popular. Which keeps me pretty busy. Too busy, in fact, to write timely updates about what’s going on in my world.

Last weekend was my mom’s 51^st birthday and, to celebrate, she and my dad traveled up to the Cities for the weekend. On Friday night we went to Axel’s Restaurant in Chanhassen.

I am pretty resistant to Chanhassen (and most other third-tier suburbs of the Twin Cities, too) so I’m not sure I would go to this location again, but the food was pretty tasty. I had some giant scallops wrapped in bacon. Everyone else had some sort of seafood, too. My dad and Karyn got the “land and lake” which was walleye and steak — that looked pretty delicious! Our waitress brought a giant piece of cake for Mom’s birthday that we all shared, and we were thoroughly stuffed. Bryan even felt ill because he was so full!

Towards the end of the dinner, Hannie was getting a little punchy. She thought the ceiling fan was hil-a-rious and she was splashing herself with water from her sippy cup. She’s such a silly kid!

Afterward I decided to go see a rock show at First Avenue — it was a benefit show for the Electric Fetus, which had recently been damaged by a tornado. I finally got to see a little bit of Cloud Cult, which was super. They put on a very energetic show!

I had to leave pretty early, unfortunately. I had a 5-hour drive to Vermillion to begin around 7 a.m. on Saturday morning.

It was a pretty easy drive. There was no snow or flurries or rain… so I was able to make it to Vermillion in time to have lunch at the Silk Road with Bridget and Lindy, run around town to find a surprise birthday gift to leave at home for my mom, then join the festivities of Kelsey’s baby shower in the early afternoon.

Kelsey is due on March 27^th! I’m hoping Baby Girl Collier-Wise is available for an interview and photo shoot just after Easter, which is the next time I’ll be in Vermillion.

When Royce walked into the party, all of the women applauded (which was sort of a strange reaction). He had come to see his family and helped Kelsey open some of the gifts.

It was a pretty crowded party, so we stuck to our corner table through most of the shower.

I wish I had eaten about five more pieces of this super yummy cake — made by Monica, I think.

Kelsey’s knitting group got together and made this lovely blanket. I knew someone would have the knitted gift covered! I’ll have to find another occasion to make something special for Baby Girl.

After the shower, I joined Kelsey, her family, and a few other friends for dinner at Mexico Viejo. I tried something that Royce recommended (very tasty), ordered a sangria because Cait got one and it sounded super (it was), and tried some queso because Christina told me to (must get more next time). It was so nice to hang out with the clan; I don’t get to see these folks nearly as often as I would like.

An impromptu game night at Kelsey and Royce’s followed. We played Apples to Apples, Bananagrams, and Catch Phrase.

It was a pretty wonderful day to be in Vermillion and I’m so glad I got to spend time with some of the town’s most awesome residents! The following morning I puttered around my parent’s house a little bit, then got on the road back to Minneapolis around 11 a.m. — a short trip, but a sweet one!

A couple weeks ago I upgraded my phone to an HTC Droid Eris. It’s pretty awesome! I am getting pretty good at Bejeweled and I found an application that turns my phone into a toy camera. I’m still being sort of annoying with it (playing with it when I shouldn’t be), as is evident by my food photography from Sea Change last night. (Though, honestly, if I hadn’t been using my phone I would’ve been using my regular camera. You should always expect this kind of desire for documentation from me.)

Now, about these photos: It’s restaurant week here in the Twin Cities, which is a very good reason to go out and try food at fancy restaurants. Last year I went to Café Lurcat, and tomorrow I’ll be going to the Bloomington ChopHouse.

I really wanted to go to La Belle Vie this year, but it seems very difficult to get reservations there. I settled for Sea Change, which was (of course) very delicious. Since there were four of us at dinner, and only two different entrees on the restaurant week menu, I ordered from the regular menu for a few extra dollars.

These scallops were so delicious. And pretty to look at. I loved the spice on these — lemon pepper, I think? I could’ve eaten a whole plate of these.

The grilled swordfish cassoulet was tasty, but not because of the swordfish. Though the fish added some nice texture, the (giant!) beans and the sausage were really the main attractions. Delicious. More, please!

And since everyone else got banana cheesecake for dessert, I decided to get a citrus tartlet. The sour cherries were indeed sour, but the sweetness of the tartlet paired with them quite nicely. It’s always more fun to end a meal with the feeling like you just gave your teeth 5 new cavities, right?

I would easily dine here again, though I hope the next time might be coupled with a show at the Guthrie afterward.

I went to Orlando.

I spent a lot of time with my coworkers.

I have coworkers that know how to let loose, though, so it was all good.

We stayed at a giant golf resort with fancy toilet paper.

There was a big industry conference.

It’s one of our most important events of the year.

I had fun, despite the late nights and way-too-early mornings.

Luckily, we had lots of folks around to help things go smoothly.

We hosted an ’80s-themed party.

I even got to do a little bit of sight-seeing.

Sunday brunch in the Animal Kingdom — I could’ve stayed a while longer.

One of the best things about Florida is all of the gigantic birds that are everywhere.

I went to Downtown Disney and drank tequila.

The crowds weren’t nearly as annoying as I expected, but it was after most kids’ bedtimes.

I bought some silly gifts for my niece.

On my last day in Florida, I had 15 minutes to myself to enjoy the hot tub.

It was sunny, but windy and about 50°. I braved it, though, and when I went back inside I was a little pink! So it was well worth it.

I came home in time for Valentine’s Day. Jason surprised me with a pearl necklace!

Jason and I went to see the Minnesota Wild kick the Vancouver Canucks’ butts.

It was my first live hockey game.

Some of the players were really into fighting! So that’s fun.

We had sushi for dinner.

Add in a few days of work, and this is how it has come to be February 18^th already.