Back to Our Boots...Again

A week has gone by and I am just getting around to writing another post, due, mainly, to the fact that I have been busy as hell due to the annual Barn Dance fundraiser for Not So New Job.

Months of planning culminated in a great even Friday night, but, by the time I dragged ass home; I was tired, achy, and DONE. I wish I could say that I got some fabulous photos of the event, but, alas, I did not. I was too busy giving speeches, serving food to over 200 people, and evading the Sheriff, but, we'll get to that in a minute.

The day started off with set-up, which was actually pretty well coordinated this year. My main duties involved flower arranging, table decorating, appetizer prep, signage, check-in set-up, and volunteer coordination. So, you know, not a lot (sarcasm; it's what's for breakfast).

I did manage to get a few pictures of our awesome volunteer saloon girls, as well as a few action shots of the Sheriff arresting some guests, though.

As I mentioned earlier; I was on the run from law enforcement, myself. Hugh had purchased a warrant for my arrest (warrants were a new feature of the event this year; my idea, and, a smart one, judging by the amount of money we raised selling them) and I was determined not to end up begging bail from behind wooden bars.

Sadly, the long arm of the law did eventually catch up with me. 

Lucky for me, I was prepared with a Get Out of Jail Free card that Hugh was not expecting, so I never did see the inside of a cell.

In between duties, I found a little time to dance, as well as to give a speech, thanking my staff (who were, and are, amazing), Board of Directors, our volunteers, and all of the generous donors, who helped us to raise over fifty grand.

While I didn't have time to bid on any of the silent auction items, Hugh did me a solid by winning a party package that I had my eye on. We also made it home with a leftover bottle of wine and several containers of BBQ. That almost made up for the sore feet, aching back, and splitting headache.

Almost.

Anyhoodle, the completion of this fundraiser brings the 2022 event season to an end. Thanks to the concert, golf tournament, and this dance; we managed to raise just over one hundred grand for the continued operations of our organization. That's not too shabby, if I do say so, myself.

And, I do.

Now, my feet have nine months to recover before we roll back into event-mode; let's hope for a full recovery.

A Weekend in Venice...Las Vegas Style

When Hugh asked me what I wanted to do for our 29th anniversary, I gave it a lot of thought. Even with the long Labor Day weekend, we wouldn't have time to travel terribly far; I needed to be back early enough on Monday to get my work done at the hardware store.

So, after a bit of research, we settled on Vegas. Am I a huge Vegas fan? No, no I am not. However, I am a big fan of nice hotels and good food, so the decision to book a suite at The Venetian was a sound one.

The Venetian is a small-scale replica of Venice, complete with St. Mark's Square, the legendary canal, and other well-known landmarks. The hotel is the only one in Vegas that features all suites, which is a nice touch. It also features a slew of shops, shows, restaurants, and other attractions, including, of course, a huge casino.

We weren't in town to gamble, however. Instead, we spent our time lounging by the pool (The Venetian has nine), eating our weight in great food, window shopping, and attending the hotel's signature show, The Atomic Saloon.

It was all very relaxing, entertaining, and fun.

The only time we left the property was to visit the Mob Museum downtown and to stroll through the Fashion Show Mall, where we hit up all the usual stores, including Victoria's Secret, Under Armour, and Sephora.

I took a ton of pictures and I've grouped them together by category, in case you are interested in yet another vacation slide show, courtesy of Great Aunt Erma. If not, feel free to hit the X in the right hand corner up there; I won't be offended.

If you're sticking around, here we go...

The hotel, including our room and the view from it, and the canal that features gondola rides on actual gondolas, with gondoliers who actually sing. No shit. 

The food! OMG, the food! This includes the amazing room service breakfast that we had, a ginormous Strawberry Shortcake Crazyshake that we had at Black Tap, and the surprise dessert that the staff at Matteo's served us at dinner one night.

 

The pool:

The Atomic Saloon Show, which was hysterical! And, raunchy as hell, FYI.

The Mob Museum, which was recommended to us by one of my Forensic Interviewers and which we enjoyed, immensely. We opted to do two-out-of-the-three additional experiences at the museum, including the Distillery tour and the Crime Lab experience. I recommend both, but would warn you that the moonshine sampling at the distillery is rough. Unless you like your alcohol to bitch-slap you. Spoiler: I do not.

 All in all, it was a great way to celebrate 29 years of marriage, and, I made it home in plenty of time to get my work done. Always a bonus. I guess.