Yet another monday....

So it is yet again another monday, actually its very very early Tuesday but I promised myself that I would blog before the end of the day so for the sake of my promise...its still monday ;). So its been a while since the last blog and since then I have had time to ponder on several topics of conversation. However before I get into that let me start with an update of my new years resolutions and ......drum roll please... gasp...I've decided to add to my list, more on that in a few. First lets start with the current list:

1) Write a blog entry once a week: yes yes I know I'm behind but I will do my best to write 2 this week to make up for lost thoughts.....

2) Lose 10 pounds: I am happy to report as of Jan 1st, I am currently at -4.8 lb as of today, woo hoo!! Almost half way there. But let me say this, it is sooooo easy to put on the weight and soooo hard to work it off. I have gotten back into running and have been running at least 3-4 times a week (3 miles each time) in hopes of gearing up for the Napa to Sonoma half marathon which I am currently on the wait list for. I'm hoping that once swimming starts back up next week I'll get a little boost in terms of toning etc. Side note last week I was given the following compliment:
" Amanda..... you look....(pause)..... healthy today," now upon hearing this comment, I wasn't quite sure how to interpret it, could mean I look youthful, or perhaps the not so pleasant , harty lol? It was just such an odd way to comment on someones appearance that I was left wondering was that a compliment or insult lol. However in my plight to get fit and healthy I am going to err on the positive and assume that it is a reflection of my hard work and healthy eating that is shinning through my face ....yeah .......someone que the song always look on the bright side of life....

3)Run a half marathon: see above...keep your fingers crossed we get into the Napa to Sonoma half...not only does it help us get into shape but theres wine at the finish line woo hoo !!

4) Actually print and do something with my pictures:.....work in progress my photo paper is out of ink... need to replenish it soon!!!

5) Live more healthy life: believe it or not I resisted IN-N-Out this past weekend when Adam ordered a 3x3....so hard yet I will say that in the last 3 weeks where I have been eating minimal fast food and red meat I feel a lot more energetic and in general my mood has improved. Just sayin...eating good isn't all bad. (however I do plan to eat a HUGE cheeseburger as soon as goal #2 is complete....can't wait!)

6)Clean my apt: also work in progress, I am slowly but surely organizing all my crap however I am going to commit to going through my closets within the next week and hopefully parting with half the stuff I have kept since high school :/ ok maybe all of it

7) Explore more of LA: getting there, we did go up to Bear Mountain 2 weeks ago which was my first time skiing there. I really want to go to the Getty hopefully sometime this spring, never been but I keep hearing amazing things about it.

8) Watch less Tv and Read more: This one is the worst, now that I have appleTV who needs to read? Jk I have incorporated some reading while I am at the gym at my apt which helps make the work out time go by fast and it also helps me decompress from a stressfull day.

Now for the new ones...:
9) Buy a keyboard or Piano! I really miss playing the piano and being that one of my neighbors has a piano and I can hear them practicing during the afternoon on the weekends, it makes me miss it even more. I had originally hoped that I would find a local community college that has practice rooms but even if I found a local school nothing beats having your very own piano/keyboard that you can play whenever you want. This will take some saving $ $ however ifanyone hears of any good deals or has any suggestions of where to look let me know!

10 ) Cook more! I just took an amazing cooking class at William Sonoma last week called Simple Suppers, Big Flavor. The best part of the cooking class was that you got to not only watch the cook and see how she does everything but you also got to eat the entire 4 course meal after (plus a entire store discount of 10% off). I have another class mid march and I might sign up for one more but I love cooking and hope to build up my recipe binder enough so that I can cook something differnt for at least 2 weeks without repeating. If anyone would like to share good recipes please let me know, next blog I will showcase a cooking class recipe.

Ok enough on resolutions. After a recent trip to vegas and another one in the works (Feb12 we are going for 1 night to see Jack's Mannequin woot!) I have developed a short review on the hotels that I have stayed at. Hopefully this is helpful for you in your next trip to sin city:

The Las Vegas Hilton:

One of the best deals on the strip! The rooms are clean and you can typically find a deal on the Internet that includes several free buffets. The pools aren't anything special however the casino and the rooms make you feel like you are staying in a nice hotel. In addition this hotel has a Benni Hannas (sp??) as well as access to the tram which will take you directly to the strip so no taxis needed. Definitely worth checking out.




The Monte Carlo: Sigh....I had high hopes for this hotel, however on our last trip to Vegas I'll have to admit that I was more then a little disappointed with both the room and service. When we arrived we were told that there were no non-smoking rooms left. Let me preface with that our reservation was confirmed for a non-smoking room however a small little lady with a bad attitude insisted that there were no available rooms. We decided to check it out and see how bad the smoking room was.....let me say it took less then 2 seconds in the smoking room to realize that none of us would last a single night in that room, not to mention that one person in our party had ashma. If you have never been a smoking hotel room, save yourself the trouble it is like standing in an ash tray....very very gross. To the Monte Carlos credit we did call down and ask for a new room and we lucked out and got a different girl on the phone who quickly switched us to a non smoking room. Would have been nice if they had just given us that in the first place. Once in the non smoking room you find yourself in an outdated and somewhat run down room, clean but I felt like I was a motel not a hotel. Note, the Monte Carlo costs the same as the Hilton mentioned above, so for a better bang for your buck stay at the hilton! The only redeeming quality the Count had was the cheap crap tables (typically $5). Also I don't recommend eating at their buffet, there was a hair in my food...they did comp my meal but I'm still grossed out by that.

The Mirage:
I have nothing but good things to say about this hotel. Clean, friendly, great food and nice rooms. This hotel probably has the best selection of dining in one place. There is a great gourmet burger restaurant and an upscale Japanese restaurant called Japanese ..sooo good. Also the pools here are awesome and if you stay at the hotel you get free passes to the animal park which is worth checking out even if you're not guests of the hotel. Also this is home of Beatles Love show which is one of my favortie shows in vegas. If you want to splurge this is a hotel worth checking out!

Mandalay Bay: Great Hotel! Definitely best pools I've been to on the strip. The pools include not only a wave pool but also a lazy river....who doesnt love a lazy river? And ever better if you swim with the current you might get and idea of what it feels like to be Michael Phelps jk. This also has good restaurants and bars, the Ice Bar is worth checking out at least once, the entire bar is made of ice and you get to wear warm coats, gloves and boots. The rooms here are a set up from the Hilton and are close to if not better then The Mirage. One of my favorite hotels!!

The Bellagio
Alright last but definitely not least, the bellagio! I have no complaints about this hotel.....except that it does run on the pricey side so this is definitely a splurge. However from everything to the fountains to the indoor garden, tasty restaurants this is a very nice hotel and the rooms are very comfortable and clean. Even better, this has my all time favorite cirque du solei show, O, it is a water based show where a lot of acrobats are done over a stage that lowers and raises into a pool of water, if you can only pick one show to see this would be it!


Alright enough blogging for one Tuesday...I mean Monday lol. More to come later thsi week, any topics for discussion?