KSU vs. KU

Warning: This post may not be suitable for youngsters, easily offended people, or KU fans. The use of blinders may be required for small children.

This past weekend, my family and I traveled to Manhattan, KS for the 107th Sunflower State Showdown. I was pretty excited the event was in Manhattan where I could be surrounded by my fellow Wildcats since my family was rooting for the Hawks. My brother, Jordan, talked crap on the Cats all the way there. Here he is sporting his Jayhawk pride on the drive to the game. Notice he is looking pretty smug about the Jayhawk's ability to pull off a win.

Half time score...

And as you can see, a little bit of the smugness has disappeared from his expression.

Final score, need I say more?

I would have gotten a picture inside of the stadium to show the upset on Jordan's face, but he decided to escape before the roar of the crowd took over the stadium. I was able to snatch this photo as I approached the car. Better luck next time Hawks!

Quote of the trip: "I'm not watching KU football for the rest of the season!"--Jordan

Hermann, MO

Molly and Lynette are two of my best friends. Lynette and I became friends in elementary school. Molly and I became friends in middle school. And the three of us became inseparable in high school.

Here are a few good pictures from our high school days.

I love wine and so do Molly and Lynette. So, I couldn't think of two better people to explore Missouri Wine Country with. This trip was planned straight out of "the book" and we were not left dissappointed. We started the weekend off in KC so we could spend some time with Lynette's boyfriend, Dave, and a few of his friends. He took us to a local bar called Johnny's where we partook in lots of shots and drinks. It was the perfect warm-up for our day of wine tasting.

Lynette and Dave

After a bit too much fun the night before, some water, and tylenol, the three of us headed to Hermann the next morning. Hermann is a quaint little town of 2700 people that exudes German culture. In 1836, a group of Germans from Philadelphia bought the land in Hermann and started producing wine. In the 1900s, Stone Hill Winery was the second-largest winery in the United States until prohibition occured. The winery re-opened in 1967. According to "the book", Oktoberfest is the best time visit, so that is exactly what we did.

We started the day off with some German food:

After some food in our bellies, we decided to take a tour of the winery.



And after the winery tour it was time for some wine tasting. We went on the tour with a group of 45 people, and I'd say we really enjoyed the tour, but we enjoyed the tasting even more. We were the last 3 left in the wine tasting room.

After purchasing a case of wine, and becoming Stone Hill VIP members, we decided it was time to leave the winery and explore the town. We found this cute little choloate store called Ricky's Chocolate Box and did some more sampling, only it was chocolate this time.

We visited a few beer gardens and listened to Oompah bands.

Our last stop was a local brewery.

Aside from all of the fun, Hermann is also a gorgeous town. Here are two of my favorite picutures of the beautiful scenery.

We stopped in KC on the way home to meet the newest edition to Lynette's family, her niece, Jensen Michelle. I was so happy to meet her!

Thanks for a great weekend girls!

Quote of the trip: "I don't drive bad, I just have a sensitive steering wheel!"--Lindsay

Kansas Humane Society

On Friday, October 23rd I was scheduled to leave town for a girl's weekend, but decided to make a pit stop at the Kansas Human Society to adopt this cute little girl!

Kya is a Boxer/Boston Terrier mix and one of the most adorable little things I've ever seen. We are having lots of fun together and I am quickly learning her likes and dislikes.
Kya loves too....

Play with her rope

Chew on anything and everything, including the couch

Wear her coat

Sleep in my dirty clothes

Cuddle with her cousin, Doja (My brother's dog)

And play with Doja's tail!

Quote of the trip: "Woof!"--Kya (Translation: "Thanks for rescuing me!")

Sin City Getaway

Earlier this year, my friend Kylie and I realized we have now been friends for 20 years. We decided we needed to celebrate in a big way and Vegas was the perfect place to do so. We opened our trip up to several of our friends, and my friend, Molly, decided it would be appropriate to come along to celebrate her birthday.
Here we are ready to start an unforgettable weekend.

First stop: Liquor Store.

WOW! We really did consume all of that alcohol in three days.

Second stop: Caesars Palace.

I was pumped to discover Caesars Palace was in "the book" as one of the must see's in Vegas, and we were staying there! The hotel was beautiful and had everything a girl could ask for: fine dining, a huge relaxing pool, and it's own shopping mall.
Here are a few pictures of the pool area.


Molly playing Blackjack in the pool.

After settling into our room it was time to walk around the strip. We stopped for a bite to eat and Molly ordered a yard of Margarita. Kylie and I stuck to the normal 12 oz drinks.

And next to our restaurant was M&M World. I was in heaven!

That same night I got my first taste for the slot machines. Although I wasn't a big gambler ( I stuck to the penny and nickle machines) it was fun to try it out. Thanks Molly and Kylie for showing me the ropes...

After a little fun at the slot machines we visited a piano bar in Paris which is always fun. I'm always amazed that someone other than Molly really does know every word to every song!

There are three other must see hotels of Vegas according to "the book" and of course I made sure I got to see them. Here they are:

The Bellagio

All smiles after watching the spectacular fountains outside the Bellagio!

The Wynn

And the Mirage

The Cirque du Soleil show, Love, was showing at the Mirage. We went to the show on our last night and that was the highlight of the trip for me. The Mirage specifically built the Revolution Lounge, shown above, and the theater inside the hotel for this show. Inside the theater, each seat contains surround sound allowing the Beatles music to be heard in perfect clarity while watching the show.

Here are a few more pictures from the Lounge and the theater area.

Our friend, Jason, we made at the Revolution Lounge.

Aside from eating,window shopping, and laying by the pool, we also did quite a bit of going out and dancing.

These two guys danced up to us one night. Check out library boy dancing by Kylie.

And here is crazy eyes shaking his bootie on Molly.

And here is why we call him crazy eyes....

For future reference - Skittles+vodka+soda does not = Zima+Jolly Ranchers. But it looks really pretty and we could tell our drinks a part!

Apparently I am now obsessed with my book and highlighting completed sections of it.

I referred to it several times when trying to decide on activities in Vegas and used the following quote repeatedly when Kylie and Molly shot me down.

Quote of the trip: "But it's in the book!" --Lindsay