Fifty is Nifty

Chris is 50 today!!!

Lucky for us, he had to attend a conference in Las Vegas so we got to celebrate with friends at my favorite hotel on the strip...The Bellagio. Even better, AJG picked up the tab!!! The atrium at the Bellagio is one of it's most famous attractions. It is decorated several times a year with thousands of flowers and plants to depict a certain theme. The current theme is...Spring! It felt like we had wandered onto the movie set of "Honey, I Shrunk the Kids!"

This bumble bee is covered with thousands of black and yellow flowers.

The stripes on this snail's shell are also made from rows of flowers...amazing!!

Alpha Phi

Each year, Meg's sorority (Alpha Phi) gives the girl's moms the opportunity to become honorary members. There is an induction ceremony and an initiation ceremony where we learn about the sorority, it's founders, it's history, it's vision, and it's symbols.

One interesting fact: Alpha Phi is actually a fraternity. The term "sorority" hadn't yet been coined when Alpha Phi was organized in 1872.

The day began with a mom's breakfast at Sullivan's. I splurged on the banana pancakes...yummy!

My favorite Alpha Phi's...Kimmie and Meg. Moms and daughters after the induction ceremony. Almost official...the initiation ceremony is this evening.

Celebratory dinner at the Garden House. Kristy, the blonde in the center, is both Meg's and Jessica's "big sister."

The new inductees and their daughters.

All the Alpha Phi's who joined us for dinner that night.

Viva Elvis!

You know I love Elvis, right? If not, be sure to read my "All Shook Up" post of 8/19/09. I am headed to Cedar City this weekend to become an honorary member of Meg's sorority...and since I have to fly in and out of Las Vagas...and since Cirque du Soleil has produced an Elvis show honoring him on the 75th anniversary of his birth...and since I am a self-proclaimed Elvis freak...and since passing through town without attending was absolutely unacceptable...Meg and I decided to see the show. And what a show it was!! Singing, dancing, costumes, and best of all, obscure video clips of Elvis mixed throughout.

If only he were real!!! How do you think Chris would look in Elvis' famous gold lame suit?