Grand Canyon Tour

 Today we went on the Grand Canyon tour and it was amazing!  I cannot believe how beautiful (and tiny) everything is from the air!!!  We started out in Boulder City, NV and flew to the Grand Canyon.  On the way we saw a lot of really cool stuff including the Fortification Hill, and extinct volcano overlooking Lake Mead:

 We also got to see the Hoover Dam, a large portion of Lake Mead (seen below), the Grand Wash Cliffs, and a TON of other really beautiful landmarks.

 Then we started our descent into the Grand Canyon at the West Rim.  Below you see a picture of the Colorado River.  The river through the canyon is brown because of all of the sediment, it looks an awful lot like chocolate.

 Here's another picture as we were landing in the Grand Canyon:

 Our awesome helicopter.  There were 6 seats, plus the pilot seat, but we only had 5 people.  It was really nice because if there had been 4 of us crammed into the back I'm not really sure if we would have actually fit!

 We had to climb down a pretty rocky and steep embankment to get to where our boat tour started.  Grandpa did an AWESOME job.  I'm still in shock that a man who is 91 years old is able to do as much as he does!

 Below are a few scenic pics of the interior of the west end of the Grand Canyon from the boat:

 After the boat tour, we took the helicopter back out of the canyon and to the Skywalk!  Now THAT was an amazing experience.  It was scary at first to walk out over the canyon on nothing but glass, but it was spectacular!  The first picture below is of Eagle Point.  If you look closely in the middle at the wavy part, it looks a lot like an eagle taking flight. 

 To the left there is the Skywalk over the canyon.  This is a picture a la Skywalk, as we purchased it with our fun picture after this one!

 And finally, we took the helicopter back to Boulder City.  The pilot took a different route and showed us a bunch of different things.  Here are a couple I thought were really beautiful:

Now, I'm off again.  The Hardi Icebreaker starts in just a couple hours and we have to get ready and eat dinner!

Vegas Day 1

Today was a long but awesome day!  We were up bright and early to head to the airport at 6 a.m.  Our flight ended up sitting on the runway for over an hour while we got de-iced.  We made up most of the time in the air though and only landed a little after our scheduled time.

We hung out, had some lunch (my Cobb salad was delicious), did a little bit of gambling, and then got ready for Beatles Love.

I don't have a lot of time to post but I'll hit the highlights.  While I was in line to get a cocktail (All You Need is Love, it was delicious), I ran into a friend from law school!  It was crazy seeing Fouz in Vegas when I haven't seen him since graduation!  We caught up a bit, which was really nice.  Then, time for the show.  It was AMAZING.  Seriously.  I absolutely loved it!  I'll write a much more detailed post about it later, but we'll just say it involved some trick skating, crazy acrobatics, props being extended into the audience, and fantastic music.  If you get a chance to see it...DO IT!

Then, after Love, we decided to grab some dinner.  It was a little weird to be eating dinner at midnight our time, but we went with it.  We went back to our hotel and decided to go to craftsteak.  When we got there we ran into my uncle, cousin, and one of our reps.  We chatted when we waited for our table and then we were seated.  I think I looked like a deer in headlights when I saw the prices on the menu:

Honestly, I think this is probably the most expensive meal I've ever eaten in my life.  We all went with the Wagyu beef filet, baby spinach, asparagus, and pureed Yukon potatoes.  Oh. my. goodness.  It was fan-freaking-tastic.  

But, it's now 3:15 a.m. my time (12:15 a.m. Vegas time) and I'm overly full and completely exhausted.  We have a big day tomorrow with grandpa's birthday present and the Hardi icebreaker, so I need to get some shut eye.  I've been up for over 22 hours, so I think I deserve some shut eye :)  I'll post pictures from tomorrow's trip...they should be good!  Stay warm all of my Midwesterners!

Happy Birthday Grandpa!

I hope you have a wonderful day today!  We'll see you tonight for some cake and ice cream! 

Early Birthday Present

My husband gave me my birthday present last night because I will be out of town on my actual birthday.

He did not get the reaction he was expecting when I opened it.  I was confused at first because I have a Kindle on my Droid (which I absolutely LOVE).  This is why I'm assuming he decided to get me an actual Kindle.  I considered returning it, but after he explained why the real Kindle is better, I decided to keep it, and I'm glad I did.  I learned today that the Kindle on my Droid and my Kindle will sync each other.  So, if I read a few chapters of a book on my Droid, it will automatically open to where I left off if I go to read it on my Kindle.  Now, THAT is pretty awesome.   

I'm still learning all of the new things on it, and I'm pretty excited about it.  The User Guide is super long, and I'm only a couple chapter in.  The only thing I wish it had is a back-lit screen, like my Droid.  But, Ryan took care of that by buying me leather cover with a pull out light.  He also got me the version with Wi-fi and 3G so I can download a book from pretty much anywhere.  Another huge plus, the battery will last for a month, unlike my phone which pretty much has to be charged every evening.

Thank you for my gift Ryan!  I love you!!!

Ice Festival

This evening Ryan, Ben, and I all hit up the International Ice Festival in Plymouth.  It was freezing cold, but we had a great time!  Here are a few of my favorite shots:

 I thought this chair was super cute!  Ben refused to sit on it with us, so he took the picture.

 The puppy with the scarf was too cute!

 The octopus was my absolute favorite.  It was part of the carving competition, I'll have to check back tomorrow to see which sculptures won.

 I absolutely LOVE this picture (check out their faces).  We tried to go into the Box Bar to grab a cool beer (they have almost any beer you could imagine), but they were JAMMED!  There wasn't even any room to stand and wait.

 It's kind of hard to see, but it's a bottle of wine and a wine glass that was sponsored by Fiamma Grill.

The T-rex was one of Ryan's favorites.  They also had a stegosaurus and another little dinosaur.

After checking out the sculptures and watching the snow boarders for a bit, we headed down to Cellar 849 to pick up some of my wine and possibly finally try the authentic Napoletana pizza.  But they were also extremely packed and completely sold out of my wine.  We decided to head out of Plymouth for dinner since it was so busy.  Ben got a craving for pizza after smelling the yummy in Cellar 849, so we headed to Buddy's Pizza.  As usual the food was great!  And now, we're off to a movie marathon:  7 Years in Tibet, The Social Network, Dinner for Schmucks, and A Serious Man. 

Dinner & Karaoke

Last night we all went out for dinner and karaoke.  Dinner ended up being a Gaucho's Brazilian Steakhouse.  I can't say I mind that at all, because I love that place.  I think I'm a big fan because I can eat a little bit of so many different things.  As usual, the food was excellent.  Although, I have to say that the bacon they used on the filet and chicken was super salty.  I wonder if they had a brine accident in the back.  Ben tried a Brazilian beer, Xingu, which he seemed to enjoy.  After dinner, I contemplated getting some dessert because they have a papaya mousse that is to die for, but I was totally stuffed.  We had a really good time though:

After dinner, we decided to head up to 4 Friends for some drinks.  We won a $50 gift certificate for our Wizard of Oz costumes, so we decided we should put it to good use.  When we got there, we found out it was karaoke night.  Ashley and Ryan immediately filled out a card to sing "Wannabe" by the Spice Girls.  They convinced Ben to do backup vocals -- I think he was Sporty Spice :)

After they sang, "Kevin & Janice" we called up for their song.  Obviously, my parents didn't fill out a ticket to sing so someone did it for them.  Of course my dad refused to go up, so Ashley filled in for Kevin.  They sang "I Got You Babe" by Sonny & Cher.  Then, it was time for Ben to get up and sing "Leroy Brown" by none other than Jim Croce.  He did a really good job, and I had a lot of fun singing along.  Everyone threw a fit and kept calling me part of the NFL (No Fun League) because I didn't want to sing.  Finally, I got sick of it and agreed to sing a song.  And what happens?  In the middle of the song, some drunk girl trips over all of the cords and shuts down the whole karaoke machine.  Yeah, so I had to sing the song AGAIN. 

All in all it was a great night!  Today we plan to see the ice sculptures downtown Plymouth.  Buuut, it's like 6 degrees (-10 wind chill) and I'm not sure that our Southern guest wants to wander around freezing his butt off.  So, we'll see. 

Battle Creek

Yesterday, I spent the day in Battle Creek looking at commercial property with my dad and grandpa.  We went out there around the same time last year to look at buildings and didn't really find what we were looking for.  We were hoping to have better luck this year, especially since a lot of commercial property has been sitting on the market for some time and gone through a number of price cuts.

We ended up looking at about 8 buildings, but we only went into 2 of them.  And, unfortunately, none of them were what we were looking for.  There was one building that we all had high hopes for, but once we got inside there was more work than we wanted to do to make the building functional for us.  It was a big building for a good price on a busy main drag, but too costly to fix up, and apparently in a township that is difficult to deal with.  We didn't find our building, but I do have to say that if you are looking for property in the Battle Creek area, you should look up Chip Spranger.  He's been wonderful to deal with over the last year and he's an all around great guy.  He's going to keep his eyes open for a building that will suit our needs.  I hope he finds something before we hit our second anniversary of working with him.

After we finished with the buildings, we decided to stop at Firekeepers Casino for dinner.  They have a really good restaurant, Nibi, that we ate at the last time we looked for a building.  Last night, I had the pan seared sea bass with chanterelle and lobster risotto, lemon thyme beurre blanc, and lemon scented micro salad.  It was delicious!  The risotto was to DIE FOR!  I also got a side of the sweet potato pave, and it was absolutely scrumptious.  I ended up having to pass on dessert because I was too full from dinner, but my dad had a blue cheese cheesecake (ew!) and my grandpa had an apple tart.  And of course, since we were at a casino we did a little bit of gambling.  I won a little bit at slots and video roulette, but then I promptly lost it in the Indiana Jones slot machine.  It's okay, I still came out ahead like $6.

Tonight we plan to head over to happy hour after work with Ben, and then tomorrow we're going to take him to the ice festival in Plymouth.  I hope I get some really good pictures like last year :)  

Ben's here!

Ben, Ryan's youngest brother, got into town last night.  He's here by way of Savanna on his way to Phoenix.  Totally not on "his way" you say?  Yeah, that's what I thought too when Ryan said Ben was coming to visit.  Michigan is actually pretty much the OPPOSITE direction he'd be wanting to travel in.  Then, I was informed that Ben is going on a nationwide tour on his way back to Phoenix, meeting up with a bunch of friends and family that have scattered across the country.  Ben has already had a few stops on the east coast and Ohio.  Now, he's staying with us for a week to recharge his batteries before heading on the last half of his journey.

For dinner last night, we went to The Claddagh for some delicious Irish food.  I was quite excited to see the beef stew back on the menu (it has been removed the last time we were there).  There was a lot of banter between Ryan and Ben, per usual, and I enjoyed myself.  After dinner, we all vegged in front of the TV for a little while and then hit the sack. 

Ryan has another dentist appointment today to get the rest of his teeth fixed, so he'll be home late.  I'm not sure what's on the agenda for tonight, but I foresee it probably being a relaxing one.

New Car!!!

I went to pick up the new car today!  A 2011 Ford Escape Limited in Steel Blue with 4 wheel drive!  I LOVE IT!

North American International Auto Show

Saturday we headed to the D with Jill & Aaron to visit the Auto Show and grab some dinner.  We met down there around 2, and actually found parking very easily.  Since Aaron works for Chrysler, we spent a lot of time looking at the new stuff that Dodge and Chrysler had out.  I have to say that I really like the new Durango.  I didn't like the old one at all, but the redesign is pretty awesome.  Jill checked out a Jeep Grand Cherokee because she's thinking of getting one, and then we checked out the new revamped Grand Caravan for my mom.  The stow-and-go seats in the Durango and Caravan are AWESOME!

Here are some of my favorites:

 This Mercedes was sick.  The paint job, combined with the lights, made the car look like it was glowing.  Awesome, although it totally screams "GIVE ME A TICKET!"

 This concept car's exterior was made entirely from clay!

 I love how the clay car's doors open like they do.

 Almost nothing that beat the old school Continental from Entourage that Lincoln had at the very front of their display!  This baby is amazing!

 The new Lexus sports car.  The styling, especially the back, was fantastic.  Maybe we can convince Jack to get this to replace the Z.

 And THIS was my absolute FAVORITE!  Scion had a contest and this was the winner...The Squid Car by Salty Dogs.  I love that they even got the boat port windows on it!

And here's the front of the squid!

We saw a bunch of other cool things, like the 12K aluminum paint job on a Mercedes.  The Swagger Wagon by Toyota was neat.  They basically took two Sonata's and put them together to make a stretch van limo.  And best of all, it was purple!  

After the Auto Show, we all decided to do dinner.  It had been decided that we'd go to Slow's, which apparently has the best BBQ anywhere.  We left early so we could get seats without a huge wait, since it's rumored that Slow's frequently has a 4 hour wait.  We got there around 4:20 and there was already a 3 hour wait.  We decided to pass up Slow's and head down to Fishbone's.  We totally forgot that Kid Rock's birthday concert was going on the same night, and about peed our pants when we saw all the parking lots were charging $35-$40 to park!!!  After driving around for about 20 min (with Aaron waiting in line at Fishbone's), we decided to head out of the D for dinner.  On our way to pick up Aaron we lucked upon an open spot on the street.  Only $2!!!  Dinner at Fishbone's was AMAZING!  My Alaskan King Crab was to DIE for!  After dinner, the boys picked up some desserts (viddles as Aaron calls them) at Astoria, and the girls went to pick up the car.  The girls got lost (oops), and ran into a creepy homeless man who fancied himself a musician and profit. 

We all headed back to Auburn Hills to hang out, partake in some delicious desserts and spirits, and play some Bezzerwizzer.  That game, by the way, it super hard!!!  We had a great night with great friends!!! 

It's definitely time...

...for a new car.  I was hoping we could put this off for a while but that is not going to happen.  The final straw -- the heater broke.  Ryan surely cannot drive around for the rest of the winter without heat in his car, so I guess we'll have to start researching cars and prices.  Bummer.

At this point, here is the list of what is wrong with the car:

• No heat
• No air conditioning
• No reverse lights and one break light is out -- we can't fix it because the lights are rusted into the sockets
• Muffler is bad, just 2 years after replacing the thing
• The trunk is rusted almost completely through
• And, sometimes it doesn't like to start

How much is the car worth?  Probably about $1, so we're just wasting money by having anything fixed.  Off to the dealership we go!!!  Guess it's a good thing we're checking out the Auto Show tomorrow, maybe it'll get us into the mood to car shop.

Wedding Album

I got the layout for my wedding album last night!  It is absolutely amazing.  Ryan, my mom, my dad, my sister and I all sat down last night and took a look at the layout.  There honestly is not a single thing any of us would change about it.  I think my dad was the most surprised to be honest.  And, my mom changed her mind and decided she wanted an album for herself (probably a good thing that dad & Ryan negotiated 2 parent albums even though my mom insisted she didn't want one). 

I truly cannot say enough good things about my photographer.  He is amazing.  His photos are amazing.  My album is going to be amazing.  He has been a pleasure to work with!

If you're looking for a photographer, PLEASE check him out...I promised you'll be happy you did.  He does everything, weddings, engagements, parties, portraits, high school photos, etc.

I wish I could post the layout here for everyone to see (especially Jayne & Jerry), but it is too big for the blog to host.  The link to download is active for another 10 days, so if you'd like to take a look please let me know and I'll send it to you!  But, here's the first page:

Happy Birthday Grandma & Sean!

I just wanted to wish my grandma and my brother-by-another-mother a VERY happy birthday! 

Grandma and I at her birthday dinner - January 12, 2007

My brother and the other mother - June 18, 2010

I hope the day treats you both well! 



%#!$ Ashley Says

I've decided to make this a new reoccurring post.  I kind of want this to turn into our family's "she pulled a Monica." 

Most everyone who knows my sister knows that she has a remarkable ability to say some of the craziest stuff, and it's always highly entertaining.  So, without further adieu...her most recent question that sent me into fits of laughter.

Ashley comes running into the office, "OMG Melanie, did you know that we live in the Milky Way?!?"

...yeah, she's 22.

Holy Helicopter, Batman!

Yesterday, I found out about a dual birthday present!  First a little background...

The ASHRAE show historically has always fallen on my grandfather's birthday (Jan. 26th).  Last year, he celebrated his 90th birthday in sunny Orlando.  This year, however, the show is after his birthday but on my birthday.  So, my dad decided to get a dual birthday gift for us and I am totally psyched for it!

We are all going on a helicopter and boat tour.  My dad sent me the information and it sounds like SO much fun!  We are going to fly over Hoover Dam, Lake Mead, the Grand Canyon's Rim, the Colorado River, the Grand Wash Cliffs, and extinct volcanoes.  Then, we get to land at the bottom of the Grand Canyon, take a boat ride on the Colorado River and finally, take a walk on the Skywalk Bridge!

It's times like this that make me wish I had a SLR camera!  I've had my eye on a Canon Rebel for a long time, but I just can't justify spending that much money on a camera right now.  So, my trusty Canon Digital Elph is going to have to do the job!

Promised Pictures

And, here are some of the pictures I promised to post:

Opening Christmas presents!  Trina was REALLY excited to get the Corpse Bride ornament!

 Here is one of what I would say was her favorite present.  She asked for it a bunch of times and wanted to immediately go play it.  But, it was bedtime and had to wait until later.

 NYE Gingerbread house decorating.  The girls got into a huge fight over it.  They split the house in half so they could each decorate their own half.  Trina didn't like how Savana was decorating her side, so Trina decided to spray a bunch of frosting all over Savana's decorations and decorate right over it.

 10...9...8...7...6...5...4...3...2...1...HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

 And this is what happens when two little girls play with toys for approximately 2 hours.  Complete and total destruction!!!