"In contrast to happiness stands joy. Running deeper and stronger, joy is the quiet, confident assurance of God's love and work in our life - that He will be there no matter what! Happiness depends on happenings, but joy depends on Christ."
This was a quote in the study notes in my Bible, and it made me think of my friend, Liz. She lives with real hope and talks about God's faithfulness even in the most difficult seasons of life. She trusts God in the midst of the storm, and lives from her Spirit rather than her soul and emotions. And I love that!
(I also love this picture. And I love Christmas!!!) Anyway, God is good and I feel blessed. At this moment, I have so many friends who love, encourage, inspire, and challenge me -- and we really have fun together, even in the simplest things. So I'm thankful for good, solid friendships... and for this little reminder that the JOY of the Lord is my strength. That no matter what losses I may endure, God truly is "the strength of my heart!"
And now, a super-detailed account of my awesome Vegas vacation, purely because I want to remember it! This has not been proofed for grammar. =)
Okay, so I got up at 4:30am, and met Malori at the OKC airport for our early flight out on Friday morning. I took the motion sickness pills my trainer had recommended, and I did fine on both flights (despite the many warnings about Denver flights being the worst, as well as being seated in the very back row and being told that was the worst place to sit.) So hooray for that; yay God! I was frustrated that Malori and I didn't get to sit together on either flight, and the plane didn't have sick sacks in my seat on either flight. Anyway, when we got to the Denver airport, we had just enough time to rush to board the next flight, and we touched down in Vegas around 9am!
I was pleasantly surprised that our room at the Bellagio was already ready for us around 10am. After checking in and unpacking (well, I unpacked and Malori laughed about that), we headed to the Jean Philippe Patisserie for lunch. The entrance is a gigantic glassed-in chocolate fountain (white, dark, and milk chocolate) and they have several amazing, intricate cakes on display. All the food looked amazing... Malori loved her sandwich and cake, and my croissant and triple chocolate cheesecake pastry was FANTASTIC! So yes, that got our Vegas trip off to a good start. :)
Then we headed to the Bellagio shops, followed by the Caesar's Palace Forum shops. (May I just say, Caesar's Palace is overwhelmingly massive. Wow!) Anyway, we shopped for a couple hours, going through tons of ritzy, overpriced big brand shops with a few regular shops mixed in. Didn't buy anything but some MAC makeup, but it was fun! My feet started hurting (again, didn't follow my mom's advice to bring comfy shoes)... and we got confused on the time bc Malori's phone was still on OK time... so we headed back to our room to change before the show. Then we realized we had two extra hours to kill, so we went to the Bellagio Art Gallery, which was my first art gallery experience. Interesting. Had I known it would be uber quiet, I wouldn't have worn my clompy shoes. Oh well. We saw several interesting and impressive art pieces, as well as some Picassos that I believe any kindergarten student could have painted. (Not that I want to have anything in common with Cal Hockley, but I'm really not Picasso's biggest fan.) Anyway, after the art gallery, we headed to the Wynn hotel. We looked around for a while, then saw LaReve. Our seats were great, and the show was fantastic. I'm always so impressed by the talent of those cirque du soleil-style performers. But this show had a dramatic love story running through it, which ended with a bed dropping from the ceiling... then the lead couple gets in the bed, and as it's floating back into the sky, four massive flowers open from the corners of the bed. Far more cheesy and funny than offensive.
So at this point, we knew that Chet and Jeff's flight was running 40 minutes late. After the show, we made one quick stop at the Wynn's "Magical Lake of Dreams." This needs explanation... before the show, we stumbled on this area, and the gold backdrop wall with the waterfall running down it was really beautiful in the sunlight. We were impressed and thought it would be gorgeous at night... but for some strange reason, atop the gold wall, there was a gigantic animated frog singing "What a Wonderful World." It totally caught us off guard, especially considering the usual pretentiousness of the Wynn, and it was hilarious!! So after a few pics of that, we took a cab back to our hotel.
We watched the water show a couple times (always one of my favorite things!) then went upstairs and waited for the guys to get there. It was a really bad idea to stop moving at that point, because we ended up arguing over which one of us had to get up and open the door for them! lol So the four of us talked for a while, then watched the water show, then finally decided to have dinner at this little place outside Caesar's Palace called Serendipity. So much fun!! Chet and I split a cheeseburger and sweet potato fries (new thing, hooray), which was great. Chet was frustrated and kept commenting on the amount of ice cream people were leaving behind in their desserts, so Malori agreed to pay for his if he could finish the entire thing. He ordered the "Forbidden Broadway," which was 3 scoops of chocolate and vanilla ice cream, topped with a giant piece of chocolate cake. He gave it his best effort, but finally "hit a wall" and admitted defeat. lol It was awesome. Not so awesome was our chatty waitress, who sat down twice to tell us pointless stories. Although that became pretty funny too. I laughed harder that night than I had in quite a while!
After dinner, we went to the Paris hotel, where Jeff convinced me and Chet to get out and dance with him at a bar that had a tiny little dance floor. They played "Yeah" by Ur-sher, and we did the "ghetto dance" for a few seconds, then danced around long enough for Malori to get a picture, then quickly got out of the drunken couples crowd! We walked down the strip and saw the usual porn flyers littering the streets, but I honestly think it was worse this time. Having always gone with family before, I've never been out in Vegas after midnight. Ummm, it was interesting. The girl in front of us was much too drunk to stand up, so she got a piggyback ride from her frat boyfriend, and her dress was too short to cover her backside. Yikes. We stopped and waited to avoid being under them on the escalator... which was good, considering that she fell - in a slow, dramatic, hilarious drunken fall - as they were on their way up. Ahh, her parents must be proud. We went to the Planet Hollywood hotel and checked out their casino, and while walking through the open casino, stumbled on barely-dressed girls dancing on tabletops in some slutty competition. Seriously, where are we!? Did we stumble into a men's club accidentally? I know Vegas can be pretty trashy, but to have that in such an open area was bizzare.
So after all that, we came back to Bellagio and watched Jeff play Roulette for a few minutes, then finally went to sleep! Saturday morning, Chet and I checked out the Bellagio pools and decided we should all do breakfast at the Pool Cafe. Good choice by us! My cinnamon roll was fantastic, and the atmosphere was great! After breakfast, we walked down to the Aria, MGM Grand, and New York New York hotels. My feet felt fine all day Saturday, which was awesome! Our hotel touring was followed by M&M World and Coca-Cola World, which are always cute and fun! (We used Chet's camera for all our pictures through the trip, which I'm getting from him soon.) We stopped and sat down and had Coke Icees and Mexican Coke - yum! Then we went back to our hotel, where Malori and I showered and rested a bit as the guys went swimming for a couple hours. We all got ready and went to tour the Wynn, mainly so that Jeff could show us the "intoxicating" smell. lol Afterward, we went to Maggianos for dinner (probably my favorite Italian restaurant ever!) We toured the Palazzo and Venetian, and got a wonderfully cheesy pic of us with our hands on our heart by a huge American flag. Then we took a cab to our concert!
The concert was actually at the Mandalay Bay Beach, which was not what we expected, but ended up being far better! It was 9:00 at night, so the weather and atmosphere was pretty perfect, and the 4 of us picked a spot on the sandy beach by the wave pool and talked and laughed and listened to some awesome music! One Republic was phenomenal, and my only complaint is that it didn't last longer. They are genuinely talented -- the lead singer, Ryan Tedder, (thank you, Malori) writes the songs himself and was absolutely fantastic live! And I don't know enough to know the difference, but Malori was really impressed with the talent of the band and the live string instruments. So other than the disgusting cigarette butt I found while playfully digging through the sand (ugh!) it was a pretty perfect night.
After the concert, we toured the Luxor hotel... fascinating architecture but strangely prison-like feel. Then we got back to the Bellagio just in time to see two of the best water shows ever! At midnight (July 4th), they played Whitney Houston's version of the Star Spangled Banner and went all out with the water show and it was awesome (see video... but it's still far better in person!) So after all that, we made the ridiculously long walk down the hallway to our room again and went to bed. Best day ever!
The next morning, I vaguely remember Chet and Jeff leaving for the airport. Then Malori and I slept in a bit, packed, then did some last minute shopping and had breakfast at the Jean Phillipe restaurant where we'd started our trip. We got to the Vegas airport early, which was awesome bc they had a California Pizza Kitchen, so we got to do lunch there! Three of my favorite restaurants (and of course, three of my favorite people ever) in three days made this an awesome trip!!! The flights back were not bad at all, and Malori and I actually got to sit together this time! Then Mom was there right on time to pick me up, and I went home and slept in till noon today! =) Quote-Worthy Memories:
Jeff: Hey, did any of you ever do those Glamour Shot pictures!?Me: Yep.Jeff: I did too. (We all turned around and perked up at that point) Chet and Malori: Whaaat?Jeff: Yeah, you know, we all did 'em! (He was confused and talking about Senior pictures, but it was HILARIOUS, and earned him the nickname "Glamour Shots.")
"Rrrrefrrrresco!" ~Chet, commenting on the Spanish writing on the Mexican Coke :)
Also memorable was our A-1 convo at Serendipity; "Hey, bed buddy;" Jeff being willing to sing me a dramatic Italian ballad as we walked around the canal shops (since no one wanted to ride the fun gondola with me); and Chet and Jeff constantly saying the same thing one or two minutes apart without realizing the other had already said it!
"Hey, what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas." ~Malori, when I wanted to try several of the pastries at JP
"Hopefully you all get to meet Fun Pete!" -Jeff, referring to himself after a couple drinks
"Usually, I just let 'er flow, but with MasterBlaster in there....." -Chet Lee"If Bobbi were here, this'd probably be a time that she'd remind you to 'filter.'" -Me
"Ohhh, this is just hard to watch! I can't do it." -Malori, watching Jeff play Roulette
"Uggggh, I lost $80 in five minutes." -Jeff, randomly remembering that the next day
"Uh, it's tons of fun walking the hotel ALONE and all, but where are you guys!?" -Chet, annoyed and calling me when we'd walked to a different set of slot machines
"Yeah, my mom said if you leave the clothes in the bag, they won't wrinkle." -Jeff :)
"I'm just gonna ignore all the trashiness and focus on the glamour!" -Chet Lee
Our trip theme song: "Put your mind to it, go for it, get down and break a sweat! Rock and roll, you ain't seen nothin' yet!" ~Jeff, who had this Saved by the Bell workout video song stuck in his head and sang it at several random moments!
Also hilarious was that he seriously knew the name of the SBTB girl group, "Hot Sundae!" Haha, Jeff is awesome!! :)
"It's just hard to be around people who are so unhappy. I mean, not that I'm Mary Sunshine..." -Malori :)
"Stop moving, Jeff; the shutter's slow." ~Chet
"Hey, let's play a game!! Guess this price..." ~Jeff, reading the ridiculously expensive room service menu... Malori won, and her prize was the pair of sunglasses Chet found at the bottom of the pool! :)
"After that, we can go see the Magical Lake of Frogs and Dreams." -Jeff :)
"Well, this officially proves that even when you're dying of thirst in the desert, you still won't drink after anyone!" -Malori to me, when I drank tap water (for the first time in years) bc I was dizzy and dehydrated
"Ahh, now we can say that we've danced in Paris!" -Jeffrey
"There was a buzz on the plane that the concert is at a beach." ~Jeff
"The air at the Venetian is so intoxicating!" ~Jeff, who used "intoxicating" and "spectacular" several times through the trip!
"We can be the VCGO... Vacation Club of Greater Oklahoma." ~Jeff :)
"I would tell you to just be yourself, but I think maybe this is you." -Malori, watching me unpack and try to get my suitcase and shoes out of everyone else's way :)
"It's too late to compromise!" -Jeff, a bit confused on the lyrics, trying to prove he'd listened to the CD Chet loaned him :)
"I've always wanted one of these challenges... it's like Man vs. Food!" -Chet, on the sundae challenge
"Yeah, they're all really big fans." -Jeff, doing his best to avoid being pegged as a One Republic fan while talking to our cab driver
"See, this is why I have brand loyalty." ~Chet, referring to his future loyalty to stay at the Bellagio! lol
"What did Jeff bring to swim?" -Jeff :)
"Nate-Dawg" and "Nater-tot" as nicknames for Nathan... I'm loving "Nater-tot!"
"Okaaaay, I feel awkward." -Jeff, turning around after we'd been behind the drunk skanky girl for a while
"Ugh, I think I just hit my wall." -Chet Lee, mid-ice cream sundae
"Uh-ohhh, I'm starting to feel like I might throw up. I better spit this gum out." -me on our plane ride back home"Well, maybe that's because it's Doublemint!" -Malori :)
"Oh right, it's the freakin' 4th of July! Happy 4th!!" -me, on our 11pm flight home, after the pilot wished us a happy 4th!
Weekend recap: Malori came down for the weekend, and we rented The Hangover (people keep quoting it so I wanted to see if I'd find it funnier and less offensive the second time... definitely did!) Also rented Time Traveler's Wife -- such a choppy, ridiculous story - and I had a lot of problems w/the ending that just left her forever waiting on him to return for dramatic 5 minute increments. Blah.
Saturday morning run w/Bobbi and Natalie... oddly exhausting, thanks to the heat. Then Malori and I went to FleetFeet and she got some new running shoes. I decided to sign up for their Triathlon Training class... it's definitely a miniature version of the triathlon, so I think it'll be fun!
Cheesecake Factory lunch for Kim Dean's B-Day -- yum! Followed by the Jenks Aquarium, which was a first for me, and more fun than I'd expected! The beaver, otter, and starfish were my favorites. :)
Red Robin lunch w/Malori... tasty, and of course, good conversation! "RED Robin... yummmmm." :)
Laura's LOST Finale party... she went all out w/decorations and trivia and prizes and snacks, and it was a fun crowd!
Anyway, this is finale week and I love it! Chuck finale tonight - get excited! Then Biggest Loser and American Idol and maybe the Office. YAY!!
New things this week: First trip to the Aquarium. First time watching LOST. Signed up for Triathlon Training. Get excited!!
In other way exciting news, Chet and Jeff are now definitely in for Vegas in July!!
"I thought, 'Wait a second could it be?' And now I know for sure... I just added two more guys to my wolfpack. Four of us wolves, running around the desert together in Las Vegas, looking for..." Okay, so we're not quite The Hangover crew, but it's gonna be SO MUCH FUN!! =)
Last night, I went back to visit my old LG for Carl's last Wednesday. Aside from the tornado sirens going off TWICE and freaking out a bit about the storms, it was a lot of fun! We each wrote a note to Carl in the book Bobbi got for him, then we laid hands on him and prayed over him and his move to the new job in Dallas. We had cake and ice cream and all told our favorite Carl memories and stories. We also talked about our favorite and least favorite commercials, since Carl works in advertising. lol So much fun, and such a great group of friends!!
So... NEW THINGS lately... Ran LaFortune by myself for the first time. Strawberry cake and Mint Chocolate Chip ice cream! Ran at Hafer Park w/Malori ...and we took a mini-break to swing. :) Finally starting a budget to keep better track of my $$, thanks to Malori! Feeling refreshed in my faith after seeing God answer some major prayers! It helps me to remember that He's always working behind the scenes and that breakthrough can come suddenly! :)
So I know I already did a Coldplay song of the week... but in honor of it being Carl's last week and all, here's an awesome youtube video to Viva la Vida, starring Carl and Marisa. Love it!
"One of the most poisonous of all Satan's whispers is simply, "Things will never change." That lie kills expectation, trapping our heart forever in the present. To keep desire alive and flourishing, we must renew our vision for what lies ahead. Things will not always be like this. Jesus has promised to "make all things new." Eye has not seen, ear has not heard all that God has in store for his lovers, which does not mean "we have no clue so don't even try to imagine," but rather, you cannot outdream God. Desire is kept alive by imagination, the antidote to resignation. We will need imagination, which is to say, we will need hope."
It always surprises me how quickly I can lose sight of what God said only hours ago, how my emotions can rush downhill, and how easy it is to believe all the bad things when I'm slightly open to it. Sometimes I'm sad for no defined reason and feel a sudden loss of hope. Sometimes trusting God and continuing to wait on Him is supremely difficult. Sometimes I get really confused about what I'm supposed to be doing, and whether anything I'm doing right now has any eternal significance... I feel small and alone and wonder if anyone really understands... I feel sickeningly bored and stuck in a rut, and desperately want something - anything - to suddenly change! Sometimes walking in love is exhausting and appallingly unappreciated. Sometimes the old me takes over, and the truth feels false and the lies feel true. Sometimes it's a major struggle to hear from God and be sure I'm in His will. ....and sometimes I get too self-focused, which never leads to anything good.
So I'm praying that things will become clearer, for peace and joy and wisdom. And I'm waiting and doing my best to stay faithful and trust God. And I know everything will seem better and brighter in the morning.
For whatever reason, tonight, this cheered me up a bit. Very random, because I've seen Secondhand Lions several times and this speech has never meant much to me, but it hit me tonight, so here it is:
"Sometimes the things that may or may not be true are the things that a man needs to believe in the most: that people are basically good. That honor, courage, and virtue mean everything. That power and money, money and power, mean nothing. That good always triumphs over evil. And I want you to remember this -- that love, true love, never dies."
This weekend was a lot of fun… Friday night, we finally went on our Talequah road trip! Chet, Jeff, Nathan, Bobbi, and I piled into Chet’s new car (Marcus, if you’d forgotten his name) and headed to Sam and Ella’s! The pizza was actually better than I expected... and Nathan randomly chimed into the conversation several times to explain his thoughts on exactly why their pizza is the best. :) We walked through downtown Talequah and talked about Bobbi’s college memories, then we had our “cookie time in the park,” as Jeff put it! Lol He sounded so much like an enthusiastic preschool teacher when he said that. The cookiecake was awesome, as always! We didn’t have a knife so we all just used our hands... which made me happy I carry Purell w/me everywhere! ;) We stayed at the park a while, talking about our most embarrassing moments and lots of other great topics. Then we headed home, and got to hear several stories about everywhere Jeff has traveled… and although he said Norway was the most beautiful place he's been, Paris and London are still at the top of my list!
When I got home, Malori and Jordan were already hanging out at my house and were in the middle of watching New Moon. We talked for a while, then watched the rest of the movie… much the same way Rach and I watch 7th Heaven, mocking the dramatic lines and bad acting. (And no, my opinion has not changed.) A teenage girl who's so obsessed with a vampire that she tells him she doesn’t need her soul, and then screams herself to sleep every night he’s not there… it’s unhealthy and sad, and the screaming thing was quite abnormal... umm, no one does that. I get it that the love story is really the draw of the movie for most people – the hope we all have for lasting love and adventure and to be part of something epic, and to be with someone who’ll protect us from evil. [Surprise, surprise, all the things that God offers when we draw near to Him.] But when we make our source of life anything but God, we become insecure and totally unaware of our personal value and identity - and wow, does that description fit Bella's character. Letting our desperation for a guy (or vampire or werewolf, of course) completely define us is always sad and demeaning, and so not who I ever want to be again. It’s so common in our world today, but we are not of the world, as Tara Lynn has said. Placing anything above God is dangerous, and regardless of the amount of passion and desire at the beginning of the relationship, it will NOT end well. Okay, okay, rant over. It did make it much more fun that I was able to remember some lines from Jimmy Fallon’s “bovered” videos. =)
Saturday morning, I jogged a lap with Bobbi at LaFortune. Then Malori and Jordan met up with me, and we walk/jogged for Malori’s first 5k! She was amazed how much everything improved when she focused on maintaining a breathing pattern during the run. It really does help, and it becomes natural after a while. While we were walking and talking, my foot twisted off the sidewalk, and I fell… like, all the way down. Thankfully, I didn’t hurt myself, but still a bit embarrassing. Glad we weren’t on the crowded street part, and glad Chet and Nathan had already gone by us. I immediately thought of Daris flying off the treadmill on Biggest Loser, and Bob being all intense and saying, “Stand up, and finish what you started!” lol (That show can be cheesy and ridiculous, but it really has increased my determination, so I continue to watch!) Anyway, we made it back to our cars, and Malori said it was much better than she’d expected! And she officially signed up for the Quarter and the Half this weekend!! YAY! Chet and Malori have committed, so Laura, it’s all you now. ;)
Malori and I had lunch at Piatto, this new Italian place at the shopping center by my house. It was really great, although our waiter was slooooow and super chatty. Then we rushed to the law school graduation and got to see Natalie and Paul and several other friends I know through CLS graduate. And we had fun mocking the self-serving speeches and the odd fake-stained-glass windows they’d set up.
I headed home that night and got to spend Mother’s Day with my awesome Mom and family! I finally met Rachael's boyfriend and his kids, but didn't get a chance to really talk other than introducing myself. We went to LifeChurch, and I was so excited to hear Amy Groeschel speak on Purity. The key verse was “Let us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, perfecting holiness out of reverence for God.” -2 Corinthians 7:1 How great is that!? I love that it doesn't just say spirit - God wants purity for our bodies too, and calls us to stay away from things that are toxic and unhealthy for us out of reverence for Him. I rarely associate purity with eating habits, only behavior and dress. I don't often think about eating healthy in order to honor God, but that's part of what this verse is saying. So that was awesome! Anyway, she talked about how knowing who we are in Christ helps us to know what to do in life. (Again with the new creation in Christ theme – God really wants me to get this.) Really seeing ourselves as the bride of Christ, set apart and chosen by God and loved and redeemed by Jesus, then we will keep our minds and hearts pure and humble before Him, preparing ourselves for Him and giving Him our whole heart, pursuing Him with intensity and passion! Okay, back to weekend update. After church, we had lunch at Longhorn Steakhouse with Mom’s side of the family, which was interesting, as always. Then we went to see Iron Man 2, which was kinda fun. Don’t care much about the story, but I’m a fan of Robert Downey Jr. and Scarlett Johanson. I met Malori for dinner on my way back to Tulsa, and I’m just so thankful for the way God is working and changing things in both our lives, and changing our hearts and attitudes to be more like Him. So... yay God!!
When I got home, I got all cozy on my couch and watched the new Army Wives, which is becoming one of my very favorite shows! It always makes me cry, whether happy or sad, it always gets me. This was the Mother's Day episode, and one of the moms had a son who was declared MIA during the Vietnam War, and it just focused on what they go through without ever really knowing for sure that their son has died... so they did a Memorial service for her son, and it was happy and sad all at once. Same with the mom who was in Iraq and got a delivery of a card from her husband and little daughter on Mother's Day. Oh, sadness. Anyway, the show is great and I just love the relationships and the heart behind it all. By far the best thing Lifetime has to offer, but that's a pretty low bar. Okay, I think I'm done now. Congrats if you made it this far. :) So new things this past week:
Finally talked to Victoria about setting up a calligraphy business!
p90x Yoga - so intense, but I loved it!
Key Lime yogurt – how odd that trying new yogurt seems to have become a theme
Finally made the Sam and Ella’s trip!!
Tried pizza with olives and mushrooms – not my fav, but not awful
Piatto Italian restaurant – I recommend it!
Watched New Moon – (don’t recommend that!)
Ghiradelli cheesecake brownie - recommend, but only for special occasions
Malori’s first 5k at LaFortune - YAY
First time I’ve fallen in a long time :(
First trip to Belk – way different than I’d expected
"In contrast to happiness stands joy. Running deeper and stronger, joy is the quiet, confident assurance of God's love and work in our life - that He will be there no matter what! Happiness depends on happenings, but joy depends on Christ."
