Adventures in Vegas - Day Two

I am not going to lie to you - this was an AWESOME day.

For as long as I've known my husband, he has talked about wanting to see the Grand Canyon.  It's on his bucket list and it's really the only place he's ever asked to go to.  Well...we made it happen on this trip.  We took a helicopter tour of the Grand Canyon with a champagne picnic lunch in the canyon.  How freaking cool is that??

So a limo picked us up at the hotel and I have to tell you, I kind of enjoyed the envious looks we got from the people around us!  It felt very decadent!  We picked up another couple and then we were off to the air strip.  Our helicopter held 7 people - including the pilot - and honestly, I thought the ride was smoother than a plane!  Totally impressed.

Neither of us - hubby or myself - had ever flown in a helicopter so we were a little nervous about how we were going to be.  For me, it's a heights thing.  For him, it's just the overall feeling of flying in something so small.  But like I said, the ride was incredibly smooth and there was so much to see that you sort of forgot to be nervous.

Although I did almost cry in the first minute when we made a turn and I realized there was nothing for me to hold on to!  But I powered through the fear and just went with it.

We saw Lake Mead and the Hoover Dam and when we crested the rim of the Grand Canyon, the soundtrack turned to the theme from Indiana Jones!  It was awesome!  I looked over at my husband and he totally had tears in his eyes because this was a fulfillment of a life-long dream!  We landed in the canyon and had 30 minutes to walk around, take pictures and eat the lunch they had packed for us.  I wish that time - overall - had been longer.  An hour would
have been perfect.  We took so many pictures and just stood there in wonder that we ended up shoveling down our lunch in order to get back on the helicopter in time.

On the trip home, we flew right over the Strip and saw all of the hotels!  So really, I could say in all honesty, that I saw everything!  Seeing it from above was pretty damn cool.  Actually, we saw so much on the flight that it was hard to take it all in.  While wearing the headset, you listen to a running commentary on the sights and every once in a while, the pilot would chime in and share points of interest with us.  In between the dialogue, music played.  So it was both informative AND entertaining!  The pilot said we'd be able to hear one another talk if we spoke into the mic, but I didn't hear anyone but him!  Back at the airport, we got a wonderful plaque with our picture in front of the helicopter as a souvenir - and it is now sitting on our mantel in our living room!

And because that wasn't a magnificent enough day, we went to dinner with our friends again (LOVE them!) over at the Venetian at Carnevino - Mario Batali's restaurant.  We had the best steak dinner!  Funny story - we have the same anniversary date!  Found that out last year when we met at the RT Convention in Dallas!  So we went out to celebrate - especially since we had our hubbies with us this time - and even though it wasn't the "official" wedding date, we thought it would be cool to celebrate together.  We were dressed up and really, it just felt like we had stepped into someone else's life for the day!  It was a little "Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous"!  But hey, it was only for a day so why not?

Adventures in Vegas - Day One

So I just got back from Vegas.

That's a sentence I never thought I'd write!  Lol!  But it's true, I just got back from a week in Las Vegas.  It was part business, part pleasure and totally exhausting!  I was there for the RT Booklovers Convention and my hubby and I decided to also make this our trip to celebrate our 25th wedding anniversary - which is technically next month.  :)

Our first day was spent primarily getting to Vegas from North Carolina.  We landed at around four in the afternoon and then took the shuttle to the hotel - the Rio.  It was off the strip which was a little disappointing, but considering we'd never been to Vegas before, we were kind of okay with it and just happy to be there.

Our room had a great mountain view - not what you'd expect when you think of a hotel in Vegas - and we were excited to see it from the fourteenth floor!  Actually, we'd never seen a casino or a hotel quite as big as the Rio so we were totally walking around like dorky tourists for the first few hours!

Then I was so excited because a very dear friend - who I happened to meet at last year's RT convention - was already in Vegas.  She's a blogger and she's awesome and her husband was there with her too!  So we all met up for dinner and we went to Guy Fieri's place - El Burro Borracho - for dinner.  VERY yummy!  I'm a foodie so I was pretty psyched to go out and eat at some of the places Vegas had to offer and this place was wonderful.

After dinner we drove up and down the strip just to see what there was and to get an idea of where we wanted to start when we weren't so full - or tired! - and could walk around for more than a few minutes.  And even though we spotted someplace for dessert - Serendipity 3 - we never stopped.

Back at the Rio, we walked around and got the lay of the land and scoped out where the convention was going to be held and I was so excited to see the window cling that I was on going up!  And it was in the main hallway!  EEK!!  I went in on a promo group with Erin Nicholas, Candis Terry, Jennifer Bernard, and Melanie Shawn.  Can I just say what a HUGE fangirl scream I let out when I got asked to join that group of girls???

All in all, we didn't do a whole lot, but I knew we were off to a great start!

Come back tomorrow and hear all about our Grand Canyon adventure!!

Serious fan-girl moment coming...

Okay, imagine if you will how you would feel if you had the opportunity to meet someone who seriously influenced you in your life.  Not a family member.  Not a co-worker.  Not a friend.

Are you with me so far?

I started reading romance books in the 7th grade.  Harlequin.  My lab partner used to read them all the time and she got me hooked on them.  As I got older, I continued to read and I enjoyed them but it wasn't until I picked up a Sandra Brown book (back when she was writing romances) that I took a step beyond hooked.  Her stories transported me, mesmerized me and made me want to be a writer. 

Well, fast-forward to current day and I have found out that my idol, the woman who
inspired me to really want to write, is going to be at the same convention as me in May.  I KID YOU NOT.  I seriously almost hyperventilated when I saw her name on the roster and in the promotions.  Me.  In the same building - possibly the same room - as Sandra Brown!

What the WHAT???

So when I just ran around the house yelling that to my husband, he was like "You're looking at this the wrong way.  Sandra Brown is going to be in the same building as YOU". 

God I love that man!

So I may have to let my editor know that there is a very real possibility of her having to shoot me with a tranquilizer dart at some point during the convention.  If she's at the book signing and it's any kind of alphabetical order...well...let's just say that B and C are NOT that far apart. 

Can you just imagine how giddy I'm going to be?  Practically bouncing in my seat!! 

And don't even get me started on the fact that Jill Shalvis will be there too.  Love, love, LOVE her too!!  I go through her books super fast because I can't put them down!  I've lost many a night's sleep because I had "one more chapter" syndrome.  But she's an S and I'm a C so I won't be anywhere near her at the signing.  Dang it. 

I may spend a bulk of the time breathing into a paper bag. 

In case I didn't mention it, I'm talking about the RT Book Lovers Convention in Dallas, Texas!  If there is any way you can get there, you totally should.  I have never gone before - this will be my first year.  I've heard it is amazing and now that I see who is going to be there, I will be having my own little countdown calendar in my office crossing off the days until I can be there! 

Such a fan-girl opportunity.

And did I also forget to mention (or remind) that RT Book Reviews has me as their cover story for their March issue?  "Return to You" - the newest in my Montgomery Brothers series - is the feature story.  Well, they talk to me too, but primarily the article is about the book and the characters but I get some time in there too.    I do believe that I'm crushing on them too.  I may need therapy by the time the convention is over.  

If you're coming, bring your camera.  You can document it.  :) 

Chas-ing a Dream - RT Book Reviews

Okay, I know I mentioned it yesterday, but I'm still giddy about it today.  I am the cover story for RT Book Reviews Magazine for the month of March!!!  How exciting is that??? 

And thankfully they didn't use an unflattering head shot of me for the article.  Whew!  Dodged that bullet!  Subscribing to RT Book Reviews is super easy and next week it will be shipping out to book stores (select ones that carry it - so check with your local book stores and B&N!).  Click here to go directly to RT's page to subscribe. 

So here's the thing - this was something that was so completely not on my radar.  I always thought about what it would be like to be an author but I never thought of some of these cool things that go with it.  I mean...a magazine cover!  Wow!  So cool!  And with that I get to meet some really amazing readers and fans and bloggers and it's all just been such an amazing experience that I don't even know how to describe it!  All I can say is thank you so all of the readers who have made this possible!

For those of you who go to the big conventions and are planning to be at the RT Convention in Dallas, Texas in May, I will be there!  I would love to meet you!!!