Viva Las Vegas! Part 2: Red Rock Canyon

Closer to the end of the trip, we decided to veer off of The Strip and venture into nature.  At first we wanted to visit the Grand Canyon but we didn't have that much time.  My boyfriend's Geology professor recommended we check out Red Rock and I'm so glad we did.  My boyfriend needed all that fresh air and I needed to feel some sort of nature.  Being around all that casino energy can get noisy and hectic.




For each element, they had a segment where they talked about how each element affected the area.  For example, in Air, they talked about dust devils, wind and erosion.  For water, they also talked about erosion and how dry the desert is and how it affects plant life.  For Fire, they talked about wildfires and how they are great and terrible for the environment.  Circle of life, y'all.  For Earth, they talked about what creatures and plant life inhabit the area and all that fun stuff.  We actually learned a lot and I'm sure my boyfriend would've spent all day here if we didn't have an agenda.  Oh well - another reason to go back!



While we drive around the Scenic Route, I kept imagining what it would be like to live and work in Las Vegas or the surrounding area.  Imagine seeing a beautiful mountain range like Red Rocks.  Would you love it and appreciate it everyday or would you start taking it for granted eventually?
I took a photo of a tourist standing on the rock because I wanted to show the scale of everything.  In photos, it just looks like a bunch of rocks and dirt.  While you're there, it's amazing to see just how big and beautiful everything is.  The ancient handprints were beautiful to see, too.  I felt like I was in an episode of Ancient Aliens.



The day was cloudy but not rainy, which was good because I think if the sun had been out, my poor boyfriend would've been burnt to a crisp!  The cloudiness helped slow us down.  The entire trip had been all lights and this and that and "it's Las Vegas, we should be partying all the time" and we just needed some time to slow down and appreciate everything.  It helped walking around.  If my boyfriend had been feeling better, we probably would've walked around more but, like I said, it's all the more reason to come back.

Red rock got me thinking: we have these kinds of things here in Georgia, why don't we check them out?  Because of that, my boyfriend and I vowed to go out on more adventures in our neck of the woods.  I guess we both realized that we have been in Georgia for so long, we don't even realize what's around us.  Once Summer hits, we'll be adventuring and taking in all the nature we can...shake a stick at?  Ha!

Do you have any plans for Summer?  I hope your week is going well!

Viva Las Vegas! Part 1: Art, Lights and More Lights!

As I said in my last post, my boyfriend and I went to Las Vegas and it was BEAUTIFUL!!  The lights!  The things to do!  The people-watching!  It was crazy!  I can't wait to go back.  I mean, we had such a LONG list of things to do and we didn't even do half of them!  Partly because he got really sick :( and partly because there was so much to do that we couldn't decided on what to do first.

Luckily, we got to enjoy the gorgeous views from Ghostbar at the Palms.  It was amazing!  They even had this piece of glass on the rooftop part where you could stand and look down 55 stories.  At first, I was like, "Pssh...that tiny piece of plexiglass?!  The whole patio should be plexiglass so we could constantly be walking over Las Vegas haha!"  But once I got near it and saw that it was directly above the "PALMS" marquee lights, I felt a little pang of fear of being that high.  I am horribly afraid of heights.  The bar is great, though, and the bartenders were wonderful!



Seeing two Jeff Koons pieces was a total surprise! We stumbled upon them on our way to the Ferrari showroom at the Wynn.  It was really hard to capture just how reflective these pieces actually were.  It was crazy!



We also checked out the Fabergé Revealed exhibit at the Bellagio Gallery of Fine Art.  I couldn't take any photos but boy, did I want to!  The pieces were quite beautiful.  Check them out!

One of my personal favorite highlights was taking a ride on the High Roller.  Standing at 550 feet tall, it is the largest observation wheel in the world!  the views are phenomenal and I highly recommend going at night because, well, THE LIGHTS!!!  The Linq complex is really fun, too.  We didn't realize all those things were tucked away in that little area until we headed to the High Roller.  That's a return visit right there!


 

The Linq also has a mural project headed up by the ISI Group that seems to change constantly.  Check out some pieces I caught - including a lovely in-progress one (with the ladder)



Vegas was a blast! Everyone had the same joke: "Don't run off and get married in Vegas hahaha!" but there are SO MANY things to do, I totally forgot to take all the photos I wanted of all the wedding chapels!  I did snag a few while we were stuck at traffic lights but nothing major.  All in all, it was a great trip - except the sick part - but that just means we have to go back!  Maybe this next time, my West Coast bestie will join!

Here's a short little video of our trip


Viva Las Vegas! from Katzi Roman on Vimeo.


My new friend and I hope you're having an awesome week so far!

#SPSH2015 Reveal Day!

Hey everyone! I know I have been neglecting the blog but...my boyfriend and I have been in Vegas!  I'll do a separate post on that but I'm glad to say we survived - even though my boyfriend came back with an upper respiratory infection.  Ouch.  More on that later, though, because it's Secret Pen Pal Scavenger Hunt Reveal Day!

I had a wonderful art blogged named Lorraine (who you can find here) and she is insanely talented! Here's the spread I sent to her:



Check out more after the ol' jump!

Weekend Adventures: Gem Jam + #SPSH2015 Outgoing/Incoming Mail!

An impromptu trip to Phoenix and Dragon and a lot of $$$ later, I came home with these beauties!  I've had most of these on my list for quite some time and now, these babies are mine!  I got a Selenite that had the most beautiful colors when you hold it in a certain way.  It's amazing!  I also picked up a small Desert Rose.  I had never heard of it until Caroline and Contessa showed some on their YouTube channels and I was so smitten, I knew I had to have my own.  This one was calling my name!  I also picked up a few Black Tourmalines, a couple of Rose Quartz pieces, a few baby Citrines and another gorgeous Lapis Lazuli.  The big purple one in the center is a beautiful polished Amethyst that - no joke - vibrates in my palm.  That has never happened before!  Usually I feel a little sensation like heat or a loving feeling but never vibrations like this before!  I wasn't planning on getting anything from the bin  it came from (because they were bigger, more expensive stones) but once I picked this baby up, I knew I HAD to have it!  She's beautiful!



My boyfriend and I accompanied Lauren to the Sara Rachele show at Smith's Olde Bar on Saturday. That's Chandler on the drums!  We had a great time and Chandler played amazingly (as always!).  Lauren's parents joined the fun, too!



On the left is the package I sent out and on the right, I have the heart tags from my incoming Secret Pen Pal Scavenger Hunt package!  I know I've posted a preview of some things I sent out on my Instagram but I cannot wait to share everything!  The package I received was an amazing set of goodies from Melina and I can't wait to post the photos!  She sent the cutest things and I'm so thankful!  I can't wait for my swap buddy to post her items :)

I hope you're having a great week so far!  What did you do this weekend?