Where in the World did August go????

I can not believe that it has been over a month since I last posted anything on my blog, August has flown by and I have been away for quite a bit of it.

I did get to the SU Convention and had a blast as usual. I always wear my Canadian Pride.

We did many cool things and learned alot of new stuff so now I need to get workshops planed and have some fun with it.

I did not see as much of Denver as I would have liked but one day will go back to spend a little more time to do some touring.

August 23 I went to Las vegas to spend my birthday with my girlfriends: Sandi, Wausa and Nancy. What a blast we had - no gambling for me, I would rather got to shows, tour around and shop. We spent my birthday the 24th shopping at the Fashion Shopping Mall on the strip and had supper at an Italian restuarant where the men sang Happy Birthday to me. The next day we set off sightseeing and bought tickets for a show called Defending the Caveman. We had VIP seats (3 rows from the stage) and I can tell you this one man show explaining the difference between men and women was hilarious. We had lots of laughs. This show was at the Golden Nugget which is one of the older casinos/hotel and it is beautiful. We all loved it there. After the show, we went to the Rush Lounge to listen to the band, had a couple of refreshments and then headed back to the hotel. Sandi and Wausa had to set up for the trade fair at the Venetian the next morning. I was their runner for food, tickets to the show Menopause the musical for that night and I met another US friend at the Imperial Palace: Beth and Parker. It was great to see Beth again and to finally meet Parker. We had lunch together and then I rushed back to the Venetian to meet Sandi and Wausa. The three of us then went to the Stratosphere to meet Nancy, got changed and then headed off to the Hilton to see Menopause the Musical in the Shimmer Lounge. We ordered drinks and I had two mudslides (OMG were these good). The show was fabulous and I have never laughed so hard in my life. It is a must see if in Vegas! We had no time for supper so we went to a mexican restuarant at the Hilton to eat and it was very good.

The next three days were the trade show at the Venetian, I spent some time at the booth with Sandi and Wausa: I also was able to be a guest of Nancy's and we walked around and looked at everything and I also got a call from Dennis with the sad news that my little chemo buddy had passed away on August 25th. August 26th after the trade show we girls went shopping at the Mall away from the strip and found some incredible sales at Macy's and Dillards. We got brand name clothing (Nygard, Style & Co) for 80% off, we went nuts trying on clothes and having a blast showing each other. The following night after the trade show, we girls went for supper at the top of the world restuarant at the Stratosphere. 107 floors in 7 seconds, holy smokes the old ears were just a popping. What a wonderful view, we had 2 waiters and one waitress, the one waiter was grumpy and not nice, the others fantastic. We had a great time, good meal and then went up 2 more floors to enjoy the view and take photos. This restuarant also revolved so did one complete turn every hour.

August 28th I spent most of it alone as this was little Ryan's funeral so I wanted to remember him by doing things that he would have liked so I took the bus to the Excalibre (castle hotel) looked around there and then took the free tram to Mandalay Bay where I toured the Shark Reef. This was an awesome place and I am sure Ryan would have loved seeing all the different fish and sharks. From here I made my way back to the tram to the Luxor and I went to see the Imax show called Undersea World. This was in 3D so whenthe sharks, etc came close to you if felt like they were in your lap. I really think Ryan would have enjoyed this place. The screen was 17 stories high, quite impressive. I continued my afternoon strolling and remembering a brave little soul that fought cancer for 5 years with the courage and determination way beyond his years. My thoughts and prayers are with his parents. (Ryan was an only child).

In memory of my little chemo buddy, Ryan, who passed August 25, 2007 at 7 years of age. I am going to miss you Ryan!

We ended the trade show with packing and clean up and then headed upstairs at the Venetian to an Italian restuarant and having a delicious (and expensive) meal. I did not have a clue what I was ordering as it was all in Italian so I asked the waitress to order for me. We also had a most delicious wine. It was a perfect end to a busy week. We headed back to the hotel to pack and try to make room for all our shopping.

August 30th I spend a very long day at the airport and flew out at 11:20pm arriving in Winnipeg at 4:30am, I grabbed a coffee at Tim Hortens anddrove 4 hours to Russell. The fog was so thick that near Gladstone a semi truck pulled off a side road in front of me and thanks to God I saw him in time to swear onto the shoulder/ditch or I would have been history. I arrived in Russell by 9:30am and headed to bed shortly after and slept most of the day away. I was tired!