Germany visits Las Vegas

This week we had the pleasure of welcoming Maarten's mom, Inge, and her boyfriend, Carsten to Vegas and into our home.  I think they had a wonderful time seeing the sights, shopping and spending time with us.  They did a lot of wandering around the different hotel and casinos on the Strip.  I think they won about $250!!  I think they spent the good part of 3 days outlet shopping.  They couldn't believe how cheap everything is over here.  Carsten went home with six new pairs of shoes!  We made a trip to the Hoover Dam and Grand Canyon.  We were very lucky to have been in the park for sunset.  It was gorgeous!  That night we stayed in the beautiful little town of Williams, AZ and drove over historic Route 66 on the way back to Vegas.  Next time I make that trip I will be sure to make time to stop in Seligman, AZ.  It looked like a super cute town!  Special thanks to Uncle Greg for the recommendations! They came to see my show and really enjoyed it. Maarten's mom kept saying "wow!" when she saw us after the show.  I think we were a success! We also ate so much food!  Good chain restaurant American food.  We had IHOP, Five Guys Burgers and Fries, Outback Steakhouse, hot dogs, pizza and even St. Paulie Girl beer.  It claims to be imported from Germany, yet the Germans had never heard of it!  Sorry Daddy! I think that a great time was had by all of us.  (As far as we know, they didn't leave with any back problems, so that means our comfortable futon is open to any guests coming to Vegas!) Here are some of the highlights.

Trip to the Grand Canyon South Rim (with a stop at the Hoover Dam):

 

 

 

 

 

 

Driving Route 66:

 

 

After seeing Jubilee!:

 

Lunch at Outback (the Bloomin' Onion was the favorite!):

 

 

Now that our guests are gone, it is back to just me, Maarten, Nate and Bailey.  It shouldn't get too lonely! Especially because we are on to the next exciting event...my Birthday week!  Hooray. 

 





Friday Fun

It has been another busy Friday off!  Yesterday Maarten, Bailey and I started the day by driving out to Red Rock Canyon National Conservation. When we got there the Scenic Drive was closed because of a major injury, so we drove down a little ways and did the Oak Creek Canyon hike.  It was a beautiful day, the sun was shining, a cool wind was blowing and we had plenty of water and snacks.  Bailey did a really good job keeping up with us on the 3 mile hike.  She only got a ride once or twice!  My legs were very tired when we got back to the car.  And Bailey slept all the way home. 

Lucky Duck getting a ride

It's the Circle of Life

Our next stop of the day was a Jubilee Pool Party.  Nate, Maarten and I all went. Two of the girls in the cast hosted a pool party to celebrate us being in the show for two weeks.  It was a really nice opportunity for all the new cast members to get to know everyone else.  The singers and dancers don’t really have a chance to mix because we are all in different dressing rooms, so I really enjoyed getting introduced to all the people I didn’t know. 

 

Our final stop of the day was to see Legends: in Concert at the Flamingo.  Because I am a Caesars  Entertainment Employee I was able to get us 3 free tickets to see the show.  It is a celebrity impersonator show and we had a marvelous time.  It exceeded my expectations.  Our show included Tom Jones, Britney Spears, Michael Jackson, Lady GaGa and Elvis.  They all did a very nice job.  It was a fun, entertaining show and we danced and sang along the whole show! 

 

In other news…Maarten and I got married. 

 

Naw! Just kidding!  We did a wedding photo shoot for a photographer visiting Vegas a while ago and we finally got the pictures.  Here is the link to see some of them: http://amandakohlerphotography.com/blog-2/

 

New Additions

As my beautiful, amazing cousin Abby and her husband Jared were welcoming their adorable baby girl, Stella, into their family, Maarten and I were making an addition to ours as well.  Maarten has been a dog lover forever.  His family had dogs growing up and Maarten knew that he wanted one of his own. So finally, after much persuading, I agreed that we could rescue a dog from the local shelter.  We went to the Nevada SPCA.  There were so many pups that all needed a home, but for some reason I was only drawn to one dog.  A little tan and white Chihuahua/Italian Greyhound mix.  We asked about her and it just so happened that she was up to date on all her shots, had recently been spayed and was ready for adoption.  Our lucky day! We brought Bailey home one week ago and have had an amazing time with her.  I’ve never exactly been a dog person, but Bailey may have changed that.  She is so easy going, loves to play, loves meeting new dogs and people (expect some children), naps in my lap and follows Maarten everywhere! She is such a good dog.

This blog also documents my opening week in Jubilee!.  My opening was March 30^th.  I was a little nervous and made a few mistakes that opening night, but I made it through and each performance that I do gets better and better.  Maarten was able to watch the second show of my opening night.  I am so thankful that he was able to come.  Knowing that he was there, watching me made me feel so loved and I know that he was proud of me.  I am slowly getting comfortable with the show, wearing the amazing costumes and being part of such a large cast.  It is going to be a fun contract. 

 

I'm a Vegas Showgirl!!!