Labor Day Weekend

I hope you had a fun and relaxing Labor Day weekend! Work let us leave early on Friday, so my coworker and I did some shopping for makeup. I ended up spending $81 which was more than I had intended to, but all completely items were ones I use on an almost daily basis that needed replenishing! I'm not good at doing my own makeup but am trying to get the tools to get better. The rest of the weekend consisted of:

Rooftop party

Errands ($2.99 wine at Whole Foods wine store! Gasp, it competes with Trader Joe's?!)

Wine/college football on Saturday night

Friend's birthday brunch/drinking/board games/card games all day Sunday

Relaxing and reading The Help all day on Monday (finished it tonight - SO GOOD! Cannot wait to see the movie this weekend!)

Continuing to settle into my new apartment :)

Definitely a great weekend and a great start to Fall! Cannot wait for the leaves to start changing soon.

Summer Love (and Ramblings)

So I've been rather M.I.A for the past month. I blame summer in this glorious city that I'm still completely enamored-head-over-heels-in-love-with-can't-get-enough-of! I just passed my three months of living here and this place continues to feel like home every day. :)

My social calendar is still crazy and on top of hanging out with my new friends a few times a week as well as now-weekly happy hours with coworkers, June also included a trip to Atlantic City/the Jersey Shore for a girls' weekend, dog sitting on the Upper East Side (for free in exchange for staying a block away from Central Park...I had NO CLUE how many people own dogs in this city, those 7-8am walks definitely opened my eyes!), my Dad visiting twice on business and my Mom visiting for an extended weekend! July is already turning into a similar busy month since my brother is coming to visit this weekend, a girlfriend is coming on the 22nd and my Dad's coming for business again on the 28th. No complaints here, though, because I love visitors! (I also got the pleasure of meeting and hanging out with the lovely Single Filez during her NYC vacation...we had a blast walking across the Brooklyn Bridge and eating amazing pizza at Grimaldi's! I totally agree with Jon Stewart, by the way. I must be turning into a real New Yorker.)

The plus side was that with my parents visiting for a handful of days during the month, they paid for all our meals out and gave me a bit of spending money (mostly for expensive groceries) so I was able to send $200 to my Roth IRA, $100 to my Travel Fund, $100 to my Gift Fund and still have a bit of leftover to be used as I wish. Yay for still being able to save!

I also just had a fantastic July 4th weekend where three of four nights were spent on rooftops. I will admit, however, that the lack of a grill is just killing me. I miss grilling, let along being able to do it ALL year 'round in San Diego! Oh well, small sacrifices for living in New York.

On another note, my current sublet is up on July 31st so all too soon I'm about to embark on yet another apartment hunt. The hardest part is that I really, REALLY want to stay in my current neighborhood, Hell's Kitchen. A 15 minute walk to work? A bajillion restaurants around the corner? Only 2-3 avenues from almost any subway line? Ability to get on the roof of the building and see all of the fireworks on the Hudson? I love it so much more than I ever expected to, especially since I knew next to nothing about the area before I moved to the city and just happened to get my first sublet here. I've already started sending out some emails to ads on Craigslist and all my friends know that I need a place for August 1st, so we'll see if anything comes from that. I just need to heed all the advice I previously wrote about and try to be patient with this crazy process again. Oh, and keep an open mind about possibly moving to a different neighborhood. Even though it hurts my heart just thinking about moving away from here!

How's your summer going? Also, shout-out to a sweet reader (hi, Dee!) who emailed me and made me realize how long it's been since I posted. :)

A Saturday in NYC

On Saturday I spent all day with a friend who was in the city visiting her younger sister. I absolutely love it when people visit, even for a day, and who want to do anything/everything...especially EAT! We had a blast catching up and exploring the city. The weather started out great (high 70s, some clouds) and by 4pm it started raining - but that didn't stop us!

Here's what we did, in order, along with my recommendations. See the nifty Google Map at the bottom! :)

• Hester Street Fair: a small craft/food market in the Lower East Side. I'd never heard of it but this was our meeting spot at 1pm. I'm not much of a crafts person...but I was all about the food! After having only a light breakfast, I couldn't resist the descriptions of the empanadas at the La Sonrisa stall. The coconut curry chicken empanada was AMAZING and I'm definitely going back just for that! It was $3 and worth every cent. I also had the pulled pork slider for $3.50 because I was hungry and it was good, but it didn't come close to the empanada!
  
  
• BisousCiao macarons: after lunch, we wandered up and down the awesome, fun streets of LES. We stumbled upon this macaron shop that I've been to before and since my friend had never had one, I said we had to stop in! I got the rose and she got the lavender and honey. A fantastic dessert! Macarons are $2.50 each. When you buy a box of any size, starting at 6 for $15, they package them up beautifully and it makes you feel like you just walked out of an overpriced boutique...which you basically did!
  
  
• Delicatessen: We then made our way from LES to SoHo in search of afternoon refreshments aka cocktails. We were hoping for something outdoors or at least with an open-air concept. The wait at Delicatessen wasn't bad and ended up with a table right next to the sidewalk which was perfect, especially when it rained for 30 minutes during our time. We split an order of the truffle parmesean fries and I had an outstanding lychee-ginger martini. It was exactly what I was looking for! Light and sweet, but not overpowering. While the service was a bit lacking (the hostess came up to our table at one point and asked us how long we had been there, basically trying to kick us out even though we were clearly eating/drinking) and the place was packed, it was really fun. I'd go back here for the fries and the martini! My share was $20. We tipped well because our awesome waiter saved us from the hostess and basically told her off. Win.
  
  
• Shopping near Broadway in SoHo: A quick gander through some stores on/near Broadway in SoHo. It gets crazy with tourists and locals alike, so head down the side streets. Check out some of the street vendors off of Broadway for interesting pieces. I've bought good quality, semi-pricey necklaces and bracelets (~$30 each) here before and there are a lot of unique finds!
  
  
• Dinosaur BBQ: My friend (plus her younger sister and entourage) were determined to go here. Even with the daunting wait time of TWO HOURS! I'd never been to an actual BBQ restaurant before. This was a blast! The bar definitely took some of our money during the waiting time and I'd highly recommend the Donkey Punch which is rum + fruit punch served in a mason jar. For $8, it was more than enough to last me through the wait AND dinner! For dinner, I got the 1/4 rack BBQ pork ribs. It came with 4 ribs, a small piece of cornbread and two sides (I had the mac & cheese and vegetable which was collard greens) for a mere $10.50! And I had leftovers! Definitely worth the wait time. Note: I learned via Yelp that they DO take reservations, which is fairly new.

View A Saturday in NYC in a larger map

Monday Miscellaneous

I've had a fantastic 3 day weekend! There's been a lot going on so I figured I would do some brief updates.

• In case you don't follow me on Twitter, my dream job called on my birthday to schedule an in-person interview! I'm flying out at the end of the month and am SO excited/nervous! :)
• I also spent the weekend telling some of my best friends and roommates about the interview, in case something does happen very quickly and I have to be open to it...some of them were rather surprised but they have all been incredibly supportive for which I am so thankful!
  
• I went shopping after work on Friday. Bought a blazer from H&M ($54.32) to go with black pants for my upcoming interview since my old suit is...well...old! Plus a dark gray cardigan and little black dress from Nordstroms ($68.40 but used a gift card I got for Christmas).
  
• Bought ice cream for $2.99 and watched "The Godfather" with friends on Friday night, which I had never seen but was surprisingly good!
• On Saturday night, I drove to a girls' night. We had an awesome dinner ($30) at a really cute, trendy and inexpensive small-plates restaurant. The atmosphere was awesome and the food was delicious! I had a small salad, ahi tuna entree and a small dessert plus half a glass of sangria...the perfect amount of food. Yum!
• Sunday was a full day of football and going out with friends after bootcamp class.
  
• Went rockclimbing for the first time ever today and had a BLAST! Fantastic mental and physical workout. The price was $25 for the required first-time lesson, gear and 1/2-day pass. I definitely want to add this to my workout routine, even if it's just a few times a month!

What did you do this weekend? :)

Weekend Spending Report

I know, I've been a bad blogger recently! My posts have been few and far between. Sometimes it's just hard to find inspiration to write, especially about monetary matters when everything about my finances is basically automated. Set it and forget it! :) Plus, work is just draining me even without working any overtime, there is just a lot more to do and learning a lot of new responsibilities due to a co-worker quitting a month ago has been interesting on top of my regular work. I was able to do 1.5 hours of OT last week, which will be reflected on this upcoming paycheck, hooray!

On another note, here's my weekend spending breakdown:

• $15, hookah bar & a drink with friends on Friday
• $27.81, gas (my tank was at 1/4)
  
• $5, lunch at Rubio's with some girlfriends on Saturday
  
• $4, individual-sized Pumpkin Spice bundt cake as part of a gift
  
• $3.51, Target for gift bag + tissue paper + a snack
  
• $41, my tab for girlfriend's birthday on Saturday night (I forgot how much fun piano bars are!)
• $12.50, delicious brunch with girlfriend & her husband on Sunday
  

Having an awesome weekend that included LOTS of much-needed friend time, a Sunday afternoon nap and a roommate family dinner of pot roast, mashed potatoes and mac & cheese? Worth. Every. Penny! :)

An H&M Haul

Yesterday, after putzing around the apartment until noon, I finally got ready and headed out to do some shopping! It's been a while since I spent an entire afternoon popping into a bunch of stores, not looking for anything in particular so I had a blast. I tried on things at Nordstrom, Bloomingdale's and Bebe to no avail... and then hit up H&M. Now, I'm not usually a fan of H&M due to the low quality and the fact that most of the clothing doesn't fit me since I'm really petite. I think I own 1 sweater and 1 belt from there, both of which were lucky finds. Plus, the store completely overwhelms me because it's huge and always crowded! The lines for the dressing rooms and registers are ridiculously long, and today was no exception.

However, today was a different story, at least in terms of finding clothes! I spent $91.02 after tax for 6 items. I rarely have big hauls of clothing like this, especially at only one store so I was really excited! :) Here's what I bought:

2 t-shirts for $5.95 each. I swear by multiples! Here's one of them in navy with pink stripes. The other is navy with white stripes. I definitely needed some more basic items in my wardrobe.

I bought this dress and belt! Semi-casual on it's own or I could easily dress it up with tights/leggings and boots. Dress: $19.95. Belt: $6.95.

Leopard-print cardigan for $24.95. Same belt as above. Something fun for work, to be worn with black slacks or a black skirt. It's slightly wide on me, but I love the print so I couldn't say no!

Cream colored hoodie with navy stripes for $19.95. Really surprised that this fit so well! I absolutely love hoodies to just hang out in and for weekend wear. :)

Did you go shopping this weekend? What did you buy?

A Dinner Party

I hosted my first dinner party on Friday night! Due to a slight mis-communication between my roommate and I, it ended up just being myself and two of my friends. However, just having the two of them over turned out to be absolutely great! After a half-day at work, I stopped by some grocery stores to pick up food and alcohol because I wanted to make some fun cocktails.

Trader Joe's, $18.72

• Mango & Sticky Rice Dessert (forgot about dessert, so didn't eat this yet)
• Pita Crackers
• Cilantro & Jalapeno Hummus (delicious... my new favorite hummus! The center tastes like chutney)
• Bacardi White Rum (I had a $2-off coupon)

Ralph's, $13.29

• Orange Juice
• Pineapple Juice
• 3 Chicken Kabob Skewers with Vegetables

For vegetables, I already had all the ingredients. I marinated two sliced zucchini with about 1/2 cup of Italian dressing and a few teaspoons of oregano, thyme and basil for 5 hours in my fridge. It's from this awesome recipe and I grilled them up on one side of the grill while the chicken kabobs grilled on the other. Pre-grilled zucchini:

[my own image via Blackberry]

We had the hummus and pita chips while we waited for the grilled items to finish, and I made some brown rice in my rice cooker as well. The food was delicious and so were the Mai Tai's that we made! Dark rum (already had), light rum, pineapple juice and orange juice. I might've enjoyed them a bit too much! ;)

My friends stayed until midnight and we just sat around the small dining room table eating and talking. It was a great night, even if it was a bit more elaborate and expensive since I bought everything... but they had hosted me for the final World Cup game so I was more than happy to return the favor! Plus it gave me a reason to try a new recipe and the grilled zucchini is definitely a keeper, and I was able to work on some hostess skills.

Weekend Spending Report

I had a very fun weekend! Mostly thanks to the Del Mar Races (lost the $8 I bet on various races), Weezer concert, coworker's baby shower (I won a game and got a teapot!) and awesome friends. :) Here's a breakdown of what I spent:

Friday
$14.29, bright blue floral beach dress/cover (for family trip to Jamaica at Christmas!)
$15.26, floppy sun hat from Macy's (on sale + a 10% discount because it was badly frayed)
$22.82, Target (new hair dryer, baby shower card/bag)
$16, Happy Hour!

Saturday
$13.05, bright pink scarf to go around my hat
$3.25, CVS (snacks/water)
$24, Del Mar Races ($6 entry, $2 parking, $8 bets, $8 cocktail)

Sunday
$8.49, CVS (Nexxus hair styling product w/ $3-off coupon)
$6.43, groceries
$10, pizza delivery

Total: $133.59

A Day at the Races

I am so excited for Saturday! A group of my friends plus my new roommates and I are all going to the famous Del Mar Racetrack. I've never been and neither have most of my friends. It's going to be an all-day excursion which are exactly the type of adventures I love... and oh, there will be tons of people-watching to be had! :) Entrance fee is $6 and we are going to bring our own folding chairs/blankets. (Getting a reserved seat in the stands is an additional $10.)

First, Beerfest starts at noon. I don't like beer, but I do enjoy a good cider... and since I've been told there are 75+ types, I figure there should be at least one cider for me! $15 for 5 samples.

Races start at 4pm. Bets are $2 each. I'm not a gambler, so I'll probably just bet the minimum per race. Two of my friends are AVID gamblers so it will be interesting to see how much they bet!

Finally, the main reason we are all going (sorry horses, we're not coming just for you!)... WEEZER in concert! The entrance fee includes admission to the concert which is great. However, since we'll be there almost all day, I'll pack some snacks but will mostly likely buy an overpriced hamburger or something for dinner, maybe $10?

For all of that and maybe a few dollars for parking, I'm budgeting $50. All of those items add up quickly - but it's cheaper than going to a regular concert and I'll be spending the entire day with friends! :)

Happy Weekend!

[via]

Have a fantastic weekend!
Here are my plans:

• Happy hour with friends tonight! I'm going to walk the 1.5 miles to the bar for a nice after work stroll :)
• Gym on Saturday morning
• Movie/dinner with my book club on Saturday evening (The Girl Who Played With Fire)
• Dexter marathon with old roommate
• Coffee date with a girlfriend on Sunday afternoon
• Errands: take heels for repair, buy a small cooking pot + blender
  
• Organize my desk, closet + do laundry
• Call various companies for renter's insurance quotes

July 4th Weekend (Expensive but Worth It!)

What I Did
Lunch with roommate after our half-days at work on Friday
Farmer's Market with my co-worker
Shopping/Errands
Dave & Buster's on Saturday night
BBQ with friends & day drinking/games at a local park
Beach for amazing fireworks and a marshmallow fight after! :)
Lots of reading and relaxation

What I Spent
$16, Lunch w/ Roommate
$13.68, Trader Joe's (groceries)
$17.50, Farmer's Market (crepe for breakfast, gerber daisies, some produce)
$16.30, Marshall's (crossbody bag!)
$20, Dave & Buster's (I used a coupon to get $40 worth of games for half-price)
$5, Pizza (3 large pizzas split between friends)
$12.31, Walmart (pair of 3lb. free weights, some grocery items)
$5.84, Grocery store

Total Spent: $106.63

June Vacation #1

Tonight I'm heading home to Seattle for a lovely four-day weekend with my family! My younger brother is graduating college; Sunday is the big day. Lucky duck is going to be backpacking through Europe for two months this summer, as he has not yet found a job in this still-dismal economy!

Since I'll be at home, I haven't figured out what to budget for this trip. My flight is right during dinner time, so I've pulled out some cash to cover a not-so-thrilling airport meal prior to departure. (Don't worry, Carrie, I won't be eating at McDonald's!) I know I'll be doing some shopping with my Mom... but mostly it will be a lot of family time and celebrating my brother's graduation! Plus, we are definitely going to be watching the World Cup. Yay! My Travel Fund is still happy with just under $750 in it. I'll just play it by ear and see what happens. :) Have a wonderful weekend!

TGIF!

Happy Friday! It's going to be a nice, long and fun Memorial Day weekend!

I've been really busy this week in terms of a social life! I went to a baseball game on Wednesday with some co-workers and a friend (tix were free, I paid for dinner for my friend and I, $15.77)... Last night I went out line dancing with the same friend and bought dinner for us (he covered our drinks), $12. And tonight my roommates want to kick off the weekend with a bar crawl! It'll be fun because it's supposedly a large group of people. I'll probably offer to drive, which will keep my costs down so hopefully I don't spend more than $20? I'm also finally getting a haircut this afternoon! That will run me about $60 including tip. My hair hasn't been cut since mid-December, so I can't wait! However, my stylist was unavailable and I really wanted to get it done today so I'm seeing a different stylist at the same salon. I trust her recommendation, though, so I'm not worried! :)

I'm volunteering on Saturday and I need to make a Costco run, too. I'm also planning to watch some Stanley Cup playoff games (possibly at a hockey bar? hopefully with cute boys?) and the Indianapolis 500! Hey, look at me, I'm turning into a sports fan! ;)

What are your plans for the weekend?

Closet Cleanout

I did some spring cleaning this afternoon! Thanks to Me in Millions and her Great Closet Cleanout idea. I had been telling myself for the past few weeks that I need to get rid of a few things and just organize my drawers, so this was the perfect way to get me to really do it. (Luckily, my small closet itself is very clean anyway. I totally wish I had an amazing closet like the one above, though!) Here's what I got rid of:

• 6 shirts
• 3 zip-up hoodies
  
• 2 cardigans
• 2 tank tops
  
• 2 skirt slips
• 1 sweater
  
• 1 pair of pants
• 1 bra
  
• 1 pair of heels
  
• a couple of socks
  

I forgot to take pictures, but it wasn't that much stuff, as it all fit into one paper grocery bag. Now the bag is sitting in the back of my car! My co-worker's sister-in-law is about my size (very short and petite...I still fit into kids' sizes!) so I'm waiting to hear if she's interested in any of the items. Otherwise, it'll all go to the Goodwill up the road! :)

Next up? I'm definitely excited to do some shopping to replace some of the articles of clothing! Happy Sunday!

Sunday Updates

In bullet point format:

• I went over my weekend staycation budget by $5.84. I'm totally okay with that!
  
• I've been slowing adding weight lifting to my workout regime, so now it's kickboxing classes 2x a week and weights 2-3x a week.
• Finished reading The Girl Who Played with Fire and Sarah's Key recently. Both were awesome, in really different ways! :)
  
• I got some new prescriptions recently. Picked them up at Target yesterday... thank GOODNESS for insurance + generics! $52.85 out of pocket, but they will last me the rest of the year.
• I'm obsessed with the Sally Hanser Nail Color Pen my Mom sent me in a recent care package. I'm horrible at giving myself a manicure (my hands are NOT steady!) but this is a lot easier than normal nail polish... not perfect, but good enough! :)
• Went on a date on Wednesday! I had a great time and it seemed like he did, too. (He kissed me when he walked me to my door.) But now it's Sunday and I haven't heard from him...
  
• Purchased some groceries this weekend. Great buys (thanks to awesome sales and coupons) included a Kashi frozen meal for $3, a dozen natural, large eggs for $0.88, a Betty Crocker Warm Delights cake for $0.05, a free package of McCormick's seasoning mix and a free package of Uncle Ben's Roasted Garlic Whole Grain Rice Medley. Yum!
  
• My Mom included $40 for me in the recent care package (love her!) so I put $20 in my CL/25th Fund and am using $20 for whatever I feel like... so far, a Starbucks happy hour frappuchino ($1.83) and a burrito for Friday's dinner ($6.43). Oh, and I think $1 for parking?

I've already made a white bean dip today (healthy snack for the week!) and I'm about to cook some burritos for this week's lunches as well as chop up veggies in advance. Enjoy the rest of your Sunday! :)

Weekend Staycation

I'm taking tomorrow off to enjoy a three-day weekend! One of my best friends is coming into town to visit me and to check out potential grad schools. It will be a fantastic staycation and I'll get to play tour guide from Thursday night until Sunday morning. You can bet we'll be spending time at the beach, outdoors (hiking/golfing) and at the bars! :)

I'm not really sure how much to budget, but I did transfer $150 from my Travel Fund to my checking account. I know we'll be doing a bunch of dining out at local cheap restaurants and just having fun in general, but I'm not anticipating any really big expenses. We have a ton of fun together so I am just excited to see my friend! My Travel Fund still has a bit of padding in it, even after booking my flight to Denver, so I have no problem spending some of it for a nice weekend.

Awesome Weekend!

I had an absolutely amazing weekend! Definitely one for the books - exciting, non-stop and exhausting, but completely worth it! Here's a rundown of what I did:

Friday: Quick errands after work (including buying my Mom an early Mother's Day gift, as she'll be visiting family out of the country in May!), happy hour with friends ($9 for dinner & a drink) then I picked my parents up at the airport!

Saturday: After staying up til almost midnight hanging out with my parents, we went for dim sum (Chinese pastries were delicious!), played golf, had a drink at a popular local brewery, went to a fancy downtown hotel for drinks on the 40th floor, went to dinner at a Japanese restaurant and then I went out until 3am for a friend's birthday! (...okay, I'm exhausted from just typing all of that!)

Sunday turned into a rest day, we just ended up driving and seeing lots of local beach towns, then went for dinner at our favorite restaurant EVER! Amazing, of course! I absolutely love it when my parents visit - they treat me so well and it's always fun exploring new places and restaurants with them in the city! :) Sometime I wish they lived in the same state as me, though. But these visits from them and my trips home each year are always great!

Family Weekend!

My parents are coming into town tonight to visit me until Monday! I am so excited, as I haven't seen them since Christmas. They like to visit me once a year. We have a ton planned and I can't wait! I love having them come visit because they love to treat me to nice dinners and fun activities that are generally out of my budget. :)

On Saturday, we're going for dim sum and then we're playing golf in the afternoon. I made dinner reservations as a surprise Japanese restaurant for Saturday night, and I also want to take them to an awesome downtown bar with spectacular views of the city.

On Sunday, we're going for pho and then an afternoon hike if the weather's decent. I'll probably also do some shopping with my Mom! On Monday, my car is going to the shop to finally get it's 60K maintenance. It's almost at 70K... oops! My parents have offered to pay (they're way too generous!) but after some discussion, we've decided to split whatever the cost turns out to be.

To top it off, I have a friend coming into town this weekend, too! Luckily, she's staying with my old roommates, but we'll all be meeting up for drinks/dinner tonight before my parents arrive.

What are your weekend plans? Hope it's a great one!

Friday Ramblings

Well, I somehow survived Vegas Trip 2010 last weekend! It was a blast, I couldn't have asked for a better or more fun group of friends to go with. I even made a new friend, and oddly enough my fortune cookie at the Rio Carnival World Buffet ringed true: Watch for a stranger to soon become a friend. :)

I'm not quite done with the final cost breakdown, as I'm still waiting to hear from one of the people about the total cost of hotel room plus gas. I think my share will be approximately $80. I lost $30 gambling, which is the most I've EVER gambled in Vegas! I think I'll be at around $375-$400 for the 3-day weekend, which isn't bad at all! Definitely put my Travel Fund to good use.

I've had a very busy week. Recovering from the trip and Daylight Savings Time, my golf class, kickboxing, yoga, and hanging out with some friends. Tonight I finally have time to relax, do laundry and clean the apartment. A good night in! I'm also hoping to get a lot of reading done. I'm horrible when it comes to reading; I usually have a few books going at once and right now is no exception. Time to finish Unaccustomed Earth, then read The Alchemist for next week's book club and hopefully get back into Shantaram. :)

Tomorrow I'll be volunteering in the afternoon and in the evening I'm off to see the Swedish movie version of The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo. I'm very excited! I love independent films and this one actually looks like a fantastic book-to-film one. (Or so the reviews say...) On Sunday I'm supposed to go to the driving range with some of the girls and I'll also probably run some errands.

What are your weekend plans?

Vegas Trip 2010!

This weekend I'm off to Vegas with some friends! A group of us are taking Friday off and driving there (I love mini road trips!), and it also happens to be both of my roommates birthdays. As if it couldn't get any better, one of my best friends is flying to meet us there for the weekend and I can't wait! We haven't seen each other in almost 3 years, so this will be a blast. :)

I've taken out $450 from my Travel Fund for this trip. I'm hoping I don't have to use it all, but I don't mind if I do! I don't think we'll be seeing any shows (unless we find a great last-minute deal) - but I do plan on going out to dinner, going out to some bars/clubs and perhaps a little bit of gambling! Especially since my friend has never been to Vegas. :) And it's been a year since I went last!

This is my second vacation of 2010 already! I am loving this year! Even though I've been to Vegas before, do you have any suggestions of things I should do?