Alphablog - A

I've decided to do a little blog project wherein I write every day for 26 days. I've been neglecting the blog for other creative outlets, but I'd like to try and make it a habit, so this is my attempt at giving it a little more attention. Let's get started!

[note: This post is actually from Wednesday, October 23rd, but I went out that night and forgot to hit 'Publish', so there will be another post later today!]

A is for Anniversary.

On October 6 we celebrated our one year anniversary! It's a funny thing to say because when people ask how long we've been married and we say a year they always come back with something about being newlyweds, but we've actually been together for 8 years, and known each other for almost 10! But we have a new anniversary now, a married anniversary, and so yes - it has only been a year.

Our wedding was fantastic - so filled with love from every single direction, and I still reflect on it often. I know that the wedding is just one day in a whole life, but I will always remember it fondly and I don't think I will ever stop looking at the photos. It was such a joyous day and it still makes me so happy to think of it.

My friend/photographer put together this slideshow - she said that she tells clients they are only up for a couple months, but mine is still up, so I'll keep looking at it for as long as it's there!

http://www.dreamboxphotography.com/archive/whitneyclinton.html

It's an odd thing, really. In some ways, it's amazing how fast the year has gone, but it also feels like we've been married forever. I realize that that is a terribly cliché thing to say, but it's true. Something funny happened to me recently - I was looking through old Facebook stuff recently, and I saw something where I said, "my boyfriend and I recently adopted our dog" and it looked so weird! I couldn't even fathom calling Clinton my boyfriend, it just sounded so strange! I laughed and told him about it and he agreed that it did sound really odd.

A lot of times, people will ask things like, "So how is married life," and the truth is, it is exactly the same - sort of. We were together for quite a while before (including 5 years of shacking up) so really, nothing has changed other than the rings on our fingers, a piece of paper, our titles, and my name. So why does it feel so different? Our lives are exactly the same as they were before we got married. We loved each other, we were happy together, we were committed, and there was never really any doubt to our relationship - but somehow, we are even happier now. More than one person told us that we were ruining a good thing - that couples who are together forever get married and then end up hating each other. I don't know, I think those people probably just didn't really belong together in the first place. Even though nothing has technically changed, there is just a more secure feeling that comes with knowing you've got a partner for life. I'm pretty stoked about my partner - I think he is kind of awesome. So yes, things are the same, but they're also different. Life as a Reissig is a thousand times better than life as Reissig and a Martini.

We honeymooned in Las Vegas - we've been there plenty of times before, but our honeymoon was more chill - all about relaxing, and eating as much gourmet food as we could get our hands on. We ate at Todd English's Olives at the Bellagio, and it was amazing - one of the top two meals we've ever had - and so we decided to go back there for our anniversary. It's not 100% decided yet, but we have kicked around the idea of going back and doing this every year.

We exchanged the traditional paper gifts - I commissioned an artist to do a drawing based off of a photo (featured in the above slideshow!) taken of the spot where we had our ceremony, and he found someone to make paper flowers - the song on them is "our song", they are made to match our wedding colors, and some of the flowers are made out of wedding photos.

Sunday morning we got up bright and early, and headed to Vegas. We got there around lunchtime. I had told Clinton he could decide what we were going to do, where we were going to stay for the night, etc. - all that really mattered to me was that we eat at Olives, and possibly go check out a place I had seen my friend post about a few days earlier. When we arrived, we went to the Mirage just to look around and check things out since we had never been there before - he scoped it out beforehand and had some plans including lunch at BLT Burger, and an afternoon at the Secret Garden to see dolphins and the jungle cats from the Sigfried and Roy shows.

After eating our fill and walking around the Secret Garden and watching a dolphin training session (so cute!) we still had some time to kill before our dinner reservation, so we decided to go check-in at the hotel and then walk around the shops at Caesar's Palace for a while. We stayed at the Bellagio, which was a surprise to me. Clinton decided it was worth it - we were only staying one night, and it was our anniversary, after all! Plus it was super convenient to be staying in the same place as the restaurant, so we didn't have to deal with driving or a cab or anything. I was very happy to stay there - it's on my bucket list! The room was gorgeous - I took a bunch of photos to save for inspiration down the line. We were in a blue room, but we passed a few others with open doors that were orange, yellow, and green - they all seemed to have a color scheme but similar design elements.

After wandering around the shops for a bit, we decided to head back to our room and get ready for our date, and then we promptly decided that a mirror double-selfie was totally necessary for this momentous occasion. It's not every day that you celebrate your 1-year anniversary, after all!

There's a secret at Olives, and beyond the fantastic food, this is the real reason to go - you can sit on the patio and watch the famous fountains! There is one catch - you cannot reserve a patio table. You can make a reservation, and then ask to be seated on the patio once you get there, but they won't hold a prime table for anyone. Trust me though, the wait is worth it! Sitting outside by candlelight, devouring a mouth-watering meal and watching the fountains dance is a magical experience. We arrived for our reservation and told the hostess we would like to wait for a patio table, and then sat at the bar. We were there for about an hour and a half which sounds like a long time, but it passed quickly. We ordered drinks and chatted between ourselves and even met another couple there celebrating their 22nd wedding anniversary! If I recall correctly, their names were Eric and April, and they were so lovely.

After 2 drinks each (you don't even want to know how much 4 drinks and a tip are at an expensive restaurant, ha!) we were finally seated. Our waitress brought out the standard bread basket which, by the way, is not standard at all. They serve delicious bread and flatbreads with 2 a mix of olives and 2 kinds of tapenade. Sooooo tasty. Clinton ordered an appetizer and a side, while I ordered a main dish, and we shared everything. It was, of course, to die for. Between the two of us we've now tried 7 things there, and I haven't had a single regrettable bite. I sometimes dream of eating at Olives - that's how good it is! It was so lovely to watch the fountains lit up at night and celebrate in such a charming spot.

We had talked about going to a show after dinner, but we were both tired since we had gotten up so early and had a pretty long day, so we decided that we just wanted to go back to our room and relax. Well, we obviously needed to take some more photos first! What can I say, I just love pictures.

Monday morning while Clinton was getting ready I enjoyed looking out our window - there were some really cool clouds forming, and I liked looking down at the pool area - seriously, even the pools at the Bellagio are beautiful!

We checked out and put our bags in the car, then went back in to have breakfast at a sweet little cafe overlooking the pools (where I had the best breakfast sandwich, it was on a delicious rosemary bun!) and relax for a little bit longer. After that, we decided to check out The Cosmopolitan - a friend of mine had posted a photo from there recently that intrigued me, and I wanted to check out The Chandelier, a 3-story bar/club inside that is just one huge chandelier! I seriously, seriously wish that photos could do this place justice, but they simply can't. I'm a sucker for a shiny thing so I could hardly contain my excitement. Clinton was literally in the middle of a sentence when I burst out with, "Oh my GOD, this is the prettiest thing I have ever SEEN!" It was stunning, and we didn't even get a chance to go inside! Something about it being 10am, apparently people don't go to bars then... weird. Still though, it was just beautiful, and I was amazed at the detail and level of planning that must have gone into making it.

After I had gotten my fill of the sparkle, we walked around the strip for a bit, finishing up with a walk past the Bellagio lake for one last look at my new favorite hotel and Olives, and then we made our way back home.

It was a fabulous anniversary, and I look forward to many, many more of them.

1445 Miles

Normally when we visit my family we fly, but this time we had to drive since we had a car packed full of decor and foodstuffs for the party. My mom had sent me directions for their preferred route, along with some tips for the trip.

Don't drink the water!

Clinton and I both worked that Thursday and had the Friday off for the drive - we went home Thursday and ate early, then decided to take a sort of "nap" so we could drive through the night. Clinton was able to fall asleep quickly and easily - I, however, could not. I tossed and turned for a few hours before finally giving up and retreated to the 2nd bedroom to blog a little big (about my shopping successes that day) and then to make sure everything was packed and ready to go. I think I was just thinking too much about all the plans/everything I had to bring/do so that the party went well. I did end up going to lay back down around 8pm to relax and falling asleep around 9pm - unfortunately, our alarm was set for 10pm so that actually did me more harm than good at that point.

When our alarm went off we got up and set to packing the car like a game of tetris. I should have taken a picture of that, but at that point it was basically the middle of the night for me and I was super grumpy and out of it. We also had about a 1/2 hour delay because Clinton was freaking out since he couldn't find his wedding ring anywhere. He tore apart the bedroom looking for it while I was packing the car - he didn't end up finding it, and when I looked my luck wasn't much better, so we finally decided to just leave without it. Our vet has prescribed our little Emmy a light sedative since it was such a long drive, so I cut those into quarters and gave her one, and then we piled into the car and were off on our long drive.

Since I had "slept" so poorly and Clinton had gotten in a solid 6 hours, he took the 1st leg while I tried to get some sleep in the car. I stayed awake for the first hour or so until we were well on our way, and it was pretty cool - there was a crazy lightning storm happening behind us that we could see in the mirrors - lightning was striking every 20 seconds or so, and some of the bolts were so incredibly bright and clear. After we cleared that (the flashes would have kept me from relaxing) I decided to lay the seat down and try to get some rest. After about an hour I managed to fall asleep and I only woke up twice until our sort of "halfway" point. (Actually less than half, but close enough). When we stopped in Las Vegas for gas I woke up to go inside and get some snacks and drinks while Clinton refueled. The guy in the gas station was SO nice. Clinton had gone in earlier to ask for clarification on our directions and told me that the guy was nice, asking questions and stuff - and then when I went in he knew we were together (I mean, we were the only people there at like 4 or 5 in the morning lol) and told me to hang in there, that we had a long drive ahead of us. I told him that we normally fly and he responded with, "What happened, did your wings fall off?" Ha! Silly guy. I paid and thanked him, and he wished us a safe trip - I walked Emmy around some and then we took off again. On our way through/out of Vegas I took a few pictures:

The Bellagio

Caesar's Palace

The Wynn as we were headed out.

Stratosphere all by it's lonesome from the highway.



 After Las Vegas I was awake so I took a few more pictures. The beginning part of this leg was okay, since it was still dark and we watched the sun rise.



The rest of the drive was BORING. So boring. It also made us realize that Arizona rest stops have got us spoiled. Arizona rest stops are huge and big and clean - multiple restrooms, vending machines, plaques with infographics and such about the wildlife/fauna, dog-walking areas, huge parking lots - In Nevada, a "rest stop" constitutes as a little dirt pulloff that is shaped like a "U" and then goes right back onto the highway after like 20 feet. There was one "fancy" rest stop (the one in Armagosa Valley, mentioned in mom's tips) that had parking, but it seriously still was about 1/8th the size of the rest stops I am used to. There was one truck parked there (in a dirt field - not an actual parking lot) and then a guy sleeping underneath a picnic table outside. We thought maybe he was homeless and wanted to leave him a couple of water bottles or something, but then when we got a closer look (not TOO close - we didn't want to wake the guy), Clinton started to wonder if maybe it was the trucker and he just wanted to sleep stretched out or something, because there were sunglasses and a wallet and a jacket next to him. We put a water bottle on the table near him anyway, just in case.

A little ways outside of that stop I drove while Clinton slept for about an hour - OH MY GOODNESS, most boring hour of my life. The road is a 2-lane highway and it is S-T-R-A-I-G-H-T and F-L-A-T. It's so straight and flat that the road just disappears - you can't see anything a half mile ahead of you. I was so bored that I started counting mile markers just to keep myself awake! Luckily, Clinton woke up and kept me company on the boring drive.

Only got one photo because there's no point in taking any more - it all looks the same. Most of the drive was so boring that we had to pass time by making up outlandish stories about the ONE bull/steer who lives out in the desert, spending his life eating creosote bushes and being super pissed that there was nothing more interesting to do. We're not totally crazy - this stemmed from seeing one of those yellow warning signs to watch for certain animals - I mean, it's still pretty ridiculous and I'm almost positive nobody else has ever had the same (completely absurd) conversation that followed, but still, I feel like it's important to say that it didn't come from absolutely nowhere!

BORING.

There were some teeny little towns that we drove through but they were so small that they were over before I even had a chance to take any pictures - one of the towns made me sad though. It seriously took like 30 seconds to drive through and you could tell it had been a mining town at one time - there were a couple of buildings still standing that were dilapidated - a firehouse and a city hall - but you could tell that at one time they had been so grand. It made me sad because I just imagined these people coming into this area and building it up in the boom, full of so much hope, until whatever little bit of resource that had been there was depleted and the town was just left to die off. If we ever drive through there again I will stop and take photos, because the buildings really were beautiful.

In Tonopah, NV, we passed a place called the Clown Motel. AKA the Get Murdered In Your Sleep By A Crazy Person Motel. Or possibly the If Clowns Aren't Your Thing, Perhaps You Will Enjoy The View From Your Window Of A Haunted Prisoners Cemetery Motel. Not even making that up. Seriously, watch the video. Suffice to say, despite it being great blog fodder, I would never stay there even if my life depended on it. I would literally rather die than willingly put myself right in the middle of a horror movie.

[picture from Google. I was too scared to take any of my own.]

*shudder*

 After that, nothing else of note happened until we got to my family's house. The very end of the drive was okay, it was through a little farm town with some cute ranch houses, but I was driving so I didn't take any photos.

As soon as we got to the house at around 11am Friday morning we unloaded the car, and little Emmy (having woken from her drug-induced stupor) made a beeline for the doggy door to head outside and bask in the sun.

We spent Friday relaxing and recovering from the trip - I think I took a shower like the second I put my bags down, ha. Friday night mom made dinner (ribs and potato salad), Saturday was prep and the party (See here, here, and here) and then unfortunately on Sunday morning we had to turn right back around and head home to work on Monday.

We decided to take an alternate route on the way home - through California instead of Nevada. Google maps said that it added about an hour to our drive time, but we decided to do it since it took us through several cities and was mostly freeway instead of 500 miles of a two-lane highway getting stuck behind semis! The drive was a bit longer, but much more interesting.

What? Trees? Didn't see any of those on the drive up!

Topaz Lake, near the NV/CA border.

A 2nd view of Topaz Lake.

Passing Yosemite.

There were a lot of things that said 'Mt. Whitney' in this town.

I'm pretty sure Mt. Whitney is the one in the middle with the snow caps. I went there once before when I was about 8.

There are probably a billion of these pictures on Instagram. Everyone snaps this pic.

We made a couple of pit stops and didn't hit much traffic so the drive was much easier than the way there. Soon enough, we were back in Arizona, and driving into a storm. It was awesome.

The AZ desert can be shockingly pretty sometimes.

Crazy clouds.

 And that's the story of our road trip to and from Nevada all in three days! WHEW!

Red box is our route there, green box is our route home.

Again - red there, green home.

Puppy was all tuckered out by the time we finally pulled into our parking spot at home. I think this photo of her sums up how we all felt!

Mom, are we home yet?

fin.