we gon' party like it's your birthday

So for my birthday we headed down south in search of some sun. It was so good to see Jake and Paige again! I'm so glad they moved to St. George! We had so much fun with them and Sar and Wade and my Mom and Dad. After we got there on Friday afternoon the girls took in a few houses at the Parade of Homes show while the guys golfed. I've included a few of my favorite designs at the end of the post.

Saturday Jake and Paige cooked me a huge, delicious birthday breakfast and then we headed to Vegas. Our first stop was the Tropicana and the Bodies Exhibit. Incredible!!! Jon and I had been there before, but he was suffering from prostatitis and kidney stones at the time and had to leave every 5 minutes to throw up. So he didn't really get to see it last time. It really was so interesting and I was glad to go through it a second time. After that we headed over to Cheesecake Factory for a scrumptious dinner! Yum Yum. :) Then we meandered our way in the sprinkling rain to the Wynn and hit the Venitian on the way back. Paige hadn't really ever been to Vegas so it was fun to see it with her.

I had such a wonderful birthday weekend. It is always so great to be with family. As always, Jon spoiled me with a gift card for a day at the spa (yes please!!!) and a fun weekend trip. He is so good to me and always puts me first in his life. Thank you honey. I love you! muwah.

And here are some pics of my favorite parade home. A lot of the homes reminded me of the furniture in Beauty and the Beast, which is not at all my style. But THIS house was very modern and mainstream. I loved it!!! If I had the $5 mil I'd move in tomorrow! :)

I loved everything about this dining room - the painted squares, the light, the round table, the rug and the chairs. I also loved that in this house the only rooms that were carpeted were the bedrooms. Everything else was tiled with uber-soft rugs under foot.What I loved about the kitchen: the exposed beams with the windows up top, the dark wood and countertops, the chandelier, and these doors that opened all of the way to expand the living space onto the patio.I loved the headboard in the master bedroom. The whole bed was wrapped in fabric. So luxurious! And the pendants hanging over the bedside tables were really cool too. Really cool texture to them.The basement family room was so cool too. Loved the snake skin couch and automans and those black chairs in the background. I love the chairs around the gaming table and all of the artwork on the walls. Really really love the floor with the wood and tile mix.Loved the wall treatments in the theater room and the sconces on the walls. I'm really digging the dark woods. They also had an elevator in the home that had the same fabric design in it but it wasn't red. It was a very cool cucumber green and black.

The following pictures are from different houses but I liked them. This first one is a chandelier in a master bdrm. The flames danced back and forth and totally looked real. Loved this little girl's bedroom. It made me think of my sister-in-law Nikki with the pinks and brown. I love how they painted it.This pool was really cool. Everything from the fiery columns to the hidden hot tub in the cave. The house had a secret room off of the master bdrm. It was dubbed "the boom-boom room" by locals and was themed after Phantom of the Opera. It had a little bed/'reading area' and a path that led to a private hot tub. Ooo la la.
Sorry Sar. This was a little boy's room. The paint is magnetic and there are little X and O magnets to draw up plays. Totally cute.
These flowers actually weren't in a house. They're in the Wynn but I took the picture for Em knowing she would love the arrangment.
And one added bonus for all of you who've stuck around. While we were at the Wynn we caught the water show they do. This cute little boy couldn't fight the urge. It's a short clip but you have to pay close attention cause it's dark and grainy. I love how he does the 'Beyonce shake' in the middle. Funny kid! (Sorry I couldn't turn it. I keep forgetting I can't record that way.)