Three Different Things To Do Fourth of July Week!

Here are three different events during Fourth of July Week and only one includes fireworks and a BBQ!

El Súper Clásico (The Super Classic)

Are ready for some Fútbol? Club América versus Chivas de Guadalajara, the hottest rivalry in Mexican Liga MX team’s soccer, for the first time is coming to Las Vegas.

Fans wanting to be around all the action on and off the field can stay at host hotel The New Tropicana Las Vegas.

The renovated property is offering exclusive hotel stay packages:

• The Club América Súper Clásico and the Chivas Súper Clásico packages ($795* each) and include admission for two for a meet-and-greet with select players of the fans favorite team, as well as a three-night stay for two in best-in-class accommodations, and two tickets for P1 seating to El Súper Clásico ($256 value). Only 50 of each package is available through June 28, 2013.  *Package prices include Club Deluxe accommodations; other rooms types available for additional pricing.
  
• El Súper Clásico Package ($495*) features a three-night stay for two in best-in-class accommodations and two tickets for P1 seating to El Súper Clásico ($256 value).

Las Vegas is the first stop of the Chivas’ 2013 US Tour.

Tickets available at the Thomas & Mack Center Box Office, online at UNLVtickets.com, at UNLVtickets Outlet Town Square Las Vegas Concierge, or by calling 866.388.3267 (toll-free) or 702.739.3267 (local).  Ticket prices are $28 (sold out), $38 (sold out), $48, $58, $78, $128. Tickets may be subject to additional fees.  Tickets are also available at Mariana’s and La Bonita Super Markets in Las Vegas.

Súper Clásico: Club América vs Chivas
Wednesday, July 3rd
Sam Boyd Stadium at 8pm
7000 E. Russell Rd.

4^th with The Phil! Pops Concert

It doesn’t get anymore patriotic than spending the Fourth of July at a park, listening to an amazing symphony in a beautiful setting, and BBQ.  The family fun begins at 4pm at Symphony Park with food vendors, music including jazz, Hawaiian, Cajun, and bluegrass, along with the famous Vegas heat (the high on this day is forecast at 112 degrees.) Around dusk, patrons who purchased a ticket to the Pops concert transition inside to Reynolds Hall. Those enjoying the outdoors will be treated to “God Bless America”, “Stars & Stripes Forever”, and “America the Beautiful” too as it plays through the outdoor speakers.

The Las Vegas Philharmonic is conducted by Matt Catingub with special guests Clint Holmes, Kristen Hertzenberg, drummer Steve Moretti and Miss Nevada’s Outstanding Teen 2012 Ellie Smith performing The Star-Spangled Banner.

Pops Concert in Reynolds Hall tickets are $25, $50, $75 & $125 VIP Packages. Symphony Park Family Fun Day $10 adults; $5 children 12 & under, and includes audio simulcast of the Pops Concert. All concert ticket purchases include admission to Symphony Park. Tickets available from The Smith Center Box Office, by phone at (702) 749-2000, or visit www.lvphil.org.

Thursday, July 4^th
BBQ and Bands at 4pm
Doors to Reynolds Hall Open at 6pm
Concert at 7:30pm
Fireworks at 9pm
The Smith Center for the Performing Arts
361 Symphony Park Avenue

UFC 162 Meet and Greet

Lagasse Stadium at Palazzo Las Vegas

Fans of UFC have the opportunity to mix and mingle with their favorite fighters, Bud Light Calendar Girls and industry superstars while noshing on passed hors d’œuvres created by chef Emeril Lagasse at Lagasse Stadium at The Palazzo. With 100+ HDTVs and a giant 9×16 foot screen, there isn’t a bad seat in the place, and the expansive patio has a great view of the Strip with plush seating.

Meet Heavyweight Daniel “DC” Cormier, Light Heavyweight Phil “Mr. Wonderful” Davis, Middleweight Luke Rockhold, former Interim Welterweight Champion Carlos “The Natural Born Killer” Condit, Welterweight Tyron Woodley; Lightweight Champions Benson “Smooth” Henderson, Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone, and Josh “The Punk” Thomson, Bantamweight Urijah “The California Kid” Faber and host of Best of Pride Fighting Championships Kenda Perez and Octagon girls Chrissy Hubbard and Vanessa Hanson.

General admission tickets include passed hors d’œuvres and viewing of Q&A session ($50); VIP tickets include passed hors d’œuvres, unlimited beer, well drinks, and champagne (8-9pm), commemorative program, meet and greet, and an opportunity to ask questions during the Q&A.

Tickets can be purchased at the Venetian and Palazzo Box Office, by phone 702.414.9000 and online.

Friday, July 5
8pm to midnight.
Doors open at 6pm
Lagasse’s Stadium
The Palazzo Resort Hotel Casino
3325 S. Las Vegas Blvd.

Three Never Looked So Good

Our little princess Brielle turned three on Monday, September 24 and this past Sunday we threw a baby bash for her with lots family and friends at Child’s Play Las Vegas. And since she doesn’t understand dates or time yet, we went with it; which leads me to how amazing something as simple as having a birthday party for a toddler can turn into a major event from finding the perfect birthday outfit (for her) to making sure the cake and decorations fall in line with the princess theme – a theme Brielle unknowingly chose since she started calling herself a princess two months ago – and with that the hunt was on.

Luckily for me, it was a no-brainer to call Pamela at The Cupcakery to make a special princess cake for my great-niece because I knew it was going to look and taste amazing, and once I made the call it was one less task to stress about. All I had to do was add some candles. The most difficult part was finding a black princess doll and next to impossible to find one with long black hair. Unfortunately and thankfully, there is one black Disney princess – Tiana from the 2009 film The Princess and the Frog but her hair is in a bun.

Nonetheless, she was the only black doll with a sweet demeanor and right for a child. I have no idea what has happened to the Barbie brand, but their dolls are too mature and that is putting it nicely. Needless to say, Brielle freaked out (for lack of a better term) once she saw her birthday cake. She screamed and kept trying to hug it. Her dad (my nephew Alex) had to put it high on a shelf next to cake pops made by her YaYa (my sister her grandmother) until she was preoccupied with guests arriving.

Child’s Play is a toddler’s dream with large Backyard Adventures™ jungle gyms atop tumbling mats next to a real mini  basketball court with one hoop. The facility is membership-based and offers classes like karate, dance, yoga, gymnastics and cheer accompanied by an in-house photography studio. It’s has three distinct areas depending on the child’s age along with an interactive video wall where kids can play a virtual basketball and other games. They also allow full rental of the space for private birthday parties which we opted to do not being members.

Thalia, Brielle’s mom

After an hour of playing it was time to eat, sing happy birthday and open presents. By that time we had been out of time so we purchased an extra hour to let the kids play a bit more and stuff themselves with candy. I think Brielle ate all the cake pops and we didn’t care because she was going home with her mother!

It was now 8 p.m. and I (along with every adult) was ready to go so we loaded up the presents kicked everyone out, paid the bill and had one of the best days we can remember.

 Happy Birthday Princess xo

Love Auntie Adrienne

Every Princess needs a wand

Enough with singing Happy Birthday to me. I am overwhelmed.

Stop singing Happy Birthday to me. You are all freaking me out!

Disney princess dresses and princess slippers a.k.a. “click clack” because they click when she walks in them …click, clack, click, clack, etc.

Daddy and his girl xo

my nephew Dorian a.k.a. “D,” sister Carri a.k.a. “YaYa,” niece Sierra a.k.a “CC,” nephew Mario a.k.a. “MoMo”, and my mini me Jassie a.k.a “Honey” – It’s so cute to hear Brielle call them by the nicknames she gave them.

Every girl needs a bag full of shoes. Thank you Nanny.

Ceciley, Keannice, Sierra and Candace

Brielle’s little half-sister Ms. Tia

Brielle’s grandfather, Thalia’s dad

Brielle playing with her aunt

Smiling BEFORE we sang Happy Birthday.

She loves fur just like her Nanny (those are faux)

Another tutu for the princess

Blue Eyes, a Dimple Chin and a Rewards Program

My lovely friend Lisa and her husband William recently added Evelyn Grace (a perfect tiny bundle with big blue eyes and a dimple chin) to their family to join big brother Liam on his adventures in toddler hood. Of course I had to get this precious little bundle a gift, and I love buying baby clothes. I get a kick out of the miniature versions of adult clothing and shoes. Seriously, who can resist mini ruffles? I can’t.

So I headed to Saks Fifth Avenue’s Off Fifth because they have the most adorable baby section and their items are always really girly. And to my delight, the retailer also has a new and free rewards program called MORE! offering weekly deals. Just for signing up I received an additional 30 percent off my final purchase (in the spirit of “back to school” through August 14 they are offering 30% off kids’ collections.) How cute is this Juicy Couture Kids – Girls’ Ikat Floral Print Romper (Infant)? Too much! I also got the matching Ikat floral print sandals.

Lisa didn’t know I had a present in tow the day I met Evelyn, plus she’s the type of person who doesn’t expect gifts.  Even before she was pregnant I pleaded with her to have a baby shower and she just laughed at me and said, “Okay we will have one. You will be the only guest.”  She’s a smart ass!

The point of this story is her kind gesture of mailing me a thank you card. I believe in the ‘The Art of the Hand Written Note’ because it shows someone took the time to express their feelings and it means so much more than a quick email or a card you can buy at the store with a prewritten message a million other people received. So to my friend, I say Thank You for our friendship. It means the world to me too!

Adrienne xo

I Miss Changing Her Diapers

It seems like overnight my beautiful and talented niece Sierra grew up. I am really going to miss changing her diapers. She was a cute baby with full lips and cheeks I loved to kiss. And those arms. Yum! I would nibble on them up to her neck then kiss and hug her way too much. She was so adorable!

Honestly, it wasn’t all butterflies and lollipops either. Especially when it came to her long curly hair. The only person who could comb it was her mother or she would become overly dramatic screaming and crying. I wish I knew about Mixed Chicks products back then. Her hair did have a mind of its own. Sometimes it was red then once summer hit it would turn blond on the ends, and as she got older it stayed more brownish-blond like in this picture with her brother Dorian in July 2002.

Then there was this one time with a bad hair cut, but luckily it grew out in time to attend another Alpha  Kappa Alpha luncheon with my mother and my other niece Jaslynne (Jassie.) My mother lives for her grandchildren. She was grooming them to be AKATeens (they lasted two years before she finally gave up.)

Sierra is an athlete not a debutante. She excels at what ever game she plays, a trait she inherited from my brother.  She played youth softball and soccer and was constantly sidelined for being too rough and too good. She is competitive. It was a hard pill for my mom to swallow for obvious reasons. As sorority sisters we prefer ball gowns, makeup and super cute accessories. Sierra prefers a pair of Nike Dunks and baggy basketball shorts. 

I write this for my niece as a small token of how proud I am to be her auntie. I want  her know she will always have my love and support… even though there were many times I wanted to knock better decision-making skills into her head, then I remembered all the really dumb decisions I made during high school. Plus, I got a giggle  lecturing her into boredom instead. She matured A LOT during her final year in High School. To say I am proud of her is an understatement.

On Monday, June 18 at noon, I toughed it out with a debilitating migraine to see her walk across the stage at the Thomas and Mack Center and then stood in 103 degree heat to give her hug afterward. Now she is off to Southeast Community College in Nebraska to play basketball on a scholarship. I am excited for your future.

I love you Sierra.
a.k.a. CC Piece
a.k.a. Pieces
a.k.a. Aunties Baby

XO

Tags: Alpha Kappa Alpha, Baby, Children, Diaper, Hair, Hairstyle, High school, Infant, Mother, Nebraska, Nephew and niece, Parent, Shopping, Sierra, Southeast Community College, United States, Wet wipe

A Super Stylish Mother-To-Bee Shower

I’ve been to a few baby showers in my time and I have to admit I am not a fan of the traditional baby shower format. I hate when I have to guess how big the mother-to-be is in width. I’m sure she hates it too. Please don’t ask me to “diaper the baby” in a relay or team either. It’s a doll, not real and I would not use one hand in real life so what’s the point? However, when I received an unexpected invitation in the mail to attend Courtney Rogers-Werner’s Mother-To-Bee, I knew it was going to be a fabulous affair because she is super stylish. Upon arrival, I was given a mini safety-pin and a string to tie around my wrist and told “Don’t Say Baby,” the most popular game, and that was it. Just my type of party! The next time we played a game was right before she opened all her gifts of love. It was the memory game of guessing how many items and what they are on the tray. Whoever guessed the most won a nice gift. Congratulations to Ashley Bell.

If you plan on throwing an upscale baby shower here’s some helpful tips from Courtney’s celebration to make it extra special:

1. Customize and mail the invite and require an RSVP.
2. Have a fun yet sophisticated theme.
3. Greet guest at the door and give any directions necessary.
4. Limit the number of games to a select few.
5. Cater the food.
6. Hire a bartender to serve wine and champagne.
7. Have groovy music.
8. Hire a photographer or videographer.
9. Make the cake amazing.
10. Relax and have fun.

Thank you for reading.

Adrienne xo

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The Art of the Hand Written Note

Meisterstück Classique Ballpoint Pen ($385) , Meisterstück 149 Fountain Pen ($810)

The holiday season is a time of year when people become more sentimental. Guilt sets in and the need to show more love becomes overwhelming. An easy way to fix this urge, is writing a hand written note. The benefits are endless. It’s satisfying and rewarding and in this age of instant gratification, a hand written note takes patience – making it personable. It takes time to pen a message. Professionally, it separates you and/or your business from the multitude of gift baskets, cupcakes, sugar cookies and e-Cards sent to clients. Personally, it’s another way of expressing love… the list is endless.

In the New Year, make it a point to take the time to write a handwritten note and express how much others mean to you.

Thank you for reading, even though this is in a blog and typed on a computer, #irony.

Adrienne xo