Viva Las Vegas

Bright neon lights, all that's missing is Elvis.

Lady Luck

Shortly after hitting the strip, Tom made a $5 bet on a slot machine - and hit pay dirt!

Winning $547 and change, is this for real?

Yea Baby!

Vegas baby!

Vegas, Baby!

Tom and I are in Las Vegas, which is kinda weird, as we don’t really see ourselves as Vegas people. Not to mention the fact that most people have the good sense to visit in the cooler months of fall / winter, avoiding the scorching heat of summer.

In spite of our hesitation, we started feeling the Vegas vibe when our plane landed. As soon as the wheels hit the tarmac we couldn’t help but notice the other passengers’ liberal use of baby, as in “yea baby”, “vegas baby”, “you know it baby”. Maybe Vegas wouldn’t be so bad after all.

The true Vegas test came when we checked into our hotel. Many of our friends advised us that when checking into a luxury hotel, there is an unspoken rule. All one has to do is casually slip the desk clerk a $20 - and voila - a swanky upgrade. This just didn’t seem right to us, both having worked in hotels in a previous life. What if we offended the desk clerk? What if our friends were having a little fun at our expense?

All day we had been arguing over which one of us would have to slip the tip, but as everyone knows paper beats rock, so Tom had to go for it. He casually handed the clerk his passport, with Andrew Jackson peaking out, and we were soon informed by the young man that the hotel would be more than happy to upgrade us to a beautiful suite - with a beautiful view of the strip, compliments of the hotel of course!

As they say in Vegas, we hit the jackpot, people. This may just be one of the coolest hotels we’ve ever stayed in.

The living room in our hotel.

Bedroom

Love the tub.

The view from room.

Pug Separation Anxiety

PSA - Pug Separation Anxiety - hits Tom and I every time we have to leave Tex and Maggie at home. Our son Tyler and his girlfriend Jane will move in and take care of them, with the help of Jade, our fabulous dog walker / friend. A week with three of their favourite peeps, full of love, pug games and absolute mayhem. Not to mention the fact that we've left 12 pages of in-depth pug instructions. Still doesn't make leaving them any easier.

Birdland

Today's photo comes from Tom, the real photographer in our family. Not only does he play the guitar but he takes a mean owl photo.

Summertime

Nobody appreciates a sunny day like we do in the Pacific Northwest. Don't get me wrong, we don't mind a little rain, keeps things green and clean. It's just that we will never be jaded about a beautiful, summer day.

A glass of wine with friends on the patio is what I'm talking about.

Lush summer flowers.

Street banners.

View of Burrard bridge from Granville bridge.

Interesting reflections.

A Dogs Life

Now that Tex and Maggie are 15 people often ask us for advice on how to raise an older dog. I have a standard answer, explaining that it takes a great deal of love, luck, prayers, a dedicated vet, and good dental hygiene. While all this is certainly true, it is much easier than explaining that in my heart I really believe they're still here because they know their humans still have so much to learn. As crazy as it sounds, my pugs have been two of my greatest teachers.

Today's iphotos, dogs in the hood:

My sweet Maggie, who was originally our neighbour's dog, before coming to live with us. Everyday we are so grateful for our beautiful girl.

My Tex - aka the Dali pug - a sweet, wise, old soul.

Like Paris and New York, Vancouver is a dog loving city. We met this wonderful bloke on our walk today.

A beautiful day in the park with your best friend, does life get any better?