Texas Lou

Update:  I am now subscribed to 97 blogs.  Scary!

If you know me well, then you know that every year in January, I spend a long weekend in Las Vegas with several of the most awesome ladies in my life.

The tradition started twenty years ago.  My mom was having the most hellish year…her mom died, father-in-law died, the dog died, and the van got stolen.  So in January, when the new year started, her best friend, Mrs. C, and favorite aunt, Aunt Platt (aka Mary Fuckin’ Poppins) said after last year, this year cannot get any worse, so let’s go to Vegas to start it off right.  And so the tradition began.

When I was a little girl, I used to cry and cry when my mom left us every January for that long weekend.  My dad thought I was crying because I missed my mom, but honestly, deep down, I think I was crying cause I knew how much fun they were having without me and I wasn’t old enough to join in!

Well the year I turned 21, that rite of passage awaited me, and I got to go to Vegas for the first time!  I haven’t missed a trip yet and this will be my 7th year!  It’s pretty much my version of Christmas and it’s the best damn 5 days and 4 nights a woman could ask for.  No men allowed…only ladies…and we party our asses off until we are sick!

I’m going back to Vegas tomorrow.  I’ll get to see cousins, aunts, good friends, my mom, and my sister and I ABSOLUTELY CAN’T WAIT!  So in honor of my Vegas Girls and because it is Vegas Eve (yes, it is a holiday in my book), I wrote this poem!

Twas the night before Vegas, when all through the houses

The ladies were packing and picking out blouses.

Bracelets were hung from their wrists with Sin City charms,

As they decided which Vegas purse to wear on their arms.

The Vegas girls were way too excited for bed,

While Elvis sang Viva Las Vegas in their heads.

Now was no time for sleeping or resting or naps,

All that business could wait until they got back.

Thinking back on all of the past Vegas trips,

They grew more excited to trade money for chips.

Even though they might be digging into their secret stash,

They hoped to return home with a big wad of cash!

They would celebrate with drinks on that long Southwest flight,

Waiting for touchdown, to start that great night.

As the fabulous Las Vegas sign came into view,

The ladies would cheer along with the Southwest crew.

They would enter the Flamingo and finish check-in,

Drop off their luggage, and get ready to win.

Passing Bugsy’ Bar as they’d head to play black jack,

There would stand Elvis with the party pit pack.

“Now Tito! Now, Mireya, now, Claudine and Chip

Come dealers and pit bosses, please hurry quick!

See who’s come to visit us once again this new year,

The Vegas girls are back to take over you hear!”

The trip would be filled with great friends and good fun,

The ladies would sing “Way to go dealer!” at the top of their lungs.

Playing black jack, and craps, and hitting the slots,

They’d take over that casino and play till they drop!

They’d eat cheeseburgers in paradise at Margaritaville,

And catch up and visit as their fruity drinks chill.

Trying to beat the house, they’d stay up till all hours,

While the cocktails waitress kept bringing amaretto sours.

From Texas, Seattle, Virginia, and all over the place,

The girls traveled far and wide with a smile on their face.

They come every year to forget all their worries and cares,

And have a fun time and get away from  men, which is rare.

They’d head to the Bellagio champagne brunch as the trip neared its end,

Pretty soon Leslie would be calling dad asking for money to lend.

They’d all say goodbye as they got into cabs,

After paying their bills and closing their tabs.

The Vegas girls saddened that the trip was already over,

Would already be wishing for next year’s trip to come closer.

Back to the real world, they would have to go.

Back to work, responsibilities, and earning the dough.

But don’t fret Vegas girls, because it’s only Vegas Eve,

I shall see you all tomorrow with an ace up my sleeve!

I survived the Great Snowpocalypse of 2009…and so did my cats!

A couple of years ago, my mom moved from our big, ole house in the suburbs to a tiny townhouse in the city.  In the move, 3 very valuable objects were misplaced and the family mourned the loss of these beloved items.

Ok, so I’m not talking about the family dog or something worth a large chunk of money.  I’m talking about the 3 Christmas stockings that my mom made for my sister, brother, and I as babies.  We’ve hung these up every year at Christmas time and when they were misplaced, we were afraid we had lost them forever.  My stocking is one of my favorite things in the whole world.  As a matter of fact, if my house was burning down, and I could only save one non-living object from being destroyed, it would be a toss-up between my two blankies (My name is Leslie Elsaifi, I’m 27 years old, and YES, I still sleep with blankies) and the Christmas stocking.  My stocking is very near and dear to my heart partially because my mother made it for me with her own two hands and partially because it will always have a connection with Christmas memories which is always a very special and happy time for me and my family.

I also love mine because it says “Twas the Night Before Christmas” and I was born on Christmas Eve!  So needless to say, we were all jumping for joy when my mom stumbled across them back in November (just in time for Christmas) while looking for her punch bowl!

And without further ado, I present to you, the magnificent stockings made by Patsy Mitchusson:

I’ve added a new beer to my list of favorites.  The current obsession is New Holland Brewery‘s Dragon’s Milk described by New Holland as:

“A barrel-aged stout with a soft and rich caramel-malt character intermingled with deep vanilla tones dancing in an oak bath. Unmistakably distinctive and hauntingly remarkable, Dragon’s Milk’s warming complexity pairs well with smoked meats and cheeses, red meat, or a nice cigar. Year Round Availability. Cheeses to try: Rich bleu cheeses & triple crèmes.”

However, one of my good friends, who shares my same affinity for great beer, described it quite acurately as “sex and chocolate all rolled into one”!

If you’re not into dark beers, you may not enjoy this one, and it is definitely not meant for chugging.  It’s a great fall/winter beer to drink by the fire or have as an after-dinner drink.  Of course, I’d drink it any time!

This was a beautiful evening, November 15, 2009, and I wanted to share it:

Living in Charlottesville provides quite a few lovely sites to help one become in tune with nature.  When I first moved to the Commonwealth, I was quite intimidated by the endless landscape of mountains and trees accompanying all roads and stretches of highway.  Born and raised a city gal, I was used to having numerous gas stations, restaurants, and shopping centers accompany me along my rides.  Being in Charlottesville and driving through the countryside for hours without seeing a single sign that the human race existed made me feel pretty lonely.  However, now I really do enjoy making my way from Charlottesville to Richmond with a only nature as my passenger. 

Besides the Blue Ridge Mountains, the occasional roadside grazing deer, and the trees often coated in white snow in the winter, Charlottesville is home to many hot air balloons and their pilots.  On most clear and sunny days in the Fall or Spring, you can catch a glimpse of a beautifully and brightly colored hot air balloon sailing through the sky on your way to and from work.  People often take them up to watch the sunrise or sunset so the timing is perfect to watch them on my drive to work or home from work. 

Even though my drive to and from work is only 30 minutes, I still get bored (probably because my commute at my former job was only about 5 minutes).  So the hot air balloons provide a nice background as I impatiently make my way through what small-town Charlottesville residents call traffic.  Getting to see these balloons sure beats the hell out of talk-radio!  I was lucky enough to have my camera to snap some great shots of the hot air balloons this fall.

 

 

 

 

 

 

It’s been a while since I’ve written.  I always feel like there is so much I want to write about.  Everywhere I go and everything I do, I tend to make a mental note (and sometimes take pictures) of things I want to blog about.  Lately I’ve been really busy.  With the end of the year upon us and the holidays flying by, there is so much traveling, shopping, working, and responsibilities to take care of. 

I flew home less than a month ago for my dad’s 60th birthday, and I’m going home again this weekend for my brother’s graduation from the University of Texas.  Then two weeks later, I turn around and go home again for Christmas.  Three weeks after the new year, I fly to Vegas for the annual Vegas trip with the girls.  All of this, and I didn’t even go home for Thanksgiving. 

Then I’ve got to find time somewhere in between all of those trips to do Christmas shopping (and birthday shopping for the unusual amount of December/January birthdays among my family and friends), keep up with laundry, bill paying, and the usual daily responsibilities, and finish a very difficult project at work.  All of this while trying to train for the half marathon I’ll be running in March and meeting with my Computers 4 Kids mentee once a week is just stressing me out.

So, the goal of this post is not to complain.  I’m well aware of the very lucky life I lead and wouldn’t trade it for anything.  I just want to let everyone out there (if there is anyone that actually reads this blog) know why I’ve been slacking.

Hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving and hopefully I’ll be posting again before Christmas!

I hate saying goodbye.  I always get so sad when I have to leave my family to go back to Virginia and spending lots of time alone in the airport and on the airplane doesn’t make it any better.

The only thing that keeps me from losing it completely is knowing that I’m headed home to the people I love in Virginia and thinking about getting to see Ben and our kittens.  It also helps to know when I’ll be back in Texas to have that to look forward to.

I returned home safely from Texas after a very nice long weekend with friends and family.   Despite a large number of deer midnight-grazing along I-64 on my ride home from the airport and already desperately missing my family, I made it home in one piece, both mentally and physically!

I can’t wait for the month of November to pass by so I get to see everyone again in the lone star state for my little brother’s college graduation in Austin.  And this time I get to bring Ben with me so the airport waiting and plane traveling won’t be so lonely!

Top Ten Things from This Weekend’s Trip To Texas

1. The look on my dad’s face when I surprised him by showing up for his 60th birthday party
2. Spending Friday evening drinking wine and enjoying the company of all of my siblings – Carrie, Mikey, Farris, Christian, and Bradley
3. Eating great long-overdue Mexican food with the fam
4. Getting Starbucks and kolaches with mom for breakfast Saturday morning
5. Playing Farmville with mom
6. Watching the Longhorns play while helping mom cook for a friend’s wedding
7. Having time to catch up on some good TV
8. Getting to drink St. Arnold’s Oktoberfest and Christmas Ale
9. Also having the time to start reading a really good book (so far)
10. Just being home

And it’s only Saturday morning so there’s plenty more fun to be had!