Crystal’s View

Well, well, well… where have I been? All over the place, to be exact. 

I started a new job, which has kept me super busy, but I love it. I have been to Oregon, L.A., and in the next few weeks I will be going to Nebraska and South Dakota! I am busy, I tell you. So much so, I have neglected my poor, little blog and my few dedicated readers!

Yes, I am busy, but really… not THAT busy. I’ve been a slacker too, which kind of goes back to why I haven’t written here. I’ve been enjoying the quiet. What do I mean, you ask? Well, right now I hate TV. There is nothing I want to watch. Grey’s Anatomy is over. It’s been ages since Amazing Race was on, and I’m patiently awaiting the new season of Biggest Loser. Yeah, that pretty much sums up my television viewing. Other than those shows, I really hate the crap on TV anymore. Lots of mindless crap!

So, I have been reading. I just finished yet another thriller by murder mystery author, Harlan Coben. A writer whose books I only read because a friend lends them to me. I’ve never bought any of his books. The day after I finished his latest book I totally switched gears on topics. Now I am reading the very funny “Eat Love Pray” by Elizabeth Gilbert. I don’t know what’s funnier, her witty candor or the fact I have shared some of her experiences. Any woman 30 or older should read this book. It’s the perfect blend of love, travel, food and self-discovery. 

Another reason it’s so quiet in my world is because my sister left. She moved to Oregon, with my BFF, my nephew Kyle. It’s been oddly still and awfully lonely without them. My heart is sad.

I have, however, discovered quietness can be good for the soul. My quiet time has allowed me to organize my thoughts, which run so rampant that when talking I often skip to the next topic before I finish my sentence or original thought. It’s actually kind of amazing I function at all. Just ask my husband. 

But, what I mean by I have been able to organize my thoughts is that I have been thinking a lot more about where I am headed in this life and how I want to live it. Nothing is more important to me than three things: love, family and friends. Though, I have to admit, I am finding that I have a million ideas and that many more projects I want to accomplish right NOW! But, I can’t work on just one because, again, I am scattered!  

OK, see… I only meant to send a quick update on this blog. Instead, I have just written about many things you could care less about. But, my little fingers just kept typing what my busy mind was thinking. 

So there’s the update. I am working, reading and trying to relay my thoughts into complete sentences. Until next time……

The limitations to what kids can wear to school these days has gone too far in my opinion. When a student has to have a wardrobe that lacks primary colors, there is a problem.

The issue of dress code at public schools is the target of a lawsuit in Las Vegas. The American Civil Liberties Union took on the Clark County School District when a teenage girl was suspended from school for wearing a shirt with religious symbols. Seriously? Yes, seriously.

Schools in Clark County can adopt dress code policies that students must adhere to. Let me tell you how ridiculous some of these policies are. My nephew, who is a sophomore at Spring Valley High School in Las Vegas, cannot wear any clothing that is red, orange, purple, pink or maroon. Blue jeans are also banned. Is that necessary? Can you imagine going shopping for school clothes and having to look for shirts, pants and shoes that exclude the above? Not only is that a task in itself, but how boring and ridiculously stupid.

What I’m saying here is that I support the ACLU’s argument that “The lesson from this particular decision may be that the Supreme Court, when it said ’students don’t lose their constitutional right at the schoolhouse door,’ may no longer apply.”  

When I was in school, which was only 13 years ago, wearing cut off jean shorts and shirts exposing the bare midriff were the extent of getting sent to the office. Vulgar language and nudity on clothing was also a no-no. But, the rules have gone too far. I definitely agree there should be a limit to what kids should and should not wear to school. No doubt there are too many 12 year olds running around like they’re Pamela Anderson (minus 30 years), but to limit color and blue jeans from the classroom is just bullshit.

The local chapter of the ACLU is vowing to fight the federal court of appeals decision in the aforementioned case. It will probably lose, but maybe this will get parents talking about school districts’ bureacractic policies. Besides, school leaders should be focusing on education; teaching kids to read, write and speak proper English… not to mention keeping sexual predators out of the classroom. Especially here in Clark County, Nevada.

Life is full of surprises and ups and downs. This past month has been so busy for me, as I have been experiencing surprises and my share of ups and downs. I’ll fill you in…

I am leaving my job as a Media Specialist for the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority for a career with the Las Vegas Valley Water District. Apparently I like working for places with looooong names! Anywho, I will be the Assistant Public Information Coordinator, in which I will produce the organization’s monthly TV program, “Water Ways.” While I truly liked my job in the tourism industry, going to the water district will allow me to write and produce more! I am very excited about this new endeavour. That was my surprise, mainly because I wasn’t looking to leave the LVCVA, but it was an opportunity that presented itself, and I had to jump on it.

The same week I was offered the new job, my sister landed a new job… out of state. That is huge in my family. We are women of three. My mom, sister and me. We have never been apart, except for my four years in college in Reno. It was in-state, so it doesn’t count. But, my sister will be moving to Oregon in a few weeks and my heart is already aching. I am so proud of her, and she is taking on such a wonderful opportunity that I can’t fault her. But, I am only starting to imagine what life will be like without her living just minutes from me. I hope that the distance will only bond us more, and I am looking forward to fun trips to Oregon! I will miss you Michelle. That was my up and down.

Other than those two big changes in my life, I am keeping pretty busy. Every weekend has been a gathering with friends or some other commitment, and it looks like I won’t be taking a break until mid-June. Next up is a weekend trip with my husband to L.A. for my birthday. We have tickets to the Cubs game against the Dodgers. I am from Illinois originally so I am a Cubs fan by nature. It’s also my way of feeling close to my father, who was a die-hard Chicago fan. I know he’ll be there… watching the game with Kyle and me.  

Last week I mentioned I was going to Denver. I had a great time, but Denver left a bad taste in my mouth.

I went to Colorado for work. My job includes PR duties in the tourism biz. Each year, Las Vegas celebrates National Tourism Week by thanking the tens of thousands of people who work in the industry locally. We also thank the millions of people who travel to Las Vegas annually. In 2007, 39.2 million people visited Vegas. 

National Tourism Week will be celebrated May 10, but Las Vegas decided to blow it out big with an early promotion. This year’s theme is “Discover Great American Traditions.” In recognition, we traveled to five major cities across the country with showgirls, a true Las Vegas icon! We visited several attractions in Chicago, Denver, San Diego, San Francisco and Seattle. Think Pike’s Market, Balboa Park, Golden Gate Bridge, Wrigley Field and Coors Field. We celebrated each city by bringing a little Las Vegas flair to it.

The mission was to visit various attractions in each city and sign locals up for a chance to win two round-trip tickets to Las Vegas with a two night hotel stay, courtesy of Southwest Airlines. To make it fun, we took polaroid snapshots of people standing with the showgirls and gave them the photos as a souvenir.

Now, I know it’s normal to see half-naked women wearing sparkling costumes, feather boas and elaborate head-pieces just about anywhere in Las Vegas, but it was a completely different story in Denver. The people there seemed utterly disgusted at the sight of the showgirls. More people than not were rude and many ignored us completely as we offered a free photo with the girls! I was totally shocked. I thought people would have fun seeing a LV showgirl hanging around popular parts of Denver. Furthermore, they had a chance to win a free trip to Vegas, but the excitement just wasn’t there. 

Throughout the day we went to the state capitol, Coors Field, Union Station and the 16th Street Mall. I thought we would have the most fun outside Coors Field in the LoDo District since there was a ballgame in the afternoon. But, the people there were not so friendly either. What’s crazy about this whole thing is that Denver is one of our key markets, which means Denverites do travel to Vegas. So what was their deal? Ugh, annoying! What made it even more disappointing was reading emails all day from my colleagues saying the showgirls were a hit in the other cities!

Anyway, we kept our spirits high and made the best of our trip. We did have several great people who played along! And, despite the people of Denver, I truly loved Downtown. It was very cool, and I would like to go back to hang out for a day or two and see the sights. But, as far as I’m concerned, Denverites can stay at home!

Enjoy some of the pics below from our day in Denver!

I’m off to Denver, Colorado today for a trip to promote travel to Las Vegas. With me will be a photographer and two showgirls!

We will make stops at some key attractions in the city tomorrow, April 24, to give away two free airline tickets to Las Vegas, in partnership with Southwest Airlines. This exciting adventure is in recognition of National Tourism Week’s theme, “Discover Great American Traditions.” NTW is in May, but we’re kicking off the celebration early by sending Vegas’ very own icon, the showgirl!

I’ll be tired… but watch for a forthcoming blog with some photos of the trip!

I’m back from Cabo, and it feels like it has been forever since I blogged!

Kyle and I had a blast on our trip. We traveled with one of our favorite couples, Brendan and Dayna, and met up with two more of our favorite friends, Adrian and Jennifer. It was great to be on vacation with good friends!

We flew on Mexicana Airlines, and I must say I was impressed. The liquor was complimentary, and they served us breakfast! Not many airlines bother with that anymore! And, Kyle and I were ready to drink, so we took advantage of the free cocktails.

Once we landed, we were bombarded with people trying to sell us timeshares. We waded through the chaos and found our shuttle driver. And, that was quite a ride! He drove like 85 mph!!! Needless to say, we made it to our destination safely.

Our resort was beautiful. The Riu Santa Fe is an all-inclusive resort. It opened last November, so it is fairly new and very clean. The landscape is beautiful, and there are multiple pools on property, plus three infinity pools that overlook the beach. As soon as we dropped the bags in our rooms, which were also very nice, we headed straight to the pool!

Several drinks in, I did something superbly stupid. Say that three times fast. Anyway, I was enjoying a moment with my husband where the infinity pool pushes water over the edge when I lost my Coach sunglasses! I freaked out, obviously, because they are expensive sunglasses. Kyle and I looked over the edge and saw them floating in the water about 8 feet below. I had the bright idea of telling Kyle to hang me over the edge and drop me so I can get them. He agreed. Before I continue with what happens next… remember… we were drunk. Hence what happened next would never have happened if either of us were sober.

So I jumped on the edge, slid my legs over, and before Kyle even had my hands in his, I slipped. Of course. Why wouldn’t I have. Duh? 

I fell hard. And, not just in the water; on concrete. I hurt my ankle and I bumped my bum good. You should see the bruise! No, you shouldn’t. It’s pretty ugly. All I remember is a woman looking over the edge saying, “Are you okay?” I said, “Yep, I’m all good.” I got up, trudged across the sand, and walked up the stairs I should have used in the first place. As I sobered up, I kept saying how stupid that was, and I told Kyle I could have died right before his eyes, in Mexico! Well, I survived. I limped around that night, but my good husband made sure I had ice for my ankle, and I sat on my right butt cheek for the rest of the trip!

Ok, aside from that unforgettable and now laughable moment, Cabo was awesome. The weather was perfect; like 85-90 degrees. The hotel was great. The food was so-so, but good enough for breakfast and lunch. We ventured downtown for dinner and found a great place called “The Office.” The atmosphere is indescribable, but you sit outside on the beach overlooking the water and yachts, tiki torches and candles set the mood, there is great music and the food was spectacular! I would recommend anyone eat there when visiting Cabo. It is pricey, but worth every dime.

Also, we put our fear behind us and took one of those small glass bottom boat rides over to Lover’s Beach, where you can see Land’s End Arch, a natural rock arch formation. We laughed so hard just getting on and off the boat, because we literally had a ten second window to jump in and out of the waves. Yeah, you sign your rights away too, so what’s that tell ya? Anyway, thrills and chills aside, the beach was absolutely stunning, and we took most of our photos of Cabo during our short adventure there.

Enjoy the photos. I hope to go back to Cabo again, real soon!

I have been unable to dedicate much time to my blog, and it’s driving me crazy! I am working diligently at work to get my projects done by Friday. All of my quarter end projects are due at once, of course, and I’m always playing catch up the weeks before I have to complete it all! Plus, I am trying to finish producing our next show, Las Vegas 360, at the same time!

Stay tuned, I will get back to writing… and hopefully with some exciting news soon. Life is full of twists and turns and surprises around every corner

Next week, I will be enjoying a short getaway with my husband and great friends. We’re having a mini-reunion in Cabo with two other couples who attended our wedding in Maui. We’ll be staying at an all-inclusive resort; my first ever! All I want to do is lay by the pool, sip on cocktails and eat some awesome Mexican food! Hoping the short time away will allow me to come back to work refreshed!

So, I blog to keep myself writing, because it is something I love so much. It gives me a chance to still feel like I am a part of relating news, only now I can give it my own slant! ha ha

But, I also want to keep my friends and family in the loop on my personal life… so here is a snapshot to kick it off…

Kyle and I will be going to Cabo in less than two weeks and I cannot wait to get away! I am in need of a vacation, even a short one. I just want to be somewhere that I don’t have the need to get things done. At home, I always feel like I have something to do. Keeping up with life itself is a challenge. And, we don’t even have kids yet!!! 

That is something else that I spend a lot of time thinking about. Starting a family is the next focus in my life. I’m so ready and so scared at the same time. I know that it will be exciting, but what a change it will bring to our lives. It’s awesome to wait to start a family so you can accomplish other things in life first and just enjoy your time as a young person, but it also means it will be a bigger adjustment. We’re so used to it being just us and coming and going as we please! I guess it will be a wake-up call for the selfish Crystal. So, expect baby news soon. Not right away, but Kyle and I have decided it’s time!

Personally, it has been an incredible year. Last March I quit my job, married Kyle and started a new career within three weeks! All were huge changes in my life… all for the better. Soon after, Kyle and I bought our first home. We sold his condo and found renters for mine.  We saved up lots of money and put lots of upgrades into the house. We bought lots of new furniture, a new computer and most recently a new car. Sometimes I look around and I feel very spoiled. I know material things aren’t what truly matter in life, but I am amazed that Kyle and I have the life we have. At least I can say it is because we work hard and we have families that support us!

With that said, I am hoping the rest of 2008 will be just as incredible. I, no doubt, expect nothing less than the best for myself, my husband, my family and all of my fabulous friends!