02.23.09
Wow… it’s been a long time.
It appears I just dropped off the face of the Earth. I can’t believe how long it’s been since I posted a blog. Sorry fellow bloggers and friends. Several of you have been asking me when I was going to blog again. Here I am!
Let’s see. In the last year I changed jobs. Still in the same line of work, just a different company. Producing a program about water conservation and sustainability, as well as other video projects. Really like the job. While I had a blast working in the tourism biz, my new job is a much better fit!
My husband and I continue to work on our new house. Some people wonder what you would have to do with a new house, but the projects are endless. Since we moved in about a year and three months ago, we have painted, laid hard wood downstairs, built a really cool Ikea entertainment center for the bonus room, landscaped the backyard (still in progress) and renovated the master bathroom! And still on my list is to finish the backyard, paint the guest bedrooms, buy new chairs, build new office space and redo the master bedroom closet. And, honestly, my husband does all the work. I just delegate!
Kyle and I are hoping to start a family soon. Meanwhile, my incredibly savvy, smart and funtastic nephew, Kyle, is also living with us to finish out school in Las Vegas. He is in his Junior year, and he makes me laugh. Our family on the West coast is also growing with my sister-in-law and her family moving closer to us. They are moving from St. Louis to Salt Lake City. We are so excited to have some of my husband’s family close by!
Speaking of my husband, Kyle now has his real estate license. I am so very excited for him and very proud of him. I know he is going to do well, and I believe the economic downturn will give him time to adjust and learn the business. He’s still working as a videojournalist for a local TV news station and hopes to start building clientele in the meantime!
That about completes an update on the Zuelkes. 2009, so far, is going extremely well for us, and we hope to continue on a positive path.
With that said… I will try to keep up on my blog. Slacker!!!
06.17.08
Hi there, Stranger…
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……
04.23.08
Las Vegas Showgirls 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!
03.27.08
Don’t Come Back, Kate Bosworth!
Actress Kate Bosworth has made it known she does not like Las Vegas. So you know what I say? Don’t come back!!! Las Vegas doesn’t want you, Kate Bosworth.
The pin thin actress told Total Film magazine that Las Vegas “is not really my cup of tea” and she struggled with the “debauched” Vegas lifestyle while she was in the “tree-less” desert filming her latest flick, “21.”
Oh really? She didn’t have any problem gambling and drinking during her six week jaunt in Vegas. Bosworth admits to trying her poker at hand while she was in the city.
I don’t like when people like Kate Bosworth judge my hometown while being here a very short time and only seeing the Las Vegas Strip! She’s a hypocrite.
I wasn’t a fan of Miss Bosworth before, and I’m really not now. Las Vegas shouldn’t be either!
See more of Kate’s comments here.
03.24.08
Las Vegas: Old & New…
Steve Wynn’s newest resort, Encore, is almost done! The hotel’s name was added to the top of the tower last week, and it looks identical to the “Wynn” on the original tower. Encore is slated to open in December. Those copper twin towers are phenomenal. I think they are a beautiful sight when you are driving into the city from the outskirts.
One of Las Vegas’ older hotels located off the Strip was demolished last week. Nevada Palace was closed to make room for the Eastside Cannery. Luckily, the Nevada Palace sign was saved and has already settled into its new home at the Neon Boneyard, where it will be preserved for history. Nevada Palace survived for 29 years.
For anyone who doesn’t know what the Neon Boneyard is, it’s a graveyard for Las Vegas neon signs. When historic hot-spots are closed, demolished or imploded, the non-profit Neon Museum works with the community to preserve the signs. Most of the dismantled neon is donated to the Museum, which has a huge lot for signs to rest in peace. Unfortunately, the boneyard isn’t open to the public, but some tours are allowed.
03.19.08
A Penny for Your Thoughts
Here is something to ponder.
Are your thoughts for free? Are your ideas shared by others because people think like you do or because you inadvertantly pull strands of thought from the people you meet and the experiences you have?
The reason I ask is this. Recently, I had two very different people steal my thoughts. How could that be, you ask? It was made possible because my thoughts were on paper, or rather, the internet. Is it a coincidence? Did they just happen to think like me? No, I think not.
We live in a massive think tank. We’re up to our ears because we soak up every bit of information, visually, creatively, audibly, you name it. Even our dreams consume us to where we sometimes confuse reality with the unconscious thought. But, no matter how overwhelmed we are with information, we know when someone else claims our words are their own. I know.
I know that one of these people didn’t dream up a personality profile that starts out just like mine. She literally used my autobiography word for word and only changed the names of people to make it hers.
I know the other person didn’t blog about who “there person is” after watching Grey’s Anatomy a few months after I watched the show and pondered that very same question in a blog on the very same website. No way. No how. It was too familiar. It had my style.
What should I make of this? I could be flattered that some people either want to be like me or they want to think like me. Imitation is the best flattery, right?
The thing is, that’s just not acceptable to me. My thoughts are worth more than a penny and more than the paper their written on. My thoughts are mine. I own them. I don’t want to be imitated. I wouldn’t be me if others tried to be me.
Get it? Good.
03.14.08
Lake Mead Excursion
Because I have a fabulous job that allows me access to a lot of places I wouldn’t ordinarily get to see so easily, I’m eager to share what a good time I had today on Lake Mead.
I spent the morning at Calville Bay, where a fleet of houseboats can be rented by the day or week. These houseboats are so cool, and they have everything you need on-board. You can captain a 40 foot boat to a 70 foot houseboat that sleeps up to 12 people. Bring your own food and beer (or cocktails), and you’re set. The boats are equipped with grills and kitchen appliances.
We hear a lot about the lingering drought here in the southwest, but the largest man-made lake in the U.S. is just as pristine and beautiful as ever, and it’s just a hop, skip and jump away from you and me.
You can get away from the city, muck it up on a party boat and enjoy something Southern Nevadans should be proud of, Lake Mead. Yes, the water is a lot lower than it should be. Yes, we must learn to be more cautious of how the changing environment is affecting lake wildlife. But, we should also appreciate what we do have, which is the jewel right here in the middle of the desert.
If you want to learn more about renting a houseboat or see what you’re missing, check out foreverhouseboats.com. For more information about Lake Mead, click here.
03.13.08
Nevada’s Bighorn Sheep are Dying
This just really saddens me.
Click here for a link to the story about the disease killing one of the state’s beloved animals.
