Vegas Airport - Part 1

We had an unplanned trip to Vegas on 2/26/07. James' mother was flying home from Texas and her flight to Ontario was cancelled so she had to catch a flight to Vegas. Here we are coming in sight of Primm. It is the first town over the Nevada boder. By town I mean cluster of Casinos, I don't think anybody actually lives here.

Yeah, we're finally here! Almost.... But at least we're not in California anymore.

The roller coaster at Buffalo Bill's. This thing is never running. I want to ride it someday but it is always shut down because of high winds.

After an hour and a half of driving we stopped at Starbucks in Primm. This is the Primm Valley Resort and Casino across the street. We have been there before, but there was not enough time to stop on this trip. Next time....

Finally Las Vegas! Here is the Vegas skyline. You can see the hotels to the right.

Making our way down the strip. We are looking for the airport and trying not to get in an accident. The drivers in Las Vegas are very impatient and rude. I needed to get off the strip for my mental health!

The Luxor, very nice....

Happy Birthday Ashley!

Today is my niece Ashley's birthday. Many Happy Returns! Your Uncle Steve loves you very much! James and I wish you all the best and hope all your dreams come true. We love ya! This is a picture of Ashley when she was 3 months old. She is so pretty, I remember when she was this young. This is the picture I always carry in my wallet.

First Flowers

The first flowers of the season have opened in our backyard. Here is a close up of one of the Crocus bulbs that has bloomed.

More of the Crocus.

Some of the buds on the Ornamental Plum tree ready to burst open.

The first blooms on our Ornamental Plum tree.

Cuban Food (Again)

I made Cuban food again! We loved this dish so much James requested it again. I borrowed the neighbor's camera today so I thought I would document my dinner preparation! How FUN, right? Anyway.... This is my preparation of Cuban Picadillo. It is ground beef with spices, tomato sauce, green olives, raisins and red wine vinegar.

Here I am getting ready to cut the sweet onion and bell pepper.

Browning 2 pounds of ground beef in olive oil. Looks pretty gross...

After browning the onion, pepper and garlic; I simmered the mixture with oregano, cumin and tomato sauce. It smelt so good....

This is the raisins and the green olives measured out and ready to go into the mix. I had to cut the olives by hand! I used a hard boiled egg slicer, it worked pretty good; though I don't think it did the slicer any good.

After adding the meat, olives, raisins, and red wine vinegar into the mixture, it had to simmer for another 10 mins. It smells even better now, I can't wait!

Dinner is finally finished! It looks great. I have chopped a red onion to sprinkle on top. I also pass the bottle of red wine vinegar so everyone can season theirs to taste. I like a lot of both. Sooo GOOD!

This is a close up view of the finished dish. This was actually my dinner! This beautiful plate of food was gone in minutes. If anybody is interested in the recipe, email me or leave a note in the comments and I will send it to you.

Happy Birthday DAD!

Today is my dad's Birthday! Happy Birthday!! James and I wish you all the best. We hope you have a great day. I hope you get your birthday wish and win the lottery. More tickers are on the way. I told her to give me some off of the winning pile** I love ya!

Spring Training<<<<

Spring training has started. I am a big Angels fan. I think they might have a shot at the division this year, though they still have not added any power to their lineup. Oh Well! It is still fun to watch, win or loose. GO ANGELS!

Cuban Food Night

James found a Cuban meat recipe in the paper so I built a whole meal around it! It was so good. We had a Cuban food night. I made Cuban Picadillo, ground beef with sweet onions, green olives, raisins, red wine vinegar and spices. I found a recipe for Cuban black beans on the net. They were the best beans I have ever made! Black beans simmered with salt pork, ham hocks and a great mixture of spices. I also found an authentic recipe for fried plantains. I served it all over rice with extra diced red onions and extra red wine vinegar to suit every one's taste. We all loved it!
In fact, I was so inspired, I am making another Cuban dish tomorrow. I have had Ropa Vieja before and thought I would try it myself. It is stewed meat in spices then pulled till it looks like old clothes! Hence the name.

Happy Birthday Chyrisa!!

Today is my cousin Chyrisa's birthday! Hooraaayyyy! She is such a great person and I feel so lucky to have her in my life. I am so proud of her accomplishments and her strength. James and I wish you many happy returns. We Love You! This is a picture of Chyrisa with her two dogs, Corny Dog (being fed), and Brownie Dog.

I have always carried the picture above in my wallet. It is from August 16, 1979. I love this picture, Chrysia is so pretty.

Steve Has A Hearing!

Finally, Steve's hearing before a Social Security judge has been set. The date is March 14th. When I heard, I was so happy I could have done a cart-wheel; unfortunately it would have hurt too much!! When the hearing finally happens, it will have been 18 months of waiting since I requested it. This has been a long time coming. My lawyer has told me that my documentation all looks good. Unfortunately, nothing is assured. I'll keep ya posted....

Happy Imbolc

Today is Imbolc, it marks the time to welcome Spring. This festival represents new beginnings, growth, and "sweeping out the old and embracing the new". The Wheel Turns.