Viva Las Vegas!!!

Bright light city gonna set my soul,
Gonna set my soul on fire…

One of the perks of my job, I guess you could say, is having to attend a national conference. They usually have a lot of good information and most of the time they are in a better place than West Texas. This year was no exception. The conference was in Las Vegas! Yeah, baby!

Blurry picture from the shuttle.

This time Alan was able to go with me so while I was doing the conference thing in the daytime he was doing…well, I don’t know what he was doing. After sessions though, we had a lot of options.

The National Finals Rodeo was in town. A friend of mine, who was also at the conference, was able to get us tickets for a couple of nights of the show. We were able to see it in person two nights then watched on a big screen TV in one of the lounges another night.

We went two nights with our friends.

This is it!

I don’t follow the rodeo on television or anything, and only know a few of the famous cowboy names. But being there in person is something else! The animals, the action, and the cowboys, keep you on the edge of your seat. The first night included a real treat. Reba McEntire sang the National Anthem! It was a surprise, to us anyway, and of course, she was great.

Reba

 

The rodeo in Las Vegas runs like a well oiled machine. The cowboys and cowgirls ride out for the welcome, the events are held without a hitch, the winner circles the arena and the next activity starts. It’s impressive. It’s scheduled to be in Las Vegas through 2014 then there’s a chance it could be somewhere else. I just can’t think of anywhere as exciting and nice as Vegas. I guess we’ll see.

Light show. Did I get pictures of the events? No...

 

Because it’s Vegas, there are a few other things to do! Cowboy Christmas is going on in at least three different places. The convention center happens to house the largest one so that was really convenient to just walk through while we were there. If you like cowboy or western type stuff, this is the place to be. There is a bit of everything including livestock aids, trailers and trucks, furniture, clothes and jewelry. There’s food and drink and odds and ends galore! And my personal favorite, lots of back views of very nice Wranglers! ;)

We rode the monorail one day, to another hotel, but there’s something about Vegas and distance that don’t jive for me. It’s almost like a mirage. It looks like it’s just right there but in reality it’s miles! It sure seems that way when you are walking anyway. It took so long to get where we thought we wanted to go that by the time we got there we had to turn right around and go back to make it in time to catch the shuttle to the rodeo.

The musical comedy, Nunsense, was showing and we got tickets. It was a fun time and the cast was very talented. Their credentials were extremely impressive. I don’t know how it works when you are in a show like that but I wondered if they also have day jobs or if this is how they make a living. Interesting to say the least.

The only downside of the trip was that I lost my driver’s license, credit and debit card. I had them in a cute little case my friend gave me. It’s a dark haired girl with blue eyes, knitting. She said it was me. The whole thing is a pain to cancel, renew, wait, wait and wait. But I’m really sad over losing the case. On the bright side, if there can be one, there was no activity on either card before they were canceled.

If you find this cute little case please return... :(

If you’ve never been to Vegas, you should go, at least once, just to see it. The lights, the action and the excitement are a high you need to experience. Just don’t be drawn in. There’s a lot of sadness and hopelessness and you can actually see it on some people’s faces as they put their dollars and pennies in the machines. They don’t call them one armed bandits for nothing. Luckily, I’m not a big gambler so that part doesn’t entice me. I’ll do my few dollars, lose it and move on. I’d rather have something material or food or drink with my money! But it is an event you won’t forget. And if you ‘have’ to go to a conference there’s not a better place!

The strip.

Someday I ride this roller coaster. Nah...

Viva Las Vegas with your neon flashin',
And your one armbandits crashin',
All those hopes down the drain…
Viva Las Vegas turnin' day into nighttime
Turnin' night into daytime
If you see it once
You'll never be the same again

The only knitting I did on the trip was Ty’s scarf. It’s coming along but it still seems to be a slow knit to me. I mainly knitted on the plane or in the room. There was too much going on to get it out elsewhere. I had to catch up on knitayear when I got back, hence the late post. But I’ve caught up and am going to try to stay that way! Day 242, November 28 was the day we came home from Ruidoso. As we are homebound I’m already missing the mountains. I picked dark green from Bryce’s gaiter because it reminded me of the forest. Day 243, November 29 was just another manic Monday for lack of a better term. Lots going on. I had an interesting meeting that could lead to a unique opportunity. I used a mixture of yarns that were wound into one ball. This was yarn from Beverly J’s shawl. It was pink furs with maroon and was a little bit thick but it worked. November 30, day 244 was a day spent trying to get loose ends tied up before the trip. It was also my late night. I was diligent and got enough done to be gone. I chose white thick yarn with strings of thread hanging off it. Day 245 is December 1, and I’m excited to go to Vegas. I chose gold fur because it reminded me of the money and the lights and the general excitement involved. Day 246 was December 2. I’m curious as I look around and see all there is to see. It’s a sensory overload. There are people from everywhere. As I listen, at the conference, I realize that even though we live in different places we are all much the same in our teaching and struggling with career and technical education. I used red worsted to remind me to stop complaining and get busy and do what I can do to make things better. Day 247, December 3 is another day in Vegas. The time change is a killer but getting up two hours later than real time is grand! It’s a mind trick because it’s the same amount of hours but if it works, then hey, I’ll enjoy it! I chose blue worsted. It’s a rich blue, bright, probably considered a primary color. It will remind me of the good times here. Day 248, December 4 is Saturday. It’s fun but I’m tired. You can only experience Vegas for so long and then it’s time to go! And it’s close to time. I used a thick maroon yarn and it reminded me of a rope, just hanging on! Day 249, December 5 is the day to go home. I’m thankful for kind TSA agents in Las Vegas who let me get on the plane without identification. It most likely wouldn’t happen in Midland. We are prepared and get to the airport in more than enough time. But it was a good thing because it seemed like the floodgates opened just behind us. I picked a pale green with a white thread running through it. It’s a peaceful color and the white roams through brightening it up. Then we are on the plane heading back to reality. It’s good and there are no regrets left behind. Who knows…we may even come back sometime!

Viva Las Vegas, Viva Las Vegas, Viva Las Vegas.
Viva, Viva, Las Vegas…

Cowgirls Don’t Cry…

Ride, baby, ride.
Lessons of life are going to show you in time,
Soon enough your gonna know why.
It's gonna hurt every now and then.
If you fall get back on again.
Cowgirls don't cry…

I missed a call the other day. When I looked it was from my mom. We don’t talk on the phone much so I don’t really like seeing that she called because I always think it must be something bad. And usually I’m right. This missed call was no exception.

My cousin, Susan, had passed away. It was expected but that didn’t make it any easier. She had courageously fought cancer but as often is the case, especially with pancreatic cancer, she lost the battle.

There are 14 cousins on my mother’s side. My mom had an older sister who was married and had her own kids when my mother was little. Those three cousins were closer in age to her than they were to the rest of us. So really, when my Mamaw was alive, there were 11 of us that gathered on a fairly regular holiday basis and played and knew each other. The cousins were sort of born in pairs. The oldest two girls, BK and Nan, are the same age. Then came Susan and I, a month apart. Next was Chuck, then Judi, then Charles and Carla, Junior, Kurt and Jimmie. There was usually someone for everyone to play with, close to their same age. I have so many fond memories of those times. The adults would play games, cards mainly, and talk and laugh and cheat. The kids would play together. Of course, BK, Nan, Susan and I would play girl things together. When we were young we’d do the doll thing or play house or some variation. As we grew up we’d listen to the radio, pop songs mostly, and sing and dance along. We talked about movie stars, boys, and school. We got along fairly well, too, which was an advantage. Mamaw would cook and the house would smell good, holiday smells of things like onion and apple, the secret ingredient to her dressing, and turkey.

When I was really little we lived in Lubbock. I think we moved when I was around three. We lived close to my aunt and uncle, Nan and Susan’s parents. Because of that we visited often. I know that after we moved we’d almost always go and visit when we went back to Lubbock.

One memory that really stands out, and I’m not sure why, was playing with Susan one day. We were in Lubbock, probably at her house. We were both a bit tomboy and liked playing things like cowboy and Indians and army men. We not only played cowboy, we were cowboys. A favorite of ours was a show called “Stoney Burke”. Stoney Burke was a rodeo rider. He wanted to win the Golden Buckle, which is the grand prize going to the world champion saddle bronc rider. I don’t know if he ever won but every week there was some sort of dilemma along the way that we watched, entranced. He was played by Jack Lord, and as 5 year olds, we thought he was HOT! Another show we liked was called “Wide Country”. This show had brothers who were also rodeo riders. One was named Mitch Guthrie and the other Andy. We never could remember Andy’s name so we called them Mitch and Mitch Guthrie. After a while they sort of became one. Of course we loved "Bonanza" too. We had big crushes on Adam and Susan liked to be Little Joe. In fact, if you asked her name she might just tell you she was Little Joe Cartwright!

We used to play Stoney Burk, Mitch and Mitch Guthrie, and Little Joe all the time. Susan always got to be Stoney Burk if she wasn't Little Joe, and I had to be Mitch and Mitch Guthrie. We had boots and western shirts. We had hats and even play guns. We had it all. Well, almost. SHE had it all. She had chaps and SPURS! I didn’t care too much about the chaps. But I loved those spurs. She would put them on and walk up and down the hallway with a little jingle. Sometimes, but not very often at all, she’d let me put them on. But that was mainly when her mom made her. My turn didn’t last long enough! Soon they were hers again.

One time we were playing and I wanted to wear the spurs for a while but she said not yet. I asked again and she kept making excuses. We were being cowboys and running and playing when Susan tripped and fell. She fell down right on one of the spurs. I know it hurt. There was no way it couldn’t have hurt! The pointed spur poked her right in her butt! I was concerned at first, then I started to laugh. It served her right since she didn’t let me wear the spurs! The moms came out to comfort Susan and to glare at me. I got in trouble for laughing. She got sympathy.

Funny how some things stick with you. I would think about the incident with the spurs, and how I had laughed, and I would feel so guilty for laughing. For years I worried about that. One time, we were in our early teens, they came to visit in Albuquerque. I took her aside and apologized for laughing at her when she fell on her spurs. She didn’t know what I was talking about. I had to explain. When she remembered she laughed. Then I laughed. She thought it was the funniest thing that I’d felt guilty all those years for something she didn’t even remember. It became our secret, one of those things that probably nobody knew but she and I, and we laughed about it from then on.

As we got older, we didn’t see each other much. We made different kinds of life choices. She married young, then divorced and later went to Germany. She lived over there for years. When she came back to the states she moved to Illinois. A couple of summers ago we all got together and she was there with her boys. A lot of the family came in. We got to visit and had a good time. It was good we all got to see each other. We didn’t know it would be the last time.

We’ll go soon, to say goodbye to my cousin and my friend. It will be hard. She’s the first one of us to go. When something like this happens it brings thoughts of time and how we never know how much we have. We’ll gather, like we did a couple of summers ago. But this time it will be to say goodbye. Goodbye my cousin. Know you’ll be remembered always. I hope there were silver spurs waiting for you.

Her daddy gave her, her first pony,Then taught her to ride.
She climbed high in that saddle.
Fell I don't know how many times.
Taught her a lesson that she learned,
Maybe a little too well…
Cowgirls don't cry.

I’m knitting, on the knitayear and on some other things.

Pompadoodle blankets--as soft as they look!

It’s day 215, November 1. I don’t know how this year has gone by so fast. It’s another manic Monday, things to do and people to see. I picked a multi color Noro because all the colors reminded me of crazy but I’d have to knit a lot to get them in so I only got in the greenish yellow. You’ll have to believe me on the multi colors! November 2, day 216, is my late night at work. I don’t mind because I have great people to work with. I had to sit through a really long webinar. It’s the new way to have a meeting. It’s really not bad but you’re tied to your desk with earphones on. Fortunately I have two screens and figured out how to make the other work for all the other things I want to and should be doing during the meeting. I guess I don’t give my full attention that way but I was impatient because he kept repeating himself. And I was ready for the day to end. Thank goodness we got out early from night class. But mom called on the way home. I chose something called ragg silk. It’s made from silk sari’s in India. I can’t imagine having the job of tearing those things into strips, then sewing them together and winding them in balls. Talk about being impatient. Day 217 was a busy day. Transition fair is scheduled on November 3, and it’s always busy. We had around 200 + students, all special education students. The fair is to help them find ways to transition from high school to careers or school or just life. It was a success. This was also the Susan’s last day. The yarn I chose won’t seem fitting for the news I got today. I chose a vibrant, multi colored yarn with bright almost psychedelic colors. I picked it for the good times. It reminds me of a lot of things. It looked like Susan to me for some reason. I’ll remember this day and what it was for in the knitayear. I’ll be strong.

Cowgirl don't cry,
Ride, baby, ride.
Lessons of life show us all in time,
Too soon God lets you know why.
If you fall get right back on,
Good Lord calls everybody home…