What Happens in NashVegas...

So this past weekend I went back to Nashville to catch up with my buddies and go to a couple of Preds games. It was a great weekend and I'm glad that I got to see a lot of people.

But first, I gotta show you what I won at Bingo last Monday night!

Check it out!

Not only did I win these stylish wristbands, I won a t-shirt, shot glass and bottle opener. And that was just my first win. I also won the last game which was good for a $20 gift card at Kennedy's! I was pretty excited.

Ok, now on to my trip. I flew in Thursday afternoon and went straight to the arena to hang out with all my old work buddies. We ate at Bailey's because I was craving their Black Forest sandwich. It was delicious! Then it was time for the Preds game vs. the Blues. We had awesome seats (like you expect anything less) and the game was amazing! We won 4-3. It was really exciting. The first period was really good, Sully scored twice, there was a fight and then the end was exciting because it was so close. I got to see the new opening video which was excellent! (I posted it on my facebook page, check it out!)

Smashville!

Let's play hockey!

Only about 7 rows up from the ice. :)

Hockey brawl

After the game, we caught the end of the Live on the Green show. Live on the Green is a free, outdoor concert series held once a week in October. They usually have pretty great bands play. This is where I saw Here Come the Mummies! for the first time last year.

Friday, MJ and I ate lunch at McDougal's. I miss this place! The best sauce ever for chicken tenders. I haven't found a good chicken tender place in KC yet so if you know of one, let me know!

Friday night, we went over to Dallas' house for a bonfire and games. There were lots of friends here, lots of food and lots of fun! Then, we drove up to Hendersonville to go through the Haunted Woods. My favorite part of this haunted house is definitely the mazes. You could so easily get lost! There was also one good special effect. We were walking on a bridge that suddenly dropped a few inches. That one got me- was not expecting that!

Here's the gang

Saturday we had lunch at the amazing Pancake Pantry! It was soooo good, as always! The day was beautiful so we didn't mind waiting over 30 minutes in line. :)

This food is like heaven in your mouth!

Here's some pics of other friends that I got to hang out with. :)

Poor Zach had a rough weekend. He ate a whole bowl of candy corn and got sick!

Here's sweet Molly! She is awesome!

Then, Saturday night was the Preds game vs. the Capitals! Again, we had awesome seats (8 rows up, center ice). The game was a lot of fun but unfortunately, the Preds lost in overtime. Oh well, still no losses in regulation for the Preds!

It was awesome getting to see the world's best hockey player, Alex Ovechkin, live and in person. But on this night, he was the enemy!

Future Hall of Famer right there!

And I also usually like this guy:

Nicklas Backstrom

Because he wore this:

"Your Girlfriend Loves to wear my Hockey Jersey" Ha, that's awesome!

After the game, my friends were just dying to check out this new karaoke bar. We love karaoke! It's fun and especially since Kovar was with us, and I was really looking forward to belting out "Party in the USA!" But...we got to the place and right away, I knew this was not going to work! It was super country, but whatever, we're in Nashville. The worst part was the dj and the bartender. They got on the mike and were yelling at the crowd for not tipping and not being loud enough. Uh, here's a tip for you: don't insult your customers! So, once we realized they were not going to play our requests, we left for better places. 

We ended the night at Tin Roof so that we could see our friend Seth play there. It was great to see him! But we also got to see several players there, which I get really excited about.  Me and Colin Wilson had a moment. Yeah, that was fun!

Sunday I got to get my Mexican fix by having my favorite LP Field Special at Las Palmas. And then, it was time to head back to KC. I had a great weekend and it was nice to have a break from the job hunting. But today, I was back on track, working on my resume more and I applied for 9 more positions. I've got 2 interviews tomorrow so wish me luck!

Til next time...Laura

Babies, Wizards and Jobs

Yesterday, I went back down to Crown Center to check out the free exhibit of John Lennon artwork. The place was super crowded so it took a while to navigate through the crowd to see the artwork. Lennon mainly drew line sketches of himself, Yoko and Sean. They are pretty simple drawings but it was still really interesting to see so many works by someone so famous and so influential.

John and Yoko

Lyrics to Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds

This week we had a baby shower for B and J and Baby Josephine. It was really fun because we all dressed up and had food and drinks and played card games. The guys mainly played poker but the girls played Sequence or Nertz. Probably the most fun I've ever had at a baby shower!

Looking good B! Only a few more weeks to go!

Me and Adam! He cleans up good! :)

Lots of great gifts for Baby J!

L and B

The cake was awesome!

Me and JJ (And Laura B snuck in there too!)

Another first for me this week was going to my first Major League Soccer game. The KC Wizards played Seattle Sounders. If KC wins, they have a chance of making the playoffs so it was a big game. Unfortunately, Seattle won 2-1. But it was still a lot of fun! KC's goalie was awesome, acknowledging the fans a lot and thanking them.

We sat in the Cauldron, which is where the true fans sit apparently. But we were literally right next to an entire drumline who played and sang and jumped around and was crazy the whole game! At first, I thought it would be too loud but I guess I got used to it. It was a little hard to see the actual game from there but I had a great time anyways.

The wizards warming up.

Stew right next to the drummer!

Go Wizards!

I finally had a good Mexican meal in KC! I went to Jose Peppers in Overland Park and had their speciality, Pollo Magnifico. It's chicken wrapped in a flour tortilla, lightly fried and then stuffed with lots and lots of cheese. It was amazing! 

Check out this amazingness!

Jose Peppers has 11 locations in the KC Metro area. The funniest part was they put a bottle of hand santizer at your table for your convenience. I did use it, so I guess it worked! 

Today, I had some real good locally-made pizza, d'Bronx Pizza. They have 3 locations in KC. It was very good!

Fountain Update- For the month of October, some of the major fountains turned the water pink for Breast Cancer Awareness. Here is a large fountain in Gladstone, supporting the cause:

No. 54- Exit 1C off I-29 in Gladstone

No. 55- N Oak Trfwy, Gladstone at a Lowe's store

 This last fountain is at the Midwestern Baptist school, where my friends Daniel and Anna got married. Daniel and Anna just had a baby boy this week! Congrats!!

No. 56- at Midwestern Baptist School, in Gladstone 

Well, I've been in KC two months now! It's been so much fun but I am having NO luck in the job hunt. I've now interviewed for 6 jobs and did not get an offer from any of them. I've been rejected from a manager level position at $45,000 a year and a retail book store position at $8 an hour. So, it's frustrating to say the least. I did not expect it to be this difficult. 

So, I need help! If you know of any hirings in the KC area, please let me know. I don't care what it is anymore. I don't even care if I have to work in Kansas. I just need something. And I've tried almost everything so you don't need to tell me to try the more basic websites or the well-known companies here. I've tried it and I will continue to apply. I need more help in that if you know someone specific who has the power to hire. 

Thanks!!!!!

Til next time...Laura

What have I been up to?

It's been over a week since my last blog and I know you all have been dying for the next one! Well, I've been busy! Not with work, but with fun stuff. But unfortunately, I keep forgetting to take pictures! And I've seriously been slacking on my fountain hunt. I know I've passed a few without stopping to document them. But I will be better!

So, last weekend I took a road trip to mom and dad's place in Charleston, MO. I really missed my kitty, Itsa, and wanted to see her. It was great to see the parentals, too. :)

Drove by my old stompin' grounds- Boonville! Go Pirates!

Got to try QT's Cheeseburger Rollup on the road trip! It was kinda weird, not going to lie.

I went to a few restaurants this week. Last Thursday night, I went to 75th St Brewery because when you check in on foursquare, you got a free bavarian pretzel appetizer! It was real good!

Kinda a crappy picture of the brewery, right in the center of the restaurant.

Tuesday night was Jason's birthday. So a bunch of friends met in Brookside at Jalapenos restaurant.

I got chicken tacos, rice and beans. Delicious!!

I was real thirsty!

Friday afternoon, B and I went to City Market and toured the Steamboat Arabia museum. In the 1850's a steamboat was traveling up the Missouri River from St. Louis. It carried a few passengers but mainly general merchandise. It was going to all the stores in Nebraska/Iowa. About 6 miles after passing the Town of Kansas (Kansas City's original settlement) it hit a tree snag and sank to the bottom of the river. Well, since then the river has changed course and become more narrow, thanks to the Army Corp of Engineers. So, a group of five treasure hunters figured out where the steamboat was buried in a corn field, next to the river, and dug it up in 1988! It is now the world's largest collection of artifacts from one location from that time period. And most is in excellent condition. There was everything there you would expect in a general store: clothes, boots, dishes, jewelry, tools, etc. It was a very interesting tour.

Beside the boat's huge paddle.

Saturday night, I went to my last Royals game of the season.

Walking to Kauffman stadium.

They gave out Snuggies!

We didn't stay very long into the game, though, because it was COLD! Even the snuggie couldn't keep us warm! Later that night, we celebrated our friend, Adam's birthday in Westport. We went to McCoy's and Kelly's. Pretty fun night!

Happy Birthday Adam!

Fountain Update: No. 53 inside the Ward Parkway mall

Til next time...Laura