Jackson Update

Whew, Jackson is a handful. He has caused Scott and I to fight lately. We do not know how to handle his devilish attitude. Here are some pictures of what he has done to Scott and I. Jackson has done more harm to Scott's arms than mine. He is also getting much bigger. He gained 6 pounds in one week.

This is my favorite picture of Jackson.

Las Vegas Part 4

After all this walking, we went to eat lunch. We were drenched and tired, so we decided just to go back to our hotel. We dried off and played some slots. We sat down at Hee Haw, a penny machine. I ended up winning $315 on it. We didn't want to get back out, so we ate at another restaurant in our hotel, The Top of the World restaurant. It is at the top of the Stratosphere Tower, 106 stories up. The view was good and bad because the floor spun around. When we first sat down, we were on the side with all the fog. By the end of our meal, we had seen the strip from the "top of the world." It took a little while to get comfortable with the spinning, but we eventually did. The food was good and expensive.

All in all, Vegas was a great trip. The plane rides could have been better and it would have been nice if it didn't rain. We had a fun time thanks to Mom and Denise.

Extra pictures:

Las Vegas Part 3

We then walked to the Bellagio. On the way, we got a picture with Paris in the background, which you can't see in this picture.

The Bellagio was very nice. They change out their flower exhibit with the changing seasons. When we went, they were celebrating the Chinese New Year. The panda topiaries were incredible. The ceiling you see below is one big light fixture. The picture does not do it justice.

After the Bellagio, we walked to Caesar's Palace to the Forum Shoppes. We saw all the places we will never shop at, Prada, Gucci, etc. One of the shops advertised pictures with Pete Rose. We did not think he was really there, but he was. He sat at a table watching basketball, which he probably bet on. We were getting hungry, so we stopped for some gelato. We each got the smallest cup at least that is what we thought. When we got to the cashier, she told us it was $32. We were astonished. $32 for some ice cream. We told them just to put it back, which I'm sure happens more often than not. We also went into FAO Schwartz. Scott had fun playing on the piano.

Las Vegas Part 2

The second day we got up early to eat breakfast at a buffet. We chose the Luxor because it was listed as one of the cheapest. When we got there, we found out they were having a Champagne Brunch, which cost $5 more than we thought. Even though we don't drink, the extra money was well worth it. This buffet was so good. After breakfast, it was raining hard outside, which it never rains in Las Vegas. After Luxor, we went to Mandalay Bay. We were going to look at a Shark Reef, which we didn't see because the line was too long. We walked through the casino and found a huge slot machine. Brian, Scott's partner at work, gave us $5 to put into a large slot machine. Much to his dismay, and ours, we did not win him any money.

We then walked across the street and saw New York, New York and MGM. MGM was one of my favorites. There was a spectacular lion exhibit. There were two lions and two men in the habitat. At first, one of the lion's was lying on the shoe of one of the men. Then, the man decided to get down and play with the lion. He rubbed his belly and played with him like the lion was a dog. It was crazy to see.

Las Vegas Part 1

So, I finally got around to posting about Vegas. We flew stand-by, so we arrived two hours early. We ate at the buffet at our hotel, The Stratosphere. It was not worth the $20, it was not even worth $5. Here is a picture of us at our table. We are not drunk, even though we look like it. That is what you look like after waiting in the Denver airport for 5 hours for a flight to Vegas.

After dinner, we caught a bus to Caesar’s Palace to catch a bus to the Rio. There we saw a risqué show. We thought we were seeing a Mardi Gras type parade that goes around the ceiling. What we saw was Chippendales and an awful impersonation of a band. It was an experience though.

We then went downtown to Freemont Street. We saw a street show of guys riding motorcycles in a globe type apparatus. It started with one guy, followed by two guys, then two guys with a person standing in the middle, and ended with three motorcycles. It was incredible. We called it a night after playing a few slots at our hotel.

Graduate School

So, today I turned in my application and papers for the Social Work Master's program at UALR. I should know something by the middle of March. Only 15 people get into the 1 year advanced program. Pray that I get in. Until today, I did not know if there would be a program to get into. We found out last Friday that UALR needed to cut $250,000 and were possibly going to get rid of the BSW program. Our program director talked with the Dean today, and it was decided that the BSW program would survive!!! Good decision. Vegas pictures are soon to follow.

Off to Vegas

So, Scott and I leave for Vegas in just a few hours!! Jackson will be staying with the Chance's and Nana. Nana (Doris) will probably want to hold him the whole time, but she is in for a rude awakening. Jackson hates to be held unless he is asleep. Pictures of Vegas will be up next week.

Party Pics

So the Chance Family came over for the Super Bowl, as well as Jennifer's mom and Denise and Jeffery too. Of course Christy took the opportunity to have a photo session with Jackson. I told him he would have to get used to lots of flash photography when Aunt Christy is around. Here are some of the shots:

Second Night...

So last night (our second night with Jackson) was much much better. I should thank mom for the advice on moving the crate/kennel closer to the bed. I put Jackson (and the surrounding kennel) right beside me so that I could put my hand down by him anytime he got fussy. We went to bed around 8, although I stayed up to watch the end of the superbowl. While I remember waking up many times throughout the night, I don't remember any excessive barking or whining at anytime during the night. Around 4 it was getting pretty clear that we were approaching the limit, so I took him outside and he quickly went to business. He was very frisky after this, but it was time for me to get ready for work. I am not sure how the rest of Jennifer's morning has gone (I suspect not so well considering the "frisky factor"), but at least the night was much more reasonable.

-Scott

First Night Home

What a rough first night it was with Jackson. Scott got up with him at midnight, 2 am, and 3:30 am. I got up with him at 5:15, and just decided to stay up. He did not like sleeping in his kennel at all. Hopefully tonight will go better.