A Strand of Four ~

Returned home yesterday from my Vegas trip with the Core four :-)

Loved our little guard dog waiting for us in our room.

My sister Deanna came with room decor of hearts...

perfect for this cousin weekend.

Dona Dee, Shelly and Deanna below....on our way to our first show.

So keeping in the Four theme.....we loved the Jersey Boys

a.k.a Four Seasons! Highly recommend this show, sure to take you back

in time to the days of our youth.

Paris (of course)

Fountains at The Bellagio

Dona Dee and Shelly went to the grocery store :-)

 This Ferris Wheel outside our hotel, each bubble is capable of holding thirty people?

Pass.....

Caught the reflection of the Ferris Wheel in our hotel window...

Year of the horse!

Beautiful work of art at the registration desk at the Bellagio...

 Below photos of the garden at the Bellagio Hotel

It was so beautiful....

We soon learned anyone can rent a costume and walk the streets to make money.

Stop for a photo with them and they expect payment, I chose to be paparazzi instead....

Dona, myself and Shelly, they were dubbed the sweet cousins :-)

We had to hit one mall....

 Below is the inside of the mall.  On the half hour the sky darkens

and thunder rolls as rain falls from above into the creek below.

It was a great excuse to sit outside Ben and Jerry's with ice cream 

as we waited for the rain.....

Hello Kitty lives in Las Vegas.....

Our second night we got tickets to Cirque Du Sole', Love.

That would be the Fab Four, The Beatles. 

This show over stimulates the brain from start to finish.

 Lots going on, amazing acrobatics and choreography..

the music isn't bad either! :-) 

The $5.00 bottle of water was over rated...

thanks Shelly!

After the show we stopped at Margaritaville for a bite to eat

and a couple frozen Margaritas ! 

This young man making balloons was so entertaining, he had us laughing

from start to finish! 

 Funny story, he put mine on my head before I could see what it was.

I kept asking my cousin Shelly (over loud music) "what is it?"

And she kept saying, " OMG"  and I kept asking, "but what is it?"

Maybe you had to be there...it was funny at the time :-)

My cousins and sister enjoying a little dancing with the nicest, funniest

young men in the place...I was very entertained.

 Deanna and I being goofy.....

 The candy store at the Beligio...oh my......

Chocolate's dripping from the ceiling!!

 Dinner out on our last night at Lawery's Prime Rib ~

Our adorable waitress Ms. O'Brian making the house Spinning Salad...she is 

drizzling the dressing into the spinning bowl in this photo...

For those that watch Downtown Abby....this set off some speaking with

English accents for the next couple of hours :-) 

Below is how they serve your meal...the chef brings the Prime rib and the sides in this cart.

  Cuts your meat as you order... four  cuts to choose from...

Four Desserts were chosen :-) 

Below the hot fudge sundae (I announced I would not be sharing)

Deanna's Creme bulee'

Shelly's Toffee Pie 

Dona's Key lime pie....

We couldn't get over the fact we were all together, and had all this time to visit.  We had great talks everyday, more laughs than we ever imagined!  Deanna had a little theme going of Keep Calm, every morning and evening, a time meant to encourage, and it did. We each had a swag bag that she provided with something new to add to it twice a day!  Keep Calm and Shine On journals, Keep Calm and eat cupcake Pink coffee mugs, just to name a couple items.

We sensed this was going to become an annual thing, and we have decided on San Luis Obispo for 2015!

I'm already looking forward to it! 

I returned home with an even stronger love for each, and an even stronger awareness as to the importance of strong family bonds, a four core strand in this case.

Blessed, incredibly blessed is what echos from my heart today....

An Occasion to Look Back ~

This Thursday I'm heading to Vegas!

I'm not so much a fan of Vegas, but I am a huge fan of the 

special people I will be spending three days with!

My eldest sister Deanna (top left) has coined us,

The Core Four.

Front row, cousins Dona Dee and Shelly.

Photo taken July of 2013

Dona is coming from Iowa, Shelly from Washington.

Deanna and I will fly out of Long Beach California.

My cousin Shelly has graciously offered up her time share for 

a little, but much needed cousin time.

~

Dona's Mom was my Mom's older sister.  Dona came to California after

the loss of her sweet Mom, my Aunt Edna.  She lived with us for a short, but special time.

With her came the best Barbie stuff and some cool fashion, the "angel tops"....

She fit in perfectly with our family....she became another sister.

Dona lost her incredibly sweet husband in July of 2013 very unexpectedly.

She has been such a great example of a woman of faith, trusting our God in all the moments.

She always has inspired me with her tender, loving spirit. 

~

My cousin Shelly, she is daughter to my Mom's twin sister.

Shelly's Dad, my Uncle Milt, was like a brother to my Dad.  They always enjoyed

time together, and had a strong connection as to life with one of the twins :-)

My Uncle Milt passed away several months after we lost my sweet Dad.

It was in the knowing of what it was my cousins and Aunt had ahead of them that

drew me nearer to my cousin Shelly and her family. Though we were often together

at some point in the summers of our youth...the strongest bond came much later in life.

~

My sister Deanna and I were never particular close in childhood. For me, it was for no particular

reason other than we were just so polar opposite of each other.

Deanna happened to be in the chair sitting next to me in my Dad's hospital room on the night

in 2008 that we almost lost him. It was the longest 8 to 10 minutes or so of our lives as we watch

a crew of medical staff assist Dad. 

  It was something we shared at last....it was big

and it would never be forgotten.

~

 Bonds often grow strongest in the tough

times in life and in loss...

I admire and look up to all three of these strong, wise, loving, sweet women.

I'm looking forward to lots of visiting, crying, laughing, and loving.

To the stories of our youth, we are sure to go there!

Praying that we lift each other up, just where each one needs it.

Stay tuned, ....this one time in Vegas.....!

Three special women are what echos from this full heart today!