Christmas in Vegas

For Christmas this year, my parents and I took a step back from reality and spent the holiday in Vegas! It was our very family vacation and I was excited about it ever since booking the trip in July. We had an amazing time there. The shops were extravagant, the food was scrumptious, and the views were spectacular. Not a drinker nor a gambler, I still had the best of times and the days flew by. Seriously, Christmas was over in a blink of an eye. I am still processing over the fact that I have to take down my holiday decorations soon. Anyway, our first family trip was a success! My family's already planning for the next one.

Our stay was at the Stratosphere Hotel from December 24th-27th. The day before we left was hectic! I started packing days before while parents packed everything the night before. We hit the road at 6:30AM on Thursday morning, and the drive started out wet and gloomy. I was beyond excited and couldn't believe we were leaving California for once. There is something about being on the highway that makes me feel very calm and at peace. I love seeing the long stretches of roads with no end in sight, it's almost like anything is possible. The sky is the limit, ya know? I could stay on the highway and drive forever. Anyhoo, 3 rest stops and 9 hours later, we arrived to our destination. Read below for a run down of what I did in Vegas:

Day 1 | Dec. 24th

✳︎ Drove on The Strip to Caesars Palace
✳︎ Dinner at Gordon Ramsay 
✳︎ Explored Caesars Palace (the place is massive)
✳︎ Second dinner in Chinatown

Day 2 | Dec. 25th

✳︎ Brunch buffet
✳︎  Walked The Strip
✳︎  Visited The Cromwell, Venetian, and The Mirage
✳︎ Dessert at Serendipity 3
✳︎ Hit the Via Bellagio shops 
✳︎  Checked out the Christmas decorations in Bellagio 
✳︎ Dinner in Chinatown

Day 3 | Dec. 26th

✳︎ Brunch in hotel diner
✳︎ Visited the observation deck at the Stratosphere Hotel
✳︎ Dinner in Chinatown
✳︎ Went to the Forum Shops at Caesars Palace
✳︎ Caught the ending bit of the Atlantis Show

Day 4 | Dec. 27th

✳︎ Checked out in the morning
✳︎ Took a detour to Arcadia, CA for a late lunch
✳︎ Arrived home at exactly 11PM (spent 12 hours on the road)

On the road in the early hours / watching the sun rise 

First dinner in Vegas @ Gordon Ramsay Pub & Grill

Lobby @ Caesars Palace

The Strip

Dessert break @ Serendipity 3

The Bellagio

Christmas display in The Bellagio

View from the Observation Deck

@ The Forum Shops

View from the Observation Deck at night

Last night in Vegas

  Detour to Arcadia, CA

Late lunch @ Din Tai Fung

Heading home

__________

Thankful.

:: on my plate ::

Mashed Potatoes

Green Bean Casserole

Sweet Potato Casserole

Cheese Crescent Rolls

Cranberry Orange Sauce

__________

I had the perfect Thanksgiving day with my parents yesterday. We were very lucky to have the day off together as a family, as our schedules can be tricky to work around with. We started the day with an early lunch out of town at a hot pot place called Boiling Pot, and then stopped by the 85C Bakery in a nearby city to pick up a birthday cake (we were celebrating my birthday early). The bakery was bustling with people, and the cakes were disappearing from the displays like I've never seen before. I picked out the Mango Cream Brûlée, which is a vanilla sponge cake layered with vanilla brûlée and mango mouse. It was one of the best cakes I've ever had and it undoubtedly knocked out the store-bought pumpkin pie we had for dessert that night. As for the dinner, I started preparing for a small Thanksgiving meal around 4pm. It was my first time making Thanksgiving dinner. To be honest, I had no game plan or strategy planning out the dishes and the timing, I just dove right in with the prepping. The turkey was on my mind during the whole process, as I did not want the main course to burn. While I paid close attention to the turkey and it turned out just right, I can't say the same for the rest of the dishes, sadly. The side dishes were slightly burned, and as my mom was helping me save the dishes and picking out the burned pieces while my dad was carving the turkey, I couldn't be more thankful than in that moment. I am truly thankful for all that I have, and for my parents especially because if it isn't for their love and hard work, I wouldn't be where I am right now. Okay, mushiness over. Dinner was served at 7:30pm and it turned out to be a huge hit (despite the slightly burnt casseroles and the chunky mashed potatoes). For dessert, there was the cake and obligatory pumpkin pie, which I shared them both with my mom. This was one of the best Thanksgivings I've had and it'll surely be one of my favorite holiday memories to look back on. 

What was your favorite part of Thanksgiving this year?

Photo diary: Back to school

Back-to-school week is always filled with so many emotions and excitement. Now imagine what it must be like to have what might be your last first week of school ever. Yep, if all goes according to plan, I will be graduating in Spring next year, which makes this my last year at the university. Pretty nerve-wracking, I would say. And seeing the freshmen class with their maps and freshmen lanyards around campus makes me feel incredibly nostalgic. College years really do go by in a blink of an eye.

In the midst of the hectic week, I took some photos to document the highlights of my back-to-school week. I love looking back on them maybe years from now and having a goofy smile on my face, remembering all the wonderful and crazy times I had in college ;) 

- Saturday, Sept 27th - 

Heading home from a mini-vacay in San Diego. After arriving home at 9pm, I unpacked and packed again as I was leaving for school early in the morning the next day. 

- Sunday, Sept 28th -

Move-in day! Move-in days are always crazy, exciting, and extremely exhausting. I tend to take my time when it comes to unpacking so my desk (on the far right) was (or still is) a mess when I took this picture. As I was going through my things, I realized that I forgot to bring so many things from home. Never pack last minute guys! You are just bound to forget something if you do. 

- Tuesday, Sept 29th - 

Though school doesn't officially start 'till Thursday, I had to go to work to finish a few projects before the quarter begins. I ran into this fella on-campus as I was on my way to work in the morning. Deer, squirrels, and raccoons are all over campus so spotting animals around school is an every-day thing. Did I mention that we also have cows?

- Thursday, Oct 2nd - 

Dinner at Rosie McCann's Irish Pub and Restaurant to celebrate the last first day as an undergraduate student!

- Saturday, Oct 4th - 

Fireworks for the 100th anniversary of the Santa Cruz Wharf! Spent the day with some girl friends at the beach and caught the amazing firework show at night.

For those who are in school, I hope you study hard, sleep more, and play wisely.