Football in Vegas

This past year in the Arena League off season a new team came into the picture....the Las Vegas Outlaws.  The team was rumored for awhile because it had a major player in ownership. Vince Neil.  Yeah, the one from Motley Crue.

Over the off season the team became official and the decision to make a road trip there to see C's team play them was made.  I was excited to see exactly how they did things, knowing that the previous years new team, the LA KISS, owned by Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons of KISS, went pretty far over the top during games.  Girls dancing in cages above the field, rock star hair band half time shows, electric guitar National Anthems, you know, the usual family football fare.

Well, C's second game of the season, and first road game, happened to be against Las Vegas.  My momma and I packed our bags and headed out on a Friday afternoon about 2 weeks ago.  Yeah, a Las Vegas road trip at 33 weeks pregnant.  Totally normal! Also, I was a terrible blogger and took minimal pictures....so sorry about that!

Normally, the drive there is about 4.5 hours which is quite do-able.  Unfortunately, there was a huge accident the day we left that closed down both directions of the two lane highway that is the one major road to Las Vegas.  What a bummer.  Reports said the roads were going to be closed for about 4 hours, so we had to make the decision to take another route, which added about an hour and a half to our travel time.

We cut it waaayyyy to close on an empty gas tank which made for an interesting portion of the ride.  Us girls just got to talking and totally spaced it!  We finally made it into the city around 8pm.  We checked into our hotel, the Westgate Resort (previously the Las Vegas hotel) and grabbed some dinner with C. I couldn't hang much later so we headed off to bed for the night.

The next day we ate at the hotel, said hi to C before his meetings and headed out to shop. First stop?  The Coach outlets of course! For lunch we went to one of my favorite places, the Grand Luxe Cafe.  They closed the one in AZ, so I always go there when in Las Vegas.  My mom didn't quite understand how amazing their dessert, beignets, really are.  That was until she tried them.  She was in heaven too!

After a big lunch we headed back to the hotel to rest before the game, which I am so glad we did.  We headed to the game pretty early so we could watch C and the team do their warmups around 5:15.  Too bad they don't actually open the doors to the arena until 6pm! Oops. We stood outside chatting with other fans until they let us in.

The game was not nearly as exciting as I thought it would be.  Part of that was that we lost (womp, womp) and were down almost the entire game.  The other part though, was I was hoping for a crazy fun experience like the LA KISS team had provided last year and it wasn't that at all.  Their dancers weren't very good (and their uniforms were soooo boring), the arena wasn't set up for football at all (there was no score board telling us the downs or what yard line we were on....which is important in football), the music was pretty muffled and nothing really just felt exciting in general.  I guess the most exciting moment of the show was that a stripper sang the National Anthem. Just kidding. Thats not exciting, that's terrible.

The only photo I got during the game, go #6!

 After the game we headed out with the team to Gordon Biersch for some grub.  Half the team didn't even come though, they were too dejected over the loss.  Everyone thought this was an easy win...that's what happens when you get complacent. The bummer is, C's team will forever go down in history as the first team the Las Vegas team EVER beat!  Oops!

The next day, the boys left really early.  I'm talking 6am.  Never fun after a late night in Vegas!  Mom and I took our sweet time getting up and getting out of town.  We stopped for coffee, gambled at my favorite casino, the Cosmopolitan, saw a show at my happy place (the Bellagio water fountains) and then grabbed some lunch before hitting the road.

Not gonna lie, I think this was an accidental photo, but its the only one I've got!

All in all it was a good trip. The only thing that would have made it better would have been a win!

Now, a lot of people ask me if I go to all of C's road games and that would be an emphatic no!  That would just be too pricey.  The first two years, the only away games I went to was the Arena Bowl each year.  Last year, I went to LA and Portland (near where my brother lives....also the trip we ended up getting engaged on!). This year, I just plan on doing one or two more trips to LA.  The second one will be about a month and a half after Noah is born, so it depends on how he handles car rides!

Week 34

What's Going on in There?

This baby is probably over 5 lbs.  I honestly can’t believe I am carrying a little 5 pound person around with me wherever I go! This week he is no longer see-through and his body has gained enough fat to regulate his own temperature.  His teeny tiny fingernails have reached the end of his fingers, which means they will be nice and sharp when he is born!

Maternity Clothes? 
Still sticking with 99% maternity dresses and maxi skirts.  This weekend I actually purchased a non-maternity maxi dress in an XL to wear to my baby shower!  I probably could have work a large, but they didn’t have one in the color dress I wanted.

Weight? 
29 pounds.   

Stretch Marks? 

Nothing new this week. Yay!

Movement? 
Still wiggling around like a little rockstar! This week he has started to stick his foot out the side of my belly quite often.  I would not say that it is very comfortable!  That being said, I’m glad it’s the side of my belly and not up into my ribs!   

Food Cravings? 
Still on the fruits and veggies kick.  I hovered over the platters at my shower last weekend and ate pretty much all of the cantaloupe, strawberries and carrots!

Anything Making you Queasy or Sick? 

Nope, other than one freak incident earlier this week.

What I Miss? 
Doing pretty good.  Missing sitting outside by the grill at this time of year with some yummy Redd’s Apple Ale.

Nausea/Vomiting?  
Ugh, I did have an incident mid-week where I lost my entire breakfast. I have no clue what set it off, but I had just finished eating. All I could think of was what a waste of money!

Symptoms? 
Pretty uncomfortable these days. I feel like any activity, even going to hang out by the pool for 2 hours, is extremely exhausting. I can’t do very much at a time. I get out of breath doing simple things too. Oh and also? I can tell my stomach is definitely squished now.  I can’t eat nearly as much as I used to, it makes me feel really sick. I have itchy legs too, is that a preggo symptom?  Even if I am sitting in the bath, they feel itchy to me.

Labor Signs? 
Just Braxton hicks

Gender? 
Baby boy!

Belly Button In or Out?
Out loud and proud

Wedding Rings On or Off? 
On Thursday I wore a fake for the first time.  I could probably wear my rings still, and will continue to when I am around friends and family, but I figured if I am just at work I might as well be comfy!

Sleep?
Having a pretty rough time getting comfortable and falling asleep. I toss and turn for quite awhile, which really stinks.  Once I am asleep though I am fine.  It is hit or miss whether or not I’ll be able to easily fall asleep again after I wake up to pee. Sometimes I can, sometimes I can’t.

 What I'm Looking Forward To?

Real talk?  I am looking forward to meeting little Noah and being able to sleep and do activities comfortably again. This last month is really going to be rough, I can tell already.

Week 33

(Sorry....I'm a few days late on this!)

What's Going on in There?

This week little man is the size of a honeydew melon. My little honeydew. We actually had an ultrasound to check his measurements and he is officially 4 pounds and 10 ounces as of Tuesday. They couldn’t really tell us his length because everything was so squished, but he was right on track! Lots of developments for little man this week it seems like. He now keeps his eyes open when he is awake and closed when he sleeps.  Along with that, there is a lot less amniotic fluid surrounding him so he can sense light a lot more and is starting to figure out the difference between night and day! Also, his bones are hardening and his brain can now control his body temperature.

Maternity Clothes? 
All dresses!  I’ve had to try and wear some of my mom’s Rattlers shirts for C’s games and those aren’t maternity, but I definitely need a longer maternity tank underneath or my belly would show!

Weight? 
28 pounds…still.  Somehow.  I’m shocked I didn’t gain this week.  Yay!

Stretch Marks? 

My other butt cheek decided to join in on the fun.  I have one new stripe. 

Movement? 
So much.  It’s crazy to watch my belly move!   

Food Cravings? 
Still loving fruits and veggies.  I can’t get enough!

Anything Making you Queasy or Sick? 

Nothing at all. Yay!

What I Miss? 
Nothing much actually!

Nausea/Vomiting?  
Nope

Symptoms? 
Just starting to get more uncomfortable.  I feel like simple things really wears me out now, which is tough to get used to.  

Labor Signs? 
Just Braxton hicks, but they’ve calmed down since last week thankfully.

Gender? 
All blue over here!

Belly Button In or Out?
It couldn’t be more out.

Wedding Rings On or Off? 
Well I officially purchased a fake ring this weekend, but I haven’t worn it yet.  I’m going to keep with my rings as much as I can because I just love them too much!

Sleep?
Thankfully I am still getting some, but it’s definitely becoming more and more difficult to get comfortable and fall asleep.

What I'm Looking Forward To?

My baby shower is the weekend!  I can’t believe it’s that time already!

                                               

Arena Footballl....How'd He Get There?

Ok so now that you know a little about Arena Football, I thought I’d talk a little more about C and his involvement.

C did play in the NFL after college, for several teams. He played with the St. Louis Rams, the Detroit Lions, and New Orleans Saints, but nothing really stuck. After deciding that he wasn’t getting enough playing time (due to the politics of everything behind the scenes) he left the league and decided to pursue other things.

In 2008 the Tampa Bay Storm (an Arena Football team) called him up and asked him to play. After googling the rules, he decided to give it a try. He played that year and really enjoyed it, but internal issues caused the entire league to shut down in 2009. Thankfully, that only lasted a season and C played in Tampa for the 2010 and 2011 season. In 2011 he was the Defensive Lineman of the year!

After the 2011 season C was treated unfairly in Tampa and demanded a trade. Since he was such a valued player, he was able to list his top three teams and demand to play at one of them. On February 7th, 2012 (my birthday!) he was traded from Tampa to a team not listed in his top three. He refused to play there, so they traded him to Arizona, which was on the list. He was traded from the second team on February 9th, 2012 (my mom’s birthday!). Now there is actually a rule in the league nicknamed after him, saying you can't be traded to a team and then traded again right away. So funny.
 
I still love that he made his way to Arizona on both mine and my mother’s birthdays. Happy birthday to us!

He made it to Arizona on February 24th and I met him 4 days later on February 28th! I snatched that one up right away :)

Anywho, back to football.

As I said before, C is a defensive lineman, which means he’s a big dude. As you can tell from the many pictures I post, he towers over me. I am about 5’7 and he is 6’4! I love it. I always said I wanted to be with a tall guy so I could wear heels. Turns out I am really not a fan of heels since I wear them all day at work. I don't wear them around him very often!

There are 4 other guys on the team that play the same position (well roughly – there are minor variations) and 4 of the 5 guys are out on the field at a time. That means there is one “backup.” C has been a starting Defensive Lineman all of his seasons with the Rattlers. Even with C’s arm being in a "club" two seasons ago, they still had him play entire games. I think that says a lot. The guy with one arm/hand is better than the backup! Now as the seasons go on, the coaches really look to him for his opinion on the other guys.

Last season C made the 2nd Team All-Arena (meaning they put together a "team" of the best guys in the whole league and he made that team) as well as the Defensive Player of the Game for the Arena Bowl.  Even though he is pretty far up there in age at 34 (in football years) he is still kicking butt! This may be his last season, so I am going to enjoy it the best I can!

So there you have it, all about C, his involvement in the league and how he got there! Next time I will talk about the juicy stuff like crazy fans and football bimbos :)

Is there anything else you would like to know?!

Boxy Charm Review - March

Boxy Charm time!

This box is $21.00 a month with free shipping and is a “beauty box subscription that surprises you each month with the best beauty products from popular and chic brands. Each box contains full size and luxury size beauty samples from preferred well-known brands.” They aim to cover a whole look from makeup to nails, which I really like. 

After cutting back on my beauty boxes to save money for the impending new addition to our family, I am still happy I kept this one!

The theme this month is “Lucky Charm” which is fitting for the month, though I wouldn’t say it really matches many of the items!

Here is the March Boxy Charm!  

           1)      Oscar Blandi Hair Lift Thickening & Strengthening Mousse – 2 oz. (TRAVEL SIZE)

            I haven’t tested this out yet, so I’m not sure how well it works. I can say I am excited to try it 

            though.  I like testing out hair products, although I rarely actually buy them.  I have thin hair, 

            so it will be nice to see if this actually makes mine thicker! Boxy Charms claim of this being 

            worth $11 is a bit high by my calculations…but I’ll go with it.

Full Size: $23.00 for 6.3 oz. My Value: $11.00

           2)      OFRA Eyeliner in “Black” – .04 oz. (FULL SIZE)

Well since I am now starting to love actual pencil eyeliners (gasp!) I am excited to try this one.  So far, I have only found two brands that actually work for me, so I don’t have high hopes for this.  It seems a little tougher than I like.  I like the “liquid like” pencils.  That being said, I am so glad they finally sent one in the color black! It’s the only color I’ll use.

Full Size: $13.00 My Value: $13.00

3)   LVX Nail Polish in “Deco” – .5 oz.  (FULL SIZE)

I rarely paint my nails, but I actually like this color!  I decided to paint them earlier in the week and then took it off two days later due to an event I was going to. I will definitely use this again though.  It is supposed to have a “gel look” which it kind of did, it seemed thicker looking that other polishes I’ve used.

Full Size: $16.00 My Value: $16.00

4)   tarte Lip Surgence Lip Tint in “Charmed” – .10 oz. (FULL SIZE)

Yet another pink lip crayon.  Womp womp. I wish I got these things in colors other than bright pink and red!  ßI wrote that sentence on the last Boxy Charm review. I didn’t even change it.  How lame. Disappointed in you Boxy Charm!

Full Size: $24.00 My Value: $24.00

5)   Previse Nutrify Skin Type 1-6 Universal Tonic – 2 oz. (FULL SIZE)

Though this has a super awesome sounding value, I just don’t quite get what it is. The description says it “hydrates skin and speeds healing while fighting free radicals and surface irritants.” Sounds like mumbo jumbo to me.  The directions are quite intense too.  I’m not sure if I will ever use this, let alone purchase it again.

Full Size: $48.00 My Value: $48.00

Final Cost: $21.00

Final Value: $112.00

As always, this box has such a great value.  Obviously, the weird “tonic” bumps it up pretty high, but even without that I think I am still getting some items I will definitely use.

What are your thoughts?

If you’d like to get Boxy Charm, you can sign up here!

(Also, I’m not a review only blog….I just like sharing these fun things! I have not been compensated for this review.)