Finally, the New House is Going Up

After months and months of demolition and excavation, the foundation for our new house was completed and the steel frame was bolted to it. How exciting to finally see something come out of the ground. You can probably tell from this picture that the new house will be three stories tall.


I took this photo of guys pouring the concrete for the foundation.


Here's what the bottom level looked like when they'd finished pouring the concrete.


Then, they built a concrete mold for the walls.


Here's an artsy picture I took of the steel frame.

Viva Las Vegas!

Between Christmas and the New Year, I took a road trip with my Dad, Grammy, and Papa to Las Vegas. My family's not into gambling/drinking/smoking, which is a big part of Vegas, but we were interested in seeing the mega-hotels, shops, restaurants, casinos, and shows.

My first impression of Las Vegas - it was c-c-c-c-o-l-d! I stood by the Christmas tree in our hotel, dressed to take on the arctic winds outside...


Papa, Grammy, and I posed for a photo near the Luxor Hotel.


One of the best parts of the trip was a visit to Shark Reef at Mandalay Bay Resort. I was able to pet a sting ray.


I took this photo of a shark in one of the huge tanks. Aren't the eyes creepy?!