Oregon Vaughns

One of the best parts about living in Bend is that everyone wants to come visit you (same thing was true when we were in Vegas).  We have had non-stop visitors this summer (family and friends) and it has been wonderful.  Bend has so much to offer: shopping, food, recreation, beautiful weather, scenery, outdoor festival/music, farmer’s markets… We have it all.

The Medina’s came to visit (a few times).  We were down at Munch N’ Music in Drake Park waiting to hear Big Bad Voodoo Daddy perform, when all of the sudden, an ominous cloud appeared out of nowhere delivering half-dollar sized hail!  It was the most insane surprise storm that I have ever been in.  And, the hail hurt!  (This was in August, too!)  Then, the hail turned to rain and we were soaked.  It was a flash flood and the water could not drain fast enough.  Andy ran to get the car and by the time we all got in it, we were drenched.  We were able to laugh about it when we got home, of course, safe and dry.

Here is a picture before the flukey storm:

Munch N’ Music is one of our free Thursday night concerts.  The week prior we had listened to Cherry Poppin’ Daddies play.

Another visitor of the summer was Auntie Chelsea.  Lily sure had a great time with her.  On one of the evenings, we climbed Pilot Butte (one of my favorite this to do with visitors, or just Lily).  Here are some pictures from atop the butte.

We have had many more visitors (and we welcome anyone wanting to come).  These are just a few that I happened to catch on film!

We went to Las Vegas for a second time this summer in July.  We went with the intent of playing some WSOP Events and maybe even the Main Event.  The goal was to satellite into the tournament (win seats by playing smaller tournaments).  We had made the decision that we would play the Main Event if we could win 2 seats.  However, we only won 1 seat… I shouldn’t say we, I should say Andy!  Andy won a seat into the Main Event and we were able to sell it for full value and come home with cash in hand.  So, even though we didn’t get to play the Main Event this year, it was still a successful run.

And, we of course took my dad to China Poblano (see from Vegas, Take 1) to have the 20 Vegetable Fried Rice and the Guacamole!

I should not that this trip was about a week long!  We were able to fly Shauna and Winter out from Connecticut to babysit.  Expensive babysitter, but well worth it.  Lily and Winter had a great time playing together for the week, and Shauna got to juggle two children.

This is a post that is overdue from last May.

Well, my dad’s nickname has evolved to Papa.  That is what he is called around here thanks to Lily.

Back toward the end of May we celebrated his birthday with a “not-so-surprise” party that we throw him every year.  Thanks to the dollar store, there were some funny gifts and some good laughs.

Crazy hats and fake teeth?

Let me first start with this modest and honest assessment:

Andy is, hands down, the best tournament poker player that I know (for Hold ‘Em).  In all seriousness, he is.  I would put my money on him over anyone I have ever seen…. and, we have played with very high level / experienced professionals.  I would still pick Andy, not just because I married him, but because he would be the best bet financially.

So, there was a 4-week tournament series called the Central Oregon Poker Championship.  There were 4 total tournaments (2 Texas Hold ‘Em, 1 Omaha, 1 Heads-Up Hold ‘Em).  Andy took second place in Texas Hold ‘Em Bounty event and took first place in the Texas Hold ‘Em Heads-Up tournament.  He did great!

Here is a picture of the “bracket” from the heads-up tournament.  It might be hard to see:

He won some money and his first ever POKER TROPHY (sitting so smugly on our mantel) for winning the Heads-Up Event.

Lily:  “Coconut Italian soda with whipped cream on top.”

This has been a summer of weddings!  Well, 3 total for us.

Andy went to Garth and Bonnie’s wedding in June (in Dallas, Texas).  I, unfortunately, had to teach so could not attend.  Garth and Andy had been good friends since elementary school.  And, we had the pleasure of meeting Bonnie when she and Garth came to our wedding!

Andy, Lily and I also attended Kristy and Kenny’s wedding in June!  It was a beautiful wedding with perfect weather and Black Butte Ranch right outside of Bend.  Kristy, as most people know who read this blog, has been a friend of mine since elementary school.  We are so happy for she and Kenny.

And just last weekend, we all attended Melissa and Alan’s wedding in Dallas, Oregon at Beckenridge Vinyard.  It too, was a beautiful setting with great weather (although a little hot).  I was a bridesmaid and had a great time reuniting most of our elementary school clan to celebrate this day.  As I type, Melissa is enjoying her “surprise honeymoon” in Costa Rica for 12 days.  Alan planned it all on his own and did not tell Melissa where they were going until their wedding day.

Here is a picture of Lily getting ready for Kristy’s wedding.  She wore the same dress at Melissa’s wedding too.

In June, Andy and I got to go (with my dad) down to Las Vegas for a few days.  Lily stayed with Nama (my mom).

Poker, poker, poker…. My dad did excellent in the WSOP Seniors Event.  He got 22nd out of 3,752 entrants.  Amazing!

That was the highlight of our poker trip.

But, we also went to enjoy the good food that Vegas has to offer.  Andy and I are wannabe restaurant and food critics.  We follow chefs on certain shows (Top Chef, Iron Chef, The Best Thing I Ever Ate, anything on Food Network really).  So, we are always looking for new things to try.

Here are some notable things we ate in Vegas:

What: Coffee Macaron
Where:  Payard Patisserie in Caesar’s Palace
Why: Chef Wolfgang Puck picked this as “The Best Thing I Ever Ate: Nutty”
Verdict? Delicious.

What: 20 Vegetable Fried Rice
Where: China Poblano in The Cosmopolitan (CityCenter)
Why: A chef chose this as “The Best Thing I Ever Ate: Las Vegas.” We do not know what chef chose this because the episode has not yet aired! We will find out soon.
Verdict? The fried rice was delicious. We also ordered guacamole with fresh, hot, hand-made corn tortillas. The guacamole had a little heat to it and it was amazing.

What: Tempura Alaskan King Crab, Baked Crab Hand Roll, Tempura Vegetables, Braised Kobe Beef Short Ribs
Where: Yellowtail at the Bellagio (executive chef Akira Back)
Why: Chef Beau MacMillan chose the Tempura Alaskan King Crab as “The Best Thing I Ever Ate: With Chopsticks.”
Verdict? It was all amazing and cooked to perfection. The tempura crab and vegetables were light and flavorful. However, the hit of the meal was the Baked Crab Hand Roll. This thing was to-die-for. The sauce inside of the roll was full of flavor and spice. I would go back and just order this roll.

Bad lighting, but this is the tempura king crab and tempura vegetables

This is the to-die-for handroll.  We still talk about it:

What: Pizza Margherita
Where: Wolfgang Puck Pizzeria at Crystals (CityCenter)
Why: I was hungry.
Verdict? $14 pizza. Great value for Vegas. Great taste.

What: The Buffet of Buffets. This is a 24-hour unlimited pass to 7 of the Harrah’s Buffets in Vegas. It only costs $45 bucks. This is an unbelievable value and it allows you to try some of the best that Vegas has to offer.

Breakfast was at the Buffet at the Rio: It was OK. Fairly large in size. Classic Vegas buffet.

Lunch was at the Caesar’s Palace Buffet: Much better than it was 5 years ago, when we lived there. In fact, this was one of the best buffets we have been to in a long time.

Dinner was at the Paris Village Buffet: Awful! We were so disappointed, as this used to be our favorite buffet on the strip 5 years ago (and we tried most of them). The dessert station was messy, the meats were not as high quality or cooked as well on the roasting table. We could go on, but bottom line is don’t go there. What used to be Vegas’ best kept food secret, has turned into its shame a la Francia.

Desserts at Paris Buffet.  Not what they used to be….. Still disappointed.

Well, I know I have promised so many blog posts and updates that have just not happened.

Trust me… I have a few blog posts in the works: reviews on Las Vegas trips with pictures of delicious foods! and a few others… But, for some reason, I have not had the time to post.

This summer has been an endless list of visits to Corvallis, visitors in Bend, and just busy go-go-go. We have loved every minute of it but have rarely had any moments to ourselves (and this means no computer time for me). It is August? Where has summer gone? I go back to work August 29th!

I will promise again. Blog posts, photos, and summer updates are coming. Just keep checking in.

Some quotes to leave you with.

Andy says: “Now I know the disadvantages to this sleek, aerodynamic hair style.”

Lily says: “Mama, can you call Shauna to ask her if Winter has 2 or 3 legs? Lily can’t remember.”

Lily: “Mama, can me have a cookie?”
Stacey: “Lily, say ‘Can I have a cookie?’ ”
Lily: “Can I have a cookie?”
Stacey: “No.”

“Cardamom is Cinnamon’s sexier sister.”