Happy New Year... It's 2011!!!!

Goodbye 2010... you were a pretty good year I must say.  When 2010 initially kicked off I was with my dear sweet now wife at Vernon Downs in Vernon, NY.  If I recall we took a break from playing the slots to celebrate, and they passed out champagne, too. :)  That was the 2nd New Years Eve in a row we spent there (I don't think it was 3... but maybe).  In fact, this was the first NYE I can recall in several years that HASN'T been celebrated in a casino!  I didn't even stay awake until midnight.  I turned in at 10:45 PM and could have probably gone to sleep much earlier even.  However, I did wake up just a little earlier than usual to watch the ball drop in Times Square this morning.  :)

So... back to 2010... following my trip home and to NY to visit with Anne Marie it was back to the old grind for awhile.  Nothing too exciting through the winter months, although we did get in a very nice trip to Portland, Oregon, in the middle of February which was very nice.  I had several casino trips in there to Jackpot, Nevada, about one a month roughly.  It's a nice little getaway for a day or two, and it's a MUCH shorter drive than to Reno or Vegas.  Then we didn't get to see each other for quite some time... it was pretty tough, but we made it!  I traveled to the Utica, NY area in mid-June, and we were ready... for our WEDDING!  June 19th was a grand occasion, and I really don't think it could have gone any better for us and all of our guests.  A wonderful time was had by all.  That's going to really put 2011 to the test if it thinks it's going to surpass 2010 isn't it???  Well... there are ways... but I'm not quite sure either of us is ready to enter that realm yet.  ;)  Following the wedding weekend it was back to work for the both of us.  Yes... that meant flying home again and being alone for a short while.  It was only 2 weeks, though, before the honeymoon! 

On the 3rd of July I hit the road for beautiful (and HOT) Las Vegas!  The first night for me on the road was actually spent in Jackpot, but I awoke very early the next day and put the pedal to the metal.  I arrived in Vegas just after noon pacific time following about a 6 hour drive.  It was only about 108 outside.  Cool for the 4th of July weekend I suppose. :)  I did a small amount of gambling and got checked into the Golden Nugget for our first two nights.  Anne Marie was arriving late in the evening, and I was there to meet her in plenty of time. The first day we hit the pool... and many days after that as well!  We have her father to thank for a fine meal at the Pasta Pirate along with a very good one at another sports bar/restaurant as well.  The Fremont Street experience is interesting to say the least, but we'd had enough of downtown LV by the end of day 2.   

Our next week would be spent in our timeshare, which was very nice I might add!  We took in the pool every day along with the discounts on all the shows.  We saw several shows during our 10 days in Vegas.  The Lion King, Jersey Boys, Tournament of Kings, and Frank Caliendo.  All were good... the Jersey Boys being my personal favorite of the 4.  There was much fun to be had during the honeymoon as you can see...



It was a wondeful time... We definitely enjoyed and savored every moment of our honeymoon. :)

There are many more pictures I could include here... and at some point I will... possibly in a different blog post.  My internet is just too slow over here to add them efficiently.  It takes FOREVER just to upload one pic... imagine how long it took me to upload 2 of them!!!!

It's now Jan 4th... I've been on a few day hiatus of pain and torture, but I'm feeling significantly better today! So I'm finishing this New Year's Day post finally! 

After the honeymoon it was time to start getting ready for DEPLOYMENT!  Our deployment training lasted the better part of 3 weeks.  Once that was done then it was time for a little more vacation time.  I went to visit Anne Marie... and then not long after she came back out to visit me again up until she had to leave to go back to work.  We worked feverishly to pack up my apartment and prepare it for a move out date at the beginning of September.  The storage unit was packed up... car included... and I was ready to take off for Iraq. 

Almost 4 months have passed since stepping on that plane the morning of September 7th.  It seems like yesterday to be honest.  I know the time flies here, but could it possibly go by that fast???  I remember when it was 115 degrees outside here.  Today's high = 57.  It's a vast contrast from what it was in the midst of late summer/early fall heat here in one of the hottest places on earth.  I've seen rain several times now, which although it feels good, it's really something we could do without here.  All it does is make a muddy mess of the place... and I mean EVERYWHERE!  Somewhere in between there I had a birthday as well... number 38 to be exact.  I hit my 18 year mark of service as well.  I won a karaoke machine on Christmas night in a free raffle.  I have eaten ice cream on Sunday now for 17 consecutive Sundays. :) 

What does 2011 hold in store?  Only time will tell.  I know that it will be strikingly similar to the last for months of 2010 until I leave Iraq in the middle of March.  After that... a new chapter will begin in this journey we call life....

Peace, Love, and Poker