Travel.Food.Wine.Family.Life
Swarms of ladybugs can be found at Pinnacles National Monument inland from the California central Salinas Valley on Hwy 25. Those sweet little bugs that my kids all love look eerily creepy when multiplied by the thousands covering trees and branches galore at the start of the hiking trails. Beautiful still.
Fond memories about our weekend getaway last fall to Santa Catalina Island and the city of Avalon. Would love to head back during the summer!
Here it is, the easiest appetizer to make and the yummiest that everyone in the family will eat, even the picky kids! This can be made for appetizers or to accompany any meal.
Bacon Wrapped Asparagus
1lb Aspargus
1lb Bacon
Olive Oil
Garlic Pepper to taste
1. Trim the woody ends off the asparagus and place on a foil-lined cookie sheet.
2. Drizzle olive oil over them, toss about.
3. Sprinkle with garlic pepper to taste.
3. Wrap bacon around each asparagus spear, or bundle them in 2’s or 3’s.
4. Place in oven at 400 degrees for 20-25 minutes until bacon is cooked to your liking.
Tips: Be careful not to over dress them with oil, the bacon adds grease don’t forget! Also, since the bacon is salty, I didn’t add extra salt, just garlic pepper, it’s my favorite. Enjoy!
2012 marks the 100th year anniversary of the Girl Scouts of America, founded by Juliette “Daisy” Gordon Low. Currently, there are 3.2 million active Girl Scouts and more than 59 million American women enjoyed Girl Scouting during their childhood.
On My Honor, written by Shannon Henry Kleiber, is a historical account of the Girl Scouts of America’s founder, Daisy Gordon Low, and a self-help guide for modern-day mothers who are struggling to teach their daughters the importance of simple yet commonly overlooked values such as being a good friend, healthy living, spending time outdoors, and finding interests that will encourage personal growth.
When asked to read and review a new book about Girl Scouts and its founder Juliette “Daisy” Gordon Low, I agreed. I have to admit I didn’t think I would make it through the book, but as a Girl Scout leader and mother of 3 Girl Scouts thought it might be of some interest to me. (Also read into this that I am NOT much of a reader these days) Was I in for a surprise!
Not only did this nontraditional biography hold my attention, it gave me insight into the history of Girl Scouts that I never knew (or maybe just don’t remember) as a Girl Scout myself and gave a wonderful connection to how that history has transformed into today’s modern (yet very similar) version/vision of Girl Scouts as today’s girls know it.
Our family is a scouting family. My husband (an Eagle Scout) is the Scout Master for my son’s Boy Scout troop. My middle daughter loves her Girl Scout troop and leader, and I am a leader for my twin daughters and 8 other girls who just bridged to Brownies. I thought my current connection to scouting would be the tie I had to the information Kleiber had to present in her biography. What I found was it brought back all the positive memories I had as a Girl Scout myself and the ties those experiences had to developing the person I am today.
While I had a hard time getting through the first chapter, I sailed through the rest of the material. I found myself making time to read this book as I really enjoyed Kleiber’s smooth style of recounting Daisy’s life and development of the Girl Scouts in the United States and how that has transformed over the years to a modern day application with her own troop of girls. I also liked the historical link to Boy Scouts and Sir Robert Baden-Powell, the influences and similarities of the two organizations formed to benefit and develop our youth into strong and unique individuals. It’s through this foundation that the current Girl Scout leaders can build a solid foundation for the girls in our troops and the girls who will be influential in our future.
I recommend this book for anyone who was/is a Girl Scout, has a daughter, or just believes in the positive power of what girls can do. I’m recommending it to my entire service unit and my troop moms in hopes of renewing/continuing their spirit of the positive experience Girl Scouts brings to the lives of girls.
About Shannon Henry Kleiber: She is a former staff writer and columnist for the Washington Post. She has also written for the Christian Science Monitor, Washington Technology, American Banker, and Edible Maddison. Kleiber is also the author of The Dinner Club: How the Masters of the Internet Universe Rode the Rise and Fall of the Greatest Boom in History (Free Press/Simon & Schuster, 2002). Kleiber lives in Madison, Wisconsin, with her husband and two daughters, where she is a Girl Scout leader of her older daughter’s troop. For more information, visit www.shannonhenrykleiber.com.
Julie is a writer for Jen is on a Journey, about Julie: I’m a 41 year old (and yes that seems old) SAHM, independent demonstrator with Uppercase Living, a self-taught artist/crafter (whichever term you want to put with what I create), and former social worker. My life revolves around myself, husband, son (12), daughter (9), and twin daughters (7). That makes 6 to keep up with! We have an active family who loves the outdoors, scouting, swimming, and volunteering. You can find me at http://juliecorrigan.
Book was provided for honest review, all opinions our own.
I’m no stranger to the casinos when we head to South Lake Tahoe. I love a little gambling time, and of course love it in those few times I hit a jackpot. When I was young, my parents would travel to Tahoe with me and I’d hang out in the casino arcade while they gambled. On our recent trip to the Sierras, our kids had the best of both worlds, they got to come with mom and dad to the Horizon Casino to both watch a fabulous show AND got their time in the casino arcade like I used to!
We had the opportunity to watch the magic show, Illusion Fusion starring Alex Ramon in The Golden Cabaret room of the casino resort.
“Illusion Fusion”, a brand new, high-energy theatrical show stars Award-Winning Master Magician Alex Ramon & Friends, featuring mind-blowing illusions, slight-of-hand close-up, and unique, never-before-seen magic that defines the word “art”.
I love magic, I love being mystified and I was excited our kids could attend this family-friendly show! While we lined up next to the slot machines, the kids watched wide-eyed as the bling and ca-ching of the one-arm bandits enticed them. Once in the show room, we found our seats front-row and my husband and I were nervous. When we’ve gone to see comedians or other shows that often have audience participation, we tend to stay back a bit because we are both very shy. 
The show opens with this handsome young man, Alex Ramon who resembles television’s Jimmy Fallon and immediately the kids, and my husband and I are intrigued, interested, and awestruck from the first trick. Ramon’s beautiful assistant Meghan is involved somehow in about half of his tricks and illusions and here are a few photos of our favorites:
The oohs and ahhs were 100% real coming from us especially seated so close. I’d hope I could key into how the trick was really done, I just couldn’t! I’d try to think okay something’s holding her back, but they why didn’t her legs hang?? Mind-blowing.
Alex Ramon is charming, funny, and so entertaining! Using tricks with modern technology like the iPad really got the kid’s attention and then using so many audience members in the show was really smart to keep everyone on their toes. We laughed, we gasped, we questioned gravity and science, it was so cool!
If you’re lucky to see the audience-participation wedding ring trick, that’s worth the money right there! All in all, a fabulous time was had by all. We did not get chosen to go on stage though Alex Ramon jokingly says, “I still can see you if you look away!” ha ha! If you have really young kids like 3-6 years old, I would recommend they nap during the day, the show does start late for the little ones! All kids’ tickets for Sunday night shows are free with a paying adult and all kids’ tickets every night are good for a $5 arcade card in the casino, it’s a super great deal!
TICKETS
Illusion Fusion staring Alex Ramon will run this summer 6 nights a week, with shows nightly at 8p (Dark Wednesdays) in the intimate setting of The Golden Cabaret inside the Horizon Casino Resort . Doors open at 7:30pm, Show starts at 8pm and is about 1 hour and a half long. Tickets are available online at www.ticketfly.com, or by calling the Horizon at 775-588-6211.
$24.95 per person, with FREE tickets on Sundays for guests 12 and under (one free ticket with each paid adult). Also, all guests under 12 receive a FREE $5.00 pre-loaded arcade card for every show!
Become a Facebook fan for prizes, contests and giveaways, www.facebook.com/IllusionFusion and follow on Twitter @AlexRamonMagic and @FusionShow.
We were sent tickets for honest review, we paid for our extended family to join us. All opinions are 100% our own.
