So…here’s the thing…we don’t have cable, or ‘regular’ tv, we have a bunch of streaming services, like Netflix, Hulu, Disney+, just to name a few, and PSM gives me grief because I also like YouTube.
There are shows we watch together on Netflix, Hulu, Paramount+, and Peacock, there are things we watch separately, there are things we watch together on Plex, but for some reason, I still like to watch clips, movies, and tv shows that I can only find on YouTube, I can’t help it!
For example, just before I started talking to you, I was watching a series I like on YouTube, but now…when we finish talking, I am going to watch RuPaul’s Drag Race on Paramount+. But… there are things you just can’t find on the other streaming services, so I look to YouTube. Also…YouTube has shorts, or mini series, some of the same content you find on TikTok, it crosses over, but I don’t have to deal with TikTok.
I can also search for almost anything on YouTube and find it, or at least a snippet, you can’t do that with the other streaming services, not everything is there. Don’t forget the music, the videos, rare, out of date content, and sometimes I find some new and fun things. I created playlists to save things to for later. And admittedly, I have a lot of holiday movies saved on YouTube and I am not afraid to watch them throughout the year!
There, I’ve said it. I like YouTube and you can’t stop me!
May 25, 2024 is our 5th wedding anniversary, and we decided a while back that we wanted to renew our vows every five years, and here it is! And it’s on a Saturday, just like the first time! So…when we decided we would renew our vows, our first thought was…Las Vegas…Elvis, what more could you want!
So…we sent out the word to everyone who was there the first time, and added some new friends we’ve made along the way and if anyone was available to join us, great! Anyone that couldn’t, no worries at all, you would be there in spirit!
We even wore the same outfits, ignore the wrinkles, I took the pics right after we hung up our stuff! We had Chuck Taylor, Converse Allstars, that I had painted Boston…New York…and the date on both pairs. PSM wore the same formal Hawai’ian Shirt, I wore the same rockabilly dress with tulle under it, same flowers in my hair and we were good to go!
After a great morning, spending some of the time with family and some time just the two of us, it was perfect! We got dressed, met up with SDL and Miss A, Uncle A and Auntie L, in the lobby of the Planet Hollywood Hotel, everyone was looking spiffy and we went up to S&J’s uber huge room and met them and my dad. We were meeting a very good family friend CL at the event later, so excited she lives just outside of Las Vegas and could come and celebrate with us! It would not have been the same if she wasn’t there!
After cocktails, which was very similar to the first time, we headed over to Las Vegas Immersive Weddings. This was truly an interesting, inventive, and exciting experience! I found them online through Get Your Guide, a site to purchase experiences, like Viator, and TripAdvisor, and more. The first thing I really liked about this company, aside from the different and interesting concept, was that the price for the experience was the price for the experience! All the others had a starting price and it only went up from there, not cool.
What was included was the location, that was interesting, it’s in a strip mall, there was a red carpet with velvet ropes on either side leading up to the front door, a waiting area/lobby that set the mood as soon as you walk in…pink padded chairs/sofa, a wall made of pink roses, a claw foot tub with a mannequin bathing in glass bubbles, a bottle of vodka behind glass ‘in case of emergencies’, props, and a juke box. That’s the way to make an entrance!
Susan, the lovely woman who organizes everything was there to greet us when we came in and she called Elvis in, there he was in all his glory, white rhinestone outfit with a huge belt, and giant Elvis sunglasses, oh, we can’t forget the cape! They sent everyone in to the back room where the ceremony was going to take place and then they went through how it was all going to work.
We each chose a lei, then Elvis took everyone, including PSM into the back room, Susan guided dad, who was in his Captain’s t-shirt, that he had gotten on our trip to New Orleans, he looked fabulous! The music started and we danced our way into the room, where Elvis was singing and directing us to where we needed to be.
The room one wall with champagne glasses and some bells, the rest of the room was floor to ceiling video screens and white sofas for everyone to sit on. We stood in the middle and the videos began to play, I don’t remember every image, but Las Vegas was certainly in the background. When it was time to go, Elvis was singing and telling us where to stand and how things were going to go.
The background moved and changed with the mood and what Elvis was doing and what we were doing. It was fabulous, Elvis said the vows, we repeated them, he threw in some very and funny stuff for us to repeat, some stuff was just for us, PSM and Elvis apparently had a little bit of a pow wow before I walked in!
There was laughter, love, excitement, frivolity, hilarity, music, laughter, I know I said that already, and love. So much love was in this room, not just from us, but from everyone surrounding us. And like the first time, there were moments, and i know I’m being cheesy, but who cares, there were moments, I didn’t realize anyone else was in the room but us, and I’m pretty sure my husband/groom felt the same way.
After the vows, and thank goodness it was recorded because I don’t remember most of what was said! There was a countdown for us to kiss, and it was right there on the big screen! We smooched, we hugged, we kissed, we danced. Everyone then got up and danced with us, Elvis sand, as Elvis does, and we just had a grand old time!
After a bit, everyone went back into the lobby, we had a private photo session with Elvis, then we went back out and had another photo session with everyone, and Elvis, of course! The time booked was 30/45 minutes, but we were there closer to an hour and we are so thankful for that time and the experience! We also walked away with a renewal certificate signed/witnessed by everyone, including King Elvis Presley himself!
This truly was a unique experience and if you have the inclination to get married or renew your vows and you want to do it in Las Vegas and not go to the same places as everyone else, Las Vegas Immersive Weddings really is the place to go to. You won’t experience anything else like it, promise!
I told you we’re going to do this every 5 years, I’ll let you know where we go in 2029, but for now, I will say to you…Love me Tender and good night.
It’s a new day, day 3 and we have lots to do! First, I want to take you on a tour of the restaurant in the hotel, it’s fun!
It’s a nice restaurant, wide, open, and inviting, if that makes sense. They have a few walls with animal heads, but just wait…the animal heads are all made of newsprint! Most likely paper mache on the outside, if you look closely, you can see headlines and typeset in the ears and on the face, horns, etc. It is very clever, if you take the time to look at it all!
The food presentation is nice, they have everything you might want or need for breakfast, pre-made scrambled eggs, eggs made to order, potatoes, grilled tomatoes, grilled mushrooms, think full english breakfast, then there are pancakes and waffles made to order, breads, cheeses, yogurts, fruit, breakfast cereals, muffins, coffee, tea, juices, you name it, they probably have it!
It was time to head out and say cherrio to London, and btw…they don’t say that, just in the movies, and if they do, I haven’t heard it!
They do say love at the end of every sentence, and I have to tell you, I like it, it doesn’t bother me, like in the south when someone , who I don’t know, calls me hun, or sweetie, it’s syrupy sweet and I’m not a fan! But call me love, it works, it’s just part of their vernacular. Ooh, I love that word!
We’re off…we got an Uber to Green Park, we were meeting our tour guide by the Constance Fund Fountain of Diana, isn’t she stunning!? I could just imagine, when it’s summer and the water is flowing.
There were so many tour groups meeting there, we finally found our guide, Alan, who was fabulous, by the way! I always thought if I was retired or we were living somewhere for PSM’s job and I couldn’t work for whatever reason, I would get a job as a tour guide, I would love it! One of these days I’ll tell you about a tour business…shhh…
We started walking, and Alan was very knowledgeable, giving us all sorts of tidbits and history and also very conscious of where the steps would be that we would need to get Miss A’s chair over. For the whole tour, everyone in the group was very aware and helpful where we were and if we had to pull the chair over something.
We started off, our first stop was by this amazing statue, across from the guards station on Marlborough Road, at St James Palace. We were waiting for the band to come out, we had such a great vantage point! While we waited, Alan gave us lots of great information, like there were only 2 guards there, that meant the king was not there. Interesting!
I love that I got Alan’s audio! He was telling us that when you look at their hats, the higher the hat, the higher the rank. There was an inspection first, I hope they pass!
Sorry it was slightly shaky, I was holding my hand up above my head, harder to keep it steady, everyone was so much taller than me!
Alan was trying to guess what they would play, would it be something serious or something light hearted. These are the Scottish guards, apparently they passed muster, here comes the band. Do you recognize the song?
We hated to leave the band, they were so very talented and I love that song! But…if we didn’t leave, we wouldn’t have the fabulous spot we did for the next phase of the tour and changing of the guard! [a lot of really cool background in that link!]
As we waited for the guards, we learned a few things. King Charles does not want to live in Buckingham Palace, understandable, with 775 rooms…it’s more of an office, so that’s why he and Queen Camilla are taking up residence at Clarence House, which only has 5 bedrooms, a little more manageable, which, was where William, the Prince of Wales had their residence, but since the King and Queen are there they’ve moved to Kensington Palace.
Since there were only two guards, that meant that the king was not in residence, if he was, there would be more. Also…the reason they walk back and forth, about every 10 minutes, is because it was a rule set down by Queen Victoria, if they are walking back and forth, they are proving they are not drinking or gambling! Oh my!
And from where we were standing, we could have reached out and touched a horse, we didn’t, but we could have! oh wow! such precision! such beauty!
Here are the guards walking back and forth!
Here comes and there goes the band! I don’t know if I said this, they only have the changing of the guard on Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday, mainly it’s dependent on the weather! Check out the full schedule in the link!
Here’s Alan telling us about the women in the guard! We definitely saw one! And the police officer at the end was a woman, again, girl power!
This was so exciting to watch, and this up close. Normally, you might be outside the gate or across the street, we were up close and personal! Turns out this is punishment duty! Oh my, that is quite the punishment!
After the tour was over, we got to stand and take pictures with the horse and guard! It’s definitely allowed, as long as you don’t touch their reigns or bridle, I think that’s what it was. I was ok, I didn’t touch anything! But…it was awesome! The horse we were standing/posing with put his head on my shoulder! He did!!!
After the pictures and me squealing about the royal horse putting his head on my shoulder, you are welcome for the ear worm! We walked to Trafalgar Square, it was right up the street. It wasn’t overly crowded, unusual, but nice. The fountain was doing it’s thing, people were walking around, climbing on things they weren’t supposed to, oh well, and the traffic was going by as if nothing would stop it.
I don’t know about you, but we were hungry! So…we went to The Clarence Pub in Whitehall. Thing thing about The Clarence…I was there with my dad in December 2022, then again with my dad, PSM, and my sister’s family in December 2022, a few days after dad and I discovered it. The food is good, they have a great veggie burger and sticky toffee pudding! I think I first saw it either on Gordan Ramsay or The Great British Bake Off and I first tried it in Glasgow, Scotland and fell in love with it and now, I try it whenever I can!
I just had to introduce it to SDL and Miss A and it did not disappoint! They went out of their way to find us a table, SDL had steak and ale pie and a beer, I had their veggie burger and a pot of tea, and Miss A had, you guessed it, sticky toffee pudding with ice cream, she was happy.
It’s a great atmosphere, warm and inviting, cozy, friendly, great staff, great food, great ambiance, what more could you want!? Would I go back? You bet, it might be my go-to for London trips for a good, affordable, convenient lunch!
It’s time to explore again! No the day isn’t even close to being over! We walked back down Whitehall looking at the architecture, the people, listening to the sounds of every day life in London, all the way down to Big Ben and Parliament. We learned somewhere that Big Ben is actually ‘just’ the clock and the tower itself is called the Elizabeth Tower, imagine that!
As we walked back down Whitehall, we were treated to another changing of the horse guard, but we were on the outside this time.
Let’s keep walking… we walked back to Buckingham Palace in all its glory and then we walked Constitution Hill to the Wellington Arch. It started to rain while we were walking, but did we care, nope, not at all! We were in London, the sun was out, and we were having a grand time! As we came out of Constitution Hill at the Wellington Arch, what did our eyes spy…THE Hard Rock Cafe! London!
Now…when I say THE Hard Rock Cafe, I mean THE Hard Rock Cafe, the very first, established in 1971, a very good year, if I do say so myself! The cafe was established June 14, 1971 and it was just that, a cafe. We decided we had to go in! [We really needed a looooo!] We maneuvered in, got a table, SDL ordered cheesecake for herself and a piece for Miss A and I had a pot of tea, there honestly wasn’t anything there for me, and we were just looking for dessert, I was happy with my pot of tea. Let’s just say the cheesecake was a big hit!
After we relaxed a bit and Miss A enjoyed the music, it was cool, they were playing classic videos on the TVs, things I haven’t seen in years! Next, you know we had to, we went across the street to the shop. I don’t know if I told you, but…wherever we go, we always look for the Hard Rock, SDL likes to collect their t-shirts, if it’s cool and the price is right, for me, I have a friend that I always get a pin for! I got him one when I was here the last time, at the store on Piccadilly, and I wasn’t originally going to get one this time, but it’s the original cafe/store! Shhh…don’t tell him!
As we were walking around, this guy who works there offered to take me on a tour of the museum downstairs, SDL wasn’t interested, so I went and it was cool! They had the corset Madonna wore in the Express Yourself video, Slash’s guitar, John Lennon‘s lyrics to Instant Karma (We All Shine On), a chair from Freddy Mercury and more! It was quite the treat!
When I came back upstairs, I found them waiting and Miss A was nodding off in her chair, it was time to go! I got us an Uber back to the hotel, there was no way we were walking! It was 3.2 miles and we had just walked how many miles, no thanks! 15 minutes by car or 60 by foot, hmmm…
We got back to the hotel, ordered some takeout and chilled out, it was a great day, but we were tired! I might fall asleep as I’m writing this to you, could you blame me?! What does tomorrow hold?! It’s only day 3, we have so much more to see!
Peaches Prattlings 