Filter Needed?

How do you guys feel about filters or edited photographs? I don't mind some filters or minor editing techniques, but I don't think I'm crazy about pictures that are heavily edited that it almost changes the entire photograph. I feel like a camera is like a time machine, a photograph can transport you back in time or to a beautiful destination. So if a photograph is altered it just doesn't seem real to me. I know I'm weird, but that's just how I feel. I honestly don't use filters or editing techniques very often.  If I had to categorize my digital editing skills, I would classify myself as novice. I'm debating whether or not I should purchase Photoshop or any type of photo editing software, what do you guys think?  

Last Week: Las Vegas

Last week after the Superbowl my husband and I headed to Las Vegas! It was our first mini vacation for 2017. It was a last minute trip but it was quite perfect.  We arrived after the Superbowl crowd had vacated and it almost felt like we had Vegas to ourselves. 

On this trip we stayed at the Treasure Island. We dined at the Wynn buffet. OMG you guys! This is the prettiest places I have ever ate at. It is a little pricey but it's so beautiful, I recommend you try it a least once just to get it out of your system. We did a little gambling but didn't win, oh well! We took a long nap which felt so good. Your probably thinking "who takes naps in Vegas?!?!" Ha Ha! I know that sounds like something old people do, but honestly we felt tired and we thought that this time instead of walking up and down the strip we should rest and enjoy the comfortable hotel bed. 

To end our mini vacation, we went to the Michael Jackson One show at the Mandalay Bay. This show was amazing!! As a kid of the 80's, I grew up listening to Michael Jackson and it brought back so many nice memories. There were so many moments in the show where I just wanted to jump out of my seat and start dancing. I didn't, but I could see that other spectators felt the same way.  So whether you like Michael Jackson or not, I strongly recommend you check out this show because it's well worth the money and time. If you can't watch the show I recommend you visit the Mandalay Bay and check out the theater and shop where the show is held because they have some awesome memorabilia. 

P.s. The lens for my Nikon camera broke! I'm debating whether to buy a new lens or buy a new camera, so in the meantime I'm using my iphone for pictures. I apologize for the poor quality pictures. 

Night on Broadway

So this year I decided to skip the whole New Years Resolution's drama, instead I decided to do one thing a month that was something that I truly wanted to do for myself. Whether its something fun, pampering or personal but its something selfish for myself. The reason for this is because sometimes we get so caught up with our daily lives that before you know it the month has gone by and you didn't do anything for yourself and your left with "one day I will...". So I guess you can say 2017 is a going to be a very selfish year for me. Now don't get me wrong, these 12 things I plan to do I don't necessarily plan to do them all by myself, I will definitely enjoy the company of others. These 12 things are just things that I'm going to make sure I carve time to do for myself. 

Okay, so now that I've explained my 12 things theory lets jump into my first thing I did for myself for the month of January. It was something I've wanted to do for the past 2 years and it involves food, downtown, lights, carnival rides, and much more. Downtown Los Angeles has created a festival that takes you back to Broadway, a street that holds historic theaters and businesses that have amazing architecture and history. The festival is for all ages and all cultures. The entertainment ranges from chess boxing to Mariachi performers. So this year my husband and I jumped on the metro and headed downtown. Our first glimpse of this festival was boxing.

 I don't know if these are professional boxers, but it was fun to watch. 

Oh you know, just some Lucha Libre fighters having a conversation. I wonder what they were talking about. 🤔

The first theater we entered was The Million Dollar Theater. It was so nice to walk into this theater and listen to Mariachi music. The singer had an amazing voice and the mariachi performed flawlessly. It was amazing to see that people of all cultures were enjoying the performance. I wish I would've had better pictures of the performance to share with you guys but I was enjoying the show and honestly didn't have the opportunity to snap better pictures.  

We decided to eat dinner at the festival, in search of what to eat we decided to go into Grand Central Market just to take a looksey of possible food options. Of course we found lots of options but we decided to keep walking and circle back if nothing on broadway was enticing. As we kept going we saw so many interesting people and acts. 

After walking a few blocks we decided a cheeseburger was the way to go. Oh my GOD you guys, this burger was so good.

When my dad was still alive, we would go to downtown every so often and he would like to drive down Broadway and tell us how when he first came to the United States he would shop on this street, and watch acts at these amazing theaters. He would talk about how clean and new it all looked, and how he was in awe of this amazing city. So for me to walk down these streets and finally walk into these theaters was very emotional. I held it together and thought of him along the way. 😢 Lets keep going because I didn't want this to be a sad post. 😉

Some of the artwork that was on display that night. 

As the night ended we made our way to the metro station and jumped on the subway.