In the summer of 2009, my best friends and I were off on our first Vegas trip. We had planned on taking on all the strip had to offer, but to avoid the typical Vegas pool party at all costs.

And there we are, 24 hours after landing, at the mother of them all, Rehab at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino. You might know it from the “is this REAL?!” show on TruTV.

(In our defense, we got offered free entry!)

There were giant drinks in souvenir glasses, tiny bikinis, men in bumblebee costumes, a whole lot of tattoos and barely space to hang out in the water…and it was something I’ll never forget.

Fast forward to Memorial Day weekend 2012, MGM Grand Pool at Foxwoods.

Every Summer Sunday is a Liquid Sunday.

As I opened the doors leading out the the MGM Grand pool I could already feel the bass and see the line, and it was just shortly after 12 p.m. when the party starts.

The Vegas-inspired pool party features a DJ spinning top 40, outdoor bars, grilled goodies and all the people watching you could ever ask for.

All I need is a sweet bumblebee costume and I’ll feel right at home. See all my pictures from Liquid Sundays.

Liquid Sundays is every Sunday from May 27 – September 2 at the MGM Grand Pool from noon to 6 p.m. rain or shine. On July 1 doors open at 11 a.m. in celebration of Fourth of July weekend. All parties are 21 plus and there is a $20 cover charge. This year’s guests include Mario Lopez July 1, Audrina Patridge July 22, Ice T and Coco August 5 and La La Anthony August 26.

I can say this was this first time I studied for a Friday night out.

The first annual Farmington Public Schools Foundation Spelling Bee was held at the Sarah Porter Memorial Friday May 11 to help raise money for the Foundation’s grant program. Myself and FoxCT meteorologists Joe Furey and Geoff Fox gave it a go as the FoxCT Anchor Bees.

The prize (aside from pride and bragging rights)

We always make the kids do it, so why not have the adults give it a shot too, right? The format was a little different, each team of three got 30 seconds to spell the word as a group on their white board then submit it to the panel of judges. Each round, or “swarm,” featured three to five teams, and the final team standing from each swarm made it to the finals. Length of each round depended on how long it took to go from five teams to one.

I was so thankful to find out we were competing as a team so the nightmares of myself alone on a dark stage, a single spotlight and a microphone, spelling “arachnophobia” unsuccessfully…in my underwear…could stop.

Sadly we did not win our swarm, but we did have a great time, it wasn’t nearly as scary as I expected! The night also featured a barbecue buffet courtesy of Flaggstead Smokehouse, a silent auctions, and some teams even played around and posed with the trophy before things got competitive.

Patti Ellett, Ellie Weinberg and Stacey Fresher

The best part? The room was packed to all ends with people all there to help raise money for Farmington Public Schools. I’ll be studying up for the next time!

It was a shopping party.

A DJ spinning today’s hits, breakfast treats and a whole lot of enthusiasm greeted bargain hunters this morning as they waited in line to experience the state’s first Nordstrom Rack located next to the Westfarms Mall.

I got there around 8 a.m. and my mood was instantly transformed from “why did I do this” tired to “alright let’s do this”…and it wasn’t the quad iced latte talking. Even THIS line didn’t shy people away:

Nordstrom Rack offers merchandise from high-end designers at 30 to 70 percent off original prices, from watches and clutch purses to full men’s suits. The Westfarms Shopping Center location at 1600 Southeast Road, Farmington, is Connecticut’s first.

Leading up to the 9 a.m. open, shoppers were encouraged to enter the Race to the Racks sweepstakes, a chance to be the first customer in the store in the form of a $2,000, 90 second shopping spree. Names were drawn at 8:45 a.m. and Sean Keating of West Hartford was the lucky winner.

We followed him every step of the way

At 9 a.m. after revelers even tried to sneak a peak…

…the wait was over.

I had a prime spot to watch the first woman, who had been in line since 8 the night before, literally run through the door and have everyone behind her follow suit.

Once the store was open, the work ended and the fun began. It’s no secret to those who know me that I love to shop, with shoes being my ultimate paycheck demise. However I was here for one Michael Kors bag in particular, that luckily was still waiting for me after the crowds.

For fellow shoe lovers, welcome to (some of) the shoe department

Anyone need a big floppy hat?

This certainly wasn’t their first rodeo. To accommodate all the shoppers, mobile check out centers were located all over the floor with all the same functionality as a regular checkout counter to keep the wait to a minimum. And it worked.

The deals weren’t a one-time things, and the store isn’t going anywhere, so why all this hype? Kendall Ault with Nordstrom Rack explains the draw of the store but also some of the specials only available today.

I may not have found a golden hanger, and I may have broken three nails along the way, but all this loot at the price of what the Michael Kors bag would have cost me (and a free tote bag) made it all worth it.

Did you visit Nordstrom Rack on opening day? Share your story or steal of a deal!

I hardly knew what to expect walking into DAYGLOW at the XL Center…but I knew I would at least walk out looking like this.

So why does one voluntarily let people shoot paint at them? It’s fun of course!

DAYGLOW is known as “The world’s largest paint party” and it is stopping at the XL Center in Hartford April 19 and 20 so the Capitol City can experience “life in color” as their motto reads.

The crowds, donned in all white or neon…the highly suggested dress code…made their way down the stairs and lower level of the arena coated in plastic to the plush flooring below. My favorite quote of the night came before I even hit the first stair, “let’s get weird!”

Weird indeed…but in the most flattering of ways.

DAYGLOW had perfected the waiting game. The first two hours of the night actually have no paint involved at all. The DJ spins techno music and the crowd was dancing for almost all of the two hours solid. There’s a merchandise booth on the floor where you can purchase glow sticks, gloves with light-up fingers and shutter shade glasses…which turned out to be the best investment I made as the paint started to fly.

How I saw most of the night

After two hours the countdown to paint begins with 30 minutes. Here is a great photo captured by Andrea Wise, Special to the Courant

Once we got to the final seconds and you’re finally fully prepared, the stage just went black. The whole crowd was yelling “We want paint!” and all of the sudden without the clock my adrenaline was pumping because I had no idea when, all of the sudden, paint would start raining from the stage.

A short video clip plays then 5,4,3,2

Powerful guns shot neon paint into the crowd and from that point on, it’s every man for himself. The stand that once sold me my now coveted shutter shades was selling bottles of paint for $5 a pop and the crowd showers their fellow revelers in blue, green and pink neon rain, all while the DJ keeps the music going.

Weapon of choice

The doors had opened at 8 p.m. and by about 10:30 p.m. DAYGLOW is finally in full swing.

This was certainly unlike anything I had ever seen before, and that’s what they’re going for.

“This is a great event for the venue and the city. AEG prides itself on its ability to attract unique and diverse events to Hartford. This is just another example,” explained Tim Kemp, senior marketing manager at the XL Center.

To see more of DAYGLOW, click through our photo gallery. You can also experience it for yourself, however the second show is close to sold out.

If you find yourself intrigued by the colorful mystery that is DAYGLOW, and I have to say it was a heck of a good time, just make sure you wear some comfortable, sturdy shoes and pack a towel for your ride home.

Then come Saturday, you might also find yourself with a pretty interesting before and after

I already told you that these UConn Women’s Basketball fans are some of the most dedicated around. They travel the country for years following the team to show their support, like these friends I met in Kingston that have been traveling for over 15 years to Final Fours, regionals and more.

But what I began to catch on to is they also go all out when it comes to beads, stickers, tattoos and more. These are some of the most decorated fans around.

Before the UConn Women took on Notre Dame in Denver in the National Semifinal, I stopped some fans to get a few portraits. Here is my homage to the jingling, sparkling, go-get-em UConn Women’s fans, rock on.

It’s not very often you see a dancing tree or a dog doing the worm, okay, you never do. But Sunday before the Women’s Final Four Tournament the Mascot Challenge inside Tourney Town wasn’t much like anything you see at your average pregame.

Jonathan of UConn, the Stanford Tree, Notre Dame’s Fighting Irish and the Baylor Bear each got a chance to hype up the crowd, then were paired with a group of kids and performed in a relay race. In the end Notre Dame took it, which was a little odd because, it’s really just a person in a funny outfit, but it was all based on crowd participation and man did Notre Dame have that place packed.

Watch Jonathan the Husky in action, including one sweet worm and a booty shake

The Pep Rally followed, where the Pep Band the cheerleaders from each team got the crowd going. I was dancing in the aisles, it was a great atmosphere. That Stanford band is unlike anything I have ever seen before. At one point a dance team member took over on the drums, while the sunglasses-clad drummer danced around. It was immensely entertaining.

Watch some of UConn’s Pep Rally performance

Before Uconn, Notre Dame, Baylor and Stanford all face off on the court for the National Title, their loyal support system of musical proportions all got their chance to shine.

The Battle of the Bands filled the Pepsi Center Saturday afternoon, with each band playing two songs in a fight to the pep death. I met up with the Blue Band in Denver for UConn before they headed court side to talk about how they prepare and what it’s like to be the ones going for the win this time.

In the end, Baylor came out on top. But the audience was the deciding factor, so I’ll let you make your own decision!

UConn Pep Band

Stanford, Baylor and Notre Dame

So who would you choose?

At 9 a.m. on a Saturday morning beneath a crystal clear blue sky and between the Denver monuments, the 4Kay run was off.

This was the fifth annual run, and is a key event during the Women’s Final Four. The run is held to honor the late North Carolina State University head women’s basketball coach Kay Yow. The proceeds will benefit the Kay Yow Cancer Fund, much like the Play 4 Kay basketball game I participated in during the Big East Tournament in Hartford.

The race began at Civic Center Park and proceeded up to 14th street, where I caught up with the runners, walkers and some very cute dogs.