Special Events, tierneytravels

Birthday-ing with Bruno

tierneycreates: a fusion of textiles and smiles

As I mentioned in the post Stitch a Quilt Store in Durango, CO we’ve been on a “Late Spring/Summer of Travel” which started in late May.

In late May we traveled to Las Vegas, Nevada to celebrate my 60th birthday Part I (I wanted to two part birthday trip and the second part was a Four Corners/Mesa Verde National Park/Durango/Ouray/Pagosa Springs trip which I share in other posts).

So yes I just said it – I turned 60. It’s very shocking. I’ve been blogging since I was in my late 40s (October 2025 is my 12 year blogging anniversary) and when I turned 50 I kept it pretty secret in the blogosphere as I didn’t want my readers to know I was “that old” (ha, that is no longer old). At first I was going to hid the turning 60 but why – who cares?

Actually I only feel like celebrating getting older these days as 1) I can’t age backward so I’m stuck with it; 2) my mother only got to live to her early 50s; 3) my late husband passed at 58; and 4) I am in good health (at least in my mind).

Originally I was going to spend my 60th birthday in Bend, Oregon where I lived for 14 years before moving to Colorado in 2019. It would be my first time returning in 6 years since my husband Terry died suddenly in December 2018 and I moved in April 2019.

I was planning a wonderful reunion with several groups of Central Oregon friends, staying at several houses; and the opportunity for several of them to meet John for the first time.

But I couldn’t do it. Not yet. I ended up disappointing several groups of friends and giving a lot of apologies. I just could not return to the place where I “lost it all”. Grief is weird and people react different ways to big life losses.

I guess I am still reacting to the loss of my wonderful life partner and life in Central Oregon by not being psychologically able to return…at least not yet.

So I had to rethink what I wanted to do for my 60th birthday and I came up with a strange combination: 1) go to Las Vegas and see some type of major show (Bruno Mars); and 2) go on a major Colorado roadtrip!

So on part one of my birthday celebration we went to Las Vegas, Nevada for a couple days and saw Bruno Mars in concert at the Park MGM Resort (where we also stayed) in Vegas.

It was one of the best concerts we’ve ever been to in in our lives. They locked up your phone when you entered the concert venue and no photography was allowed so I haev no photos from the experience to share.

Here is a video I found on YouTube from 2024 to give you a taste of his music and talent if you are not familiar with Bruno Mars:

It was a cool experience watching a concert without anyone having their phones recording the show, taking photos, or checking their messages, etc. The entire audience, including John and I, were laser focused on the show without any distractions.

We had really good seats and discovered later in the show when Bruno Mars pointed her out and gave recognition to her progeny that we were sitting a tiny section over from Katherine Jackson, the mother of the Jackson 5/Michael Jackson, and Janet Jackson! She was the special guest of Bruno Mars for that particular show so we kind of had a once in a lifetime experience to sit within 100 yards of the mother of Michael and Janet Jackson! The woman sitting in front of us broke down crying as she said she was a huge Michael Jackson fan and to be sitting close to his mother completely overwhelmed her!

(Security ushered her out of the show before it ended so no one got to bother her)

In addition to seeing Bruno Mars in concert, we enjoyed a fun couple of days wandering around Las Vegas and going to the exhibit I always stop and see when I am in Las Vegas – the Bellagio Conservatory & Botanical Gardens.

Their current exhibit is Glam Menagerie: A Surrealist Summer. Here is the 3D tour if you’d like to see: Glam Menagerie 3D Tour.

Here are some of my photos from the exhibit:

We always enjoy yummy dining experience when visiting Vegas and in addition to stopping at some of our favorite places (Eataly, Taco El Gordo, and Din Tai Fung) we had a scrumptious breakfast at Paris Las Vegas Hotel in their Parisian themed restaurant Mon Ami Gabi.

I had the lemon curd and raspberry crepes and they were a “spiritual” experience in breakfast dining!

It was a good part one celebration and in future posts I’ll share our adventures during the second week part of my 60th birthday celebration.

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Published by tierneycreates: a fusion of textiles and smiles

Quilter, crafter, obsessive tea drinker and lover of all furry creatures (especially dogs and cats) - join me on my tierneycreates blog as I share stories from "A Crafter's Life".

35 thoughts on “Birthday-ing with Bruno”

  2. Wow, what an incredible birthday celebration! Bruno Mars, a Colorado road trip, and those lemon curd crepes sound amazing. Totally get the whole “freedom” feeling too, I’ve been experiencing a bit of that myself lately. Been working with some garage door repair guys to fix up my place, and it’s giving me ideas about making more time to just get out and explore. Loved reading this, thanks for sharing!!

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  7. Happy Birthday and Welcome Back to the 60s! That’s my stock phrase for this milestone event – giving a nod to the fun aspects of the 60s (decade perception) as one enters into that age-decade. Anyway – random comment but your featured image grabbed my attention as – you know – I am a Bruno regardless of first/last name order in which it falls! HA! One of my younger male students’ favorite is Bruno Mars and so my radar went up with the fact that you as an ‘older’ person gave him an enthusiastic thumbs up. A versatile audience is always a positive! 😎

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  10. Happy Birthday Tierney!!!! Age is just a number…it only matters how old YOU think you are! The calendar says I’ll be 64 later this year but in my mind’s eye I’m only 50-something!!
    I can only imagine how good Bruno is live… he is so stinkin talented!!! Wow those pics of the gardens are really cool…reminds me of Alice in Wonderland.

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  12. Belated Happy Birthday! And best wishes for many more! It sounds like just a wonderful way to celebrate – a great concert, lots of yummy food, and all the other sights of fabulous Las Vegas 🙂 I love the Bellagio’s floral displays – they are just breathtaking!

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  15. “Spiritual experience in breakfast dining.” Oh my word you made me laugh. They look delicious. Breakfast is often my favorite meal when we travel. I’m glad to hear that yours did not dissapoint.

    I fully understand how difficult it was for you to return to a place full of memories and trauma, life and profound loss. The emotional triggers are like lighting a match. It’s a small stick with a red top (nothing to see here), but when lit, wow. Arms around you, Tierney. You made decisions that were good for you and thought dissappointed, I know your friends understand.

    My dad died in his fifties when I was 9. When I turned 52 it gave me pause. You are living a full life creating art, travel, loving your family and John and all the dogs you meet on your journeys.

    I think you’re pretty darn cool.

    PS. I would like to note your actual birthday. May 31?

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  17. Pingback: Birthday Colorado Roadtrip Part I – tierneycreates

  18. Happy (belated but still heartfelt) birthday. Good on you for embracing it ~ hugs~ Your celebrations sound amazing ~ and add the Jacksons in as a bonus!

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