Weekend Update

August is literally days away and while I am super excited for all the activities and events that will be coming up in the month ahead, I savored this past weekend as much as I could. Why you might ask? Well, it was the last weekend for many to come that was not completely full of plans and things to do.  

Ryan and I spent a lot of quality time with rocco which felt so good after our scare last week. We lingered on our back patio, went on walks, soaked up the sun and just enjoyed being at home as a family of three. The weekend also brought together ryan's family for a bbq in honor of my brother-in-law luke who's birthday was earlier in the week. It was a relaxing and fun-filled evening that I hope he enjoyed as much as I did. My weekend wrapped up with treating myself to a pedicure and also some time at the pool before dinner on the patio. The weather was ideal and the company made the evening complete. 

I will not have another leasurely weekend again until late august and by then I will probably be the size of a house and extremely uncomfortable as my pregnancy comes to an end so I am glad I made the most of the past couple of days. Here is to hoping you did the same! 

Rocco Scare

Today I am snuggling with rocco a little tighter, giving him extra love every second I can and being grateful for his precious little face looking up at me.

In a single moment, a wonderful evening changed to a panic-filled experience that altered my perspective entirely. We went out to dinner and had the most enjoyable evening; a delicious meal, a fun-filled drive home full of laughing, talking about our bebe-on-the-way and just general happiness. However, when we walked into our home and rocco did not come running to greet us, we knew something was wrong.

(left to right:  new years day 2012; the day we picked rocco up from the breeder  /  a kiss for rocco in 2013 after the broncos won a game  /  my favorite, snuggling with rocco in bed)

For nearly 2 hours, we were tearing our house apart, running through our neighborhood in a panic and crying his name; my heart broke in sadness that my sweet little 3lb yorkie was gone forever. I had the most horrible thoughts running through my mind and I could not stop the tears streaming down my face. I ran inside to use the restroom around 10:30pm after searching through the parks and yards around our house and when I opened the door, he was standing in the hallway looking up at me. 

(my heart was smitten from the moment I saw him at the breeder in 2012  /  ryan and rocco playing in the snow last winter 2014)

I have no idea how he reappeared, how we did not find him in our search or why he never came to us after the dozens of times we said his name... but he's home. When I saw his innocent and scared face, the most intense relief consumed my entire body. I was sobbing in happiness all night that he was okay, wrapped up in my arms. I also was overcome with appreciation and love, as our closest friends dropped everything to come help us look for him and our family's offered to do the same. So much fear and sadness quickly turned to the most extreme gratefulness... to say it was an emotional overload would be an understatement.

(ryan, rocco and I ringing in the new year, december 2014  /  rocco loving up on my baby belly this spring 2015)

People's pets are like their children and rocco is no exception. I have never experienced the terror and anxiety of losing a pet before but last night was something I would not wish on anyone or want to go through again. I am blessed he is safe and thankful that so many people love rocco like we do and that I can look back on last night knowing it is in the past. 

For My Pooks

July 13th has always been one of my favorite days of the year. Why you might ask? Well the answer is a given, it is my sister’s birthday!

This day has always been spent celebrating my best friend… through happy hours, fun dinners at trendy restaurants, lavish surprise parties or even good-old-fashioned family get togethers. I have always gotten a little geeked-out planning the perfect celebratory event in gina’s honor, staying up way too late figuring out the most minute of details or shopping for hours to find the perfect gift. July 13th has always been a day that I look forward to with so much excitement.

(gina and I celebrating my 30th birthday a couple years ago... we spent the day together in boulder and the laughs had me in tears the whole day)

I doubt I will be celebrating with gina this year but my deepest hope is for her to know my heart is with her today and every day… wishing her the happiest year to come.

I love you pooks... happy 33rd! 

to see gina's previous birthday posts click here, here, here and here.

4th of July // Weekend Update

The fourth of july weekend was americana from beginning to end... bbq's, red, white and blue, family, friends and of course fireworks. It had all my favorite things combined into 3 days which in my world, made for a weekend of near perfection. 

Ryan and I hosted our annual 4th of july party and we had about 20 of our family and friends over to our house. I made some fun diy's from my inspiration board to decorate, whipped up a batch of patriotic jell-o shots with my sister-in-law peyton (which were a huge hit... even though I couldn't partake myself) and ryan had the backyard in pristine shape for yard games and hanging out. The evening ended with fireworks at sports authority field as we have done for the past several years and it was an awesome show. 

Sunday was also a very special day in my book... ryan and I were able to have lunch with my grandma and catch up with her about our trip to sweden. I so value the time and relationship I have with my grandma which was why our get together was such a highlight of my weekend. I also had 2 of my besties in town from fargo and steamboat so our bookclub got together for an afternoon picnic in wash park. The afternoon was exactly what I needed... hours of laughing and story telling with the women I adore more than anything in the world. I think I could have sat out in the park with them until the stars came out but sadly the rain wrapped up our fun. 

I hope you had a wonderful weekend and made the most of our independence day. 

Gothenburg // Part II

After a couple of days exploring gothenburg, ryan and I had a very rare and extremely exciting weekend planned. My cousin anna who is an incredible soccer player, was recently recruited to play for a swedish team, mere hours away by train. It worked out perfectly for us to hop on a train and head to central sweden for a weekend of soccer and catching up with family across the globe.

(left to right: our train from gothenburg to karlstad  /  the Östra bron bridge which is the largest stone bridge in europe  /  a beautiful church we stumbled upon  /  goddess of peace; the most well-known statute in karlstad)

Ryan and I took a train to karlstad; a larger town 30 minutes from where anna lives and plays soccer. She met us for the evening as we explored the charming city and had a very delicious dinner at kitchen & table, a restaurant by marcus samuelson. It was ironic and truly amazing to meet up with family in another country. Anna stayed with us at our hotel for the night and we all fell asleep talking, laughing and telling stories about her adventures in sweden over the past couple of months. It was honestly one of the top highlights of the trip.

(a beautiful building in town  /  one of the many european styled buildings in karlstad  /  dinner at kitchen and table  /  the covered patios which lined the city center in town)

Anna had a soccer game on sunday which we could not miss so, after a yummy breakfast at our hotel, anna headed out early to get ready while ryan and I spent the rest of the morning taking in the sights. We made our way to karlskoga just in time for the game. Ryan had never seen her play before, even though I had talked to him about what an established and good player she was. Only a couple minutes into the game ryan says to me, 'wow, she is really good' and I don't know why but I felt so much pride watching my cousin running up and down the field. Anna scored 2 of the team's 4 goals and had an assist too. Their team walked away winning 4-1 and anna was named the day's m.v.p.

(a bunch of shots from anna's game)

Sadly we could not stay long after the game because we had to jump on a train back to gothenburg. For our ride back, ryan got us tickets in the first class section which was a real treat; we had a private pod to relax in as we took in the gorgeous swedish countryside and even visited the bar cart which had live music. It was the perfect ending to the weekend; a 2-day trip that I will never forget either.

(waiting for the train back to gothenburg  /  our first class digs on the train  /  one of the very small quaint towns from our trip  /  beautiful scenery  /  ryan and I traveling the swedish countryside)

I have one more post to share on our sweden #babymoon so come back here monday. 

And because I am a very proud cousin, here is some really cool compilation footage of my cousin college soccer career. 

Weekend Update

I am blessed to have both my family and ryan's family living in the denver-metro area. We typically do not have a weekend that goes by without spending time with at least one side of our families too. This past weekend was the best of both worlds; a little mix of both our families... making memories that will last a lifetime.

My sweet little niece kamryn celebrated her 5th birthday with a bbq on friday night. We sat outside in the warm summer air telling stories, laughing and watching the kids play on the trampoline. Kamryn was so proud that it was her birthday and she was the cutest to watch as we all sang 'happy birthday' in her honor.

Sunday my parents, ryan and I had a belated father's day celebration which included a trip to the farmers market and then brunch at jax fish house. We wandered through the endless booths, talked with the purveyors and sampled our way up and down pearl street in the mid-morning sun. Followed by bloody marys (I had strawberry lemonade, for the record) and brunch, it was the perfect way to celebrate the extremely good men in my life. 

Hope you had a great weekend too... maybe you spent it with your family too! 

We're Having A...

(a couple of the sweet baby gifts we have already received and also our ultra sound photos from 20 weeks)

Ryan and I are not huge on baby announcements (while cute, they all seem a bit over the top for our personal style) but we wanted to share some more exciting news...

Our little bebe is in fact a growing boy. We could not be more thrilled and honestly, it just makes this whole experience feel that much more real. It's all smiles over here and we are enjoying celebrating each milestone as they come our way. 

(our boy's little feet, which are crossed at the ankle  /  the 'charlie brown' side profile picture of our boy at 20 weeks, his arm is the white vertical blob going across his mouth)

Weekend Update

Hello spring and hello busy weekend of activities. I feel exhausted today and looking back at all these photos, it makes sense why my energy is lacking. From friday to sunday, I was up and about getting things done, stuffing my face :) and making memories with friends and family.

Ryan's little sister came home from college to stay with us for the weekend. We had dinner on friday at pinche tacos followed by my first experience at denver's iconic, voodoo doughnuts. Dinner was fabulous and my grapefruit mock-tail from the bar made my night. 

Saturday we were up with the sun and stopped into my favorite juice bar, nekter for a pressed juice and acai bowl before heading to home depot. We have been in our house now for nearly 5 months and with the weather warming up, we are able to start tackling a couple of the outdoor projects on our list. After ryan spent a few grueling hours working away, we cleaned ourselves up to join my parents for dinner at one of our favorites, russell's smokehouse for an early mother's day celebration. We stuffed ourselves silly on low-n-slow cooked bbq, the most velvety mac-n-cheese, cornbread cooked in a cast-iron skillet and cheesy grits. (read my restaurant review here). The night was a true celebration in my mom's honor.

Sunday we were back in the yard wrapping up our paver project. Peyton was a huge help, especially because a lot of the manual labor was too difficult for me to join. We barely had time to relax and take-in our finished project before we headed to join ryan's parents for a tasty mexican dinner at patzcuro's. Our evening wrapped up with an impromptu visit to matt + lindy's house for laughs around their kitchen island and dessert. 

Wow... after writing all of this out, I am wondering if my lack of energy is from our busy activities or from my stomach being entirely too full from the endless eating I seemed to do for the past 3 days?

Oh Baby!

It's a big day and I have some exciting news to share...

Ryan and I are having a baby!!!!

You read that correctly... I am pregnant with our first little bebe! I have probably waited a bit longer than some to make this huge announcement but I am beyond pleased to finally share that come this september, our family is going to be a little larger. If you need some help with the math, I am 22 weeks which makes me just past the half way mark. 

I feel like there is so much to share... like how I have been feeling, nursery plans, oh and the biggest question of all, the baby's gender. We already know but I think I might wait and share that info later this week. eekkk! 

Ryan + I have a lot to figure out before our baby makes its grand arrival in september, so I can only hope all of you will be excited to join us for the ride.

Weekend Update

This past weekend really did feel like spring had sprung. Not only did the weekend include family easter celebrations (which always have a nice seasonal tone) but I also somehow found a way fill in nearly every hour of the day with some sort of productive activity. Needless to say, it is tuesday and I am completely run down of all energy. I guess that is what you get when you push yourself just a bit too much.

I cannot say I regret my busy weekend activities though because they made my heart full and put a smile on my face. We spent sunday morning dropping off easter flowers to a few of our family members, got our backyard dusted off and put together for enjoyment, saw nearly every member of ryan + I's immediate family and also finally organized our garage (we have been in our new home for over 4 months now!). Oh, and we also got to sneak in some time with our favorite neighbors for some sunshine and playing around.

But back to our easter fun... my parents came over for a super filling easter brunch on saturday morning. It had all my favorite things... my family (well, most of them), honey-baked ham, my mom's homemade cinnamon rolls and cooking with my dad in the kitchen. The morning was nearly perfect and I loved every minute of it. Sunday we got together with my inlaws for more easter fun. My nieces had an easter egg hunt, we soaked in the sun on their back patio and I ate my way through 2 huge ham + croissant sandwiches. 

I hope you all had a wonderful easter that you are reliving in your head like me now. 

Puerto Vallarta // Part II

I am back today with more photos from our trip to puerto vallarta. I had such a hard time narrowing down the excessive number of photos we took and I still feel like I am missing so many. 

I think my love for sunsets was resurrected from this trip. Nothing will ever compare to the intensely beautiful sunsets ryan and I got to experience in greece on our honeymoon but puerto vallarta sure did put up a good fight. Every night we hurried down to the beach to watch the sunset over the water. This was one of my favorite parts of the entire trip... listening to the waves crash upon the shore, seeing the sky kaleidoscope through the color spectrum and reflecting on the day in near silence.

(the sun starting to decend upon the ocean, along with yet another palm tree  /  the afternoon sun flooding into our hotel room  /  ryan and I enjoying drinks at the sunset bar one evening  /  waves crashing onto the beach in shades of yellows and blues)

For the last night of our trip, we headed off the hotel's property for a truly delicious meal at bistro teresa, one of puerto vallarta's best restaurants. This quaint open-air spot sits high upon a hill overlooking the coast which gave us the perfect vantage point for yet again, another stunning sunset. We stuffed ourselves with some of the freshest seafood, had wonderful conversations and even a bit of a thrill when trying to pay the bill... our small snafu will forever remind me to call our bank before we leave the country. Luckily everything worked out and we were able to get a nice little laugh out of the entire experience.

(sunsets in every color imaginable  /  liz, peyton, ryan + I before we had dinner on our last night  /  electric blues and pinks to melt into during dinner  /  the entrance to bistro teresa)

Truly our trip was one for the record books... we took lemons (the dreary weather) and made lemonade, laughed for hours, enjoyed tons of activities together and just made endless memories I will forever look back on with a smile. Oh and those sunsets, I don't think I will ever forget those!

(I heart the sunsets of puerto vallarta  /  ryan and I on our first night after the clouds passed and we went to the beach to enjoy our first sunset together)

Puerto Vallarta // Part I

Our week in puerto vallarta was the best mental and physical break... one that I desperately needed and so grateful to have taken. The initial idea of a getaway originally came from ryan's younger sister who wanted to jet-set somewhere for her college spring break. Ryan and I jumped on the chance to escape the cold so, before we knew it, our trip with ryan's mom + sister was booked... sun and sand was on the horizon. 

(infinity pools and a white sand beach; the perfect view upon arrival to our hotel  /  stunning bougainvillea  /  banana plants growing on the property  /  a view of our hotel from the beach  /  the teak walkway we took to our rooms everyday)

We stayed at the brand new, ultra chic and boutique-like, hyatt ziva in puerto vallarta. First off, we were in love with the modern design, open-air spaces, gorgeous landscaping, updated rooms and of course, the quarter-mile stretch of private beach that was perfectly positioned in a small cove. However, what stood out the most was the amazing customer service we received from every employee on site; their superior service truly left an impression and was a highlight of the trip.

(my view from my pool chair  /  beautiful palm trees everywhere we looked  /  peyton and I soaking in the sun at the pool one afternoon)

Our arrival to puerto vallarta was not the tropical sunshine we had all hoped for and much of our trip was overcast with a bit of rain. But we made the most of it and more than made up for the deary weather when the sun did come out to play. I finally got to do some sea kayaking and we all spent a morning on a pretty intense hike up to a 40ft waterfall. It was quite the accomplishment and a fun experience I will never forget.

(me on the open water in my sea kayak  /  one of the many tasty meals we ate each day  /  essentials for an afternoon at the beach  /  another stunning view from the pool... with a boat just off the coast)

On one of the more gloomy days of our trip, we headed into town for some sightseeing. We found a beautiful church in the center of town that was a prominent landmark for puerto vallarta. With it also being peyton's first visit to mexico, we felt it was only necessary to bring her to senior frogs for a true 'tourist trap' experience. Over-sized cocktails and ridiculous balloon 'hats' made the trip a complete success on my account. 

(liz, peyton + I just off the water  /  a view of downtown puerto vallarta from the rocky coast  /  the malecon boardwalk with liz, peyton and ryan)

(the beautiful church of our lady guadalupe  /  vibrant parrots we saw while walking along the boardwalk  /  flag lined streets with stained glass windows in the background  /  our senior frogs experience)

This post is pretty photo-heavy and I still have so much more to share. Come back over to the blog tomorrow for more photos, fun and details of our amazing trip.

Traditions // Family Dinners

Growing up my family of four had a nightly tradition of eating dinner together. Our family dinners were a carousel of kid-friendly dishes like tacos, spaghetti, stuffed bell peppers and pot roast with mashed potatoes, along with more adventurous recipes found in cookbooks. These dishes sparked my earliest culinary interest which I shared a bit about last year, here.

Family dinners in our home had some serious rituals involved... each of us sat in the same seat every night (even when I was a senior in high school), the tv was always turned off and my least favorite, we each had to drink a glass of milk with our dinner. My parents never forced my sister or I to finish our plate of food but there was no way in hell we were leaving that table without drinking our milk. Now, as an adult, I cannot stomach a glass of milk and I think it is because I drank more than enough in my youth. And... for the record while I am on the subject, tacos + milk = bad, as does chile rellenos + milk, spring vegetable pasta + milk and chicken wings + milk. I know my parents had the best of intentions and kids need the calcium/nutrients but holy cow, milk is not what I want to drink with 99% of my meals.

(a near perfect image of the table my family had growing up... brings back so many memories)

Just like any kid, I got frustrated with our family dinner nights from time to time. I hated being pulled away from a favorite tv show to eat dinner and I would have loved to eat in my room while I worked on my stacks of homework. Yet, looking back now, the routine of family dinners created so many positive memories for me. My family talked, like really talked about our lives, our days, things that made us happy and plans for our future. We would tell hilarious stories that would have us in tears and I got to know my family on such deep levels. Often times we would be completely done with our food but our conversations kept us lingering around the dining room table, not wanting to leave.

As an adult I love the repetition involved in family dinners and eating with my husband. While we do not always sit at our dining room table and more often than not, the tv is on, we have created a family dinner tradition that fits our lives and makes me excited about coming home each night for a meal together.

(pictures through the years of my family and our dining room table)

On mondays, you can count on us eating breakfast for dinner and you can bet I will most likely capture it for instagram. In the summers, we live and breath by our bbq. This tradition was started from necessity... as we did not have air conditioning in our last home. The last thing ryan and I wanted was to heat up our house by cooking with the oven or stove. However, it pushed us to be creative and learn some new recipes that were bbq-friendly. Lately we have been spending more and more weekend evenings at home; this has allowed for us to spend some extra time in the kitchen together, cooking up a more labor-intensive dish or trying out new recipes.

I am a sucker for traditions, routines and rituals so it is no surprise that family dinners hold such a special place in my heart. As I am looking back now, I think our family dinners were a major starting point to additional traditions within our family.

What are your family dinner traditions? Did you grow up eating dinner together every night too? 

Weekend Update

I am back from a weekend of celebrations and feeling very grateful for the amazing friends + family in my life. There is nothing more important that family and putting your priorities first to create lasting memories with those you love. I will look back on this weekend for a long time to come, wishing to relive it over again.

On friday night we celebrated lindy's birthday with a wonderful dinner at spuntino. We had so much fun telling stories, laughing endlessly and enjoying a tasty meal together. We contemplated ordering dessert at the restaurant but decided instead to stop by dairy queen on the way home (#piggywantsome). Luckily the amazing staff at spuntino would not let us leave without a little bday fun which was very kind of them. 

Saturday was yet another birthday celebration... this time honoring my grandma who was turning 80. Nearly all of my family came together for this once-in-a-lifetime-celebration... aunts, uncles, cousins, nieces and significant others came from all over the state to celebrate the matriarch of our family. Since my grandpa's passing in september 2013, our entire family has not all been together so, to have us all in one room for a positive family experience was even more special to everyone in attendance. It was a wonderful night full of smiles and stories... it truly brought me back to my childhood when we all spent so much time together.

The weekend rounded out with more quality time with family... sunday dinner at my inlaws' house. My sister-in-law krista made one of my favorite dishes, her family's german goulash. It was of course so good and I stuffed myself to the brim! Ryan and our nieces put together a beautiful and colorful salad that was so fun to watch them prepare. The evening dwindled away around the dining room table, telling stories and connecting as a family.

Weekend In Boulder

The weekend after christmas, ryan and I packed a bag and headed to boulder for an overnight getaway. We started this tradition 4 years ago and it has quickly become something I look forward to every year. We always make a point to relax and unwind after all the holiday festivities wrap up and have some time for ourselves. This year my brother and sister-in-laws joined us for our trip and the weekend turned out to be one of our best getaways yet.

(clockwise from top left: the view of the flatirons from our hotel  /  pizza fresh from the oven  /  ryan + I in the elevator  /  oysters ready to be slurped up  /  cucumber vodka cocktail at jax)

As we do every year, we stayed at the st. julien; the hotel has a fabulous spa, wonderful service and a prime location in the heart of boulder. We had an incredible lunch at pizzeria locale which set the tone for the weekend. We lazily stuffed ourselves with arancino (saffron risotto balls filled with melted mozerella cheese), an extremely fresh frutti di mare salad, a briny and savory tuna-arugula salad and then of course hot-out-of-the-oven pizzas that tasted like we were transported to italy upon the first bite. After a bit of walking around in the frigid temps on boulder's pearl street, we headed back to the hotel's spa to soak our frozen bodies in the hot tub and enjoy the sauna and steam rooms. 

I feel like boulder is such a foodie-destination so, it only seemed fitting to sample our way through some of ryan and I's favorite places before dinner. We had dim sum at zo ma ma, followed by cocktails and fresh-shucked oysters at jax fish house. Dinner was at the newly opened blackbelly market which is all about locally-sourced, seasonal food. The standout dishes of the evening were by-far the offerings from the charcuterie and small plates menus (order the posole and house-made sausage, you can thank me later) while the main courses were all a little less memorable. While we were overall happy with the entrees we had, they each had their own missteps which sadly effected the overall taste of the dishes. It was a wonderful evening and meal but I want to be honest about my experience so I feel like it is only appropriate to mention this.

(clockwise from top left:  blackbelly's neon sign  /  grilled colorado-cut steak with chimichurri  /  ryan + krista  /  stained glass fish at jax  /  grilled bread with lox and scrambled eggs)

Sunday morning ryan and I took some time for ourselves and bundled up to go get coffee and take a walk in the crisp morning air. As we walked around we talked about our previous getaways to boulder and how much we just love the area. Luke and krista joined us a bit later for an extremely flavorful brunch at the kitchen before we headed back to denver. As we sipped bloody marys and ate our tasty breakfasts, I wished we could stay a bit longer to savor boulder for another day. However, all good things come to an end and this trip had to do the same. 

(clockwise: all of us  /  boozy brunch drinks  /  more of boulder's flatirons  /  ricotta pancakes from the kitchen)

I look forward to heading back to boulder soon and hopefully we will be able to get my inlaws to join us again as the four of us do get along so well. To see our previous trips, click here, here and here.

Christmas Recap

Another christmas has come and past but the amazing memories are still dancing around in my brain... along with a few christmas songs that I wish I could quit singing in my head. This year's holiday brought snow, family from out of town, endless fun, seriously delicious food and some heartfelt gifts that were nearly as fun to open as they were to give. 

Christmas eve was spent at my inlaws' for their annual party with family + friends. The fire was blazing, I ate way too many helpings of tamales and green chile, the drinks were flowing and the evening was just down-right fun. The night ended as my sis-in-law peyton, her boyfriend connor, ryan, liz and I did dishes and acted silly in the kitchen. It was the perfect calm after the storm to get ready for christmas morning.

Ryan's family all came together to open gifts in the morning and having 2 of our nieces and our nephew there made ripping into the gifts so much fun. Watching a kid tear through wrapping paper with such anticipation and excitement might be one of the best things to witness; pure joy. It truly makes my heart full to see so many happy faces surrounding you as we celebrate the holiday together.

Christmas afternoon and evening was spent with my parents at their house. My dad went all out and cooked a chef-worthy meal that smelled and tasted like heaven. My mom's thoughtfulness in all her gift wrapping and making the night just so warm meant so much to me too. We told stories, watched football, drank wine, played with the pups and just enjoyed our time together. I think the only thing that would have made the night better would have been my sister attending. Maybe next year.

I hope you all had a great holiday. I am slowing working my way back into a blogging schedule after some much needed time off so bare with me as I get things back up and running over here.

Weekend Update

Happy monday before christmas. If you were anything like me, your weekend was a bit busy... picking up last minute gifts, toasting at holiday parties and enjoying time with family + friends.

Friday night was ryan's holiday party for work which was maybe a bit too libatious because our saturday ended up being pretty low-key. I loved that I got to get all dressed up for an evening out but if I am completely honest, a night in making dinner at home in my pj's was a bit more my speed.

Sunday we celebrated both my sister-in-law peyton's birthday and my niece makenzie's birthday. We had a big family dinner, tasty apple pie for dessert and just spent time celebrating together. It got me really excited for christmas and also a bit panicked because I am still not 100% done with my christmas shopping.

My hope this week is to squeeze in some holiday fun before christmas eve... ryan and I always love driving around to see the pretty houses lit up or going to a holiday play and we have yet to check either of those off our list this year. 

Weekend Update

Wow what a crazy, busy, eventful, family-filled, not-a-moment-to-rest weekend! I had a 4-day weekend that felt like 12 hours and I think my body is feeling the repercussions of the non-stop activity. 

To kick things off, thanksgiving was pretty darn wonderful. While I did not get to spend it with everyone I wanted, the people I was surrounded by made it one of the best I can remember. My parents made a delicious meal, complete with all my favorite dishes. We watched football, laughed and told stories for hours. In the late afternoon, ryan and I headed over to his family's for another tasty meal followed by all of us playing cards late into the evening. 

This past weekend was also our big moving day into our new house. We had quite a bit of help from friends and ryan's family to get everything moved in and much of it unpacked too. It took 2 truck-loads to get everything out of storage and to the new house but it was all-hands-on-deck which make the process pretty manageable. The house is far from 'done' but we spent many hours over the weekend organizing, unpacking boxes and getting things settled in. It was draining and hard but exciting at the same time. 

A major holiday and a big move was not the only eventful things taking place over the last couple of days, my amazing husband also had his birthday on sunday. We got out of the house for a few hours to stop into cherry cricket for some football watching and drinks. Then we managed to squeeze in a birthday celebration hosted at my inlaws', complete with a birthday cake too. 

I am running on caffeine and a delirious-mind over here but I am just so blessed to have so many amazing people in my life to celebrate these milestones with. I hope your holiday weekend was a good one too. 

Weekend Update

Snuggling with rocco, watching movies by the fire, warm hearty meals, a little holiday shopping and time with family... that would pretty much sum up my weekend. 

Denver was cold and snowy... so much so that my weekend trip to visit beth in steamboat was derailed. I was heartbroken when we decided it would be best to reschedule and I could not help but wish I was there all weekend, despite the wonderful time spent at home. I am grateful for the memories made this weekend but there was nothing I wanted more than to be with my best friend. And... looking at my calendar, I am a bit unsure when we will be able to get away again... between moving into our new house, the holidays and some travel for ryan's work, ugh. Hopefully I can squeeze in a weekend before 2014 closes out. 

Weekend Update

The unusually warm weather in denver (we are calling it our indian summer) made for a weekend in the high 70s, low 80s. Between brunching on the patio to crunching through all the beautiful fall leaves on the streets, this weekend was full to the brim with things I love.

My sister-in-law peyton came down from college for the weekend which meant quality sister time. We had sushi at izakaya den on friday, followed by the perfect after-dinner coffee enjoyed under the stars while telling stories with her mom and ryan. Peyton then got her hair colored for the first time on saturday; she did bayalage just like I have my hair. It turned out beautiful, only adding to the good looks she already has.

Saturday night we got together with more family and close friends for an evening bbq. It was fun to have everyone together laughing and telling stories. It made me excited for the holidays to come and the festivities that are only a few weeks away.

Sunday morning ryan and I went to church with my grandma followed by a delicious brunch on the patio at bread winners. It was idyllic on every level and the best few hours of the entire weekend. The day wrapped up with an afternoon movie, gone girl, followed by a family dinner of ina garten's pasta alla vodka.