How High?

Can he jump?

He meaning Enzo.  One of my sister's boston terriers.

When I was at home I got my fill of the four pups my mom and sister have combined. With stepping in poop in my room, seeing pee on my mom's nice curtains, and then stepping in poop again barefoot in my room (yes twice) I again learned that I am not a big fan of multiple small dogs in one household.  Not to say I don't like them at all, just not for me.  I'd rather step in a huge pile of poop than something that can be hidden its so small. Well not really. Just a big dog fan, bigger cuddle buddies, right?

Plus I don't have to worry about having a small dog that leaps over fences like Enzo. When a woman walked by with her dog the dogs went crazy jumping and barking all over the place.  Especially Enzo. He literally almost jumped over the fence.  I have NEVER seen a dog jump that high and I was actually scared he'd get out!

I was lucky enough to catch the little buggar on camera!

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I See. You See.

Tis' the season for the F&F (food & family)!

This week's ICUC, gives you a snapshot of our favorite parts about our Thanksgiving holiday this year.

My favorite part was actually being able to contribute something to our Thanksgiving dinner(s). I made my very first stuffed artichokes! Yum! I have always been a fan of artichokes, especially stuff ones that I usually get at either a restaurant or my Nanna's house every Christmas. This year, my mom thought it would be a new little treat if we made our own this Thanksgiving.  We actually made three so we could continue the yumminess over a few days and share with friends.

As for Meggy, she took it ALL in with her lens!

This year our family Thanksgiving was huge!  It seemed everyone was in town, so there was tons of food that covered the 10-person table. Some of my Thanksgiving favorites are sweet potatoes, meat pies and stuffing. Mmmm, now if only I still had leftovers...

I hope everyone got their fill of Thanksgiving and family because we only have a little over three weeks to stuff our faces again and revisit those embarrassing moments we may have said after too much to drink :)  You know we all did/said something stupid to be brought back up again at Christmas time for a good laugh!

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5 lbs Later....

I returned home to Denver from Tulsa, OK.

I did PLENTY of eating and wining it up back at home which left me exhausted today when I hit the road for work! Who knew that going on vacation could make you feel like you need another vacation to recover.

After having TWO, that's right TWO, Thanksgiving dinners over the holiday weekend, I opted to take the high road and convince myself a few extra yummy meals wouldn't make that much of a difference.  Psh... tell that to my work pants! Felt a little more snug this morning getting into them!

Oh well.  It was all worth it.  Especially getting to see my mom and sister for an extended period which we don't get to do very often.

Best part of the weekend.... Seeing "Breaking Dawn" the new Twilight movie.  It was AMAZING.  Yes AMAZING.  I mean it is hard to judge a movie vs. the book considering the book was just the best book I have every read (yes I am a huge fan - judge me if you want, but read the books first!). But I love seeing a book come to life and how other people portray it.

After the movie we headed toward the entrance to find Alvin and the Chipmunks waiting for us in life-size figurines.  How could we resist taking a picture with them?  After looking closely at my mom and sisters picture I noticed the chipmunk was taking a bite out of mom's butt! We all were laughing hysterically when we walked out.  Definitely the prime of the whole weekend and glad we got a good laugh out of it!

I hope everyone had a great holiday break and got their week off to a good start today. Stay tuned for ICUC tomorrow with Chasing Davies!

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2-Day Celebration

This is a little late, but Happy Thanksgiving everyone! I was a little incognito over the past few holi-days trying to cook, catch up with friends and family, and catch up on a little R&R.

But of course, just like most times I come home over Thanksgiving, I'm starting to get sick.  You know the sore throat and achy body. How annoying. I work so hard to have a vacation and when I finally get home I feel like poop :( I guess when things finally DO slow down, gives you time to catch a cold.

To give you a brief overview of what the past couple of days have consisted for me....

Mom and Me on Thanksigiving

My idea of Thanksgiving

Dessert

Wouldn't you know it.  I took a picture of our Thanksgiving dinner on actual Thanksgiving with just me and my mom (she was cool enough tho make my favorite meal while we pushed Thanksgiving dinner off a day for my sister to get home), but forgot to take a picture when we celebrated with my sister tonight?  OOOPS. Guess that just goes to show how excited we were to celebrate and eat up!

How was everyone else's Thanksgiving?  Anything excited happen visiting with your families?

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I See. You See.

With the holidays right around the corner, Meggy and I opted to do something a little easier this week for our ICUC.

Theme: Fruit

I wish I ate more fruit.  This theme would have been A LOT easier. However, one thing that I do consume a good amount of that was helpful for this post... WINE. It's made out of grapes, which is a fruit,  right?  One better... boxed wine! A current favorite of mine pictured below. I cheated a little can you tell?

Meggy went the healthier route... 

Belly shelf made perfect for my craving of mandarin oranges (and sometimes ice cream, of course)!

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G

Is for Gracie.

Gracie is my friend Kara's Maltipoo that I dog sat for part of this weekend. I must say dogs are a handful. I always say I want a dog.  The idea of having one and taking them on a run after work and having someone excited to see me when I come home from work just makes me want to go to the pet store and get one right now!

BUT, and it's a big BUT, after watching my friends dogs over the past few years I have learned it is a BIG responsibility. One day I will be responsible and tolerable enough to have a dog full time, but now I am content on dog-sitting :)

ESPECIALLY, when I have Mia my cat.  She gets excited and "talks" to me when I get home from work and rolls around on the ground purring as loud as she can and follows me.  I'll settle for that kind of pet love!

Best part is though.... Mia and Gracie get along GREAT! Mia usually freaks out around dogs and hides, but with Grace its like they've been friends forever!

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Great Grand Junction

I feel like that could be the name of a song.

But my suggested song title aside, about two good things came out of my trip.  These pictures.

Oh and the fact I saw more cats wondering their streets than I had seen in two months being in Denver for the past two months. That was slightly exciting except they would all run when I'd try and catch them :)

The first one was on my way to Grand Junction and the second was on the way from Fruita to Grand Junction.

I was so happy to get back to Denver last night and sleep in my own bed.  I have always been one to get excited for work travel especially when it meant going to a new city I'd never been before.  But Grand Junction just didn't do it for me.  Not so much fun when you travel on your own and sit in your hotel room.

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Awkward & Awesome Attempts

To begin this post I'd like to announce that I am in Grand Junction, Colorado. Has anyone ever been here?

It's approximately 4 hours away from Denver, PAST Vail, which is as far West as I've ever been in Colorado to date. The population is roughly 60,000 from what I have learned from speaking to the locals here.

I'm here on a work trip, and I've been trying to find a good time to come here for a month or so.  Last week I decided that I had to just make a decision and go with it. None of this postponing business. Especially before the snow hits big time.  I'm not looking forward to driving through all the passes when that happens. I guess I'll cross that bridge when I get to it though.

Awkward:

• The picture above. The story.  I am in a hotel in Grand Junction and decided to order room service for dinner tonight. I REALLY wanted the cobb salad, but I also wanted a grilled cheese for whatever reason.  So heck why not order both and eat what I want of each. Wouldn't you know it that room service brought me TWO water cups, TWO silverware sets.  How fat do I feel right now?
• In a waiting room today an old lady farted as she walked towards the door, it took everything in my NOT to laugh.  I know she didn't mean to but it was so loud. How did her old lady butt do that??
• Watching Private Practice right now in my hotel and crying on two separate occasions. #PATHETIC
• Having to admit to myself that I may not THINK I have a lot of awkward moments to recall from week to week, but I really do think if someone else was in my shoes they would hit the ground running realizing I'm just an awkward person so typical awkward things just aren't that awkward for me

Awesome:

• I had someone say they are having a hard time remembering what I am selling.  My immediate thought.  I will sing and dance for them. Literally.  I sang and danced in front of a person I have met at best three times.  His face was priceless and I SHOULD have felt awkward, BUT I felt awesome because I found my niche.  Who can forget bad dancing and singing?
• It's been about two weeks since I've gotten up any motivation to work out for some reason.  I was a good girl and went for a 3 mile run Tuesday, opted for not working out yesterday, and almost did again tonight, but decided I had to get my butt into shape.  I ran/walked for an hour! YAHOO! But then I ate the above... well part of it. OOOPS.
• I just found out on of my best friends is pregnant! Not sure if I can announce her name on here yet but I'm super excited for her! That makes TWO pregnant friends at the same time -  Crazy pants!
• Seeing my old co-workers at Angela's wedding this past weekend, and knowing that I will be back in Tulsa in less than one week to see my mom and sister.  EXTREMELY pumped!

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I See. You See.

Megan had a great idea last week. She texted me and suggested this week's theme as 11.11.11 at 11:11. Now whether that was at 11:11 in the morning or 11:11 at night was up to us. Want to see which one we chose?

I went with 11:11 am, considering I knew I'd be in a car on my way to KC and nothing about me being exhausted and taking a picture from a car would be that exciting. So I opted for a morning shot.  Not saying that this is the most interesting photo I've ever taken, but it not only represents 11.11.11 at 11:11 am, but it represents my day about 5x a day. Lots of Starbucks runs :)

Now for what Meggy was doing at 11:11!!!

I thought shooting a shot at 11:11 am or pm on 11/11/11 would be so neat, but then I realized how lame my life really is at this point.  At 11:11am I was at my messy desk working and at 11:11pm I was laying on the couch watch a movie with my husband.  So you get to see the lazy side of my life and my husband (well, the back of his head that is).  Hopefully you all did something way more fabulous at 11:11 on 11/11!  I at least did make a wish. :)

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8th and FINAL Wedding

This is IT! The last wedding of 2011! The Shaw wedding came and went SO fast!

The BF and I flew into KC late on Friday night, went to Angela and Matt's wedding Saturday, watching the Chiefs vs. Broncos Sunday and boom... here I am sitting on the couch like it didn't even happen!

The weekend FLEW by! I had so much fun seeing all my old co-workers/friends, it really made me miss Kansas City.  Having that commodore of having friends in the office every single day is VERY different than being in a car driving from place to place by yourself all day.

Instead of getting into the nitty gritty details I typically splurge over, I am going to give you my favorite moments of Angela's big day.

1. When Carrie and I went to go see her while she got her makeup done in the hotel. It was the first time I'd seen Ang in over two months and even with just her hair done and no make-up she looked beautiful.  It was such a great feeling being there with her and seeing how excited she was for the wedding.
2. Watching Matt (groom) walk up and down the aisle at least four times getting someone new every time.  It looked like a work out! Not only would I have been sweating because of the big day all that walking would have worn me out! 
3. Ang laughing throughout the ceremony because she was so happy, it made me smile! 
4. When they went to put the rings on each other both times, they had a hard time finding the right finger and everyone started to laugh.
5. Ang walking down the aisle talking to people like she was just walking down the hall at work.  She is ALWAYS so friendly and smiling!
6. Seeing ALL of my favorite co-workers from my last job.  It was so fun to catch up and feel in the loop again. 
7. When Ang and Matt were eating their cake from each other Matt was gentle and didn't get any cake on Angela's face, and Angela said you're being too nice and tried to smash it into his face! 
8. The fact that the bride and groom were drinking Natty Light at their wedding - gotta love them!
9. Her table numbers.  Each number represented something.  i.e. There was no table 2, there was a 1.6 instead which was the distance between their house.
10. The DANCINGGGGGG!!!! Especially Danielle and Angela's private dance. 
11. The fact that their photographer was there until the very end.  Of all 8 weddings I've been to this is the only one that had the photographer there the entire time.  That WILL happen at my wedding!  I once asked a photographer why they all left at 10 pm, his response was that the pictures all start looking the same.  I beg to differ. I get the FUNNIEST pictures and the ones that are my favorite towards the very end! 
12. Slumber party at Carrie's house! We thought we'd all be up all night and we got home to have the boys do a night cap and Carrie and I ran and put our PJs on! Guess the wedding really took it out of us!

Me with the bride and groom

Carrie, Matt, Danielle Dance Party!

Walt dancing

Kristin and Matt dancing - HILARIOUS!

Our Table - #18 - Day in June 2010 that Matt took Angela to Record Bar to see her first summer breeze show. 

The beautiful wedding cake!

Yes I know these pictures are a little out of order of the events - but oh well ;) Enjoy! 

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Awkward & Awesome Week

You can say that again. Do you ever have those weeks where you just feel "off?" That is how the past week has felt like.  I don't know if it's because of daylight savings time or the full moon, who knows.  All I know is I am ready for this week to be over and Friday to be here!

Awkward:

• Repetitively having to go to Starbucks EVERY day for my job.  No... I don't work there, I just buy drinks frequently as part of my job! 
• Going to Kona this weekend for the first time since I've been in Denver I had no idea where the bathroom was and walked to the bar to ask which way to the bathroom.  This young guy proceeds to tell me it's right through those double doors which didn't look like bathroom doors at all, but considering he was an employee I figured I should trust him.  I pull the doors open to find the room with a ton of equipment.  The kid told me to walk into a closet because he thought it would be funny and "he just couldn't resist" according to him.  Weirdo!
• When I asked someone at work how I could get them to remember something, he said you'll come up with something.  Result: Me saying that I would do a song and dance to help him remember. Not only did I say I would, I did it right then and there.
• Calling the BF to surprise him at work and told him to come downstairs to then realize I was still 5 minutes away because I went to the wrong place! Not so much a surprise is it?!

Awesome:

• Only one day of work left, and then I leave for KC for my final wedding (#8) of 2010!!! 
• Doing Canvas & Cocktails for the first time, and definitely not the last time this past weekend
• Packing for my KC trip and didn't over think anything in my suitcase.  Pretty sure that is a first, and pretty sure I'll end up forgetting something
• Getting my very first coffee maker as a welcome gift from the BF's parents.  I can choose to put hot chocolate, hazelnut flavored coffee, ANY kind I want EVERY morning without spending $4+ at Starbucks!!! Now that is AWESOME!
• My friend Carrie got engaged this past weekend!!! Congrats Carrie! Can't wait for our slumber party this weekend.

 

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Reckless Abandon Preview

Last week I caught up with some girlfriends from my sorority who just happen to live here now too! One was from here, and the other recently moved from Dallas shortly after I did. After months of trying to coordinate everyone's schedules we finally got together for happy hour. It was awesome catching up after so many years had gone by since college (well not so many - but enough to get lost in all the things that have changed since then). At HH, we decided we should do a cooking class with our friend Rachel, who happens to have her own blog,  Reckless Abandon, which is all about recipes and cooking.  Her recipes are easy understand and even better, easy to make (for the most part), so who better to learn to cook from in our new city.

With having to entertain family and friends more frequently with the holidays coming up fast and furious, what better time to learn how to cook yummy meals that won't break the bank then the NOW?!

We got together last night for a little cooking tutorial on how to make Rachel's spinach stuffed chicken with blistered tomatoes featured on her blog here.

It was super simple and VERY yummy I must say.  I just hope the next time I get around to cooking (which isn't really that frequently let's be honest), it tastes just as good!

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I See. You See.

Phew.... Tuesday is almost over. It's weird how it's already Tuesday night and I'm so excited for the weekend ahead.  I'm going to KC for my friend Angela's wedding! I cannot believe it's been over two months since I moved from KC to Denver. Part of me feels like I just left, partially due to trying my damndest to keep in touch with my friends I left there.

Moving onto the theme for this week's ICUC....

Theme: DAILY ROUTINE

We all have one or many of them.  For me before I leave the house my MUST is brushing my teeth.  Even if I was all dolled up and ready to go if I had that sleep breath before I left I'd just die. I can't imagine it smells to go nor could I imagine someone else thinking it smells too dandy. Bleh! So one of my many routines is brushing my teeth after I eat breakfast - not before- AFTER.  I think it's so weird when people brush their teeth before breakfast! Sorry if that is one of you out there.... it's just how can you possibly enjoy your breakfast with toothpaste taste in your mouth?

Now onto what Meggy's daily routine is:

Every morning I'm usually in my retro-pink (in other words, yet to be renovated) bathroom using the same products I use every morning.  I start with my favorite face wash, Purity by Philosophy, and face moisturizer, Clear Complexion by Aveeno and then move into make up and hair curling.  It's like ground hog day in this bathroom!  What are so what are some of your favorite daily products?

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Canvas & Cocktails

So this work life balance stuff is a lot harder than I anticipated.  By the time I get home I'm wiped out and finding time to blog has been a little more challenging than I'd like to admit. But here I am! I will NOT give up!

But trying to work on the "life" side of things, I wanted to mix up my weekend activities.  My friend Kara had showed me this place in Denver called "Canvas & Cocktails" a while back and thought it was high time I checked it out. After looking through their different canvases for the weekend, I made my decision! Sunday night painting the mountain lake canvas it was.

My friend Teale came along for the ride since she was also interested in what this place was all about. I mean drinking and painting.... what could be better?

You ask drinking and painting? Why yes! Basically you buy a canvas for $25-$35 and get paint, paint brushes, and a teacher.  The teacher stands up in front of the class and paints along with us telling us the step by step on how to paint the picture of the day. In between you get to listen to music, talk, and drink.  There is actually a bar in the shop! Teale and I each bought a bottle of wine and went to town on our artwork. Beautiful, right?

My painting on the right

If you are ever in Denver, I would highly recommend it as something fun to try out! Clearly we had fun :)  What do you think of our paintings?

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I Can Be Awkward AND Awesome

Remember how I said I needed some time to let you into my house while I decorate and make it an actually home here in Denver?

I gave you look into my bathroom, which was my first completed room.

Now let me welcome you into my "dining" room.  Let me break down where I got most of these items:

• Dining Room Table which is a very nice and HEAVY (according to Walt and his friends who helped move it) - Dad via my parent's divorce
• Green wall decoration - Mom when she bought it for her house and decided she didn't like it in her house, she bought it at a local florist shop which is cool and you'd never expect to find something like this there
• Side Table Against the Wall - Dad via divorce 
• Painting - IKEA for my five year anniversary.  Would you believe it was only $125? I fell in love right away. And yes... I know that everyone and their mom probably has it and it's not original but who the heck cares :) It's art and it's mine and I love it! 

So the moral of the story is.... parent's divorce = furnishings for your house.

What do you think?  Think I'm getting there? 

AWKWARD: 

• Walking to Walt's house last night I slipped on black ice, cracked my phone, bruised my elbows and the back of my head! OUCH! You know when you trip/fall in public you ALWAYS look around to see if anyone saw you... yep did that.  No one around, which almost made it worse that no one else saw how hard I fell. On an even more pathetic note, if I saw myself fall I would have laughed at me.  Now that is karma. 
• Having to pee so bad in an office today that I was dancing around trying to hold it in to SPRINT to the bathroom the second I left the office. Worst and best feeling once I found a bathroom.  Sorry TMI I know! 
• Trying to find "business professional" work clothes in my close that are both professional and warm with these crazy snow days in the middle of the week.  I ended up wearing business on top and Uggs on bottom to trek through the snow to the different offices.

AWESOME: 

• My sister Katie met most of the BFs family for the first time this weekend and we all had a GREAT time. Love them both! 
• Realizing today that I feel 100% less stressed than I did five weeks ago when I first started my job.  Don't' get my wrong I still have some work to do, but it's a good feeling to not feel completely worthless at my job. 
• My sister may move to Denver sooner rather than later! YAYYYY!!!!
• Thursdays.  Love all my Thursday night shows and doing NOTHING and enjoying my alone time. 
• Having different groups of friends meet for the first time and hit it off!

Hope you are all having a wonderful week so far. 

 

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