Happy Birthday, Sara Beth!!

Yesterday was my sister's birthday! I wanted to share her present from us, but didn't want to spoil the surprise if she was to check the blog. It arrived today, so here you go!

Birthday Present for my Bee Bee

She mentioned that she liked the pillow I made, so I thought a personalized one for her would be a perfect birthday gift! I searched and searched for the right lyrics until my mom mentioned Blake Shelton's "Honey Bee." Perfection since one of her nicknames that I call her is Bee Bee.

Sara Beth has many nicknames, including Sara Beth Routh Ornery. That is a cute story. My dad filmed us a lot playing when we were little. One time, while out in the backyard, he zoomed in on Sara Beth and asked her, "What's your name, little girl?" She just stared up at him with a blank look on her face. He asked again. Finally she responded, with no expression, "Sa Bef." (in her cute little toddler language). My dad then asked, "Sara Beth what?" And she said, again sans any expression, "Sa Bef Roof Ornery." Dead serious. Even though my parents were half kidding when they call her ornery, I think on some level Sara Beth agreed! She was often photographed with a frown, and I always chuckle when I see one of these photos as it is inevitable to find a few. She was very stubborn about having her picture taken, and she sure did let you know it. It probably also didn't help to have me with my big cheese-ball grin standing next to her. My mom says that I was quite the ham. But, as I am writing this now, I have tears down my face, because that ornery characteristic of hers just might be what I love most about her. We, like most siblings, especially sisters, have had our fair share of fights and disagreements. And anyone who knows us, knows we are as different as night and day. But when I think about it, I truly admire her orneriness. She stands up for what she believes in, even if it's against the crowd. Even when life knocks her down, and when most people would give up, Sara Beth gets back up, keeps her head up real high and keeps moving on, not even worrying about what others will think or say. Even though she is my little sister, I sure do look up to her. I am SO proud of the woman she has become, and can't wait to see what her future holds.

Here is one of my favorite photos of us. You can kind of make out that rarely seen, but so genuine smile on her face. I love you so much, Bee Bee! Hope all your birthday wishes come true!

This Past Week...

Since Monday was a Federal Holiday, Zack had the day off! I know, lucky duck. We found a yummy breakfast/brunch spot called Snooze, an A.M Eatery. With an hour wait, it seemed like everyone else with the day off had the same idea, but it was well worth the wait. After we sat down and gave our drink orders, our waitress brought us the cinnamon roll pancake on the house! She heard that we were new in town from a little birdy, aka the extremely nice owner who was working the host desk and chatted us up a bit while we waited. This pancake was HEAVENLY! Once again the people of Denver have amazed me with their kindness. Zack ordered half Ham Benedict and half Bella Bella Benny, which was a benedict made up of prosciutto, Italian cheese and eggs served on ciabatta bread - YUM!  I had the breakfast burrito, which was HUGE, and probably best for a large appetite or to share. But it was delicious. We will definitely be back. The rest of the day was full of errands, although we took some time to take Banks to the park. We were a little nervous about whether or not he would behave...he gets a little excited on walks, to say the least. And the park is always full of dogs and geese...even more excitement! He did pretty well, although Zack might say otherwise since he was "walker" and got quite the arm workout! 

The Pack played the Tarheels Tuesday night at home, and we were excited when we got an invite from the local NCSU alum group here in Denver to watch the game at a local bar. Many of them were engineers so I think Zack really enjoyed chatting with them, of course during timeouts and halftime :) Even though the Pack started off really strong, the team couldn't pull out a W. But it was really neat to meet some fellow wolfies that live here in Denver. 

Tuesday was National Pancake Day, and originally I had planned on doing pancakes for dinner on Tuesday night, but we decided to move it to Wednesday because of the game. Zack took over the kitchen and cooked a yummy breakfast dinner! I was quite impressed with his pancakes. He told me afterwards that he put some applesauce in the batter...I knew something was different but couldn't put my finger on it. They were so delicious! Here is a shot of his plate of pancakes and sausage:

Thursday morning we woke up to a snow-covered yard...again. Banks was the only one thrilled about it. He can't seem to get enough of the white stuff! He ran around again like a wild thing, jumping and rolling around in the freshly fallen powder. It was a really wet snow this time, which made it heavier and quite the workout to shovel...I would know because I shoveled. I figured if anything my arms got a good workout. I wasn't really happy about the snow since it was my day to go volunteer at the National MS Society, and I had to take the bus since the girl I usually ride with was out of town. But I quickly reminded myself how blessed I am to have my health and have no trouble (other than the snow) walking to the bus stop. And luckily the snow stopped right as I was getting ready to leave the house...Divine :) I know we are in Colorado during the winter and I am trying to enjoy the weather it has to offer, but I was so jealous of the 78 degree weather back in Wilmington! In February! Crazy! I hope all of you NC folk are enjoying it. Here is what we woke up to yesterday morning:

Restaurant Week starts tomorrow, and we are so excited! We have picked out three restaurants to dine at between tomorrow and next Friday. Denver Restaurant Week is very popular two-week culinary celebration in which over 100 restaurants participate. It is quite the deal at $52.80 for two to dine at places that could easily be double that on any other evening. Don't worry, I will be sure to fill you in on every bite!

Hope everyone has a great weekend!

Breckenridge

Zack and I took a trip to Breckenridge on Friday. He has been itching to go skiing again, but me not so much. I really enjoyed our first ski trip together but not enough to try again just yet. And after seeing the ski area at Breck, I am so glad I decided to just tag along! While Zack skied, I walked around the cute town and popped into a few shops. I, of course, found a Starbucks and enjoyed some Internet surfing and a Skinny Caramel Latte with pinch of Sea Salt (the salt is such a yummy combo with the caramel). Later in the day, I took a gondola up to Peak 8, where Zack was skiing, to see if I could spot him flying down the slopes. No luck; there were so many people! But somehow he spotted me :) I tried to watch for him a few more times, and I think I may have spotted him but not positive. Zack had a great time skiing, and is ready for more challenging runs. I am so proud of him! Here are a few photos from the day.

Zack's Birthday!!!

Zack's birthday was last Friday!! He took a half day, and we enjoyed spending the afternoon out and about. His dinner request was steak and mashed potatoes. He is so easy to please :) The bacon wrapped filet mignons (make by the birthday boy) were amazing! I went with Pioneer Woman's creamy mashed potato recipe, and I am so glad I did. They were a big hit! The "cake," on the other hand, was not such a big hit. Since it was just us two this year, I wanted to come up with something different for his cake. And truth be told, even though Zack has a sweet tooth, mine is much bigger and so I knew I would be the one consuming most of it! I found a recipe on Pinterest for mini cakes using cans as the forms. It was so easy and made the perfect amount, but they weren't the tastiest. I am not sure if it was the baker (me) or the recipe but something was a little off. This goof up reminds me of the year I tried to make him a Sun Drop cake...it turned out to be more like a bread pudding. It was yummy, but nowhere near a cake. It's the thought that counts, right?!! My cupcakes are tried and true...maybe I need to make some as a birthday re-do!

I am so thankful for Zack, who is not only my husband but also my best friend. Here's to another year of happiness, love and adventure. 

Valentine's Pinterest Project

Pinterest is just simply amazing. I think I have said this before. So many ideas for recipes, craft projects, home decor, organizational tips, and more. You name it, I am pretty sure you can find it there. Although we are renting our house in Denver for just six months, we have tried to make it feel like a home; putting our personal touch where we could.  I found a perfect wreath idea on Pinterest that would do just that! Even though Valentine's Day is over mid-month, I think I will leave it up for the full 29 days of February. After all, February is known as the month of love. I could leave the wreath up all year long, since love isn't really just a month-long thing, but what would be the fun in that!? Maybe a green-inspired wreath for March? Or just an overall spring one?

The valentine's wreath idea came from the blog "me oh my" Click here to see her wreath: me oh my blog.  Another reason I love Pinterest: you get introduced to so many great blogs that you may have otherwise never found out about!

Apology: I am not very good at the picture-by-picture documentation. Every time I get half way through something, I think darn, I should have taken pictures. If you are interested in doing one, I will say it was really easy. The hardest part was finding just the right shades of pink and red that I wanted for the yarn and ribbon. I couldn't find a pink ribbon wide enough, so I flip-flopped the colors. Even though I just adore the pink bow on her wreath, I think my red one turned out pretty good, if I must say so myself! :)  I need to thank the hubby for being so patient at the craft store. And even though he might not admit it, he was really helpful too!

So in the spirit of the month of L-O-V-E and Valentine's Day, here is my lovely wreath! I just adore my husband even more for letting me put a pink wreath on our door! Guess that is the power of love ;)

Snow DayS

Yes, that is plural. We got a snow blast last Thursday evening through Saturday afternoon. We measured around a foot in our yard, although some areas got even more. It was reportedly the biggest snowstorm to hit Denver in 100 years! Schools and many businesses were closed. Zack had the day off so we made the most of our snow day. We played with Banks and enjoyed watching him run around. He enjoyed the snow, to say the least...

He loved to eat the snow!

By late afternoon, we were both experiencing some cabin fever! We headed out on foot to Gaylord Street, our neighborhood restaurant and bar area. It is less than a mile away, but took some energy getting there through all of the snow. Since it was Happy Hour, we enjoyed a few mugs of Colorado's finest and some well deserved wings. The roads were maneuverable by that time, but we felt like we had to experience our first big snow and make the most of it. The white stuff was still coming down on Saturday, but we couldn't stay in. We ventured out again, but this time in the truck. The streets were cleared, but you would not believe the mounds of snow on the sides. Not the prettiest part of snowing. Of course our outing included FOOD! Zack surprised me with a trip to Sugarlicious, a yummy candy store that the owner's husband told us about (he worked at one of the breweries we toured). I have a huge sweet tooth, and Zack knows the way to my heart! After a few trips around the store, I settled on a piece of homemade toffee, a peanut butter chocolate goody and a caramel filled chocolate bite with sea salt on top (it was my fav). I had photos for you, but updated my iPhone yesterday, and somehow unsuccessfully (everything was backed up except my photos...sadness). Anywhoo, they were major yummy! Oh, and we have a favorite restaurant: Steuben's! Such a neat, retro place, and has great food. We went here for lunch on Saturday. Their sandwiches are SO incredible. Definitely will be going back there. I had photos of these too, but they were lost in the update as well :( But I did find this one online of their fries, which are served in a cute little can.

Back to the snow....it isn't going any where any time soon. And we got another inch or two between last night and today. I am alittle over it, there is just so much of it, although I do get to wear my cute snow boots a lot, haha (it's the little things!). And shoveling snow does give you a free workout. We are responsible for clearing the sidewalk that stretches in front of our house. There is even a law that states you have 24 hours to clear it, or you could face a fine. At first I thought it was completely ridiculous, but after walking around in the snow for a few days, one quickly realizes how important it is to have the sidewalks cleared. And, just getting to all of the roads in a timely manner has proved to be quite the challenge for the city (even one such as Denver), so I guess it is the least we can do. Zack cleared the sidewalk and our walkway to the house twice during the snowstorm, so I figured I could help out and do it today. I am serious when I say it was a workout! And I didn't shovel anywhere close to the amount he did. Lucky girl :)

Oh, and as for Super Bowl Sunday. I was sad to be missing out on the fun with our friends back in NC, but we were fortunate to be invited to our neighbors' house for a small party. I can't say it enough, the people of Denver are SO friendly!

I will leave you with another picture of Banks. Every time we let him out, he comes back in with a snow-covered nose. He is definitely enjoying the snow still. I wish I could get a video of him running around; he is so funny and spastic but just too fast!