pinterest night!!!

Howdy, y'all!

Hope you are enjoying a lovely Thursday afternoon wherever you are! Here in Denver it's getting dark and cloudy again, hoping it doesn't thunderstorm ALL night long again tonight! Kept me up forever last night!

So how many of you are pinterest fans? How can you NOT be? It's honestly just another way to waste my time online...but I have seen some awesome recipes, decoration ideas, cleaning tips, fashion moments, and cute ideas for that one day when I have a little munchkin of my own. I have posted probably hundreds of creative ideas on pinterest, and how many have I done? Probably under 20! 

One of my good gal pals Lindsey and I were fussing about how we never make anything we pin, and the idea of a Pinterest Night was born! We originally planned on doing like 10 things from pinterest...and it kind of turned into only 3 things. Haha. But moral of the story --- we had a blast of a ladies night, complete with trying new recipes while getting a little dance {and a little buzz} on :) Here is our evening --- documented in pictures, of course!

First --- we took the Bandana Brigade to the dog park :) Aren't these puppies adorable!

Of course we needed a fun drink to sip on while we made our first pinterest beverage :) NEW FAVORITE! Absolut Wild Tea --- mixed with Crystal Light lemonade --- delish! And low cal :)

Pinterest beverage success --- Ruby Red Grapefruit Margaritas! Did I mention we like limes?

Cake Batter Puppy Chow! OMG. To DIE FOR!!! Seriously heaven. So sweet. So good. Make it right now. And sprinkle with as many glittery sprinkles as you can handle!

Next treat of the night --- CAKE POPS! I have been wanting to make these for over a year! Lindsey brought over her fancy cake-pop-maker, and we made lemon cake pops with a cream cheese glaze --- and lots of sprinkles, DUH!

 

Full and happy, we hunkered down on the couch with the rest of our pitcher of Grapefruit Margaritas, and watched Letters to Juliet. I know, that flick has been out for a while, but I hadn't gotten around to seeing it! It was super cute --- and I just adore Amanda Seyfried!

And that, my friends, is how a Pinterest Night is done!

Cheers :)

staycation : part 4

Haven't been keeping up with "The Staycation Chronicles"? Realizing you've just clicked on part 4 in my little series documenting our adventures in Colorado in the last week? No worries - you can catch up here :) 

Tuesday morning began with a bang --- quite literally --- when we woke up to the sound of protestor's marching beneath our hotel room window! 

So that was interesting! Because we didn't feel like paying $10.95 to use The Brown Palace's internet for 24 hours {lame!!!}, we decided to pop down to Starbucks {like 100 feet away} to grab some bagels and chai, and to take advantage of free internet. I thought you might enjoy seeing the interesting way the cashier came up with to spell my name! haha

 And yes...I am checking in on my puppies on the Camp Bow Wow website :) They have puppy cams available online 24/7 so you can watch your furbaby during the day while they play with other dogs! Love it!

After our quick breakfasts - the time had finally come to venture to the Brown Palace Spa! I made appointments for us to have 50 minute Swedish Massages in the Couples' Suite, and had high expectations given the Brown Palace's reputation --- and let's just say that my expectations were totally beyond met! This was my first spa experience ever --- and it was amaaaaazing! Everything about the Brown Palace Spa is synonymous with LUXURY. I was escorted by a spa staff member to the ladies' spa lounge, where there was bottled water, yogurt-dipped pretzels, mixed nuts, delicious hot tea, and current magazines awaiting me. Before the massage began, I was invited to spend a few minutes in the steam room --- which I totally took advantage of! I had the spa lounge all to myself, and I totally reveled in having that time and space! The ensuing massages were so wonderful! My masseuse was soft-spoken and had serious skills! I usually find myself squirming a little as the masseuse finds the right pressure for my back, but this woman nailed it! What a relaxing hour it was, and it was so nice for us to both be getting massages together! Total splurge of our staycation - but I'm glad we did it!!!

After our massages, we went back to our private spa lounges again. I took a few more minutes in the steam room and then enjoyed the fun products they had for clients. The most amazing lemongrass shampoo and conditioner, silky lotions, and complimentary hair brushes and hair products. You had me at complimentary. 

 We said goodbye to our beautiful palace, in total states of zen, and hit the road to head to our next adventure --- INDOOR SKYDIVING!

On the way, we stopped for lunch at the Irish Snug - a fun little pub I have been wanting to try for over a year! I am that girl who orders eggrolls whenever it is on the appetizer menu --- Southwest Eggrolls, Avocado Eggrolls...I get them every time! The Irish Snug had Corned Beef Eggrolls! Essentially Reuben Eggrolls --- Yum! Had to try them. They also had the cheesiest, spiciest, yummiest, worst for you appetizer I have ever had --- Spicy Buffalo Waffle Chips! Mmmmmmmm

After that delicious lunch, we had a few hours to kill before our skydiving appointment, so we went shopping at Park Meadows. We had great shopping success at Marshall's, including these cute new shoes for me :)

Next --- we actually got to our adventure destination of the day! Indoor Skydiving!!! I first got the idea to go indoor skydiving from this website that lists "100 things all Coloradans should do" --- and so it has been on our list for over a year, and we finally did it! Tyler has done real-deal skydiving (for his 18th birthday), but this was my first taste of  skydiving! This facility has these incredible wind tunnels with simulated winds of 120 mph and it is used by novices and professionals to improve their skydiving skills. It was SO. RAD. 

 After indoor skydiving, we headed back downtown to check in at our second hotel - Hotel Monaco. As fate would have it, we arrived JUST in time for the hotel complimentary wine tasting! Score! They had a WONDERFUL watermelon sangria that I could drink by the bucketfull!!! But I didn't. They were out of buckets. 

For dinner, we decided to go to Marlowe's. I had eaten there once before, but Tyler had never been, so that's where we ended up! Marlowe's included some fab happy hour --- including this delicious melted bacon mozzarella appetizer!!! Delish.

Next stop --- Jazz@Jack's - a jazz lounge we have been wanting to try! It had a great atmosphere, some awesome funk music, and the most incredible frozen hot chocolate drink I have EVER had! Okay maybe it was the first and only frozen hot chocolate I have ever had --- but it was delicious!!!

Last stop of the night --- The Tilted Kilt, an Irish bar, and got a few drinks, because drinks had been in short supply that evening ;)

And then there's a chance Tyler was a little energized from all the Happy Hours we had taken part of throughout the day, and we stopped by the hotel gym for some quick hula hooping! And then we may or may not have had a dance party in our hotel room. All before midnight :)

Man, last Tuesday I learned that we really know how to pack 24 hours with fun!!!

Phew and Cheers :)

staycation : part 3

Hey all! Thanks for joining me --- if you missed the first parts of the "Staycation Chronicles" --- you can click HERE.

After spending a lovely Sunday with my family perusing spice shops at old town (and picking up some delicious lemon sugar!) and having a relaxing evening in, the Aurora crew (myself, hubs, and puppies) left for home early on Memorial Day. 

Memorial Day side note --- the past couple of years I have been really into celebrating the meaning behind our holidays, instead of just being ecstatic that I had another day off of school. Memorial Day especially means more to me the older I get and the more people I know who serve our country. Having my little brother as a Marine for the last 3 years, I have gained a lot of insight about the sacrifice and bravery involved in serving. My brother is to be deployed to Afghanistan this summer, which scares the crap out of me...but I also respect his pledge to protect the USA. It is a bittersweet holiday, one in which we are reminded of the many losses our country has experienced over the years, but we are also reminded that our servicemen and servicewomen never stop working toward what they believe in. And that is inspirational.

Okay, side note taken care of :) Back to Staycation. Monday was SO much fun because we decided that we weren't going to really have a set plan (how shockingly spontaneous of me, I know!). We took the puppies to Camp Bow Wow (an overnight dog boarding facility), and I definitely almost cried when we dropped them off. Haha. I'm silly like that. From there, it was off to the BROWN PALACE!!! :) I have ALWAYS wanted to stay at this hotel - known for its luxury spa treatments. Here are a few pics of our hotel:

Travel-sized bottles of luxury :)

Super excited to be there!!!

Tyler insisted on jumping on the bed! haha --- that's my man!

After checking in, we carried on with our plan of not having a plan, and just began strolling down 16th street. We decided to go in to whatever bar/store/restaurant seemed fun, and just do whatever we want! This game plan turned out to be awesome! Because we decided to have small meals everywhere we went, we were able to try out lots of places we have never been! In a nutshell, here is what we did on our "no plans" Monday :) 

Bought a new book --- because it's not like I have a bookcase already full of books I need to read...but I've heard this one is really good! And I had a 20% off coupon, so had to use it obviously!

Stumbled upon Appaloosa Bar and Grill --- where we had the BEST Thai Curry we have EVER ever ever had. So delicious. I could eat this for every meal for the rest of my life. Did I mention we HIGHLY recommend this?!?!

After walking around with a thai-curry-induced smile on my face for a while, we decided to pop into Mellow Mushroom, a pizza place I have wanted to try out for a long time! We weren't very hungry, so we ordered beer tasters and a slice of pepperoni and pineapple pizza to share. This place has EXCELLENT pizza! That greasy on top, crunchy on bottom, not too much sauce style that makes it comparable to NY pizza. Fabulous!!!

After Mellow Mushroom, we popped into Sports Column for a few beers while we waited to head over to Coors Field for the Memorial Day Rockies Game. We went to the game with our friend Manuel, and we had such a blast! 

Coors Field, Denver

Indulging the 7-year-old within me :)

 I swear --- the best sunsets in Denver are from Coors Field!!! LOVE THEM.

The game was tied 6-6 after 9 innings, and I was admittedly getting a little antsy by that point. I mean, turns out I really only enjoy about 5 innings of baseball, then I'm over it. Luckily, at the bottom of the 10th we scored a few runs! Big win for the Rockies! Beat the Astros 4 times this week --- I like it!

After the game, there were even FIREWORKS!!! It took awhile for them to get set up, but man it was worth the wait! They did AMAZING! Plus - I am pretty sure I saw 3 types of fireworks at this show that I have never seen before! Since I'll be gone for 4th of July (working at a Diabetes summer camp for kids), I was thrilled that I at least got a summer fireworks show in :)

After the game, we were a little hungry from all of our snacking throughout the day, so obviously the most logical food option was a late night slice of cheesecake from the Cheesecake Factory! We got a heavenly White Chocolate Blueberry cheesecake and enjoyed it in our luxurious Brown Palace hotel room --- doesn't get much fancier than that, folks!

And that tops off Monday :)

CHEERS --- stay tuned for Tuesday's adventures!!!

pinterest, much?

Hey Blogland!!!

I have been MIA lately due to this small thing called grad school. Takes up a ridiculous amount of time, and blogging is usually the first thing to go when I'm lacking free time!

But I did thought I should check in, say hello, and share a few things with you!

A little background --- I love pinterest. Don't we all? From adorable pictures of kittens and puppies cuddling to delicious recipes to innovative DIY projects, there is just so much to enjoy on that website! The last month, I have actually had it on my "to-do" list to actually make something that I see on pinterest. Here are some of the pinterest things I've done:

I've made lemon crinkle cookies:

I've made homemade scarves out of old T-shirts

I tried marbling my nails (HORRIBLE FAIL --- these are NOT my nails, haha)

 

and yesterday, I made the Date Jar! (Or Pineapple can in our case)

The idea behind the Date Jar is so cute! Couples tend to get in a rut of the types of dates the go out on. "Dinner and a movie? Order me the usual." Or in Tyler/my case, we just don't go on dates anymore really. We are so busy during the week, that during the weekends we just want to snuggle with the dogs on the couch. Which is fine, but sometimes we have got to just MAKE ourselves go on a date! Case in point, it is March 4th and we still haven't gone on our Valentine's Day dinner date.

So, to make a Date Jar, you buy craft popsicle sticks, and write date ideas on them! I did SUCH randome ones. From "donate blood together" to "Bed and Breakfast in Estes Park" to "puzzle and pizza night" --- I just made a bunch of dates that we would both love to do! I then labeled these date sticks with colored stickers, which indicate whether the date takes some planning, is a stay-at-home date, or whether it requires nice whether. Then once every other week, we can draw a stick and that is the date we are going to do! I'm super excited about it :)

Color-coded sticker key, I taped it to the side of our Date Jar 

Last night was our first date stick, and we drew "Read a Choose-Your-Own-Adventure book together." So we went over to Barnes and Noble, found the young readers section, and found the choose-your-own-adventures. We spent a couple of hours reading and laughing as we did the book together last night. It was so fun, and very different from how we usually spend Saturday nights!

Also...I'm totally counting that book as my 3rd read of 2012 (I still have that goal of reading 12 books this year). I know it's kind of a cheat...but whatever. It's over 100 pgs and I read it, so I say it counts :)
Have you done anything fun off of Pinterest lately???
What are the best/most creative dates you have been on before?

Hope all is well with each and every one of you!
CHEERS!

lady dates

As you guys know, I'm on my 12-day-summer, and I have been trying to squeeze every ounce of fun out of it as I can! While still trying to read & relax and get my ass in gear at the gym. It's been an interesting combo of ambitions, that's for sure! And during my break, I did manage to get together with two of my girlfriends for some much-needed lady dates!

On Wednesday, Erin and I decided to meet up at The Bent Fork in Loveland for some wine and dinner. Beforehand, I decided to check whether I could find any coupons for The Bent Fork, since it's a little pricy. On facebook, I saw that if you "check in" there with your phone, you can get 20% off of your entree. Awesome! Except for the fact that my phone looks like this:

Does it look like my phone has check-in capabilities?

No.

So I proceeded to ask The Bent Fork on facebook whether I could just write in my status or something that I was going to ear there and if I could get the 20% off deal. Their response was WAY better than anticipated! They said if I could get 10 people to "like" The Bent Fork on facebook, they'd give me a $25 gift card! Say whaaaaat?!?! Okay! Apparently I have some pretty quick-acting awesome friends on facebook, because within an hour of me releasing a "pleaseohplease like The Bent Fork so I can get a gift card" plea into facebookland, over 10 people got it done! So that was completely AWESOME to get an unexpected gift card! it kind of helps offset the gas money I spent driving down there, and then I felt I could be a little more indulgent with my meal! [by the way, this was my "last meal" before I started the body for life challenge :) ] I had a divine salmon salad, sweet potato french fries, a chilled glass of Riesling, and Erin and I split an insanely delicious caramel brownie dessert.

Then, since Erin and I are chattier than almost any two gals I've ever seen together, we decided to stroll around the shops for a bit. I made a few purchases - but they are totally justifiable! I am starting work at a clinic this fall as a PA Student, and I am in need of a few new business casual pieces. Up 'til now, my wardrobe has been full of:

a) scrubs 

b) American Eagle 

c) 2 suits and 

d) cleavage revealing tops and dresses.

Clearly none of a - d are appropriate for a business casual workplace. So, I feel completely justified in my Banana Republic [clearance!] and NY&C [only $15] buys. Okay, maybe a tad guilty since I'm over-justifying, but whatever  :)

We had a FAB night - and I love this girl!

Lady Date #2 went down yesterday with my girl Pro! [wow, just realized both dates were with fellow bloggers!] Lindsey came to Denver so that we could hit up the Tattered Cover, drink some tea, have some lunch, shop, and see a movie! Going to the Tattered Cover was on my 101 Things All Coloradans Should Do List that I found online a while back, so we decided to check it off the list! The Tattered Cover is a good-sized bookstore with a quaint feel. It offers both new and gently used books, a small coffee shop, and plenty of cozy chairs with which to park yourself with a good read. 

We enjoyed strolling around the store with our uber-hot teas, picking up interesting-looking books [we totally judge books by their covers, and wine by their labels for that matter!], and exclaiming, "Ooooh, did you ever read _______? It's so good" whenever we passed by one of our favorite reads.

And can you believe it - I didn't buy one single book! Oh I wanted to. I LOVE buying books. I am so proud of myself. I have at least 5 books at home waiting to be read, and I know with fall semester starting up on Monday [10 classes - 24 credits - YIKES] I won't be finishing my book stash anytime soon! I felt very responsible in that moment of resistance!

We sort of abruptly ended our book-perusing time as my large green tea had found my bladder, so we headed off to Cherry Creek for some lunch at Kona Grill! This place is quickly becoming one of my favorites for 2 reasons:

1. Lunch meal specials and happy hour specials

2. The food is SO. GOOD.

I mean, I got this fantastic spinach salad with strawberries, kiwis, cashews, blue cheese, chicken, and jalapeno raspberry vinaigrette that was probably the best salad I have EVER tasted! I was totally in love with it. I also got a spicy tuna roll! All for 10 bucks! Worth it! 

 Here's Lindsey's plate! Isn't sushi just so beautiful?!? And props to Pro for eating the real deal! My version of sushi is exclusive to they kind wrapped in rice and seaweed!

After our perfect and satisfying lunch, we strolled on over to the movie theater to catch Horrible Bosses. On our way, I found a cute pair of black shoes with a small heel on clearance at Bakers! And since I had a gift card to Bakers, it wasn't even really a purchase at all! [okay, that kind of talk is when Tyler compares me to the main character out of Confessions of a Shopaholic. Justifying purchases so much that they cease to even be purchases anymore, haha.] They are super cute and will be perfect for clinicals. Although - Erin, I'm now wishing I bought some of those business socks at NY&C haha :)

Anyway, we watched Horrible Bosses, and it was pretty entertaining! I'm always rooting for Jennifer Aniston, and boy - did she bust out of her typical nice-girl role in this film! The movie was a bit raunchy, and Colin Farell made me want to vomit instead of swoon, but it was pretty funny. Kevin Spacy played a great villain as usual, and the cast seemed to work really well together! 

In all, another wonderful day spent with a wonderful lady!

I'm so happy I had the time to see a few of my girls! I certainly didn't get 1-on-1 dates with everyone I would've liked this break, but I'll take what I can get! Knowing my impending doom beings Monday with microbiology, physiology, biochemistry, pathology, obstetrics, neonate, medical spanish, clinicals, physical diagnosis, psychosocial aspects of healthcare, and clinical reasoning. Damn. *sigh* 

It's off to the gym I go! Day 3 of Body For Life is underway and going well! Last night I lifted the shit out of my legs, and today it's cardio!!! 

CHEERS [to lady dates everywhere!]

summer fun [june]

So, I'm aware that I was practically MIA in all of June and July, and I know you all are dying to be up to speed on my life, right? Sure ;) You've already read the latest hopeful story on Naggie, the never-ending health issues of Penny, and the quick-and-dirty details of school, but there is plenty of my summer I haven't told you about yet. So let's catch you up!

Went to a really sketch bar called Caldonia's for dinner with the Rose Girls. Apparently Thursday night is Biker Night at Caldonia's...let's just say our missing leather, bandanas, and handlebar mustaches caused us to stick out a bit...

At Caldonia's we played a "Minute to Win It" game where you had one minute to hit your 3 limes in the white square with a banana that dangles from your hips...WTF?! But I won, and got a t-shirt and some swag. I love impulsive random things like that! PS - it's harder than it looks --- you should try it sometime!

Went to Lyons with the in-laws to celebrate Father's Day and June birthdays. Ate at Oskar Blues for the first time! Remember that ambitious list of 101 things all Coloradans should do that I posted? Well, Oskar Blues and the Lyons pinball were on that list --- check and check! I feel like I did the 2 things there are to do in Lyons, and yeah, I don't really plan on going back ever :)

Tyler got me "just because" flowers --- my favorite rainbow daisies :)

We went to the Garden Grapes and Hops Event at the Denver Botanic Gardens with my family! One of my favorite summer Denver things to do. Pay an entrance fee, then fill up with as much food, wine, and beer from local restaurants, vineyards, and breweries as you can! All while meandering through the beautiful gardens and listening to live music play under the stars. Certainly a recipe for success!

Tyler built the dogs a doghouse - since June and July Colorado behaved like a flood-prone state. With my long days at school, we wanted them to have some shelter in the back yard!

Cute bandana puppies excited about their new doghouse :)

My baby [Marine] brother came home from his tour in Japan, and we spent a night with him and his then-fiance out in Denver!

At a Rockies game

My brother and my new sister-in-law :)

The hubs shaved his head - taking control of his balding [yep, that's what he said, haha]

Our wonderful friends Joedy and Dave got married!

And we celebrated with them

Hugging my BFF 

Photobooth fun at Joedy and Dave's reception!

My class and I celebrated the end of our first Anatomy exam...

The hubs and I had a nice sushi dinner out at Blue Fin Sushi

Enjoyed some summer beers rooftop at Sports Column

From the roof we could see the post-Rockies game fireworks!

Met up with some Rose Ladies for a night out on the town!

 So, while I spent the *vast* majority of my time in June studying, apparently I had plenty of fun on the side! I think the fact that my BFF hairstylist made me uber-blonde for the summer really helped ;)

Stay tuned for July's update tomorrow!

Cheers! [to summer fun!]