Will you be my bridesmaid?

 Almost all the bridesmaids have been asked!  Lucky for me each seemed excited to accept.  I searched the intranet for a cute way to ask my maids, but fell short.  Then one day it came to me.  Every girl loves to read the names of nailpolishes while getting a manicure.  Turns out there are tons of bridal themed nail colors.  I picked out these three:

 OPI's Catch the Garder

 Essie Walk Down the Aisle

 And a special one for my sister: Made to Honor

 Sealed them in a box for the out of towners and in a paper box for local ladies.

One of my maids even blogged about it.

Can't wait to spend the next year planning fun events with these ladies!! 

Family Ski Weekend

 This year's family ski trip was a smaller in size, but not the least bit slighted in fun times.  Dad and I hit the slopes by day and couldn't have asked for better conditions.  Fresh snow on the mountain and warm, sunny weather greeted us on Breckenridge on Friday.  Mom found us a hotel which steps away from Peak 9 chairlift, allowing for a relaxed start to the day.  After a long day of skiing, Mom and I hit the wedding planning by night.  We had great conversation over dinner and had plenty to talk about with my upcoming condo sale (more on this later) in addition to our move and wedding planning.

Our second day we made a trip to my favorite ski resort, Beaver Creek.  I love the wide slopes and long runs.  Dad and I got our workout on the mogul runs early on in the day and paid the price the rest of the day.  The photo above is of my dream home nestled slopeside at Beaver Creek along Intertwine run.

Once back in Breck we wandered towards a resturant for dinner and stumbled upon a free John Popper concert.  Not a bad surprise for a Saturday evening.

 Sunday we had brunch and then headed back to Denver.  In all our years skiing out west, I have never explored downtown.  We went shopping in Larimer square and took a long walk in the theatre district.  It's official.  I love Denver.

What is this crazy bear doing??

Mardi Glow Run

 Jamie and I celebrated Fat Tuesday by running the first annual Mardi Glow Run by Lululemon.  This was a fun run free to anyone who showed up to the Lincoln Park Lululemon on Fat Tuesday.  The offered glow-in-the-dark necklaces and water at the start.  We ran somewhere between 3-4 miles through Lincoln Park and down the lake front path to the Michigan Ave Lululemon, where we were greated with free water bottles and snacks.  It was fun to see people in their Mardi Gras gear and even more fun to run in mid-Feb with weather of 45 degrees at night!  The dark lake front path lit up with our glowing necklaces.  It was a great alternative to standard food/drink fest on Fat Tuesday.

Happy Valentines Day

One of the many things I am looking forward to about living with Jason is his love for cooking.  We have so much fun cooking together.  He is the mastermind in the kitchen and I basically keep him company and pretend I'm helping.

For Valentines Day we made a new dish.  Recipe free.  It turned out fantastic.
White wine risotto with a bit of bacon, onions and garlic.  Topped with spinach and sea scallops.
This is the first time we've made sea scallops, but it won't be the last.

Happy Belated Valentines!

Time to Get Moving

This weekend I was feeling a little sluggish.....so why not register for a bunch of races? There are a few I've always wanted to do but too cheap to pay for. Now that we are leaving Chicago I decided this was the year.

Lululemon MARDI GLOW Run. This one is a fun run on Fat Tuesday where they will provide glowsticks and beads. Should be a good way to work off the days gluttony.


GET LUCKY
 

CINCO De MILER.
Bring on the sombreros, churros, modelos, tamales and a pinata?  YES PLEASE!




RIVER BANK RUN 25K
Some good old fashioned home town running (probably followed by some cake tasting!)
This will be my longest running race of the year. 



Terrapin 5K:  Greatful Dead Cover Bands, tie dyed race shirts, and Magic Hat beer!


Others I'm thinking about:
Irongirl 13.1 in Clearwater Florida (I've gotta get out of here for a weekend this winter)
Ragnar Chicago (still looking for teammates)
All sorts of triathlons- debating on Galena Tri in May, Johans in June and either Racine, Door County or Maine Half Iron.

YES.  I've lost it.  AGAIN.  Better get dressed for the 15 degree weather and go for a run.

I'm no Martha Stewart.....

But I did have fun making these yummy cookies for the super bowl.

2-2-2012

Following a tradition set by my sister and her husband, Jason and I celebrated our negative one year anniversary last week. We are getting married on 2-2-2013!  We had been saving a bottle of Cakebread wine we bought during our trip to Napa for The Vineman a few years ago. We figured this was as good of a reason as any to open the bottle.  We enjoyed it at one of our favorite BYOBs down the street from my house called Bite. 

The reality of all the changes ahead is sinking in for both of us; wedding planning, moving planning, and life planning.   Our lives are full of decisions and excitement right now and I'm loving every moment of the ride! 

And yes.  I still look at my hand 100 times a day.  Each time, no matter where I am or what I'm doing, this beauty brings a smile to my face for all that it symbolizes.

More Fun With Mason Jars

You've heard it before. I love Mason jars. I got a little crafty with Xmas gifts this year for my mom, sister and a handful of friends.

I found them on a blog I follow called Pure and Noble and thought I'd give it a try.  All I needed was some mason jars, glue gun and white spray paint.  Insert interesting fact here: Did you know that spray paint is not sold within Cook County?  Something about vandalism and gangs....so Jason picked some up on his way back from a work trip to Milwaukee. 

I LOVE the finished product.  My mom turned hers into a planter.  I think it would make a good toothbrush holder too :)