Too bad Colorado's pools are few and far between... Guess I'll hang out in the basement for now in my air conditioning!
Tuesday, July 19, 2011
Too hot!
One of the reasons autumn is my favorite season is because summer, spring and winter in Pennsylvania are dreadful. Autumn isn't a huge season here in Colorado as we pretty much have two: summer and winter. But, this 95 degrees and ridiculously high humidity we have been having reminds me of my summers in Pennsylvania where the only way to escape the heat is to be in a pool... Sadie and Ryleigh have the right idea...
Too bad Colorado's pools are few and far between... Guess I'll hang out in the basement for now in my air conditioning!
Too bad Colorado's pools are few and far between... Guess I'll hang out in the basement for now in my air conditioning!
Monday, July 11, 2011
Red Rocks: the most beautiful venue on Earth!
This weekend, J and I went to see Grace Potter and the Nocturnals and the Avett Brothers at Red Rocks Amphitheater in Morrison, Colo. If you've never seen a show here, you are TRULY missing out! It was a fantastic show- outside of the people who were determined to sit in the seats on their tickets in general admission- Weirdos! I would highly recommend going to see them this tour- Grace Potter is a BAD ASS and the Avett Brothers were so good!
Anyway-- here are some photos of the venue in all its glory:
Anyway-- here are some photos of the venue in all its glory:
Tuesday, July 5, 2011
My first Fourth of July in Denver...
J and I love to go camping and moving to Colorado has only increased that. Every Fourth of July we go somewhere- three years ago it was to a local state park, two years ago was 11-Mile Canyon and last year was to Gunnison. Unfortunately, camping has not been our number one priority this summer as gas prices have put a huge damper on our trips! No worries though... Not all was lost! Friday night consisted of a lovely date at our kitchen table with fresh mozzarella, tomato and basil pinwheels... and a couple glasses of Cabernet for me and some Bud Light limes for J (his fave!). Friday's are usually our quiet night where we like to unwind from the week by making something delicious and enjoying it lazily in front of a movie. Friday night's pick: Silence of the Lambs! (Note: I'm getting Jonathan hooked on all the movie series I love like the Hannibal Lector movies and Harry Potter... ahh, love!)
Saturday we went on a lovely hike in Jamestown, CO on a trail called Ceran St. Vrain. Our overweight (sigh) Labs were thrilled to discover that most of the trail ran beside water and were smart enough to realize that they couldn't swim in a lot of the areas due to the ridiculously high waters we are having this year. (Thanks late snow melt!) After a quick lunch at Larkburger- YUM! - we went back home, grabbed a few things and off to Denver we went! After quick bike ride to a friends house, we were on our way to the Colorado Rockies game. Our friends- bless their hearts- stood in like for more than 8 hours waiting for Rock Pile tickets- or the $4 cheap seats that are the most fun! Here are some photos:
Since we had the cheapest seats in the house, we were able to go on the field to watch the fireworks for the BEST seats in the house! Very cool! Overall Saturday was a great night, with some great friends!
Sunday consisted of a few hours at Valmont Bike Park, followed by a lovely evening with some friends and more fireworks in their neighborhood.
Yesterday was more than relaxing and we spent most of the day in the basement catching up on True Blood and the Next Food Network Star! We're also watching the entire Harry Potter series to prepare for the end... which is just around the corner. Sad!
And now Tuesday is here... Is it the weekend yet?!?! At least it is a four day week!
Saturday we went on a lovely hike in Jamestown, CO on a trail called Ceran St. Vrain. Our overweight (sigh) Labs were thrilled to discover that most of the trail ran beside water and were smart enough to realize that they couldn't swim in a lot of the areas due to the ridiculously high waters we are having this year. (Thanks late snow melt!) After a quick lunch at Larkburger- YUM! - we went back home, grabbed a few things and off to Denver we went! After quick bike ride to a friends house, we were on our way to the Colorado Rockies game. Our friends- bless their hearts- stood in like for more than 8 hours waiting for Rock Pile tickets- or the $4 cheap seats that are the most fun! Here are some photos:
Since we had the cheapest seats in the house, we were able to go on the field to watch the fireworks for the BEST seats in the house! Very cool! Overall Saturday was a great night, with some great friends!
Sunday consisted of a few hours at Valmont Bike Park, followed by a lovely evening with some friends and more fireworks in their neighborhood.
Yesterday was more than relaxing and we spent most of the day in the basement catching up on True Blood and the Next Food Network Star! We're also watching the entire Harry Potter series to prepare for the end... which is just around the corner. Sad!
And now Tuesday is here... Is it the weekend yet?!?! At least it is a four day week!
Friday, July 1, 2011
Must. Be. Better.
Now that I've successfully gone three whole months without a single blog... I have so much to say! :o)
Jonathan and I both ended up getting brand new mountain bikes! I've lovingly named my bike Sylvia... because she's both sleek and beautiful.
We've been going pretty much every weekend- especially now that Boulder has opened VALMONT BIKE PARK!!!! A mecca of fun and entertainment, which regularly makes me feel like a child on my lunch break, let alone on my Saturday mornings! I've noticed a huge improvement in my bike handling abilities and have become so much more comfortable on my new best friend!
Purchasing several thousand dollars of bikes can definitely put a damper on a budget. Therefore, what better opportunity to broaden our horizon than with homemade cooking? I learned how to make homemade pierogies (an underrated delicacy of my homeland: Pittsburgh, PA!) and made about 100 in a 24 hour period. The secret? Sour cream. Put sour cream in the dough to keep it moist and in tact during the sealing process. I didn't use a secret family recipe or anything, but I did use this recipe: http://pittsburgh.about.com/od/recipes/r/pierogies.htm - The first batch came out a little thick, but once J and I discovered how thick to make them, they were perfect!
One thing to know is that I am addicted to hot sauce, especially Sriracha. So when Randy Clemens came out with The Sriracha Cookbook - I was ELATED! When the booked arrived at my house last month, I had never been so pleased! The book is so much more than just "add Sriracha to whatever" - but puts delicious twists on everyday favorites. First we started with the chilaquiles- a Mexican breakfast- which was amazing! We followed the chilaquiles with many other recipes such as deviled eggs, tikka masala, baked mac n cheese, pulled pork... and BUTTER... yes, Sriracha butter is a real thing and it is 100 percent delicious! J has limited my Sriracha cookbook recipes to about one a week... and I have to respect his wishes, but still put the hot sauce on 99.9 percent of my meals anyway!
Four months ago I started the C25K running program. I was physically forced to take a two week hiatus due to some major knee issues. This past Saturday, I successfully completed 5k. It took me 45 minutes... and I walked the last .4K, but I did it nonetheless. After the 5k, we biked 14 miles to Stapleton for an afternoon at the pool and many deserved beers! Granted, I still snooze most mornings when my alarm goes off at 5:25am, but I've decided that the dedication to running is going to take me a lot longer than the four months it has taken me to get here.
Hopefully it won't take me 3+ months to post my next blog... here's to hoping... Happy Fourth!
Jonathan and I both ended up getting brand new mountain bikes! I've lovingly named my bike Sylvia... because she's both sleek and beautiful.
We've been going pretty much every weekend- especially now that Boulder has opened VALMONT BIKE PARK!!!! A mecca of fun and entertainment, which regularly makes me feel like a child on my lunch break, let alone on my Saturday mornings! I've noticed a huge improvement in my bike handling abilities and have become so much more comfortable on my new best friend!
Purchasing several thousand dollars of bikes can definitely put a damper on a budget. Therefore, what better opportunity to broaden our horizon than with homemade cooking? I learned how to make homemade pierogies (an underrated delicacy of my homeland: Pittsburgh, PA!) and made about 100 in a 24 hour period. The secret? Sour cream. Put sour cream in the dough to keep it moist and in tact during the sealing process. I didn't use a secret family recipe or anything, but I did use this recipe: http://pittsburgh.about.com/od/recipes/r/pierogies.htm - The first batch came out a little thick, but once J and I discovered how thick to make them, they were perfect!
One thing to know is that I am addicted to hot sauce, especially Sriracha. So when Randy Clemens came out with The Sriracha Cookbook - I was ELATED! When the booked arrived at my house last month, I had never been so pleased! The book is so much more than just "add Sriracha to whatever" - but puts delicious twists on everyday favorites. First we started with the chilaquiles- a Mexican breakfast- which was amazing! We followed the chilaquiles with many other recipes such as deviled eggs, tikka masala, baked mac n cheese, pulled pork... and BUTTER... yes, Sriracha butter is a real thing and it is 100 percent delicious! J has limited my Sriracha cookbook recipes to about one a week... and I have to respect his wishes, but still put the hot sauce on 99.9 percent of my meals anyway!
Four months ago I started the C25K running program. I was physically forced to take a two week hiatus due to some major knee issues. This past Saturday, I successfully completed 5k. It took me 45 minutes... and I walked the last .4K, but I did it nonetheless. After the 5k, we biked 14 miles to Stapleton for an afternoon at the pool and many deserved beers! Granted, I still snooze most mornings when my alarm goes off at 5:25am, but I've decided that the dedication to running is going to take me a lot longer than the four months it has taken me to get here.
Hopefully it won't take me 3+ months to post my next blog... here's to hoping... Happy Fourth!
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
Since we last spoke...
Our lives have been a complete whirlwind! Justin and Greg have came and went... We had a really great time with them while they were here, but it does feel nice to have my house back! I'm already looking forward to them coming out next winter- if they are able!
Our friends Brent & Tiff came into town the night that Justin & Greg headed out. We hadn't seen them since November. They used to live here (actually not too far from the house we bought), but moved back to PA to be with Tiff's dad who was diagnosed with cancer. I think this trip was really hard for them because they really miss living here, but will need to be in PA for at least another year or two. We went with to dinner with them and their friends Alex & Whitney to Fogo de Chao. I had never been there, but fell in love with Caipirinha- Brazilian margaritas!
They were pretty sugary, but man were they delicious!
On Saturday, we went and skied Vail with Tiff, Mike and Emily. Brent went, but got pretty sick after one or two runs and crashed at Mid-Vail. Jonathan and I actually downloaded with him- it was my first time downloading and it was pretty weird. Everyone going UP the lift stares at you and it's kind of uncomfortable. Oh well! We had a great weekend with them and cannot wait for them to come back!
Jonathan and I started week 4 of the c25k running program last night. I ran for five minutes straight. I could hardly believe it. I am actually starting to enjoy it, too.
Sadie May turned THREE yesterday! I cannot believe it! Where has the time gone? Awe, my girl!
Things are good. I'm ready for spring and summer. Our kickball league starts again on March 30th, which is great because I've been missing everyone! I'm in the process of pricing out a mountain bike so I'm really excited to get into that! Jonathan and I will be celebrating our one year wedding anniversary this month... I'm hoping it involves fondue! Mmmm...
Our friends Brent & Tiff came into town the night that Justin & Greg headed out. We hadn't seen them since November. They used to live here (actually not too far from the house we bought), but moved back to PA to be with Tiff's dad who was diagnosed with cancer. I think this trip was really hard for them because they really miss living here, but will need to be in PA for at least another year or two. We went with to dinner with them and their friends Alex & Whitney to Fogo de Chao. I had never been there, but fell in love with Caipirinha- Brazilian margaritas!
They were pretty sugary, but man were they delicious!
On Saturday, we went and skied Vail with Tiff, Mike and Emily. Brent went, but got pretty sick after one or two runs and crashed at Mid-Vail. Jonathan and I actually downloaded with him- it was my first time downloading and it was pretty weird. Everyone going UP the lift stares at you and it's kind of uncomfortable. Oh well! We had a great weekend with them and cannot wait for them to come back!
Jonathan and I started week 4 of the c25k running program last night. I ran for five minutes straight. I could hardly believe it. I am actually starting to enjoy it, too.
Sadie May turned THREE yesterday! I cannot believe it! Where has the time gone? Awe, my girl!
Things are good. I'm ready for spring and summer. Our kickball league starts again on March 30th, which is great because I've been missing everyone! I'm in the process of pricing out a mountain bike so I'm really excited to get into that! Jonathan and I will be celebrating our one year wedding anniversary this month... I'm hoping it involves fondue! Mmmm...
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
Updates...
A lot has happened since my last post...
Jonathan and I got those long awaited, kick ass margaritas... and then some! We went on a 10-day vacation to Reno, NV and Tahoe, CA. We spent had a great time with some great friends, but I will say that I am glad to be home! Upon our return, two of our friends from PA have moved in with us. While I truly enjoy having house guests, as the matriarch of my house- it can be quite difficult being outnumbered 3-1... unless you count the dogs... which I don't.
Jonathan and I started the C25k program to begin training to run the Cherry Creek Sneak in May. So far, so good. It's nice having him to run with me as he pushes me way harder than I would push myself. We've also been riding our bikes a lot - I rode 20+ miles this weekend- since the weather has been so nice. Unfortunately, I haven't been going to Bikram lately as we haven't had the cash flow for me to buy classes. Hopefully next week I can alternate yoga and running... whatever it takes to clear my head would be great!
I am also struggling a lot this winter to muster up the motivation to snowboard since we just moved into our new house and don't a place in the mountains for the weekends. It is so tough to truly WANT to get up at 6am- drive an hour and a half for a few hours of riding- and abandon my high energy dogs all day. Especially since the good snow seems to happen mid-week! I think I may just be ready for Spring and Summer... especially since I got Jonathan a mountain bike and will hopefully acquire one myself soon! Yay for new activities!
Overall- life is great! We are still cooking a ton and enjoying our first year of marriage together. I'm still pretty sure that 2011 will be a great year for us!
Jonathan and I got those long awaited, kick ass margaritas... and then some! We went on a 10-day vacation to Reno, NV and Tahoe, CA. We spent had a great time with some great friends, but I will say that I am glad to be home! Upon our return, two of our friends from PA have moved in with us. While I truly enjoy having house guests, as the matriarch of my house- it can be quite difficult being outnumbered 3-1... unless you count the dogs... which I don't.
Jonathan and I started the C25k program to begin training to run the Cherry Creek Sneak in May. So far, so good. It's nice having him to run with me as he pushes me way harder than I would push myself. We've also been riding our bikes a lot - I rode 20+ miles this weekend- since the weather has been so nice. Unfortunately, I haven't been going to Bikram lately as we haven't had the cash flow for me to buy classes. Hopefully next week I can alternate yoga and running... whatever it takes to clear my head would be great!
I am also struggling a lot this winter to muster up the motivation to snowboard since we just moved into our new house and don't a place in the mountains for the weekends. It is so tough to truly WANT to get up at 6am- drive an hour and a half for a few hours of riding- and abandon my high energy dogs all day. Especially since the good snow seems to happen mid-week! I think I may just be ready for Spring and Summer... especially since I got Jonathan a mountain bike and will hopefully acquire one myself soon! Yay for new activities!
Overall- life is great! We are still cooking a ton and enjoying our first year of marriage together. I'm still pretty sure that 2011 will be a great year for us!
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
Relaxation... and good food
The last few weekends, the hubby and I have stayed in Denver and relaxed. While I do love being lazy, I hate not going up to the mountains to ski. But our lack of cash has forced us to expand our cooking skills, while not expanding our wallet. So far this month, we've cooked all kinds of new recipes that we've never tried before. We made homemade pizza dough, but bought all the rest of the ingredients. (baby steps...) We used diced tomatoes and green chiles in lieu of sauce with hot sauce coated chicken and mozzarella cheese. It was spicy and delicious. The second time we mixed the tomato/green chile mixture in with some Muir Glen Italian Herb sauce, making it both sweet and spicy, and topped it with mozzarella cheese and oregano. Yum! The pizza dough turned out both crispy and fluffy. If you have all the ingredients to make your favorite pizza, it is definitely cheaper to make it vs. ordering in. Unless of course you're springing for the $5 BlackJack or Little Caesar's Hot N Ready pizza. Your stomach will definitely thank you for using quality ingredients and making it yourself- trust me!
We've also found ways to spice up what would be dull meals. For example, last week we were both starving, but not for the planned meal of the night (tilapia). So... we pulled out a box of mac n cheese from the cupboard and added some chicken and salsa. Voila... a delicious meal, perhaps not the healthiest, but definitely yummy! And the following night when we decided to eat the tilapia we had planned for the previous evening, I chopped it up and threw in some cayenne pepper, mixed up some guacamole and we had fish tacos.
Mmmm... and last night we tackled spinach and bacon risotto. While risotto can often be a daunting meal due to the stirring dedication, it turned out beautifully.
While I am thoroughly enjoying all of the new recipes and time we are spending together in the kitchen, I'm really looking forward to that first meal in a restaurant. Preferably a restaurant with some kick ass margaritas to accompany my long awaited meal cooked by someone ELSE! :o)
We've also found ways to spice up what would be dull meals. For example, last week we were both starving, but not for the planned meal of the night (tilapia). So... we pulled out a box of mac n cheese from the cupboard and added some chicken and salsa. Voila... a delicious meal, perhaps not the healthiest, but definitely yummy! And the following night when we decided to eat the tilapia we had planned for the previous evening, I chopped it up and threw in some cayenne pepper, mixed up some guacamole and we had fish tacos.
Mmmm... and last night we tackled spinach and bacon risotto. While risotto can often be a daunting meal due to the stirring dedication, it turned out beautifully.
While I am thoroughly enjoying all of the new recipes and time we are spending together in the kitchen, I'm really looking forward to that first meal in a restaurant. Preferably a restaurant with some kick ass margaritas to accompany my long awaited meal cooked by someone ELSE! :o)
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