The case of the sick slacker

Phew.

Made it through this week! Sadly, it's Sunday {already?!} and I have to get back to the grind tomorrow. 

This week was a bit of an odd one. On Monday, Charles stayed home sick, which is rare, and on Wednesday, I stayed home sick {even more rare..I can't even remember the last time I stayed home sick...I hate the feeling of having to make up work..I even did in school}. I slept practically all day. Thursday and Friday were spent still half sick and in a busy fog of events. I still don't feel fully recovered, but I'm working on it. 

I hope all of you have had a beautiful spring tease of a week like we have had here. I have to admit, I got spoiled by the gorgeous weather. I'm ready for thunderstorms, cookouts, floating the river, ahh. 

Friday marked 5 months since Charles and I got married. Holy gracious, where did the time go? We have started tossing out ideas on how to spend our first anniversary {I know, still quite a ways off, but it's never too early for a planner to plan..}

Remember last week, when I told you that last Sunday I spent lazily watching movies and cuddling with Charles instead of catching up on laundry and dishes and cleaning that I didn't get to do since we were out of town last weekend? Well I had planned to catch up on all of that during the week a little bit at a time...then the sickness happened...for both of us. Which meant a lack of energy...and no cleaning. Needless to say our house was a bit of an absolute utter disaster. Suffice it to say I don't need to explain what my Saturday consisted of. 

Today, Charles and I had a few of our friends over and we learned how to make homemade eggrolls {my oh my were they delicious} and Charles made his famous avocado crab salad, which is insanely good. We also hadn't seen these friends in quite awhile, so it was great to play catch up and have a fun time trying new things. Completely delightful Sunday. 

Another hearty photo segment to make up for being so absent lately..{In no particular order..}

New fave candle "Flannel" by B&B Works! I don't know if a candle can really smell "cozy," but if cozy had a smell, it would be this candle. 

Before and after of my favorite handy man with a green thumbs hard work on Saturday. Removed the obnoxious bushes! We also bought some new pots and are going to add some new landscaping here in a few weeks :) 

Charles and I thought it would be fun to rewatch our old favorite show, Entourage, from the start! We've had a blast cuddling and watching the old episodes. 

My Saturday in a nutshell {after I was done cleaning, of course...} Tried a new beer, cut up and marinaded some veggies for the grill, and busted out the chacos! {sound the trumpets}

On top of being sick, I got to be "super wife" and make Charles food for his work potluck. He told me about it the night before, per usual. Pizza balls it is! 

We were so exhausted by the time Friday came around that we didn't even want to think about cooking, and we found our way to Marketplace! Flaming queso, get in my stomach. 

My handsome hard worker! 

I told him it was a bad idea, but not a soul was to be found at Lowe's, and of course the one thing we wanted was on the top shelf. 

My Saturday morning view before I started cleaning...oh happy day. 

Eggroll fun! Such a blast. 

Now I'm sitting here, a cup of afternoon coffee in hand {mental note, go to Sweet Bay and pick up a few packets of chocolate chai mix...}, and a loaf of banana bread baking in the oven. I may or may not have added in chocolate chips as a treat for Charles, but shh..don't tell him. In a few hours we will be headed to a local Catholic church to pick up our to go orders of food. It's their Spaghetti Supper fundraiser for their elementary school, and we love to go through their "drive thru" and pick up our orders! We get spaghetti, a salad, bread, and ice cream all for ten dollars, and we support a great school! Win win. 

I know I talk a lot about "mushy" things, and about how much I enjoy spending time with my husband. Some might call it the honeymoon phase, but I don't see it that way. 

I've had a lot of friends come and go the past few years, but my husband is someone who has always been there for me the past few years. Yes, I do have a handful of quality friends that have always and will always be there for me, and vice versa, and I wouldn't have it any other way. 

Everyone has the story of a friend who stopped hanging out with them because they had a career change, got into a relationship, stopped wanting to go out or go to parties {or host parties...}, or went through a hard time. 

I've gone through plenty of hard times, even when I've been quiet about it. I've had friends who couldn't deal because of it. But there a some people who have always been there for me, and I won't forget them because of it. To have quality friends, you have to be quality friends. I'm extremely blessed with some great people in my life, and wouldn't trade them for the world. That being said, I also won't forget those who weren't there when I needed them the most. 

I hope this week you all take the time to reach out to your friends, new or old, and let them know that you value them. 

"If you're absent during my struggle, don't expect to be present during my success" 

Spring Tease

Happy Monday!

I can only hope that you all had as good weekends as I did! It was great to get out of the house and have a nice relaxing lake weekend away from home. As an added bonus, the weather was a perfect 60 degrees this weekend, so we got to enjoy the outdoors and get some fresh air, which we haven’t been able to do in quite some time with all of this snow and bitterly cold weather.

Friday after work {which was a long day full of meetings}, we loaded up and headed down to Lake Ouachita, where Charles’ parents have a lake house. It’s about an hour and forty five minutes to drive there, so we didn’t arrive until about 7:45. We cooked pizzas and relaxed Friday night, just talking with two other couples that came with us…mainly, the guys played with their toys while the girls chit chatted.

Saturday morning was spent making banana pancakes and drinking mimosas {can you beat it?} Needless to say, it was a pretty great morning! After we ate and lounged around for a bit, we all loaded up and went to a gun range a few miles away from the house. Charles taught me to shoot a gun, and I shot for the first time! So much fun, not at all like I expected. After shooting for a bit, the girls decided to sit and just watch the guys have their fun shooting skeet, and we sat around and chatted for a while.

After the gun range, we had a few drinks, sat around talking on the deck, and cooked an amazing steak dinner. All in all? Wonderful weekend, and I can’t wait to do it again!

Let's take it to the camera!

Exactly..I couldn't have said it better myself

 

Spoiled by the view

 

Breakfast Booze! {{The best kind}}

 

My handsome shooting instructor!

 

Girls who shoot well good enough

 

Now my arms hurt

 

 

 

A nice fire, a sunset, and a handsome husband total up to equal the best afternoon!

 

Fire in the bowl!

 

Wine-ding down after a long day {{and you have to include summer sausage and cheese!}}

 

Saturday morning Banana Pancakes. Yes, we did play "Banana Pancakes" by Jack Johnson over the speakers while we cooked. You would too..{who wouldn't?!}

 

 

Friday night view while driving down to the lake.. stunning, per usual

 

 

Sunday afternoon after Charles and I got home {and after a visit to my mom and dad!}, I knew I had a lot to get done in order to be ready for the work week {unpacking, cooking dinner, dishes, laundry, picking out my clothes...}. Usually I stay pretty on top of completing all of these pre-Monday tasks, but yesterday, I just did not feel like it. Sometimes, you just have to let the laundry and dishes pile up for one day, just so you can spend some time taking afternoon naps on the couch with your husband, watching a movie when you wake up, and then going to bed straight after {yes, that was us yesterday, and it felt wonderful!}

Of course, today it doesn't feel so wonderful, as I have a lot to catch up on. But it was worth it! Learn to take some time for yourself every once in a while and enjoy time.

What do you like to do on your "lazy, ignore your responsibility days?"

Trust me, the older you get, the more of those days you need to keep your sanity!

"The time to relax is when you don't have time for it"

 

Be My Valentine

Happy Valentine's Day, friends! It's been a pretty nice day so far for me, and it's not over yet! Since it's Friday afternoon and I'm a bit exhausted {and since it's Valentine's Day} I'll keep it short and sweet<3

Here's how my Valentine's Day has been going so far...

My babe picked me up for a nice Valentine's Lunch

We have the sweetest customers!

The way to a man's heart is through his stomach...that's what I've heard

Packed and ready for "Friends weekend" at the lake! Vera Bradley overload

My sweet momma {and daddy} got us Starbucks gift cards! My favorite :)

Left C some sweet surprises on his desk today..He was so embarrassed!

 

 

I can't wait to share all about our lake weekend with you! See you back here Sunday :)

"The real lover is one that can thrill you just by kissing your forehead"

Precious Moments

Happy Monday, faithful friends! I trust you’ve all had a productive and long lasting weekend and are ready to tackle this week {or at the very least, at least prepared to start the week.} My weekend was a pretty tame one. There was bowling on Friday, lots of snow {sigh}, dinner at our favorite Mexican restaurant Patron, a birthday lunch for my sister {Happy 28^th, Nikki!}, and food prep, grocery shopping, laundry, etc. Just like every other weekend I tell you about. I’m just an old bore, but at least I’m switching it up this weekend and going to the lake! It should be a nice change in pace for us.

I don’t know about you, but I’ve been a little stir crazy lately. I’m tired of being cooped up inside, freezing cold, and I’m ready for some spring weather and green grass. I want to bust out my chacos and start working on the landscaping at the new house.

In other news, the Olympics have been extremely fun to watch with Charles. We are having a blast watching and cheering on Team USA! I really enjoy the figure skating, snowboarding, and the luge.

Short but Sweet photo recap!

 

Bowling Friday night! "Alleys at the Alley" :)

Boy shoes vs. Girl shoes

Snow Angels! My dogs ran outside when we were making them so I had to catch her and let her help me make the snow angel. Yes, more snow...

What's your sister's birthday without a deliciously fruity beverage?!

Colder weather calls for yummy K-Cup inserts. Here's our latest obsession, Gloria Jena's "Mudslide!"

 

We heard the news this morning about a friend who passed away. My brother in law’s best friend lost his wife and unborn child due to a horrible case of H1N1. What words can I say except for it’s absolutely heartbreaking, but they have gone to a far better place, and comfort should be taken in that.

So often we take for granted the people in our life and we focus too much on material items. When situations like this happen, it is an ever present reminder that we need to focus on the important things in our life, our loved ones.

When you get home from a long day at work, give your loved one a hug and a kiss. Ask them how their day was. And here’s the kicker: Listen to them when they’re speaking to you. Don’t get too busy for the most important things and people in your life. You never know when they will get taken away from you, and it always seems to be too soon.

When I see my husband {ok, and the fur babies} at the end of a long day, all I can think is “what a sight for sore eyes..” I hear people talk about how they can’t wait for their significant others to go out of town because they want to spend time without them, or wanting to do separate things at night because they need their “alone time.” Well I for one have different priorities. I don’t want to go out of town and leave my husband behind. I don’t want to spend evenings away from my husband. If my husband wants to go to a sports bar and watch football with a few of his buddies, he always invited me, and I always say yes {unless I’m ill} because if he’s interested, I want to be interested as well, and even if I’m not interested in what he is {cough, watching golf on tv…how boring is that}, I’ll still do it just to spend quality time with him.

People can go at any second. I don’t know what I would do without my loved ones, especially my husband. So go the extra mile, say I love you, and say you’re sorry first.

I will make it my mission each and every day of my marriage to not waste the moments that in the future I’ll want back.

“May the Angels lead you into paradise; may the martyrs greet you at your arrival and lead you into the holy city, Jerusalem. May the choir of Angels greet you and like Lazarus, who once was a poor man, may you have eternal rest”

Rest in Peace Leslie Creekmore

Never Alone

Snowmygoodness, it’s extremely cold where I live, and it’s getting a little old. I do like cooler weather and snow, but about a week after Christmas is when I’m always tired of it. Cold weather reminds me of the holidays and it gets me excited, but when it’s February and I’m still freezing my buns off, I tend to get irked by sister snow and her friend winter.

In other news…Denver lost the Superbowl {insert sad face here.} Charles gloated for days, go figure. We were afraid that none of our friends would be able to come over and watch the game with us due to the weather on Sunday, but everyone was able to show up, and we had an absolute blast. Anyone have a favorite commercial? I really liked Budweiser’s commercial “Puppy Love” as well as the Hyundai commercial about dad’s protecting their sons. It was hilarious!

I’ve been increasingly busy this week as we have 4 new hires that started at work on Monday, and we have 4 new starting next Wednesday. Wow. I’ve either worked through my lunch or come into work an hour early each day this week to catch up on everything that I need to do, and I’m still not caught up {go figure}. I would rather come into work early and get things done or even work through lunch rather than staying late, or worse, bringing my work home with me. I have a husband, and he needs my time. When we are at home, we want to spend the time together without worrying about work and stress. I just want to enjoy his company. This might make for early mornings, but it’s a bond that I get that I would not trade for anything.  

I hope you all have started thinking about what you can do special for your Valentine! It’s going to be here before you know it. Don’t wait to the last moment, be sweet J

My latest photo memories:

Beautiful snow falling {{again}} while the puppies played in the backyard!

 

Wearing my Bronco's colors..or close enough

 

This is the way we cook our ribs...out in the snow :)

Made up a little white chicken chili for the cold weather. It's been great, because I've been taking the leftovers to work with me and having them for lunch! Delicious

Nothing makes an afternoon training class more bearable than Starbucks White Chocolate Mocha..right, dad?

I entered a contest on Instagram with Onegirl3letters, and I won this super adorable koozie with my monogram on it! Like it? Get your own! She's on facebook, instagram, and etsy! Search for Onegirl3letters!

The gorgeous view from outside my front porch. Can't really beat it, even though I'm not thrilled about the cold.

 

 

Check out this video of my new all time favorite song "Never Alone" by Jesse Bonanno. It's talking about how you are never truly alone, as God is always walking with you. It brings me to tears, it's an absolute gorgeous song, and you can also view it as a love song. I'm very glad I stumbled across this gorgeous song. Watch, listen, and let me know what you think!

 

"I will stand as your light through your darkest unknown"

Snow way!

Happy SuperBowl Sunday, my sweet friends! I hope you're all sitting on the couch in the colors of your favorite team, delicious smelling food wafting into your living room from the kitchen, and maybe even getting outside, playing a little round of catch outside in the sunshine!

Well what a coincidence, that's  {almost} exactly what I'm doing! Except for that last part..no sunshine, no catch outside. Just mounds and mounds of snow..

I remember when I was a kid, I used to LOVE snow days. My dad would take the kids sledding at a local park {I even made it into newspaper sledding one year!} We would make hot chocolate and watch movies, my mom would make tomato soup, and I got to play with my neighbors. Not to mention, school got cancelled! I hated loved that part. 

I also remember that things changed as I got older. Once I reached about high school, I hated snow days. I was "too old" for playing in the snow, and I did NOT like missing school because I didn't get to see my boyfriend {you know, teenage priorities.} 

Now, I don't mind snow days much. Snow days are pretty, we have a fireplace, I have two cuddly snuggle pups who keep my warm, and my sweet husband and I get to spend the day indoors together. I do worry about how I'l get to work tomorrow, though. My office does not close no matter what the weather is. I'll have to get to work, rain, snow, sleet, or shine. You'd think we were the post office! That's where great coworkers come into play. I have a few people who are willing to pick me up in their 4x4's and get my to work safely! 

It seems like we are a house divided today. Charles is rooting for a Seahawks victory, while I'm rooting for the Broncos {what can I say, I was raised a Peyton Manning fan.} It will be fun to see how this plays out, since we usually root for the same team. 

Oh, and of course we're watching the puppy bowl. How can you resist the cuteness? If you're not watching, shame on you! And don't forget to watch the half-time show {honestly, it's what I'm most excited for.} I'm a die hard RHCP fan, and usually the entertainment during the super bowl is sub-par at best. 


Camera journal!

Cozy with a cup of coffee, a blanket, and a fire {{Snow Day Essentials!}}

Yesterday was the first day of February, so I had to decorate for Valentine's Day <3 xo

Had a slightly elevated temperature yesterday and wasn't feeling so hot. Luckily, I feel better today!

The hubs brought me reinforcements when I wasn't feeling well! 

Snowmygosh!

Cholla and Milli can't keep their eyes off of the Puppy Bowl! 

I hope you've all enjoyed our Superbowl Sunday preview! I'll be posting again with pictures from the Superbowl :) Have a fun, safe, and relaxing Sunday, friends! 

"It is impossible to live without failing at something, unless you live so cautiously that you might as well not have lived at all. In that case, you fail by default."