Tastes Like November!

Err I mean Fall... 

Yes Dawn, that title was for you.  😜

Tonight I made the most delicious soup! It was roasted red pepper butternut squash soup! 

The name sounds like a lot to talk about, but boy was it delicious! I can't wait to make it again so I can tweak it and add some different veggies!  I'll even be nice & share the recipe before I post the mouthwatering photos I took. 

And when the recipe calls for 2 red onions it really was 2 red peppers.. (The friend I got this from corrected herself but she PDF'd the recipe so I couldn't fix it in time. 

Here are the pics as promised! 

The prep work... 

Halfway done! 

Blended & Finished! 

Happy happy! 

Looking Back: Thank God we Survived our Twenties!!

Just the other night I was catching up with a girlfriend.. Reminiscing about the crazy stunts we pulled in our twenties & just how thankful we both were that out of our twenties came a few amazing forever friends. (After we weeded out the crazies that is...)   It is so nice to know that someone is as thankful for me & my friendship as I am for them & theirs. ❤️ 

There were some very hard lessons learned in my twenties, but I'm so grateful to not be learning them now. 

Lessons on life, love & leaving.

Lessons on hating your job & changing it! 

This is a Fact! 

Thank God we survived our twenties! 

There are quite a few friends from my twenties that I'm so thankful for. All I can say is you are all a stone-cold pack of weirdos and I love you! Thanks for still talking to me after I outgrew my twenties! 

Is There NO End to the Glitter?!??!!

I really like my job, but the shear amount of glitter in that place is mind-boggling!  I mean, don't get me wrong.. I love glitter just as much as the next girl... But everyone has their limit. Our floors look like this on a daily basis: 

Trying to go with the mantra. Glitter is good! 

Everyday when I leave work, and turn on the air in my car; it looks like a freaking snowglobe!!! 

(Just picture me in a bubble full of glitter) 

I start out the day looking like a cheerful Pier 1 employee... 

(See??)

And the the day resembling a sparkly vampire from twilight. 

Maybe one day I'll get rid of the glitter but I'm sure it won't be for a LONG while! 

No matter how much glitter I end up covered in... I'm still thankful for my job. 

Happy 2 Year Anniversary to US!

As of yesterday, we have been married for 2 amazing years!  The first year was what everyone said it would be.... A little trying. But we made it on to year 2 & this year has been 1 big adventure with our huge move to Colorado happening just after our 1 year anniversary.  We have grown together this past year, learning to count on each other above all else. 

Forever here we come! 

❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

What a Year it's been!!

Today marks 1 year that we have lived in Colorado! Time flies when you're having fun!

I put together 30 images to sum up our year, we had lots of visitors & a ton of fun with plenty of adventures in the "wild" as I call it.  Looking forward to our next year our here! 

3 Years Ago Today!

It's our 3 year Home-ownership anniversary!! Even though we aren't currently living there, it will forever be the first place we called home together. 

We have amazing friends who are renting our place & taking such great care if it for us- it makes being away from it much easier; knowing our investment is being looked after. 

Happy anniversary to us! 

Attitude of Gratitude- 30 Days of Thanks!

During the month of November, I participate in the 30 days of thanks- attitude of gratitude if you will.   Posting each day something that I am grateful for.  I do this on Facebook, and in the interest of keeping things organized I'll be listing them in this post as well! 

Day 1: 30 days of gratitude begins today! Maybe my New Years resolution for 2014 will be do to 365 days of gratitude.  Today I am thankful for my health- I woke up alive today. I am happy.

Day 2: I'm ever so thankful for my momma.  With her support & love I can conquer it all. ❤️

Day 3: Attitude of Gratitude -today and everyday I'm thankful for my amazing husband who is my true partner in all things (and who cooks me dinner and gives me wine when I've worked with crazies all day)

Day 4:  Attitude of gratitude day 4: I'm thankful for days off spent with my hubby. He works very hard & we don't always get a whole day together.  So we try to make the most of it when we do! 

Attitude of gratitude day 5: today I find myself thankful for the unwavering love of my puppy- no matter what kind of mood I'm in he's always happy to see me and ready to Cuddle. ❤️ him!  

Attitude of gratitude day 6:  today I am thankful for Advil. 

Attitude of gratitude day 6 (amended): I'm thankful for quick late night catch-ups with good friends 💚

Attitude of Gratitude day 7: I'm thankful for my long commute which affords me the chance to catch up with great friends- like this morning/ evening when I got to talk to 2 of my favorite little ladies & their amazing momma. 

Attitude of Gratitude day 8: I'm thankful for conversations with girlfriends filled with giggles, talks that seem to erase the miles between us & make Me forget where we are and sometimes how old we are. Lol

Attitude of gratitude day 9: I'm thankful for the opportunity that I didn't quite know that I was ready for a year ago.  (This week in fact! ) the chance to pick up our entire world and move it to Colorado- the adventures that we've had in the last year have definitely helped us grow stronger as a couple and it's giving me some much-needed perspective. 

Attitude of Gratitude day 10: I'm thankful for a day off to spend as I please- even if that means crawling into bed before 9. Time to recharge for the week to come. 

Attitude of Gratitude day 11: I'm thankful for our veterans, past, present &

Future- your sacrifices don't go unnoticed. I'm thankful for the man of my dreams who I married just 2 years ago! I'm also thankful for our little furbaby Augie, for his unconditional love & ability to always bring a smile to my face! (Happy birthday puppy-face!) 11/11 there's always so much to be thankful for today! ❤️❤️❤️

Attitude of gratitude day 12: I'm grateful for a job where I am appreciated & my talents are put to good use. 

I got a little behind in my attitude of Gratitude posts... 

Day 13: I'm thankful for chicken soup

Day 14: I'm grateful for a warm bed to crawl into at night to recharge me for the day ahead.  

Attitude of Gratitude day 15: I'm grateful for the amazing people I met in my twenties- and very happy that I survived and I am passed it! 

Attitude of Gratitude day 16:  I'm thankful for my electric blanket on chilly nights, crawling into a warm bed simply makes me happy.  

Attitude of Gratitude day 17:  Today I'm VERY thankful for good brakes & the fact that I saw the deer in time (on my way home from work at 11pm) 😳 feeling extra grateful today! 

Attitude of Gratitude day 18: I'm thankful for FaceTime & the friendly faces that it connects me with! 

Attitude of gratitude day 19/20: 

I'm thankful for comfort food & early nights to bed. I'm also thankful for early shifts & having the rest of the day to play catch up & get things done! 

Attitude of Gratitude day 21: I'm thankful for grandmas recipes & the memories they conjur up. ❤️ (Added bonus, my house smells amazing!)

Attitude of gratitude day 22: I'm thankful for blessings in disguise & things working out just how they're supposed to even if it's not the way we thought it should go. 

Attitude of gratitude day 23: i'm thankful to finally live in a community in Colorado where the roads get plowed in the morning just after it snows rather than having to dig out every day. I think I might actually enjoy this winter! I'm actually looking forward to it

Attitude of Gratitude day 24: I'm thankful for SpotShot carpet stain remover.. (Don't ask) lol

Attitude of Gratitude day 25: I'm thankful for jerks & people that I can't stand because they help me appreciate how awesome the people are in my life. ❤️

Attitude of Gratitude day 26: today and everyday I'm thankful for my family. We don't see each other as often as we'd like, but we are all connected & no matter how far we roam, there is always a group we fit with. That special bond makes my heart happy everyday. ❤️

Attitude of Gratitude day 27: I'm thankful for grilled cheese sandwiches with roasted veggie soup and a long bubble bath followed by puppy cuddles after a very long day at work. Thank goodness my to-do list (for today at least) is all crossed off! Goodnight.. Almost good morning. 

Attitude of gratitude day 28: today I am thankful for a thanksgiving spent with friends when I can't be around my family,a  husband who goes to work on Thanksgiving to provide for us. 

I'm also thankful for progress. Just one year ago today I remember feeling so homesick, not to say I'm not home sick today but it's definitely less than it was a year ago. ❤️

Attitude of gratitude day 29: I'm thankful that I had Black Friday off! 

Attitude of gratitude day 30: I'm thankful for a sense of humor, it makes all things tolerable 

Happy Halloween!!

 You know you've finally become a grown up when the perfect Halloween night involves pajamas, snuggling the puppy under a blanket in front of the fire while watching Hocus Pocus & Beetlejuice and not dressing in the least amount of clothing possible and going to a bar!  Not to say that the bar days weren't fun, but I think I'm passed it.  

Here are our happy pumpkins! 

These were carved a few days ago when our cousins Kevin & Amanda came to visit while on their way to Glenwood Springs to celebrate Amanda's birthday (happy Birthday Amanda!!) it was great to get to spend some time with them even if it was short, we cram a lot into the time we get! 

My punkin with a pumpkin ❤️! 

Half of The Bledsoes Came to Visit!

My childhood friend Lyndsi & her son Joey drove all the way out from California to visit us for a few days!  We had a great time full of many adventures- we went fishing (Joey caught a frog but no fish! 

It was a beautiful day at the lake, I got some wonderful photos. 

We also ventured to Maroon Bells & even went spelunking in the Fairy caves at the Glenwood Adventure Park! 

It was VERY chilly up there! 

We all took turns on the giant chair.. (Of course) 

This is the view from Kings Row, another cave room that was part of the tour; it was incredible! This room is sooo much bigger than this photo does it justice, there are even more rooms below it! 

Lyndsi & I reminisced about the good old days, dancing to NKOTB (new kids on the block for those of you not in the know haha) & Janet in our pjs while lugging our popples to & fro.  We always have such a great time together, no matter how long it's been, we get in the same room & it's like not a day has gone by. ❤️

Can't wait till your next trip out Lyndsi!! 

Xoxo

Fun Times with Family

We enjoyed the company of more visitors this week! Mike & Yvonne came to stay with us for a few days.  We had many adventures! 

We decided to venture to Maroon Bells (government shutdown be damned)! We arrived to discover that the barricades had been pushed aside & we were free to go in! (For free since nobody was working too!)

Maroon Bells treated us to some spectacular views & we even got to see our first moose! 

Thankfully I didn't slip & fall in the mud while scurrying to get in this picture ( although it would have been a comical photo I'm sure)  We were bundled up & nice and freezing..there was snow on the ground & ice on the lake! 

Here is our moose! 

She even had a friend! 

Loving the colors of fall!! This time last year we came to Colorado for our house hunting trip & now we live here- can you believe it?!? It still amazes me sometimes too! 

Making Changes!

I've been makin some changes... positive ones! 

Some of the changes have been eating better & cutting out salt & moving!! 

The photo on the left was taken in the beginning of July. The photo on the right was taken today! 

I feel really good about the changes I've been making & I can't wait to continue on this path to a healthier more fit me! 

           This photo on the left was July.  The photo on the right is This week! 

Missing Out

Sometimes being this far away from most of our friends & family is more difficult than others.  We keep in touch sure, but missing out is hard.  I'm missing out on a huge life event for one of my best friends.  She is pregnant! 

{Jess, I'm so over the moon excited for you & Chris that you finally get the sweet baby girl you've been dreaming of.}

I'm just bummed that I'm missing out on the excitement that surrounds her & her growing belly.  I'm going to miss her baby shower (which I should be throwing since I am the party planner).  

Sometimes it's very hard to be so far away. 

Tis The Season of ALL Things Pumpkin!!

Fall is here and that means it's time for pumpkin EVERYTHING! E-cards don't lie.

I have already had my fair share of Pumpkin Spice Lattes (PSLs if you speak Starbucks) and I will surely have quite a few more before the season is over. 

Last year, the beginning of October started the 2012 Pinterest pumpkin challenge with my friend Megan (no she's not imaginary, I'm just THAT lucky) this year.. I'm participating in the pumpkin challenge solo.

So far, I have had pumpkin oatmeal (which was sooooo yummy!) and pumpkin coffee (made at home- that counts right??) 

Tonight I attempted what I thought was a pumpkin cookie recipe. (Must learn to read FASTER) it turned out to be a pumpkin cupcake recipe; which was NOT what I was going for.  So I made some last minute changes to the recipe and baked a test cookie.  It was amazing! Like a pumpkin pie & a cupcake had a love-child, and it was a cookie! 

So here I sit, waiting anxiously for my cookies to finish baking. Maybe I'll be nice & send some to work with Mr. Wonderful tomorrow. 

Then again....

Our First Snow of THIS Winter

Yesterday it happened.  The night before, I took beautiful pictures of the fall colors on the mountain, and I woke up yesterday morning to... You guessed it, SNOW!

I was not ready for snow yet- there are still to many colors to enjoy! 

I guess it's time to unpack all the warm stuff and put the dresses & flip flops into hibernation till spring. 

Harrumph! 

Wait--- The Government is Closed!?!

For the second time in my lifetime so far, the government has shut down.  Once again, they can't agree on a way to balance the budget and once again they decide that they need to shut down the entity that is supposed to be RUNNING OUR COUNTRY.  The last time it happened, I don't remember it having a huge impact on my day, I went to school as usual- a few days later it was all over & the government was "turned back on" like a light switch; at least that's how I envisioned it. 

This time, however it did impact my week. A friend and I made plans to wake up before the sun & go to Maroon Bells and watch the sunrise. However, since Maroon Bells is located in a national park, we can't get there. I thought National Parks & Monuments belonged to the people? I mean since our taxes supposedly pay for that- I'm a little bummed that we can't go there (without risk of misdemeanor or worse- getting arrested).  Neither of the latter are in my weeks activities. 

If you're not familiar with Maroon Bells and therefore don't understand why this would be so disappointing to me. Maroon Bells looks like this right now! 

Now I took these with my phone so please excuse the graininess. But you get the idea- it's breathtakingly beautiful.  Thanks Teddy Roosevelt for the National Parks System (even if it's closed this week) I'm so grateful for the opportunity to go to places like this. 

When in Doubt, Add More GLITTER!

Everyday that I go to work, I come home covered in glitter! 

Oh yes, I finally decided to go out & get a job.  After nearly a year on a work-hiatus I have returned to the workforce! I decided if I was going to get a job, it needed to be fun. Pier 1 Imports gives the idea of chaos a run for its money; with the no logic over cluttered setups all over the store including things with feathers & glitter neatly tucked everywhere.  It's like "surprise!! More GLITTER!" 

 Halloween & fall decorations have been out and in abundance the entire time I've been working there. Each trinket more glitter covered than the last.  Ready for the sickening part??? We are decorating for Christmas in about a week.  If you are a person who walks around retail-land before Halloween saying "ugh!! Christmas already!?!?!?" Avoid our stores like the plague until you have come to grips with that. 

My experience so far has been good, the employes are a fun mis-mash of people/ transplants to the area.  Which funny enough gives a great sense of comradery since most of us aren't from here.  I even learned the easy way to get glitter out of my EYE! (Yes that happened) I wish I was being challenged, but I can't expect to be mentally challenged in retail sales I guess.  I've got a ton of sales experience so this isn't a difficult job but I'm having a good time. And that is what matters. 

I've recently decided to go for a management position, I figure I've been there a month, it's about time I start running that place! 

Up, Up & Away! The Snowmass Balloon Festival

Ever since I was a little kid I have been fascinated by hot air balloons, probably due to my dads love of them too!  

Mr. Wonderful and I had always gone to the Limonera Hot Air Balloon festival, so when I decided that we were gonna go to the Snowmass Balloon Festival; I assumed it would be similar.  Boy was I wrong! 

It was so much more than I ever could have hoped for! We came into the valley and this is what we saw. 

I mean REALLY??? How cool is this?? 

I figured that they balloons would be inflated and tethered but to round the corner & see this was truely amazing!! 

The balloons filled the valley & touched down on the golf course (I'm sure it was a sight for some startled golfers!) 

The aspen trees haven't started to change much yet, the rain I'm sure has something to do with that. 

The mountains & stormy skies were a perfect backdrop for this event! 

This was totally worth getting up before the sun to see this. We can't wait to go next year!! 

(Thank you iphone for panorama shots!)

Sidebar: Hot air balloon ride has been added to our 2014 Bucket List!