Finally Friday.

Whoa there. Friday? Are you sure it’s Friday? I was pretty convinced that yesterday was Friday and that didn’t turn out, at all, the way I had hoped. Not at all. 

You can, then, understand why I’m a little less enthusiastic about “this” Friday. Turns out having two “Fridays” in a row makes it feel just the tiniest bit less special. Also, I was probably spoiled from the 3-day President’s Day weekend and subsequent 4-day work week last week. Back to a full five days feels like some sort of  joke!

Anyways. Enough about that.

This week had all kinds of good packed in. Here’s a glimpse, via list-form:

1.) Denver Restaurant Week — we tried Vesta Dipping Grill & Oceanaire, have you ever been to either?
2.) Nuggets Game — they lost to the Trailblazers… it was a fun game, but seems to be the story of the season.
3.) Crossift — I can’t fully straighten my left arm, but at least I finished (even if it was last).
4.) Bathroom Remodel — because we can’t go long without tearing something else up, we’re onto the bathrooms.

That about sums it up! This weekend, in addition to the hoping for warm weather, we’re watching my Mom’s golden retriever, Joe — he’ll be having a little doggie vacation at our house. On Friday we’re having dinner with family, then on Saturday we’re Crossfitting and painting numerous rooms around the house (re: basement & bathrooms). We, also, made an appointment with a Realtor for Sunday. Part of me thinks it’s time to move on (since I never loved this house to begin with) and another part of me feels like we finally got the house in beautiful shape… then we leave just to start it all over again. Tis life, yes?

What are you up to this weekend? How’s the weather in your part of the country?

Here are my finds from around the interwebs this week:

This is the favorite from the entire week — I’ve even pulled it up on my phone twice to show it to people (since I can’t stop blathering about it)… Did you ever watch the Thornberry’s growing up? Well I did. And, this story of a French little girl who grew up in Africa and befriended wild animals is pretty much the epitome of my childhood dreams come true. Trust me, after reading this you won’t be able to stop thinking about it. Side note: She’s standing on a crocodile — are you kidding me?

It’s no secret that I’m tall. Almost 6′ tall, in fact. These 34 things every tall girl can relate to was spot on — especially #:   . If you’re short — they have an even longer list for you too!

It’s, also, no secret that I love my dogs. Or fur-babies, if you will. That’s why this list of 15 signs that you’re an overly obsessed dog lover really hit it out of the park. I can firmly agree with #’s: .

Do you love Costco as much as I do? Pretzel bread (swoon), lemon cakes (drool), cases of bacon (shout for joy). Sometimes, when shopping, I do wonder if I’m actually saving any money buying in bulk (the addition of all the impulse buys — cough, cook book, cough, workout pants — probably don’t help). But, now, I have a great list on what “real food” items are actually cheaper at Costo. This means that I can purchase with confidence.

Life is messy. Sometimes that messy comes with four kids, a husband, rats and a house that’s falling down. Rebecca’s writing is so honest, eloquent and impossible to stop reading.

My Mom is my best friend — I rarely go a day without talking to her at least once (and sometimes it’s even more). So, in the spirit of sharing the Motherly love — here are 30 signs your mother is the best person in your life. I can agree to *almost* all of these. I sure do love that lady.

*Image Source: Melody Ross.

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Finally Friday.

It’s Friday – finally! This week has been such a mix of ups and downs here in Denver. Between alternating fabulous weather with crappy weather AND the win, then loss of the Nuggets to Golden State. Le Sigh.

On a brighter note, I started my May Challenge of hugs, though I failed miserably in remembering to hug my Mom and sister last night. Two people that should most definitely be high on the hug list. I’ll do better next time, I know it! This weekend has lots of good stuff packed in: tonight we’re having dinner (ribs!) with Christian’s parents, tomorrow we’re heading to our nieces birthday party and then on Sunday we’ve got Love In Action with our church (our entire church body goes out into the community to volunteer and clean things up). I’m also hoping to get our kitchen cabinet bases primed and painted since we’re living in total chaos… still. Here’s to hoping for warmer temperatures that actually stick around!

Here’ are my finds from around the web:

I’ll be the first one to admit that I’m not a huge breakfast person — unless breakfast burritos or biscuits and gravy are on the menu. However, I’m married to a pancake/breakfast lover. Usually I can sneak past the whole breakfast thing by offering him a smoothie or distracting him with the to do list for the day, however, these coconut tres leches pancakes (and cake!) look so good, I’d willingly make them. Oh and they’re gluten and dairy free. Bonus!

There’s that country song about always looking to the next part of life rather than enjoying the stage you’re currently inhabiting… with the theme ending on how time goes by too fast. Well, turns out that it does. This post on learning to settle into life instead of pushing through it was so perfect. I especially loved the part where she talked about moments in life not looking like she thought they would, and how to embrace that.

You may think you know what it looks like to wring out a wash cloth in space, but I can assure you that you don’t (unless you’ve already seen the video). I couldn’t stop staring… space is weird.

Have you ever checked out Penelope Trunk’s blog? My old boss/friend Bethany turned me on to it with a warning that she gets a little, shall we say, inappropriate at times. But, to me, the blatant honesty is part of what makes it all work. Anyways, her post on how you deal with mistakes, and how your actions relate to success totally sucked me in. Plus, I’m SUPER interested in where food comes from and the back story on humanely raising pigs had me from the first sentence.

This week was the start of Stratejoy’s Willpower Council, and as such I’m working on building a better routine in the mornings. This article on getting up/setting yourself up for success in the mornings and five elements that help you get going was just what I needed to affirm I was on the right track. Are you a night owl (I AM!) or a morning person?

With Mother’s Day just over a week away it’s crunch time! I already purchased something for my Mom and my MIL (it’s been so hard to keep it a secret for the past few weeks), but I thought these Mother-Daughter journals were really cute (and a great idea!).

Finally Friday.

I’ve been slacking the past couple weeks with my Finally Friday posts, so a few of these have been saved up for today. The first week, I was at Blissdom, then I was processing and last Friday I just, well, don’t even have an excuse! But, this week we’re all set to go!

Last weekend was AH-MAZ-ING, so this one will have a hard time following. We’ve got dinner with friends tonight, a visit with my Dad tomorrow + a visit with our friends and their new baby. Then on Sunday we’re going on a date (we’re having dinner and going to the Nuggets game downtown). Since we’re in the middle of new counter tops, painting cabinets and replacing our flooring… I’ve felt a bit like I’m living in a shanty of chaos. Pots here, Tupperware there and a whole lot of crap in between. It will be worth it. It will be worth it. The bonus? I don’t have to worry about the dogs tracking mud in on the carpet or ripping up the carpet  strand-by-strand, for that matter…

Here are my favorite finds for the week:

Food is one of my very favorite things in life. I spend far more time than I should thinking about where it comes from, where to buy it, how to cook it and when to eat it. These 100 rules of dinner were the perfect list of food awesome. Whether you’re just starting out in the kitchen or you’re a seasoned chef, there’s something for everyone… and once I got started reading, I didn’t want it to stop.

There’s always that moment where I want something frivolous, but have a hard time deciding whether its worth the price tag. This little tip on how much you’re will to pay is an absolute gem.

Learning to take care of yourself – physically, nutritionally, emotionally – can be such a hard thing to figure out. What exactly works for you, your lifestyle, your needs… but the most overlooked, especially for me (and most women, I’d guess) is the emotional component. Here are 50 self-care ideas to help get going or stay on the right track.

Since I’ve been trying to figure out what foods work for me, I’ve become increasingly aware of what I put in my body. The source, how it was made/grown/raised seems like something we should all pay a bit more attention to. This post on how one blogger is buying good food for her family is a great starting point.

Isn’t Maggie Smith  just fabulous? She pulls off sophisticated (and wise) so well in just about any role she plays. I loved her in Harry Potter and now I can’t get enough of her in Downton Abbey.

Have you seen the site What Ali Wore? I want to head to Germany just to give this guy a hug and a cookie. His outfits are amazing and he’s adorable. I kind of want him to be my grandpa — or at least my crazy uncle.

Confessions Round 3.

1. I don’t BOO at Nuggets (NBA) games. Let me clarify. I was raised with the belief that Boo-ing is bad sportsmanship and it wasn’t something we ever did. So, when the arena erupts in Boo’s the moment an opponent goes to shoot a free throw, you’ll find me silent (and cringing). However, I’m all for boo-ing bad calls and players that ask for it (I’m looking at you Westbrook — after the Rocky goal tending episode).

2. Each night I compulsively make the bed. This seems ridiculous since I don’t take the time to make the bed in the morning… but I don’t. There is no possible way for me to sleep if the sheets are haphazard, un-aligned and slowly un-tucking from under the mattress. Christian thinks I’m nuts, but I don’t care. A girl’s got to do what a girl’s got to do.

3.) Remembering to zip the zipper on my pants is a 50/50 endeavor. Half the time I’m pleasantly surprised to find them zipped the next time I head to the bathroom or change my clothes. The other half of the time. It’s down, and I don’t even have a good excuse.

4. I don’t really like Starbucks. You might be thinking BLASPHEMY or be nodding your head along with me – I find its usually one of the two. I don’t drink  coffee and find the rest of their products just mediocre. Their tea – alright. Their chai – alright. Their hot chocolate – alright. You won’t find me with an intense Starbucks craving, though I’ll go occasionally.  Each time I find myself thinking about it, it’s quickly cut short by the realization that I don’t actually want to go. Weird, right?

5.) I have chubby fingers. My ring size ranges from 8-9 depending on where it’s from. I long for dainty, lady-like fingers, but alas, I have sausages instead. For the record, I don’t think that they immediately look humongous, but when I can barely squeeze a friend’s ring on to my pinkie finger the full realization sets in.

You have any confessions you feel like unloading? If so, please share! The more that I do these, the more I realize that I’ve got a lot of weird tendencies quirks.

Where I should be.

Not five minutes ago, I was in bed slowly drifting off to sleep. Thinking about how maybe I shouldn’t have eaten so many mashed potatoes for dinner, but also knowing it was totally worth it. Then it hits me. It’s 11:10 pm and I haven’t written a blog post. Nope, no post. I drag myself out of bed and pull the laptop out. I’m now standing in the middle of the living room typing with my lap top propped up on an ironing board, running on 9 minutes left of batter. I’m too lazy to find the cord. Glamorous, no?

What I planned on writing about today was the Nuggets vs. Lakers game and how they won 118-112 and ruined the Lakers 7-0 winning streak… but alas I have no motivation since the game didn’t get over until after 11, I didn’t actually get to bed until almost one, and it is now 11:15 the following night. I’m tired. So, if by chance there are any good pictures from the game or details my foggy brain has forgotten I’ll post them tomorrow. For now, au revoir!

And, no, I did not proof this.

There’s a hint of winter in the air.

Fall is my very favorite season. There is something so warm and lovely about it. I think it also seems to be the shortest of the seasons here in Colorado… Spring starts in mid-April and last through the end of may, Summer ranges from June to mid september and fall gets the short span of mid-September to mid-October before the crazy Colorado weather gods dump snow all over the state with blizzards starting in October and lasting for what seems like forever.

This fall, though, has been longer. We’ve had 75 degree temperatures up until a few days ago. I was actually starting to long for sweaters, boots and snowy days. Those days have arrived. There was a touch of snow on Tuesday, but we got “official” snow today. It coated the ground and the streets. Winter is actually here.

I forgot to take pictures, assuming that the snow would linger long enough for me to grab a few shots after work — it’s just like Colorado to snow all morning and have it melted by the time I drive home (dry roads and all). To celebrate the welcoming of winter, Christian and I are headed to the Nuggets game when they are going to break the Lakers winning streak (a girl can dream can’t she?). I gave him tickets for our anniversary and it just so happens to coincide with the first snow!

I’m off to dinner and to cheer on the Nuggs!