{things to distract me from packing}

With our pending departure for Denver, my last day at work was over a week ago. Since then, I've been faced with a bit of a dilemma day after day of what to do with all of this time off. I could pack... OR I could do something else. It would seem that doing something else won out most of the time. And now I will show you the product of choosing something else besides packing.

One thing that I should know better than to do, is to go to Hobby Lobby when I'm bored. I go in on a mission, and then after about 45 minutes of wandering the aisles, I will almost always find myself a little project. But this time I had a good reason. If you'll remember, when my niece Sofia was born, I painted a little box for her with her name on it. Well now I have a little nephew on the way, and wouldn't it only be fair that he get something too? Bear in mind... I am not a particularly creative or artistic person. I assure you of this. My husband is the artist, no question about it. But this is actually pretty easy. The only supplies it took was a wall-hanging made of unfinished wood, a little acrylic paint, and a few paint brushes. And voila, a fun little art project...

I was also helping my mom throw a baby shower for Stefanie this past weekend. Typically when we throw a shower, my main job is to find a cake. For a baby shower, I thought it would be a fun change to do cupcakes instead, so I began visiting some of the cupcake shops and bakeries in the area. I was truly shocked to find that they have the audacity to charge as much as $3.50 PER CUPCAKE, even when you're buying as many as 2 dozen cupcakes at a time. I left the last cupcake shop annoyed, and thought to myself "I could make the cupcakes for much less than that, and probably do a better job." So that's what I did.

I used to make cupcakes in college from time to time, so I was a little rusty with my cupcake skills and had to get the hang of it again, but I had forgotten how much fun it is to decorate them. These were french vanilla and chocolate cupcakes, all with chocolate buttercream icing. The blue and green confetti are store-bought and made of sugar. I did, however, make the birds out of fondant. I'd never used fondant before, so I was pretty proud of these. I may just have to start making cupcakes more often.

All in all, I had a lot of fun distracting myself from packing... but with our move now only 2 days away, it can no longer be avoided. We've gotten a lot done, but we still have a lot to do. So next time you hear from me, I will be reporting from Denver! I will hopefully post a few pictures of the drive and our first few days there. So until then!

Cheers

{may... the abridged version}

We thought that once we'd made the decision about where we were moving, we could finally breathe a sigh of relief. After all... that was the hard part, right?

Wrong. If memory serves, I don't think we've had more than an hour to relax at home since April. I am happy to report though that we DO now have a place to live in Denver. I can't say that I've ever signed on an apartment that I've never personally laid eyes on, which under normal circumstances, would be a little unsettling... but we researched... literally... every apartment, townhome and rental home in the greater Denver area, and we feel completely confident that we've found the right one for us. Not to mention that it's double the square footage of our current apartment. That rocks pretty hard in our opinion. So once we are settled in, there will be pictures of the new place. We're very excited about it.

We have a few hopeful leads on the job front, but nothing set in stone yet, so if we had one prayer request in this whole moving debacle, that would be it. Pray that God opens up the perfect jobs at the perfect time.

We took our little anniversary trip to Canada, and it was a blast. It was relaxing and adventurous all at the same time, and it was completely different from any vacation we'd ever taken. I don't know about the rest of Canada, but the parts that we saw were absolutely stunning. Unfortunately, I suffer from a little affliction known as altitude sickness, so there were a few hours of repeated nauseousness as we drove up into the mountains to go horseback riding, but by that evening, I was feelin' good again. I know what you're thinking... you're moving to Denver and you get altitude sickness? I don't know what to tell you about that. We'll see how it goes.

I genuinely dislike downloading pictures to this blog because of it's dreadful slowness, and because there are so many, I will again employ the usefulness of redirecting you to a link where you can find pictures from the trip. Hope you enjoy!

We're about to take a very welcomed break from moving plans to celebrate Maurice's sister's wedding, and we're so excited to be a part of the joyous occasion. So until next time...

Cheers!

{from miles and miles of texas to the mile high city}

So let's recap the last post. Most of you savvy minds figured it out, but if anyone should be left scratching your heads... we had a song by John DENVER and Whitney HOUSTON. After another really long process, it was narrowed down to Denver and Houston.

And we've decided that we're moving to Denver! Our excitement is two-fold.

First... this has just been a really long process for us that has lasted over a year. If you'll remember, we nearly moved to Philadelphia about this time last year, but after a lot of thought, we were certain that it wasn't the right move for us... despite what an amazing and beautiful city it is. So we stayed in San Antonio and came up with ANOTHER list of places, and before we knew it, we were playing the "where are we moving" game again. It's a long and frustrating process, but we did our best to hold onto our faith in the fact that if we asked God for guidance, He would undoubtedly show us what to do and where to go. Receiving that answer and seeing God's faithfulness is certainly the thing we are most excited about.

And secondly... we're just excited to live in a new place! We love Texas. We always have and always will, but this is a really welcomed change, and we can't wait to learn about and discover the city of Denver and all it has to offer. And not to mention its proximity to the mountains for some great hiking and snowboarding. I feel fairly certain that there may be some sort of snowboarding on a professional level in our future.

So we're excited. yes. that is a perfectly safe assumption. There is certainly a lot of work to be done in our near future, in terms of finding jobs and a place to live. Let me assure you... in the past few days, I have seen every apartment and rental home in the greater Denver area. No stone has gone unturned. Let me also say this... I quickly learned that the terms "renovated", "fantastic", "updated" and "great location" are all relative and subjective terms. But the perfect home is out there, and we will find it :)

So that's that. We're going to Denver. We're very excited. Hope you'll come and visit.

Cheers.

{so you think you're smart, do you?}

Last year, when Maurice and I had narrowed down our moving options, we offered a little hint as to what the final considerations were. So it would only be fair that I extend the same courtesy this year. However... I'm not gonna go so easy on you. It is going to take some careful thought and consideration. At least I hope so.

Maurice and I have narrowed it down to 2 places. And here are your clues as to what those two places are:

"Country roads, take me home, to the place I belong"

and

"If I, should stay, I would only be in your way"

... Guess if you dare

{A Brain Dump to Pass the Time}

My sincerest apologies for not blogging much lately. For the most part, there hasn't been much to blog about. We're still trying to work out the moving situation and working pretty much all the time, and it just doesn't seem like that's left time for much else! So what little news and stories there are to tell, you will receive in a new brain dump. And so it begins...

* Today Maurice and I booked a trip to Victoria, British Columbia for our first anniversary, and I am pumped.

* While we are in BC, we have decided we are going to go on a whale watching tour... also pretty pumped about seeing some killer whales.

* I am already trying to remind myself that the Pacific ocean and Sea World are two very different places, and that when I do see a killer whale, I should probably not try to reach out and hug it.

* Speaking of whales, Maurice and I watched "The Cove" last week.

* Everyone should watch that documentary, but only if you can stomach it.

* We also watched "The Blind Side" last week.

* Everyone should also watch that, but only if you can stomach watching the footage of Joe Theismann getting his leg broken.

* If you know what I'm talking about, it's at the beginning, so cover your eyes.

* Stefanie and Adam found out recently that they're having a boy, and Maurice and I are so excited to have a nephew.

* Sofia can't say "Aunt Kelli" yet, but she can say "Uncle Mo".

* It actually sounds more like "uh mo". We're pretty sure that counts.

* I gave up sodas for lent, and last night I dreamt that I had gone without sodas for so long, that I walked up to the fountain drink dispenser at subway and had forgotten how to use it.

* I woke up feeling equally as frazzled as I would had I had an actual nightmare.

* A lot of people told me that when you give up sodas and then try one after a while, that you don't like them as much anymore.

* What a silly thing to say.

* I just realized that because Maurice and I will be gone on our anniversary, that means we get to get out the top our wedding cake and eat it early.

* I am still very on the fence about Minnesota, but Maurice has begun to bribe me with promises of various gifts, upon my agreement to move there.

* I'm not sure if he's aware of how much a cashmere scarf costs.

{so simple, yet so profound}

Ok... I'm sure there's a chance that I'm the last person on earth to find out about this, but I am mystified!

Background. I am what you would call a chapstick addict. I have it with me at all times. In an effort to simplify my life, I have strategically placed chapstick in my nightstand, in my purse, in my car, and in my desk at work, in order that I may never be farther than 20 yards from it. But what I have come to realize, is that if you use chapstick often enough, it actually starts to have the reverse of it's desired effect. I noticed that my lips have actually become dryer than they were before this whole chapstick addiction began.

And I can recognize my own vices, so I have recently begun an effort to wean myself off of it. But the whole reason I began using it in the first place is simple... I love having soft and properly moisturized lips. So in giving up chapstick, I was again faced with the dilemma of figuring how to keep the ol' lips feeling good.

Enter wonderful coworker. In talking with a friend of mine at work the other day, she shared with me that she too had recently given up chapstick for the same reasons as myself... BUT... she had another trick up her sleeve. She said she'd learned long ago that honey and sugar are nature's best kept secrets when it comes to soft and lovely skin.

Far be it from me to let this one go, so I tried it, and I am blown away. It made my day. There are several variations of this natural wonder, but this is what she shared with me. Mix equal parts sugar and honey in a small container... it should be pretty thick, not runny... then take a very small amount and rub it on your lips. Voila! Instant lip exfoliator/moisturizer. I did a little internet research too, and apparently, sugar is one of nature's best natural exfoliators, and honey is one of nature's best moisturizers. Be careful not to rub too hard. You aren't trying to remove entire layers of skin here. Rubbing gently will exfoliate the dead skin cells, and when you're done, either wash it off with water. or let's be honest... it's sugar and honey... just lick it off.

Other variations that I've learned of are sugar and olive oil... another great natural moisturizer, or putting a small amount of sugar on half a lemon and rubbing that on your lips. Although I'm told there's quite a bit of burn involved with that one. I'm also told that this sugar and honey concoction makes a great hands and feet exfoliator for an easy home mani/pedi too.

I love learning fun tricks like this... and if I learn of anymore, I shall surely keep you informed!

{the delicious hilarious valentine's day}

As a newly married couple on the verge of moving and starting graduate degrees, we're not exactly doing a lot of extravagant spending lately. Of course we appreciate the finer things in life... who doesn't, really. But I'm also a firm believer in the fact that every now and then... we deserve to spoil ourselves ever so slightly. And one of Maurice and I's favorite ways to indulge ourselves is with great food at great restaurants. Among our favorites are The Lodge and Citrus Restaurant (inside Hotel Valencia). And for a long time, we've wanted to try Silo Elevated Cuisine, so we figured Valentine's day would be the perfect opportunity! They had a special 4 course meal with wine pairings prepared for the occasion, and dare I say... it may be one of my new favorites.

Our meal started with a lobster bisque soup, which I loved. Maurice wasn't sure he liked the "seafoody" taste, and after reminding him that lobsters do, in fact, live in the sea, we did agree that the wine was off to an excellent start.

Next came salad, and we were even, because I am not a salad person. However, I can usually find something in a salad that I like, so while Maurice scarfed his down, I munched on the cheese crisp and croutons and periodically moved some of the lettuce from my plate to his, so it wouldn't be obvious that I disliked the salad. I don't hold that against Silo... I generally don't like salad anywhere, so they aren't to blame. This round of wine was also great, as was my cheese crisp, and dinner was about to get real good.

For the main course, we got to choose from several menu items. Maurice chose the filet mignon while I had the wood grilled duck. To say it was delicious would be putting it mildly. Both were cooked to perfection and we traded bites back and forth across our table several times. This round of wine? also excellent.

And then came dessert, which was chocolate gelato with cream and crushed espresso. I will confess that I didn't have high hopes for such a simple sounding dessert, but I was pleasantly surprised. The espresso was not overpowering and the wine was a perfect sparkling dessert wine.

By the time the check came, we were full and satisfied, allbeit a little bit tipsy. So put Silo in the win column, because the food was excellent and the staff were extremely friendly and attentive. And if you're big on atmosphere like me, you'll love the modern and bustly New York vibe.

And as if our Valentine's night wasn't already great enough, we had great tickets to see Gabriel Iglesias at the Majestic after dinner. I'm as big a fan of great food as I am great comedians, and he does a great show. We laughed. A lot.

We were pretty late getting home and it was pretty painful to get up for work this morning, but it was totally worth it to spoil ourselves with a great night out for Valentine's day.