happy halloween

queen bee market

saturday, to try and get my mind off the race, we ventured to orange county for the queen bee market craft fair.

let's be honest.  i went to the fair for one reason, to meet elise blaha cripe.  to buy some of her stamps. to get a holiday book. and to take this picture.

she was one of the vendors selling handmade crafts at the fair.  i tried to play it cool when i met her.  i mean, i read her blog everyday and am so inspired by her creativity.  i admire her determination to get things done; crafting, diy projects, running, cooking.  just take a look at her blog and you'll see what i mean.  this girl does it all.

i may have told her that i read her blog everyday, that i was running a half marathon on sunday, that i wish i had her energy, that she inspired me to write my blog everyday last year.  i hope i didn't freak her out. but i admire her and i wanted her to know that.

she was absolutely lovely.  we chatted about blogging, and crafting, and running.  i bought 2 stamps and her holiday book.  plus i picked up a few other goodies from other vendors.  love it all!

i was inspired by these women who have an idea and talent, bring it to life and are now sharing it with everyone.  calligraphers, jewelry makers, paper crafters, designers.  they are talented and super creative. it was worth the drive to be there.

the other great part was that we got to spend some time with gigi and great grandpa.  they live just 6 minutes from where the craft fair was happening.  the kids played apples to apples with them and we all had lunch together.  of course there was dessert; cake and ice cream.

this was a perfectly fun way of spending a saturday afternoon.

weekly menu: week 44

turkey sausage, white bean and kale soup.

it's monday morning and i am sitting here for the first time in a few months not feeling rushed.  i am having a cup of coffee, waiting for my english muffin to pop out of the toaster so i can slather it with a little peanut butter and banana.  i'm ready to do my menu and get to the grocery store.  it's a bit of an odd feeling.

i should be rushing.  i should be dropping the kids off at school and getting my run in for the day.  then rushing home to eat something, shower and then make my menu, list and get to the store.  but as of yesterday, that all changed for me.  the race is done. today my body is reminding me of what i put it through and that i have to slow down.

i'll give you all the details in a future post.  but for now it's time to rest.  besides i have halloween costumes to finish, about 587 loads of laundry to get through, and it wouldn't hurt to sweep up those leaves that have accumulated by the front door.  i guess i have plenty to fill my day with.

but i'll miss the run.

making this week:
monday: chinese chicken salad
tuesday: turkey burgers, sweet potato fries
wednesday: halloween candy ; )
thursday: fish tacos
friday: calzones
saturday: birthday dinner for aunt becky
sunday: eat out

have a restful week.

vegas baby

at the end of september our good friends invited us to head to vegas with them.  now, we are not huge vegas people.  but we couldn't pass up the chance to hit the slot machines, eat good food and hang out with amy and anthony.

we left friday at 5:30am, watched the sunrise

and picked up coffee and breakfast at starbucks.

apparently i need to speak clearly when i order.

we made it to vegas in 4.5 hours, checked into the hotel - which earned the name "the honey boo boo hotel", and took to the strip for some fun.  bobby and i turned into tourists while we were there, oohing and aahing at the beautiful hotels and spectacle that is vegas.

bobby couldn't wait to get one of these tall drinks and walk from hotel to hotel. do they look like tourists to you?

after the drinks it was time for lunch.

we were so excited to find this burger place.  turkey burgers, shrimp corn dogs, and popcorn.  next time we visit we'll have to make room for one of their shakes.  they looked amazing.

and of course we had to pose in the high heel shoe.

we gambled and hoped for the jackpot, but alas it never. we spent most of our time looking for people's unused credits that they left in machines.  at that point amy was embarrassed to hang out with us so we left.

we went back to the hotel for a little nap and to meet up with anthony for dinner.  it was awesome that we took a limo to the strip.

that's the way to get around town for dinner and a little gambling.  just a casual night out on the town.

saturday, we had to go to the buffet at the wynn.

 unbelievable selection of food. all of the things that i love in one place.  chilaquiles, eggs benedict, carnitas, bread pudding, gelato, sushi.  seriously, i was in awe.  a buffet that was worth every calorie.

and a beautiful hotel to go with it.  definitely want to stay here next time.

back to the hotel for a nap and a recharge.  actually we were just waiting to get hungry again.  we had tickets to love, cirq de soleil.  so we grabbed some pizza, calzones, and wine.

then we went to the theater.

an amazing show!  the music, the acts, the energy.  it was contagious and everyone left singing one of the beatles songs.  so happy we got to see this.

sunday morning we left early to get us back in time for jordan's swim meet.  but we felt like we had enough of the smoke, the slots and all of that food.

thank you anthony and amy for the invite, the tips, letting us crash at the "honey boo boo hotel", the upgrades, the laughter.  but most of all for your friendship.  we had so much fun.  and we can't wait to do it again!

around here

 it's hard to go back and talk about all of the things we've been up to.  i have a few that i want to focus on.  but these are the things that have been keeping us busy and happy over the last few weeks.

 i am eating peanut butter and banana sandwiches on wheat bread.  something so comforting about that.

 we were boo'd over the weekend.  found this lovely bucket and note on our doorstep.  such a fun tradition and thoughtful gift.  thank you... you know who you are.

 i'm 5 days away from the race. getting in my last few runs, trying to stay healthy, calm and injury free.

 we are watching the debates, listening to the commentary and keeping our opinions to ourselves.  i can't wait for this election to be done.

 we are proud and grateful for the grant our school received from disney.  the money will go toward our ipad initiative.  thanks grandma for the nomination.

 we are enjoying autumn and not paying attention to the push for christmas in the stores.  loving the variety of pumpkins everywhere.

 sofia got to "milk a cow" at farm day.  bobby and i helped make breakfast for the first grade class - these kids can eat!  and we made butter from cream.  one of the funnest events at our school.

 we are showing our gratitude to the families that are participating in our capital campaign.  more to come on that later.

our school celebrated it's 35th birthday and the kids got to party with games, cupcakes and party favors.  fun, fun, fun.

we got a little carried away with a new favorite wine.  but it's that good.  and these are all gone.

and that's what you missed on the blog.

weekly menu: week 43

caprese salad with grilled chicken.

an exciting  week behind us and an even more exciting week ahead for us.  bobby took last week off and worked from home, we had farm day in sofia's class, 2 birthday parties and the concert.  this week it's back to work, a colonial day meeting for andrew's class, a fieldtrip to the farm, a craft fair, my 2nd half marathon, and a swim meet.  feeling overwhelmed?  me too.

in terms of menu, this week is all about nutrition as i head into the race on sunday.  i am going for protein on monday, tuesday, wednesday, and then carbs on thursday, friday, saturday.  training slows down which i totally needed.  feeling anxious but ready for the race.
 

making this week:
monday: grilled salmon, salad
tuesday: chicken pot pie
wednesday: turkey sausage, kale and white bean soup
thursday: pasta with vegetables
friday: ymca training group pot luck
saturday: pre-race dinner?
sunday: eat out

i am hoping to share lots this week.  we'll see how it goes.

enjoy your week!

happiness is

...sister's night out.

...eating an ahi three ways salad from the farm.

...going to the carrie underwood concert.

...sitting in the 16th row.

...a stage that moves over the audience.

...the party song.

...a great show and an amazing singer.

...being blown away!