Spreading some Christmas Cheer

As mentioned before, I have not done much this Holiday season. No baking, no decorating, no nothing. So when Adam gchatted me yesterday saying how he had received like 4 Christmas gifts from his co-workers, I realized very quickly that I needed to pick up my game. So with my new Christmas game-face on- I quickly came up with an quick, easy and cute idea that I had read about on Krista Kutter's blog. The idea came from THIS post (and, yes, her's turned out better than mine.... so don't judge me). I decided to make Jars with a cookie recipe inside, tie an instruction card to it and call it good.

Off I went to Michael's, the grocery store and Office Max. I got my ingredients, jars, ribbon, spray paint and cards.

I really like how fun this project turned out to be.... the hardest part?! Umm... that would be Step 1, which required me to remove the stickers from the jar.. Literally, they were impossible to remove. Luckily, I had some Goo Gone on hand to rescue me.

After the stickers were off, the rest was FAIRLY easy. Spray paint the lids, design the card, go to print the cards, realize we are completely out of ink... run back to Office Max... spending another $60 on ink, come home, get the cards printed and everything set and ready to go.

My sweet, Christmas-spirited husband decided he was going to help even though the KSU game was on. We muted the game, put on some Christmas music and went to town filling up the jars. Of course, I made a batch for ourselves (these cookies=delicious). The jars turned out pretty great, but next time, I am going to tweak some of my design... but overall, they were quick, easy, relatively cheap and I think they make the perfect gift for a co -worker, neighbor, teacher, friend etc. Plus, I have already compared these to the other gifts Adam received and so far I am in first place for most creative. Muhahaha.

Yes, thank you printer for eating some of the cards I bought. This is why there are two versions of the jars. This one pictured above and then the green or red cards pictured at the very top (which I actually ended up liking better anyways).

So there it is folks. My contribution to the Holiday season. And guess what?! I am off the mall here in a bit to finish up some gifts. I think this means I am un-grinchified.

Grinch

I am totally not the Grinch. I LOOOOVEE Christmas and this time of year, but I feel grinchified for several reasons listed below:

- We are not doing Christmas cards. I hate this. I really do. We are just in a major penny pinching period of our lives right now and I just can't justify it. Mark my words, from next year on.... there will be Christmas cards! I promise. Just not this year.

- As mentioned previously, we have zero decor up

- I can't hardly bake. We have the tiniest kitchen ever with little to no counter space and it is a pain to cook in there. I love cooking too, sigh.

- I have yet to go Christmas shopping, even though we are pretty much done buying every one's gifts (which are awesome, just did not require any leg work or shopping excursions).

I really hate feeling grinchy, so here is a promise to myself. Whether we are in this same apartment next year, or somewhere new.... I will decorate, send out cards, hit the mall and bake!

Who would have thought....

I have been working out consistently for almost two months now. Adam and I LOVE Crossfit. Like are obsessed. Like this could be one of the best things that has happened to us in a long time. I know, slightly dramatic, but it puts me in the best mood and I can tell a difference in my body in only 2 months.

For example, when I started Crossfit. I couldn't do a pull-up. I mean... who can?! So I had to do modified pullups which basically means, I used a stretchy band (or two or three) to put my foot through that helped me get my chin over the bar. I kid you not (I am still quite overwhelmed by this fact) but I can do pullups now with NO HELP! In fact, I can do pull ups with weight on my back (12 lbs to be exact...). It is pretty surreal.

I feel better about myself, even if I don't look very different yet and I truly feel like I am missing out on my rest days when I can't go hang out and see everyone else. The other members are so fun and the coaches are amazing too. I have talked to the owner of the gym and I think sometime next year, I am going to become Crossfit certified so I can become an instructor. I have never cared about how fast I can run, how much I can lift or how long I can hold a handstand for... but I care now. In fact, Adam and I come home from our workouts and record how fast we did the workout and what weights we used... I know, weird.

And I feel like if I told my family this, they would laugh. This is NOT the typical Emily. I am just really enjoying myself and I love feeling passionate about something. Yes, I used the word passionate about working out. WHO IS THIS GIRL?

Adam and I are going to do a few classes when we are back in KC if anyone wants to join. The only Crossfit in KC is at 95th and Nall so shoot me an email if you want to tag along and get your butt kicked :)

PS- I am MVP of the week on the Crossfit website.... www.crossfitlodo.com. Pretty excited when I saw that posted.

Disappointed in Denver

I love Denver. It is no secret. I mean.... it is mid- 60's this week - in DECEMBER! It really isn't cold here like people think (yes, it can be freezing, but then a day later be warm again). If you have lived through a KC winter, a Denver winter is a piece of cake. The mountains are beautiful, the culture, the outdoor activities, the general lifestyle of the people here... all loves of mine.

BUT Adam and I have discovered that Christmas time in Denver does not compare to Christmas in KC. People just aren't as into Christmas here. There are not as many lights up on houses and that just really bothers me. Maybe it is because we live in a college area, but overall, I haven't seen the lights like you see in KC. My mission this weekend is to find out where the lights are and go drive to find them.... I mean, there HAS to be some well-known Christmas light neighborhoods somewhere!

Sincerely,
Disappointed in Denver

PS- Don't get me started on the housing prices...

Cash System Update

A few weeks ago I posted about a new system that Adam and I were going to try out. It is the cash envelope system and you can read THIS post to catch up if you are lost. Anyways, I just wanted to give a public announcement to the world (or the 7 people who might read this) that WE LOVE IT!

Reasons?! Well, lets just say life is expensive. So when our dry cleaning is $40 and Tyson needs new food (which is about $60) and typically that just feels like a lot of money to spend.... oh wait! We already have that budgeted. In fact, The amount I need is in a cash envelope labeled "Tyson" or "Dry Cleaning". So I just go grab the amount of cash I need from the envelope- go run my errands and am back. It feels so much better knowing that we aren't overspending, we have all the stuff we need budgeted in.... and since it is cash, your bank account has the exact same amount in it. Simple but so genius.

We are really excited to get back on track today (payday) because we couldn't really do this system correctly when we were in Napa or on Thanksgiving break. If anyone else is thinking about doing this- I have 2 suggestions. 1) have an "Other" envelope for the stuff that is unexpected or if you overspent in another category. That way, this stuff is already budgeted too and you don't have to take it out of your bank account. 2) Always have some of the cash in your wallet and just keep tabs in your head of what category you are spending out of. Several times, we forgot to grab the cash before we left the house so we ended up paying with a card then going to the bank the next day to deposit that amount back in.... which is kind of a pain.

I highly recommend this to anyone. Hopefully one day we will be so rich that we won't have to worry about it (ha!) but for now, this is actually kind of fun for us (I know- SAD).

On a different note, is anyone having problems reading blogs? Like they won't load correctly? My computer went through updates and I couldn't even see my own blog- which is why my blog is plain jane right now. Vanessa- I can't see yours unless I am on my other computer either! So weird!

Sad Sad City

With Christmas right around the corner (holy cow!)... our favorite thing to do is decorate a tree. Probably like most, it is amazing when you step back- see the finished product and can feel the warmth and Christmas cheer in the room.

Last year, we went all out- this year, we want to.... but there is no place to put the Christmas tree!! Seriously, we barely got all our furniture in this place and since we have no extra storage, we can't make a place for the tree. I FANTASIZE about decorating a house (especially for the Holidays) and if we don't end up buying a house next year, I will probably go into depression....

So, with this being said, our one and only Christmas decoration is on our dog.

(Isn't he the cutest!). Tyson doesn't know, but there is a lot of pressure on him to spread the Christmas cheer around 2385 S. Race St. Apt. A. To everyone, please post pics of your decorated house! With my house envy in full swing right now.... looking at your houses is something I REALLY look forward to!

Merry Christmas! Arf!

Napa recap!

Jaunt on over to Ali's Blog to read about our amazing trip in Napa Valley! LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this post! Ali was extremely kind because the last day when we hit up 6 wineries, there may be some not-so flattering pictures of me captured on camera (i.e. one with my head resting on the counter at a wine tasting- super classy, em).

We loved traveling with the Moore's and Napa is just a magical place. So beautiful and if you like wine, you have to go!

Starting now, new resolution

To take pictures! I have sucked at this recently and am not sure why because we have an awesome camera + I have a great point and shoot. I take it with me but it is always out of battery (from sitting dormant for so long) or I forget to use it. So..... here is a run down of the Griffin life we have lived recently, sans pictures (unless I could find some on the Book of Face).

We went on vacation (refer to Ali Moore's Blog), got back the Thursday before Thanksgiving and things have been non-stop. We landed from San Francisco, met up with Allen Miller at the airport and were off to our house to prepare for the KSU/CU game that weekend. My parents decided last minute to come in town for the game so Friday was spent cleaning and working, while Adam showed Allen Denver.

As you all know, we lost the game to CU, but luckily, Becky had planned an amazing day for the KSU Denverites that included taking a party bus to and from the game. It was so much fun!

So here is the only picture with Kayley and I actually in it... I told you, I am LAME with the picture taking.

Anyways, after the poor performance by the KSU Fball team, Kayley and I were pretty anxious to get home, especially, because there were CU fans on the bus. Who would have thought that we would LOSE?! I may or may not have gotten in a little tif with one of the CU fans on the bus (she was gathering all the CU fans on the bus to do a little chant and I looked at her and said "are you really going to be that fan" in a total snot-faced tone... but it did the trick, there was no CU chant).

Fast forward 4 days and we leave to drive back to KC for Thanksgiving. We had such a fantastic time in KC. I love being back for the holidays and there really is no place like home. I fantasize about decorating my future house for the Holidays and making it cozy. I ate and ate and ate- it was the never ending Thanksgiving.

Now, we are back from KC and are preparing for December and the array of Christmas parties + skiing! I am going up this weekend since Adam is out of town (in Dallas) and am planning on skiing a ton this winter. I want to become a bad ass.

In other news: BumblePost is coming along and we are shooting for a January launch date. We are pretty excited, it is just a lot of work!

Don't pictures make a post so much more enjoyable?? I thought so.... I am going to do my best to evoke my inner-photographer in the coming weeks. Peace out!

Guest Blogger..... kind of...

Ali Moore blogged about the first portion of our vacation to San Francisco. I couldn't have done better myself. She did an amazing job and I have already read her post about 4 times! Can't get enough of it!

So..... please check it out on her bloggity blog. www.aliandandrewmoore.blogspot.com

:)

2 new goals in life

I have two new recent goals. One spurred up on our trip to Napa, the other occurred to me last night during Modern Family.

1) to become a wine-snob. Also known as a wob. or a wobby (wine-snobby). Not necessarily the snob part, but after one of the best vacations ever in Napa Valley with the Moores. I want to know A LOT about wine. I feel like we all got a good basis and now I need to know everything there is.... please look for the Ali's post on Napa. We forgot our camera and Ali took a ton of amazing pics.
Quick summary:
- fly into San Francisco, tour the Ferry building and China town. Go out to eat and get drinks
- Sunday: rent bikes and ride across the Golden Gate bridge to Sausalito. Amazing, so fun. explore more of SF when we get back over the bridge
- Monday - Wednesday. Three glorious days of perfect weather, wine tasting, eating great food and hanging out with an extremely fun couple know as Ali and Andrew Moore.
Perfect, Perfect vacation. I can't believe how pretty it is and how amazing the vineyards and wineries are. Ali and I may have had a few too many on Wednesday (we went to like 6 wineries... my classiness dropped a few notches throughout the day)

2) To be a part of- or be in the same place as a FLASH MOB! I didn't even know what this was until last nights episode of Modern Family.... Adam and I got into bed and youtubed flash mob dances for like an hour. Here is one of my favorites:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VQ3d3KigPQM
Literally like living in a real life musical. How do I accomplish this???

MIA

Was in Boston two weeks ago for work, then came home and flew right back out for vacation. Got back home last night, friends and family are in town for the KSU/CU game and after everyone leaves and I wind down- I will finally BLOG!
Stay tuned....

GO CATS!

Taking a moment of your time....

To vent! And I know this post is going to be really ambiguous and probably really stupid for someone to read but I just have to get it out.


Starting a business is really hard. Like, 10xs harder than you think it will be when you start. I thought it would be fun to head up the card design and it has been fun for the most part, but now I hit the frustrating part which consist of organizing them, making sure I have the right file types, bleeds on the cards, etc.

I know nothing about graphic design, I know a tiny bit about what different file types mean but not enough.... and working with some designers is just a pain in the A. I don't know the answers to half the questions I get asked, I don't know how to pay my designer in Serbia because PayPal doesn't service that Country. I just don't know a lot of things that I should know.


I can see some issues that could become problems, but have no way to confirm if they are actual problems or how to resolve them. Anyways, I guess this is what you get when you dive into something head first that is completely new to you.


We are getting so close to getting things done and ready to test but there are just some bottlenecks we need to get through first. Please promise me that if we lose all our money in this process that someone will let us sleep on their couch for a few weeks?! I am being a little dramtic right now, but really....

Shopping on a budget (kinda)

This was a much anticipated weekend due to the fact that I got a commission check on Friday, which means, that we could actually afford to do a little shopping! I have not be shopping in FOREVER and neither had Adam (but more recently than me, surprisingly).
We both felt like we had no clothes and since we are leaving for Napa Valley in a week and a half, we both decided it was ok just to pick up a few things for each of us in anticipation for our trip and the Holidays.

We decided we could afford $200.00 each for a grand total of $400.00. This is soooo not a lot (considering I used to blow several hundred when I shopped in Dallas). But it was really fun to have a set budget that really only allowed for things we loved. Surprisingly we did excellent and came in UNDER budget when the day was done (thank you sale racks, forever 21 and Nordstrom Rack). Adam had spent all of his, but I didn't find a whole lot that I wanted so only spent about $140.00 out of my $200.00 allotment.

I was feeling pretty good until I was on Facebook yesterday an saw a pair of boots that I had to have on my cousin's page. So I messaged her, figured out where she got them and went and bought them last night. I am pretty excited about them even though it made me go over my budget (it wasn't by much) but I think I am set for the next few months.

San Fran/Napa Valley here. we. come. yay!

Pushin Through

Last night Adam and I went to Cross Fit. So far, we have been going strong for the past week and a half and both really love it. It is extremely challenging, but a great feeling when you leave the gym.

Well, I almost died last night. I mean, I know I am not in the best of shape, but I would like to think I can complete the workout. Lets just say that I had to do 5 rounds of the workout of the day. About 1/2 way into lap ONE I could have called it good. Adam was doing another workout so he didn't get to experience this with me.... I ended up completing all 5 laps but was in so much pain, I may or may not have gone to the bathroom to cry a little bit.........

We got in the car and I couldn't even talk to Adam for the first few minutes. It was a sad day in the life of Emily Griffin. It pains me to say this but 1) I am more out of shape than I thought 2) my cardio strength SUCKS!!!! 3) I think I might need to get an inhaler!! Yes, I always had one growing up because I have exercises induced asthma, but after gymnastics never had to use one. Well, I don't think I have worked out that hard since my gymnastics days and I can definitely tell I should be using one, especially in this thin-dry air.

Oh man... but cheers to trying to get back in shape.

VOTE!

A few reasons to vote!!!

1) Local elections affect you more than Presidential elections
2) If you care enough to complain, you better be voting! One of my biggest pet peeves is people who love to get into political conversations, or complain about what is going on with the government.... then I ask, well, did you vote?! Lots of times the answer is NO! I fully believe that if you don't vote, you shouldn't be complaining about anything... If you vote, well, then by all means- complain away :)
3) People often think their vote doesn't matter. Have you ever thought about if all those people with that thought process actually voted?! I think it does matter.

It is super easy and takes only a few minutes!

PS- if you are unsure about where to go... all you do is go to the Secretary of States website, verify that you are registered and it will give you the location you are assigned to.

New Month, New System

On our constant conquest to become financially healthy, smart, etc. we have decided to try a new system this month. I am sure most of you have heard it.... it is the cash envelope system.

So basically, we have it calculated out what we should be spending per month on 6 different categories including groceries, going out, etc. Each category is going to have its own designated envelope to keep that specific amount of cash in. Since today was payday, Adam went to the bank to withdraw the cash to keep in the envelopes. The cash should last us for two weeks (until next pay day). Other things like electricity, rent, cable are all still paid via online banking.

I am really excited to try something new. This will make us really watch what we spend and if the money runs out... then its out. I think it will be a challenge, but hopefully a good experience. The toughest thing is going to be to remember to grab the cash out of the designated envelope and then put the extra cash back in the envelope.

We have talked about what to do with the extra cash (if there is any) and I think we are going to create a jar to stuff it in... so when we go on vacation we can use it as spending money or something. Or maybe for shopping trips, this is still TBD. I will keep you posted on how this system works out for us. If anyone has done this before, I would love to hear your experience with it!

Tyson's healthy snack...

I am about to make cookies, but had to run to the store to grab a few things first. I left 2 eggs and 2 sticks of butter on the counter so they could warm up while I was gone.
I just walked back in the house and the sticks of butter have vanished. Paper and everything. Tyson looks guilty. I am not excited for the aftermath of his decisions.
Grrrrrrrr.

A New Me

Remember when I mentioned that Adam and I were doing a photo shoot for a new gym here in Denver? The gym is a Cross Fit gym and the shoot was actually really fun, not intimidating and relaxed.

Not sure which of you know what cross fit is- probably some yes and some no- it is pretty much a new almost "movement". You don't use a machine like you would at a regular gym, but everything is using your own body weight (sit ups, squats, medicine balls, free weights, rings, etc). It kinda reminds me of Yoga in the aspect that people get obsessed and it can be almost cult-like. The two trainers at this gym have the best bodies I have ever seen in real life. Not kidding.

Well, I think I am obsessed. I have done two workouts so far with Cross Fit and they have both been some of the hardest workouts of my life. I am pushed more than I have been pushed in a LONG time. And to top it all off... it is REALLY fun. It reminds me of my gymnastics days.

Anyways, if anyone wants to see some of the pictures from the other week.... here is their site:
www.crossfitlodo.com

Our payment for the pictures was 1 month free... so Adam and I are taking full advantage of this because the memberships are crazy expensive. Maybe next time you see me, I will be ripped out of my mind... haha.

Model of a husband

Landies and Gents, as of yesterday, this Ad is gracing the FULL page- inside COVER of the Denver Magazine! This was a photoshoot he did for Pura Vida, which is a gym here in Denver. I mean, this is just pure awesomeness and his friends are having a hay-day with this. Personally, I think he looks rather handsome. I can't wait to get my hands on 10+ copies of this! I will be super jealous if he starts getting more modeling gigs. I mean, I am still waiting to get a call from Victoria's Secret for an audition. ha. He looks great- though. I just love him to pieces.

Oh! And if you saw THIS POST, this photoshoot is how Adam scored a free massage, which kindly, he let me use.

no plans for me

Its been a whole week since I have posted and I am a-ok with that. Our lives have been soooo fun but busy this summer/fall that this weekend is the first weekend since June that we don't have anything planned! Can you believe that?! We have been gone or had people in town every single weekend and I literally cannot wait to do absolutely nothing this weekend. I need to relax and get some good time in with Adam and Tyson..... After this weekend, we are non-stop again through the Holidays. Can you believe 2010 is winding down? Where did the year go?

I am in Boston until tomorrow and I think everyone should put on their bucket list a trip up here in the fall. I always heard their fall foliage was amazing and the rumors have proved to be true. I have a few free hours tomorrow and I might do my own personal fall foliage tour around the area...we will see. Perfect romantic weekend would be B&B's + Fall + New England. Just throwin it out there for someone looking for vacation ideas (I am full of them).

:)

Its a great day in the neighborhood!

This is a fabulous day for several reasons... pitty that I woke up pretty grumpy. I have officially pushed my bad-mood aside and am taking a moment to be thankful and share with you all why this is a great day for the Griffins

1) KSU Football. Do I need to explain further?? I was so happy last night and the joy has carried into my morning.

2) It's Friday!

3) My sweet husband surprised me with a "just because" massage. It is at noon today and I really actually need it. My back has been so tight recently (more to come on how he scored this massage at a later date... you guys with LOVE this story)

4) Nick and Maddie get here at 3 today and we are heading up to the mountains for the weekend!

5) Today, the Griffins are officially out of DEBT!!!!!!!! I know that this is really personal and probably something I shouldn't spread to the world, but we have $0.00 on ALL of our credit cards. I pretty much want to shout it at the top of my lungs right now. And I am buying champagne on the way home from my massage to share with the hubs sometime today! Lets just say, we didn't have a ton, but enough that it was a burden on our finances. And now we can seriously, seriously save up some money for a HOUSE. I can't even describe to you all in words my feelings.

6) We are about to have a new neighbor! Phil Mann is moving into our complex. Just pure awesomeness (minus the fact that his is a WHOLE lot nicer for the same price.... hmmm...)

I think this pretty much sums things up. Now, the only downer?! It is not really a downer, per say.... but one of the girls we knew in Dallas has moved to Denver to open up her own CrossFit gym. She needed models for her advertisements and the photo shoot is this afternoon. She asked Adam and I to be a part of this and of course Adam said yes.... I am just REALLY not excited for this. The last time she saw me, I was in GREAT shape (it was pre-wedding workout mode). She is probably assuming I still look like that and I am just a little embarrassed to show up with my current softness. I hope she is nice and puts me in the back.... or just accidentally crops me out of the photos. I have been trying to think of ways to get out of these all day.

Happy Friday everyone!

Calling all advice givers...

Adam and I have been on a money saving spree and are doing a great job at it, as far as I can tell!! But the ONE thing we absolutely cannot get under control, is our grocery store visits.... I mean, like if we spend under $100 dollars on a trip to the store, we do a little happy dance on the way out. I was looking at past trips to the store and was appalled at the amounts we are spending there... (like bad..... $160, $130, last nights was $140). I mean, holy cow.

What do you all do to keep yourselves organized and under control at the stores? I admit, we do mainly shop at Whole Foods, but usually only sales items (and we hardly ever buy meat). We have tried Safeway and are still at about the same amount per trip.

Any advice as to what works with you and your family, please share! I am open to all and every tid bit you can give me! Please and thank you....

PS- no, we do not have an Aldi here.

Drip Dry

Yesterday, I had scheduled our car to go into the shop..... just a pre-winter check up and tune up... which meant our car was going to be there all day.

I get home from dropping the car off, go to the restroom and realize we are completely out of toilet paper!! This would typically not be a big deal, except my car is in the shop and I can't go to buy new. To add another twist, Tyson ran out of food as well. This equalled one unhappy human (me) and one very happy dog (Tyson).

Why? You may ask.... Well, I had to drip dry all day in my own house and Tyson got cooked grilled chicken and veggies for his meal. Lucky dog.

Woo Hoo!

In a land far, far away called BumblePost.... three busy bees have been working around the clock to create something magical... here is an update!

http://lifeshouldbesimple.wordpress.com/2010/10/05/an-update/

Patience...

I feel like I am having a very difficult time with wanting things I can't have right now... like, I day-dream about our first house and how I will decorate it. I seriously cannot wait, but I have to!! The even worse thing is, Adam is right there with me. In fact, I have been the voice of reason recently. It is a such a curse right now that Adam has his real-estate license because we are continually looking up houses online!! I won't hardly look at them, because the last thing I want to do is fall in love with a house right now.

I keep telling myself that patience is key and good things come to those that wait. Besides, Adam and I have financial goals to achieve before we take the leap into home ownership... but still, there are days when I literally can't wait to be a homeowner!

In addition, our whole saving-money, creating a business mode is overflowing into my life in other areas such as shopping (haven't done that in forever), eating out (we fail miserably at this most times, but now I feel guilty when we do go out), etc.

Speaking of our business, that is another thing that is making me extremely inpatient!! I just want to get BumblePost up and running ASAP! Working with a developer is so frustrating, because we have to wait for them to develop it- duh. We are still shooting for end of November 2010 and have a conference call tonight, so should get some more details. Such a scary, fun thing.

I also want another dog, I want new furniture, I want to be able to decorate for the Holidays, I want to plan parties and vacations for a living and I want to possibly go back to school (thinking about this...)

I want, I want, I want!!!!!!!!!!!!! Grrrrrrr.

Best. Idea. Ever.

This weekend was Ben Nash and Allison Beardmore's wedding here in Denver. It was an absolute blast and Allison looked so beautiful! I didn't take pictures until late in the reception... but lets just say that they brought a bowl full of sunglasses out on the dance floor and I think I said (or yelled) this is the best idea ever! It was.... not going to lie. Allison is so creative.

Oh! And Alli is obsessed with Lady Gaga and definitely came out sporting her Gaga wig during "Bad Romance". Didn't get a picture of that... but it was priceless. Congrats to Mr. and Mrs. Nash!

PS- I emptied out my purse this morning and had10 pairs of these sunglasses in my purse. I might be married to a clepto.

Slacker...

I have been a slacker in the blogging world, but that is purely because was out of town for about a week, then came back to people in town and a wedding. I am FINALLY able to catch up!.

Last weekend, Adam, Tyson and I drove back to Manhattan for the KSU game. I am sure you all saw the crazy weather pictures, but here are a few I took on my camera. It was literally the craziest sky I have ever seen! It was so fun to be back in Manhattan. I. love. KSU.

After the game, I drove to KC with my family because I had to be in KC for work Sunday- Tuesday. I loved seeing some people and getting to spend some QT time with my fam. On Wednesday morning, I had a 6am flight with Greg to head to Cali for some meetings. I am obsessed with San Fransisco. I could live there and am so excited to go there for vacation in a few weeks. I literally left my heart in San Fransisco...

If you look closely, the Golden Gate bridge is in this picture... the fog is crazy in SF

Cookin for the boyz

I love to cook. I don't know what took me so long to explore this side of me... but it is true. I love to create a masterpiece and then have my hubs taste it for the first time to see his reaction. This month, I have not had only 1 1/2 boys in the house, but 2 1/2 (Adam, Brian and Tyson) boys to cook for. I know, Brian no way expects to be cooked for... but honestly, it works out great because I usually make too much food because cooking for just 2 can be hard!

Anyways, I have my personal favorites that I make about every 1-2 weeks, so I decided I need to start branching out again. And that led me to this recipe below. I made it last night... seriously so easy and you know its good when you not only get compliments that night on it, but then Brian walks in the house today after being at the hospital and says how delicious it was and how he considered eating some for breakfast :)

Anyways, here it is:

Spagetti Squash Lasagna:
Note: I didn't put a boullian cube in the sauce and it still tasted great. And I just used a regular cooking dish, instead of serving in the shells....

Ingredients:
1 spaghetti squash, halved lengthwise and seeded
1 onion, chopped
2 tablespoons minced garlic
2 (14 ounce) cans stewed tomatoes
1 tablespoon dried basil
1 cube vegetable bouillon
black pepper to taste
1 (15 ounce) can black olives, chopped
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1 cup shredded Parmesan cheese

Directions
Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Spray a baking sheet with a thin layer of cooking spray. Place squash halves cut side down on the baking sheet.
Bake squash 35 minutes in the preheated oven, or until a knife can be easily inserted. Remove from oven, and cool.
Meanwhile, spray a non-stick saucepan with cooking spray. Over medium heat, saute the onion and garlic until golden brown. Stir in tomatoes, basil, bouillon cube, and black pepper. Cook for about 15 minutes, or until you have a medium thick sauce.
Remove squash strands with a fork, reserving the shells. Layer each half with a spoonful of the sauce, a layer of spaghetti squash strands, olives, and mozzarella cheese. Repeat layers until shells are full, or until all of the ingredients are used. Top with Parmesan cheese.
Bake for 20 minutes in the preheated oven, or until Parmesan cheese melts.

San Diego Recap

I had to be in San Diego for work last week, so Adam flew on Friday evening to spend the weekend with me. Such a cool city, such a fun time. Here is the recap:

Friday: Adam got to the hotel, we grabbed a few drinks and then went out to eat with my co-workers and then just hung out. I took no pictures this night.

Saturday: Wake up at 8:30am... we think... (Adam forgot to reset the time on his Blackberry and I never checked the clock) and headed down to Fox Sports (who was opening at 9am) for the KSU game. Get there at 9:30 and it is locked. Adam calls them and asks when they open and they say 9am. He says well I am here and it is locked and they then tell him it is only 8:30. Oh right.... we finally get in, eat breakfast and watch the Cats pull in a win!

Then Adam suprises me. He said he was going to plan our weekend and that was fine by me. So after the game he says- we are getting picked up in 15 mins and going sailing. I was like what?! Yipee! Through Facebook this actually happened. One of my FB friends (who I actually had never met) saw that we were coming to SD, he messaged Adam because he is part of a sailing club and that is how it all went down.

About to get on the boat...

View of Downtown

Love this picture. Maybe a framer.

I seemed relaxed, but lets just say I hated it when the boat leaned really far over. I was a little tense at times, even though I was assured over and over it was impossible to capsize the model of sail boat we were in. I had my doubts...

After the sailing (which may or may not have given me a heart attack at times) we drank a little champagne on the dock and then heading back to the hotel to get ready for dinner.

Zach (our new friend) took us to a really fun restaurant and then went out for a little. All in all, it was an excellent day.

Sunday morning was a relaxing day. We got some breakfast in the Historic Gas Lamp District and walked around an art show that was happening right by our hotel. Then it was time to say farewell to San Diego. I definietly want to go back- 2 days was not enough.

Fun, fun and now we can't WAIT to be in Manhattan this weekend. Who's going to the game??

Keeping my emotions in check... fail

Yesterday was a regular ole Monday. When Adam got home from work, we headed to the grocery store. All normal. Let me give you some background information real quick:

Adam and I don't eat a lot of meat. Fish- yes, Eggs- yes... but the meat you typically buy (beef, chicken, etc) hardly ever. I mean, I probably eat meat once every couple months. Why? Well, I just have decided I don't love chicken anyway and besides that, if the meat is not raised hormone-free, free range- I honestly don't feel right about eating it. I mean, have you SEEN what they do to those animals? Anyways, so I will eat meat from Whole Foods, but again, that is hardly ever.

Adam and I have always been on the same page with this stuff. So, we were in San Diego this week and Adam orders carnitas on Friday and lamb on Saturday. I was a little confused, but at the end of the day I don't care about what he eats- duh. But then thinking about the lamb started to bother me.... like a lot. I mean, out of all the meats that you could choose from- you choose lamb!!!!

So back to the story.

We walk into the grocery store. Hit up the produce then go over to the meat section (which we typically grab our fish from- and only fish) and Adam just grabs a pack on Bison and tosses it into the cart. I was like "so.... you are eating meat now?" and he was like yes I am. I was like... ok, whatever. Then, I got this crazy wave of emotion come over me and I reverted back to a 5 year old mentality. I went semi- crazy. Like I thought I was going to cry in the grocery store.

What the heck is wrong with me!! Like I honestly can say I don't really care. I have no clue why I was so upset about it and I have been trying to pick through my emotions for the last 1/2 day. I am not sure if it was because he didn't tell me first he was doing a 180 or what, but I got upset literally over nothing.

Long story long, Adam thinks I am a straight freak now. I know, I was! I even apologized the second we got into the car. Something is wrong with me.

Harvard of the West

I saw this article on the top 25 most desirable large schools. Looks like KSU is the #2 most desirable in the Big 12 (next to Texas). These were ranked on ACT, SAT scores, etc.

Full Article: http://education.newsweek.com/2010/09/12/the-25-most-desirable-large-schools.all.html


1. Harvard University
2. University of Pennsylvania
3. Cornell University
4. University of Southern California
5. University of California, Berkeley
6. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
7. University of Virginia
8. University of California, Los Angeles
9. University of Florida
10. New York University
11. University of Michigan, Ann Arbor
12. University of Texas at Austin
13. Brigham Young University
14. George Washington University
15. University of Maryland-College Park
16. Kansas State University
17. University of Nebraska-Lincoln
18. University of Miami
19. Northeastern University
20. University of Georgia
21. Clemson University
22. Baruch College, City University of New York
23. University of Central Arkansas
24. Texas A&M University
25. University of Wisconsin-Madison

I knew you had to be REALLY smart to get into KSU!!! haha...

Livin the life

This past weekend, Tanner Richards and his parents let us use their mountain cabin right outside of Estes Park. Adam and I were so excited because we have never been to Estes and well... we got to stay in a mountain cabin for the weekend.

Through a little discussing, we decided to open this opportunity up to a few of our friends- I mean, Adam and I are together all the time now that I am not traveling as much (yipee!). So Friday night, we headed up to the mountains and to the gorgeous teeny-tiny town of Glen Haven. The best part of this weekend was, you could do whatever you wanted. Watch football, nap, hike, drink, etc. There were no plans to be made.

Their cabin in amazing- might I add. Literally the perfect mountain get-away. Not huge, but not small... decorated perfectly for the mountains and secluded.

Here are some pictures from the weekend. Note: I tried to be "artsy" in some of these.... but don't think I have the photog skills my husband possesses.

View from their deck.

Typical.


Chef Larry.

Peace. It was 9/11 and all.... (disregard the no-makeup, paleness)
Shirt off breakfast party.
God Bless America.



The group on Saturday night minus me.

We found this zip line in the trees on our hike.
Pretty stream.

Team Griffin

Thanks again Tanner!

Read-A-Holic

I am literally obsessed with reading and the library. I get a HIGH from going to the library... I love the smells, people and when I get that magical email in my inbox that says "the book you requested is ready for pick-up". (and the fact that our library has every DVD you could ever want- for free and you get the movie for 7 days).

I started this year, with writing down every book I read to see how many I could hit this year. I stopped at the end of January and don't know where the list went... I would have to say I am somewhere in the 40-50 book range now, but I could be slightly off. My reading habits are typically this: I find one book I like and read every other book by that author and then move onto the next author I find. This is great and all, but I have tried to start mixing it up a bit.... I wanted to share some of my favorites with you, if you will return the favor, that is :)

1) The Hunger Games: Suzanne Collins. I have already blogged about this trilogy, but these are a MUST read and I hear the new President of KSU has these on his "must read" list as well!
#1 The Hunger Games #2 Catching Fire #3 Mockingjay. I can't sing enough praise about these. Quick Summary: These are set in the far future, after North America is destroyed. There is a new country formed called Panem. Panem consists of the Capitol and 12 Districts. Every year, the Districts are required to send one girl and one boy to the Capital to fight to the death on national television, like a reality show.
Amazing!

2) Author Sarah Strohmeyer. I picked her books up on a whim because I was out of things to read and her books have very cute covers. She is a chick-lit author to the max, but very entertaining. Some of her books are extremely funny too. I would compare her to Emily Giffin (if you haven't read her books either, get on it!). I think my favorite of hers that I have read so far is "The Cinderella Pact" but I have read several and all are good reads and very light-hearted.

3) The White Queen: Phillipa Gregory. If you liked "The Other Boleyn Girl" you will like this book. This takes place several decades before the Tudors. The "Plantagenet" era is just as messed up as, if not more than the Tudors. I had a hard time turning this book back in, because I was so emotionally attached to it. I know, I am really weird... But she is coming out with "The Red Queen" next and I can't wait!

4) Author Jennifer Weiner. She is another chick-lit author, but with many more deeper topics. I have actually cried in some of her books... A good one to start with from her is "Good in Bed" and then move onto "Certain Girls". She has a handful of very good books out and I have read all but one of them (the last is sitting on my nightstand right now).

5) Last but not least... "Mark of the Lion" series by Francine Rivers. This is another trilogy #1 A Voice in the Wind #2 An Echo in Darkness #3 As Sure as Dawn. Let me tell you, the first book takes A LONG TIME to get into. In fact, I almost put it down like 80 times. But I kept going and the second half of #1 and book #2 will go down in my history as some of the best books I have ever read. Francine Rivers is a Christian author, FYI. This is set in the Roman Empire times and are about a slave girl for a very wealthy family. So, so, so good.

I am currently reading "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" and I know I am a little behind the times on this one, but I am expecting greatness...

Anyways, I am always ALWAYS looking for recommendations- so that was really the point of this post. Send them to me!!! Happy reading!

Ornery

I'm so ornery that I pull my bed onto Mom and Dad's bed.........


Ya... I know, I am pretty clever, although Mom does not appreciate this but I know she secretly thinks its funny.

Success! Well, Almost...

Who doesn't love days off?! This weekend was another absolute blast here in the great state of CO. Let me preface this by saying- I suck at taking pictures. So didn't take one. Blah.

Friday night, we went downtown with a group of Kansas folk. Yes... all 10 of us were from KS and it was awesome. We ended up having a great time at happy hour and then heading to a Mexican restaurant downtown. After dinner, we headed over to Becky's and just hung out. We had some great convos (one of them being a 45 minute convo about Ghosts...). Good times!

Saturday we met up with Nick Paradise and Maddie Phillips who came in town for the weekend and grabs some breakfast and headed downtown to watch the CSU/CU game and the KSU game (woohoo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!). Our KS friends were there as well, plus 1 million wasted CSU fans... yes, lets just say they don't call it MENver for nothing. All the girls got hit on constantly with our sig. others sitting right there!!! It was weird. On this day, I wore my "I miss Manhattan" KSU shirt. I will never wear this shirt again unless I am in Manhattan or going to the KSU bar here in Denver. I got asked approx. 1000 times if I was from Manhattan, NY.
After the game, we grabbed some dinner, loaded the car and headed up to the mountains to go camping. This trip went much more smoothly. We had smores, drank a little (not too much) and just enjoyed the outdoors and the people we were with.

On Sunday, we woke up, hung out and loaded up our packs for the hike to the cars. It is about a 1.4 mile hike from our site to the cars, a nine mile twisty drive down the mounting, and then the 15 min trek back to our house. We get to the bottom of the twisty mountain road when we get a call..... ummm, apparently the campfire wasn't all the way out??? It was the park ranger calling us. This was confusing because we had sat around all morning staring at the ashes from our fire the night before. This meant that Adam, me and Nikki (who was in our car) had to drive the 9 miles back up and hike again over to the site. Not fun at all. Luckily, the park ranger was really nice and did not give us the $200.00 ticket we should have gotten. They do not take this lightly, but we learned our lesson and never again will I leave a camp site without triple checking the fire. Who knew that even if it looks out- there is a possibility it is not all the way out??

When we finally got back home on Sunday, Adam and I took a LONG nap. Considering we hiked about 4 miles that morning with the whole campfire fiasco, we deserved it. Sunday we watched a movie and lounged around.

Monday- was a Wash Park day! This means, we go up to Washington Park with the crew + volleyball net + cooler + polish horse shoes and/or washers pits and just hang out in the beautiful sunlight and drink a few beers. It was a great day and absolutely beautiful! Adam, Brian and me came home after, grilled out and went to bed...

I am very excited for this week - more to come on this soon.... but we are watching all the Harry Potter movies. Adam has never seen ANY of them!!!!! Can you believe it? I took a trip to the library this morning to get the first three... can't wait!

Straight Freak

I am seriously obsessed with planning vacations. I spend time everyday looking up cool places to eventually travel to, or refining a current trip that is planned. Courtney Kelly is convinced I should become a travel agent on the side....
**My current obsessions include: our San Fran/Napa Trip in November. We need suggestions on wineries!!
**The Seacat/Kelly festivities in Mexico (yes, I have already talked to their travel agent several times and have a good idea of when we are going and where we are staying... Adam and I are celebrating our 2year on this trip as well). If anyone wants to share a room with us at the Moon Palace- let us know! haha... but seriously... we are going to be at the Sun Palace prior to the Moon Palace so would like to save some $$ at the Moon Palace if possible...
**Our actual 2 year: we decided we would just do something super small for the actual weekend of our anniversary, but I have HUGE plans! Not expensive, but BIG
**Backpacking OR Costa Rica: Yes, we have pushed back backpacking until next fall ASSUMING BumblePost hasn't taken all our money and we are actually making some money from it :) If BumblePost goes all wrong, we might just do a Costa Rica trip instead... Adam is planning this.... I see hostels in my future.

Anyways, you get my drift? I email Adam constantly about vacationing, and we can't really afford all of these vacations - so if you need help planning any of yours, please let me know!! I will do a baller job. Just ask Adam, he will tell you!

New Splash Page...

With a little more info!
www.bumblepost.com

Our adventures of camping

This past weekend, a group of us went camping up by Golden, CO.... it ended up being 7 of us going (turned into 6 of us).

We met at 1 pm, made sure we had everything we needed and then headed up the mountain to the camping location. From the parking lot, it was a 1 mile hike to the site- so seriously loaded up with gear/bedding/food/cooler- we slowly but surely made our way to the camp spot. We had WAAYYY too much to carry, but somehow made it to the site.

We set up camp, got some beers out and just hung out. Adam, Jamie and Luna Smith came along and so did Zach Harmon and his roommate Chad (with his dog Drake) and Chad's friends Laura. The dogs had an absolute BLAST between the three of them. They got along great and just ran and played for hours on end... that is, until I noticed Tyson limping. Poor Tyson, he ripped BOTH of his front paw pads.... and was in pain. It was so sad- but there wasn't anything we could do at that point. Luckily, Chad had some doggie shoes with him, so Tyson wore some on his front paws the rest of the night... .
Depressed...
During the day, we decided to go exploring. So, we were not on any trail and started hiking down the mountain from our campsite. Everything was going fine until Laura, slipped and literally sat into a patch of cacti. ooouuchhh. Jamie and I (just meeting her a few hours ago) had to pull out the needles from her upper thigh, buttocks and upper- inner thigh for the next half hour or so. I mean, she had to take off her pants, bend over a rock and just let us do work on her. She was in pain and thankfully Jamie and I were there to help. She had to walk back to camp with her pants off because there were so many needles stuck in her pants. Poor girl. She ended up calling a friend to come pick her up because she was just in too much pain to stay the night.

The three pups and Laura right before the slip...

After Laura left, Adam Smith whipped up some chili and we just sat around the campfire talking, drinking and having a great time (all except for Tyson). When it was time for bed, all of the boys were pretty good to go and when Adam and I got back to our tent- it was so windy- that one of the stakes had come out of the ground. It is easier said than done to fix this in the darkness and sometime during this period of time, Adam cut his toe fairly bad. Ya... the Griffins just had a rough time and it gets rougher.

We finally get into bed and go to sleep. I wake up with the worst stomach ache. So bad, I end up puking several times. Ya... not cool. And I can promise you all, this was not from drinking. I finally felt ok and slept the rest of the night, but then Adam woke up with the worst hangover. And getting back to the car was not so fun for him, or Tyson. Poor Ty literally limped and whimpered his way back to the car.

We are going again next weekend and the Griffin clan will be much more prepared next weekend!! I just hope Tyson can heal up enough to go. For now, he is limited to short walks to go to the bathroom only and he is bandaged up.

Poor little boy.

Lastly, and totally off topic, but Brian Seacat is living with us for the month of Sept! He arrived yesterday afternoon and started his rotation this morning at the same hospital Courtney was at last month. I think we will have a pretty great time with Brian. He is training for an iron man, so I am hoping some of his workoutness will rub off on me. Oh! And he is helping us get Tyson healed up... I mean, if you are going to be a Doctor, that means you are pretty much a Vet- right?!