A Day in the Life

Pura Vida!

2012-02-03T09:53:00.015-07:00

Hello 2012! As you may have noticed, I am giving my blog a much needed face-lift and trying to think of a new title. So bear with me here.... and I am taking title suggestions by the way.

There is no better way to kick-off a new year on this blog than a re-cap of our incredible trip to Costa Rica.

***

It all started with a few glasses of wine... as most good stories start. Our good friend, RJ, and us had been talking all year about how we wanted to go to Costa Rica. So one night (while drinking wine), we randomly checked flights and, holy cow, they were $350 round trip. A quick call to RJ and we were booked.

The boys talked me into not planning our trip out. Meaning, we had our flights and the first 3 nights booked, but they wanted to play it by ear for the last week of the trip and "go wherever the wind blew us"..... so here's what ended up happening:

Dec. 31, 2001- we flew in San Jose and stayed downtown. There surprisingly was not much going on for NYE, so we ended up at a Casino 2 blocks from our hotel. I got yelled at when I pulled out my camera (I forgot you couldn't take pictures at a casino)- so there are no picks from this night.

Day 1 of the trip. We woke up, had breakfast and headed back to the airport to take a puddle jumper to the Pacific coast. Words cannot describe how freaked out I was to take this tiny plane. I mean, you hear about crashes all the time. If I wasn't so freaked out, I maybe could have enjoyed the views. It was a stressful 25 minute flight.

We landed in Tambor and grabbed a 30min taxi to Malpais/Santa Teresa. Think of this place as a typical Costa Rican surf town. Dirt roads, lots of surfers from around the world, lots of twenty-somethings everywhere, but TINY. Its like this little corner of the earth that happens to be extremely popular if you know anything about surfing. We stayed here 3 nights in a hostel. Night 1 was in a shared room (tiny room with 6 bunk beds). Night 2 and 3 were spent in a private room with our own bathroom, thankfully. The water was FREEZING in the showers and we may have each gotten about 100 bug bites from the open-air rooms, but it was an experience for sure. I tried to act really "cool" like I didn't give a crap about the bites, the water temp, the bugs, etc.

Santa Teresa Beach

Tranquilo Backpackers Hostel

We did a lot of this. Beach, drink, beach, drink, rest and repeat.

You will see my tan slowly build through the pics. I am PA-ALE.

Notice the bug bites? I wasn't exaggerating. I had over 60 just on my calves.

Oh hey, RJ

Did I mention there are dogs EVERYWHERE in CR?

From Malpais, we headed to Montezuma. If I could do our trip over, I would have stayed here longer, as it was my favorite place of the trip! Unlike Malpais, which is a surfer town, I would classify this one as a "hippie town". Think American hippies in the street selling trinkets. And this was the only town we went to where Adam thought is looked the same as it had in 2007 when he was there. Unfortunately, since CR is becoming a popular destination, things are changing rapidly. And we booked an actual HOTEL for this part of the trip. Who knew I would appreciate the common luxury of luke-warm showers (you never know what you are going to get with a shower in Costa Rica).

Tortuga Island

Yes, those are real monkeys

I might have worn the most modest swimsuit in the country.

From Montezuma we took a water taxi to Jaco and a shuttle to Manuel Antonio. Manuel Antonio was the most touristy town we went to, so therefore, my least favorite. The beaches were probably some of the prettiest, but they were so crowded!! We only stayed here for a day and a half and then headed south to Dominical. I do have to mention that we did end up watching the Cat's game at a bar here. We are slowly trying to convert our Denver friends to KSU fans- RJ was a good sport.

Planking pics anyone?

Best picture of the trip?! I think so.....

Dominical is another surf town. And WAY off the beaten road. Tiny, tiny, tiny little place. This was our last stop of the trip and after staying night 1 in a really crappy hotel, we decided to end at a nice place for the last few nights of the trip. So we looked up the #1 place on Trip Advisor and booked a two bedroom villa in the hills. It. did. not. disappoint. I think I was made to live in luxury. And can we talk about the views!!!!!!

Straight pimpin

I did not wear makeup once the entire 1o days I was there- it was fabulous.

Our last night of the trip, ended with a bonfire on the beach

And then in typical Costa Rican fashion... we got a "cab" ride to our hotel, except the cab was a truck, so the boys sat in the bed of the truck. I don't think Costa Rica has rules.

I can honestly say I left my heart in Costa Rica. I want to go back ASAP.

Until next time.....

Long Lost Blog

2011-12-22T14:20:00.003-07:00

Hello long lost blog friends. Not to make any excuses, but the other sales rep was let go the Monday after Thanksgiving (there were only two of us to begin with) and I have been doing two jobs ever since. And I have NEVER worked this hard or long since graduating from college.

But life is awesome! The weekend after Thanksgiving, my sister Kayley was in the Miss Kansas pageant in Wichita, KS. Kayley is not a pageant girl and kinda decided last minute to do it. Well... she got 1st Runner up, which is THE most bitter sweet place to get. I thought she had it.. wowza... the competition was stiff and there were some BEAUTIFUL girls. Its was so fun to be there. I never knew I could get so nervous watching someone walk across a stage in a swimsuit.

White swimsuit in the middle is her....

After the pageant, life has been filled with just a whole bunch of stuff. Company holiday parties, etc. Here are a few pics of the house.

The bookcases behind the table in both of the pictures below are the current project we are working on. Oh- and I still need pictures for a few of the frames on the wall.

New Chairs in the kitchen. So much better!

Merry Christmas to all! I leave for Costa Rica in a few days, so might not be back until January!! I'm going to miss you.

Emily

Twenty Three

2011-11-23T10:21:00.002-07:00

Location, location, location. I am Thankful that we live in DENVER- and yet we are only 9 hours from KC. It makes getting back and forth pretty easy for us- considering flights are usually cheap and we can drive back for the Holidays so we have a car and can bring Tyson.

T Minus 3 hours til we are headed that way! Yipee!

Behind by 7... holy heavens

2011-11-21T09:32:00.002-07:00

Sixteen: So Thankful for the CPR. Not the actual life-saving CPR... but my current favorite meal from a little Chinese restaurant a block down from my office. My mouth is watering just thinking about it.

Seventeen: SHOUT out to Kayley for her BDAY!!! I already wrote a really nice post about her. I am thankful for my LuLuLemon workout gear. It is SINFUL how expensive the stuff is. But it is so worth it.

Eighteen: I am thankful for Fall. So pretty. Leaves, fires, ski-season approaching, warm blankets, hoodies, boots, jackets, and it smells better outside.

Nineteen: Our bed. OMG. Most comfortable bed in America. I can't get up ever because of it.

Twenty: My Iphone!!!!!! I have never had a "cool" phone. Adam and I both got the new IPhone 4s'. We love them. I also love Siri. She is a cool B.

Twenty One: I am thankful for my extended family. Both of my parents come from great families. I get to see one side for Thanksgiving and I can't wait.

Twenty Two: Thankful for my new snowboard + gear. I am getting really excited to put it to use here in a few weeks. Ski season is upon us!! Come visit!

Eek! Twelve, Thirteen, Fourteen and Fifteen!

2011-11-15T16:20:00.002-07:00

Twelve: I am thankful for my faith in the Lord. How blessed we are everyday. How awesome is it to have faith when things go wrong or when they go right. Living in Colorado and seeing the mountains, I am continually reminded of what an awesome God He is.

Thirteen: Thankful for our car. Yes, the 4 Runner has been the perfect CO car. Does well in the mountains, magically fits Tyson's kennel perfectly in the back, four wheel drive, etc. Done us good thus far.

Fourteen: I am thankful for vacation. I am vacation obsessed. And I guess this goes back to our jobs (and financially being able to afford them), but Adam and I have always been on the same page for what to spend our money on and vacations top the list. Some of my fondest memories have been on trips with Adam and our friends.

Fifteen: I am thankful for Colorado Summers. The BEST time of the year.

Ninth, Tenth and Eleventh

2011-11-11T14:39:00.002-07:00

Nine: I am thankful for our crossfit (you knew this one was coming). Its amazing. If you want to get in shape- join a crossfit gym. I am in shape and it feels good.

Ten: I am thankful for coffee. I couldn't be near as productive, awake, warm or happy without you in my life. Seriously. Every morning I look forward to waking up because I get my coffee. And its amazing the way it can change my mood almost instantly. Being in sales, I couldn't imagine all the deals I wouldn't have closed without you by my side.

Eleven: Only appropriate on Veterans Day- but I am thankful for our past and present troops. The courage it takes to leave their families and friends (with no guarantee of returning) and to fight for our country in the name is freedom is simply amazing and inspiring. We are truly blessed to live in this country. God bless the USA.

November Seven and Eight

2011-11-08T16:03:00.002-07:00

I am thankful for Kayley. We are 2.5 years apart and at times can get REALLY annoyed with each other, but she is the hardest working, smartest, kindest 23 year old anyone will ever meet. I am going to brag on her for a moment... did you know she was up for valedictorian at KSU for her major? Yep, BUT it was a 3 or 4 way tie and so they went back to high school grades to make the final decision (which she ended up not getting it because of ONE B in high school). It seems like whatever she does, she excels at over and beyond. She is growing up right before me eyes... tear :)

I am thankful for Natalie. Natalie is a senior in high school currently and the most hilarious person I have ever met. Natalie and I have always been close even though we are 9 years apart. We have the same personality and have always clicked together. Growing up, it was always Natalie/Emily vs. Kayley. Although, she MAY be going to MU (barf), I am really proud of her for trying to be different and do her own thing. She is an extremely talented writer and therefore, MU has was KSU doesn't... a bomb journalism school.

I love and miss both of these ladies a lot. Living far is hard when you have siblings that you don't get to see very often.

November Sixth

2011-11-06T19:46:00.002-07:00

I am thankful for my friends. Really enough said. Through every phase of my life I have been blessed enough to have some great friends. High school, college, Dallas and now Denver. Having childhood friends and now meeting new people in Denver- it's really amazing to be able to know so many people closely. I do need to do a better job of keeping up with everyone.... thats a big problem I have and its mostly related to the fact that I hate talking on the phone :) So EVERYONE should get on g-chat please.

November Fifth

2011-11-05T18:26:00.002-06:00

I am thankful for food! We honestly live in the land of plenty. At any time in the day- we can eat. We might have to rush to the store or restaurant but I don't think anyone reading this blog has literally NOT known if they were going to eat that day.

If you live in other parts of the world this is definitely not the case. If you haven't heard about the draught/famine in the Horn of Africa- you live under a rock, which is fine. But since we live in the land of plenty, we all should do something to help out since we can. There are great organizations to donate to. Give. Tis the season.

http://www.worldvision.org/content.nsf/pages/horn-of-africa-famine-2011?open&campaign=113655232&cmp=KNC-113655232

http://www.unicefusa.org/?gclid=CLjvge_goKwCFYLsKgodCDu01w

November Fourth

2011-11-04T15:42:00.005-06:00

These will get more spicey after I get through the obvious ones...

#4: I am thankful for my parents! I didn't feel spoiled when I was growing up, but now being an adult (kinda) and meeting other people I realize I was pretty spoiled. I got a car when I turned 16, my parents paid for college, etc. Not that this stuff is really that important in the scheme of life but I definitely didn't appreciate as much at those points in time, mostly because I was naive.

My parents have had some rough times and honestly when most would have split up, they have stayed to together and worked it out. More people should be like them. Marriage is special and you make a commitment on your wedding day to stay together through thick and thin. Not only that, they are currently working their tails off for their new business. Its very inspirational to watch and scary at the same time. Love them both so much :)

Love you Mom & Dad :) Thanks for everything.

November Third

2011-11-03T12:40:00.002-06:00

#3: I am thankful for our jobs. Jobs are scarce these days and not only are we blessed to have jobs, but jobs that we actually like. Not to mention, we have had 1 car for about 2 years now and when I started looking for a new position, we fully expected to need to buy a second car. Well, Adam and I work 2 blocks away from each other and commute every day together so this whole "we only have 1 car thing" has actually worked out great and has saved us a lot of $$. Thanks to SendGrid and Lijit Networks for paying our bills :)

Thankful Month!

2011-11-02T11:44:00.003-06:00

Since it is November and I have this weird "missing chromosome" as Adam likes to call it- where I get all awkward around sentimental things and can't stand to listen to cheesy things, quotes, songs, stories, etc. I am going to jump way outside of my comfort zone this month and try (keyword=try) to post daily about what I am thankful for.

Starting a day late.... but here goes nothing.

#1: I am thankful for my husband. I am thankful I found someone to spend my life with, who is truly my best friend, who puts up with me when I am feeling grumpy and who laughs at me when I am feeling goofy, who makes me coffee every morning and packs my lunch for the day. I wouldn't trade married life for the single life if I ever had the option. Thanks for allowing me to snuggle every night and make you claustrophobic. Thanks for working hard at everything you do and providing for our family.

And not to mention, your good looks...

#2: I am thankful for Tyson. Even though he can be overly hyper and stubborn, he is the most snuggly, loving, happy pup ever. He makes Adam and I laugh constantly and we couldn't imagine how boring it would be without him around.

Where did this year go?!

3-2-1-EFF

2011-10-20T21:12:00.004-06:00

Last weekend was Adam's second CrossFit competition and my very first one. I am not going to bore you with all the details so picture this: lots of spandex, lots of bare skin, lots of abs all mixed with some loud music and protein shakes.

Adam did amazing. He placed 9th out of 31 men competitors and set a new PR on the deadlift (415#!!!!!). I competed with a team and we placed 3rd! (ok, there were only three teams....) but we all tried our hardest and so it really didn't matter what we placed. The workout I had to do for my portion of the team event was a biotch.... and I may have had some suicidal thoughts while trying to get through it, but I did get through (barely) and actually did really well (for me).

Here are some pics from the event.... I just signed up for another compeition in November where I am actually competing as an individual. Fun stuff.

Rowing

Thinking bad, bad thoughts at this point....

Our comp team :)

I suck at blogging

2011-10-12T15:02:00.002-06:00

I suck at blogging these days... so sorry, but my life has little to no free time right now. I am so excited, though, because we are FINALLY getting the house put together. Lots of recent changes have taken place that I am excited to share :)

This week's project is our upstairs bedroom. I just got back from buying a new mattress for the bed that will be delivered tomorrow. Now the story of the bed headboard and footboard is one for the books.... so here it goes:

Some of you might remember my bed I had my senior year of college. It is a beautiful antique that I got from my grandma's house after she passed away.... so it has sentimental value. When she owned it, it was yellow and lived in her "yellow room" (she also had the "blue room" "brown room", etc- much like the White house). I painted the yellow an Antique white and took it to college. I always knew I wanted this bed in my future house and have mentally decorated my future daughters room around it.

As you know, we bought a house (finally) and so it was time for me to figure out how to get the bed to Denver. Problem #1: it was at our family's farm in KS. So my parents kindly made a weekend trip out to pick it up. Done. Problem #2: how the hay am I going to get it out to Denver. Well- a few weeks ago we drove back in Phil Mann's TRUCK! Yes! A truck. I thought we could easily load up the bed and bring it back with us. Problem #3. The headboard wouldn't fit in the bed of the truck. So we ended up bringing only half of the bed back with us. Problem #4: FedEx quoted us $500 to ship the headboard out. Not going to do that (this bed is worth purely sentimental value).

Then a few weeks ago, Greg called because I was coming home for another wedding so he volunteered to rent a car and drive the bed back with me after the wedding. So he rented a SUV from Hertz (since it had fit in my Dad's highlander). This past Sunday morning, it took us (no joke) THIRTY MINUTES to get it in the car and FOUR people helping. It would barely fit and it was pretty much like a physics experiment racking our brains trying to figure out which way to tilt it to get it all in + the doors closed. In the process we completely scrapped up the inside of the rental car but we didn't care- we got it in.

The entire way to Denver Greg and I were joking about how we might not be able to get it out, but it had to be easier to pull it out, than to push it in. WRONG. We get to Denver- Adam, myself and Greg spend entirely WAY to long getting it out. It was so bad, I was considering (1) Just returning the car + the bed (how funny would that be) or (2) sawing off a leg and glueing it back on when the bed got out.

Anyways, its out- hallelujah! It just needs to be put together. The new mattress gets delivered tomorrow and its going to be a very cute room- pics to come!

PS- GooGone works wonders on a scrapped up car :)

A year in review

2011-10-03T12:12:00.004-06:00

October marks my one year of CrossFitting and wow- a lot has happened in the year. The short version would be something like this:

October 2010- started CrossFit

December 2010- decided I wanted to become an instructor

February 2011- started my 30 hour internship

June 2011- completed the internship/picked up a few classes at the gym

July 2011- Got Level One CrossFit certified

August 2011- Started teaching more classes and joined our competition team

There is a lot to say about CrossFit in general and the way it makes me feel. If you hang out with me for more than 20 mins, you will probably quickly realize how obsessed I am with it. I have gone from being a pretty normal, averagely thin (SOFT!) girl to someone who can (at this point in time) do 29 pull ups on a row, dead lift over 200 lbs, run a 5k in 23mins, lift more than I have ever thought I could lift over my head. I know what things like a snatch, clean, jerk, etc all mean (all weightlifting terms). And pretty much kick a lot of guy's ass as certain workouts. I am not bragging- its just the way it is.

I have COMPLETELY changed the way I eat. I have gone from being almost purely vegetarian and replacing meat with crap. Honestly, I used to not eat meat, so instead would make myself mac and cheese for dinner. Bad substitution people. Now, my diet consists of ALMOST zero processed food. Meat, veggies, nuts and seeds, little fruit, little starch, ALMOST no sugar (minimal dairy, zero grains) . I am still very particular about the meat I eat- but overall I am learning what "healthy" means and becoming more in touch with the way different foods make me feel. Am I perfect at eating like this? ABSOLUTELY not. I am not "paleo" on vacation and I definitely cheat during the week. Balance people balance. I'm not a physco about it.

The BEST thing about CrossFit, actually two things is this:

1) Even though I have been going strong for a year, I don't even feel remotely where I want to be at. Meaning, I can always lift more and try to improve my weaknesses. Every one has their strengths and weaknesses and therefor you never really "master" CrossFit. It really is something you can do forever and not get bored. When a workout gets easy (not sure if thats possible with CrossFit) but all you have to do is increase your weights or put on a weight vest and the same workout is a whole new challenge.

2) The PEOPLE. Honestly, we have the coolest gym around. Since CrossFit is classes only you really get the know the people you are training with. Some of our best friends in Denver are from the gym and its great to have people with the same interest as you to hang out with. I would say 90% of our members are originally from elsewhere- so it is cool to make so many unique/great friends from all different walks of life.

Not that this is the point of the post, but I FEEL so much better when I look in a mirror. Adam even said a few months ago that he hadn't heard me say the term "I feel fat" in a REALLY long time. Thank you CrossFit. I MAYBE will post some before and afters. The owner of our gym, Georgia Maxey (coolest girl in Denver), has some incriminating pictures of me from the beginning of Feb. before we started a challenge (sans clothes). I need to see what those look like and then MAYBE post some... haha.

House Project Central

2011-09-13T15:24:00.011-06:00

Adam and I have been non-stop house-obsessed. It has been fun and challenging, but overall, we are just really ready to get our house put together and so we can relax. The past two full weekends, we have worked morning-night on our kitchen.

Here are a few before shots.

Before we moved in........ The wall color here is actually called "Peanut Butter"

JUST moved in.... dark, dark, dark. Brown, brown, brown.

Just moved in... looking from the living room into the kitchen.

First we painted the wall a celery green. In pictures the color looks a little more lime than it actually is in person. Sorry for the mess!

Then we took off the top cabinets:

And repaired/painted the patches

And painted our cabinets an Antique White

Oh hey Adam.

Then we decided to tile a backsplash. Don't let this pic fool you- I did A LOT of the work. Actually most of it.

We decided that open shelving was what we wanted for above the stove. So we just went to Home Depot and had them cut the wood to size. We had left over paint from our cabinets to paint them with. And we bought some brackets we both agreed on. Once we upgrade our appliances to stainless steal (eventually) I think the brushed nickel brackets will tie in well. I am going for the "cottage feel" with a modern twist. I believe I have heard vintage is the new modern?! I may have just made that up.

Tyson checking out the shelving situation.

And here is the final product (and by final.... I mean about 65% finished)

BETTER?! (note: no idea why it looks like it is dirty above the tile... shadows maybe?! It doesn't look like that in person I promise). Actually it's probably some left over grout I need to clean up.

And lets not forget our "coffee nook"

We still are not finished. Do you see the short wall with the wine and corks (below)? We are creating a little wine storage/accessory area. We are adding a few more shelves specifically for wine glasses and building a wine rack in the odd space under the counter for a "built in" look. This little space is so awkward.

Then we need to accessorize this place. And buy a buffet or hutch for the space across from our coffee nook. Progress people!!

And in other news. Meet my new obsession:

I think I will call her Layla. She is going to live in our living room and I am going to design around her. As you can see, we have yet to fix the trim on the wall behind Layla. But that is where the door used to be- that we filled in.

If you need a contractor, we are open for business. Griffindoor Construction. Our slogan is "It might not be perfect, but it looks good enough to us." Or Adam's suggestion: "HGTV" Homes by the Griffins, Tyson and Vino.

Weird Day

2011-09-09T15:05:00.002-06:00

I had a weird day today. In a nutshell, I had someone call into my office today- when I answered, he proceeded to ask if he could speak to a man instead- when I put him on hold to find someone to handle him, he hung up.

Immediately, he sent two emails. One to our support team saying "Emily in sales seems to be ditzy, can someone else call me" and one to sales saying "I am having trouble getting someone competent on the phone"

HMMMM.

So I decided to call him back (there is only me and one other rep in sales). Maybe we just got off on the wrong foot. Called him back, every time he would ask a question and I would try to answer him he would say things like "you have really poor English" or "you are really confusing-you must not be very smart at this" Like REALLY, REALLY rude things. Finally, I told him that we were not a good fit for him anyways and that I couldn't help him since he was being rude. He then blew up saying even worse things such as "you are a terrible employee, you are not competent, etc...." at this point a tuned him out.... and he then hung up when I wouldn't talk to him anymore and I wouldn't transfer him to anyone else.

Fun stuff! Happy Friday everyone!

White or Gray?

2011-09-07T16:42:00.004-06:00

I am going to try and tackle a mondo project this weekend. I am going to put white subway tile in our kitchen, as the backsplash of course.... all. by. myself. Why?! Because I have read tutorials and it just doesn't look that hard! But I can't decide. White grout or gray grout?

WHITE

or....

GRAY

Is this dumb to do by myself? In other news.... last weekend we painted our kitchen cabinets white, we took off the top cabinets and while I am subway tiling the crap out of the kitchen.... Adam is building the open shelves for the kitchen this weekend. Exciting stuff! Here's to hoping we don't screw our kitchen up and have to pay to remodel and redo it.....

C to the H to the IPOTLE

2011-08-30T12:43:00.002-06:00

Today it's official- our company gets free Chipotle forever, whenever just for saying we work at SendGrid. Chipotle is on level 1 of my building and we are on the second floor.... I have never seen the guys in my office as excited as they were this morning when we found this out.

Now you may be wondering why I am taking the time to blog about this. Basically its because I know that most everyone likes Chipotle. And now that I get it for free, I can try everything on the menu and make new concoctions almost daily. What better place to share my Chipotle adventure than on my blog?!

My new favorite Chipotle meal: Steak Salad. Lettuce, onions/peppers, steak, mild, a little cheese, guac ON THE SIDE, and their vinaigrette. If you haven't tried their salads- do it! Their dressing is so delicious.

Happy eating.

Here goes nothing

2011-08-24T20:07:00.009-06:00

Are you ready for the longest blog post ever? Wow- we have a lot to catch up on. I mean we have moved, have had several people come visit and have been diligently trying to get our house put together. Do you ever feel like crying because of how exhausted you are? Well that is me, almost every night.... hence, having no time to blog!

We moved in on July 18th-

Here are some "just moved in" pics of the house. All of our rooms are pretty tiny, so it is hard to photograph them! I am not proud, these are messy pics, don't do our house justice.... and are in no order what so ever. Don't judge me yet.

2nd Bathroom:

Kitchen looking into living area through the doorway (which will be widened!):

Upstairs Bath- this is the bathroom with the clawfoot tub:

Upstairs guestroom::

Backyard:

Adam and I's bedroom. Hard to call it the "master" due to its size

Tyson being cute

Mud Room

Living room

Basement

Notice the door that leads from the living room, to the bedroom..... this is our first project. (well second). We painted the living room a soft gray color. I say gray but actually it sadly reads as a pale blue. Slightly disappointing, but I don't hate it- just getting used to it not exactly looking like I was expecting! And I am not going to change it anytime soon- why too much trim to work around a second time.

Before Color (mind you- this was JUST after we moved in....):

After Paint Color (much better!):

The door that leads from living room to our bedroom

Filling in the doorway

I just realized I haven't taken an after pic after we filled in this door. Its filled in, though. So try to picture it.

Notice the brown- overly large couches in the above pics? These are all gone. Let's recap how that happened:

So after we bought a new couch (needs to be photographed)- got rid of the brown couches- yep we were those neighbors for a few hours.... we decided we wanted to do some readjustments on our kitchen. Notice the "hood":

Believe it or not, this is a fake hood. It serves no purpose and besides that, since our galley kitchen is so narrow- it make the area feel even more narrow. So we took it down. It gets worse before it gets better- as you will see....

We are still deciding if we want to take ALL of the top cabinets off.... do YOU have an opinion from these few pics? Imagine three long floating shelves with some white subway tile- yes?! We would just take off these now two lonely cheapy cabinets and add long, white floating shelves.....

Let me think what happened next. Somewhere right around this time my sis has come and gone (she helped paint the living room) and now Mikey and Allison are in town and I chop all my hair off....

Mikey and Allison left- we went to IKEA three times (some goods to photograph and put on here soon). Then Adam's mom came into town. We had a blast! Then Erica and Andrew came into town. We painted the kitchen and our bedroom that same weekend. And Adam and I are getting more sleep deprived by the day.

New bedroom color + new bedding. Nowhere close to being finished with any room yet. But a few improvements are happening.

I LOVE our GREEN kitchen. Love love love it. Picture it with ALL white cabinets, white shelves, white subway tile etc. White, white, white. I love white. And gray. And green. And teal these days.

The following Thursday night, Ali & Andrew Moore and Lora & Casey Winchell came to stay with us! We had a freaking blast of a weekend. Camping, hiking, drinking some wine, etc. Perfect. Hopefully Ali will blog about this soon. It was FUN people.

Back to the house. There are two areas to put our dining table. The above "just move in pics" show the table in the kitchen. We have finally decided to push the table out into the living room/new dining room and instead have just a coffee/breakfast area in the kitchen. I am still deciding what dining room chairs I want, so in the meantime, I redid a few of our old chairs for our new coffee area. Here is the before and after of the chairs:

Ha! Love how this picture still has the table price tag on it.... ANYWAYS.

We are almost up to date now. Maybe I can keep this up.... lots and lots of work to do. I am in the process of picking out our window treatments right now. Will photograph our current living room once it is cleaned + the few other odds and ends that didn't make it onto the ole blog :)

Toodles!

PS- One quick admendment to this post. Our very first project was putting in a doggie door for Ty which has been one of the best investments of my life. He LOVES it.

Beefin Up

2011-08-09T08:57:00.002-06:00

I think this is the longest period of time I have gone without blogging. With that being said, just know that I know that you want to see house pics! I will post them ASAP- but here is a short summary of our house move in process and project process:

July 16- close on the house. Go over there that night to clean/sleep on an air mattress and have some sparkling wine

July 17-19- Move into the house! Exhausting to say the least.....

(During the week prior- try to sell my brown couches... didn't get them sold, so had to move them)

July 20-24- Work, teach at the gym, etc. Try to unpack a little every night. Oh! And take apart some of the cabinets in our kitchen. (aka: putting a hole in a neighboring cabinet and adding an WHOLE nother project to the list).

July 24- Start painting the living room! Kayley decides to come in town for the weekend. This whole weekend is spent by me taking my crossfit certification, Adam and Kayley finishing up the painting and having some fun on the side.

The week following consists of Allison and Mikey coming into town, us STILL not selling the couches (I kept listing them and people would call but I was too busy to actually SHOW them- which is a crucial part of the selling process). Deciding to START another project (filling in a doorway)...... ya- we like to start projects and just not complete them.... we still have boxes laying around.... :)

July 30: First trip to the new IKEA in Denver. Opening weekend- we went twice (story in itself). Bought a new couch in the process.... this leaves us with 4 couches sitting in our living room (old brown uglies + the new pretty one).

July 31: CAN'T TAKE THE OLD UGLY COUCHES ANY LONGER. Don't have time to show them- so we put them in the front yard with a sign that said "free couches". Couches were gone within the hour (thank the Lord!). We get a lot done this day- a lot unpacked and our house semi- put together.

Aug 3: Finish the "filling in the door" project (well mostly).

Aug 4: Mama Griffin comes into town for the weekend!

And now we are up to date on the house stuff- pics to come.

Oh! And the title of this post?! Well, Adam and I have decided to train to compete in crossfit competitions. Exciting and scary and well- lets just say I have been told to eat a lot because I really need to "beef up" haha. Love it.

OMG

2011-07-25T08:52:00.002-06:00

Hello out there. I hope you all had a fab weekend.

There have been several requests for me to post our house pics, and trust me, I wish I was more put together to have already done so... but between moving, work, me coaching + working out myself + Kayley's last minute trip to Denver + getting crossfit certified all weekend. I have fallen extremely behind. Let me put this into perspective....

We STILL have not unpacked. I have no clue where half of my clothes are. The apartment we moved out of, STILL has random stuff that we haven't had time to go by and pick up. This includes our vacuum, all the dry food from our pantry, etc. Last week, we didn't get home before 9pm except for ONE night. And I had to take my crossfit certification this weekend which was Sat and Sun from 9am-6pm. I am so sore. I CAN'T MOVE. Not joking. Walking around makes me want to cry.

We HAVE, however, painted our front room (pics to come). And taken apart some of our kitchen- which means we just added an extra project to our plate. IKEA opens in Denver on Wednesday and I am so excited! I am tempted to play hookie from work....

Toodles!

Top Reasons I am excited to own a house

2011-07-13T10:39:00.002-06:00

1. First and foremost, I think owning a house with Adam will be a really fun adventure.

2. Having a dishwasher!!

3. Having a washer/dryer that we OWN and no one else is using! Currently we pay $1.25 for wash and $1.00 for dry and we share one of each with 7 other units....

4. Not sharing walls with anyone else. We can hear everything that goes on in our complex right now including: fighting, partying, crying, dogs whining/crying/barking, etc., etc.

5. A backyard for Tyson. He is going to be so much happier

6. Not being asked for money by my neighbors :)

7. Not having to worry about seeing our pathological lying/meth-head neighbors when we walk outside

8. Not having to worry about Tyson being attacked anymore by the crazy little shitzu that lives next door.

9. Having a normal sized refrigerator.... we have a midget fridge now

10. Decorating-duh

11. Having hardwoods and not nasty old apartment stained carpet that makes me want to barf when I look at it

12. Decorating for the holidays!

13. Watching Adam TRY his hand at being "handy"

14. BBQs in our backyard

15. Not being embarrassed when people come over because our place is so WT

16. New furniture

17. TWO guest rooms! Come visit :)

18. Shorter commute to Boulder

19. 8 mins from the gym, instead of 15-20

20. Owning something -which means we can do what ever we want with it

I could go on and on....

Can you tell I am excited?! We close tomorrow at 11am- pics to come! Adam and I are having a cleaning party at the house tomorrow night.... whoop whoop!

Catching up! Camping 2011

2011-07-12T12:49:00.006-06:00

Working + coaching at nights has left me little to no time to blog! How do you people do it? This weekend was our first camping trip of the summer. It was beautiful, but then got kinda cold and windy. Overall, Adam and I enjoy camping but there is room for improvement. Needless to say, the view was amazing.....

Which is the top and which is the bottom? Love how the sky changed throughout the evening.

Straight pimpin.
Cute!

Note to self: the Griffins need legit sleeping bags. We were freezing that night!

#longpine2011 #cidday #finally

2011-07-08T14:18:00.009-06:00

Adam, Tyson and I went up to Long Pine, NE to celebrate Independence Day. Attendees included: Andrew and Erica, Heather, me and Adam. We hung out with their friends Michael and Sierra the entire time too (which I actually went to high school with Sierra! Small world!) And it was a blast.

I didn't take the best pictures, but these will give you an idea of how the weekend went....

We sat in the crick and drank. Drank and tubed, drank and sat in the crick. End of story. Action shot.... we all look so pretty!

We sat in the crick, while Erica tortured Dieter (kidding!... kinda...)

Then Tyson decided he wanted to be human. See below:

But then he went back to doing dog things... like explore the crick with a new friend.
And take a nap with Dieter..... this is what tired doggies look like after playing in the water all day.

Oh! And then Adam got a rock thrown in his face by Andrew. A complete accident of course! Just beware when Andrew is skipping rocks.... my hubs and his fat lip.

It was honestly the best weekend, which is why I took little to no pictures. Didn't know I still had it in me!

Love, Emily

We are growing up!

2011-06-24T08:43:00.004-06:00

As of yesterday are set to close on the house! July 14th, Adam and I will officially become home owners :) Our house is 3 blocks off a strip of cute restaurants and shops. Two blocks from a dog park and overall just a great fit for us. FINALLY.

Over the past year, I would say we have looked on and off at around 50 different houses. So, to actually find one in a good area, that will work for us is a true accomplishment with the Denver prices! We are so excited.

The house was built in 1918. It is extremely charming- with the original hard wood floors, claw-foot tub + vintage tile in the bathroom and vintage details around the house. Here are a few pictures from the MLS. I need to go over there and take better ones. Its has a great backyard too- so Tyson will be extremely happy there and project #1 is to put a doggie door in for him.

Welcome to 4404 Wolff St. Come visit us!

The front- obviously.

Claw-foot tub/tile in one of the bathrooms

Kitchen (the blue room in the back is the mud room, which leads to the backyard)

Mud room! The railing you see leads to the basement.

One side of the living room.

Other side of the living room. Needs new paint color ASAP!

Biking, Hiking and Drinking

2011-06-12T17:41:00.010-06:00

June 6th was Adam and I's 2 year anniversary! Holy cow- I literally can't believe its already been two years. Anyways, since we had been to Mexico in May for Courtney and Brian's wedding- we knew we couldn't do a huge trip. So Adam decided to plan a little surprise weekend get away for us.

Friday after work- we jumped in the car (I still didn't know where we were headed). Adam had told me what to pack and the only clue I had was that there were bikes in our car! Adam completely outdid himself- we ended up about 3.5 hours away from Denver in Palisade, CO! Palisade is the home to the famous Palisade peaches.... and lots of other fruits, including grapes. Basically this part of CO is perfect for growing grapes and has recently been becoming its own little wine region in CO. There are probably about 20-30 wineries in the area (all small, some VERY small). And since we are wino's... it was perfect :)

We stayed in a cute B&B and spent the entire day on Saturday biking to all the vineyards... and we hit 11 of them....

Starting out!

So to explain this picture above. One of the wineries we went to was a Meadery. Which means, they make Mead wine- which in a nutshell is honey wine. Its made with honey+water+yeast. No grapes at all! And it was SWWWEETT and delicious! They made all different flavors including: Cherry honey, Blueberry honey, peach honey, apricot honey, cherry chocolate satin (my fav) and their special- raspberry chocolate satin. It was really fun and different.

One of the other wineries we went to specialized in fruit wines. Made similar to wine made with grapes, but they do all different fruits. I believe they had around 30 different flavors on the menu. They were also really, really sweet- but really really good. My favorite was the cherry wine- which we brought home a bottle of.

Back to the pics....

And what I felt like after hitting up 11 wineries...... I felt just like I look. Notice my purple mouth- awesomeness...
Sunday we woke up and headed back towards Denver. About half way, was a hike we have wanted to do for a very long time. We didn't even realize this hike was on the way, so it was a last minute decision and it was AMAZING!!! We hiked up to Hanging Lake. Its about 10 miles East of Glenwood Springs and a mile hike up and I will let the pictures do the talking... WOW.

The hike up...

Behold: Hanging Lake. The water was crystal clear.

So after we hiked up to the hanging lake- we heard there was a second trail that took you behind the waterfall. We found it and I am sure glad we did. It was exhilarating. I quickly went behind the waterfall, but it was freezing and wet. I tried to stand there to take it all in- but could only last a few seconds. Adam got a few pics (quickly so he didn't ruin the camera).

Behind one of the falls...
LOVE THIS PIC! It was kinda scary, but worth it.
It was a fabulous weekend. Adam and I had such a good time together. I told him I get to plan our next surprise trip- but don't know if this one can be topped!

Love you Adam- Happy 2 year. Cheers!

Eventful Weekend Happenings

2011-06-07T13:49:00.006-06:00

This past weekend was an eventful one!

It started with the Dispatch concert on Friday night at RedRocks: Amazingness.

Saturday morning, we woke up- put an offer on a house, went back and forth with the seller and was under contract by about noon. Meet the future Griffin residence- if all goes smoothly. We are tentatively set to close on 7/14. Yipee! And people, it is SO cute. More pics to come...

We then met up with some friends at the farmers market- then decided that the beautiful day called for a Wash Park day. Amazingness again.

A few of the crossfit boys...

Don't worry folks, I had a swimsuit on with a cover up. Adam told everyone he could beat me in a handstand contest. It wasn't even a contest.... compare the form.

After Wash Park- we headed out to get Pizza. Amazingness.

After pizza- Tyson started coughing and throwing up for 5 hours straight. We finally took him into the emergency vet (it is just kennel cough). But thank goodness this happened on a weekend night considering we didn't get back home from the vet until 4:30am. Tyson is fine. But this was the opposite of amazingness.

Sunday, was a lazy day. We went and bought home decor mags (we have some big plans for the future house) and then decided to try out "Jazz in the Park" with Nick and Maddie (they were in town for the concert). Its a weekly event that happens in one of the largest parks in Denver. Basically you bring a picnic, blanket and wine and sit on the grass while jazz bands from around the area play. It was super fun and something I definitely want to do again!

I was so sad for the weekend to end. But yesterday was Adam and I's two year anniversary and he is surprising me with who- knows- what this weekend. My guess is we are heading to the mountains somewhere.... but I am pretty pumped for whatever he has planned to celebrate! Love you babe!

Happy Tuesday :)

1st day of work

2011-05-31T18:38:00.002-06:00

My first work day went something like this:

I took WAY too long to figure out what to wear for my first day. My wardrobe is an epic failure. In my new job, I can wear what I want. This is great, but the last two years I have worked from home (sweats), traveled (suits) and we out (dressier clothes). Basically, I have nothing in-between of sweats and dressier clothes. After I finally figured out what to wear, Adam and I commuted together to Boulder. It was actually kinda fun. Like your parents dropping you off your first day of school.....

The walk to the office was another story. We parked about 2-3 blocks away and my new shoes rubbed and rubbed my heels the entire way to my office. By the time I got there- they were bleeding, no joke. I could barely walk the entire day. I am surprised I didn't get asked why I was limping.

My job is great so far. Brand new Macbook Pro laptop (I am pretty excited about this), "Cookie Tuesday" at the office (just what it sounds like-every Tuesday), people are so relaxed, happy, hard workers, etc. Every Friday we get lunch delivered to the office. There is a great vibe to the place and to working in Boulder, so overall I think it will be a good fit! Definitely a change coming from a larger corporate company.

Thats the quickie update. Will blog better later!

Change is good

2011-05-20T11:47:00.003-06:00

Its official- I have accepted a new job! For anyone that is semi-close to me, they know I have never been happy at my current job. I gave it over 2 years- waited for it to get better. It never did- so I am peacing out. I can't wait to put in my notice later today. Muhahaha.

Adam and I will be working in office buildings next door to each other in Boulder. By the way, at his new job they have a kitchen full of free food and beer 24/7. They have drinks together at the end of every work day. How amazing is that? I know you advertising folks are probably thinking that's the norm. But that is NOT the norm.

I will still be doing sales, but I will be working for a start up called SendGrid. I think it will be a great fit for me and my personality. Can't wait to get into the "vibe" of working in Boulder. Maybe I will get some dreads and start smoking weed.

Anyways, that's the Friday update! Still don't know where we are living. We are waiting on a structural engineer's report from the house we might put an offer on. It could be until next week until we get the report... either way, we can't afford Boulder so will be moving to NW Denver regardless. This will let us by-pass a lot of the Denver traffic on our commute to Boulder and we can ride our bikes downtown. How cute.

Skinny Fat

2011-05-19T12:58:00.002-06:00

I totally embrace the fact that you all think I might be a weirdo and that I am slightly obsessed with Crossfit (start teaching in June!). But I think every girl can get something out of this article that was written below. I have been thinking about it ever since I read it. Enjoy :)

http://www.crossfitsouthbay.com/2011/05/skinny-fat/

Skinny Fat

by Cody Endurance, Science, Workout of the Day on May 8th, 2011 128 Comments

Disclaimer: I have been getting a ton of questions about this topic from both inside and outside the gym, from lots of different people, so this isn’t directed at anyone in particular. Although, if this topic resonates with you, take the time to read it. This post is more a psychological and analytical approach to body image, Sean has the scientific approach in the comments.

One of the most difficult things to fight as a coach is the thought that “Lifting weights is going to make me ‘bulk up’” from women. My first response is to shake my head and contemplate shoving my hand in a toaster to cure the frustration… Yet, when I stop and think about it, I honestly like the way CrossFit makes my body look. And I know there are many of us in the gym that wouldn’t be as enamored with CrossFit if we didn’t see aesthetic results in combination with fitness results, so I do think it is a valuable question that needs to be answered.

The first thing you need to do is look around the gym at girls that have been CrossFitting for a long time. If we created “bulky bodies”, you would see them at CFSB. All the above are CrossFitters that have been with us a long time… Strong, not bulky, don’t you agree?? (Sorry for not including all our awesome girls, but I only went back three pages on flickr).

Definitions and Misconceptions:

To begin, we need to address some misconceptions about how the body works…

You cannot “tone” a certain portion of your body. Your body will not lose fat in one spot at a time, it will only lose fat. Thus, you must reduce your overall body fat percentage to see results in the area you want. This is why the “ab-(insert attention-grabbing verb)” you see on TV won’t work to help you get a better midsection.
Lean – having little to no surplus fat - Thus, to look “lean”, you need to have low levels of body fat.
Toned – seeing muscle definition on a human body - Thus, to look “toned”, you need to have low levels of body fat combined with having enough muscular development that you can see the shape of the muscle under the skin. This is usually accomplished at below 20% body fat on women, and below 10% on men.
You will never “bulk up” overnight, except from maybe an ice cream and beer binge (guilty). You will never wake up one morning, look in the mirror, and realize that you just built bulky muscles in your sleep.

First, I want to establish that having muscle doesn’t mean being bulky…

The first thing you need to do is compare these two women:

For reference, the girl on the left is a runway model and the girl on the right is an elite CrossFit athlete. Both have approximately 12-15% body fat. Both are doing something they love, and the bodies they have created help them do that.

On the left, we have a runway model who has almost zero muscular development while also having almost zero fat deposits. She has enough essential muscle to not fall over walking, but not much more. If you want to look like the woman on the left, sorry, but we cannot help you get there. Although, if you have an apple and a cigarette a day for about a year, you could get close. It supposedly worked for Christian Bale in the Machinist. However, CrossFit South Bay will not help you create that type of body.

The female on the right has spent years developing her strength and muscle. She has battled heavy weights and pushed herself to the limit to squat, deadlift, and lunge heavier weights every time she comes into the gym. She weighs approximately 35-40 lbs more than the runway model due to the large amount of muscle that she has acquired. She is likely approaching her genetic limits in the amount of muscle she can develop without going on a bodybuilding routine. Between her and the runway model, there is likely very little difference genetically, yet there is a huge difference in training and diet (more on this shortly).

Same elite CrossFitter, now dressed up, still bulky??

Thus, you can have a large amount of muscle without ever looking “bulky”. Don’t you agree??

Now that we know that muscle doesn’t make you “bulky”, what does??

Well, the answer is fat. Excess adipose tissue will result in less than satisfactory aesthetics. This is regardless of the amount of muscle you have. This is easily seen in the image below:

The image at left shows a female figure that has a large amount of fat, while having a very small amount of muscle. This is described in the fitness community as “skinny fat”. While not overly “bulky” she doesn’t have the aesthetics that most of us work so hard to attain. The woman in this image is likely at a level close to 30% body fat and likely has a similar amount of muscle as the runway model. So even though she may look fine wearing a sweater, it is a different story at the beach.

The trick is how to fix this. Well, option 1 is to eat less and do tons of cardio, surviving on a diet heavy with running and light on food, and you will end up looking more like the runway model above. Option 2 is to develop muscle to burn away the excess fat while doing cardio, resulting in looking more like the elite CrossFitter above.

Ok, so we have started to establish that building muscle isn’t a bad thing, right?? Yet, you are afraid that by squatting and deadlifting, you are making your legs and butt bigger, thus getting more “bulky”, correct??

Here is the kicker, the reason your legs (and shoulders and arms and back) are getting a little bigger is that you have now started to add some muscle to them. Now, that muscle will burn more calories, starting to help whittle away at the amount of fat you have on your body, even while you sleep. You now are able to achieve that “lean” and “toned” look, as your body fat levels have decreased, and your muscle is starting to show, giving the “toned” look.

Bad cardio and worse cardio…

Some people keep saying to be leaner they just need more cardio and less strength. Well, yes, if you just do “more cardio”, you will lose more fat, but you would also lose muscle because without strength training, your body burns muscle as well as fat. So, instead of looking more like a Victoria Secret model, you start to look more like a runway model. Then, once you stop doing “more cardio” you will gain fat even faster now that you don’t have the muscle to burn the extra calories, resulting in the “skinny fat” look. You can see this in ex-athletes that have tried to “get leaner” by doing “more cardio” only to result in having more fat with less muscle.

Skinny

Strong

This can also happens as we age, as the muscle we built by running, jumping, and playing in our childhood and teens atrophies due to under-use with a more sedentary life, so people in their early twenties are seen as having “high metabolisms”, supposedly not having to work to maintain lean body shapes. This “high metabolism” is because the muscle they built in their teen years is burning excess calories and fat, and with the low body fat levels, you can see their “toned” muscle underneath. However, as they take day jobs and do not stimulate their bodies, their muscles atrophy, burning less calories and thereby lowering their “high metabolism” and leading to increased body fat as they age. Usually, people try to do “more cardio” to regain their lean, toned bodies that they had when they were younger. However, since they do nothing to build new muscle or maintain their current muscle, they slowly transition to a thin, but “skinny fat”, look as they age.

Train like an athlete…. Look like an athlete…

Most people can agree that they want to get “toned” and “lean”, but have you ever asked someone that was “toned” and “lean” what they have done to get that way?? You should, because almost every athlete I know that looks “toned” and “lean” has spent years working to develop strength, power, speed, endurance, and stamina for a sport. They move HEAVY weights quickly.

Lastly, you will never be able to create muscles like a man lifting weights.

A WOMEN THAT LOOKS LIKE SHE HAS MUSCLES LIKE A MAN HAS LIKELY TAKEN STEROIDS!! This is the defined truth, a woman’s muscle development is much different than a man’s. Unless a woman has a very different genetic make-up (a very, very small portion of the population), or does bodybuilding type workouts, specifically designed to increase the size of the muscles, it is almost impossible to build muscle like a man. (And, as much as you might think it is true, you only have a 1 in a million chance of being the 1 in a million that has the different genetics, so stop saying, and believing, it)

This is because males have 20-30 times the testosterone of women, resulting in deeper voices, more body hair, and more muscle development. Women just physically cannot build muscle like men can, sorry but it is a scientific fact. Some of the maximal amounts of muscle you can put on a female frame with CrossFit training can be seen below. These are women that built their bodies using sports and strength training.

An extremely high level of muscle on a female will look like the pictures above, but again, only with many YEARS of weights training and a focus on a clean diet.

So, lastly, just to clarify, “bulky” means fat. Which does not happen when you work hard at CrossFit South Bay!!

I'll have another.... (it's working!)

2011-05-18T13:01:00.000-06:00

My computers are back up and running- the overdue, Mexico post:

I found myself saying this over and over in Mexico "I'll have another...". That's what happens when you are at an all-inclusive resort with your friends and someone asks "I'm gonna get a drink- do you want one?" Why not, my friends- sure- I'll have another.

Adam and I spent 4 glorious days in Cancun. All I can say is we had a blast and I highly encourage destination weddings after our experience at Courtney and Brian's wedding. The wedding went off without a hitch and it was a freaking blast, if I do say so myself. Court was a stunning bride and Brian, you looked ok too :) They are such a good looking couple- and they are both going to be doctors (in like a week). Its is possible to keep up?!

Here are a few of my favs: Or you can look at Brittany, Ashley or Vanessa's blog :) Since I am a little behind on posting this and they did a better job anyways:

The boys pretty much all fell in love with each other. In fact, one of the nights at dinner- we sat boys at a table and girls at the other.

Robert and Adam after an intense game of beach baseball.

These pics are in no order. But the lovely Kelly twins after Ash caught the bouquet!

And I just love this picture of Ashley and Lora. They look so pretty!

Adam and Brian. Lookin good.

All of the girls at the rehersal.

I might be obsessed with the STA girls. I think someone shouted "strike a pose" right before this was snapped.

The Pi Phi girls getting ready to head to the wedding.

I love this picture of Courtney and I - even though its slightly blurry.

I am just so excited for Brian and Courtney Seacat! Perfect wedding for a perfect couple. I am super cheesy right now. Maybe because I have been thinking of captions for greeting cards all morning.....

Quickie

2011-05-17T17:27:00.003-06:00

Here I am slacking again...
So- we went to Mexico, it was a freaking BLAST. I wrote a post about it, but I can't get my pics uploaded right now, so this has made my blogging experience extremely difficult. I basically use my PC to type up the post, upload the pics I want. Then I hop on my MAC to edit/switch the photos around, etc. In addition, my PC charger is broken so until work sends me a new one- no PC for Emily.

Anyways, it was amazing. I have looked through every one's pictures like 20 times because I want to go back. Like now.

So- Adam got a new job. He wasn't seriously looking or anything and kinda just fell into this position. It's with a start up company in Boulder and he started yesterday. Today is day two and so far, so good. Its a sales role and I think he will really like it.

After Adam got his new position, I decided maybe I should look for jobs in Boulder too. I mean, we could car pool together and Adam and I love the vibe/energy and pretty much everything about Boulder. So- I have interviewed and will let you know if my job situation changes. I hope so. I hate my job. I hope my boss is reading this.

Lastly, our lease is up June 30th!! WooHoo! We were going to rent, but found this cute house for sale- thinking about putting an offer on it- but waiting on a few things first. Again, I will keep you posted if suddenly we BOTH have new jobs, a new house, a second dog and I am pregnant.

Just kidding. Kind of.

I suck at blogging.

2011-05-01T14:51:00.013-06:00

But I have good excuses! Such as:

Attending Court's Bach party, which I never blogged about (we are beautiful):

And celebrating this beautiful Mother-to-be, Mrs. Jessica Oliver:
And traveling to AZ for some sales meetings and a fun filled weekend with Miss Samatha Otts:

Then the one and only Ashley Payson came to Denver (ciddah).

After she left, we launched our closed Beta test-site for this side business called BumblePost we have worked a year on.... (if you want an invite, please send me an email: emily@bumblepost.com)

And finally, this weekend was Adam's Bday. We celebrated with a date night on Friday and a party with some friends on Saturday. All in all, I think he had a great birthday! The big 2-6! Yes, I am the eldest in our household.

And I will not be blogging the rest of the week because I have a ton to do before we leave on vacation Thursday morning to Cancun.

Adios!

PS- some big news to share soon regarding jobs, life and the usual randomness of our decision making....

Decisions Decisions

2011-04-14T01:07:00.002-06:00

We didn't make the cut. I am super bummed, but really motivated at the same time. At the end of the day we had all excellent feedback but they were looking for more high tech/problem solving companies and we fit more into the e-commerce category. We are excited about the future no matter what (i am just sad at this moment :)). We will move on!

Life

2011-04-12T11:00:00.003-06:00

We should find out the big decision on Wednesday or Thursday of this week! WooHoo only 1 or 2 more days of constantly thinking about something I can't control. We had an interview there last night and basically if we get in... we won't be doing the BumblePost you all know about. We will, but we will be spending most of our time on a b2b side. More to come on that in the future. Anyways, consumer side is lookin good. Dare I say, you MIGHT be getting an invite email tonight? Fingures crossed.

Cool Cards

2011-04-07T15:26:00.003-06:00

Here is a little sneak preview of some of my current favorite Holiday cards for BumblePost. They look great on a computer screen and look amazing once printed out. I know I keep saying this, but we are soooo close to launching our beta site. Our goal was the 6th, but we just can't control technology!

I tried!!

2011-04-05T13:26:00.005-06:00

I tried to post about my weekend in KC consisting of Courtney's Bachelorette party and Jessica Oliver's baby shower... but blogger isn't working well for me and deleted my pictures I had uploaded. So, maybe the post will make it to the blog, maybe not. In other news... still no word on TechStars. We are still waiting to see what our next steps are. They let Adam know they are taking care of all the out of town people first so we are in holding mode and I am going borderline insane. We thought we had all the major bugs worked out of our site the other day. But found a few others that are hopefully getting resolved today. Entrepreneurship is an emotional roller coaster. If anyone ever thinks about starting a business, please ask me for some starter advice! You know that feeling that you get before a big presentation? The nauseous, nervousness... I have that like 15 hours of the day. Once we know yay or nay on TechStars, hopefully that number will be cut down dramatically!

Ready for answers

2011-04-01T09:13:00.008-06:00

We are on the brink of being able to make some actual plans for this summer (aka: finding out if we make TechStars). Its really weird because its such a HUGE thing, that this decision will define the rest of our lives. Its a strange feeling to say the least and I am REALLY anxious to make some plans.... we have been in the weird void the past few months. So I am going to map out a few different options for you:

A: We get into TechStars (ideal option!). We find a house to rent for the summer in Boulder for 5 people (me, Adam, Nick, Eric-our developer, and Maddie if she comes). Adam and I have to scramble for the next few weeks to move out of this place and into our new place- head to Mexico for Court's wedding- and the programs starts Tuesday May 10th. We work all summer in Boulder, meet great people, great mentors and decide we want to stay and headquarter BumblePost out of Boulder.... maybe we get some funding too (which would be great) so we can all work on BumblePost full time. This plan would get us through to the beginning of August. PS- this option would require all of us to quit our jobs (yay!!). But thats OK, because TechStars gives us money. Not a lot of money, but enough to live on and have some left over without cutting into our savings...

B: We don't get into TechStars. I take a few days to get over it and tell myself it was such a slim chance anyways- we made it to finals and that was awesome, but it still sucks to not make it. Adam and I decide we are going to stay in Denver. I start looking for a new job ASAP or switch positions in ATS (I hate my current role). We continue to work on BumblePost at night/weekends. We go live and just see what happens. Our current lease is up June 30th and depending on our funds, might look to buy a house.

C: We don't get into TechStars, but we decide that Boulder is still the place for us since it is the tech-hub of the Midwest (mini-San Francisco). We decide to move there anyways- get connected in the community, find our own mentors, etc. Its super expensive, so this plan would require us keep our current positions or find positions in Boulder. Adam could interview at CU (he currently works at DU) and I could just look for a position in Boulder instead of Denver. Or we could commute everyday back to Denver, which lots of people do.

They have yet to tell us when they make the announcement for the chosen few, but we heard a rumor its the second week of April! Figures crossed, say some prayers. Our life COULD change dramatically and it is driving me insane not knowing...

Excellent News

2011-03-28T10:33:00.002-06:00

We were asked not to publicize this, so I am going to be vague and if you are like "what the heck?" shoot me an email or text and I will fill you in on the deets. We are a finalist. Awesome news. But really doesn't mean anything yet. We should find out in the next few weeks if we are "in" or "out". Good stuff and LOTS to do!

The Apt. Saga Continues...

2011-03-15T14:25:00.004-06:00

Last Monday night was the "High Dog" night and trip to the emergency vet. Last night (Monday night) I woke up to the sound of water. At first, I thought it was our toilet running... but quickly realized that the sound was coming from downstairs.

A pipe broke under our sink, water was running everywhere. Gallons and gallons of it. The plumber has been here as well as the water crew to clean up. They just left and our house is in shambles!!

Why Monday nights, why?!! I know everyone feels like this at some point, but we literally have the most bizarre things happen to us. I think its karma or something. The last 3 places I have lived have had some sort of flood! This is why we have renters insurance. I am exhausted.

What's ironic about this situation is that we did a total spring cleaning on Sunday. Like all out. Rented a steam cleaner from Home Depot to clean the carpets and everything. Less than 2 days later, we have a flood- our hard work pointless!

One of those days

2011-03-14T14:37:00.008-06:00

This past weekend, it was beautiful in Denver (just like most of the Midwest!) which left us with an amazing dilemma- To go skiing/boarding or to go hiking. Adam and I debated most of Friday night on what to do the next day and ultimately, it was decided once he asked me if I remembered to pick up my snowboard. Duh! I was supposed to grab it on Friday afternoon from getting tuned, so looks like hiking it was....

Everything was still brown from winter, but it was a great temperature and still beautiful. I am anxious for everything to bloom!

Can you see the city in this picture?

We had a freaking blast. It was just Adam, Tyson and I and we did a hike that we attempted last year, but didn't finish due to the intensity of it. We finished it this time no problem. I guess it pays to work out.

After the hike, Adam said he had a surprise. He drives us to a little town about 15 minutes outside of Denver called Morrison and pulls up to the cutest little wine tasting bar. We had a great time trying out new wines, sharing a hummus plate and just enjoying our Saturday, post hike.

We capped off Saturday with dinner at the Smiths. We truly love Colorado.

Happy Friday!

2011-03-11T15:00:00.002-07:00

This was taken after our Crossfit workout today called "Angie"
100 pullups
100 pushups
100 situps
100 squats
FOR TIME!

Here's what it did to Adam....

And in case you were wondering, I completed this all, with no help (not using my knees for pushups or anything) in about 25mins. Not a great time, but pretty proud of myself. Getting stronger!

Doin Work!

2011-03-11T14:03:00.004-07:00

Happy Friday! Adam and I's life has been a straight up whirlwind these past few weeks. Between juggling our actual jobs, BumblePost and keeping our instanity- we have literally been nonstop. I woke up at 4am this week to Adam awake checking his email just to give you a glimpse!

We applied to a tech-start up incubator called TechStars. Their summer program is held in Boulder and starts on May 9, 2010- lasting 3 months. They are expected to get over 1000 applicants for their summer session this year, because honestly, its that awesome of a program. Its a mentorship program that allows a company to basically get in touch and very involved with successful business people. They say, you get more done at TechStars in a summer, than you would in a year. That's how non-stop, amazing it. And at the end, you get to present to 200+ venture capitalists from across the US. They only accept 10 companies into the program and the top 25 finalists are announced on March 27th and the final 10 announced sometime in April. I would cry if we got in.

Anyways, read back a few posts, but we got invited to TechStars for a day. We were in the 5% of applicants that got accepted to their day event. My genius of a husband decided we needed to make Tees for the event to stand out (there were 40 teams there). Man, am I glad we did. Our shirts looked great, and we were only 1 of 2 other companies that sported their brand. So we stood out just because of that. I was one of 2 (maybe 3) other girls there and overall, it was a fantastic, exhausting day. We talked to soooo many people, got a chance to work on our pitch and got lots and lots and lots of feedback. It was just Adam and I at the event, and driving home that night- I was on information overload.

The past few days have been spent filtering the feedback we got and deciding what we are going to do with it. Basically, we need to launch this B, but we are transitioning developers and things just aren't moving quite as quickly as I would like them to. But soon, so soon!

Wednesday, we went to another TechStars event, got some even better conversations going and it was amazing. Everywhere you turn at these things- its like, oh there's the CEO of xyz company and there's the CEO of ABC company and not only that, we had several long conversations with these people about BumblePost and got great feedback. Its has been an experience I can't quite explain. We will talk to one mentor and they will be like "That's not an interesting idea to me...." then we will turn around and talk to another and they are like "I love it, can't wait to see what you guys do with it. Call me if you need anything, etc. " I mean, feedback is ALLLL over the place and it has been a learning/growing experience for sure.

There are a million uncertainties right now. If we were blessed enough to make it into the program, we would be living in Boulder for the summer- but this is literally the least of the uncertainties right now! Just being patient and trying to get as much stuff done each day as we can :)

Have a great weekend!

What a night

2011-03-08T10:24:00.003-07:00

Details of TechStars for a Day are coming soon- I know you are all anxiously awaiting (haha).

Last night, we had a lazy night that consisted of sitting on the couch and watching TV. We made dinner and Adam gave Tyson the entire sweet potato skin off his plate, which I didn't agree with. Eventually, around 9:30- we head up to bed.

At about 10:30-11ish, we here Tyson start to gag and puke. Annoying to have to clean up puke in the middle of the night (and I totally try to blame this on Adam because of the sweet potato skin), so we turn on the light and slowly start to get up. At this point, Adam goes downstairs to get the supplies and I try to console our puppy dog. Tyson is acting super strange 1) He is acting like he doesn't want me to touch him, he is really jumpy, 2) he is just standing there, not moving and almost twitching 3) I look in his eyes, his pupils are dilated, he can't focus on me and is like a bobble-head dog. His head is moving all around. It freaked me out. I call for Adam and tell him something is wrong with Tyson, Tyson jumps in our bed and is laying there. But Adam can see what I am talking about. He starts googling if something can happen if a dog pukes too hard, or just anything with his symptoms. We pull him off the bed to see what he does when he walks and he starts walking all goofy (like he doesn't want to put weight on his back paws).

We call the emergency vet, talk to them and decide to take him in. We get there, Tyson goes back to see the Vet. With in 5 minutes, they come out asking if there is any way Tyson could have gotten into some pot. Adam and I both look at each other, of course there is. Our trashy neighbors keep their ash tray outside. Which means if they smoke pot out there, that's where the bud goes. I am the worst dog mother ever. My precious doggy is freaking stoned out of his mind right now because I didn't stay out with him when I let him out before bed. It was cold! This situation had never in a million years crossed my mind before.

2 hours later, $300 later, we come home with our high as a kite pup to try and go to bed. They told us to try and stay awake all night (didn't happen, but we tried...). This morning, Tyson seems to be acting about 90% normal and we are all confident he will make a full recovery today.

Get me the HECK out of this trashy apartment and into a house. Please.

Quite possibly the best day of my life

2011-03-03T13:28:00.002-07:00

If you haven't checked my blog read THIS POST first. So after finding out about TechStars for a Day... approximately 2 hours later, we get the alert from our amazing PR girl (Erica Wassinger) that we made SocialTechPop's list of 40 top Startups for 2011!
Check out the article here! We are #8!

Best. Day.Ever.

HOLY CRONKY!

2011-03-03T12:00:00.003-07:00

I am writing this as I am sooooo excited. With this being said, I am warning you this post my not make complete sense- but WE GOT INTO TECHSTARS FOR A DAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Story:
BumblePost applied to TechStars. Its a tech start up-incubator in Boulder. Basically, they accept 10 companies every summer (out of 500+ applicants), give you mentors from the summer from companies like Google, Facebook, AOL, etc. that help you day in and day out all summer to get your business off the ground, with the ultimate goal of getting you Venture Capital funding, acquired or sold off. 70% of the companies accepted to TechStars "make it" if you will. Is pretty much like getting into Harvard of the tech world.

Anyways, we applied early enough to get a chance to attend "TechStars for a Day". We thought that ALL the companies that made the early application date, got to attend. This means- we made special postgreets for TechStars to take and had made plans to attend. This Monday roles around- still no invite (TS4AD is this weekend). We start to do research and realize that only 40 companies get accepted to TechStars for a Day (TS4AD). Bummed... like, we were so bummed. Invites were supposed to go out last weekend, we didn't get one= not invited.

Monday night- the Managing Director of TechStars Boulder Tweets that they have had more applicants this year than ever so not all the invites had gone out because they were still looking at applications. Surge of hope goes through the BumblePost team. There is still a chance. Last night, I decided we were FOR SURE not invited because the event is this Saturday and most teams have to book flights- so they try to notify you as quick as possible if you are invited.

This morning, mentally, we had all moved on. I have been super productive all morning and didn't even think about it. Until we checked our email. Yep! WE FREAKING GOT INVITED!

I am literally on cloud nine, Adam may or may not have cried (I wasn't with him). And we are just pumped up like none other.

I am praising the Lord, even if we don't ultimately get accepted, this weekend will be a great learning experience and I can't wait to see who is there that we will get to meet and pick the brains of.

I will fill you in this weekend after the event. Say a prayer for us. They have to LOVE your idea and LOVE your team... even if both of these happen, the chances of getting in are LITERALLY 2%. We found out today, they had over 600 early applicants and only 40 are invited this weekend. Basically, we need to blow their minds with our amazingness... haha... but really.

Seriously, all prayers are needed. This could be HUGE.

Sneak Preview!

2011-02-28T19:23:00.004-07:00

I came home to a great surprise tonight....

We have official, actual samples of all our designs created thus far. They look awesome. Here is an example of what the front and back of a card would look like (only change would be the address- there is none below) . But lookie!! Text/picture- looks so good in person. The camera just doesn't do these justice.

These suckers are BIG! This pic below is our postcard size compared to an actual postcard (thanks to Court for the save the date used in the pic)

Fun stuff!

Feeling Grateful

2011-02-25T14:41:00.002-07:00

This week has been a really exciting week for a few different reasons:

1) BumblePost's site is coming along. I played with it 2 nights ago and it was the first time I have ever thought to myself "this is really cool". There were a lot of bugs to get worked out and slowly but surely they are getting resolved. We definitely aren't launching March 1, but at this rate, should be launched about Mid-March. Just a lot of prayers are needed. Starting a business is HARD. But it was exciting to play with the site and actually think good things about it, for once :)

2) A few weeks ago I learned how to snowboard and decided I was going to switch from skiing to boarding. I got a Sports Authority gift card for my B-Day and we went last night to look at snow board boots since I have a board I was planning on borrowing the rest of the season. Well- we get there and they are having their end of year clearance and an additional 25% off sale. I got everything (deck, bindings, boots) for $379 (my gift card was for $350). That is amazing if you know anything about snowboarding gear prices. Lets just say, if I would have purchased everything full-priced I would have dropped $600-700. Yahtzee!! Can't wait to go up this weekend. I will take pics for once!! But I had a smile on my face for like 2 hours last night as I was picking out everything. So so fun!

3) Still obsessed with Crossfit. My body is changing, I feel great and am looking forward to becoming an instructor. I have been interning since Feb.1 and still think its the best thing since sliced bread. Cheers to me for not falling off the workout bandwagon yet.

4) Cannot. I repeat, cannot believe this month has gone by so quickly. Our www.bumblepostbuzz.com campaign is over on Monday night. Overall, it has gone well. Just like anything we would change some things next time and we learned a lot. But what can we do?! I would like to give a shout out to my business partners (Adam and Nick) who solely came up with this campaign idea. I can take no credit for it but it has been fun to manage and I promise after Monday we will all stop posting about it 24/7. I am sure my Facebook friends are getting annoyed :)

Hope everyone has a great weekend! Can't wait to share pics of my new snowboard stuff. I am obsessed.

Sell me this pen

2011-02-23T11:49:00.002-07:00

So, I have been interviewing around. Not sure if I REALLY want to leave ATS or not, but the other week I got super frustrated and decided to post my resume on Monster. Little did I know, that I would actually get interviews (I have 3 this week).

Anyways, interviewing is a super annoying/awkward experience. I am a great interviewer- I worked as a recruiter for 2 years, so I know how to answer about every question asked.... except one. "Sell me this pen".

I have yet to have been asked this question, ever- until yesterday. Just annoying. The "sell me this pen" question was then followed by "do you have a sense of humor?" Umm... yes, duh (ok I didn't say duh). That was followed up by "Then tell me a joke". ARE YOU SERIOUS?! Thoughts: 1) is he kidding or being serious right now? 2) Do I want to work for someone who asks these types of questions? Because this is just dumb 3) Thank God I have one good joke and one good joke only that I keep in my back pocket. So here it goes:

Knock knock.
Who's there?
Interrupting Cow.
Interrupting Cow Who? (While "Moo!!" Is being yelled-by me).

Yep. I told this joke yesterday during an interview. I have a sweet life.

I have a new sidekick....

2011-02-21T09:33:00.004-07:00

I have a new sidekick... and she's 5.

Amielia (Ami for short) is my neighbor and after offering to watch her last Tuesday, she has come over every day since. She tells her mom she is going to play outside and then comes and knocks on our door. I love it, I am not going to lie.

I forget how literal a 5 year old takes everyone, how long they take to eat and how funny they are in general. She has made it a habit of walking in and asking for food too- which is pretty funny and I always give her some (might have to lay down the law with this soon). She even threw out the "I wish I lived here" line yesterday.

Funny Ami-isms:

1) The first night I watched her I cooked her dinner... so I asked her if she was allergic to anything. Her response?! "I am not allergic to anything except pandas" I said Pandas?! She said "ya." I asked how she knew she was allergic to pandas and she responded with an "I don't know, but I know I am" I told her I would not be making her fried panda like I had planned....

2) She thinks Adam and I have separate rooms. Our guest room bed was unmade and she came upstairs and walked past it saying (yelling) "Adam's room is a MESS!!!"

3) We had planned to bake cookies when I watched her but after watching a movie, eating dinner (took her a good 45 mins to eat) and playing Candy Land, we did not have time. So she walks in on Wednesday and says " I thought we could make some cookies" I let her know that I had a lot of work to do and couldn't and she said "That's fine, just get your work done really quick and THEN we will make them" As she sits on our couch to wait for me to get my work done...

4) For some reason she thinks we have really great food. And happened to see what was in our fridge the day before we were watching her for the night. When we were planning what we were going to do together she said "lets watch a movie, make cookies, play candy land and then eat some strawberries.." She had definitely seen the new package of strawberries we had in the fridge. I then asked her if she wanted some strawberries then and sent her home with a few- Cracking up the entire time.

5) Our door and her parents door is probably 15 steps away from each other... we live in an apartment folks. So when she is playing outside she has now started asking to use our restroom and asking me for water when she needs it instead of going home. When I say- why don't you go home to use the restroom? She responds with a polite "no thank you" and I just can't resist her cuteness, so I get her water and she uses our bathroom.

She literally is obsessed with us.

Adam was out of town this weekend and she came over yesterday- asking for food. So we ate some apples together, worked on her letters and numbers, watched Disney Channel (while she played with my hair-heaven) and then worked on a princess puzzle.

We are pretty much BFF's.

Get over it people

2011-02-16T14:20:00.004-07:00

Get over it KU- we beat you on Monday. Stop posting things on Facebook three days later because you are poor losers.

Get over it KSU- it was exciting, but there is no need to keep posting things that make us sound like we are Gods all the sudden. We have had a horrible year overall and who knows what could happen next game.

Literally can't stand trash talk. It is completely ridiculous in my mind.

Everyone be HAPPY!! I am sick of getting pissed at people making fun of KSU on Facebook and I am sick of KSU fans posting ridiculous things right back. Lets all get back to the real world. It was 1 game.

Is this a joke?

2011-02-14T08:47:00.001-07:00

Please go to THIS POLL and vote!

I'm Back!

2011-02-11T09:11:00.004-07:00

OK, not really... but I just wanted to send out a quick book rec to anyone interested:

"Winter Garden" by Kristin Hannah. I know I have read a great book when I can't stop thinking about it. I finished this book on Sunday and dreamed about it last night. Its about 2 women who grow up never really knowing their mother. She was there, but they never felt loved or wanted by her. When their father gets sick, they all come together and its their father's dying wish that they make their mom tell them her story. When she finally starts talking, the facts that start to unravel are shocking and put their mom in a whole new light.

This description sounds a little cheesy, but I promise it is not! And the topic of this book is something I was so interested in, after finishing, I researched it for the next hour or so (just ask Heather).

Read it, love it. The only note I would make, is it gets a little slow about 1/3 of the book in.... keeping reading, it gets good.

Out of breath....

2011-02-09T14:40:00.002-07:00

Sprinting for the finish line (www.bumblepost.com launch) among other things. Feeling out of breathe and seriously uncreative. This means, for the rest of the month I am declaring a break from blogging. Unless something freaking awesome happens and I feel you all should know!

PS- Our BUZZ contest is the entire month of February. Buzz yourself, then buzz your friends... there is cool stuff coming to people who participate and a Free IPAD to win (which we engraved because we are THAT cool). www.bumblepostbuzz.com All the help we can get is GREATLY appreciated!!

See you in a few weeks!

Snapshot!

2011-02-07T11:45:00.002-07:00

I have been a busy, busy bee (no pun intended.... ok, that was totally intended). First off, today marks the official start of the Paleo challenge at my gym. Which means, I am eating SUPER duper healthy for the next 75 days. We had to get measured, tested on a specific workout, etc. We have a packet of information filled with info on foods we can and can't eat and basically whoever wins the contest gets a SWEET cash prize (like $500). Its already tough. No bread, no pasta, no sugar, no peanuts or peanut butter (these are going to be my toughest), no hard cheeses, no dairy (unless it is raw whole milk). I am super excited to give eating Paleo a real shot + combine that with working out a lot, maybe it will be life changing- we will see....

Its my birthday! Which is always fun. We had a celebration in Breckenridge this weekend. The place was decorated in streamers and balloons (which terrified Tyson) but it was a mini-surprise party and really fun.

I learned how to snowboard this weekend! Heather and I both took a lesson together and then boarded the rest of the weekend on our own. We fell approx. 50 times, but it was worth it. I am picking it up and loving it so far. Loving it more than skiing for sure.

Ok, there is my snapshot. Will blog later and better soon.

If you haven't already- go BUZZ yourself! http://www.bumblepostbuzz.com/ Contest is all month- you can still win!

Peace.

Time to get BUZZED

2011-02-01T07:58:00.004-07:00

Its official, we are launching our first contest today in order to create some "buzz" before we launch in about a month!

Go to www.bumblepostbuzz.com. Enter your email address and you will be directed to a second page that gives you a unique referral link. Post, tweet, text and email YOUR unique referral link out to the world! The more people that you direct to our site, the better chance you have to win.

Contest ends on March 1! The person with the most referrals win an IPAD and gets to be the FACE of BumblePost for a year. You can keep track of the top buzzers with the "Top Buzzers" button at the top right of the page. Good luck!

PLEASE let me know if you have any questions.... emilyagriffin@gmail.com

Happy Buzzing!

Ready to get buzzed?

2011-01-31T11:04:00.003-07:00

Tomorrow we launch our first marketing campaign for BumblePost, Called BumblePostBuzz (don't try to URL for this today- we are double checking for bugs). I am pretty excited just to get something LIVE! Tomorrow is Feb. 1, we are launching March 1, assuming everything goes smoothly. We start testing a week from tomorrow (so don't be surprised if any of you get an email from me inviting you to be part of our test group- we are still debating how many we want for this group).

I have officially reached the point where I am overly excited and overly nervous at the same time. Like I could puke from nervousness right now. We are making sure we have everything set to go (accounting-wise) and we are approaching the final countdown.... hard work, lots of time and effort and though I hope launching will give us some of our lives back, I have a feeling that it is only going to get busier!

Cheers to taking a chance :)

Around the US and back again

2011-01-30T11:09:00.003-07:00

In the last 9 days I have been in Boston, Birmingham and Miami. I am currently at the airport getting ready to head home! Highlights from this week are pretty boring, so I am trying to be super creative and"dig deep".

- Black tie Mayor's Ball event in Miami, FL. Think ball gowns, tuxes, etc. I showed up wearing my typical work gear (pencil skirt, button down- oops!). The event was sponsored by Grey Goose Vodka.... which means, I drank a lot of vodka. I had to "loosen up" since I felt slightly under dressed....

- Going out in Boston with Mayors, City Councilors and Lobbyist. Alone! Not a typical move on my part (I usually don't go out unless I am with other people from ATS). But I had a great time and was having flash backs the next day about some of my conversations that may have not been overly intelligent. Sometimes I try too hard to sound really smart and it my sentences come out opposite of sounding smart.

- My bag was lost when I got to Birmingham. Was about 30 mins away from having to find a 24 hour target to buy all new clothes for a morning seminar (that I was in charge of). Thank the Lord my bag came! I never, never check a bag unless I am forced. And I was forced and the airline lost it. typical.

- This week has reinforced my love for Southwest Airlines. I have been flying Star Alliance (US Air, Continental and United) because I need airline miles for a certain wedding in Cancun and it sucks. In a nutshell: US Air and United have pretty dirty planes, no snacks on board that are free and a super annoying boarding process. Ugghhh. AND they don't recycle!!!! Delta at least recycles (and I don't prefer them either).

Anyways, I am about to finish "Water for Elephants" and I can't wait! It is so good. Highly recommend it.

And its Monday again tomorrow..

Queen Latifah, J-Lo and Beyonce

2011-01-18T10:42:00.005-07:00

What do all of these women have in commen? A big behind. And it looks like I am joining the ranks... well, according to my husband and a few other observers.

Within the last month, I have heard countless times that my butt has gotten bigger since doing crossfit. Is this the look I was going for? Absolutely NOT. In fact, I initially got pretty upset about it. I mean, no one wants to be called Queen Latifah in their own house. Adam keeps on reassuring me that it is a good thing... but still....

I have to keep reminding myself that I am in the "get bigger before get smaller" phase. This happens every time I start working out, after a long hiatus. Basically, my body starts building up muscle under the fat, but the fat hasn't been burned off yet so there is a slight increase in size. I am hoping that here in a few months when the fat seriously starts burning off... I will be left with muscle and my be-hind will go back to its original size.

In the meantime..... someone please tell Adam that though he thinks it is funny referring to me as Queen Latifah, J-Lo or Beyonce. That its really not that funny.

Extremely Fun

2011-01-17T16:31:00.004-07:00

I was a single mom all last week. Adam was gone for SIX days for work and so between Facebook, reading and napping, I tried to fill the week with some social activities. They included: Dinner and Black Swan with Jamie Smith, family dinner with Larry, Becky, Zach and Phil and lunch and costume shopping with Nikki and Georgia. Seriously, I did more with friends last week than I have in a long time.

Georgia is the owner of Crossfit Lodo (Lodo means Lower Downtown. It is an area in Denver... in case you were wondering) and she had planned an Aspen Extreme costume/beer pong tournament at the gym on Saturday night. Adam was gone, so Nikki and I were partners (we made it to semi-finals...). Needless to say, our costumes were awesome, our beer pong skills were sub-par but our flip cup skills were amazing and our dance skills were indescribable. I had a great time.

Greatest. Picture. Ever.

I would have to say the best part about having a party at the gym is this: all of the sudden you would look over and someone would be doing pull ups, practicing a handstand, or attempting un-assisted keg stands (pretty sweet). When the dance party started, out came the kettle bells and medicine balls. Its amazing the dance moves you can come up with using gym equipment.

Only time will tell

2011-01-14T10:53:00.005-07:00

Long story short. Adam's mom went to a Medium (not a psychic like I posted on Facebook) and her convo with the medium went something like this:
Medium: "You are going to be a grandmother sooner than you think...."
Jan: "yipeee!!!!" (I don't know if she really said this, but I am sure there was some sort of joyful noise that came out of her at this point)
Medium: "Do you or Emily's family have a history of twins?"
Jan: "I don't think so"
Medium:" because I am seeing for one boy for sure, if not two and can't tell if they were born at the same time... possibly twin boys"
Jan: probably freaking out from happiness at this point.....

Jan relays this to Adam- who relays this to me- which means the convo above may have been a little different, but it was something similar. My reactions?! (1) weird because I want twins soooo badly (2) Am I only having two kids because I really, really want 3+? (3) Does the twins mean that maybe I can't have kids easily so I have to get invetro... which means I end up having twins? (4) What did she mean by "sooner than Jan thinks" should I be investing in better birth control???? (5) Holy cow, I am over thinking this.... I don't even believe in this stuff.

Yes ladies & gents. Adam is out of town and I was slightly crazy minded last night with all of these thoughts running through my head, sitting alone in my house. Do I believe in Mediums/Psychics? Absolutely not. Do I think some people are more in-tune with that side? Absolutely. So, I will take this info with a grain of salt. Disregarding it and am not taking it to heart.

....And I am off to the bookstore to buy books on parenting twin boys... catch ya later.

Randomness- I know, weird.

2011-01-12T15:22:00.002-07:00

First off, pardon my last post. I just re-read it and it is way to serious for hump day. At the point in time I posted, I was just in thinking mode (and only Adam truly knows what that is like...). Anyways, onto what this post is really about.... nothing- just my ramblings!

1) Tyson has a habit of carrying things around and hiding them places. For instance, Nikki was over the other night- she was leaving and said "I thought I brought my gloves in" we both looked around, didn't see them, so figured she left them in the car. I go upstairs to get in bed and what do I find? Her gloves buried in the covers. This happens constantly at our house! If I leave my suitcase on the floor for a few days, when I FINALLY unpack I typically find a toy or two of Tyson's in there. I have found a bone in Adam's sock drawer, bra in my office, socks in the bed, socks in the cushions of the couch, etc, etc ,etc.

2) I am definitely becoming a Crossfit coach. I start an intership program in February and I am pretty excited about it.

3) I am going to learn how to snowboard ASAP! At the end of the season, I am going to pick which one I am going to stick with and by a nice set of skis or a board.... please let it be boarding (I am just not a natural skier).

4) Tyson has started a habit of sitting on my lap while I am working. He is doing it right now. All 65 lbs of him. It is really annoying, but too cute to make him get off. Dang.

Thats all for now.

Too serious for a Wednesday... but really wanted to get your opinions

2011-01-12T09:59:00.002-07:00

Have you heard about the Kenya West's new music video called Monster? There is a huge debate going on right now because the video features dead girls hanging from the ceiling, drugged up girls in lingerie on a bed (with Kenya right there with them...), and some even worse stuff... etc., etc. It has created a huge hoo-plah because with sex-trafficking being such a huge deal right now, along with women rights, people are saying this video is flat-out wrong and dare I say... woman hating?!

Here is the article. About mid -way down is the link to the video teaser. People are so against this video there is a petition to sign, too.... if you feel so inclined.

Here are my thoughts: I probably wouldn't have thought twice about this video, until I read the article. This video is definitely toeing a very thin line. It shows the dominance of men over women and there are major world issues right now that are not a joking matter and can be assumed that this video is depicting (sex trafficking/sex slavery). As one commenter says... "there has to be a line somewhere" which I totally agree with, or else the line keeps getting pushed back and back. As a 25 year old, I honestly don't really care that much, BUT, I will probably start caring a lot more about what is shown on TV once I have kids.

Anyways, this was interesting enough for me to post on this blog. I really want your opinions. Is this video harmless? Are people just over reacting? Or has Kenya West gone a little too far with this one?

Happy Wednesday!

Doing it in the Dark

2011-01-10T21:32:00.003-07:00

This weekend was full of friends, skiing/boarding, laughing, eating candy, celebrating birthdays, admiring the mountains and driving home from the mountains to snow in Denver. (first snow of the year that we have been in town for!).

Friday night, we drove up to Frisco to see these cute kids.

And do a little bit of this. Birthday shot for the birthday girl (Maddie). Don't mind me in this pic.

And do a little bit of SKIING in the dark. What did you think I was talking about?! We went night skiing in Keystone and it was so, so fun. Loved it.

Pre-night skiing. Just warming up our skillzzzz.

Our Crew on Saturday.

But all good things must come to an end..... our friends drove back to KC and Adam left town today until SUNDAY for work! How the tables have turned. Loved this weekend, love our life.

Hello 2011!

2011-01-05T10:00:00.001-07:00

In 2011, I want to: (ordered from least important to more important!)

1) Wear more lip color!

I am looking dull, Nikki is looking glamorous.

2) Change up my hair styles more. Instead of straight and down, switch it up a bit! I got a new curling iron for Christmas to hopefully help me with this....

Boring Hair (1)

Boring Hair (2)

Boring Hair (3)

3) To work harder at my day job and at BumblePost. New year- there is money to be made!

Or grow a money tree...

4) Be a better listener, be a better speaker. Meaning, not rambling while in conversation and give people my full attention when they are speaking.

5) Get BumblePost off the ground!!! We are sooooo close! Say a little prayer for us...

6) Continue to grow my relationships. Especially with Adam and the Lord. I need to make Church a priority!

7) Fix my blog! Change the background and make it look somewhat cute! (This should have been listed in items 1-3).

Here's to a great 2011!

Best moment of my life

2011-01-04T14:37:00.003-07:00

Thank the lord for camera phones... because I had completely forgotten about this amazing story I am about to share. Luckily, I accidentally hit the camera button on my phone and this picture popped up which leads me into my story.

We went to Tanners with some friends over Christmas. Adam had some drinks and I drove us home. Our friend Blake came along with us, just to spend some more time with Adam before he headed home for the night.

We walk into the kitchen, the three of us are standing around the Griffins island in the kitchen just chatting away, when I see Adam reach over and grab a handful of something and pop them into his mouth.

Two seconds later, I realize what he just put in his mouth..... DOG FOOD!!!!!!! Yes! Right as he is crunching down... I yell "THAT'S DOG FOOD!" Adam's eyes get about the size of golf balls as he realizes what I just said. He runs to the sink and starts spitting and washing out his mouth.

Someone has set a bowl of dog food up on the counter, where typically a bowl of nuts or candy sits... so Adam, not even thinking, took a big, fat handful and popped them into his mouth. Blake and I were literally DYING for the next 5 minutes.

My husband ate dog food. Best moment of my life.

Never-Ending Holiday!

2011-01-03T10:32:00.005-07:00

The Holidays make me sad. They make me really reflect on the year, realize another year has gone by and as I start to prepare myself for the coming year, I get an emotional wave when I realize how blessed I am and how fast time passes! Don't get me wrong I LOVE the Holidays... but as I get older they really affect me more and more. This Holiday season was more than we could have asked for. It was a jammed-packed 9 days but we loved every second of our trip!

Instead of boring you with every detail (which I had typed up and just deleted) I am going to take you through the highlights!

#1- leaving Denver on Christmas Eve at 5:30am. My husband loves Christmas and couldn't wait to get home (this would have NEVER happened in my pre-married life because I love to sleep).

#2- Our present from the kids to the Griffins were tickets to Transyberian Orchestra as a family. It was SUCH a fun night. We cooked dinner for Adam's parents at Kelly and Kenny's house and then went to the show all together.

Self timer pic... the best one we got.

#3- Pinstripe Bowl!! We left KC early on the 30th to make it in time for the game. Besides the outcome, our trip to NYC was memorable. We stayed with my Aunt and Uncle who are so generous and just make everything that much more fun. I want their life.

It was sun-shiny bright!!!!

This picture of my boots is to remind myself never to wear them to a cold sporting event. At this point in time, my feet were sooo cold, it was painful and I could have cried about it.

#4- New Years Eve! We were still in NY (actually staying in Stamford, CT) but my Aunt made Adam and I a reservation at this cute wine bar/restaurant in the quaint town of New Canan, CT. Adam and I got some alone time and just enjoyed each other's company. We reflected on the year and talked about our goals for 2011. After polishing off a bottle of wine, we headed home to watch the ball drop with the fam!

The one and only picture taken on NYE! If you don't have a funny younger sister, you should get one.

#5- Touring NYC! We saw it all..... and I love it there....

My Aunt Cindy and Nat in front of the 4 story Forever XII in Times Square. We spent a quality amount of time in there :)

#6- We were traveling for about 22 hours on Sunday. We had a six AM flight out of CT and our connection was several hours delayed, so by the time we landed in KC and drove the 9 hours back to Denver, we had been awake and in an airport, plane or car for about 22 hours of the day. Fun, fun!

All in all, we had an excellent twenty ten and have high hopes for twenty-eleven. Stay tuned for my next post which is the typical and expected New Years resolution post!

Cheers!

Spreading some Christmas Cheer

2010-12-22T10:04:00.006-07:00

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

2010-12-16T13:46:00.002-07:00

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....

2010-12-15T11:13:00.003-07:00

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

2010-12-13T20:47:00.003-07:00

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

2010-12-10T09:09:00.002-07:00

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

2010-12-06T09:46:00.006-07:00

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!

2010-12-01T21:45:00.002-07:00

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

2010-12-01T10:33:00.003-07:00

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...

2010-11-29T10:47:00.003-07:00

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

2010-11-23T15:49:00.002-07:00

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

2010-11-19T10:42:00.001-07:00

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....

2010-11-03T11:10:00.002-06:00

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)

2010-11-02T13:30:00.002-06:00

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

2010-11-02T10:20:00.002-06:00

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!

2010-11-01T10:44:00.002-06:00

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

2010-10-29T10:52:00.002-06:00

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...

2010-10-28T16:13:00.003-06:00

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

2010-10-27T10:42:00.004-06:00

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

2010-10-25T09:18:00.003-06:00

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

2010-10-21T21:24:00.004-06:00

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!

2010-10-15T10:17:00.002-06:00

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...

2010-10-13T12:22:00.003-06:00

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

2010-10-12T10:02:00.002-06:00

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!

2010-10-04T20:09:00.002-06:00

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...

2010-10-04T10:27:00.002-06:00

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.

2010-10-03T16:41:00.004-06:00

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...

2010-10-01T10:24:00.006-06:00

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

2010-09-23T15:20:00.002-06:00

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

2010-09-21T10:26:00.005-06:00

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

2010-09-21T10:11:00.003-06:00

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

2010-09-14T10:01:00.002-06:00

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

2010-09-13T12:30:00.005-06:00

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!