Friday Photos [1.30.15]

Here are some photos from Andy & my week:

Ella, being a weirdo, trying to...I'm not sure.

Monday morning coffee for me.

Andy and Ella walked me part way to work Monday afternoon.

Working from the coffee shop by my house Tuesday morning. Setting spring term goals for myself.

Andy & I went for a Tuesday afternoon hike. 

 Andy, Shelly, and I took the dogs for a walk Thursday afternoon. They walk terrible when they're together.

Friday morning coffee.

OUR CRIBBAGE GAME WAS SO CLOSE.

Happy Friday; happy weekend!

-Breanna

It Was 70 Degrees Yesterday

Seriously. You read that right. It was 70 degrees in Denver on Tuesday, JANUARY 27. And a day like that, well, you can't spend the whole day inside.

Andy and I both have the luxury of somewhat flexible workdays and were able to head out for a mid-afternoon hike and work later into the evening (when it got dark and chillier).

Yea, you don't have to tell us twice.

These Colorado winters are pretty awesome :o)

-Breanna

Dabbin' Fever

I went to a Bingo Hall Friday night. Like a real Bingo Hall, not a bar that has Bingo games a few nights a week. Like a folding chairs and tables, don't talk when the numbers are being called, $1,000 jackpot Bingo Hall. 

I went with my friends Heather & Noah. None of us had been to a legit Bingo Hall in over a decade, and back then we'd go with family members who were in charge of all the details. So we were a tad nervous since Bingo is serious business (for real, some of the players were yelling at the 17 year old caller cuz she wasn't going fast enough) and we didn't want to f this up and embarrass ourselves. We sat at a table with a super nice and friendly couple that we immediately could tell were regulars and helped us figure out lingo like "postage stamp" and "hard Bingo" and made sure we were playing with the correct rules each game!

Watching the TV for the next number to be displayed.

We didn't win the jackpot, or any of the cash prizes, but we did only have six Bingo cards each whereas everyone else had, like, 36. So odds weren't really in our favor. But we had such a fun time and feel like pros now. Perhaps I've found my new Friday night activity?? We might even go back this week since Andy was sick and couldn't make it for the first round.

My dauber is tired.

Saturday we had a Preview Day on campus for prospective students, so I was up bright and early to help out with the event. I stayed with the students interested in culinary much of the day, including some hands-on learning in the dining room.

Chef going over front of the house etiquette with some of the students.

We learned some new napkin folding techniques to impress diners. This is supposed to be a tuxedo and I did not win best napkin award.

Sunday was a lazy start to the day, which to Andy and me means an early yoga class (for me), and cooking breakfast and playing games (for us). We went out with friends in the afternoon, and in the evening I chatted with my folks, and Andy & I read outside in the sunny January weather we have here in Denver right now. Aka, Perfect Sunday :o)

Andy lost.

So, yea, a good weekend. Having a full Saturday workday kinda throws a wrench into the weekend since Sunday felt like Saturday all day, which means Monday now feels like Sunday and it's just a mean trick cuz it's not Sunday at all. But even with a weekend workday, I still feel like I packed a lot into the days which is important for me to feel refreshed and fulfilled.

I hope you had at least a few moments this weekend that left you refreshed, fulfilled, and using the word "perfect".

-Breanna

Friday Photos [1.23.15]

Here are some photos from Andy & my week:

Ella helping Andy with the cards. Kinda.

I've been reading a lot these past few weeks. 

I treated Andy to some hot chocolate.

At the coffee shop by our house. We went to grab drinks and start planning our summer vacation (yay!).

Treats for sale at the coffee shop.

Ella finds the one place sun in shining in to the house and settles into the warmth.

I've had a sore throat and a cough for a week now. Tea with honey, twice a day, is my new thing.

Have a great weekend!

-Breanna

Friday Photos [1.16.15]

Here are some photos from Andy & my week:

 I just can't help it. I love me some french fries and Diet Coke, and I bring Andy down with me.

Three ingredient pancakes for breakfast. I used this recipe, and topped them with syrup & cinnamon, chocolate chips, and peanut butter.

Beautiful, two story wall in the admissions office at Johnson & Wales University.

Fact: Purple is my fav color.

Andy, not sharing his potato chips. Ella, desperate for potato chips.

Drinking some tea and reading my friend Steph's blog about her and her husband's adventures in New Zealand.

 Dinner with Lauren & Amy, two of our favorite Denver people.

I took, like, no photos this week! Some weeks I have way more than 10 to show you, and others I have way less. I did a lot this week: Drove up to Boulder Wednesday late morning, participated in a couple yoga classes, went to an advanced screening of "The Wedding Ringer" (SO FUNNY) with Shelly on Wednesday, went out for lunch with a friend/colleague on Thursday, and more. Plus, all the wonderful moments I did remember to photograph and posted above.

-Breanna

Saturday Sights

Craft beer, live music, mountains. That's my answer when I'm, regularly, asked why Andy and I moved to Colorado. The order of importance changes depending on the day I'm asked, but the top three has stayed the same since 2011. We both are super grateful that our three reasons for moving across the country have only gotten better in Colorado over the past years we've been out here. Well, ok, so the mountains don't really change in just three short years, but our appreciation for them has improved with each visit. I mean, come on:

On Saturday, Andy, Shelly, and I packed up my Passat and drove the hour and a half or so to Estes Park, one of the entrances to Rocky Mountain National Park. The Rockies get really snow-covered starting in October, so a mid-January hike was out of the question and snowshoes were the footwear du jour.

 Shelly and me, standing on a lake.

Come on up, guys! I swear it's not too steep!

The lake Shelly and I were standing on in a previous picture, from above now, hence the slight climb.

 

 

Andy's response when asked if he wanted to keep going in the piercingly cold wind.

These people do not care about the potentially unsafe ice.

We hiked from Bear Lake, to Nymph Lake, to Dream Lake and stopped just shy of Emerald Lake, the final destination on that trail. I did the whole hike back in October 2011 when my high school/college friend moved out to Denver and the mountains were calling our names. The trails and lakes look sooooo different in October vs. January! For starters, you can actually see the trails and lakes. Saturday, the three of us agreed to come back in the summer to finish the hike fully when we wouldn't be battling packed snow and ice. Though, it's hard to predict what the mountains are going to be doing any time of the year.

Bear Lake

 

Nymph Lake

Dream Lake

Seriously guys, it was really slippery...

...and snowy...

...and beautiful.

-Breanna