We're Home!

We have had a whirlwind 2 weeks. It's Tuesday morning and I feel like it will take the rest of this week to catch my breath!

We spent 4 days in Seattle, 3 in Vancouver and this last weekend in WY to celebrate MrHoppy's brother's HS graduation. After lots of family, traveling and time in the car I am excited to be home for awhile!

I have lots of pictures and stories to share and will get started on everything tonight. Although we were super busy (and I'm exhausted) it was worth it and we have had so much fun. Stay tuned!

Rainy Rockies

A couple weeks ago I told you about the Rockies game we were attending in the rain. It turned out perfect actually - it was on a rain delay but it gave us time to get downtown and hit up our favorite spots before the game started. I know I've raved about the Chop House before and I'll do it again. We love it!

A pilsner and a bourbon barrel stout. Yes please!

I just love the ambiance there

The Chop House is directly across the street from Coors Field so we walked over to the game in the sloppy weather

The game was practically empty so one of the ticket scanner people offered to take our photo...

I raced up the stairs alone

We had such a great date-day!

And I am so very lucky that one of my dear friends from high school is the announcer for the Rockies. He hooks us up with the best seats whenever he can!

A Perfect Saturday

Have I said how excited I am about warm weather? Pretty sure I have once, or twice, or ten times...

Last weekend we had beautiful weather so MrHoppy and I decided to take advantage and get all the Spring yardwork done. I expected to spend the morning slaving away. Do things ever go as planned??


The Lilacs are in full bloom which makes our chores all the sweeter...

See the nice cool dirt Bisa is laying in? Yeah. That was ALL rock that day. We moved the small rock and organized the river rock around my roses and hosta. There I am slaving away in the background while MrHoppy plays with the camera... Note the t-shirt. I was already burned from the work in the front yard earlier on in the day.

I actually wore a hole in the thumb of my gloves. Both MrHoppy and I felt like our fingers were going to fall off by the end of the day. It was hard to wash my hair because they were so raw!

What could cheer us up more after our hard day than this guy giving Gizmo some loves?

This kid is all boy. It's so fun to watch him play and explore.

And this guy... What can I say? I lucked out in the sexy husband department, if I do say so myself... We were going to hit the town that night but we were too exhausted. A night in was just what we needed.

Does anyone have any advice on my pictures? I'm all ears. I haven't edited anything, these are straight off the camera. I still have so much to learn that any advice would be greatly appreciated!

Status: Ocupado

Well lookie there at that little bean.

No, no that is NOT my ute. It's my sister's and it is ocupado with baby #2!!

We have been calling this one "#2" and I think it's a pretty cute nickname. H/She should not be confused with THAT #2 though... Hee hee, bathroom humor gets me every time...

She found out she was expecting again in April and after having her 1st appointment has cleared me to announce her news to the blog world! So I get to have another pseudo pregnancy with my sister! ;) Due date is December 16th and MrHoppy and I are thrilled to have niece or nephew number 4!

Things have been busy! I promise I'll be updating early on this week. And with Blogger being down the end of last week Fit Friday went by the wayside... Perhaps I'll try to make Fit Tuesday happen...

Rain, Rain, Go Away!

Whew, the weather here has just been crazy-town!

Over the weekend we had highs in the 80s. I was sleeping with the windows open and working on a tan (sunburn) in the yard. Tuesday night the wind started. The wind was followed closely by rain that started at 8PM on Tuesday night.

It is now Thursday at 10AM and it's still raining! This is unheard of in Colorado. We usually get storms that last an hour or two and then the sun comes out again. One positive is that our world is GREEN! It's so good for the flowers and grass so I can't complain too much...

I really want it to stop raining by this afternoon. MrHoppy and I have free tickets to watch the Rockies play the Mets at Coors Field and I really want to go. It will be cold and dreary but as long as the rain stops the game will go on. How did this middle-of-the-day-middle-of-the-week afternoon come about?

It all started with a grumpy and tired MrsHoppy yesterday. I was up most of the night Tuesday because of the monsoon wind and rain. I'm a light sleeper which sucks. I still got up at 5:30 to hit the gym for my morning workout. After my workout (without my usual teacher at Core, it just wasn't the same without her) I saw that my conditioner had exploded in my bag. Thankfully it was just a side pocket but still... Annoying mess to clean up in the gym locker room. My day continued in that fashion and when you add the sleep deprivation... you can guess the rest.

MrHoppy pushed my buttons in the afternoon and we decided not to talk for the rest of the day. I am not often emotional but when I am - watch out! I can't even blame it on PMS. I am a woman that needs at least 8 hours of sleep, that's the only reason I can come up with!

Anyway, he called my boss (Dad) and worked out the afternoon off and surprised me with tickets to the game. He has been working a TON this last month to save for our trip coming up so a day together is just what the Dr ordered.

You know when you don't see or talk to someone, especially your spouse, for awhile and you just feel disconnected? And then when you finally do talk you argue and bicker because you are on different pages because you haven't talked in so long? That's where we are and I despise it. My "love language" is definitely quality time. Just ask MrHoppy! I'm very much looking forward to an afternoon with my husband so I'm chanting a song from my childhood:

Rain, rain, go away
Come back another day!

The Best Husband Award Goes to....

MrHoppy! He has been spoiling me this year.

A few weeks ago we were walking around an outdoor shopping center after dinner and a beer at Rock Bottom. He was humoring me and letting me go into all our favorite stores to "window shop". You all know how that goes right??

We went into Macy's and were browsing the jewelry counter. I noticed signs everywhere advertising that their One Day Sale was beginning the next day. My birthstone is sapphire so we were looking at rings.

Sidenote on me: I don't have many pieces of "real" jewelry. I have 1 pair of (small) diamond earrings, my wedding set and a necklace from Tiffany. That's it folks. I have wanted a right-hand-ring for a looonnnngggg time and MrHoppy was well aware of this fact.

A ring caught my eye right away and a very nice sales person was helping us. I tried it on and then saw the price tag. I handed it back to her and said a very sad "no way". Then she told us about the One Day Sale and that the price of the ring would be cut in 1/2. If we wanted to open a store card we would get an additional 20% off that! I knew we shouldn't spend money on jewelry so we walked away.

But... MrHoppy had her put the ring on hold. He went back the next morning at store opening and purchased my ring. He brought it home that night and surprised me with it. He isn't very good at keeping secrets so I had a feeling he might do this but I was still very surprised and excited! How did I get so lucky to have such a sweet and thoughtful husband?

I love my new ring! It had to be sent away and sized but was ready within a week. I've worn it every single day since. What do you think? It's white gold and the sapphire is an emerald cut. The sapphire is dark blue and looks absolutely beautiful in the sunlight.

These pictures do NOT do my ring justice. Do you know how hard it is to take a one handed picture with my new camera? It's hard! And I couldn't get it right with the ring on my finger so I just held it up. I am in love!

My Loves

In honor of Mother's Day (a day late) I wanted to include pictures of all the little loves in my life.

It's no secret that last year was pretty terrible for me. I was so depressed and sad. I dreaded Mother's Day so much. I wished I could just go to sleep for those 24 hours and wake up a new person on Monday.

This year? A complete 180. I am so incredibly thankful to be where I am today. I can say with complete honesty that I did not have one moment of sadness yesterday. Not one. It helps that we had a fantastic weekend spent (mostly) at home. I am sore and sunburned but it was worth it. May will be busy so we got all our Spring yardwork done on Saturday.

Yesterday we spent time with the in-laws and then with my family. It was in the 80s and we didn't have any of that annoying wind we usually get with the warm temperatures this time of year.

And now on to the pictures of the loves of my life. A few furry and one very sweet boy. Later this month I will have TONS of photos of my newest niece J. What I have now are cell phone pictures and they just don't do her justice. I'm sure of it. I am also sure I'm going to come home from our trip to see her and she will need several posts dedicated to her cuteness. Until then...

Kitten loves laying in the sun. This is her favorite place in the morning.

Does anyone else have a dog that goes crazy after a bath? Gizmo doesn't mind being bathed but my favorite part is afterwards. He acts like a puppy again. And then the old man comes back and he sleeps off his puppy antics.

And who is this baby (little boy)? My nephew is getting so big. He loves to ham it up for the camera and I have a million pictures of him. Can you blame me?

Give me the camera Auntie!

Last but not least - my big girl. And my Summer running partner. I need to record her sometime when she realizes I'm taking her for a run. The excitement is addicting.

Otherwise, she is happy to sun herself for most of the day. She is an African dog, would you expect any less??

Fit Friday

TGIF everyone! Welcome to another edition of Fit Fridays! WITH pictures this week. I swear, MrHoppy cannot take a decent picture with my iPhone to save his life. I even asked him to try harder today. It is what it is I guess... You'll see me in all my terrible-picture-glory I suppose! ;) We need to invest in a tripod and I'll take them myself with the good camera.

Also I'm getting my hair trimmed tonight after work. I got it done a few weeks ago and she just didn't take enough off. I think I'm going short!

Nutrition: Holy crap I ate terrible this week. We were busy, I was suffering through a severe case of PMS and I just wasn't motivated. I wasn't overeating which is good news but my decisions were not the best. To say the least. Today is a new day and I started it off right with whole wheat peanut butter and banana toast for breakfast. Chicken and an apple for lunch. Chicken and a vegetable for dinner. And loads of water. Loads I tell you. I plan to continue this trend through the weekend.

Fitness: The only thing that saved me from gaining 157 pounds this week was exercise. I did my best with our hectic schedule and am pleased to say I worked out 4 times. They were NOT the best workouts I have ever had (if you read yesterday's post you know why!) but I made the effort which is important.

In other fitness news: I think I'm going to sign up for a 1/2 marathon. Holy shit, even just writing that makes me nervous. I have butterflies thinking about it. I'll write more about it later but the event is here in CO in October. I will be following a training plan if I decide to do it. If I'm going to race, I want to do well.

Weight: 119 today. Thanks AF! Thanks salty food!

Apparently the bloat is hanging out around my belly button? Yuck!

Sarcastic Thankful on Thursday

Man, I love being a woman. :::insert sarcasm:::

Didn't Shania Twain sing a song about how wonderful it is being a woman? Did she forget how we feel for 1 week out of every month? Wait, make that 2 weeks...

I guess she doesn't have a week straight of craving nothing but salt. Chips, fast food, pizza and canned ravioli anyone?

I guess she doesn't swell and bloat from all the salt she ingests that week.

I doubt she ever had to sprint home in the middle of a glorious morning run because she was about to crap her pants?

I guess she isn't kept up at night for the preemptive cramps?

That about sums up my life in the last week. The salt craving started the end of last week. Followed by the bloating and swelling. Last night the killer cramps kicked in. And then this morning I sprinted home (while taking breaks to double over from the cramps I was experiencing) to avoid a very embarassing situation involving poop in my pants. Poor Bisa couldn't figure out what was wrong with me!

"Why are we running home Mom? We aren't even done yet?"

I am happy to report that I made it. Barely. Now I'm just sitting at work waiting for the actual fun to begin. These 2 will be my best friends for the next few days... Water and Midol

Isn't it fun being a woman? So 1 week down, 1 more of actual AF to go...

Super Shoe Sunday

MrHoppy and I spent a fun (and hungover!) day shopping last Sunday. We were on our way to pick up our "babies" from my parent's house after a long night of celebrating my brother-in-law's 30th birthday. Somehow (by the grace of God) I convinced him to hit up the mall before heading home. We walked around and window shopped... mostly.

Until walking into Macy's. They were doing a 20% off friends and family weekend. We drooled (literally, I want to re-do our master SO badly!) over bedding and made our way to the shoe department where I found these cuties:

They are grey (my favorite color lately) Pumas and have a slight sparkle to them. How fun is that?

I have been wearing the same old casual/cute tennies for a few years and was in need of some new ones. A casual, closed toe shoes that I don't run in - and these fit the bill. Because believe me, I don't need new running shoes! With the 20% off I couldn't pass these up. They were already on sale so I walked away with new sneaks for $40.

I have also been on the quest for the perfect wedges this season. I have tried on the Steve Madden "Fantastik" (see them here: http://www.stevemadden.com/Item.aspx?id=55287&np=127_282-143_384)wedge more than once. Everyone seems to LOVE them but I just wasn't sold. Something about the way the strap fit around my ankle made me feel like I would walk right out of them.

Imagine my enjoyment when I stumbled upon these babies at DSW for 1/2 the price! Still Steve Madden but the more-closed back is much more supportive. Plus I love the neutral color, I think I can get away wearing them with brown and black. After a $10 off coupon I paid less than $40 for them.

All in all it was a successful shopping weekend. I don't know why but I have just been in the mood to shop lately! Maybe it's Spring? The warm weather makes me want to spend money. At the mall specifically!

Dreary Wednesday

I have several posts in the works right now and I'm just waiting on the pictures. Story of my life right?

I washed my car yesterday - so wouldn't you know? It's starting to rain. Of course!

This morning was sadly spent at the funeral of my Mom's Aunt. She passed away late last week quite unexpectedly. While it's always nice to see extended family, it wasn't an event that we wished would bring us together. My morning ended at lunch with my sister and nephew. I was able to capture some adorable pictures of him that I will share shortly. He is getting so big!

I basically feel like I've been running around like a chicken with my head cut off all day. The office was un-manned all morning so I've been catching up this afternoon.

I am very much looking forward to a relaxing evening with MrHoppy. And I'll get these pictures done and share what's been going on in the land of Hoppy! All good things, of course. :)

Happy Hump Day!

Spring is in the Air

Spring has been slow to arrive here in colorful Colorado. We have had some nice days - finally! The dogs are so happy to be able to relax and play outside after being cooped up for months.

I am loving having the windows open and feeling the fresh air move through our house. My tulips are blooming, the Iris bulbs I planted last Fall are growing and the Lilac bush is a gorgeous shade of purple. I think it's safe to say that I have Spring fever.

This weekend of course hasn't been nice but the forecast is showing 60s and 70s for the next 10 days. Woo Hoo!

We are still playing around with our camera, trying to get more familiar with it. I am pretty clueless about editing at this point but here are a few photos I've taken recently. My favorite subjects. :)

More dogsitting!

Family dinner at our favorite Mexican food restaurant. O makes this face now when you take his picture. I love it!

MrHoppy took this of our beautiful city!

Just had to add this from a melt down.