The BIG Five-O!

Turning 50 is dreadful for some,

but if my 50th is anything like my Dad's-

BRING IT!

He's typically not one for surprises but turning 50 is a milestone-

go big or go home, right?

That was our motto at least!
The surprise was a destination party...
in VEGAS BABY!!!

My parents go several times a year (birthdays & anniversaries) so getting him there was easy.

What he didn't know was there had been a lot of secret planning going on for several months 

and there would be 14 of us joining them!!!

We anxiously awaited his arrival in the sportsbook bar (knowing his first stop would be the sportsbook!)...

you can only imagine the surprise and shock on his face,
it was priceless!

The weekend he thought would be spent relaxing with his wife and hanging out in the sportsbook quickly turned into an action packed weekend with little time for relaxation!

Once he got over the initial shock,

 the drinks started pouring and they hardly stopped the rest of the weekend.

Here are some highlights of the shenanigans!

Immediate family (minus 2)



workin' the pole on the bus!



Soaring over Freemont street with the B-day boy!



The lights were amazing!

Happy 50th!!!

Since our party was so big we took a limo bus when we wanted to venture out of our hotel.

This was my first time going to Freemont Street,

I had a blast!

And the zip line is a must (especially after a few drinks ;)!

Dinner at Benihana was delicious

and the company even better!

Between all the birthday festivities

we all managed to find time to gamble.

most of the youngins playing blackjack after dancing the night away at club Carnival!

Some did better than others...

check out my lover celebrating after his big win!

Winner Winner Chicken Dinner!

One last thing, if you're wondering about our matching shirts in the first few pictures,
they were designed by sisters' boyfriend at bumpnote.

Professional Development

Yesterday two of my work friends and I attended an iPad workshop!

courtesy of our employer of course :)

As part of the workshop we got the new iPad2!!!

Try not to be too jealous (I know it's hard!)...

but really, if your employer offers professional development monies there are more opportunities coming up.

Check them out here!

Not only do you get a fabulous new iPad,

but they teach you cool stuff too!  



Garlic Parmesan Edamame

This recipe had me at garlic!

Add the parmesan and I hit the jackpot (for those who don't know- I LOVE cheese)!

***I adapted the recipe a bit and added soy sauce and extra garlic.

These were absolutely Ahhh-mazing!

To try this recipe yourself visit 28cooks, I promise you'll be happy you did!

If you decide to give it a whirl, I'd love to hear about it :)



Sleepovers

Sleepovers are a lot of fun!

Here's Lilah having a sleepover with her friend Harley

We had to move her bed closer so she could be by her friend...too cute!

Click here to check out Lilah's most recent Sleepover with her bf Jack!

Don't Judge a Book by the Cover!

Look at that sweet face,

she could never do anything bad, right?

WRONG!!!

Some of you may remember this picture from Jack's Blog a few weeks ago

and I wish I was able to report that Lilah's chewy habit had stopped.
No such luck!

Our latest attempt to keep her calm has been lavender,
we've sprayed the room, our bed, and hers!
But Lilah the Destroyer continues...

Yes, you're seeing this right...
you're looking through to the other side!!!
We only have half a box spring left!

I'm not sure what will happen once she finishes this off?!?!
Will that be the end to the chewy-ness?
Does she already have her next project in mind?

God Ceasar help us!

Training Fail

I've been sick the past few days

and have fallen behind on my (half-marathon) training.

I was finally feeling more like myself this morning

and decided to ease back into it. 

Since I'm not 100% I thought I would take advantage of my slow-er pace

and try to start training Lilah to run with me. 

I was ready to go and excited to get outside,

so was she...until I turned our walk into a jog.

She wanted nothing to do with it,

digging her heals in as hard as possible!

After a few tries with this result,

I gave up on running :(

  

And we enjoyed our walk!

We'll try again another time...

but for now, time for a nap.

Zzzzzzzz....



Who said you can't have fun at work?

Coming back to work after a fun weekend,

and a sick day

can be really hard!

But what you're about to see made it all worth it!

Drumroll please...



Notice all the detail...amazing!

GENIUS, right?!!

This beyond creative idea was the work of a great friends' co-worker.
(Yeah I'm lucky, one of my besties and I work for the same organization!)
My friend had been on a week-long vacation and when she returned yesterday this is what she found (plus some)...
Knowing that I was out sick she recycled the idea,
and the materials :-)
Hilarious!

My entire staff liked it
and even better, my boss loved it!!!

Happy Tuesday everyone!



Two for Two

Baked Ravioli

Need I say more?

This is my lovers’ favorite dish to order at Joes, a local family owned Italian restaurant. 

We had both been craving Italian food and rather than spending money to eat out,

I decided to make his favorite at home!

Initially I wasn't sure how to interpret his silence,

but he continued to eat (not that he turns away anything)...

and FINALLY he speaks,

"babe, can you make this again, tomorrow?"

me, "not tomorrow, but I'll make it again."

him, "okay next week then, please! This is SO good!"

Ladies and gentelmen,

we have another hit!

You don't have to take my word for it,

try it for yourself and let me know what you think!

Baked Ravioli:
1 lb. ground turkey (sub, beef or Italian sausage)
2 lb. frozen ravioli (I used cheese)
1 jar marinara sauce (homemade sauce is on the list of things to try)
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup parmesan cheese
Seasonings to taste (I used salt, pepper, garlic salt, dried oregano)

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Brown ground turkey seasoning as you wish. Meanwhile bring pot of water to a boil and cook ravioli just until they start to float to the top (they will continue to cook when you bake them). Drain meat and add jar of marinara sauce, warm and set aside. Drain ravioli and return to pot, pour sauce meat mixture over ravioli and stir (be careful not to break ravioli). Pour into 9x13 baking dish and cover evenly with both cheeses. Bake until golden and bubbly, about 25 minutes. 



Spicin' Things Up

Sometimes I get stuck in a rut when it comes to my creativity in the kitchen.

Don't get me wrong,

I LOVE to try new recipes.

But sometimes it's easier to just whip something together without having to follow a recipe!

We have many favorites in my house that I can practically make with my eyes closed

...

well not really, I'd hate to burn myself!

But you get the point.

The hubby and I share a love for tasty food,

but we don't always share the same taste.

He's not so keen on fruits and veggies,

 I'm not the biggest meat eater, and seafood is outta the question!

So you can imagine that it can sometimes be difficult to find something we're both crazy about.

BUT

I'm feeling risky and ready to try new things...

even if they require following a recipe!

And what do ya know?

Cajun Chicken Linguini was a HIT!

We both devoured our entire bowl...yumm.

I'm so excited to add something new to our list of favorites :)

and anxious to try more!

Enjoy!

 

Cajun Chicken Pasta (recipe adapted from food.com):

8 boneless skinless chicken tenders, cut into chunks
4 ounces linguine
2 teaspoons cajun seasoning
1-2 cup heavy whipping cream (I used 1 cup non-fat milk and 1 cup whipping cream)
2 tablespoons chopped sun-dried tomatoes (I used about 4 tbsp.)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon dried basil
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese (I used about 1/2 cup, but I love cheese)

Place chicken and Cajun seasoning in a bowl and toss to coat. In a large skillet over medium heat, sauté chicken until tender, about 5 to 7 minutes. Reduce heat add heavy cream (and milk if using), tomatoes, basil, salt, garlic powder, black pepper and heat through. Pour over hot linguine and toss with Parmesan cheese. I let it sit a few minutes for the sauce the thicken a bit before serving. Enjoy!



Christmas Vacation

For most people Christmas vacation is something that ends once you're out of school and you start a real job...

 whatever that means.

I on the other hand am lucky enough to not only have a real job,

but also,

one that gives me two weeks off around the holidays to spend with those I love the most-yep that's right,

 two weeks off,

PAID!!!  

The hubby was lucky enough to take some time off too...but he had to use vacation time!

What do adults do on Christmas vacation?

Aside from spending time with family...

They act like kids of course!

We stayed up late,

Slept in,

Took naps,

Went hiking with friends,

Took the pup to the snow,

Went to the desert with my fam,

Went to Julian for apple pie (on the way home from the desert),

AND

Rung in the New Year with a few of our closest friends!!!

Merry Christmas

Top of Cowles Mountain enjoying the view

Sledding, so fun!



Running in the snow, aint she pretty?!



Lilah guarding camp while we're out on a ride

The ladies on NYE!

 

Are you lucky enough to get a Christmas Vacation!? If so, how did you spend it?
Happy New Year, wishing you all the best in 2012

There's a First Time for Everything

And it always seems to be awkward.

I've been talking about starting a blog for a while now but couldn't seem to narrow down what I wanted to write about, so I continued putting it off. It wasn't until I was on vacation the last two weeks that I started giving it some serious thought, and the light bulb went on! I don't need to limit myself, I can talk about whatever I want! 

Then came what I thought was going to be the hard part, coming up with a name...boy was I wrong! Writing my first blog was definitely harder...the excitement and pressure gave me writers block, so here I am rambling on...about nothing.

But hey, at least I did it...

So glad that's done!

Peace & Love