Running in Circles

New Blog!

2012-01-12T09:20:00.001-07:00

I've decided to create a new blog-all about my journey to find healthy, delicious recipes! I hope you check it out, here.

Wednesday's Words of Wisdom

2012-01-11T09:17:00.000-07:00

Year in Review

2011-12-29T09:13:00.000-07:00

~We welcomed our first nephew, little Eli, into the family

~Our wedding pictures were featured on 2 different wedding websites!

~Ben started working for All State and commutes down to Colorado Springs. Every day.

~We were pretty active this year. Ben did the Boulder tri series and the Rock ‘n Roll marathon. I did the half. We now have a goal of running one race a month for a year. We have 3 down, 9 more to go!

~We went on some great snowshoe trips, several beautiful hikes and had a fun camping trip

~Melissa and I have had some great, quality sister time! I think I’m making up for all the years they lived in Cali. A few highlights were shopping trips, the Royal Gorge train ride, baseball and football games, and just nights spent in

~I got a promotion at work!

~My father in law completed infusion treatments for cancer

~We went on a couple of great trips- we road tripped out to Michigan to visit some friends and we went to Vegas for an extra long weekend

~I went to the inaugural US Pro Cycling Tour and got to see many of the world’s top cyclist live and up close. It was a blast!

~We now have a 4 wheel drive vehicle, and she’s a beast! We got the Explorer after the mean, green machine was totaled not even a mile from our house

~Ben surprised me with a trip to Steamboat for my birthday

~We celebrated our first anniversary in Golden

~My dad was diagnosed with cancer and had surgery mid December. Praise the Lord he is now cancer free!

2011. it’s been a very fun, very busy year!

Things I Love Lately

2011-12-27T13:25:00.000-07:00

~Christmas lights. Especially when they’re neatly wrapped around trees. Those are the best!

~Corporate Christmas gifts. Chocolate covered strawberries? Cinnamon pecan coffee cake? Harry and David’s tower? Yes, please!!

~Creating new traditions with Ben

~The movie Ratatouille

~Castle Rock outlets

~Family time

~Getting Christmas cards in the mail

~Freshly painted nails

~My new Coach purse. Ben totally shocked my socks off by getting me one for Christmas. I love it!

~Running in the snow. There’s something so calm and peaceful about it. Plus, it makes me feel really tough!

~Williams Sonoma buttered pecan quick bread. Pretty much anything from Williams Sonoma is delicious

Weekend Wrap-Up

2011-12-23T06:47:00.001-07:00

This weekend was full on Christmas festivities! Friday afternoon we had my company Christmas lunch over at McCormick's Fish House. That night Ben and I headed over to the Botanic Gardens at Chatfield to check out their trail of lights. It was freezing but we had a good time

Hooray Porter Hospital! This is where my dad had his cancer surgery earlier in the week. They took great care of him!

They had several old tractors on display that they decorated with lights

Saturday morning Ben and I got up and ran the Christmas Carol Classic race over at City Park. The carolers and having Santa meet you at the finish line really helped get you in the Christmas spirit

I felt like this caroling group came right out of a movie

Snowy City Park race day morning

That night we went to the Avs game for Ben's company party. It was a great game and the Avs ended up winning 2-1

Christmas with the Fam

2011-12-22T05:45:00.001-07:00

Christmas with my family came early this year! We had such a wonderful evening grabbing dinner, going to zoo lights, opening presents, watching Christmas movies, and playing games.

Ben and I in front of our tree before heading over to my parent's

Earlier in the day I said i was most excited about just spending time together. Well, i got my wish! My dad, sister, Ben, and I crammed into the back seat so we could all ride in one car. It was definitely nice and cozy!

At the Zoo lights

The ice sculpture. We actually chatted with the guy who was carving for awhile. And learned all sorts of things about carving ice!

Family Shot!

This tree was by far my favorite. The lights would alternate colors.

I love him.

Group shot in front of my parent's tree

All of the presents! Every year my parent's say they're going to scale back, but every year the pile looks the same

Casey and Ben with their stockings

My sister with her awesome Beiber gear. Over Thanksgiving we told my grandma that my sister really likes the Beibes. Well, grandma surprised her with stuff that every 12 year old girl (or 12 year old at heart) would want!

My grandma surprised me with a new apron and a cake pops book! There's a lot of cute, new decorating ideas in there

My dad with a blanket one of my sister's volunteers made for him.

It was a great day!

Wednesday's Words of Wisdom

2011-12-21T07:53:00.000-07:00

No matter what you do in life, don't just be a spectator, be a player. Anyone can watch from the sidelines. Choose to become the hero that you want to be.
~Mark G. Collis

Wednesday's Words of Wisdom- Christmas Edition

2011-12-07T07:53:00.000-07:00

"Christmas gift suggestions:

To your enemy, forgiveness.

To an opponent, tolerance.

To a friend, your heart.

To a customer, service.

To all, charity.

To every child, a good example.

To yourself, respect."

~Oren Arnold

Things I Love Lately

2011-12-01T06:59:00.000-07:00

~Getting to spend time with extended family

~My aunt Julie's banana cake

~Setting new running goals

~David Crowder Band Christmas album. I'm not a fan of Christmas music, but i actually really like this album!

~Dolvett from the Biggest Loser

~Having my house decorated for Christmas. Ben convinced me to put up our decorations before Thanksgiving this year (which I'm usually totally against!) But, i love the way our house looks. I'm still figuring out what to do with our big shelf this year, but as soon as i do, i'll post pictures

~Christmas gift shopping

~Movie nights on the couch

~Hot apple cider

~Veggie Shmear on turkey sandwiches

Wednesday's Words of Wisdom

2011-11-30T05:54:00.000-07:00

Life is what happens while you are busy making other plans.

~John Lennon

Happy Thanksgiving

2011-11-29T18:16:00.000-07:00

We headed back to Oklahoma for Thanksgiving this year. This was the first time we made the trip back since Ben proposed two years ago. It was great to spend the long weekend with family.

I wish I would have taken a picture of the food spread we had this year. My grandma made 2 turkeys and a ham. There were mounds of mashed potatoes, a table full of casseroles and salads. Another table with deviled eggs and veggies. And a whole separate table full of desserts! It was all so delicious and we ate WAY too much!

On Friday we ran a Turkey Trot in downtown Tulsa. My dad ran with us! It was my dad's first road race in at least 10 years. He did awesome!

Ben, my dad, and I at the start line

After the Turkey Trot, we went to the Tulsa vs. Houston football game. At the time, Houston was the #7 ranked team in the country. The first half of the game was great! Unfortunately TU fell apart in the second half and got beat pretty bad. But, we had a fun time and we had good seats!

Ben and I enjoying the game

We hit up Coney I-Lander- a must when visiting Tulsa. It's a hole-in-the-wall hot-dog joint that is SO good!

With our delicious dogs

Our last night, we went to look at the Christmas light display over at Rhema Bible College. The display has over 2 million lights and 90,000 of those lights are synchronized to music. It's pretty awesome! A great way to get into the Christmas spirit!

Viva Las Vegas

2011-11-17T10:45:00.000-07:00

Ben has been doing such a great job at work that he won a trip to Las Vegas! We got to stay at the Wynn, which was gorgeous! I wish I would have taken more pictures, but I really didn't think about it!

The Wynn- we were on the 51st floor

One of my favorite parts about the hotel were all of the fresh flowers. They were everywhere!!

This is the lobby. The balls hanging off the trees are fresh flowers. It was so pretty at night since all of the trees are wrapped in lights.

These amazing orchid displays were everywhere!!

Our first morning we grabbed some breakfast at Hash House A Go Go. It's so delicious!

Ben, Brynn, and I so excited to be Vegas!

We walked the strip and went down to the MGM to see their lions. They were pretty boring since they were sleeping, but i thought it was cute how their legs were all snuggled up together

All State had dinner functions for us the first 2 nights. The first night they had dinner set up by 2 of the pools and had dueling pianos as entertainment. The second night, we were in a ball room and they had a band there. The food was really good and the entertainment was great!

Ben and I getting ready to head out for dinner

A mini desert platter!

Later that night we went to the Cirque de Soleil show Beatles Love at the Mirage.

Love the Eiffel Tower! Especially when it's all lit up at night. Reminds me of the real thing

The last night there we hit up the Bellagio to catch the water show. I really think i could spend all night just watching those fountains!

Brynn, Ben, and I. I think more people made comments or talked to Ben because of that ridiculous Husker hat!

oh, I love it!!

Wednesday's Words of Wisdom

2011-11-16T18:33:00.000-07:00

Dream big, but allow yourself the opportunity to start small, and have your share of struggles in the beginning. The world's great composers weren't writing symphonies the day they first sat at a piano.

Kevin O'Rourke

Wednesday's Words of Wisdom

2011-11-02T07:55:00.001-06:00

Believe that you're young enough, old enough, strong enough, and so to accomplish everything you want to do. Don't let worn out beliefs stop you from moving beyond yourself.

~John Bingham

Pumpkin Carvin'

2011-11-01T17:33:00.002-06:00

Ben and I had a fun night carving the pumpkins we picked out from pumpkin patch

This picture reminds of something my dad would do

The finished products!

Baking Machine

2011-10-31T19:25:00.003-06:00

I've been busy baking lately, and i love it!! Here's some of the latest and greatest creations....

A girl i work with asked me to do little halloween arrangements for her. These little pumpkins is what i came up with. I think they turned out pretty gosh darn cute!

These were specially made for my sister. They're pumpkin spice cupcakes with cinnamon cream cheese frosting. They're SO good!!

And finally, this little guy. I had made a cake ball bouquet for a baby shower at work. My boss thought it was such a great idea, he asked me to make one for his sister-in-law and her new baby. He said everyone loved it

Things I Love Lately

2011-10-28T07:47:00.001-06:00

~My puma mostro shoes. I first got these shoes 5 or 6 years ago and they are fabulous. Definitely my favorites! I completely wore them out and got a brand new pair for my birthday. LOVE
~Celebration our 1st anniversary
~Being active
~Sitting out on the patio with a glass of wine, our mini chimenea going, and just talking
~The tv show Friends
~Getting an early start on Christmas shopping
~David Crowder Band. I'm so sad they're coming to an end. Their music just makes my soul happy
~Crepes
~Raises
~Pumpkin Patches. Nothing is more fall than a pumpkin patch
~CoupRecoup.com. People re-sell their groupons on this site. There's some pretty good deals on here!
~The changing leaves
~Nike outlet. They have some amazing clearance deals
~Listening to the rain
~The band Gungor
~Pumpkin cupcakes with cinnamon cream cheese frosting
~Having a good friend get hired on at work
~Snuggling under blankets
~My new cold weather workout gear...I'm pretty sure this stuff would keep me warm in the frozen tundras!
~Spending time with the family

Wednesday's Words of Wisdom

2011-10-26T07:21:00.000-06:00

Happiness is not having what you want, but wanting what you have.

~Anonymous

Our 1st Anniversary

2011-10-24T17:14:00.003-06:00

It's hard to believe that Ben and I have been married for a year! It's gone by so fast and I've learned a ton about myself, Ben, and marriage. It's been a great year and we've made a lot of great memories.

Since our anniversary was on a Tuesday, we saved our big celebration for the weekend. For the actual day, we had a fruit, cheese, and wine feast! It was fabulous.

We had 9 different cheese assortments! YUM!!

For dessert, I made this delicious bananas foster bread pudding

For our big celebration, we headed over to Golden.

I bought a groupon deal at the Table Mountain Inn. Our room had a super comfy bed! And this amazing view.

We went out to dinner and then grabbed some hot chocolates for a walk along the river. Then we grabbed a bottle of wine and headed back to the room for some wine and football. :)

The next morning we went to Grappa for some crepes.

Before we left Golden, we drove up to Lookout Mountain. We found these paragliders- they had such an amazing view of the city!

On our way home we headed to the Botanic Gardens at Chatfield. They had a fall festival going on and it was so much fun! They had a pumpkin patch, corn maze, hay rides, and different activities for kids.

The leaves were beautiful

Ben and I standing in the pumpkin patch on the search for the great pumpkins

I love the red barn in the background

Ben and I with our pumpkins. We found some good ones!

These horses were amazing

Leaving the gardens

Wednesday's Words of Wisdom

2011-10-12T07:24:00.000-06:00

Success is the result of perfection, hard work, learning from failure, loyalty, and persistence.
~Colin Powell

Wednesday's Words of Wisdom

2011-10-05T08:01:00.001-06:00

If you're not pushing yourself beyond the comfort zone, if you're not constantly demanding more from yourself- expanding and learning as you go- you're choosing a numb existence. You're denying yourself an extraordinary trip.
~Dean Karnazes

My Birthday Celebration

2011-10-01T10:35:00.003-06:00

Ben really surprised me this year for my birthday. He planned a weekend in Steamboat with Eric and Erin. We had such a good weekend! We rented bikes and rode along the Yampa River. We walked around downtown. We ate good food. We watched some football. And we played some games. Doesn't get much better than that!

Bright and early birthday morning. Ben got me a bunch of new running apparel. Perfect timing for the Rock 'n Roll half coming up.

View of Steamboat Ski Resort

Out on our bike ride

Group shot at dinner

Ben and I

The drive home on Sunday was gorgeous. The leaves were changing, and they were such a vibrant yellow

Sunday night we met up with my parents for dinner at the Melting Pot- one of my favorite places.

Things I Love Lately

2011-09-30T12:53:00.001-06:00

~Fall decorations. I love when my house is decked out for Fall

~Williams Sonoma spiced pecan pumpkin quick bread. Combine it with either pumpkin butter or cream cheese frosting and it's heavenly!

~Football season

~The cooler weather

~Celebrating my birthday

~Fall baking- or just collecting new recipes

~Getting cards in the mail

~Bath and Body works leaves scent. It's my absolute favorite!!

~Lazy weekends

Zac Brown Band

2011-09-28T13:34:00.002-06:00

The Zac Brown Band came to town to put on a concert at Red Rocks and we got tickets to go! We had so much fun. We tailgated before hand and met a really fun couple from Ft. Collins that we hung out with the rest of the evening.

Zac Brown puts on a really great concert and they sound just as good live as they do on their albums.

Cycling Challenge

2011-09-25T08:54:00.000-06:00

This year Ben really got me into Pro Cycling. He would record everyday of the Tour de France and we would watch it together every night. I picked out a few favorite riders and cheered them on. I was pretty excited when I found out about the US Pro Cycling Challenge that was happening throughout Colorado. I was even more excited when I found out most of the riders I knew from France would be coming, including most of my favorites, as well as the overall winner. The opening day was happening down in the Springs, so i headed down to check out the action. I had an absolute BLAST! I got a perfect spot- right against the boards, 50 meters out from the finish. As the riders were approaching everyone would start banging on the boards and cheering.

Opening day was a time trial where each rider rides the course individually and races against the clock. It was cool because you actually got to see every rider come by.

My view of the course. The riders started in the Garden of the Gods and finished in downtown Colorado Springs

3 riders warming up

Andy Schleck- he's my favorite! He's finished 2nd in France for the last 3 years. He just has a great attitude and you can't help but root for him

This is Cadel Evans, this year's winner in the Tour de France. This is after he finished his time trial and was heading back towards his team bus

The Finish line

Michigan Trip

2011-09-23T11:26:00.001-06:00

In August we took a trip to Holland, Michigan with Eric and Erin to visit our friends Nate and Christine. We had a great trip! Our first night there, we had dinner with a bunch of Nate & Christine's friends.

Ben and Eric headed out on the water for a bit.

We went over to the town of Saugatuck for dinner at a place called Wick's Park. Saugatuck is the cutest little town! It's right on the lake and just quiet and quaint. It's full of cute little shops and restaurants.

The next day we went shopping in downtown Holland.

We headed back over to Saugatuck for an evening. We had dinner at Wally's. They're known for their fish and chips

We hit up Kilwin's for dessert. Their line was out the door! But the wait was worth it, as their Saugatuck mud ice cream was delicious!

Erin and Nate hanging out

After dessert we walked around the docks and watched the sunset.

We spent a day out on Lake Michigan. It was my favorite day of the whole trip!

This lighthouse is pretty famous in the area. Erin and I actually got to tour the inside of it one morning during a workout.

Enjoying the boat ride!

We all took a jump into Lake Michigan. If you know me, you know what a big deal this was for me. I can't swim and start to panic when i'm in water.

The water was FREEZING!

We went to "sloopside" which is a little part of the beach owned by a family friend of Nate and Christine. He has an old boat set up that he stocks with all sorts of beverages. There's even little bar stools around the boat.

We played beach games- you set a bottle on a pvc pipe and the opposing team tries to knock the bottle off with a frisbee. You have to try and catch the bottle before it hits the ground. There were some pretty intense games and some great plays!

We then headed over to this giant dune. Pictures don't even do justice to how steep this thing really was! We got one heck of a workout when we climbed to the top.

Nate and Christine's little boy- Clayton. His life jacket was so cute!

Our last night, we bbq'd at Nate and Christine's house. It was a great way to round out the trip.

Ben was master of the corn

Clayton and I

Trip to the Royal Gorge

2011-09-22T10:25:00.004-06:00

I've decided that blogging is like exercising- as long as you are consistent at it, it's easy and fun. But when you slack off, it's so hard to get back in the swing of things! I have so many things to update on, so here we go!

Way back in July my sister and I took a trip to the Royal Gorge. We had talked about taking this trip for awhile, and i'm glad we finally made the trip down there. We did the lunch train and I'm glad we decided to do that. We were served a delicious 3 course meal.

We go there early, so we took a walk around the train station

A shot of the train taking us down the canyon

Meliss and i in the dining car

We could see white water rafters going down the river along side the train.

Our delicious dessert!

The view of the bridge. It's amazing how high and how long the bridge is!

I had such a fun day with my sister. We had good talks, sang karaoke in the car, and laughed so hard until we cried!

Wednesday's Words of Wisdom

2011-08-17T07:11:00.000-06:00

One reason many people fail instead of succeed is that they trade what they want the most for what they want at the moment.
~Unknown

Wednesday's Words of Wisdom

2011-08-10T05:16:00.000-06:00

Success is never final, failure is never fatal. It's courage that counts.

-John Wooden

Wednesday's Words of Wisdom

2011-08-03T06:37:00.000-06:00

Yesterday is a canceled check
Tomorrow is a promissory note
Today is the only cash you have
So spend it wisely
~Kay Lyons

Things I Love Lately

2011-07-29T08:22:00.000-06:00

~New running shoes!

~Frozen yogurt. So many combination choices, it’s almost mind blowing

~Getting to visit with my Aunt, Uncle, and Cousin for a few days

~My husband. (Well, I always love him, but this last month has been really great for no particular reason! And celebrating his birthday is fun)

~The Tour de France. I’ve never really been into cycling, but Ben is and the French scenery is amazing!! Plus, there have been some intense crashes. I even have a few favorite riders picked out

~The new Colplay song, Every Teardrop is a Waterfall

~Dinner with just my mom and sister

~Cooking light magazine. So many delicious looking recipes that are good for you

~M&M caramel apple from Laura’s fudge shop in Estes

~Counseling sessions. I know this has been on a past list recently, but this has seriously been the best thing!! As an added bonus, our friendship with Pastor D and Amber has grown

~Getting letters from little Franklin, my sponsored child in Ecuador. I’ve sponsored him for the last 4 years and I love getting his letters.

~Thunder storms

~Getting back in shape. I can now run 4-5 miles 5 days a week and a longer run 1 day a week and not feel like I’m going to die!

~Monthly dinners. Life has been super busy, so it’s nice to schedule just once a month to get caught up with friends

~Target

Wednesday's Words of Wisdom

2011-07-27T06:36:00.000-06:00

Worry often gives a small thing a big shadow
~Swedish Proverb

Ben's b-day

2011-07-22T12:04:00.007-06:00

Saturday was Ben's 29th birthday. He had a work function that afternoon and evening, so it was pretty low key, but we still had a good weekend!

Friday morning when Ben walked into work, this was hanging over his desk!

I love that it has Snow White on it and it says "Happy Birthday Princess." Hilarious.

And, I think his desk is WAY too clean!

Saturday morning I drug him out of bed super early to open presents. He wouldn't open a thing until his actual birthday. He has WAY more self-control than I do!

Ben in his bed head glory.

Enjoying a cup of coffee while showing off his new boots and shirt

Later that morning we met up with Jeff and Paul for some breakfast. We went over to Cafe Terracota in downtown Littleton

Happy Birthday, Ben! I hope this year is all you hope for and more!

Wednesday's Words of Wisdom

2011-07-20T06:34:00.000-06:00

Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance, you must keep moving.
~Albert Einstein

Camping!

2011-07-18T19:01:00.004-06:00

This weekend we went camping with our friends Eric and Erin. We had a great time hiking, talking, and sitting around the campfire. And thankfully, this trip was a lot less of a workout than our camping trip last year! Ben didn't make me backpack in, and instead we found the perfect little spot up the Poudre Canyon near Pingree Park.

We set up camp and then headed out for a nice little hike. It was thundering like crazy so we cut it short.

The trail

One of the beautiful views

Ben and I

This is why I hike. You just can't beat the incredibly views

A meadow full of aspens

Group shot mid hike

This little stream was right next to our campsite

Camp

Erin and I enjoying some s'mores- a camping tradition

Enjoying our night around the fire

Weekend with the Witters

2011-07-15T09:30:00.000-06:00

Last weekend Ben’s parents came to town. Ben had another tri on Sunday and they came out to cheer him on. Saturday we went over to Hudson Gardens to walk around. It was a gorgeous day and the flowers were in full bloom!

Ben, Pam, and Boyd in the rose garden

LOVE this flower

The lily-pads

Ben and I

Sunday morning we were up bright and early to head down to Boulder. This race was a little longer than the last one- 1 mile swim, 25 mile bike, 6.2 mile run.
The sunrise that day was worth the 4 am alarm

The Boulder Reservoir before the first wave

Ben relaxing before hitting the water...and the bike....and the pavement

Jeff brought his bike down and headed out with Ben for a bit

We had a great weekend and it was a nice visit with my in-laws!

Wednesday's Words of Wisdom

2011-07-13T06:17:00.000-06:00

The good Lord gave you a body that can stand most anything. It's your mind you have to convince.
~Vince Lombardi

All American

2011-07-11T21:17:00.003-06:00

Over the 4th of July weekend, our friend Casey Lansing nominated us as the All-American couple and decided that we were worthy of a quick photo shoot. He went all out and even hung an American flag for a backdrop. I thought the pictures turned out pretty cute and were worthy of a blog post

Wednesday's Words of Wisdom

2011-07-06T05:42:00.000-06:00

Success does not come to the most righteous and rigorously disciplined, but to those who continue running

~Amby Burfoot

4th of July Weekend

2011-07-05T18:51:00.000-06:00

HAPPY 4TH! Hope everyone had a great long weekend. We had a great weekend, but now I need a weekend to recover from the weekend! Friday night my sister and Casey came down and we went to see a fireworks show over at Clement Park in Littleton. Afterwards we walked a few holes on the golf course throwing golf balls instead of hitting the clubs.

Saturday we headed up to Chicago Lakes by Mount Evans for a day of hiking. Ben and I went camping there last year.

Casey was so excited!

On the way up. The trees look so lush and green!

Bear prints on the dumpster at the bottom of the hike

Echo Lake. It's so pretty

Melissa, Ben, and Casey heading up

Self portrait

Idaho Springs Reservoir

This was a view towards the top

That night Ben and Casey made us homemade pizzas while Meliss and I relaxed. Afterwards we fired up the grill for some s'mores! Not quite the same as a campfire, but it'll do!

So delish!

Even Casey got in on the s'more action

Sunday morning we headed back over to the Denver Biscuit Co for breakfast. It's Casey's new favorite breakfast joint.

Sunday night Ben and I rode our cruisers along the Platte River Path over by Hudson Gardens. They were having a concert and fireworks.

Enjoying our time together

After the fireworks we met up with Ben's friend Adam and his girlfriend. He was in town for work and it was fun to hang out for a night.

Things I Love Lately

2011-06-30T07:21:00.000-06:00

~BBQ Season. Nothing beats the smell of the grill

~Frozen Yogurt. So many flavor and topping combinations to choose from!

~Good books

~New insight on daily struggles

~Livestrong.com. Love the free calorie and fitness tracking

~Leisurely bike rides along the Platte Trail

~Massages

~Frosty mugs. They remind me of when I was a kid and we would go to A&W and get rootbeers in frosty mugs on hot summer days

~A community pool. Good bye pasty white legs!

~Having (and sticking to) a work out schedule

~Planning summer activities

~Bath and Body Works semi annual sale

~Fresh cut grass

~The Voice and So You Think You Can Dance

~Walking the golf course at night

Wednesday's Words of Wisdom

2011-06-29T06:57:00.000-06:00

We are all a little weird and life's a little weird, and when we find someone whose weirdness is compatible with ours, we join with them and fall in mutual weirdness and call it love.

~Dr Seuss

Sprint Tri in Boulder

2011-06-21T17:48:00.004-06:00

On Father's Day Ben did his first tri of the summer. He signed up to do the Boulder tri series, which consists of the 3 triathlons, all different distances. This one was the shortest, the sprint. It consists of swimming .45 miles, biking 13.2 miles, and running 3.1. He did great, and it was a beautiful day in Boulder

The beautiful Flatirons. This was my few outside the transition areas

Several hot air balloons

Ben getting all marked up and ready to go

Lining up and getting ready to hit the water

Heading out of transition 1 onto the bike course

On his way to his final 3 miles

Heading down the finishing chute

The bike racks. There's tons of money invested in those things!

I ♥ Food Trucks

2011-06-16T16:21:00.001-06:00

If you’re ever downtown on Tuesdays and Thursdays between 11 and 2 you should definitely hit up Civic Center Eats. A variety of food trucks line Civic Center Park with all sorts of goodness. A group of us at work headed over there today to check it out and it’s pretty cool! My beloved biscuit bus is there as well as about 20 other trucks. You can find everything from pizza, to truffled french fries, to green chili, and even ice cream sandwiches. There’s even live music for your entertainment. You can check out a full list of vendors here. Sometimes I love working downtown!

Wednesday's Words of Wisdom

2011-06-15T07:55:00.001-06:00

I look at victory as milestones on a very long highway.
~Joan Benoit Samuelson

The Happenings

2011-06-13T16:46:00.004-06:00

It's been a LONG time since I've had an actual blog post. Life has been super busy around the Witter house. I got a promotion at work (YAY!) but have been feeling a bit overwhelmed. I have been working lots of overtime and blogging just didn't sound that fun by the time I got home. Thankfully it looks like things are slowing down a bit. So here's one extra long post of recent highlights.

This last weekend we headed up north for a bbq my sister and bro-in-law put together. We had a great time hanging out with friends, meeting new people, and playing lawn bags and other random games. I didn't take any pictures, but several people did, so as soon as I get some, i'll get them posted! Sunday was spent enjoying breakfast at Snooze (one of my favorites), hitting balls at the driving range, and then Ben and I went to Canvas and Cocktails. They were doing 2 versions of the same painting so it was perfect for date night. We had a lot of fun together!

Ben and I getting ready to unleash our inner artist

The finished products!

Last weekend we went out with my family and my sisters in-laws. We headed over to Madcap Theater for some improv comedy. It was a lot of fun and we had some good laughs!

Earlier in May we headed to the Rockie's game with my sister and Casey. It was raining and freezing cold, but we had a great time together!

Me and Meliss

The 4 of us trying to stay warm!

The next morning we went to breakfast at the Denver Biscuit Company. They own the biscuit truck that I blogged about last year. They seriously have the BEST biscuits ever. Biscuit sandwiches, biscuits and gravy, plain 'ol biscuits and butter or jam, and yes, even biscuit cinnamon rolls!

Wednesday's Words of Wisdom

2011-06-08T06:58:00.000-06:00

"Some succeed because they are destined to, but most succeed because they are determined to." ~Unknown

Wednesday's Words of Wisdom

2011-06-01T06:41:00.000-06:00

We all have the same choice. We can't choose our natural talents or what opportunities life is going to throw our way, but we can choose to do this one thing: we can do the best job of living that we are capable of.

~Chantel Hobbs

Why I Love the Bolder Boulder

2011-05-31T16:22:00.004-06:00

Bonding time with the hubby

The fun costumes

The joy of winning

Getting this close to an Olympian and record holder

The view of the flatirons

The military and hearing the crowd go crazy for them

The parachuters

21 gun salute

Such a wonderful way to spend Memorial Day!

Wednesday's Words of Wisdom

2011-05-18T17:38:00.001-06:00

With the proper motivation, your mind can overcome any sort of adversity

~Franz Stampfl

Wednesday's Words of Wisdom

2011-05-11T16:49:00.000-06:00

"Anyone who says sunshine brings happiness has never danced in the rain."

~Anonymous

Wednesday's Words of Wisdom

2011-05-04T16:13:00.002-06:00

Some things don't matter much. Like the color of a house. How big is that in the overall scheme of life? But lifting a person's heart- now that matters. The whole problem with people is they know what matters, but they don't choose it...The hardest thing on earth is choosing what matters.
~The Secret Life of Bees

Weekend Wrap-Up

2011-05-03T18:55:00.002-06:00

We had such a great weekend! It was jammed full of activities from the time I got off work on Friday but it was so much fun. And, yes, we went to bed before 9 on Sunday night to recoup!

Friday night we went to the Rockies game with Eric & Erin and Casey. The Rockies lost and it even snowed a little bit, but it was fun to hang out and cheer on the home team.

All of us trying to stay warm

Ben and I taking it in

After the game we headed over to Wynkoop Brewery to play some pool and shuffle board.

My sister and Casey were running in the Colorado Half Marathon up in Ft. Collins on Sunday. We got up bright and early (4am!) to go cheer them on. We dropped them off around 5:30 and unfortunately NOTHING in downtown Ft. Collins opens until 6:30. So Ben and I walked around the town for an hour before we grabbed some breakfast at the Silver Grill. It was amazing food and delicious hot chocolate!

After breakfast we headed over to the finish line with our cowbells to cheer on the runners. I am so proud of my sister and Casey. They both ran awesome and my sister crushed her goal time. Way to go guys!

Cowbells in hand!

Casey running down the finish chute

Melissa making her way to the finish

All smiles afterwards

Things I Love Lately

2011-04-29T06:28:00.000-06:00

~Eatbetteramerica.com It's a great website with tons of healthy recipes and healthy living tips.
~Celebrating friends
~Rockies baseball
~Finger nail polish
~April showers
~Feeling more domesticated! In the past month I've made more meals than I've probably ever made in my life! I've even learned how to turn on the grill all by myself!
~G2's new flavor- tropical blend
~Platte River trail. Great for running and riding the cruiser!
~Country Crock honey butter
~Workout motivation
~The Boston Marathon. This is the first year that i've really been into this race. I think my sister, my husband, and Ryan Hall might have something to do with it. It turned out to be an amazing race- the fastest marathon ever run, plus a new American record!

~Aged cheddar with Irish Whiskey. It's super expensive, but it's so good!

~Looking forward to upcoming plans

~Sneaking on the golf course after hours with the hubby for a little chipping and putting

~New job opportunities

Wednesday's Words of Wisdom

2011-04-27T09:01:00.000-06:00

A pessimist is one who makes difficulties of his opportunities. And an optimist if one who makes opportunities of his difficulties.

Harry Truman

Easter Weekend

2011-04-25T07:25:00.000-06:00

I had a great Easter weekend. I had Friday off of work as a floating Easter holiday so I met up with my good friend Aubrey and her new baby boy Noah for lunch. He is such a cute little guy, and he hardly ever cries! We had a great time catching up and hanging out. And, yes, i even held him!

Saturday morning Ben made some whole wheat blueberry pancakes after a hard work out. They were delicious!!

That afternoon we headed up to my parent's house where Ben and my dad did some car maintenance and I did some shopping with my mom. Later that night we headed out for some sushi at Hapa. Delicious!

Sunday we went to church with my parents. Melissa and Casey came down as well, so it was fun to have the whole fam together! We grabbed some lunch at Bonefish and then headed back to their house for a little guitar hero.

Easter

2011-04-24T08:58:00.000-06:00

But He was pierced for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on Him, and by His wounds we are healed.

Isiah 53:5

Cork Art

2011-04-22T09:51:00.003-06:00

I love this idea! Anthropologie came up with a campaign to support Earth Day. They created new backdrops for their store windows all made from wine corks. I think they turned out great!

A 'Lil Easter Something

2011-04-21T06:38:00.000-06:00

A lady I work with loves my cake balls and asked if I would make a little Easter basket for her daughter. This is what I come up with. I think it turned out pretty cute!!

Happy Early Easter!!

Wednesday's Words of Wisdom

2011-04-20T16:00:00.001-06:00

If you watch today's sunrise thinking of yesterday's sunset, you missed the beauty of today's sunrise.

~Ryan Hall

Eric's Birthday

2011-04-14T15:37:00.002-06:00

This last weekend we went out with a bunch of friends to celebrate Eric's birthday. We went out to dinner at Cantina Laredo and had a great time.

Me, Erin, and Megan

After dinner, we headed back to our place for a dance party.

Eric, Jeff, Lansing, and Ben

Wednesday's Words of Wisdom

2011-04-13T18:27:00.002-06:00

The greater danger for most of us lies not in setting our aim too high and falling short; but in setting our aim too low and achieving our mark.
~Michelangelo

Wednesday's Words of Wisdom

2011-04-06T08:15:00.002-06:00

Now if you are going to win any battle you have to do one thing. You have to make the mind run the body. Never let the body tell the mind what to do. The body will always give up. It's always tired in the morning, noon, and night. But the body is never tired if the mind is not tired.

~George S. Patton

Weekend Wrap-Up

2011-04-03T21:28:00.000-06:00

What a great weekend I had! I was looking forward to this weekend for awhile now, and i enjoyed every minute of it! Unfortunately I didn't take any pictures, but i think it's still blog-worthy.

I took Friday off of work and slept in a little bit. Ben and I went to breakfast before he headed to the Rockies opening day game with the guys. I went and got a massage! It was 90 minutes of heaven!

Saturday morning my mom and sister picked me up bright and early and we headed down to the outlets at Castle Rock. 5 1/2 hours and several bags full of clothes later we left exhausted! The rest of the evening was sister time! We grabbed some dinner and watched the final four.

Sunday we grabbed some breakfast at Snooze, one of my favorite breakfast joints! I went for a long run and the rest of the day was spent making cake balls, listening to the rain, and watching Ratatouille and Chopped.

It doesn't get much better than that!

When Ripples Collide

2011-03-31T07:31:00.003-06:00

I am reposting this blog post by Baron Batch. He is a former running back at Texas Tech who writes a weekly column for a local newspaper in Texas. It gave me goosebumps as I was reading it. If you're interested, you can check out his blog here.

Diary 25 (when ripples collide)

Let me start by saying I’m not sure how to convey this story in words. Words don’t do it justice but I’ll try.

Have you ever watched rain fall on a lake? Each raindrop creates its own ripple. When you combine the millions of raindrops and the millions of ripples that each singularly creates, you have a countless number of overlapping ripples that all have an effect on one another. The cool thing about this is that each raindrops ripple has an effect on the other ripples in the lake, even if it’s just in a small way. This is how people operate on a daily basis. We are individual raindrops in a huge lake. Of course each of us has our own ripple, but our lives are primarily made up of other peoples ripples crashing into our own. Many people like to think that our ripples crash randomly into each other without purpose or reason. Maybe that’s true, but then again maybe it’s not true at all. Perhaps I can help you decide. Maybe this story is the result of many ripples just coincidentally crashing into each other. Or maybe each ripple was ordered, measured, weighed, named, and timed perfectly to synchronize with the others to save a life.

The story I am about to tell shows what happens when ripples collide perfectly.

Ripple 1.)

Just about every day someone approaches me and tells me how much they enjoy my writing, this is always humbling because I was never a good writer while I was in school. It’s strange to now be a published writer and have zero writing experience or background. It’s even more insane to get a request to speak to a high school creative writing class! What do I say? “Hi, my name is Baron. I failed English, let me show you my writing skills?" I’m not really sure how things got to this point where writing is such a huge part of who I am. Maybe it’s all a coincidence. Maybe everything is just random, and this is another one of my crazy hobbies that I have picked up; just like the time I watched the Karate Kid marathon and then researched bonsai trees and decided I needed one. Or maybe there is a reason, maybe there is an order, maybe there could possibly be a plan.

Maybe someone, somewhere, at some time, needed to read something that I would at some point write.

Would it be far-fetched to say that there is a reason you are standing where you are standing at this exact moment and reading these words at this exact time? Would it be far fetched to say that a small decision that you see as pointless or routine could save a life? Perhaps we are all far more connected than anyone can see or comprehend. Maybe one day you will save my life. It’s not as far-fetched as you may think. Maybe everything is just a coincidence, but maybe its not.

Get on board, buckle up, and lets take a trip.

Ripple 2.)

Back in August I approached the Midland Reporter Telegram and the Lubbock Avalanche Journal about possibly writing a weekly column chronicling my senior year at Texas Tech. After talking with both papers I came to the decision that my column would run every Wednesday. Maybe the fact that we agreed on Wednesday was simply random. What if we would have decided on a Thursday? No biggie right? Would if be far-fetched to say that this would be a life or death decision?

Ripple 3.)

As the season progressed I continued to write every week. However, it became increasingly difficult to write my column especially after a loss. People said that I wasn’t focused and it was hurting the team. There were weeks I told myself that I was just going to quit writing. I rationalized my thinking by telling myself that I should probably just focus all my attention on football, and that writing was distracting me. It probably wouldn’t have been a big deal if I had missed a week right? Every part of me wanted to quit writing my column. After the Oklahoma State loss I decided I was going to discontinue my column. A friend talked me into continuing my writing by saying “maybe someone needs to hear something you have to say Baron.” I decided not to stop. I’m glad I didn’t.

This is where ripples collide.

Ripple 4.)

Last Monday I had all 4 of my wisdom teeth removed. It’s not as bad as everyone makes it out to be, so the next day I decided that I wanted to have a steak. As I was strolling through the meat section of the supermarket directly violating the dentists orders to eat only soft foods, something happened that changed the way I will use the word random.

As I was checking out the price on ribeye steaks an older man came up to me with his hand extended and said, “Your Baron Batch and I just want to shake your hand and say thank you”.

I could tell by the look in his eyes that the handshake meant much more than I imagined. The look in his eyes was different than if he was just a regular Texas Tech fan. The man just continued to shake my hand while staring at me; it started to get awkward the amount of time his hand clung to mine. I thought to myself “gees this guy is acting like I saved his life or something.” Finally he let go of my hand but still didn’t speak a word. Of all the awkward Texas Tech fan moments I have experienced this one had been the most awkward for sure. I got nervous when he prefaced his conversation with “I don’t expect you to respond to what I’m about to tell you”

Ripple 5.)

Finally he released his grasp and spoke words that I will never forget. This is what he said:

You saved my life. Five months ago I had given up, I was going to end it all. It was a Wednesday (ripple 2). I felt like I had nothing else to live for. I had my pistol in my lap while I sat at my desk. I had set newspaper out around the floor so I wouldn’t make a mess for whoever found me. I was about to do it. Right before I pulled the trigger I looked down and saw a piece of newspaper that said, “The easiest thing in the world to do is quit.” I put the gun down and started to read more. It was a column that you had written. Your column saved me. Thank you.

I’m glad that he told me that he didn’t expect me to respond because I was speechless. I was in awe. I was stunned. Before I could even think of anything to say back to him he said, “I’m doing much better now. I feel like you just needed to know that you’re making a huge difference.” Then he walked away.

I’m not an emotional person at all but I almost cried in the meat section of the United Supermarket. At that exact moment all of those random coincidences swirled into one beautiful event that made perfect sense.

What if I had chose to have my column run on a Thursday instead of a Wednesday? It would have been a day late. What if I had given up writing my column simply because the season wasn’t going as I wanted? There are hundreds of ripples that if any had been changed would have NOT resulted in the perfect situation for that man to sit the gun down. What if my column had been printed on another page of the newspaper? I was in complete awe, and still am.

I was curious to find out what the exact column the man had read by what he described it said.

Ripple 6.)

This is why I am even more in awe. I went back and found out what column he had read and this is the paragraph he saw.

“The easiest thing in the world to do is quit on something. Quitting takes zero effort. Quitting can even be justified with excuses and legitimate reasons at times. When someone quits at something they can even lie to themselves by saying that what they quit on wasn’t that important. To those people with that mentality this is what I have to say. If it was important enough to start, it is important enough to finish. Don’t quit. Hold on, cling to what is yours until your fingers cramp; and once your fingers cramp switch hands.”

Ripple 7.)

I wrote that column on October 18^th after a loss to Oklahoma State in mid October. There are a few reasons why I find it mind blowing that was the column that the man had read.

Ripple 8.)

I wasn’t going to write a column that week. After the Oklahoma State loss I had decided I wasn’t going to write anymore. The reason I wrote about not quitting in my column that week was because I really wanted to quit and never write again. Good thing I didn’t quit.

Ripple 9.)

The other is reason that its mind blowing that was the column that the man read is because of the date it was actually written. When I went back and looked on my blog history, the date I posted that was October 18^th. So why is that date important?

Let me tell you why, and I’m getting chills as I write this. October 18^th was the date I broke my ankle my freshman year. The reason this date is important to me is because if I wouldn’t have been injured I would have never redshirted and in result would have only played at Texas Tech for 4 years instead of 5; meaning that this past season for me wouldn’t have existed, and neither would the column I wrote.

Ripple 10.)

In all reality the only reason any of you are reading this right now is simply because I was at the wrong place at the wrong time on October 18^th 2006 around 3:30pm and broke my ankle my freshman year. Or maybe the reason you are reading this is because I was at the perfect place at the perfect time and broke my ankle so that our ripples would collide.

This will be my 25^th column and I never would have imagined that it would have morphed into what it has. I never thought I would be known as a writer or be approached to write books. I mean seriously, I was the kid who hated English class and still don't really enjoy reading.

I had to share that story with everyone simply because its blown my mind for the past few days. Maybe that’s all just one humongous coincidence and series of random events that I somehow constructed into a story. Maybe its all luck and chance, maybe you stumbled on this article randomly surfing the web. Maybe nothing we do matters at all.........but....... what if everything does?

God Bless.

Wednesday's Words of Wisdom

2011-03-30T07:40:00.000-06:00

A girl without freckles is like a night without stars.

~Author Unknown

Things I Love Lately

2011-03-28T07:45:00.002-06:00

~Francesca’s. It’s a cute little shop that I can always find something I want…even if it is just cupcake thank you cards!
~Fresh fruit. It’s just so delicious!
~March Madness
~Seafood. I’ve been on a big seafood kick lately. It’s just so good! And good for you…well, depending on how it’s prepared
~Running capris. Ben has tried to convince me forever to get some of these and I was always too self-conscience to do it! I finally gave in, and he was right! They’re awesome. And super comfy
~Catching up with friends
~Changing out my winter scents for spring ones
~The warmer weather
~Target’s new spring collections. I love their outdoor patio stuff and their serving dishes. Makes me want to host a party or have a picnic
~Sleeping in
~Counseling sessions with Pastor D and the Mrs. Meeting with them once a month has been a huge blessing! It’s nice to have someone asking us the tough questions, offering their advice, and being a listening ear.
~My mango splitter. My mom got this for me for one of my bridal showers and it’s awesome! It works just like an apple corer.
~Coconut Crème coffee creamer
~Flowers from my hubby
~Enjoying a glass of wine on the patio at night
~Dinner (or lunch!) dates
~Golden Spoon frozen yogurt

Wednesday's Words of Wisdom

2011-03-23T12:20:00.001-06:00

It's not hard to decide what you want your life to be about. What's hard, is figuring out what you're willing to do in order to do the things you really care about.
~Shauna Niequist

Hand Dance

2011-03-18T10:09:00.003-06:00

When we were on our honeymoon, they played this song probably 15 times a day. I love it! It’s super catchy, upbeat and just makes you want to dance. The CU pom squad actually did their half time routine to this song! I randomly came across this video that a friend of a friend had posted on her blog and thought it was fun. Enjoy!

Double Whammy

2011-03-17T07:30:00.002-06:00

AND

Happy

Wednesday's Words of Wisdom

2011-03-16T08:59:00.000-06:00

There are a few things we get to chose each day, no matter what's place before us. One of those things is our attitude. Chose a good one.
~Matt Hammitt

Crab Crackin'

2011-03-12T09:48:00.002-07:00

Last night Ben and I had a crab feast. It was delicious!

Notice the super awesome crab bib!

YUM!

Tidbits

2011-03-10T20:01:00.001-07:00

~I am officially a Witter now. It only took 5 months for me to get my name changed, but better late than never, right??
~It’s hard to get back into running after taking a break. I kick myself for knowing how high my endurance was when I stopped and seeing where it is now. I am signed up for the Rock ‘n Roll half in October, so it’s good motivation to keep pushing along.
~I’m amazed at how rude/inconsiderate people can be.
~You get so many more bathroom breaks during the day when you actually drink 64oz of water!
~If you have a blog, it’s fun to go back and read it from the very beginning. It’s fun to see all the happenings that you’ve already forgotten about!
~Nail polish from Claire’s is not worth the money, even if it is on clearance! It chipped so fast!!
~Starbucks is starting to sell “Starbucks Petites.” They’re just like my cakeballs!!
~Ben and I stopped by the Deals on Wheels sale at Bicycle Village this last weekend. I am SO glad I don’t have to work those big sales anymore!
~I think it should be mandatory for all restaurants to provide nutrition information

Wednesday's Words of Wisdom

2011-03-09T07:03:00.000-07:00

People often say that motivation doesn't last. Well, neither does bathing- that's why I recommend it daily.
~Zig Ziglar

Night on the Town

2011-03-06T19:01:00.003-07:00

Saturday night Ben and I dressed up and headed downtown for a night out. We went to Sullivan’s Steakhouse for our second restaurant week restaurant. I was so proud of myself because I found a $50 gift card for only $25 through denverperks.com. So we really got a heck of a deal! If you’ve never been to Sullivan’s, I highly recommend it. It’s your classic steakhouse, but the food is delicious! They have live jazz music playing in their bar area and you can hear it throughout the restaurant. You can check out their 5280 menu here.
After dinner we headed over to Trios. We haven’t been there in awhile and it was so much fun to go and enjoy a glass of wine together. I love this place!

Date Night at Vesta

2011-03-03T07:47:00.004-07:00

It’s one of my favorite times of the year around Denver. It’s Restaurant week!!!! I love scoping out the restaurant list and checking out all the different menu options and trying new places. Last night Ben and I went to Vesta Dipping Grill. Neither one of us had been there before, but had heard good things about it. It was a great little find! The food was tasty and the atmosphere was awesome!
The concept of Vesta is pretty unique. With your appetizers and entrees, they serve different sauces on the side. Each dish comes with 3 different sauces and you can pick from sweet, savory, or spicy, or the chef has recommendations for you as well. I’m not much of a sauce or condiment person, but I actually really enjoyed it!! The different sauces really brought out the different food flavors. With their 5280 menu they also offered a wine pairing menu. They paired each course with a half glass of wine. I do love me some wine so it was an added bonus! You can check out Vesta's 5280 menu here. It definitely made for a great date night!

The sign from the street

The inside of the restaurant. I loved the curved booths, the exposed brick walls, and I think the lights look like fire

Wednesday's Words of Wisdom

2011-03-02T09:13:00.003-07:00

Today's words of wisdom are in honor of Dr. Seuss' birthday...

"I have heard there are troubles of more than one kind. Some come from ahead and some come from behind. But I've bought a big bat. I'm all ready you see. Now my troubles are going to have troubles with me!"

It's National Pancake Day!

2011-03-01T08:21:00.003-07:00

Happy National Pancake Day everybody!

Who Needs Melo Anyways??

2011-02-25T08:15:00.000-07:00

My sister's in-laws invited Ben and I to head out to the Nuggets game with the rest of my family. The night before the game the Nuggets traded Melo, Billups and a few other players to the Knicks. Our roster was small and we were a little worried it would be a bust of a game. It turned out to be an exciting game and the Nuggs pulled out the win! Thanks Wiederspans for a fun night!

Ben and I enjoying the action

My sister and Casey

We had awesome seats!

Rocky getting the crowd into it

We're Famous

2011-02-24T10:39:00.001-07:00

Our wedding is featured on a wedding blog!!!! So exciting! Our photographer submitted our pictures to The Budget Savy Bride blog. This week we were chosen as the featured wedding of the week!! YAY! You can check out the full post here.

Wednesday's Words of Wisdom

2011-02-23T09:10:00.000-07:00

"Not all of us can do great things. But we can do small things with great love."
~Mother Teresa

Things I Love Lately

2011-02-22T11:11:00.004-07:00

~Snowshoeing

~Wii family game night at my parent’s

~The tv show Parenthood

~A garage so I don’t have to scrape my windows in the morning

~The book The Noticer

~The Parma Sandwich from Pickles Deli. Ben and I randomly found this place last year. I’ve only had the sandwich twice, but it is seriously the BEST sandwich I’ve ever had.

~The Food Network. I love their reality shows

~Laughing Cow cheese wedges. Especially the garlic & herb flavor

~The bands Phoenix and Mumford and Sons

~Finding great sales

~Getting a workout in, even when I don’t want to

~$.69 songs on itunes

~Hearing trains go by at night. It reminds me of my grandma’s house and is brings a certain comfort with it

~Getting to spend time with my sister

~Nanaimo Bars. If you’ve never had a Nanaimo bar, you are missing out! The base layer is cocoa powder, chopped nuts, coconut and graham cracker crumbs held together with melted butter. Top that with a layer of buttercream. A coat of semisweet chocolate is the finishing touch. Not good on the diet, but definitely worth an indulgence!

Peace

2011-02-18T05:48:00.002-07:00

I've been feeling a bit stressed lately. There's a lot going on and a lot up in the air. Sometimes we get so busy planning out the future and worrying about what will happen. I read something recently that gave me a sense of peace about the uncertainty of the future.

Who knows how life goes?

There's One who does...

"Do not worry about tomorrow."

He knows every drop that will fall from the sky, every wind that will blow through our lives, every bit of sunshine and joy that will come our way.

He may not tell us what will happen next. But He always reminds us of what we can count on no matter what happens...

We'll be loved.

We'll be secure in His care.

We'll be part of a plan working it all out for our good and His glory.

Happy Valentine's Day

2011-02-17T07:45:00.000-07:00

Ben and I had some really great plans for Valentine's Day this year. We planned a fun little date and then we were going to get dressed up and do dinner. It's a tradition for Ben to make dinner and me to make dessert.

Our date idea didn't exactly work out...the place closed at 5! Who the heck closes at 5 on a Monday?? Especially Valentine's Monday? I won't tell you what it was because we're still going to do it soon and it's going to be fabulous.

And, the dessert didn't really work out either. I was going to make a cheesecake, but I haven't made one in years and forgot how long it has to rest after baking it! So I ended up buying one from the Cheesecake Factory, which was heavenly!

But, Ben's dinner did turn out GREAT! We pulled out the V-day placemats, lit some candles, and enjoyed some wine.

Appetizer was goat cheese baked in marinara served with crackers

Main course- NY Strip, lobster tail, and a potato cake

The lovely cheesecake

I hope you all had a great Valentine's Day and got to spend it with the ones you love!

Wednesday's Words of Wisdom

2011-02-16T07:53:00.000-07:00

I have a couple of words of wisdom this week. I just finished the book The Noticer by Andy Andrews and it was awesome! Here are a few of the gems I found.

"Everybody wants to be on the mountaintop, but if you'll remember, mountaintops are roky and cold. There is no growth on the top of a mountain. Sure, the view is great, but what's a view for? A view just gives us a glimpse of our next destination- our next target. But to hit that target, we must come off the mountain, go through the valley, and begin to climb the next slope. It is in the valley that we slog through the lush grass and rich soil, learning and becoming what enables us to summit life's next peak." Pg. 8

"If you are breathing, you are still alive. If you are alive, then you are still here, physically, on this planet. If you are still here, then you have not completed what you were put on earth to do. If you have not completed what you were put on earth to do...that means your very purpose has not yet been fulfilled. If your purpose has not yet been fulfilled, then the most important part of your life has not yet been lived. And if the most important part of your life has not yet been lived that is your proof of hope." Pg. 84

"Life is like a game of Monopoly. You may own hotels on Boardwalk or you may be renting on Baltic Avenue. But in the end, it all goes back in the box. The next generation will be getting out all your stuff and playing with it or fighting over it." Pg. 102

"You possess the power of perspective. You can choose to see your life becoming whatever you wish. If you so choose, you can move the mountains in your life's path with the eventual help of those who will come to love you and learn to respect you for what you are becoming." Pg. 121

"Your time on this earth is a gift to be used wisely. Don't squander your words or you thoughts. Consider that even the simplest actions you take for your lives matter beyond measure...and they matter forever.

It is an answer that most people seek in times of turmoil. Sometimes that answer is immediate, but it is not seen due to a lack of perspective. The reason an answer is not often found in the midst of crisis is that many times, at that very moment, a specific answer does not exist!

In desperate times, much more than anything else, folks need perspective. For perspective brings calm. Calm leads to clear thinking. Clear thinking yields new ideas. And ideas produce the bloom of an answer. Keep your head and heart clear." Pg. 154

Weekend Wrap-Up

2011-02-13T20:51:00.000-07:00

This weekend Ben and I were busy, busy. Friday night, my company finally had their Christmas party. We went bowling over at Lucky Strike downtown. Ben and my boss totally hit it off which was great! We had a good time and I'm glad Ben got to meet everyone I work with. Later that night we headed over to the Hi-Dive. And, it's pretty much a dive! Our friend's band was playing and we went to go support him.

Saturday morning was spent baking! I made cake balls for my parents and my sister and bro-in-law for Valentine's Day. I think they turned out really cute!

Choc-full-of-love

Saturday night we met up with my family to go to the CU basketball game.

My husband grew up in small town Nebraska and has always been a die-hard Nebraska fan. CU and Nebraska are big football rivals, so Ben has always hated CU. I think he's starting to come around and support the better team...he actually sported a CU hat for the night!! My little heart was so happy.

I think he looks good in black and gold!

It was a great game! CU won 58-56 after a game winning shot was waved off.

My parents have always given us Valentine's Day gifts, and this year was no exception. I was completely spoiled!

Happy Valentine's Day!! Ben and I have a fun plans for tomorrow, but that'll be for another post. :)

Wednesday's Words of Wisdom

2011-02-09T08:08:00.000-07:00

Hard things take time to do. Impossible things take a little longer.
~Percy Cerutty

Snowshoeing in the Snow

2011-02-06T13:57:00.002-07:00

Saturday Ben and I headed up to Chief Mountain, just outside of Evergreen. It was definitely a lot colder than last weekend and it snowed the entire time. Supposedly when you get to the top you can see Mount Evans and Pikes Peak, but it was so snowy, we didn't see much of anything. We still had a great time together!

At the bottom of the trail head

It was so snowy!

Chief Mountain!

On the way down we found this sign...kinda fun to have a street with your last name!

Wednesday's Words of Wisdom

2011-02-02T11:43:00.000-07:00

Obstacles are those frightful things you see when you take your eyes off the goal.

~Henry Ford

Jenga!

2011-02-01T16:35:00.002-07:00

Last night Ben and I snuggled up inside and enjoyed games of Jenga and hot chocolate. What better way to spend the evening when it's bitterly cold outside?

Our tower looking pretty good

Such concentration

Snowshoeing!

2011-01-31T06:18:00.001-07:00

This weekend Ben and I headed up to the mountains and ventured out for our first snowshoeing trip of the season. We had a blast! The original trail we were going to do was closed to due rock slide danger, so we had to improvise. Luckily, Jones Pass by Winter Park wasn't too far away. We didn't make it all the way up since we got a late start, but it was still beautiful! Below are pictures from the day.

Julia Would be Proud

2011-01-28T09:00:00.002-07:00

Things around the Witter house have been pretty quiet so far this year. Ben and I have both had our share of sickness these past 4 weeks, so things have been pretty low-key. Wednesday night Ben surprised me with a bouquet of tulips! The picture below doesn't do them justice, as they are bright pink and SO pretty!
Last night we had some friends over for dinner and I was in charge of coming up with dessert. I decided to go with pears poached in red wine. My mom has made this before and they're delicious! We also had this dessert on our honeymoon. I started googling recipes and came across one from Julia Child. Like Julia, I love all things French, so I gave it a shot. They actually turned out pretty good! (not as good as my mom's, but not bad for my first try.)

I served them with ice cream and a cinnamon stick garnish. As Julia would say, bon apetite!

The Newest Witter

2011-01-27T10:03:00.000-07:00

The newest Witter has arrived! Little Elias Ethan was born on January 16th to Ben's brother, Marcus and his wife, Emily. All are doing well. Can't wait to meet the little munchkin!

Wednesday's Words of Wisdom

2011-01-26T13:33:00.001-07:00

Happiness is not a matter of events; it depends upon the tides of the mind.

~Alice Meynell

Wednesday's Words of Wisdom

2011-01-19T16:30:00.001-07:00

Don't limit yourself. Many people limit themselves to what they think they can do. You can go as far as your mind lets you. What you believe, you can achieve.
~Mary Kay Ash

Things I Love Lately

2011-01-10T09:58:00.003-07:00

~Diet Root beer in a frosty mug

~Finding fruit on sale

~Having a husband who likes to cook...and is good at it!

~College football bowl season

~Jumbo Marshmallows

~Lazy weekends

~Breakfast for dinner
~Having an HOA that shovels our stairs and walkways for us
~A flexible work schedule
~Good wine and good conversation
~After Christmas sales
~Coming up with new decorative ideas for our house
~Our new vacuum
~Bob from the Biggest Loser
~Freshly painted toe nails in the winter

Happy New Year

2011-01-06T20:08:00.002-07:00

For New Year's Eve this year, we went to a dinner party. We had a great time ringing in the new year with friends

Me and Ben

Me and my sister with our party glasses

The entire group

Bring on the Resolutions

2010-12-31T10:07:00.000-07:00

It's that time of year when everyone starts making New Year's Resolutions. I've never been big on making resolutions, and I don't even remember the ones I made last year! But, this is the year I'm making and sticking to them!

I even got this super snazzy journal that I'm going to use to write down my resolutions in the front and then keep track of my progress throughout the year. I've got my own list and then Ben and I came up with some to accomplish as a couple.
Here's to the New Year and sticking to those resolutions!

New Year's resolutions are a bit like babies: They're fun to make but extremely difficult to maintain. ~Alyssa Sparacino

Year in Review

2010-12-30T07:12:00.001-07:00

2010 has been a great year! A lot has happened and I have a lot to be thankful for. Here are my favorite highlights of the year…

~I got married to an amazing guy!
~My sister moved back to Colorado
~My brother in law walked away from a roll-over accident with just a few scratches
~I got to go to several football games- CU and the Broncos. I even got to go on the field for Broncos pre-game warm-ups
~Saw some great concerts!
~Ben and I moved into our first place together. And I think I’m FINALLY used to having a roommate!
~Got some hiking, camping, and picnicking in
~Had one last trip to visit my sister in San Diego
~Discovered some great new restaurants and the biscuit bus!
~My dad got a new job
~I went to Vegas and surprised the socks off my sister
~I’ve been blessed with another year surrounded by friends and family

Thanks for the great memories, and here's to the many more to come

Wednesday's Words of Wisdom

2010-12-29T07:47:00.001-07:00

Some people follow their dreams, others hunt them down and beat them mercilessly into submission.
~Neil Kendall