A little place called Aspen!

Wow! I can't believe it's Thursday...I feel like I'm just now getting myself back in order from our trip. Last weekend, we went to Aspen with some of Matt's coworkers. We really had a blast and it was so nice to get away! I love Colorado - the mountains have always taken my breath away and I just love being there in winter or summer.

Friday, Matt and I went skiing with a couple of snowboarders in the group. We quickly realized that our ski skills were WAY below the skill level of the crowd we were trying to keep up with. As soon as we got off the lift, they were gone! At the next lift, we waved our white flag and told them to go on without us. Oh my gosh, we would've ended up on the back of the ski patrol's snowmobile if we had skied with them. We survived the slopes and actually had a great time just hanging out having lunch and coffee trying to boost our bruised egos. I guess I should have known when people's luggage at baggage claim was their own ski/snowboard equipment. From now on, we're only skiing with other amateurs from TX/OK who only go skiing every few years. :)

Saturday was my favorite day! A group of us went snowmobiling!!! Oh wow. I was terrified at first, especially when I heard I was going to be driving my own. I thought I would be riding with Matt with a death grip around his waist. They gave us a quick lesson on how to drive it and off we went. I literally caught myself with a huge grin laughing hysterically several times! And, I swear I caught air one time. :) The scenery was gorgeous too! Now for a few pictures from the trip...


Dustin was sporting this awesome pink snow suit that our guides swore that Cindy Crawford wore back in the day. I'm not sure I buy that story, but Dustin sure made it look good!


Christy - she's dating another Matt at Vista and they live in San Fran. :( Since our boys work so much, it would be nice to be in the same city so we could entertain ourselves! Not a lot of the guys are dating/married so I was relieved that Christy and I hit it off so well when we met in Austin. She's a doll!


We didn't drive off the mountain! Success!!!


Part of the crew ready for some more snowmobiling after a nice hot cocoa break at the top of the mountain!

And...ending the excursion with a little snowball fight!


At dinner our last night in Aspen. Please note, Matt's eyes are not always this red/tired looking. Yikes! I think he was tired from the snowmobiling and all the fun we were having! And...our next trip needs to be someplace warm and on the beach b/c clearly, we need some sun. Wow.

Aspen Getaway!

Matt & I are headed to Aspen this evening and I am so excited! I've never been, but I've heard it's a great town and I love the Rockies so it should be a great time! There's something breathtaking about Colorado - it's one of my favorite places! We'll be back Sunday and hopefully I'll have some pictures/stories to share.

Photo Credits


Photo Credits

Shoop! Shoop! Shoop! And hopefully I won't crash and burn! :)

Everyone have a great weekend!!!

The Perfect Purse

I've been casually looking for a new black handbag for a while now. You know, clicking on the "handbags" link on shopping sites as I browse. As I was catching up on my blog reading and facebook updates, I stumbled upon a sorority sisters posting of a blog she follows - The Daybook

And...through her blog, I stumbled upon this handbag...

Love it. Pretty sure it's sold out at the moment, but a girl can dream, right?! :)

Domestic Disturbance

This is completely random but, I suppose, blog-worthy.

Right now, I'm sitting with Matt watching the OSU/A&M basketball game and Matt is - how can I say this - passionately commentating on the game from time to time. If you know my husband, he is just not a soft spoken guy in general, especially when it comes to Oklahoma State Athletics. Even his whisper in a movie theater would be enough to cause a "SHHH" from someone a few rows away. :) Living in an apartment with 7 other units on our floor, you can hear your neighbors. Our neighbors directly across from us have 2 little ones and I can sometimes hear the 3 year old laughing or the baby fussing. Then, there are the other neighbors that fight like cats and dogs and scream at each other. I mean, it's awkward and everyone from us to the doormen know about them. I've been told the police have even been called in the past, but then they straighten up and say everything is fine. I tell this because as Matt screams at the refs, I think to myself, "gosh I really hope our nice neighbors don't think we're fighting like the crazies across the hall!" :)

My Valentine!

Spoiler Alert: This is a Mushy Post About My Boo

Now, to brag on my loving husband! He is exceptional. No he did not send me flowers today, but that was by request. As the person who "balances the checkbook", I would rather the money be spent elsewhere - like the occasional manicure or scarf on sale. :) He shows his love in a range of rays - from unloading the dishwasher to giving me a pretty little blue box with a white ribbon wrapped around it! I can't say enough about the man that asked me to marry him. I never doubt his faithfulness or his feelings about me. He loves me unconditionally and has seen me at my best, and sadly, at my worst moments. I know he wants to give me the world. I know he loves me more than when we first started dating and were all googly eyed with each other. I know how blessed I am to have snagged him, and I can only hope that he feels a fraction of that way towards me. He encourages me, makes me laugh, supports me, knows me sometimes better than I know myself, forgives me and never judges me. In a lot of ways, he shows me Christ's love through his love for me.

Here's a throw-back of some of our most memorable Love Days:

A few years ago, when I was living with 2 other girls in a cute little house in Stillwater, he conspired with them and they helped him sneak into my room while I was sleeping. I woke up with pink/red construction paper hearts in varying sizes with sweet words written in crayon taped all over my room! Awwww!

Another year, he somehow stole the spare key to my car and filled every last inch of it with pink, red, white balloons and wrote Valentine's type things in red polish on my windows while I was at work! It was hysterical, sweet and a little embarrassing! I had to pop all of those balloons before I could safely drive home! :)






More recently, craft time is few and far between for my working man and he doesn't have the same free time to smuggle dozens of balloons into a car. Ah, college. haha! These days, our Christmases have been more about the nice gifts and we usually treat ourselves to a nice steak dinner for Valentine's Day. I love it! We celebrated this weekend, since his work schedule can be demanding during the week. I made a delicious dinner Friday - chicken breasts, roasted red garlic potatoes, and asparagus. We mostly stayed in our pjs Sat/Sun - he miraculously didn't have to go into the office at all! Sunday night, we went to a "new to us" restaurant and had steaks and lobster and then came home to some chocolate covered strawberries that I had made earlier in the day. Let's face it, I made them more for me, but I shared them with my beloved.

In this season we're currently in, spending time with Matt was the best Valentine I could ask for from him! I love you, Matt! More and more each day!

*Side note - is a card considered a gift? Boys/Girls minds work so differently! We said no gifts this year, but I still got him a card. When I gave it to him this morning, he replied with "I thought we said no gifts?" haha! It's not a gift, right?!?

My First Valentine (but not my only Valentine) !!!

I can't remember a Valentine's Day that I didn't get flowers from my Daddy. He always gave my mom a big bouquet and then I would get either one or a group of 3 roses. When we moved into the house my parents live in now, I would wake up and they would be in my bathroom with a card titled "Beffidoose" or "Fred" - nicknames he has always called me.

The first year I was in college, Valentine's Day came and I suddenly realized I wouldn't wake up to flowers in my bathroom! Daddy delivered though and had a flower shop in Stillwater deliver me one rose! Sometimes they were yellow, just so I wouldn't forget I was from Texas {the yellow rose of Texas :) we're crazy, I know}.

When I was working at the bank in Oklahoma, he had them delivered there. Everyone would assume they were from Matt, but I would boast they were from my Daddy instead. Before you judge me - or Matt - he has given me flowers in the past, but I usually tell him not to worry about it. He's always done really thoughtful things - but that's another post. :)

It's really not even about the flowers. It's become more of a tradition now and it melts my heart every year. It's just something that my Daddy and I share.

So this year, Daddy has NO idea where my office is in Chicago, but he's mailed many a care package to our apartment. I went home at lunch and sure enough, Danny our doorman had some flowers at his desk waiting for me!




Aren't they gorgeous?!?!

Without fail, Daddy has come through and has been my Valentine for the last 26 years! I love you Daddy. Thank you for creating so many wonderful memories over the years and I love our little traditions and inside jokes {TOE PICK}. I'll always be your baby girl and you'll always be my first Valentine!
xoxo,
Beffidoose/Fred

SAD

I am becoming a believer in SAD - also known as Seasonal Affective Disorder! A girlfriend at work told me she thinks she developed it when they moved here and I'm totally blaming my winter blues on it. :) I googled it this weekend and here's the definition -

Seasonal affective disorder (also called SAD) is a type of depression that occurs at the same time every year. If you're like most people with seasonal affective disorder, your symptoms start in the fall and may continue into the winter months, sapping your energy and making you feel moody. Seasonal affective disorder is a cyclic, seasonal condition. This means that signs and symptoms come back and go away at the same time every year. Usually, seasonal affective disorder symptoms appear during late fall or early winter and go away during the sunnier days of spring and summer.

And here are the symptoms. I've commented on the ones that have affected me -

• Depression - I am not a depressed person but I've been throwing pity parties a little more often lately.
  
• Hopelessness
• Anxiety
• Loss of energy - My workout routine is a little harder to stick with right now.
  
• Social withdrawal - We try to make plans to keep from becoming hermits, but it takes a little more work during the winter. :)
  
• Oversleeping - Two nights last week I fell asleep on the couch watching TV after work and my bed has been so warm and comfy in the mornings, it's hard to drag myself out of bed.
  
• Loss of interest in activities you once enjoyed - I enjoy running but that does NOT sound as fun on a treadmill and I'm not a huge fan of running in such cold temps - not to mention, it's dark before/after work which doesn't feel as safe for me to be running alone.
  
• Appetite changes, especially a craving for foods high in carbohydrates - Dinners like baked potatoes, bowls of white rice, grilled cheese sandwiches, cereal, etc - CARBS CARBS CARBS!
  
• Weight gain - Obviously all the carbs...and you remember my losing battle to the batch of brownies a few blog posts ago?? yeah, packing on an lb or two! :)
  
• Difficulty concentrating and processing information

As I'm typing this, big, beautiful snow flakes are falling down. I LOVE watching the snow fall, but it makes me lazy. I don't want to run errands when it's cold and snowing. I can tell the evenings are getting a little longer each day which is encouraging! I know I'll be wearing dresses {without tights} and sandals again sometime soon, enjoying happy hours/dinners on the sidewalk patios and rooftops. But, for now, I'll lounge on the couch in my sweats and try to keep myself from feeling SAD. haha! :)