Last weekend, Madison and I were lucky enough to attend the 2013 Blend Retreat at the Canyons Ski Resort! We registered for the retreat before I knew the extent of my back/neck issues, so I wasn't sure how much of the weekend i would be able to participate in.
We arrived on Friday afternoon, and checked in to the GORGEOUS Hyatt Escala Lodge. It was so beautiful. We shared a beautiful 4 bedroom suite with these awesome girls:
They were all so awesome, and I am so happy to have met them all!
Friday night started out with a Cocktail Party, sponsored by Silk. In addition to having a full bar set up, Silk had a few signature cocktails made with their soy and almond milk. I stuck with my trusty Chardonnay, but Madi tried the Strawberry Mint Slush. It was delicious!
After the Cocktail Party, we had a fabulous 4-course dinner buffet in the ballroom. The dinner was delicious, and we got to spend time mingling and getting to know the other "blends"!
The next morning, GPP led a group workout, which was awesome. With my back/neck issues, I wasn't able to do much of the workout (only the squats and push-ups), but it was still a great workout for me!
The weather over the weekend was rainy and wet. We had a hike scheduled for late morning, but with the weather, we weren't sure if it was going to happen. Fortunately, the rain subsided to just a drizzle and we were able to get our hike in. Living in Utah, I sometimes take the beauty of the mountains for granted. I live a short 20 miles from The Canyons, and we don't make it up here often enough. The hike was gorgeous. I wasn't sure how well, I was going to do, but I'm so glad I just went with it. Even though my arms were numb most of the time, it was worth it. GORGEOUS! The hike was sponsored by Pro Bar. Fabulous protein bars and chews! I could seriously, eat those chews like candy!
The rest of the day we were on our own. Madi and I did a little shopping at the outlet stores and stopped by downtown Park City for a bit. By the time we were done around 5:00, we were exhausted. Madi felt like she might be coming down with a cold, so she crashed for a few hours. It was nice for both of us to be able to just chill in our suite. We did grab a takeout pizza from Drafts, which was really good! We called it a night early!
On Sunday morning, GPP hosted another workout which I didn't make it to. I was sooo sore from Saturday and knew that I wouldn't be able to do much of the workout with my neck issue, so I slept in. From what I heard, Neil put together another great workout!
Breakfast on Sunday was sponsored by Chobani, which is a FAVE of mine!
I can't even begin to explain how fabulous this breakfast was! Omelet stations with all the fixin's and Chobani yogurt sauce, Chobani Smoothies, Chobani Pancakes (YUM!), and Oatmeal with Chobani too! Plus a huge assortment of Chobani yogurt, including their new Flips! So good!
After our awesome breakfast, we all packed up our rooms, etc. and headed to the last event of the weekend. The Raffle, which was sponsored by Blue Diamond. Have you tried the new flavored almonds? If not, you should! The Coconut Almonds are amazing! I can't believe how many fabulous items were raffled off! Everyone went home with at least one raffle item, and sometimes two!
I won the entire Smooth Sensations Cream Cheese line from The Laughing Cow!!
Love that stuff! I couldn't be more thrilled!
After the raffle, it was time to say Good-Bye to everyone. What a great group of women, and a super fabulous weekend! This was exactly what I needed the weekend before my neck surgery!
Hmmmmm…..Cooking, Crafting and Getting Fit. During my 5 month blog hiatus, did I do any of those things?
Well, let's see. I posted about my Valentine's Day Cooking Exchange HERE, and that definitely involved some cooking and a little bit of crafting! In, January I crafted some centerpieces for a church luncheon we had and made some chocolate covered fortune cookies (crafting or cooking?):
I also decorated my small white Christmas Tree for Valentine's Day:
I even decorated it for Easter, but didn't take any photos!
As far as Cooking goes, let's see? I've made some of my favorite meals:
Which include clockwise from top left: The Best Pizza Evah! , Grilled Salmon, (YUM!), Lemon Vodka Pasta (I add Shrimp) from the I Love Trader Joe's Cookbook, and the always delicious Funeral/Mormon/Company/Utah Potatoes (made for Easter).
I've got an injury that I am dealing with (more on that below), so I have also been trying to be much healthier in my cooking by eating more of a clean diet. We've also been trying to drink Green Smoothies every morning. So delicious and good for you. I've found most of my recipes HERE
Other clean eating recipes and cooking:
Clockwise from top left: Citrus Grilled Chicken (you must try this!), Clean Rice Saute (veggies and TJ's Organic Brown Rice), Salad with Salsa Chicken, and more Salsa Chicken with a salad made with chick peas, avocado, tomatoes, kidney beans and cilantro and lime. So good!
Now on to the Getting Fit: Well, about 2 years ago I set out to get fit and healthy. You can read about it HERE or HERE. I was doing my favorite Zumba and GPP classes faithfully. I was happy and healthy. I've always had some random back problems which were manageable, but a bit frustrating nontheless. Well back track to last November and I woke up one morning with my left hand numb. It was the weirdest thing. It progressivly got worse, and moved up my arm. I had no idea what was wrong. Then the upper back/neck pain started. I went to my Chiropractor for treatment and ended up seeing him 3-4 times a week for a few months. Finally, when I really wasn't improving, he ordered an MRI. After getting the results, he suggested I see a neurosurgeon. I had to wait two months for my appointment with the neurosurgeon (what?, I know crazy). Anyway, the neurosurgeon confirmed what everyone thought, and what my MRI results suggested: 4 bulging discs in my neck (two moderate, two severe), with one pinching a nerve (the cause of the numbness and pain in my arm/hand), bone spurs, and degenerative disc disease.
Jealous? 🙂
So…..next week, May 22nd to be exact, I am going in for surgery. I believe the surgery is called: Anterior cervical discectomy and fusion. More informtion found HERE.
So, the Getting Fit part of my life has been seriously lacking the last 5-6 months. Cue sad music!
I'm not really a quitter….but I sure feel like it in the getting fit department! I should be back to regular activity soon, right?
I do get to have one last Getting Fit adventure before surgery next week! I'm heading to the BLEND Retreat this weekend and I couldn't be more excited! Who knows how much I will get to participate, but just being there will be awesome!
I can't wait!
Okay, well this post has been long enough. Just wanted to update on the Cooking, Crafting and Getting Fit party of my life! Happy Thursday y'all!
Back in February (yes, I'm still playing catch up!), my cute friend Traci and I hosted a Valentine's Day Cookie Exchange for all or our Zumba Friends!
We asked everyone to bring 2 dozen of their favorite Valentine's Day cookies, treats, candy or whatever! We made sure to specify that the items did NOT need to be homemade! We were absolutely fine with store bought treats! We didn't want anyone to feel overwhelmed to bake something!
Traci and I had so much fun planning the menu items and decorating for the night! She is one of the most creative people I know! Check out the flowers in the candy filled vase below. She had three different ones! So cute!
Some of the food items: Cheese with pretzel sticks, veggie cups, soft/warm pretzel bites, baked ravioli with marinara sauce and fruit salad! We also had meatballs and a few more yummy items.
We set up a large table in my family room for all of the treats:
Oh my goodness! Can you even believe all the deliciousness on that table? And this was just the beginning! By the end of the night the table was overflowing and we were out of room!
We had wedding cookies, mini cheesecake, mini cupcakes, several GIANT Mrs. Field's cookies, rootbeer cookies, YUMMY desserts from Kneaders, eclaires and so much more!
I picked up some plain white cake boxes at JoAnn's and lined them with tissue paper, giving everyone a box to fill with goodies to take home with them!
Are you drooling, yet?
It was really one of the funnest parties I have ever hosted! And hosting with Traci, was even better!
Traci and I.
Seriously, some of the most fabulous people I know! We work out hard, so we can eat yummy treats!
The whole group! (minus me, the photographer!)
I think it would be fun to make this an annual tradition!
And look what Traci even left for me after the party:
I've tried to write this post several times over the last 5 months and just haven't been able to do it. The inability to write this post, is what brought on my blog break as well. I just didn't feel like I could continue on blogging as if all was well. Does that make sense?
Anyway, I mentioned in this post about my 25 Random Acts of Kindness, that we had to cut our day short and finish the rest of our acts a few weeks later. Well, we received a call that my cute Dad had just passed away. It was very unexpected. My dad had been suffering from lung cancer for just over a year, and although we knew he was terminal, we were not prepared for how sudden it all happened. It was just a few days before Christmas. We expected him to be around for at least a few more months. Unfortunately, God had other plans for my Dad, and needed him sooner. We were fortunate that he seemed to pass away very comfortably. He was here one moment, and literally gone the next.
Although, my dad wasn't perfect, he was my Dad and I loved him so much! I know how much he always love me too! Not a day goes by that I don't think about him!
Some random things about my dad:
He loved NASCAR and the LA Rams, Utah Jazz and the University of Utah UTES
Loved Coor's and Keystone Beer
Hated Pasta of any kind
Drove at one time or another: '57 Thunderbird, Old Blue Falcon, 2 different El Caminos
LOVED to watch his boys play football, baseball, race BMX/MX and anything else they did
Suppported me in all of my activities, including gymnastics and dance
LOVED to kid around and have fun! He was always good for a corny (or dirty!) joke
Once bought new motorcycles for my brothers and hid it from my Mom for weeks!
LOVED his grandkids and developed a very special relationship with Madison in last years
Worked in the grocery business, specifically as a Produce Manager for many years
Would buy my Mom great Christmas gifts
One of the things that really stands out most about my dad, is the fact that he always seemed pretty happy to me, and upbeat. His face would light up whenever his kids or grandkids were around. He just wanted us all to be happy! That is what made him happiest!
Well……here I am again…..months after the last blog post. What can I say, life hit me upside the head in a big way last December. I think I'm finally ready to blog and to talk about what happened.
I couldn't resist….that Natalie Dee, cracks me up! Anyway, I will be back later with some posts. A fun post regarding the 25 Random Acts of Kindness my family did right before Christmas, along with some super fun trips and projects that have happened the past few months. And I will also be blogging about my cute, cute Dad who lost his battle with lung cancer, just a few days before Christmas. Like I said….life hit me upside the head pretty hard!
If anyone is still out there reading…..thanks for hanging in there with me! If nobody is out there reading, well then, no big deal!
Wow! It’s been a while since I’ve done a weekend wrap up post!
This past weekend was full of all the craziness that happens in the last few weekends leading up to Christmas! All the hustle and bustle, trying to get so much done, but still trying to enjoy the season!
The weekend started a bit earlier than usual, as we had our office Christmas Party on Friday afternoon. We closed the office at 1:00 and we all headed to the Little America hotel just a few blocks away from our office. We had a really nice lunch, some pretty funny entertainment by a few of the attorneys in the office. During the entertainment A LOT of cash envelopes were given out via a drawing – which was awesome! The firm also gave away several iPads! Even cooler! The big drawing at the end of the event were for 2 40” Samsung Smart TV’s….and guess who won one? Shut the front door! I never win anything like that! And I mentioned in THIS POST that we were in desperate need of a new TV, since we were the last people on earth without a flat screen!
Christmas came early for Carl and I! We spent Friday night getting it all set up! Carl was in heaven!
I spent most the day Saturday in my craft room wrapping presents, and getting these out in the mail:
Why does it always take so long to get them all addressed and out the door?
I had a fun night Saturday with some of my Zumba friends. We got together for dinner at Trio. If you are in Utah, you must try this place. I’ve eaten here quite a few times and I don’t think I’ve ever had anything I didn’t like!
Always delish!
Such a great time with these guys! Soooo many laughs!
After going to Mass with Carl on Sunday we delivered Christmas ornaments to my nieces and nephew. A tradition I’ve been doing with my own kids and my niece Erin since they were born (I buy them each a new Christmas ornament every year), and this year I got to add my brother’s new wife Heidi’s kids too! Hopefully, they don’t think it’s too corny/cheesy!
This picture was actually taken in the car with the ornaments on the dashboard. I’m classy, like that!
Carl and I then power shopped for the next few hours! We got a ton accomplished, but I feel like there is still so much to do! We shopped at our local outdoor mall (the one that is open on Sundays!) and we froze! The wind was sooo cold! We did get to see our 2002 Winter Olympic Bricks, which my parents bought for all of us as a donation to the 2002 Winter Olympics.
It’s always fun to see our bricks!
Sunday night was topped off by dinner with Madison at Texas Roadhouse, and some cute Zumba girls dropped off the yummiest treats they had made! Wow! Look at this plate of goodness!
Sooooo good! But I’ll be doing Zumba for days and days and days to work off the calories on that plate!
Even though I had a very heavy heart this weekend with the events in Connecticut, it was really nice to spend time with friends and family, and remember that I truly am blessed, and to remember also, that life can change in an instant!.
I hope you had a great weekend!
What did you do? What was the BEST part of your weekend? Let me know!
Well, hello there! I know, I know…..it's been a minute (or a million) since I last blogged, but life got Ca-Razy there! But, it's time I got back at it. I've got a ton of things to blog about, but the first thing I have to tell you about is the FABULOUS weekend I had in Kansas in November! I first blogged about going to Craft Weekend back here in August. Well, the weekend finally arrived and I had the time of my life! Seriously, I really did! So much fun! This post may get a bit long winded, with tons of pics, so please bear with me! First of all…..the hostess with the mostess:
Meg Duerksen is awesome. So nice, spiritual, down to earth, creative, funny, etc. Just FUN!
We were picked up at the airport by these two girls (the helpers for the weekend):
Megan from Contented Sparrow and Becky from Farmgirl Paints, two of the hippest, funnest and coolest girls I've met! They had never met in person (only through their blogs) and they were seriously soul sisters! Loved their connection!
When we drove up to the house, I about died. Look at this beauty? Gorgeous, yes?
We stayed up late, late, late…..into the wee hours of the night. Taking a break on Friday night to head to the local donut shop around midnight for fresh, out of the oven donuts! And on Saturday night it was cheesecake!
Oh my. Soooo many treasures to be found. My main goal was to find a nice, hand stitched quilt. And find one I did!
Here it is on my bed back home. I need to try and get a better photo. The yellow is more of a creamy butter yellow, not at all neon or bright. I love it!
We made a quick stop at Sonic on the way back to the Craft House, before getting back to Crafting. Sunday was spent taking photos, and saying our good byes. It was so much fun getting to know such fun girls! My roommates, Joanna and Jill and I:
All the girls with our aprons on:
I really did have the time of my life! It was the experience of a lifetime and I am so thankful that I was able to attend!
Go read Meg's post HERE about the weekend to see even more photos and get more fabulous information!
Also, I think YOU should sign up to attend Craft Weekend! Do it! NOW! Go READ THIS and sign up! You won't regret it!
Happy Hump Day, friends! Almost half way through the work week!
I mentioned in Monday's Weekend Wrap Up post, that I hosted a "Favorite Things" Party on Friday night. I've heard about "Favorite Things Parties" all over blogland over the years, and I thought it would be so fun to host one.
My brother was gracious enough to let me host the party on his beautiful patio. He recently got married and is selling his house. His backyard has been the site of many family parties, graduation parties, outdoor movie nights, etc. Perfect backyard/patio for entertaining!
I invited a bunch of friends (30+) knowing that not everyone would be able to attend, but I wanted to have a big fun group! I asked everyone to pick one "favorite thing" (nail polish, lotion, kitchen gadget, wine, book, household product, etc), and bring 5 of them. The idea was to share with everyone else, something they can't live with out, or something they just love. The maximum was $10 per item, but I stressed that $5-$6 was plenty. It wasn't about the cost of the item. I also asked everyone to bring their favorite dessert or appetizer.
The patio/yard:
I had a table set up for the guests to write their name on 6 slips of paper (in addition to the 5 items, I had a special drawing for some of my special favorite items) to place in to a large vase. Each guest would have a chance to talk about their "favorite thing" and then draw 5 names out. Those 5 guests would get the "favorite thing"
I put together "Swag Bags" for everyone, for the favorites they got to go home with:
The food spread was fabulous! Oh, and I also made Peach Sangria! So delish! Recipe to come soon!
The "Favorite Things" were so creative! I loved it!
We had wine, easter beauty items, quinoa, visors, body spray, gel insulated wine bags, hand sanitizer, almond butter, candied pecans, diet coke, coasters, sugar cookies, etc. So many fun things!
After our favorite things, I held a special drawing for some of my additional "favorite things"! I had some super fabulous peeps donate items to the party and I can't thank them enough! In fact, I will have a whole separate post thanking them!
Did you have a great weekend? I am still recovering, I think. We are trying to pack everything in to these last weekends of summer!
On Friday night, I was able to check off two more items off of my 2012 Summer Bucket List! I hosted a Girl's Night Out on the Patio, and served Peach Sangria. I'm slowly chipping away at the list, but I have to realize that I am not going to complete it before summer is over. Sadness. I think I may have to add the word "Fall" to the list, and continue on until it snows!
Anyway, I took off work a little early on Friday, to set up for the party. It was a "Favorite Things" party, which I will post more about later this week. There are too many details to cover in a weekend wrap up post. Here is a sneak peek:
It was well past midnight before I went to bed, and I was up early, early to spend a bit of time helping out with my church's yard sale. I wasn't able to stay too long as I had a full day ahead. First of all were a few errands that needed to be taken care of, then if was off to the summer corporate games where Carl was playing on his work's softball team. They were hoping to win the first 2 games which would put them in the championship game at 5:00 pm. They did it! We had plans to attend the Salt Lake Bees baseball game later that night with my employer, so we were hoping they would win the championship game and not have an "if" game. Well, they won the championship! It was great! They did awesome!
We were able to run over to my parents house, so Carl could quickly shower and we could head out to the Bees game. It was the perfect night for baseball!
The game was a lot of fun, and we were able to invite our friends Kristyn and Dave as well. They even had fireworks after the game. It made for another late night but, another item was check off the bucket list! That makes three items, this weekend! Can I get a woot woot?
Sunday was spent relaxing, doing laundry, trying to get the house back in shape and putting this together out on the patio:
We got a smoking deal, since most all patio furniture is on clearance right now! Love it!
I hope you had a FABULOUS weekend! I'd love to hear about it! Let me know what the best part of your weekend was!
For me, it was the Favorite Things Party on Friday night. I love to get together with my girlfriends for a fun night of catching up!
On Friday night, I checked off another item from my 2012 Summer Bucket List by attending an outdoor concert at Red Butte Garden. My friend Arri is a season ticket holder and she invited our friend Kristyn and I to the Colbie Caillet and Gavin DeGraw show. We had a fabulous time! Well, except for the 20 minute down pour that delayed the concert by about 30 minutes! 🙂
If you have a chance to see a concert at Red Butte Garden, I highly recommend it! It's a beautiful venue, nestled up to the gorgeous Utah mountains. There is VIP chair seating, but most people prefer to spread out a blanket and chairs and bring a picnic dinner. You are allowed to bring in food and alcohol, and some people are really creative with their set up! Tables, candles, etc. So much fun!
When we arrived (well, after our friends waited in line to save a spot for HOURS – that is the one downfall), we got all set up with our blankets, chairs, food and drinks!
Once we got all set up and started to eat and drink….the clouds rolled in and it rained.
What a downer!
Thank God, I covered my drink and bag of food, right? Priorities!
Once the rain stopped, the fun began!
Then my phone died, and then were no more photos!
But take my word for it……lots of singing and dancing and having a blast! I really enjoyed both Gavin DeGraw and Colbie Caillet! They both did a great job keeping the crown entertained and involved!
If you are in Utah, you really should check out Red Butte Garden Concert Series! Or any other outdoor concert series in your area! There is something fabulous about sitting outside listening to live music!
Question for you: What was the last outdoor concert you attended? Or any concert for that matter?
