Category: Weekend Things

Weekend Things: July is here!

Lauren2 Comments

I know I could just wait a day and post about our weekend and the actual 4th of July all at once, but what’s the fun in that?

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Joey texted me mid-afternoon on Friday (from his office, 5 steps away…) to say he could be persuaded into leaving early for a happy hour drink/snack.  It wasn’t even on my radar but as soon as he brought it up, I was like “HUDSON HILL!”  Been wanting to try that coffee/cocktail bar for weeks so we pretty much had to, ya know?

The Green Hour is the prettiest of pastel greens and even though it’s not on the HH menu, I really needed to order it.  Probably the creamiest drink in all the land!  Plus pickled okra?!  Can’t pass that up.  Joey isn’t into pickled things quite like I am, but he’s gonna come around, I just know it 🙂

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Back at home, post-hammock hang and garden admiring — I know it sounds like we do that every day, but it’s just because we do that every day! — we real quick made some Blackened Shrimp Tacos and you know when you make something and you’re like “this is good but I think I know how to make them even better next time”?  Had that moment with these tacos.  All ♥ for taco dinner in our backyard though!

P.S. Spent the rest of the night watching the Rockies and I fell asleep on the couch and didn’t even see them win.  Also, it was the second time I fell asleep on the couch during a Rockies game this week…

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Do you even know how excited I get to go to the Farmers’ Market on Saturday?!  Yes, probably you do, but thought I should tell you again.  Biked over and bought… um two mini pies.  And then, because I felt we couldn’t leave without purchasing some actual produce, we snagged some real good-looking snap peas.  Kinda ready for peach/shishito/corn season to be upon us though.

Turned Friday’s taco into Saturday’s salad when we got back home, then had the energy to run a bunch of errands: cheese shop, liquor store, beer supplies, coffee beans.

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And now, the moment you’ve all been waiting for… the annual Shakespeare Festival outing!  We loved our picnic from last year so much that we did it all over again!  And honestly, is there anything better than drinking wine and eating cheese with your mom and your sister?  Answer: NO.

As for the play, I need you to know some things about The Taming of the Shrew.  #1: Shakespeare is my homeboy but this play is so freaking sexist!  It’s basically about submitting to your husband.  Only after suffering enough sleep deprivation and starvation though.  How bout no?  I’ve seen this play twice and the actors can do a lot in the way of body language and line delivery to make the plot less offensive but still.  #2: At the end, the entire cast did a dance together and afterwards, both my mom and my sister turned to me (sitting between them) and said “that was my favorite part!”  #3: 10 Things I Hate About You is still better than the original play 🙂

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Sunday started with a 5-mile run.  Not all that recommended if you went to bed past midnight the night before, but I lived.  Afterwards, we took ourselves to Thump Coffee for breakfast and I did what millenials do best, pay for the kind of toast I could make at home.  Did some adulting afterwards, aka grocery/lunch prep/house cleaning then shifted into R&R mode with the newest 5280 Magazine and a pedicure.  That color is called “Pixie” and I really love it.

To cap off Sunday, we (and the entirety of Denver) headed to City Park Jazz.  We sat further back then in past years because it was PACKED but it meant we could spread out more, plus we could still hear the live band so it was all good.  Replayed Saturday’s picnic spread + hummus and radishes from our garden.  Should have bought another mini pie for dessert but freezer cookies to the rescue!

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And now I’m off to contemplate whether I’m proud or worried that I ate cheese and sausage for dinner two nights in a row and to celebrate the 4th early, with new summer highlights in my hair, hopefully a Rockies win, some Biker Jim’s for dinner and get this, we may even stay for the fireworks tonight!  Wishing you all a happy holiday tomorrow!  

Weekend Things: Family Time in Estes Park

Lauren1 Comment

This weekend was just so so good.  When it comes to vacationing, I find I always have my sights set on far off locations and forget about the places, like Estes Park, that are only a few hours drive away, in our very own state.  And I always forget just how refreshing and re-energizing that fresh mountain air and time spent with loved ones can be!

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We stopped in Lyons to grab a beer at Oskar Blues Grill & Brew and look, I thought I didn’t like Oskar Blues beers, but then I had the Nooice Saison and loved it so much.  So I guess I don’t know who I am or what I like 🙂  They have an old school video game arcade that Joey and Adam were pretty into but my childhood mainly consisted of Mario Party on Nintendo 64 so I guess the nostalgia was kind of lost on me.

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Once in Estes (we saw three elk on our way!), we checked into our BEAUTIFUL condo, maybe locked ourselves out within three minutes of being there — four adults should be smarter than this, right? — made a very important beer run then had dinner at Tavern 1929, because when the lodge you’re staying at has its own restaurant and 18 microbrews, you obviously make a reservation.  We all dubbed Joey’s elk chops the best dish of the night and considered ordering dessert but then decided to retire to our condo for some hot tub/puzzle/sad sad Rockies game time.

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Saturday morning waffles for all!  Remember how I mentioned Joey made a bunch of buttermilk waffles last weekend?  Purposely, because we froze the extras then packed them up and just popped them in the toaster for everyone on Saturday morning.  I’d never tried this re-toast and revive method but they were great!  Plus, drinking coffee outside in the crisp mountain air is MY FAVORITE.  And I never pass up a coffee-mug-with-the-mountains-in-the-background picture 🙂

At 10, we made our way into town for the event of the weekend: The Scandinavian Midsummer Festival!  I didn’t even know A) Joey’s family had Scandinavian roots or B) that those painted horses are called Dala Horses and are a Swedish thing!  We totally had one of those in our house, growing up.  In all seriousness, the weather was beautiful, the festival was packed and it was cool to see all the Scandinavian culture.  We had lunch, made a stop at the taffy store and grabbed ice cream in town before heading back to our condo to rest up before dinner.

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We had a bit of a dinner party at our place later on.  Everyone came over with food and Joey and I cooked salmon with a recipe we’d never used at a size we’d never cooked but it all went swimmingly (sorry, had to make a fish pun) and this beet salad always impresses.  And I learned what potato bologna was and even got to try it for myself.  Had many Swedish learning experiences this weekend, guys!

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Okay, all I have are food photos from the beginning and the end of Sunday, but in between was a bunch of good stuff, like a quick and painless drive back from Estes, lunch at BriDer, couch lounging, garden surveying (my parents watered for us while we were gone and I love them for it ♥), running (amen for a quick weekend cool off in Denver), kombucha brewing and dinner cooking.  It felt like there were 10 extra hours in the day and I was not mad about it!  Joey made garlic scape pesto with scapes from the farmers’ market and, get this, chard from our garden.  Yes!  It was so good and we used it in some pasta for dinner and all was right in the world.  Except the Rockies… WHAT HAVE WE DONE TO DESERVE SUCH PAIN??

Please tell me what you did this weekend, I’d love to hear!