Labor Day Weekend Things

Hi!  Is it just me or did this weekend feel SO LONG?  Not complaining, just saying.  I, for one, am all for a weekend that feels like it just keeps dragging on, because I cannot believe it’s already September.  I just want this year to slow down already.  Anyone else?

In true Labor Day fashion, this weekend was all about savoring the last bit of summer, which for me translates into beer, baseball, family and relaxing.  All of which started on Friday, with a Rockies game.

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Here’s everyone on their feet for Todd Helton who was attempting his 2500th hit.  I’m still harboring negative feelings towards Todd after this summer’s DUI charge (not cool!) but when the whole crowd is standing up and cheering, it’s hard to not join in.  For the record, he didn’t end up getting that hit.

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More Rockies on Saturday night.  We met out friends Bobby and Becca at the “Brew Fest and Food Truck Round Up” beforehand and I was severely disappointed.  We went to this event last year and there were at least 7 local food trucks.  This year they had TWO and neither were serving very “local” stuff.  My food took forever to come out and it was a huge mess.  And I drank a beer that literally tasted like cold stale coffee.  Unacceptable!  In other news, these little kids looked so tiny out on the field.  Too cute.

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For the record, Helton still didn’t get his 2500th hit at this game and also for the record, Joey thought he “looked good” in this picture, so don’t feel bad for him that I’ve posted it on the internet.  He asked for it, guys!  I’m sitting here trying to remember what I did all day before we went to the game and I’ve got nothing.

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Sunday started with this!  And look, I’m even following through on my no caffeine rule.  Joey, my sister, both our mothers and I all hit up Ikea for some house inspiration and my mom was nice enough to pick us all up some Starbucks for the road.  My favorite part was when my mom accidentally threw away her reusable cup and had to go back and pick it out of the trash.  Oh, Mom.

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No joke, we spent 5 hours at Ikea and spent $1.38 between the 5 of us.  We told my mom beforehand that we were just going there to get some ideas and she still kept trying to offer to buy us stuff.  You gotta love her determination though.  Don’t worry Mom, we’ll be going back once we’re actually moved into the house and then we’ll take you up on all those offers 🙂

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We also took a lunch break for some Swedish meatballs.  I had to be different from everyone else and get a salmon wrap that I seriously regretted after eating it.  I’m a sushi lover, but that cured salmon rubbed me the wrong way for some reason.  May this be a warning to myself to just go with the tried and true Swedish (horse) meatballs next time.

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I made it up to myself later with a delicious kale and mushroom quesadilla, alongside beer (naturally), the Rocky Mountain Showdown and Big Brother.  If you’re thinking that’s too much TV and too much going on in general, you are correct.  We were only half watching the CU vs. CSU game though.  Our Buffs pulled out the win this year!  I don’t even care about football but a good old college rivalry is always fun.  Especially when your alma mater wins.

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Today, we labored.  5 miles done before 8:30 AM.  Then ran a billion errands.  To the mall, to the grocery store, to Home Depot (do you even know how many shades of gray there are??) and to Beauty Brands.

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Hempz lotion on sale!  Half off.  I couldn’t resist and bought three.  In between all that, there has been lots of Six Feet Under and playing on this Ikea 3D room planner thing.  IT IS ADDICTING.  We also managed to sell the two glass tables we’ve had for the past few years.  New tables are in our future.

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Sunday Monday (whoa!) ended at my parents’ with a fabulous dinner and Huni Bunny for dessert.  Actually, we had strawberry rhubarb pie and gelato.  No offense to ice cream, but how much easier is gelato to scoop?!

I was in bed reading by 9 PM and lights out by 10, so I’m feeling well rested and ready to get through this short week.

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How did you celebrate Labor Day?

Are you ready for summer to end?

Have you ever been to Ikea?

Weekend Things

Good news! We had our house inspection on Thursday and nothing major or deal-breaking came up. And Joey officially closed on the house he was selling on Friday. In other words, moving right along. I couldn’t be happier. In other news, this weekend has been a good one. Actually, Joey has been at the office for most of it (making up for time missed doing house stuff this week and holding two fantasy football drafts), but we’ve been making good use of our nights for fun stuff.

On Friday, my family went to Red Rocks for “1964 the Tribute,” which is a Beatles tribute show. I figure I’m never going to see the actual Beatles in concert, so this is the next best thing. We had a car picnic in the parking lot then headed into the amphitheater for the show. The band had the Beatle mannerisms down.

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Please excuse the poor quality and size of this photo. Trust me, it only gets grainier the bigger I make it.

They sang a lot of their older songs, stuff the Beatles actually would have been performing while they were touring. I’d been hoping to hear a lot more of their later stuff but now I understand it was all for authenticity’s sake. Mom even taught me some old school dance moves like “the mashed potato” and “the hitchhiker.” Hilarious!

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How cool does the moon look in this photo?

On Saturday morning I went on a 5 mile run and was so proud of myself. That’s far for me these days. I’m kinda sorta thinking about signing up for a 15K (that’s 9.3 miles) in October so I thought I’d test the waters with a run that was longer than the 2-3 mile runs I’ve been going on lately. I felt pretty good on the 5th mile (it was my fastest!) but the thought of running 4.3 more miles terrifies me. I also started packing up our apartment. Our bedroom walls are looking so bare! Then I took a break to make some zucchini mini muffins.

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They came out great! I only know this after waking up at 1:30 AM, going into the kitchen for a glass of water and deciding what the hell, might as well eat a mini muffin too. That’s a normal thing to do, right? Anyways, we decided to head into Denver for dinner on Saturday night and ended up at Ace, the sister restaurant of Steuben’s and Vesta Dipping Grill and the only one we hadn’t been to. Yelp reviews weren’t the best but I’ve decided that people who give bad Yelp reviews just didn’t have enough beer with their dinner.

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We clearly did, so we loved it. Joey thought the ambiance and outdoor bar was way cooler than the set up at either Steuben’s or Vesta. I thought the two steamed buns with choice of side for $8 was way cooler than the prices at either Steuben’s or Vesta 😛 I tried kimchi for the first time and my tastebuds were blown away! It’s like sauerkraut on steroids. My mouth was on fire but I couldn’t stop eating it. I need help.

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Afterwards, we drove by our house and our future neighbors were having a giant party in the front yard with a bouncy castle. Now we’re wondering if that’s a regular weekend occurrence. Sunday involved sleeping in for what felt like the first time in forever and pancakes. And good news, I had just enough time between pancakes and yoga to pin a billion house-related things.

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Anyways, the real highlight of Sunday was a Farm to Table Dinner at Whole Foods with my family. I know, you probably thought it was Miley Cyrus’s performance at the VMAs, but you’re wrong. They had some tables and tents set up outside and for $10 we got a huge spread of locally sourced food, including bratwurst on a pretzel bun. Guys, a PRETZEL BUN. Oh and beer (yes, more beer) from my hometown. Louisville pride!

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Plus a real life Chopped competition. These two WF team members were given Hatch green chiles, Swiss chard, chocolate, bison skirt steak, peaches and red quinoa. Honestly, both of their plates looked really tasty! My mom and I stood up near the contestants for 10 minutes and tried to come up with our own creations. Then we both decided we’d rather just follow a recipe that someone else already created.

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Before we left, I ran inside with my sister to replenish my chocolate supply and had to buy this little Venus Flytrap for my office. Plus a mini orchid, so cute! Now we are parked on the couch watching the VMAs. I am actually mortified for Miley. What was she doing?! But I know JT and Nysnc are coming up so I’m bursting with excitement. On Saturday morning I watched One Direction’s performance on the Today Show and all those crazy crying and screaming girls totally reminded me of Nsync in the 90’s. Ah, how I missed them.

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Did you watch the VMAs?

What would you have done with those “basket ingredients”?

What did you do this weekend?