Happy Halloween!

<3 Mrs. B!

Happy Birthday times 2!

I took Tuesday off to celebrate the birth of my most favorite man in the world... Mr. B! I know; SHOCKER! I took him to breakfast at our favorite spot, The Classic Cookie. Then we did some shopping, and went to dinner with family.

How cute is this guy!?

Later that day... We received the news that Mr. B will now be sharing his birthday with my newest most favorite man in the world... Meet Baby Parker! His mommy and I have been friends since the 2nd grade. I have been anxiously awaiting his arrival. I haven't met him yet, but I think we're going to get along really well!!

Colorful Colorado

Over the Memorial Day weekend, Dennis and I traveled to the lovely state of Colorado to celebrate my friend's 30th birthday. All she wanted for her birthday was to spend the weekend with all her friends in a fabulous house in Breckenridge! 

The house was indeed, FABULOUS! It was 7 bedrooms, 5 baths, huge kitchen, massive balcony with an amazing view of the mountains (see pic), and a hot tub. 

I had never been to Breckenridge before, so on Friday night, we decided to have dinner at one of the oldest restaurants in town. It was called The Hearthstone. Here I am thoroughly enjoying my new favorite wine, Frisk Riesling! It is mildly sweet with just a little bit of sparkle.

Saturday, we decided to explore Breck a little further. The town is really tourist-y, to be honest, so we didn't find much that we were interested in... Aside from food, of course!

Lunch was spent at Giampietro's Pizzeria, said to be the best pizza in town... I believe it.

Me enjoying a NY style slice

Den with HALF a calzone. It was the size of my arm!!

More wedding bells!

My husband makes fun of me all the time, as I am a compulsive crier! I cry when I'm angry, I cry when I'm sad, I cry when I'm tired, and most of all, I cry at weddings! What can I say? I love LOVE!

Recently, two of my best college buddies tied the knot after 7 years together. I couldn't have been happier. It was a beautiful day, and my friend made a beautiful bride :)

Congrats Mr. and Mrs. Sutton

Me with the newlyweds!

Jen was glowing that day :)

Cool story, bro...

So, my recent absence is due to ACL reconstruction surgery on my right knee.

I injured it back in December, and proceeded to ignore it for the last 2 months. Well, after injuring it AGAIN doing the same thing, I figured it was time to have it looked at. After an MRI, my worse fear was realized; "a complete tear of my ACL, cease ALL physical activity until you consult with the surgeon". Awesome. Exactly what I was trying to avoid.

I wish I had a super cool story to go along with this injury; but the truth is, I hyper-extended it during my favorite class at the gym, Turbo Kick. I told someone I was going to start making up how I hurt it because the real story is pretty lame...

It's ironic, I lose all this weight to avoid knee surgery, and end up having to undergo it anyway because of my work out!! I can't win for losing...

Surgery was February 19th and I spent the last two weeks recovering. Poor Mr. B had to do EVERYTHING for me. Get me water, help me walk, wash my hair, you name it! I could barely use the bathroom by myself. He was amazing, truly amazing.

The recovery hasn't been too bad. Not much pain at all. I have to say the worst part is the swelling; check out my "cankle"!!!

The best part? Getting to use the super sweet motorized carts at the stores!

OH YEAH!!

How sweet it is...

To be loved by Mr. B!!

He knows the way to my heart!

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY

It's getting there

Finally started to put up some decorations in the house! It's only been 8 months since we moved in... This is our staircase going up to the the 3rd floor. Inspired by Pinterest (are you surprised)

One Year Anniversary!

Can you believe it's already been a whole year since Mr. B and I tied the knot?! Neither can we!!!

We decided celebrated the blessed event at The Capital Grille on The Plaza. Excellent idea (on my part)! Service was top notch, the food was exquisite, and if nothing else... Just go for the Stoli Doli's!!!

The Stoli Doli is their signature drink, which is just pineapple soaked in vodka for several days, then shaken over ice and served in a martini glass. DELISH : )

We really enjoyed our dessert as well...

We were surprised with this lovely plate, plus 2 glasses of champagne! It was an amazing evening...

A Very Barnes Christmas

Well, we survived the holidays! Dennis and I hosted both families, BOTH days; my family Christmas Eve, his on Christmas Day. Both days went perfectly, if I do say so myself : )

Here's what was on the menu(s):

Xmas Eve
Boiled King crab legs
Bacon-wrapped filet mignon
Homemade creamed corn<<This recipe was given to me by my friend, Liz, it was SENSATIONAL!
Loaded mashed potato casserole (loaded with bacon, cream cheese, scallions, and sharp cheddar)
Broiled asparagus
"Lemon Dream" cheesecake
Homemade rolls
And... The most amazing homemade butter, courtesy of my husband! He whipped it up that morning... Literally! He put heavy cream in the Kitchen Aid mixer and whipped it into submission!

Den's yummy homemade garlic-herb butter

Xmas Day
Lasagna with ground veal, pork, and beef
Fettuccine Alfredo with grilled chicken marinaded in lemon, garlic, olive oil, and red pepper flakes
Fresh green salad with assorted veggies
Homemade garlic bread
New York style cheesecake (my mother-in-law makes the BEST)

Needless to say... There were full bellies all around for several days! We had a great time, though!