Besties, Broncos and Breaking Dawn

I love weekends. I bet you’ve never heard anyone say that before. I especially love weekends that I get to get away with my love and go see one of my favorite people. My college roomie, Sara, lives in Boise with her boy-toy, which is thankfully only 3 hours away. It is our tradition to see all of the Twilight movies together, so we used Breaking Dawn: Part 2 as an excuse to plan a trip over there. We even made sure Boise State had a home game on the schedule so we could go party with the tailgaters cheer on the Broncos on the sweet blue turf.

We were greeted late Friday night with delicious tapas and even more delicious wine. I’m not very good at taking pictures because I’m usually having too much fun, but we probably looked something like this…


…but 5 years older. And just imagine my face full with stuffed mushrooms and homemade fries. And red teeth. The party poopers boys went to bed early while we stayed up too late chatting. I love bestie time.
The next day, which came way too soon by the way, was football day. Boise State pretty much sent Colorado State crying all the way home. It was 35 to 0 at one point. Needless to say, we left the rain and wind after the 3rd quarter to go find a cold beer at at bar since the campus is dry. Don’t they know they’d make way more money if they just let the drinkers drink?!


After having some drinks with some Pumpkin Spice vodka, and making a drink in a water bottle to smuggle in the theatre, we headed out to have dinner. We had our first course at a sushi place that included two rolls and sake bombs. Then we made our way to a Vietnamese restaurant for some Pho. Sidenote: I had no idea it is pronounced ‘fuh’. You’re welcome for that little lesson. It was quite delicious, and if you live in a big city, I highly recommend hitting up more than one restaurant in one night.




Then it was time for this.



And it was amazing. So amazing, that after a certain part in the movie, my dearest Sara yelled ‘mother-&!@#$%’ because we were so stressed out. And I laughed. It really was a great movie and all I have to say is being turned into a vampire did wonders for Ms. K-Stew. Oh, and I need my future daughter to look like Renesmee. Holy adorableness.

After the movie, we met up with the boys at one of the coolest bars I’ve been to in awhile. It’s called the Space Bar and it is full of sweet, old coin-operated arcade games. So, bring some quarters, buy a cold beer and play Pac-Man. Or Donkey Kong. Or Mortal Kombat. Or pinball. And then pick some music on the jukebox. It was quite the crowd and the clientele you would expect to see, but it was nice to see such a unique place doing so well. If only I could come up with a sweet idea like that…
So, long story short, I love weekends and need to be bitten by a vampire, stat. Hope your weekends were just as awesome! What’s the most unique place you have been recently??

 

Letters on a Friday. Again.

Woo! It's Friday so that means it is time for letters. Hooray for the second best day of the week! 

Via

 

Dear Twilight, aaagghh! I'm so excited to see you this weekend. It's bittersweet, though, since it's the end. Definitely not as sad as the end of Harry, though. #imanerd Dear Boise State Broncos, you best be giving us a good show this weekend! I see trouble in our future. Tailgating, football games, after game celebrating (hopefully), dinner downtown Boise, mucho vino, and Twilight. Wowza. Dear Sara (bestie), I can't wait to visit you and cause all sorts of shenanigans. I kinda really love that you're so close in Boise. Dear Travis, thanks for wandering around the mall last night looking for last minute Boise garb. You're so patient and awesome. #ihateshopping Dear Thanksgiving, you're welcome for not leaving you in the dust already. Stop the Christmas music, people! Give Thanksgiving a chance! I can't wait to eat too much and play games with the family.  Dear Blog, I'm excited to try my hand at giving you a makeover very, very soon. Please cooperate. Dear Readers, thanks for sticking around my usually lack of a blog. I know I say this a lot, but I promise I'll be more exciting soon. Oh, and check out the pretties on the right hand side. You won't be disappointed. Have a fantastic weekend! It better be full of adventure. I know mine will be!

I'm linking up with Ashley. She rocks. So do you. The end.

Oh, How Pinteresting...

I'm obsessed with Pinterest as well as pretty much everyone else who knows what the internet is. I'm hoping to link up with Katie and Steph at some point, but that would actually mean I have to accomplish one of the things I pin. I'm not the only one who would rather keep pinning more stuff than actually doing any of it, am I???

Even the husband rolls his eyes when I show him the 'coolest thing ever' I've pinned. I say that phrase a lot. He's just lucky I haven't made him build me everything. Yet. I thought today I'd share a few of the awesome-sauce things I've pinned lately and link up with Michelle over at The Vintage Apple. Oh, and I'm always looking for awesome pinners to follow, so find me here so I can find you, too!

Awesome art for above our bed

Pretty inspiration colors for the master

Homemade soap. Gift idea?

Yes. Just, yes.

Perfection in a camera bag.

Avocado Hummus. nom.

Shaving Pedestal. If you can't have a seat, this is the next best thing.

Disguise those TV's!

As you can see, most of the stuff I pin is home related, but I'm always pinning healthy recipes and the occasional outfit. Click the captions for the source. Happy pinning and hopefully more doing than me! More doing the things your pinning, I mean.

Gratitouille.

That’s my word for thankful. Tonight anyways. I’m not sure where it came from. Maybe it’s my mind telling me I need to watch ‘Ratatouille’…

…and that randomness leads me into the point of this post. Gratitude. Thankfulness. There’s so many things that I’m thankful for. Not just this time of year, but all year round. It is easy thinking about all those things right now, though, with the holidays in full swing. So, in no particular order…

I’m thankful for…

*My Family. Both sides are so different and so amazing, in their own ways. Life just wouldn’t be the same without all of them.
*Our Friends.
*my Riley darg. The feeling I get seeing how happy is when we come home is something I’ll never get tired of. Life just wouldn’t be as exciting without him and his hairy self.
*my husband. No explanation necessary.

*white wine and red wine and blue wi…oh wait. I just like wine.
*Seasonal beers
*Pumpkin everything
*A healthy body that can get me through every day, and even more challenging things like fun races
*my nephew. Who knew a 4 year old could bring such happiness. He makes me want one of my own. Someday.
*Our home. I’m so thankful for the roof over our head and all the amenities that come with it. So many aren’t as fortunate.
*’Parenthood’. Except when it makes me cry. Every week. But it makes me laugh more. If you haven’t watched it, get on it. Even Travis approves.
*My job. Even though I complain most some mornings, I really am glad I can help provide for our little family while being challenged every day. And read blogs once in awhile.
*Four Seasons. As glamorous as Idaho is isn’t, I love seeing snow falling abundantly in the Winter, the flowers blooming in the Spring, the sun beaming down in the Summer, and the leaves turning gorgeous colors in the Fall.
*Food. Delicious, clean, whole foods.

Obviously, this list definitely isn’t extensive, but I think it’s important to think about all the things we are so blessed to have. Not everyone is so lucky.

And because a post isn’t a post without a picture of an ass...

You’re welcome. What are you thankful for? Besides fuzzy noses, of course.

Friday's Letters

Dear the U.S. of A., thank you. I will probably never get political on this here blog, but I sure am thankful that we have the right to vote for what we want, even if it doesn't go the direction we hoped for. Dear Pocatello, yay for the animal shelter! I'm so happy you opened your wallets so the animal shelter can rebuild. Those critters need a safe home! Dear Riley, why must you look away when I take your picture? The camera isn't evil, I promise. Dear Friends, I can't wait for our Bloody Mary (the drink, not to be confused with an evil lady) party tonight. Let's see what crazy, delicious concoctions we can come up with! Dear Idaho, thank you for having four seasons. This fall was my favorite, yet. Now, the white flakes are falling and I can't wait to spend the holidays in our cozy, new home. Dear everyone, make sure you check out the girls on my sidebar! They rock, and it's always fun to find new blogs! Dear Veteran's, thank you for serving our country! The three day weekend is just a small bonus we have due to all the sacrifices men and women made for us, and still do today. Dear wine tasting last night, I liked you. Too much. The end.

I hope all your weekends are full of adventure, warm cups of this goodness, and time spent with some of your favorite people!

60,480 Miles. Approximately.

This weekend was the end of a big part of my life. It may not be the end forever, but for now, it was the best choice for my little family and me. For those that don’t know, I was a member of the Montana Air National Guard. The ANG is a branch of the Air Force and I’m proud to say that I served our country, even if it was only one weekend a month. It was the last weekend I was allowed to put on the uniform and call myself an Airman.

Why did I decide to join the guard? Honestly, the main reason was to help pay for my college education. It did that and more. I was at a point in my life where I needed a challenge and motivation. I’m very proud of the commitment I made. I traveled 420 miles each way the first of weekend of every month for 6 years. While I know this is a small sacrifice compared to the many others who spend countless days away from their home and families, I’m still proud of doing what I signed up to do.

It started with 6 1/2 weeks of basic training at Lackland AFB in San Antonio, Texas, followed by 6 weeks of technical school on the same base. The weeks flew by and even though they were challenging, I learned a lot about myself and gained a confidence that can never be taken away. In tech school, I was the class leader and also Distinguished Graduate. Please notice my baby cheeks and pre-brace smile. Let’s just say I wasn’t the toughest looking Airman, but I like to think looks are deceiving.

I never volunteered to be deployed anywhere as education was always my priority. Looking back, I’m a little disappointed, but every decision is made for a reason so I have no regrets. One good thing about the drive every month was not just the co-pilot I got to travel with, but seeing my family so often. I know that I won’t see them as much anymore and it breaks my heart just a little, especially since my nephew is is growing up so fast. We will make an effort to go as often as we can, though. Speaking of my co-pilot, this was my rear view. Let’s just say Riley is a professional car rider. Even though he can’t talk back to me, he’s the best company ever.

Another experience I’ll never forget and be forever grateful for was my chance to go to England with about 60 other guard members. We were there for 2 weeks and I trained with the Active Duty members at RAF Mildenhall. This trip deserves a post of its own as I got to experience a little bit of the European culture and see some amazing places, including London. I can’t wait to go back. I even got to fly over in a C-130 and hang out with the pilots on the way home!

My favorite part was the bathroom aka bucket with a curtain. The top right picture was my view while peeing. The plane was so loud you had to wear ear plugs. For 10 hours. I wish I had pictures of our seats. It was quite an adventure, to say the least, but I wouldn’t have changed a thing.

I may end up re-enlisting, but if I do, it will be closer to home. I am even considering getting back in as an Officer. For now, we are just going to see where life takes us. All I know is that whatever’s meant to be, will be. This sunrise on our way home this weekend said to me that beautiful things are ahead. I can’t wait to see what’s next!

The most exciting thing? Having 12 more weekends in the year to fill full of adventure! I also want to say a special thanks to everyone in every branch of the military. It takes a special kind of person to sign up and sacrifice their life for the rest of the country and I couldn’t be more proud to be an American. Our troops rock!