Update

So...we did not end up seeing The Town on Thursday night.  We went to dinner at The Rio (yummy Mexican food and even yummier margaritas) with our friends Lauren and Andy and we were all having such a fun time catching up that we decided  not to go to the movie. 

But we did see it on Friday night.  Paul got home from work at 6:00 which was such a treat!  We went to dinner and then caught the 8:30 show.  The movie was so good!  Paul and I both really enjoyed it.  I think Ben Affleck is a good actor, but I really like him as a director (if you have not seen the movie, Gone Baby Gone, that Affleck directed-RENT IT TONIGHT!).  He directed and acted in this one.  It had me thinking for the rest of the night...I love movies like that!

On Saturday Paul had the day off (his first since July).  We woke up early and took the cars in to be washed, went to the grocery store, took Oscar for a walk and were back to the house by 10:30.  I am not kidding you when I say that we watched football from 10:30 in the morning until 10:30 at night.  You would think that since Paul spends 17+ hours a day doing football stuff, the last thing we would want to do on his one and only day off would be watch football.  Oh no, not him.  He wanted to sit and watch football all day, so sit and watch we did.  I couldn't complain because there were two games on TV that I really wanted to see: Arkansas vs. Alabama and Auburn vs. South Carolina.  We had some friends over and I made chili and cornbread and a few other snacks.  We cheered for Arkansas and were all really bummed that they ended up losing to Bama, but we were so happy that our Auburn Tigers beat the Gamecocks!  WAR EAGLE! 

Paul had to go back to work early on Sunday so I was on my own again.  I cleaned up the house a bit, ran some errands and went to get my hair done.  Then I came home and got all of our Halloween decorations out of storage!  Every year I forget what decorations we have so unwrapping each item is like Christmas morning.  It's so fun!  We don't have a ton, but it's enough to give the house a festive little make-over.

We have a busy week ahead.  Paul, of course, will be preparing all week for our game against Georgia on Saturday.  I have to plan and shop for the tailgate, go to my ENDOW and photography classes on Tuesday, clean the house on Wednesday, and then Paul's parents come on Thursday.  My Aunt Carol is also coming to visit this weekend.  Exciting stuff!  

Hope you all have great week!

Date Night

This week has gone by fast for me.  LOVE IT!  I'm so happy it's already Thursday and do you know why?  It's Date Night!  Tonight Paul and I are actually going on a double date with our newly married friends Lauren and Andy.  We are going out for dinner (not sure where yet) and then we are going to see....

The Town

Whoa, can't wait to hear what this girl's story is, she looks like a mess!

I've been looking forward to seeing this movie ever since the first time I saw the preview a few months ago.  It looks soooo good!  I haven't been to the movies in a long time.  I'm excited!

Tomorrow's Friday, WOOHOO!

Happy Fall

Today is the first official day of fall. Yay!

I LOVE fall!  It's one of my top four favorite seasons.

haha just kidding.

It definitely feels like fall here today.  I love when the air feels crisp and it's just chilly enough to pull on a sweater.  I can't wait for the leaves to change color.  I'm excited to start bringing back some of my fall recipes.  I was beginning to get sick of food on the grill (come mid winter I'll be cursing myself for ever saying that).  And I really can't wait for Halloween.  I love, love, love Halloween!

I picked up this magazine from the store yesterday.  I'm excited to read it.  Hopefully there are some good ideas inside...I'll let you know.

Some other things I'm looking forward to this fall:

* football tailgates

* apple pie

* going to the pumpkin patch

* carving pumpkins

* Halloween candy

* chili and corn bread

* making caramel apples

* costumes

* haunted houses

* apple cider

* lighting my "Harvest" candle from Yankee Candle Company (I highly recommend this candle, it smells oh so good!)

* Halloween decorations

* hay rides

* chocolate pecan pie

I hope you all enjoy this wonderful season!

Our Weekend

We are so happy today because our Buffaloes pulled off a win against Hawaii over the weekend!  We had a 1:30 kick-off time so two of my fellow C-Dubs (coaches wives) came over on Saturday morning to do a little "tailgating."  We had some bagels and beer (kinda weird, but we forgot the tomato juice for bloody marys haha) and then we walked down to The Sink for some drinks.  The Sink is an old restaurant/bar right on the edge of campus that has been open since 1923.  It's a pretty cool spot and is always super crowded on game days.  We didn't look so hot during the first half of the game and I must say that after last weeks loss to Cal, I was more than a little nervous.  But the Buffs really turned it around in the second half and ended up winning 31-13.  YAY!

Here's what the rest of our schedule look like:
9/25 - Bye Weekend
10/2 - Georgia
10/9 - @ Missouri
10/16 - Baylor
10/23 - Texas Tech, Homecoming
10/30 - @ Oklahoma
11/6 - @ Kansas
11/13 - Iowa State
11/20 - Kansas State
11/26 - @ Nebraska

I just love football season!

After the game, Paul and I went down to Denver for our friend Ashley's birthday party.  Ashley coaches with Paul and he's a really great guy.  We also met up with our friend, Joe, who lives in Denver.  Paul and Joe played football together at CU and were roommates for 4 years.  We love Joe and don't get to see him nearly as much as we'd like, so it was really fun to see him.  He let us stay at his loft downtown so we wouldn't have to drive home which was nice.  Thanks Joe!

We came back early on Sunday morning because Paul had to work.  I spent the day watching TV, meal planning and grocery shopping.  Since it's a bye week, we are hoping that Paul will be home early enough to eat dinner with me a few nights this week (crossing my fingers!).  It's been a while since I've cooked dinner for anyone but myself.  Here's what we're having this week:

Sunday - Breakfast Casserole (see recipe below)
Monday - Stuffed Peppers, this is a new recipe, I'm excited to try it
Tuesday - Shredded BBQ Chicken Sandwiches in the crock pot
Wednesday - Roasted Shrimp and Orzo, this one is so yummy and super easy!
Thursday (date night) - Chicken Taco Grande, one of Paul's favs

Last night I made this yummy breakfast casserole.  We love having breakfast for dinner!

1 lb. reduced fat bulk pork sausage
1/2 onion, chopped
3 cups frozen hash brown potatoes
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
10 oz can diced tomatoes with green chiles, drained
4 oz can chopped green chiles, undrained
1 1/4 cups Bisquick Heart Smart
1 cup milk
1 1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
8 eggs

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.  Spray a 13x9 inch baking dish with cooking spray.  In a skillet, cook sausage and onion over medium-high heat until sausage is no longer pink.  Drain.

In a large bowl, toss sausage mixture, potatoes, 1 1/2 cups of the cheese, tomatoes, and green chiles.  Spoon into baking dish.  In the same bowl, stir remaining ingredients with a wire wisk until blended.  Pour over potato mixture.

Bake uncovered for 30 minutes.  Sprinkle remaining 1/2 cup of cheese on top.  Bake 5 minutes longer or until casserole is golden brown and set.

Enjoy!

Have a great week :)

Show Us Your Life - Living Rooms

I decided to participate in Show Us Your Life Friday over at Kelly's Korner.  Todays' topic is Show Us Where You Live, specifically, Living Rooms.  I thought this sounded like a ton of fun!  I love looking at other people's homes.  It's a great way to get a peek into their life, as well as get a little inspiration of your own.  I figured I couldn't look at everyone else's without sharing my own.

This is our house. It's over 100 years old.  It's actually a house that my parents own and rent to college students each year. My sister, brother and I all lived here when we were in college (not at the same time, unfortunately). When Paul and I moved back to Colorado a year ago, we knew we wanted to rent this house from my parents. It's such a cute little house and it's in a GREAT location! We are walking distance from work, bars, restuarants, shops, and some of the best hiking trails in Boulder.

This is the view of our Living Room/Family Room (and Oscar haha) from the front door.  The couch is one I've had since college.  The coffee table was a house-warming present from our parents when Paul and I bought our first home (in Auburn).  The futon is a hand-me-down from my sister.  We've always got friends and family coming to stay with us on the weekends, especially during football season, so the futon gets a ton of use! 

This is the view from the other side of the room.  The bar at the end of the room is another hand-me-down from my sister and I love it!  The brown chair is Paul's favorite thing.  We bought it a couple of years ago.  One thing you should know about me is I hate recliner chairs.  I just don't think they look nice.  Paul wanted one so bad.  He spent six months trying to convince me that he really needed one.  I finally compromised and said that we could get one, but only if it was leather (none of those microfiber varieties with the built-in cup holders).  I must say, the chair has grown on me.  But I can't wait until we move into a house that's big enough for Paul to have a study or den and I can stick the chair in there haha!

Well, that's our Living Room.  I hope you all enjoyed it! 

And on another note, the Buffs play Hawaii tomorrow so wish us lots of luck!  

Have a great weekend :)

Confessions

1. I failed my own blogging challenge.

2. There are six things I am deathly afraid of (in no particular order):
    * tumors
    * battery acid
    * scissors
    * Gene Wilder (you know, the actor who plays Willy Wonka in the original Charlie and
       the Chocolate Factory movie
    * mold
    * getting caught on the jumbotron while eating

3. When I was in college I went through a phase where I only wore black tops and jeans.  For some reason, I thought every shirt looked more chic in black.  I had exactly 33 different black shirts.  Then one night I was at a party and a guy asked me if I was wearing the exact same thing as the night before.  I haven't bought a black shirt since.

4. I hate cooked fish and refuse to eat it, but I love raw fish.

5. My sister is my best friend in the whole world, although I'm fairly certain that if she wasn't my sister and I met her in the real world, we wouldn't be friends at all.

6. Have you ever heard people say, "I almost died of embarrassment"?  I think that this might actually be how I die.  I get embarrassed 7 times a day on average.

7. One time I was shopping at Forever 21.  I spilled my coca cola classic all over the floor and was too embarrassed to deal with the situation so I just ran out of the store (please see #6).  I am not proud of this.

8. I've been in love with my husband since I was 16 years old. 

9. Prank-calling people is one of my favorite pastimes.

10. I hate being left out of anything.  When I lived in Auburn and the rest of my family was still in Colorado they would lie to me when they were all hanging out because they knew I couldn't stand it.

11. I used to cheat at Candy Land when I played with my little brother.  Poor kid couldn't understand why he was always getting stuck on Plumpy while I was heading straight for Queen Frostine.

12. I don't really like dogs.  I'm not the kind of person that will going running up to a dog just to pet it.  In general, I think they are kind of gross and annoying and I can't stand to have dog hair or slobber on me.  That being said, I have a dog named Oscar and I love him more than anything.  This is completely hypocritical, I know. I'm sorry.  Please don't de-friend me.

13. I dislike cats even more.  I'm severely allergic and mildly creeped out by them.

14. I am a terrible liar.  I don't even try anymore, that's how bad I am.   

15. I am a middle child.

Challenge

I'm challenging myself to blog every day this week.  Even if I don't have anything to say (like right now) I'm going to try to write at least a few sentences.  So here goes...

Do you ever just wake up on the wrong side of the bed?  Well I did this morning and it made for an awful day at work.  I was in a funk and couldn't seem to get myself out.  It didn't help that my co-workers were all giving me hell for the sub-par game that the Buffs played on Saturday.  It amazes me how insensitive people can be sometimes.

I decided not to go to the gym after work today.  It's weird how I decide not to go when I'm having a bad day when in reality it probably would've been the best thing for me???  I'm crazy, I know.  But my gym buddy is on her honeymoon for one more week and my couch was calling my name.  I've been watching Friday Night Lights on Netflix and am SO addicted!  I never watched it when it was on prime time TV, but I started watching the first season the other day and now I can't stop. 

Speaking of TV, I can't wait for all of the fall shows to start back up.  Some of my favs: Glee, Gossip Girl, 90201, Sons of Anarchy, Desperate Housewives.  I spent a couple of minutes programming the DVR today, but I feel like I'm forgetting some good shows.  Any suggestions??  It's pretty pathetic how much TV I watch, especially during the season when Paul works late every night.  Maybe I should get a new hobby.  Maybe I should start a blog...oh, wait.

A hobby of mine that I will be spending more time on is photography.  I just recently signed up for a class with my brother.  It starts tomorrow and I'm excited!  I'll let you know how it goes.

Hope everyone has a good week!

Over 'n out

Fourmile Fire

{via the colorado independent}

I'm sure you've all heard about the fire burning in Boulder Canyon right now.  I've had a lot of people email and text me, so let me start by saying that my family and I are ok.  The fire is closer to my parents house than my own, but they are still a safe distance away and have not had to evacuate. 

I've lived in Boulder for most of my life and have come to expect that fires in the foothills are as much a part of this time of year as football.  In fact, my parents have been evacuated from their house more times than I can remember.  But this fire is different.  This is by far the worst fire I've seen in Boulder. 

The facts so far:

* The fire has burned 7,100 acres and containment is at zero percent.

* 92 structures have been destroyed and of those, at least 54 are homes.

* More than 3,000 people have been evacuated.

* No injuries have been reported, however, there are eight people from the evacuation area that are unaccounted for.

* Officials are still investigating the cause of the fire, but there are reports that it started when an RV backed into a propane tank which caused an explosion.

{via fox 31}

This is so sad!!  My heart is breaking for everyone involved.  I've been thanking God that no one has died or been seriously injured because that is the most important thing.  Please pray for the firemen that are risking their lives, and for all the people that have lost their homes and possessions.  And please, please pray for the people/person responsbile for causing the fire.  I seriously can't imagine the guilt and responsibilty they are feeling for a simple accident that could have happened to any one of us and is causing so many people pain.  What a horrible burden to bear.