Sunshine and VEGGIE BURGERS!!! (13.2)

happy monday Tuesday! (What happens when you forget to finish your post)...

 I feel slightly like i have been hit by a bus. This past weekend has been the first time Mpls has hit the 70's in sooooo long, it was the first Spring/Summer weekend in over 7 months i think?

Yuck.

 

So, of course, I spent the ENTIRE weekend outside! First time my feet have been dirty and sore from flip flops in TOO long!

 

Friday, Saturday AND Sunday = GRILL OUTS!!

 

Friday was a spectacular little grill out with my hubby cooking up some pork chops, salad and amazing red potatoes!

Check out this spread!

Dash and Griff also enjoyed the sunshine - playing and fighting over their tennis balls in the yard...

 

 

On Saturday, Brady went camping with our friend, Brian, and took Dash along for the adventure. It was the first "Griffy-Mommy Day" and we took advantage.

First we went for a ride in Brian's HOT Infiniti with the sunroof open and cruised over to The Gregerson's for grillout #2 :)

 

 

Griff and Lola - their little rat terrier once again proved there is such thing as real love. See Steph's post here about their lovefest: Insert Classy Here

 

Griff did awesome over there. He chilled on my lap and got treats with Lola and Quincy too!

 

 

One thing I AM SO EXCITED about is a NEW food I tried and LOVED!

VEGGIE BURGERS!

For those who are new, I started this blog to document my "Thirty Before Thiry" and one of my #s is to try 5 foods I thought I would hate.. and yes, I am a picky eater, so veggie burgers definitely qualify.

This one was a gem! I am so proud of myself and also glad I have friends that feed me when I come over empty handed ;)

J grilled up some MorningStar Griller's Choice Prime - and I was BLOWN away!

 

Yay for a good weekend and double YAY for veggie burgers!

 

 

 

 

 

Obsessing over right MEOW!

For my Thursday Thoughts, I am going to focus on where my thoughts are at the moment... Not on my workload in front of me (as they probably should be) but on SUMMER and warmth and sunshine. I am so DONE with winter. I have a closet full of new spring and summer clothes ready to be worn. So in honor of these dresses and sandals, etc. I am going to put up some things I Am OBSESSED with right now :)

Source for images: (1, 2, 3,  4, 5, 6,  7,)

1. Button Shirts in Bright colors! I love love love these Portofino shirts too from Express - I have them in 4 colors.. oops!

2. Organization.. yes i am desperately attempting to organize my life at work and our tiny condo. I wish I could have this kind of storage!!

3. Pic Monkey. My good friend Steph introduced me to this gem of a website. I am now obsessive about editing photos. And creating collages like the one on this post.

4. MINT! everything in my wardrobe, nails, jewelry. I am OBSESSED. This Essie color is actually more turquoise but I love it all the same. 

5. Christian Louboutins... Ahhh a girl can dream right? I would take a REAL pair in any style. I want to badly to overpay for that damn red sole. haha #sorryimsnotsorry

6. Fishtails and messy braids.. Now that summer is hopefully actually happening in MN i am sooo excited for messy hair -- which is where I get too lazy to dry my hair so I hang my head out the window on the way to work. :) Love me some added funk a braid/fishtail.

7. Nude!! I love nude and black, nude and white, and like this photo - nude and turquoise. I cant wait to pull it off with a fresh summer tan and not pasty winter skin ;)

8. Hawaii - I am - it feels like - the only person I know who didnt get a "warm weather" vacation this year... when we REALLY needed one. This pic is of my hubby in Maui. TAKE ME BACK!! 

My Fur Baby Boys

What a fun link up today! I am going to take inspiration from my friend Steph and get to "The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly" with my two little men.

 

Meet Dashel Xavier Sells...

aka Dash, Dashy, Bash, Dash Bash, Dashman, Bashel, Big Pooper

 

The Good:

1. Dash is the abolsute sweetest dog on the planet. He is the cuddle with you when you are sick, lay by you when you are scared, lick your face when you need it kinda boy.

2. He has the cutest, most expressive eyebrows EVER and it literally makes people wonder if he is a human and understands your thoughts.

3. He also "smiles" and people on the street will think there is a 100 lb lab walking down the street, SMILING!

 

The Bad:

1. My Dashel baby boy is also just that - a baby - and tends to express himself verbally with whining. Sometimes he is a genious and it means "Mom, I gotta go pee," but other times it is for a reason completely unknown. On the other side though, he is SO cute when you get home as he "whine greets" you with a wiggling tail and tells you "stories" about his day.

2. The vet tends to call him "big boned" but basically our 100 lb boy is a little on the heavy side during the winter so he can always stand to lose a couple... BUT hey, so can Mom! lol

3. Dash is an amazing watch dog but sometimes his thunderous bark can be at friends, so we have to tell him to calm down and stop growling/barking at his friends and family!

 

In Lieu of Ugly - I will go with "The Quirky"...

1. This big boy is a COUCH/BED dog... and he loves to go on his back and do his "roll" and sleep like that for hours. Upside down. Legs in the air. Overbite. It is priceless. Sometimes I wake up and think Brady is in bed, but nope it's Dash. Sleeping like a human.

Meet Griffin Chadwick Sells

aka: Griffy, Griff, Griff Pants, Grifferson, G Baby

The Good:

1. This little 15 week old man is our little blessing. We rescued him from a local shelter at 8 weeks (see post here: Meet Griffin)

He is a FAST learner and potty training, walking and sitting have been a BREEZE!

2. Griffin is a funny little boy too. He looks at you like a little human like he really understands you! And it is SO funny when he watches TV!

3. Griffy is also the sweetest when he snuggles up - sleeping Griff is the best. He lets you hold him while he snores quietly. Ugh, this one is my little baby.

The Bad:

1. Griffin is a puppy so there are some things to work on... Like biting us, his brother, the rug, etc. But he is a good listener so hopefully that will be a phase LOL

2. Griffin also is a little barker when it's time for his kennel during the day. I have even taken to "Go Pro" filming his barking to find out poor Dash has to listen to him whine and bark while we are at work.

3. He doesnt really understand boundaries yet. AKA trying to jump in the shower, licking the toilet..while you are on it! haha. Chewing on your sweat pants strings. Licking your eyes, hair, mouth, teeth, LOL pretty much anything...

In Lieu of Ugly - I will go with "The Quirky"...

1. One of the cutest moments with Griffin is when he is sleeping -- he positions that kids find himself in crack us up. He will be on his back on the couch stretched out with his head hanging upside down off of the couch -- like THAT is comfy? Just a nut.

 

Basically these two boys have my heart. My first borns. My fur babies. My life is complete with them :) Wouldn't have it any other way!

 

 

 

 

"Hey Winter, Go Home! You're Drunk"

The title of this post was one of the best joke statuses I saw on Facebook yesterday as we entered into record territory here in MinneSNOWta.

So, ofcourse, I am dreaming of the warmth.

I am reminding myself there are at least 38 reasons I should love living in MN... (obviously)

BUT in order to really get me through this 8+ inches of WET heavy poopy snow outside, I need a little help from my friends...

 

And I will be soon consuming some beers and relaxing AWAY from my cubicle while jamming out to at least these:

 

The Black Keys (I heart you Dan Auerbach)

(LOVE these French boys. Their new album comes out next Tuesday! YAY!)

 

Just had an EPIC private performance at The Electric Fetus a couple weeks ago. SO stoked for July 9th at the legendary First Ave. :) And one of my fav memories was with my big brother belting out these lyrics at the MN State Fair during a tornado warning... a little intoxicated. :)

 

AND to make EVERYONE's day a little regaee - one of my FAVS from this awesome Canadian group, Bedouin Soundclash.

 

 

 

Travel Tuesdays - Boston & Hawaii

What a horrific day yesterday... my heart goes out to all in Boston and all over the world as the marathon brought people from all over. My great-aunt qualified for the B.M. this year as she is a rockstar at the age of 73!

Here is a story about her and my uncle (The Bunks) and their running legacy I'd say. Sadly, my uncle Tom is battling cancer right now so she decided not to run in the Marathon this year. Just such a tough day...

One of my fav photos circulating though after this tragedy is a wonderful quote from Mr Rogers :) It makes my heart a little bit happy after such an awful act.

I am going to get this post on the positive side and update a photo for my Travel Tuesdays link up.

 

Please take me back to Maui. We honeymooned there last September and it was honestly the best vacation I have ever been on. And the first one just Brady and I took together. We did EVERYTHING!

- zip lined, paddle boarded, went to a luau, swam in the ocean, drove in our awesome Wrangler "Big Red" on the Road to Hana, saw the sunrise atop the Haleakala crater volcano (just stunning!).... I never wanted to come home.

If you ever want to take a fun trip without a passport needed, Hawaii is UNDERrated for how amazing it is.

 

 

Spring, where are you??? The Weekend Recap

This sums up April in Minnesota..

Snow, sleet, rain, freezing rain, ice... 

Seriously, where are you SPRING!?

Anyways -- despite this awful weather, I had a wonderful weekend. Here it is - all summed up for ya! :)

Friday - We FINALLY got over to see our favorite new parents and friends, Emily and Cory and their little "muffin man" Cohen. I can't believe he is almost 4 months old!! They got to meet little Griffin who is the exact same size as their little dog, Bertie - the coolest sweetest one-eyed Cockapoo EVER! I missed that fluff ball. Even though it was snowing, a fenced in yard is pretty awesome for the pups. :)

Me and little Cohen. Look at that POUT!! Melt my heart. 

Saturday morning, the dogs wanted to go for a walk since it was literally the only 3 hours of sunshine in days... Griffin is getting SO big! He is 23.5 lbs this morning!!! 

On a second note, Griffin has succeeded in making it onto the bed... He uses his "orthopedic" dog bed as a spring and Dash has nowhere to hide during Griff's psycho playtime. 

Don't let the sleepy boys fool you, they have destroyed my bed. lol 

Ps - Has anyone heard of Vine? Well, it's my new obsession. It's like Instagram for videos. You can make them as random or funny as you want. They are 6 seconds long and play on a loop. Here are some of my awful attempts from Saturday. 

Note: I started drinking during Brady and my HUGE spring cleaning day -- Derrick and Lacey stopped over to meet Griffin, and we got the day started... early. Haha. 

Here are some Vine Videos... 

"Wresting"... They are OBSESSED with that ball.

"Ducks" on a walk on Saturday through Loring Park

Saturday night we had dinner at Nami with my coworker Kim and her husband Tim "the Siegels." See how excited Brady was for the picture?

After some sake and sushi, we then ventured to North Loop Wine & Spirits for my other coworker's 30th Birthday, Mike Gale.

Ps on Friday afternoon, his little peanut, Isaac stopped by work. Such a cutie!

This wraps up the "2 Hour Beer Tasting Event" -- we were a little wild. And yes, Kim, brought her own Belvedere and olives. Classy. 

And the best Vine video so far... "I think these people are too classy for me" -- Kim.

Sunday - 6am wake up call. Feeling awesome... NOT. Haha. But we ventured in the snow, yes snow, to Woodbury for our oldest nephew, Carter's, First Communion. He was so cute and proud. I can't believe how big these boys are. 

Brady's only sister has 4 boys 7 yrs old and younger... Cater, Kohan, Cameron and baby Karson. 

They all melt my HEART! 

Don't you agree they should be putting this baby in Gap ads?! UGH - that face. Karson - i love him!! 

Anyways -- THIS is a long "Weekend Run Down" but what a fun-filled time it was :)

Jambox - "Back that Azz Up Fridays!"

Has anyone ever heard of a Jambox? (You three readers you? - HAHA) Well I never had before...

Brady and I received a surprise in the mail a couple weeks ago - Whoop! It was a belated wedding gift from his parents' friends. The card said "Hope you guys can use this - Jamboxes are great!"

Lemme tell ya - this little 5inch contraption is simple to use - even I could figure it out - it uses either your USB, headphones or bluetooth to amplify your music LOUD! And it has a 10 hour chargable battery so you can take it to the beach, the cabin, etc. :) And it is made of rubber so it can be set on anything to absorb the vibrations. Niceeee.

Source

Anywhoo, in honor of "Back That Azz Up Fridays" - I am looking forward to heading home from work - ignoring the AWFUL April snow outside - and cranking up my Jambox REAL loud with a Longboard Lager in hand.. pictured here from our Honeymoon in Maui....

 

And I am going to CRANK this song for my neato friend, Steph (Insert Classy Here) as we just  jammed out on the"Jambox" during last weekend's Adult Drinking Games "Goodnight" Fest in Elk River, MN (aka the Boonies)

Enjoy!

 

 

And Steph...

Thanks for learning the whole dance routine for my wedding. That is one of the many reasons I love you. :)