What's new?

Great question!  So glad I asked.  :)

Well it's been a while so you might already know some of these things.  But maybe you don't so I'm just gonna go crazy with it.

~Jeff and I do Yoga now.  In fact just today-I bought us our very own yoga mats.  Mine is blue and Jeff's is pink....  He just doesn't know it yet.

~So, the above also means we joined a gym.  I love it.

~Kipp's 3rd birthday was April 23rd.  He is getting so big!

~March 31st was our 4 year anniversary of our house.

~We have already done 2 demo's with the Colorado Disc Dogs.

~Rockstar is all healed from her injury.  :)

~I have been trying to go hiking every week.  I go with a group of girls on Weds and it's really fun.

~We went to Vegas for Jeffrey's birthday.  Except I got the most wicked bout of food poisoning EVER two days before we left and Vegas just wasn't done like it should have been.  We will have to get a re-do at some point. 

~Jeff and I went to the unveiling of the new Ducati that was released a few weeks ago.  Then Jeffrey got to demo the bike the next day in the rain.  I hope that rain isn't the theme of our summer...

~My brother David bought a house! 

~My friend Michelle came home with a huge NOT GUILTY verdict in her court case.  God is good.

~We've officially started our disc dog season.  TeamRK couldn't be happier.

~My dad had knee surgery and is doing great.

~We went to a Film on the Rocks last night to see Princess Bride.  It was my first FOTR experience and it didn't disappoint.

~I've been cooking like a mad woman.  And I like it.

~We've also been doing quite a bit of Frisbee golfing.  I have a new disc that I adore.  It's pink.  What more is there to say?

~We took a trip to Lake McConaughy last weekend.  It rained almost the entire time and it was awesome.  Seriously-no sarcasm.  We had a great weekend with our friends.

~Kipp and I learned a new disc dog trick...and in the process it looks like I was attacked by a spider monkey on my left thigh.  But the trick is sweet-and it was all worth it.

~I bought a new bocce ball set.  It's a bean ball bocce set and totally travel size!  I can't wait to use it.

~My sister Kimberly and my mom took Xavier on a trip to Oregon.  From what I've heard the trip was a raging success and everyone had a blast.  I'm still waiting for picture confirmation and with those 3-I know they're coming.

~It is finally so hot that we had to turn our air conditioning on.  Which is about 1 month earlier than we turned it on last year.  Hello 90 degree weather!


There ya go.  Our last month and a half recap in one post. 

Our Memorial Day Weekend recap

Man-where have I been?  Cooking and eating I guess!  ;-)

Anyway, what have Jeff and I been up to this past month?  Well the big things we've done are a big camping trip on Memorial Day weekend with a group of friends.  15 friends and 13 dogs to be exact.  It was pretty incredible.  We had perfect weather almost the entire trip (except if you count the freezing temperatures at night) and the location was prime.  Wanna see what I'm talking about?  Thought so.

This is how we started out our journey...not too shabby.

Everywhere you looked you could see for miles

So serene and peaceful

Here is Jeff at our river front property

TeamRK loved playing in the river!

The sunsets were amazing.  Every single night.

And, you know there had to be campfire fun!

This trip was great.  But when Monday came I think we were all ready to head home.  The bocce, horseshoes, 4-wheeling, dirt bike riding, hiking, firewood collecting, soaking in the sun, shooting, bathing in the river, eating amazing camp food, was amazing and all-but a hot shower topped our Memorial Day weekend off right.

It's been too long.....

......And it's not like we are up to nothing!! 

Roxy has been to the vet more times than I care to count in the last 6 weeks, but she is finally starting to heal and is off of crate rest.....FINALLY!  WTH vet-don't you realize that she is a border collie, ie: must use up energy daily or you will create a very irritable doggie?!

David's birthday was March 27th and he declared that day Plaid Day.  I've never seen more plaid in my life. 

On our way:

We went to a Rockies game during the opening series!!  And even though it went to 14 innings and eventually we did lose by 1, we still had a great time. 

We started doing Sunday morning bike rides with some friends and Amy is very out of shape!  We have completed 2 weekends in a row and both rides were about 15 miles.  Pretty good for Amy's first 2 rides (I think!).

Speaking of bike rides......guess what we're doing?  The MS 150.  Yeah-you read that right.  A 150 mile bike ride over 2 days at the end of June.  So on June 26-27, be thinking good energy and thoughts because I am definitely going to need it!  ;)  We just started my training and I can barely do 15 miles.....I wonder if 2 months is long enough to get me in the shape I will need to be in.  I guess we will find out soon enough!

Amy is also taking a cooking class!  Tonight is my second and final class in my little 'series.'  Last Thursday we were skilled in all of this: Field Greens with Champagne Vinaigrette; Triangle Tip Roast with Roasted Mushroom and Shallot Ragout; Sautéed Filet of Salmon with Aioli; Rice Pilaf; Broccoli with Shallots and Mustard Seed; Rustic Apple Crostada with Caramel Sauce.

Tonight during our 4 hours of fun we will be creating: Southwestern Black Bean Soup; Classic Caesar Salad; Pasta with Roasted Tomato Sauce; Perfect Herb-Roasted Chicken with Marsala-Sun Dried Tomato Sauce; Asparagus with Hollandaise Sauce; Wine Poached Pears with Homemade Cinnamon Ice Cream.

Last weekend we watched our friend Wendy's little 5 month old puppy.  She loves to snuggle and Jeff likes to snuggle....they were a match made in heaven.

Isn't she cute?? 

We have been to Mammoth games and Playoff Avs games!  And even though the Mammoth have decided to lose almost every game this season, the Avs pulled through with a big OT win! 

Life had been busy lately, but we've been doing lots of awesome fun stuff-so busy is good.  Vegas for Jeffrey's birthday is less than 9 days away and I can't wait.  We love Vegas, and have some pretty fun things planned.  I'm hoping we can get it all done in the time we're there, but if not, oh well-there is always next time. 

Oh-and Happy Earth Day!!!  Do something good for the environment today, and keep doing it. 

Cookin up a kitchen

My newest blog can be found here:

http://amysnewkitchen.blogspot.com/

Since I like cooking food and I like taking pictures, and I have too much time on my hands, what better way to spend it than another blog?!  Yay!  My new food blog is just getting its start but I have quite a few recipes up there already.

I took this picture at Fox & Obel Market in Chicago.  We had breakfast here one day and it was delicious!

Chicago Rocks

Check out this city:

Wow, Chicago is a huge city.  We tried to cram as much into 2 & 1/2 days as possible, but there was still so much that we didn't get to do.  We did get some of the really important things taken care of though. 

We:

Ate White Castles

Ate Chicago Dogs

Drank Green Beer

Ate Deep Dish Stuffed Pizza

Went to the Shedd Aquarium

Walked about 50 miles

Bought a shamrock scarf!

Found a pub that became 'our pub'

Took lots of pictures

Didn't eat anywhere that we could eat at in Denver

Saw the river be dyed green

Attended the St. Patty's day parade

Got drinks 95 floors up at the Signature Room in the John Hancock building

Had a couples massage in the room of our hotel

Did a little shopping

Got rained on

Went to Trader Joe's

Jeff and The Bean

At Giordano's waiting for our table and pizza!

Deep Dish Pizza

Willie Wonka river

The O'Brien's at the St. Patrick's Day green river

The view from our hotel room

The view from the 95th floor of the John Hancock building!

This is what I like to call a Hot Date at 950 feet

Green Beer!!

Doesn't this look like a haunted mansion or something?  I really like this picture!

More Chicago at night

I like to call this one 'Look Ma, No Heads!'

Chicago was amazing.  It really makes me want to travel more and I think Jeff and I should take advantage as much as possible right now while he doesn't have to take time off of work.  I'm already trying to figure out where to go next! 

Crazy week

It was supposed to be a nice calm week last week and it started out that way.  Then our sweet little Rockstar had a run-in with a ski while backcountry skiing with Jeff down Loveland Pass.  Now she looks like this.

Don't let her fool you though.  She really likes this whole, I'm a gimp, I can't go up or down the stairs so you have to carry me, and feed me my pills in lunch meat....and on and on and on like that.  She really enjoys getting her pills.  I think she might actually hope to break a stitch so she can get more lunch meat pills.

But we had her follow up vet appt today and she is doing great!  They said her wounds are healing perfectly and they look great.  The staples come out next Monday, right after we get back from Chicago!!  Hopefully-she remembers this and doesn't run into any more skis any time soon.

Then on Saturday we did our civic duty and donated money to charity.  We did an 80's pub crawl with the monies raised going to Autism Speaks.  The lady who runs the event has a daughter with autism so she runs these pub crawls about twice a year.  It was so much fun.  Wanna see some neon?  Ok-you asked for it!!

That's our awesome team.  We had so much fun.  It doesn't get much better than being able to dress like a freak and drink a bunch of beer.  

Awesome week!

This is a great week.  Did you know that one February 28, 2006, the one and only Rockstar came into our lives from Lousiville, Colorado.  She was just 14 weeks old and the cutest puppy I had ever seen.
 

(Are those pictures blurry to everyone else?  What is with that?  I might have to post these again later.... but it will have to work for now!)

Fast forward two years later and February 24th, 2008 - Kipp officially became a part of Team O'Brien.  He came from somewhere in Wyoming, waiting in rescue for 7 months to find the right family to be with forever.  It was us.  I still can't believe I ever convinced Jeff to get a second dog but I don't think he regrets it for one second!  I mean-look at this face!

So we are celebrating by going to a doggy play date tomorrow, which is also good practice for the upcoming disc dog season!  :)   And they also got some new toys-because let's admit it-it doesn't take a lot for me to want to get them some new toys.  (It helps that Rockstar destroys toys in less than 2.5 seconds.)

Last weekend we also got together with some doggy friends for a long distance competition with floppy Frisbees....it was so much fun!  We all bundled up in our ski gear and loaded the dogs up to take them to the park.

The dogs had a blast in the snow and chilly weather.....the humans got a little too cold at the end and we decided to go and warm up with a beer and some mexican food.  :)

Just One

Rockstar is the most helpful little pup on the planet. See what I mean? Here she is helping Jeff with the dishes!

Kitchen helper

New favorite past time? Shopping at the grocery store. A lot. Last time we were there looking for hoagie rolls for our Italian Beef Sandwiches (more on that to come later) I gravitated toward the clearance section.....and look at what I found!

Isn't she awesome? I know!! My very own My Little Pony. She has a bowl full of batter, half a dozen eggs, a carton of milk, and a pie in a box (which isn't in the picture because it's too big and flies off the top of the microwave when I open the cabinet doors.)

On to the food from the past week and a half!

I have been trying to branch out a little from my usual chicken and rice, spaghetti, and taco dinners. Which I'm sure Jeff appreciates because I've actually been buying beef! Go Amy, go Amy, go Amy.

London Broil with a fresh herb butter:

Homemade Bread:

In honor of World Nutella Day last Friday we had homemade bread with Nutella:

We had 3 other couples over for Italian one night last week. It was lots of fun, we ate a ton of food, and started off with this delicious caesar salad. YUM!

Then we ate lasagna. It was so good, there was only one serving left....you know, the one no one will touch because it's the last piece....
Jeff didn't mind eating it for lunch the next day! He said it was just as good reheated. :)

Valentine's Day!!! I love Valentine's Day! We had such a delicious dinner.

Started off with this! Cheesy artichoke and tomato squares. They are amazing. I found the recipe in a Pampered Chef cookbook that my Grandma gave me when we were out in Texas visiting her in December.

Now onto the entree! Chicken Tikka Masala with saffron rice and homemade naan bread. Indian food is one of my new obsessions. I love the flavors and the simplicity, and the colors. We both really enjoyed this and decided it's going on the list of staple dinners.

A picture of our V-day dinner table. Look at those lillies!

And last but not least, Italian Beef Sandwiches with munster cheese and giardiniera. Jeff was in meat heaven. Since we are going to be in Chicago in less than a month I figured we better get to practicing our 'Chicago Lean'.

What's that? You don't know what the Chicago Lean is? Blasphemous! From italianbeef.com:

The Chicago Lean (a step-by-step guide)

Put your sandwich on the counter and stand in front of it, with your chest about 12 inches from the edge of the counter.

Lean forward so your chest is at a 45-degree angle to the counter (Note: if you’re wearing a tie, make sure it’s tucked inside your shirt)

Pick up your sandwich, resting your elbows on the counter

Angle the sandwich at a 45-degree angle to the counter, with the top end towards your mouth. (Imagine making a triangle: the counter is the bottom, your head and chest are one side, the sandwich is another)

Eat and enjoy. For best results, keep the sandwich wrapped in the wax paper it most likely came in, unwrapping it as you go.

I think we are ready to go to Chicago now. I know I am ready for the food! I can't wait.

Random awesomeness

Today at work I received a ketchup bottle in the mail. Say whaaaaa? Yup-as a reminder from the company that catered our (fun, fantastic, rad) company holiday party that we had this past year, that they also cater picnics as well. I adored our catering company. They were SO easy to work with, had friendly, knowledgeable staff, and the price was right! You can't beat that combination any day of the week.

I can't imagine paying someone to cook burgers and hot dogs though-but in any case I love my ketchup bottle and plan on taking it home and using it for oil. The little fun things like this (paired with the delicious food and great service) will always keep me coming back to a company because it shows a little personality. Job well done, Catering By Design!

Weekend plans

Well, let me start this post by telling you all about my predicament. I hate shredding cheese. Yep-there in lies my predicament. For Christmas I received a most wonderful present - a KitchenAid Slicer and Shredder attachment. I was in love! See the picture of my love below:

But alas when I got home and pulled out my mixer to put my lovely Christmas gift to good use.....I discover that my mixer is no KitchenAid at ALL!! I didn't even know that other manufacturers made stand mixers! Ha! So, in an effort to never shred cheese by hand again I was on a mission to find a KitchenAid mixer. I just so happened to run across one on eBay-so WEIRD!

3-5 business days later this lovely little beast arrived on my doorstep.

Beautiful, isn't it? Well I sure think so! And I am going to put it to good use this weekend. I haven't made homemade bread yet, but I think it's time. We just ran out, and I have a delicious recipe waiting to be made!

Other than that we are helping a friend move back to Colorado tomorrow, and then it's Super Bowl Sunday time!