Getting Pretty Fancy

I have made a couple of awesome meals lately that I would like to share with everyone.  They were both so good and healthy that it's a must I share. 

The first one I found on Pinterest...of course.  It's Chicken and Asparagus Crepes and it is only 405 calories and very yummy!  The recipe called for store bought crepes, but I made my own instead of buying them.  You can do it either way.  I will definitely make this again as Andy liked it too.

The other meal I made was Grilled Salmon and Brown Butter Couscous with zucchini.  I found this recipe in the Cooking Light magazine. This was also healthy and is only 545 Calories.  If you serve without the zucchini the meal is 457 calories.  It was a light dinner and very yummy as well!  If you would like me to type up the recipe I will, just let me know.

Three Day Weekend

This weekend was a nice three day weekend for me.  At my work we have a "use it or lose it" policy when it comes to PTO, so I had two extra days that I had to use and one of them was this past Friday and I am using up my last one this upcoming Friday.  It was a great three days as I got a pedicure, shopped, went to a game, birthday party and decorated.

Friday
I got up early to get my exercise in and I was up so early that I got to watch the sun rise. I wasn't sure if this was a good thing or bad thing.  It was very pretty to see the sun rise, but it made for a really long day and I was ready for bed around 4pm.  After my morning exercise I got a much needed pedicure. It felt glorious to sit in the chair and have someone clean up my hot mess of toes!  I did a little shopping for the house after the pedicure.  I got new curtains and other new decorations for the house.  

This was also the day that I had purchased tickets to the Cubs game for Andy for his anniversary present.  Since I wasn't working we headed to downtown Phoenix about 3:30pm to hit up some bars.  We NEVER get to downtown Phoenix so we thought it would be fun to check out some of the bars.  It was a good time.  The only down fall was it was 112 degrees outside.  Most of the bars we were on the patio under the misters, but it was still HOT!  After a few drinks we headed to the game to watch paint dry...oh, I mean the Cubs lose to the Diamondbacks.  We ran into some friends while we were there, so we headed to another bar following the game for some chit chat before we ventured home.

Our seats at the Cubs/Dbacks game.

Saturday
Since it was a late night I did not get up at 5am to watch the sun rise as I ran around the mountain.  Instead I slept in and then got up to do a little charity work.  Andy and I headed downtown to the St. Mary's Food Bank where we joined my co-workers in filling 3,240 bags full of food that were given to families in need.  That is a lot of bags; however, the food bank was very organized and got us all in an assembly line where we worked very well together.  This team work made the 3,240 bags go very fast.  The experience definitely humbled me and made me GREATLY APPRECIATE all that I have because there are so many people out there who are unsure of where their next meal is coming from.

After our volunteer work it was a quick rush to the grocery store to pick up items needed to make an appetizer for a birthday celebration at the Seifert's house.  We were both pretty tired so it had to be something easy and simple.  That called for my very easy Caprese salad on a tooth pick.  Once we tiredly assembled the appetizer we rushed out the door to get to the Seifert's on time.  It's always a good time at their house.  It's full of jokes, laughter and just good times.  We celebrated Melissa's birthday with yummy food, an amazing cake from a place called Nothing Bundt Cake and of course wine.  I am now a BIG fan of this cake place as it was unbelievably moist and addicting.

Sunday
Early to bed and early to rise again to watch the sun rise.

Check out that sun rise behind the mountains.  It was about 5:25am.

After my run I cleaned the house from top to bottom and then it was time to hang the curtains and other household decorations I bought.  Our tiny house is finally starting to look good...it only took me 5 years to get decorations almost complete.  I also ordered canvas prints from our wedding to hang in the bedroom...I mean that only took me over a year to do.  Geez...what is my problem.  I am starting to look like such a procrastinator.  Anyway, I can't wait until they get here and we get them hung.

All weekends should be three day weekends.  Next weekend will also be a three day weekend.  I better not get used to this!

Cilantro Pesto Chicken Tacos

About a week ago I made another very tasty dinner from a recipe I found on Pinterest.  It was cilantro lime chicken tacos.  At this household we love tacos and we love to try different tacos all the time.  I saw the pesto was made from cilantro so I thought let's try it.  I figured it could go really bad or really good.  Both Andy and I loved it so I thought I would share it with everyone.  The blogger topped their tacos with peppers and avocado, but we topped ours with tomatoes and avocado.

Cilantro lime pesto chicken tacos!

Viva Las Vegas!

Last Sunday, June 10th, I flew off to Las Vegas for my annual accounting marketer's conference.  Last year I was in Chicago for the conference and it was such a great conference that I was really looking forward to it again this year.  This year the conference was held at the Aria resort so I was super excited to stay in this fancy new hotel on the strip.

View looking out the left side of my room window that was floor to ceiling.

View to the right is the Monte Carlo casino. 

The first night I had dinner with fellow accounting marketer's from across the U.S. and it followed up with drinks in the Aria bars.  I also had a friend there that same weekend for the world poker series.  I met up with him because he wanted to teach me how to gamble.  I am not a fan of gambling as I don't like to gamble away my money.  If I lost $100 I would be super bummed because that could have bought me 8 or 9 beverages, or even a new pair of shoes.  My friend, however, was going to teach me how to gamble using his money so I was all in.  I only won $40, but did not learn how to gamble whatsoever.  We were playing craps the whole time and all I was being told was what number to roll and where to place my chips.  No reason as to why, but just to do it.  I need to know why in order to learn.  I did end up throwing the dice off the table on accident.  Hey, I was a newbie at this so throwing dice across the table with specific instructions was kind of nerve wracking.

The next day was filled with conference sessions that was followed up with a gala. 

With my communications specialist at the AAM Gala.

 At the gala they also announce the marketing awards for the year.  About two months ago I submitted two projects my department did this past year and I was hoping to at least win in one of the categories.  Following dinner and my one glass of wine, compliments of my one drink ticket, they announced the winner for the advertising campaign category.  It was my firm.  I was excited and went up to get our glass box for the "trophy."  Then it was time for pictures with the award. 

With our award for our very creative ad campaign we did for the restaurant niche.

After the excitement at the gala it was time to celebrate winning the award.  We headed over to the Mondrian Oriental for drinks on the 35th floor overlooking the Vegas strip.  This bar was AMAZING!  Very pricey, but oh so worth it. 

At the Mondrian Oriental bar on the 35th (I think it was the 35th) floor with my communications specialist.

My amazing view from my seat at the bar.

Following a great night of celebrating I still had to get up on Tuesday for the conference...oh, and Wednesday as well.  Tuesday night the accounting marketers went to STK (AMAZING by the way) for dinner and then Hyde lounge & nightclub for drinks.  Hyde was awesome as our table was right in front of the Bellagio fountains...AWESOME!  Following Hyde we went to the Cosmo hotel for some more drinks before we hit the hay. 

Our table was seriously so close to the fountains it was awesome.  We would catch the spray that came off the fountains. 

With my communications specialist at Hyde.  Enjoying the view, drinks and the fountains.

Wednesday proved to be an early morning and a long day.  After three nights out in Vegas with approximately 5 hours of sleep a night this girl was pooped and ready to head home.  In the Vegas airport on Wednesday night I saw a BIG celebrity.  How awesome is this picture? 

Me with Gene Simmons as he stood outside of a Starbucks waiting for his wife.  This was AWESOME for me.  I definitely acted like an insane crazed fan...not gonna lie!

I got home late Wednesday night to a vase of flowers from my mother for a congratulations for winning another marketing award for my firm.  It was such a nice surprise and ending to an awesome four days.

I had another great year at the association for accounting marketing conference.  I am already counting down the days for next years conference...and hopefully another award!

The San Francisco Treat: Day 5

It's our last day in San Francisco.  We woke up, packed and headed to breakfast with Tim.  I love that there are a million places to eat within walking distance, a quick cab or trolley.  I also love that everything is local and it's not overcome with chain restaurants.  That is what I loved most about San Francisco.

Following breakfast it was time to check out of the Villa Florence and take BART to Oakland to catch our flight.  Glad the sun was up because arriving in Oakland was the same as when we arrived...SKETCHY!!!  We survived and it was time to leave the 55/60 degree temperatures to head back to a sweltering 100 degree Phoenix weather.  I am not going to lie, I missed the heat.  I love wearing shorts and flip flops and I would take the Phoenix heat any day over a location where I have to wear jeans, closed-toe shoes and a north face jacket every day. 

A quick flight and we were back in Phoenix to pick up the girls at Born to Run.  When we arrived to get them it took a while because Izzy was getting hosed off in the back yard as she was apparently full of mud.  I guess she played pretty hard that day.  I asked how the girls did and they said they were very good girls.  Izzy was hovering over a dog all weekend (which I guess is frowned upon), but every time they told her no she listened to them.  That's a plus.  We got the girls home and everybody was tired, except for Captain.  He was screaming at us for leaving him home alone.  This cat does not like to be left home alone.  The dogs were fast asleep and slept for the next 24 hours.  This was AWESOME!

Here is a picture of Madison out cold with her tongue hanging out.  Super cute!

We had an amazing time in San Francisco.  It's such a great city and I would love to visit again.  I don't think I could live there due to the weather, but I sure could visit again, and again and again. :)  Next time, a full weekend in Napa Valley would be awesome!

The San Francisco Treat: Day 4

On Monday we got up early to head to breakfast at Buena Vista.  This was a recommendation by a friend of mine as a must for breakfast, so Tim, Andy and I headed there.  Typically one would take the trolley or a cab there, but Tim and Andy thought it was a nice morning to walk there.  This was quite the walk with San Francisco's hilly streets.  It took us about an  hour to get there and when we got there it didn't open for a half an hour, so we decided to check out Lombard Street.  This was on my list of things to do in San Fran while I was there.  It's the crookedest street in the US (maybe the world) and the most photographed street ever.  We saw that this was only five blocks away so it was good timing.  Five blocks is not a big deal unless you are in San Fran as these five blocks are basically straight up hill, and by straight up I mean straight up.  By the time we got there my ass muscles hurt and were throbbing.  It was quite the workout.

In front of Lombard Street.

Lombard Street.

The entrance to Lombard Street.

At the top of Lombard Street.

After the photos we headed back to Buena Vista for breakfast.  Heading back was easier as it was straight down; however, it was hard on the knees.  Following breakfast we did a walk through of Fisherman's Wharf.  As a tourist it is a must do to say you did it.  Not my thing, but it was something to do in the morning.  I did enjoy the smell of fresh seafood and salivated over all the the fresh seafood for sale.  If I didn't just eat breakfast I would have had a nice little feast.

On the walk back to breakfast. We tried to get the Golden Gate Bridge in the background.

At Pier 39 in Fisherman's Wharf with Alcatraz in the background.

The cute sea lion's at Pier 39.

Following breakfast Andy and I took a quick nap and then went to Union Square to share a couple drinks at a small cafe.  As we sat there we were people watching...it's a great city to people watch.

After that we all hopped in a cab and headed to Haight-Ashbury cross-streets for some more drinks.  This area was famous in the 60's for the hippies and riots.  It still has the hippie vibe with the colorful murals painted all over and the "I just rolled out of bed" look that everyone had.  It was neat to see.  We went to a couple different bars on the street before we headed to Fisherman's Wharf for dinner.  After that morning stroll I was hungry for a seafood dinner.  Following dinner we were exhausted and took a cab back to the hotel where we crashed.

Andy with Steven at one of the bars.

The San Francisco Treat: Day 3

On Sunday morning we crawled out of bed to get ready for a full day of wine tours.  We did another tourist adventure where we boarded a bus that took us to Napa Valley and then to Sonoma Valley.  In order to get to the Valley's we had to take the bus over the Golden Gate Bridge.  Not my idea of fun since I have a fear of bridges, but it wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be.  We also can say we went over the bridge on the 75th Anniversary of the bridge.

An hour later we arrived at our first stop in Napa Valley, Madonna Estates Winery.  This was a smaller winery that doesn't sell to many stores. With that said I am now sad that I didn't buy myself a case of wine while there because it was a much better deal to buy there than online.  Oh well!
 

Welcome to Napa Valley!

Wine barrels at Madonna Estates.

The vineyards.

Andy and I in the vineyards.

I wanted a picture of me and the vineyards.

The scenery in Napa was also AMAZING! It was just so beautiful.  I could park it in Napa any day with a bottle of wine and just enjoy the scenery in peace and quiet.

Outside of Madonna Estates. 

By the Welcome to Napa sign.

After Madonna Estates we stopped at a market to have lunch, shop and of course more wine.  I bought a bottle of wine here at the market from a boutique winery and I packed it in my suitcase with my fingers crossed that the bottle wouldn't break.  Luckily, it made it safely to AZ.

Finishing our lunch (with wine of course) at the Market.

Photo op at the Market.

Unfortunately our next stop was Sutter Home winery.  I am not a fan of that wine, but it was on the tour list of stops so we stopped and I had my tastings, and was back on the bus quickly.

At Sutter Home.

Beautiful flowers on the property.

Our last stop was Sebastiani winery.  They had a lot of wines I liked.  I didn't buy any there because the ones I liked could be purchased in stores.  Tim purchased two bottles of wine from this winery for us to share on the bus ride back to San Fran.  Because we did not have enough to drink all day long.  :)

At Sebastiani Winery.

Since this day marked our one year anniversary since we got married we decided to go to dinner by our self.  We decided on sushi and went to a local sushi place that was recommended by Courtney.  We were very pleased at how awesome the sushi was and were happy with the recommendation.  Following sushi Andy and I went to the White Horse for a drink before we headed back to the hotel.  On the way to the hotel we passed a bakery so we stopped in to get desserts to go.  It's nice to be in a big city where everything is still open at 10pm to get whatever you want.  We took the dessert back to our room where we ate it.  Since the first anniversary is the paper anniversary I got Andy tickets to a Cubs game and he got me tickets to a show at the comedy club.  Obviously we both Googled ideas for first anniversary paper gifts as we both got each other tickets to something.  Funny!

I can't believe it's been one year since I married my best friend and the love of my life.  One year ago we were sweating our butts off saying our vows in hot and sweaty Mexico and one year later we are celebrating in Napa Valley wine tasting.  Crazy! 

The San Francisco Treat: Day 2

On Saturday morning we woke up early to catch the ferry to do the biggest tourist adventure ever...Alcatraz!  I normally don't like the tourist tours, aka tourist traps, but I have always wanted to see Alcatraz and this was the only way to do it.  Surprisingly it was a great tour and wasn't awful like most tourist traps are.  We took the 9am ferry over and it ended up being a gorgeous day.  I heard how the ferry can be quite cold and Alcatraz is pretty cold; however, we had a very warm Saturday for our tour.

Golden Gate Bridge from the ferry.

San Francisco from the ferry.

Alcatraz from the ferry.

Once we arrived on Alcatraz we were guided to an area where we could start the tour.  It was not a normal tour where you stay in a large group and listen to some boring tour guide as they walk you through the location.  This was different.  You got a headset and controller where you could take the tour yourself.  You can start and stop the controller as you please and listen as you walk through the prison.  It was actually AWESOME!  I learned a lot about Alcatraz, aka the Rock, and I am so glad we did the tour.

We have arrived on Alcatraz Island.

I thought this sign was interesting.  It was posted where the inmates get checked into the prison.

Jail cell.

Hallway of jail cells.

This was the yard where the inmates got one - two hours a week to be outside.

Andy in the hole.  The hole was so small that I would get claustrophobic.

Andy and I on the island.

this sign was outside before you entered.  The Indians were welcome to come and work.

Following Alcatraz we walked down to the Ferry Building for lunch.  This place had a lot of unique food and was more like an indoor Farmer's Market.  Very neat place, but definitely a cluster of people.  Once we ate Andy and I wanted to leave ASAP as we could not stand the overly crowded building.  I bet this place would be better on a non-holiday and not a weekend as there was a ton of cute local shops that would have been neat to check out.

Following the ferry building it was time for a much needed drink.  We found a wine bar that had tables outside on the sidewalk, so we parked it and enjoyed a few hours of the beautiful weather with plenty of wine to drink.

Us outside enjoying the beautiful weather.

After the wine bar we headed back to our hotel for a quick change for dinner.  Prior to dinner we headed to Top of the Mark for drinks before dinner.  This bar was at the top of a hotel overlooking San Fran.  It was quite the sight to see.  It was awesome!  I would recommend getting drinks here if you ever visit.

View from Top of the Mark.

Another view.

This view is neat with the old church.

Following Top of the Mark we went to a steak house for dinner.  This wasn't far from Top of the Mark so we walked.  Ok, walking anywhere in San Fran is quite the workout as the streets are so hilly.  By hilly, I mean straight up and down.  I definitely got a workout during the long weekend walking the streets of San Fran.

The walk to dinner.

Following dinner we went out to a couple Irish Pubs (Irish Pubs were everywhere) with Courtney and Steven who live in San Fran so they took us to where the locals go. 

Pub #1: I am with Courtney and Steven - the engaged couple.

All of us at the second pub.

It was a good time, but we had to head back to the hotel around midnight since it was going to be an early morning.