Spring Weekends

May 11, 2015Leave a comment

Hey baes.

I thought a weekend post was long overdue as lately the ends to my week have been moderately noteworthy. moderately.

First and foremost, you may remember that Sister Meg is having a baby and recently we found out (as I so maturely put it) “if it had a hoo-haw or a ding-a-ling”. Welp. It’s a ding-a-ling and he will be my little gentleman! I plan to teach him everything a guy should know, including but not limited to:

The right kinds of compliments to give (tall) girls, I.E “you look so cute and tiny!”, “you are svelte”, etc.
NEVER wear overalls, bulky turtleneck sweaters, or Timberland boots (unless you’re a construction worker)
Always smell good, but not too good. Half a spray of YSL L’Homme’ll do ya.

She already purchased the first official outfit and I gotta say, the girl has taste:

Second, Bry and I barbequed. In 80-degree sunshine. In shorts and tanks. The giddiness was real and so of course I wore my signature trashy tank.

nm my scraggly, ragamuffin hair

KC, Bryan’s older bro came to visit for a quick ski trip up (and down) Mt. Hood. They did great and came home ready for some dinner. I decided to do “Coachella eyes” that night, which basically consists of slapping 50 different bronzey eyeshadows on and smoking them out HARD. You like??

We went to Serratto and ordered a trough of food and promptly inhaled all of it. This s’mores dessert concoction was to-die. I MEAN. Just take a gander at that torched marshmallow!

The next day we had an amazing breakie and the men went climbing at Planet Granite which means that KC now is involved in 24,232 different EXTREME sports.

I went on a ~~pathetic excuse for a~~ run and I am happy to report I lived. It was touch and go there for a second though.

We then ventured over to NW 23rd and had a brunch consisting solely of burgers. And wine. And beer. Glorious beer. KC needs to come every weekend :).

I then somehow wandered into Mac and tried on hot coral lipstick because, really – why wouldn’t I? I didn’t get it but the gals at Blush Beauty Bar told me they loved it. I did however buy 2 little bath things from Lush!

That same weekend, my little sister Amy and her beautiful fiance Shannon came to visit with Shannon’s Maid of Honor, Christina in tow. We met for dinner on Thursday night and then Friday night it was ON. I felt so cool you guys. Just normal 31-year-old me, OUT ON THE TOWN. I fully gussied m’self and went over to their hotel to help with Amy’s makeup application and a little pre-funking. We went to a couple of gay bars around Portland and I danced in the middle of the dance floor alone #whatdidyouexpect.

No, i am not grabbing her boob.

Then, a handsome young gay with AMAZING eyebrows came up next to me:

Me: “You’re eyebrows are on fleeek my man!”

Him: “I’m buyin’ you a drink!”

Instant BFFs.

Lastly, I have been in dress/skirt mode and also a floral/peach mode.

Plz ignore the hot pink sports bra

Full post on the Jamberries coming soon!

Palm Desert Trip

October 22, 20141 Comment

Hey friends!

Bry and I are back from our amazing 8-day holiday in Palm Desert!

And YOU GUYS. I played tennis. Like, for real. And I only hit one ball into a cactus garden. I feel very successful. Maybe I should start tweeting the Williams girls or Anna K or someone!?

We left early mornin two Saturdays ago and made it into Palm Springs around 4:30 pm. After we picked up a SASSY rental car we headed to Ralph’s for groceries. Our room had a pretty nice-sized kitchenette so we filled our cart and headed for our hotel.

We pulled in at the Westin Desert Villas and after checking in we sat down to a great dinner at the hotel restaurant, Agave. The hotel continued to amaze us all week, with really friendly staff, beautiful pools and delicious food+drinks. YAY.

Lots of our trip was spent laying by the pool, playing tennis, grilling burgers and watching Below Deck on Bravo (SO good). I also brought along the Steve Jobs book, by Walter Issacson and devoured the whole thing in 7 days. What a guy. An a-hole, yes. But a genius, and now I want a Mac laptop…

Flank Steak!

Highlinghts from our trip include firstly, a jaunt up to the top of Palm Desert’s popular (rotating) aerial tram. We decided to do a 5-mile loop once we got to the top and I am happy to report that I actually went FASTER than Bryan. I was SO Legolas. Also, we passed a troop of Army guys on the trail in full gear so baaaasically I think that makes me a Marine. Green beret.

image (4)

After our hike we did what any Californian would do.

We also drove the hour or so over to Joshua Tree! Unfortunately my allergies decided to flare up HARD so I was a complete mess the whole time we were there. I could only manage a quick 2-mile hike but lemme tell ya – it was absolutely beautiful. It’s amazing in a way that words cannot describe. The trees and plant-life are very Dr. Suessy which was completely fascinating too. Josh Tree, two enthusiastic thumbs up!

Feelin like crap

After two days of wilderness adventure I decided it was high time I drag Bryan along for a taste of MY kindof fun. The OUTLET MALL. Palm Desert’s Desert Hills Outlets were the ticket. The place is absolutely enourmous and a bit palatial. Plus, it’s a designer outlet mall so it had the big boys. Prada, Alexander McQueen, Carolina Herrara, Gucci – I was dyyyyying. The most exciting (for me) shops were Nieman Marcus Last Call, Barney’s Outlet, Saks Off 5th, Tory Burch, J.Crew Outlet and of course The Cosmetics Company.

I ended up with a couple things from J.Crew and 1 Mac Mineralized blush from The Cosmetics Company. Bry was a sport and studied for an upcoming exam he has to take for work at Starbucks. But you guys, I could have spent ALL DAY at this place.

We had some delicious meals and ended up utilizing the BBQ at our hotel 3 nights too. I learned to swim underwater kindof and do a tennis serve. Bryan learned that sunblock should always go on the back of your neck and why the clearance rack at Barney’s Outlet is something to squeal over.

All in all, an educational and wonderful desert holiday!

Summer Glamping

August 7, 20144 Comments

Hey pudding pops!

All I can say is thank God Bryan and I purchased THIS last summer:

Since it’s first appearance last 4th of July, our two-man island of fun has srsly been our BFF. The three musketeers, we are. And when the hot Portland sun is pouring through the windows in our AC-less apartment all I wanna do is cannonballs all. day. long.

A few weekends ago, Bryan and I packed up the Jeep and headed east for a little overnighter in the desert. After striking out at THREE different campsites, we finally nabbed one on the river at Peach Beach, which sounds like a cocktail.

We sprang out of the car, inflated the RR (River Run), dumped a six-bomb of BLLs and a river drink for moi in the COOLER and set sail. I also applied m’trusty 70 SPF because my mamma didn’t raise no fool. We floated until lunch time and then I had the PB&J Bry so lovingly made for me with potato chips. We went through almost an entire gallon of water too. I always talk about our dranks, but we DO drink tons of H20 as well.

After the afternoon session we had covered all relevant topics; how we want to parent our offspring someday, which is truly the best of the 3 Ninjas series and obviously we played last meal.

At Peach Beach no campfires were allowed (SONOFA) so our dinner was puuurty sad. We boiled water for hot dogs and then roasted mallows for s’mores over the tiny flame of the Jet Boil. It was a little pathetic but it worked.

Then we watched about an hour of Wolf of Wall Street (told you it was glamping) in the tent and fell asleep. The next day we headed home to get some errands done but decided to head back the very next weekend. Can you tell we had fun?

The next weekend, we headed the same direction but decided to make it a day trip. And this time, we weren’t lazy bums. We ended up doing a 6 mile hike along the Deschutes River and I LOVVVVED it (yes it was totally flat). We hiked up a bit and then back to our car along the old railroad trail which was beautiful but long.

We got back and immediately got RR in the water. A ranger explained to us that we were free to float along a stretch of the river all the way to the Columbia if we wanted. Things started out innocently enough until I suggested we paddle over and take a little tributary (that’s what I was calling it, but, LIKE I KNOW what a tributary is). As soon as we paddled over, poor RR was going through rapids, skidding over huge river rocks and Bryan and I were swirling around out of control. Things only got worse as we made our way down – it was so narrow, rocky and full of rapids that we were totally freaked. I was getting shoved into trees and foliage full of gross spider webs. I was screaming and being dramatic per usual.

Then Bryan was a prince. He got OUT of RR and pulled us back against the rapids. He was literally IN the water, pulling hard against the rocks and he basically ruined his swim trunks in the process. When we finally got back to the calm water, I made us do 25 tick checks and cleaned all the debris off RR. I had a few sips of wine from my wine cube and everything was all better. We ended up tying ourselves to a rock and spending the day lounging in the waist-deep water and catching some rays. Another eventful day out on the riv!

Wrong way, genius

Also, what is more surprising: That football season starts in just WEEKS or that I actually care?

A Summery Spring

April 26, 2012Leave a comment

Hey pop tarts!

Even though today is Wednesday, I couldn’t resist writing a post about this past weekend and the cray-cray weather we had up in hurr. True, I’ve lived here a measly two years but from what I can gather, a typical spring day in Jackson Hole usually consists of drab, muddy, semi-cold weather. Sure, we’ll get the occasional 65 degree day where everyone busts out in stark whiteness while ski goggle tans begin to fade, but that is a rarity. Such days are cherished.

Well folks, this past weekend broke the mold. Saturday and Sunday were both in the 70’s! My Hawaiian Tropic tanning oil basically stood at attention.

I woke up Saturday morning and it was gorgeous. Most Saturdays are spent laying in bed with a book for half an hour or so in hopes that Bryan will whip up his delicious pancakes, but not this morning. I sprang out of bed, made myself a bowl of oats and sat on our patio in the DIRECT sun while reading. While Bryan studied (he’s up to about 6-8 hours a day WITH a full-time job) I went to the gym and tried to burn off the ENTIRE humungous plate of pad thai I had hoovered down the night before.

After that it was time for a much needed study break for Bryan. One of our favorite mini-hikes in town is High School Butte. Getting the name because of it’s close proximity to Jackson Hole High School, HS Butte is a quick and easy way to sneak in a small work out while still getting outside. I sound like I’m promoting a new workout. I am not.

I decided to don my new Teva hiking shoes in hopes of breaking them in before Bryan ~~drags~~ takes me on some longer hikes this summer.

At least they have a little pink on them.

Top of High School Butte

On our way down we decided to take a walk on the levy to stretch our legs, skip some rocks, you know – shake things up a bit. After all, it’s neature!

Cowering in Bryan's Shadow

That night we Q’d up some salmon, which was outta this world and then hit the sack.

Sunday we trekked up HS Butte once more, only this day was a little more on the windy side.

Comb Over!

First Wildflowers of Spring!

Then we set out on the inner park road (in Grand Teton National Park) on bike with our pals Josh and Katie. Since I don’t own a bicycle (yet) I borrowed one from Katie. The bike seat needed a small adjustment to accommodate all 6 feet of me and we didn’t have the right tools to make said adjustment. I felt like the giant kid who was trying to ride her little sister’s trike and her knees hit the handle bars. Ha! It wasn’t that bad at all, in fact the bike was a very smooth ride.

We brought along some drinks and made our way to Jenny Lake, which was so incredibly pretty. So pretty in fact, that I forgot to snap a picture. After we got back home, Bryan made burgers and fries while the 4 of us watched The Office on Netflix. Oh Dwight, how I adore you.

Yesterday (Tuesday) was also a beautiful day and we decided to go up the Butte yet again. Only this time, we followed our mini-hike immediately with beers enjoyed al fresco at Cutty’s.

Bud Light + Lime Wedge = Makeshift BLL

Omg, I am sooo Jackson-y.

When the Cat is Away…

February 11, 20121 Comment

The mouse will buy Sally Hanson Nail strips.

They're Sparkly Pink

And will will drink copious amounts of coffee laced with this deliciousness.

Artificial and Awesome

Bry is out skiing the Ellingwood Coulior today. He woke up at 3 a.m this morning and will return around 7 pm tonight.

Bam

Source

So far I’ve:

Gone to the gym, and subsequently took over the mayorship of JH Health & Fitness on Foursquare (sorry Rick T.).
Showered off m’glitter, had oats and watched Cupcake Wars.
Hit up Albertsons for said nail strips.
Visited Yippee I-O on the square for fabulous Valentine’s candy to adorn red velvs I plan to make Monday night.
Swung by Browse n’ Buy (our only decent thrift store in Jackson) to look for books. I scored a Jodi Picoult, Plain Truth (clearly I’m obsessed) and a Diane Chamerblainm novel called The Midwive’s Confession. Both for $2. Yee yee!

Now that I’m home it’s gonna be nothing but nail strips, experimental makeup application, Dance Moms on Hulu and some vodka + Crystal Lights. Whoa, 4:30 – I’d better skeddadle!

Have a great weekend cookies!

Shredding the Gnar

January 24, 20121 Comment

And lovin every minute of it!

Bryan Crushing Pow

As of late, I have basically been shredding the gnar and taking names. You heard me! On Sunday I successfully skied from 8:45 am to 3:00 pm. Almost bell to bell.

The kicker?

I didn’t fall ONCE. This is a big deal for me. We’re talking about Jackson Hole Mountain Resort here people! JHMR has over 3600 vertical feet of skiing, which is the most skiing on natural snow and the most snow of any major resort in the lower 48.

Allow me to back-up. Saturday night, Bryan treated me to my favorite restaurant in JH, Trio. In preparation for our little date night, I followed my pointedly neurotic habitual getting ready routine.

Music ON. Biebs blastin. I did my hair by utilizing the wrap-your-hair-around-the-curling iron method, to achieve perfect “I didn’t even try” tousled waves. While sipping a vodka + soda, I then moved on to makeup application. I applied my new-to-me Makeup Forever HD foundation with all the accoutrements, including my Smashbox primer and high def micro powder. After smearing my face with various other over-priced cosmetics I nodded in satisfaction as I moved onto wardrobe.

After getting dressed, we were off! We made a proper reservation but got to the restaurant a bit early and opted to sit at the bar. We ordered CT’s, watched the pizza chef manipulate his dough into gorgeous artisan ‘za and snapped a photo.

We ordered 2 appetizers and then split this little beauty:

From the website:

Pan Seared Hawaiian Ono

sage infused gnocchi, crispy prosciutto and brussels sprouts salad, capers, lemon and brown butter

The next morning I surprisingly awoke around 8 am. Maybe it was the promise of a great ski day? More likely though, it was the smell of coffee and egg in the hole for breakie. We quickly ate and got ready to hit the slopes.

Ski Braid

When we arrived at the Village we were greeted by no line for the Teewinot lift. Perfect for some warm-up laps.

View from the Bottom of the Gondola

We moved on to AV and Casper after that and I felt great! Considering I learned to ski last year and have been out less than 5 times this year, I was pretty proud of myself.

I should probably mention that by NO MEANS am I to the level of 90% of the skiers out there or 99.9% of the locals. I am simply, a somewhat un-coordinated, ex volleyball player from Washington state who considers 20 mintues on the elliptical a viable workout and loves candy. Take me or leave me.

Exemplifying 100% Perfect Form

After a few more runs on Apres Vous, Bry and I traversed over to the Casper lift, skied down and ducked into Casper lodge for the most earth shattering drink I’ve ever had (well, since gimlets).

Concocting

Allow me to introduce my new little friend…

Hot Shnocolate

This would be 1 part coffee, 1 part hot chocolate and 1 part peppermint shnappes. And a little whip. Holla.

After I was warm and toasty inside and out, it was time for more epic runs.

We ended the day by basking in the small pocket of sunshine that opened up and knocking back some well-deserved PBRs.

What’s better than the feeling of actually being excited for the next snow day?

Not much.

Shining, Shimmering Splendid

January 17, 20122 Comments

Tell me princess, now when did you last let your heart decide?

Princess Jasmine is so beautiful, right? Personally, my favorite Disney Princess is Ariel but it’s close. I thought I’d title this post using the most thought-provoking and relevant song lyrics of our generation. And why? My life is filled with sparkle.

I am sparkling! And not like Abba.

I have committed to begin running again. For those of you who knew me during my crazed wanna-be-marathoner phase, don’t worry, history will not be repeating itself. I’ve come to the conclusion that, well, I’ve been a lazy mo-fo. I tell myself that 30 minutes on the elliptical is “working out”, but when I step off the machine still perfectly dry and without shortness of breathe, I wonder “Am I superwoman? Or just not pushing myself?”. Shamelessly, I’m going to go with the latter. So it’s time to get in shape, girl.

I started off with a bang this morning, completing four slllloooowwww miles on the TM. It felt great and I have this blogger to thank for inspiring me to get off the couch, stop watching “Dance Moms” and start working on m’ fitness.

In other news, I have been pining over the ingredients for making a top-secret cookie recipe which I will reveal in due time. I finally bit the bullet and ordered a jar of majesty.

You can eat it. I might faint.

Lastly, I stumbled upon this little beauty when I was perusing Amazon with my gal pals the other night over midnight margaritas. Oh law, that’s smashing.

Swoon.

Well, I’m off to wash off my “glitter”. Over and out!