Our Trip to Colorado...

So the trip to Colorado was close to perfect, with a missed flight and an overnight stay in a Texas hotel (with holes in the sheets, yes I climbed into bed and my toe slid into a hole. ew) I was in need of a total care free trip. I finally arrived in CO on Friday morning, and Dom picked me up from the airport. Before we did anything we both NEEDED breakfast.  Once our bellies were full we stopped at the hotel so I could brush my teeth and shower- My luggage arrived in Denver before I did, and my night in the Texas hotel was not very accommodating because all of my carry on baggage had to be checked in Philadelphia at the gate. Once I felt clean and peppy we headed to Boulder, Co for shopping on Pearle Street and hiking on The Rockies. Check out the pics!

 

After we explored all that Boulder had to offer, we headed back to the hotel for dinner and an early night. We both only got a few hours of sleep the night before and we needed to rest because we had a fun filled Saturday ahead of us. We were up super early the next morning and went out for a delicious breakfast at a tiny cafe, then headed out for the city.

Once in Denver we explored 16th street shopping and just enjoyed the city life. We found a restaurant with bison burgers, beer and Penn state football! We had a great time here with the familiar lions playing on the big screen.

After a few hours in Denver, with snow, ice and wind, we decided to take a ride out to Red Rock. We wanted to explore the natural beauty and the amazing amphitheatre. What a place this was!! we were impressed by the size of the venue (it seated a lot less then we expected), but the backdrop of the seating was breathtaking. The red rocks are backed by beautiful green foliage and mountains. I think we both added something to our bucket list- see a live show at Red Rock.  This place is a "must see" in Colorado.

 

 

So this is it. The trip to Colorado was fantastic. With the minor (when i say minor I really mean major headache at the time) hiccups from my airline the trip was a INCREDIBLE. Dom and I couldn't have had a better time together in "colorful Colorado". I cannot wait until the next time we go out west to visit!  xoxo

Apples Apples Everywhere

Ok this is for all of my fall lovers out there. One thing that I can't get enough of is apples. Love'em...apple: sauce, cider, donuts, crisp, pie butter...the list is endless!anyway Dom and I went to Solebury farms Saturday to do our own skillfully picking! (if you need to find an orchard near you check this out http://www.pickyourown.org/PAeast.htm)

Here we are doing some work..haha

And Dom...

After much success we were off to the market for apple cider donuts!

Once we got home we had apples that were massive and overwhelming. Well to put our apples to great use we decided to make our own apple sauce! Genius. All we used was a crock pot, 3 large apples and cinnamon (not measured..we just added it as we went on. Feel free to add the amount you want)

So we peeled the apples, sliced them up and threw them in a hot crock pot. Add cinnamon and put the lid on. Wait anxiously for about an hour and don't you dare lift the lid! The heat is needed to make the apples soft. To speed things up add a little water to your crock pot and the steam will help your apples turn a bit faster.

Once about an hour passes, open up the lid, take a deep breath in to enjoy the sweet aroma and stir. You will know if your apples made sauce by the consistency of it. Our apples were very soft, but we did let a few chunks stay whole in our sauce.

We enjoyed our apple sauce right away with dinner, but Dom surely recommends that you wait for your apple sauce to chill in the fridge. Breakfast, lunch, or dinner. This sweet treat is sure to please! Enjoy!

pack my bags...

Off to Colorado tomorrow and I cannot wait! Dom will be there for business so I am going for a much need mini vacation! We hope to hike, ride bikes, eat yummy food, drink some beer and explore the beauty in Co. Even though we will be on this sweet retreat I am mostly looking forward to spending time with him and only him. Since he has began traveling more often for work, and I am super busy too it has been tough for just US time.  Yayy for US time :)  well off to packing and bed time..i hope i can fall asleep EEeeEEEeeeee  I can't wait to post pictures!!

Hurricane

So september for a kindergarten teacher looks well....insane. Ive been super busy and I am glad to say that this hurricane of a life is beginning to slow down. Once school and swim practice for the little ones started, I began to feel like the water was beginning to rise; and rising quickly it sure was. After about two weeks of the hectic and restless lifestyle I finally broke down. Literally, I was giving up on my own happiness, I was a different person toward Dom, and I was becoming so overwhelmed it made me forgetful at work and even while driving..yea totally weird. After one morning of total hysteria, I finally saw it...I was doing too much for others and not enough for me. With all of this frustration and madness i talked it out with Jackie and Dom to find a solution. One thing was clear and that was a quote from Einstein that Dom kept saying in the back of my mind: "Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results". It couldn't have been more clear..I needed  to make a change. I decided to resign from coaching and focus on work, grad school and most importantly Dom and my family. I still have one more night at the pool but I could not be happier with that choice.

As for the great things in life...my family. Everyone is healthy and we will be seeing a lot more of each other becaus of birthdays, weddings, and my favorite holidays. It has been so great hearing about KayKay enjoying PSU and I can't wait until next weekend to chat with her about it! LaLa is also finishing up at bloom, which is so fantastic. I'm soooo excited to see what her next steps will be! Momma and Dad just celebrated 34 years of marriage and I cannot be more grateful for all they have done and sacrificed for my sisters and me. Jackie and jake are great with a brand new bed and super big t.v...awesome. Finally, Dom and I are so great. It's amazing to feel and see our relationship grow stronger in these tough times. He has been my stay at home wifey, knight in shining armor, and my stability. Keeping me calm, making me breakfast, lunch and dinner (yep he does) and just helping me to laugh and relax at home. I couldn't ask for a better guy. He has been my savior in all of this.

As for me, I feel good. Really good. I haven't felt more like ME for the longest time and I truly feel like I'm back. Back to my old, happy, helpful and super positive self. Yayay maybe I will even start running again...hmmm I hope I didn't speak too soon...love you all and thanks for reading. MWUAH**

Soakin up the sun

This summer has been filled with family, sand, and yummy drinks! Finally its August and much of the summer has passed, and I wouldn't change anything about it. Two vacations in ocean city with the Gribbin/Reilly crowd then the second with the smaller Paraschak group. Both were so different but equally fantastic! The top memory from the Gribbin one was reggae night (to name one is tough because this was easily the best week of my life) . Then the next best moment in OC was the night out / dinner in wildwood at the crab house. Yummy. Now that things are slowing down its nice to enjoy the rest of the summer heat by the pool!
Another hobby of mine that I love to do is cook and eat of course! One thing I just made was banana oatmeal bars (found from thesweetslife.com) and I will post the recipe for anyone willing to try. They are such a great, guilt free snack that Dom and I love! After cut them I wrapped individual bars in plastic wrap and stuck them in the fridge. Enjoy!
-2 1/2 cups old-fashioned oats
-1 cup whole wheat flour
-1/4-1/2 cup chocolate chips
-1/4 cup brown sugar
-3 ripe bananas, mashed (approximately 1 cup worth)
-1/4 cup peanut butter, melted in the microwave
-1 egg, beaten
-1/2 tsp salt
-2 tsp vanilla extract
1. Preheat oven to 350F. Line a 9 x 13 pan with aluminum foil and spray with cooking spray.
2. Mix together oats, flour, chocolate chips, brown sugar, and salt in a large bowl. Stir in bananas, peanut butter, egg, and vanilla extract until well combined.
3. Bake for 15 minutes and remove from oven. Allow to cool, cut into bars, and store in refrigerator.

Summer lovin'

So it has been a while since my last post, but I can't say too many things have changed since the beginning of April. The biggest hurray on the list is my move to Collegeville with Dom. We love the area, our apartment, and all of the perks of living with the best friend you adore. We have been having a blast exploring our new home and trying to pull what we love into it. I feel like our relationship has grown since the move as well. (ya never know hehehe) The last time I posted I mentioned mikaela and her health. She is still going strong and living the normal 17 year old,party lifestyle. She is a natural!! Healthy as can be at the moment and more mature then ever. YOLO- Mikay's moto Dean, my nephew and the love of my life, is growing so quickly and doing so well! He has learned how to pull himself up to stand and he crawls like a man on a mission! Walking will be right around the corner and I just can't wait to chase him while playing tag at mom and dad's! Yayyyyy As for me, I am staying positive and making the most out of the blessed life I have been given. I smile A LOT and I enjoy my life and where it's heading. I plan to finish my summer by laying ocean side in Ocean City, NJ and teaching the last few weeks of summer school. Life is gooooood :)

A down hill jog

Finally, it has been a few days after mikaela's welcome home celebration and she is doing well. It has been an absolute miracle. She is healing very well and gaining her appetite and weight back slowly. She has been so strong and willing to get herself back in the path of finishing her senior year, getting to prom and asking the lucky guy to go with her. She is absolutely incredible.

As for me and my life, I'm ready to get back to work and finish out the school year...only two months to go. Dom and I are also looking forward to moving into our apartment and settling down together. He has started his new job officially today and is in San Francisco to begin his training! It has been such a long road but we are finally getting to the point that we have dreamed to be. We will be moving to collegeville which is a great distance from work for me, it's close to Jackie and it's also pretty close to the beach and our parents. I just can't wait to come home and finally feel at home. We are moving at the end of April which is just a few short weeks away! Let the fun begin!