Mega Anniversary Weekend!

June 26th was our first wedding anniversary. I think our first year of marriage was truly happy. We started our mega weekend of fun on Friday night with a very tasty BBQ of honey sesame fish, Jamaican beans and rice, grilled pineapple, salad, and wine. The weather was perfect so we ate outside.



We spent Saturday swimming at the pool I used to go to when I was younger. It has 2 slides and a lot of room for actual swimming around. We brought sandwiches and chips for a picnic lunch and bought dessert at the pool (Joe had cookie ice cream sandwich, I had a Caribbean fruit bar).

Sunday was our actual anniversary. We started the day with brunch at Village Inn and then came home to pack for our stay at Castle Creek Inn. I have posted about Castle Creek Inn before (it is where we spent our wedding night). We decided to stay in Palace Royale and we walked in to rose petals, candles (not real), and Martinellis. We opted for the Martinellis over champagne because we had brought plenty of our own champagne.




The bed was so high! Notice the little steps to help.


All the rooms have beautiful fireplaces


Love the big jetted tubs!


Fun lighting

We got Asian Star takeout for dinner and drank champagne and had our wedding cake for dessert. I followed strict wrapping instructions for the cake after the wedding and it actually tasted really good. Almost as good as it had a year ago!



We also got a "back up" mini cake unless the original was gross. We had that one the next day and we are still eating it.


Granite Bakery does such a nice job

The food at Castle Creek in amazing! Like, really amazing. We got up early each morning to have breakfast in the dining room. Each day breakfast is different, but it always starts with a slice of delicious sweet bread and fruit. Then the rest of the food comes out. Monday, we had french bread french toast with some kind of delicious cream and fruit. We also had sausage and spiced potatoes. On Tuesday, they served eggs bendedict with bacon and cheesy hashbrowns. They also have pastries, popcorn, and soda available all the time.

We spent the weekend relaxing, watching movies, and eating. On Monday, I put my wedding dress on and we took pictures just for fun. That will be another post though, as this one has gotten very long.


One of the few pictures of us from the weekend. Happy Anniversary, Love!

Zoorassic Park

Sunday was the 3 year anniversary of the day Joe and I had our first date. I wanted to do something fun because it was the weekend so I suggested going to the zoo. The Hogle Zoo is having a special Zoorassic Park event with animatronic dinosaurs located all around the zoo. The zoo seemed like a perfect activity because on our first date, Joe asked me, "If you could go anywhere on our second date, where would it be?" and I answered, "The zoo!" I thought it would be fun to walk around holding hands and looking at the animals. We did go to the zoo, but I don't think it was until our fourth date.

Sunday morning was rainy and grey, but we decided to grab an umbrella and go anyway. I thought on a rainy Sunday we might have the zoo all to ourselves, but it was packed! I think people were excited about the dinosaurs.

The dinosaurs, by the way, are fantastic! They move their heads and eyes and make great noises. A couple (I won't say which ;)) even "spit" at you. I was not expecting that and got my pants soaked!

The sun came out in the afternoon and the weather ended up being perfect. The dinosaurs are going to be there until sometime in August. Go see them!




Fighting off a dino!


T Rex







The real animals were wonderful too


We were there at eagle feeding time. They got fish for dinner.






This pretty kitty was right by the glass

Easter 2011

We had a really fun Easter weekend starting on Friday with egg dying. I still love dying Easter eggs and every year there are several silly eggs. This year Joe made an Olivia egg and I made a Christmas tree (last year Joe made a jack o lantern).





We spent Easter morning at home and headed to my mom's house at 3 for Easter baskets and the annual Easter hunt. This year there were some really tough clues! Dinner was traditional ham, macaroni salad, deviled eggs, green beans, and scalloped potatoes. It was very yummy. Dessert was white chocolate cheesecake (one of my very favorites!)


Easter baskets for everyone!


Bo was invited




Everyone hangin out


Start of the hunt


Table

Ballet (surprise!)

I have some guilt while writing this entry. We had a Saturday plan: Mexican feast for Joe, David, and me. This meant deluxe taco salads with chicken, beans, lettuce, and homemade guacamole. We were going to cook and drink and then have a fire in the fireplace and watch tv and/or movies. Then Ethan called and asked if we could babysit. We don't mind babysitting for them at all. The baby is always asleep and we just read or watch tv or do homework. But, we had planned Mexican feast...so we told them no.

But then...we were shopping for Mexican feast when I got a phone call from our awesome neighbor. She and her husband had ballet tickets and they couldn't go. Ballet West's Bolero at the Capitol Theater. She asked if we wanted the tickets and we said yes, please. (!!!)

We hurried home and changed. I wore my black and white dress with my lovely full length opera coat that I haven't had a chance to wear before. Joe put on a suit and a new tie. We only had time for a quick dinner so we went to Wendy's in all our finery. (Although, there were several jedis there so we weren't the most unusually dressed).

The ballet was fantastic and I know that Ethan and Jessica did get a babysitter so I guess it all worked out. Mexican feast is happening tonight.

Friday

Friday night we went to the Barrister's Ball, or law school prom. We got dressed up and went to The Point, which was very pretty. The food was good and there was a lot more than last year. They had a whole dinner. It was fun, but there were some issues. We ate and danced, but ended up leaving early and going to the Red Door.

Sad News

Joe and I decided that we would end spring break with a day at the Cliff Spa (the wonderful spa where we got engaged). We woke up and had a delicious brunch of bagels, bacon, sliced avocado, sliced mango, orange juice, and mocha lattes. Then we got in the car and headed up the canyon. When we got to the Cliff Spa, we got some super sad news. A day pass now costs $25 each. Way more than it used to cost. And no more local discount during winter. :(

We were already there and ready to go so we decided to go for it, especially since we didn't really do anything special over spring break. They have remodeled a lot of the spa and it is very nice, but it was nice before when it was cheap!

It was a lovely day though. There was a light snow most of the afternoon and it was nice to get out of the city and spend some time in a very hot hot tub.

Design on a....penny?

I love to watch Design on a Dime on HGTV. It's a show where a design team has a $1000 budget and one room to redecorate. A couple of weekends ago, Joe and I decided to redecorate our bedroom...only our budget was $100 instead.

Here is our before room. Yes, it is a mess. We had already started cleaning it out and moving stuff when I decided to take a before picture:



My vanity was old and big and the drawers got broken when we moved here. But, I need a place to store my jewelry and things so most of our budget went to buying a new one from Amazon.

Me at my new vanity:



Our room is all light wood paneling that can't be painted over. It's nice and light, but kind of boring. I wanted to add some color to the room. We have some neat built in mini shelves that made the perfect "frames" for some fabric squares. Joe and I went to a fabric store and picked out some upholstery fabric and foam board and spent a good portion of a day cutting and gluing the squares. Then we put them in place. They are not attached to the wall and can be moved or changed if we ever wanted to.

In the middle of gluing:



Bo helping Joe glue:



Our last major project was to paint our little bedside table. It is old and the white paint was chipping off. We picked out a honey yellow and painted it. Here it is before being painted:



The finished room:





The picture above the bed is a print I got years ago in Victoria, Canada. We got a nice frame for it and hung it up. I would love to get some sheer curtains for the windows, but for now, the budget has been used up!