birthday celebrations

Weekend Recap 3.6.17…Girls Dinner, Scrapbooking, Saturday Night at the Hockey Rink, and a Very Special Birthday Celebration!

~ Tasty Trials and Travels ~ 8 Comments

Good morning!!  I hope your weekend was amazing!  Mine was full of fun with friends and family.  

On Friday night my childhood best friend and I had plans for a girls dinner at a fun new tapas restaurant in town called Barcelona.  We decided to split a bunch of small plates and they were so yummy.  I love having a little bit of lots of different foods.  My favorites were the brussel sprouts and the cauliflower.  

Saturday morning after an early class at the gym, I headed to my mom’s house to work on a scrapbook for my little brother.  We ended up working for about 8 hours. 🙂

When I got home I cooked up a bunch of roasted veggies. 

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 This kiddo requested a turkey burger and broccoli.  He is the only kid I know that loves broccoli.  🙂  The health coach in me loves that. 

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Saturday night my dad and husband had plans to go to the Predators game so I took my little brother to his hockey skills competition.  He did the backwards skating in his relay and crushed it!  I am a proud big sis!

 

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The last team relay the kids had to skate to the other end of the ice and grab a cowboy hat.. it was so fun to watch.  My little brother’s team won the championship on Sunday night too!  So excited for him! 

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This is Callie’s favorite spot in our room at my dad’s house.  She is still obsessed with pillows.  🙂 

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These sweet sleeping boys are my favorite.  

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Someone had a little craving for rice crispy treats… well our marshmallows were just a tad bit expired and would not melt.. 🙂   

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My little brother turned 10 on Sunday and got this motorized scooter from my dad so yesterday morning we took it out for some practice.  

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We wrapped my brother’s door for his birthday.  He thought it was so funny.  

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Time for presents and funny balloons!

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I made him a delicious ice cream cake and we surprised him when he got home from his hockey party! 

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I am so glad we are in Nashville now and can actually celebrate his birthday with him in person this year!!  I seriously can’t believe he is already 10!  I was 17 when he was born and that feels like so so so long ago!  He is such a sweet, funny kid and I am one lucky girl to call him my brother.  🙂

It sure was a good weekend, but it went by a little too fast.  Lots of house (selling/buying) stuff going on in between all of that too so I sure am looking forward to feeling a little more settled and having a bit more free time on my hands.  I hope you all have a great week!!

Questions:

  1. What was the highlight of your weekend?
  2. What is your favorite ice cream flavor?
  3. Best birthday memory?

A Birthday Surprise and Dallas Stars Game

~ Tasty Trials and Travels ~ 5 Comments

Well I made it to Nashville and it is freezing.  I thought it was cold in Dallas.. nope.  Anyway.. Tuesday night my sister organized a little surprise birthday night for her boyfriend, Max, at their apartment.  She got lots of appetizers, pizza, and the cutest little cakes to celebrate.  

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My sister told her boyfriend that they were just going out to dinner to celebrate his birthday, but when he got home from work me, Jon and another friend were there waiting.  Later on two more friends showed up and he was so shocked.  I just love seeing people so surprised!

The boys. 

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Happy Birthday to Max!!

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Otis helped his open his presents. 🙂

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After dinner we headed downtown for the Dallas Stars game.  My sister used to work for the Stars so she was able to score us some tickets!! 

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This was our failed attempt at a 7 person selfie. LOL.

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Oh my gosh so funny story.  My sister pulls out this lip stick that is from Kylie Jenner’s lip kit and I was laughing and couldn’t believe she bought it.  She reassured me that she just bought the lip stain, but that it looked horrible on her.  Well the bottle makes the color look so light so I decided to try it.  I’m not a huge fan of color on my lips, but the bigger issue is trying to make sure it stays put all night.  I ended up with it all over my teeth and face.  #lipstainnewbie

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Me and my sweet hubs. 

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My sister and the birthday boy!

After the second period, we went to the Lexus club and got a drink and watched the rest of the game from there.  We had a blast cheering on the Stars!

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They won 6 to 2 so it was a big scoring game!

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We are sure going to miss these two when we move. 😦 

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Enjoy your Thursday!! 

Questions:

  1. Do you like surprises?
  2. Favorite sporting event to attend?
  3. Any plans for the weekend?

Weekend Recap 11.7.16….The Best Birthday Surprise of my Entire Life!

~ Tasty Trials and Travels ~ 8 Comments

Hi friends!! How was your weekend?  My weekend was the best I have had in a long time!  It was full of birthday surprises with my favorite people and it certainly made me realize how lucky I am to have such sweet people in my life.  

My sister told me last week that we would celebrate my birthday on the weekend and I just assumed it would be a dinner with Jon, me, my sister and her boyfriend.  Boy was I wrong.  

Let’s back up to Friday… I went to an early morning class at the gym then headed home to get some work done.  My little nephew dog, Otis, sat on my lap while I worked. 🙂

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Around 10am I had a conference call that lasted a little over an hour.  After the call I was getting ready to head to the store to shop for food for our neighborhood block party I was planning for Sunday afternoon.  My husband was working from home on Friday and called me into his office to “read an email” he got.  When I got down to the office I starting reading an email on his computer and 2 seconds later the closet door opens and out jumps my best friend Lissa!! I was in complete shock!!  (Side note: I am not an easy person to surprise!)

Lissa told me she was here for the whole weekend and was going to help me plan the party for Sunday night.  We did a little grocery shopping then headed over to Truck Yard for a drink with Jon and my sister.

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After a while we headed home to get ready for dinner.  I was still so surprised Lissa was in town, but definitely thought that she was the only surprise.  When we walked outside our house to wait for the Uber, Jon told me our neighbors were coming to dinner too!

My sister made reservations at Cedar Grove, a new upscale restaurant in Dallas.  All the tables are lined with these white “trees” creating a really fun environment.  When we arrived, my sister and a few friends were at the table with big “27” balloons waiting for us!

My sister told us we were waiting on her boyfriend, Max, who was running late.  A few minutes later he walked in with my other best friend, Rachael.  Then the happy tears started flowing!  I just couldn’t believe it… especially since I had just seen Rachael in Nashville a couple days earlier.  Little did I know that my husband and sister had been planning with Rachael & Lissa for a while now to have them fly from Nashville to Dallas to celebrate my birthday with me.  I uploaded the video of Rachael surprising me at dinner to my youtube channel if you want to see it. 😉

Jon and my sister know how important these girls are to me so for them to organize their visit is something I will never forget.  Good girlfriends are hard to find so when I get to see my besties, I enjoy every moment of our time together.  

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Oh and did I mention how amazing the food was??  It was SO good!  We all enjoyed out meals and yummy drinks!

The whole gang! 

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All the girls!

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Love these people! 

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After dinner we headed to a nearby bar, High Fives, for another drink and some jenga playing.  We had a blast!

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Saturday morning we headed to brunch at Origin, which included some mimosas! 🙂

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Afterwards we headed to SMU on the boulevard to hang out with some friends.  Before every home football game, people gather on the boulevard for drinks and food.  I don’t think many people actually go to the game. 🙂

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Saturday evening we were all exhausted so we decided to pick up some food and watch a movie at home.  It was wonderful!  We were all asleep by around 8 or 9pm. 🙂 

Sunday morning we woke up early and feeling refreshed especially after the extra hour of sleep!  The girls (and Max) headed to the dog park to let the pups run out their energy.  Rachael and I found a grassy area to complete a tabata workout.  My abs are hurting today. 🙂

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PS.. isn’t it weird how I get holes in my shoes right where my big toe is?  This happens to all of my running shoes and strength training shoes… I guess I just walk and run with my big toe pointed up?  So weird!

Then we tried to take a picture of the 4 girls and 4 dogs and this is what 99% of the pictures looked like… 

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Picture #139204839 … at least all the girls are looking.  🙂

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Sunday after the park, we all got to work setting up for our neighborhood block party.  Unfortunately the weather was not ideal so we moved our party to a neighbor’s garage.  It ended up working out just fine!  We had a huge spread and everyone brought a dish or two. 

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Couldn’t have pulled it off without the help of these friends!

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Shortly after the party began, these girls had to head to the airport for their flights back to Nashville.  😦

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This weekend was my favorite!!  It was full of fun and relaxation with my best friends and family.  I am SO blessed to have these amazing people in my life who go above and beyond to make me feel special.  I am still feeling the love even though the weekend has come to an end. Thank you to everyone who made my birthday the best one yet! 

Questions:

  1. What is the biggest surprise you have ever had?
  2. What was the highlight of your weekend?
  3. Do you know/hang out with your neighbors?

Weekend Recap 6.14.16 Part 2

~ Tasty Trials and Travels ~ 2 Comments

Hi! How are you all doing today?  I am doing really well especially since I have switched up my workout routine a bit.  On the days I work, I am usually up by 4:45am already so I have never bothered to wake up earlier to get in a workout.  I often just run after I get home (and after a couple hours of procrastination).  This has left me kinda dreading my runs because I am exhausted after such an early start to the day.  So last Friday I decided to run before work (hello, 4:00am alarm clock) and I loved it.  It was so nice to know that I had my afternoon and evening to myself to do whatever I wanted.  Don’t get me wrong, I have always been a morning exercise type of person, but more like a 6am class, not a 4am run.  Well I think I have begun to develop a new habit because I ran yesterday and today before work.  Yes, it is hard to pull myself out of bed at that hour, but I find my motivation in knowing I can relax/have more time to get things done after work.  I have a treadmill in my house so I just walk downstairs and get going (don’t worry, mom and dad, I will not run in the dark by myself). 😉 We will see if this habit sticks, but for now, I really am loving it.

Okay, now back to the rest of my weekend fun! 

Friday night after the surprise at the bar, we headed to another local bar, Knox Street Pub, for some music and dancing.  It was so much fun and we stayed up wayyyy too late, but it was so worth it! 

Saturday morning started with a quick run and a weight circuit before heading to Origin for a birthday brunch for my sister (we love to celebrate!) with her friends.  Ofcourse, we started with mimosas. 

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I got the brussel sprout salad with salmon (I get this every time we eat here… it is just THAT good).  

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The rest of Sunday was spent on our rooftop playing Cards Against Humanity and a few other card games.  It was a blast! 

We were watching these two pups this weekend and they both were obsessed with the same toy. 🙂 

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Sunday was spent getting things done around the house.  I love starting my week with an organized and clean house (as clean as it can get with 6 dogs who shed….). 

Every time I would lay on the couch and put my feet up, this sweet pup would lick my toes.  I am so ticklish and couldn’t stop laughing.  I know you guys wanted to see this picture. 😉  

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And her look alike, Jax, loved my husband.  When my husband would talk on the phone, he would literally just climb all over him until he paid her some attention.  

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This guy found his new favorite spot to sit… on my shoulder.  Sometimes I am not sure if he is a cat, a bird, or a dog.  He sure is funny though.  🙂 

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Sunday night was an early one for my 4am wake up call.  I will see you tomorrow before we are off on another long weekend adventure!  Have a great day!

Questions: 

  1. Are you a morning person?  Do you exercise before or after work?
  2. Do you like brunch? Or would you rather go out to dinner?
  3.  What is your favorite card game? 

Weekend Recap 6.13.16… Birthday Celebrations!

~ Tasty Trials and Travels ~ 6 Comments

Good morning, guys! I hope you all had a fabulous weekend!  I am a little tired this morning after an early morning workout and lots of celebrating for my sister’s birthday this weekend.  We take birthdays pretty seriously over here. 😉 

Fortunately, I took quite a few pictures this weekend so I will fill you guys in on our fun weekend! 

My sister’s boyfriend set up a surprise dinner and night out for my sister.  My husband and I showed up to their apartment (she didn’t know we were coming) with some champagne and flowers and toasted to the birthday girl before heading downtown to dinner.  We had reservations at Dallas Fish Market, definitely a special occasion kind of place, but certainly one of our favorites! 

We made sure to snap a few pictures before heading in so we didn’t forget! 🙂 I wore my white dress that I actually wore to our rehearsal dinner last year, with the same nude wedges I wore as well. 🙂 

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Love these cuties! 

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They always give you a little appetizer taste of whatever they are making that day and a glass of champagne to cheers!  Cheers to the birthday girl!! 

The entire menu looked so good and I really had a hard time choosing what to get.  We started with the ahi tuna and a sushi roll (can’t remember the name).  They were both amazing! 

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I got the ahi tuna for me entree because I just can’t resist it when it is on the menu.  Those are mushrooms underneath… so so so good!  My sister got the swordfish and shared a few bites with me and it was probably the best swordfish I have ever tasted! 

The chef brought out a complementary dessert too! 

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We had such a blast at dinner, but little did my sister know, the night was far from over! 

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My sister’s boyfriend organized for all of my sister’s friends to be waiting at a nearby bar for us when we finished.  We casually strolled over to the bar and I don’t think my sister had a clue.  We went to The Joule, a fancy hotel downtown.  There is a speakeasy bar downstairs at the hotel called the Midnight Rambler.  

My sister was so surprised to see all of her friends downstairs at the bar waiting for her!  It was such a thoughtful idea by her boyfriend.  

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This bar is known for signature drinks so my sister suggested we get a champagne cocktail.  It was delicious.  My husband trying to play the piano…. 

To be continued…. 

Lots to do today so I will finish up the weekend recap tomorrow!! Have a wonderful day!

Questions:

  1. What did you do this weekend? 
  2. Do you like surprises? 
  3. Did you have any amazing meals this weekend?