Anniversary/Valentine's Day Weekend

We had a super low-key weekend, which was really relaxing and fun for our anniversary. On Saturday, we made delicious homemade blueberry pancakes with strawberries on top (I made the batter, and Tim cooked them, we are a good team). Then we went to the REI Garage Sale, and spent the afternoon relaxing. We went to our new friends house for dinner and spent hours getting to know them, which was fun :).
On Sunday (our anniversary) we had a beautiful 60+ degree day. We walked to church in the morning. I can't tell you how much I enjoy being able to do that! They are currently doing a series on Faith, Hope, and Love  which is from 1 Corinthians 13, which had a lot of meaning at our wedding so that was pretty cool. After church, we headed down to Pearl Street to walk around and find a place for lunch. We ended up trying the Walnut Brewery, which was good, but doesn't beat Mountain Sun by any stretch of the imagination (the beer was so not good). Then we got some iced coffees and dessert and sat outside enjoying the sunny, warm day. After chatting with our families, we headed out for dinner at the Happy Noodle House. This place has such a cool atmosphere, and the drinks and food are incredible. We had fried brussel sprouts for an appetizer, and noodle bowls for dinner. It was a wonderful end to a wonderful day of celebrating our first anniversary.
Being that our anniversary is February 13th, we don't think we will ever be able to separate it from Valentine's Day. As Tim said, maybe we should have thought that one through a bit more :) Oh well. Anyway, on Vday, Tim made some awesome steaks and we just lounged. It was perfect!

This past weekend, we skied on a beatiful sunny and warm day, had a fun dinner with Miss Emma Templeton, and saw a really fun 80s cover band called The Goonies. We also did absolutely NOTHING on Sunday and it was fabulous :)
This weekend I am heading on a Women's Retreat with church, and I'm sure Tim will be getting some skiing in....and then we are getting ready for Mom and Dad Hine's visit next week! So excited! :)

And now some photos:

Yummy blueberry pancakes :)

Before we left for dinner on our anniversary

Steaks - precooking

Finished Vday Dinner

We did it!

Well, we have officially survived our first year of marriage! We have had a lot of changes in our life in the past year, the biggest being moving across the country and living together (officially) for the first time. I have to say, this has been such a fun adventure, and I am so excited for what the rest of our lives have in store for us. I am so grateful to have such a wonderful husband - he is the best of the best. I love you Tim!

Our First Kiss :) Swoon

Waterfall at Simon Pierce...I loved the people waving at us from the windows

Quechee Ski Hill - best pictures ever.

All the new siblings :)

Us and our parents :)

Our wedding day was one of my favorite days ever - it was so much fun, from the getting dressed up, the beautiful ceremony, and the amazingly fun reception (best party ever!) - and at the end of the day we were husband and wife Hineys, perfect.

Year One = Done :)

Song

I was listening to KLove (a Christian music station) the other morning, and this song just hit me...I wanted to post the lyrics, and I strongly recommend listening to it. It is called Let the Waters Rise by Mike's Chair

Don’t know where to begin, it’s like my world’s caving in
And I try but I can’t control my fear
Where do I go from here?
Sometimes it’s so hard to pray when You feel so far away
But I am willing to go where You want me to
God, I trust You
There’s a raging sea right in front of me
Wants to pull me in, bring me to my knees
So let the waters rise if You want them to
I will follow You, I will follow You
I will follow You
I will swim in the deep ‘cause You’ll be next to me
You’re in the eye of the storm and the calm of the sea
You’ll never out of reach
God You know where I’ve been, You were there with me then
You were faithful before, You’ll be faithful again
I’m holding Your hand
God Your love is enough, You will pull me through
I’m holding onto You
God Your love is enough, I will follow You
I will follow You
Songwriter: Ben Glover, Mike Grayson (Mikeschair), Sam Tinnesz

Lyrics courtesy of Top Christian Lyrics.com

Also, prayer for me and my family would be much appreciated...thanks all!

Snow Show 2011

This past weekend, the Snow Show was at the Denver Convention Center. My mom, being VP of Sales for Kiss My Face, was in town for the show. I've been hearing about the Snow Show for years, and this year I was finally able to go, seeing as how I live 25 miles from Denver. Here's a recap of what the Snow Show is and all we did:
On Thursday evening, I headed to Denver and had drinks and dinner with my mom and Betty at the Hyatt bar...that place was seriously hopping with conventionites and loud music.
On Friday, we arose at 6:30 to go to the hotel gym which had some lovely views of the mountains to the West. We then got ready and headed to the Regency Room for some free breakfast to fuel up for the long day ahead. We went to the convention center for the opening of the show at 9. We spent the day working the Kiss My Face booth (for me, this meant handing out samples haha), and walking around the show. If you like ski/snowboard gear and attire, this place was for you! That evening, we had a fantastic dinner at Osteria Marco on Larimer St. where I had the best scallops I think I have ever had - so good! Then we headed to Tag for some fun drinks before heading back to the hotel.
On Saturday, we headed back to the convention center for another day of the Snow Show. Tim and Sarah joined us in the afternoon, and I walked the show with them before heading back to the hotel for a rest. That night, we headed out to Tag on Larimer street for dinner with my mom, Betty, Gayle, Nancy, Tim and Sarah. The drinks there are so fun and creative, and the food was seriously the best I have had in a long time. We split all kinds of appetizers for dinner, and then ordered dessert - we got to meet the chef, and I even got a high five from him. We will go back to Tag for sure!
On Sunday, we headed back to the convention center for the last day of the show, and this is where I got the most swag :) We got lots of stickers and several pairs of ski socks, along with prodeals for Native Eyewear (sweet!). I also got the most adorable headband to wear outdoors, and ordered a Loki jacket which should come soon! If you havn't heard of Loki jackets, they are jackets that have built in gloves and neckwarmers - super cool and practical. I'll post pictures once I get it. I also pined over skis that were so beautiful and light, and may get a prodeal for Solomon/Atomic gear. After the show was over, we drove my mom to the airport and headed back to Boulder.
Overall, the Snow Show was amazing, my mom's company did some great business, and we spent lots of time together. It was a wonderful weekend that left me completely exhausted! Luckily, I had today off to recuperate!
And now for a few photos:

My pass to get into the show

Denver Convention Center with the big blue bear

Kiss My Face Booth - so nice!

Their sun slogan!

Delicious food at Tag

My Amante Picante drink - cucumbery, limey, jalepanoey goodness

Sushi of some kind

Banana Cream Bie with creme bruleed bananas



Peanut Butter Parfait

Sticky Toffee Cake

Post Connecticut Blues and A Blessing

After returning back to Colorado, I felt like I was doing fine readjusting to our home out here. Then I realized that I really wasn't. I have been extremely moody and easily frusterated/angry/upset/sad lately, and since I can't attribute it to one thing in particular, I will call it the Post Connecticut Blues. It was tough for me to leave our family and friends on the east, and even though I love our home here in Colorado, and I love being here with Tim, I still miss everyone. I think I have reached a turning point though, a place where I can still miss people, but can get back to enjoying this beautiful place where we live and have fun with my husband. That turning point came on Friday evening, when I returned from work and was in a terrible mood, and Tim and I were talking and I was saying that I just couldn't shake this feeling of sadness, and Tim asked me "Have you prayed about it?" Yikes. Nope I didn't, and it was exactly what I needed. How did I get to be so lucky?

And the blessing - since we moved here, we have been wanting to meet people, but (let's face it), we aren't the most outgoing people you will ever meet. We both have a hard time just going up to people and talking with them. Therefore, besides people we already knew from CT, and a few work friends of mine, we havn't really met anyone. And that has been tough. It makes it difficult for this to truly feel like "home". Well, at church with Sarah this past Sunday, I felt like I had finally found a place where Tim and I could meet people...I don't know how to describe it other than I felt at peace and completely comfortable there, and was so excited when married women around our age came up to chat with us after the service. Unfortunatly, Tim was away on business, so he didn't get to meet people, but I can't wait for the next time we can go! Sarah and I are headed to a small group tomorrow night with some people from the church, and I am excited to meet more people. I'm thankful that we might actually be able to meet some people that could become our friends...eek I am such a geek, but this really is such a relief!

* The lead singer of the band at church reminded me of my best friend Nora's husband Joe...he had a red and black flannel shirt with dark hair...maybe that is why I feel like we can be friends with these people? :) hehe

Pizza and Cross Country Skiing & Putting Oatmeal on Our Faces

I have to say, we Hineys sure do know how to have fun!

On Saturday, after awaking at 6:00 AM to drive to the high country to go downhill skiing, we hit INSANE traffic on I70 that prompted a turnaround back to Boulder (normally a little traffic wouldn't stop us, but it was at a complete standstill)...we decided to go cross country skiing instead. So, we packed up our lunch and heading up to the Indian Peaks Wilderness. Upon arrival, the snow was swirling in the blustery wind, and I was not too excited to hit the trail - between the snow, wind, and feeling really weak, I was not interested in doing a 7 mile ski! However, I'm glad I stuck it out because it was really beautiful. The snow fell lightly once in the trees, and it was warmish and calm. We stopped for a lunch of leftover homemade pizza and hot cocoa with peppermint schnaps, which made the trail all the more fun! :) That night we finally made it to Mountain Sun, and Sarah drank her very first beer that she had all to herself! I sure do love that place!

On Sunday, we got up early again to drive Tim to the airport so he could leave for his business trip. I am grateful that Sarah is here so I have some company while he is gone (although I still really miss him!). We then got to have a really fun girls day together, which was really wonderful. I am blessed to have such a fun sister in law to laugh and talk with. We started our day by heading to a church in Boulder, All Souls, that Sarah found...it is within walking distance from our apartment, and it was a lovely day, so we walked on over there (more on church later). After church, we headed to Brasserie Ten Ten, which is a yummy place to get brunch and mimosas! Then we headed to the Celestial Seasonings Factory, which is a great place to go if you are ever in the area and like tea! We sampled teas, took the tour, and stocked up on our favorites. We then rented a *terrible* movie, and had a delicious spread of food and champagne for dinner. After dinner, we made oatmeal, honey, and avocado masks and relaxed on the couch with cucumber slices on our eyes. It was the best girls day!

This week my mom is coming into town for the Snow Show in Denver...I'm super excited to see her and check out the show!
I'm also super excited for my hubby to come home :)
And now some photos:

Our yummy dinner

The makings of the face mask

The result

Yum! hehe

Powder Day # 2, Ski Day # 11

To top off Sarah's first week here, we went to ABasin yesterday to ski. The drive there took much longer than usual due to blizzardy conditions, and I have to say I wasn't too excited about skiing in the swirling snow. However, once we got on the mountain, I was glad we made the trip. Lots of fresh powder and warm weather made for a super fun day on the slopes (even though most of the mountain wasn't open due to high winds). After leaving the mountain, we found out there was a TWO hour delay up to the tunnel, so we decided to stay in the high country for dinner and a movie...and still hit 1 1/2 hours of traffic up to the tunnel. It was worth it to have such a fun day with my hubby and sis! :)