SHOWERING DANIE & BABY SAGE

My sweet friend Mandy and I teamed up to throw a lovely baby shower for darling Danie and her baby, Sage. Funny story, we originally had this shower planned in January, but baby girl decided she needed to make an early debut and was born the day before her original shower date! It worked out in our favor, because we were all able to love and snuggle on this sweet & tiny bundle of joy. Mandy, being the amazing baker she is, whipped up home made raspberry tarts & lemon coconut cookies. I decided to stick with my forte of cooking, and dazzled with my fig & goat cheese crostini, yogurt parfaits with coconut almond granola, and lemon zested berries. We were also able to surprise Danie with beautiful newborn photos Mandy took when she arrived at the shower. It was a morning full of great friends, food, laughter, and baby coos. 

FIG & GOAT CHEESE CROSTINI

Over the weekend, I was able to help host and attend a baby shower for my darling friend, Brittany. She and her husband were recently blessed with a beautiful baby girl via adoption, and all of us are over the moon excited for this new family of three. Ten of us friends all teamed up to throw a beautiful shower for this deserving mama and sweet angel. I helped by bringing these delicious crostini, which were a huge hit at a Hostess with the Mostest activity in September 2013. I decided to try the recipe myself and it was simply divine. If crusty bread slathered in delicious and rich fig butter doesn't tickle your fancy, the caramelized onion and goat cheese crumbles on top will win you over. This is an easy, yummy, and pretty appetizer to bring to any party that will definitely be a major crowd pleaser & make you seem like a seasoned chef (even if you only are in your dreams about being on Foot Network). 

SUN VALLEY VACATION

 We were able to spend 3 days in beautiful Sun Valley, Idaho during ski season this year. Derek lectured at a medical conference, and I figured I would tag along for the fun! We enjoyed a day of skiing on Dollar Mountain (my first time ever!0, eating dinner at quaint restaurants, and enjoying copious amounts of hot chocolate while walking the lighted streets of the tiny town. The cherry on top of our little getaway, was finally meeting our first nephew and spending time with Derek's family for a glorious 24 hours. We snuggled and loved on baby Clark like no tomorrow. He is such an angel baby and we are all mildly obsessed with his tiny self. It is safe to say we will be going back to Sun Valley in the future; we can't forget about all the fun we had in the darling little ski town.

SAN DIEGO BOAT SHOW

Over the weekend we attended the Sunroad Resort Marina Boat Show with friends and had a blast. Besides the weather being perfect, we strolled the docks and ventured on sail boats and yachts to our hearts content. It was fun to see all the amenities some of these boats had; and most were bigger then our homes! We lucked out with a fantastic sunset on the water overlooking the skyline. I've said it before, and I'll say it again; that skyline never gets old.

SUNDAY NIGHT BEEF STEW

 San Diego has been having a bit of a "cold snap", or so Southern Californians like to call 60 degree days and 30 degree nights. With the cold, all things warm and comforting have sounded delicious to us. On a Saturday evening while Derek was working, I asked him what he wanted for Sunday dinner. He replied back with, "meat and potatoes", which is pretty standard for this cattle rancher from Idaho. I searched recipe books and decided to combine our favorite things into one dish, and Sunday night beef stew was born. It's a classic take on a beef stew, with the twist of serving the thick mixture on top of mashed potatoes, rather then incorporating them in the stew. When I plated and brought this to the table, Derek yelled, "Yes. YES! This looks amazing." Well, I can officially chalk up another point to dinner with this one folks. A major crowd pleaser and fairly inexpensive and simple to make! 

ONE LITTLE WORD 2015: THRIVE

Looking back on last years 2014 word of joy, I realize it was the perfect word to describe the year. Each day was a choice to be joyful. I realized that dwelling on those little things, though they may have seemed huge at the time, didn't bring me joy. Instead of reacting negatively, I chose to be joyful and active in decision making and personal growth. This year, I have landed on the word thrive. What the heck does thrive even mean? How can I thrive in the year 2015? The word thrive to me means optimal living. No, this is not a quest to live out a perfect life. But, more of a quest to live my life in the most optimal way I can. It's a word that challenges me to be present and awake in all things emotionally, physically, and spiritually. Oh, I can feel it in my bones. 2015 is going to be another great year. Thrive on friends, thrive on.