Wild Wild West

Wow, getting back into a routine is so hard. We have been home since Sunday evening and it is a constant battle to catch up on laundry, groceries, Masters homework and my job.

Fun projects around the house will have to wait. I will now entertain you with some highlights of our trip. It was hard to browse through hundreds of photos, we saw so much!

We took a tour of Alcatraz, learning about the history was awesome

Of course we had to ride the cable car trolley

We biked across the Golden Gate Bridge.. it was foggy and cold!

First time in the Pacific Ocean, still foggy

Hiking in Lake Tahoe = amazing views

We drove around the lake which was a 72 mile trip, this was a scenic overlook

The beach where we went swimming/rock climbing

Freezing water, breathtaking views

We made it to the Hoover Dam, very scary looking over the edge!

Red Rock Canyon

Bellagio fountain, enough said

We ended our trip in Vegas

There is a quick summary of our trip. There was so much to see and do. It was our first time out west and we definitely will be going back in the future. The weather and views are amazing. Now, on to planning our 2013 trips... suggestions?

xo, Erin

Cheers To The Weekend

Happy Friday! I have been waiting for this day for a long time. We are leaving tomorrow for our trip out west. I am so excited to explore, relax and enjoy the scenery. Most of our time will be spent in Lake Tahoe, but we will also be visiting San Francisco, Las Vegas and the Grand Canyon.

I am linking up with From My Grey Desk to share my five highlights from this week. Obviously, my birthday would be number one, but I shared my fabulous day with you yesterday.

1. Football season has begun! Michigan State started their season with a victory, Go Green!

2. We won Yard of the Month and a $50 gift card to Home Depot. Thank you for all your votes!

3. Packing for 9 days take a lot of planning, especially with a wide range of weather forecasts. I lay out outfits according to what we plan on doing, then accessorize with shoes and jewelry. I tried to find a common pair of walking shoes and sandals that go with most outfits. Same with a jacket.

4. I shared this purse yesterday.. I just love it that much. Happy Birthday to me :)

5. Homemade burrito bowls for dinner. Tastes just like Chipotle (my favorite place to eat) , but cheaper and healthier. I deleted the picture on accident. Just grab some white rice, cilantro, black beans, chicken, salsa, sour cream and cheese and pile it all together.

Like I said, we are going out west next week so I will be taking some time off blogging. See you when we return!

xo, Erin

Birthday Recap

My birthday was this past weekend and it was fabulous. It's always nice that it falls around Labor Day weekend and I get an extra day off work :) Here is a summary of my day as seen in Instagram...

I was woken up early by Greg with breakfast in bed. He made me a delicious omelette and some turkey bacon. After a little while, I came downstairs to pretty flowers. He somehow managed to sneak out of the house and downstairs without me knowing.. kinda scary!

After relaxing for a little, we decided to get ready and hit up the outlets. I found something at the Pottery Barn Outlet, Old Navy and of course, Coach. I have had my eyes on that gray Coach purse for awhile. My parents are giving it to me for my birthday :)

For dinner we had reservations at the Melting Pot. Neither one of us have been there before and have always talked about going. It was a very fun experience and the food was great! I especially recommend stopping in for their dessert :) We mixed white chocolate and milk chocolate for a very yummy combination!

After dinner we came home, relaxed on the couch and watched Breaking Bad (we are addicted). I was very spoiled and it was an amazing birthday. Greg's gift for me has not arrived yet. It is a gold monogrammed necklace that he ordered, I will definitely share once it gets here. He also sent me to the spa the day prior for a relaxing facial. I will finish celebrating my birthday next week with our long awaited trip out west!

xo, Erin

Juggling Act

Balancing work and class will be a big adjustment for me. I bought a desk planner at Target over the weekend to help me visualize my deadlines. I began reading for one of my classes last night and it just feels 'different'.

I graduated with my Bachelors just over 4 years ago. I was living on campus with very little responsibility at the time. I now have to juggle a full-time job, laundry, cleaning, cooking, gym and spending time with my family. I made myself go into the office to try and focus, but felt like I was missing out on what was going on downstairs.

Greg and I dated long distance all through college. I didn't have many distractions and just got my work done in between class and naps. This is a whole new experience. Classes are online so you work at your own pace. This could be both a good and a bad thing. I am trying to set a schedule for myself, but it's going to take some getting used to.

Sorry this is just one big ramble. That is what my life feels like right now. I hope to get back on track in the next couple of weeks so I have time for fun projects around the house!

xo, Erin

High Five for Friday

Another productive week to celebrate. I am so excited how our patio is coming together. Our hard work is paying off and we are finally enjoying our backyard.

I am linking up with From My Grey Desk blog to share my 5 favorites from the week:

1. Our patio is almost finished! Check out our progress here

2. In between working on our patio, we cashed in a Groupon we bought almost a year ago that was about to expire. We went on a Segway tour around Eden Park and it was so fun! I fell pretty hard going down a hill and tore my knee up, but it didn't stop me from enjoying myself.

3. We found some amazing patio furniture at a Hayneedle Outlet by us. It was about 90% off the retail price. All we need is a fire pit and we are all set.

This shows you how big the chairs really are
(and my scraped up knee from the Segway)

4. My students were back in school this week. It was so good to see them and was amazed at the progress most of them made over the summer. 

5. I finally got some prints from our Anniversary photo shoot up around the house. This is one of my favorites

I will be busy celebrating my birthday this weekend and enjoying my nice 3-day weekend with my hubby! Anyone have any big plans?

xo, Erin