Lately {+ Giveaway Winner}

Happy Sunday Tuesday, everyone! I’ve been enjoying my midweek weekend quite a bit – recaps of a special brewery tour will be coming later this week. Here’s what’s been going on in my life lately:
amThis magazine. It’s absolutely awesome.
am2My brother designed and built in the in-house brew system for Craft Beer and Brewing. I’m so very proud!
am3Monstas in the sunshine! Green for days!
am5Meatless Monday – organic kale and quinoa burger, fresh avocado sprinkled with lime juice and paprika and a pickle.
am6More monstas!
am4One of the top five business cards I’ve ever received.
am7Walked into a thrift shop while rocking out to Thrift Shop. Succeeded in embarrassing my mumsie quite a bit.
am8New Belgium’s Mint Mild at Cranknstein.
am9Bathroom floors are in at my house!
am12Lights are in at my house!
am13I am way too excited about a toilet in MY HOUSE!
am14Bhakti is gone 🙁
am15Bhakti is back 🙂
am17Grilled cheese with Schnapps-candied bacon and a saison.
am18An absolutely amazing sour gifted to me from Aaron.
am16I won a giveaway! BlogHer Visa card to pay for my new mattress!

Thanks to everyone who entered the Magic Bullet giveaway! The winner is….
Screen shot 2014-04-01 at 4.19.58 PMGwen Y! Check your e-mail, Gwen, and thanks for playing!

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{Giveaway} Believe In Better

On Saturday I was invited down to Denver by fairlife to meet with a group of bloggers at River Power Yoga for some yoga (durr) and a sampling of fairlife milk.
AM4The weather was definitely not on my side. It rained/snowed the entire drive down and I opted to skirt my way around the freeway after it came to a complete stop. Some serious “ommmm” was needed.
AM5We really had no idea what we were in for. I walked into the adorable yoga studio and was met by a group of friendly Denver bloggers and a blast of hot air. Hot yoga? Okey… I guess I have always wanted to try it…
AM6Seeing that I’m not a yogi in any possible way, I was grateful that they had complimentary yoga mats for us to use and take home! And towels for all the beads of sweat that were already starting to build up upon my brow. Yum.
AM7The class started off with a little introduction of the company: fairlife came from a husband and wife team with a vet background, who began dairy farming with the idea of “better”. Better farming, better treatment of the animals and the slogan #believeinbetter.
AM8fairlife is a cold filtered milk with 50% more protein and calcium, and half the sugar of ordinary milk. I was overjoyed to hear that it’s lactose free since I’ve discovered I have an allergy (not that that stops me from loading up on fro-yo or a big pint of Ben and Jerry’s once in a while…oops) and try to avoid milk products as often as possible. After the intro, they let us know exactly what kind of yoga we would be doing that day.
AM9Oh, crap. The entire session was an aerial inspired/partner yoga class. My heart dropped. Visions of my head striking the wood floor and other various forms of serious injury flashed before my eyes. They demonstrated, then split us into groups to give it a try.
AM10Heidi (Run Around Aroo) and Lauren (Me and the Mountains) giving it a try!
AM11Up next was the double plank.
Screen shot 2014-03-23 at 2.57.42 PMMy partners mastered it!
AM12Then we were back to scary aerial poses. I’m not that flexible…
AM13Yeah. Never gonna happen…
AM14I pushed all those gory visions of potential self-maiming from my brain and gave it a shot anyway!
AM15“I’m flying, Jack! I’m flying!”
AM16Okey, let’s try the other arm…
AM18Nope. Bad idea. I might die.
AM19Can I get down now? Thank you, Marissa (Barefoot Colorado), for not letting my head get cracked open on the ground!
AMAfter the yoga session, we all headed out to the lobby for some cool air and samples!
AM2I was able to snag two bottles of the chocolate milk to take home with me. I haven’t had chocolate milk in years and this was like drinking wonderful melted chocolate ice cream. Can’t stop, won’t stop. Hmm, maybe I shouldn’t have grabbed two…
AM20Smoothie samples were passed around and all the bloggers split off into small groups to chat while the icy rain poured down outside.
Screen shot 2014-03-23 at 10.47.08 PMA big group of the girls via Lauren’s Instagram!
AM21I enjoyed the last few minutes of warmth before opening the door into the arctic, bustling to my car and fighting the wet highway back north.
AM22Presents! fairlife spoiled us rotten with the yoga mat, milk samples (I’ve been having chocolate milk nightcaps every night), a sample of their Core Power energy shake, a coupon to go back to River Power Yoga for a free class and a MAGIC BULLET! What a wonderful, thoughtful housewarming gift!
Screen shot 2014-03-23 at 3.17.45 PMHere’s the part I think you guys might enjoy. They’ve offered to give away a Magic Bullet blender to one of my readers!
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Note: fairlife provided me with product samples for tasting and a Magic Bullet blender, and is also furnishing a Magic Bullet blender to the contest winner, but I received no other compensation for this review, nor was I pressured to write a positive review. All opinions are my own.

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Ups, Downs and Bhakti

It’s been quite a week of ups and downs. Bonus – mostly ups, but those few days of down can really put a sour spin on everything if you let it, and unfortunately, I let it. Working every weekend has thrown my weeks off, so happy Friday to me! These next two days of “weekend” couldn’t be more welcome.
amMy official week (last Tuesday) started off pretty well with two thick slabs of my vegan whole grain quinoa bread smothered with avocado, red pepper flakes, olive oil and goat cheese that was just starting to get past its prime.
am1I got a closing date for my house! This means furniture shopping! And since I’m poor and about to be mortgage-poor, this meant a trip to the relatively affordable IKEA (Disneyland for adults!) where I got two ten dollar side tables of questionable quality and a ton of pretty soft paper lights to glow up the new house.
am2We got caught in a snow flurry on the way back and pulled off for a hearty chicken ‘n cheddar potato lunch and a snake bite while watching the soft flakes plummet to the ground where they immediately melted.
am3It had warmed up a bit by the next day and I took the monumental photo of my car passing 18,000 miles! I don’t think you understand what a huge deal this is… I bought my car January of last year and had put 14,000+ miles on it by the time I left at the end of August. I’m so happy not to be driving hundreds and hundreds of miles every week!
am4The cabinets are in at my house! Well, they’re in the garage, but that’s pretty dang close!
am5On the drive back I passed Odell Brewing and said out loud, “If the Waffle Lab is there, I have to stop.” And it was. So I did. The Waffle Lab is a food truck with an incredible sounding menu that everyone raves about and I hadn’t had the opportunity to try. Go big or go home? I got the Front Range Chicken and Waffle smothered with rosemary gravy. I could’ve died of happiness. The softest, most flavorful savory waffle I’ve ever had with warming spices from the rich gravy and perfectly tender and crispy fried chicken. I paired that with a refreshing Leprechaun Session Pale (I couldn’t just go in to a brewery for the waffle – that would’ve been rude) and relaxed while enjoying the the ambiance of the bustling taproom.
am6I woke up to the most wonderful mail call anyone could ever hope for on Saturday morning. A huge box stuffed with a giant container of Bhakti Chai concentrate (I have been obsessed with this since I first discovered it at Crankstein last year), two gorgeous glasses, a cute hat and warm fuzzy sweatshirt greeted my day. I won part of this giveaway (the chai and glasses) on Lauren’s blog at the end of December and patiently waited for it to arrive. And waited. And waited. Finally last week, I sent Lauren a quick message asking if it might be on its way. Turns out they’d forgotten to send it over at Bhakti Chai, so they more than made up for it by including the adorable hat and sweatshirt! Thank you so much to both Lauren and the Bhakti Chai team!
am7I had my first mug right then and there. Half of the container is already gone. I LOVE BHAKTI CHAI!!!
am8Sunday was the St. Patrick’s Day celebration at the brewery. We opened at 10am to greet those people who needed an excuse to start drinking before noon and had a food truck/cart come in with corned beef and cabbage hash and fried eggs. Not the most visually appealing, but the perfect food to balance out a morning brew, I guess. I stuck with my mug of Bhakti.
am9The elk are back!!! Spring is really peeking its head around the corner, despite the blustery snow that’s on its way down from Wyoming right now. Oh wait… Yup, it just arrived. Flakes are flying right outside now.
am10I needed to blow off some angry steam I had after the last two days at work, so the archery range was in order. Apparently being pissed off really helps my aim.

Today has one final day of work on the books followed by a relaxing evening reading in front of the fireplace, and it couldn’t come soon enough.
am11Have I mentioned how much I love Bhakti Chai yet? Just checking.

Do you have any local food or drink companies that you’re obsessed with? Support local!

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Weekend Snapshots

Can you feel it? Spring is in the air! Here are a few snapshots from my weekend:
am2I spent Thursday afternoon on the patio of Odell Brewing up in Fort Collins with my friend/coworker. It was 64 degrees and absolutely gorgeous out!
am1Since I was in the area, it seemed like a good idea to check out my new house and jump around giddily after seeing that the drywall is in!
am3Hello, kitchen area!
am4Hello, beautiful view!!!
am5The next day, it was snowing and pretty gloomy out. The slush almost immediately melted and I joined my entire family at Mad Greens in Fort Collins for an absolutely incredible salad – Salvador Dali: mixed baby greens, goat cheese, Olomomo Maple Garam Masala almonds (absolutely in love with this spicy curry/sweet combo!), pomegranate seeds and citrus grilled chicken tossed in a molasses dressing.
am6LOVING. THIS. WEATHER. Odell Brewing’s Leprechaun Session Pale Ale on the patio on Sunday. This beer is wonderfully floral and full of sweet caramel maltiness. I want this beer forever.
am7Which brings us to today. I woke up to a beautiful 50 degrees outside and celebrated with an insane workout followed by a gigantic peach green monsta. Spring is definitely in the air!
am8I threw together a zucchini salad with white balsamic and goat cheese for a quick lunch before heading to work at the brewery.
am9It was a quiet Monday, so I was able to clock out early and enjoy a relaxing, warm jaunt over to Crow Hop  to meet with my hockey buddy Paul and enjoy a half-pint of Rado’s Red after a handful of tasters. Have I mentioned yet how much I LOVE this weather?
am10Both Paul and my phones went off at the same time reminding us that the puck was about to drop for the Avs game, so we headed back to Loveland Aleworks for a pint of For the Love of Pale and a (edited to update) AWESOME WINNING GAME!

Lots on the plate for tomorrey – a visit to Ikea, a visit to the house… which might be thrown off schedule by snow in the forecast. I’m keeping my spirits high though, since the following day will be back to the 60s! Happy Monday to all!

What’s on your plate for the week? Is Spring showing up early where you are?

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Weekday Weekends {plus Giveaway Winners}

I work almost every weekend, so it’s nice to be able to treat Tuesdays like my Saturday.
amAfter checking out the progress on my new house (the drywall is up!!!), I headed over to d’Vine Bistro in Old Town Fort Collins for a late lunch.
am1It’s my Saturday. Don’t judge me.
am2The restaurant is tucked away off of the main road on Mason Street. Quiet and spacious with lots of warm wood and a crackling fire for those snowy days.
am3Seeing that it was Fat Tuesday, I thought it would be best to get something ridiculously rich and found that in the goat cheese and artichoke dip.
am6Tangy, creamy and incredibly filling.
am5Smoked trout pate with clarified butter for my lunch date! I had another plate coming to me, so I decided to have just a small taste of this one.
am4Ahi tuna stacks were the incredible finale. Freshly seared ahi on top of a sweet strawberry and red onion salsa, topped with wasabi cream. That fruit salsa! I’ve been fixated on it ever since!
am7Must. Recreate.
am8Yesterday, I met up with my bestie Michelle for a tour at Celestial Seasonings in Boulder. The tour is completely free and consists of tons of free tea tastings, a walk around the factory, free hairnets and a stop in the famous Peppermint Room to sear your eyes and nostrils. Both of us have taken the tour before, but we realized that it’s been about twenty years since our last visit. TWENTY. We’re old.
am9But young at heart.
am10Very, very young at heart.
am11Those twenty years ago, I lived in a set of condos right across the street from the factory. At Christmas time, the air always smelled like cinnamon and peppermint, and during summer there was a distinct aroma of lemons that wafted through the warm breeze.
am12I brought back a box of Roastaroma and Sleepytime Extra. I gave up coffee for Lent, and this herbal infusion is a perfect caffeine free replacement for it! It’s made with roasted barley and chicory, and is like sipping a warm mug of wort pulled straight from the boil kettle. Blissful.

And now the winners for the rest of the Craft Beer for the Homebrewer books!
Screen shot 2014-03-06 at 8.55.11 AM Screen shot 2014-03-06 at 8.55.27 AM Screen shot 2014-03-06 at 8.56.53 AMJosh, Dan H. and Jason H., I’ve sent you emails with further instructions! Congratulations!

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The Dailies

Today is the last day to enter for the grande finale of the giveaway!
AMFor serious. No more after this one! You guys have till 6pm MST! Check out this link and comment away!
am2I gotta be honest… There hasn’t been anything too exciting over here this past weekend. The dailies – work… archery…
amBreakfast via Love and Olive Oil – avocado toast (THIS recipe for the bread) with goat cheese and red pepper flakes. I read this post and immediately went into the kitchen and made it minutes later. Absofrigginlutely delicious!
AM1Pairing beer with housemade ranch popcorn. Delicious.
am3German pancakes with blueberry compote for Sunday pancakes. Also delicious.
am4Work, work, work.
am5Feeling binge-y.
am6Feeling regret-y.
am7And yesterday’s work, work, work. Yup. Nothing too out there or enthralling.

But then…
Screen shot 2014-03-03 at 11.26.31 PMI got this awesome e-mail last night! I’ll be attending the Craft Brewers Conference this year in Denver as media! I went to the CBC in 2012 with Enegren Brewing Company and can’t wait to go this year in my {new} home state!

So yes, it’s been quiet on this front, but things are really starting to pick up and get crazy! Go and enter the giveaway for the Craft Beer for the Homebrewer before it’s too late, and I’ll be back with the winners and more thrilling things on Thursday!

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Lessons and Obsessions: 2 {GIVEAWAY}

The giveaway is at the end of the post. This is me hoping you’ll read through because you’re super interested in the minute details of my super exciting life… Yes? Right? Halloo??

Obsession:
amChia Kombucha.
am6I just “happen” to end up near a Whole Foods almost every day…
AM10And I can’t stop buying these!!!
am23I even purposely avoided Whole Foods today, but found more at a local grocery store that’s closer to my current house. Can someone please direct me towards a good Kombucha kit? Save my wallet? PLEASE??

Lesson:
AM11Cars should be washed more than once every nine months. And when one decides to wash said car, one should make sure that it’s not supposed to snow the next day. Something like that might negate said car wash.

Obsession:
am9This sauce. I first purchased it in California at the farmers’ market four years ago and made recurring purchases almost every month. (I tried to recreate it once after I decided it was “too expensive” and ended up massively regretting that decision.)
AM3I found it at We Olive in Ventura (after scouring the same farmers’ market for Lourdes’s stand) this past visit to Cali and started slathering it on EVERYTHING.
am17Last night, the jar ran out. I panicked and ran to Instagram to let everyone know how woeful and distraught I was, as normal people would.
Screen shot 2014-02-25 at 5.46.19 PMLuckily, just before I imploded from stress and depression, Lourdes Gourmet contacted me via Twitter and saved the day with a coupon! Ricardo (who runs the social media for Lourdes Gourmet) and I are besties now. Just so you know.

Lesson:
AM12If you have an entire Saturday off (which hasn’t happened since I was hired, minus the vacation Saturday last week) and you’re hoping to be productive, don’t go visit friends on what you later find out that it’s “National Margarita Day”. Instead, go visit friends on “National Margarita Day” and plan on having an awesome time, laughing your ass off, playing “pimps and hoes” and not going to bed until 3am. Errands can always be pushed back one day. Even laundry. Perfume works wonders on dirty clothes. Sorry for that, coworkers…

Obsession:
am5My new house!!! The shingles are on, the plumbing is in and the electrical is almost done!
am4I enjoy my mountain view while I still can, before the house next door goes up.
AM9You can’t tell here, but I’m doing a mirror selfie in my new bathroom. If I had a mirror, it’d look like this:
am2Except there wouldn’t be a bowl of towels or weird yellow paint on the walls. And I wouldn’t be doing a selfie because it’s shameful and everyone hates them…
am3But if I were doing a selfie (which I would never do, or admit), I’d be sure to show off this other obsession – my new Ladyface tank I got on my trip! I’ve worn it around way too much already.)

Lesson:
AM14Sauteing grated butternut squash smells like sushi. Weird.
am16If you’re making Jenna’s latest recipe for Butternut Squash and Goat Cheese Risotto and you’re really hungry and want to be fed in less than two and a half hours, don’t sub in short grained sprouted brown rice (no matter how healthy it is). If you can wait and want to be healthy ‘n stuff, definitely sub it in. A delicious pain in the ass dish.
am18And no matter what you make, be sure to top it with crazy amounts of goat cheese. Because goat cheese is delicious.

Obsession:
am7These. I found them while I was at the grocery store with my bro, convinced (haha, yeah, like he needed to be convinced) him to buy the pack and then proceeded to steal one. I guarantee you if I’d purchased the pack, I would’ve consumed them all within half an hour. No joke.

Lesson:
AM13Kobe Sushi in Loveland makes their brown rice with black beans. That’s all.

Which brings me to my last obsession, and the giveaway!
am19Books in the mail! Back to Butter is the creation of my friend Molly from Apricot Lane Farms and her mother. I’ve tried Molly’s food at the farm before. It is beyond epic. I’ll be in my kitchen until further notice.
am15The copies finally arrived in the mail – thanks Dennis! I have three more of these babies to give away to my amazing readers!
am22Gratuitous photography of my photography in said book. I’m still ridiculously proud.
am21Here’s the deets: All of you who commented on the last giveaway are still entered to win one of the new copies! As a bonus and because I think you’re all amazing and love you so very much, you can be entered up to two more times (more means in addition to those other entries from the last giveaway, in case you were unsure)!!!

How to enter: Leave a comment on this blog post letting me know your favorite food and beer pairing. Be specific! Make sure you leave a valid e-mail so I can contact you if you win!

For a second entry: Follow me on Twitter! Leave a comment on this blog post telling me you followed! (If you already follow, leave a comment letting me know)

For a third entry: Tweet about the giveaway on Twitter and link this blog post (and @ me so I can add an entry for you)!

For a fourth entry: Follow me on Facebook and leave a comment on this blog post telling me so! (If you already follow, leave a comment letting me know)

For a fifth entry: Follow me on Instagram and leave a comment on this blog post letting me know! (If you already follow, leave a comment letting me know)

You get up to FIVE entries for this one! Open to U.S. residents only (so sorry, my other followers. Shipping be cray cray) . This giveaway will run through next Tuesday, March 4th at 6pm MST. I’ll randomly select two winners and contact you by e-mail!

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Vegan Whole Grain Protein Bread

Thursday was a homemaker day: a lazy morning lounging by the fire sipping copious amounts of coffee and reading blogs. An hour long intensive workout followed by an aromatherapy shower. A load of laundry. Making the bed with clean sheets. Folding warm clothes fresh from the dryer. Answering reader emails, writing interview quotes, figuring out ways to use up the spinach that’s about to peak.
Screen shot 2014-02-20 at 10.56.05 PMGreen monstas. I adore them.
Screen shot 2014-02-20 at 10.56.18 PMKale with leftover Tuno salad and diced pickles, topped with wheat berries.
AMFreshly baked bread. Meditation and kneading bread are the same thing.
AM1Standing in the kitchen, staring out at the Rocky Mountains while Bastille plays through the dining room speakers, wrist deep in tacky dough that smells of maple syrup and warm yeast. That was my Thursday.
AM2Once the piping hot loaves emerged from the oven, they were delicately sliced and placed in the basking glow of the sunset for photographing.
AM3I almost forgot to taste test but, just in time, slathered a slice with my chimichurri sauce to inhale.
AM4And it was gooooood.
[gmc_recipe 7299]
AM5Happy Friday! You made it through the week! What are your big plans for the weekend?

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WIAW 2: Tuno

I’ve been playing around in the kitchen a bit since coming back from California. A little detox was needed after the crazy amount of fried fish, buffalo chicken sammiches and good Cali brews that I enjoyed in the sunshine. Tuesday was the initiation of cleansing foods, which ended up being delicious! Go figure.
am5My breakfast before getting back into the intensive workout regimen (after a wonderful vacation full of lazy mornings sipping coffee on the beach) – a hot boiled egg and two giant cups of coffee in an ugly rooster mug.
am11My ugly rooster mug collection! I keep finding these awkward mugs at Home Goods and they look at me like they need a home. I love it. I’m weird.
amAfter sweating my arse off with the workout, it was time for an icy cool down.
am1An entire box of spinach, half a frozen banana, 1 lime, a handful of frozen peaches and blueberries and a little almond milk whirled into a creepy looking brown beverage.
am2But dang, I love my monstas! No matter how unattractive, they’re always so delicious.
am3Lunch was an experiment with soba noodles. I’ve used them once before in a stir fry and wasn’t impressed. This time I mixed up a little sesame oil, tamari, lemon juice, minced garlic, powdered ginger, red pepper flakes and a dash of honey and tossed in freshly roasted broccoli and the noodles.
am4Soba noodles redeemed! Earthy noodles and a spicy, tangy dressing with fresh, slightly caramelized broccoli. Happiness.
am5Homemade trail mix on the way to Whole Foods – raw almonds, roasted walnuts and cashews mixed with a few dried cranberries. Simple and satisfying.
am6I saw this at Whole Foods and had to pick it up. Cherry Chia Kombucha. I used to drink Kombucha when I lived in West Hollywood and found it extremely weird. Add chia seeds to the mix and it becomes even weirder. I dig weird.
am7And then the back statistics made me feel all healthy and crap. Bonus! Does anyone brew (ferment) their own Kombucha out there? I might be joining you on the endeavor soon and would love to hear feedback!
am8Dinner: Tuno. It’s a little bit of a scary word… a frightening concept. Vegan tuna. Well, worry no longer: I put myself out there and experimented for you, and then took terrible pictures that don’t make it look appealing at all. *Hangs head in shame* Honestly though, this was absolutely amazing!
am13I tend to stray as far away from vegan foods as possible in rebellion of my 10+ year vegan bro and sis-in-law, but curiosity got the best of me. A blend of chickpeas, almonds, diced celery, red pepper, green onions, tofu (normally a blech for me, but unnoticable when blended into the “mayonnaise” portion of this), and kelp granules. Scary but good. I piled a good cup onto a bed of arugula and added sauteed asparagus to the side.
am9I felt like my meals for the day were almost too healthy, so I made sure to layer a bunch of this chimichurri sauce on a few slices of freshly baked crusty french bread. It’s all about balance.
am10Today is a day made for baking bread and enjoying the 60 degree weather we’ve been blessed with! Happy Wednesday!

Any Kombucha brewers out there who can offer suggestions/warnings?

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Memory Lane (plus Giveaway Winners!)

I had an amazing five days in California seeing wonderful friends! I must say, I miss the 80 degree weather while sitting on the patio at Ladyface and the gorgeous sunsets from the beachfront hotel room in Oxnard, but it is so nice to be home in Colorado. I really do feel like I’m where I’m supposed to be. Now for a picture-heavy recap of the trip, plus the winners of the Craft Beer for the Homebrewer book giveaway!
am11Remember how I said that me as a 27 year old wouldn’t be skipping workouts? I may have lied to both you and myself and taken the rest of the trip off. Oops.
am13Story Tavern in Downtown Burbank on a beautiful patio with even better temperatures and amazing beer. It was a rough start to the trip.
amBirthday breakfast at the hotel! A half serving of Eggs Benedict and copious amounts of horrible hotel coffee.
AM2CUSTOM MELT to see my favorites Thomas and Phil! I was headed to the beach so I got some sammiches to go and sat around catching up with these two wonderful men.
AM1I may have also tasted some of Enegren’s beer that I can’t get way out here in Colorado. Sniff.
AM3Nothing Bundt Cake! I picked up a red velvet bundlet as my birthday cake and did a happy dance out the door.
AM4No, we didn’t actually stay here, seeing that it’s abandoned and decrepit, but I had to swing by and say hello to one of my favorite formally-local hotels.
AM5Once I got to the actual hotel, I scarfed down my Custom Melt sammich of choice – the Crispy Chicken: Thomas style. Fried chicken smothered in buffalo sauce and topped with carrots and celery in a creamy heaven sauce. My arteries were aching and it was so worth it.
AM6A slow stroll on the beach followed by a relaxing sun-bath on the lifeguard stand.
AM7Just because I’m artistic and stuff.
AM8I hit the hotel hot tub to warm up and then sat out on the back deck to enjoy the sunset.
AM9Blissed out.
AM10Overpriced hotel salmon and cous cous for birthday dinner.
AM12Sunrise the next morning.
AM32Overwhelming beauty.
AM33Okey, I am definitely missing this right now.
AM13Lunch with my other favorites at Ladyface Alehouse in Agoura. The weather was to die for.
AM15Beautiful mother and daughter!
AM14And so very stylish, Avery! Now please stop chewing on Becki’s sunglasses…
AM16I had to. I always have to. The mac ‘n cheese with bacon and jalapeno is too good to turn down, especially paired with the Ladyface IPA.
AM17After saying farewell to Janelle and Avery, I went out to the mall to pick up some gelato and say hi to my friends who run the place, then enjoyed a walk through the farmers market.
AM18Year round strawberries! It’s killing me to look at this.
AM19Yet another stop on the food list. Andria’s Seafood at the Ventura Harbor.
AM39And another sunset. You bored yet? Too bad.
AM24Another sunrise that will never get old (to me).
AM20I enjoyed a leisurely walk in Downtown Ventura and then drove up the coast to visit more of my favorite people who work at/own one of my favorite breweries. We had to visit The Spot for burgers and shakes while we waited for the brewery doors to open.
AM21Island Brewing Company!
AM34I enjoyed the Avocado Honey Ale with the ocean in the background. A perfect way to spend a Hallmark holiday.
AM35Oh, I miss the ambiance of this place. They’re expanding to the space next door soon, and Mark was kind enough to give me a tour, which basically was him opening a door to a HUGE empty space and telling me to look while pointing out where the gigantic walk-in and canning station will be. Awesome.
AM22Valentine’s Day flowers and sunsets make for a happy Becki.
AM23Once I was back at the hotel I poured myself a Black Market Hefeweizen (all the beer consumed on this trip was beer that I can only find in California, for obvious reasons), and visited the pool for a swim.
AM36More sunsets.
AM37Never enough sunsets.
AM38Sunsets with best friends.
AM40Trying to be artistic again and forgetting to drink my Trader Joe’s Mission Street Anniversary Ale (which is only $2.99!!!). Luckily we have a Trader Joe’s opening here in Fort Collins soon! I missed it so much!
AM41Okey, enough with the art.
AM42The final sunset on the beach. Le sigh.
AM25On Saturday afternoon I drove up to the Burbank area so I could catch my flight early on Sunday and checked into this awesome hotel. What a view!
AM26Golden Road was visited. 2020 IPA and Berliner Weisse with woodruff syrup was had. Fried artichokes were consumed. The hotel was visited and slept in.
AM27Bright and early Sunday morning, I was sitting back on the plane with my face pressed against the glass, trying to will myself not to cave and move back.
AM28Oh, Lord, why?
AM29Once I landed, I had to go and check on the progress of my new house! It was 63 degrees outside and the bathtubs were installed! I breathed in the fresh Colorado air and felt right once again.
AM30The wind picked up last night, followed by an unexpected downpour. I opened up this Enegren Brewing 2nd Anniversary Dopplesticke that I’ve had aging in my cellar since right before I moved and sat by the fire enjoying the company of my wonderful family.
AM41What a glorious trip it was.

Okay, you guys ready for the winners of the book? I assigned all of you entry numbers (you could get up to four), and did a random number generator online. The winners are…..
AMCourtney L. and Aaron C.!!!! I’ve sent you both e-mails to let you know! As for the rest of you…
IT’S NOT OVER YET!!!!!
The publisher has offered up THREE more copies for me to give away! If you didn’t win, your name is going into the next giveaway! As soon as I receive those copies, I’ll put up an extension to the giveaway and three more of you will get this book for free. If you can’t wait until then, here’s a link to buy the book:
Craft Beer for the Homebrewer: Recipes From America’s Top Brewmasters

Happy Monday to everyone!

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Filed under Giveaway, vacation