Snow and Hockey

Last week, J and I were given the awesome opportunity to attend a Pittsburgh Penguins hockey game at their new state-of-the-art arena.  This was no usual game, however, because we were given free box seat tickets by a large company that King Electric is affiliated with- Eaton Corporation. We were both able to leave work a little early that day, so we got to the Consol Energy Center more than an hour before the game started.  This ended up working out so well, because we were the first people to arrive to the Eaton box.  We walked in the door to find a fully stocked bar, tons of gourmet food, a private restroom, and our own attendant (!).  Since nobody was around, I was able to snap a few photos without looking too silly and excited. It was an amazing opportunity to be able to watch the hockey game in such a cool place, and I feel so lucky that I was able to experience it.

The night continued to be interesting even after the game because nine inches of snow fell while we were inside.  It took us about 2 and a half hours to get home, and we saw more than fifty cars abandoned on the highway because they were unable to travel.  It was a pretty scary experience, and I was VERY glad that we were safe in J's 4-wheel-drive truck, because I know that my car would not have made it.

Have you ever had the opportunity to view a sporting event in a way that you aren't used to?

Popcorn and hockey pucks,

"Courage is the discovery that you may not when, and trying when you know that you can lose." 

[t.krause]
Happy Birthday to the man that taught me what courage really is. I hope that you enjoyed celebrating your day in heaven. I miss you, forever.

Incomplete Wednesdays.

image via

ABC has done some amazing things for my Wednesday nights. Last summer, I thought that nothing could replace LOST.  I was wrong.  Rather than having one awesome show, they filled the gap with two full hours of hilarious new sitcoms:  The Middle, Better With You, Modern Family, and last but certainly not least, Cougartown. If you do not watch or DVR any of these shows, click on those links above immediately (!) and get caught up on episodes for free on abc.com.  You will absolutely be doing yourself a favor.  Trust me!

I must admit, however, that I am more than disappointed with the fact that my beloved Cougartown is on hiatus until *GASP* April 18th.  Mr. Sunshine, which is completely sub-par to the rest of the Wednesday night shows, its temporarily taking its place.  Yes, you would think that Chandler Bing in a new sitcom would be just as successful as Monica Geller- but you are wrong.  Very, very wrong.

Cougartown is an amazing show because it is extremely relate-able.  I know you are thinking: how do I relate to cougars?  However, do not be thrown off by the name, it is misleading- and they admit that.  (If you watch the show, do you catch the subtitle in the opening credits every time?  Clever!)  The characters are not only hilarious, but I feel like I could be best friends with any of them.  I definitely see qualities of various friendships that I have in each person on the show.  Additionally, some of the things that they do are absolutely ridiculous.  Naming your dog after your son?  Sure.  Throwing pennies into a can and making it a drinking game?  (penny caaaaan)  Check.  Drinking red wine at any time of the day out of a ridiculously large wine glass?  Hello, Big Joe.

Cougartown, come back sooner!  My Wednesdays are incomplete.

Friday Finds

the view of the slopes from one of the second floor bedrooms

This week was spent recovering from the awesome ski trip that I went on last weekend with 10 of my close friends. Having the opportunity to get away for the weekend was so refreshing.  As it turned out, it also was not anything that I had expected! The eleven of us rented a 'cabin' at a small-ish ski resort, Peek'n Peak, in western New York state.  Imagine my surprise when we got there to find it fully decked out with 5 bathrooms, 4 bedrooms, 2 fireplaces and a beautiful finished basement. I felt a little silly when I arrived considering that I had advised the group to pack their own toilet paper.  We definitely were not 'roughing it' by any means like I had anticipated.  Some members of our group even spent the day Saturday at the resort spa getting massages and lounging in the indoor/outdoor hot tub.  Not bad!

I, however, spent 6 hours of my Saturday with skis attached to my feet, sliding around the mountain like it was my first day with new legs. Needless to say, on my first break from skiing, I was more than jealous of my friends that were safely stationed at the bottom of the mountain lounging in that hot tub.  It was only my second time skiing, and I felt rather foolish the whole day because the majority of my friends were not beginner-level skiers like I was.  Memories of being stuck in the 'guppy' group during swim lessons at camp when I was young immediately flooded back into my head. Luckily, with more practice, I began to feel more comfortable with the unfamiliar motions, and I was (slowly) able to move around a little better. At the end of the day, it felt good that I at least attempted an activity that I only had done once before. For me, overcoming the fear of not being good at something in front of a group of friends is an accomplishment in itself.  Have you learned how to do something new this winter?  How did it go?

Now, for your entertainment, a collection of my favorite things found on the web this week:

1.  I absolutely love the idea of these "Wedding by the Numbers" wedding invitations from the Minted website. I wish that I would have thought of a way to incorporate that into our wedding!  Minted is my favorite site for invitations, personal stationery and thank you cards.  If you aren't familiar, definitely check it out!
2. I'm sure many of you know about The Pioneer Woman by now, but I just love visiting her site because it makes me feel like I can cook anything!  I found these Pineapple Chicken Quesadillas to be especially appealing.
3. These cropped jeans from The Limited make me so excited for peeptoes and springtime!  On a related note, these peeptoes from JS by Jessica Simpson make me excited for those cropped jeans.  Weird how that works?
4. Love this pink Kate Spade window display, it makes me sooo (x10) excited to travel to NYC this summer. {via}
5. The whimsy of this new font from Fenotype: Pepita Script really appeals to me. I hope to be able to use it on a project in the future. For me, its a little too informal for a wedding invite, but would work great on a bridal/baby shower or party invitation.  Oh, the possibilities!
6. Urban Scartlet's shop makes me want to craft all.day.long.
7. These tiny initial necklaces on ETSY would be a great personalized birthday gift for anyone. Perfectly understated and so stylish.
8. This amazing find for only $50.00 from Ikea is soon going to become my craft table!

Love is in the Air

I hope that everyone had a wonderful Valentine's Day, whether you spent it with your significant other, your friends, or yourself.

"Later that day, I got to thinking about relationships.  There are those that open you up to something new and exotic, those that are old and familiar, those that bring up lots of questions, and those that bring you to somewhere unexpected.  The most exciting, challenging, and significant relationship of them all is the one that you have with yourself.  And if you can find someone to love the you that you love, well, that's just fabulous."  [sex and the city]

Oh, Kate Spade.

During a mental break today I happened to stumble across the sale section of the Kate Spade website.  Being a girl on a budget, I usually don't tease myself with anything else BUT the sale section, and today I came across this gorgeous little gem.  At $147 for the large size, its quite a deal (more than 50% off).  I am certain that I could fit my whole life in that bag. I absolutely love the feminine floral pattern and the gorgeous neutral gold color. As much as I would love, love, love to be able to talk myself into buying this, or anything on her website, I must learn to be frugal so that someday when I am older and wiser I will be able to afford one or more of Ms. Spade's gorgeous creations. In the meantime, I drool.

Update:  My wonderful hubby had this, a single red rose, and a stuffed monkey (my fave!) waiting for me when I got home yesterday as my Valentine's Day present! His first words? "I read your blog." I am lucky :)

les fetes quinn, sigh. 

NY Wedding Invitations

Last night I began working on a custom-designed wedding invitation suite for my long time friend Kaira of Kair-ied Away.  She and her fiancée have an amazing sense of style, and they are doing so many unique things with their wedding (that is just a few short months away in Brooklyn, NY- yay!).  From a design perspective, I am really excited to have this opportunity to work with them, because the concept is so different from any wedding invitation that I have done before.  I am so proud of Kaira for taking chances, and making sure that the wedding reflects their personalities.  I won't share a single detail about her amazing idea until I get to show her the finished product, so in the meantime, take a sneak peek at the fun color palette that I'm using, and then head over to her blog to see some other reflections of Kaira's fabulous personal style!

Google Does It Again

A certain someone who shall remain nameless constantly makes fun of me for "drinking the Google kool-aid" and buying into every single one of their products.  How is this possible, you ask?  Well, I use: GMail, Blogger (obviously), Picasa, I'm writing this using Chrome, I have an Android phone, and got GoogleTV for Christmas.  Basically, every portion of my life is integrated into Google somehow.  Good thing they aren't going bankrupt any time soon. Hey Google, if you want to pay me to be a walking billboard for you, I'm totally in.

The latest portion of my life that Google has invaded is my love for art!  Google Art Project was released yesterday and is probably one of the coolest web-based galleries that I have come across in a very long time.  Art Project enables the whole world to view thousands of notable pieces of art from some of the greatest art collections and museums. Not only can you view these paintings from a regular distance, you can zoom in on the 7 gigapixel images(!) to see every last brush stroke and crack in the aged paint.  Then, with the click of a button, you have left the Museum of Modern Art in NYC (MoMA) and are now inside of the Palace of Versailles in France. Google also included their street view technology that enables a virtual stroll through any museum included in the project.   I love this.