Valentine's Day Fun

So my husband is the best gift givers. His gifts are always thoughtful and sometimes something you never knew you wanted. For Valentine's day this year, he brought up going to Canvas Creek as they were having a couple's evening with wine & snacks.

 

And so we started, each putting down a word about what our marriage means or what we like most about our marriage.

 

 

And then we painted.

 

 

And ended up somewhere completely different from where we started and from where we thought we were headed (a couple of times), but really liked where we ended up.

 

 

Which is a lot like our marriage.



John 2:10b

...but you have saved the best till now.

And He did. 

Happy Anniversary, Rocky.  I thank God for you every day; every day I choose to love you; thank you for choosing to love me each day.

Day 14,610 (again)

Today, I am thankful for the 14,610 days my husband has been on this planet.   He now joins me in a new decade and I think we welcomed this new decade right!  We went out with new friends and one old friend who made the journey from Denver to be here with us!

Dave is Rocky’s oldest friend (and we are looking for the photographic evidence which is around here somewhere).  And it’s been about 8 years since we’ve seen him.  Dave and I conspired to get him here to surprise Rocky.  He got here Friday.  I took half a day off work to pick him up at the airport.  Rocky and Dave spent Friday evening enjoying pizza, a growlers of Angry Hank’s Streetfighter and cigars.  Yesterday, we did put Dave to a little work during the garage sale (roaring success!), but the guys did spend a good part of the afternoon enjoying the Vig.  Last night, some of our new friends joined us at Angry Hank’s for some brews and then to Uberbrew for some awesome food (and brews).  Dave wasn’t sure what to think of the 3 beer limit, but I don’t think he’ll need to eat for about a week with all the food and drink consumed this weekend.

We took Dave on a quick trip to Red Lodge this morning before his flight.  The smoke from the fires has blocked the mountain view, even in Red Lodge, but we got MORE good food and enjoyed the ride.

Happy birthday my love!  I’m looking forward to at least 40 more years with you!

Celebration!

This has been a week of celebration!  On Friday, March 30, Rocky defended his dissertation and is now officially Rocky Dailey, Ed.D.  This has been a long time coming and I’m so proud of him having reached this goal.  And on Tuesday, Rocky turned Jessie’s car seat around and found my wedding rings! So, to celebrate [mostly Rocky’s dissertation completion] I made a special meal for us: Cocoa Rubbed Strip Steak, twice-baked potatoes and for dessert Towering Flourless Chocolate Cake; the entire meal inspired by the March issue of my Food Network magazine.

The steak was wonderful!  The cocoa powder in the rub added a new level to the golden brown & deliciousness of the crust.  I let the steaks sit for about 30 minutes with the rub on before searing in a cast iron skillet.  8 minutes per side, about 10 minutes in the oven and 5 minutes resting prior to carving.  We all enjoyed the steak, and Maggie even enjoyed it without Ranch!  Rocky has stated that this can be added to the go to list with the Ribs.

For dessert, I thought this might be a good time to try something I have wanted to try for a while, and wanted to attempt for some friends, one who has allergies and I have heard good things about flourless chocolate cakes.  I love almost anything chocolate and the picture in the magazine was amazing!  Now, obviously, my cake is not “Towering.” My folding skills suck, but mostly because I don’t do it often enough to be any good at it.  So, my meringue fell.  I think if, when, I attempt this again, I will get a stiff peak on the meringue before folding.  The cake is a bit more bitter than we like [the recipe has bittersweet chocolate and unsweetened chocolate and very little sugar], but it’s not bad with the meringue. 

Rocky enjoyed Moose Drool with his meal.  I enjoyed a glass (or 2) of Hecula, a nice Spanish red wine with a nice berry flavor and a wonderful floral finish.

First Snow of the Season

We got our first snow of the season this weekend. Maggie was THRILLED. As she told me, she can make “snow men, snow dogs, snow cats, snow mice and snow angels.” She went out almost as soon as she got up this morning. She was only out for about 10 minutes or so when she decided it was too cold. We did get the dogs out for a little bit. We have some pretty whimpy dogs who did not want to be out in the snow. Though, when we got home from the movies this afternoon, Otis was laying out in the middle of the yard. Just when I think I’ve got them figured out, they throw me a curve ball.

Do you see Rocky's hand in that last photo? He was throwing snow in my face as I snapped the photo.

Corn Maze!

After all the drama of Friday night into Saturday morning, we decided to enjoy the beautiful afternoon and headed to the Corn Maze/Pumpkin Patch.  We didn’t need to purchase any pumpkins, but we did enjoy the weather, the maze, and all the fun activities there.  Jessie napped through most of it, but Maggie had loads of fun and told us she was so happy we went to the Corn Maze.  Though, later, probably waking from a nightmare or something, she told her dad that she never wanted to go there again.  I think she’ll eventually change her mind!

 

Happy Birthday Rocky!

Happy Birthday Rocky!! I didn't really forget your birthday, though I didn't say anything right away and your birthday gift is probably going to be late because of shipping so hopefully I can make it up to you with a last minute dash on the way home from work.

You are a wonderful, loving husband and I know I wouldn't be the person I am today if you were not such a big part of my life. I certainly wouldn't be as clean. You make me a better person and that's only one of the many many reasons I love you.

You are also a great father. I love to watch you play with Maggie, to read to her. I also love that you are the disciplinarian, even though you don't like it. Maggie knows that deep down you are a softy. And I hope in the next year we will have another child for you to give your love to. And maybe we'll even get a kid who will call for Daddy in the middle of the night, though we may need a larger bed :)

I love you and hope to be able to celebrate many more birthdays with you!

Happy Father's Day!

Okay, a day late and a dollar short, but in honor of her Daddy, here are a few (?) pictures of Maggie and her Daddy (who is a wonderful wonderful father)

Let's Go Fly a Kite

Let's go fly a kite, up to the highest heights. Let's go fly a kite and send it soaring. Up through the atmosphere, up where the air is clear. Oh let's go, fly a kite! Mary Poppins

Spring

Historically, I have not been a big fan of spring. Growing up, the end of winter meant mud, muck, puddles of water surrounding the house as the snow that had been present for at least 5 months melted. Spring also means that summer is just around the corner and with that, heat, humidity and staying in the house. Here in Montana, though, I am developing a new appreciation for spring. I don't know if it is Montana or a certain little girl that is helping me to learn to enjoy this season.

I took Friday off from work and Maggie and I enjoyed the day. We watched cartoons and then went shopping. Our excursion included about 2 hours at Barnes & Noble, where we had a little coffee date and read stories. Our afternoon was spent running around the backyard and rolling in the grass like Otis. When Rocky got home, we hung out in the garage and Maggie took Rocky on a trike ride.

.

Saturday, we enjoyed another nice day! We started our day at the Beartooth Nature Center in Red Lodge. The Nature Center cares for wild animals who are no longer able to care for themselves or who have been raised by humans and abandoned. Maggie really enjoyed seeing all the animals, especially Speedy the buffalo, the moose and the owls. She was upset when we had to leave.

We cheered her up when we got home by breaking out the chalk and putting up the tent to get it ready for camping this summer. She loved running in and out of the tent and was sad when we took it down this morning. I think it will be ready for our first camping trip, which is set for the first weekend in May to Yellowstone.