West Virginia, mountain momma

I have learned that I can't say, "We are going to the snow" here. When I was talking about our upcoming ski trip to Darrin, he kept saying you can't say that; it snows everywhere here! I'm used to going to just one area (Lake Tahoe) to go to ski resorts.

This past weekend, we drove four hours on West Virginia country roads to go to Snowshoe Mountain Resort. It wasn't the huge Sierra Mountains, but I was very impressed. It was gorgeous skiing in the snow on Saturday and we went back at night too. That was a first for me! Darrin was very patient, since I stayed on the bunny slopes most of the day. We stayed with our friends at their new condo, so we will be planning to making another trip soon! I need to get over my fear and go fast down the slopes! 

It was a great weekend trip and no one got hurt;)

Snowshoe Resort, WV--Trip Advisor

My first night skiing experience

Pooped from the weekends activities.
Yes, Maddie can sit like a person;)

Dinner night--S.F. style

Cioppino-Style Seafood Stew

I've been requested to put some recipes on my blog and felt this one looked impressive! Don't be fooled just because it looks fancy! I recently found this recipe for a friend who asked me to give her some meal suggestions for a party she was having. I thought this looked different and could "wow" her guests. It looked really good and I wanted to make it myself. It was super easy and sooo yummy! My husband never had cioppino before and he was in heaven! 

 

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/2 cup prechopped onion
• 1 1/2 teaspoons minced garlic
• 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
• 1 pound mussels, scrubbed and debearded
• 8 ounces sea scallops
• 8 ounces peeled and deveined medium shrimp
• 1/2 cup clam juice
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes, undrained
• Prep
• Heat olive oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add onion, garlic, and red pepper to pan; sauté for 2 minutes. Add mussels, scallops, and shrimp to pan; sauté for 1 minute. Stir in 1/2 cup clam juice, parsley, and diced tomatoes; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer for 10 minutes or until mussels open, and discard any unopened shells.
• * My side notes--if you like spicy add a bit more flakes. Salt and pepper to taste. Don't over cook the shrimp. Serve with garlic bread!
• Serves 4
• You can see the full Cooking Light recipe here.
• Enjoy!

Hello 2012!

Today, is my first day living in Virginia with snow! It's gorgeous, but omg it's cold! I've been waiting for this day to happen since I moved and I don't think I'm prepared yet? I'm still a CA girl that has open toed shoes for work. I will be buying some warm boots tonight! 

Darrin and I flew back to CA over our break and it was great to see my family and friends again. It went too quick though! When we got back, we got to work...Uncle Gary and Aunt Trish came over and helped Darrin drain out our hot tub, but the thing still isn't working. So, that meant no bubbly in the bubbly for New Years:( We finally decided on a paint color for our living room/kitchen and painted until our arms couldn't move. After two coats and sore backs, our living room is done! Here's the new color and pics.

It's been one week!

We've done a lot in one week and finally feeling a bit settled. Darrin and I are still kind of in shock that the house is actually "ours" and we aren't renting it. We can park our car in the garage now and can see just a few more boxes to unload. I have so many plans for this house, but after Christmas the first big project is painting! I've done a few swatches so far, but not in love yet. Since, Darrin says he doesn't paint... his project is getting the hot tub ready for New Years!

Frames just waiting to be hung.

Maddie already knows the potty door!

Officially homeowners!

After a long five month process, we signed our life away last night! We got to unlock that red door to our first home and it felt soooo good! It was a very stressful week. We never expected the hassle and drama in the last stages of getting a loan. We have some people that will probably never work with each other again, but they made it happen for us and we are so grateful. Christmas came a week early for us and we are very proud that we did it!

Bubbly and pizza to celebrate!

Darrin's two items he had to put up on our first night

Blacksburg is #1 place in the U.S. to raise kids

Blacksburg is #1 place in the U.S. to raise kids, according to Businessweek.

A few weeks ago this survey came out and we very surprised! #1, that's pretty big.

Click here if you want to read the article. Wow, we are moving to suburbia!

Thanksgiving and Pre-Moving Day

I definitely have a lot to be thankful for this year:
A wonderful husband who is so good to me, a new full-time job, the purchase of our first home, the support of my family and friends, great in-laws, good health, and the tremendous love of our dog, Maddie. 
This holiday was filled with eating, moving, eating and more moving... Oh, and I learned how to drive a stick! Thanks to my bro-in-law Richie! I felt like I was fifteen again, driving (and stalling) in the high school parking lot!

Traditional southern Thanksgiving.
TEN sides, two meats and I got seconds!

Our closing isn't finalized yet, so we moved out of our townhouse and moved into Darrin's Mom's. It is very nice of Leesa to let us take OVER her house. We did get to move our big furniture into the new garage, which was awesome of the sellers. We will be exhausted from moving from two places in two weeks, but it will be exciting at the same time!