The Fighter's

I have always wanted to learn how to make homemade pasta.  There is nothing better than fresh noodles curled up in marinara.  One Friday night about 6 months ago, Doug and I were on the couch watching Giada and Bobby Flay tour Italy.  I had my glass of wine and a cozy blanket while Doug was snoring next to me on the couch.  Bobby and Giada visited so many beautiful places (one of these days we’ll get there!).  One of their stops was to a kitchen to make homemade pasta.  Watching them roll out the beautiful dough and then enjoy what I imagine were amazing fresh pasta dishes, inspired me to finally pull the trigger and order a pasta roller.  It’s such an art!  I also got a ravioli cutter and pasta drying rack.  I was so excited after my purchase, I decided to pour myself another glass of wine and cozy back up for the rest of the show.   The next stop on their tour was a town called Montalcino, a medieval fortress town in Tuscany, famous for its Brunello Wine.  Watching them enjoy tasting

One of our favorite places on this planet is Northern Michigan. Winters up there are spectacular…cozy, snowy, sparkly and cheery!  We woke up early the day after Christmas and drove straight to Boyne Mountain to ski for the afternoon.  One thing I love about Boyne is the number of friends from home who are also up there…we took our first lift up and ran into friends right away who we got to enjoy our afternoon with! After a fun afternoon we checked into our cozy condo on Lake Charlevoix where we had a beautiful Winter view of the lake. That night we met some good friends at one of our favorite Mexican spots in downtown Boyne City…Red Mesa.  We always like to get there early because it gets busy!!  Our favorites there are the platinum margaritas, tinga chicken tacos and guac.  It was delicious as usual and we had a blast with our peeps. The next morning we woke up to fresh snow outside the window and were back at it on Boyne Mountain.  Skied all day with a break at Forty’s for lunch…I l

December is always magical to me.  The time leading up to Christmas…decorating, slowing down a bit, baking, wrapping, giving, celebrating with family and friends.  And then when the big day is finally here…reflecting on the amazing gift of light and love given to us in Bethlehem so many years ago on Christmas Day.   I love it all.   A few of my favorite moments from this season…   Doug and I started a new tradition last year…date night at Mancy’s steak house on Christmas Eve Eve.  It’s our favorite spot in town…I always get the same thing.  A berries and bubbles martini to start, shrimp cocktail appetizer, salad, petite filet and potato.  And my favorite is our splurge on a fun bottle of wine.  This year was an amazing 2014 Cab from Cliffe Lede. Grammy and Uncle Bob came to visit Christmas Eve. Getting a family picture with this crew is tricky as you can see below!  We always love our time with them!  Christmas Eve service and then Doug made an amazing tenderloin, shrimp cocktail and b

This past weekend the girls had their dress rehearsal for dance and I could not be more proud.  These three have put in hours of work and practice with their team.  They have learned multiple routines, spent hours at the studio and have done it all with a smile on their face.  They have been disciplined, devoted and cheerful through it all.  Today I got to watch from back stage and was beaming with pride.  I love the heart and energy they each bring to the stage.  Their smiles are priceless.  And I love watching them have so much fun with their teammates.  And an added bonus...Doug is a prop dad this year!  Proud of him too😊.  And thankful that we have the opportunity to make memories as a family through the girls art.