My Kind of Ski Trip

I think Colorado is one of the best places to live. I know that cities can be appealing when they're near family, if they stir up happy memories or if you have a great job there. But if you take all that away and just look at the city's geographical location and climate, (in my opinion) Colorado cities can't be beat.

Tim and I got to live in Colorado Springs for four years and we fell in love with Colorado. We like to get back to Colorado as often as we can because it's so fantastic and because it is home to two of our favorite people.


My sister, Ashley, and her husband, Ryan.

We had to get in a ski trip this season so we planned a trip to Copper Mountain Resort.

We had a blast. Skiing, eating, hot tubbing and shopping with good friends who are also family makes for a great trip.








While Ashley and I enjoy some moderate physical activity in a beautiful setting, if shopping were a sport we could be serious competitors in the "bang for your buck" event. We took a morning and drove out to the Outlets at Silverthorne. The drive itself made for a worthwhile trip.


Ashley scored big time at Ann Taylor. They had a huge sale section and everything was an additional 50% off.


This might look kind of strange on the hanger, but it was really cute on her. And the price ...


$2.39 after the extra 50% off!

This shirt was very flattering and had interesting colors. It was also machine washable while looking like it would demand special laundry attention. A big plus.




$4.89 is a good deal!

My camera did not capture this cardigan's cuteness.


I know she'll wear this a lot and it was only $7.39. And look at the cute buttons!


Not pictured: a beautiful, deep teal scarf that could be worn year round.

I got one thing. A red coat.




For some reason all the coats were marked even farther down to $59.99. Works for me!

We both tried on this top at Banana.


Let's just say that standing side by side it was a lesson in how to wear a tunic(Ashley) and how NOT to wear a tunic (me). I am ALWAYS drawn to tunics. I'll hold one up and say "aaw, look at this" and Ashley just shakes her head and instructs me to put it back. They do not agree with me. I do buy the least offensive ones just because I can't resist. This particular one was highly offensive.

Ashley bought it. And it looked great on her.


I had my big score at Restoration Hardware at Cherry Creek right before we went to the airport.

This is how the girl wrote up the hold tag.


Is Restoration Hardware in the business of selling orchards now? (And don't get me started on the apostrophe. What could these orchards possibly be possessing? Ugh.)

No, they don't sell orchards, but they do sell exquisite faux orchids! And I am a sucker for a realistic faux orchid.


I bought two of the Trough style for my dining room.


They are still $89 a piece at RH online, but for some reason they were half off.


Plus, all sale items were an extra 10% off and then I noticed some small scratches in the containers (that I don't mind at all) so I asked for another discount and the manager gave me another 5% off. It's not much, but it almost paid for my stuffed chicken pita at Garbanzo Mediterranean Grill. Mmmmm. Love that place.

So these were $38 each! My sister is orchid-sitting until she can hand deliver them to me sometime in the (hopefully) near future. I know they're in good hands.

Ashley picked up a FREE top at Banana because they sent her a gift card for her birthday.


Banana is so thoughtful!

It was a great ski trip and we look forward to our next get together!

Well, maybe you can start getting used to this

Some friends of ours took us to a Mavericks game several months ago. They have tickets through his work and since Tim's in the same line of business they took us and we mixed business and pleasure. It was my first time at a Mavericks game and my first time in the American Airlines Center.

Um, let's just say this game is what sparked my love of sports. After being wanded and politely searched we went up multiple escalators to a magical place called the Platinum level. I didn't see one painted face or foam finger. We enjoyed a delicious and leisurely dinner at The Platinum Club where I had tomato basil soup, ceasar salad, fettuccini alfredo and various cheeses and fruits and Tim and I shared a humongous piece of s'mores cake. We probably only finished about a third of the mammoth slice. Oh how I was wishing for a doggie bag.

I don't even remember who the Mavericks played at that game, but I had a great time. The people watching and shoe and handbag spotting were enough entertainment for me. After the game I told Tim that I had a lot of fun and would like to do that again. He laughed and said I had been ruined. He informed me that we would not be doing that again unless our friends invited us again for a real work reason.

Well, fast forward to last week when they GAVE us 4 tickets, 2 Platinum parking passes and $120 in Platinum Club gift cards for us to use however we chose.

Tim and I invited our Dads to the game. My Dad loves all things sports. He likes to watch sports, read about sports, talk about sports, think about sports and, while I haven't asked him, I would guess that he dreams about sports. It was really fun to go the game with him. He and I went early and had dinner on the Platinum level. I'm glad we asked someone to take our picture before the game started.

(By the way, I'm crazy about my Dad. He's a wonderful man and I'm glad I get to be his daughter. And to think I used to ask him to drop me off behind the school sometimes and give instructions on what he could and could not say when my friends or boyfriends would come over. Oh boy.)

Tim and his Dad came a little into the second quarter. It was an exciting game with plenty to eat. (I had stashed an emergency US Weekly in my purse and I didn't have to break it out once.)

Ice cream

Bottomless popcorn

(Not pictured are the bottomless Cokes, the s'mores dippers and peanut butter cookie. Don't judge. We took the peanut butter cookie home to eat on Saturday ... morning.)

I wore one of my favorite winter tops to the game.

It's a fine gauge, wool sweater from Ann Taylor. It was $98 on sale for $29.99. I loooove all the folds in the neck.

And it goes great with my favorite winter scarf.

Let's not review the retail and sale price on this Burberry giant check scarf. It was full price and it was expensive. The real fabulous find here is this guy.

He said he wanted to buy me this scarf (that I'd admired for years) when he got an unexpected bonus at work. He was in a really stressful job at the time and said the bonus was really for me because he couldn't do the job without my support. Isn't that sweet? I think of that time in our lives almost every time I wear the scarf. (I'd better change the subject quickly before Tim decrees his sensitive side blog-banned.)

I think the price of my earrings help balance out the scarf. I got to wear the 99 cent gold earrings from NBC.

At the fourth quarter we couldn't eat any more, but we still had money on our gift cards. Earlier in the game I had asked my Dad, "Who is the fast, little guy?" Right then and there I decided J.J. Barea is my favorite Maverick.

I have to support my guy, right? I now own an official NBA licensed T-shirt.

Now, let's be honest. I won't be wearing this shirt out of the house unless I'm making a QT run for my Coke fix. But J.J., when I'm cleaning the bathrooms, I'll be thinking of you.

GO HORNS!

Saturday Tim and I got to go to the University of Texas game at Cowboys Stadium. Tim received the invitation through a contact at work. Let's just say that if we continue to go to games with these accommodations that I am going to become a sports fanatic.

This was the view from our seats (no zoom required)

And speaking of seats ...

Sweet suite seats, indeed. Where we could see the players right before they took the field.

Tim even got high fives from Shipley and McCoy (and some other names I didn't recognize so I can't remember now).

I shook hands with Bevo (the mascot).

The chips and dips were especially good.

The binoculars were great for people watching.

And I actually enjoyed my stadium restroom experience with the moisturizing coconut hand soap and cloth-like paper towels embossed with a silver Cowboys star.

Can't you see why my love for sports is growing?

As soon as it was confirmed that we had our tickets, parking pass, and that all our food and drinks were included I began to think about what to wear. (Or maybe I thought about that first, but anyway.) Burnt orange is not one of my favorite colors, nor is it particularly flattering on me. And what do people wear in end zone suites right next to the tunnel where the players come out? Crowns? Jerseys? I don't own either.

As I scanned my closet my eyes fell on a new shirt I bought several months ago at Goodwill.

It was brand new from Charlotte Russe with the tags still on it.

$16.99 isn't too bad for a cute top, but $4.99 is better!

I've never been in a Charlotte Russe. I had the impression that it was for tweens and teens and that the clothes were cheap. Maybe that's true and maybe it's not, but I do like the detailing on this shirt and it doesn't feel cheaply made at all.

I wore the top with a brown camisole from Old Navy that I picked up on the clearance rack for $2.99. Camisoles aren't that fun to buy, but they come in handy so often. I have white, cream, brown, black and navy. (And don't forget to replace them when they stretch out or begin to look worn. Nothing ruins an outfit like ill-fitting or worn out undergarments.)

I wore my newest pair of jeans. They're dark, Curvy Ann Taylor jeans that I got for $11 at NBC.

Ann Taylor's jeans are now $85 or $95 depending on the style! I'm sure this Curvy style is from last season. I like the clean lines and modern fit which is getting to be more and more difficult to find.

I don't want to wear Lee jeans up to my belly button and I don't want pink rhinestone crosses on my back pockets either.

I got to wear a new-ish necklace from Ann Taylor Loft.

This was only $4.88 on Final Sale. Most people like this necklace. Not my mom. I think of her every time I put this on because of her reaction when she saw me in this for the first time.

If you know my mom you know that she is very nice, very encouraging and never negative. But as her daughter I can easily tell when she really dislikes something. This was our conversation:

Mom: Is that a new necklace?
me: Yeah, I just got it yesterday.
Mom: Oh, where did you get it?
me: Ann Taylor Loft
Mom: Really? It doesn't look like their other jewelry.
me: [laughing] So I guess that means you don't like it.
Mom: Well, it's not my favorite.

"Not my favorite" is my mom's code for "awful." What's so bad about this little necklace?

Note: I write this all in love. My mom is a good friend. I just find her dislike for my necklace quite amusing.

So the total for the shirt, camisole, jeans and necklace came to $23.86. Pretty good!

Go Horns!

My Sister's Steals

I am lucky to have a sister and friend all rolled into one cute little package.

Oh, you probably want to see something more current.

My little sis, Ashley, is my favorite clothes shopping buddy. We like a lot of the same things, but we also understand each other's individual style. I can never have too many tote bags or polos, while she is more likely to sport skinny jeans and boho chic pieces. Ashley's also not afraid to tell it like it is. She gives honest feedback like "don't you already have two shirts that look just like that?" Or my favorite "that makes your butt look big". But she can also give the invaluable "you should get it" or "that is so cute."

Since we now live about 800 miles apart (sad) we only get to shop together a few times a year. (But we really make it count.) I missed Ashley SO MUCH over Thanksgiving and the days that followed. We talked over the phone about our shopping trips and I asked Ashley if she'd email me a quick recap of her shopping trip and some pics of her fabulous finds. She did! Ashley says:

I’m not one of those people that like to get up at 3:00am and wait in line out in the cold to see what deals I can score the morning after Thanksgiving. But this past Friday I slept in, had leftover apple pie for breakfast, and headed out the door to an outlet mall around 10 o’clock with a friend. The deals were still there! Both the Ann Taylor Factory Store and the Banana Republic Outlet were offering an additional 50% off of EVERYTHING in the store. As usual, I made a bee-line to the clearance section in the back of the stores. In the end I walked away having spent a total of $30.50 and saving $142.50! Here are my finds:

Ann Taylor white button down regularly $68 for $10

Ann Taylor skirt regularly $60 for $12.50

Banana Republic shirt regularly $45 for $8

Did she get some good deals or what?! I am especially loving the skirt. And the ruffles on the white shirt. And the detailing of the BR shirt. She'll rock it all.

I got a few deals after Thanksgiving, but since they're all gifts I can't blog about them ... yet. :)