We had snowfall non-stop for over 24 hrs. It was crazy. On the record, we received 19″ and true to Colorado, the snow has stopped and we now have beautiful sunshine.

{Little Man thought he was pretty hot stuff with his dump truck. This boy is obsessed with any and all kinds of trucks & tractors.}

{This picture was taken prior to the additional 6″ we got that night. It’s a beautiful winter wonderland.}

{We stayed warm did a whole lotta this…}

Our local Sprouts (compare to Whole Foods) was having a great sale on red bell peppers: 3 for $1…they’re usually $1.25 a piece around here. I thought it would be a fun excuse to try canning roasted bell peppers. I’m excited to find excuses to use these more.

I followed this recipe.

I tripled it, buying 24 peppers, so I should’ve gotten 6 pints, but only came out with 4.

Next time, I would like to try roasting over an open flame, but the broiler was much more conducive to our blizzard situation.

Other than a little vinegar at the bottom and a little olive oil added right before canning, they’re packed in their own juices.

Bring on the soups, sauces and braising of meats.

Husband had to work late tonight, workin hard for the money, which meant Little Man and I got to have our own date night.

We made Our Best Bites spicy chicken salad followed by what little boys do best: trucks, knocking over towers, fake cooking and lots of kisses.

PS Sorry if you’re tired of all the cell phone pictures, especially on FB, I’m just beside myself giddy that I have a “cool” phone.

We celebrated Husband’s Halfy Birthday on Wednesday. He’s officially closer to 40 than 20, and looks better than ever.

We dined on the best lemon chicken recipe and he got a new snow shovel and bag of salt. Little Man and I were tricky, disguised new honey do’s as gifts.

I also hosted a visiting teaching breakfast this week. It’s a fun excuse to throw a party in the morning and make yummy breakfasty-foods.

Last night, Husband and I had a night on the town. We…

stopped into Backstage Coffee for a sugar-free steamer,

I got to wear my new shoes,

and we saw Bring it On the musical.

It was surprisingly cute and really entertaining. We {I} thoroughly enjoyed ourselves.

So, Husband was in a national, presentation contest with Cisco. He worked hard and kicked butt. He made it to round 3 of 5. Rock Star.

With each round, he got a monetary award and a perk. Round 1’s extra perk was a fancy dinner out on the town. We chose Capital Grille. Because we don’t drink alcohol, we made up for that expenditure by ordering appetizers, extra lobster tail and dessert.

Here’s the picture diary of the best.meal.ever. We highly recommend this A to Z.

{Appetizer per waiter’s suggestion: House Made Mozzarella Wrapped with House-Cured Pancetta warmed with Balsamic Tomatoes and Basil and Cheese Crostini…out of this world}

{Capital Grille Chopped Salad}

{Kona Crusted Strip Steak with Shallot Butter for me}

{Porterhouse Steak with Grilled Lobster for Husband}

{Per Waiter’s suggestion: Au Gratin Potatoes}

{Lobster Mac n’ Cheese}

{Italian Cheese Cake with Vanilla Crust, Bruleed top with Berry Compote}

It was Divine. We would go back just for the pancetta-mozzarella, lobster mac n’ cheese and cheesecake…and that’s saying something because the steaks were out of this world. Thank you Husband for working so hard and letting me enjoy the perks too!

…and then we flew home to see our Little Man. I should mention he was having a blast with the best Nana ever. They had a major outing every day. She kept him so busy, one day he said, “How bout stay home and play Nana. OK?”

Thank you to our wonderful families!

Our last and final day was a day at sea and probably one of my favorite days of the trip. Husband lost a bet and woke up in the wee hours of the morning to reserve us a lounge bed in the adults only serenity area. Pure Heaven. I spent 10 straight hours out there and read a book cover-to-cover. To top it off, the ship was highlighting a special drink where they took a fresh pineapple, hulled it out, blended the fruit with a pina colada and poured it back into the pineapple. So, so, so good.

{Yes, that’s the ocean in the background}

Grand Turk was beautiful and remote. There were people swimming in the water right next to the pier where the ship was docked. J&J, Dan, Tammy, Husband & I went on a snorkeling excursion. We love snorkeling.

{We ended the day by lounging on the beach and Husband caught a crab}

{That night was another formal night}

{We rounded out the evening with some karaoke and closing the night at the piano bar…one of our favorite things to do on the ship}

One of the things that spurred this cruise, was Husband’s younger brother, Jeff, serving his mission in Puerto Rico. Unfortunately, he lived in different areas on the island other than San Juan but it was still fun to see him on his island.

{Blue cobblestones from Spaniards’ ship ballast}

{Pina coladas at the place that claims to be the birth place of my favorite drink}