I'm so heartbroken...

My celebrity boyfriend was King of Bacchus this year at Mardi Gras. If you know me, you know how much it totally broke my heart that I missed seeing him. I almost cried when I found out.

We've been on an every-other-year Mardi Gras schedule since we first got married. We usually go with our friends Keever and Bobby who live down there and know how to do it right. The last time we went was 2010, a week after the Saints won the Super Bowl. That was pretty cool, to say the least.

We missed our scheduled year this time since we just got back from Vail the Monday before we'd need to leave for New Orleans on Friday. That would be too much.

BUT had I realized a little earlier that I could have had the opportunity to be T-H-I-S close to Will Ferrell, I might would have arranged it. Opportunity missed. I will survive... with a broken heart, but I'll survive.

COLORADO!

Last week Derek and I took a much-appreciated vacation to Colorado to visit our friends Jennifer and Matt and do some skiing. This is our second visit to the Denver area, the first one being when I first started blogging back in 2008. My, how time flies! :)

We flew in to Denver Wednesday night, spent some time at Matt and Jenn's fabulous new house then drove over to Vail early Friday morning for the weekend. On Friday Jennifer and I spent some quality time drinking mimosas in the snow at the bottom of the mountain and catching up while the rest of our group skied. It was so gorgeous.

Friday night we stayed in at our condo since we had gotten up so early that morning and were pretty worn out. We ordered a pizza and spent some time in the outdoor hot tub while the snow really came down. It was amazing... really one of those "remember everything about this" moments.

Saturday I wandered around the ski village while everyone else went up on the mountain. I was looking forward to some "me" time on this trip, and I enjoyed every minute of it. After we met for lunch Derek and I spent the rest of the afternoon exploring the area.

Saturday night was our "night out" in Vail Village. First of all, the Teva Winter Games were going on while we were there, so we were fortunate enough to catch some really cool snow competitions and live music.
We had an AMAZING dinner at Flame Restaurant inside the Four Seasons Hotel at Vail Village and then ended up in this cool little corner tavern in the village for some after-dinner drinks.
On Sunday we left Vail and stopped at Copper Mountain so Derek and I could do some tubing. That was a lot of fun, too, and something I wasn't actually scared to do. Ha!
All in all it really was an amazing vacation, and I'd say it ranks up there as one of the best we've taken. We even have talked about moving there! It was great to see Jennifer and Matt and spend some time as snow bunnies. I could definitely get used to that lifestyle, that's for sure. :)

Healthy

We have turned over a new leaf in the Grey household. We are going to be healthier and more active in 2012!

Derek's already been on this kick, but I just hopped on the bandwagon last week. We're cooking healthier (thanks to Pinterest) and eating less, drinking more water, the whole nine yards...

Last week I went to Pilates three times, and while that may not sound like much that's a lot for me! AND I went up and down a total of 760 stairs in our parking garage last week when I normally would just take the elevator.

I'm telling you this so I can hold myself accountable. In six days I lost four pounds. I'm happy with that!

So, here's to a happier, healthier me this year. I think a change like this can only mean good things to come.

Note to Self

Nine years ago today I started dating the man who would eventually become my husband. It just happened, and it was the last thing I was looking for at the time. And I clearly am very blessed today because of that. Looking back I see that it was all part of "the plan." Maybe not my plan at the time, but God's plan for my life.

I just need to be reminded that the best things in life often "just happen." It's all part of a plan that's way bigger than mine.

Sorry for being so vague, but I just had a moment of clarity today, and I thought writing about it would help me remember.

So, note to self: You have oh so very much to be thankful for, and if things don't happen exactly as you planned they would, so what?

I once heard that if you want to make God laugh just tell him your plans. He usually has something bigger and better in mind. I certainly won't challenge that.

Turner Family Christmas Reunion

On Saturday we headed to Hattiesburg for a family get-together with Derek's family.

All of Derek's mom's brothers and sisters came, plus his grandparents from Dauphin Island, and ALL FOUR of the Grey kids plus significant others. Now that's impressive!

It was Christmas in January, and we all brought a dish for lunch and played Dirty Santa. It was so good to visit with everyone, and the little kids really enjoyed the 80-degree January weather!

It was a lovely day and a wonderful visit. Hopefully we'll see everyone again before 2013!

Firefly Hill

We decided to get out of town on Saturday and go spend some time at the lake. We hadn't been out there since the summer (and then only once after the flood), so it was time for a visit.

What a perfect day... absolutely gorgeous outside. A little chilly, but we bundled up. Katie, Neil and Frances joined us and then Ryan and Beth Ann came out Saturday night, so it ended up being a nice little family day.

I don't think anybody enjoyed themselves as much as Bentley did. He was in DOG HEAVEN running, chasing the ball, and even swimming in the 30-degree weather. Brave soul.

It's just so perfect out there, and it reminded me that we need to take advantage of a perfect weekend getaway at Firefly Hill at all times during the year, not just summer. It's one of the best places on earth.

Art from the Heart

I just wanted to take a minute to showcase one of my favorite Christmas gifts.

It's a truly unique and very personalized piece of art that my dad (and mom) made for us from all of our Italy photos.

He had it printed on canvas and we took it to Neblett's to have the canvas stretched onto a frame. I just love it!

We also got some prints framed that we bought in Italy, and they turned out great, too. Unfortunately there's too much of a glare on the photos I've taken to show them off.

We've built up quite the collection of art by trying to get something on every trip we take, sometimes even signed by the artist... Our efforts have paid off, but now we just need more walls!

Until then, I think we'll just cover every inch of wall space with art to remind us of memories we've made along the way. After all, every picture is worth a thousand words, right?