If U-Baldo, try hair be there!

To the shock and dismay of virtually every single Rockies fan, Ubaldo Jimenez was traded yesterday to the Cleveland Indians.  When the news first broke I was devastated because he was the Rockies best pitcher, a fan favorite, and a seemingly genuine, down to earth guy.  As upset as I was that he had been traded, I was and am more upset with how the Rockies handled the situation.  For whatever reason, the Rockies organization decided to have him pitch, even though they knew the deal was done.  The poor guy couldn't find the strike zone!  He even had his mom in San Diego to help him deal with the emotions surrounding the trade talks.

 The shock has finally worn off so here are a few thoughts about the deal:

1. This season, Ubaldo had very poor run support so was it fair to trade him for the entire team underachieving?  Probably not, but that's the nature of the game.

2. Ubaldo hasn't been the same player he was during the 1st half of last season.  His velocity dropped about 3 mph, which makes the ball easier to read for the opposition.  This could possibly be a continuing trend due to his mechanics, and also making him prone to a serious injury.

3. This season, Ubaldo was much better on the road, which could be attributed to the "Coors Field factor," and not getting enough movement at this high altitude.

4. The Indians gave up some of their top prospects for Ubaldo.  I am upset that we don't get an immediate return for U since the Rockies are basically conceding this season.  However, these guys could be great additions to the Rockies organization in the future.  Only time will tell.

Ultimately, I am very sad to see Ubaldo go because he was a great player, but seemed like an even greater person.  I'll miss seeing his smile; he always seemed like he was having the best time playing baseball.  I wish him nothing but the best in Cleveland, and hope the Rockies know what they're doing.  

And now I leave you with the best Ubaldo commercial ever!
Feel free to vent in the comment section!

California Girls!

Last week my mom and I took a girls trip to California for a little R&R.  This was my first real vacation since joining the "real world" of a 9-5 full-time job.  We started our trip in Redondo Beach, California, which was a great little town (little being a relative term when talking about California, but alas, it felt little).  While in Redondo, we went to the beach each morning, which was rather disappointing because of the marine layer.  Typically it burns off, but during our stay, the beach was always cloudy and cool.  We also did some shopping and ate some great food.  The first night we ate at a Tapas place, which was great! I also made it a point to go to The Coffee Bean, where I had an Ice-Blended drink that was life changing!  **Remember, I live for coffee .**  Another item on the agenda was In-n-Out, which never disappoints.  Our final night in Redondo we ate at the Redondo Beach Brewing Company where I tried a Blueberry Wheat beer.  I typically don't like wheat beers, but this one was quite possibly my favorite beer ever!!

After a few days in Redondo Beach we headed to Anaheim to see my cousin and her family.  We chose this particular weekend to visit California because Taylor was turning 4!  We were also surprised with Grace's baptism.  It was so great being a a part of family events since my parents and I are the only people out in Colorado.  It was so much fun spending time with these 2 little girls that I absolutely adore!

Me and Grace

My favorite girls!

At the beach!

 At Grace's baptism.

WIth Taylor, the birthday girl!

*P.S. The day my mom and I flew out I got my hair cut.  I was in tears because it was much shorter than I anticipated and not at all what I had asked for.  After a few tweaks with the flat iron, I have grown to like it! 

Fashion Friday - Tribal Prints

I'm obsessed with tribal prints right now!  A few days ago, a friend and I were in Denver and decided to hit up Forever 21 since we don't have anything like that up here in the mountains.  When we first started looking around I told her, "tribal prints are in right now."  Well, we kept looking around and apparently that is the number 1 trend right now according to Forever 21.  I found a couple tops that I absolutely love!  Next on the list is a black maxi skirt to make the look really hippy chic!

This skirt is adorable! I would pair it with a simple top and let the print stand out.

This top would be great with a maxi skirt

This is one top I bought.  I would pair this with jeans.

These are a few of my favorite things...

The Munchies
Favorite Dinner Time Food: Spaghetti
Favorite Dessert: Brownies
Favorite "I just had a shitty day and want to smother my feelings in food" food: Cookie dough ice cream
Favorite snack that won't clog my arteries: Red pepper hummus with a tortilla
Favorite Friday Night Alone food: Noodles and CO.
Favorite Beverage: Gatorade
Favorite Sunday Brunch Drink: Mimosa
Favorite "Let's Forget Tonight, But No Hangover" drink: Pinot Noir

The Sophisticated Stuff
Favorite Book: Water for Elephants
Favorite Blog (of the moment): The Daybook
Favorite Singer to Listen to While Sitting In a Cafe: Adele
Favorite Singer When I'm Alone in My Room and Singing in the Mirror: Kelly Clarkson
Favorite Piece of Furniture: My bed

The Boys
Favorite Male Body Part: Arms
Favorite Personality Trait in a Man: Sense of humor
Favorite Flirtation Device That Never Works: Sarcasm

The Clock
Favorite Part of the Day: shower-only time I can’t be bothered!
Favorite Season aka When I Look the Best: Summer
Favorite Way to Fall Asleep: Reading a book
Favorite Time to Wake Up: When my body says its ready
Favorite Way to Spend My Day: Sitting on my balcony with a cup of coffee and a good book

Teeny Bopper Stuff:
Favorite Saying: “Legit”
Favorite Crush: Ryan Reynolds
Favorite Color: Coral

Love:
Favorite person: My family

Kara's Kooking - Chicken, Spinach and Goat Cheese Quesadillas

I had a feeling these quesadillas would be dynamite since I love spinach and goat cheese.  The original recipe didn't call for tomatoes, but I added them because we all know how much I love tomatoes.

Ingredients: (Quantities are approximate)

• Flour tortillas
• Chicken (cooked and sliced)
• Garlic (1 tsp., minced)
• Tomatoes, diced
• Baby spinach
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• Goat cheese (4 oz., crumbled)
• Shredded monterey jack cheese
• non-stick cooking spray

Directions:

1. Heat the spinach with the garlic, salt and pepper over medium-low heat until wilted; remove from heat and set aside.
2. Heat a pan over medium-high heat, and spray with non-stick cooking spray.  Toast the inside of the tortilla for about 30 seconds. 
3. Take the tortilla off the pan and assemble: Over half the quesadilla sprinkle monterey jack cheese, chicken, spinach, tomatoes, and goat cheese. 
4. Add tot he pan and cook for 1-2 minutes, fold the tortilla over and continue cooking about 30 seconds.  Flip the quesadilla over and cook for an additional 1-2 minutes.  Enjoy! 

I served mine with salsa, but the original recipe recommended avocado sour cream.  

Fashion Friday - Maxi Dresses

I have loved the maxi dress trend for quite some time now, but hadn't been able to find one that I liked, or that was long enough.  I finally found one and wore it today.  It probably because dresses are a rarity in Breckenridge, but I haven't gotten that many compliments on my clothes since living here.  It could also be that it was fun, flirty, colorful...the exact opposite of my usual wardrobe choice.  Either way, I'm definitely going to go buy a couple more because they're great for summer.  Although dresses look incredibly put together, they're the easiest thing to throw on.  

I love the jean jacket, especially because it hits right at her waist

This is similar to the maxi I bought, and I paired it with a belt as well to accentuate my waist

Can't go wrong with a simple black maxi

The End of an Era

This morning we witnessed the launch Atlantis, which is the final mission of the Space Shuttle program after 30 years and 135 flights.  I found it to be bittersweet because it's the end of an era, but hopefully NASA and other organizations will start developing new technology so we can explore Mars and go back to the moon.

We were OJ'd

Unless you live under a rock, you know that yesterday the jury for the Casey Anthony trial reached a shocking decision: Not Guilty!  I'll be honest, I was pretty shocked that they found her not guilty, and that on Thursday she very well might be a free woman.  With that said, after thinking about it for a bit, could you have said she was guilty to the 1st degree, and possibly sentenced her to die based on the evidence presented?  Although I believe she is guilty (to what extent I'm not sure), the burden of proof was on the prosecution, and unfortunately, they weren't able to prove, beyond a reasonable doubt, that she was guilty of this crime.  The defense was able to put doubt and confusion into the minds of the jury, which ultimately led to this outcome. Finally, the prosecution took a misstep by trying to convict her of murder to the 1st degree without any hard evidence.

At the end of the day, just like OJ Simpson, she has to live with this the rest of her life, and some day she will get what's coming to her.

People expect Casey Anthony to make a pretty penny from this ordeal, which is sickening.  Even though we had no control over the outcome of the trial, we do have control over whether Casey Anthony and/or her family or anyone related to this tragedy make a profit from this ordeal.

Here is a link with one juror's reaction to to the verdict 

Fashion Friday - Fedoras

Fedoras, specifically straw fedoras are HUGE right now!  They are so effortless, and make outfits look pulled together.  The best part is that they are a chic, fashionable way to hide a bad hair day.  I always wear baseball caps when I'm having a bad hair day, but the goal is to find a fedora that will fit my big head!
                                               
                           Her hair looks great with the fedora

I love the braid!

Loving this whole look!  

My take on a fedora, MJ style!