Sunday, September 11, 2011

Work Christmas Party... and SURPRISE!













I work for an amazing organization... and with some incredible people.  I'm so blessed to love my job and the people I work with.  Every year, we have a great Christmas party.  Pete -the owner- takes us up to Denver and we go to an incredible restaurant for dinner and then out to a show.  Last year we went to see the Blue Man Group after dinner.  (This coming year is The Lion King!!)

John & I during dinner

So it's always a great night - but last year held quite the surprise for me.  As dinner was wrapping up, Pete announced that he was starting a new tradition.  He was going to award an Employee of the Year - someone who showed faithfulness, excellence and loyalty.  He went on to describe the person he had chosen to award for the year and then announced that it was me!  He showed a plaque that we'd display at the office and I remember thinking that it was so very thoughtful and awesome to be recognized like that.  Then he said that he and his wife, Kim would like to award me with a gift.  They gave me a cute, little scrapbook and asked me to read it out loud.  


Me reading the storybook
As I read the book out loud, I realized they were sending John and I on a all-expense paid cruise to the Bahamas!!  Of course I couldn't believe it, and got all emotional... shocked at such a generous gift.  As John sat there with a huge smile on his face, I could tell he had been in on all of this.  :)  

Me with Kim & Pete - the company owners


Snooze

My husband.  He's the greatest.  Amidst a rough Friday at work, he emails me the below "invitation".  The background on this - Snooze (a breakfast spot up in Denver) has been on my list of to-dos for awhile.  I had heard it's a very cool, trendy, fun spot... with amazing breakfast food.  Additional note - breakfast is my favorite meal.  Doesn't really matter what time of the day it is, I'm ready for breakfast.  John?  Not so much.  In fact there's very little breakfast food he likes.  But that doesn't matter... he loves me, loves to make me happy... and a date to Snooze = Kelly very happy.   (And some shopping afterward?  Yeah that just seals the deal.  Gets no better.)  



First off, the restaurant looks awesome.  I walked in, just giddy.  :)  (The amazing complimentary coffee while you wait for a table, definitely added to the euphoria.  This coffee is amazing.  It's their house blend and it's unique to Snooze and from Guatemala.)  I didn't get any pics of the restaurant decor, so here are some just off their website.  So fun.  







Now onto the important stuff.  The food.  After much deliberation -and help from John- I decided to get 2 things so I could try more options.  :)  Had to take most of my sandwich/hash browns home - but that pancake, gobbled that bad boy all up.  They have incredibly delicious, creative pancake combinations.  You can get any of their pancakes as a side (just 1) or a entree (a plate of 3).  Which is genius because I'm gonna need to try all of the flavors at some point.

The "Sam I Am" Sandwich - soft pretzel roll w/ eggs, sausage, cheese & comes with a smoked cheddar hollandaise sauce for dipping.  Delectable.  Oh and toss in a side of their perfectly crusty hashbrowns.
I opted for the Red Velvet Pancake this time... which was a perfect choice.  It was topped with cream cheese frosting (cutely drizzled as the Snooze logo) and praline pecan syrup.  Are you kidding me?


Sigh... such a great experience.  I love Snooze.  And I love my husband for driving me up to Denver on a cold, snowy morning so I could go there.  It's prolly a good thing there's not one closer.


Didn't realize I was in the shot, but here I am outside the Snooze entrance - stuffed and happy.




More Old Posts!

We're always gone for Thanksgiving, so I've never cooked a Thanksgiving meal.  I decided I was going to try it this year - just do it a week early, before we headed to IN for the holiday.  I invited our friends Adam and Kristi over for the pre-Thanksgiving festivities... which basically meant helping us eat!  It was my first attempt, so I'm not sure if the turkey was super moist, or if the potatoes were perfectly smooth... but it didn't matter.  It was lots of fun to prepare and then share with great friends.  

Cooking away
Table's all set!
I did a turkey breast that was rolled with cranberry sausage stuffing (from the Barefoot Contessa) which was a great option for a smaller Thanksgiving meal!

We also had garlic mashed potatoes & gravy, Kristi's famous cranberry sauce & sweet potatoes, rolls, the Pioneer Woman's green bean casserole and dessert was a pumpkin semifreddo

Time to eat!