Lovely Mountain

For realz. Tomorrow morning we hit the road for our Colorado vacation.
Sunday we start our climb, Wednesday we summit {14K} and next Friday we drive back to Texas. Whew. 

I am beyond ready to be perched on top of the world, but first I have to cross off my bajillion to-do items and finish packing.
One mountain at a time.

What do you have to look forward too? LOTS of pictures and mountain recipes!

{Beautiful Image Found Here}

Lovely {Le Boy} Birthday

Today, June 24th, marks a special birthday! Not to get all mushy gushy, but this guy is pretty amazing. 

I thank God daily for bringing such a funny, kind, patient & handsome le boy into my life!

Hope everyone has a great weekend!!

Lovely Music {Hell on Heels}

Pistol Annies are my new favorite trio. Nevermind that this is their only song to date, I'm am waiting on bated breath for their first CD. 

Lovely Cold

I've got a lovely cold, so this weekend will consist of hot tea and couch time.
How about you? Any fun plans that I can live vicariously through?

{image via here}

Lovely Grammer Engagement

I love the Grammers. Not only because they took a chance on a new photographer, but because they are amazing people inside and out. Last fall we spent a day on South Congress for their engagement shoot, my first venture into the world of duos. They were beyond patient with me as I fiddled around and learned the ropes from start to finish. They got hitched earlier this year, but here are their long awaited engagement pics....better late than never right?

Lovely {Oh La La} Paris

I heart Paris. My heart is in Paris. Days of roaming cobblestone streets and enjoying outside cafes makes my heart smile.
Need to retrieve my heart, asap.

Luckily, Oh Happy Day blog is hosting Paris giveaway! Yes, please. Click here to enter.

Lovely Blogosphere

Growing up, Sunday mornings consisted of family breakfast, CBS Sunday Morning and Church. It's definitely one of my many geeky qualities, but I love CBS Sunday Morning News. Seriously, one of the best shows on TV. You can only imagine my delight when they featured a portion of my profession yesterday, blogging! A term that didn't exist until the 90s. This explains why I could never answer the question, "What do you want to be when you grow up?"

Lovely 29 Ways To...

Lately, the work is piling up and the creative juices are no where to be found.
I will sit and stare at a blank screen...nada...zip...nothing.
There is only one word for how this makes me feel, blah, and let me tell you that means I am no picnic in the park right now. 

Luckily I found this little video with 29 ideas on how to shake the creative slump.
Definitely going to try some of these out over the weekend {4,7,17 & 18 to name a few} and erase the blah from life.

How do you relieve stress? Where do you find inspiration?

Lovely Basil Turkey Burgers

Le boy's sister visited Austin and brought a present...kind of....pretty sure she didn't realize that a simple cooking magazine could make me so happy. Taste of Home Healthy Cooking closed my search for the perfect grilling recipe to share with you lovelies.

Summertime equals grilling, but I wanted to try something a little different. Not just your average burger. The Basil Burger with Sun-Dried Tomato Mayo fit the bill. Instead of using beef, I opted for ground turkey and you'll notice that I attempted to "healthify" the average burger. {Basically, this justifies my daily intake of sweets...in my head.}

These might be my new favorite burgers. Easy to make and a little bit unique!

{Step 1} In a small bowl, combine tomatoes and water. Let stand for 5 minutes; drain.

{Basically, I missed photographing this step...because I didn't read the directions and accidentally skipped it. Don't skip this step. 

Also, cut the mayo part of this recipe in half. TONS of leftover Sun-Dried Mayo if anyone needs some.}

{Step 2} In a food processor, combine mayonnaise and tomatoes; cover and process until blended. Chill until serving.

{Step 3} In a large bowl, combine the Cheese, Worcestershire sauce, basil, Italian seasoning, garlic, pepper, and salt. Crumble ground turkey over mixture and mix well. Shape into 6 patties.

{Step 4} Grill.
Slice up some zucchini & mushrooms, coat with olive oil, grill, then toss together and you have a tasty veggie salad for the side.

{Step 5} Assemble and devour. Probably, my favorite steps...and yes, yes I did sprinkle MORE cheese over my fresh veggies. Delish.

Basil Burger with Sun-Dried Tomato Mayonnaise {Original Recipe}

1/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes (not packed in oil)
1 cup boiling water
1 cup fat-free mayonnaise
2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1/4 cup fresh basil leaves, coarsely chopped
2 tsp. Italian seasoning
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 tsp. pepper
1/4 tsp. salt
1 1/2 lbs. lean ground beef
3/4 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
6 whole wheat hamburger buns, split
Additional fresh basil leaves, optional

Lovely Music {Josh Turner}

Not sure how you can't go weak at the sound of Josh Turner's voice. Daydreaming about getting away from technology, putting on my cowboy boots and two-stepping the night away.

Lovely BvB Austin 2011 {Part 2}

A few weeks ago I mentioned the Blonde vs. Brunettes Powder Puff event happening in Austin, and it was a great game! These girls didn't hold anything back and played their hearts out. On top of a few jammed fingers and sore legs, these amazing women raised over $75,000 for the Alzheimer's Association - Capital of Texas Chapter. Check out photos from the game below; then watch the slideshow to see both on and off the field action.