...life as a sister...

I know I've said it before and I'll say it again, but I feel SO lucky to have siblings, especially one's I am so close with. The last few months have been crazy with both my recent career change, the opening of El Hefe and just everyday life. I have to say, I have never been more thankful to have my brothers and sister by my side. Recently, my brother Alan broke his arm in a dirt biking accident. Immediately fear and worry came through my mind, and I was quickly comforted by my brother who was feeling similar emotions. Knowing I wasn't alone and had my brother by my side made the experience so much easier.


My siblings and I have been through a lot the last few years, more than most people go through in most of their lives, and to know that we aren't alone in our recent challenges give us, or at least me, a sense of comfort. Everyday I will count my blessings to have them.

[my brother after breaking his arm]

xoxo,

R

...life in overdrive...

Well, as you can tell by the lack of posts, the Troyan Chronicles has been greatly neglected. To say our lives have been INSANE the last few months would be an understatement. Honestly, there were a few weeks where Mikis and I looked at each other and said "Is this really our life?". We can't complain though, we have had a lot of new and exciting changes, which has kept us very busy and in turn is why we have been MIA. Here is a quick recap on what we have been up to the last few months:

[we celebrated our first wedding anniversary with a weekend getaway to sedona]

[we opened our newest endeavor, el hefe]

[i turned another year older...]

  [and so did mikis...]

[we went to san diego to celebrate our great friends, jen & claude's engagement]

[we celebrated my twin brother's 16th birthday]

 [we had a lot of out-of-town visitors]

[we had many fun night's out with friends]

 

[and i said goodbye to my two beautiful offices and almost ten years with westcor...]

[to start working as an associate event and wedding planner with outstanding occasions]

Wooh, I'm exhausted just recapping it. I promise to make more of an effort to update and post more often. In the meantime, if you want to see what we are up to at Outstanding Occasions, follow our blog here. 

xoxo,

R+M

 

...friday night with the fam...

Mikis and I are so lucky to have my brothers and sister live so nearby, which allows frequent visits and fun nights hanging out. Every time we are with my siblings, I think of how lucky I am to have such amazing people in my life. Now that they are teenagers it is a easier to relate to them more than ever, which makes us closer than ever. Honestly, spending time with them makes me more excited for when Mikis and I are parents ourselves, but for now we take every opportunity to hang with them. Last night was one of the those great nights where we were able to have dinner and spend the rest of the night with the fam.

[gotta love 16yr old's eating habits. yes those are french fries in his burger]

xoxo,

R+M

...a weekend for three...

Well really it was a weekend for six, but our trip to Colorado was all about spending time with two of my best girlfriends, and sprinkling in a few family visits as well. When Liz called me in November and told us to book tickets to Denver in January for a weekend meet up, we didn’t think twice. A $39 Southwest deal is almost as hard to pass up as a weekend with some of your favorite people in the world. It’s obviously a no brainer.

So after two months of anticipation, the wait was finally over and we were hopping on a plane and heading to the cool climate of Denver. As soon as our plane touched down we realized we weren’t in Arizona anymore. Trading 70 degree days for 40 wasn’t the most ideal, but well worth it for the weekend and memories to come. As soon as our engine turned off in the Robinson parking spot, Tara was running down the steps to welcome us, that’s when I really knew this weekend was much needed.

While Liz and Kevin were playing Snowbunnies in Copper Mountain, we were exchanging stories over bloody mary’s in the warmth of Alex and Tara’s home. For our first night in Denver we were able to coordinate a dinner date with two of my cousins Josh and Desi, which made the trip even better. Whenever you can spend your short trip with as many people you love and care about, it makes it that much more worthwhile. After eating and drinking the night away it was time for bed.

Our second day started with an awesome breakfast and included a special guided tour of the new Denver Four Season’s Kitchen. Afterwards, the girls were spoiled by a three-course meal by the boys. I guess that’s one of the perks of marrying a chef, huh tara?

Our last full day was packed! First we squeezed in a brunch date with my cousin Eric and Melinda and their beautiful daughter Abigail. Seriously, she’s gorgeous! After brunch we joined the rest of the gang for bloody mary's and to plan the rest of our day. It was an extra cold day, but we decided to venture Downtown to do a brewery tour and tasting. Only problem was the brewery wasn’t Downtown, which we didn’t notice until 30 minutes into our search. So, we decided to do the next best thing and headed into the resturant with a bar. It got us out of the cold and made the day much more fun! After wandering around Downtown it was time to head back to get ready for dinner, it was an extra special night as we were celebrating Alex and Tara’s 3^rd Wedding Anniversary. We celebrated over dinner and drinks at Il Fornio. After dinner the ladies headed out for some much needed girl time and hung out at the local pub, shared stories, laughs and even a few tears.

Here are a few highlights from our weekend:

The girls who never stop eating.

Brenner and his new lip-gloss addiction-sorry Alex!

Little Timmy sporting B-man’s apron.

Raaawr…are you scared?

Kevin and his new addiction to angry birds, despite having to play with a purple phone.

The never-ending walk to the Brewery, I mean Corporate Office. 

I’ll take her. I didn’t know I was something you could order.

Don’t worry, it taste’s like Vanilla Ice Cream.

Tara, your being a really bad friend right now.

A drunken phone call at 2a.m., sorry Getty!

I swear I have called 10 pizza places and they all close at 11p.m.

[welcome to denver]

[thank god for iphone's]

[the boys cooking away for us ladies]

 [tara did a little cooking herself]

[this is his "cheese" face]

[a little after dinner ipad. how cute is it that they match?]



[starting our trek to downtown, it was very cold,
so we were seeking shelter in the elevator doorway]

[pooped!]

[the blurry walk home after "girls" night]

Our Colorado weekend was awesome, and one we hope we can relive sometime soon. Thanks ladies for the laughs and love, I can’t wait until we reunite again. Until then…

xoxo,

R+M

...beginning to look a lot like christmas...

If you were to tell by the weather, you certaintly wouldn't think we are only a few weeks away from Christmas, but if you were to tell by your mailbox you would know the holiday's are here. One thing I love about the holidays are the adorable cards you get from family and friends, here are a few that visited our mailbox recently...

[love this christmas/hanukkah card]

[adorable card to match and adorable couple]

[the commentary in this one is hilarious]

xoxo,

R+M

...first day of hanukkah...

As mentioned here, Mikis and I are in an interfaith marriage, which means a lot of things throughout the year, but in December it means we celebrate both Christmas and Hanukkah. Yep, we get the best of both worlds and traditions. Unlike traditional Hanukkah celebrations, we don't celebrate all 8 day's with family, but do light our menorah each night. Tonight, we will be lighting our first candle, and wishing our family and friend's across the U.S. a very happy and joyous Hanukkah. We invite you to celebrate with us by making this Hanukkah must-have, Potato Latkes. Enjoy with Applesauce, they are delish!

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons of canola oil
• 2 pounds of 5 medium peeled potatoes
• 1 medium red onion, finely chopped
• 1/4 cup of all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon of salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 2 eggs lightly beaten
• applesauce and sour cream, for serving

Directions  

1. Heat oven to 450° F. Brush 2 baking sheets with 1 tablespoon of the oil and set aside.
2. Using a box grater or a food processor fitted with a shredding blade, coarsely grate the potatoes. Place the grated potatoes in a large bowl with the onion, flour, salt, pepper, eggs, and the remaining tablespoon of oil. Toss to mix well.
3. Drop by rounded tablespoonfuls onto baking sheets and press lightly to make patties. Bake 10 minutes or until golden brown on the bottom. Turn the latkes with a metal spatula and rotate the baking sheets. Bake another 5 minutes or until golden.
4. Transfer to a platter and serve with the applesauce and sour cream.
    This recipe makes 2 dozen latkes.

Enjoy!

xoxo,

R+M

...thanksgiving celebrations...

Thanksgiving has taken on many different look's throughout the years. My first memories were of us bundling up and heading to my grandparent's house in Colorado and piling into the breakfast nook in the kitchen and feasting with my cousins. As I got older and after we moved to Arizona, the holiday's would alternate each year, with some years being celebrated at home and other's with trips back to visit the fam. Either way, Thanksgiving meant celebrating with the whole family, and noshing on Grandma's delicious Maybouillon Rolls.

As I have gotten older, and started working in the retail industry, as mentioned here, Thanksgiving has taken on a different look. Since part of my job is to report to the center at 4a.m. on Black Friday, I am no longer able to go to Colorado and celebrate with the Stevenson's. Although at times this makes me "home sick", it also has given me the opportunity to celebrate with Mikis and his family. Mikis's Thanksgiving memories have been celebrating with some of his parent's closest friends, who to them have become family. Everyone arrives at the Gordon's home with side in hand and knows their in store for an afternoon of delicious food and catching up with old friend's. It's a tradition that I thankfully have been apart of for the last few years.

This year, Thanksgiving was a culmination of both of our tradition's. For our first Thanksgiving as a married couple, we held the holiday at our home. We hosted 21 people including our parent's, grandmother's, my siblings, close family friends, and family from Colorado. Thankfully, my dad and step-mom are GREAT cooks and they did the bulk of the cooking. We had a TON of food including two turkey's, one fried and one baked, and ham as well as over 8 sides. It was one of the best Thanksgiving's we've had. We had family and friends surrounding us, and it was a day filled with great food, great company and love. 

Here are a few photos from the day...



[my step-mom and her apron]

 

[the stevenson-troyan clan]

[pooped from the day]

xoxo,

R+M