...here's to a new year...

Well, it's safe to say I haven't been very good at keeping up with blogging the last few months, so I figured what better time to re-start blogging then now?! 


2011 has been an exciting year for Mikis and I full of change and exciting opportunities. Reflecting on the past year makes me realize everything that I am thankful for, and the amazing opportunities we have been blessed with. Here's just a quick list of what made 2011 so great!


-Celebrating our first wedding anniversary
-The opening of a new venture, El Hefe
-Amazing friends old and new that made for many memorable nights
-Following my dreams, and starting a new endeavor as a wedding planner. This wouldn't be possible without my amazingly supportive husband that I am SO thankful for!
-Purchasing of a new house, and new project
-One of our close friends engagements
-Seeing my beloved brothers turn 16 and grow into amazing men
-Spending Thanksgiving with both of our families


Here's to a new year full of many possibilites! I hope in 2012 your able to recognize and achieve your dreams!

[photo via]

xoxo,

R

...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

...words of wisdom...

Normally, every Wednesday I blog a series of quotes that I personally find inspirational. Today, I have one quote to share that I feel a strong connection with considering my most recent career change. You see, I spent almost ten years, 10 YEARS at Westcor, so to decide it was time to change my path, it wasn't an easy decision. I felt like if I left Westcor I was going to lose my identity. With any major change like this, I think fear is definitely a factor that weighs on people, that ultimately makes them stay stationary in life. After deciding to follow my dream of being an event planner, which in turn made me leave my memories and history with a company that truly was a part of me, I felt free. People are so scared of change, but once you do take the risk and the chance, your realize there was no reason to be scared in the first place. It truly is an amazing experience. I hope my story encourages you to take make the change you have been wanting in your life!

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

 

...words of wisdom...

xoxo,

R+M

...tgif...

This week has felt like a roller coaster ride, with a few major losses and changes at work as well as a few positive and exciting changes in our future. I felt like this song was just a bit too fitting for the week we just had. Hope you have a fabulous weekend and enjoy!

xoxo,

R+M

...life as a juror...

Jury Duty. A two letter word that most people dread. The feeling of ugh the minute you see the summons in the mailbox, and the feeling of relief when your group is released for the day. Whether ever actually serving or not, everyone has pre-conceived notions on how they feel about Jury Duty and what to expect. I simply thought you showed up the day of, hung out for an hour or two and was let go to enjoy the rest of your day. Boy, was I wrong! Last week I was called in for Jury Duty, my third time in a year, and for once actually had to report. I showed up bright and early at 8:45a.m. to stand in a half an hour line to get through security to later wait in a large room for hours. Once I was finally called at 2p.m., myself and fifty-five other jurors reported to a court room and sat through three hours of questioning to see who would be the best fit and most un-biased person for this case. Out of fifty-five people, I was picked to be one of fourteen jurors, the thought in my head was “oh joy!”. Honestly, I wasn’t looking forward to it, but knowing it was my civic duty, tried to make the best out of it. Throughout the process, I found myself intrigued and even somewhat enjoying the process. I loved being able to hear expert witness testimony, come up with my own thoughts and conclusions, and really see the judicial system in action. Honestly it was a great learning experience. One I actually think everyone should get the opportunity to experience once in their life. Although exhausting days were part of the juror gig, I was able to enjoy hour-and-a-half lunches in the beautiful Arizona weather, enjoying a few new and past favorite lunch spots.

I wasn’t able to take any photos inside the court building, but here are a few from my nice breaks.

[my home for a few days]

[trying out vitamin t]

[my fav from duck and decanter]

[my lunch locale]

xoxo,

R

...words of wisdom...

 

 

 [via]

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xoxo,

R+M

...words of wisdom...

[via]

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xoxo,

R+M



...tgif...

Today TGIF means more to us than other weeks. Both of us have had a rough week both personally and professionally, and we couldn't be more thankful to have the week over with. Throughout the week I have been looking for music, quotes and anything else to give me inspiration or reflect on the trials and tribulations we have been facing, this song has stuck with me and uplifts me just a bit.

This weekend we will for sure we dancing out, singing out, crying out and drinking out our woes to prepare us for a new and MUCH better week. Hope you guys have a fabulous weekend!

xoxo,

R+M

...live life for yourself...

A few years ago, a very good friend of mine Erica shared this quote with me, "Live Life For Yourself." Since then it's a quote I try to keep in the back of my head, and remind myself of often. This quote can mean many things to many people, but to me it's a reminder to life the live you want to live. Take risks, run after dreams, be the person you have always wanted to be. Many times it's easy to get stuck in the mundane and do what's safe. Live your life for yourself and not how other people tell you to. I hope this inspires you as much as it inspires me.

xoxo,

R

...awe and wonder...

When I went through my Confirmation during Highschool, I was asked to carry the banner for Awe and Wonder, which is one of the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit. I was extremely flattered and honored to be asked to carry such a banner, as it made me feel that my love for life and unfathomable interest in the world was quite apparent. As the feeling and reflection of awe and wonder can dissipate the older one gets and it becomes so easy to forget to appreciate the little things in life, I was happy to find myself swooning and memorized by this sunset on my way home from work tonight. 

This sunset came after a long day with many unexpected twists. It truly reminds me, if you stop and smell the roses or appreciate the small things it life, it's god's way of saying everything will be ok. 

xoxo,

R

...for the love of change...

Normally I never set resolutions for the new year, because I know I won’t keep them. Well, 2011 is different. It’s a year full of hope and uncertainty for me, and one I am truly excited to start. So with that said I have decided to set a list of resolutions I hope to stick by throughout 2011, here are just a few…

-Get Organized- although I call my life organized chaos, I truly want it to just be organized. So in 2011 I hope to organize both my personal and professional life. With that I also plan to de-clutter my closet, beauty products, and anything else that is overfull and unused. This is one resolution I know Mikis can't wait for me to work on.

-Be Positive- generally I am a pretty positive person, but the last few months I have been sort of in a funk and well, I need to get out of it. I am going to push myself, funk or not, to constantly look on the bright side, and disregard negative thoughts and frustrations.

-Spend more time with girlfriends- although I pride myself on my great girlfriend relationships, I could always make more time for get-togethers or even hour long phone dates. In 2011 I hope to reconnect with all my girlfriends on a monthly basis.

-Get Healthy- let’s just say my willpower when it comes to working out or staying away from junk food is slim to none. In 2011 I hope to work out at least twice a week (baby steps), and eat a healthier diet.

-Go to more concerts- Mikis and I LOVE music, and we used to go to concerts on the regular. Lately our concert schedule has been pretty empty, in 2011 I hope we make our hobbies and interests a priority and get out more and enjoy the music.

-Go on more vacations- We love to travel, who doesn't? In 2011 I hope we make more plans for travel within and out of the U.S. This is our prime time to see as many sights as possible, before we have to "settle down" and start a family. As much as we like to travel alone, I hope we plan more trips with friends as well. Friends help make trips a bit sweeter and add to the memories.

I am sure this list will grow more and more as I remember things I would like to work on or change. If I even do a little bit of each of these I will be happy. Remember change is always a positive, if we all stayed stagnant where would we be in life? What are your resolutions for 2011?

[happy new year!]

xoxo,

R+M

...goodbye 2010 and hello 2011...

With a new year upon us, it is hard not to reflect on the past year. 2010 will always be an extra special year in our lives as it was the year that we became husband and wife. It was also a year of travel with trips to Thailand, San Diego, Mexico, and Chicago. It was the year El Hefe was born and Riot Hospitality Group was formed, a year many babies were added to our friend’s lives, a year filled with many girlfriend reunions, a year of loss, sorrow and heartache, a year with joy and laughter, and much, much more. I hope that 2011 is full of friends, laughs, trips, accomplishments, inspiration, fun, change, and of course love.

Here is a brief look at our 2010...

[stephanie's baby shower]

[celebrating my bachelorette party]

[celebrating my beautiful bridal shower]

[enjoying the FBR with friends]

[becoming mr. and mrs.]

[on our amazing thailand honeymoon]

[enjoying the culinary fest beer garden]

[enjoying drinks in rocky point]

[celebrating the boys' birthday with a mustache bash]

[promoting el hefe at the taco fest]

[enjoying tour de bar]

[celebrating halloween as mr. mario and mrs. princess toadstool]

Here's to an amazing 2011!

xoxo,

R+M