battle of the brothers :)

Joe's brother Mark came to the bay to visit this weekend! And before I tell you about all the fun stuff we did, I just have to say that I absolutely love the relationship they have. I grew up with a sister, so the whole brother thing is foreign to me and while I imagine having a bunch of little boys can cause some pretty serious head aches for a mother, there is something so sweet about the relationship that two grown brothers can share. I had so much fun seeing them together and listening to their playful banter.

A few days before Mark arrived, he emailed suggesting that we head out for a run all together after we picked him up at the airport. My kind of guy!! So we did just that, we picked Mark at about 10am and after a quick stop to change we made our way out to Windy Hill. I asked Mark to make sure that he stayed out really late on Saturday or did some kind of strenuous activity on Saturday to make sure that he was a little tired on Sunday morning so I could keep up with him and Joe. Mark did some skiing on Saturday, but you know what, if he was at all tired, I sure couldn't tell. Mark and Joe both kicked my butt to the top, but despite getting my butt whipped, we all got to enjoy a few moments at the top together with 360 degree views of the bay area - we could see downtown San Jose, downtown San Francisco, Mt. Diablo and even waves at the coast! On the way down, we took a new trail and it was gorgeous! The downhill made it easier for me to keep up with the boys, Joe was in front of me and Mark was behind - it was a brother sandwich!

After our run we stopped at a local outdoor cafe for some breakfast in the sun with coffee and chai! The weather was incredible this weekend and it felt like a summer afternoon sitting outside at the cafe! After breakfast we made a quick Superbowl beer stop, showered up at my place and then drove over to Nate and Lindsey's for some Super Bowl watching.

I can't think of anything better than spending an afternoon after a long run, hanging out with friends, eating yummy food and vegging on the couch watching football! Glorious I tell ya! And then to top it all off, there was a special episode of GLEE on after the game! AND, there's even another new Glee on on Tuesday! Life is good people.

Our yummy spread! Lindsey's delicious mushroom and cheese quesadillas, 7 layer bean dip (in honor of KONAS), good ol' guac, and Joe's mom's famous garlic dip! Pair that grub with a cold one (a Hansen's orange lime soda for the weak sauce drinker - me!) and I was feeling like I was living a little slice of heaven yesterday!

Yum, I wish this was in front of me again right now!

The brothers chill-axing with some yummy eats!

Some of my favorite peeps.

oooooh and PS - On Saturday night, Joe and I went to see Laura play the cello in Saratoga! She was fantastic, the music was beautiful and I have to say I was just so darn impressed - I wish I had a picture to share!

Happy week everyone!