Weekend Highlights

Happy Monday! I start my new job today, but before I head in, I thought I would bring you some weekend highlights. Friday night I went over Meg's to bum around and watch a movie. We watched Leap Year (it was an ok movie, but very low budget and cheesy) but clearly the highlight of the night was the Taylor Tuesday pizza from Comella's. Basically the Taylor Tuesday is a Margarita pizza with globs of mozzarella and basil. Under Meg's influence, I agreed to adding chicken cutlet to my pizza. Wow. Excellent addition. The chicken was not dry like I half expected it to be and they were generous with the mozzarella. The one thing I will say is that there definitely could have been a little bit more sauce and it would have been perfect.

Saturday morning consisted of a boot run with Meg to the Wrentham outlets. Girlfriend was on a mission and after a long decision making process regarding the smaller size vs. the larger size, we left with what I think are the perfect boots for her.

The Wrentham Outlets are my kryptonite. Of course I found a skirt that I fell in love with at J. Crew, but am in saving mode so I couldn't get it :( Isn't that always the way? It made me sad that I couldn't get it, but to make for it, I cam home and got a lovely surprise from my boy...flowers :) They were a congratulations gift for my new job. They were gorgeous.

Then I may have had one or two (or four) of these Saturday night...

I actually think I like the Shipyard Pumpkin a little better. It is a little spicier I feel. Before hitting the booze, the boy and I went to Trader Joe's to pick up some lunch meat for the week and some of my favorite charmingly chewy cookies (you guys have heard me talk about these obsessively). We first went to the TJ's in Newton, but all they had was the chocolate chip, so the boy suggested we drive to Burlington (he's my hero! he knows the way to my heart is through cookies) and see if they had them. So we drove to Burlington and they didn't have them either, so the boy asked a store employee and they in fact verified that my beloved charmingly chewy oatmeal cookies have been DISCONTINUED. I literally could have cried. The best oatmeal cookies I have ever had in my life and they are gone forever. I am crushed :(

To ease the pain a little, I had lunch with Jimmy yesterday at Joe's All American. I ordered the chicken club with avocado instead of mayonnaise and picked off the bacon (I know, the bacon is what makes it a "club" but they don't have just a plain chicken sandwich on the menu). I also ordered sweet potato fries, which they forgot about, hence why you see the extra plate of fries in the picture. I love their sweet potato fries. The chicken sandwich, however, was actually really dry.

Jimmy ordered the turkey burger, which I've had and didn't love. He also made me say I wouldn't put this picture on the blog, but I had my fingers crossed behind my back.

We followed it up with a little shopping. Nothing heals my heart like shopping. All I walked away with though was a pink under armour fleece. For some reason, there just doesn't seem to be much in the stores that I'm attracted to. That is so unusual for me, typically I'm attracted to everything in stores.

Bought anything good lately? Am I the only one who is not blown away by this season's fashions? How was your weekend?

Go Big

Having the day off is priceless. Granted, I did pretty much absolutely nothing with my day yesterday besides get caught up on my DVR, but you know what? It feels SO good. Breakfast yesterday and this morning was cereal.

Lunch yesterday (and probably today too) was a big salad! In case you guys haven't noticed yet, I like my food big. Big salads, big mouth sandwiches, big cookies the size of my head, etc. You get the idea. Sometimes big is good, like with the salad. In the mix went mixed greens, cherry tomatoes, olives, fresh mozzarella, and the dressing was the "juice" leftover from my favorite Trader Joe's salsa. YUM.

Dinner last night was a trip to the Olive Garden with the boy to celebrate my new job (I know, we are wicked FANCY). You can hardly ever go wrong with the Olive Garden. Sure their portions are ridiculously huge (in this case big is a bad thing) but that just means two tasty meals instead of just one. The key to going to Olive Garden is to always save half of your entree. Tonight I got the Chicken Sacchetti with marinara instead of cream sauce. I always get marinara instead of cream sauce for two reasons. First, cream sauce is not worth the calories you waste on it (some people would disagree, but I just don't love it) and second, I find that marinara compliments chicken and cheese filled pasta so much better. If fetuccini is your dish, get the cream sauce. 

For dessert I got the pumpkin cheesecake (of course) but I neglected to take a picture of it, so here is an old one from a few months ago. Yes, I am a pumpkin cheesecake habitual offender. I get it every time I go to Olive Garden when they have it (alas it's only a seasonal item). I finished all but a few bites. I didn't split this with the boy because for some ungodly freakish weird reason, he doesn't like cheesecake. I know, I know. How is that even possible? Beats the shit out of me. He got the apple crostada (or apple crisp for us not so fancy Americans). Clearly not even worth taking a picture of it when I had this lovely concoction in front of me.

Before dinner, the boy and I went for a run on the Waltham Bike Path. Our goal was to run the 2 miles to our turnaround point and then walk the 2 miles back...but my knee had other plans. The minute I started to run I could feel every single step vibrating in my knee. At first it was bothersome, but not too bad, but as the run progressed it started to become painful. So we stopped and walked. I tried running a couple of more times and then finally just gave up. I know better than to run through actual pain. I'm afraid I might have to go to the doctor :(

On a lighter note, I thought I would share one of my latest obsessions with you. I discovered this song on this week's episode of One Tree Hill (I'm well aware I am only 1 of about 23 people who still watch the show, but I can't help myself) and ever since I first heard it, I've been obsessed. Songs like this don't come around often. This song touches my soul. I can't wait to get her CD. If you're so inclined, give it a listen.





What is your song of the moment? Has anyone else had knee problems?

My Bucket List

Hi guys! Today I wanted to do something a little different. A lot of really good things have been happening to me lately, and I have barely had time to take a minute to truly appreciate them. I have a great new job that I had been trying to get for years, and cupid finally graced me with his arrow. I feel especially fortunate these days, and discussions have started between the boy and I about all the things we want to do together. Listed below (in no particular order) are ten of the things on my "bucket list." I'm sure most of you are familiar with the concept, but in case you're not, a bucket list is a list of things that you want to accomplish in your life before you die. Everyone's list is different, and I wanted to share a piece of mine with you and possibly inspire you to start your own. Life is short and should be lived to the fullest! So here goes...

1. Macchu Picchu in Peru - This is one that the boy and I have on both of ours. I have always dreamed of visiting this beautiful and mysterious place. It was built as an estate for an Incan Emperor and later abandoned during the Spanish Inquisition. It is one of the new seven wonders of the world.

2. Take a bike tour of Italy - I love most anything outside, and this would be the ideal way to explore Italy. I see ads for these all the time, and I can't wait to see the beautiful Italian countryside riding through the breeze on a bike.

3. Ride a donkey in Santorini, Greece - This is my ideal honeymoon destination. It has everything I could ask for, beautiful scenery, warm climate, delicious food, and romantic atmosphere. I actually have a painting of Santorini in my hallway at home as motivation to save my money to get there someday.

4. Climb Mt. Kilamanjaro - This would be my greatest accomplishment if I get the opportunity to do it. Hiking is a passion of mine. I hike Mt. Washington every summer, but Kilamanjaro is three times it's size. It intimidates the hell out of me, but I'm determined to tackle it and win.

5. Go on a real African Safari - I am obsessed with animals and have dreamed of going on a real safari for as long as I can remember. And the safaris at Disney's Animal Kingdom doesn't count ;)

6. Drive cross country - This may be the first on my list to actually get done. With my new job, I get a lot more vacation time than I have ever had and this goal may actually be plausible next summer. The problem is deciding which way to go!

7. Write the great American novel - I wrote a book once, and it got stolen when my apartment was broken into years ago. I haven't really written much since, but I hope one day of getting reinspired and putting pen to paper (or fingers to keys in my case) and having the courage to do it all over again.

8. Run the Boston Marathon - You guys knew this one already...ever since I was bitten by the running bug, this has been my end goal. This one intimidates the hell out of me too, but I know without a shadow of a doubt that I have it in me.

9. Learn to speak another language - I took 5 years of Spanish through junior high and high school and even taught Spanish to sixth graders my senior year, but I have retained so little of it. I would like to be able to speak it fluently. The best way to accomplish that I suppose would be to go to Spain, so it looks like I have another item on my bucket list!

10. Marry the man of my dreams in a beautiful church - What little girl doesn't dream of her wedding day? As women, we pretty much dream of what our wedding will be like from the womb. It hits so much closer to home, however, when you finally meet a man that you can see waiting at the other end of the aisle for you...

What's on your bucket list?

Packed and Ready to Go!

Happy last day to me! I am all packed and ready to go!

Yes, those are my desk decorations, lysol, and phone charger. My desk is cleaned out and all I'm doing know is anxiously awaiting the go ahead to leave! Hopefully it will be soon so I can go out for a run this afternoon. Here's hoping!

Breakfast was the usual cereal and banana. Lunch today was an old standby...peanut butter and jelly! I cannot even tell you the last time I had a PB&J for lunch. I was in the mood for something super easy and quick, but was not in the mood for any of the leftovers I had in the fridge, so PB&J it was! I added a side of celery sticks and finished it off with one (ok ok, I can't lie, I actually had two) of my cookie fail from the other day.

Sorry for the quick post today bloggies, I have a lot of last minute things to finish up. I will holla at ya lata!

What Ever Happened to My Bedazzler??

Hi friends. So today is new music Tuesday! I love new music Tuesday. Not much good to download today though besides new singles from Taylor Swift and Duffy (it's about time for her, it's been ages).

So last night started out with a few laughs at the boy's expense. At some point during the day yesterday, I get a text from the boy that the button on his pants broke. He found a safety pin though, so it was ok. At various points throughout the day, I got updates on the state of his pants. Apparently the safety pin didn't work as well as he wanted it to.

He beat me home and was already in his comfies when I arrived. I went into the bedroom to change into mine and saw these on the bed. Notice what is amiss here??

Me to the Boy: Where did you get this belt?
Boy: I stopped at the goodwill store because my pants wouldn't stay up. At one point I considered trying an orange seatbelt but thought that wasn't really work appropriate. This was the only belt they had that fit me.
Me: Do you realize this is a woman's belt?
Boy: Really? How can you tell?
Me: Because it's BEDAZZLED.

I know the picture doesn't really do it justice, but the belt buckle had diamond rhinetones all over it. But really, I'm no one to judge because I did walk around for the last THREE days with Chuck E. Cheese stickers all over my jacket from Saturday with the Lamberts without even realizing it. So thanks to everyone who has seen me the last three days and not mentioned the action stickers staring Mr. Cheese that covered me.

After dinner, I decided to try baking up some delicious oatmeal cookies. The recipe I had called for some chocolate, but I eliminated that and it was clearly a mistake because my cookies wouldn't really stick together. I also may have used too much flour. They came out ok, but not amazing, so I will have to retweak my recipe before I can post it for you guys. I still ate them of course, I have never won a battle against a cookie.

This morning's breakfast was cereal and a banana. So interesting, I know. I decided to swap out my Bodypump class this morning in favor of going to the gym tonight and dragging the boy along to get some cardio in as well as this killer ab routine that I found on YouTube yesterday:



Looks really tough doesn't it?? I really want to start focusing more on my core. It has gone neglected for way too long. I do ten minutes here and there, but haven't stayed consistent and I know it's my weakest area. And on a good note, my knee is feeling a lot better today! I was nervous about doing Bodypump this morning with the lunges and squats with it hurting like it was. I will probably do low impact cardio tonight in the form of the bike or the elliptical just to give it a couple more days. Better safe than sorry.

Did you have a bedazzler? I sure did! I think I only did maybe 2 pieces of clothing before it got old.

A Little of This, A Little of That

Good morning!

It's finally my last week (well, partial week) here at the job and I am EXCITED. I have Thursday and Friday off for a little rest and relaxation. I'm very much looking forward to sleeping in, going for a run outside, and meeting some of my old work friends for lunch.

My weekend was hectic and crammed full of stuff to do, but the highlight of my weekend by far was dinner with this girl:

(And the rest of the Lamberts of course). Camera fun while waiting to be seated at Olive Garden. OG is so delicious, but there is always a wait. And waiting is that much more fun when you have 2 hungry kids and 3 hungry adults. I didn't photograph the food, but let's just say that I was NOT shy with the bread basket. I did save half my entree, but the calories saved there went to the Pumpkin Cheesecake naturally. At least I split that with Ben, so all in all the damage could've been a lot worse. Olive Garden is really hard to resist.

Another highlight was going to see the Social Network finally.

I really liked the movie. I had heard oscar buzz before I saw it, but I have to be honest, it wasn't THAT good. I will say however, that watching the film really makes you appreciate Mark Zuckerberg's genius. He took a shell of an idea and made it into the biggest thing of our generation. Justin Timberlake as Sean Parker was an excellent choice, but man JT was looking ROUGH. I know that was sort of the point with all of the hard living Sean Parker was doing, but at the same time, some of that was on purpose and some of it was not. He just looks old. Which makes me feel old. Ick. Either way, I highly recommend going to see it if you haven't yet.

Now on to the good stuff! I had a spin class this morning, which was a good thing, because I hurt my left knee somehow. I first noticed it during hiking with the boy saturday morning. Maybe I came down on it the wrong way, but it's a little achy just about all the time, and when I land on my foot in a certain way, I have a sharp pain underneath my knee cap (any knee experts out there maybe know what I did to it?) So low-impact spin was the perfect thing this morning. I don't have a scheduled run until Thursday so hopefully by then it will have gotten better. I am going to ice it a little after work today and see if that helps.

Breakfast was an egg and cheese on an english muffin that I made at home.

I was really craving one on the way home from the gym, but as soon as I finished it, I wanted more. So I added a banana and a couple of handfuls of wheat thins. That should hold me over until lunch.

Anyone else see the Social Network? What did you think?

My Last Bagel Friday

Hey y'all!

Sadly, today is my last Bagel Friday since my last day at this job is Wednesday. I was a wee bit late to work this morning so by the time I ventured upstairs for my bagel-y goodness, it was slim pickins! There was ONE everything bagel left that was a little bit mangled, but I was not to be deterred from eating it. I slapped some plain cream cheese on it, grabbed a cup of orange juice and ate it like it was the last supper.

I couldn't get my lazy ass out of bed to work out this morning. It was my scheduled off day but since yesterday's workout was cut short when I got steamrolled by stomach issues, I wanted to make up for it today. I had all the best intentions, really I did. But when the alarm went off at 5:45, I rolled right over and reset the alarm for 7:45. And for the first time in almost two weeks, I woke up this morning feeling well rested, so it was totally worth it.

I thought for fun today I would give you guys a little insight into my refrigerator.

I'm actually doing this because the boy and I made a trip to Trader Joe's last night. And I came home with 2 more containers of the Trader Joe's salsa that I am OBSESSED with. It's actually kind of embarassing how much of this stuff I eat. I have 2 full containers in my fridge and then 2 that just have the "juice" left that I like to use for salad dressing. Can you spot the 4 containers in the fridge?? I had some of the salsa today with lunch along with these chips (also from TJ's) that are obscenely delicious.

What exactly does obscenely delicious mean, you ask? Well it means that everytime I eat them I say obscene things, like "omfg" (unabbreviated of course) and "these are better than sex." That's what I mean by obscenely delicious.

Alongside my chips and salsa, I had a turkey sandwich. Unfortunately, I was out of sourdough bread so I had to use regular wheat...but on the plus side I bought peppered turkey breast! Add a little mustard, some tomatoes and avocado, and it's my pantented big mouth sandwich! In case you couldn't tell, I eat at least one of these a week and they always hit the spot. I am a slave to avocado.

I have a full weekend ahead of me (as usual)...dinner and a movie with a friend this evening (take 2 of the social network)...then tomorrow it's spending some quality time with the boy in the morning and then up to NH to see my bestie and her "circus" as she calls them (love you B). Sunday I am off to Jerry Remy's with the girls to eat delicious wings, talk about girly things, and pretend to watch the Pats game ;)

What is your favorite game time food? Any good plans for the weekend?