Yonce/Partition. Freakin’ duh. If this song doesn’t make you put your palms on the ground and twerk like your student loan officer is watching for your payment, you’re listening to it wrong. Hayyyy Mrs. Carter!
Here’s what! What three things are you obsessed with today?
I dedicate this post to none other than Bravo Andy. If you know anything of me, you know that I love Bravo, and Bravo Andy is seriously my American Idol. I think we were separated at birth, because our senses of humor are strikingly similar. But I’m going into far too much detail about my Jewish brethren, let’s get on with it! At the beginning of each broadcast, Andy does his “Here’s What” segment, which involves him telling us what three things he’s obsessed with that day.
So here’s what!
1. Butter London Nail Polish in Pimms.
I have been looking for a good quality yellow polish for a long time, and I just haven’t found the right shade for my skin tone. I finally researched, and found this color on Amazon. Once I found out that Ulta carried the polish, which runs at $15 a bottle (whew!) I bought it last night, and gave myself a much-needed mani. The color is gorgeous, and is bringing a lot of sunshine to an otherwise crappy weather situation.
2. The Netflix app for iPhone. I have been a big fan of Netflix for a long time, however, I figured something really really cool out. Yesterday, after I taught Zumba, I was dreading having to run 5 miles for marathon training because I just wasn’t comfortable doing it outside. A lot of the trails and side roads are still really icy here, and I didn’t want to risk slipping and injuring myself. So I got the bright idea to download the Netflix app, and watch a movie while I plodded through 5 miles.
I’ve seen ‘Flight’ before, but since I’d liked it so well the first time, I decided to watch it again. The movie is fantastic. Seriously. The previews were a little deceptive, although the story is based around this pilot, the plot deals more with addiction and less with flying than you’d think, though this movie seriously has one of THE best flight scenes I think I’ve ever seen. But if addiction interests you whatsoever, please watch this.
3. This dog.
Coco is the tiny girl wonder who came into our lives a few weeks ago. She’s an absolute doll, and I’m having a blast spoiling the heck out of her. We’re still working on potty problems, but honestly, nothing makes me happier than waking up in the middle of the night and peeking down at the edge of the bed to see her curled up. She is SO good. If she doesn’t stop crapping on my floor though, I’m gonna cook her for dinner!
I kid! She’s great!
So, on this icy Friday, what three things are you obsessed with? Feel free to send me pics of your dogs too, you know I love a good dog pic 🙂
Snow Day + Interval Training
The schools in our county are out again today, and I’m feeling for the teachers and parents, who I’m sure are going a little stir-crazy, but the side roads are still kind of sketchy.
So for those of you who are northerners that are reading, I am a transplant from Brooklyn, NY, and most of my family is either there or in New Jersey now. I know you guys might be dumbfounded on how 2-6″ of snow can cripple a state or a city like Atlanta, but very simply put, our secondary roads haven’t been plowed, and it makes it really dangerous for a lot of folks.
As far as Atlanta is concerned, Atlanta and the larger state of Georgia largely ignored the forecast, didn’t cancel schools prior to the weather event, and then everyone was released from work/government jobs/school at the same time, creating that horrific gridlock. One of my best friends had to sleep in a school. Thank you to all the teachers, the security guards, the bus drivers, and the cafeteria ladies that worked wayyy overtime to take care of folks, you are incredible. As for the higher-ups in that metro area, you get a HUGE side-eye from me for endangering literally millions of lives.
Moving right along.
We actually got a decent amount of snow, and for someone like me, whose neighborhood is kinda woodsy and hilly, the ice is still pretty bad. It’s also really annoying to try to get your dog to poop in the snow, fun fact.
So instead of going to work, I largely stayed in until I had to venture out for some soup and coffee.
So since the snow started on Tuesday night, I ended up taking a rest day on Tuesday because a lot of the gyms were closing early, and it just didn’t make sense to try and bang out intervals in the ice. So yesterday night, I made myself a little cheat sheet, and ventured over to the gym to do some interval training. But how was I going to do this distance interval without a track?
Enter Garmin 610. What good is a fancy watch if you don’t use all the features? So I changed the distance interval to a timed one, and banged them out. I honestly have never used the interval featured on the Garmin 610 because my training has been more about just getting mileage in and not necessarily focusing on strength or speed (not a great thing, because the end of a marathon gets ROUGH). This time, I’m focusing on more than just the long run, and I’m sorta loving it. The coolest thing about doing a timed interval is that you rack up some serious mileage without realizing – over the 6 intervals I managed to squeeze in 5 miles without like, staring at the distance ticker on the treadmill. Very nice!
And after working out, the husband-to-be took me out for dinn, which consisted of a small salad and some sweet potato fries, one of my favorite indulgences! Still fries, but not necessarily as bad for you as regular fries.
So folks, how are you making out with this weather? Anyone still out of school today? Anyone iced in? Anyone perfectly dry?
Old School Blogging #OSBlog 5 Things…
I totally love this idea, and I’ve stolen this from a few bloggers. PLEASE, please, feel free to steal this, blog on it, or even answer some of the questions here in the comments. You know I live for your comments right? They’re like delicious treats! But I stole this from Miss Elaine, who did this particular one back in July.
Five Things I Have a Passion For
1. My growing family. This year, I’m getting married, I have adopted a little orange cat, and a little dog. I’m so in love and so crazy about the idea of creating my own family.
2. Writing. This blog. I’d love to go full-time with this one day, sooner rather than later.
3. Running. My gosh, I love what running has done for me. You know this.
4. Exercise. Not just the running kind, but swimming, hiking, yoga, and all the stuff I do when I’m not running.
5. Nail polish. #sorrynotsorry.
6. Can I do 6? I love my shows. Mostly Bravo, but I adore my shows.
Five Things I Would Like to do Before I Die
1. Write a book about weight loss and healthy living for black women.
2. Buy a house (with my husband) in a city with wooden floors, a backyard, a porch, and beautiful colors on the walls.
3. Run an ultra marathon. I can’t believe I’m saying (or writing that) out loud.
4. Pay off these student loans. I want 0 debt. None.
5. Learn Spanish. Austin is doing his Rosetta Stone now. I want to learn it so that the both of us can travel with little difficulties.
Five Things I Say A Lot
1. Literally…
2. I love you babe!
3. Babe!
4. Beautiful! (This usually applies to motivation for my fitness classes.)
5. I’m dying/I’m dead. (I’m dramatic).
Five Books and/or Magazines I Have Read Lately
1. Dean Karnazes wrote 2, and I read them both. Ultramarathon Man and Run. Both good, both inspiring.
2. Most Talkative by Andy Cohen of Bravo. I didn’t stop laughing.
3. Fitness Magazine! Alexa somehow snagged a subscription and forwarded it along to me!
4. Cosmo. Because Ariana Grande was on the cover and she’s adorable,
5. I started reading this month’s Glamour because Shakira was on the cover
Five Favorite Movies
1. The Sex and the City Movie (Oh my gosh, when Steve tells Miranda he cheated on her).
2. Knocked Up
3. The 40-Year-Old Virgin
4. Taken
5. And most recently, The Flight with Denzel Washington. Denzel can do no wrong, and this movie is no exception.
Five Places I Would Love to Travel
1. Haiti
2. Trinidad
3. Bora Bora. I’m really hoping we can travel here for our honeymoon.
4. France
5. Just South America in general.
So your turn. What 5 songs can you not live without right now?
Here’s mine.
Pharrell has been a big winner as of late, and this “happy” song is no exception. 🙂
The best things ever.
Seriously, yesterday was an incredible day. I’m finding that the more I choose to be happy, the happier I am, and yesterday, every little thing made me extraordinarily happy.
- The weather was gorgeous in North Carolina yesterday. Seriously, it was like 60 degrees. I was able to run 6 miles in shorts and a tank top. Today, it’s supposed to snow. Climate change at its absolutely finest.
- I forgot my Garmin charger in Florida. Not the good part obviously. But my sister sent it my way yesterday, which was perfect timing because I got the beeping sound of death that indicates your Garmin is fixin’ to die. (Like the way I threw Southern lingo into there?)
- My sweet tooth was going nuts yesterday. So I made an executive decision, stopped by the Harris Teeter on the way home, and bough this teeny tiny Ben and Jerry’s, pictured above. It’s like a tiny taste of exactly what I needed, and it won’t ruin your life, as it comes in at 280 calories of cookie dough goodness.
- Apothic Red Wine. Bought some of that too. And drank some. YUM!
- Gloves. I was given some Columbia gloves as a gift. Très necessary, as the temp plummeted from 60s to upper 20s as the evening went on.
- Glamour Magazine. I love magazines. If I could, I would have a subscription to Glamour, Rolling Stone, Elle, InStyle, Self, Shape, Women’s Health, Brides, Runner’s World, and Cosmo. But there are only 24 hours in the day, and my bank account would be very upset if all I bought was nail polish and magazines like I want to.
- I made some time to clean! So in between the baby ice cream consumption and a glass of vino, I was able to light candles, sweep, sprinkle some smelly stuff on the carpet, and vacuum. There’s almost nothing that makes me happier than waking up in the morning to a clean space.
So, if you could have a subscription to any magazines, which ones would you have?
What things are making you happy today/this week?
Wedding Etiquette Question
Please help us out.
We’re a little less than 7 months out from the wedding, and since we have a ton of out-of-town guests, we’re for sure sending out save-the-dates next month. So I asked Austin to put the final touches on the guest list, and he asked a really good question.
When it comes to work people, who do we invite to the wedding, and who do we leave off the guest list? How did/would you navigate this?
Weekend update! We heart DC!
If you’ve been following along about anything here on the blog, you’ll know that I’m absolutely enamored of the District of Columbia. So best bud Scott invited me up, and Friday, after work, I took off, and made the trip, that was a little over 4 hours. Not a bad drive, right?
So Friday evening, me and the bestie braved the cold, and met some Elon friends out, and just enjoyed some tasty drinks.
The next day, we braved the cold temps and wind yet again, and hit this spot called Pound the Hill, a coffee bar that turns into a wine bar in the evenings. We went earlier in the day, so we missed the wine, but enjoyed some ah-mazing treats nonetheless.
Dear Scott, in front of Pound the Hill in DC. It’s right next to a yoga studio – how genius is that, right?
The space is small, but extremely warm! These DC coffee shops get packed! Best to get there early, grab a seat, and stay there.
Menus. And I spotted Nutella. Well, say no more, if there’s Nutella involved, I need to taste these.
A Nutella latte with skim to cut the sweetness! It was delicious – hot and creamy!
The holy grail of things to eat! This sandwich was a Nutella, banana, and honey sandwich. SO sweet, but good if you’re into that….which I totally am. If you don’t have a sweet tooth, just skip this one. But I loved it.
I packed my running clothes. I have big news, I’m running the Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon on April 13th, and it’s time to up the mileage. The wind slowed down, and Scott provided me with directions to get to Capitol Hill. So off I went. Are you ready for this?
In one of the greatest cities, in the greatest country in the world, I got to run to the Capital building, peek a few blocks down to see some monuments, and run back. The run totaled about 4 miles or so, and I didn’t feel too chilly, despite some good wind.
Next, we hit a birthday party, where the girls based it around the coolest theme.
So this doesn’t look like a whole lot of pizza right? Well, that’s because the girls made 5, yes 5 (?!) pizzas, allowed us to taste each one, and then paired each pizza with a beer. Very cool, and I was impressed by how much DC folks, friend’s of Scott’s were so welcoming and seemed to enjoy meeting me and hearing about what I did. Seriously, DC folk seem like nice, genuine, kind people.
And finally folks, no post would be complete without a picture of a pup, right? This guy, Fitzgerald, was the dog of the house where we were staying. I’m glad I left little Coco behind – she had not yet received her ThunderShirt, and the long car ride, plus Fitz’s high pitty energy would have freaked her out. But I’m glad to be home with my lady.
So folks, what did you do this weekend? Fill me in!
This literally has nothing to do with anything.
Not running.
Not my wedding.
Not my cat.
But I want to make you smile.
Here goes!
Watch the whole thing, I promise you’ll love it.
What are your plans for this weekend?
My week in food.
I promised last week that I’d send what a week in my diet looked like. I don’t break promises, so here goes!
Friday
- Breakfast: A banana, almond milk, and peanut butter smoothie. This is one of my favorite breakfasts to make because it tastes like a total treat.
- Lunch: Easy! A salad with broccoli slaw and balsamic vinaigrette. I garnished it with some feta cheese.
- Dinn: I went really lazy with this one. I had a butternut squash soup that I bought from Harris Teeter.
- Snacks: Fage total split cup, a rice krispies treat, and green seedless grapes. Not all at the same time. Duh.
Saturday
- Breakfast: A monster trail mix bar and green seedless grapes.
- Lunch: A creation that I like to call a zesty rice bowl. I make yellow saffron rice, combine it with black beans, corn, salsa, and a dollop of sour cream. It’s delightful, and super cheap, especially for students.
- Dinner: The samsies! I had some left over.
- Snacks: The Fage total split cup, a grande latte with skim and two splenda, and a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.
Sunday
- Brunch: French toast, and fruit. About 1000 mimosas. Sorry not sorry.
Monday
- Breakfast: I’m a creature of habit – I went for that same banana peanut butter smoothie.
- Lunch: I had more zesty rice bowl left over. So I ate that! Cheap!
- Dinner: This.
Tuesday
- Breakfast: My same naner smoothie and a large latte with skim.
- Lunch: Half of the dinner from the night before.
- Dinner: I was craving breakfast for dinner, so I made an egg and cheese sandwich on wheat, and baked some new potatoes (the little baby ones) in lieu of fried hash browns. I love making comfort food a little lighter, and breakfast is definitely my comfort.
- Snacks: Before my workout, I made the nastiest concoction of beans – black beans, corn, and salsa. I called it a bean salad. I’m gross, I know.
Wednesday
- Breakfast: An Amy’s breakfast burrito. Have you had these? So good.
- Lunch: Okay, today was a bad day. I had another Amy’s burrito.
- Dinner: I went for the breakfast for dinner again. Yum!
Thursday
- Breakfast: A large latte with skim and two Splenda, and an egg and cheese on whole wheat.
- Lunch: Lunch was BORING. Just another salad, with feta, Gardein, and broccoli slaw.
- Dinner: This
A week in my boring meals. They may be boring and repetitive, but they keep me moving. What is your diet like throughout the week? Anything that you consistently eat? Anything that you won’t consistently eat?
Overactive Blogger 