holiday – Page 4

Shopping and NYC

December 5, 2017 by Alicia 4 Comments

For as long as we live within driving distance to NYC, I think I would love to make it a tradition to head down for the day, see a Broadway show and the Christmas tree. It’s so simple and also so fun.

But first let’s talk about Saturday. In the morning, I knocked a few things off my to do list and then my reward was shopping in the afternoon. I had to shop for a secret Santa gift for work and also a little girl from the giving tree my work has. I don’t have many people to buy for and no little kids s I was super excited to find some things for a little girl. The lines were insane at some of the stores but I didn’t have anywhere else to be so I patiently waited and tried not to be tempted by things along the wall when standing in line. I say tried…because I definitely left with a couple extras but they were small items.

So about 3 hours later I had hit up 5 stores which included the grocery store for my weekly groceries. I then got home, heated up some leftovers for dinner and got to wrapping. I was so excited when I also found wrapping paper on sale that was Minnie Mouse as the little girl said she liked Minnie Mouse. I really hope these gifts make her Christmas.

My go go go day had me quite tired at the end of the day and I curled up in bed with a Christmas movie on my laptop.

Sunday morning I had an alarm set for 7am and thankfully I did because I could have slept later. Of course Saturday I was wide awake at 6 when I could have slept in longer, go figure.

I got up and made breakfast and got ready to head to NYC for the day. My new friend, also named Alicia, was meeting me and Brian at the house to head down with us. We left shortly after 8 and it was a 3 hour drive. Though we stopped a couple times so I think it was closer to 3.5 hours but the time flew by because we talked the whole way.

Once we parked we headed straight for the TKTS booth to get discount tickets for a show. It took us up until we reached the window to decide but we decided on Cats. I feel like Cats is one of those musicals you hear about all the time so we figured we would see it.

After getting tickets, we had just enough time to grab some lunch. Brian found a place nearby called Beer Authority. We all had some type of burger and it was delicious. I could tell I needed some food.

Then it was off to the show. Cats was really good. Lots of jazz type dancing and there was an awesome tap dancing segment. I am biased whenever there is tap dancing since I tap dance.

We all loved the show even without knowing what to expect.

After the show we walked down to the Christmas tree. We made a pit stop for cupcakes which I forgot to take a photo of from Magnolia Bakery. Honestly I was kinda disappointed in the cupcakes as they fell apart taking them out of the box, the frosting part separated from the cake and it was messy but still a good dinner.

We made our way through the crowd to take photos by the Christmas tree and then it was time to head back towards the car since it was getting late and we had a 3 hour drive back.

We got back right around 9pm which was perfect. I got my lunch together for work the next day and got ready for bed. I also opted to skip the gym Monday morning in favor of getting more sleep and headed to the gym after work instead. When it’s dark so early it’s hard to drag your butt to the gym, but I always feel so much better after.

Do you have any favorite Christmas Traditions? I also make Gingerbread cookies annually and will be doing that soon.

FriendsGiving and Thanksgiving 2017

November 27, 2017 by Alicia Leave a Comment

This was my 4^th Thanksgiving not at home and it was also a tough Thanksgiving for both my family and Brian’s due to recent losses of loved ones. A week before Thanksgiving, it was predicted there would be a massive snow storm over the Thanksgiving days. I was glad that the weather changed and all we got was some rain and snow flurries on Wednesday morning.

On Wednesday afternoon, we got out of work early. I drove up to Syracuse for a Friendsgiving. My friend made a 20lb turkey and many delicious veggie side dishes as well as banana and pumpkin bread I filled up on. The meal was delicious and I was definitely stuffed.

I decided to stay the night up there because I don’t particularly like driving at night and it’s deer season so that just makes driving at night even worse. It was nice to have a quiet night. We watched an episode of This is Us and then headed to bed.

My friend had work early Thanksgiving morning at the hospital so it was just me, her dog and her bf in the morning. I was up shortly before 7am because I fail at sleeping in these days. I enjoyed the peaceful morning and just watched some videos while enjoying my protein bar I brought for breakfast.

I left around 8am to get on the road. There was very little traffic and I had Christmas music playing most of the way. I kind of skipped over Thanksgiving this year.

I decided to stop at the gym on my way home to get a workout in. Honestly when it comes to holidays and days off work, one of my first thoughts is, awesome I can spend longer at the gym!! I don’t think these are bad thoughts, I just really enjoy my gym time and like when I don’t have to be rushed. It also feels good to be a little active because Thanksgiving tends to involve a lot of sitting around.

I arrived back at the house around 11am. Brian was sleeping. He wasn’t going to be home for Thanksgiving as he has been working nights, but he came home to sleep and then take a plate of food to go. Since Brian was sleeping, I didn’t do much. I chatted with my family over facetime and chatted with Brian’s mom for a bit. I did some reading and cleaning up, but I was kind of antsy despite already getting in a workout.

Around 2 I started to wake up Brian and at 2:30, people started to arrive. We decided to eat at 3 and Brian left at 3:15 to head back to work. Since I had a lunch and snack, I wasn’t that hungry at 3, so I ate less than Wednesday night. I also don’t like a lot of Thanksgiving foods so I guess that is why the holiday is not too exciting to me. I had Turkey and corn and tried a couple of the other side dishes and then had my cookies for dessert. I’m not big on pie either.

It was great to chat a bit with all the family but with eating so early, we were wrapped up by 5 or so. Honestly the night dragged once everyone left. I decided to work on some bullet journaling to pass the time. At 8, I watched Big Bang Theory and finally saw an episode of Young Sheldon which was good. I’m so behind on Big Bang Theory and need to find a way to watch old seasons online.

At 9, I got into bed but wasn’t tired. Now that Brian was awake, we texted for a while before I finally called it a night at 11.

Friday was a peaceful day. I went out to breakfast with Brian’s mom and then shortly after I went to a yin/restorative yoga class. The class was like the perfect mid day nap. I was definitely deep in some of the restorative poses.

After yoga I decided to go for a walk. When 50 degrees now feels warm after some 20 degree days, you take advantage. Also the sun was out and I needed some natural vitamin D. I listened to 2.5 podcasts and walked 5 miles. It was great to have that time to myself.

When I came home I had an early dinner/late lunch of turkey leftovers as I tried to make room in the fridge to meal prep for the coming week. I spent the evening catching up on This is Us and watching a movie on Netflix. It was a good night.

Then we were onto the actual weekend. It’s always nice to have an extended weekend to rest and relax.

How was your Thanskgiving?

Do you have any traditions around the table?

2017 Christmas List

November 10, 2017 by Alicia Leave a Comment

I saw Becky’s Christmas list last week and I was like, “is it that time already?” I should be totally honest though in the fact that I have a section in my phone notes of presents I am buying people and also my own list. When it comes to my own list the last few years, I really try to list things I NEED. Especially after traveling this year, I really don’t buy things unless it is something I am going to use. The problem I have found in the last few years though, is the items on my lists are often at least $100 and so sometimes people don’t want to spend that much. My suggestion to anyone who wants to get me a gift is get me a gift card for one of the stores I can buy my items at. Most of my items this year are things like clothes and shoes I need to try on and I don’t shop enough to know my size at every store.

Lululemon wunder under leggings – I have one pair I bought myself back in 2014 and I absolutely love them. With getting back into more lifting these days, I am wearing them more and more and really could use a couple to rotate. I wish I could tell you my size except the one thing I don’t like about Lululemon is the length of their tags and I ripped it out of my current pair of pants so I need to try them on again.
Camera lens – you know those cool blurred backgrounds you get when a professional photographer takes your photo. I learned I need a lens with a low f-stop for that and so I want this lens which I found recommended for the camera I got last Christmas
New glasses (Target) – I tried an online service and I discovered my face is pretty narrow and therefore all the glasses sent to me were way too big for my face. I was shopping at Target the other day and found a pair of petite glasses that I liked. Paying out of pocket for frames and transition lens is going to cost me $300-400 though so yeah..not cheap. But I have had my last pair of glasses for about 4 years so it’s worth it. I also get an extra 5% off with my Target card which saves a bit.
Gym shoes – so I need a pair of flat bottom shoes for deadlifts and training at the gym. Normally I gravitate towards running shoes (despite not being a runner). I’m not sure which shoes or brand I will choose. I need to browse a shoe store and again my size varies between 8-9 depending on the shoe. So a gift card for DSW or something would be awesome!
Winter jacket – I’ve only been wearing my current winter jacket since like age 14. You guys, that is almost 14 years of wear…Time to find a new jacket. Previously I have gotten jackets at Macys. I am thinking about ordering a nice Columbia jacket though and if they have a decent Black Friday online sale I need another fleece too because I only have 1. Can you tell I am a minimalist?
Work pants – So I have like 2 pairs of work pants. Also I seem to have this issue that I fall in between sizes. It’s so annoying. Also my current work pants were snug back in May, but now that I have lost 6 pounds and gained muscle, they are only staying up thanks to my hips. I didn’t have luck with ThredUp ordering pants so I need an actual store and if the pants cost $80 or something a pair, I will pay for it if they are good quality and fit. Store ideas? I will say I don’t fit Ann Taylor pants anymore (in between sizes). Maybe Banana Republic or something?

So this list is kind of a general idea of things I need. I mean the camera lens is more of a want, but I would like to dive more into photography. I can justify the needing of Lululemon by the fact that outside of work, I am usually in leggings, especially with winter coming. Also I know they are good quality so I pay the price for them.

Since I need most of these items, there is a chance I will be buying some around black Friday and if not then, maybe after Christmas sales?

What’s your favorite thing about the holiday season?

I love baking cookies, decorating a Christmas tree and taking a walk through a city like Chicago or New York and seeing how they just come alive during Christmas.

New Year’s 2017 in Sydney Australia

January 1, 2017 by Alicia Leave a Comment

Hey there it’s my first post for the year 2017 and I’m coming at you from Sydney, Australia.

I first visited Sydney when I studied abroad in 2011. Since then and hearing about the amazing New Year celebration, I knew I wanted to return. Firstly I didn’t get to see as much as I would like because tight budget + school. So far we have been here for almost 3 full days and already have walked through a lot of places I had not seen as well as some familiar to me.

I am definitely still feeling the jet lag, especially after waking up at 4am New Year’s Eve and having to stay awake until midnight. That was hard. I then slept until 9:30am this morning (New Year’s Day). Even with the late start and sleeping in, I was just so tired today. Hopefully soon I will get some energy back. Maybe this cupcake I just ate will help…

Back to New Year’s Eve, our first real day of exploring. We mainly slept the first day…by accident. When nap time turns into almost 5 hours of sleep…woops.

We began early New Year’s Eve (I mentioned I was up at 4am, but Brian didn’t get moving until maybe 6am). After making breakfast in our hotel room (we have a little kitchenette which is perfect), we took the train and walked around Darling Harbour. We don’t really have an itinerary, just a list of things we want to see. We ended up hoping on a ferry to Sydney Olympic Park. I had no idea a ferry ran there. I didn’t get the chance to see it last time I was there but really wanted to swim in the olympic pool at some point. Obviously we weren’t prepared for swimming, but the day was gorgeous and the 40 minute ferry ride passed by quickly.

As we got off the ferry, it was 11am and we were getting hungry from all the walking we had already done. I had already hit 10k steps in the first few hours of the day. Buses picked up by the ferry but we looked at the map and thought we could walk. Well…it was a looong walk. It was also New Year’s Eve and by the time we reached the restaurant point it was 11:30 and we wanted food, but there was only 1 place open in the little mall area we reached. So that was the place to go. I got a delicious pesto chicken sandwich. I thought a sandwich would be cold as it was warm out and I wanted cold food, but it was a hot sandwich. Still very delicious. We also drank nearly 2 liters of water between the two of us. We were mostly thirsty I think.

After that we felt much better and energized. We continued walking looking for the tour spot. Well we finally reached the stadium and everywhere just felt so deserted. I don’t think they were giving tours on New Year’s Eve. We were pretty tired after all the walking we did. We really did cover a lot of ground and it was only a small fraction of the park. I was amazed at all the residential area and thinking about how cool it would be to live in an olympic park with all the bike paths, walking and just this feeling of a tiny city.

We decided to take the bus back to the ferry, which was a very good decision. The bus ride was only about $2 and so much faster. Plus it went around parts of the park we didn’t get to and I saw a school and another couple shopping centers. Really everything you needed was in that area and it was cool to see. We definitely plan to go back as we passed the aquatic center where you can pay a fee and lap swim. I love swimming in olympic size pools as it adds a challenge. Swimming 50m doesn’t seem so bad when I can swim for 2 miles, but when you don’t have a wall at the 25m point, it is harder and better practice for an open water swim for sure (hopefully one day).

Ferries were getting crowded as we returned around 3pm to the city. They started to run extra ones to accommodate for new years. We got off at Circular Quay, essentially the center of Sydney downtown, and made our way through the crowds back to our hotel. The point where we planned to watch the fireworks didn’t open until 6pm and yet there was already a line at 4pm. Luckily it was a short line and we went back to the hotel to eat some dinner and headed over around 6:30.

I finally had a chance to read The Magnolia Story while we waited and got over half way through the book before it got dark shortly after 8. Then the first fireworks show was at 9pm, perfect for families and kids. It was a short 5-10 min and then a lot of the families headed home.

The next 3 hours was the longest. I think I took a half hour nap somewhere in there and then was using the flashlight on my phone to read some more, though I could barely keep my eyes open. Finally midnight approached and the crowd grew. Everyone was basically standing to take pictures of the fireworks. There wasn’t really a countdown but we knew when it was close and then the bridge lit up with fireworks. Happy New Year!!

I think the fireworks went on for 10 minutes or so. I loved watching the fireworks and lights on the bridge and seeing the fireworks from Darling Harbour color coordinate. They must have a lot of thought behind these. My new camera captured beautiful clear pictures of the fireworks.

I think the odd thing was that our spot was so quiet. A lot of people simply took pictures and enjoyed the fireworks. A couple people were screaming Happy New Year, but for the most part, the crowd was silent. I was happy with our place. Of course we could have had a better view if we staked out a spot earlier in the day, but we could walk back to our hotel and we were home by 12:30am.

I’m so happy that I was able to make it to Sydney for New Year’s and even better, to have Brian by my side. This is just the start of our adventures traveling and a great way to kick off the new year. Happy New Year 2017!!

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