Acai Bowl, Gilmore Girls and Adulting: Thinking Out Loud #60

October 27, 2016 by Alicia 9 Comments

Happy Thursday!! Hope everyone’s week is going well. I’m back today with a bit of randomness to catch us up on. Thanks Amanda for the link up.

Last weekend my parents were in town. I wrote up a little post on some places to check out if you are ever in Philadelphia. Despite my not being into history too much, I find it more fun to go to a museum or actually walk the streets where history was made and Philadelphia certainly has a lot of that. I think I enjoy it so much more now also knowing there is not a test I have to prepare for at the end of a tour.

2. On another note, I also had my first taste of an acai bowl on Friday evening as dinner part 1. It was definitely delicious!

3. Changing the subject, who is excited for Gilmore Girls coming back??!! Check out the trailer. OMG I am sooo excited!! I hope it lives up to my expectations.

4. I did some “adulting” yesterday, changing the battery in the smoke alarm that decided to start beeping at 4am when I still had at least 30 minutes more I could have slept before going to the gym at 5am. I moved to the couch and tried to sleep for those next 30 minutes but it wasn’t the same. I also had to borrow a ladder from a friend since I only have a tiny stool. I carried this ladder home about half a mile from my friend’s apartment (I live in a big complex).

5. I then drove the ladder back and also filled up my tires with air because we went from 80 degree temps last week to 55 degree temps this week and my tires are super sensitive to that. I understand though, my body is sensitive to the changing temps too.

6. I ended up staying for dinner at my friend’s apartment which was great to start a relaxing evening. Then it was back home to make lunch for today and curl up on the couch to read. Since getting sick a few weeks ago, I fell back into the habit of turning on the TV a little too much during the week so trying to cut that out again and spend time reading instead.

Do you like Gilmore Girls?

What is your idea of a relaxing evening? Sometimes I take a hot salt bath and then I like to go under all the blankets and sink into the couch.

5 Museums to Visit in Philadelphia

October 26, 2016 by Alicia Leave a Comment

Last weekend my parents came to Philadelphia for a visit. My mom is very into history so I knew she would love the historic district of Philadelphia. We spent 2 full days in the historic district and then our last day was spent doing a City Hall tour and walking more of the city. I think we covered quite a bit of ground even though there were many other places we didn’t get time for. Here are some of the museums to visit in Philadelphia.

Philadelphia History Museum

Open Tuesday- Saturday 10:30-4pm

This is a great place to stop to learn about the history of Philadelphia. We started with a video and then that gave us more info about the significant objects we found in each of the rooms. Many people know that Philadelphia was the first settled city but did you know William Penn, the founder of Philadelphia, wanted to name the land sylvania? This land later became known of Pennsylvania. The museum is small but kept my interest which says a lot since I don’t usually enjoy history museums. I loved how they had a toy room of some of the original toy companies in Philadelphia. Sometimes I just want to go back to the basics with toys and our imagination. Definitely worth a visit.

They also have a fun picture frame you can take photos and be featured on the screen next to the frame. We had a little fun.

Fireman’s Hall Museum

Open Tuesday-Saturday 10-5pm

I didn’t know about this museum until my mom mentioned it. This museum doesn’t have an admission but asks for donations to keep it running. From old fire trucks to history of insurances, volunteer firefighters to developing paid firefighters in cities. This museum is a little bit of a walk from the center of the historic area, but great for a quick stop. They even had a room where kids could try on boots and fire jackets.

National Museum of American Jewish History

Open Tuesday-Sunday 10-5pm (Sat and Sun until 5:30)

If you have a few hours free, check out the jewish museum. With 5 floors, the 5th floor changes with the special exhibit area, then you make your way through history starting at the 4th floor when the jews first arrived to America and moving your way through the exhibit and down to the 2nd floor of present day jews in America. One thing I learned here was the presence of jews in film making and how they had to hide their identity by changing their name just to be an actor/actress, but yet they were part of some of the most popular movies like Gone with the Wind.

I would say allow a whole afternoon for this museum if you can. There is a LOT to cover but it is laid out in a comprehensive matter. There are a couple tours a day but be prepared to stay longer than an hour on the tour, more like an hour per floor! We decided to go ahead of the tour and just read and watch the videos in the exhibits.

Ben Franklin Museum

Open Everyday 9-5pm

This is a great museum for kids. I found the exhibits pretty interactive. The museum is only $5 and takes under an hour to go through. I loved all the different interactive puzzles. It is amazing to learn about Ben Franklin and what he did for our country.

Also in the same area as the museum, you will find Ben Franklin’s printing press room and can catch a demonstration of how newspapers were first printed.

Liberty Bell Museum

Open everyday 9-7pm

Of course the Liberty Bell had to make my list. I think everyone should visit the Liberty bell once if they can. There is so much history behind it and Philadelphia has done a great job putting together the exhibit. Admission is free, but I would suggest getting there early before the line is too long.

Other Cool Places to visit

Old City Coffee

Looking for a place to sit down after being on your feet for a while? Check out the old city coffee house. This is a cute place with coffee, tea and giant cookies (which I would have tried had I not already had a donut and cookie right before). They have tables to sit at and hang out for a bit. I had their iced tea which I quickly drank as I was so thirsty after walking around.

Elfreth’s alley

The oldest residential street to walk down. People even still live in these houses! I don’t know if I would want my house to be a tourist attraction but it certainly was a cute little street, around the corner from the Firemen’s Hall museum and not far from Old City coffee. We also happened to be walking down when one person had her home open with a flash cookie sale. You know I couldn’t turn that down and had a ginger orange cookie.

Old City Tavern

Feel like you are going back in history with a dining experience with waitresses in colonial clothing and ordering dishes with recipes that go back to colonial times. After our delicious bread and biscuit basket, I got the special beet salad and the fried tofu. Who knew that tofu was made back in colonial times!? Delicious food and of course there are drinks to try as well.

Philadelphia City Hall Tour

The largest municipal building in America, city hall is worth a tour. Tours are only at 12:30 Monday through Friday so plan accordingly. We got our tickets at 9am and then wandered around the city, grabbed an early lunch and returned for the tour. After a tour of the outside learning how each of the 4 sides have a theme and seeing the amazing sculpture work, we headed inside to see the mayor’s area and then a hearing room and made our way up to the tower. Be prepared to wait as the tower elevator only holds 4 people at a time. The view is worth the wait looking out towards the Ben Franklin parkway and then the other direction towards the Ben Franklin bridge. You stand right below the large 37 foot tall statue of William Penn. You can’t get the best pictures of Penn but it is cool to see.

Have you ever been to Philadelphia?

Do you like learning about History?

Wanderlust 108 Philly: MIMM #91

October 10, 2016 by Alicia 4 Comments

For about 4 months, I have been looking forward to this weekend. 4 months!! That is how long I have had my tickets for Wanderlust 108 Philadelphia. After hearing about it in other cities this year, I was really looking forward to it. Though it rained in the afternoon, the festival was so much fun and me and my friends stuck around basically until the end.

Thanks Katie for the MIMM link up.

I was up early Saturday morning to make breakfast and head out the door shortly after 7, not much different than a work day. I arrived at the Navy Yard around 7:45am. Luckily it was an easy drive to get there and I loved that there was free parking for the event.

I had never been to the Navy Yard, but I loved how the ships were in the background of the Wanderlust arch.

The 5k started at 9, so I walked around a bit. I had to do a wheel under the Wanderlust arch of course.

I then met up with my friends and we checked in and walked around to check out all the booths and free samples. I tried every bar that came in a mint flavor. Seriously I love mint!!

I loved the Nature’s Bounty booth that had a mirror that gave you a compliment and then took your picture. So perfect as you always smile after a compliment.

As we walked around we found some girls putting on tattoos they brought. They had a couple extra so why not join in on the fun.

We also tried a cold matcha drink which we later bought cups of.

We stopped by the Kombacha Garden. Honestly, I am not a big Kombacha lover, but I tried their pink lady apple flavor and it was pretty good.

Then it was time to line up for the 5k. Since I am recovering from a stress fracture, I took it easy. Luckily my friend mostly wanted to walk. We did some light jogging and then would walk. We had a lot of catching up to do. I met this girl at Yoga on the Steps and we keep in touch through Facebook. So fun to go to events and meet people with similar interests. We actually started to talk a lot about essential oils. Apparently she uses them for like everything and I am just digging in. So much we can teach each other!! We were both like, it was meant for us to meet. Happy to have a person with such positive vibes in my life.

After the 5k, we went to get tribal face painting followed by braiding. I loved getting my hair braided!! I was recalling the memories I have of babysitters I had when I was little that would braid my hair for me. I have simple needs haha.

Since we were getting our hair braided, we missed the first 30 minutes of yoga, but we joined in during the dance party and did the second 30 minute flow. I have to say there were a few weird transitions, not really described well, but it was definitely fun. Towards the end of the practice light rain started. When we settled into savasana, I closed my eyes, relaxed and just felt the rain slowly hitting my face and my body. I imaged it as a kiss from the sky. It felt so wonderful.

We then closed with a meditation. As we meditated, the leader of the meditation was speaking about how we need to get through uncomfortable situations, like sitting in the rain or things in life that might seem uncomfortable. I think I stuck out 15 minutes or so of the meditation, but then I wanted to move to find shelter as the rain was getting harder.

There was a building with a covered porch that people were sitting under and so we headed over, but then were told we couldn’t be up there unless we were eating. As we were about to head over to get our picnic lunch, a security person cleared everyone from the porch. I’m not sure of the reason other than maybe private property?

Anyway, we got our food and remembered the Adidas tent had a lovely couch in it. There were still seats and we ended up eating there and hanging out for an hour and a half or so chatting with people that came through and watching Aerial yoga.

I then headed to my Acro Yoga session that I signed up for. I worked with 2 sisters who were very friendly as we worked on inversions. Super hard inversions that basically if you don’t have handstand down (I don’t), they were quite difficult. I did get up once though and it was fun to play around. The time went by fast.

I then found my friends again and we waited around to do Aerial yoga. They were signed up for a later class but due to the rain, most people left and I got to jump in to the last class as well. It was definitely worth the wait and so much fun. Plus you can always cocoon yourself in the silks :).

Shortly after 3, it was time to leave. It was a fun day, but definitely tiring and the rain was getting harder. I made a detour through New Jersey to go to Wegmans and Whole Foods on my way home. I really dislike driving in the rain, but I always remind myself it is better than snow. Oh and yes I go to shopping with face paint on now. There might have been people giving me strange looks, but didn’t really notice.

Finally I got home at 5:30, went through my pictures and took a much needed salt bath to relax my feet. My foot continues to feel better which is good. Then it was time for a simple dinner, soup and chips and hummus (because when you go to the store hungry, you leave with HOPE kale pesto hummus, so good!!).

I wrapped up the night with a movie and relaxing on the couch. Perfect end to a long day.

Sunday I was able to sleep in, clean at home, work on some blog stuff, teach yoga and meal prep. It was a more laid back/catch up day which was what I needed after Wanderlust.

I hope the weather next weekend is better as I would really like to go apple picking again and enjoy some more outside time before it gets too cold.

Have you ever been to a Wanderlust Event?

What’s one thing you did this weekend?

Yoga on the Steps 2016 MIMM#71

May 16, 2016 by Alicia 4 Comments

Hey there! Did you have a good weekend?

I kicked off the weekend by grabbing a donut and then heading to yoga, because that’s what yogis do right? Eat donuts and then do yoga, haha. I have been craving a cupcake for a couple weeks now but I was doing low carb for a few weeks and testing myself and doing pretty well so I thought I would wait until the end of week 4 only to find that the cupcake truck wasn’t on the schedule for May and discovered that my favorite cupcake place in the city in Philadelphia closed. I’m not sure when but I was looking up Philly Cupcake and discovered it closed this year. So I ended up with a donut from my favorite place in Reading Terminal, Beiler’s Bakery and it hit the spot for now.

This time at yoga there was one other person and me, so not quite a private class, but close. It honestly feels so great to go to a yoga class again. Despite being a teacher now, I am not the best at practicing at home. However, now that the weather is warming up, I have been trying to do some flows outside when possible. My thing is that cement and solid floors is what I need, practicing on my carpeted space isn’t the same, but I deal for now. The theme on Friday was awareness and I connected with it a lot especially after practice. I got home around 8pm but decided to go for a walk as it was a beautiful evening. This is what I posted to Instagram, my personal account @ilabk (I also have a separate blog account @bridgesthroughlife)

“The theme in the yoga class I went to tonight was awareness. While I was at the train station I helped a blind person get on the train, I thought about how she has to be so aware of all the sounds around her, aware of the stops on the train to know when to get off, she cant just look out the window to know. When I got home, I was more aware of just how green everything is now. It felt like it took forever for the green to arrive but after all the rain the grass has been growing so quickly. The humidity in the air with that spring smell. It’s the perfect night for a walk. I dropped off my bags turned around and headed out. I noticed two boys kicking a soccer ball in the field (their mom was nearby) which has a light layer of fog on top. I noticed the quarter moon shining brightly above my head and as the sun sets, the pink clouds wave through the sky. I feel so at peace in this moment (despite typing this as I walk)”

A wonderful evening it was. Then Saturday I ran errands, went swimming, stopped for a Five Guys burger (did you know it’s national burger month?) as I was craving one and then was so full I didn’t even really eat dinner. I did some meal prep for the week though knowing my time on Sunday would be limited.

Now to the big event of the weekend, Yoga on the Steps (Reach and Raise). This was my third year participating. The weather was not as nice as previous years but we all braved the cold, 50 degrees. It was nice when the sun came out. I meant some wonderful people that sat next to me. They kindly took pictures for me before practicing. I also enjoyed the partner work as always. I go to events on my own because I want to go to them and I don’t always have someone to go with, but yoga events in particular, I have found so many kind and welcoming people, you never feel alone.

The end of the practice was absolutely perfect, as we laid down for final savasana, it was chilly and the sun was behind a giant cloud. A few breaths in and the sun came out from behind that cloud and shone down on us. Warmth spread through your body like a warm and fuzzy hug. It was a magical savasana.

Afterwards, I grabbed some snacks and headed to the train. I was so excited to get into my warm apartment and change into pjs, eat, finish some meal prepping and spend some time on the couch watching tv and coloring. It had been so long since I colored. It was nice to have so much relaxing time on the weekend. I may have even gotten a little bored, which hasn’t happened in a long time. I was thankful for all the down time though as next weekend will be plenty busy and this week I have a lot going on in the evenings. Hopefully I am nice and rested to tackle the week.

Oh it was also national chocolate chip day yesterday. I celebrated with this mug cake.

What is one thing you did this weekend?

What do you enjoy doing to relax? I like to read, color and watch tv.

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