Weekend Recap – Page 13

Memorial Day 2017: MIMM 110

May 29, 2017 by Alicia Leave a Comment

Happy Memorial Day. I honestly kept forgetting it was a holiday weekend. I still need to work on a weekend routine as I feel like I have all this time and need to use it wisely. However, on Friday I did accept a job offer, so I will be working on the fun stuff like paperwork and a drug test this week. Hopefully I will start on June 5^th. In preparation for working again, I have been pinning lots of meal prep ideas. I can’t wait to fully plan out my meals and stop going to the grocery store every other day. I find it just works so much better going once, maybe twice if I need something, a week. The question will be how I am going to fit all the food I need in the fridge, so I keep begging Brian for a mini fridge. We will see what happens.

I kicked off Friday with going to a yoga class and then making turkey bacon burgers with Brian for lunch and some tahini vegan friendly brownies. They came out really tasty even though I struggled with getting them to cook evenly.

In the afternoon I worked on my blog a bit. Finally got my social media things in the sidebar. I don’t know why I didn’t do that sooner as it was actually quite simple. We then went out to dinner with some of Brian’s family at an Italian place. I was pretty full after the delicious garlic knots and my salad that I mostly picked the chicken out of my penne pollo and took a bunch home. I am not a big pasta eater though as it just doesn’t settle well, so I have been eating leftovers in very small portions.

penne pollo — leftovers of my pasta dish

Saturday morning I headed to another yoga class. It’s nice to be back to yoga pretty regularly. A lot of the classes I am doing are more slow flow and restorative as that is just the style of the studio but I think that is perfect for recovering from weight lift days and helps me to slow down and relax.

After the yoga class, I learned some data entry at the studio. I am doing a bit of work for them in exchange for classes at the moment and hoping that I will be able to get back into teaching with some subbing in the summer possibly. I love using all the props and doing slow flows, but it will definitely be a challenge for me to teach at first. Though I think I am better at teaching slow flows anyway.

Since I was already out and nice and blissed out from yoga, I decided to head to the park and walk. I got caught in a bit of rain, but overall the weather was ok and it was nice to get out some energy. Basically I slept 10 hours Thursday night and could hardly sleep, maybe 6 hours, on Friday night. I don’t know how, but I know I sleep better if I take a long walk to burn energy.

By the time I got back to the house, I was hungry for lunch. I heated up a leftover turkey burger with some salad on the side and brownie for dessert. It was perfect. I then got the urge to work on some blog writing and then read and took notes from Jordan’s Soul on Fire Yoga E-Book for a while.

I am also slowly tackling areas of the bedroom to clean. I cleaned the desk so it is much nicer to work at and then reorganized the bookshelf so I fit some of my pantry items on there.

organization — lack of kitchen space? using a bookshelf

Eventually I had some dinner and decided to do some more reading. I always find it difficult to sit still and read, especially if I have been sitting still writing or browsing online for a while, but it was nice to sit down with my kindle on the cleared desk for some evening reading.

Sunday morning I managed to sleep in until 8am. I think it helped that Brian came home in the middle of the night and somehow it’s easier to stay in bed a little longer. I headed to the gym at 9am. I wasn’t sure what the gym would be like on Sunday, but there was only 1 other person there at 9. I don’t know if it was because it was a holiday weekend or because it was Sunday. A lot more people showed up around 10 as I was wrapping up my workout. I love being a morning person and getting the gym to myself though. I am continuing to work on squats and even took a video of one of my sets. I am working on box squats to get lower. Clearly I have been cheating on squats for years and not being patient with less weight and going lower. The goal is to remove one more foam pad I believe. I need to get to competition squat level in time as I think it would be fun to compete in a power lift meet eventually, now that I have a gym that fits my needs with weight workouts. I have a lot of work to do, but I definitely am less sore than I was the first week after not weight lifting for over 5 months. Even kettlebell deadlifts are feeling easier. I still have to re learn barbell deadlifts.

After the gym, I made a smoothie, did some laundry and continued reading Soul on Fire Yoga E-Book. I want to get my mind back into thinking about yoga sequencing in preparation for possible subbing.

I then spent a good portion of the afternoon reading on my kindle, but after a couple hours, I decided I needed to get outside. It was super nice outside, but there were lots of bugs and bees around so I didn’t want to sit outside. However, the park path wasn’t as buggy and I walked for just over an hour and made it back in time for Sunday dinner. We had chicken, fruit and salad and finished off my tahini brownies for dessert which were a hit. Maybe I will make another batch today as we will be having another dinner.

Thanks Katie for the link up.

Do you have any Memorial Day traditions? I never had any traditions growing up, it was more just a day to relax

Blog Friends, a Musical and Dance Show: MIMM 106

May 1, 2017 by Alicia Leave a Comment

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Hey there and happy Monday!! These days, weekdays and weekends are kinda a blur for me as I job search and am back home. After a week at home and sorting through my things, still downsizing, I am ready to get back into a routine of working again. In a week I am moving to Binghamton, NY and I have been working on applying to jobs so hopefully I find something soon. Meanwhile, let’s look at what I was up to this weekend at home. Thanks Katie for the link up.

It was a very rainy and cold weekend, like 40 degrees outside. Oh and our heat is broken at my house so we have 2 space heaters working overtime and moving from room to room. Basically my room is 63 overnight but that’s not so bad when you are in bed with all the blankets, it just makes it hard to get moving in the morning because you don’t want to leave the cozy bed. Hopefully this rain passes soon, the end of the week and weekend look good. I would rather not have to do my long drives next weekend in the rain so hoping the weather gets better.

On Saturday morning I was supposed to meet up with Susie for a walk for National Infertility Awareness Week, but due to the rain, Susie decided to just do brunch. Most people canceled but I met Ellen from My Uncommon Everyday and enjoyed brunch with her and Susie. I finally got to try the Pancake Flight Susie has posted a few times on her Instagram as we met up at Orange on Clark in Chicago.

orange on clark pancake flight — pancake flight

After brunch, we happened to be down the street from Molly’s Cupcakes, which is my favorite Chicago cupcake place, so I had to make a stop and get the Cookie Monster and Smores Cupcakes to go. I am going to pretend it is summer with that smores cupcake. Cookie Monster is my absolute favorite. I have had a few different cookie dough cupcakes from different cupcake places and Molly’s still wins as the best. Who doesn’t like a cookie dough filling?!

Once I got home, I made a list for the grocery store and headed out to get some veggies and meat to make stir fry. Usually my dad makes stir fry in his wok on the grill but with the rain and crazy wind, that wasn’t happening. My dad was also busy with work, so I worked on roasting Brussel sprouts and sautéing veggies in a pan. I marinated some chicken thighs for about a half hour and then cooked them in the oven. I will find any excuse to use the oven after not having one for most of our 4 months travel. Plus with no heat in the house, using the oven is always good too 😉 .

veggie stir fry and skittles — skittles checking out dinner

My dad was happy to come home right as I pulled the chicken thighs out of the oven. I guess the only thing I have to work on is keeping everything hot when I cook things in batches. The Brussel sprouts were cold after everything was done and while I don’t mind eating them room temp or cold, others might.

We had the cupcakes for dessert, I had half of each and my dad ate the other halves. Then we headed out to my high school to see the musical Jesus Christ Superstar. Apparently my parents both like that musical, but I had never seen it and had to familiarize myself with the story line a bit. I hadn’t been in my high school auditorium in 9 years since I graduated (this makes me feel old), so it was a bit weird to be back, but my high school definitely does great performances and the main leads were amazing singers.

As soon as I got home, it was off to bed. I think that was my first night in a week staying up past 10pm! I slept like a rock too, so that was good.

Sunday morning I was up at 7 which is better than the 6am time I have been waking up. I’m sure the rainy cloudy morning helped me sleep in. I made some breakfast and then waited until 9am when Kohl’s opened and headed out. I needed some new sneakers as I threw mine out after my trip (well worn) and I had $15 in coupon rewards. I finally decided on a pair of the Gel Flux 4 Asics. I previously had the Gel Flux 2. I have been wearing Asics since college now and they work so I haven’t changed.

When I returned from the store, I worked on blog posts for a while before having some lunch and then heading out to my friend’s dance show.

Following the show, I headed over to my friend’s house and somehow we ate a snack and talked and 4 hours went by. I figured by then it was time to head home as she had studying to do and it was getting late. It was great to catch up though as I obviously had so many stories after 4 months of travel.

All in all it was a great and busy weekend. Great time catching up with friends and doing indoor activities since it was raining and 40 degrees. Now that it is May (I still can’t believe that), I hope the weather starts to get a bit warmer, I mean, at least the 60s would be better.

What’s your favorite rainy day activity?

To Pittsburgh and Beyond MIMM#100

December 19, 2016 by Alicia 2 Comments

I can’t believe this is my 100th MIMM post! Thanks Katie for the link up.

It’s also officially less than a week until Christmas. Wow!! It has been cold but at least we will have a white Christmas this year which is perfect before I head off to Australia for summer.

So this post is a recap of my road trip so far as I am on my way to Chicago. Last Tuesday we finished packing up the apartment and officially moved out. Thursday I began my multi city journey home (to Chicago).

Thursday Dec 15

I’m taking my time getting to Chicago and finally had the chance to stop by Pittsburgh. I left Binghamton, NY around 7:30am for a long day of driving. What is mapped to be a 5.5 hour trip took me 7 hours. Though with stops, I did figure 6.5 hours would be about right. I left early to avoid the snow that was coming and also hoping I wasn’t driving into it. I think I ended up going far enough south that I didn’t hit too much.

Driving down 81 south was pretty much a breeze compared to the rest of the trip. It was pretty clear skies, roads were plowed, just some wind blown snow and the sun was even out for most of the drive. I was happy.

Then I turned west and was greeted by many signs warning of changing weather and possible white out conditions. Though I was reading the signs and looking at blue skies, it wasn’t long before I hit a bit of a white out heading west. Luckily it was quite short and I was able to breathe again as the snow cleared. Really it was hardly snowing. If anything, there were flurries, but the 20+ mph winds were blowing snow onto the roads again. I then hit a spot so clear, even the brown grass was showing. It became so sunny and my guess is either that area didn’t get much snow or the sun melted it away in combination with the wind carrying it away. I took advantage and drove 70+ mph when I could. When I was sure the roads were fairly dry and I was safe.

I did take multiple stops along the way, twice for bathroom stops and my one stop at a Panera was about 5 miles from the highway and added quite a bit of time to stop and get back on in the snowy conditions. I also got gas twice. In normal conditions, I could have made it on my one tank but as I was on US 22 and trying to go uphill with a quarter tank, my car was not sounding smooth and I decided to fill up. Afterwards, uphills went better. I know uphills drain the gas more too so I was glad I stopped. Luckily there were plenty of downhills to compensate, though I was not so much a fan of the hills.

About 7 hours of driving, since I arrived at 2:30 into Shadyside Pittsburgh and met Erin (The Almond Eater) at a cute coffee place. Though at one point I was hungry, I forgot as I sat down and Erin and I talked for an hour. Then she had to go and I checked into my AirBnB around the corner.

I was happy I decided on a cute mansion stay. Just over $100 with all the fees, still cheaper than many hotels in the Pittsburgh area and I get a beautifully decorated room that makes you feel way more at home than any hotel. The plus to it being Christmas season was having a little tree in my room and seeing the décor around the house as well.

I checked in and brought my bags up then headed back out to grab an early dinner. I checked out Shady Grove per Erin’s suggestion and got a wrap with fries. The fries were quite fried and I wasn’t a huge fan so I only ate some. Somehow I wasn’t starving despite skipping lunch, but when you are sitting and driving, you don’t burn too many calories, though I do feel as though I burn more due to anxiety.

After eating, I knew there were a couple bakeries on the street and decided to check one out and get a fudge cupcake. I brought it back with me and went inside for the evening to stay warm. My legs needed another layer as it was like 10 degrees, feels like -2 outside.

After inhaling my cupcake, I remembered I was behind on my yoga challenge and took a few photos around the room. Then I curled up and got warm, watching Fuller House on Netflix and then spending some time writing.

I love quiet evenings especially with it being so cold, but I was glad it wasn’t snowing in Pittsburgh. I would have walked around more, but the weather made it difficult and I knew I would walk around in the morning. At least I got 6,000 steps when I drove for most of the day.

Friday Dec 16

Friday morning I was awake by 7am. I enjoyed staying in bed for a while and then had a granola bar and got ready for the day. I stopped to get some tea which was super hot. Meanwhile it was super cold outside. Can’t win. I burned my tongue on the hot tea as usual. Then I took my tea for a walk to cool off and drank it before the barre class.

I had a good workout at The Barre Code and then walked back to my Airbnb. I packed up and headed to a breakfast place, Deluca’s in the strip district. I thought I would walk around a bit but it was cold and I don’t need to buy anything. So I ate at the counter at the diner, getting some pancakes and sausage. Then it was off to Ohio.

The 2 hour drive was fast and the roads were dry for most of the way. I arrived at 2:30 just as my aunt was picking up my cousin from school. I worked on a little project for her and then watched Netflix for a bit until I was picked up around 6 for dinner.

Since I haven’t had many big meals lately, I went all out. Salad, bread, bruschetta, chicken and even some chocolate cake for dessert. Wow it was the BIGGEST slice of chocolate cake I have ever seen!! We split it 3 ways and still brought some home.

By the time we got home, it was nearly 8. I took a shower and then relaxed on the couch watching tv and headed to bed around 10.

Saturday Dec 17

Based on the weather everywhere on Saturday, I would have been driving into the snow/ice/winter mix and that didn’t sound fun for a 6 hour plus drive. So I opted to stay another day at my aunt’s. Sunday was a better day for me to go to my friend’s anyway.

I brought my oatmeal and fixings for breakfast. I always come with breakfast. Then I taught some basic yoga moves to my aunt and challenged my cousin to a 60 second plank and he didn’t last.

Most of the day was spent hanging out at my aunt’s while she worked. I finished Fuller House, read and cuddled with the cats and did some yoga.

Sunday I made it to my friend’s house in Michigan around 3:30 and the drive overall was not that bad. I did hit some snow towards the end and passed my friend’s street because it wasn’t plowed so I didn’t recognize it as a street. Luckily I have my snow tires and they work so much better for this weather.

One more day in Michigan and then Chicago tomorrow.

Any snow by you?

Do you like road trips?

NYC and Packing: MIMM#99

December 12, 2016 by Alicia Leave a Comment

Today is my first Monday not working. I will be spending the day packing though. Ugg why is packing so hard?! I don’t even have that much stuff. How do people pack a house? Last time we moved I hardly packed. Well I also had hardly unpacked most of my things in the 11 months I lived at that apartment. This time I reduced more of my things and I have to actually pack things into boxes since they will be sitting in storage for months. Last time we just threw stuff in the car and took multiple car trips.

The good news is I sold my microwave and table over the weekend. I think I have a person to buy my desk too. That reduces the big furniture we have to store. I just have a bunch of boxes, but really I don’t have a lot of stuff. I have quite a few boxes of books. I never bought a bookcase in the last 2.5 years so they have stayed in boxes. Also since I always felt like reading books as they came out and Amazon was easier than the library, my book collection grew a bit…next place, I should probably get a bookcase.

Anyway back to the weekend. Saturday I avoided packing by meeting up with some of Brian’s family in NYC. Brian decided to work so he can pay me the other half of rent 😉 (kidding, but he did decide to work). I am more into the NYC adventuring. OMG it was crazy crowded though. Even the train people were standing when we had another hour to go on the ride. I bought a book and read on my kindle for the ride.

I got to NYC and grabbed a snack and checked out the Macy’s windows a bit.

Then Brian’s cousin amazingly recognized me as I was walking through Times Square. I was pretty impressed they somehow ended up behind me. We first went to get tickets for a show. The line was HUGE! It took about an hour in line and while Brian’s aunt waited, we stopped in the M&M store and Hershey store. Even those stores had lines to get in!!

We then had lunch at Burger Heaven which was especially delicious being that it was already 1pm so we were all hungry. Then we headed to see the Rockettes!! It was my first time seeing them and it was fun. You were also allowed to take pictures and I brought my actual camera and got some nice photos. We had close seats.

After the Rockettes, the street was mobbed. I mean we all were like bumper cars shoving and knocking into each other. It was the only way to get around and I couldn’t help but laugh when we were stuck in a crowd and you have to flow with the crowd. Also have to love how the street crossing is two ways and you will see people trying to get by the other way. It was nice to eventually get some breathing room once we crossed a couple streets.

We walked by the Christmas tree. My first time seeing the tree as well!! I think this year’s is one of the biggest too!! It was beautiful and yes very crowded at Rockefeller.

We walked around to see some of the lights. Saks on Fifth Ave had an awesome show that we caught part of. So many lights, so many people. It was chilly but honestly I am thankful it wasn’t snowing or raining.

We parted ways shortly after 5:30 as they had to catch their bus and I had to head to the train. I got turned around at one street but found the station and made it to the station with 4 minutes until my train was departing. I went to my track and HOLY PEOPLE!! I started to head down the stairs and all I saw were tons of people. I still wanted to see if I could make the train and managed to shove my way towards the escalator. The fun part was when the escalator came to the bottom and the door opening was more narrow so we all would just run into people. Then finally I got on the platform, there were tons of train cars and I got a seat. Not a window seat, but a seat. Halfway through the train ride I was able to get a window seat. It was pretty loud, lots of talking on the train so reading wasn’t as successful on the way back, but the ride went by pretty fast and I made it home shortly after 8 in time to take a hot bath and use up some bath salt.

Sunday was all about packing, except it started with making pancakes and blogging. I wrote up some posts and then started to sort. I mean where do you begin… I started with my file drawer and sorting stuff to shred. Later in the day I borrowed a shredder from my friend.

For lunch, I ordered chicken wings. I was craving some Saturday night and skipped dinner Saturday so told myself I would order wings Sunday. I had sweet potatos to use up as well and cooked those up. I invited my friend over and we watched 2 more episodes of Fuller House and ate wings, salad and sweet potato fries. Here I thought I basically had no food and would starve but I didn’t even have to leave the apartment and ordered wings. Gotta love ordering online!!

chicken wings and more — I guess I won’t starve

I spent time sorting my closet and packing away the things I know I won’t need for my trip. I also put together a give away pile that my friend enjoyed looking through. Then I stocked my friend up with protein powders, spices and more from my pantry. I think that is pretty good payment for helping or watching lol. Her husband was like, I’m not sure we need more stuff.

In the evening I heated up my chicken wings in the oven since I no longer have a microwave, but they heat up better in there anyway. I watched a Christmas movie, working on this post and then went to shredding paper before packing up some more things.

Moving really makes you think twice about the stuff you buy. It also feels good to get rid of so much.

Thanks Katie for the link up and congrats on your beautiful baby girl!

What’s one thing you did this weekend?

Have you been to NYC during Christmas season?

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