Long Treadmill Runs and Food Galore

Greetings, from Leesburg, Virginia.

(Ok, I wrote that while I was actually IN Leesburg, Virginia...now I'm home). 

I just wanted to check-in and let the world know that I ran on a treadmill today for the first time in approximately- I don’t even know, MONTHS!

I didn’t just run on the treadmill for a half hour.

I ran on the treadmill for an hour. 7 miles.

And weirdly enough, I didn’t hate it!

I didn’t even listen to music, or watch TV.

I think I liked that my pace was whatever number I set my speed to. So I didn’t have to think about it. And I run slower on a treadmill, so it was a pretty relaxing pace.

After 7 miles, I headed outside and finished my remaining 3 miles on the resorts golf course, just to get some fresh air.

But I guess the moral of the story is the treadmill isn’t as evil as I usually think it is.  At least, it wasn’t this morning, after months without using it.

20 miles done in the last 2 days, 6 tomorrow, and then I am looking forward to using the resorts gym to lift some weights!! Something I haven’t been doing as much as I’d like because of the amount of time training for this marathon is taking up!

Edit: Monday I ran 6 miles on the treadmill, and again, it wasn't too terrible.  Tuesday I woke up and did 20  minutes on the bike, an arm circuit with a minute of jump rope in between each round, and a fast mile on the treadmill! 

I figured I'd add a little bit to this Virginian post about my trip. 

Or really, just say that it was pretty there and the food was good, and then post pretty pictures and foodporn. 

Started the strip off with a delicious breakfast at the airport

The first night, we went off the resort property to a restaurant called Sweet Water Tavern, where I had the Mahi Mahi special- served with GRITS! Which is a food I have been wanting to explore more and more. At Sweet Water I also learned about what are apparently called "Ozzie Rolls." As soon as these were placed down in front of us, I knew they were going to be a) Extremely unhealthy and b) Beyond delicious. I was right.  Turns out they are basically fried balls of bread, like a little doughnut, with some sugar on top and served with whipped butter. Yolo.

Every morning we had an amazing breakfast buffet and I LOVE BREAKFAST. If I could only eat one day for the rest of my life it would definitely be breakfast. Needless to say, I could never pick one thing I wanted, so it usually ended up looking like this- some of the hot options (eggs, bacon, sausage, grits, omelet, etc), some fruit and greek yogurt/cottage cheese, OATMEAL (obviously with all the fixings), and ya know- some casual smoked salmon and capers or banana bread with apple butter. Nothing like a light meal to start the day. 

This beautiful pavillion outside under the sunset was where we had our dinners every night. The first night was a BBQ and the second night, dinner featured a fish boil! Yummo. 

(Fish boil with a side of mac and cheese and allllll the vegetables I could find) 

After dinner we enjoyed a glass of wine and a game of corn hole- along with a beautiful sunset over the golf course. 

On Day 4 of doing nothing but eating non-stop (no joke, there was a constant rotation of chips, nuts, trail mix, cookies, granola bars, smoothies, candy, soda, coffee, fruit at 3 different stations around the hotel! AND I COULDN'T STOP EATING IT ALL!) it was time to board a lil baby plane and head home. 

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Yasso- The FroYo, Not Bart.

Attention dessert-lovers! 

Usually, every night before bed, I bake myself a delicious Quest bar. (I also have a tendancy to pick on frozen bananas, peanut butter puffins dipped in peanut butter, and top said Quest bar with even more peanut butter…when all is said and done, it’s super low cal, honest…)

But I am also a BIG froyo and ice cream fan. I’m all about mint Skinny Cow ice cream sandwiches, but those can be expensive, especially in Manhattan. I’ve been dying to try the new Yasso frozen GREEK yogurt bars, and when I saw the Sea Salt Caramel ones at the store for only $5 (for a box of 4) I decided to treat myself.

100 calories and SO CREAMY! With a gooey, caramelly center. It’s really hard to believe these are only 100 calories. I was expecting the consistency to be weird, like Arctic Zero or one of those other low-calorie, mainly protein powder based “frozen treats” but this was pretty damn close in texture to a real ice cream bar. And the flavor was delicious.

Yes, there’s sugar and some not so great ingredients, but every once in awhile, I think these are a great dessert! I’m hooked, and can’t wait to try more flavors.  There’s lots! Chocolate fudge, mint chocolate chip, dark chocolate raspberry, peanut butter cup, raspberry, blueberry, strawberry, vanilla bean, mango and coconut! They range from 80-130 calories. So I can still eat my frozen bananas, peanut butter puffins and peanut butter by the spoonful. Everybody wins. 

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Nutmeg State (Connecticut, Duh)

Why yes, I did have a wonderful Friday/Saturday in Connecticut two weekends ago, before my Fitness Friends Sunday, thanks for asking!

I had been a really bad friend to my Connecticut peeps, and it was time to suck-it up and hop on Metro North for a ridiculous fare and get my butt to the Nutmeg State.

It was a summer Friday, so after sprinting through Grand Central, I made a 2:30 train and Melissa picked me up in Milford. We had some time to kill, so naturally, we hit the mall. Shockingly, we were able to control ourselves and didn’t end up buying anything unnecessary.  Because really, as much as I can try to justify it, any article of clothing I buy at this point in time is unnecessary. My exploding closets and drawers are proof of that.

Next it was off to our old stomping grounds, Hamden, to pick up some of that oh so classy champagne to make it a true celebration of our reunion. $5 Andre. Poppin’.

We arrived at Allison’s apartment and I leaped into her arms. Then I made myself food. Typical. We got ready, chatted, Melissa “erased my face” aka did my make-up just like the good old Quinnipiac days, and we headed over to Town Walk to Nicole’s apartment where we popped the champagne and drank some delicious beer (obsessed with UFO grapefruit and raspberry… and Redd’s). Then it was off to New Hay Hay.

Of course, I graduate college and New Haven gets an awesome tequila bar named Geronimo’s, with a menu containing 12 different margaritas! I was so pumped to try it out. I perused the menu before even getting to Connecticut, obviously, and I definitely need to go back for their quinoa stuffed pepper at some point…

My friends are L0SAHS (yeah, you heard me guys) and ordered two pitchers of the strawberry basil margarita, when there were so many better options on the menu! The strawberry basil was verrrrry sweet and fruity- delicious, but reminded me of a daiquiri, not a margarita.  

Throughout the night I was able to try two others. First was the Santa Fe (1800 silver tequila, triple sec, pineapple and cranberry juices and fresh lime). This one was super smoky tasting, which no one else liked, but I did because it was something different.  I also tried another one- all I know is it had jalapeno in it and was spicy and it was delicious. I’m not a fan of spicy things, but jalapeno and tequila just go so well together.

The vibe of this place was awesome. It wasn’t too crowded (maybe because colleges weren’t back in session yet) and the crowd was fun but not crazy and annoying. The spiral staircase was a little tricky after 3 or so margaritas, but it kept things interesting.

No night out in New Haven would have been complete with some drunk food- pizza, to be exact.  We walked across the street to BAR where my dreams came true and I accomplished a bucket-list item…their mashed potato pizza! First of all, can we talk about the fact that a slice of their pizza is actually like 3 slices of pizza? SO GIANT we were in heaven. 

(Ok, so I'm not the world's best drunk food photographer...don't hate)

The pizza there is super thin crust. Complaints- because the crust is so thin, and loaded with mashed potatoes, cheese and bacon it got a little soggy. That being said, I liked that these toppings were paired with a thin crust because I didn’t feel AS guilty while eating it. I didn’t appreciate the fact that they absolutely burned the shitttt out of the crust though. The crust is the best part! And it was virtually inedible because they burnt it so badly. 

To a group of 20-somethings who had been drinking all night, this stuff hit the spot. But overall, I think the execution could have been better (and maybe it is done better, when the pizza-makers know they aren’t feeding groups of 20-somethings who have been drinking all night!) I’m still a fan in general of the idea of mashed potatoes on bread with cheese and bacon. How can you not be?  It’s like the best of Ireland, Italy and ‘Merica all in one.

The cab ride home made me so angry, because cabs in Connecticut charge ridiculous amounts of money. I’m still grumpy about it.

Somehow, I woke myself up the next morning for my scheduled long run. My plan said 16, but I was hurting and I had told myself that if I could bust out 12 miles after a night of drinking, I would be proud of myself. My shins had been bothering me, and I was mentally preparing myself to have to stop early. It's harder for me to cut myself a break than it is to push through pain. But after running on shin splints for months and winding up with a stress fracture and on crutches for a month, I know that I need to be smarter. SO I set off on the Farmington Canal trail not really knowing what to expect.

(My friend's apartment is literally right on this trail! So convenient!)

At the start, I felt great. I wasn’t hurting as much as I had anticipated, and I started thinking ok, 12 is definitely doable, and I shouldn’t completely rule-out doing 16. I kept running, knowing that no matter how many miles out I made it, I had to still make it back. After a stop at a deli to use their bathroom, I had to really push myself to make it to the end of the trail at the 7 mile mark. I turned around, intent on making it to 16 at this point. I got back to my starting point at 14 miles and planned to do a mile in the other direction and then back to my friend’s apartment. Miles 1-14 had been pretty good. Sure there were stretches where I questioned if 16 miles were going to happen, but for the most part I was cruising along- the weather was absolutely perfect, I never needed my music, the trail was flat for the most part, and I was thinkin’ thoughts and trying to enjoy. But those last 2 miles- 100% mentally and physically exhausting. Every joint in my body was aching and I knew I was basically crawling along at a snail’s pace. But I finished. And after being prepared for a disappointing 12 miles- being able to finish 16 felt great. Except then I started thinking about the fact that on October 5, I’ll be expected to feel like I did after those 16 miles…and then run 10 more.

That thought is a lot to handle. And so I’ve kind of been pushing it to the back of my head.

I got back to Nicole’s around 11 and quickly showered and went with her to pick up a bagel from Breuggers. I was tempted- but being from Long Island and NYC, I know better than to trust chain bagels ;) I knew I would be disappointed. So I just stuck with getting a McCafe and eating the oatmeal I had packed for myself when we got back to Nicole’s.

Allison came over and we headed out to Nicole’s apartment complex pool. HOORAY! Sun! Something I have NOT had enough of this summer. It was lovely laying out and talking. And then Jon joined us! And he had gotten a new phone! No more BlackBerry. Crazy.

(New phone, same old Jon)

(Summer is for popsicles and inappropriate popsicle-eating comments)

Nicole and Allison did their ice bucket challenge, Melissa came back from her MBA orientation (congrats!) and we grilled up some eggplant and hot dogs and I did my nails before being dropped off at the train station to head back to the city.

I definitely can’t let it go that long without seeing those 4 again! Thank you for a great mini vacation, friends! You’re the best!

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Fitness Friends, Sunday Funday Edition

In November, I will be volunteering at the New York City Marathon, handing out water to runners at the Mile 22 station. I can’t wait! I thought I would get some practice handing out water to people running past me at exceptionally fast speeds, while testing out my cheering skills.

That, and JackRabbit was offering $10 in store credit for every hour of volunteering at last Sunday’s Battle of Brooklyn in Prospect Park. Running ain’t cheap, and I’ve had my eye on a pair of compression sleeves for quite some time. And should probably get a fresh pair of kicks before my marathon. And I want a Sparkly Soul headband. And water bottles. And maybe just oneee more pair of spandex, with a butt pocket? Yeah. Needless to say, that store credit was mighttttty tempting. But in all honestly, I was also just excited to spend time at a race, around runners, and JackRabbit peeps who are an overall great group!

So that’s why I woke up super early on Sunday morning to sit on the 4 train for an eternity with David to get to Prospect Park by 7:15 a.m. 

(I may have been tired, but I think this guys morning was a little rougher...)

I got my volunteer shirt (Ok, the free shirt was ALSO an incentive!) and met up with my friend Nick before being sent over to water station numero dos (the best hydration station of the day, obviously).  

There were 6 of us there during the race and we got to wear awesome hats.

Some runners are really good at grabbing water on the fly. Others, not so much.

It was so fun though! Lots of people thanked us for being there, or had a funny little one-liner for us as the ran by. It was also great because the Battle of Brooklyn is a 10-mile race or relay, taking racers for 3 loops around Prospect Park, so we got to see faces over and over again. By the end of the 10 miles, we were like best friends.

I also got to see some November Project and JackRabbit friends run by, which was nice!

The weather was meh most of the morning, cold and rainy but then the sun came out and warmed us as we tried our best to get rid of the water to random runners out in the park. It was hysterical how excited some of them got that they were being offered water.

(Cloudy, yet sunny? You're pretty, Prospect Park)

I am a fan of volunteering at races, and can’t wait for the marathon!

Afterwards, we headed back to registration to sign out and I left with some awesome JackRabbit Battle of Brooklyn pint glasses and a whole buncha bananas. 

Then it was time to head home for a quick nap before #BetterThanBedtime with November Project. Tina, Jackie and I had decided to go as donuts because, why not?

(Will run for donuts!)

The theme was Noah’s Ark and everyone’s costumes were supah cute- but especially the tigers and composition notebooks. I looked a fool in my donut crop top and crazy socks, but what else is new? 

(Lookin' gooood)

We ran 4 miles to get to the secret location. Along the way, we ran through Central Park and a street fair where one stall offered us free hot dogs! Seriously regret not taking them up on that offer. I was so proud of my friend Tina who ran her furthest distance ever that night! :) Sweaty hugs were in order.

(YOU DID IT TINA!)

The run ended at Park Avenue Tavern where the good times rolled. Everyone I have had the pleasure of meeting through this group makes me smile- they are fun, enthusiastic, kind, badass, hysterical and inspiring. We’re a pretty good looking bunch too…

(Tribe leaders and a donut pyramid)

For some reason, at 10:30 p.m. I decided I didn’t feel like being sweaty on an air conditioned subway train so I just ran home instead. Ended up getting in my 6 miles for the day, after all! Hoorah!

Sunday was a fabulous day filled with fitness friends! 

(Sunday Funday, earned!)

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Restaurant Review: Bluewater Bar & Grill (Rhode Island)

I took it upon myself to make a reservation for 22 at the Bluewater Bar & Grill while on my family vacation in Barrington, Rhode Island. (I have been called the Little Nazi when it comes to food plans, after all).

The whole famalam showed up to the Bluewater Bar & Grill after a couple solid hours of pregaming (that wasn’t just my sister and I, right?) and were promptly seated at two tables in a back corner of the restaurant. We’re a rowdy bunch, and luckily, the place wasn’t too crowded at 7 p.m. on a Monday night. 

(Cousin selfie!)

I immediately fell in love with this place when I looked at their drink menu and saw that they made a version of my summer-cocktail obsession (besides margaritas, which is my year-round obsession). Here, it was called the Kinky Gin Fizz- made with Gin, St. Germain, Kinky Liquer, basil syrup and grapefruit. 

(mmmmm)

The entire cocktail menu sounded delicious though, and I sampled everyone’s drinks and gave them a thumbs up ! Especially because they were served in mason jars, which ups the trendy-factor at any restaurant. My grandma ordered the Raspberry Truffle Martini which was just about the most decadent, deserty cocktail I’ve ever had (3 Olives Raspberry vodka, Chambord, White Godiva liquer and whipped cream in case you want to try to recreate it…and then send me some).

My sister and I, along with our parentals, devised the perfect plan for our meals. 2 appetizers and 4 meals, no repeats, because that’s just a waste.

As an appetizer, my sister and I ordered the shrimp and avocado wontons. If you know us at all, and you perused the menu, you would have known that we couldn’t pass these up. 

Avocado. All day, every day. Also served with corn, cilantro butter (uhm, yes) and red pepper aioli. 

(Avocado and Shrimp Wontons)

When they came out, they weren’t what we were expecting. More taco than wonton, but that didn’t really matter to us. Wontons, tacos- both are generally fabulous when filled with shrimp and avocado. These were bursting with both, and very tasty, though they could have used a little salt or additional seasoning of some sort. It’s rare that food is a little too bland for me, because I can eat almost anything with zero salt or pepper.

My parents got the Prince Edward Island Mussels appetizer with shallots, pancetta and Dijon cream. I love mussels.  These were good, though the combination of the pancetta and the cream broth was a little overwhelming salt-wise.

Shout-out to the other table for ordering the fried calamari that was spicy and delicious! Lovin’ those hot pepper rings.

For dinner, my sister and I, as is our usual attack plan, ordered two meals to split between us.

First up, the panko-crusted Chatham Code with artichoke hearts, calamata olives, yellow tomatoes, asparagus, lemon caper butter and wild rice. Deeeeeeee-licious.

(Yum, yum in my tum- Chatham Cod entree)

If it were me putting the meal together, I probably wouldn’t have included artichoke hearts, capers AND olives because that’s a lot of salty veggies, but hey, I love them all and it wasn’t overpowering so cheers to that. The cod was cooked perfectly, flakey and mild and yummy.

But by far the superior entrée was the seared sea scallops with summer squash, baby spinach, pearl cous cous, smoked bacon cream, and blueberry gastrique. 

(Hello, you beautiful seared sea scallop dinner!)

First of all, sea scallops are probably one of my favorite types of seafood. These were big and tender and sweet and cooked really well. The presentation was great. The texture of the pearl cous cous was my second favorite part of the meal. The first was the blueberry gastrique.  Yes, I had to look up the term gastrique. It’s a sauce with caramelized sugar, so like essentially crack. That’s blueberry flavored. That tastes amazing on sea scallops, apparently? This entrée was the bomb.com.

My dad the Crab Cappellini- lump crab, snow peas, corn, mascarpone and a spicy plum tomato butter. I was shoveling this in my mouth AFTER fully finishing my sister and I’s meals. It was that good. Or I am that fat. Either way.

(Crab Cappellini)

My mom ordered a special- seared tuna with a wasabi baby spinach salad. A lot of people loved it, but to me, it wasn’t anything special and I don’t love the flavor of wasabi so I could take it or leave it. 

(Tuna special that night- perfect for the ladies, but left my poor uncle a little hungry)

Of course, there was no way my grandma and I were missing dessert, despite being stuffed. She is definitely who I blame for my gigantic sweet tooth! I almost cried when we learned that they were out of the fried banana caramel cheesecake. But then we ordered the mixed berry tart (blueberry, blackberry and raspberrry compote baked in a warm pastry shell and topped with a brown sugar crumble, served a la mode with raspberry glaze) and all was OK in the world.

Weirdly, this was addictive to me, despite my usual chocolate obsession.

(Couldn't stop eating it)

The second dessert we got was the epic Ghiradelli Brownie Sundae- a warm chocolate chip fudge brownie piled with vanilla ice cream, chocolate syrup, fresh whipped cream, shaved dark chocolate, pistachio dust and a chocolate pizzelle.

(Now that's a damn brownie sundae!)

Yup, got my chocolate fix to go along with the mixed berry tart.

The addition of the pistachios was great and that brownie? SO MANY CHOCOLATE CHUNKS!

This place really hit it out of the ballpark. There menu had something for everyone- and there were certainly many things I was sad I didn’t get to try. Grilled avocado and crab salad? Lobster roll? Wild mushroom ravioli? If only my stomach were a bottomless pit (though sometimes, I swear it is).

Beyond the delicious food, expansive menu, great presentation, and lovely interior, Blue Water Bar & Grill had phenomenal service! Our waitress was SUPERB. So friendly, knowledgeable, funny and easy going considering the large party that wasn’t exactly calm.

My one complaint is that they seemed to be running out of a lot of different things- the scallop special, a few different desserts, etc.

But overall, I would highly recommend Bluewater Bar & Grill to anyone living or vacationing in the area! 

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Confessions of a Missed Training Run

Last week and this week of marathon training has been HARD.

Forget the happy go lucky Facebook statuses about beautiful 16 mile runs. Forget the cheerful Instagrams from my 6:30 a.m. workouts. Yes, I love those moments. But overall, training is damn tiring and I am certainly not perfect. This is my first time training for a marathon and I’m still trying to find my way.

So I need to confess. I woke up this morning when my alarm went off at 5 a.m., stood up, and OUCH. My legs were really unhappy with me. My quality time with the foam roller has been seriously slacking. It’s summer and it's hot out and while I know I should wear my compression socks to bed, sometimes I just don’t feel like it damnit. Stretching takes time and is boring. Yes, I admit that these are all things that I am consciously deciding to skimp on, and I shouldn’t be. For these reasons, I was sore as all hell this morning (those Grotto steps at Gracie Mansion are no joke, people).  

I had been planning on running 9 miles alone in Central Park. It was dark out. I was tired. My body is exhausted from two consecutive weeks running over 30 miles. I know that teaching your body to run despite being tired is all part of marathon training, because I’ll sure as hell be tired at some point during a 26.2 mile run.

But not having Tiffanie or November Project waiting for me outside of my dark and comfy apartment, not having that helpful motivator called accountability, combined with absolute exhaustion and soreness convinced me to crawl back into my bed.

I reset my alarm for 6:00 a.m., telling myself that I would at least get in a quality loop of the park- closer to 6 miles than my prescribed 9, but better than nothing.

As I crawled back into bed, my legs seized up in cramps. Uhm, ow? Was it a sign I should just skip today’s run? Or was I just looking for an excuse? These are the things I asked myself as I dozed back off.

Alarm goes off at 6:00. Why, why, why? Typically, I have no problem hopping out of bed when my alarm goes off.  Overall, I’m one of those annoying morning people. So on the mornings when I feel this sluggish, I try to listen to my body, clearly telling me that it’s not feelin’ rested. But I had a happy hour planned for tonight, and a beer pong tournament, and I wanted to be able to eat nachos and chicken fingers and potato skins at the bar knowing that I had gotten a solid run in!

“Well, maybe I’ll just sleep a littttttle longer, get out on the road by 6:45, and at least get in 3 miles. Seriously, I need at least a little cardio before work or the day is going to drag.”

Alarm re-set for 6:30. Doze off again.

Alarm goes off at 6:30. This run is just not going to happen, and I finally need to admit it to myself. I’m disappointed. This isn’t like me. When I know I have to get something done, when I know that I have 9 miles to run, I do it, no questions asked. I’ve skipped a morning run before, but only because I knew if push came to shove I could get it done after work. This morning, I knew that I wouldn’t be able to make it up later.

Anyone out there have any words of wisdom? 

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An Old Flame

I write a lot about food and fitness, but you may not know that at one point, my passion was musical theater. No, no, no. I do not sing and dance (except when I’m home alone or driving). But I was 100% certifiably obsessed with Broadway from middle school through my undergrad days. It all started when my aunt picked a random show for my family to see back in the winter of 2003 (holy hell, feeling old). That show was Wicked, with the original cast. And when Idina Menzel belted the final note in Defying Gravity, my 8^th grade self sat in the Gerswhin Theater and cried. 1) Because it was so incredibly amazingly perfect and 2) Because I thought the show was over (it was only intermission). I was hooked.

I spent the next few years addicted to Broadway message boards, getting to know the OBCR (Original Broadway Cast Recordings, duh) of countless shows, knowing casts and understudies and following my favorite actors’ solo music careers, etc. Then I found Spring Awakening and, well, the obsession was somewhat embarrassing, looking back.

(Remember Picnik? Yeah, like I said. Embarrassing)

I spent the majority of my high school weekends seeing musicals, collecting playbills, getting autographs and pictures with the cast at stage doors, etc. I've probably seen well over 50 Broadway productions at this point. 

As my knowledge grew, so did my desire to somehow make this magical world of theater I had discovered a part of my career. I was determined to be the next Ben Brantley of the New York Times (he's a theater critic, if ya didn't know). I spent all of my college days as a Journalism major committed to this goal. Any research paper I could base on musical theater or the Broadway industry, I did. I minored in theater and was physically ill before each monologue I had to perform. But I sucked it up and did it because it was a required class and I wanted that theater minor! I landed an internship writing for BroadwayWorld.com, the first message board I had joined all those years ago.  

(True Story: I showed up on move-in day my freshman year, and the RA had decorated our door with playbills! I took it as a sign that I was gunna like it here. Annie lyrics, anyone?)

When I took a PR elective during my junior year, I started questioning things. Did I really want to be a journalist? This type of writing seemed much more natural to me. And I loved theater! Wouldn’t I be better off in a job where I convince the world of all the things the theater has to offer? Yes. And so my goals switched, and I had an incredible internship with The Publicity Office, home of the press agents who handle long-running Broadway shows like Phantom of the Opera and Chicago.

After graduation, it was off to graduate school in NYC. Sure, I could have gone to a more prestigious program somewhere else. But New York City, home of the Great White Way, was the only place I wanted to be to make my dreams come true.  I continued to base any project I could on Broadway and theater, writing my thesis on the strategies used by theater publicists (pretty damn proud of that 40-something page paper, too!)

But looking back, I realize that from the moment I decided to make Broadway my job, it has become less and less a part of my life. I can no longer rattle off facts like I used to. I don’t go to concerts just because the person performing is a Broadway actor. I’m lucky if I go to a show once every 2 months. And I LIVE in New York City! It’s a strange, sad thing and I would really like to change it.

Last week, on my fourth attempt, I won tickets to see If/Then – meaning I once again witness Idina Menzel belting her face off on a Broadway stage. 

(My girl, Idina!)

So many feelings came flooding back and I realized that even if I may not be as “obsessed” as I once was, or spend every spare cent I have on show tickets, it doesn’t matter.  Because when I AM lucky enough to experience a beautiful Broadway moment- I feel exactly the same way I did all those years ago.

I'm not really sure what the point of this blog was, except that theater is really such a huge part of who I am, I felt like it deserved to be acknowledged on this blog. 

Oh, you want a little review of If/Then? Sure! Given the reviews, I wasn't expecting much from the actual production. I was expecting it to be great simply because Idina Menzel was going to be singing. And don't get me wrong, that was phenomenal. But the story itself was also pretty strong, with an interesting concept carried out in a coherent way, when it easily could have become a huge headache. The supporting cast was alright and the set was pretty freakin' cool. My go-to measure of how much I enjoyed a show is "Did you leave the theater humming the music?" And yup, I totally did. And I also spent the next day in the office listening to the OBCR.  Oh, and I cried during it! 

There really is no business like show business. 

(Here some stuff I worked on while in school, if you're really bored or really into theater or just a stalker...)
http://backstagebeat.tumblr.com/
http://offoffonline.com/?author=2798

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22 Family Members, 1 Beach Mansion

Last week, I got to take Monday and Tuesday off from work to enjoy a long weekend at a beach mansion in Rhode Island with 22 family members. Yes, 22. Thanks to my wonderful grandparents, almost every summer the entire family manages to get together for an entire week. It’s pretty damn impressive, and always an incredible time.

(Go big or go home!) 

I’m the first grandchild to grow up, go to college, get a job and move out (look at me, following that oh so typical life-path). That also means that I was the first family member to have to say, “Sorry guys- that stuff called vacation time that you all have because you’ve been employed for years, or because you’re a teacher, or a student? Yeah, I don’t have that yet." It was a lot harder than I thought, hugging all 22 people goodbye and knowing that they still had 5 days left together, making memories that I wouldn’t get to be a part of. But I'm still incredibly grateful for the 3 days I got to spend with everyone! I mean, look at this view!

(Beautiful sunset the first night we got there, though nothing beats the sunsets at my beach on Long Island!)

Something that was far too exciting to me was the fact that our house was a quick 1 mile away from a beautiful running and biking trail! I had 10 miles scheduled for Sunday, which I was able to do with views of water and other nature-y things.  I also got to explore the area a little bit, and found the restaurant I would eventually make the executive decision was going to be the location of our big 22-person dinner out!

(Are you sick of these pictures yet? Good, me neither.)

Monday morning I headed back to the trail for my scheduled 8 miles. Tuesdays I usually take a spin class, but since I was in Rhode Island, I had to improvise. That improvisation meant donning a High School Musical helmet and riding my little cousin’s bike (complete with sparkly streamers) for 8 miles on the bike path. Certainly wasn’t expecting it to be as much of a workout as it was!

[I know that you all want a picture to be inserted right here of me and my wonderful bike/helmet but I am sorry to inform you that there is no photographic evidence that it ever happened.] 

Let’s see, what were some other highlights from the trip? A trip to the Daily Scoop, since I cannot turn down homemade ice cream. Especially when they had flavors like Banana Peanut Butter Cup and some Heath Bar concoction (that’s what I ordered, and the serving wasn’t skimpy!) I must say though, my sister’s smoothie was not so delicious.

Leave it to Mitch to discover a week’s supply of clams while at the beach. Thanks to some male bonding, we feasted on raw littlenecks, baked clams, and clams on the grill. KILLER!

(Baked clams for daysssss)

(Thank you Dad!!!)

My bagel-intake skyrocketed in those 3 short days- and I could never decide if I wanted sweet or savory, so this is what my breakfasts often looked like- a little bit of cinnamon raisin bagel with PB&J, and a little bit of egg bagel with cream cheese and lox. Normal, right?

(All about the lox) 

(Eggs, bacon AND lox? Sure why not)

(Sweet vs. savory bagels- I have some problems)

There were lots of good times spent playing can jam, badminton, What If, and Cards Against Humanity (yes, the family that is comfortable enough to play Cards Against Humanity together is a rarity). Along with my personal favorite, beer pong and flip cup.

Maybe my favorite part of the weekend were these little nuggets! I wish I got to see them so much more, they are simply the cutest.

(My Hoolie and Claire Bear)

I am so lucky to have such an incredible family, all made possible by these wonderful, wonderful people. 

(Nanny and Popsicle- simply the best. LOOK AT THEM. TOO CUTE!)

I am so glad I got a few days to relax, soak up some sun, and spend time with the people I love most. 

(Ah, livin' the life)

(We clean up nicely)

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