Are You "That" Girl?

She holds a fancy Starbucks drink in one hand while the other masterfully flips through the pages of the latest book from the New York Times bestseller list. “That” girl. A Michael Kors bag is perfectly perched in the elegant space between her wrist and her elbow and her outfit looks like it was thrown together effortlessly despite the fact that it could be featured in the pages of Vogue. Her Essie manicured nails are perfect  - not a chip to be seen. “That” girl. Straight from your Pinterest board.

How did she juggle her morning coffee, her book, her purse and her metro card to step through the subway turnstiles like she was walking down a runway? How does she only have one small purse to get through the day, while I’ve felt like a bag lady since the second I moved to Manhattan? Because she’s “that” girl. A different species from you entirely, right?

Her hair is long and gleaming in the early morning sun and she’s outfitted from head to toe in Nike gear. This season’s newest fashions, of course. She looks like her morning miles in Central Park should be used in a commercial. “That” girl.

She’s floating, and girls and guys alike can’t help but follow her with their eyes as she makes the rolling hills of Central Park look like an enjoyable amusement park ride instead of a pain in the ass. “That” girl is who you will never, ever, manage to be – right?

We’ve all seen these women, and chances are you’ve asked yourself, “How do they do it? How do they make it seem so easy? So natural?”

Each and every morning I try to figure out how to somehow read my book (very rarely is it a New York Times bestseller – more like something I’ve pulled from the shelves of the New York Public Library), answer text messages I’ve failed to respond to, and get my metro card out from its Vera Bradley change purse. The change purse which resides in my backpack – not a Michael Kors purse that sits perfectly in the crook of my arm. But what does sit in the crook of my arm is a reusable bag filled with my food for the day – since I definitely can’t afford $12 Chop’t salads and $10 fresh squeezed juices every day. Adding a morning coffee into the mix? Heels? Impossible.  I’m just not “that” girl.

When my alarm goes off for a run in the morning my hair resembles a rat’s nest and I’m likely wearing Old Navy or some other running apparel I’ve managed to get on clearance for less than $20.

But this morning during my run I had an interesting thought. “That” girl ran by and I thought, “Does she know that she’s the object of envy?”

And you know what I realized? She probably has no idea. She probably groaned when her alarm went off too. And maybe her Uncle Bob works for Nike and gets all her pretty gear for free. And chances are her legs are burning up those hills just like everyone else’s.

And then my next thought was, “Oh my GOD. What if people look at me and think I’m making it seem so easy? Could I possibly be “that” girl in someone else’s eyes?” And honestly – yes. Any one of us can be. Because we all have admirable strengths and qualities and we all have days when we’re rockin’ it. Our outfit is on point. We aren’t a bag lady for once. Weeks of yoga has made it possible to make the commute in wedges instead of your Saucony’s. Weeks of hard work have paid off and Harlem Hill is a little less torturous. In those moments, we can unknowingly become “that” girl to someone else.

If someone saw me running up Cat Hill this morning, chances are they didn’t give me a second thought. But I was pushing the pace past Engineer’s Gate and my shorts were pretty cute – so maybe for a split second someone compared themselves to me. Without knowing anything about me.

“That” girl that you see in the morning and use to put yourself down and make yourself feel inferior – is probably doing the same exact thing. And she’s probably no different than you. With good days and bad days – confident days and days she isn’t feelin’ so hot.  

Are there girls that walk around knowing they are the shit? Yes. But those aren’t girls you really want to strive to be, are they?

Instead, take a little comfort in the fact that you don’t feel superior. You can’t imagine someone looking at you and thinking that you’re one of the ones that have your shit together. 

We can’t imagine being “that” girl. But chances are that whoever we look at and put on a pedestal – feels just as insecure at times as everyone else.

So yeah, we’re all “that” girl.

But seriously, there has to be a better way to juggle all my shit in the morning... 

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A-Z Survey

I feel like I’m in 8^th grade filling out a survey about the last boy I kissed and what my last sent text message says ("Mkay"). I guess the things we consider entertaining as 13 year olds don’t really change that much – who is up for a game of MASH? I’m really curious as to who I’m going to marry and whether or not I’ll live in a mansion, apartment, shack or house! Took this survey from Ms. Kaitlin. Here we go.

A — Age: 25. Officially in my “mid-twenties.” I prefer being a “twenty-something.”

B – Biggest Fear: Birds. Nope – no traumatizing story. I just really, really, really hate birds. Pigeons are definitely the worst, followed closely by seagulls. Something about them sends panic through my body – I’ve screamed, cried and run, causing a general scene, when confronted with pigeons in the city. The sound of their wings makes me want to puke. My biggest fear is that one is going to fly into me.

C – Current Time: 8:30 a.m.

D – Drink You Had Last: I’m currently drinking tea because I need to hydrate but I’m always freezing !

E – Easiest Person To Talk To: My sister. Anything I would write in a diary, I know I could also say to my sister. Which is so ironic, considering she’s the person I tried my hardest to hide my password journal from back in middle school. If you had told me when we were younger that we would one day be best friends, we both probably would have cracked up. Actually, I’m almost positive that our parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles told us exactly that as we were growing up – and we certainly didn’t buy it. But without a doubt, my sister is my best friend.

F – Favorite Song: Oh damn. Choosing a favorite anything is hard for me, but a favorite song is nearly impossible. It’s so dependent on my mood! Not to mention my taste in music is allllll over the place. One song that I could listen to on repeat for hours is Fire and Rain by James Taylor. Another is On My Own from Les Miserables. I’ve also been known to listen to a LOT of Ke$ha. Recently, I’ve been listening to a lot of folksy stuff. But favorite at the moment let’s go with Missy Higgins, any song. Seriously need to see her in concert, ASAP.  

G – Grossest Memory: My first thought was a recent weekend at a NYRR race when I went to use a portapotty and…really wished I hadn’t. Let’s just say I found a way to hold it.

H – Hometown: Small town Long Island.

(Also home to the most incredible sunsets)

I – In Love With: So many things! And I’m so lucky that my life is so full of things and people that I love.

(Definitely love all these things! Except rain. I do not love rain.)

J – Jealous Of: I try not to be a jealous person, but it’s a natural reaction sometimes. I guess I would say I’m jealous of people who are super fulfilled by what they’re doing – whether it be their careers, their side projects, their volunteer efforts, etc. There’s a lot that I want to accomplish one day – and sometimes I feel like I’m in a constant state of, “One day I’ll do this…One day I’ll do that.” Sometimes it feels like I’m waiting for there to magically be more time for me to do all the things I want to do – despite knowing that the only way it’s going to happen is if I make the time. I also know that all those people who seem completely fulfilled and accomplished have things that they are putting on hold too. I guess the important thing is that I at least have goals and aspirations, right?

K – Kindest Person You Know: I’m lucky to know so many incredibly kind and generous people that I don’t think I can name just one. Cop out answer, but whatever.

L – Longest Relationship: Peanut Butter and I have been very serious for a very long time.

M – Middle Name: Michelle – which is also my “last name” on Facebook, so sometimes people think it’s really my last name.

N – Number of Siblings: 1 younger sister – see above – best friend, drop dead gorgeous and legitimately the funniest/strangest person that you’ll ever meet. 

(Totally normal)

O – One Wish: More hours in the day.

P – Person You Spoke To On The Phone Last: My dad – he gives me all the important information like, “Tonight is a full moon and super moon and blood moon and a lunar eclipse.”

(He's a pretty funny guy, fabulous chef, and knows SO MANY THINGS)

Q – Question You’re Always Asked: Usually it’s about my job – “Oh my God do you LOVE IT?!”

R – Reason To Smile: Monkeys. Just look at a picture of a cute monkey. I bet you smile. Another reason to smile is how #blessed I am in so many ways. Everyone complains , but I’m so lucky that if I really stop and think, my life is pretty damn great.

S – Song You Last Sang: Probably the theme song to Orange Is The New Black since I CANT STOP WATCHING.

T – Time You Woke Up: 6:15 a.m. for some Kayla Itsines leg day – ouch!

U – Underwear Color: Blue with some sort of pattern.

V – Vacation Destination: I REALLY want to go hiking out west!

W – Worst Habit: Biting my lips, probably. I also have a tendency to get really worked up and passionate about things and not even realize that I’m being sassy/controlling/obnoxious/argumentative. I’m trying to work on that one…

X – X-Rays You’ve Had: Teeth, shin, foot/ankle

Y – Your Favorite Food: Don’t make me pick – I love all food! Except licorice and truffles.

(But guac is definitely up there on the list!)

Z — Zodiac Sign: Taurus. I don’t consider myself particularly stubborn but, people close to me may disagree?

Pick one (or a few) and share your answers!

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Weekly Mileage 22!

Let's do a recap of last week shall we? It's not a novel for once - things are settling into more of a routine and I can't say I mind!

Monday - Kayla Itsine's leg day and closing shift at the running store. 

Tuesday - Kayla Itsine's arm and ab day, a few extra arm exercises and a little night time yoga session. 

Wednesday - Double session at November Project for a total of 6.5 miles! Beautiful sunrise and RING POPS to celebrate the wonderful Ali on The Run's last workout as a Feyonce! Another closing shift at the running store. 

Thursday - Kayla Itsine's abs and cardio + 75 lengths of the pool after work! My most substantial swim yet! And then - Avenue Q for Peter's birthday! I think seeing it now was even better than the first time, when I was still in high school. So funny, and such a great concept with the puppets. On my way to getting Peter hooked on Broadway...hopefully! 

(Worst part of seeing a show? Dealing with this place.)

Friday - We woke up bright and early for the 7 mile run to Brooklyn Bridge Park! The sunrise and view were unbeatable and I spent the hour taking pictures instead of working out. So damn pretty! 

Saturday - I ran 5 miles total - to the running store and back - for a really interesting/exciting staff meeting in between. New York Running Company + JackRabbit Sports plus all Running Company's across the country are now "JackRabbit." A new and improved website is just the start of the exciting changes to come. 

When I got home I showered and made a smoothie and avocado toast. The avocado toast came out pretty damn delicious if I do say so myself! 

{Avocado + Olive Oil + Sea Salt + Chili Pepper + Sunflower Seeds}

The next 8+ hours were spent waiting in line for Global Citizen's Festival, waiting in line for the bathroom at Global Citizen's Festival, and finally, falling in love with Beyonce. 

(AND MICHELLE OBAMA!)

Sunday I went to Lululemon yoga and slept through the swim I had planned. Oh well! 

Later in the day Peter and I got some a pumpkin beer to celebrate fall and the one year anniversary of the day we met - aww! 

In total last week I ran 22 miles! My legs are feeling pretty tired though - so I think I'll dial it back a little bit this week before trying to go for a weekly total of 25. 

Happy Monday! 

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Six Sunday Links

It’s Sunday morning, which means you’re probably scrolling through your Instagram feed, drooling at #brunch pictures and trying to figure out if you’re craving avocado toast, pancakes, huevos rancheros or all of the above.

Or maybe you’re a normal person who just woke up and sat down to a normal homemade breakfast – nothing wrong with a bowl of Cheerios to start your Sunday (although if you don’t at least slice up some banana with it, I can’t approve).

Either way, here are some Sunday links for you to peruse.

1)        “The Summer That Never Was”
The last thing I was is for the temperatures to drop and the mornings to be darker. But Pumpkin Spice Lattes have arrived (along with the new Toasted-Graham Latte) and the first day of fall has official come and gone so I guess it’s time to say so long to summer. Sure, there are things that didn’t get done – a ride on my boat, a Broadway in Bryant Park concert – but this summer was certainly a wonderful one and now it’s time to plan some new adventures. One part of this article really spoke to me – since I’m hoping to make my way out west some day soon!

“God, how I long to go out West again someday — to drive some blue highway in Nevada or Utah until there’s absolutely nothing around me, then stop the car, in the middle of the road, maybe, and get out and just stand there, where I can see the horizon in every direction, and smell the air and feel the sun and listen to the silence of the desert. I have this idea that if I could do this, time might hold still for a second, and I would know, for just a moment, what it feels like to be here."

2) “No,your kid may not have a snack” 

Sound harsh? This was an extremely interesting article from the Chicago Tribune about the culture of snacking in today’s society among children – I remember having snack time in school (we made popcorn and played Nok-Hockey and had weddings for our Beanie Babies)– but now, kids are snacking up to 4 times a day!

3) “The  Myth of the Before-And-After Photo” 

We’ve all seen them on Instagram – amazing body transformations all thanks to hard work and healthy habits. On good days, these pictures motivate and inspire us. One bad days, they can make us feel discouraged and defeated. I liked this articles take on before and after photos. Maybe you will too.

And now, some videos!

4) “Workout Wednesdays” with Zach Anner

This guys is funny as hell and also super inspirational. He creates these “Workout Wednesday” Youtube videos despite living with Cerebal Palsy. Each one has a message of positivity!

5) "Toddler Players Peek A Boo with Gorilla – Internet Goes Ape "

WHY CANT THIS BE ME!? Ask Peter. I literally sat for like 20 minutes at the Bronx Zoo trying to get the gorillas to NOTICE MEEEEE!

At least I’ll always have the special kiss between Mindy and I in St. Louis…

6.) Helping the Homeless Back on their Feet – and Running 

Let’s end with a feel good story… I think this is amazing, and I’m definitely looking into volunteer opportunities!

Enjoy your Sunday!

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Five Friday Faves

Time to be super girly for a sec and talk about some of my favorite products - because I recently got 3 Essie nail polishes at a street fair for $10 and it made my day! Normally, I'm not very picky when it comes to beauty products - makeup, moisturizer, nail polish - I'll buy whatever is on sale. But there ARE some exceptions. 

Here are my girly Friday Faves:

1) Oil of Olay Moisturizer - I'm pretty sure I love this stuff just because it's what I grew up using since it's my mom's favorite. But, mother's know best, right? They have a bunch of different products and creams - and I'm not exactly picky - active hydrating, complete all day moisture, classic moisturizing - potato potato. I always try to use a base coat before applying makeup! And I also use a dab of it on a tissue to remove eye make up! Probably terribly since you aren't supposed to rub abrasive tissues all over your eyes - but it works like a charm ;) (Approximately ~$10)

2) Miracle Skin Transformer - My grandma picked his up for me and Costco once, and I've used it probably every day since. It's FABULOUS! It's like the most incredible BB cream ever. If I'm feeling lazy, that's all I'll put on as my "makeup" in the morning - moisturizer, SPF  and cover-up all in one! Apparently it's even been featured on Dr. Oz. Go figure - my Nanny is a genius like that! (~$48 on their website for a 1.5 oz tube but ~$28 on Amazon - and hey sell it at Costco at a discount too!)

3) e.l.f. Waterproof Eyeliner Pen -  I have always been absolutely terrified of liquid eyeliner, but when I accidentally picked this pen up without realizing that it wasn't your typical eyeliner pencil, I fell in love. It's superrrr pointed so it's really easy to put on and looks so much better, darker and smoother than a pencil. It doesn't last very long, but  e.l.f. is SUPER cheap - $2! Did you know it stands for eyes, lips, face? 

4) Essie Nail Polish - Yes, the price can be steep (~$8.50) - but the quality and the way it goes on is just SO MUCH BETTER than a $2 drugstore polish. Plus, they have so many wonderful colors AND if you invest in Essie - they usually have tons of it at nail salons. That means when you get a mani, you can pick an Essie color you own so that when you inevitably mess it up on the way home, you can easily touch it up ;) If you leave in NYC, there's usually a cosmetics booth at every street fair that offers Essie polish for $4 (or 3 for $10!) I currently have "take it outside" on and I'm loving it - the perfect neutral for fall. It's a little gray, a little lavender and a little beige. But my all time favorite is "bikini so teeny"!

5) Body Shop Satsuma Body Lotion - Growing up, I had a strange obsession with the scent emanating from Body Shops at suburban malls. Literally - every time I passed one, I just wanted to stand there smelling it forever. At some point, I dragged my mom in and demanded to know "WHAT IS THAT SMELL?!" Turns out it's their "Satsuma" scent. I love it to this day. (Price of the Satsuma collection varies depending on the product, but the body lotion is ~$13! And free shipping!) 

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Resetting for Fall

All I want for Christmas is to not feel so damn unhealthy! Ever since I left for my work trip at the end of May - it's been a whole lot of false starts getting back on the healthy train. Which was fine for making the most of summer. But for the next 95 days (that's how soon Christmas is, crazy huh?) I'm attempting to chillll on the all you can eat dinners, fancy and indulgent restaurants (unless they're healthy...) and beer guzzling nights. 

(Normal for the past few months)

(Oops)

I may be sad to say goodbye to summer, but with the fall season I'm welcoming weekends spent running and immediately snuggling back into bed. Weekdays where an outdoor happy hour isn't tempting me after work. 

Some things I really want to focus on are drinking more water! And cutting out fake sugar - I am addicted to aspartame and I know it's SO BAD. 

MORE VEGGIES! Yes I eat a ton of carrots and avocados, but I need to be better about broccoli and string beans and spinach and all that good stuff. I'm a fruit girl. And eating a lot of fruit is fine, but it's a ton of sugar. And it's not that I don't like vegetables, so I should definitely make the fruit to veggie ratio a little more even. 

Less alcohol. Sadly, it needs to be done. And no, "I'll just have a few glasses of wine." No, I need to learn to go out and confidently hold my glass of water with lemon, still having a great time. Or, you know, more Netflix dates. 

Stop eating so late at night! I have a really bad habit of eating dinner around 8:30 every night, sometimes as late as 10 if I wait until the end of a shift at the running store to eat dinner. No more! It always leaves me super hungry in the morning.

As I sit here at my desk snacking on dry Special K cereal - I know this is the BIGGEST habit I need to break. Not as much snacking! And NO BUYING CEREAL AND GRANOLA! It is way too easy for me to not even realize I'm eating an entire box of it in 2 days when it's sitting at my desk. 

So to kick things off this week- 

Breakfast was some Chobani yogurt with pecans, half a banana and chia seeds to keep me full longer! 

I may have also snacked on some Special K - once the box is gone I'll be better, promise ;)

Lunch was a Juice Press protein shake. The. best. flavor. 

Pre-running store snack was a huge, juicy Gala apple and Spark! There were a bunch of free samples of Spark in our work pantry one day and I actually love it - I actually notice that I have more energy after drinking it. 

For dinner I made myself a delicious salad FULL of greens. My problem with salads is they usually end up a total mish mash of random ingredients. I guess that's not really a problem but Sunday night at the grocery store I tried to pick a theme for my salad - Asian! Mmmm. 

Spinach
Broccoli
Snow Peas steamed with Bragg's Liquid Aminos and Chili Flakes
Avocado
BABY CORN
Cashews
Annie's Lite Gingerly Vinaigrette 

It turned out so good! And there's definitely something to be said for not just tossing a ton of random crap in with your spinach. 

When I got home at 10:30 I knew I should eat, but I was HUNGRY. So instead of grabbing chocolate, which is what I really wanted, a made a bowl with frozen banana slices, a scoop of peanut butter, a dollop of plain Greek yogurt and a sprinkle of cinnamon. It totally hit the spot and got rid of any dessert cravings, plus filled me up! 

Today, I also finally checked out Vitacost - a website so many fitness and health bloggers I follow use to buy their healthy kitchen staples. 

Living in Manhattan, I was definitely pleasantly surprised by the prices! For sure cheaper than Fairway, Whole Foods, Morton Williams, etc. 

Here's what I ordered: 

1) QuestBars - Double Chocolate Chunk
These are my favorite. I eat them as dessert or breakfast - heated up in the toaster oven. I've been eating them for about 3 years, but recently they've becoming SUPER popular - 7 Eleven even sells them now if you want to try all the different flavors instead of ordering a box of just one kind - but you do save money buying them in bulk! They're full of protein, low on carbs and sugar, under 200 calories, and delicious. They totally fulfill my sweets cravings without making me feel guilty. 

2) Bragg Premium Nutritional Yeast Seasoning
I've been meaning to pick up a container of this for awhile now - ever since Rebecca used it in delicious spinach dip and Kayla used it to season roasted cauliflower! It makes things taste super cheesy - without using cheese! 

3) Vitacost Peanut Butter SLIM
This is essentially a generic brand of PB2 powdered peanut butter, which I used to use CONSTANTLY and have been meaning to restock in my cabinets. I mainly add it to my oatmeal or smoothies instead of spoonfuls of actual peanut butter because it's literally half of the calories and still tastes great. We'll see if this brand is a good substitute for PB2! 

4) Let's Do Organic COconut FInely Shredded Flakes (Unsweetened)
I used to hate coconut, but now, it's nice to add some shredded coconut to my oatmeal, chia seed pudding, yogurt and smoothies! 

5) Desert Essence Natural Tea Tree Oil Facial Cleansing Pads
I've been hitting the gym a lot during my lunch breaks to do my Kayla Itsines circuits (yay, 30 minutes and done!) - and don't always have a chance for a full on shower afterwards, usually just a rinse. I don't want that to translate into awful breakouts - so I thought I would give these a try - seems easy enough to toss the container in my backpack and use them to wash off my face after each workout. 

		Item(s) Ordered		Qty.		Price			Discount			Total
		Quest Nutrition QuestBar Protein Bar Double Chocolate Chunk -- 12 Bars	1			$	24.99					$	24.99
		Item No: QST 9000241
		Bragg Premium Nutritional Yeast Seasoning -- 4.5 oz	1			$	5.59					$	5.59
		Item No: BRA 5066054
		Desert Essence Natural Tea Tree Oil Facial Cleansing Pads - Original -- 50 Pads	1			$	5.39					$	5.39
		Item No: DES 4220406
		Vitacost Peanut Butter SLIM(tm) Powdered - NON-GMO - Gluten Free -- 6.5 oz	1			$	3.25					$	3.25
		Item No: VCT 7019670
		Let's Do Organic Coconut Finely Shredded Flakes Unsweetened -- 8 oz	1			$	2.29					$	2.29
		Item No: LSD 2005203

Can't wait for my goodies to arrive :) 

One thing I was thinking of ordering but held off on is a protein powder to use in smoothies- any recommendations out there? 

If you click this link and make an account on Vitacost, you'll get $10 off your first order! STOCK UP! 

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Happy Birthday Peter! Hanging Onto Summer

Everyone warns you that you shouldn't wait until something's gone to appreciate it. You know, "Don't it always seem to go, that you you don't know what you've got til it's gone." 

But lately, I've been suffering from something we'll call "Missing Something While It's Here." I'm trying desperately to cherish every last bit of summer we have. Soaking up every last ray, taking advantage of every opportunity to eat outside or run at dusk in shorts and a tank-top. But it's making me SO SAD thinking that any day now, restaurants will be packing up the al fresco dining option and going out for a run will require a whole lot more "hmm, which layers do I need?" 

Luckily, while it's creeping into late September, we had another week of beautiful weather. 

Monday was Kayla Itsine's leg day workout and DAMN was it a killer. No joke, my legs didn't feel fully recovered from it until Saturday. X jumps, weighted step ups, jump lunges (does anyone else find these to be the most difficult thing ever?), tuck jumps, sumo jump squats, split squats, weighted walking lunges and broad jump burpees.  My legs hurt all over again just thinking about it. 

A closing shift at the running store made for a late night. 

Tuesday was arms and abs with a little post-work yoga session. Then, I finally got back into the world of theater - writing a review of the Off-Broadway play Laugh It Up Stare It Down. The story wasn't my cup of tea, but the creative design was wonderful and one of the actresses from the cast of 4 graduated high school with my aunt and played for the same field hockey coach I played for! I stuck around after the show to introduce myself and Amy Hargreaves (Homeland) was extremely friendly and gracious. 

This was a first - during intermission, my friend was really hungry so we successfully took a pizza break in 15 minutes and didn't even miss the start of the second act! 

Wednesday morning Peter and I went to 5:30 November Project where we ran a whole lotta stairs! My ankle and shins still aren't all too happy about it. We had planned to do the 6:30 workout until around 7 but one of the worst things for IT Bands are stairs and hills so I didn't want to push it. Instead, we went for a nice flat 2 miles along the river. 

(Nothing like it!)

And again, a night at the running store. 

Thursday was PETER'S BIRTHDAY! He's old. Basically 30, now. We started the day with a 5:45 a.m. wake up call and journey downtown to Yoga to the People for my first ever hot vinyasa class. It was sweaty. And our teacher LOVED plank and chaturanga. My arms didn't love our teacher. But it was a good class - and for $20 for Peter and I ($5 class + $2 towel + $1 water bottle + $2 mat), it didn't break the bank either. (Although WHY does the NYSC yoga class schedule SUCK?!) 

During my lunch break I finished Kayla Itsine's workouts for the week with abs and cardio. 

After dinner it was time to celebrate! Peter had picked out a restaurant he wanted to go to for his birthday and DAMN did he pick well. Marc Forgione is an Iron Chef with a restaurant in Tribeca called...Marc Forgione's. There will be a review to come, but first, I need to see if it helps me win a Time Out New York contest that I entered to find the next NYC food critic! I'll let these pictures that I spent a lot of time perfecting speak for themselves. 

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(There was even champagne waiting for us when we sat down!)

No birthday is complete without birthday cake, so after dinner I told Peter we were walking over to Parm for their famous, ginormous slice of ice cream cake. Pistachio, Strawberry and Chocolate ice cream with whipped cream, sprinkles and a cherry on top. Doesn't get much more classic than that! While there was certainly a TON of ice cream (think: Ben & Jerry's container) it was served super frozen and the chocolate crunchies in between each layer of ice cream just didn't measure up to Carvel. 

The fancy diner interior of Parm, though not at all what I expected, was cool and made me want to stop by for an eggplant parm hero at a later date. 

We went to bed fairly early because Friday:

Up at 5:00 a.m. to run 6.5 miles down to Pumphouse Park near Brookfield Place for a November Project workout. AND we did the workout - loops of the park + pushups + squats + dips. The pace was a little slower than our run to Southstreet Seaport the previous Friday, but both of our bodies were still functioning relatively pain free so SUCCESS. 

Then Peter did a million and one push-ups because that's what you do when it's your birthday at NP. And when you want to show off but forget that yesterday you did chaturanga approximately 1 million times. 

Friday during lunch I went to my favorite yoga class and stretched it all out. 

That night I honestly don't remember what I did. A lot of laying around watching Orange is the New Black and baking a LOT of cookies. Bed early so I could get up and workout before Peter's birthday party on Saturday. 

(S'Mores and Snickerdoodles!)

First up on Saturday morning, 50 laps at the pool. Each and every time I go I feel a little better, and this was no exception. It's probably the most I've swam in one workout too! After swimming I went to a 45 minute spin class. 

The spot for Peter's party was Loreley - a German beer garden on Steuben Day at the start of Oktoberfest. So fitting. We had a great time, and I even had avocado toast with my free beer from the keg they tapped at the bar to kick of Oktoberfest. 

They also paraded around this POOR LITTLE PIGGY!

My millions of cookies were a hit, and I unintentionally followed a German tradition when I decided to bake Peter a cookie shaped like a heart. Oktoberfestherzen are gingerbread cookie hearts! Mine was a snickerdoodle but close enough. 

During the day drinking we took a TO to stop by Morgenstern's Finest Ice Cream which is supposedly one of the "Finest" Ice Cream "parlors" in NYC.  Peter and I disagree. 

Yes, you can tell that this stuff is definitely made fresh and with care. Each is in a TINY container. Like, I have bigger tupperware in my apartment. Talk about small batch! And yes, they have some interesting flavors. But you'll never know which ones are good because each customer is only allowed one sample. So when we tried one and didn't like it, obviously we weren't going to spend money on "Salt and Pepper Pinenut" without because able to give it a taste. That's not exactly a flavor I can conjure up in my mind and decide if I'm a fan. So instead we went with Raw Milk and plain old chocolate with their "homemade" whipped cream that was literally soup. For $8, I'm going to give this place a big old "OVERRATED." 

Anyone else have a better experience with Morganstern's?

The night went on, we moved locations, we had fun, we ate nachos. I helped myself to a piece of cake when we got back that night because Peter's mom is a wizard when it comes to baking. 

Sunday when we awoke I was the least hungover but that didn't mean I was feeling refreshed. There was a lot of lounging around (and maybe another slice of cake) before exploring the 92Y Street Fair on Lexington Ave. I finally bought some succulents to hang in little glass orbs about my bed! One is up and hanging and he other WAS up and hanging for about 5 minutes before crashing down, shattering, and spilling dirt all over my bed. 

At the street fair I also bought 3 beautiful fall/winter colors of ESSIE NAIL POLISH for $10. Favorite part about street fairs, for sure. 

The weather on Sunday was ridiculously gorgeous. The sun was hot, there was a cool breeze and not a cloud in the sky. We were lucky enough to snag one of the four outdoor tables at Meatball Shop for brunch where, after considering everything on the menu for a solid 10 minutes, I ended up ordering what I order every single time. Everything But the Kitchen Sink with veggie balls and pesto. Sunday's plate included broccoli rabe, zucchini, red cabbage slaw and fennel. It made for a great brunch/dinner. 

After Meatball Shop, we were too close to 16 Handles NOT to go.  A heaping cup of Graham Cracker and Birthday Cake froyo later and I was in a sugar coma. I left the boys to watch football and promptly passed out in bed. 

(This is how I could get into football...)

When I woke up I managed to motivate myself to do a 50 minute yoga video from YouTube and then headed out for some speed work in Central Park because it was such a beautiful night and I really wanted to get a picture of the sunset at the reservoir. So why not run, right? Right. A ran .5 miles to Engineer's Gate and another .5 miles on the Bridle Path. When I hit a mile, a kicked things up a notch for .5. Slowed down for .25. Kicked it up for .5. Slowed down for .25. Kicked it up for .5. Entered the reservoir loop and did two quarter mile intervals. My ankle was bothering me a little bit, so while I initially wanted to do 3 miles of fast running, I settled for 2 and comfortably ran myself back home for a total of 4.25 miles and a beautiful picture of the sunset. 

And a huge case of "Missing Something While It's Here."

Next up was grocery shopping, food prepping, an episode of Orange is the New Black, leftover Meatball Shop and bed. 

My alarm this morning was supposed to get me to the gym for Kayla Itsine's leg day but - that didn't happen so it will have to be a sweaty lunch hour today since I have work at the running store tonight. 

Here's to hoping this week is just as wonderful and filled with happiness and sunshine as last week! (Although there was a definite chill in the air this morning!) 

Funny story: Friday night I was shaving and, since I'm terrible at shaving, somehow managed to shave off a LARGE strip of skin on my ankle. It WOULDN'T stop bleeding! And of course, I had no bandaids in the apartment. So how did I improvise? Pantyliner wrapped around my ankle and held in place with an Ace bandage until I could get to Duane Reade in the morning. When I unwrapped it in the morning, it was STILL bleeding! Ugh. 

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