okay i’m doing it: survey #1 (get ready for more loves)

soooo, up to this point i have stayed clear of the surveys and “What I Ate Wednesdays” and all of the “let me tell you a little bit more about me” questionnaire-type posts that run rampant in the healthy living blog world. i enjoy reading my fellow bloggers’, but i’ve never ventured into this form of spillage sesh.

but i’m about to break that streak today.

i’m jumping on board with the adorable Miss Amy from Fitness Meets Frosting and the lovely Julie from Peanut Butter Fingers to chime in on the “10 day YOU challenge.” i’m digging this one.

thankfully, i missed yesterday’s “10 Secrets” day and am stepping in on day 9. i’m not much of a secret-spiller. that’s what my best friends are for. 🙂

9 Loves (brrppp of course this comes after i just posted an “i love everything” post yesterday)

1. the fam. ok, so that was a no-brainer.because if i didn’t list them as #1, i’d be the worst excuse for a daughter/sister/human being. ever.

2. my girlfriends. again, an obvious fave. i have the best of the best of the best.

and these are just some of the lovely ladies who make my world such an incredible place!

3. the Huss pups. which are also an extension of the Huss fam, obvi. i can’t get enough of these 3 darlings. (side note: i’m Hundo P a dog person. all dogs, all day, all my life. no cats allowed.)

we have Quinn, my bro’s Bernese who pees every time she sees me (it’s true love when you can’t control your bladder at the sight of someone, i’m telling you) and jumps with me into the lake, and then Moka & Kayla, the sweetest lil Shih Tzus who climb into my suitcase whenever i’m home and beg me with their eyes not to leave. i don’t have a dog in NYC and it pains me every day.

4. running. errrrr, duh. this sport has entirely changed my life in so many ways, and i am so, so thankful that i am healthy and able to run, and that i have such a passion for something that has challenged me beyond anything i could dream of and helped me to really gain a new perspective on life, health, and my own identity. it’s truly been a gift.

5. salsa dancing. just try it. you’ll hate it at first because it’s stupid hard and you feel like you’ll neverrrrr be gooood but then you’ll love it so much, and then something clicks and it gets into your head and under your skin and you’re dreaming about it at night and downloading iPhone apps to learn new moves and practicing in front of your mirror. trust me. i’m telling you stories. plus, you get to wear shiny sequined shoes.
6. bananas. i like to know that one is always nearby in case i need it. i had a mini melt down in the cafeteria yesterday at work when one of my favorite caf workers had to tell me there were no bananas that morning and to check back at lunch. it was a rough moment.

7. traveling/wanderlust. planes and trains and road trips and boats and camping and beaches and cities and mountains and everything. just take me with you, wherever you’re going.

8. Counting Crows. absolutely fave band ever and i truly think Adam Duritz is a poetic, lyrical genius. i read his lyrics to get inspiration for my poetry; i’ve actually shed tears at one of his concerts, during the encore performance of “Holiday in Spain” (which actually makes you want to fall in love even if you know you’ll lose them, it’s so beautiful); i can listen to their albums tirelessly. absolutely amazed by this band.

 9. anything to do with water. like, outdoors. oceans and lakes and beaches and rivers and even puddle jumping, i’ll take it. i gravitate towards anything nautical: sailboats, anchors, stripes, that whole motif. my parents live on a lake and we are an ocean-loving fam, so i can’t get enough. really, really want to live by a beach one day.

and there you have it! probably super predictable but what can i say — i wear this lil heart on my sleeve and when i love something, well…it shows.

❤

if you decide to join in on the fun, link to your page and let me know you’re playing along!

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Friday Five {5.2.14}…on Monday

welp, i totally started this post on Friday (obviously) and was such a busy bee that i never got around to finishing it! so instead of disregarding it altogether, i’m bringing you the Friday 5, first Monday edition. hoping this procrastination posting doesn’t turn into “a thing,” but hey — better late than never.

*baseball season. yes, yes and yes. raised by the quintessential sports-nut of a dad with an especial affinity for baseball, i love going to professional games and went to my first Yankees game of the season last night, on the most beauuuuutiful evening. great weather + pre-game patio drinks + amazing friends + Yankee stadium = perfect way to kick off my May.

*dance. it’s important to stick to your passions, and i’m determined to get better at one of the things i love most to do: salsa. i just ordered myself a new pair of Latin dance shoes (since my 2 pairs are years old), and hopefully this will spur me into taking more lessons this summer and improving my dancing. look good, feel good, dance…better? let’s hope so. 🙂

*healthier summery cocktails. who doesn’t like a light, refreshing cocktail to sip on a patio in the sunshine? however, i try to be very conscious about the amount of calories that they can pack on, so i like to do my research and find some lighter versions that i can make. here aretwo that i’m looking forward to trying (taken from Shape magazine)

Vodka Cucumber Mint Cocktail (like a mojito, but with vodka rather than rum)

How to make it: In the bottom of a Collins or mixing glass, muddle 1 teaspoon sugar, 1 teaspoon water, herbs (1 pinch fresh ginger, peeled and grated, 3 medium basil leaves, 3 mint leaves) and juice of half a lime. Pour in 1 oz.  or vodka and stir. Top with crushed ice and club soda. Garnish with a lime wheel.

Green Sangria (although i’d omit the Midori)

How to make it: For about six servings, you’ll need a bottle of Pinot Grigio, 1 oz. Midori melon liqueur, 1/2 green apple (cored and sliced), 1/2 lime (sliced), 1/4 English cucumber (sliced), 10 mint leaves, 1/2 kiwi fruit (peeled and sliced), and club soda. Combine all ingredients except club soda in a pitcher and refrigerate for a minimum of 2 hours and a maximum of 8 hours. For individual servings, spoon some of the fruit into a wine glass before pouring and then top off with a splash of club soda, diet lemon-lime soda or diet ginger ale to taste.

*New York City. as the winter begins to (finally) fade and the days are snowless and sunny, i remember anew each morning how truly glorious this city is. something about the rebirth of a city in Spring just makes you feel so utterly alive, and i believe it’s even more extraordinary in New York. because isn’t everything?

it’s so silly, the things we sometimes take for granted. i shouldn’t forget how fortunate i am to wake up here every day.

i’ve been here for 3.5 years, and i’ve learned so much about myself in this time. you really can’t live in NY without being changed.

*wanderlusting. i spend a good deal of time dreaming about the places in this great big world that i need to see, and just the thought of getting on a plane in 2 days is enough to make this a wonderful week. it may not be some place exotic, or foreign, or beachy, or surf-town-ish, but it’s traveling…and that’s good enough for me.

happy new week, friends!

Questions:
Where’s the last place to which you traveled?
Favorite summery cocktail?

weekend recap: dancing, running, Easter, Boston

hi friends! hope you all had lovely Easter weekends. having Friday off just makes everything so much better in my world, especially when it means i can head upstate on Thursday evening and enjoy this sunset as a “welcome home”:

and then head straight out to Saratoga Springs to check out a new salsa night at The Mine. not a bad venue at all, and right on Broadway in Saratoga: spacious with a good-sized dance floor, and suuuuper empty (which was good for us die-hards to practice). dancing + good music + great venue + amazing people = best way to start my long weekend. guess who else agrees with me…

why yes, yes, i do. just fully clothed.

workouts
Friday started off with a short hilly run that totally felt like struggle city. my legs were exhauuuuusted and i was ready to quit by mile 2, which hasn’t happened to me in a while…not sure if it was the previous night of dancing combined with running or training every day last week, but i was hurtin’. i really think i was running slower than my app calculated. he’s being generous.

i hit 5 miles total but shut off MayMyRun early and walked half of the last .9 miles (and slow jogged the rest). rough one.

i then spent Friday afternoon with my best friend and her family, and finally saw Frozen. anyone else seen it? it was really cute and i was super impressed with Kristen Bell’s singing voice. and also super glad Winter is over. and it kinda reminded me of Narnia.

Saturday’s workout was a long, killer circuit/boot camp style sesh at the gym that included:

• burpees w/ push-ups, over a bench
• squat jumps
• skaters
• clapping push-ups on a bench
• jumping jacks w/ free weights
• squats
• jumping squats onto a bench
• back rows
• flys w/ leg raises
• high knees

and a few others thrown in that i either can’t remember or can’t describe well. 🙂 it was awesome, and followed by a 20 minute ab circuit with my brother, which included a bajillion incline sit-ups on my fave machine. love that thing.

Saturday was a double workout day for me, essentially, as it also included 4 straight hours of Latin dancing that night in Albany! my calves were buuuuurning and it was amaaaazing. so thankful for that scene and the wonderful friends i’ve made there…you know who you are. love you guys.

i took Sunday as a rest day and enjoyed church with the fam, followed by a pretty stellar brunch that Ry and i made for our parents while they napped on the porch by the lake.

the chef in action. and i did a mean job of cutting everything up for him to cook, and keeping our mimosas refilled. critical role.

our Easter was quiet and relaxing and nap-ful and lovely. i so cherish full days when it’s just the four of us together, and i’m so thankful to have such an outstandingly beautiful, amazing family. the older i get, the more i love and appreciate them, and the more i value my time spent at home. NYC ain’t got nothin’ on the lakehouse.

i hope you all had lovely Easters with your family, friends and loved ones as well.

switching gears for a sec…did anyone follow the Boston marathon? i unfortunately didn’t watch any of the coverage, but of course i’m overjoyed that an American won for the first time since 1983, and i love that he had the names of last year’s victims displayed on his race bib. such an emotional, heartfelt experience.

(Image Credit: Timothy A. Clary/AFP/Getty Images)

i was super tired from having taken an early train from Albany-NYC yesterday morning, but i made myself go out and do a little honorary “run for Boston” after work last night along the river. it was a beauuuutiful evening to be out.

i was just one of maaaaany runners/walkers/bikers out on the path last night, which was amazing. it warmed my heart a bit to imagine that a bunch of those runners were also out there thinking of Boston, honoring the city and the victims in the only way we runners can: by doing what they — and we — love to do.

and before i scoot, just wanna share my fave commemorative Boston pic with you — one that my dear friend from Massachusetts took of her beautiful little girl:

so sweet. never too young to spread love. ❤

Questions:
Highlights from Easter weekend?
Did you follow/run in/run in honor of the Boston marathon?

lake living: running & romping

hi friends! happy Monday. hope you all had lovely weekends.

i know i did! on this first weekend of completely wonderful Spring weather, this was my beautiful view for the weekend:

not so bad. definitely looking forward to a looooot of this this Spring and Summer. thanks, parents.

i had some great 5-6 milers upstate this weekend. although it’s hilly no matter where i run from my parents’ house, i always love running in the country. i had a great 6-miler (stopped my app too soon, but finished just over 6) on Saturday:

splits were a bit slower to accommodate for the hills, but i’m not worried about it. to be expected, and i entirely enjoyed this run.

i managed to get in plenty of good cuddle seshes/yard romps with the Quinners this weekend as well:

she’s one of the best things in my life right now. i can’t even take how obsessed i am with this girl. i helped Ryan give her a bath on Saturday, which was hilarious.  and then i encouraged her to roll around on the lawn pretty shortly after.

that’s a real connection right there. i think we “get” each other because we are both such big goofballs at heart. 🙂

the weekend also included a fun night of dancing with some of the salsa crew, at what might be the sketchiest bar i’ve ever been to in my life. but hey, it’s the people who make the place, right? unless you have laser beams. then it’s definitely those.

i’m always a bit bummed to leave home after a fabulous weekend, but i’m thankful i have such a great city and life to return to in the Big Apple. i woke up ready to start my Monday with another warm (but breezy) river run:

my legs felt a bit sluggish but i was happy with this run, and it was an absolutely gorgeous morning. i’m so, so thrilled to be able to run in just tank tops outside again!

i also passed a really colorful, conspicuously cool art work structure on the running path south of Chelsea Piers:

i honestly have no idea what it is and didn’t stop to read the little art sign (bad, i know), but it’s clearly a memorial of some sort because the whole structure is covered with lists of people’s names. i’ll have to pay closer attention next time. at first glance, i was just struck by the massive size and vibrant splashes of color it added to the river path. i love this about NYC, how exhibitions and pieces will pop up all over the place and catch you off guard. this is a city of surprises.

so it’s safe to say that i’m having a wonderful Monday, still riding on the coattails of a beautiful, fabulous weekend. i also just had my favorite lunch ever: Whole Foods salad bars. seriously, it doesn’t get any better than that for me. the Whole Foods in TriBeCa is a short walk from my office, so one of my friends and i love to make it our warm-weather lunch jaunt.

i know i don’t post a whole lot about my food consumption, which is rare in the “healthy living” blog community, but i just don’t see it as a necessary focus for my blog. i generally eat really healthy 99% of the time, so i’m pretty sure that lots of pictures of salads, fruit & cottage cheese, and roasted Brussels sprouts won’t make anyone’s day. just sayin’.

this amazing lunch was a mixture of arugula, baked falafel, purple cauliflower, sweet potatoes, a little tabouleh and a little plain baked chicken. everything was delicious and i ate every last bite.

hope you’re having a wonderful start to your week, friends! this is a short week for me, as we have Good Friday off and i head back home on Thursday night. stoked for that!

Questions:
Weekend highlights? Did you get outside and do anything fun?
What’s your fave lunch option?

WILW {3.26.14}

this Hump Day’s camel from the co-worker is trying to tell me something, i think — possibly that i either need to start wearing lipstick, or that i should invest in bow ties and tiaras. maybe all of the above. never hurts to stand out and be girlie sometimes.

this week, i’m lovin’:

*love. i really, really enjoy weddings. i love being able to share in such joyful celebrations, and dance and get dressed up and have a genuine reason to believe, as everything else in the world stands still for those precious hours, that love and magic and happily-ever-afters really do exist, after all. and this past weekend, i discovered that i enjoy weddings so much more when i have the wonderful privilege of playing an integral role in such a special day, for two of my absolutely favorite people.

my best best best friend in the entire world got married on Friday, and i was able to be with her for every second of the day (and night before) leading up to their wedding. it was a truly incredible experience, and i was just bubbling over with joy and love for the bride and groom on an unprecedented level. it was a lovely, intimate wedding at a beautiful venue in Lake George, and my bff chose to be hands-on in almost every aspect (which meant i got to be for a lot of it, as well!). from making her own cake to creating our own music playlist and playing MacBook djs, to decorating the tables and having her sister conduct the ceremony, everything was intimate and intentional and personal. it was an amazing day — and also my first experience as a Maid of Honor and a speech-giver. and i loved every single second.

congrats, my once-in-a-lifetime friend.

*outdoor running. i had two great 7-milers outdoors upstate last weekend on Thursday and Sunday mornings. they were very hilly and a wee bit chilly (okay, so one of them was really darn cold and windy), but it just felt so amazing to be running outside again. of course i tackled this hilly course on Thursday and Sunday mornings — the two mornings after long nights of salsa dancing in heels (with a wedding stuck in there on Friday!). so smart. 🙂 i felt pretty good on Thursday’s run, but rather sluggish and tired on Sunday’s. regardless — i was outside!!

Thursday, March 20

Sunday, March 23

 *statement t-shirt. i can’t say i have too many of these (i think my only other one is my “trouble maker heart breaker” fave from H&M), but i saw this adorable “Friday I’m in Love” cropped t and had to have it for Summer (annnd fuzzy pic):

def a fan of the Cure so this was a no-brainer. whether or not i’m in love on a Friday, i’m wearin’ it. and yes, on other days, too.

*messy hair, don’t care. not sure why it took me so long to buy this stuff after reading so many great things about it, but i made a smart (and very off-season) purchase last week about which i’m pretty happy:

Bumble & Bumble’s Surf Spray. and no, i didn’t buy it solely because my ultimate life goal is to move to a beach and be a surf bum. (and nope, that isn’t a lie. not even an exaggeration. that’s actually what i want to do with my life.) i’ve only used it twice so far, as it’s a million degrees of freezing here in NYC still (not sure what happened to the ole “out like a lamb” business, but March has been totally disappointing), and i’m really looking forward to seeing what it does for my thick wavy/curly hair once the humidity sets in. i think i’m really going to like it: i has a nice light but firm hold, a matte finish and it smells good. score.

although let’s be honest, i think they got me with the marketing on this one. totally a sucker for “beach-inspired” hair. my idea of “doing my hair” consists of a quick towel dry and some sort of wave-holding spray, so this should suit me juuuust fine.

*laughing at myself. this may sound funny, but i’m really appreciating my own ability to take life less seriously and to totally laugh at myself and find the humor in a situation. i’ll admit that i was a total perfectionist as a child and hated doing anything incorrectly or being bad at things — i took personal criticism really hard, and was so afraid of failure. the thought of messing up on anything would send me wanting to cry in a corner.

but lately, i realize i’m really learning to let go of that and just enjoy myself, and it’s my dancing that’s been the most obvious illustration of this for me. when i first started Latin dancing back in 2009, i used to get so upset with myself for sucking, or messing up, or not understanding what my partner was trying to lead, or just being too nervous to dance with people out of fear of being bad. i hate being bad at things. but when i was out dancing last weekend, i found myself cracking up — and having a complete blast — every time i missed a lead, or didn’t spin when i was supposed to, or whatever it might be. and i realize:  so what if i can’t dance in a straight line all the time, or if i dance with someone who’s way more advanced and he tells me he’ll dance at my level so i’m not humiliated. 🙂  i don’t even have an issue with comparing myself to other people — i love to rejoice in others’ successes and appreciate their skills. i would just get so competitive with myself, and want to do better for me, that it would suck the fun out of it. and recently, i’ve realized that this has changed somewhere along the way, and i can just enjoy myself and laugh at my mistakes and hopefully get that spin right the next time. or sometime in the next 10 times or so, even. 🙂 life is so much better when you’re laughing.

xo

Questions:

Is it warm yet where you’re living? What’re you most excited about for Spring?

Anything you do (or want to do) that makes you supremely happy, even if it’s not always easy?

WILW {3.19.14}

*i’m heading upstate today! man, i spend a lot of time on trains. thankfully, the ride from NYC to Albany via Amtrak is quite a lovely, relaxing little chug along the Hudson River, and can be really beautiful. when i’m not napping, i definitely appreciate the scenery of NY’s landscapes. we have some pretty country here, when you get out of the city.

upstate this weekend = salsa, a trip to Lake George, an exciting wedding (eeeee!), and lots of my favorite people. can’t. wait.

*Latin dance shoes. speaking of salsa! i swear, salsa shoes are the most comfortable heels ever invented — and i’m not even a big fan of heels. i can dance in Very Fine’s shoes for hours and not have sore feet. plus, they’re the cutest things ever. i’m thinking it’s time to get a new pair, since i haven’t in years. i have an old pair of silver ones, but i usually dance in these gold sparklies (which have been wonderfulllll):

i’m feeling these satin numbers for my next pair, to change it up a bit:

a girl can never have too many pairs of shoes, right? maybe i should start adopting that stance toward “salsa shoes.”

*You’re Going to Need a Girl Who Can Read a Map. as if the title alone isn’t enough to lure you right in.

i can’t explain how much i love pieces like this, similar to the one i posted a couple of months ago about A Girl Who Travels. Thought Catalog compiles such a fantastic array of written work, and this is one of my faves to date. when i read something like this, i always feel like i could have written it; like something in my soul responds entirely to the words on the page, both content and written voice. this piece was lovely, and poignant, and makes me want to jump out of my little corner of the world and discover everyone and everything i could be, in every place and any place i may happen to land.

and now, i surely need to do this to my room asap:

*running fun. because i am probably still on a bit of a runner’s high from Sunday’s race, and, well, let’s face it — i’m a runnerd and just can’t get enough of this stuff.

and because we all need a little silliness…

*faith. hope. love. belief. because i don’t know about you, but i need these reminders every.single.day.

xoxo

Tell me something good about your week so far!

The Friday 5 (on Saturday!)

(well, it shouuuullld have been my Friday post…’cept i realize i never finished this last night, so now it’s spilled over into Saturday. whoops. 🙂 better late than never, right?)

i decided i’m changing up my “Fun Facts Friday” posts to “The Friday 5.” they generally end up being 5 random things about my life anyway, so i’m liking this better.

1. i’m on a (forced) running rest. i haven’t run since Sunday — that’s entirely out of character and 100% attributed to the sickness. running + hacking cough does not = a good time. while i greatly dislike not running, i’ve managed to get some decent workouts in this week, sick and all:

Monday:  winter walk around and across Grafton Lake
Tuesday: rest. we had a blizzard and i nearly died just walking down the icy sidewalks.
Wednesday: 50 minutes full-body elliptical, 20 minutes incline walking on a treadmill, 30 minutes circuit intervals (kettlebells, wall/ball jumps, box jumps, burpees, back rows, planks)
Thursday: boot camp circuit training (kicked my butt- super sore today)
Friday: another rest day, as my body is killing me from yesterday and i was up all night coughing.

so it was a lighter workout week for me this week for sure, and while i definitely miss the running, it would have been a bad move to push myself. it’s probably good for me to get comfortable with periods of rest, as i tend to freak out a bit if i can’t work out every day, and that obsessive mentality might not be the healthiest. certainly motivating, but possibly a bit on the edge of crazy. 🙂

2. i am such a dog person. we have always been a dog-keeping family. there was Spanky, my first black lab when i was 2-3 years old (guess who named her), and Rusty the mutt who ran away incessantly, and Oreo the English Springer who really needed to live in the country, and Missy the sweet Shih Tzu who was such a foundation part of our family that we had to get two to replace her, the adorable Moka and Kayla (who you’ve seen pop up around here before):

and Ryan has this amazing, bumbling, energetic, love-the-heck out of you Bernese Quinn/Quinners/Quinny, who i affectionately refer to as “my niece” and he equally-affectionately calls “the cow.”

from our snow romp last weekend.

i love everything about Quinners — except that i can’t go within 10 feet of her without her peeing everywhere. she’s frenetically obsessed with me and just can’t control herself, no matter how many times a day she sees me, so petting her is an issue. thank God i don’t have that effect on boys.

all this to say, i desperately wish i had the space and time to have a dog in NYC, because i am crushing on this breed sooooo harddddd:

a Bernedoodle: Bernese-Poodle mix. i cannot. can you? that face. must.own.one.day.

3. reading. The Beautiful and the Damned by F. Scott Fitzgerald. i’m a big Fitzgerald fan and love how he writes and brings his characters to life. this is the third of his books i’ve read (Gatsby and Tender is the Night), and to me, it surfaces the themes of the intricacies of love and intimacy, the institution of marriage, and the all-imposing question of, “Exactly what does one do with oneself?”ahhh, there it is. the ever-imposing philosophical question of life.

it’s set in NYC in the 1920s, the wondrous Jazz Age, detailing the life of the uber-chic do-nothing-with-themselves socialite crowd, and seems to me to be a bit of a mockery of the idleness of such a life. i’m enjoying it, both his writing and the frivolity of his characters, which he fleshes out with such great complexity it makes me insanely envious. i so enjoy reading truly magnificent writers, whose prose springs off the page and makes you question everything you ever thought you knew about good writing. i’m such a fan, Fitz.

4. faith.

5. favorite thing for the weekend: dancing. can’t get enough. i have two salsa events on tap for tonight: one from 5-9pm, the Capital Region Salsa Social, and the second from 9-?? potentially 8-9 hours of dancing…bliss.

happy Saturday, lovies!

What’s on tap for your weekend?

Weekend recap in Upstate, NY

i have to say, my weekends lately have been fantastic. and having a 3-day weekend (thank you, MLK) just makes everything about the week exponentially better, doesn’t it? when Tuesday becomes Monday and Monday means an extra day to play, life just seems that much sweeter.

especially when you fill up those three days with all kinds of wonderful.

one of the best parts of spending my weekends upstate is that i pack them with activity and get my exercise in varied forms. rather than sweating it out in a gym all weekend, i’m changing things up and spending more time outdoors, doing things i love…like

snowboarding with the BFF early on Saturday morning at Jiminy Peak in Massachusetts

board: Burton Lux

and a lovely, picturesque walk around Grafton Lake State Park yesterday, which felt a bit like Narnia, all dazzling white and brilliantly serene.

this was my first time at Grafton Lake, and it was truly charming. i’m rather glad i experienced it in the snow for the first time, as most people go in the warm weather, and it was all but deserted.

the lake was entirely frozen over and we walked right across it to the other side, which was an awesome experience (after i got past the fear of cracking through the ice and drowning a horribly freezing death). the woods were beautiful, the lake was snow-covered and fluffy and dotted with ice fishermen, and a soft, quiet snow fell the entire time. it was a shiver of magic right in the midst of everyday life; one of those unexpected experiences that make life seem so pure and good and beautiful just by its sheer simplicity, and you suddenly catch yourself standing in the midst of a perfect moment entirely unawares of how it caught you up so, but infinitely, inexplicably grateful to have stumbled into it and owned it, deep in your soul.

i also got a 5.5 mile treadmill run in on Sunday and spent all Saturday night dancing my little heart out at a Latin night, which is always one of my favorite forms of exercise and ways to spend an evening. i’m pretty sure i sweat more after four hours of dancing than i do after any other form of physical exertion, which is a bit messy, but in the best way possible.

as if all this activity wasn’t enough to keep me buzzing, i also had the amazing experience of watching my best friend in the whole world try on wedding dresses, in the most charming, loveliest of little bridal suites imaginable: DeAnna’s in West Sand Lake.

sometimes, it’s just so much fun to be a girl. 🙂

hope you had fun weekends, friends!

xoxo

Questions:
What’s your fave way to stay active outdoors in the Winter?
Any weekend highlights?

 

WILW (12/4)

well heyyyy, we’re halfway through the work week and hopefully all feeling good about that!

i’m still being greeted every Wednesday am by an appropriate little email surprise from one of my co-workers — it’s become a weekly routine now, and i’m always looking forward to seeing his latest choice. here’s today’s pick:

whattttt. like, who even would ever think of this?
some good senses of humor over here. be jealous.

here’s what i’m likin’ this Wednesday:

1. finishing my last classes of the semester last night. woooot hello a month and a half of not lugging around textbooks and getting to drink wine on Tuesdays! just kidding. ish. but really, i can’t believe the first semester of my 2nd year of grad school take 2 is over. unfortunately i still have two big final papers to hand in next week, but at least classes are finished and i can read for pleasure now. i’ll take it.

2. we have our work Christmas party tomorrow night — always a blast. not sure if i’ve said this before, but i work with absolutely awesome people. like, consistently amazing human beings who make working in a corporate environment totally bearable and often enjoyable, and with whom i actually like to go out outside of work. Canadian bankers = complete silliness. trust me on this one.

3.  Kind granola. i’ve been a fan for a long time, and i constantly count my blessings for my one co-worker who keeps a drawer full of the different kinds and loves when i steal it. (no, really, he does. i swear.) i’m totally feeling the Dark Chocolate & Cranberry one lately. so good, can’t take it.

4. Dean Karnezes’ Ultramarathonman.  been meaning to read this for, oh, months now…and a little thing called school work got in the way. stoked to be able to dive into it next week. love me a good inspirational running book to remind me how much harder other people work. brrrrrppppp nothing like a good dose of humility to kick your butt into gear and make you feel lazy when there are human beings who run, like, 425234 miles. at a time. without dying. or crying. for fun.

5. nothing like receiving a text from my brother 2 seconds ago with a pic that totally needs to be included in this post, as it’s something i’m still way high off of after introducing it back into my life in the past few weeks. sallllllsa.

he wrote, “still got it.” i’m thinking, “nothing like wearing a racerback gym shirt to salsa night.” thank God those gold shoes kicked it up a notch.

either way, i’m lovin’ it. fave form of exercise lately, for sure.

Question: What’s rocking your world this week?

the time i took a reallllly long Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving might have been four days ago, i do believe i’m stilllll on vacation. it’s amazing how it only takes, oh, a day or two for your body to totally readjust from waking up before sunrise and running around nonstop like a crazy person in the world’s busiest city all day every day, to crawling into bed after midnight every night and yawning yourself awake around 9-10 in small town, USA. two totally different lives, and loving ’em both hard.

it’s probably a good thing i have to return to NYC tonight, as i’m starting to recognize how easily i could be someone who goes back home for a weekend and doesn’t return to the “real world” for a hot minute. i’m a big fan of this salsa-dancing-sleeping-in-working-out-mid-day-no-set-schedule thing.

revised goals (for non-working days):

1) practice the salsa game so that someday i can dance with the best guys and not just look good because they know how to sling me around
2) run, blog, sleep, eat, repeat.
3) try new wines with the fam.

so far, batting 1000 and passing life.

i think i’ve taken “relaxation” to a whole new level this (long) weekend: i even wore gym clothes to salsa the other night. at a bar downtown. where other girls wore little going out dresses. and i have less than zero regrets and would do it again in a heartbeat.

the reason i’m still upstate, however, is a sad one. yesterday morning, a train derailed on the Metro North line just north of NYC (in the Bronx). it was a horrific accident that the New York Post called a “bloodbath”: four are confirmed dead, with almost 70 injured. this affected all the trains running to and from NYC, so i was unable to get back yesterday and am enjoying another day upstate with the family, despite this awful situation.

this is a nightmare come true for me, as i spend so much of my time on trains: subways around the city, the Metro North to and from school, and Amtrak home upstate. train derailments are such a frightening thing to hear about, and my heart and prayers go out to everyone affected by this tragedy.

it seems like tragedy runs rampant these days, and i believe the best we can do in these times is to press into our faith and offer up prayers: prayers for those devastated by the incidences, prayers for humanity in general, and prayers of thankfulness for our own safety. Jesus said that in this world we would have troubles, but for us to take heart and know that He has overcome the world. we cannot fix the world’s problems; we can only put our trust in the one who can.

i don’t know about you, but for me, this is encouraging; a beacon of light in the midst of a dark patch. a reminder that even in a time of thanksgiving and comfort, we live in a world burdened by sorrows, and every day that we awake healthy, safe and loved is a blessing beyond all blessings.