night falls and towns become circuit boards

grete's great gallop re-cap

2011-10-09T18:46:00.000-04:00

okay, so this is more like two weekends in review. let's start with last weekend (october 1 & 2). i ran my second half marathon! yay! the night before was dreary and rainy and my toe (previously broken last year) was really sore. i was feeling iffy about the race, and wasn't sure i even felt like doing it. i went to bed with the thought, hmm, if it rains, i'm not going. however, i woke up and it was beautiful. my toe felt okay and i WANTED to race. i feel like in a way that's maybe why it was so enjoyable. i put no pressure on myself at all. just get out there and see whatcha got. i fueled up with my fav pre-long run bfast. cinnamon raisin bagel and a banana. never fails. i will not shy away from this combo.

i headed up to the park with t, and he walked me to my corral. i felt bad asking him to stay and wait for me the whole time, so when the gun went off, he ran home and i got trucking. the race was "grete's great gallop" in honor of the late grete waitz. it was two loops of central park. i was nervous that the hills would be killer, but it was clockwise (instead of the usual counter clockwise) and so the harlem hills and cat hill were mostly down. WAHOO! i started the race thinking i would just do it as a training run, but i felt really good the whole time. i even ran mile 11 in 8:21. WHAT? like, i don't do that.

i dont think i was running at 8:21 in that picture though. i also tried out my new kicks. please note the obnoxiously orange shoelaces. yeah, i like orange. but you knew that already.

i kind of love this picture. any way, i ended up PRing this race. i really think it was because i just said "it is what it is" and ran how i wanted to. it was overall an amazing run. besides for when i threw up in my mouth a little at the end. :)

all and all, it was a great race. however, the next few days were pretty awful, and actually took my training a little bit off schedule. i was SO sore (mostly my IT band), i could barely run for a few days after. i did soul cycle on sunday and it loosened up my muscles a little but monday and tuesday were rough. needless to say, i did not meet my mileage goals this week. whatever, i feel better now. SEE YA.

BAHAHAHAH

2011-09-22T07:39:00.000-04:00

story of my life

acceptable jelly beans and sneakers!

2011-09-19T19:28:00.001-04:00

i just dropped some bones on these

and 24 packets of these!!!

oops

life update

2011-09-19T07:36:00.000-04:00

guys, it's been a long time. well besides my pumpkin oatmeal post, i know i've been missing for so long. life has been absolutely insane. i had a long run on the schedule yesterday, and so obviously, i had a lot of time to think. and even in just the last week, i thought about this. i've worked 6 days, went to a michigan tailgate, been to 4 different airports, ran 27 miles and am also under an insane amount of emotional stress. i'm surprised i haven't collapsed yet. i'm actually doing okay. but regardless, i have a lot on my plate right now, hence the lack in blogging.

TRAINING:

Philly training has been going super well. KNOCK ON WOOD. i'm now about 6 weeks away (November 20) AH!! i've pretty much stuck to my plan to the tee, which i'm shocked at given how much i've been out of town etc. last weekend i was in boston unexpectedly so couldn't do a full 13, but i managed a tough trail run with t and his sister-in-law. it was a blast! hard, but a lot of fun as i've never really run trails before. this weekend, i did a 13 miler since i missed it last week. i got to wear my brand new I HEART SWEAT shirt (thanks to ali) and felt super cool. people definitely kept staring at my chest though and that was kind of weird.

i was in need of a new route, so i ran from battery park up to the park and then did two lower loops of the park. i really enjoyed running somewhere different! the only problem was race for the cure was going on and i believe i started running down the finisher's shoot at one point but thankfully jumped out before i embarrassed myself. i did 13 miles in 2:02, average pace of about 9:23. my 11th mile was 8:53! what! i was feeling really good, i think the cooler weather is really helping. after the run, i downed chocolate milk, gatorade and watermelon simultaneously.

i am running a half marathon in the park on october 1 and i really want to run it in under 2 hours. i am hoping this is possible, seeing as my only other half marathon was run in horrible humidity and i suffered from serious heat exhaustion. i think it will be better! yay!

in other news, i tried marylou's in boston last weekend, and it has changed my life for the better. now, if i only lived there. thanks tina!

i also finished the book "the long run" my matt long. this guy was a firefighter in nyc and was hit by a bus in 2005 and was almost killed. he had a 5% chance of living. he has always been an endurance athlete and his athletic dedication got him back on his feet and he's since completed an ironman and the nyc marathon. talk about motivation.

also, my cat is mildly handicapped. that is all. HAPPY MONDAY!

pumpkin oatmeal

2011-09-16T08:08:00.000-04:00

so, sometimes i like to pretend i'm this really important health/fit/lifestyle blogger and have lots of followers and companies send me stuff so i can review it on my super successful blog. and in this pretend fantastical world in my head, some of my "readers/twitters/followers" (aka natalie and christine) were wondering about my pumpkin oatmeal recipe that i tweeted about yesterday. so of course, since i had SO many readers just dying to know how i made it, i decided i'd post a little recipe/how to in pictures.

first, a little confession. so you know how everyone is obsessed with pumpkin spice lattes? well, i am too. well, i'm obsessed with the idea of them/the season/the excitement etc. however, i don't actually really like the taste of them that much (shh, don't tell). so, feeling left out of all of the pumpkin hooplah, i decided to try to create my own concotion. i was inspired by PB Fingers and Carrots n' Cake for their pumpkin smoothies/other things. i had been drinking a lot of smoothies in the morning, so i wanted to have something different for breakfast.

INGREDIENTS:

i love mccann's oatmeal. no sugar, inexpensive and it it cooks super quickly in the microwave!

i love almond milk. in cereal, in coffee, on it's own. seriously. try it. i've only been drinking it for a few months, but i prefer it 100% to milk. and apparently, it has more calcium.

i got this pumpkin at whole foods. i probably wouldn't have bought organic, but it was all they have. i don't really feel like it's necessary to buy organic canned foods. do you? i don't really know, but it's more expensive.

cinnamon and splenda. so a lot of people are anti splenda and fake sweeteners. but guess what? i'm not. but you could obviously use real sugar or stevia or whatevs.

DIRECTIONS (ready carefully it is REALLY complicated):

-Put oatmeal in bowl. Put as much as you want. i am a beast, so i put a lot.

-Fill bowl with almond milk so it covers all of the oatmeal. if you like your oatmeal less wet, use less almond milk.

-Then, put a big scoop of pumpkin into the bowl and mix all three ingredients. You can put as much or as little pumpkin as you'd like. I think the best way to measure is when you mix it, make sure all of the oatmeal is a light orange color.

-Put in microwave and nuke it for 1:30 secs. Feels like eternity, i know.

-Toss in cinnamon and splenda and stir well.

ENJOY!!!! it will keep you full for hours, and especially on a morning like this, it's a great comforting way to start the day. i'm a tool.

HAPPY FRIDAY!

happiness is a full fridge

2011-08-23T06:55:00.000-04:00

this is what my fridge looks like right now. i am beyond excited about this. baby bel, eggs, hummus, almond milk, peanut butter, apples, cukes, bananas, cheese, BEER, oh my. not to mention that T stocked the whole thing while i was at work. happiness is a full fridge?

bathroom humor

2011-08-09T07:09:00.000-04:00

so, i realize all .2 of you who still read this blog are probably bored of seeing pictures of me in my sweaty running clothes or the boring stuff i ate. so i'll provide you some images of something decidedly more interesting...my bathroom. as you know, i moved about a month ago. t and i finally picked up hooks for our towels, which were the finishing touch to my neon green/gray striped themed bathroom. now, keep in mind that my instagram tricks make everything look cooler.

you tube videos can actually be good workouts

2011-08-07T17:55:00.005-04:00

after a great spin this morning, but then a large amount of chocolate and frozen yogurt to follow, i was looking for a quick fun video to do in my apartment. i had see the toneitup girls on cupcake dynamite a few days before, and i really enjoyed the arm toning video. i decided to go back for another and found the sandcastle workout. it is kind of random in that i wasn't looking to do abs or arms or anything in particular. this video was great though because it targeted a lot of areas and mainly i could just feel my core working pretty hard.

and now my attempt:

overall, i thought it was a great little tonin' vid. i will definitely do it again soon. as for a life update, this week was RATHER random. we had a boatcruise for work.which was..an absolutely blast. the views of the city were unbelievable!

and my ENTIRE team wore stripes. people after my own heart.

speaking of stripes..i ordered this uber cheap dress from target..pretty cute huh?

okay so maybe the stripes envelop my waist a bit and i lose all sense of definition. but you know what. it's striped. so it's fine. and it was 18 dollars. as for the rest of the weekend, we cheered on t's sis in law at the NYC tri..she is a rockstar

i want to do a triathlon so bad. too bad i am afraid of going more than 2.2 mph on my bike, and the only swimming i can do is the breast stroke. after watching the tri, we headed to soul cycle, where i can pretend i am awesome at riding my bike, without ever falling off and or crashing into a tree. (yes that happened once. albeit, i was on a fourwheeler, but still. and i backed into a tree once in my car. oy) after spin, since we were on the UWS, i begged t if we could had 16 handles for breakfast. he obliged but made me get ninnymuggins toppings. BS.

if i had it my way, the ratio would be 65% yogurt covered pretzels, 25% cookie dough bits, 25% reese bites and 40% red velvet fro-yo. oh wait, that does not equal 100. whatevs. i was never good at math any way. (has anyone seen friends with benefits? actually a really funny movie..) after fro-yo, we decided we needed more food. we headed to our favorite new restaurant near the new aparmtnet. cowgirl seahorse. i highly recommend it. the food is banging and the decor is even better. and for those of you that know me well, you realize i LOVE seahorses. and did you know, they often die of exhaustion from swimming counter current? such sad fates they have.

i forgot to take a picture of these inside because i was too busy demolishing this:

and of course, the epic after shot. i was hungry.

when a runner goes on vacation...

2011-08-07T14:26:00.000-04:00

guy, it's out of control. started packing for my maine trip. i leave wednesday. this is just my running stuff. and i'm really trying to be conservative here. i will have access to a washer and dryer. in my defense, i have a 9 and 10 mile run slotted during vacay, so the water belt/chomps HAD to come with. oh man oh man i can't wait to run somewhere OTHER than the westside highway.

this is getting to be a weekend only thing. not cool.

2011-08-01T07:12:00.001-04:00

i suppose that i have only been posting about my weekends because well, it's the only time i do anything remotely cool. and even so, i'm not sure if it would qualify as cool in many people's books. but to me, it was a great week! saturday morning started out bright and early. i think i was up and at 'em by 6:45. it was going to be very hot so wanted to get a run in before things really heated up. i fueled with my new fav combo of greek yog, pb, raspberries and a little spranklin' of kashi. it did the trick.

i know, i know, it's all hipsterized. sorry. i love instagram, but not usually for the blog. saturday's run was a 7 miler, longer than i'd run super recently, and given the heat i was a bit nervous. i wore my super nifty water belt and also took some gu chomps (which i'd never tried before). they were actually pretty good and got me through the run. i finished the run in about 63 minutes, so 9 minute mile pace. my garmin crapped out and actually went BACK in time the last . 1 mile and that reallly annoyed me.

after my run, t took me to bed stuy. no that wasn't a typo. he wanted to buy an underwater camera for his tri training and had found one on craigs list. so we took the j train out farther than i have ever been in brooklyn. let me tell you. we stood out like sore thumbs and was actually a slightly frightening experience. i don't think we'll be back any time soon. but, they did have a pretty subway sign.

again with the damn instagram. sorry. after bed stuy, we headed to williamsburg for lunch. probably the most hipster place IN brooklyn to be exact. we went to ella cafe for lunch and were pretty pleased. i got a cobb salad. it was pretty good, but the enormous chunks of bacon kind of freaked me out. and i normally love bacon.

the rest of saturday was pretty low key. we explored some cool shops in the burg and then headed home. we did actually! go for a beer on saturday night. i was craving my fav, brooklyn summer ale, and tim was kind enough to induldge me in that. we went to ulysses, which is a very cool pub on stone street. i've never been to stone street and it was as cool as everyone says it is. lots of outdoor seating, cobblestone streets and TONS of bars and restaurants. can't wait to go back. please note, this is my "stock photo" of brooklyn summer ale. yes i have a stock photo. i like it that much.

sunday was pretty glorious! i decided to nix my 3 mile run (part of the marathon training plan) because my achilles was pretty sore and i figured missing 3 miles wasn't going to hurt anyone. i went to soul cycle and did a 1 hour soul survivor class, which was awesome, as usual. after that, tim and i went on an awesome excursion to governor's island. we packed up our picnic and bikes/bike gear and walked down to the free ferry. we hopped right on and were at the island in 10 minutes. SO EASY.

we had a picnic of chicken salad, beets, broccoli and hummus, baby bell and watermelon. it was quite delicious and so nice to sit outside and eat. governor's island really feels so far away from the city and was a nice getaway.

our bikes came with us to the picnic as well. after lunch we hopped on and began to explore the island. it was a good opportunity for me to get a bit more comfortable on my bike, because road biking is actually hard and i suck at it. we rode around the island a few times, and said hello to lady liberty.

tim looks WAY cooler than me, by the way. seriously i look like a weirdo. here's another example.

do you like my ugly sunglasses and crooked smile?

after our trip, we headed back to the apartment to relax. however, i was ancy per usual and headed out on my own to "window shop" at lulu lemon. let's be honest, we all know how that turns out. i also went to whole foods and pick up stuff for dinner. i came home with three big oops.

honestly these shorts are SOOO comfortable and i can't wait to run in them, even if my bank account is looking a bit pathetic right about now. and really, yogurt covered raisins are my favorite thing and i really cannot resist them. so i balanced it out with a women's health magazine??? any way...i ended the day with reading a bit more of a fantastic book. it's called maine by j. courtney sullivan, and you should read it immediately. i honestly bought it because of the title, but it's so great and i really can't put it down. if i tell you what it's about, it will sound boring, so i'm not going to. just go out and get it! or borrow mine when i'm done.

boo. it's monday. now i have to go to work. t-minus 9 days until vacation in..guess where...MAINE!!!!

this is me, writing a blog post

2011-07-24T08:53:00.000-04:00

my my it's been a busy week. i took all sorts of pics in maine last weekend, with the full intention of writing a blog post as soon as i got home, but it's a week later, so clearly that didn't happen. t and i headed up to yarmouth, maine for the annual clam festival on thursday night. clam festival is SO MUCH FUN. lots of his family, friends, good food, seafood, festivities, etc. oh, and maine beer. have i ever told you i like maine beer? we had all of friday to relax and brace ourselves for a busy weekend. i headed out for a GLORIOUS run on the quiet back roads. i did about 7 miles and then stopped. i wanted to do more, but i had to rest my legs for the big clam festival 5 miler the next day. after the run i refueled with a banana and downeast magazine in the sunshine. heaven.

after the run, t and i headed to the best lunch place (and actually the only one in y-town), clayton's. i inhaled my "big salad".

before

after

friday night started with the parade. if you are from anywhere in southern maine you know about this parade. i'm not sure why exactly it's such a big deal, but it is. people set up their chairs days earlier (and obviously no one steals them bc it's such a small town) in preparation for the big day. i also enjoyed an allagash white (or two) while watching.

the bean boot (my favorite)

the shriners (everyone else's favorite)

bff for life

before i knew, the 7 am alarm came and it was start to get ready for the yarmouth clam festival 30th annual 5 miler. the organization of the race threw me for a major loop. there was no shoe tag or bib tag, just this clunky bracelet type thing that went around your ankle. no me gusta. there were also of course no corrals or anything like that, but i didn't expect there to be.

the race was hard. the first .5 mile was uphill and people were CRUISING. literally, like people in maine are super fast. even people you wouldn't guess were super fast runners were movin'. i guess that was good motivation to keep going. t ran with me the whole time. i was super tired by the last mile and of course, that is where tim's parents came to watch. i wished i looked like i was kicking ass and taking names at that point, but i didn't. i looked more like a monstrous beast.

we ended up finishing the race in about 42:48, which was an 8:34 pace on average. not gonna lie, this is really fast for me. i was very proud of our time.

so clearly that's not entirely accurate because the starting line was not clear and i must have pressed start too soon but WHATEVS. we spent the rest of saturday wandering around the clam festival, and hanging with t's adorable nieces.

yup. i'm in love.

it was a great weekend up in maine and makes me even more excited to head back up in august for a friend's wedding festivities and lots of quality time doing nothing. oh maine, i love you.

i have never seen temps so high

2011-07-22T17:59:00.000-04:00

2011-07-21T07:59:00.000-04:00

just bought this bad boy on madewell.com. cannot wait for it to arrive. orange AND stripes. my jam.

what IS up

2011-07-13T07:10:00.000-04:00

holllllahhh. it's 6:36 in the morning and i am ready to GO! maybe that is because i went to bed at 8:47 last night. yes it was still light out. i am so cool but i just get sooooo tired. maybe it's the heat? no, it's just me. woke up at 5 to head to the gym for some cross training. i did some biking and lifting, nothing spectacular. i am really trying to work on my lifting more, because i know it will make my running stronger. however, i don't know how much time i'll have to do it starting next week, which is when marathon training begins!

are you offended by this picture? good, because so am i. do you like my messy bun circa 5th grade? i had to pull my horse hair back because it kept getting stuck in my arms while i was lifting. attractive, i know. this week is going to be an easy cross training/slow running week for me. i did four miles yesterday at a very slow pace on the treadmill (way too hot to go outside). i think i'll do soul cycle tomorrow, and then tomorrow night we are heading to maine for the weekend. i cannot wait to run on the empty roads with the fresh air. did i mention i love maine? you already know that though, i'm sure.

like seriously, nothing more beautiful. except for this:

oh sorry. that is TOTALLY irrelevant. so any way, back to my wannabe healthy lifestyle. marathon training begins next monday, july 18th. well kind of, except monday is a rest day. my training plan is below. i have no idea what i'm doing so i'm just using good ol' hal higdon. i'm a fan. you should follow him on twitter, he tweets some very helpful stuff.

i realize you cannot see this at all. fail on my end. but it's pretty basic, and you can find a variation on it here. it's the novice 1 plan, because welp, i'm extremely novice. i also added in soul cycle every sunday, because as you know, i just can't quit that addiction. i'm very excited to start training though. i've felt a little bit lost since my half marathon was over in may, without a training plan to follow. i am considering the bronx half in august also. anyone in? anyone? bueller?

in other news, t got me a keurig! it's FANTASTIC! no that cup is not paper, it's actually a real coffee mug! coffee is another addiction of mine, so to be able to simply press a button and presto--a cup of freshly brewed goodness, is pretty awesome. it helps get to me to my kitchen table faster so i can read blogs all morning instead of getting ready for work.

also--just a little secret i wanted to share with you. new amsterdam market in the seaport (south street between peck slip and fulton) is the coolest place ever. it's open from 11-4 on sunday and has beautiful artisan foods and goodies like organic beef jerky from brooklyn, pickles, luke's lobster, blue bottle coffee, fresh veggies and dairy, in addition to tons of other things. i am a little bit in love.

i picked up fresh mozz and tomatoes to make a pizza for dinner on sunday. the pizza tasted good, but it was really undercooked because we don't have a pizza stone. oh well. it looked tasty, right? say yes. it's practically grimaldi's.

okay i will stop with the rambling. hopefully i will have some time to give you the full apartment tour at some point in the near future. for now, heeeeeeere's a picture of me and my best friend.

race re-cap and life updates

2011-07-10T07:57:00.006-04:00

yesterday, i woke up about 5:50 to get ready for boomer's run to breathe (to benefit CF) 10k in the park. it was pretty easy getting out of bed, thankfully. i completed my morning routine which includes, coffee and a think thin bar, and was out the door pretty quickly. t didn't come with, and i was a little nervous about doing the race all by myself, but i actually found it kind of relaxing and it was good alone time. the race itself was awesome. i'd never run a 10k before and honestly i haven't been running as diligently as i'd like, so i was pretty nervous. per usual, the race was well organized and we were off at about 8:02. i really loved the course, it was a counter clockwise loop of the park, and included the killer harlem hills at the top of the park. i was pleasantly surprised at how good they felt, considering i never run hills. the first 4.5 miles were fantastic. my legs felt fresh and the heat hadn't gotten to me yet. i made sure to drink water at every station and tried to stay hydrated because it was so hot. my splits were: 9:26, 8:44, 8:50, 8:51, 8:35, 8:20. i feel like i have come a long way with running, and i am very happy with how i did. i just spent 20 minutes trying to upload the results onto the blog, but since i am miserable at formatting, i'll just type it. my finishing time was 55:09 with an average pace of 8:54. boom.

and my sweaty awkwardness at the end is HAWT. i took the subway home and i am pretty sure people were running away from because they didn't not want to stand next to my STANK. oh well :) after the run i enjoyed a delicious banana and an ice skinny vanill.

tk and i headed to BK in the afternoon to pick up stuff from ikea for the new place. we are ALMOST unpacked. i can't wait to show you guys the final product. the best part of my day yesterday was t and i's trip to ABC KITCHEN for our 3rd anniversary. O.M.G. you need to go. i made a reservation just for a fun about a month ago, and i'm so glad we ended up going. the food was amazing. the atmosphere was also glorious. kind of barn-ish with beautiful sparkly lights, vintage floral plates, lots of wood, but totally modern at the same time. you need to go. to start we shared the beets with yogurt (OMFG so good) and the tuna sashimi with mint (also so effing good)

then, for my entree i had the steamed halibut. i wasn't super excited about it when i ordered it, but it was probably the best piece of fish i've ever had. not to mention, the presentation looked like a painting. (okay so maybe not so much in this picture, but i swear it was beautiful)

everything was amazing, and the service was top notch. i really like this place because everything is locally sourced and a lot of it is organic. they even used pretzel's from lancaster! we didn't opt for dessert, because we were feeling some fro-yo instead. we shared some red velvet with half sprinkles (for my side duh) from the lite choice. so good.

all in all, it was a fantastic day. we came home early and unpacked some more, and got a good night's rest. on the agenda for today, recovery run? or hitting up the gym, going to the new amsterdam farmer's market and grilling and chilling by the pool. hope everyone had a wonderful saturday!

streeeesssseddd out

2011-06-28T19:42:00.001-04:00

lately i have been feeling a little like this:

sorry, i just couldn't resist this hilarious image, i believe mrs. wetzel, one of my high school math teachers had a nice oversized tee with this little gem on the front. but anyway, i digress. i've been feeling stressed for a lot of reasons. i have been on the run every weekend (traveling to various FUN events, but nonetheless the not being home thing). i have been doing things like this:

and this:

we are also packing up our apartment for the impending move, one week from day. t has been in charge of that entirely since i have been gone every weekend. we are also out of town this weekend for a wedding in vermont. i am so excited for that though because it will be so relaxing to be away from the city, with good friends and amazing food. again, i digress. i just feel like i have been focusing so much more on "fun" things i haven't had the time to exercise too much, which honestly keeps me sane. i also do not have a current training plan to follow, which makes me feel a little lost on the exercise front. i have been trying to treat my legs well and stretch and strengthen so i am ready for the coming months.

this morning, i went for a run without my garmin. it was nice to not worry about pace and just enjoy the empty hudson river path and watch the sun come up. i then proceeded to take an awkward picture of myself which i intentionally cut my face out of because i can't take a picture without looking possessed. is it more awkward that you can see my red chin and toilet? probably.

i have also been trying to make healthy eating choices (i have blocked out the bowl of mac and cheese i ate on saturday) like this:

and this:

omg i am so embarrassed this shouldn't have made it on here! alas, i can't be healthy all the time, and there's no point to beating myself up about it. sorry if this too much for the blog, i just felt like i needed to vent. ON to bigger and better things like: mexican food in my belly after i finish the post, a new apartment, and a LONG WEEKEND in 3 days!

getting that sh** done

2011-06-23T07:12:00.000-04:00

last week was a tough week workout wise. i knew i would be gone for the weekend (more on that later) so that i would have to squeeze all my workouts in during the week. i do not like doing that. but, i have found two ways that really help me get it done. one is quite obvious. i set out everything i am going to need to the next morning's work out, so i can literally throw it on with my eyes closed when the alarm beeps at 5AM.

you see those reflectors? SWEEEET

the other way i fit in a workout is to don this sweet fanny pack. i run home from work usually about once a week. i bring an old bag to work with my workout clothes in it, change at work and leave my stuff there. i can fit my phone and my work id/debit card in this sweet little fit belt, and that's really all i need to take with me. it is genius. i think people at work think i am a nutjob when i leave the office with us (don't worry i don't put it on until i am hiding in the bushes away from all the investment bankers). but it's great, it doesn't bounce much at all, and is really comfy. i have the nathan water belt too, but that is less comfortable, though they serve different purposes. (please note, neither of those purposes are to make you look cool).

the other great way to get in a workout during the week is to sign up for a race! actually, to be honest this race sucked and it was so crowded (i think 17,000 people) and you couldn't really run much any way, but it was still a 3.5 mile somewhat hilly course. it was also so much fun to get to exercise with co-workers!

true words of widsom

2011-06-16T18:37:00.000-04:00

i've always loved the "hey it's okay" column in glamour..however, this one felt particularly pertinent to me.

because a) i am obsessed with alec baldwin b) i wish i could wear a fedora but no matter what, i end up looking like a huge tool and c) i often watch biggest loser while pounding take out and/or chocolate

poop in your shoes and grocery shopping

2011-06-13T19:24:00.000-04:00

yesterday was a super relaxing day. we took it easy all weekend because the next three weeks, i will occupied with wedding related (not mine, duh) activities and then we are moving on july 5th. i wanted to nothing, and that is exactly what i did. i headed to soul cycle on sunday morning. legit it is the most fun workout ever. i've said it before and i'll say it again, if you live in nyc, you must try it. i recently was trying out a gym and went to one of their spinning classes and i wanted to die i was so bored. in soul cycle, you will never, ever ever get bored. you will sing, yell, clap, lift weights, and finish class convinced you can do anything. seriously. kelly ripa goes. and she's jacked, so if that's not good motivation, i don't know what is.

after i pretended to be kelly ripa for 60 minutes, i headed to trader joes. this has pretty much become a sunday tradition, and i don't know what we are going to do when we move. we always get the same thing pretty much, so i figured i would show you what i fill my belly with on a given week. please note i have excluded the copious amount of brownies, waffels and dinges, pinkberry and other various treats that i also like to dabble in.

i divided it into a few categories. breakfast. snacks. and dinner. lunch is usually a combo of all three if i don't hit up the caf at work for sushi.

as you've seen on the blog, i usually have either a think thin bar with a piece of fruit for breakfast, or i will make a shake after a good morning workout. i also loooove cereal so that is an essential purchase. i decided to try almond milk also to see how it tastes in shakes and/or with cereal. ps, have you tried the peanut butter think thin bar? it's legit like eating a reese's for bfast.

snackzzzzzzzzzzzzz. love me some sesame almonds, and t is a huge fan of the wasabi ones. also, baby bel is a main staple in my lunch box. fresh popcorn is also a favorite, esp. if you can find ranch seasoning and watch oprah whilst eating it. also, power berries. if you haven't tried them, you need to run to your nearest tjoes and hoard 8 packages. they are SO SO good and i pretend they are healthy because they are "dark chocolate" with "antioxidants" and "berries". i also got raspberries because they are finally in season and not 9.99 a container. i even sprung for 2. balllllerrrrrrr.

dinn. lots of meatless balzzzz. and nugzz. and broc and cauliflower. those are my main dinner ingredients , simple but to the point. also, we tend to order out a lot. it's a bad habit but seamlessweb is my bfffaeae so it's hard not to induldge ~~one in a while~~ thrice a week. for dinner last night, i made shrimp scampi and a cranberry spinach salad. see? i do cook. proof here:

it's an ina recipe modified to not include 13 tons of butter. and i use "whole wheat" panko bread crumbs. so again, it's healthy. like i might as well just have eaten celery. after dinner, t and i attempted some yoga for our ailing body parts. we made a little yoga studio in our living room, which is now mostly empty due to the impending move.

also, t's mad because he's afraid people will think that's MY bike, not his. mine is the other one that occasionally makes an appearance here, but truth is i can barely ride it and i'm afraid of it. after yoga, we stretched a little..and i did the new to me stretch which t titled "poop in your shoes"

clearly, i was concentrating very hard here. it was a great sunday. what did you do?

the weekend so far

2011-06-11T17:57:00.001-04:00

soooooo..it has been a very low key weekend so far. and i imagine it will continue to be that way. last night, after a ridic. long day at work (got to the office at 6:30 am), t and i went out to dinner at my new fav restaurant. i found it in an article here, but hadn't had a chance to check it out until now. bare burger has three locations in the city (murray hill, nyu area and queens somewhere). it has literally every type of burger you could ever imagine on the menu. think ostrich, elk, turkey, chicken, lamb..you get the point. to start off, t and i shared the pickle appetizer. when they arrived at the table, i was in heaven.

if you know me, you obviously thought: oh, duh, they were in mason jars..no wonder she flipped. if you don't know me, i love mason jars. just thought you should know.

t was very happy with his diet root beer. yes they have that sh** on tap. for my burger of choice i went with the veggie burger in a lettuce wrap with a side of cranberry/spinach salad. it was bomb. com. it also has swiss cheese, onions, avocado and delish djon sauce. i was a happy camper. t got the bison burger, which was tasty too! (i liked my veggie better though) so after seeing the pic below, who wants to go back with me??

as for the rest of friday night..it looked something like this:

and this

what the hell is wrong with this guy in the mask? seriously? also, i don't like ashley. she's no ali. not that i'm biased.

aaaaand i also read every blog i could think of, finished kite runner and may have gotten a spot in the NYC marathon. more on the marathon soon. this morning i did an easy 5 mile run and some lifting at the gimnasio. wow i haven't said in a long time. it was raining out and i was being lazy so i hit the 'mill. i also did some core exercises and other weights. pretty boring.

it's cool. i know i look possessed. whatevs. one weight exercise that i did that i do really enjoy are modified clean/jerks using a 20 lb ball. (don't worry, i don't actually know what i'm talking about. i literally just asked tim what i did bc i had no idea). here is the movement from start to finish. ps excuse my obstructive, sweaty side pony and herniated expression.

it's actually kind of fun and is an awesome core workout, but also works your arms and shoulders tremendously and gets your heart rate up. i did 3 sets of 12 with other ab/arms stuff in between. i know it looks really easy and i look weak and pathetic in my attempt. but it really is fun/hard at the same time. aaaaaaaand after working out....we ate bim bim bap. which if you haven't tried it, you need to immediately. it is the most delicious combo of veggies, mustardy garlic sauce, chicken and brown rice. need i say more?

okay, maybe i should because it doesn't look that appealing there? but it's SOOO good and you should try b-bap on 54th and 9th because they are really kind people and trying to make their business work. i highly recommend and it's not expensive either. plus, b-bap is cool inside.

now time to think about dinner..

food, cats, and running

2011-06-09T06:42:00.001-04:00

so basically, when i looked at the pictures i've taken in the last four days on my iphone, food cats and running was the them i came up with. this is not okay. at all. i hate being that girl who loves cats but doesn't want to be a "cat person" fyi to all you cat haters, i'm also a DOG person and a mouse person and a horse person and a turtle person. (seriously). any way, this week has been a crazy one at work. we are gearing up for our summer associate interns (about 60 of them) to arrive on monday, and also have been hosting about 200 other students for various other events. we had a three hour long reception last night and all i got to eat were some grapes and cheese. not cool. what is cool though is that i finally got to try waffels and dinges (awesome nyc food truck) on monday with my co-workers. to say that it was good would be an understatement.

it's fine that i had a giant waffle for lunch, because i had a think thin bar for breakfast (they are SO good and SO filling) so it's totally okay right?

also, can we talk about this heat? i'm sorry but i hate it. i love summer but getting to work sweaty and frizzy is not my idea of a good time. i'd rather be wearing two fleeces and two pairs of pants on my commute (um that happened) then sweating the whole time. case in point that this heat is making me feel not myself..i have been drinking water. A LOT. for those of you who know me, i don't like water. i'm not into water. i mean, i think people look cool when they carry giant water bottles, but it's just not me. until this week. i have been downing it. i have also learned that i much prefer to drink water when it is NOT cold. i don't like cold water. i like it luke warm. okay, yes also weird.

i have also developed a new obsession with these granola bars. i know they are not new, and probably not the best thing in the world for me, but i just can't stop (cue the ne-yo). i had 2 yesterday, and stopped myself before diving in for a third.

this is jack. he likes to stretch and foam roll with me. he also sits under me while i do push-ups and tries to cuddle while i am attempting a .5 second long plank. it's annoying, but i'm a "cat person" remember? so i put up with it. this morning, i hit up the treadmill. way too hot to go outside for a run. i ran home from work the other day and i was tired and thirsty after 3 minutes. this morning, i did an easy/slow 4 miles. i am feeling a little lost without a training plan right now, so i need to fix that stat.

this is my awkward attempt at being a cool fitness blogger. i succeeded at the awkward part. at first, i looked at the mirror and took the pic, but i looked possessed and super creepy so i just decided to "casually glance elsewhere" muahaha. check out my new running tank from zappos. 20 bones and they delivered it to me over night. it's a dri-fit tank and i wanted it in a cool color (like orange) so i wouldn't end up looking like a ninja, but oh well. okay, have i scared you yet? it's 6:40 am and i've written a really strange blog post..today is going to be an interesting day. i shall leave you with two more pictures. cats and food. shocker.

do you know how much i love yogurt covered pretzels?

and cats? and ikat print?

2011-06-08T06:47:00.000-04:00

love this inspiration board via green wedding shoes

i heart ikat

2011-06-04T19:04:00.002-04:00

check out the new comforter cover!! really brightens up the bedroom. can't wait to see it in the new place!

i need these

2011-06-03T07:41:00.000-04:00

via

2011-06-01T06:35:00.004-04:00

i mean really, this is just offensive. have you ever seen a better looking couple?

boston's run to remember

2011-05-30T17:38:00.000-04:00

so i know i am a really bad blogger. and it's getting to the point where i only blog race re-caps. i understand this is probably interesting to a very small percentage of you. apologies. we headed up to bean town on saturday morning and got into the city around 10. we went straight to the world trade center for packet pick-up and the expo. the expo wasn't all that exciting, but i did finally get to meet the awesome christine of bun&borough. she was awesome! it's funny that we both live in new york but met in boston, but hopefully we'll be able to get some runs in together at some point! after the expo, we headed to tim's sister's house in quincy to spend some time with them. i ended up with purple nails, animal crackers and learned the choreography to a rihanna song. it was an awesome way to spend a saturday afternoon.

saturday night we took it easy and had a delicious dinner in the fenway area. we went to jerry remy's, which i think is probably the best sports bar ever. we don't have things as cool in new york. or maybe we do, but they are yankees related, which makes them uncool.

we went to bed early to prep for my first 13.1 on sunday. we made sure to get bagels the night before, and toasted them up with PB and J. i got a blueberry bagel which is my favorite and they are some what hard to come by in ny. bagel w/ pb&j is definitely my go-to race breakfast now.

after devouring this delicious bag, i body glided it up, put pre-wrap on my knees (i swear by this now and it has really really helped my knee injuries) and headed to the seaport district, where the race started. it wasn't as crowded at all as the NYRR races, which i am not sure i liked more or less. we decided to line up around the 9:30 pace marker. the goal was around a 9:00 minute pace, but we figured we would not get too intimidated if we lined up at the 9:30 mark. we then met up with one of my best friends from childhood who happened to be running the race too. it was such a fantastic coincidence! we caught up at the start line, chatted about which pump up jams were on our ipods, and before we knew it, the race was about to start (but not before we snapped a picture!)

tim, mary and i ran together for about the first mile or so. it was pretty slow going since it was somewhat crowded. my garmin was wonking out and saying we were running 12 minute pace, then 5 minute pace. i think we did the first mile at about 10 minute pace. after that though, we started trucking. tim ended up running the race after a friend had to drop out, and i think that was the best thing that could have happened. he is very fast and was able to pace me the entire race and push me to run faster than i ever had before. he was also my sherpa and carried gatorade for the both of us. he's a catch :) this is the amazing view from the start line. obvs didn't take this one.

the first 9 miles of the race were honestly awesome. i was feeling good, nothing was hurting, and it wasn't too too hot yet. we went from the seaport district all the way out to harvard and by the time we turned around at about the 6.5 mile mark it was starting to get hot. it wasn't scorching, but the humidity was not pleasant. we cruised until about mile 8 or 9 and then i just started slowing down. by mile 10, my body starting doing things it never had before. i got the CHILLS. i was freezing. it was so weird. i started feeling nauseous and was getting slower and slower. it also sucked because the last three miles were through beacon hill, boston commons and back through the financial district where there were a lot of spectators. i am sure they were all thinking "what is wrong with that girl." oh well. i think we probably ran 10 and 11 at about 9:45 pace. finally, i could see the seaport and i knew we were close to being done. though, the finish line was so poorly marked, i had no idea how long we had to go. i managed up some more energy and started up faster, only to realize the finish line was a bit farther. that SUCKED. but then, it got closer, and we were done!!

the goal had been around or under 2 hours. we ran it in 2:00:32. i'd say that is pretty close to what we were shooting for. overall, i am just happy i did it, and can still (sort of) walk today. it was great to do it in such a wonderful city and to be around people i love while pushing myself harder than i ever have before. once my quads stop hurting, i'll probably sign up for another one. XO

2011-05-25T20:33:00.001-04:00

happy tuesday

2011-04-19T07:30:00.000-04:00

well, i guess we can call this hump day since this is a four day week. and next week is a three day week. ohhh good things to come for this kiddo (north carolina this weekend, italy next week!) but any way, this weekend was super low key. i have to recommend this fantastic place called maoz which is a vegetarian falafel place (there are a bunch in the city). tim and i go to the one in union square, and i can't wait for my bro and sister in law to get back from paris so that we can take them there. falafel, beets, tahini, and every other fixin' you could imagine. i also forgot to take a picture of the most delicious whole wheat pita. mmmm i want one for breakfast. take a look at this bad boy:

i also got a SWEET new pair of kicks that i'm so excited about. i think they will be more of "walking" shoes since i don't think they have enough support, but i personally think they make me look cool. hahahaha. except not really because they are walking shoes and no one who has walking shoes is cool.

beautiful spring "fish" trees in NYC. they smell like butt. BUT they look beautiful. too bad it is rainy and cold today.

aaaaaaaaaand the most delicious snack ever. have you ever had hansens all natural soda? my friends mom introduced me to it in like '98 because she was cool and with it and way ahead of the organic trend. i'm obsessed. i've debated ordering cases of it online. and then of course, PB and apple..nothin' bettaa.

have a great day!!

protein shake because I AM A BEAST!!

2011-04-17T09:53:00.000-04:00

happy sunday morning! i am just relaxing at home, after going out and downing an iced venti vanilla latte. then, we got back, we decided to make protein shakes for bfast, instead of the usual egg whites and turkey bacon. i am still full from a massive glass of goodness. we got a blender last week, so t has been making them for breakfast every morning, but this was my first attempt. i'd say the outcome was b+ work. it wasn't thick enough like the delicious peanut butter split from juice generation, but it was definitely a lot healthier than that and had things in it that will help my muscles!!

first ingredients: ice (i will add more next time), a spoon of peanut butter, half a frozen banana and skim milk. i debated adding greek yog for texture but i thought the sourness would just overpower so i'm glad i vetoed that one.

for nutrients, i added a scoop of chocolate protein powder and then an eency weency teaspoon of glutamine, which is for restoring muscles. i hope it works, because boy do my muscles need to be restored.

this is what the final product looked like. again, a little watery but still pretty darn good. i am so FULL.

tim is such a beast he drank his straight from the blender. now, off for my first long run in a week since my knee/quad have been really hurting. please glutamine magically heal me!

vitaminoosss

2011-04-15T07:26:00.000-04:00

i used to never ever take vitamins. however, i feel like i've taken a turn for the better. i think most of the reason i take supplements now is to attempt to make my knee as strong as possible, so i can keep running . i don't take ibuprofen every day, but probably 3-4 times a week depending on how my legs are feeling. i've been logging a lot of miles recently though so i've been taking quite a bit. probably more than is good for me. i've also been trying to be a good girl and take my multi-vitamins. believe it or not, this bottle o' vito's is almost FINISHED! the only vitamins i've ever finished are the gummy kinds, which i might add are delicious and i could eat them like candy. i also have been taking glucosamine chondrotin which is said to help strengthen joints. i could be totally wrong about this, but i think it's helped a lot. i also take a green tea supplement which is supposed to help speed up your metabolism and give you more energy. not sure about that one either, but it can't hurt right?? i know this might be the most boring post in the world to most of you, but i think nutrition is important and supplements are an important part of it!! happy friday!

check out these bad boys

2011-03-30T07:59:00.000-04:00

mizuno wave elixir 10 (via zappos.com)

race re-cap

2011-03-28T19:43:00.000-04:00

well holler atcherboiiiii it's been a long time. i am not sure what i have been busy doing, but..sorry for not posting in eons. wanted to write a post today (not that anyone reads this, i think this is more for me in 20 years when i can't remember anything) about my 15K race that i finished yesterday. i have been training for about 7 weeks (maybe THAT's what i've been doing) and yesterday was the culmination of all my hard work. i anxiously checked the weather every few hours last week, hoping for a warm-up on sunday, but alas, no luck. it was a balmy 28 degrees at race start time. i originally signed up for this race to raise money for colon cancer (tim's sister was diagnosed in 2010 with this horrible disease). i never thought i could run 9.3 miles, but i did it! yay! i finished in 1 hour 29 minutes. that left me with about a 9:35 pace. i'm not a speedster, but i'm okay with that. i had SO much fun running, and i cannot wait to do it again. i even signed up for a half-marathon in boston on may 29. 13.1 here i come!! here are some pics from race day.

this was my breakfast. i know it looks absolutely revolting, but i had been dreaming about this bagel since i signed up for the race. i insisted that we order bagels on race day. because, i love carbbbbbss let's be honest. PBJ on a cinnamon raisin bag (pronounced BAIG, it's an abbrev).

next up: my gear. i got new socks on saturday, and they rocked. super cushy and gave me support around my arch which sometimes gets sore. next up, purple pre-wrap. it is now my new love. i wrap it under my knees and it does wonders. i also made a rambo-style headband for julia (tim's niece) post-race. the ipod shuffle was clutch too. here's a sampling of my race music: first song: black and yellow by wiz khalifa middle song:friday by rebecca black (i hadn't actually ever listened to the entire song and i actually burst out laughing mid-race.) it was a GREAT pick me up at mile 7. final song (completely unplanned but it was literally the best ending song to a race in central park EVER): jay-z-empire state of mind. and my race bib. awesomesauce.

putting on my race chip

NERD ALERT pre-race pic

tim captured my side pony. running 9.3 miles with a side pony tail. possibly the proudest moment of my life.

right before the race.

there are no post race pics bc i looked like a beast. thanks for reading my first race re-cap. look for another one on may 30 after i have run my first half marathon in my home state of massachusetts.

i love this photo so much

2011-03-03T07:39:00.000-05:00

my family...

till maison

2011-02-22T08:47:00.000-05:00

such a cute little etsy shop. i'm loving all things chevron..

tilly maison

lovely how fruit serves as decoration and a snack, no?

2011-02-21T18:05:00.000-05:00

more v-day goodies!

2011-02-04T15:35:00.001-05:00

v-day treats by oleachkr featuring stone jewelry

TGIF

2011-02-04T08:49:00.000-05:00

just as a note, i first type "TGFI" up there. and i kind of wanted to keep it that way. alas, it's proof that i am in dire need of the weekend. i decided to take today off after a pretty insane month of work. this weekend, i am looking forward to:

trying a new fitness class, physique 57..i hope it kicks my ass

going down to philadelphia to see my lovely family (please note this picture is from the year 2000. wow, the year 2000. that is FUN to say. i think my oakleys and pigtail braids are a dead giveaway)

i am also buying a roadbike. i am absolutely thrilled. check this baby out.

and...on a much less healthy and active note..i hope to eat some delicious food and hang out with friends and watch the superbowl, er, the commercials. i plan on making a massive amount of guac.

via

and last but not least, well this kind of leaks into next week. but finally trying collichio & sons on monday (utilizing the good deal of RW) with a good friend. can't wait!

HAPPY WEEKEND! WHAT ARE YOU DOING? TELL ME! TELL ME! TELL ME! XX

valentine's day

2011-02-04T08:35:00.001-05:00

t is a really hard person to get gifts for. especially just little things for random occasions/holidays. valentine's day is a perfect example. last year i got him what i thought was a really cool t-shirt with the logo of the korean national soccer team on it. he's never worn it. BOO. so, this i took a leap of faith, and he may very well not like what i get him this year (don't worry he never reads my blog). we'll see. if he doesn't, the print is kind of for me any way :)

via the big harumph

via QA Create

il mio apartomento

2011-02-01T19:40:00.000-05:00

here are a few other snippets that i just uploaded from my cam of our apartment. again, please excuse cat hair and wrinkles..as i have no idea to get rid of either them. xx

bathroom makeover

2011-02-01T19:37:00.000-05:00

well, so this isn't quite a makeover as it a spruce up, but i thought i'd share. i originally saw this gray and white shower curtain in west elm a few weeks ago, and had to have it..obvi..it's striped. it was sold out in the store and backordered online. but it finally came today! i also got a few other things to brighten things up in what used to be a colorless bathroom. which is SO not my style. please excuse the uber wrinkly shower curtain. i clearly was so excited about it i immediately hung it up. so is life. xoxo

tory burch resort

2011-01-30T16:45:00.000-05:00

while these necklaces resemble many bracelets made of gimp at camp sarsaparilla circa 1992, perhaps that is exactly what makes them so awesome. awesome, except for their 300 dollar price tag. i think i'll make my own. all images via tory burch

calypso st barths

2011-01-26T19:39:00.000-05:00

dyinnnng over calypso st barths.

current obsessions

2011-01-25T07:04:00.000-05:00

hi friends! i've been gone a while. thought i'd clue you in to my current obsessions. xx.

soul cycle--best workout ever, great music, fun people, i can't stop going. there is one near my office in tribeca and another on the upper west side, both of which i've been frequenting.

trader joe's hummus. okay, so i really don't care for this flavor, but it was the best picture i could find. it's the best i've had. yes, better than sabra, better than ina's recipe. it's SOOOO creamy. no lie we bought FOUR containers of it on sunday.

wedges: i have the knees of a 75 year old woman, so heels are usually out for me. that's why i was so pumped to pick up these wedges from jcrew. granted it was 5 degrees in ny yesterday, so i can't imagine i'll be wearing them any time soon..unless i'm dancing around my apartment.

stripes--well this obvs isn't a new one, but west elms new stuff is awesome. i just picked up the gray and white striped shower curtain, and i figure it would be overkill to have gray striped sheets too (but i actually i dont think it would be overkill..i would paint my floor in stripes if i could) i absolutely love this striped tumbler also. too bad it is BACKORDERED. boooo.

2011-01-09T11:31:00.000-05:00

come see me over at tumblr! oleachkr.tumblr.com

look at that facial structure...

2011-01-07T21:32:00.000-05:00

2011-01-07T18:41:00.002-05:00

at first i thought it was strange that i liked this image so much. then i realized, it's a kitty AND it's sparkly. no wonder i like it! ps, if you click on it, it's SUPER glittery. (via love your chaos)

snow

2010-12-29T17:24:00.000-05:00

philadelphia

boston

new york

havin' myself a merry little christmas almost a month early

2010-11-28T16:43:00.002-05:00

BEFORE

welllllllllll...so i kind of sort of may have severely jumped the gun on the christmas decorating this year. but that's okay, i was in the mood this weekend, and now it's done so i can focus on more important things like cookies, peppermint mochas and mariah carey on repeat. t & i went to whole foods yesterday and bought our little darling tree for 20 bucks. it came with a stand and everything and was easy to carry home with us. to decorate the bugger we bought cranberries and i made popcorn and i made a garland. it was a little harder than i thought it was going to be. i pricked myself with the needle one too many times and i think i stained our coffee table red. but it looks lovely! in photographs, here is my attempt to make the garland.

i then added obnoxious plaid mccalister family placemats and used the left over bowls of cranberries as table decorations. i hope they don't rot.

i then lit as many candles as possible that smelled like balsam fir because you know, that scent is rather hard to come by in new york.

after the candles were lit and the garlands strung, i added silver ornaments and the most darling angel tree topper that is actually a bell.

the end result is a little guy who is no longer naked and is ready for the holidays.

AFTER!!!

2010-11-21T08:48:00.002-05:00

things we forget

2010-11-18T19:36:00.000-05:00

via things we forget

2010-11-16T07:17:00.002-05:00

my home town..have you seen anything more beautiful?

2010-11-16T07:06:00.003-05:00

via

2010-11-09T07:22:00.002-05:00

(via style me pretty)

color

2010-11-04T17:01:00.001-04:00

via starfishandsundresses

happy friday (and halloween)

2010-10-29T07:35:00.000-04:00

my loves! happy almost weekend. do you have any halloween plans? i won't be dressing up this year, and i'm really okay with that. i will be handing out candy to trick or treaters (and probably eating much of it myself), doing the poland spring 5 mile run in central park, enjoying the chilly weather, and perhaps even getting to see tim's lovely nieces and nephew in their costumes! what are your plans?

(via weheartit)

some pretty things on this chilly evening

2010-10-28T19:32:00.002-04:00

via bun&burough + sunday suppers

lovely

2010-10-27T21:06:00.000-04:00

via we heart it

autumn

2010-10-24T17:31:00.000-04:00

i know i know, everyone and their mom's is blogging about how wonderful autumn is. thing is, it's true. thought i'd include a few of my favorite pics from around the web of everything fall.

20 x 200

2010-10-23T09:14:00.000-04:00

i've written about 20 x 200 before (see here), and i still think it's such an affordable way to buy really awesome art. though i've never bought anything here myself (not enough walls in my apartment for more art!) i think it'd make a really fantastic gift. obviously buying art for someone else can be really tricky, but there are a few friends who i think i could pick something out for! ahem, EMK. check out my most recent favorites:

2010-10-23T08:56:00.000-04:00

there is something rather beautiful about flowers wrapped in newspaper, no?

(images via just be splendid and flickr)

2010-10-03T10:55:00.001-04:00

this must be the place

2010-09-28T21:01:00.003-04:00

i cannot get this song out of my head. it makes me so happy.

todd english's food hall

2010-09-26T19:50:00.000-04:00

this weekend my mom visited and we had a ball. she suggested we check out the newly opened food hall in the plaza hotel. it's essentially what americans know as a "food court" however, it felt nothing like one. it's based on the classic food halls at famous department stores like harrod's. like everything else in the plaza hotel, it's incredibly glamorous and luxurious. there are many different food stations such as a raw bar, pizza, a bakery, a flower stand, cheese selections, housewares etc. i took lots of pictures because the actual space is so beautiful. gorgeous tiling, intricate woodwork and of course every delicious treat you can think of. definitely a foodie's dream. i highly recommend that you check it out. next time i go to the plaza though, i'm going to find eloise.

rue magazine

2010-09-19T10:13:00.001-04:00

so i'm sure you've heard about rue magazine..started by anne sage (of city sage fame) and crystal gentilello. just wanted to pass along my excitement to all of you in case you hadn't seen it on other blogs. rue is an online magazine devoted to the most gorgeous interiors, filled with all of my favorite things. bright color, bold fabrics and unexpected accessories. their first issue just recently launched here and i suggest you check it out. here are some beautiful interiors from the first issue.

things i like

2010-09-11T11:37:00.001-04:00

originally when i started this blog, it was just going to be pictures. realizing i had more to say, i decided to write a little bit for it as well. though scouring the intranezzzzz this morning, i came across lots of things i liked. and thought i would do a retro post. here are some random, but beloved things.

gloriously messy collages

beagles..particularly beagles wearing lifejackets

cheese..and cheese plates...and bread

small children dressed as animals..penguins especially

starbucks..i just.can't.say.it.enough

rustic photographs of delicious food that remind me of fall..

skee-ball..'nuff said

puppies by the name of pablo

kitchen interiors. not that this one wasn't obvious enough.

bandaids!!

2010-09-10T13:39:00.000-04:00

are these not the coolest band aids ever? way better than sponge bob! they are designed by cynthia rowley and you can get them on her website! ch-ch-check 'em out

a berkshire wedding

2010-09-06T17:56:00.000-04:00

last night, i was lucky enough to attend the wedding of someone who i've known since..well..i was born. the wedding was at stonover farm in lenox, massachusetts. it was such a wonderful evening spent catching up with old friends. we danced to the likes of tom petty and van morrison (with lady gaga thrown in there too) and ate unbelievable food catered by max ultimate. i ate everything that was set out in front of me. tuna tartare, blue cheese and potato cakes, braised short ribs, mini pumpkins stuffed with quinoa and cranberry salad, homemade caramel popcorn and cider donuts and of course the most glorious carrot cake which i definitely had two pieces of. the night was chilly and it felt like the perfect early fall evening. i was honored to be able to celebrate with the most lovely couple and their family and friends.

zinnias

2010-09-01T20:50:00.001-04:00

as you can see from my last post (i took that picture at the farmer's market on saturday) i'm on a big zinnia kick. they aren't expensive and are so vibrant and colorful. event just a few looks incredibly festive. they mix well with gerbera daisies, roses, peonies, you name it! and i think i also love them because they come in orange! here are a few examples!

saturday

2010-08-30T21:17:00.001-04:00

what's in my bag!

2010-08-27T16:50:00.002-04:00

in the past, i have blogged a couple of times about what is in other people's bags. for some reason, i think it's really neat to know what people find essential for their everyday lives. so finally..i had a chance to take photos of my own. i carry a huge bag, so i can fit quite a bit in it. everything is pretty basic..nothing out of left field.

i'm not very good at doing my makeup, but i do have some go-to things that i always like to keep on hand. bronzer and eyeliner are my only necessities. my bronzer rom the body shop (i also really love nars but it always breaks) and the eyeliner is benefit. if i'm feeling ambitious, i also wear lorac eyeshadow and i love this sparkly case it comes in. i like to have concealer on hand also, and this benefit erase paste has worked really well. i've had the same bronzer brush since like 2006, and that's probably gross but it works really well! i also have kiehl's 50 spf face sunblock, even though the label has rubbed off since i've used it so much.

my ray bans are the only sunglasses i wear. yes, i also have croakies for them. super dorky, ll bean croakies! but they keep my sglasses on even on the sweatiest of days. sorry too much information.

my makeup bag is marimekko. any one who knows me knows that i can't live without stripes. i think i was meant to be a sailor...my wallet is orla kiely and i bought it freshman year of college so it's pretty run down. however, i get compliments on it all the time and it has been the most wonderfully durable item.

i got this necklace at the j.crew outlet this summer and it has become a staple in my wardrobe since then. however, it's usually in my bag not because i've tucked it away in case i need to dress up a bit, but more because it gets heavy and i get lazy and don't want to wear it anymore.

and last but not least. my trusty, beat-up ipod. i never leave home without it. currently i'm listening to "learning to fly" covered by lady antebellum and sara bareilles "king of anything"

tom binns

2010-08-22T19:24:00.000-04:00

two words: tom binns. his designs are the most interesting, unique, brightly colored, tangled, glorious pieces of design. i cannot think of enough adjectives to describe how cool these designs are. considering i am a pretty basic dresser (jeans, t-shirts and well..that's pretty much it) i would absolutely love to have one of these to brighten up an outfit. i will never ever be able to afford them (my favorite one is 2500 dollars) but i could ogle these little babies all day long.

2010-08-22T17:44:00.000-04:00

(via gimme some oven)

arianna belle

2010-08-21T10:40:00.002-04:00

i was originally directed to arianna belle's website because of this incredibly adorable photo that i couldn't resist.

i was pleasantly surprised when i found that arianna belle has the most fantastic collection of interior decoration photos. she also has her own interior design business, and clearly she has great taste judging by what was on display on her website. bright colors, bold fabrics, fresh flowers and great light are a few of my favorite design elements, and they are highlighted in all of the images i found on her website. here are a few of my favorites.

oh hey, you're not cute or anything..

2010-08-14T19:14:00.000-04:00

big big big crush on joseph gordon-levitt..though i slept through most of inception, boy looked good. and he has a hyphenated last name, so we have that in common. love his facial expressions in all these pictures!

2010-08-14T19:06:00.002-04:00

awesome wallpaper

2010-08-14T09:21:00.001-04:00

be still my heart, mikkel vang.

2010-08-12T21:42:00.000-04:00

subway tile

2010-08-08T17:10:00.000-04:00

i am a big fan of subway tiles. they are rare to find in actual subways anymore (in new york any way) but they are popping up other places left and right. i always thought they'd look so clean and simple in a bathroom, but i just stumbled upon a beautiful kitchen with subway tile, which i wouldn't have thought of myself. it makes a great backsplash and i imagine it's probably much less expensive than one of those elaborately tiled backsplashes. here are some of my favorite examples.

j. crew bridal

2010-08-08T16:58:00.000-04:00

yesterday was pretty much a religious experience. i was lucky enough to go wedding dress shopping with a dear friend who just got engaged. we went to the new j. crew bridal salon on madison, and boy was it life changing. the decor was stunning and every little detail of the tiny shop had been executed perfectly. there were bridesmaid dresses in every color under the sun, gorgeous sparkling jewelry and of course, beautiful yet understated wedding dresses. L looked so pretty in every single one, but she definitely found one that was above and beyond. i hope she gets it! the "bridal consultant" was so cool and laid back and overall it was a wonderful experience. can't wait for the wedding!

2010-07-16T21:29:00.000-04:00

so for those who want in on lemon & lavender...this is what i was thinking the front window might look like. except with more lemon. and more lavender. xx

lemon & lavender

2010-07-14T12:13:00.000-04:00

so, for some reason, i've developed a new obsession with lemon & lavender. i actually just want to say the two words over and over because i think they even SOUND wonderful. i'm thinking i'll open a bakery/tea shop called lemon & lavender..who wants in? (l&m, i know you do) i also think they'd go together as a perfect decoration at a wedding. not only would they look beautiful, but they would add a romantic scent to the air. now normally, i'm not one to obsess over the french countryside, but this has got me thinking...with lemon & lavender i could make soap...or sachets..or shortbread..or all three..

sarah richardson

2010-07-03T21:06:00.000-04:00

t & i happen to spend a lot of time watching hgtv. on saturday night. yes, i know. we're incredibly cool and with it and hip. anyywaaaaaay. we've recently discovered the show "sarah's house" where designer sarah richardson buys a house that needs serious "reno" (as she puts it) and she goes through room by room, episode by episode and guts everything. it's kind awesome. particularly because i think sarah has great taste. i've been always been fascinated with interior design and i think it would be such an amazing project to take on something like that. particularly if hgtv is paying for it. oh well, a girl can dream.

vacation

2010-07-02T18:06:00.001-04:00

hello all my long lost loves. i've been quite absent recently, as i've started a new job and have had very little free time! but alas, it's a three day weekend! yippy! however, my mind is not on the fourth of july, i'm more excited about moving into our new apartment next week (finally!) and then going on vacation to maine right after. i cannot wait for the following:

the beach

drives on country roads

the freshest of berries and delicious treats

quiet afternoons

and of course, a shore dinner

fred flare

2010-06-19T07:06:00.001-04:00

i recently went to the fred flare website, after seeing some cute flats on cup of jo. they have some pretty great stuff! it reminds me of a place in northampton, mass i used to go to when i was in high school called faces. lots of cute, inexpensive clothes, chic accessories and quirky home gear. clearly, i haven't strayed from my personal style in the pics i've chosen here. bright colors, funky patterns and of course for the home, anything with a silly face that makes me giggle. xo.

the breslin

2010-06-14T15:05:00.001-04:00

it's time for a restaurant review...woooh haven't done one of these in a long time. this weekend friends of ours brought us to a place i had only heard about through nymag and the like. it's called the breslin, located on 29th between 5th and 6th. it's actually inside the ace hotel, which i think once was the hotel breslin. it's a super trendy but not pretentious gastropub. i didn't get to try much of the food because i had already eaten, however, what i did sample was terrific. the menu is filled with comfort foods gone glam like smoked pork belly, beef and stilton pie and onion and bone marrow soup. so, actually, none of these things are probably things i would ever eat but for the adventurous type, i am sure they are fabulous. i did get a chance to sample their homemade salt and vingear chips (delish) and several different cookies (the fresh fig newton was unbelievable) i also had a cleverly named cocktail called "a rush of blood to the head." all in all, i think the breakfast and lunch menus look slightly more appetizing (think oven baked 3 cheese eggs, fried peanut and banana sandwich or caramel popcorn) but the decor and overall relaxed atmosphere definitely make it a place where i will go again!

2010-06-10T15:27:00.002-04:00

2010-06-10T13:00:00.002-04:00

wedgey!

2010-06-10T11:00:00.000-04:00

so my intention with this post was to find several pairs of espadrilles that were cute, not too high, and at varying price points. i am not sure if i truly succeeded at any of these. finding the right pair of these cute wedges is proving more difficult than i expected. here are a few of my favorites.

stuart weitzman, $395

paloma barcelo, $195

ciao bella, $79

sam edelman, $149

this is what happens when you flickr search "maine"

2010-06-09T13:23:00.000-04:00

2010-05-30T10:16:00.003-04:00

can't wait for friday..

2010-05-26T11:51:00.000-04:00

2010-05-26T09:29:00.002-04:00

thanks to miss mandy over at prettier world, i see that i can make my blog carbon neutral! though i've never considered (am i ignorant?) that my blog emits carbon dioxide, this will help eliminate that! they will plant a tree for this lil' ol' blog. cool.

2010-05-25T20:34:00.001-04:00

decorology (ooh ooh)

2010-05-23T21:39:00.004-04:00

blog of the moment: decorology. a compilation of terrifically eclectic bedrooms, baths and living rooms. lots of white of course but tons of varying textures (like rustic wood and subway tiles) surprising color combos and oodles of accessories. check out this fantastic blog ASAP.

whooopaaaay paaaaayyyy

2010-05-19T15:03:00.001-04:00

i think that i feel about whoopie pies the way many bloggers feel about macarons. i LOVE them. i HEART them. i WANT them in my tummy. it's interesting because two of my favorite places (maine and lancaster, pa) are known for whoopie pies. i wonder where they came from first? does anyone know? regardless, they are delicious and i have loved them since i was a wee one. peanut butter, chocolate, red velvet...mmmm mmmm mmmm. i really thoguht they might take off as the new cupcake, but i've yet to really see them many places. overall, i think they're perfect...it's almost as if they're tasty little cupcakes in macaron form...and who wouldn't love that?

ohhhemmgee

2010-05-18T14:28:00.003-04:00

(via lovelist)

this is what i would consider bliss.

2010-05-18T11:22:00.002-04:00

(via apartment #34)

quote to live by

2010-05-18T11:19:00.001-04:00

craig's list chic

2010-05-17T09:31:00.002-04:00

so..i've been perusing craig's list quite a bit in recent weeks looking for stuff for the new apartment. this weekend, we finally had some success! t and i spent saturday and sunday gallavanting around manhattan picking up things we had found on craigs list. the best find were definitely awesome lamps that were probably oringally uber expensive but that we got for 50 bucks! and we got to see the owner's unbelievable apartment down in battery park. we also picked up matching nightstansds from two different owners. to make them look less ikea and more original, we bought knobs from anthropologie. also next weekend, we will pick up a headboard for forty bucks! weee so cheap! yay craig's list! here are the items.

2010-05-10T15:50:00.000-04:00