We party hard.

Hey everybody!  I’m currently sipping my winter coffee go-to (GASP), small soy latte w/ sf vaniller.  No it’s not 50 below here…yet.  I just opened the store this morning so you can bet I already had my usual iced latte w/ white cocoa & needed to change it up for the afternoon! But I promise the 2nd dose of caffeine is really for the sake of getting out of the house to do major paper writing.  I honestly can’t study if there’s silence or I have the comfort of my own home to distract me! I don’t think I’m alone in this…

This whole weekend was a BLAST.  Seriously, I don’t party that much but I was just surrounded by fun & favorite people all weekend.  Friday-ran in the rain,  shopped w/ Adam @ MOA, pre-party @ my flat & went to a sweet funky dance club, & Saturday partied w/ the new members of our a cappella group!

Earlier Friday I got to dig into my grilled chicken & marinated veggie salad from TJ’s!

It was SO good! There were huge chunks of squash in it!  It came with dressing but I used my Newman’s Own Asian vinaigrette dressing for a little kick.

I was a little disappointed to find I was out of bread so it continued to be a low-carb meal w/ a Pom greek yogurt w/ cinnamon & gala.

Note to self: grocery shop b/f lots of papers must be written!

After I got out of work today I knew just what Sunday requires.

Omelette brunch! 1 egg & 1 egg white w/ vegan cheddar. WW english muffie on the side w/ the regular kraft (clearly organic:p & sauteed peppers & onions. SO brunchy & delicious.

Had to get a pic in of our new shot glasses @ the flat!

They’re tiny cones w/ magnets on the bottom-you can hold the tray of glasses upside down! (b/f they’re filled of course)

I’m not so big on the shots…so I stuck w/ a Corona…for the entire night.  Like I said, I party hard;)

My bff Kelsey is back from studying abroad FINALLY

And here’s a little foodie-humor.  My roomies & I were playing the blame game as to who left a minor beyond obvious crumb spill on the futon…until we saw it was a specialty Chinese cookie of sort HAHA

First we laughed…then I took photos. The clean freak in me was moritified…but I love my Jess<3 I judge her odd Chinese noodles & she judges my “weird yogurt-oattie-cereal in a bowl messes!” LOL

Have a wonderfully productive or lazy Sunday-whichever your heart desires!

New Digs!

That’s right kids, after months of waiting and talking about the big move, it’s finally arrived!!!  I am officially all moved into my new place on campus<3  To say the last 2 weeks have been wonderful would probably be an understatement…ok so aside from the actual school part things have been wonderful;) Classes have been kicking my butt!  And we’re not even a month in yet. Wo.  Still, I’m finally delving into my major hands on which is pretty cool-lots of surprise reporting assignments and things like that.

So without further procrastination (b/c y’all are here for the food right?;) here’s my new home!

I live with four of my very good friends–3 other girls and 1 guy–I met through the a cappella group, including bff Jess.  I think the hardest thing has been finding out I’m the only morning person in our house!?  Today I texted my friend @ 845 and she was still sleeping…I’d been up since 6. haha!  At least it kinda gives me time to have those first few morning moments to relax and mentally prepare myself for the day.  All while cooking in my beautiful kitchen!

Yes, there are 2 refridgerators.  I’m so glad the people that designed the place knew one fridge alone would barely house all my greek yogurt;)

I’m pretty sure the first thing I moved in was my groceries! HA  First brekkie in the new apartment!

This bowl of joy was some Kashi H2H, pb puffins, Trader J’s Pom Greek yogurt, the last of the homemade banana bread (holy yum!), and low-sugar strawberry preserves.  On the side, some grapes I had stolen from home…parental home  haha

It’s been a pretty exciting week here @ the U b/c of GOPHER FOOTBALL!  DId anyone know we got a new stadium!? Did anyone know we didn’t even HAVE a stadium b/f….I know.

Adam & I In the TCF Bank stadium! We won too!

Night shot:

Now I’m currently digging into my prepared unplanned midmorning snack to, you know, power me through this intense homework sesh.

Dry roasted peanuts & a Gala.  And yes I am showing off my purchase of lime-top tupperware.

Who else is excited for Fall!?  I visited my madre last night–we went for a walk together and couldn’t believe the leaves are already changing!  If Minnesota would stay in Fall weather all year round, there’s no other place I’d want to live….unfortunately those falling leaves mean this place will be a frozen tundra in a few months sooooo I still harbor ill feelings haha  I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend!

**What do you love most a/b Fall?  What’s your favorite activities to do and what’s your favorite food of the season?** I’m definitely gonna have to say the annual picnic my dad and I take together every Fall, since I was 3.  It’s really special.  Food? Pumpkin anything.

Snack n’ Pack!

That means my last few days have been packed w/ lots of packing…interrupted by snacking for, fuel of course…

Seriously though.  In all my excitement of moving into my new digs I forgot how much I hate the process of preparing to move lol It is a workout in itself!  My room is not a pretty site-more like a construction site but hey I’m making progress.  I was disappointed to find my fridge lacking in the grocery department (I’m trying to hold out on a grocery trip until I move in next week-GASP, yes, a whole week:p) so I can use up most of the food I’ve got on hand.  I was ecstatic to find I still had a shirataki bag hiding in the back of fridge! Noodles were definitely on the menu!

I paired my shirataki fettucini w/ 365 Organic roasted Tomato sauce & topped it off w/ a sliced mozarella & mushroom Boca burger for protein. Oh yea and a ridiculous generous amount of garlic pepper, naturally.   Yum Yum!  I forgot how much I appreciate these lil tofu noodles.

On the side I had a lovely Gala & lots of Green beans!  This meal actually has a lot of hidden produce, yea?  I was pretty full after…until I needed a little snack about an hour later…

My pb Z bar (a new obsession-I had never tried this flavor!) w/ some Fage & raspberry preserves.  Oh em gee like a pb jelly sammie in a cup<3

Then I got out and enjoyed the glorious weather MN is experiencing at the moment-seriously.  It’s been nothing but sunshine and warmth which means nothing but major cravings for getting in a good run!  I got out and cleared my mind a little only to come home and refuel again.  When I found some frozen nanners in the freezer I decided to find out what all the fuss is about!

Banana soft serve!

I used 3 frozen bananas-peeled and sliced.

Threw them in the food processor for 5 minutes and voila!

Currently enjoying banana soft serve amazingness w/ a little cinnamon whilst icing my shins.  Gotta get in a quick nap before my last summer day @ work. WO.  We’ve made it halfway through the week!

Whole Lotta Wedding Weekend

The theme of this weekend was weddings!  What could be better honestly?  Nothing but love & magic & hope & most importantly, champagne right?;)

Friday night was the engagement party for Allison & Tony since they were visiting from Cali!  It was so good to see them again-kinda bizarre that I’ve seen Allison more than my own sister in the past year…but I have news!!!

My sister is able to come w/ my nephew to MN  for the end of August!!!! Enter overly ecstatic feelings of emotion here: [!!!]

So yes, you can expect the return of a few photos of my Lukie when they get here in a little over a week-we’ll see if he handles the summer weather better than his freak out in the MN snow haha!

So…the food @ the engagement party was fabulous!  Lois, Adam’s mom, told me when I got there that she was way ahead of schedule because she had ‘been going since early morning’?!?!  I was ecstatic to finally witness her famous hosting skills!  She did not disapoint:

The menu was hors d’oevre style-many of them one bite appetizers.  Shoot! I had Adam make a copy of the complete list of all the food that was served…& now I can’t find it! I’ll do my best to recount (start from the bottom-clockwise)…

The main eats included pistachio chicken salad cups, chicken spring rolls w/ a peanut chile sauce, (AMAZING) homemade artichoke dip w/ soft pita wedges, chicken skewers grilled shrimp,  & meatballs.

I got a little caught up in trying to make sure I met everyone so I honestly didn’t have time to even snap a photo of the food I was eating.  I kind of grabbed what I could whenever possible rather than at once HA! I got to try everything but the meatballs-everything was absolutely delicious, but I think my favorite was the simple chicken skewers w/ some of the peanut sauce-I just love my chicken!  I couldn’t believe she made everything…ok I’m gonna take credit for stuffing those chicken salad cups-so difficult!

I was excited to try my first Sangria too!  I realized I’d never had it.

I had a few sips of Adam’s in b/w my many glasses of Pinot Gris.  It was refreshing & fruity, but a little to sweet for my taste-I like drier & stronger drinks for my alcohol:p It’s great for summer though.

And on to Adam’s favorite part of the menu, the desserts:)

The main event was a carrot cake w/ whipped cream cheese frosting from Wuollet’s bakery which, if you’re not from MN, you’re missing out!  They make unbelievable cakes.

Other sweet treats included  fruit tarts, some kind of fruit topped cheesecake bars, chocolate chip cookies (I had one right out of the oven-YUM), & special K bars (soooo addicting-my friends & I actually call them ‘death bars’).

You can barely see it in the photo but there were also the party-mandatory bowls of mixed nuts & chex mixes,  along  w/ wedges of delicious Gouda and sliced apple.  As Adam pointed out, Gouda is GOOD.

And a toast w/ champagne for the happy couple!

Allison & Tony’s wedding isn’t until next year, but we still put them on the spot to practice cutting their cake haha

The party was a success!  I had a lotta wine in the presence of a lot of good people.  I always have a good time around Adam’s family-it was fun to meet so many of their friends.  I really just like meeting new people.

The next morning we were off to Iowa for Adam’s cousin getting married.  It simply didn’t feel right taking photos of the food in the moment-so I stuck to happy photos of all the happy people & couples!  We were happy:)

Again, lots of champagne & white wine that night!  That’s ok-I never drink so these special occasions make it worth while.  Plus it makes dancing so much more fun right?  Allison & I managed to get Adam & Tony on the dance floor a few times, but she & I had no problem tearing up the dance floor on our own.  I do not pass up a good jam & a dance floor.

I met a lot of new people this weekend in Adam’s life-in fact name tags were used at one pt which was very helpful! His grandma was especially sweet & hilarious-I felt so welcome around everyone.  I feel like I really got to know Tony & Allison more especially-it’s kind of scary how much Allison & I are alike.  Same schools, majors, interest in entertainment, high school activities, & I’m gonna say fashion sense & a love for all things spicy;)

After we drove home to Adam’s the next day….I drove home home haha  Happy to find I still had my egg-white salad from Trader J’s in the fridge!

I spread some w/ a lotta hot sauce (naturally) in a whole wheat pita.

This was apparently a good bed-time snack b/c I fell right asleep…at 4 pm:p It was a hectic weekend!  Can we talk about how I have just over 2 weeks left until I move into my new place!?!?! Excitement is an understatement.

Now I’m hoping to nap before I make lunch.  Yes, a nap b/f lunch because I opened the store @ 5 am haha. Got my drink!

Medium soy latte w/ sf hazlenut & (the return of the awkward self photo!)

**Here’s the question of the day in keeping with the wedding & foodie theme: What kind of ideal cake would you have at your wedding (or what did you have if you’re married)?**

I’m Bringing Fanny Pack

One of the things I’ve been able to do since my schedule opened up a little bit is get back to cooking.  In my busiest weeks of nannying I was working up to 60 hours a week which, to a girl that worked at a coffee shop here & there during the school year, was pretty brutal.  I remember one week where I went through my photos and realized I had been living off of nearly every Clif flavor out there-not good! So when I had the day off I went through my tagged recipes & finally got around to makin this:

Moroccan Chicken w/ Fruit Relish & Olives–You can find the recipe here:

http://find.myrecipes.com/recipes/recipefinder.dyn?action=displayRecipe&recipe_id=1696627

This was SO good!!! And we had all of the ingredients on hand-it was super easy to make.  Adam actually ended up stealing the recipe a week later to make it for his parents:p

I had just a little bit of Shiraz to complete the meal.

The big event this week was my sister turning legal!!! Happy 18th LeLu!  She had a gigantic shindig at our house-I was getting home late from closing @ work & there was a SEA of high schoolers in every room haha!  It was actually kind of frightening….plus having a guy ask me who I was (uhhhh *I* live here-who are YOU!?) cued my retreat to my room where I stayed up through the night as the other twenty something left also stayed up loudly through the night.  Ohhhh well you only turn 18 once.

We did have a small family party on her actual birfday.  Me & my lil sis!

Our whole family actually doesn’t think we look that much alike anymore, but all my friends say we do. I dunno?

At least I ingested my entire day’s worth of fruit while waiting for dinner!

I was surprisingly not that hungry when dinner rolled around??? Does anyone else feel like the lighter you eat the LESS hungry you are at the next meal or morning?  Vs. when I eat a really big meal I’m starving a few hours later…hmmmm….but I cleaned my plate!

Adam & I were the only 2 to have chicken because we don’t like steak-oops.  Roasted red potatoes, grilled asparagus, & salad w/ an amazing Chardonnay from Trader J’s of course!

There is of course no party without cake! But I passed-I’m all a/b frosting only & just wasn’t feelin it.  It was some type of fudge cake w/ a chocolate ganache & shavings-makes for a pretty photo though!

Currently switched back to my winter drink-GASP-too soon!?  Sf vanilla soy latte-I missed this baby.

I’ve got so much to do today!  I’ve gotta get to the bank, gym, Target, & then head home to finish packing for the wedding in Iowa this weekend.  Adam’s sister has her engagement party tonight b/c she & her fiance flew in from Cali yesterday! I can’t wait to see them again-shoot…gotta find something clean to wear for the party too haha.  I’ll be back Monday w/ wedding weekend photos:)  Have a great weekend!

Oh yea-here’s the post title explanation!  My friend & I decided to make walking dates this summer after work for budget purposes primarily!  It really helped us save on going out for drinks or movies, & we just happened to get some serious sweating done in the process!  …..but there is no denying we love to draw attention w/ the bringing back of the fanny pack!!!

I believe my photo direction was : OK, now pretend you’re a model in runners world…only inside a Caribou;)

Oh my.

Hey Girl Hey!

She lives!!! I bet you thought I was never coming back…I think it’ll be much easier to blog when I’m moved into my own place in, countdown: 3 weeks from today!!!  Oh em gee I can’t wait to take photos of everything once we move in- & by that I mean a massive miss-match of our stuff strewn a/b the family room the 1st week;)

A lot happens in a month that’s for sure.  It was mostly just some issues w/ my work & still living at home, but things are getting much better.  I really am looking forward to the school year which is a 1st!  It doesn’t mean i stopped taking photos of what I ate-I can’t help it.  If I see something tasty & it’s semi-decently plated…I gotta put my new camera to use!  Plus I needed a place to come back to for myself to stay accountable.  The stress definitely got my exercise & eating habits out of whack & it came back to only hurt me in confronting the problems w/ my family, job, friends.  I thought it wasn’t right for me to be preaching what I wasn’t practicing.  But I realized this blog is about ‘balance’, & if I’m off track there would be no better place to go then the blogosphere for some motivation.  I’m definitely not perfect, & I started this with the aim of showing people it is always possible to get back on the bandwagon. Plus, I just missed plating my meals b/f I ate them;)  Hence, I’m back on the blog bandwagon kids.

I treated Adam & I to a surprise couple’s massage to celebrate our 6-month.  Twas lovely!  Then we were trying to decide where to get a late lunch.  The second he suggested Stella’s–a fish bar–I was in!   This place has been around a while, but I’d never been & have wanted to go for so long.

I went in with a craving for fish tacos…but then I knew I had to have the salad Nicoise!  I haven’t had a salad @ a restaurant in forever-I guess a girl likes her carbs:) But salad Nicoise is my FAV.

Tuna ( I had mine seared rather than completely rare), red potato, green olive, hericot verts (french speakers???-it is a french salad!). tomato, & fresh romaine w/ a lemon-dijon vinagrette.  It was delicious!!! The tuna was fabulous-as it should be @ a seafood estaurant:p  Plus after the massage it felt nice & light-very in keeping with the theme of my muscles @ the time haha.  Actually I was going to order a glass of Chardonnay but we were supposed to wait 2 hrs post massage in detox of alcohol or caffeine for a feeling of total relaxation….good thing wine & coffee aren’t a few of my vices;)

The view was beautiful-the restaurant is on the rooftop so you can see all of downtown Minneapolis

Brekkie had a new find from Trader J’s!  Mini-a mini-muffin!(well, mini in the sense they’re not the ginormous ones I’m used to & looooooove)

A trader J’s mini apple cranberry muffin w/  a huge gala & my current obsession–Fage w/ cocoa powder-YUM

The muffies (yes, I’m calling them muffies b/c they’re smaller?) are nice b/c they are a smaller portion (great for pre-workout) & 1 thing has 13 grams of fiber. WO.  Eat 2 @ the same time and I’d be careful…

They’re pretty good!  I still have yet to have the Vitamuffins though-haven’t been able to find them:/  I wanna try those too b/f I commit to these guys.  I’ll def be going back to Trader J’s to try the Carrot Ginger ones though!

I’m currently drinking my soy latte @ work…only being a customer right now–I close tonight.  Itinerary for the day: meeting a friend to work out in a few minutes!, figure out where I’m sleeping tonight (my sis is having a huge 18th bday bash & neglected to tell me it’s downstairs…where I sleep lol), taking inventory of what I have/need for my new apartment, nap, & work.  I’ve got my fav on-the-go munchies w/ me just in case I’m too hungry after the workout to wait for lunch.  A girl’s gotta be prepared!

Emerald’s cocoa roasted almonds-I gotta slow down on these things-I cant remember a day in the last 2 weeks I haven’t had them! Trader J’s dried mango slices.  A perfect duo<3

Feels good to express on the blogosphere again!  I love when you finally get a week w/ so much fun stuff to look forward to! It’s kind of one of those weeks for me: my lil sis’ b-day, singing @ an artfair, & I’m taking a roadtrip w/ Adam’s family this weekend for a wedding on his mom’s side.  I could barely know you & I’d still love to go to your wedding LOL they’re just so happy:)  Anyone have any good plans b/f summer’s end???

Steam Room vs. Dry Sauna!

For the past 2 years I’ve been a member @ my local gym, & almost every work out ends with a moment of relaxation in the steam room.  I knew there was also a sauna, but it just seemed kind of unnecessary unless I was using the pool area.  On Friday I finally decided to take my work out to the pool & end it with the sauna.

It got me thinking-is 1 or the other better for you physically, or to help you recover?  For me personally, I like the feeling I get when I’m in the sauna.  The hotter temperature literally melts away the knots in my back or aching muscles.  However, I don’t like the feeling after I’m out of the sauna-I can feel dehydrated & fuzzy.  Is that normal?  A session in the steam room makes me feel so refreshed-but the dryness of the sauna makes my skin feel better, since I’m prone to oily/sweaty skin…..so-the debate is on! What do you prefer?

Sooooo let’s see…oh yea, my lil nephew:)

I can’t even look @ these photos-I just miss him like crazy!!!  Jamie met us w/ Luke @ Mission Beach.  We laid out literally chased after Luke while he ran up to random people on the beach to play with!  He is SUCH a flirt!

There’s his mama trying to keep up!

On the way home, Luke was getting a little fussy in the backseat…You should know Adam likes to make these random sometiemes very creepy/scary faces-he’s a very expressive boy:P  Anyways, he starts making faces @ Luke…

…who thought he was, apparently, hilarious.

It was so adorable:)

Jamie then gave Lukie her cell phone-his favorite gadget too!

I have already taught him to text-this child is gifted!

Oy, I love kids….mine are quiiiiite some time away, but I am enjoying my auntie status well beyond enough!

So-on to the fabulous eats!

Earlier in the day Adam & I found a cafe in PB-they’re kind of known for their made-from-scratch bars & cakes, but the food sounded so good too!

I knew I wanted something light b/f we headed out to the beach, but when I saw they served breakfast all day , done & done!  I got the egg white scramble w/ rosemary roasted potatoes, fresh fruit, & amazing 7 grain panini bread (that I didn’t take a pic of?!).  Hot sauce & ketchup included…of course.

It was delicious & light but filling.  Adam got the Southwest club sammie w/ a side salad, but I let him have the pineapple out of my fruit cup haha

Later that night we went into every foodie’s playground, the Gaslamp District of downtown San Diego.

We found a cute little sushi place (we actually kept walking the entire city until we found one;).  We started w/ the soft shell crab roll which was so beautiful!

I know we had other dishes, including some kind of tuna roll…but I’m pretty sure it was @ this point where the wine I ordered affected me a ton slightly & the photos stopped dwindled;)  Apparently I was really fun & giggly on the drive home…which of course, Adam (sober) drove.

On our last day of vacation, Adam had only one request…actually it was his mission from day 1.  And it involved this little big guy: The double-double, animal style.

In n’ Out is just required on a trip to California.  Sadly, I was honestly not even in the mood for the burger so I didn’t indulge.  Have you ever had that?  Sometimes I really do wish I was less of a health freak so that some of the foods most Americans rave about-pizza, fried foods, a fast food hamburger-would taste really good when I do eat them??? I definitely get cravings…ohhhh yea especially once a month:P but usually eating, say fastfood, is nothing but unappealing to me.  The things I probably overeat more than anything are cereal, trail mix, & whole grain pasta! I always tell people to give a new way of eating time, because you really do start to love the way you feel when you’re being healthier, & suddenly you can’t remember the last time you ate (said) fast food!

Luckily , Adam does not have that problem;)

Actually, his face of pure joy while he attacked the double-double animal style, almost made me want one…

Until one hour later, Adam’s burger wasn’t making him feel so hot.  He suddenly felt nauseous & sick with stomach troubles… we couldn’t blame completely on the burger, but I had fun joking it was the culprit.

Do not fear my friends, I still got to enjoy another golden gem of California-Golden Spoon!!!

—————————————–

Adam: “Do you want to pick a flavor & we’ll split it?”

Me: “Ummmm, no that’s OK…you can eat your own right?”

——————————————

I frequented Golden Spoon like crazy when I went to school in California, so I knew there was no way I was sharing a spoon with anyone!   Good thing their smalls are gigantic!

I got chocolate malt with peanut butter.  Divine.

———————————-

Me: “Adam, did you finish yours?”

Adam: “No, I put the rest in the freezer for later…are you done?!”

Me: “No!…well, I have a few bites left kinda!”

———————————-

Why can’t Minnesota jump on this fro-yo craze?! Oh yea, maybe b/c it’s cold 3/4 of the year?

On the flight home, I realized my 21 status is also beneficial to my severe paranoia of flying! Whew knew!?

I was honestly 10x calmer on the way home HA!  Forget deep breathing-just give me a mini bottle of wine please:)

It was honestly the highlight of my year.  Seeing my sister & nephew, & seeing Adam be so sweet with my family was amazing.  Saying goodbye @ the airport was, as I expected, very very hard. Sad-I’m tearing up just thinking about it!:(  But it was kind of a happy-sad too, because here I was giving my sister the same story she told me just 2 years ago when I was so miserable at school.

~Though no one can go back and make a brand new start, anyone can start from now and make a brand new ending~

My sister has gone through so much in this past year, but she is still & will always be a wonderful mother, daughter, & sister.  I reassured her that if you can get yourself through the hard times, some how, by some miracle sometimes, you find exactly what you wanted.  And she knows I believe it, because it was family, people like her, who always supported me to find the amazing place I’m at in school & life today.

Whew! Sorry to get all emotional-I know I’ll be seeing them again soon.  No fear of flying can keep me away;)

Ironically, I’m on another trip tomorrow! Technically it’s a business trip almost!  The family I nanny for invited me AND Adam up to their cabin in northern WI for 3 days.  I’m so excited! It feels like I haven’t seen them in forever, so it’ll be nice to get back to playing Power Rangers & feeling like a kid;)  Gotta pack clothes & some staple car snacks-gotta be up early to make the drive!  Have a wonderful start to the week.

xoxo

Sister, Sister!

After spending 2 days in LA & staying w/ Adam’s sister, it was time to go to San Diego!!! I was so excited to see my sis, I actually had a hard time sleeping the night b/f we took the train!!!

Yep. Still excited…the whole train ride:P

My sister was a little late in picking us up so the anticipation was a combination of anxiousness & frustration HA.  I knew I wouldn’t be seeing Luke until the next day since he was with his dad, but when I finally saw my sister pull up I just got the biggest grin on my face! She looked even more excited to see me-I’ve missed her so much.

For the record, that dress was hers, but she wanted to see what it would look like on a “tall” person b/f she cut it to fit her!  I then reminded her that to normal people I’m above average…& that she is simply vertically challenged;)

After Adam & I got settled into Jamie’s apartment, I knew exactly where I wanted to take him first.  My favorite part of San Diego is without a doubt La Jolla!

La Jolla is almost a slightly upscale residential neighborhood/section of San Diego but the downtown area is trendy & fun and the coastal view is spectacular.  The weather was gorgeous as per usual on most days in San Diego:P so it was only appropriate to walk along the ocean with…

Gelato!

I saw the shop & Adam knew there was no way we were walking any further w/o some;) He was up for it-he never had it!??!!

mine: Banana Fudge Chip & Pistachio

Adam: Tiramisu & Simply Chocolate

………

heaven.

Then again, the taste was probably enhanced for the better by the amazing view.

Then in our attempt to find the freeway, we took a wrong turn & ended up @ the top of the city in a beautiful neighborhood! photo op.

The street view.I took waaaaaay too many photos in La Jolla! I get it….it’s a wave, it’s the coast, it’s a crab

After that sugar rush the only natural thing was to look for dinner next!  We didn’t know what we were in the mood for, but I wanted to show him PB!  (a non-local would call it pacific beach)

The entire night I thought I did, in fact, bring Adam to PB…found out a day later we were in OB (Ocean Beach)…..guess my tour guide cred failed right then:P  Oh well, we found a sweet chili cookoff festival going on in OB with live music!

There was so much fair food to choose from, but I convinced Adam to get takeout from my favorite Mexican place in OB, Livingston’s Chicken Mexican Grill.

The menu is huge & they prepare everything fresh-huge portions for not so huge prices!

Mine: spiced shrimp bowl w/ fire salsa & cheddar…..oh em gee…so good.

Adam’s Mine & Adam’s: Beef Chimichanga w/ guac…..

This was when I somehow surprised Adam that it takes a lot to make me full…he had a/b half the burrito & was done…I had a bite of it & would literally not let him take the plate away until it was clean HA.  After he got done calling me a human garbage disposal big eater, I called the meal a nice little snack;)

Again, the combo of meals/snacks for vacation are very different than what I’d normally eat.  Usually more calorie dense, but actually less volume wise.  I’m all a/b enjoying the flavors of a city/getaway, but I could still feel the effects w/o my normal intake of fruits/veggies & such a lack of exercise. I decided to make the blog proud & fix that the next morning!

….yes it ended w/ a starbucks….& yes, that is a fanny pack.

I did a nice interval of sprints/walking for about an hour while looking @ houses!  It felt AMAZING.  This was the 1st time I’d ran that long since my shin splints incident, & it went so well!!! I was ecstatic, plus I remembered how working out IS something I love to do on vacation:)

There are just too many pics from San Diego to do in one post! I’ll do all the ones w/ my nephew next!  I’m off to clean my room-it’s no fun returning from vacation to a dirty house>:( THen I’ll be catching up on everyone:)

xoxo

For all you coffee lovers, I really liked this magnet on my sis’ fridge!

I’ll Be Safe & Warm..

If I was in LA!…b/c I was! Surprise! I went on Vaca & totally forgot to mention it. Boop.

What can I say except it was simply wonderful. Wonderful seeing all the sights of LA, San Diego, my sister & nephew!!!, Adam’s sister & soon to be bro-in law, & of course spend time w/ my wonderful boyfriend.  Oh my gosh, I don’t know where to start so I think I’ll just post some photos ay?

Had to get my iced coffee w/ milk & white cocoa b/f take off!…aka medicating pre-flight:/

I did OK on the 1st flight…I gave myself a pat on the back! Adam thought I was having a heart attack LOL apparently he was telling me all this stuff & I just stared @ him w/ a blank state of fear. baby steps okay?

So we arrived in LA!!! WA HOO We stayed w/ his sister, Allison,& her fiance, Tony,  when we were there.  She had a great apartment just a quick drive away from a lot of the stuff we wanted to see….which included..

Griffith Observatory

You could see aaaaaall of LA:

Then it was off to Chinatown!!!

Which we of course went for the sights food. Let’s be real here!

The orange chicken was meant to be Adam’s.  I don’t like to get the fried stuff typically, but when my fish came…it was honestly not edible. Fish bone in EVERY PIECE.  I was so disappointed:( I ate a lot of his stuff & rice. While it was delicious!, it was the perfect example of how I just don’t function as well on heavy food. It didn’t fill me up & I was groggy…possibly crabby later:p

After the heavy meal, I was glad Adam was also in the mood for a fresh salad for din din.

We made @ stop at Trader J’s of course!!! You gotta when you’re in California:)

We wanted a summery salad, so we went w/ a cranberry/walnut mix & raspberry vinagrette.  We added grilled chicken @ the very end! It was decious w/ the most AMAZING rye from TJ’s

I felt oddly full after dinner (probably still from the Chinese), but when I heard there was a Yogurtland down the street…uhhh a Minnesotan does not pass the fro-yo craze up!

I had pistachio w/ strawberry & cheesecake!!! Gahhhhh soooo good…Adam had dutch chocolate & cheesecake w/ a whoooole mess of toppings I can’t remember!  I like mine plain & simiple…w/ sprinkles:P  ….he had more self control to save a little more for the photo;)

The next day was Venice Beach & the santa monica pier!

beautiful.

Then we had a very gourmet lunch in Malibu…..;)Subway sammie w/ turkey, banana peppers, lettuce, tomato, pickles, hot peppers, dijon & vinegar.

We took the scenic Canyon drive on the way back home which was terrifying beautiful through the valleys.  It was also a/b this time we started getting text messages from EVERYONE we know a/b the tragic death of the King of Pop, Michael Jackson.  I think the whole world is devastated to lose such a musical talent, whether or not his personal life obviously made headlines.  However, we had to let our family & friends know that even if we were in LA, it did not mean we were anywhere neaaaaaar all the chaos of his breaking news. LA is very large people:P  Still, we definietely remembered him by singing his greatest hits montages out loud during the traffic jam.

There were many of these…luckily I’ve discovered one of my drink concoctions satisfies Adam’s tolerance of coffee!!!I think it was meaningful to know we can share coffee together….Adam was less enthused? lol

Skim iced latte’s w/ half a shot of white cocoa.

Since I have TONS of photos from our trip to San Diego I think I’ll save them for the next post!!! My nephew kinda stole the show for photos;) Hope everyone is having a wonderful start to the work week! I think one of the better feelings I had a/b coming home is that I actually was coming home to…more vacation!!!Well, sort of.  My family I work for is currently @ their cabin, so I’m just doing work @ their house while their gone on my own time. Then Adam & I will be trekking up to stay/work w/ them for 3 days next week–eek? I’m nervous but I’m sure it’ll be fun!  xoxo

<3

Reaaaally Good Times!

Since I am convinced I haven’t fully recovered from my birthday..actually really, I’m actually thining I’m legitmately sick today! That’s no longer a hangover….lame!  Either way, it was a blast. Chino Latino was amazing for fun drinks & dinner-like unbelievable! I decided to do just a massive pic post! *please enjoy as my eyes become a little glazed & my skin a little shnier as the night goes on;)

Drink number 1!!! A blackberry mohito martini! This. was.AMAZING….these drinks were huge :O

Adam & I-I love this photo!

Lloyd & I got our names printed on the menus! Awesome place for birthdays.

Tara & Lizzie splitting a passionate erruption. This thing was HUGE.

chipotle salmon sushi roll w/ corn relish!

Jerk Jamaican Chicken w/ Fried plantains!!! We agreed this was the best chicken we’ve ever had…we cleaned it;) Tooooo muchhh fooood…Jess called it the chicken jungle! HA

Guess it was enough food to prepare me for a second drink! “the Cuban Bastard“…pretty much straight up rum  & muddled cherry on ice….oh boy..This drink alone was probably 3 shots. I decided to play w/ the fork…

I needed a little help getting down the stairs to the bathroom…

Thank you Kelsey!:) I can’t believe she is finally done being abroad! YES

Kelsey & matt! (I met him for the first time. They’ve been together for almost 5 years. I expect to sing for free @ their wedding!)

accepting birthday calls….gooooood idea:)

My other lover:) No really, I’ve told her boyfriend I get equal time in her life.

The birthday kids!!!

Lloyd does know the key to my heart:

Yes, yes it is organic vodka. And yes, it was delicious!

While I drank more than intended, Adam def did his duty in making sure people weren’t handing me random things! Well, technically I think they did hand me things but he just took them & drank them himself lol Either way he was looking out:)

Laura & Greggory!

Always remember to bring a spare outfit:)

…And don’t forget pajamas;)  For the record I crashed around the same time a lot of people did!

Like I said, it was just so much fun. I wish I could do it all over again…well, w/o the after effects:/  Yesterday was pretty rough…but the day ended on a comical good note b/c I visited Adam in the hospital for his crazy person research study-he gets paid to stay in the hospital for a day while they do a muscle biopsy…basically I chatted to him while they proceeded to poke him 10 x to get a good vein…they continued to tell us that they sighed when he came in b/c red heads tend to have a harder time w/ getting the IVs in properly! HA;)  Still, he couldn’t eat for over 12 hours so I’m sure he’ll come over starving tonight for my family’s low-low key celebration…good, I don’t want to see alcohol or food for a week…well…;)

I’ll do a final recap of gifts & lovely ‘day-of’ photos w/ my family & Adam & Jess-so many wonderful things! xoxo