Travel Day

Headed out to Austin for work this week. Packed some healthy snacks for the travel.

Said goodbye to Hubbs and this guy...

Layover in Dallas... Excited for the construction but I walked forever. Hello exercise!

I had some time to grab dinner and have been craving a burger so I grabbed a booth at Friday's and devoured this sucker.

About ready to board my flight with a full belly and am hoping for an easy flight and good sleep tonight! 11 meetings tomorrow- here we go!

Finally Friday!

It's been a crazy, hectic blur of a week around here.

Girls on the Run started up their spring session this week! So excited to be running with the girls again. We've got a great group, a lot of the same girls from last season. I can tell it's going to be great! I can't tell you how excited I was to see their faces and hear what keeps them positive. Cuddling, puppies. fudge. I can get on board with all of those.

This week was a good week, an exciting week. Some crazy things happened, and it's all just sinking in. But these images fit how I'm feeling right now. I feel like I'm embarking on a great adventure. So excited to see where life takes me! 

And speaking of adventure, work travel season kicks off on Sunday, so I'll be all over the place the next few months. Stay tuned for posts from Austin, TX next week! 

Happy Weekend!!

What a Weekend!

Kicked off the weekend with my bestie. We had all intentions of going out to a nice dinner then going to see a girly movie. We got some interesting news from a friend of ours, didn't know how to process, and decided to just get take out Mexican, lots of wine, and sit at home going "WTF." Just what we needed! So thankful for good friends to do life with.

And then we decided to get crazy with face masks. You know... wine.. 

Saturday night, Hubbs and I hit the town. We decided to try out a new restaurant downtown- Civil. It didn't have the best reviews when it first opened, so I was weary, but a friend said it was good, so we gave it a shot. We sat upstairs at the bar. Loved the setting. It was very quiet and relaxing- with great views of the square. Hubbs had the Chicken Strips, and I had the Civil Burger with Gouda Mash. Definitely hit the spot!

Sunday was a pretty relaxing day. I met up with the bestie again for Starbucks then Hot Barre at Physique Fitness. It was my first time going. I've been to hot yoga. I've been to barre, but never hot barre. It was the best way I could have ended the weekend. It felt so good to make my muscles burn. And surprisingly, I'm feeling pretty good today. 

And then to top the weekend off, I came home and Hubbs had dinner ready yet again. His special recipe of cream cheese meatballs (my favorite!) and gnocchi with tomato basil marinara from Trader Joe's. My mouth was watering as soon as I stepped in the house. 

After a great weekend full of great food, friend time, exercise, and relaxation, Snoops and I had the same Monday morning expression. 

Hope you have a Happy Monday too! 

Slackin' into Friday

I feel like I've totally been a slacker this week. Hubbs has been amazing and made all the meals this week. Which means man meals. Meat and potatoes all the way. Last night was chicken, potatoes, and baked beans. I'll take it! 

Hit the gym to wrap up the week. Started off with some Sworkit yoga. It felt so good to stretch out! 

I tried to make my yoga time relaxing by playing some chill music. I'm not sure Juvenile counts, but it sure does speak loads about my taste in music. Loved it! 

After some yoga, I headed outside for a short run. The weather is gorgeous. 70 degrees, but a little windy. Not too shabby for a February. Missouri weather is so bipolar; I wouldn't be surprised if we get a blizzard next week. Since it's warming up, that also means the geese are back. Thankfully, it's not mating season yet, so they quickly hopped off my running path with only a little stink eye. Those buggers can get downright scary during mating season!

Gorgeous weather continues this weekend, and I have lots planned including a date with my bestie tonight. Great weekend ahead!! 

Valentine's Weekend

My Valentine's weekend was the perfect mix of fun and relaxation. On Friday night, we headed out for our weekly date night. Downtown was crowded so we stopped at Mother's Brewery to have a few beers before heading to dinner. I had the Chocolate Thunder. Delicious! 

After that, we headed to Black Sheep. I've blogged about it before, but it's a great burger place. Well, even though we went late, there was still an hour and a half wait, so they sent us upstairs to their bar. I had no idea that they had a bar upstairs! It seemed almost like a speakeasy! They had a great cheese dip with gorgonzola, jalapenos, and candied bacon. Normally, I'm not a fan of gorgonzola but this was amazing! 

And either time flew by or the wait was much shorter than an hour and a half, but before I knew it, I was downstairs shoving this amazing burger into my mouth. It's the Foodie. I get it every time- I don't pass up boursin ever! 

After dinner, we met up with some friends and the night flew by. Needless to say, I was more than happy and thankful to have Black Sheep leftovers for breakfast in bed on Saturday...with a side of tons of water. Signs of a good Friday night!

Sunday morning, I made some oatmeal protein pancakes topped with pink greek yogurt to fit the day. And hazelnut coffee in one of my favorite coffee mugs! 

Weather was horrible, and we wanted to avoid any holiday weekend crowds, so we had a wonderful appetizer dinner at home while watching Bachelor. Because we have problems. Appetizers are my favorite meal. We make a delicious dish that is so easy- a layer of cream cheese, a layer of cocktail sauce, and shrimp. Then we scoop it up with different crackers. Definitely my favorite. 

And we finished off the night with some pistachio gelato. Gelato is the way to my heart any day. Move over ice cream. This is my jam.

Wonderful Valentine's weekend with lots of food, fun, friends, and relaxation! 

Happy Friday!

Finally made it to Friday! What a week! I'm always in a better mood and more motivated on Fridays. Not sure what it is, but it's just good.

Hit the gym and decided to do some weights, abs, and rowing.

Made me realize just how much I can't wait to be out on the lake this summer. I bought a paddle board towards the end of last summer and just didn't get enough use out of it. Can't wait to get out on the water to put my muscles to work and clear my head. Funny how working out can be one of the most relaxing things I do.

Have a great weekend! 

Quote Kinda Day

Today was one of those days where I looked to Pinterest for quotes to fit my feels. I'm in the middle of this chaotic journey of waiting. Waiting for things to happen in my career, waiting for things to happen in my personal life. Just waiting. It's definitely hard because I'm a plan and just do it kind of person. I don't like to have things out of my control but that's all life's been lately, and I'm learning to embrace it.

Today felt like forward momentum. Today feels like a baby step closer to one of the things that I feel like I have been waiting forever for. I want to be excited, but I'm tentative still knowing that everything is out of my control. 

My life will be changing soon. Not sure when. Not sure how. I just know there will be change. I hope it's the change I've been working so hard for, but it might not be. And if it's not, new doors will open. Until then, I'll just continue to wait and hold on to the little baby steps that bring me comfort. 

Sorry for being so vague but had to get my feelings out. Maybe someone can relate or find comfort in this.

Wonderful Weekend!

Happy Monday! I had a fun, but somewhat relaxing weekend! It started out Friday night with Galentine's! I had a blast just hanging out with the girls, pigging out on inappropriate junk food and champagne. What better way to start the weekend?

Saturday morning the weather was beautiful, so I hit the track with my fav furry running buddy. He hung in there for 2 1/2 miles. Not bad considering we haven't run outside since Thanksgiving! 

Hubbs and I decided to have a fun afternoon together. We headed out and did a little house hunting. Slightly toying with the idea of upgrading to a bigger house, but nothing serious so we just hit up some open houses for fun. Then we stopped to refuel at Big Momma's Coffee- delicious macchiato- with a nice view of the trains going by. 

After coffee, we hit up some antique stores then decided to try someplace new for dinner. Rama Thai Cafe was a place we'd always driven by but never stopped. It's in an old house right next to Missouri State. It was a really neat little place. I devoured crab rangoon before I could snap a pic. We also had the spring rolls, drunken noodle with shrimp (Pad Kew Mow) and sesame chicken. So much food! We're having the rest tonight during Bachelor. So excited! 

And even though we were stuffed, we made a stop to check out the new Hurts Donut on the southside of town and picked up some simple, glazed donuts for Sunday morning. 

Hurts has some awesome, interesting donuts, but I prefer it plain and simple with either glazed or the streusel. Sunday was spent on the couch- didn't even go anywhere for the Super Bowl. Wonderful lazy weekend at home! 

Friday Fun

It's Friday, and I'm feeling feisty. I started out the day by putting this gem in a co-worker's office for their birthday. 

Hit the gym at lunch again. Sometimes just wearing gym clothes that make you feel good can put you in the right mindset to kick butt. I seriously love working out in bike shorts. They're just comfy to me. And I love a good pony. Good day.

Last fun thing of the day so far.... I was running on the treadmill and looked up to see a family friend on the Rachael Ray Show. How random! 

Darnell owns SuperChefs. They have locations in Ohio: Columbus and Gahanna. I visited their location in Louisville just a few days before it was destroyed by a fire. Horrible thing, but so glad I got the chance to try the food. It was amazing! Great burger called Feelin' Mello that had candied bacon on it. Delicious. 

Well, that's my random Friday. Ready to kick off the weekend! 

Skipped Workout to Plan...

Instead of using my lunch break to work out today, I used it to book some flights. Just as productive, I think. :)

Can't wait to explore New York City in April!

WTF Wednesday

That quote, "After Tuesday, even the calendar goes WTF..." is pretty much where I am today. So, today I'm sharing with you 3 things that made me go WTF during my gym time.

First off- this lady.... Decided to take a personal call during my entire workout. Just pacing up and down the gym, chatting away. At least hop on a treadmill, lady! Multitask here. 

Then, I walked in the locker room to find this... Yes, that looks like the perfect place to dispose of a foam roller...

And then, I remembered how awkward my locker room is and decided to share a photo with you. Yes, those are giant fish hanging over the showers. They stare at me every day while I change. I can't even.

WTF, Wednesday. Seriously- WTF.

I'm an Aunt!

I'm an Aunt! I'm an Aunt! And I don't care who knows it!!

Thursday afternoon, we hit the road and drove 8 hours straight to Louisville, KY to meet my one week old nephew!! He's precious, and I'm in love. This is the kid that made me an aunt! It's just crazy to wrap my brain around. I could hold him and stare at him forever. Life is an incredible thing.

Even though we were in Louisville, we didn't leave the house. I wanted to spend as much time with my nephew as possible! My family did surprise me with my favorite cake as a late birthday celebration. Marble with whipped frosting. And nothing tops a cake that says "Aunt Abby!" Weekend made.

Back to work and real life on Monday. Since I literally spent the whole weekend sitting on my butt and eating cake, gym was top of the list. Another great SWORKout! Plyometrics Jump Cardio kicked my butt- now I feel geared up for the rest of the week!