My First NFL Game

My plans for this past weekend were supposed to involve some quality couch time- because my couch time these days is fairly non-existent. I was looking forward to a bit of downtime- and actually sleeping in on Sunday. My first time to do so in quite awhile. I had a massage scheduled on Sunday (a girl's gotta do something for her sore muscles :) ) and was really looking forward to enjoying the beautiful weather that came to Houston this weekend. In peace and quiet. And if you know anything about me- you probably know that my mind is neither peaceful- or quiet. So this weekend was going to be a big deal.

Remember that play hard, work hard mantra? Yep- it happened again. I kissed my quality couch time goodbye- in favor of something SO much better. Aaron told me on Friday that he had 3 tickets to the Cowboys game in Dallas. Not only that, but they were playing the Texans. It was going to be an awesome game.

I have never been to an NFL game and have only become a football fan since I fell in love with Baylor football- so I was excited. So, I sacrificed my pre-scheduled couch plans and canceled that massage in favor of going to the game. Rough life. But in all seriousness- making memories is so much better than some missed couch time (even if you really need it).

Saturday morning: 

Aaron and I started out bright and early for our 10-mile run. And it felt great. I'm feeling more confident with my nutrition in terms of fueling before and during my runs. We have been running in imperfect weather this entire summer. It has been HOT HOT HOT and humid here in Houston. The payoff comes in being able to truly enjoy a long run in the cooler weather. Again, we ran this week's run smart. Started off slow and ran a negative split. No pain and no headache! This week, I tried the pink lemonade Honey Stingers and was pleasantly surprised. Not too sweet and held me through til the end.

Saturday afternoon: 

So- the roomie and I have an strange affinity for all things pumpkin. You've probably seen those people out in the world, grabbing all things pumpkin off the shelves. Well- that's us. And I'm not at all embarrassed to admit it. Hey- fall only comes around once a year, so why not embrace it. We stopped by Trader Joes because word on the street was they got their pumpkin shipment in! One of their employees told me last year, that once items are gone- they are gone. So clearly, we had to stock up. I'll give you the full rundown on the good and the unique in a bit, but for now, I spent way more money than I care to admit on pumpkin items. Photo evidence below:

After that, we watched the Baylor Bears beat UT for the fourth win in the last five games- but who's counting?

Cowboys Game Day

If I wasn't already a Cowboys fan- this game sealed the deal. Krob, Aaron and I woke up at 5 a.m. Sunday morning to make the drive to Dallas. We got in around 11:30 and made it into the stadium right after kickoff. The stadium is beautiful and was filled with fans- seriously- there were fans all the way up to the top. Our seats were amazing, and I got to see some of my real-life favorite players up close and personal- including my very favorite player- Terrance Williams (who happened to score a touchdown)! Can anyone guess why he is my fave? He played at Baylor and it has been so neat to see him really do well in the NFL! I'll let the photos do the talking, but we all had a fabulous time and got home super late Sunday night, but it was so worth it! Oh yeah, and the Boys won!!!

My people!

Baylor Bears cheering on the Boys

Got to see the Boys up close and personal!

T-Wills!!!!

That's for Dez

The stadium is gorgeous!

P.S. the Cowboys have some extra cute game day apparel, courtesy of Victoria's Secret, which I'll share with you in a few.

Weekend Wrap-Up

Wow- so this space has been slightly neglected. The second half of my week got the better of me, but work hard, play hard :)

Friday: 

I knew I needed some fuel for my day ahead. I had a big meeting and lots of other items on the agenda for the day. I typically start my mornings off with a green smoothie. Not only are they delicious, but they are packed with nutrients to get my days off on the right track. I will also not forget to give a shoutout to my coffee, which certainly helps as well. The thing I enjoy most about my green smoothies, is that you can mix and match the ingredients for something new each day. I also enjoy my smoothies before a long run.

 

 

 

Frozen mango, ripe banana, spinach, fresh figs, ice cubes and almond milk (unsweetened vanilla)

The base for my green smoothie is as follows:

• 1 handful of spinach (organic- spinach is a member of the dirty dozen) **If you haven't heard about the Clean 15 and the Dirty Dozen, take some time to educate yourself. It has to do with the pesticides found in many of our everyday produce**
• 1 ripe banana
• 4 ice cubes
• 1 cup of almond milk (I use unsweetened vanilla. Almond milk contains more calcium than regular milk)

I typically switch up the rest of my ingredients depending on my mood. You can add in some of the following:

• Flaxseed
• Strawberries (dirty dozen)
• Blueberries (dirty dozen)
• Peaches (dirty dozen)
• Blackberries
• Pineapple (clean 15)
• Greek Yogurt (non-fat)
• Frozen mangoes (my personal fave- part of the clean 15)
• The list goes on and on..... 

I needed a bit more fuel for my Friday, so I added in fresh figs (delish) and some of my favorite frozen mango to my smoothie base. As you can see, I love my Trader Joes!


My meeting on Friday was a business lunch. We headed over to Trevisio in the Medical Center for lunch so we wouldn't have to venture too far from the office. While my boss and I were waiting for the rest of the participants to show up- I looked up- and saw my Grand-big (back from my sorority days) sitting right across the room. It was so nice to see her and catch up for a brief second- and we will for sure be meeting for lunch soon! I had the salmon and it was delish!

Friday Evening

I headed out of the office fairly late on Friday, but I felt like I got several things off my plate that needed to get finished. I got home, walked the dog and wanted a low key evening to finish off the crazy week. So, Aaron and I decided to try a new taco place we had been wanting to try: Bodega's Taco Shop in the Museum District. They had tacos, live music and margaritas- so how could we pass that up? We sat outside and caught up on our week. The food was okay, but I think I prefer Torchy's Tacos a bit better. I had the fish tacos and Aaron had the salmon tacos- both were okay, but did the trick. After, I had been wanting to try Cloud 10 Creamery in the Village. Now, if you haven't heard of Cloud 10, it is a gourmet ice cream shop, and the chef is Chris Leung- the pastry chef from Kata Robata. He concocts flavors that are out of the ordinary, but so delicious.

I had the cucumber sorbet, along with the vanilla bean. Aaron had the mango sorbet. All were delicious!

Saturday

Saturday was our long run. Aaron and I knocked out our 5 mile run by 9:30. And boy, was it already hot outside. I don't think I've ever been so drenched in sweat. We ran at race pace- and the legs felt good. Overall, I was pretty pleased with the run, but so looking forward to some cooler fall temps.

I was taking Sawyer on a quick walk before my shower, and I got a phone call from my old roommate and great friend, Jenny. We were sorority sisters, college friends and roomies for two years. She was going to come to Houston on a whim and wanted to know if we were busy. Which-if your long time friend decides to come play- you would clear your schedule too.

Krob and I had to clean the house furiously put a few things back in place and run around to get a gift, which I'll get to tomorrow. But just so you know, my heart is full. Remember this post on friendships, well my friends deliver- big time. They make me laugh, they inspire me with how smart and creative they are and we make time for each other when busy schedules don't always allow!  So for now, I'm going into this week with a full heart and a full schedule. I'll share more about the weekend tomorrow, but I'll leave you with this gem first:

We couldn't do an impromptu girl's weekend without a proper pedicure!

Happy Monday - Aaron and I are about to up our running mileage this evening, and of course, we need to watch Bachelor in Paradise. Quality television.