Weekend Wrap-Up Part 2

So yes, this weekend deserves two wrap-up posts for two very special reasons.

So remember this? I was mistaken, and the fantasy football draft actually occurred last Wednesday (I thought it was Thursday), which meant some last minute research and some hectic drafting. I have an "okay" team, although I did end up with LeSean McCoy (who currently has a sore thumb) and my own Baylor Bear, Kendall Wright (I had to have one Baylor Bear on my team).

While I was frantically drafting consulting with my appropriately researched spreadsheet, I received a call. From Andy. Who was supposed to be in Puerto Rico. I was torn. I was drafting (which is clearly important), but what if she needed some sort of help? So, I picked a player, and called her back. No response. She called back- during my turn. I was stressed, so I called her back after my turn. No response. We finally connected. She got engaged!!!!!! And I could NOT BELIEVE I MISSED HER CALL FOR THE FANTASY FOOTBALL DRAFT!!!! Neither could she. I was kind of shocked, but not really (it was definitely coming) and SO happy for her! Not to mention her ring is gorgeous, and Coco made it so special for her! It makes my heart happy! That being said:

It was HOT

 1. Coco has an excellent poker face - it's that lawyer in him. Aaron and I asked him a couple of weeks ago when he was talking about the Puerto Rico trip if he was going to propose, and he (very smoothly) said he wasn't. He tricked me for sure!

2. We had a celebration on Saturday night so obviously, Krob and I had to put together a gift! So we ran around Saturday grabbing things Andy might need:

How cute is this card?

Our basket

Contents:

• Bride's Guide of Checklists
• Champagne
• Notepad
• Bridal magazine (we went with the Knot and Houston Weddings)
• Bride Panties (sooo... .Target has a super cute bridal line now, so we obviously had to take advantage)

Since Jenny was in town, we all had to partake in pedicures Saturday afternoon:

Krob, Jenny, me, Aaron

Then, we rushed to get ready for our Restaurant Week dinner, which I'll talk about tomorrow. After dinner, we rushed over to West Alabama Ice House for the celebration, then back over to Boheme for some additional celebrating.

Krob, Kim, me, Jenny

Love these ladies! And I love that we are still friends ten years later. We all met our freshman year at Baylor!!!!

And hey- in the market for a man gift? Aaron thought he should get Cody a congratulatory man-gift to celebrate the engagement. So he picked out a nice bottle of this: 

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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.

Russia and Fantasy Football

It appears as if I have quite a few Russian readers (shout out to our Russian friends!!!)! That being said, I'm going to talk about something today that probably might not appeal to the global audience- i.e. fantasy football.

But first, can we please talk about my yoga socks? I mean, check these bad boys out. I saw them at my local Define studio (sidenote: If you haven't tried one of their classes- please do! Their Rev classes and the Body classes are amazing. I get a great workout in every time) and obviously had to get a pair. Gotta represent :) I'll try to find somewhere online where you can get some of your own.

Speaking of yoga socks, last night, I got in a good yoga class. The yoga has really been keeping me focused on stretching properly after my runs. I can feel myself getting stronger and more flexible. This class is more about yoga for strength, which I can definitely appreciate. I've never been great at keeping my mind quiet, so the types of yoga classes that have that particular focus, are actually not my favorite. I utilize yoga as a supplement to my running, to build strength and flexibility in my muscles. Ross has been great at keeping me focused on my stretching! I was also able to get a great three-mile run in on Monday evening. Although, I'm going to need this humidity to go away soon!

Now, onto Fantasy Football. It is that time of year again. Last year was my first time ever to participate in a Fantasy Football league- and I kind of got into it. I prefer college Baylor football over anything else, so this was a great way to keep me focused on other games. Last year, I just so happened to grab RGIII as one of my quarterbacks (and I'm certainly hoping to A. get him again this year and B. that he has a better season. I have faith). I also had Seattle's defense annnnd Anquan Boldin.

My team name this year is: Watt Happened. (get it? haha) Our draft is this Thursday evening, but I might have to set mine to auto draft :( because I don't think I want to miss my bootcamp class.  Either way, I'm looking forward to another season of smack-talking and football watching.

Oh yeah, and I can't wait to watch Baylor play SMU in the new Mclane Stadium on August 31st- sadly, we will be watching here from Houston:

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Weekend Wrap-Up

Happy Monday! This week I am gearing up for two big work events. This Thursday, we were offered a unique opportunity to partner with a local museum and put on an event for children and their families. Looking forward to see this all come together. If you are in Houston, feel free to check this out. On Friday, my Director and I have a meeting regarding a new kind of opportunity. And September brings one of our most unique visitors to date (in my opinion), which I will share more about in the coming weeks. All that being said, I look forward to jumping right into my Monday to power through my to-do list!

This weekend was exhausting in the best way ever. Before I get into that, this next piece of information will probably come as a shock to you. I do indeed mow the lawn on occasion. Need proof? Here it is:

And yes, if you have to mow the lawn, no one said you had to look frumpy doing it. I put on my Chanel shades and it makes it 100 times better. Are you a lawn mowing novice in the market for some DIY tips from an expert (yeah right)? Here are some tips I've learned along the way:

1. That dog poo isn't going to clean itself up- and it's not the best idea to plow through it with your mower. No need to elaborate on this one- just trust me :)

They even look guilty!

 2. The same goes for sticks. And I DO feel the need to elaborate on this one. It's for your safety- trust me. You cannot. I repeat. Cannot mow over sticks. The mower will shoot them back at you, and you will find yourself dodging flying objects for the next hour of your life. It's all about the pre-yard clearing work.

3. Sparks are bad. Just steer clear of any sidewalks and tree roots. Trust me on this one.     


In all seriousness, mowing the lawn is an excellent workout (especially if you get lazy and don't mow the grass for several weeks the grass is really long) and a great way to relieve some stress! I actually enjoy doing it every now and then. And I think I do a better mowing job than our lawn guy, Ron- who has been drunk and mowed the lawn a time or two. And sidenote: drunk mowing leads to a nice little fade, which is a bit contrary to the consistent look we were going for- and has also led to some interesting designs in the grass. My last tip for you: If you hire the neighborhood lawn man who rides his bike with a six-pack attached, you better catch him early in the morning- otherwise, he'll drunk-mow your lawn.

Okay- so back to the weekend.

Friday Night: 

I like to carb load for my longer runs with a hamburger the night before. No joke. I've actually found a good hamburger does a decent job at getting me through a long run without weighing me down. Just so happened, our friends were grilling on Friday, so Aaron and I made our way over by the pool for some burgers!

Saturday:

Here was my houseguest for the weekend:

The Robinson fam was in town and brought Riley. How cute is he? LOVE him!

Saturday is my long run day. Because we were helping Katlin move starting at 8 a.m. Saturday, I needed to get my long run in before the move (it was supposed to be a HOT day). I missed my 6 a.m. wakeup, but had my shoes laced up and ready to go by 6:45. It was much cooler running that early in the morning, and surprisingly (to a non-early riser such as myself) there were quite a few people out and about. Although, I do prefer my sleep, I can't say I didn't enjoy running in some cooler weather. I SO wish I could be a morning person, but I'm definitely a night-owl for life.

After that, I grabbed my second cup of coffee (yes, I have a problem) and Aaron and I were out the door to help Katlin move. The move went pretty smoothly and everything was unloaded within about an hour.

Then, I was starving- so it was lunch time, some errands, then nap time for me. We took some dinner over to the Robinsons Saturday night.

Sunday:

Aaron and I decided we needed to something fun with our Sunday (and since watersports are our thing lately), so we took off on a mini road-trip down to Clear Lake to go jet-skiing. I sadly do not have any photos because I didn't want my phone to get wet, but we sure had a great time. I had actually never driven a jet ski before, so Aaron gave me a quick lesson. After some hesitation, I had us going fast in no time. It felt great to be in the water- and we steered clear of the gator section from last week :) We will be going back! After jet skiing, we hung out on the patio and had some fresh ceviche (one of my summer faves) from Boondoggles and headed back to Houston. If anyone has a good ceviche recipe, please send it my way!!!!

And of course, no weekend is complete without a trip to my beloved Trader Joes. I love that place (and their wine selection)!

Happy Monday- Happy Start of your week!!!

Brooks

My love affair with Brooks isn't a new development. Not only are their products some of the best in the market, their customer service is fantastic. I have been loving to see their growth over these past couple of years.

Their motto is "Run Happy," how can you argue with that? 

Your running shoes might be the most important part of your run. These are the one thing that I will splurge on big time when it comes to my running gear. I have not always been such a proponent of quality running shoes. I would typically go for the ones that stood out to me the most in the store. That doesn't always translate into good support for your feet. I started running back when I was in grad school (2008-2010). I really picked it up seriously in 2011, which is when I started to experience some ankle problems. The bottom line- the shoes I had just weren't right for my stride.

I was introduced to Luke's Locker and have honestly never looked back. I always encourage new runners to go to a store similar to Luke's and have them analyze your stride. Their experts will put you in the right pair of shoes. They have a small track that runs through the middle of their store, and they have you run up and down a couple of times. Their experts watch you and give you several options to choose from (in all different price ranges) based on how you run. How great is that?

Needless to say, I bought my first pair of the Brooks Glycerin back in 2011 and these have been my go-to shoe ever since. Brooks' other running gear is pretty cool too. Their dri-fit tops have the best fit out of any other company I have found and I love their tank tops!

That being said, they had their major sale this week, so I ordered a pair Monday afternoon, and they already made it my way (hello great customer service)! Check these bad boys out. I already tried them out in bootcamp last night! These might be my most favorite pair ever- LOVE the color!

Bright colors make me happy!

The thing I love about Brooks, is that they don't fore-go cuteness for quality. They have it both. They are excellent quality, annnnd way cute!

So, I wanted to leave you with Happy Friday, and if you feel like you need a new pair of running shoes- their sale is still going on. Click HERE. I might even buy myself a second pair :)

On Friendships

 

As a females, I think it's so important to have girlfriends in your life. Over the years, I have been incredibly blessed by many women who are still around to this day. We have shared many memories, many laughs and been through some big milestones. I think it's so important to support each other, encourage each other and to love each other. Because at the end of the day, we are all in this together. I am thankful to have a family of some great friends here in Houston. It just so happens my "little (from our sorority days- we were Zetas)," Kate, is in Houston. (Fun fact about Kate- she is the nanny for the Little Couple.) And she and her fiance, Trey- make me laugh. So last night, they invited Aaron and I to a mid-week Astros game. After a long day at work for both of us (some non-professional time was most definitely needed), I rushed home, took Sawyer for a quick walk and we were out the door. We ran over to Irma's Southwest Kitchen for a quick adult beverage... and some snacks. And yes, that does mean that I missed my Tuesday evening yoga class. Which also means, because I did not partake in my Tuesday evening workout, that I will be training on Friday (I give myself one day off from training a week to give my body a rest, and that day is usually Friday).

The Astros were playing the Twins last night. Two things about the Astros. They have a player on their team with the last name "Hoes," which I find to be rather funny. Thanks to Cody and Andy, Aaron now wears his "Hoes" shirt that he received as a birthday gift. I'll return the favor one of these days, Andy. And the second thing about the Astros, is that their mascot, Orbit, is kind of a creeper- and I love it. I could watch him for hours. It's mine and Kate's new goal to get our photo taken with him.   

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And of course, the evening would not be complete without a group selfie. Kate, Trey, Aaron and I have quite the group selfie history- as in- some major group selfie fails. So, we always try to get a good one. 

Attempt #1

Attempt #2

The third, and final attempt

 So today, I'm thankful for these friendships, old and new, and thankful for the memories that we have all shared and the ones to come!

Happy Wednesday!

A Recipe + Date Bars

So, I'm a big fan of dates. They are a great snack, packed with fiber, potassium and magnesium. They are also a great way to satisfy my sweet tooth. I hadn't baked anything in quite sometime, so I decided this weekend it was time. I wanted to bake a dessert that was naturally sweet, with not a ton of added sugar. I had some dates on hand, so date bars it was.

Photo Courtesy

 Recipe: 

Filling

1 1/2 cups chopped, pitted dates (I used the medjool dates- delish)
3/4 cup water
2 Tbsp. sugar

Bars

1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup butter/margarine
1 cup whole wheat flour
3/4 cup quick cook oats
1/4 tsp baking soda
Sprinkle of salt

Directions:

• Put all of the "filling" ingredients in a small saucepan. Cook for about 10 minutes, stirring constantly, over low heat. The filling will thicken. Cool for about 5 minutes- the filling will continue to thicken.
• In a bowl, mix all of the "bars" ingredients
• Spread half of your crumb mixture in the bottom of an 8x8 greased pan. Pour the filling on top, then press the remaining crumb mixture on top of the filling.
• Put in a 400 degree oven and bake for about 25 - 30 minutes.

See? Quick and easy. I enjoy eating these while they're warm, or enjoying with a nice cup of coffee. I have been starving by the time I get home from work, and I don't like to eat a full meal before a run. So, eating one of these will hold me over until after my run when I can eat my dinner.