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Wednesday, May 30, 2012

charlottesville part 2...









i had such a wonderful time visiting katie.  on sunday we went to the jefferson vineyards and monticello.  i learned so much about thomas jefferson!  it was interesting to see how different from mount vernon (george washington's home) it was.  how much more glamorous in a way, due to his time in france no doubt.   i wanted to share some of my snaps with you - it's been and will continue to be a crazy week.  

is anyone else reading, entangled in, obsessed with stories of christian grey...?

Saturday, May 26, 2012

charlottesville, va...






made it to charlottesville around 7:45 last night.  katie took me down to the downtown mall.   it was just so cute down there, and being in the old village i found i had a lot of photo ops.  we walked around and down to where the restaurants and boutiques are.  ate dinner at nook and enjoyed the people watching and scenery.  they have live music down at their amphitheater, so the streets were jam packed full with people being that the concert had just finished.   it was a little difficult finding a place reasonably priced where i could find something to eat on the menu.   i ended up with the blackened catfish with a side salad and steamed broccoli - it was really yummy!  

today we lounged by the pool and enjoyed a trip to whole foods (love that place!)  made some fresh fruit smoothies and are now enjoying a nice flick a little toasty from the sun... 

it's just so great to be with katie and away from home for a few days! :) more to come...

Wednesday, May 23, 2012

paleolithic lifestyle...

on may 6th, sara and i decided to do a 30 day challenge -  "clean eating, no cheating". 
now, i don't typically eat poorly at all...however, i do love my cheating, fleeting moments when i can indulge in something ooey-gooey, salty, crunchy, bready, and delicious.  

after having somewhat of a breakdown, i realized the paleo diet is not all that bad.  you see - i can still have things i love like feta cheese and BACON!  just not other things i love like pizza...  i certainly can live without pizza though.  

an interesting thought.  for 1.) i have dropped about 5 lbs and i'm still eating a LOT of food...  2.) my body feels devoid of toxins and bloat.  i have more energy (exercise helps!) and don't feel as lethargic throughout the day.  it's also mentally satisfying to know i can resist dibella's subs when they're brought into work - at no cost to me...  but it was good to know i didn't need to have one.  when my dad first started this diet/lifestyle, i was certainly skeptical.  as i'm sure you all are reading this.  i though, you need whole grains in your diet, they're good for you.  but after eliminating them and feeling how good i feel... i'm convinced that they're simply an extra.   i was thinking that i would go back to allowing myself 1 full "cheat" day on june 5th when the 30 days is up - however, now i'm thinking i don't want to damage the good i've done mentally and physically.   they really do make it fairly easy to find and make things that you need with almond flour or just plain ground up nuts instead of using grains...  yum! 

last night i made cabbage rolls and a tossed salad - 
cabbage rolls:
peal cabbage leaves from head and try to keep them as intact as possible, then blanch the cabbage leaves
while you're leaves are cooling prepare your stuffing; i used canned crushed tomatoes seasoned with basil, ground turkey, red and green bell pepper, white onion and garlic sauteed. 

my tossed salad included: baby spinach, sliced strawberries, red onion, broccoli, cucumbers and white balsamic vinaigrette. 

if you're willing to give up gluten and dairy (if an allergen hasn't forced it on you already), here are some simple guidelines to follow for a paleo lifestyle.


Monday, May 21, 2012

leopard...

let's face it - i'm obsessed.  at this point i could build an entire leopard outfit with the pieces i have.  hmm.. let's see; coat, flats, dress...  i'm even finding ways to take old pieces, like the sweater dress pictured here, and turn it into something new and exciting.  i had only worn it a few times as a dress, it's quite short (being from forever 21) but, i loved the way the top fit me.  so, i cut it - now, it can become a wardrobe staple.  tomorrow i'm pairing it with my new turquoise jeans from target (another smart buy) and my new TOMS wedges.  



PS: yes, i plan my outfits the night before.  if i didn't, then i'd be standing in my closet in a towel for god knows how long and a girl's gotta conserve all the time she can in the morning! 

Sunday, May 20, 2012

results

dad and i finished in 27:58 minutes

he finished 27th in his age group!

i ran for 23 year old sara, so i finished 19th in an age group 5 years my junior  :)

then we went and laid on the beach - what a great day!

race day...


sitting on my porch, waking up, blog stalking, drinking coffee, and thinking of my race today.  i'm running in the annual Lilac Festival 5K with my dad.  it's his first race!  i'm so excited for him - the race atmosphere is very addicting.   my apartment is about a mile or so from the race starting point, so we're meeting here and walking/warming up on the way up there.  what a beautiful morning, too.  

i'm trying to get trained up for the Rochester Half Marathon.  i just can't seem to get myself to run over 4 miles anymore...  not sure what the mental block is...  it's so nice out in the mornings now, hopefully i can find the motivation!

other fun outdoor activities on my to do list this impending summer include:
hiking, and lots of it
camping, at least once
day trips to letchworth and stonybrook


what are you doing this summer?  running any races?  

race results to follow! xx

Sunday, May 13, 2012

mom's day...




mom's day menu:

grilled spicy shrimp 
tossed salad
white wine and butter steamed clams


the little man of the house.  he's growing so fast! :)


all us ladies.   having a blast and enjoying the food, weather and company on the deck.  

life lately, according to my iPhone photos










Friday, May 11, 2012

Pastel pants

Have you tried this trend yet?

I did.

Thursday, May 10, 2012

just enjoy the view




whenever i run in my neighborhood i run down the genesee river trail.  it comes straight from downtown rochester and goes into the university of rochester campus for, geez, i don't even know how long!
either way, when i pick it up this is the gorgeous view of the city of rochester i get.  the freddy-sue bridge adds an aesthetic quality that a lot of other cities just down have.  the trail is so tranquil and relaxing to run down and also alleviates the ugly part of mt. hope avenue i don't appreciate running down.  if i don't decide to continue down the path through the university campus then i usually pop out on mt. hope avenue just before the ford street bridge and mt. hope cemetery and run on up into the highland park area. i took the above photos this past sunday, i actually went back to the trail after my morning run because it was such a gorgeous day for snaps :)

speaking of highland park - the lilac festival starts tomorrow.  literally one of the greatest rochester festivals of the season, and i believe it's the first one as well! 

this is truly my favorite time of year!

Friday, May 4, 2012

OOTD

I have not done an outfit post in I-don't-know-how-long! I've been trying to keep it fashionable in my outfits to work.  Not sure if I've told you before but I don't have to "dress up" for work.  We have a "casual dress code", which is really just guidelines.  No flip-flops, no skirts that hit more than an inch above the knee, no ripped up jean or torn clothing.  

Sometimes it's truly a pity, because torn clothing can look so chic if worn correctly.   Regardless - I keep my torn clothing for the weekend and try to stick to "dressing for the job I want"... 


Well... except maybe on Fridays when I'm tired of wearing heels that make my calves ache...  My feet are longing for my Toms.  They are my new Go-To's after purchasing them in California this February.  

Scarf, Charlotte Russe
Shirt, target
Belt, AE
Jeans, Gap
Shoes, TOMS


Thursday, May 3, 2012

a few new things...






Just wanted to share a few new purchases. 

both scarfs and both pairs of platforms via Charlotte Russe.

Wednesday, May 2, 2012

recital hangover...

sorry i've been so wishy washy with my posts.  my goal is to post MORE, last week and weekend was just crazy!  with the feis in syracuse (the kids did a GREAT job, nearly all placed and took home something) and the recital the following day (equally great success!)... i'm just a bit danced out.   nonetheless, i've done private lessons this week and will be teaching tonight at competition class.  i'm super excited to get back into that groove...   although i love my little babes, teaching the kids that compete is just a whole different ball game.  i think i relate better to them as a dancer because i feel like i wouldn't do something for "fun" and not practice to be the very best at it.    they come to class every week, expect to get "shouted" at, expect to sweat, expect to NOT play games, expect to perform 150%... and don't ask questions about it.   they know it's for their own benefit...  

needless to say i'm pumped.  now, i'll try to not be so "part time blogger" in the future, but sometimes life just takes over :)

see ya soon - xx