going to the zoo...

i took a few days off - a little stay-cation of sorts.  mostly just because i have this time off that i'm supposed to use, even if it's not to go anywhere...

so with my time off (today being the first day) i'm doing the chores i have little time for and hanging out with my favorite people.  tomorrow sara and i are taking romeo to the zoo (snaps to come)!  the thought just puts that peter, paul and mary song in my head on repeat!

in case you don't know it...

what do you do with your stay-cations?

friday night before a feis...

for those of you who are not irish dancing readers - a feis (pronounced "fesh") is an irish dance competition.  the word feis or feisianna (plural) means festival in gaelic.  back in my feising day, there was a lot more focus on all traditional irish activities, for instance soda bread competitions, and irish music and art competitions.  there were also a number of art vendors - now it's just 10 different tables with soffee shorts that say "irish dancers rock" across the hiney.   now-a-days a feis is definitely more dancing focused.   we are even feis tanning our dancers legs!  i never did that unless it was a major (regionals or nationals), because the judges are so far away....  it's insane!  i'm not exactly sure when someone upped the anti but, when they did it turned this traditional and formal world into an accordion music, sock glued, wigged, and bedazzled version of america's star search!  i started, like most dancers my age, when riverdance came into the scene.  i had scene it played on national public television and i was amazed at michael flatley and jean butlers effortless movements.  there was no hesitation when mom asked us if we'd like to try this insane, crazy beautiful art.  

when it came to feising, i didn't mess around - always practiced hard.  well, one time i didn't and let me tell you i got it handed to me big time.  learned my lesson, let's just say that!  otherwise, definitely no messing around - feis bag and dance bag packed and ready to go and to bed early!   it's interesting being a TCRG now and watching my kids routines..  you have to be SO good now to succeed.  and you can only tell them so many times to practice and give 150% in class...  it's frustrating to see them fail when you know they could have pushed themselves harder.  to be clear, by fail, i just mean not do as well as they could have, as well as they have the potential to do if they actually applied themselves.  

i bet this is the same struggle school teachers deal with day in and day out.  but, in today's day and age where so many people have their lives handed to them on silver platters... i feel it's important to teach a life lesson and let them fall on their hiney's.  because they will get up, and try again just like i did. 

i wish all our students the best of luck tomorrow at the feis - i'll be there rooting for you!! :) 

xx

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...?

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...

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.

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! 

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!