Friday Five

{1}

Saw Gatsby last night and loved it. Listening to the soundtrack right now, obsessive personality much? Saw it at the recently remodeled Phipp's Theater and was maybe the best movie going experience I've ever had, huge leather reclining seats and great concession and drink offerings. Safe to say it's my new fav place to watch a movie in Atl.

Aaannnd after watching Gatsby I want all of this.

{2}

A couple of my lunches this week (been a very eventful week ha)

A turkey lettuce wrap -

And catered lunch at work today, a veggie burger, pasta and salad, and I may have had a cookie too but it was so good totally worth the calories.

{3}

While talking food I have to admit my fitness has been a little lagging this past week due to having caught a stomach bug last weekend. Thankfully it was just a 24 hour bug but have wanted to play it safe and not push myself too hard when I'm feeling low energy. I've gone on a couple long walks with Georgie (he has boundless energy) and one 3 mile run this week. Nothing yesterday or today except the usual strolls with George. Tomorrow morning I'm planning on going to spin and then next week will hopefully be back to my routine of running with a couple of spin and yoga classes in the mix. 

This is what you have to go through to get into the good instructor's classes at LA Fitness spin, get in line at least 30 minutes prior to the start time and put your name on the list, how I'll be spending my Saturday morning tomorrow. I snapped this pic a couple weekends ago but never got around to doing a weekend recap post, haha.

{4}

The latest few things I've ordered from Very Jane and GroopDealz, boutique deals that are emailed daily-

I got the statement necklace to the left in white from Very Jane -

This chevron infinity scarf in blue from GroopDealz but haven't received it yet -

And these fun teardrop earrings from Very Jane that I haven't received yet either but have gotten an email saying that they're on their way!

Way too easy to shop and buy, just wish the shipping time was a little speedier.

{5}

I adopted George on February 15 so this past Wednesday I have had him 3 months :)

Pic to the left was taken by the adoption counselor at Fulton County Animal Services after I'd signed all the papers and everything was official, pic to the right was taken this past Sunday at my parent's house while celebrating Mother's Day (day after my stomach bug ick). 

Milestones in George's life over the past 3 months: Weight gain, got neutered, developed an affinity for sleeping atop plush pillows and eating chicken and rice, started going into the office to earn his keep ;), has made lots of new furry and non furry friends and of course a new home :)

Weekend Updates

I've mentioned that I recently joined the Junior League of Atlanta, am really enjoying it so far and it's def keeping me very busy! Saturday morning we met at headquarters and went on a bus tour. I picked up a "skinny" mocha from Starbucks the way there and was pleased to see a of tray Chick-Fil-A mini's and fruit there for us. (They definitely feed us well!) We hopped on a big charter bus and went to 3 nonprofits around Atlanta that are partnered with the JLA and we can choose to volunteer at one of them when we pick our volunteer placement in a few months. We went to the Chastain Horse Park, Georgia Radio Reading Service (If I choose to volunteer there I will get to read books and magazines on air :) and the Woodruff Arts Center. Lots of great work and exciting things happening at each of those places!

Of course I took pics of the horses :) It was so cold and this one wanted nothing to do with us -

But most were friendly :)

 After the bus tour my small group, a group of 5 other new members and our adviser, went to Verde for lunch, one of my favs. I had planned on going for a walk with Sheena and Austin afterwards but I was too tired, I went home and took about a 2 and a half hour nap, haha. I thought oh I'll go home and sleep for 45 minutes or so then go to the gym and then do something that night. Yeah not so much, when the cold rain came I was in for the night.

I did make it to the gym late Sunday morning, my first time going to the Lenox LA Fitness location since it has been redone. Since I've complained so much about LA Fitness I'll admit that it is super nice now. All the treadmills have TV's, the spinning studio bigger and better and a pool has been added. A much needed improvement. Looking forward to getting back to spin there.

I went over to my friend Hannah's (She just moved into a new house, loved it!) to watch the Super Bowl that night and good thing I made it to the gym earlier since we ate lots of Pinterest snacks haha. I made layered bean dip and these chocolate pretzel bites -

 My first time making those but not my last ;-) Hannah made her fruit dip that I love -

 Plus rotel dip and Mich Ultra's, a very healthy and balanced dinner.

And of course I got in lots of QT with Clooney :-) I used to see him every week at kickball and I've been having serious Clooney withdrawal.

My kind of Super Bowl viewing party, lots of snacks, drinks, a dog to cuddle with and a friend who cares as much about the game as I do ;-) We paid rapt attention to the Puppy Bowl, Beyonce/Destiny's Child and a few of the commercials though, haha.

That was my exciting weekend! It actually was just what I needed, I got in Target and Publix trips and errands, cleaned and organized some and caught up on sleep. Starting this week feeling a lot better than last Monday! (see previous post :)

Lately

A typical Monday, can't seem to wake up today. Usually running on the treadmill before work gets me going but today I am dragging big time. Had a cup of Starbucks Verona Bold and now drinking green tea. It's not working.

I have not had a spare minute to blog between getting sick with some kind of virus going around, work and life. You know the usual excuses. This week isn't much different but thought I'd check in with a few updates on what I've been up to. But I know most of the people who read this already know :-)

Last weekend (pre-sickness) I went to my first Flywheel class and am now obsessed. I haven't been to a spin class in ages because the LA Fitness I usually go to spin has been under construction so it definitely made me realize how much I'd missed it. The studio is amazing, all new and modern, which it should be for what it costs. (First class is free) It's stadium style and all dark, music blaring, a screen where you can enter your name to see where you rank in the class (I didn't enter my name haha) and they use weights, so an awesome, full body workout for sure. Only complaints: Super pricey, most of the classes are only 45 minutes which is kind of ridic for what you pay and when I was there the mic was out and I had a hard time following what the instructor was saying. But I still loved it and think I'll buy a small package and go to the 1 hour class when I can. And my LA Fitness is back open so I can start spinning there again, yeah!

I went out for my coworker Parker's 25th birthday last Saturday, we went to Der Biergarten downtown, he got his beer in a giant boot shaped glass that cost $30 -

Owning the dance floor at Ri Ra later that night -

Needless to say he had a great time celebrating his birthday haha, what he can remember. Well the next morning I woke up feeling sick and then was MIA for several days, but after a round of antibiotics and Souper Jenny's soups I was all better by midweek.

I highly recommend their eggplant parmesan soup!

In my previous post I listed all the updates I want to do in my condo to make it feel less college'y. I am trying to take each thing at a time to not get overwhelmed or have to take an entire day. A few updates I made to my little bathroom -

New shower curtain from Target, I first spotted it last year and wanted it then -

Let's take a look at past shower curtains, shall we? The one I just replaced (what you can see of it, this is an old pic) -

And one I had in college and used when I first moved in 4 and a half years ago -

Now get ready for real excitement, my bathroom cabinet! Before -

Yeah not embarrassing at all, this is a new blog low. And after -

I should make a trip to the Container Store for some shelves, or do something like this -

In a perfect world (Thanks, Pinterest) -

I also got a new laundry hamper, replaced my yellow one I'd had since high school, and a basket for all my hair appliances. I'll save the pics for my next batch of condo updates so you have something to look forward to, haha ;-)

Just had a great weekend, good mix of productive and fun things. I had an eye checkup Saturday morning and got my car washed then Chrissy and I went to go see Silver Linings Playbook, but didn't quite make it there... We were trying to make a 1 o'clock showing and were very hungry so popped into the Publix beside the Tara theater to get a sub to eat during the movie. Usually we love their Boar's Head turkey subs but as we were standing there waiting for the man to make them we both got a very strong, distinct whiff of what smelled like dog food. There's a pet store next door but still, ew. I had just got over being sick, no thank you. We dropped the subs off in the deli section and booked it out of there. Outside Publix we decided on our next move, go to the movie starving or miss the movie. Everyone reading this knows how I get when I'm hungry, it's not pretty, plus my eyes were dilated which only added to my anxious and confused state. Oh and there were a bunch of caged dogs to adopt outside the pet store that were howling and whining. Basically chaos. What we did next will come as a huge shock to everyone, we headed back to Buckhead and got brunch at Buckhead Bread Company. Then mani/pedi's. All was restored back to order in the world.

So here's my nail drama. You may remember Sarah and I got gel nails for the first time on New Year's Eve -

Loved them the first few weeks but then I needed them off because my nails were growing out and only half the nail was colored. Well we both picked them off -

You would think we'd worked in a coalmine. So yeah love gel nails but will need to get them taken off next time. My nails now after Saturday's mani -

A little better :-)

Saturday night I had dinner at Coast with Chrissy and a couple other girls, had never been there before. I had sangria, the chopped salad and a crab cake, delish. I want to go back when it's warm and can sit out on the patio. After dinner Chrissy and I had a little more drama, we wanted to get dessert at Cafe Intermezzo but it was packed, I'd never seen it so crowded. Nowhere to even sit at the bar. While waiting and feeling all claustrophobic one of the waiters said, "I like your coat, Momma" to Chrissy and we had to leave immediately after that. Then we went to Cheesecake Factory but after waiting for a few minutes for a table decided to call it a night and forgo a thousand calorie piece of cheesecake, it was after 11 at this point and I was exhausted from the day's events.

Sunday I cleaned and did laundry, read, went to a Pure Barre class and church that night. This week is very busy with Junior League commitments and all the usual stuff.

In attempt to cancel out my nasty pics from this post here's a verse that I've come across a couple times in the past day -

If you want positive things to happen think positive thoughts! :-)

Have a great week, friends!

Motivation Monday

 It's my first Monday and full work week of the new year and am attempting a healthy start! I got my hair trimmed at Van Michael's, ran errands and stocked up on groceries yesterday. I'm going to try and bring my lunch more often that's something besides frozen food or a sandwich. Made this salad today and had 2 clementines and a handful of almonds with it -

Cheese, olives and tomatoes are my favs, I constantly crave Greek salads. I need to get creative and try some new and different veggies and sources of protein.

I eat a Luna bar for breakfast every weekday -

Did the treadmill and free weights before work this morning, morning workouts really do make all the difference, I'm much more energized throughout the day and sleep much better at night.

 I had a nice weekend, went to the Fernbank Museum for the first time and saw Les Mis, loved it! I thought I would get bored and tired (Saw a 9pm showing) but I really didn't, a couple moments when Hugh Jackman and Russell Crowe's solos dragged on but I had my Sour Patch Kids to keep me occupied. Allison and I saw it together and afterwards we were splotchy and puffy eyed, went to the bathroom and just looked at each other in the mirror while washing our hands and one of us said, "That was intense." But very good I want to see it again!

And just a Monday pick me up from an email forward from a coworker -

  A dog after my own heart :-)

 

Trip to Kiawah and Charleston

I had a wonderful time in Kiawah with Sarah, I got to spend 3 full days there. I got in Friday afternoon and one of the first things we did was take a long bike ride and see the beach! Then we went to pick up my race pack and got some dinner at a pizza place on the island -

 My beer wasn't nearly as big as it looks in that pic :) It was a local beer that was very good! For dinner I had a creamy mushroom pasta dish and this healthy fried cheese that was amazing, I figured I could eat what I wanted ;)

 A pretty tree in the center of where all the shops and restaurants are in Kiawah that I decided to go stand in :)

 Up at 6:30 the next morning to run the Kiawah Half! So nice staying at Sarah's fam's house on the island and not having to deal with shuttles and driving from far away like so many of the other runners.

  Waiting around for the race to start, and I would just like to share the self restraint I showed in not snapping a pic and sending to Sarah of the man standing in front of me who had so much back and arm hair I almost gasped when I saw it, but then this pin came to mind (I know I need a pin-tervention) and thought it would be mean.

 

 Sarah took these as it was starting -

 

Only pic I took during the run, on mile 10 -

Another one Sarah took -

And a blurry one of me running by haha, I was so fast you couldn't even get my picture ;)

My only goal was to run the whole 13.1 miles and I was able to, but I definitely could feel my lack of training and that I'd been sick earlier that week. Things that motivated me during the run: Pandora, Sarah cheering me on and picturing her furiously riding her bike around to get to all the different stations :), the beautiful scenery which I'm sad I didn't take more pics of but it was not at the top of my priorities at the time, perfect weather and my number one motivation was looking forward to sitting on the beach with cocktails that evening!

 My dad emailed me my results: I finished in the top 43% overall (1194/2758)/Top 42% (103/244) in my age, gender group/Just under 10 minutes/mile

I would also like to add a disclaimer: I ran with my phone and had my Nike running app going, at first the mile markers were the same as my app but then they started getting more and more off, my app would tell me I'd run 11 miles when I'd just past the 10 mile marker, soooo my app told me I actually ended up running 14 miles in 2 hours and 9 minutes and 28 seconds. The app has never been wrong and it displayed the map, so who knows! But what's weird is that Sarah and I found a guy on Twitter who'd run the half and posted his Nike app results that were exactly 13.1 miles and the same map as mine. Sarah asked if I could've gotten off the path somehow haha, not likely I was always with lots of people (No repeats of the 3-Day!). When I told my dad about it he said I was just that much closer to running a full marathon next year. Yay.

Wore my metal to lunch, I think it would make a pretty Christmas ornament.

 Burger, fries and hush puppies hit the spot! We ate outside on the water it was so nice!

 

(Scary biker man with long fingernails took this for us)

 After lunch I took a nice, long nap! Shower + Yummy lunch + Long nap = :D

Then had some wine on the beach that evening. The beach at sunset is my absolute fav I was so happy!

We literally sat out there until dark, the stars were so bright and pretty I even downloaded a star and planet app that told you the names when you held it up to them, haha. Then we watched the movie The Cabin the Woods that was weird and creepy but entertaining. (Brit you would have loved it!)

On Sunday we made the 45 minute drive into Charleston for lunch and shopping. The second Sunday of every month they block off King St, lots of people out and about -

 We had lunch at Blossom and when I checked in on my Foursquare app people had left comments recommending their red velvet bread pudding, I immediately asked our waitress if they had it. Sarah had like 2 small bites and I inhaled the rest in record time. Allison please make this for my birthday next year :)

 Bichon in a Santa costume spotting!

His name is Charlie and he was very heavy. Full view of his outfit -

After a grueling day of eating and shopping (got some Christmas shopping done and maybe a few things for myself) we stopped for happy hour at the bar at Fleet Landing. When we told the bartender we were on vacation he made us these -

Then hit up Wet Willie's before heading back -

We ate dinner that night at King Street Grille on the island, when we got home we were so exhausted and asleep by 10.

 Monday can be summed up with these pics -

I woke up, drank coffee, read, ate breakfast, read some more then took a 2 hour nap, haha. Then we went on a long bike ride and walk on the beach. Finished the day sitting on a pier taking in this view -

That night we cooked chicken fajitas at the house and watched the movie Silent House which was very disturbing. Another early bedtime and then hit the road early the next morning. A very relaxing and fun few days! Chels, Brit, Caris and Rachel we missed you! Who wants to run the full with me next year?!