notes from a wine tasting

as part of mz's birthday present i planned a night at Vinology, the Wine School of Philadelphia.  we finally found a night that worked for his brothers, sister-in-law and dad...and a night that wasn't sold out!  we attended the Wine 101: Intro to Wine class and it was super informative and very fun!  totally recommend it for a holiday gift or something to do with a group.  it's a very small classroom and we accounted for about 1/3 of the attendees...i'm sure we scared a few of the other participants but we were having a good time...and were drinking wine!  definitely want to go back again for another wine class and maybe check out the beer school too.

although they note on the website that it's business casual dress, of course it wasn't and we were probably the only ones not in jeans - including the teacher, Zack.  but at least it wasn't pretentious!  Zack pretended he was just like us...except that he was probably about my age, had lived in spain and australia (working in a vineyard of course), owns his own business and he and his father collect wine.  oh right, that's super similar to my life, thanks for bringing your knowledge to us common folk, haha!

anywho, i took notes.  because that's what i do, i'm a nerd....plus they gave us pens, so obvi i wasn't the first one.  so here they are.  maybe they're helpful or maybe it's something you already know, either way it's all i have to share from that night since i forgot to take pictures!!

• First Flight
• A. Merkelbach 2008 Riesling, Mosel Valley (GER)
• Floral, peachy, citrus, residual sugar
• Second Flight
• Senesin Vineyards 2008 Sauvignon Blanc, Marlborough (NZ)
• Fruity, green/green pepper, pungent, citrus, grapefruit
• typically aged in stainless steel
• De Martino 2007 Chardonnay, Limari Valley (CH)
• butterscotch/coconut - american oak
• Third Flight
• Wine by Joe 2008 Pinot Noir, Willamette Valley (OR)
• Pinot Noir - high acidity for a red grape, most thin skinned grape = high maintenance/delicate
• berries, acidity, very low tannin
• Belguardo 2004 Morellino di Scansano, Tuscany (IT)
• Morellino di Scansano = San Giovese; Chianti must be 80% San Giovese
• cherry, cedar, high tannin
• dried flowers, roses, plum
• "old world funk"
• Fourth Flight
• Manga del Brujo 2007 Garnacha, Catalyud (SP)
• Garnacha - used in Cotes du Rhone
• jam fruit, pepper/spice/herbs
• Henry's Drive 2006 Shiraz, Padthaway (AUS)
• Australia - oldest vines; the older the vines the more concentrated the nutrients in the fruit (richer) because there's less fruit per vine
• 'syrah' but aussie's say Shiraaaazzzz...marketing gig
• Fifth Flight
• Catena 2006 Cabernet Sauvignon, Mendoza (ARG)
• THE grape of Bordeaux, 'most noble grape'
• darker, cooler fruit; pencil shavings
• vanilla - from french oak which has a tighter grain and a more subtle flavor
• tannin, dry, acidity
• misc...
• oaky buttery chardonnay - trend started w/california
• 'naked' = not aged in oak
• color in wine comes from grape skins only!
• colder geographical regions = grapes maintain higher acidity = salivation
• higher alcohol = intense finish/bite
• old world wine (europe) = subtle, "funk" (dirt, street)
• alcohol % in US can actually be off by approx 1.5% to get by tax rules
• the more specific the location listed, typically the higher the price and better QC (best would be estate grown/bottled)
• viscosity: comes from glycol, higher alcohol content, typically from warmer areas, gives impression of fruitiness
• wines with higher acidity will last longer once opened
• AFTA - Alcohol, Fruit, Tannin, Acidity
• two a's are inverse relationship
• Tannin - makes mouth dry, chalky, get more from thick skinned grapes
• 5 S's of Wine
• See - hold glass at 45 degree angle over a white/light surface to see color of wine; orange around the rim = age/oxidation
• Swirl - allows oxidation, can see viscosity
• Smell - yes we shoved our noses in the glass and were pretty obnoxious about it :)
• Sip/Swish
• Savor - repeat this step...until the bottle's gone!
• Buying wine
• find an importer with similar palette/likes as yours and buy from importer if possible
• Zack's importer picks - Neal Rosenthal for French, Vias Importers
• Online: Zachys or wineaccess.com....or buy from a non-US website (they'll ship to PA!)

and from michael's notes...

chairman's selection = bullshit.

ah, sugar, sugar.

i once received a marvelous martha stewart magazine with all sorts of crazy christmas confection recipes in it and thought "hmm, i can do that!".  and so i did. and it was sooo good.  of course now the whole christmas candy idea has snowballed, as most of my little side projects tend to do, and this year we're adding a few new recipes to the mix and doing everything in larger quantities.  because quadrupling recipes is fun! :)

i've started stocking up on the ingredients and i simply cannot wait to start cooking (baking? what the heck is it called when you're making candy?!).

this sugar bag cracked me up. truth be told i only need about 15 lbs of sugar (ha, yea ONLY), but really, how on earth could i pass up a bag that had a handle and was labeled "25 pounder"?!  pretty proud to walk around the store with that puppy.

only about 7 pounds of chocolate there...N.B.D!  totally scored by getting everything on sale, at a wholesale store or at The Christmas Tree Shop.

i'll keep you posted as everything starts to boil down to a christmas full of cavities!!

a word on airport security + ri

this past weekend i ventured home to rhode island for a quick visit with the family before all of the holiday hubbub got under way.  haha seeing "hubbub" in writing just made me giggle!  we decided to fly instead of making the trek by car.  the decision to take the 6:50 flight on friday morning made a lot more sense before my 4:30AM alarm went off! ugh.

flash forward to the phila airport, worst place on earth...second only to the detroit airport.  the security line at 5:45 was HORRENDOUS!! people winding all over the terminal, sweating, freaking out about missing flights, getting angry.  if it was like that first thing on a friday morning, i can only imagine how unbearable it will be for holiday travel...good luck if that includes you!  the line took 45 stinkin' minutes.  you'd think that with all that time and all of the tsa public service announcements and signs that people would know what do to when they got to the front of the line.  nah, not so much.  dude in front of me had to go through the scanner 3 times...last time? for keys in his pocket.  really? REALLY?! it seems practically impossible that you wouldn't know better.  sheesh.

luckily there wasn't any full body scanning going on, nor was i subjected to any potentially inappropriate pat-downs.

know what the best part of early morning travel is...breakfast upon arrival!!  went to a little diner with the 'rents where of course we discussed the wonders of tsa.  my dad, who seems to be constantly traveling the world - no joke, had this to share on the new pat-down rules they're putting into place:

"hey, if they want to touch that, that's their problem. 

pervs."  

not sure why, but to me, that was beyond hysterical.  it took all of my might to not spit out my hot chocolate all over the table...too bad that by trying so hard to not choke from laughter, i am 98% certain that i actually aspirated the hot chocolate.  haha :).

some pics from walking around rhody:

   

stuffed to the gills

the past few weekends i've had very little on the to-do list, so there's been plenty of time to cook.  since most recipes don't take too much extra effort to make in larger portion, i've been doubling (or quadrupling in some cases!) the recipes and freezing the extra so there's something tasty to eat on the nights that yoga's keeping me out of the house until 9pm.

i think i may have over done it...
a million gallons of butternut squash soup and a gazillion pounds of shepherd's pie (pictured pre-mashed potato topping).  thank goodness we have a second freezer!

 oh yea, and don't forget the guinness chocolate pudding which i finally made!

i'm going to be full forever!

double (downward facing) dog dare ya!

not sure why, but after last night's bikram class (with Leo, my absolute fave teacher, seriously can't miss his class!), i kinda decided that i wanted to try a double on friday (today).

so today, as the day went on, i bought into the idea of the 'dreaded double'...two back to back 90 minute classes in that wonderfully hot room.  again, why i decided this, i have no idea.  chances are i should have been committed to a mental institution rather than mentally committing to this wackadoodle idea!

earlier in the week i felt like death in class, dizzy, headache, ick.  i realize i actually over hydrated.  mainly because i was in 8 hour training meetings for work and drank water non-stop to keep me awake.  but all that water and no electrolytes = trouble.  today i paid far more attention to keeping my electrolyte level in check.  i started the morning with my usual tea, had some cheerios (milk hydrates too!), 2 nuun drinks (so much better than gatorade or other sport drinks), and about 60 oz of plain ol' H2O.

that was enough to get me through the first class and i felt really great.  good enough for round two, but unfortunately i underestimated the amount i could/needed to drink in between classes.  One 100% coconut water and 12 oz of water did not do the trick.  i started feeling a little dizzy during the second session...but Leo to the rescue!  he brought me an ice cold apple juice (which usually i would never drink - love cider, dislike juice).  i chugged that little juice and it was magic, brought me back to life immediately.  told ya he's my fave. the second class was over so quickly, seemed so short but so incredibly powerful, just might have to try the double again! 

probably gonna feel like death tomorrow morning when i wake up for the 8:30 class but i pushed my self way beyond what i thought were my limits and therefore it was all worthwhile. :)

yup, it's official, i'm completely obsessed with bikram yoga.  can't get enough!
buy yourself some sanity this christmas...join bikram!!
DO IT, you know you want to!!  come on, i dare ya!

*disclaimer, there is absolutely no 'downward facing dog' posture in bikram yoga, i'm well aware. but it gets the yoga theme across and it goes nicely with the rest of the d's and the dog thing...so that's that!

grab a pen: twloha

today's"to write love on her arms" day...

or is it tomorrow?

getting conflicting information,

but who cares,

one day, two...or the whole week, like i did last year...

TWLOHA is a day to appreciate

love & life 

and to encourage and remind others

of these values because it matters.

and it helps get through

everything from the small stresses of every day life

to the big issues that drag us down into those deep, dark places.

so write love on your arm.

and leave it there as a reminder to love yourself a little extra

and love those around you enough that they feel it.

from the twloha vision:

You were created to love and be loved.  You were meant to live life in relationship with other people, to know and be known. You need to know that your story is important and that you're part of a bigger story.  You need to know that your life matters.

The vision is the possibility that your best days are ahead.  
The vision is the possibility that we're more loved than we'll ever know.  
The vision is hope, and hope is real.

merry early christmas to me: DC in AC!

as much as i do not want to rush the whole holiday season hoopla,
i'm pretty excited that an early present (which i purchased for myself and others) came in the mail today!!

last week at work i was about to run out of pandora listening hours and
was in the mood to listen to some old tunes.
so i hopped over to the dashboard confessional website, because you used to be able to listen to full albums on their site, and instead was greeted by a 10 year anniversary welcome page with tour dates.
imagine my surprise!! one that their first mainstream cd was released 10 years ago (ugh, that makes me WICKED old) and two that i randomly happened upon their tour...and three that they no longer allowed me to listen to music for free on their site, boo.

approximately a million years ago, my sister came down to PA and attended her first ever concert at the Electric Factory.  history's pretty much repeating itself...except this time we'll be in atlantic city...and we have seats, because we're way too old to stand for a whole concert in a sea of tweens :).

the countdown to holiday fun is ON!

a handful of heaven.

it does not get any better than a recipe with

dark brown sugar

+

pumpkin

+

cream cheese frosting.

heavenly.

especially when you swap out the maple cream cheese recipe

for a version of cider cream cheese recipe 

(which i've used a few times with martha's apple cupcake recipe...also amazing)

basically used 1/4 cup reduced cider for the maple syrup and vanilla.

de.lic.ious.

to the millionth degree.

this is what a 'lazy sunday' means to me.

mini pumpkin whoopie pies

fyi's:

if you do go with the cider recipe instead of the maple, make sure you chill it before piping.

also, i halved cake/cookie/pie the recipe and made them slightly larger than suggested and 

it still made 16 assembled whoopie pies.

gonna pretend that 16's too many for 2 people to eat before they go bad, 

but let's be serious...they're bite size which means i could easily justify eating 3 at once.

watch this!

my sis just shared this with me.

i think it's pretty flippin' amazing, so i'm spreading the love...

fab song and pretty sick apple promo!

rant, rave + a new fave: bad bikram + s'more cupcakes

oh.

my.

goodness. 

never. ever. EVER take over a week off from bikram and expect to go back without feeling like complete death.  i went back tonight and signed up for a 3 month unlimited membership.  i've been waiting for this day, i was so excited - i've been wanting to go back since intro week but have had a bit of a hectic schedule so figured November 1 was a good day to start back.

it was 100% times worse than my first class ever.  i could barely stay standing without getting incredibly dizzy.  it felt pretty embarrassed.  and discouraged.  and disgusted with my poor showing.  but i'm still determined that i can get back to where i was after intro week and have a better class tomorrow night.  fingers crossed!!

but now on to something that only makes me smile...

S'more Cupcakes!

tried a new recipe for a friend's bday on friday and i thought they were fantastic!  definitely going to make these again  thanks martha!
some notes to anyone who's tempted to try their hand at these tasty treats:

• i seemed to have a good amount of the cake batter left over (enough to make 2 teensy cakes). these cupcakes rose really well so i think i would try filling up the cups a little higher than recommended the next go-round.
• use a food processor.
• use a food processor.  yea i wrote it twice....cuz i used it twice, duh ;-).  once for the grahams and once for the chocolate...easy peasy.
• the frosting makes a TON - more of a warning than anything, but don't feel bad about swirling that stuff nice and high, trust me it will get all over the eater's face no matter what so might as well pile it on!
• if you're making them a day in advance they store very well in an airtight container.  if you absolutely must make the frosting in advance too, your best bet is to frost and fire them (not frost the night before and then fire the next day).
• i used a kitchen torch and that stuff ignites REALLY fast, so you might want to practice on some of that extra frosting!!  and get ready to blow out any paper fires!  the recipe comments say you can put it under the broiler but i'm superbly skeptical, try it if you dare!!

confession: i am a stalker.

i stalk wedding blogs, kinda like it's my job.
really wish it was.
my mac 'top sites' are primarily wedding related, most of the photoblog variety...
my own wedding photographer - for obvious reasons;
 j* - for her west coast flava...on weddings, life and photography...and for her highly addictive writing style which i envy;
nat.nort. - love her, 'nuff said;
tinajay - for inspiration...starting her own photog business in philly after working in an accounting firm...maybe there is a way out of my cubical after all!
...and the list goes on...but i'm tired of pasting links and it's friday, so laziness prevails!

blog stalking's just a way of life, totally normal in this electronic age, so i tell myself.  and with wedding photographers there's always the non-wedding blog posts that make it slightly less weird that i spend a good chunk of time looking at weddings when mine has come and gone...it's for the photographic elements, i'm LEARNING...ha riiiight.

but there's one blog that is just hands down my guilty pleasure and the other week there was a post that was so darn gorgeous that i knew i just HAD to share, even if exposes my stalker ways.

somehow, much to my dismay, i didn't manage to find stylemepretty until after my wedding.  guess i'm making up for lost time.  as much as i sometimes think that i would love love love to be a wedding photographer, when i look at this blog i know that i'd need to be involved in more than capturing all the fantastic details, i want to MAKE the details, be part of the creation from start to finish...more on that dream later...now on to the good stuff that those excellent people at SMP give to the world on a daily basis.  they just have oodles of loveliness on there each and every day, i mean each post is simply oozing with awe inspiring photos and ideas, i can't get enough.

and THIS wedding? ugh. i want to live in this wedding. forever.  it is purely amazing.  completely STUNNING  has absolutely nothing to do with the fact that it's in rhode island, or that they had Dels, nope, not at all, not even close to an influential factor...no seriously, i'd love it to death no matter where it was!

image credit

make sure you have a few extra minutes...settle down on the couch...watch the video by elysium productions, check out the full photo gallery by olive juice photography...and hey, while you're at it, plan a getaway to watch hill, it's popping up all over the place as a top spot to visit!

enjoy!

happy weekend, happy halloween!!

mystery shopper

after numerous unsuccessful attempts to use my rewards certificates at DSW,

(which by the way was incredibly frustrating...i earned those certificates on a triple rewards day...it was like free money burning a hole in my pocket!!)

i finally found new shoes to add to my closet.

i NEEDED to replace some of my older black shoes that had seen better days.

actually ended up giving away 3 pairs, even surprised myself with my anti-hoarding abilities!

the new ones, well they are perfection.

made from some of the softest leather i've ever felt, kinda want to make a pillow out of it.

i want to wear them every day.

and against all odds, i think they're actually going to be rather comfortable (fingers crossed...not toes, because that hurts).

got home from a successful evening and had an email from DSW...

a new rewards certificate was on it's way to me. whaaat??!  strange since like i said, sadly, it's been months since new shoes have entered my life and i didn't use any moolah last night so obvi something was wrong.

when i logged into my account it looks like someone used my rewards number when purchasing 5 pairs of shoes a week or so ago.  it wasn't a store number that i've been to (i couldn't find the location but didn't match past transaction history) and they're not a shoe size that fits anyone that i can think of...so i'm thinking i accidentally stole someone's points (100% not my fault, but i still feel bad)...eek, sorry!!  

but thanks mystery shopper, i'll be sure to buy something snazzy with it. or if you see this and want to claim your certificate let me know! :)

simply smitten + dessert in a jiffy

sometimes when i'm longing for some delectable dessert to magically pop out of the closet or fridge, i do crazy things like look up recipes that will only make me drool...more.

don't you think this should be resting on everyone's counter, just waiting to be smothered in ice cream?!

Click here for an AMAZING looking chocolate cake!

oh smitten kitchen, i am simply smitten with your site.  i don't know what's more impressive, all the magnificent recipes or the pictures that make me want to reach through my computer and eat up all that deliciousness.  i could quite literally spend days scouring this website, but i might die of chocolate withdrawal first.

thank goodness i've learned from the best and have a gallon bag of homemade chocolate chip cookie dough balls sitting in the freezer callin' my name!  always, always, always make as much cookie dough as will fit in your mixer, ball up that dough (invest in one of these) and freeze it...and try your hardest to wait before all the fresh cookies are gone before ripping into that stash in the freezer!

new look - test run.

trying out a new blog template, background, etc.
got tired of not having enough space for my pics with the other template,
and didn't have much luck editing the html,
so settled for this one...

what do you think?

might change it again if i come across something better,
but this will work for the moment!

in a new york minute...

...i walked my butt off!
columbus day weekend was spent galavanting across the good ol' city of new york.
other than the heinous traffic getting through the tunnel on friday afternoon,
it was a wonderful weekend.
the weather was absolutely perfect,
seriously couldn't have asked for a better temperature,
and we saw lots of new (to me) areas of nyc that were
so so interesting and beautiful and photo worthy
...almost made me want to live in a big city!!
we walked about 15 miles total between friday night and sunday afternoon
and the whole weekend seemed to, sadly, be over in a new york minute.

since walking was the primary mode of transportation,
google maps was up on my phone about 99% of the time.
totally invaluable, would've literally been lost without it!
most of our time was spent south of central park,
perusing the street markets,
stumbling upon a latin heritage parade,
soaking up the sun...getting splashed by fountains,
and eating and drinking all along the way (of course).

here's a map of the main places we visited, highly recommend them all!
our hotel, the just opened in June, InterContinental Times Square was gorgeous and so mahrdern (or modern, if you're not from rhode island, haha)...and beg bug free, big plus.
and if you're going to go to nyc and have an extra 90 minutes to spare, you NEED to go see American Idiot.  it was phenom...i loved it, even though i had to try my hardest to not sing along.  i'm definitely re-obsessed with that cd.

View NYC Weekend in a larger map

let's be real, the pictures are far more exciting and entertaining than my babbling,
so i'll stop and let you check out the many pictures by clicking here.
shout out to the little sis who took so many fab pics of the weekend...
and who just learned what the phrase "in a new york minute"means :). xo!

frivolous fun...to go!

getting hydrated for bikram classes has become a full-time job.
they recommend at least 120oz...
and it really helps.
as i found the hard way on the days that i wasn't properly hydrated!! 
but it's a LOT of water...and peeing. ha!

so i've been forgoing my usual morning tea that i get once i'm at work and instead start the day with just water.
which is sad. 
and boring.
and makes my life caffeine free, ick.

BUT...look what i found at crate & barrel last night!!!
it's kinda gimmicky, but pretty genius at the same time.
aladdin has created a travel mug that has a little lever/strainer to hold loose leaf tea or coffee grounds!!
you lower it into piping hot water to brew it to your liking
and then raise up the little basket when it's ready to drink!!
the lid's pretty fancy and contoured too.
best part is that it fits (unlike many other travel mugs)
under my medium keurig brewer
and the largest cup setting fills it to just below
the max fill line, allowing room for a spot of milk!

yes i could probably just get one of those empty
"my keurig" filters and brew tea in the keurig...
but come on, did you see this thing?
it was way too cool to pass up!!

avert your eyes.

trying to decide what to be for halloween this year...

silly that i consider anything other than a member of an 80's hair band...

taken after the RI triathlon - post tight french braids.

imagine how many children i'd scare

if i actually teased it.

yiiiikes!!

happy weekending! 

wellie warmers!

on wednesdays i try to work from home.
clarification...i say "try" because all too often i end up having to go into the office,
when i do get to stay home i DO work!

every wednesday that i am home the lady next door
gets something delivered.
with.out.fail.
so disappointing to hear the ups
or fedex truck
pull up outside the house only to deliver
something next door.

so today when i heard the low grumble
of a delivery truck i didn't even look outside,
no need to subject myself to that!

imagine my surprise when i went to hang my
wreath on the front door and saw a bag
from L.L.Bean on MY doorstep
with MY name on it!!

these fab fleecies were inside...

"to keep your toes toasty on cold rainy days"

can't wait to shove them into my boots (pictured in the background)
yea they have hearts on them, what's your point?!
the boots were being sold in the women's section,
and my sister has the same ones...so there!

what a great addition to work from home wednesday!!
thanks mom!!
xoxo!

even with the wreath, it looks a little sad...

bikram: day 1. welcome to the sweat lodge!

last night, i attempted to slowly immerse myself into the world of Bikram hot yoga.
little did i know that it would completely drown me!

walking into the yoga room,
i was greeted by a blast of hot humid air,
checked the thermostat...104.9!
i sat there and tried to get acclimated,
and started glistening immediately...from sitting!
but it almost seemed bearable, less intimidating than expected.
and then the instructor (who was awesome...friendly, helpful, just strict enough) came into the room...and shut the door.  and turned off the fans.
OH. MY. GOODNESS!
never have i felt such an intense wave of heat envelope me,
i tried my best not to panic and focused on the task at hand.

that worked for a little while.
eventually it got the best of me and i realized i could no longer
see myself in the mirror.
the fear of throwing up and/or passing out hit me hard.
instead of panicking, i sat down for a few minutes, angry with myself for not being able to attempt the next posture, but knowing that this was part of the whole 'it's your first day of bikram drill.' i sat a few more times during the class, but managed to stay in the room, so i felt like that was an accomplishment.

i said yesterday that i was good at sweating...
well i had NO idea what i was in for.
this was sweating to the extreme,
like standing in an open fire hydrant for 90 minutes.
truly unbelievable! 
i came out of there so drenched that i could do nothing but laugh.
sounds nasty, but it felt really bizarrely good.
it was as if all the stress of the day had left my body
and could now just be wiped off with a (sopping wet) towel. 

the experience was one that you would probably only enjoy if you're a little 'off'...
luckily, i am :).
i feel remarkably good today, starting to get a little sore in my neck, but that's all.
i slept really well last night after staying up way past my bedtime
...and after eating half an avocado, an entire mango, a piece of bread and an Odwalla Pumpkin Protein drink for dinner...it was such a good reward!

i can't wait to go back again tonight. i'm hoping i can tolerate the heat a smidge better tonight so i can start focus on progressing with the postures and not just the overheating. i don't know what it is, but something about it has me hooked already...i'll let ya know if i feel the same way once the first week pass is up!!

hot stuff!

things i am good at:

1. sweating. i'm wicked good at it, like probably would go pro, but have yet to find a sponsor.  gross, but true.
2. finding activities that are borderline cultish and promote my, typically short-lived, obsessive exercise habits (i.e. martial arts, P90x, triathlons)
3. filling my 'time to relax' with items discussed in #2
4. challenging myself, mentally and physically, for no reason other than having something to do
5. feeling like i'm going to pass out (especially when i'm overheating).  sometimes it actually happens, exciting stuff.
6. torturing myself...or better yet, paying someone to torture me
7. wearing small clothes and being barefoot

things i am not so good at:

1. regulating my own body temperature. i swear my internal thermostat is permanently broken.
2. going to the gym just for the fun of it...i need something to keep me motivated, like a goal
3. being flexible / not looking like an old lady when attempting to be flexible
4. de-stressing
5. emptying / quieting my brain...the gears are always crankin' and it takes a lot of energy to constantly be thinking of the next thing on the To Do list!
6. having core strength and good posture.  it sadly got overlooked as part of tri training.

to work on all of the things in the top list and help overcome some of those in the bottom, i've decided that i needed something to get me back into the groove of exercising.  a good step down from intense triathlon training to something that will condition my body and mind.  and (hopefully/eventually) feel good and not just sore...my joints feel like they've taken a beating with 8 months of running and biking.

so i got the crazy idea to give Bikram Yoga a try.  i've heard people rave about it and i've always enjoyed the yoga and pilates classes at the gym or in P90x and i know they're a super good workout and they have a "30 (or 60) day challenge" at the studio by me which sounds right up my alley.  yup, i'm good at writing awful run-on sentences too.

if you don't know about Bikram Yoga, it's basically a 90 minute yoga class held in a room heated to sauna-like conditions so you can sweat with strangers.  i'm hoping i have a more insightful explanation after my first class!  

i'm incredibly nervous about passing out, but have been trying to hydrate as much as possible to avoid that potentially traumatic event.  once the initial 7 day try-out period's over, i'll decide if it's right for me and whether i'm going to sign up for the 30 day challenge...or if i need to find a new way to keep doing the things i'm good at (minus sweating) and improving the not-so-goods!

Happy Columbus Day!

ran into this gent while in Central Park yesterday.
all of the little kids were excited that he gave
them the day off from school...
he was not as friendly with me though,
i had to go back to work today.
ick.

hope you enjoyed this gorgeous weather no matter what you did today!

NYC weekend recap coming soon!!

In NYC for the weekend...can't wait for this show tomorrow!

'tis the season!

it's soup season!
thought i should let you know
just in case your calendar
doesn't have it on there ;-).

got a hankering
for some soup today
and so in honor of
the phillies playing tonight / red october
i decided to cook up some
homemade tomato soup.
everything i needed was on sale at the grocery store,
bonus!!

smells so good...

pre-puree, looks kinda weird.

it of course will be accompanied
by some bubbly opened faced gruyere sandwiches.
maybe next year i can make some soup from my
own tomatoes, but for now,
mexico will have to lend a hand.

i'm using a recipe from epicurious.com {click here}
and decided to double it since it can
easily be frozen/stored (think gallon bag!)...
just don't add the dairy product for the portion you're going to freeze.
i'm also using heavy cream instead of half & half,
just seemed necessary,
and am going to drizzle some good
balsamic vinegar on top...
drooling on my keyboard!


confession:
for some reason with food,
as a general rule,
if it's served in a bowl
i like it even more.
if it could pass for baby food,
it probably gets an additional
point in the "i like it" column.

i'd rather be in paris.

wouldn't that be lovely?

taken in 2005, oooh la la!

for some reason that's all i could think about on my way home today.

well that,

and i was thinking about how lucky the rest of the world

 is that they weren't in my car with me...

because i was belting out paramore at the top of my lungs.

and trust me,

 my singing...it's not very fantastic.

paris is though.

one of my favorite things.

i love pumpkin.
seems to be a nearly cultish obsession
shared by many and
epitomized by the starbuck's
pumpkin spice latte...
of which i'm not so much a fan.
blasphemy, i know,
but eh, it's fakeish pumpkiny
i think, so it's not my fave.

as soon as the weather gets cool,
pumpkin foods start popping up
everywhere
and i have this sudden need for my
absolutely favorite fall food...
pumpkin cranberry bread!

it's been a staple in my family
for as long as i can remember.
i could eat the whole loaf...
and have, in a day.
it's that good!

no chance i could
get a picture of the full loaf
because i typically cut into
it before it's even cooled.

Pumpkin Cranberry Bread

• 3 eggs, slightly beaten
• 2 cups sugar
• 3/4 cup oil
• 1 1/2 cups pumpkin (use Libby, it's the best)

Combine ingredients above and mix well.

• 3 3/8 cups flour
• 1 1/2 T pumpkin pie spice (recipe to follow if you don't have it/want to buy it)
• 3/4 tsp salt
• 1 1/2 tsp baking soda

Combine above in a large bowl. Make well in center.  Pour in pumpkin mixture.  Stir just until moistened.  Stir in 1 1/2+ cups chopped cranberries.  Spoon batter into 2 greased & floured 8" loaf pans. Bake @ 350 for approx 1 hour or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Ingredient quantities for 2 9" loaf pans:

• 4 eggs
• 3 cups sugar
• 1 cup oil
• 2 cups pumpkin
• 4 1/2 cups flour
• 2 T pumpkin pie spice
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 tsp baking soda
• 2+ cups cranberries, chopped

Pumpkin Pie Spice:

• 4 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp cloves
• 1 tsp nutmeg
• 1 tsp ginger
• Mix!

You'll probably have leftover pumpkin...it's awesome mixed in with some softened cream cheese (and a pinch of sugar and any leftover pumpkin pie spice) or even butter!

amica 19.7 wrap-up

apparently i took the week off from exercising AND everything productive.

it's nice to allow yourself to be lazy every once in a while.
but now i'm over it.

so let's jump in the time machine and go back to last saturday...
woosh.....

the alarm goes off.
it's 5am and pitch black with the exception of the fullish moon trying to peek out from behind the clouds. but good news, the fog has dissipated from the night before.

it's triathlon morning and there's a lot to do before heading off to newport.  bags are packed, but need to be double checked, bike rack and bikes need to get on to the car, and the hydration process needs to begin!  can you have too many cowbells?!

the morning dew is not really dew, it's 100% humidity and the sun doesn't begin to rise until after we're checked into transition.  it's wicked windy and everything is damp, my race papers feel like they might start dripping.  gross.

mz & i get setup, chat with kara...our support team and paparazzi for the day.  she of course has made a friend, someone my nana's age who also shares the same name.  as the rest of the crowd starts trickling in, we check out the beach.

bad news, it's rough.  the wind is whipping the sand against my skin.  and oops, the giant fluorescent swim buoys that lined the course floated away over night.  not a good sign.  the rumors start...will we swim?  will we race at all?

a kayaker tries to get out through the surf to set the course.  no luck.  a jetski tries, nope, not happening.
the officials decide that if an engine powered machine can't do it, chances of a human surviving is low,
so the swim is cancelled and replaced with a quarter mile beach run.  just enough to get you sandy and mess with your mind and transition.

at this point, i want to join a bunch of the elite/professionals and go home.  this stinks! it's cold and windy and wet and it doesn't even count and my stomach hurts.  major disappointment, i've already mentally quit.  others are rejoicing over the swim cancellation and while i'm thankful that we weren't forced to risk our lives, i felt good about the swim.  i didn't think i'd be the head of the pack, but i've made the most progress there and have dedicated the most training time to getting there.  i wanted to prove that i could do it!

but we race.  and the course is more brutal than expected.  the hills are constant and the roads? they've been eaten by years of salt air so the flat areas are no treat either.  luckily traffic was light and there were plenty of police out marking the course so there weren't any traffic accidents...since the course was not closed.  when riding along the coast there were times when i was pedaling my hardest...DOWNHILL! grueling.

i remember checking my bike computer and wanting to cry. or just stop.  it was only 6 miles in!  i didn't want to do it anymore.  i felt like i was going to puke the entire time.  but i sucked it up and managed to stay on my bike even when the wind was literally pushing it sideways on the road.

i finished the bike in just about an hour, not great but after feeling like i was riding all day i was just happy to be done.  the run...i don't wanna talk about it.  totally pathetic display of physical exertion and i just didn't care.  more hills, more wanting to vom, lousy combo.  so i did some walking, and finally finished with a look of discouragement.  boo hoo for me huh? ha.

but michael did really well, he's a good runner...even though the hills took a toll on him too.  he's already gearing up (mentally...no exercising allowed this week!) for the next one...or the first "real" one.  and the first chance to wear our wetsuits!

at least we got free yogurt afterwards, haha don't we look excited?!

click {here} to see the rest of the pictures!

happy fall and happy october!

oops!

all of my non-exercising time
i was supposed to dedicate to
being lazy
and blogging
got filled up
with baking
and risotto cooking
and a very little bit of cleaning!

sorry, be back soon!!

post tri training nutrition

the 'off season' has officially begun
boys and girls.

WOO-HOO!!!

sooo excited to not get up this morning
and have to pack a gym bag,
or think about what's on the workout
agenda for the day,
or which gym has an aquafit class
that's going to interfere
with said workout agenda.

aaahh...time to relax...
oh wait, i'm lousy at that...
okay so time to busy myself
with things other than exercising.
for the moment/week at least!

i'm sure many athletes probably
have something very healthy
and nutrient rich
and well balanced
and all that good for ya mumbo-jumbo
as part of the beginning of their off season
routine.

but in my house,
the post triathlon training nutrition program
looks a little something like this:

Narragansett Fest Lager...hello fall!

and this...

a homemade version of pj whehlihan's
hot-honey buffalo nuggets.
fried, spicy, yet sweet goodness.
it's probably the only thing
anyone should ever eat
when they go there.
that and the hot-honey wings.
everything else on the menu is just a waste of stomach space.

full tri coverage coming tomorrow...too hungry tonight! :)

gray day, tri tomorrow!

the forecast for today in RI
previously said 85 and sunny.
not quite the case...
instead it's been a
gray,
insanely foggy,
humid/muggy,
and windy day.

buuut...
tomorrow says
less clouds,
less humidity,
and more sun.
c'mon goof on the roof,
ya gotta get it right once
in a while!!
please?!

other than the fact that
humidity is not
exercise's (or my hair's) friend,
and that a strong cross wind is less than ideal
when riding a road bike,
this weather just makes the ocean look
really angry!!

could use some positive vibes from
the water...
definitely don't want it to seem
like a scene from a horror
movie before i dive in
for the first leg of the triathlon tomorrow!!!
aaah!

other than that,
i'm excited.
just got my hair braided...
lightning bolt part to
accompany the french braids this time,
courtesy of kerry, the best hairdresser ever...
"power hair" as she stated.

michael, the birthday boy,
and i drove the course today
and it took a long time,
in a car,
not too promising,
so i'm going to have to adjust my time goal
since i'm totally not prepared (mentally)
for 90% of the course
to be uphill.
no exaggeration.

the bike starts off up a steep,
long hill and while it continues
past gorgeous scenery,
cow pastures,
and pick-your-own fruit farms,
there is literally zero relief.

very fitting that this is the first sign you see once leaving transition...
and yes you have to turn left,
so ominous... 


the run?
it starts off up a windy,
hilly road too.
honestly think they
must've moved all of the hills
in RI to middletown for the weekend.
RUDE!

but luckily there's been lots of support
to help us keep chugging along
with the positive attitude! :)



so my new time goal (instead of the 'under 2 hour' goal i had last time)
is now to just catch my husband
since he's in the wave 9 minutes before me!

bridal jewelry: kate's plus 8 - bracelets

similar...yet all so different...

just like the girls that supported kate on her big day!

bridal jewelry: kate's plus 8 - earrings

kate's wedding jewelry was a huge undertaking.
one that i was thrilled to be a part of!!
it helped me stretch my creativity
and skills to the limits though,
and i'm very thankful for that!

the wedding party was huge...
7 bridesmaids and
1 jr bridesmaid
add to that
1 mother of the bride
and 1 mother of the groom...
that's a whole lotta jewelry
ladies and gentlemen!

since her ladies all had different variations
of the mocha dress she had picked for them,
there were different necklines that had
to be taken into consideration,
different likes and dislikes,
unpierced ears,
etc etc.
all of these items
made for some wonderfully personal
pieces of jewelry that hopefully
will be something the girls have
as a keepsake of how
much kate appreciates each and every one of them.

here are their earrings, decked out in czech glass, bronze findings,
some coin pearls, flourite...and more!