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!