Every Mile A Memory

Happy Hump Day!

How is mid week going for everyone?  Everything is peachy over in my corner of the world.  Some exciting things have been happening to this girl!

I was one of the lucky Broad Street Run lottery winners!  I'll be running with 40,000 of my closest friends in the Philadlephia Broad Street Run on May 1, 2016!  I applied for it about a week ago and was trying to go into it with zero expectations.  Every year this run gets bigger and bigger and thus, more and more people don't get selected for the lottery.  I tried to be optimistic and realized that there are still 40,000 OPEN spots.  One of them was bound to go to me, right?  RIGHT!!

Monday morning I saw the email in my inbox and I quickly read the yada yada yadas and went...

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This is the largest 10 mile run in the country and to say that I'm excited is a gross understatement.  I always find that signing up for new races invigorates me and breathes new life into my workout routine.  

So this girl is back in training :)  Thank you NJ weather for being weird and awkward, but allowing me to get a slow as molasses 5 miler in today.  

Why was the run awkward?  Well, let's recap the NJ weather shall we?  This weekend was the coldest day in years...9 degrees for the win/loss depending on how you wanna see it.  BUT today was one of the warmest!  It was 57!?  So yesterday at 5 am when I began my run, I encountered a weird terrain...snow, slush, ice, and normal.  Well this resulted in me running like this:

Prancercise meets Dogs wearing shoes for the first time.

It was purrrty!  I almost slipped nine times!  I should have turned around, but alas I was a determined little runner.  Plus it was 5:10 am and I was already a schweaty betty so I'd have to shower and thus not be able to sleep anyway.  It was moo.  

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Gotta love Joey!

Speaking of Joey and all things Friends, have you seen this?  It's dead on!

Also, today FB granted me this little gem and I felt the need to share it.

This little gem is a fossil from Ra and my roomie experience in Decker Hall at (if you can't tell) TCNJ.  This was our favorite year in college.  So many fun memories (we actually had a full day of classes together woot woot!), our first practicums, and our first WaWa Wednesday/Italian Food Thursday, and midnight rides through Princeton/PA/random locations.  We look like babies in this pic!  We were 20!  INSANE that was 5 years ago!  

We used to match at least once a week...not on purpose!  4 days a week our sophomore year we had opposite wake up schedules (she had 8 ams on the days I had 10 ams and vice versa) and we would inevitably match at least once a week.  It wasn't like jeans a TCNJ hoodie (P.S. no one wears TCNJ gear AT ALL on campus after freshman week freshman year.  This pic was a joke with our school spirit) no, no.  It would be obscure things.  I had a yellow floral dress and she would wear a yellow shirt with a white skirt.  Or we'd both wear black shirts and matching scarves with jeans and Uggs.  Very 2010, Very Sears Family Portrait Studio.  

Also, dontcha just love the pose I'm rocking?  Arched back, popped knee, had on hip,  head tilted...yup, can you tell I was a high school cheerleader?

Anyway, anyone else going to be running Broad Street this May?!  P.S. Did anyone else sign up in anticipation of acquiring a new running outfit?  TBH I always start planning my race day outfit as soon as I hit submit :)  Dorky?  Duh!  

I hope everyone has a happy Wednesday and know the weekend is coming!

XOXO,

E

Valentine's Day Weekend

Happy Oxymoron Day!

Hopefully you are enjoying all of the benefits of a 3 Day Weekend:

• sleeping in
• doing nothing
• watching Netflix
• eating healthy, yummy, takes a while to make breakfast :)

I'm doing 2/4 of these things.  I'm eating my fave breakfast (oats, almond milk, vanilla, cinnamon, and blueberries sans Whole Foods organic peanut butter) 

Is it bad that I'm counting down the days until Lent is over because I miss PEANUT BUTTER MORE THAN SWEETS!? 

Yup you read that right, this sweet tooth is missing her pb more than chocolate/candy/sweets/cake/brownies etc.  

I've also noticed that without pb in my oats I'm STARRRRVING by 8 am.  

Anyway, back to the weekend recap...this isn't a post dedicated to my love of peanut butter...

This weekend was a great one!  It was crazy/hectic/busy/full!  

This was a 4.5 day work week-4 days of work .5 days of professional development.  Since it was a short week, the weekend technically started on Thursday night with a Scandal viewing party.

Life Advice!!

Friday was PD.  Confession time:  I still get lost EVERY SINGLE TIME we have PD in the high school.  Most of our PD is held in my district's high school and I still can't navigate the building.  I swear the stairs change like Hogwarts. 

Friday was a half day, which usually means that the rest of my afternoon will be crazy busy!  This one followed suit.  We were done at 1, but I went back to school to get some work done.  After that I ran to pick up movie tickets for The Choice and then I headed to the gym.  After the gym I had to go pick up my usual Friday salad from Seasons 52.  I had to get the Sesame Salmon salad because it's a Friday in Lent.  Don't worry BBQ Chicken Salad no seeds sub goat cheese, we'll be reunited in April!     

Deb and I went to see The Choice on Friday night.  It was all the things Nicholas Sparks movies should be: romantic, tragic, set in NC, and have row boats.  

Saturday was spent with a gymstravaganza then grocery shopping blitz followed by babysitting.  I was finished babysitting by 5:15 so I went to Whole Foods for dinner (Here's looking at you Chana Masala and vegan chicken salad) and laminated my booty off.  I watched Madoff and was just mehhh.  I liked it, but I wasn't hooked.  

Sunday aka Valentine's Day, I was supposed to take a barre class with a friend, but I couldn't find the studio.  Womp Womp.  I went home, headed to mass, and then ran errands.  

Attention Teachers:  BareMinerals give a discount!  Who KNEW?!

I know I'll instantly regret buying these buzzers for my class

Why do I bring Daddio with me?  

I made Valentine's Day dinner after a super schweaty gym session.  I made baked eggplant part goat gouda with brussel sprouts.  

Before 

After

Vegetarian Valentine's Day for the WIN!!

Recipe:

1 eggplant sliced to your preference  (throw away ends)

1 28 oz. Glen Muir fire roasted tomatoes  

4 cloves of gahhhlic (unless you don't like it gahhhlicky than use 2)

Italian seasoning, rosemary, and oregano to taste

2 TBSP whole grain bread crumbs

6 oz. goat gouda sliced/cut/grated (whatever makes your heart happy)

4 TBSP EVOO

1 bag frozen spinach

Slice eggplant into your personal thickness preference 

blend tomatoes, garlic, and seasoning until smooth (I used the pulse 5 setting on my Vitamix)

Combine EVOO and seasonings in a bowl.  

Brush mixture on both sides of eggplant slices and place in bottom of baking pan

Add one layer of sauce and half of the spinach

Repeat eggplant brushing and add another layer of eggplant/spinach

Cut/chop/grate the cheese and put that on top of the eggplant/spinach

Sprinkle whole grain bread crumbs on top

Bake at 400 degrees for 40 minutes.

Brussel Sprouts:

Place sprouts in a bread pan

Cover with EVOO, Balsamic vinegar, garlic, and seasonings to taste

Stir with a fork until coating is even

Bake at 400 for 45 minutes

I hope you all had a blast on Valentine's Day!  

I spent it watching The Bachelor At 20 and drinking some Menage Trois Silk.  It's a red blend and I highly recommend it!  I'm not a red girl AT ALL...but I loved it! 

How beautiful did Jade look?  OMG she's beautiful.  Tanner looked so cute, too!  Ever since 27 Dresses,  I always look at the groom when the bride walks in because I want to see his reaction.  It was so sweet.  I melted a little bit...okay a lotta bit.  It was so good to see all of The Bachelor alums.  I feel like I've been there since the beginning and I have to ride out this crazy roller coaster until I die.  

P.S. Ashley I...Jared still doesn't love you.  I'm sorry, honey, but it's true.  

Love and Hugs,

E

Weekend Recap

Hey Y'all!

Happy OXYMORON DAY!  aka Happy Monday...

Did everyone have a good Super Bowl Sunday?  I thought the game and commercials were kinda meh this year.  I liked Ryanville, though.  I would live there :)

Half-Time was pretty good.  I'm not a huge Coldplay fan so I was pretty much just waiting for Queen B to come to the field.  She killed it like always.  I was kinda sad that Bruno didn't jam out to Crazy In Love.  But a girl can dream right?

The famsquad and I kinda hung low at our house for the game.  I made a daaaalish pulled chicken recipe:

1 pound organic chicken breast (cut into chunks)
1 jar Wegman's Sesame and Garlic sauce
10 hours in the CrockPot

It tasted like healthy sesame garlic wings!

After 10 hours the chicken cut like buttah so I just pulled it apart with a fork and tossed it over some broccoli.  Twas yummy and much healthier than wings just saying.

This weekend was a whirlwind!  I think that when I become superintendent I will make a mandatory 2 hour delayed opening the day after the Super Bowl...because let's admit it, we all need some extra zzzz's.

Friday was fabulous because my school hosted it's annual Souper Bowl.  Souper Bowl means that all of the staff members bring in either a soup, bread, or dessert.  Everyone goes crazy over the smorgasbord of heavenly treats.  We get to sample the soups in muffin tins and then dive into my favorite thing...DESSERT ISLAND!

Bread Mountain 

All Za Soups

I sampled chicken tortilla sans tortilla, Tuscan bean and chicken, stuffed pepper soup made by madre, and turkey chili.  All were delicious and I left in the biggest soup coma ever.  I made brownies and they were a big hit.  I'm always nervous when I make a "healthy" version of a classic that people will not want to eat them.  I was wrong.  They were happily devoured.

My brownies are the ones on the red and white plate

Friday night was a chill night for me.  After a gym sesh I headed to Seasons 52 and received quite the treat when they comped my salad.  Shout out to Mandy!  They said that since they frequently mess up the salad (it's not their fault, I like to customize my greens:)) and since I go every weekend, they wanted this one to be on the house.  How could I argue??

Saturday Sweat Fest was followed by a rushed food shopping trip and a marathon cookie baking session.  Since I give up sweets, alcohol, and peanut butter for Lent, I was packing in my cookies and baking and treats before Wednesday...yeah, we'll stick to that instead of saying my raging sweet tooth was back in full force.

Saturday night I spent the evening with Zach and his family.  Zach was back for a weekend (YAY) and we celebrated the best way we know how!  Dinner at Grand Lux (Zach kindly texted that they had Erin Approved Salads) and Dolly Parton's 9-5

Zach's dog all dressed up for Dolly! AKA animal print, tulle, and hot pink :)

.  I rolled with the beautiful beets and goat cheese salad.  I also sampled an Asian Nacho.  YES!  All the YES!  Imagine wontons with peanut sauce and wasabi!

Almost too pretty to eat...almost

Zach knows I'm a HUGE Dolly Parton fan and asked if I wanted to accompany him and his family.  I quickly agreed!  The show was amazing and full of Dolly songs and style.  She even made a cameo (ok it was a hologram but any Dolly showing is better than no Dolly showing amiright?) at the beginning of the show and at the end.   I just love her.

Before the show in the front row

Sunday was spent meal prepping for the week--Hello lettuce wrapped chicken tacos!  Lonchi will be a fiesta this week.

Double Crockin' It

Then, Kate and I met up for lunch at Season 52 (twice in a weekend!  **High Fives Self**)  Got the usual and then we wandered around and ran errands.  Errands are always more fun with your bestie.  When I got home I finished my errands and prepped lunch for Monday.


Monday is my favorite day because it's BACHELOR MONDAY!!  I'm Team Lauren B, Lauren H, Becca (even though I don't think they have a lot of chemistry) and Team JoJo!  I think Bachelor really stepped up their game in the girls department this season.  I like most of the girls and have a hard time picking just one to root for.

One more giant pb oats breakfast before Lent starts.

I swear there really are oats...if you look carefully you can see them :)

I hope everyone else had an awesome weekend.  I have a 4.5 day week this week and I am in desperate need of that catch up day.

XOXO,

E