Debbie Daughter Day

Happy Tuesday!

Sorry this is a little late today, but last night was a late one with The Bachelor in Paradise Party.  Wasn't it good?  I'm so sad Tenley didn't pick Michael!  I'm also not a fan of the whole no rose ceremony at the end of the episode.  Also, not a fan of Jenny Mollen.

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I'm bored with her because she's mean.  She's not funny, she's just mean.  I liked Ashely S.'s response to one of Jenny's comments:  "I don't even know you."  Only Ashely S. can call someone out and still be sweet about it and not come off as mean.  Love her!

BIP Dinner:

How good does this look?

Cait hosted this week and made delicious taco seasoned chicken with corn and beans.  We wrapped them in lettuce and it added a perfect little crunch.  Amazing!  I brought Srircha, Tamari, and lime juice caulirice.  It was good, but holymoly SPYYYYYCYYYYY!  

Today was my day off and therefore Deb and I headed to Princeton for a little secret mission.  

This little guy stayed on the car the entire 45 minute trip to Princeton and about 30 minutes home.  He flew off during a heavy rain storm.  Crazy!  We were pretending it was a math problem:  If the car is moving at 65 MPH N, how fast is the bug going?  How fast was the bug going when he/she flew off?  We couldn't solve these problems :)

Look at that Cicada!  Hang on little buddy

After the Cicada keeping us very occupied and entertained, we accomplished our secret mission.  We finished the day with cupcakes 

Vegan Chocolate For Me

and a pupcake for Cody at House of Cupcakes!  

Cody's Pupcake :)

Apparently, we're those people now.  Those people who buy their dog cupcakes.  He kinda liked it.  He was nervous about it at the beginning, but then gobbled it all up rapidly.  I wonder where he gets that from.

 On the way home we heard this jam:

Oh yeah!

When my dad would take Dylan and me out for the day when we were little, we would jam to country and this was always one of our favorites.  My dad always made us swear we wouldn't tell Deb that we sang the "real version" of I told you once you son of a ______, I'm the best there's ever been.  

What happened in the Volvo stayed in the Volvo!

Weekend Recap

Happy Monday!

How was everyone's weekend?  Mine was tres bueno!  It was busy and crazy just the way I like it. 

Friday morning was spent tutoring.  I love tutoring because it keeps me fresh and let's me interact with kiddos which is my favorite thing in the world. 

After tutoring, Deb and I went to Wagonhouse Winery for her birthday celebration. Cait and I went to a winery for my birthday and we had a blast. I knew that deb would love this activity and therefore I booked one for us to celebrate her. 

Wagonhouse Winery was fabulous! We sampled 20 different wines ranging from reds to whites to sweets to a spicy red chili infused wine. All were delicious and we had a hard time figuring out which owns to take home. I took home the Fallen Quaker which is a combo of chocolate, coffee, and cinnamon. OMG amazing! Deb took home Summer Sweet. Deb's wine has a coconut note to it-the woman who ran our tasting told us to try it with coconut rum. We did. It rocks. 

Lunch was a leftover Greek salad. I'm on such a Greek Salad kick lately. 

After the tasting, I came home and did some Tabata. 

After death by Tabata, (those 4 minutes rounds are killers! I did 5 rounds making it an even 20) I got ready for the Phillies game.  Dylan and I decided to take our dad to the Phils for Father's Day. Nothing like a little 2 months late present, eh?  We actually had to wait because this was the first game day in which we could all attend. 

It also happened to be Pat Burrel's induction into the Phillies Wall of Fame. 

Dylan reluctantly taking selfies with me

Turkey burger salad aka how I eat healthy at the ballpark 

The boys and me

Pat the Bat!  Pat was on our 2008 World Series winning team

Pat's Victory Lap

The game was awesome and we won!! I am missing Ben Revere, though. Toronto is lucky to have him. 

Saturday was a crazy blur of awesome. It started with the usual workout blitz that includes Zumba, Spinning, weights, and Pilates. I had to skip Pound because I had to get the hairs cut. 

I'm growing it out for Amanda's wedding next summer. 

Dinner that night was courtesy of Seasons 52. In love with their BBQ chicken salad no seeds and sub goat cheese. Try it. You won't be disappointed. 

Saturday night Jess and Cait came over for salads before Rascal Flatts' concert. The concert was amazing!  We were sitting on the lawn and we found an event staffer with upgraded tickets. So we asked him for them and he gave us 3. Well, usually upgraded seats mean you sit at the back of the house, BUT NOT TODAY!! Today was a day of miracles my friend! Our seats said pit! PIT! P-I-T! We were going up close! Cait and I have always had see a concert from the pit on our bucket lists so this was extra epic! 

We were three people away from the stage!!

No zoom necessary!  That's Scotty McCreery up close!

We danced and sang all of his songs. Then it was time for the main event! RASCAL FREAKING FLATTS!

Cait got a pick!

So did Jess!

Pit Crew!

No zoom! That's Gary! So close!

Fun fact! At the end of My Wish which happens to be my 3rd favorite RF song (Bless The Broken Road is número uno and These Days is número dos) I began to yawn. Give me a break it was almost 11 and this girl likes her 10 pm bedtime. And Gary starts mocking me yawning!! So embarrassing!  Cait was like girl you better liven it up! 

Selfie with Gary!

Bye bye Flatts! See you next time!

One of their back up singers had a diamond studded ear bud. Coooooool!

Is anything weirder than a mosh pit at the RF concert?

The concert was amazing and they played all of their hits.  We laughed and danced and jammed. No moshing ensued 😜

Sunday was supposed to be a beach day with my old neighbors but car problems caused us to have to reschedule to next week. 

I was still in a beach mood so I called up Cait to see if she wanted to join me. She did. We headed to OC and lived it up. 

Cait and I loving life at OC!

Fresh squeezed lemonade from the boardwalk?  Always a yes!

I like all the fudge! Double fisting it with both Fudge Kitchen and Shriver's is how Jersey Girls roll. 

Why don't feel like one of my daughters will be wearing these to the beach one day?  

We spent the day reading, laughing, walking along the surf, and having a blast. Best friend days are always healing and refreshing. 

For lunch I had Ike's Old Bay grilled shrimp. Amazing like always. 

For dinner we stopped at Whole Foods and whooped it up. Hot Bar is always a good choice. 

Sunday concluded with Bachelor in Paradise. Who else is watching?  I have a love/hate relationship with Ashley and Lauren.  They're hilarious together. I'm a huge Ashely S.fan! Ashely and Dan should be the next Lacy and Marcus. 

I hope everyone is enjoying their day!

Xoxo,

E

Weekend Recap (On Thursday)

Happy Thursday!

Sorry for the delay, but today is a weekend recap 4 days out.  I'd apologize, but it's usually so much better when the recap is delayed because it means that the posts will be more interesting, right, right, right?  I hope so!

Ok, this weekend was a busy one.  Just the way I like them.

On Friday, Deb and I went to OCNJ to for a fun beach day.

It was the perfect weather for the beach--sunny, mid 80s, and not a cloud in the sky.






Planking on the beach.

Whenever we go beaching, one of my favorite things to do is to walk along the shoreline.  I like to walk right where the water meets the sand.  It's so relaxing and a great way to sneak in a little vacay exercise.






I had grilled shrimps for lunch--followed by copious amounts of s'mores fudge from Shriner's.


                 



On the way home from the shore, we stopped at Cheesecake Factory for some turkey burgers.




Saturday was busy like always.  It started with a long gym session full of Zumba, Spin, weights, and Pilates.

Saturday night the girls and I went to the Phillies game to watch them play against the Marlins.  AND WE WON 3-1!

I made turkey burger salad aka turkey burger with cheese (no bun) then tomatoes, lettuce, and pickles. I also squeezed a little BBQ sauce on it.

Sunday was spent at the beach again.  This time we went to my cousin's birthday party on LBI.

 I love family parties (especially when they are at the beach) because they are full of food, fun, all the people I love.  My family from the midwest came in for the event, too.  I got to meet a few of my new baby cousins.  I also love playing with my little cousins and seeing them play and splash in the ocean reminds me of playing with my cousins in the shore 20 years ago.  It's always fun to sea the ocean and beach through their eyes.

I was swimming with my 6 year old cousin and all of a sudden I was pinched by a crab!  I screamed like a baby (My mind initially (and logically) went to shark attack) and I think I scared her.  She was like, "Erin, let's go back to the shore…now."  I was cracking up.  I apologized to her mom for scarring her for life.

Doesn't the beach always have the perfect sunset?

Sunday night, Deb made flip flop cookies for her birthday at work!

Jealous Pinterest?!

 For the beach party at LBI, I made Paleo Zucchini Chocolate Chip bread.

Turned out pretty good!

I hope you have a great day!!  I'll be back tomorrow with the rest of the week's happenings.  

-E

Thankful for Reality Shows

Today I am thankful for reality TV.  Shallow?  Probably.  Cheesy?  Definitely!  Fabulous?  You Betcha!  Reality TV is a train wreck.  It is juicy and terrific, and terrible, and romantic, and delicious, and eye roll worthy and just bad.  Horrendous really, but it is sooooooooo good!  Reality TV holds a special place in my little pink sparkly heart because some of my favorite memories of hang time with my Mom-Mom include "late night" (i.e. 8 pm) Monday nights watching The Bachelor.  We would scrutinize all the girls, pick our favorites, mock the dates, (but secretly want them to end up with each other in true everlasting love), pray for the best candidate to be the acclaimed last one standing and win the coveted "Final Rose".  We would watch Chris Harrison MC the most dramatic rose ceremony ever rose after rose, week after week, year after year.  We would have long discussions about life, love, and just die laughing at the ridiculousness that is reality shows.  Reality shows are just the juicy best.  I can't tell you how many friends I have made through bonding over the sentence, "Did you watch last night?"  Just great stuff.  My mama always asks me, "What are you doing to your brain cells?  You're a smart girl, why are you watching this stuff?"  The answer?  I don't know.  I am addicted to it.  I lerve lerve lerve it!  It's juicy, sweet, gross, and something I can't stop salivating over.  Reality shows also let me de-stress...something I need a lot of lately.  Between finals, COMPS, life, and work stress I'm a wreck and a half and if reality shows let me blow off some steam and forget about my craziness for a little while...so be it!  I embrace my inner reality fan girl dorkdom.  Also, reality show date nites are my absolute fav!  In high school my cheerleading squad would bond over Two-A-Days on MTV.  We'd all watch the Hoover Alabama boys and cheerleaders wrestle with high school dilemmas and relate to all of them.  A different group of friends and I would watch Laguna Beach and/or The Hills/City every Tuesday night armed with popcorn and chocolate.  Then, college came and my next door neighbor floormate and I would watch every teen pregnancy show and RHONJ episode together while munching on the greatest/most important thing I ever learned in college pop corn & m&ms.  Now that I am legal we have champagne and brownies while watching The Bachelor or Bachelorette sojourn through their quest for love.  Reality shows are a great medium for catching up, laughing, and secretly wanting to be a part of the drama yet simultaneously thankful that you are not.

 Last night one of my besties and I had a total NJ Fan Girl Nite.  We drove our big haired, red bottom shoed, Jersey Girl decked out selves up to Hoboken!  We went to dinner at Little Town NJ and then had dessert at Carlo's Bake Shop.  This isn't the first time I have gone to a Real Housewives of NJ event.  No sir.  I'm a crazed fan girl.  I went to a Blk Water Signing last year and totally embarrassed myself.  Good Times Erin!  I won't recount the details (if you so choose to read about them you can on the bloggy post from last September)  but it does involve me Cajun Voicing for Chris Manzo and having him walk away in sheer terror.  So that's a win.  Also, two year ago, my same friend Kate and I went to Rowan University to see Teresa Giudice and have her sign our copies of Fabulicious.  

Back to Little Town NJ.  We weren't sure how the food was going to be.  You know, kitschy reality show yields kitschy restaurant.  FALSE!  In case you don't know what Little Town NJ is, it is a Jersey themed restaurant (no not the big hair, sparkly dress, leopard print, boobs&Loubs kinda place) owned by the Manzo brothers.  The idea was to bring together and celebrate NJ's unique food culture.  The menu included veggies (we are the Garden State after all), seafood (Hello Jersey shore...the real kind not the show that I abhor.) and fresh meat.  The restaurant was beautiful!  I was blown away.  It's a bar vibe but a very upscale bar with little pictures of NJ landmarks on the immaculately painted walls.  It's super hot!  I loved it!  The service was insanely good!  I ordered one of the night's specials--a salmon burger with not one, but two ginormous onion rings, mixed greens, Jersey tomatoes, and an avocado spread.  The side was fries, and not just any fries--no I'm talking the greatest fries I've ever eaten.  They were thick cut, salty, seasoned, and just...wait I'm having a foodmoment...okay I'm back...delish!   (I'm not a fries girl but I managed to eat the whole plate no problemo)  Our food came out in less than 15 minutes.  You can't even get a water in most Jersey diners in under 8 minutes so this was a shocker!  The best part was when the check came (everything was pretty reasonably priced, too) and included were Salt Water Taffies.  I missed those little bad boys.  I would highly recommend Little Town NJ for dinner/lunch/late night.

Store Front

My Salmon Burger (p.s. it is great as a leftover)

Kate's Epic Mac & Cheese

Since we both have a penchant for sugary desserts we headed a few blocks over to Carlo's Bake Shop, home of the TLC famous Cake Boss.  No we didn't see Buddy & Co., but we did see the shop and more desserts than our little hearts could tolerate.  I was kind of disappointed by the slow service.  There were 6 people working standing behind the counters but only two people were actually taking orders, running to get the food, packaging it, and ringing up customers.  The others were just kind of staring at everyone.  Anyway, I ordered a Nutella Lindsor Torte and cupcakes for the famsquad and Kate ordered cupcakes and brownies for her famsquad.  The man serving me messed my order up though ( and because they package everything up before they show it to you) I didn't realize this until I got home later that night.  Anyway, the famsquad said the cupcakes were great so I guess all isn't lost.

My Treats and Me

Kate and Her Treats

Anyway, back to Reality, (oops there goes gravity...sorry I loved Eminem as a little kid) here are a list of my top reality show loves from yesteryear and today in no particular order:

The Bachelor/Bachelorette 
Dancing With The Stars
The Newlyweds
The Ashlee Simpson Show
Keeping Up With the Kardashians (I stopped watching 3 years ago when they went totally bonkers.  Not a fan anymore)
Say Yes To the Dress (Atlanta and Bridesmaids)
Real Housewives of NJ/OC/BH/DC
Laguna Beach
The Hills
The City
Teen Mom (2&3)
16 & Pregnant
Rock of Love (come on, you know it was great)
Eric & Jessie:  Game On
Girls Next Door
Kendra (season one)
Denise Richards It's Complicated
Cake Boss
Bethenny
Two A Days
Love or Money
Melissa & Tye
Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders Making The Squad


All are disgustingly fabulous and addictive and I love them all.  Anyway, I am thankful for reality TV because it makes you feel a little more normal, appreciate what you have, and laugh your booty off.  It also lets you relax and just go completely coo coo for 30 to 60 minutes.  *Also I maybe had a soda last night at Little Town NJ.  I felt bad about cheating and I stopped drinking it about 4/5th of the way down.  Womp Womp*

xoxo,

Erin

OOTD:
Skinnies:  Jessica Simpson
Top: Old Navy
Necklace: LOFT
Shoes: Mr. Christian Louboutin
Ring: Macy's
Purse:  Kate Spade
Earings: Tiffany's
Bracelets: Lia Sophia

Kate at Little Town NJ