The Fourth in Pictures

Birthday Weekend

Wow, what a weekend!! I knew going into this weekend that I would have lots of chances to overindulge. My personal challenge was to enjoy myself and all the wonderful food before me, but not to over eat.

I don't think I did half bad.

Let me back up a smidgen and just say this weekend really did morph into a laid back weekend at home to a birthday extravaganza. I was born on opening day of the Orioles 26 years ago (when did I become 26?). Once I realized opening day was the day before my birthday, I called up my dad and insisted he take me to the ballgame. Since my younger brother and I have birthdays within a week of each other, my dad decided to get him a ticket too. All of a sudden it's almost family day at the yard.

Little did I know that this years opening day is also the 20th Anniversary of Camden Yards. As you can imagine this made it probably a more crowded and exciting opening day.

I started the day by cat sitting, running (see making healthy decisions) and working from home before picking my brother up from work and heading to the yard. Believe it or not, I have never been to Pickles Pub (a Baltimore must) before an Orioles game. I was pretty excited to start the day with a new experience with my little brother. Unfortunately, it was really crowded at Pickles. We drank two beers, ran into a few familiar faces before grabbing a hot dog and finding our seats.

My brother wanted to be in the yard no later than 2:30 so we could catch all the pregame highlights. Since it was opening day, there were quite a few!!

One of my favorite opening day things was the special 20th Anniversary can of Natty Boh. I may or may not have smuggled my can out :)

Saturday was very relaxing. Jay and I went on a short run, we got Jay's wedding pants altered, mom and I went shopping (and I bought nothing for myself) and we relaxed until dinner time.

For dinner, my parents took my brother, his girlfriend, Jay and me to dinner at Fogo de Chao. It was delicious!! but I am not sure if can eat very much meat afterward. Everything was delicious except for the mashed potatoes. They were ok, but nothing to write home about. But really, who goes to a steak place for mashed potatoes?

We were seated right by the kitchen which meant that our meat came out still sizzling. My only complaint about the meat was that we were offered lots of cuts of beef and lamb, but not as much pork and chicken. Jay got some delicious garlic pork at the beginning of the meal that we never saw again (he was nice and let me have a bite). Besides that we had a great meal and a great time. I wouldn't recommend Fogo de Chao all the time, but it is a fantastic place to go for a celebratory dinner.

The next morning the celebration continued with brunch with the extended family. Brunch is another all-you-can-eat affair. I think we were all still stuffed from the night before which caused me to be extra picky at brunch. I love our Easter brunch, but after eating a really nice meal the night before it made me realize how sub par this brunch can be. Don't get me wrong, it was good, but not as delicious as Fogo de Chao.

 

How was your weekend?

The Holidays in Pictures (w/ a few words)

My holiday weekend started on Friday night when my Mom and I visited with Christine from Fleur de lis Florist. She really impressed us, granted neither of us know much about flowers. Plus, she sent us home with a beautiful bouquet that had the same feel as my wedding.

After hanging out with Val most of the day, we headed to Theresa’s for dinner. She made lasagna, it was delicious!!! We also had a great time catching up, it make me wish we all live closer.

The next day (Christmas Eve), Mom and I went to see New Years Eve. The movie was cute, but worth waiting for it to come out on DVD. Regardless we had fun. Prior to the movie we stopped by Caribou for a cup of coffee.

Our table had various animal footprints on it, including the Snowshoe Hare footprint. My family went on a trip to Newfoundland about 15 years ago, when my Mom accidently ran over a Snowshoe Hare. She was very upset about it at the time, but now it’s a running joke.

After a delicious seafood dish my mom made, the family headed to the Miller’s for their annual Christmas Eve party. But first we posed for a picture in front of the tree.

My mom decided to start buying trendy clothes. As a result I needed a picture. I have to say she looks pretty good.

Then of course came Christmas morning, which included lots of presents, eggs benedict and mimosa's.

Happy Holidays!!!!

Ways to Enjoy the Holidays Without the Extra Pounds

We are in full swing with preparing for our move. I am so glad we waited to start packing. Now that I have started, I just can’t stop!

I am just glad that both Jay and I are ok getting rid of things (by either donating or trashing). It feels so nice to clean out before we settle in at our next place.

Since my mind has been elsewhere I threw a couple holiday posts together for y’all. I thought I was so clever with this post, “Ways to Enjoy the Holidays Without the Extra Pounds” until I read some of my favorite blogs this morning. FAIL. At least I know that others are thinking about the same things I am. Without further ado, here are my tips to get through the holidays without gaining too much weight.

The holidays are all about family, friends, fun and FOOD. Everyone has so much on their minds and plates this time of year that it may seem impossible to also stay in shape. Here are a little tips and tricks I follow during the holiday season to keep feeling my best.

Walk the Stairs

I actually try to walk the stairs year round at work, but during the holiday's if I have an overindulgent day at work I will walk up the stairs when I get home. You're probably thinking "no big deal", but we live in a high-rise building on a double digit floor. The threat of walking up that many stairs reminds me during the day to limit myself to one or two treats max. This holiday season I have only had to walk the stairs once. I am quite proud of my self control :)

Stick to True Holiday Treats

I love sweets as much as the next girl, but during the holidays I try to limit myself to Holiday Treats. So bring on peppermint anything and leave the oatmeal raisin alone.

Get That Blood Pumping

Regardless of the season, I always try to schedule workouts. Between Thanksgiving and Christmas I find it even more important to stick to that schedule. For me, I find I am better about sticking to a workout schedule in the morning rather than the evening. I try to incorporate 4 days of higher intensity training (running, BodyPump, etc.) a week. It is amazing how much a little pumping blood can improve my attitude.

Take Time to Stretch

Along with high intensity training, I try to incorporate at least one day of yoga a week. With everything that goes on during the Holiday Season, it's nice to have 45 minutes to empty my head.

Enjoy the Season

As much as I want to stay fit during the Holiday Season, it also comes only once a year. Don't beat yourself up if you slip up. Everyone should enjoy the Holidays!!

What do you during the Holidays to ward-off the extra pounds?

Oh Boy! What a Weekend!

This past weekend was a busy one! Friday, we kicked off the weekend celebrating with Jay’s PT friends. Nothing says the holiday’s like lasagna ;)

Throw is a birthday celebration too, and you have some party! We still don’t know why we let Jesse have a knife ;) Happy Birthday!

Saturday we were off to Baltimore for some family time. My mom hosted a get together for all the out of town family but forgot to plan dessert. With minimal resources, we were able to scrap together some Buttery Spritz Cookies.

They turned out a little pink (instead f red) but no one seemed to mind.

Then Sunday we all went to Mass and lunch to celebrate my grandparents 70th wedding anniversary. Can you imagine!!!

But of course a family photo first!

My grandparents met sledding when they were 12 and 16 and got married at 17 and 21. Their original bride and groom wedding topper made an appearance yesterday on their cake. The cake topper will also make an appearance at my own wedding in June. How cool is that?

Does your family get together to celebrate milestone anniversary’s or birthday’s?

The Holidays at Mt. Vernon

The girls and I decided that this year we would celebrate the Holiday’s together at Mt. Vernon. You may remember Jay and my visit to Mt. Vernon last year. From pictures, it looks like it was very similar weather ;).

Going to Mt. Vernon around the Holiday’s is a completely different experience than it was last March. First of all, there are beautiful Christmas decorations everywhere! I was very tempted to purchase a mini teacup ornament.

The house was also well decorated and included some extra like a cake that Martha would make for the Holidays. Speaking of Martha, is it just me, or does she look a little different in the picture below?

Ha, sorry I had to, Lauren insisted on having her photo taken with Washington. :) Plus having your picture taken with Washington is a must on your first visit. Needless to say, we had a fun day and learned a lot too.

Mt. Vernon is one of those attractions that I could visit every year and learn something new. This time I saw an exhibit that Jay and I completely missed last year. Oops! At least now I can say I saw Washington’s famous Dentures.

Plus, we got to see the third floor of the Mansion where Martha Washington lived after George’s death. It was cool to see this excluded portion of the house where she enjoyed her last 2 1/2 years of life.

Another fun fact (and fun addition for the holiday’s) is the Christmas Camel. Apparently Washington first showed off a camel on his Mt. Vernon estate for the Christmas holidays in 1787. As an active farmer, Washington was curious about exotic animals and paid 18 shillings to a man to bring the camel to his estate. Crazy right?!?!

This camel was very nice (and apparently from a petting zoo) so visitors could walk right up to him and give him a little love. Now, isn’t that what the Holiday’s are truly about?

Where do you go to see holiday decorations?

Productive Evening

I had a productive evening. I caught up on one of my favorite shows, Parenthood, while wrapping Christmas gifts.

They are all ready to go to Baltimore next weekend! Since Jay and I are moving before Christmas, I made sure all my holiday shopping was done by Thanksgiving. This way I will have everything wrapped and ready to get out of our current apartment before the move. I am just waiting on a few items that I purchased on Thanksgiving and I will be good to go!

After the gifts were wrapped, I made Jay and I a variation of my Vegetarian Pasta. It was delicious and really hit the spot on this chilly day.

It amazes me how quickly the weather can change from gorgeous and 60 degrees on Monday, to torrential down pour on Tuesday and chilly temperatures on Wednesday. I think last weekend was the last of the warmer weather here in DC.

(source)

While I should have been enjoying the warm weather, I was finishing my latest book, Bloodroot by Amy Greene. I will be real honest, I was not the biggest fan of this book right off the bat. I picked up this book because of Jenna’s review. I have loved every book from her site that I have read, and this one was no different. BUT, I had trouble getting into it.

The story follows the main character Myra through the eyes of her loved ones in their own narrative. I did not find this distracting at all and found it to be the perfect format for my morning commute. Unfortunately, I also found this to be a problem in Part 1. In Part 1, neither of the character’s, Doug Cotter (childhood friend) and Byrdie’s (Myra’s grandmother) stories grabbed my attention. I thoroughly enjoyed this part, but was not thoroughly enthralled. This all changed by Part 2, and by the final Part and Epilogue, I could not put the book down.

Overall, I loved this book and recommend it to anyone who loves historical American fiction with a little mystery thrown in. It is easy to read on the go because you are never more than a few pages from a break. Plus, just like The Soldier's Wife I was hooked all the way to the last sentence. Yes, Amy Greene really did that!

Southern Check-In

We have been in South Carolina since noon on Wednesday catching up with Jay’s family. Unlike last year, our drive went by so quickly. I guess it helped that we left at 4 a.m.

Jay finally got to meet his nephew Preston. What a cutie!!

We have spent a lot of time eating :) Thanksgiving does only come once a year!!

We also opened Christmas presents since Jay and I will be in Baltimore on the actual holiday. Jay’s sister Jeanette and husband Ryan made us an awesome Corn hole set for our wedding.

Originally we were going to leave these in SC until we’re down later this year, but these are too cool! We just have to bring them home with us now.

Another favorite gift this holiday season, footie pajamas for Jay!

Because he’s still a kid at heart.

Now we’re off playing with our new toys!!

If you split holidays, when do you open gifts with the family your not visiting for Christmas?