weekend

newsflash: I’m not 21 anymore

I haven’t talked to you all since Wednesday and I still feel like I don’t have anything to say. I’m kind of tired of the “sound” of my own voice, if you catch my drift. I do have two recipes to share with you this week so get excited for that!

The past few days can be summed up in one word: beer.

You know what that means. It’s Sunday night and I feel like I’m typing with a preggers belly. All i can say is: thank god for fall layering. Those vests and cardigans really came in handy after day three of being slightly buzzed by Sam Adams Oktoberfest. Woof.

It wasn’t my most shining moment as a proponent of health/fitness. And yeah, I had fun, and no, I don’t regret it. But it never fails that after weekends like this I find myself sitting on the couch Sunday night feeling like a lump on a log and wondering why I couldn’t get it together all weekend.

Thursday night I met up with old friends from my favorite PR internship last year for happy hour at Randolph Tavern in the Loop. We’ve only been able to make it happen every few months but every time we remember why we’re still friends – we’re a freakin’ hilarious foursome. We split a bunch of pork nachos and tacos. So maybe it wasn’t just the beer’s fault (whoops). The restaurant was pretty phenomenal considering we picked it at the last minute.

Friday night was my five-year high school reunion! First of all, is that normal? I showed up to the bar and basically saw the same people I went to high school with except some of the guys actually had facial hair instead of hopeless shadows creeping all over their faces. And even though I will say, without shame, that I was pretty pumped for the reunion, it totally exceeded my expectations. I had a BALL.

I’ve also been wearing the crap out of those booties I shared with you a few weeks ago. If you want a pair, head to Nordstrom NOW. Best purchase I’ve made in years. I was comfortable in them for hours and they only slightly made me resemble a WNBA player.

Saturday was a little rough after reunion night (read: more beer) but I managed to get through work and meet Megan up at a local Oktoberfest celebration. My favorite part was a jousting “arena” that everyone from toddlers to sixty-year-old men was taking part in. I have to say, whenever I go to celebrations like this I kind of wish I had more culture in my life. Minus my quick stint visiting Prague, I haven’t done much to celebratte my Czech roots throughout my life. You Germans and Irish know how to party!

We left Oktoberfest to get some real food at the Mystic Celt and ended up with an incredible view. The only thing better than sitting on a patio in the summer is sitting in the restaurant during Indian Summer when they have the front walls down so you’re basically outside while still sitting indoors. It made for some nice views of the street.

So all in all, I ate and drank and didn’t do NEARLY enough activity to balance it all out. But I have a plan for this upcoming week to get more in control of myself when all I want to do is eat drink sleep repeat. It doesn’t happen often, but when it does, fitness-loving Lauren wakes up Monday morning wanting to punch herself in the face. And we all know that when you make a plan and have high hopes for yourself, nothing can possibly go wrong or get in your way. Right? ………………….Right?

No, Lauren, it isn’t fair, but you’re also not 21 anymore. Proper nutrition, water and sleep are a wee bit more important than back in your heyday.

So that’s that. How was your weekend?

CARA 20 miler, Taco Fest, and Accountability

What started on Friday night as a “Holy crap I’m burned out someone get me a glass of wine” kind of weekend turned out to be jam-packed with fun. I honestly didn’t want to leave my house after getting home Friday night. I had grand plans of seeing a cover band and causing all-around shenanigans but I ended up parked on my couch sending out depressing snapchats about the whole ordeal.

Yes I took a screenshot of my own snapchat. I now know how to save it, so no need to educate me. I am technologically challenged.

Saturday was the usual run, eat, work, but I did have a chance to go out with some friends that night which was fun. I was NOT happy about my 5:30am wake-up call on Sunday morning but hey, sometimes you have to sacrifice sleep in order to pretend you still have a social life.

Sunday was where the real action happened.

I was a lululemon representative at the 20 miler that the Chicago Area Runners Association puts on every year a few weeks before the Chicago Marathon. We all arrived at 7:00am to set up our signs, our tent and our freebies for all the runners. First of all, it was COLD. I ran to my car for five minutes at least three times that morning just to warm up. In related news it was 85 degrees in Chicago on Saturday. So, let me just tell you, if the apocalypse starts somewhere, I promise you it’s going to be in the Windy City.

Despite the weather, it was a beautiful day. A few of us cheered on the runners (my favorite job!) while others handed out wet towels with eucalyptus oil on them for relaxation after the run. Others were stationed at the lululemon tent, handing out flip flops, CRAZY good granola, and foam rollers to borrow. Bethany, did you come try to find me? I heard someone was asking for me so if it wasn’t you I’m worried I might have a stalker 😉

I’m not a member of CARA because I haven’t lived in the city permanently for a long enough time that it seemed like a good idea, but let me tell you: I love that group. The energy, the love of running, the people…it’s overwhelming! I had so much fun watching people of all different shapes, sizes and ages cross the finish line, having just accomplished a 20 mile run – and whether it was their first or their 40th, you could tell that every runner was so proud of themselves. I was so happy to be a volunteer!

That afternoon I made my way north of the city for Lakeview Taco Fest, where I probably brushed paths with Amy without even noticing. I still can’t believe we keep missing each other!

The highlight was the free wine tasting sponsored by Cupcake Wines at the beginning of the festival. I tried their prosecco (can’t go wrong) and a red velvet red, which wasn’t my favorite but my friends all agreed it’s now their new go-to red. Plus it was basically a wine truck – how much better does it get than that?

Korean smoked pork taco from Toons Bar & Grill

Korean smoked pork taco with Asian slaw from Toons Bar & Grill – tie for first place! Deeelish

Smoked Chicken Taco from D.S. Tequila Company - my favorite of the day. The elote corn hash, on the other hand, was underwhelming.

Smoked Chicken Taco from D.S. Tequila Company – another favorite of the day. The elote corn hash, on the other hand, was underwhelming. But it looked too beautiful to pass up!

Tacos from Crosby's Kitchen - pretty great! The toppings were creative and tasty, but the meat was dry. I've heard it's an expensive place so I'd rather spend less $ at an authentic Mexican restaurant for better meat. Rotisserie chicken taco + the Smoke Daddy pulled pork taco

Rotisserie chicken taco + Smoke Daddy pulled pork taco from Crosby’s Kitchen – pretty tasty! The toppings were creative and delicious, but the meat itself was dry. I’ve heard it’s an expensive place so I’d rather spend less money at an authentic Mexican restaurant for better meat.

I left pretty stuffed, but in true Lauren fashion I was hungry three hours later. It just doesn’t end! I act like that’s a big burden in my life lawlz – like being a bottomless pit is some kind of cross I have to bear. I guess someone’s got to do it 😉 Oh, I also noticed after taking this picture that I’m making a fist. I’d like to think I’m just pumped about all the great tacos about to enter my belly.

To end my weekend wrap-up I’m going to start posting my workouts on Monday from the past week in order to give myself some accountability. Granted, I know that life throws a wrench in your plans every once in awhile, but working out at least five out of seven days is a value I hold and it needs to once again be the rule, not the exception. I’m happy to report I kicked butt this past week!

Monday:4 mile run
Tuesday: 60 minute Flywheel Class
Wednesday: 4 mile run
Thursday: C2 Yoga at Corepower
Friday: Rest
Saturday: 4 mile run (last mile was a combination of sprint/walk)
Sunday: Rest

Thumbs up all around!

Questions:

What would it take for you to run 20 miles? A lifetime supply of chia seeds? A $1000 Trader Joe’s gift card? A date with Leonardo DiCaprio? Spill it.
Best taco you’ve ever had, and where you got it.
Has the weather been doing a total 180 from day-to-day where you’re from?

almost wordless week(end)

What’s new, crew! Sorry I disappeared for a few days – the rest of the week was a bit of a blur thanks to some unforeseen family stuff and I usually don’t have time to write on the weekends (too busy eating to write about eating, yaknowwhatimean?)

But while it’s been eventful to say the least, I did manage to have some great moments of fun out and about. If I took the time to explain each and every moment this post would be a decade long so let’s do an (almost) wordless weekend.

Just a little pumpkin-crazy

Early morning run in my favorite tech top from lululemon.

…Followed by a heavy dose of veggie icing and the Today show

Got some Skoop in the mail! So excited to review this next week for you guys!

And just like that it’s fall in Chicago! On the walk to work

Avocado-tomato grilled cheese + pumpkin beer.

Slowly (but surely) building up the muscles again. Yoga Sculpt

Homeslice Wheelhouse patio – my new favorite happy hour spot. I didn’t take my own pic because the travel channel was filming there!

Eating allll the pizza

Moscow Mule + pizza with olive oil, garlic (so much!), basil, feta and tomatoes. I died.

Been listening to a lot of John Mayer lately. It’s the perfect writing music! You either love him or you hate him…

BYOO – Bring Your Own Oatmeal to Starbucks. 9 out of 10 times the baristas will help a sister out 🙂

Bad mood killer. Best snack in the history of snacks. Candy corn + super salty peanuts

I’m also trying to create a pumpkin chili recipe today so I’ll be sharing that as soon as I’m sure it tastes great 😉

Can’t wait to read all about your weekends! Have a fabulous Monday!

Questions:

What’s your favorite day of the week and why?
Love or hate John Mayer?
Best part of your weekend…go!

Every lesson I’ve learned in life, I’ve learned from Dove chocolate

Ok, slight overstatement, but those Dove squares just get me. Whoever in their PR department decided to write little messages on the wrappers really knew what they were doing.

I was going to write a post on my general lack of self-control when it comes to those little geometric pieces of temptation but instead, I decided to flip the switch and view it in a positive light. So what if I’ve eaten almost an entire bag in the past five days? That’s five days’ worth of confidence-building, life-inspiring, day-changing advice, right? Right!

I kept the wrappers lying around the apartment all week and, after a fun scavenger hunt last night, collected all the best tokens of wisdom I could find, ones that really spoke to me and had an impact on my day-to-day life. So without further ado, the lessons I’ve learned from Dove.

“Stretch your body, stretch your mind”

This one should come as no surprise that it stuck out to me. I think it’s so important to stretch, whether that be stretch physically (which, ironically, is what I’m the worst at), mentally or spiritually. I love to hear other people’s life views and opinions, learn about other cultures and debate over current events and politics. I can’t imagine a life more boring than deciding what you believe and then never being open to hearing other opinions. It’s so good for the brain to “stretch” past its everyday thinking and really branch out to hear and understand the differences in the world.

“Seek out small pleasures” and “Enjoy the small things in life”

I’ve noticed that a lot of people are quick to notice the bad things and skip over the good, especially when it comes to little things. I’d be lying if I said I don’t fall into the same trap, but I’m usually good about stopping to smell the roses, if you catch my drift. I’m known to stop in the middle of a walk to notice a beautiful painting in a store window or cut my run short to sit on the beach and stare out at the lake. You just HAVE to. The world is so miraculous and enough bad things happen on a daily basis that, if you don’t take notice of the good things or make room for small pleasures, you’ll just become one giant stress ball waiting to explode. No Bueno.

“Create a happy place”

I’m definitely guilty of always looking to my surroundings to make me happy. “If I could just not sit at a desk all day I’d be happy,” “If our apartment was cleaner I’d be happy,” “If I had enough money to take more roadtrips I’d be happy.” But maybe happiness will come when I make every moment a “happy place.” It goes back to perspective, which I’ve talked about so many times. Also, I think it’s so important to come up with a ritual that puts you in a happy place. Whether it be a bubble bath or on a yoga mat reading a trashy magazine or in a local coffee shop sipping on a latte, we all need a ritual that centers us. Happy places are out there, just waiting for us to create them.

“Too much of a good thing is wonderful”

This is interesting. The minute I opened this one I laughed because I thought, “Wow, perfect excuse to eat tons of chocolate!” Why is it that my mind always goes to binging on food when I think of rewards, celebrations, “good things”, etc.? Binging on chocolate takes a good thing and turns it bad, because let’s be honest, who feels amazing after scarfing down 35 pieces of chocolate in ten minutes? Too much of a good thing means more than just eating good food – for me it means taking more walks after dinner, staying up an extra hour to see a new episode of Chopped, running an extra mile because I feel a rush of energy at the end of my planned distance, etc.

“Smile”

It doesn’t get any simpler than that.

Now listen to some fun music and have a great Friday – the weekend is only hours away!

Questions:

What’s your favorite type of Dove chocolate? I love regular milk chocolate, dark chocolate caramel and dark chocolate sea salt
What’s your favorite cliche lesson you’ve learned? Please don’t say “Dance like nobody’s watching” – this isn’t your 13-year-old dream board… 😉

scenes from the weekend

Hi folks! I can’t wait to read about all your weekends. Mine was filled with tons of activity, sunshine, furniture shopping and, of course food. Is anyone else blown away that it’s June? March, April and May flew by but I’m hoping that June will slow its roll so we can enjoy the nice weather that we all deserve so much.

As you saw yesterday, Zain and I started out the weekend by biking to the farmers market early Saturday morning. We didn’t buy anything but it was just nice to walk around and see the options for the future. Next time I’ll be sure to go around lunch time – there were tons of awesome food options! Tacos, fancy grilled cheese, crepes…I was pretty mad I had just eaten breakfast haha. I never like to miss out on food like that.

Breakfast before the market was peanut butter and bananas on a sandwich thin + coffee

Zain finally learned what it takes to date a blogger so he likes to take “spontaneous” pictures of our adventures.

I also noticed that everyone at the farmers market was in athletic gear. These are my people.

After the market I met up my friend Megan for a bootcamp class. It was the last class in my two week pass at Yoga Loft and I really can’t tell you how much I’m going to miss it. Once I have to stop paying all those beginning fees and additional costs of moving I’ll for sure get a 10-pass there to use over the span of a few weeks. That place kicked my butt and I loved every second of it.

The rest of the day was spent furniture shopping. Zain is all about the deals so we ended up biking + walking about five miles or so to a furniture outlet in the middle of nowhere. We felt like we were on a pilgrimage across the Sahara (it was 95 on Saturday) so when we saw 7-Eleven and were sure it wasn’t a mirage, we picked up some Slurpees.

Saturday night I hung out on Megan’s roof watching the sunset and drinking wine, so it was basically the perfect day.

Sunday was spent church-going, grocery shopping and Blackhawks-watching. The weekend was full and fabulous – but don’t think I’d leave you without showing you all the food I ate!

For some random reason I was all about the salads this weekend:

Mixed greens with hard boiled egg, tomato, blue cheese, avocado and balsamic vinaigrette.

Arugula with mozzarella and baby tomatoes (dressed with the oil that the mozzarella was soaking in plus TJ’s balsamic glaze)

But don’t think I just ate salads all weekend – that would just be nonsense.

Mahi mahi with herbes de provence and lemon, breadcrumb and herbes de provence-stuffed tomatoes and roasted brussel sprouts

Spinach-egg white breakfast wrap from Starbucks (plus it looks like the barista was cursing me out haha)

Veggie burger topped with cheddar, bbq sauce and onion straws

It was a blast of a weekend – I even started off Monday right with a 6:00am 4 mile run. Now that summer is here morning runs are going to be a lot more common. Everything is on the up and up!

Happy Monday!

Questions:

What was the best thing you ate this weekend?
What’s your favorite homemade salad combo? I need some new inspiration!
Did you try anything new this weekend?

things i love friday: kiddie pools and tacos galore

Aaaaand just like that, it’s Friday again. Don’t you love short workweeks?

Even though it was a short week I still ran into a million things I loved and knew I had to share today with everyone, so without further ado, a few things I love this Friday.

Farmers Markets

Well it’s officially farmers market season and I couldn’t be happier. I love strolling past the dozens of farmers’ stands and checking out the homegrown produce and unique products. From crepe stands to flower stops and some of the freshest fruits and veggies you’ll see in your life, there are few things better than throwing on a casual maxi dress, grabbing all the cash you can find in your house, and walking the sunny streets of a farmers market. I plan on going to the Green City Market in Lincoln Park tomorrow morning, so stay tuned.

2% Greek Yogurt

Why have you all been holding out on me?? The difference between 2% and 0% greek yogurt is like night and day. It was so rich and creamy, it felt almost indulgent. I’ll never buy 0% again – ain’t nobody got time to be afraid of a little fat!

Speaking of that, have you ever put mango in your greek yogurt? Life-changing, I tell you.

Tacos

It must be the warm weather but I’ve had fish tacos three times this week – can’t stop, won’t stop. I’m still on the hunt for the best fish tacos in Chicago – as of now the honor goes to Benchmark in Old Town but I have two places on my must-go list: Antique Taco and Big Star. I guess it’s my taco bucket list 🙂

At-home workouts

When I move to Lincoln Park in a few weeks I plan on signing up for a gym in the area, but until then I’m still using up my Yoga Loft 2-week pass and doing home workouts. If you’re looking for a fast and effective workout that you can do in your living room blasting Kesha, look no further than the Total Body Workout by Body By Jake on Hulu. Because honestly, what’s better than free?

@HiddenCash

Have your heard about this? A millionaire is leaving cash taped all over spots in California, from fire hydrants to park benches. He’s tweeting clues from @HiddenCash and hoping people will “pay it forward”. How heartwarming is that? I love little moments of humanity like that – everyone’s coming together and helping each other find the hidden cash, and then either taking their friends out for dinner/drinks or donating to their favorite charity. It’s such a cool idea and brings a little excitement and unity to the world! Fingers crossed he stops by the Windy City 🙂

Movies and Music in the Park

I promise that one day I’ll stop talking about how great Chicago is in the summer. Today is not that day. Starting next week the city puts on free events multiple times a week such as concerts in the park and outdoor movies. For all the time I’m planning on spending on the grass it’s probably a good idea to invest in some outdoor furniture. How about this?

Is that perfect or is it perfect?

Have a great weekend! Check back tomorrow for a fresh new summer recipe!

Questions:

What are your favorite outdoor activities in the summer?
What’s your favorite kind of taco?
What are your plans this weekend?

a weekend of firsts

First time trying squid ink pasta

Twas spicy. And different. Good in a unique way. Zman and I had date night at RPM Italian (owned by Giuliana and Bill Rancic) and after hearing rave reviews, I decided to try this squid ink pasta topped with crab which tasted great and made me feel fancy. I’ll definitely be back to try another dish because everything looked incredible, but I wasn’t blown away by the place – especially by the service. As a former server I know the little tricks of the trade when you’re trying to rush a table and our server was definitely rushing us. She brought out our appetizer WITH our entrees and asked if we’d like to see a dessert menu while we were still eating. Not impressed. But hey, now I can say I tried it!

First time making French Toast

It took an hour, way too much butter, and I wanted to go back to bed afterwards. The effort was worth it though, especially for leftovers, because this was killer. So delicious (and this is coming from a girl who’s never loved french toast in the past).

First time doing a squat-a-thon

Because it’s T-minus 2 weeks until I need to squeeze myself into a bikini and I’d rather squat til I drop than do something crazy like give up pizza.

First lazy “summer” weekend in Chicago

A beautiful run, a two hour adventure walk and $5 worth of frozen yogurt.

And last but certainly not least, first time signing a lease! (No, college doesn’t count)

Zman and I are officially moving in together in Lincoln Park! We came, we saw, we conquered. In other words, we toured an apartment, fell in love, and signed all within six hours. We didn’t ask nearly enough questions but it’s next door to a Starbucks so I don’t really see what could go wrong.

Big things happening here! So tell me…did you have any “firsts” this weekend? If not, what was the best thing you did all weekend?

Have a great Monday!

keep calm and run like simba

Hey all!

I hope you had a kickass weekend. Mine was….busy to say the least, but I like it that way! I ate great food and even got to run outside, so I can’t complain. The fact that it was warm enough to get outside and pound the pavement got me way too excited for spring, a pretty premature feeling here in Chicagoland according to the weatherman.

But hey, I’ll take what I can get. The only downside was I couldn’t find a headband for the life of me so I looked like Simba by mile four.

One of the most important things I did this weekend was sign up for the Shamrock Shuffle downtown this upcoming Sunday! I was going back and forth about actually running this…call it fear, call it laziness, call it tight-wallet syndrome but I just couldn’t commit. Well I finally bit the bullet yesterday and registered. I’ll be running with my friend Jordan, and with a new playlist and visions of our post-race brunch, I’m confident that I’m going to kick butt. Here’s to hoping it hits 40 degrees!

In terms of food I’ve been trying to incorporate more veggies and pure sources of protein into my diet in preparation of summer, and I’ve definitely been making some progress! Like we talked about last week, it’s hard to crave veggies in cold weather (unless they’re covered in cheese, of course) but I’ve done a decent job. Not to mention I’m still balancing those healthy choices with things like cheesy chicken quesadillas the size of my head and chocolate. It’s a work in progress.

I have a crazy amount of work to do over the next few days so I’ll be back on Wednesday! But until then, here are a few pictures of my weekend happenings. Have a great Monday! Can you believe it’s almost April? Good lord.

shrimp, jicama, avocado, black beans, queso fresco, corn, peppers, tomatoes and onions

Protein Box from Starbucks

Pounded chicken with a panko/red pepper flake/garlic crust, baked at 400 for 45 minutes. Served with “hot pasta” aka pasta, finger hot peppers, parmesan cheese, olive oil, garlic and salt. Also the smallest glass of wine you’ll ever see

Homemade bran muffins

This was the best thing I saw all weekend. I don’t understand if there’s a cake in there or if m&ms just spill out, but either way, sign me up

Questions:

What was the best thing you did this weekend?
What’s your favorite part of spring that you’re looking forward to?

warning: weekend food porn ahead

I really need to get my life together. I know it’s totally fine to love food like family and declare “going out to eat” your favorite hobby, but I really pushed the limits of normalcy this weekend.

I ate and I ate and I ate…lucky for me I had enough free time to squeeze in a great workout Saturday morning That, in combination with serving both Friday and Saturday nights made me feel like less of a chub monster.

That being said, I don’t regret this weekend one bit. I spent some great quality time with my Mom and Megan, and we got some of the first signs of spring (Daylight Savings + 45 degree weather wooo!)

So…..did I miss anything this weekend? I don’t see any ice cream up there. Shoot now I want ice cream.

But in all seriousness, there’s something to be said for “too much” food. I think as spring starts to peek it’s head into my life I’m realizing that my hibernation period is over. No more “oh it’s -30 so my body is burning extra calories so hey let’s get that family sized bag of m&ms.” I’m simply not going to need all that anymore. That’s not saying that I’m going to cut anything out of my life, but I definitely need to start watching portions again. All the spin in the world can’t negate the amounts of deep dish pizza I want to eat. Luckily, with the weather changing I’ll soon be able to run outside. Running outside is what gets me in a great habit of fitness. In the winter I stick with working out, but most weeks only make it to the gym 4 days a week. When it’s nice outside I’m motivated to exercise 5-6 times a week, which might not make a huge difference fitness-wise but it definitely improves my overall mood. I can’t wait especially for the Lakeshore path to clear up so I can run down the most beautiful route in the world.

Sidenote: I’m pretty worried about titling this “food porn” as I think it’s gonna get some freaky traffic to my site. Taking the risk, though. I’ll let you know how it all works out.

Questions:

What motivates you to exercise?
Do your fitness habits change with the seasons?
What was the best thing you ate this weekend?

weekend happenings: oscar edition

wooooo happy monday, everyone!

It’s -12 here in Chicago (I know I know, I’ll stop talking about the weather once it stops being so freakishly unbelievable)

Did you watch the Oscars last night? I did and I had so much fun!! I don’t even watch, usually, but for some reason this year a small group of friends and I decided to get together and make it a big deal. So a big deal it was — full of funfetti cookies, m&ms, popcorn and Stella. Speaking of that, did you know you can use funfetti cupcake mix to make cookies?! My mind was blown.

The rest of the weekend was full of delicious eats (as most weekends are). I was happy to finally have the chance to take Zain to one of my all-time favorite little sandwich shops after we spent some time getting work done on his car on Saturday. The only thing I love more than a delicious sandwich shop is a cute, quaint, historically-themed sandwich shop in a picturesque downtown suburbs setting. Just adorable. Enter, Bluffington’s, named after a British man who met his demise when a cricket ball flew thru his windshield. I mean, not the way I’d like to go but it certainly makes for a good story! They have the best tuna melt in town and it’s always a treat when I can make the drive to get one.

For as I love the city, there’s something special about being in the suburbs. Everyone’s just so friendly. At Bluffington’s it was the owner’s birthday so he had a giant birthday cake sitting there for all the customers to share. Loyal customers kept coming in and wishing him and happy birthday, stepping behind the counter to give him a hug. It was really precious and I love witnessing little moments like that between people.

You know you’ve been dating for over 3 years when walking through a candle store is a hilarious and cute date idea.

Good lord there are some weirdddd smells out there now. Do you know anyone who wants to smell popcorn in there house WHEN NO ACTUAL CONSUMABLE POPCORN IS TO BE FOUND? Idk that just seems like torture to me.

Weirdly enough, though, they captured the “Football” scent very well.

I had to work both Friday and Saturday nights so nothing fun or exciting there. Sadly I’m just not a night owl – I accepted that a long time ago and would much rather fill my days with fun activities than stay up late getting into mischief, you know? 😉

Sunday played out like it usually does: church with my family followed by a mammoth breakfast and workout:

This workout murdered me! When did burpees get SO hard? I mean they’ve always been hard but DAMN.

Oh and side note I cried when Jared Leto won Best Supporting Actor, so there’s that.

An incredible actor, musician, humanitarian, and soul. I love him and am so happy he got the recognition he deserves as an artist.

Questions:

Ok now it’s your turn — tell me the best part about your weekend! Did you watch the Oscars? Who was your favorite?

i had a big lunch

Because dreaming about food and fitness was no longer enough

weekend

newsflash: I’m not 21 anymore

CARA 20 miler, Taco Fest, and Accountability

almost wordless week(end)

Every lesson I’ve learned in life, I’ve learned from Dove chocolate

scenes from the weekend

things i love friday: kiddie pools and tacos galore

a weekend of firsts

keep calm and run like simba

warning: weekend food porn ahead

weekend happenings: oscar edition