I love me a good weekend. A good weekend with nothing really planned so all there is to do is relax, be semi-productive, and enjoy the company of family and friends. And that was just what we had in store for this weekend – nothing planned going into the days, but plenty to keep us busy Saturday and Sunday. It ended up snowing and icing so we didn’t get to spend much time outside, but we kept warm and had fun indoors.
It ended up being a GREAT weekend. And here’s why:
Fresh flowers. From Urban Orchid. I love fresh flowers and B and FW surprised me with a wintry bouquet that I’m loving:
Brunch with friends. I didn’t get a picture of the food, but FW got to try some new toys out while he was there!
Reading. B and FW read a little on Friday night and I love watching them read together. FW is finally (sort of) getting interested in books!
Adopting a family during the holiday – and dropping off the gifts. B and I organize a local adopt a family program during the holidays each year and this year I was there for the drop off. I’m so grateful to be able to be part of a great tradition!
Some running. It was cold and super icy, and I ended up only having about 20 minutes or so to work out on Saturday so I got in a short, quick run.
Colorful sandwiches. I mean, look at those veggies. Almost too pretty to eat! Love me some Herb & Twine.
A new local grocery and butcher shop in the neighborhood – everything was so fresh and looked so good!
Wintry homemade meals. B made me lamb shank and root veggies (from above said new grocery store) and it was SO good!
Tree decorating with B’s family. It’s feeling like the holidays!
Some questions for you:
Did you get outside this weekend? Was it super icy near you?
Happy Sunday! Are you ready for the week ahead? I’m still thinking about the weekend and wishing it were still here….sigh. Why? It was a good weekend with not too much work and the right mixture of fun and relaxation.
Here were this weekend’s essentials:
Decaf almond milk lattes. Essential when you’re averaging 5-6 hours of sleep a night and by Friday your brain is FRIed.
Post-work beers. OR a single beer because I’m still BF-ing and my tolerance is still sooo low.
Buffalo chicken salads.
5 mile runs with a baby. Where I only had to hold the stroller for one mile because B was there too!
Trolley rides through neighborhoods you are looking to buy houses in!
Ice cream. Because when it’s 75 degrees in October, pumpkin pie ice cream is a must.
And pumpkin bar cookies. They go well with said pumpkin pie ice cream.
Homemade pizza. It’s even better than takeout in my opinion.
Scary movies. I hate scary movies but once a year we do a scary movie night with friends around Halloween. This year, the Mist, was more of a monster/supernatural movie and it reminded me of Stranger Things so I was okay with it.
Homemade brunches.
Delicious Halloween themed treats. B’s mom made them – amazing, huh?
And of course cute babies!
Now, GO INDIANS!!! Here’s to hoping we do the same thing tonight as we did last night!!
Phew. Ever end a weekend needing another one? That was my weekend. I don’t know why – it wasn’t terribly tiring, crazy, physically demanding, etc. But I definitely could use another 2 days off!
Friday night started out pretty lazy – B and I ordered takeout Vietnamese food, tested out our new chopsticks (from Vietnam!) and caught a few episodes of Walking Dead and Downton Abbey. Which got me thinking – what if there were a zombie show about zombies during Elizabethan era England? Huh? No, don’t quit my day job? Okay …
takeout with nice chopsticks!
Saturday, I got up semi early for another treadmill workout. I walked/ran (As most of my treadmill runs are these days) a 10K, did some kettle bells, arms and abs – and then met Ali to go to the West Side Market! We walked home and it felt so good to get in a longish walk – it’s been so chilly and snowy and I haven’t gotten a good walk in really since our trip. After our trip to the Market, we spent a few hours cooking! We both had Asian vacations recently (she to Thailand), and that definitely influenced our cooking. See for yourself – papaya cabbage salad and a red vegetarian curry:
Ali cooking
Using a mandolin for the papaya (last time Ali used one she almost lost her thumb …)
The finished product!
Then, I met up with B and his parents at Butcher and the Brewer for a drink. Their Midwest Mule is pretty amazing.
Sunday morning I woke up at 7 for no real good reason. I got in a 5.55 mile interval run – not as fast as I would’ve liked, but my first interval run in ages – and then it was time for brunch! Wet up with some friends at Market Garden Brewery for Sunday morning beverages and food. Food not photoed. But look at my amazing champagne flight – oh my goodness. We were stuffed and even though it was super snowy, I’m glad B and I had decided to walk the 40ish minutes to the restaurant and even looked forward to our 40ish minute walk back.
pretty drinks! my flight of mimosas
It was a little snowy
Sunday afternoon included some Super Bowl prep – check out some of the cookies I baked –
Butterfinger cheesecake cookie bars
and we made spring rolls for an appetizer!
B rolling some spring rolls
spring roll time! (totally normal super bowl appetizer right?)
and then of course, it was Super Bowl party time! The spread also included ribs, drumsticks, chips and dip. Oh boy. I of course pretty much watched for the ads and the tweets, but WHAT A GAME (and the last minute?!!) and loved the Katy Perry halftime show.
What a GREAT weekend! I would have to say that this may have been one of my most favorite weekends of the summer. The weather was perfect, the food was good, B and I had a nice long run AND my parents were in town. Can’t really think of a better way to spend the weekend, can you?
The weekend, in photos:
My parents came in Friday late afternoon and we were lucky enough to be able to enjoy dinner outside. The weather was great, so we picked up beer and burgers at Dynomite before heading to a comedy show.
Check out my dad’s shirt 🙂
My veggie burger. SO good. SO big. And yes, I ate it all (fries not pictured).
After the meal, we headed to Hilarities for a free comedy show. I had won tickets earlier in the week and we were able to see Alonzo Bodden. B and I had seen him at the Laugh Factory in LA and were looking forward to seeing him in Cleveland. Here’ s a clip from one of his shoes from this winter (not this weekend). He was great! My parents loved him!
Saturday morning started early with a 9 mile run with B. Honestly, I was NOT feeling it for the first 5 miles. Yes, 5 miles. But after a short water break at mile 5 I felt so much better and the last 4 were great! Who knows why – sometimes it takes me 2 … or 5 I suppose … miles for my legs to warm up.
I bought new shoes! I was super pumped to model them (pardon the cheesy pic).
Post-run, we met up with my parents and headed to Tremont to enjoy some lunch and then the West Side Market for some fresh produce. Of course we had to stop off for tea in the afternoon at our favorite place, Cleveland Tea Revival.
My mom and I both got some iced tea – ginger and peach. Yum!
Saturday night, we took my parents to Superior Pho. Since there were four of us, we got a feast! Not everything is pictured. We got a chicken cabbage salad, Bahn Mi, the spicy pho, egg rolls AND spring rolls.
I think my dad enjoyed his pho!
But of course we saved room for dessert. We took a post-dinner walk and got frozen yogurt at Lemonberry. Confession – you may not be able to see the froyo because I may have taken a little of every candy they had.
Saturday night after my parents left/went to bed, I decided to use up some of the blueberries we had and made these buttermilk blueberry scones again. Because Sunday mornings with blueberry scones for breakfast = amazing. You should probably make the recipe sometime – it’s very easy and really yummy!
Sunday after my parents got back on the road to NY (sadness!) B and I took a walk around downtown. It was a GORGEOUS morning! We stopped at my favorite fountain. I don’t know why but I LOVE this fountain – it’s a war memorial as well.
And then we walked to the harbor. It was SO pretty out! I’m glad we went for a walk – I get sad to see my parents go, and B knows this – I think that’s why he decided to take my mind off them leaving and instead get me a ginormous coffee (I will be drinking it for 3 days) and take me for a walk.
Sunday afternoon I got in an easy workout (I’m trying to be REALLY good and not run too many miles and days in a row and stay injury free this year!) while B golfed with his family.
After a little work, B and I spent the evening at Blossom! This is my second time this summer going and we this time we sat on the lawn, enjoyed some wine and cheese AND Beatles music. I LOVE the Beatles – they remind me of car trips with my family growing up (The Long And Winding Road has multiple meanings for me – I swear it always came on as we were driving through the long and winding roads of upstate NY) and hearing the Cleveland Orchestra play the songs was awesome. And it was another beautiful night, so we packed a picnic dinner of a great salad, wine and cheese. I had an AMAZING time and seriously almost cried of happiness. Yes, it was that good.
I can’t get enough of the amazing weather we’ve been having. Can’t summer just stay forever?
So this weekend was just what I needed after last week. And now I’m off to start a crazy week – this week entails some travel for work, some super early morning meetings and even an event for a board I’m on. Yes, I’ll be counting down until Labor Day!
Some questions for you:
Do you have a favorite comic? Do you go to comedy shows?
Did you get in a run this weekend?
Just got new running shoes! What shoes are you running in these days? Loving my new sneakers!
What’s your go-to Vietnamese food item? I can never decide between pho or bun!
Phew, we’re back from a pretty busy/nonstop weekend. The past few days have included some good meals, some art, a comedy show, and two races (including one PR!). Here are some picture to give you an idea:
Our weekend “started” on Thursday with a night at the Cleveland Art Museum with B’s work. We were treated to a peek at their Van Gogh exhibit, appetizers, and drinks in the gorgeous Atrium.
Checking out the pretty awesome Van Gough exhibit at the Cleveland Art museum
Friday night included another Flaming Ice Cube meal AND another comedy show, this time we saw a “Mom-ic” (mom-comic) who was a lot funnier than I expected.
Saturday morning was an early one – we started with the Cleveland 10 Miler!
B and I post Saturday’s 10 mile race. Feeling good! (and there’s a photobomber!)
Oh yeah, and B and I PRed in our Cleveland 10 miler time. It wasn’t our best pace ever (it wasn’t our half-marathon pace) but apparently the past few times we’ve done the 10 miler we were a lot slower. Check out the difference:
Past years:
Past few years’ times
This year my finish time:1:31:43. Yes, that’s more than a 10 minute PR.
post-run yumyums – my favorite salad at Rothschild Farms
That was just race #1 of the weekend. Saturday evening we headed down to Columbus and Sunday morning included Race #2: a 5k in Columbus to participate in a race B’s aunt was organizing that supported the local autism society.
the whole group of us at the race
Autism awareness 5k – me and my “cousin-in-law” Steph – check out her cool socks!
B’s aunt took this photo of me crossing the finish – I took First Female!
after the race we enjoyed a nice light meal. KIDDING. My brunch was pretty delicious! That may or may not be Irish coffee in the background …
That’s about it! How was your weekend? Some questions for you:
Have you run 2 races in one weekend? First time ever! And it wasn’t sooooo bad (though I may be in pain today …)
Favorite brunch food? I prefer eggs (over easy or sunny side up) to sweet breakfast items like pancakes or french toast.
Favorite post-run food? I typically crave salads with tons of toppings and of course a hunk of bread. But eggs are nice too 🙂
Last art exhibit you went to?
May is THIS WEEK! What’s something fun you’re doing? Running the Cleveland half marathon; seeing my brother graduate; seeing my family in NY AND in Cleveland … so much fun stuff going on!
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