mish mash blog bash?

the last few days have been pretty tame for me. i have been running as usual, trying to stay on top of things at work, and even started a "new" project at work... planning the annual Christmas party!! 

this is a big task. to me, the number one important factor in this party is the venue. we aim to have the party downtown each year, which at this point is starting to pose a challenge. I do not want to have the party at the same place as we've already done, but our group size is pretty awkward. I have looked at a few awesome restaurant options, but because we require a private room, most places cannot accommodate our size. bummer! this really eliminates the majority of my ideas and "wow" places. shoot. so then I move on to more mainstream locations, which is fine, but i hate just having a party in a big box of a room. i prefer to be in a location where our group can experience and buzz and excitement from other "outside" factors - other diners, the hustle and bustle of downtown on a saturday night, lights, energy, etc... we had one party at a really neat, upscale location (a very trendy museum in town), but to me it was more boring that what I know is representative of our group. make sense? we were secluded in a (beautiful!) private room with just ourselves and a gorgeous view of the Minneapolis skyline. Of course we had a great time, but I feel like when we have outside influence of nearby bars or people coming and going, things tend to be a bit more energetic within our group. AND, my favorite part, is a smaller group of coworkers (and their dates) will arrange to go to another bar after the formal party - and that's when things typically get really fun! I would assume that most company parties are that way? am I off base here?

last year we dined at the ever-cool, always a great time Uptown hot spot Chino Latino. Food was superb (and very different! Chinese-Latin fusion. mmm!), atmosphere was vivacious and the fun never stopped! after dinner and some fun socializing, a smaller "younger" sub-group went to another bar or two to top off the night's fun. I loved it!! to me, that's what the Christmas party is all about - hanging out with your coworkers in a non-stuffy, relaxed atmosphere. let our hair down, be friends, and save the work talk for work hours! I am hoping to achieve the same flow of the evening this year, but it's tough to find a place that can take our group size, be trendy and "outside the box," be downtown and be a place we've yet to discover.

but, enough about Christmas in August! this weekend is Labor Day weekend, which means a three day weekend!! I spent a good, hard 2 hours on the lawn last night, so we can enjoy our days off this weekend - no lawn work required! Saturday James has his first Carleton game at Grinnell in Iowa, so we'll be down in the cornfields - i mean football field! - for the day. Sunday we are planning on going to the Mn State Fair (will post pics of the amazing people watching we will be doing!!!), and Monday is yet to be determined.... I am guessing that since it should be so gorgeous outside, we will spend the day in the sun - maybe in the pool or at the beach!

what a boring post. 

well, i guess i have something that I find entertaining... what on earth is up with these fashion posts?!!? it seems like everywhere i look (on the web!) some chick is blogging about how much of a fashionista she is (in her opinion). there are a couple gals out there with true style that i am in AWE of every day with their fantastic outfits and fashion sense, YES. but there are so many that I've seen that I (SHAME ON ME) chuckle at, to myself. Now, i am NO fashion authority and really, I don't care HOW you dress, as long as you are presentable, but some of these girls really think they are something "fabulous" and want to share themselves and every.single.one. of their outfits with the world! thing is, these outfits are not cute! they don't fit the girls' bodies properly, and in my silly little opinion (which i should keep to myself! my mom taught me, "if you don't have something nice to say, don't say anything at all!" well, sorry mom but today i break the rule!), they do NOT match and these girls just look like they are trying WAY too hard! eww. i hope, hope, hope that I don't ever look that way. when in doubt, I go for jeans and a plain white tee and maybe some fun accessories... less is better, in my book (for ME). more power to these chicks for wearing all these ultra-trendy clothes (usually, all the trends at once - ummm, tacky, to me!) and being brave/confident enough to rock'em, but it's not my style... oh well. to each, her own. and I guess confidence really never goes out of style (but, like trends, too much can be obnoxious.) just sayin'!

so there ya have it. a nice, ho-hum boring post followed by a criticizing bratty rant. 

oh snap. and it is supposed to be "thankful thursday." well, i guess today I am thankful for the first amendment - freedom to say whatever i want! sorta. :) and freedom for anyone to express how/what they feel, in a civil manner. so to the gals rocking 5 different trends at once or trying to pawn off their "vintage" cardigan as super cool (versus super-frumpy and dumpy!), go for it!! I am thankful for our diversity and self expression. AMERICA!

thankfully, it's thursday. now BRING ON THE WEEKEND!

frustration!! but pics... for fun!

i just made a nice, big post and for some reason it deleted itself right before my eyes.

i am so frustrated.

not going to rewrite it. but i will include the pics. backstories include: bars on Friday night, being silly and ridiculous taking pics at bryant lake bowl. me and kelsey/me james and i kissing and being corny. sunday we lounged at the beach on the floating dock at lake calhoun. great weekend.

so annoyed that my post just disappeared. just....in a blink, it was gone. sadly that is not the first time it's happened. 

ugh.

well, it is a monday. so it goes!

bff since france, circa 1998

super obnoxious silliness. you're welcome, hipsters at bryant lake bowl

see the floating dock beyond those buoys? 

what a fun, relaxing time at the beach!

it's friday afternoon. what do you expect?

i am so sick of stupid drivers.... really, i don't know what to do. people are so flippin' dumb when they are driving, i can't believe it. sometimes i wish i could have a dash-cam and upload recordings to this site from my commutes to and from work each day. 

i think the top two pisser-offers wold have to be bicyclists who do not obey the street laws and the suburbanites who are driving in "the big scary city" for what must be the first time. 

the dumb hipster cyclists are awful. how can you pedal with your legs suffering from lack of blood flow because your recycled levi's are so damn tight? why don't you stop at red lights and stop signs? why don't you ride closer to the curb/side of the road, instead of in a zig-zag pattern taking up half of my motorized vehicles lane? why do you flick me off after I beep at you because you cut me off while you blew that stop sign and almost smash into my big ass SUV that will crush you into a blob of Goodwill blue dot sale flannel wearing hipster-mess? you are not better than me and my fuel guzzling all wheel drive vehicle. you will not win on pavement in neither summer nor winter. so get your overpriced Bianchi out of my lane! PS nice lens less horn rimmed glasses, punk. go drink a PBR and pretend to be original. ...can you tell I hate them? if you're going to pedal your dirty self down the roads in which I pay taxes on (via fuel taxes as well as license and registration taxes and fees), then at least have the courtesy to use hand signals when you're turning, do not weave in and out of cars, do not ride between lanes, so close to vehicles that your stupid handle bars scratch the paint (yes this happened to me). and have the common sense too - you are ONE person on a BIKE. we are ten times your weight, power, mass, speed.... we will smash you like a turd if you are not aware of us (as much as we must be aware of you). 

as for the folks coming in to downtown for a twins game or a fancy dinner or just to see the skyscrapers (ehhh, sort of) in minneapolis...drive aggressively! pay attention to street lights and signs! have your passenger riding shot gun help navigate you. yellow light does NOT mean slam on the brakes! no, no, no! you must be aggressive and stop being so scared. you're going to have to be quick both with the turn signals (please use them) and steering wheel, as well as with your thinking. here's a hint - before you drive to downtown, mapquest/TomTom your destination and figure out the best route you should take. don't be surprised when you try to go west down Sixth Street or east down Seventh Street - all of the streets run only east or only west, depending on whether they are even/odd numbered. figure it out! you're wasting my time while trying to figure out why you cannot turn east on ninth street and blocking all the traffic behind you. just like reading a recipe through once or twice before you start mixing ingredients. have a plan, be familiar, follow through. duh.

so there is my friday rant. I am just so tired, so tired of these idiots trying to drive and really just putting my safety as well as their own (ok, and my time and sanity) at serious risk.

james has a scrimmage tomorrow at carleton... i doubt i will make it, so its looking like i have another free day to do whatever i want (dare i venture to mall of america again? i do have some returns to make...!). i definitely would like to log another "long" run, but i think length will be determined by what time I go and the weather. if it's rainy, i will hit the mall fo-sho and maybe settle for the gym. i guess i need to get reacquainted with the stair master (or, as i call her, the stairbitch) for fall/winter so maybe a quick sesh would do our relationship some good (and make my booty and thighs scream sunday/monday). 

oh yeah, here are some things that made my day today...

can you read that? END of an ERROR 2013... implying 

Obama is the error. haha, i love it.

and then there is this little lovely. i have one that's very similar already;

it's a cross body though, and has 

2 rows of beautiful suede fringe in this same grey-ish color. 

looks just like these: 

*I would like to point out/let it be known that I bought my bag over 2 years ago, as I am a firm believer that fringe never, ever goes out of style, you just have to know how and when to wear it. but i was quite ahead of the trend that is now fringe. it kind of bums me out that fringe is so "big" now, because I liked being different. oh well. i love the fringe, regardless.*

fingers crossed that we can go to the state fair on Sunday! if not this Sunday, then next!! i cannot wait to get my fun on a stick! more deets on the GREAT MINNESOTA GET TOGETHER, later.

go find a happy hour!

girl with the curl

it is thursday! wanna know what I'm thankful for today? kelsey! kelsey and her ingeniousness! is that a word? 

over the weekend kelsey and i were talking about hair. it's actually been an ongoing topic of exploration and discussion between us. her hair always, always looks phenomenal... ever since I met her before our trip to France 15 years ago, homefry has had quite enviable locks. so anyway we were talking about doing our hair and using flat irons, different sized barrels curling irons, rollers, etc. well, she thought of this "new" (to me) way to put hair in rollers to achieve the type of wave/curl that has been my desire for quite some time. typically my hair does not hold a curl very well, and it's long length doesn't help the cause much (but i refuse to have short hair!). well, kelsey showed me  new technique and so far i am liking it!! it produces a mid-length wave, versus just a light curl/swoop at the ends... I feel much more 2012 than 1999 and I am so happy!! now watch - the hair style will now go "out" and i will be behind the new do' by a few years, yet again! ha. oh well, i'm used to it by now. 

i'm still in the stage of "training" my hair to achieve this mid-stand wave look, but I am very optimistic and pleased, thus far. this is what it looks like before i run my fingers through it or lightly brush it (i cringe at the fact I cannot just simply brush my hair... but, i am learning!!)

as you can see, it's not perfect - nor will it ever be! this is me we're talking about here, not some girl who actually knows how to style her hair!! but i must admit that this is an improvement and is going to get better, i just know it.

so thank you, dearest Kelsey Jean... i appreciate your clever approach to hair and you sharing your ideas with me. I look (and feel!) much more in the "now" styles than i usually do - all thanks to you. what a great bestie.

maybe next time we hit the town i will do this to my hair and try to include a pic of the ol' coiffure as it survives the night. or at least tries to survive the night.

one more sleep till the weekend...

why this lady loves the Cool J....

Oh my, my, LL Cool J... you have won my heart over, yet again! i haven't much to say today but need to share this great tidbit of "news." this makes me love you even more. (shakes her head and slowly exhales... aye aye ayeee.)

other than that... i made no-potatoes (or "faux-potatoes" as I like to call them; any chance to utilize a frenchie word makes me happy!) last night and thoroughly enjoyed them for lunch today. will be using the remaining half head of cauliflower tonight to make more for tomorrow's lunch. maybe I will try to add some chives or sour cream (ok, more like plain greek yogurt!) to them tomorrow. mmmm. pics/recipe to come!

but seriously, back to LL... whats not to love!?!

and this is the real Cool J who wins my heart over and over again...

almost the weekend...get ready....

ramblings on my daily eats

boring day today... hope to "finish strong" with a great run tonight, as it's been a very weak day! weak, i say!! i just feel so tired... and i have nothing exciting to share, either! well, nothing new at least.

i guess something that is semi new in my life is my eating habits. for quite some time i have pretty much eaten what I have wanted - lucky for me, "what I have wanted" consists of healthy foods, as I am not really a potato-chip fan or candy bar freak. of course I love sweets (sour patch kids! swedish fish! skittles!! COOKIES!), but something 'clicked' in me a while back that, for the most part, turns off my enjoyment level of said sweets once i've hit a certain quantity. maybe i learned what it takes to remain relatively fit and the extra unhealthy quantities and qualities of food are just not "worth" it in the end. make sense? i just don't find my enjoyment in eating gobs of crappy food. I prefer a huge, lush salad over a greasy bacon cheeseburger 99.9% of the time - and for that I am lucky and thankful. that being said... i still do love to 'treat' myself to (excessive) treats sometimes! 

for the past several months (like, over 6 mos. we can comfortable say) i have been having yukky stomach aches and feeling slow and borderline lethargic. my tummy was bloated - there have been days when I felt simply terrible and had NO desire to move, let alone try to squeeze myself into my jeans and belt. I would often times assume i had just gained a few pounds in a very short amount of time, or that maybe my hormones were totally out of whack or some unexplainable reason for this sever discomfort. after ENOUGH was more than ENOUGH and i couldn't "suck it in" any more in a bikini (gross mental image, sorry about that!), i decided to cut out most carbs and sugar by way of GLUTEN.

what happened?

well, for the most part, I have felt incredibly better!!! in my opinion, my midsection looks better than it did (i do NOT have "abs." i most certainly have a very ummm, "womanly" abdominal region - not too chubby but definitely not defined 6 pack or anything. I personally do not want a 6 pack as i don't really like the look of it. weird, i know?! and no, it's not just because i am too lazy to do 300 sit ups a night, i just like a softer looking, feminine midsection) four to six weeks ago, when i started this new "menu." at first i was very strict about cutting out almost all carbs and sugar, but i am more relaxed with it now. I was not doing the whole Atkins diet, but i did take a few pages from the book (not literally!) to help guide me. I do not eat much processed foods (chips, crackers, granola bars-bummer because i LOVE them!- pretty much anything pre-packaged) or anything high in sugar. for anyone who knows me - can you believe i have cut out a LOT of fruit? i used to eat 2 apples a day, 1-2 bananas a day, berries galore, etc... but not anymore! I have switched to snacking on green beans, broccoli, raw nuts, celery - LOTS of celery!, and anything else that's fresh and easy to eat/snack on. i cannot believe how much more energy i honestly feel like i have pretty much every day (ok, i am just very sleepy today!!) and i feel so much better about how i can move and how i look in my clothes. what a great change - I am so relieved i did this. 

i don't know what I will do for the long term/future, but I hope to maintain my mostly gluten free eating habits. the payoff and my level of happiness far outweighs the short term happiness a granola bar may bring me. and no more tummy cramps? sold!

i made a tray of faux-muffins last week that I want to make again. they had the consistency of cornbread (aka HEAVEN, buttered!!) and although they did not have a potent flavor, they were easily jazzed up with a little yogurt-butter and sugar free raspberry jam, melted cheese, etc... yum! I used Bob's Red Mill Almond Meal/Flour in place of regular flour and mixed with 3 egg whites, one whole egg, baking powder, a small amount of Brummel & Brown yogurt butter and a wee bit of salt... i will try to remember to share the recipe later this week. they were ridiculously easy and a great addition to my daily eats. try it. please.

all in all, i highly recommend going gluten/wheat/carbo-free (at least severely reduced!) if you have tummy aches, cramps, pains, discomfort, etc. try it, at least - you really have nothing to lose except for, hopefully, some bloating and aches. just google "gluten free recipes" or "low-carb recipes" and see what catches your eye. 

happy googling!!

monday meh-ness.

so it was friday evening and i went for a great run... then i must have blinked... and here we are on monday. where did the weekend run off to? what on earth did i do with 48+ hours? i feel like i don't even remember. well, aside from logging three great (and much needed!) runs and a unique trip to the mall of america ("MOA"), the weekend escaped me. sheesh!

let me bore you with tidbits from my runs. friday evening 6.2 miles, saturday 8.3 miles, and sunday evening 3.2 miles. why only 3.2 miles? well, because it was what i deem a fast run. my pace was under 8 minutes miles, which is good for me (yes I am serious, I consider that good!) for a total of 3 miles. so although my mileage was quite below average, the pace was, according to my Nike GPS watch (best Christmas gift EVER, thanks to James!!), my fastest 5K (since January 2012). so, yay for me. saturday was just a gorgeous day and i have been craving a "long" run (long = over 7 miles).  it was very refreshing!

sunday i went to MOA for no apparent reason. well while in Sephora playing with perfumes the power went out!! poof! it was quite surreal. long story short, the whole west wing of MOA (from Macy's to Nordstrom) lost power and i think pretty much all of those stores affected closed for the day! bummer for me, because i was unable to buy the goodies I had picked out (maybe a blessing in disguise, for my wallet?!). so strange though... isn't it?

i'm throwing in some very random pics today because i fell like this is a random enough post. so enjoy!

want these. at Nordstrom... but i forgot to go look at them yesterday. whooops.

my dindin from friday and probably again tonight: eggplantzza! 

pizza made with sliced eggplant, spaghetti sauce, 

rosemary, garlic and mozzarella.

mmmmmm!! yes, they are healthy!

hahaha maybe my fave pic of the weekend? yes, i think so! 

saw this bad boy in the parking lot after shamelessly crushing 

a big ol' chop salad at Champps. love me some Sconnies!

hmmm. for Kelsey. :) might have just stumbled across a gem here.

here's to a (hopefully) nice, steady run tonight... oh Monday...i never really miss you.

party on.

exhausted! but worth it.

what.a.weekend! Kristin's bachelorette party weekend was a success! hooray! dinner on Friday night at Hell's Kitchen, then off to the (St. Croix) river for day of sun and champagne filled fun! once back in Minneapolis, we hit the town to celebrate some more!! thanks to all the girls for flying in for a great time and being such great troopers...i think one of the buzz-words of the weekend was "trampire"...?! so, yeah. no shortage of fun!!

Monique, Katie, Leah, Jenelle

Jenelle, Monique, Katie

Kristen, Michelle, Bride Kristin, Meredith, Leah, Jenny, Lindsay

the crew with Captain Nik!

Leah, Monique, Jenelle and Kristin cooling off

Kristin, J, Leah

hot babes!

Katie, Leah, Jenny, Kristen, Lindsay

J, Meredith, Monique, Kristin

out and about

Katie, Leah, Meredith

Kristen, Jenny, J, Kristin, Monique, Lindsay

KITE THE BRIDE!

Kristen, Kristin, Jenelle

(theta for life, right!?)

Wow.... exhausting! I might need 2 months to recover from the weekend, which will mean I am ready to go again just in time for the Oct. 13th wedding! 

On Sunday, James and I hit up Ike's for brunch (ummm, around 1:30 PM. ooops!). needless to say, it was the only time we ate all day.... I think we had enough food consumed for a small village. seriously - it was a lot of delicious food! afterwards we took our food-babies to go see the new Bourne movie. very entertaining! pretty sure we both enjoyed it. what an exhausting day...weekend!! looking forward to a slow week. I need it!

our "hit the spot" cinnamon roll at ike's... 

it was about double this size but 

i managed to devour half before i decided to take a pic,

 and then i proceeded to eat even more.

yes I ate almost 3/4 of it on my own. whooops.

here's to a week of detoxing! ...and lots of running!

thriday!

it's thursday...but pretty much friday. i am counting my weekend starting a little early... like, tonight early! i am exhausted.

Kristin's bachelorette party is this weekend and a lot of planning has been poured into many small details... we sure hope things go as smoothly as planned! tomorrow I will be making champagne flavored jello shots, some fun adult, lady-like (read: BUBBLY!) boat drinks, and packing for a fun filled weekend with KG, Monique, Meredith, Jenny, Lindsay, Katie, Kristen, Leah and Michelle. I think that's everyone - ten of us, all in all. 

before i start a post about that (ok, before i spill too many details! Kristin doesn't know our actual plan...YET.), i need to follow up with bacon. THE MAPLE KIND. coincidentally, it is also my chosen  topic for "thankful thursday." I am thankful that I am NOT a bacon-fanatic and can have just a small piece and be satisfied. I must admit, this MAPLE  KIND of bacon was a piece of deliciousness wonder, but i'd take a bag full of sour patch kids over a few pieces of bacon, any day. hello, sweet tooth!

so chef James was sweet (and hungry!) enough to fry this crack-like swine up for us. after nibbling on a lot of the cooked strips, he proceeded to fry HIS EGGS (oh, but at least they were only egg whites! must watch out for cholesterol!) IN the BACON GREASE! Are you paying attention to what I am saying!? he fried his eggs in grease. in a lot of grease. they tasted yummy, but were definitely too rich and greasy for my long-term liking (sounds like Miami! badum-chhh!). Anyway, a bite was about all i could handle, as a whole plate full of greased up bacon and greased up eggs (whites only, remember!) would probably do some work on my tummy. and skin!!

nonetheless, here are some photos we snapped along the way...

the grease, waiting for the egg whites to arrive...

egg whites are here!

...and they are sizzling!! (note not only the bacon in the background, but also 

the splattered bacon grease all around the pan! gross!!)

ta-daaa!!!! clogged arteries, comin' right up! but hey, it tastes SO GOOOOD! 

LIKE MAPLE SYRUP!

this is the amount of grease left over after the eggs were made (and devoured).

that's a lot, but is nothing compared to what he started with!

so that was our breakfast dinner! thats an awful lot of grease to be consumed, but i guess that's a perk of being a guy.... i don't think it phased him! I am pretty sure i'd be full-blown Michelin Woman the next day if i had devoured the same for my dinner. thankfully i find complete happiness in an egg white omelette with a sprinkle of feta cheese. just please, don't break out the sour patch kids - because I cannot and will not resist!

extra special thanks go to James for entertaining me with this wacky and wild way of what I have referred to as "southern cooking." I've never, ever seen eggs prepared in leftover bacon grease... it was fun to watch and he was a great sport when it came to poking fun and this new discovery (to me!). 

I am so lucky to have a boyf who can make a killer (literally??) breakfast, lunch and dinner... and icing on the cake: he cleaned the stove spotless when done. now THAT is love!

the maple kind!

coming soon:

my first experience with maple flavored bacon.

yes, the maple kind.

thanks to Chef James! pics will be included.

happy mouth watering!

thursday thanky-thanky

thankful for:

my tv in my office! it enables me to catch many olympic events which i've never seen! hooray! USA Mens Beach Volleyball duo Rogers/Dalhausser are AMAZING. i cannot believe how exciting these sets are...in awe! i love it. i love the olympics. have i confessed to loving the olympics yet?? i do!

so, thank you tv, cable (yes, i get four channels of olympics all day!) and swivel chair so i can spin between tv and computer. :)

last night we went to the farm to bring the S.S. Lunker (that's my boat) out there to "rest" for a bit. i snapped a couple quick pictures of the farm because it just was so cute and welcoming - i really love it out there. we are looking to host a bonfire after one (or a few?) of james' games this fall, since the farm is so close to carleton. definitely will be looking forward to some bonfire fun. and s'mores....OF COURSE.

i wish i would have taken more time when taking these pics - but here is 

the fire pit, through the fence...

Dad and James yapping outside the house and "martha stewart shed"

standing between the house and "martha stewart shed" 

and looking to the driveway and barns

mom walking towards the grain barn and house

ta-daa! and there is the farm!

tonight we are grilling bacon wrapped asparagus (which I am really excited to make!), then going fishing with Scott and Kristin. yes, sadly that means i have to miss the women's individual all around gymnastics competition. i am really sad! and i am serious about being sad! at least I know who wins! ;) and i am sure i will catch highlights later tonight or tomorrow.

in the mean time...

U-S-A!

U-S-A!

U-S-A!

B-A-R-G-O! (too much wine for a tuesday!)

what is B-A-R-G-O! you ask? 

oh, you know.... just another gimmick to get folks like james and i to stay out too late on a tuesday night and drink a tad bit more than we should. and maybe/maybe not order onion rings and sausage bites at 10 PM.

BARGO card and magic hat #9 for james

BARGO card and cabernet for jenelle 

oh well. we got to cheer on the women's gymnasts and some swimmers, too... go U-S-A! 

thanks for the fun, lyndale tap house.