Last night after one glass of wine with the girls I registered for this: WOMEN ROCK

I’m going to have to start running more because the 10K is on Saturday,September 1.

Now I leave you with this… Who wants to run it with me?

PS- After I got home I realized he would not be watching Saturday Night Live with me.

I did not think I would ever start a blog entry with this title… but as the weight falls off I find that I am making some great positive changes in my life. I am starting small and hoping to complete a 5k this summer by running all of it “. (I’ll keep you updated .) here are some of my must haves when I run.

1. Sweaty Bands- LOVE THESE! I love headbands but have not been able to pull one off… Until now. I wore one of these during the Ovarian Cycle and was able to bike for 2 hours with no hair falling in my face. They are great for running too!

2. Ease into 5k- Great App! It is like having your own running coach. It designed into a schedule of 3 runs a week for 9 weeks. Each run you are coached through intervals and are told when to run and walk. You can play your music on your iPhone/iPod while using this app. (I’m not sure if I made much sense but… check it out.)

3. Brooks Ravennas- These shoes have made my workouts a gazillion times better. One of my friends is an avid runner and got me hooked on these shoes. I owe her big time because I will never go back to another running shoe. These offer good support and do not feel heavy on your feet.

What are your workout must haves?

As I type this I can’t believe that five years ago I was signing my ketubah right now and getting ready to marry my best friend. Time really flies and I can’t believe all the twists and turns that Justin and I have experienced over the past five years. We ended up celebrating last night and I wanted to share a couple pictures from our evening.

I knew I wanted to get Justin a bike for our anniversary. The toughest part was keeping it a secret from him. I was really happy when I saw how surprised he was last night.

Justin came home from work yesterday with this gorgeous flower arrangement. He told me that when he ordered them he specified green (my favorite color) in the arrangement. I love it and am really enjoying looking at it since its quite cold and gloomy outside today.

Also he brought home a chilled bottle of Prosecco (my favorite) and a new cheese which is similar to Manchego for us to try called Iberico. It was so yummy. He got the wine and cheese at Surdyk’s.

After appetizers at home we headed to dinner at Bar La Grassa. Both of us have been wanting to try this place. It has received great reviews (the chef received the James Beard award) and it did not disappoint.

I only took pictures of our appetizer course. Justin had the Spiced Carpaccio Bruschetta. We loved the arugula and shaved Parmesan on it.

I had the Calabrian Chili Remoulade with Fried Oysters Bruschetta. I loved the garlic rubbed baguette and the oysters were the best I have had in the Twin Cities. This was definitely one dish that I was happy I didn’t have to share with Justin (Justin doesn’t eat any fish or seafood.)

We ended our night with a stop at Cafe Latte. Both of us agreed on sharing a dessert. When we walked in and checked out the dessert selection I’m 100% sure that Justin already knew what I was going to tell him that I wanted. The Almond Fruit Tart is without a doubt my favorite dessert that Cafe Latte serves. They don’t always have it on the menu (for some odd reason, hehe) so…. We got the fruit tart. My husband is great at compromising.

Sending you all lots of sunshine and smiles!
Erica

I got back from Houston super late on Sunday night or you could technically say Monday morning. For some reason I thought that a flight from Houston to Phoenix and then another one from Phoenix to Minneapolis would be a piece of cake when I booked the ticket in February (oh my…was I WRONG) I yawned all day Monday at work and jumped in my pjs a.s.a.p. when I got home that evening.

My trip to Houston was as I would put it… Just what the doctor ordered. It ww great seeing my family that lives in Houston, my parents (who met me there) and my brother and his girlfriend.

It is so true that time flies when you are having fun. I’m hoping that my brother will come see in Minneapolis sometime soon.
Here are some of the snaps:

Dana and I got matching flip flops so… Of course I had to take a picture.

Sunshine and smiles

Erica

This weekend I met up with my parents in Houston to visit my little brother. I have been taking pictures like crazy and will post more when I get back to Minneapolis.

Have a great weekend y’all!

Erica

The only way to remember all that has happened this past week is to look back at all the pictures on my phone. I managed to get three runs in last week on the treadmill and walk around the lake once. This week I am hoping to get four runs in but we will just see since my schedule is a bit off since I leave for Houston early Friday morning.

I cant wait to see this gal on Friday!

Friday night was the start of Passover. I did buy a box of matzoh this year that I plan on only eating for breakfast. I told Justin that we are going to just go no carbs the whole week and supplement with protein, fruits, vegetables, and dairy. Tonight we are having chicken and beef kabobs which we would be making regardless of if it was Passover or not. I don’t even think I will miss not having the white rice with it.

Here is a picture from Friday night. I feel like I should have worn taller shoes because I look really short next to Justin.

Yesterday (Saturday) I went to get my hair cut and decided to chop off 1 1/2 inches. (sorry no pictures) I love living in the moment and love changing my hair style. I’m sure my mom is shaking her head reading this right now but, it’s only hair and yes it will grow.

After my hair cut I met up with a friend and we went over to the Galleria (my happy place). I LOVE this place and had so much fun even though I put myself on a budget and was not able to shop. We went into Ampersand and found some great serving pieces. If I could register again I would register for a ton of this stuff.

Here is some more info on this pottery. It is called Terrafirma Ceramics and it is based out of New York. Each piece is handmade by the artist, Ellen Evans. She has been making pottery since 1980. Each piece is food safe and dishwasher safe. My personal favorite is the black geometric pattern. (we all know how much I love polka dots.)

How was your week?

Sending lots of sunshine and smiles

Erica

This weekend my Minnesota gals and I threw a bridal shower for our friend, Molly. Her wedding is in June and we planned it so her mom and some of her out of town friends could come in to Minneapolis. Her wedding colors are Lapis and Charcoal(I think that’s right). We decided to stick to a purple and silver theme because for some unknown reason Party City does not sell any charcoal table decor. Allison made the gorgeous fruit platter modeled after Barefoot Contessa (Ina Garten). Alli made a really yummy pasta salad and a great Brie appetizer. I made chicken sliders (a treasure shared by my mom), a peanut butter cup trifle, and purple m&ms cookies. I wanted to share with y’all a couple of pictures (I wished I had taken more.) and the chicken marinade recipe.

(this makes a lot… Feel free to scale down or store in fridge)

1 large can pineapple juice
15 ounces soy sauce
2 tablespoons garlic salt
1 box brown sugar
1/2 cup Cooking sherry

Mix all the ingredients together and store in the fridge. I took my Mom’s advice and marinated my chicken for 2 days.

sending lots of smiles
Erica