Sunday, September 26, 2010

Let's Try This Again


Okay, I'm better now. Sorry about the last rant, but I think I have spent most of my day fighting with technology. Nothing seemed to be going right and just when I thought I was going somewhere, I was knock down.

I may be down, but not out! Apparently, I was able to upload my pictures using Blogger's Old Editing tool, but this is going away soon. I really hope the fluke in the new features are just temporary. I can't imagine blogging without pictures.

Oh, and one last thing….

Thank you for those who were so supportive over the nasty commenter. Yes, I get pissed when I read things like that, but I've learned to brush them off a lot easier than I use to. If that is how someone feels, so be it. I know where I stand, how I feel, how I look and that is all that matters to me.

Wow, it's been a few days. Friday, I worked a 13 hour day, so when I did get home, I went straight to bed. It was really a fantastic day though, just long.

Saturday morning, I was up early, determined to get in my last long run before my race. For those of you that have been reading, I'm signed up to do my 2nd 1/2 marathon in two weeks. Although I've been training for many months, this year has been entirely different. I went through major health issues, little injuries, and just haven't gotten many variation runs in. My long runs have lacked due to knee pain. Anything over 6 miles, and I'm a mess.

But I've been resting and healing the knees for a few weeks, and I felt confident going into this one. The first half went great. I felt great, no pain, good energy, good pace. I wasn't worried about the first half though. Just as I imagined, I started to feel it in my knees around mile 5. I still have 5 more miles to go, so I paced myself and stopped to stretch when I needed it.

After 9 miles, I thought I couldn't go anymore, but I was determined and stubborn and pushed for one more mile.

10 miles in just under 1:30min.

I won't lie, I had trouble walking after this. This will be my last long run before the 1/2. The next time I push myself to the point of not walking, it's going to be for at least a T-Shirt.

Breakfast….


Apple Cinnamon Oats

I actually think this was a pear, but either way, still delicious.

The next 4 hours of my day were spent packing!!! We only have a few weeks but the next two weekends are out because I'm going to Baltimore next weekend, and the following is when we go to Connecticut for the race.

Toly and I actually made a little dent. I think the hardest part about packing is finding a place to start. The most sensible option seemed like the closets.

We packed up both spare bedrooms, all of our books, linen closets, and decorations. It was a good start.

All the packing worked up an appetite.

Lunch was a beautiful fall salad with Pumpkin Spice Roasted Chic Peas, Roasted Acorn Squash, 1/2 a Pear, Beets, Pumpkin Seeds, over Arugula with Maple Balsamic Glaze and Honey Mustard.

After lunch, I continued with my packing plan. I'm trying to clean out the pantry as much as possible, which actually gives me a good reason to bake. I found a Brownie Mix and a Can of Cherry Pie Filling that could have been in there since we moved in. No worries, this stuff doesn't go bad right?

I used both to make Chocolate Covered Cherry Brownies.

They came out perfectly fudgey and under-baked, just the way I like.

A little later, my friend Jess came over to help me pack up the kitchen. This room actually scares me and I know there is not a lot I can do until the last minute, but I figured I could at least start to pack up some of the copious amounts of dishes that I never use.

Jess knew we were going to need this……
She was right. Let's just say between the two of us, we somehow managed to nearly polish off both bottles. How did this happen? Well, I blame the influence of The Jersey Shore that we watched during dinner. Peer pressure from belligerent Jersey boys, a long day, and good food seem to make the wine go down way too easy.

Speaking of the food, it was pretty fantastic.

Salad
We ordered Sushi and deemed this some of the best we've had. The one in the back is a Caribbean Roll (Coconut Shrimp, Mango, Avocado, Coconut) and was unreal!!! Honestly, this could have been one of the best sushi rolls I've ever tasted. The one in the middle was a Summer Roll (Seared Cajun Tuna with Spicy Sauce on top) and the one in the front was an amazing Vegetable Roll.
Edamame
It was quite a feast.
Remember those brownies? I don't but apparently I was pretty excited about them. ;)
Ah, gotta love girls night!

Well, it's nearly dinner time, which means I have an entire post from today. I hate getting behind. I'll be back soon with more. :)

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16 comments:

  1. You definitely turned a "bad" thing into a great post/weekend! Looks like fun with a friend, just what we need sometimes!

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  2. Sorry to hear about the nasty commenter...I will never understand why people take the time to make mean comments. Any who. Packing is SUCH a huge task. Glad y'all got a lot done. And the brownies look fantastic! Cherry+chocolate is a great combo. Hope the knee cooperates for the half. It is SO soon. How fun. Happy Sunday

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  3. Ice up those knees, Lauren! I want you to have a great 1/2. Sorry about the tech problems--they are so frustrating and it's hard sometimes to just let it go.

    Glad you had some delicious food to make up for everything blah.

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  4. Some people are just awful. I'll never understand it. Good thing you've got a great friend, bottle(s) of wine and sushi! If that's not a near perfect trifecta of happiness, I don't know what is... ;)

    Wishing you a happy upcoming week!

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  5. What a fun night you had!!

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  6. I hate packing! At least you had good company. :)

    And isn't it great when you can get to the point you don't worry about nasty comments because you know you're true to yourself? That's so great you feel that way!

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  7. Hey girl!! I'm so sorry about the nasty commenter. I don't know what was said, but "the people that mind don't matter, and the people that matter don't mind" Wise words from Dr. Suess ;)

    ANYWAY, good luck with all of the packing and moving! Your girls night looks like so much fun, and I love the picture of you and your girl with the dessert! Also, how fitting is that one bottle of wine.. the one that says relax hehee.

    By the way, this post is bursting with gorgeous pictures of delicious food. SERIOUSLY!!! I found myself suddenly craving whatever I was seeing on the screen in this post lol.

    XOXO

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  8. I love brownies and ice cream girls nights :) My roommate and I used to have them all the time in college. Never with cherry brownies though...awesome touch!

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  9. glad you're feeling better. brownies and buddies always help! and i didn't make round 2 either - doesn't mean we're not fabulous, though!

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  10. Haha, I LOVE that you had two bottles of wine together!! I drank half a bottle on Saturday night, and it definitely made for a fun evening. Wine just goes down so well with food!

    Hope you have a wonderful start to your week!

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  12. I hope your feeling better! Those brownies look so decadent and delicious. I've never thought of combining those two ingredients! I love that riesling wine. Its so good! =) Have a great week girl!

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  13. i never understand nasty commenters. don't let them get you down, sweetpea!

    the sushi is making me hungry! where do you usually order from around here? i've been looking for a good sushi spot! :)

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  14. glad you are holding your head up high - you are sweet, amazing and fabulous! if people are jealous and leave rude comments, totally their problem!

    yay for friends! aren't they just the best?!

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  15. UGH, photo uploading is the worst! Do you have a Mac or a PC? If you have a Mac, try Ecto! I haven't had to upload a photo since February, and it only takes a second to publish a post (which you can type up totally OFFLINE!). I think Windows Live Writer is the same deal, if you have a PC.

    Sorry about that nasty commenter. It must have been a very sad person who needed to take time out of their unhappy day and try to turn yours upside down, too.

    Good luck with the packing, dear! Hope you're having a great week :-)

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