Month: July 2011

Six Pack Sunday: Leftover Wedding Bits

/ foodsweatandbeers / 8 Comments

Hey all!

I know I’ve been off my Six Pack Sunday game for a little while, there’s been tons of traveling and very little time to sum up the bits and pieces of my life a la previous Six Pack Sundays.  But this past weekend, with the wedding, there were a bunch of little pieces that were hilarious and I wanted to share but didn’t fit into the primping and pictures sections.

So now I present:

Six Pack Sunday, the Leftover Wedding Bits!

  1. Body Builder’s Booty Blunder

    So, unbeknownst to the wedding planners, I’m sure, there was a huge body building competition happening at the hotel we were staying at.  Everywhere we looked, there were giant, bronzed, muscular men and women rubbing oil on their bodies and practicing poses in the lobby bathroom.  The best, though, was when I was in the fitness room early Saturday morning (since I’m an early bird and all.) As the muscled men and women filed into the small fitness room, clearly disappointed with the lack of weights over 80 lbs, one of them hopped onto the treadmill and that’s when I saw it.

    White shorts + self tanner = the appearance of poop. It's simple math, people.

    It was too funny to not creep a stealthy picture. He probably ended up winning the competition, but also won my heart with that sexy poop stains.

  2. West Virginia: Classiest state ever?

    On our drive to Pittsburgh, we stopped at a gas station in West Virginia for some gas and to relieve my tiny bladder.  While inside, I spotted this little gem:

    At least they're owning it.

    As much as it pained me, I left without buying it.  Ah, the one that got away…..

  3. Champagne for my real friends, real pain for my sham friends.

    Sometimes, when I see rogue bottles of champagne left by the folks at Izzazzu that are going to be thrown away…. I just can’t help myself.

    Yup, snagged that from the table after it was orphaned by the other bridal party... Very sneaky, sir.

     

  4. Steam Ghost

    There may or may not have been a ghost in the steam room.

    Casper? Is that you?

    Whatever it was, it definitely led to a very sweaty Jordan.  But that also may be contributed to the 40 minutes of cardio earlier.

    Cute, right?

  5. Ketchup is for lovers.

    Aren’t these wedding favors just the cutest?

    Heinz baby!

    Alas, for me, that entire bottle is probably one burger’s worth of ketchup, so I’ll have to save it for a special occasion. Or a special burger.

  6. Elliptical… of the future!

    Anyone ever workout on one of these?

    SO MANY BUTTONS!

    On it, you could track your distance as a 5K, on a mountain, around a track, or watch tv! It was the most hi-tech piece of cardio equipment I’ve ever worked with, and I imagine that, in the future, ellipticals will eventually give you back massages, do your laundry, and compliment your outfits as well.  In the meantime, though, this will have to do.

Enjoy your Sunday, ladies and gents, and I promise, this is the last wedding post!! Before you know it, I’ll be posting crazy things like beer reviews, workouts, and food again… Sounds nuts, right?

The Durham Farmer’s Market: My favorite Saturday morning pasttime

/ foodsweatandbeers / 4 Comments

Hello friends!!

It’s an absolutely stunning Saturday here in the Triangle.  The weather’s in the mid-90s, par for course here, but in a little while, I’ll head to the pool to cool off.  This morning, though, was a nice and breezy day at the Durham Farmer’s Market.  I’ve written about it before, or at least about my haul, but I feel as though I didn’t give justice to just how much I love it.

In the past few years of my life, I’ve become quite the early bird.  I’m always the first one awake after a long night, and (alas) the first one to fall asleep. It is my burden. However, on Saturday mornings, before the beau wakes up and before the sun heats the world to a sizzling sauna, it’s my own private little gift.

I woke up at nine, stopped briefly at the bank to deposit a check and take out some cash (as most of the vendors prefer or only accept cash) and head to downtown Durham. I’ve been spending much more time there lately, visits to Fullsteam and restaurants in the area like Bull City Burger and it’s finally starting to feel like my city.

Today, when I arrived, the first thing I spotted was a welcome mini food truck rodeo.


Pie Pushers Truck, snapped with Instagram

There was also a Kettle Corn truck and a truck that featured chicken and waffles. As tempting as the intoxicating scents of the Breakfast Pizza and sugary kernels were, I had tunnel vision. I was on a mission and that mission was produce.  The options seemed endless.

A rainbow of options!

Though I initially came in with no exact plan on buying anything, as I visited more vendors, an idea of what I needed came to me.

I had plenty of basil and spinach, no need for more greens.

As much as I wanted everything from the Chapel Hill Creamery, it wasn't in the cards today.

EUREKA! That's the ticket!

As soon as I saw the vibrant purple eggplant and all the different pepper options, I knew those were all that I wanted! I’ll admit, it was very difficult to resist the other tasty treats on the menu.

Oh, baked goods, I want each and every one of you in/around my mouth.

I'll admit, it's not very hard to resist meat sticks... but that's just me.

Resisting the baked goods from Scratch Bakery is always an uphill battle.... Sometimes I don't win it. But it's the most delicious loss possible!

The Durham Farmer’s Market also occasionally has Chefs from local restaurants and shops come in to sample some of their goodies!

Today's chef was from the Pomegranate Kitchen

I tried a bit of the split pea soup, but it definitely wasn’t for me. Not enough flavor, but very fresh tasting.

I also have a soft spot in my heart for the underdogs of the farmer’s market.

Aw, they're beautiful on the inside.

I just can't say no to them!!

I grabbed two of these peaches, and made one into some peach pancakes for Pancake Saturday.

The Durham Farmer’s Market just starts my weekend off in the best possible way.  And I always get a look at the cutest little socially conscious kids!

She'll probably move to Carrboro when she turns 18.

I know I tease the Carrboro and Durham hippy kids a lot (and have ever since I went to UNC) but deep down inside, I love em, and am thankful that they exist so that I can keep visiting spots like the DFM.

My bag o' veggies! aka the good stuff.

Now, it’s a very welcome pool time.

Do you ever go to the Farmer’s market?  If so, what do you get?

 

Baby’s Day Out: Grown Woman Edition

/ foodsweatandbeers / 7 Comments

Happy Friday night!!  I hope everyone’s weekend is getting started off right!!

I took the second half of today off from work as my shark week was getting the best of me, and I needed some R&R.  After getting some nutrients in my body and laying on the couch for about 2 hours, I was getting a little stir crazy.  It was time for an adventure.

Remember that film, Baby’s Day Out?

Baby Bink!

Well, basically, Baby Bink flies the coop and experiences some crazy baby shenanigans in the big city.  My day was exactly like that.  Minus the crooks and the gorilla and the city. And I’m not a baby so I can drive, not just crawl around.  Other than that…. the same.

First up, Old Navy.  I knew that today and tomorrow, all their swimwear left was only $4.  Alas, the pickins were slim (as in…. hideous pieces that it’s no wonder no one picked them up.)  I started to venture in the direction of the clearance section but, considering I was still feeling a little under the weather, the mere sight of the clearance rack chaos was overwhelming.

UGH, too much work.

Sometimes, I’m fully in the mood for sale hunting. Today was not one of those times.

Up next, I figured I’d swing by whole foods to take advantage of their one day sale on salmon. When I got there, I was promptly told that they were fresh out. AGHHHHHHHHH!

What frustrated me the most was not that they were all out (they’d sold over 600 lbs before 3pm!) but that there was no indication whatsoever.  In fact, they still had their sign up advertising it, which was rude and forced all of us customers, with hope gleaming in our salmon loving eyes, to feel embarrassed as we, one by one, had to ask and be DE-NIED!

YOU SIT ON A THRONE OF LIES, WHOLE FOODS!

In hopes of making the day not a full bust, I went to the one spot that I was sure I would score: Trader Joe’s.  Thanks to an earlier tweet and all the responses from the tweeps, I came home a victor!

Hooty hooooo!

Wine, light kettle corn, whole wheat pizza dough, sweet potato fries, frozen mahi mahi, carrots, Indian foods, light brie (meh, not all it’s cracked up to brie. LOL! GET IT?!) Flax seed tortilla chips (spicy), salsa, pizza suace, soy crackers, seaweed snacks, and a pepper.

I completed my day out with a brief (but HARDCORE) workout for the new release of BodyAttack.  It was AMAZING but I’ll wait to do a full review until I get an actual full class (this was missing 2 tracks).

Not too shabby.

The last track shot my HR up to 187, which I haven’t seen since maybe the last time I did a spin class.  Clearly, she had us working.

Now this Baby Bink is off to watch a movie with a friend and make a pizza.  Perfect evening.

What are you doing this weekend?

What would you do on your perfect day out, alone?

The 61 Hour Wedding Whirlwind Weekend: The Reception

/ foodsweatandbeers / 3 Comments

Happy Friday, friends and neighbors.  Today the weekend is starting a little early, though not for anything extremely fun.  When I got to work today, I was feeling decidedly normal, but that faded fast.  Slowly and surely, with tummy rumblings and general malaise, I realized it was bound to be a half day.  It’s likely some perfect storm of not eating a real dinner last night (but nibbling on calamari, shrimp and salsa, and making a peach crumble sundae…), my past two weeks of travel catching up on me, and my own, personal shark week (explanation may be TMI for regular readers, but feel free to click if you don’t understand.)  No matter the culprit, my body just needed some R&R (&S… for salad!)

Taco Salad + a special guest!

I sprinkled some sexy chia seeds on top for a little crunch (and because… you know… all the cool kids do it.) It reminded me of sesame seeds, and the salad was delicious.  Probably very good for me to get some greens into my body after the lousy food and drink I put in my belly last night.

I thank you all for sticking it out and following this wedding journey to the end, and in case you haven’t (but want to) here’s the recap so far:

We all know, to quote a great man, that “After the show, it’s the after parrrrrrrrrtyyyyyy” (R. Kelly, 2003).  The wedding party was danced onto the boat where the reception was held, one of Pittsburgh’s infamous Gateway Clipper Fleet ships.  Unfortunately, one of the groomsmen didn’t quite have his “land legs” yet, and promptly spilled an entire glass of red wine on the table.

Smooth, bro.

Luckily, the crew had it cleaned up in a jiffy, and in a few minutes, after the rest of us got our drinks, the table was again ready for sitting.

Groom, bride, and Bre, the other MOH

Up next was the part of the night I was the most anxious about… the SPEECHES!  First up was Miles, brother of the groom, and best man.

Dapper dude

His speech was top notch.  Clever, touching, and to the point. It touched on the loyalty of the groom, the generosity of the bride, and how right they were for each other.

The other MOH, Breanna, discussed the meeting of Caitlin and Eamonn as a fairytale, starting with dorm rooms and shot glasses.  I’ll admit, I had very little knowledge of this inside joke, but I know it meant a lot to the happy couple, and was happy that someone who actually knew them well as a couple could speak to their love story.

I don’t have any pictures of my own speech, since I was giving it and all, but all of my anxiety flew away the moment someone handed me a microphone. I looked back at Caitlin and tried to speak from the heart, and I did it all without crying at all (though there were some seriously intense cracks in my voice, made me feel like a pubertal boy… one who was about to weep openly in front of his friends.)  It went over well, though, and then the fun could begin!!

Ryan and I cutting a rug (Source: Chrissy K Photography)

Adorable cake topper

Woops, how'd that one slip in there?

Love on the top deck!

And the night was capped off with beautiful fireworks (that were meant for the Pittsburgh Pirates… but we felt like they were all for us!)

Boom boom boom

All in all, I’d say a successful wedding.  Romantic, inspiring, and on a boat.  All the best parts of a night out, right?

Bahahaha now that I have a blog I can post pictures like this ALL THE TIME!

PS my sincere apologies to Ryan, my beau, for being such a camera ham…. and for posting pictures like this.  Thanks for tolerating dating me.

Ok, now I’m off to try and feel better…. maybe with the help of this week’s US Weekly.  Apparently Denise Richards is gonna “tell all.”

I’m riveted.

Do you like celebrity gossip?

Do you take ridiculous pictures of you and your significant other in hopes that one day, you can show them off for all the world to see?

Yeah. Me too.

North Carolina Girls Pint Out invades Tyler’s in Durham

/ foodsweatandbeers / 4 Comments

Good evening y’all!! Even though it’s about a week overdue, I’ve definitely had this post on the backburner for a little while. Admittedly, most of that week was preparing for/driving to/being in/returning from/recovering from my best friend’s wedding but truly, no excuse for letting ladies who love craft beer down, right?

Last Thursday, I sped over to Rockfish at Southpoint for my favorite night of the week, Glass Night!  And, lemme just say, the place was poppin’!

Oh, hey, every beer lover in the Triangle!

The beer of the night was the New Belgium Trippel , and it. was. tasty!  So tasty, in fact, that we ran out of glasses early in the night.  Even though I gave mine away, it was not until after I took my essential “beer at Rockfish” picture.

Chin chin, people!

I’ve been a fan of New Belgium beers since I first tried Fat Tire, but even MORE so after being a part of the New Belgium Tour de Fat in Durham, which was a TOTAL BLAST!  It was also great to see what they’re all about, namely promoting self-powered travel via bikes!!

Though I’m a huge fan of their beer, I only had one glass before I headed out to Tyler’s Taphouse in Durham for the Inaugural North Carolina Girls Pint Out event!!

When I got there, I was immensely pleased with what I saw (other than just a bunch of hot ladies drinking beer… which always is a joy to see, no matter the occasion.)

Check out our Hoppin' Spot!

Tyler’s really went above and beyond the call of hosting-duty for us, allowing us to post signs, reserving a great spot for all us ladies, and providing a few complimentary appetizers to keep the ladies drinking and the conversation flowing (big thanks, Tyler’s folks! we LOVE you!!)

We even had some extremely well written beer handouts about Girls Pint Out and the special beers of the night!

Love that logo, too cute.

Expertly written. What a pro...

Well, I’ll be honest. I’m kind of biased, since the author of those BEAUTIFUL beer write-ups and pairing suggestions was none other than yours truly.  I’m also great at being humble, and available for parties and Bat Mitzvahs.

I even got to share my hard work with the class! Great practice for my Maid of Honor speech.

So many ladies showed up, they actually had to give us an extra table!

Initiate my HEART SWELLING PRIDE!

The beers were cold, the koozies were free, the queso was divine (and welcome after a long day of eating diddly) and the company couldn’t have been better.  I was so excited to work with the ladies that were part the “Founding Mothers Sisters” (mothers just sounds too weird) of the organization, and we’re already planning some events in August (possibly even a little outing or two for August 4th #IPADay!)

Big thanks to all the Founding Sisters for helping put it together, to Tyler’s for showing us a good time, and to all the lovely ladies of Lager who came out and made it as fun as it was!! (oh and big ups to Melissa for being my personal photographer for the night!)

 

Founding Sisters, looking classy as per.

Are you a lady who likes sipping on beer with ladies? 

If so, check us out on twitter and facebook or find a chapter near you!!

The 61 Hour Wedding Whirlwind Weekend: Pictures and the Ceremony!

/ foodsweatandbeers / 8 Comments

Hey y’all and TGIT!!  Truly, though, I’m feeling FANTASTIC on this Thursday.  It may have something to do with the unplanned extra hour and a half I got this morning when I decided that the great dreams I was having were more important than the 7 am BodyAttack class….  No matter what is causing it, I hope this feeling doesn’t fade anytime soon!!

Lunch today also may have something to do with my great mood, because it was a perfect one.  One of my coworkers brought a little treat for everyone in the office and put it on the “community microwave” which is usually where we put snacks that we made or leftover goodies to “share with the rest of the class.”  Today’s was MUCH better than cupcakes.

Tiny tomatoes, perfect for lunchtime!

They completed the salad for the ages:

Even better than last night!!

This little taco salad was very similar to last night’s taco salad but tasted much more delicious.  I think it had something to do with the freshest little tomatoes and the fact that there wasn’t 1/4 lb of SUPER STRONG spicy turkey (which I replaced with a 1/3 can of Bush’s reduced sodium blackbeans) overpowering everything.  I really tasted the avocado, and it gave the salad a creamy counterpart to the crisp peppers.

Anyway, here’s the fourth installment of the wedding weekend (sorry if you’re getting sick of this, but not too sorry because it’s been a blast to write and great for my mom to get a play by play of the wedding!!)

In case you missed it, here are the other parts:

After we finished getting all dolled up, we rushed Cait’s room to observe her (much more laborious) preparation.

THE DRESS!

Cait’s dress was a total looker, fitting for such a flawless bride!

The bow on the back was difficult, apparently, but we had a bridesmaid for that! Juli, one of Cait’s old roomies, was ready to step up.

Bow-i-gami!

There were many many pictures snapped of the bridesmaids, of Cait, of the moms, of the photographer:

This is so meta.

Then, we hopped onto a trolley to head up to Mt. Washington for THE BIG REVEAL!! In case you’re unaware, the big reveal is the first look that the groom gets at his bride.  Especially important when you’re taking pictures before the ceremony!

Trolley beers

 

Love at first sight.

Clearly, the tallest of the bridesmaids.

It was incredibly hot and sweaty during the picture taking, but we had a good time in the trolley thanks to our dear friend: beer.

Cheers to the happy couple!

Unfortunately, I didn’t get many pictures from the ceremony considering how annoying it would’ve been having a Maid of Honor snapping shots inside the chapel.  But thankfully, my handsome date snapped a few.

So excited!

MWA!! It's official!!

Oh, hey boyf! I FOUND YOU! and you found... my crazy eyes!

The ceremony was beautiful, the vows… inspiring.  And we all hooted and hollered as they walked off into a sea of bubbles!

Note my "I scream louder than anyone else!" face.

Join us tomorrow for our final installment: the afterparrrrrrrtyyyyyy! (also known as the reception).

Microwaves vs. Crockpots: A Weight Watchers Metaphor

/ foodsweatandbeers / 9 Comments

Good evening, y’all!!

Today, after work, I took a rest day, as I knew I would.  I spent some time at the grocery store, and came out with a KILLER haul due to sales and bogos.  25 dollhairs for all of this:

Hooray Grocery Goodies!

Well, actually, the box of wine glasses/glass of wine on the left was simply what I was drinking post-grocery store.  I did some cleaning, I drank some vino, and I watched some X-Men and continued to feel like a superhero. It was a true success.

For dinner, we had tacos. Well, I had some taco salad and the beau nibbled some true tacos.  It was a SEXY looking meal.

Delightful!

In the salad:

  • Spinach base
  • 1 roma tomato
  • 1/2 green pepper
  • 1/2 avocado
  • spicy turkey mix
  • salsa
  • low fat mexi-mix cheese!

It was simply the best.

Tonight, I was thinking back on a post I read back in my tumblr days.  The idea was on weightloss and how folks are either microwaves or crockpots.  This post, by the Active Artist, (real name: Alex) basically talked about how different folks lose weight incredibly fast (microwaves) or slow and steady (crockpots).  Please read the post to see his opinion (I don’t wanna sum it up wrong) but here’s my response.

I love this analogy.  I’ve recently been talking a lot about weight loss to my mother, who started my journey with me last March, but fell off the wagon with grad school, five kids, a husband, and a veryyyy busy life to handle. She was asking me questions about losing the weight I did, and how I did it so fast.  However, I just looked back at some old posts and maybe have an addition to this metaphor.

In March, I started my goal to lose weight. By August 12th, I was 181.5, down over 30 lbs.  However, at my last weigh-in I was 172.  This is about 9 lbs since August, which just a month shy of a year ago. So while I lost the initial 30 lbs in what seemed like no time, the last 20 that I’m trying to work on have been like inchworms they’re leaving so slowly.

Part of it may have to do with moving in with someone, and adjusting my eating habits to another person. Part of it may have to do with this newfound freedom of looking good in clothes and feeling great despite not losing every week, because I am eating what I want (admittedly, what I want is often grilled chicken, veggies, salads, etc), and feeling sexy.  But the thing is, I know I can do better.  So here’s my addition:

I think I’m a microwave. A trusty dependable one that’s worked your whole life, only one day, it’s not working. And so your food’s not cooking at all, and you’re confused. Only the thing is, it’s going to end up being something stupid, like it’s not actually plugged into the wall socket.

All I need to do is find that damn plug, and plug back into my weight loss. That, I think, will give my system the jump-start it needs.

And, if you’re not sure, I have mixed feelings about microwaves.

Thanks for reading, I know it was text-heavy.

How about you?  Are you a microwave or a crock pot?

Are you trying to lose weight or are you happy where you are?

The 61 Hour Wedding Whirlwind Weekend: Primping

/ foodsweatandbeers / 7 Comments

Happy Hump Day, humpers!

Today’s lunch was rather familiar, almost the twin of yesterday’s.

Another day, another tasty meal!

I took the last half of a green pepper and sliced it up as a side.  For the main course, a Flatout Light Italian Herb wrap (that sorta ripped in transit, hence it looks a little smaller than usual), a fried egg, some Muenster cheese, turkey, salsa, and spinach.  It was WONDERFUL, truly great. I love the combination of the warm egg with the melty cheese and the fantastic Boar’s Head smoked turkey.  Whenever I see it on sale at the Teeter, I can’t help myself.  Mmmm.

In case you missed the past two posts, check em out!

Today, things get really great though.  My favorite part of the wedding weekend was probably the girls day at Izzazzu Salon on Fifth Avenue in downtown Pittsburgh.  When we got there, there was another wedding party getting their hair done, and we were a little annoyed that we couldn’t set up…

"Really? It's my wedding day. K, bye other women."

I took a chance to check out the view from the top.

Not too shabby, eh?

All the members of the bridal party brought the essentials and, before we knew it, it was our turn.  We set up shop.

Hunger, thy name is bridesmaids.

I was on Wheat Thin duty (my favorite of all duties), and we also had a hot mess of a table full of bagels and schmear, gum (for after the party!), Reese’s cups (Caitlin’s favorite), Sabra Hummus (which I ended up keeping some of! SCORE!), cookies and, most importantly, MIMOSAS!!

However, for future reference, I think it’s important that I tell you all that truthfully, I prefer to call them Mimos (rhymes with Nemo, as in the fish that sparked the trans-Atlantic/Pacific search).  Whew, glad I got this outta the way.

ANYWHO, Mimos are maybe my favorite thing to drink during the day and, since I was the last one to get my hair/makeup done, I was on Mimo distribution duty.  Happy to help.

No Mimo left behind!!

The bride brought in a few pictures of Rachel McAdams from the 2010 Oscars, and her stylist got to work.

Blushing bride!

She looked stunning, as did her mother!

Caitlin’s family has always felt like my own second family, and this whole weekend was just fantastic to reconnect with them and I was honored to be a part of it.

The hair and makeup continued for quite some time, as I threw back a few more Mimos and got snap-happy with my camera.  Then, after enjoying a bagel and some schmear and making myself a Mimo-to-go, it was my turn!!

I think that in Heaven, you get this treatment daily.

The tiny Mimo I’d brought over wasn’t even CLOSE to sufficient for the amount of time my hair took to blowdry, but luckily, my fellow bridesmaid, Kristin, brought over a much fatter one.

Now I'm ready to face this ETERNAL process!

I think it turned out pretty well, though, worth the time and effort.

Glamorama (ps I did NOT drink that mimo. it was merely a prop.)

After a quick lengthy airbrush makeup application, and a swig of champy, it was time for Lindsey and I (aka the last ones left) to hit the road.

Luckily, I was not the driver, don't worry!

Next stop, THE CHAPEL!

Have you ever gotten your hair done for a major event?  How about your makeup?

I’ll admit, this was my first time getting my makeup done and honestly… while I liked it, I’m not sure it was worth it for the future (at least maybe until my own wedding.)  Plus, I’m STILL trying to get the last bits off.  At least it looked good for pictures!!

Hopefully y’all are enjoying this little recap of the wedding weekend.  I’m having a BLAST writing it up!

Responding to Les Mills Motivational Posters

/ foodsweatandbeers / 5 Comments

Good evening ladies and gents!!

Today, after work, I had two things on my mind: Zumba and Dinner.

While shopping for dinner, I passed what I’ll consider a sign from the powers that be, and stopped thinking about food entirely.

Wine sale? Don't mind if I do.

Clearly, I had to do something really stupid, because when life hands you lemons (or carts full of discount wine), make lemonade (or buy it.)

That's right, Arbor Mist SUCKAS!

I picked up a somewhat classy bottle of Bogle Riesling (gotta celebrate the Summer of Riesling, right?) and an opposite-of-classy bottle of “Mixed Berry” Arbor Mist.  Because sometimes… well, you gotta throw back a bottle of ridiculously cheap wine, college lady style.  I’m hoping that my friend, Veronika, will wanna do a little wine tasting like we did before…. Then I can sneak in that Arbor Mist and see where the night goes!

Zumba Nation!!!!!

Zumba was a success, for the most part.  But I’ll be honest, by the end of the workout, I was feeling kinda ornery and tender in the ankle/knee region.  And as I walked outta the gym, I passed these godforsaken motivational posters that I always see.  Even though I love working out, by the end, I mostly end up hateful towards anything telling me to work harder.  These posters are no exception.  I thought I’d share with you my visceral reactions to these Les Mills Motivational Posters (note, these are all post-workout thoughts, I love motivation and Les Mills programs).

BodyFlow poster.

“Well, I guess… if today was different…. I’d spend most of it in the pose that you weirdos are doing. However, it’s not different, so I’ll try to continue it not looking like a tool. Thanks.”

BodyPump poster

“You’re right. This could be day one.  Day one of getting a massage once a week, day one of sleeping 10 hours a day, day one of PLENTY more things than being fit. I know that you want it to be day one of lifting way more weight than I’m comfortable lifting in BodyPump, but I think I’ll go for the massage. Thanks.”

BodyAttack poster

“You know what, BodyAttack?  The hardest part isn’t deciding to go. I think the hardest part is that damn plyometric track where you force me to jump back and forth doing single lunges in a room that’s so hot I think the ground is actively sweating.  Deciding to go… that was NBD.”

BodyCombat poster

“Well, I know what’s stopping the young lady on the left, and that is the harness built into her shorts.  As far as what’s stopping me… It might be a fear that the giant man in the back is going to kick me in the kidney, or the fact that the girl in front of me refuses to look back when she does those donkey kicks towards my face…  Take your pick.”

Though these posters always inspire me when I’m going into the group fitness room, when I see them on the way out…. Let’s just say that they’re lucky they haven’t been ripped off the wall.

I think I’ll take the day off the gym tomorrow, my ankle was acting up by the end of Zumba and I’d love some time to finally unpack after this wild wedding weekend.

In case you missed the recaps, check out the Wedding Rehearsal and Rehearsal Dinner!

Do motivational posters pump you up, or tick you off? 

For me, it’s a little of both…

The 61 Hour Wedding Whirlwind Weekend: Rehearsal Dinner at Monterey Bay Fish Grotto

/ foodsweatandbeers / 8 Comments

Hey all! Made it through Monday, unscathed.

Another day, another DELICIOUS lunch!!

So hot and steamy!!

On the menu today:

  • Steamed broccoli with some cajun seasoning on it for spice
  • Flatout wrap in Light Italian Herb containing: a fried egg, some fat free cheddar, a piece of turkey, spinach, and salsa
  • Diet Lime Pepsi (not pictured)

Still struggling to get enough sleep, but had a great time last night at Carolina Ale House so it was worth it!!

Back to the good stuff.  In case you missed it, check out the Wedding Rehearsal Recap of Caitlin.  After we finished up at the Chapel, and having only nibbled on some healthy snacks it was obvious that most of us were STARVING! Luckily, on the agenda was the Rehearsal Dinner at Monterey Bay Fish Grotto on Mt. Washington.  This spot was way up high (we’re talking so high your ears may pop in the elevator up), but offered up a most beautiful view of the city, so I’ll take the trade-off.

City of Steel, City of Bridges

I was glad to finally meet up with Ryan, who’d been enjoying the scenery (read: bed) at the hotel.

Hey there, studly boyf! I missed you!

In typical beer brat fashion, I started pestering our waiter(s) about their beer selection.  I, of course, was immediately read off a lengthy list of light lagers (ooh, beer alliteration!) reminding me of that post I wrote about Women and Craft Beer.  I gave him a quick head shake, and asked what other beers they had (wink wink… let me at the good stuff!)  I was rewarded for my persistence with an ice cold bottle of Dogfish Head 60 Minute IPA, one of my very favorite IPAs.  Ahh…. that’s what I was talking about.

The menu for the night was promising, and I was excited at what I saw:

So many options!

I went with a Roti grille style Salmon, marinated in Teriyaki sauce, chargrilled and topped with a honey lime glaze.  Also, I ate both my and Ry’s salad (I’m a salad disposal, basically).

Complete with fried wonton strips and an asian dressing!

Served with another Dogfish Head, veggies, and a very moist and flavorful wild rice mix

It was UNBELIEVABLY delicious, and I cleared the plate completely.  We’re talking not a grain of rice on the plate.  I was hongry (that spelling is intentional to describe just how hungry I was. I promise.)!

While we were waiting for the food to come out, though, we noticed a very strange trend in the gentlemen in attendance.  I’ll precede this by saying there was no formal dress code for the meal.  Yet, here’s what we got:

The groom and friend looking dapper.

Fellows chatting it up.... noticing the trend yet?

At this point, I was freaking out.

HOLY MACKEREL EVERY SINGLE BOY (3 exceptions) WAS WEARING VARYING SHADES OF BLUE BUTTON DOWNS AND KHAKI!

Yeah, I know. I wonder if they got ready together like we did… probably.  It was a very hilarious realization, at least to me and my tablemates (some of them were participating in the uniform).

I finished the meal off with (probably 2) more Dogfish Head and this delightful slice of cheesecake:

Mmmm peach accents. Heavenly!

Thank goodness my dress was very forgiving, because I was stuffed to the brim.  Luckily, we had Lindsey’s beau, John, to drive us back to the hotel where we crammed our VERY full bellies into the backseat.

Cozy, guys? (Photo credit to Lindsey!)

I fell asleep relatively early, thank goodness, because the next day was CAITLIN’S WEDDING DAY!

Stay tuned for the next post where I talk about the PRIMPING at the salon (aka maybe my favorite part of any experience ever.)

What would you have for your rehearsal dinner (or, if you’re married, where did you have your rehearsal dinner?)

Is your tummy full just reading this post?

Mine is… but I think it’s due to lunch.  I guess it’s back to work for Jojo!