Six Pack Someday: Tropical Storm Debby Does Destin

June 29, 2012June 29, 2012 / foodsweatandbeers / 5 Comments

What day is it? What time zone? Wait…. where am I?

Ah. Ok. It’s Friday, 4:51 pm EST and I’m (blissfully) in Ocean City, NJ, my favorite place on the planet. And after scampering from Costa Rica to Pennsylvania (for a quick nap) then to Durham for a hot second (or four days), I headed even further South for a little vacation with the beau and his family. Though we’ve been dating for over four years, I have just recently met a number of Ryan’s relatives (who reside in exotic Texas, thus mostly out of my regular travel grasp) in Destin, Florida. And Tropical Storm Debby had the NERVE to join me on my vacation. Luckily, she migrated after a little more than a day, so I still nabbed my fair share of sun and sand (too much on my backside I think…. I’m basically the Coppertone Girl right now.)

Sweet Booty Burn, right?

ANYWHO, I know it’s not Sunday. But since, when you’re funemployed, days don’t make any sense (and I haven’t produced a Six Pack Sunday in AGES), let’s bring it back for old time’s sake.

1. Tiny Baby Plane

Perhaps you’ve flown US Airways…. But have you EVER had the pleasure of flying US Airways Express? Because (and correct me if I’m wrong), I’m pretty sure they’re the same airline, only they use toy airplanes meant for children to play with instead of real airplanes to get passengers from one destination to the next.

Here’s an awesome shot of my head pressed against the ceiling (roof?) as I uncomfortably await my deplaning.

Neat.

Normally, being 6’1″ is the JAM. In the case of the tiny airplanes… less so.

2. Debby’s Demise

Double the rainbow, double my joy

Only rainbows after rain, right?

Take that, Debby.

3. The Donut Hole Diet

The Donut Hole is a quaint little spot (or two, I think I saw a second location) in Destin, Florida that’s known for donuts and serving breakfast foods well into the evening. But I think what I’ll remember best about it was their “Diet” Plate.

Healthy, yes?

Luckily, I went with a much healthier option. Giant slices of homemade french toast filled with walnuts, raisins, and drowned in syrup.

Much better.

4. Polish Party

When there are rainy days at the beach, there’s not much to do.

Mojito Madness by Essie!

We may all have had the same color polish on by the end of that first day. Lucky the storm didn’t last much longer, or the boys may have gotten pedis. And maybe the puppy.

5. The Ultimate Spot for a Hermit

Ah, oysters, ambrosia of the sea. And, apparently, a not-so-great spot for a Hermit Crab to try and make a home.

SICK!!

That’s right, we found this little nugget inside of an oyster we got during Happy Hour at Mitchell’s Seafood Market. Luckily, it was spotted BEFORE anyone swallowed it. Apparently this hermit wanted the ultimate getaway.

RIP Hermie.

6. Do Not Adjust the Settings on Your Computer

Is that our love burning, or just our skin?

Both Ryan and I ended up about the shade of your run-of-the-mill boiled lobster. That Florida sun is no joke.

And now, here I am. Another beach, only this one’s the shore.

It’s good to be home.

Weirdest thing you’ve ever found in your food?

Hermit crab TOPS the list, hands down.

iCosta Rica: Scenes from My Phone

June 20, 2012 / foodsweatandbeers / 23 Comments

Since I am still working on editing the big-girl camera pictures from my trip, I figured I’d share a few choice shots from my phone with a brief intro to my Costa Rica adventure!!

From Top Right, Clockwise:

Quick stop at Flying Monkey Bakery for some Whoopie (pies!) with Ryan before nabbing Rach at the Greyhound station.
I wish I could just dive into these.
3:30 a.m. calls for breakfast. Mimosas and Banans, anyone?
My sleepy traveling partner…. If Rachel could’ve slept 70% of the next 5 days, she would’ve been a happy camper.

From Top Left, Clockwise:

Remember when I had to make that decision? Now, I just breezed by both. I had bigger fish to fry.
Oh, neat, my first meal in Costa Rica. Yup, it was in a mall food court. A solidly Americanized food court. Delicioso?
Learning Spanish!

Scenes from our home, the GORGEOUS Casa Luna Hotel & Spa

From Top Left, Clockwise:

Clear shot of the Arenal Volcano from our balcony
Are you an orchid? I hope so.
The birdies left the nest!
Who pulled the clouds down?

From Top Left, Clockwise:

Breakfast, EVERY DAY! Rice, beans, eggs, salami, pineapple, granola, toast, joy.
The absolute perfect avocado Rachel and I enjoyed for lunch.
Casado: Rice, beans, protein, etc. The etc included treats like plantains, eggs, corn, salad, tortillas, papaya root, or anything!

From Top, Clockwise:

Fried plantains. I want you all the time.
A tasty little present all wrapped up! Tamale, anyone?
Nachos. Heavy on the avocado.

A bevy of bevvies!

From Top, Clockwise:

Cerveza! Imperial. Not my favorite beer. But still tasty.
Best sangria of my life, courtesy of Lava Lounge. I probably drank about 2 pitchers of this over the course of our stay!
Whiskey for my friends, ridiculously girl star fruit cocktails for MOI!

Sometimes, things were hilarious.

From Left, Clockwise:

Important souvenir I forgot to get. Sorry, everyone. I owe you a gift.
QUICK! PUT EVERYTHING AMERICANS LIKE ON A SIGN!! That’ll trick them into coming in.
Dude, I don’t know if burgers are Italian food.
PURA VIDA!!
Second Drink Down: Who wouldn’t be proud to order a Self Pleasure?

Much more to come….

All I Ever Wanted

June 15, 2012June 15, 2012 / foodsweatandbeers / 10 Comments

Blogging will resume normally scheduled posts… Later.

I don’t actually think I do normally scheduled posts, but you know what I mean.

Time to soak up the Costa Rican sun and time with my beautiful best friend.

Pura Vida, folks.

Six Pack Sunday: Enjoy the Ride

June 10, 2012June 10, 2012 / foodsweatandbeers / 13 Comments

We’re coming to the end of an era, folks. By we, I mean the royal we, as in only I am. But you probably know what I’m saying.

I’ve got 2ish days left until my Costa Rica trip.

5 days left in the office.

12 days left until an epic Florida vacation with Ryan’s family.

And 18ish days left until I make my move (the first part, at least) to the shore for the month of July.

WHOAH JAM!

Until then, I’m going to take the advice of my friends over at New Belgium Brewery and Enjoy the Ride. So that’s what this week’s Six Pack Sunday is all about!

(PS read through all six for a HUGE surprise at the end! Unless you follow me on Twitter, then it’s less surprising.)

1. Soaking Up the Sun (or the rain?)

So yeah, that Costa Rica trip? Here’s the forecast:

Lookin’ GOOD!

I’ll be honest, though. It could rain every second of the trip and I’m sure I’ll have a blast. I’ll be with my best friend, going on all sorts of adventures.

That being said, cross your fingers, your toes, your legs, your hair (maybe braid it?) that it clears up. Because we ladies like to get some sunshine now and then.

Recreating our favorite 2005 photo op

2. A Fond Farewell

I had to say farewell to my favorite Zumba instructor of all time (guess what color she was!), Aaron, this Tuesday. It was her last Tuesday class, and my last week at the gym. Though there’s a slim possibility I may take one last class with her, it still felt like goodbye.

She’s also the tiniest

I enjoyed every class I’ve ever taken with her, and wherever she teaches next is getting on hell of a instructor! Instead of dwelling on the sadness, we rocked out an excellent booty shaking class. Obviously, this sweaty picture was snapped after class.

3. New(new) Lulu

Isn’t it… beautiful?

So lululemon has a new location. AND it’s virtually in my backyard. The Durham lululemon just opened up on Friday. And I may have visited two times already. I’ve been working very hard the past few weeks on the Healthiest You Challenge, so instead of freaking about the cost, I decided to reward myself with some goodies.

The second time, I walked out with a brand new pair of reversible groove shorts and scoop neck tank (in a pattern not shown on the website. It’s rather adorable, so I’m sure I’ll show it off soon.)

4. Spades Spaz

I played Spades for the first time last night. And my first hand may have been the worst hand known to mankind.

Spells trouble

Luckily, the my partner and I rallied and this newb totally WON her first game ever! It got a little intense, but I managed to let the competitive monster that lives inside of me take the night off in favor of just having fun. And it paid off. I liked it. More mellow (but I still won.)

5. Frat So Hard

What happens when a bunch of St. Anthony Hall members live in the Triangle?

We inevitably find the frattiest place in Chapel Hill and invade it en masse.

I literally almost bumped into some of my brothers at the Carolina Inn’s Fridays on the Front Porch, and even though they all hail from Ole Miss, they found their way to our little Southern Part of Heaven. I love Chapel Hill.

6. I won a bike.

Wait. Let me fix that.

I won THIS BIKE:

Oh yes, you will be mine.

New Belgium’s Enjoy the Ride campaign encouraged their followers to tweet a story that embodied the “Enjoy the Ride” slogan. And so I did just that.

foodsweatnbeers: It was the end of the boardwalk, but the beginning of ride. Sisters, sweat, sand, and sun. #EnjoyTheRide @newbelgiumhttp://pic.twitter.com/vMo81Nvx

Guess who won the first bike of the campaign?!?!?!?!

THIS GIRL!!

That’s a shot from me at last year’s Tour de Fat in Durham. And as a lover of New Belgium AND bikes, I couldn’t be more excited!! Stay tuned for tales of me cruising the shore on the flyest bike in the world.

What’s the coolest thing you’ve ever won?

Because this bike definitely takes the cake for me.

Do you like card games? Board games? Mind games?

Two-a-Days and the Results

June 7, 2012 / foodsweatandbeers / 4 Comments

The past two days, I’ve doubled up on my workouts.

Zumba + yoga on Tuesday had me feeling like this:

So Zen, so happy.

Zumba + Pilates yesterday had me feeling the burn in my thighs. But, at the time of the class, I was feeling long and lean and lovely. Like this:

Am I the only one that thinks all this equipment looks like some sort of crazy Fifty Shades kinda sex room?

However, this morning, I’m pretty sure my legs feel like this:

So heavy. Not Zen.

In case you’re not as interested in piping as I am, those are lead pipes.

Oh walking, you’re gonna be tough today.

Do you ever double up on workouts?

I was feeling like a champ…. until I got outta bed this morning. Oy VAY!

Ladies Craft Beer Attire: Beer Couture

June 5, 2012 / foodsweatandbeers / 12 Comments

Mmm… that’s better.

I’m fresh out of my massage (courtesy of the Healthiest You Challenge), having just enjoyed a tasty deconstructed omelet (translation: I messed up mid-flip. It was still tasty). After a rough evening last night struggling to sleep thanks to that nap I “absolutely needed”, I’m looking forward to hitting the hay pretty early this evening. But before I go, I wanted to discuss something I’m wildly fond of: Ladies Craft Beer Gear.

As I mentioned in yesterday’s Six Pack Sunday, I am a fashionista. One that primarily rocks jorts and beer t-shirts. And while I’m content with your average classic t-shirt style (I can always snip them into something sexy with some inspiration from Pinterest), I had the good fortune to see some of craft beer’s fanciest finery this weekend at the Beer City Festival in Asheville, NC. Real talk, there were some well-dressed ladies enjoying the festival, pouring, and generally looking fierce. And while not every brewery has embraced fashionable swag options for their lady beer enthusiasts, I’ve found a number that embody everything I want in some lady clothes. Appealing to the eye, looks comfortable, fits our uniquely womanly shapes… And it only makes sense to share my research so that all of my fellow females can dress the part of a craft beer lover.

Lagunitas Brewing Company’s online shop offers a number of lovely options. But my favorite was actually a hand-painted shirt I saw one of the Lagunitas Ladies wearing this Saturday.

Click image to check out the shirt/buy!

Beautiful color, hand-painted, adorable v-neck… It’s just everything a girl could ask for!

Mother Earth Brewery from Kinston, NC just released their newest beer swag…. That’s right: ATHLETIC SHORTS!

Click image to go to their store!

Even though the shorts aren’t yet available online, I’m doing my best to get a pair of the navy ones (if I can squeeze my booty into an American Apparel size XL which is the equivalent of a children’s size 14). The Mother Earth logo is gorgeous, I’d be proud to wear any of their gear, but the shorts…. I just can’t.

The next item might be a bit familiar to y’all.

Oh, hey there St. Patty’s Day!

Brooklyn Brewery’s v-neck shirt is one of my favorite shirts that I even own. It’s super flattering, very comfortable, and looks GREAT with a pair of jorts.

That’s really what I look for in any clothing.

If you hate sleeves and need to show off your guns, why not try Big Boss Brewery’s sexy tank top?

Too cute

Since I love just about every one of Big Boss’ beers, I can support any of their other shirts on their site. This one’s just my favorite.

Oskar Blues actually has a GREAT selection of cute, lady-friendly clothing items. But, when you feel the need to channel your inner Flashdance, there’s only one option.

Click image to buy the shirt!

RIGHT?!?

I know. Dale’s Pale Ale is tasty to boot, so you can’t go wrong with this top.

I never knew about Schlafly until Hannah sent me a Pumpkin Beer (which I loved) but their Biere de Garde top has me totally convinced that they must be a girl’s best friend.

Click image to go to store

The vintage wash and scoop neck are my favorite parts, but obviously the logo is a perfect location if you feel like people aren’t looking at your left breast enough.

If this Dogfish Head Patagonia Graviti Hoody wasn’t $79, I’d have 4 of them… Which would be weird since they only come in two colors, but seriously, it’s THAT cool.

The ridiculously good looking model doesn’t hurt

I love a good zip-up.

For another hoodie that is a little more relaxed and destroyed in appearance, look no further than Abita’s Abbey Ale Hoodie.

Click image to go to store

While the color isn’t my favorite, it’d be great around a campfire, or a cool night with a pair of jeans. Or jorts, if it isn’t TOO cool of a night.

Are all of these covering your sexy body up too much?

I understand, and so does Lonerider.

Click image to go to store

Craft beer thongs are the new black. You heard it here first.

Ladies: Which of these clothing items would YOU want? OR, if you don’t see one you like, what would be your perfect piece of beer (or wine, or liquor) gear?

Fellows: Would you wanna see any of these on your ladies?

Six Pack Sunday: Fashion, Fun, and Foliage

June 3, 2012 / foodsweatandbeers / 16 Comments

I’m struggling to keep my eyes open. I just spent the past 48 hours road-tripping to Asheville, NC and then enjoying the HECK out of the last few days of Asheville Beer Week (which, surprisingly, is 11 days. Asheville goes HAM.) And I really wanna write all about that. But I can’t begin to put into words the glory of that beautiful town and their booming craft beer community right now, so I will stick to the tried and true format of ol’ reliable Six Pack Sunday.

1. Fiercely Fashionable

I am a fashionista. I made this abundantly clear by rocking jorts almost the ENTIRE weekend.

Craft Beer Couture?

Be on the lookout for my new fashion blog, Just Jorts, in the not-too-distant future.

2. Bathroom Intrusion

Um, excuse me, sir….

Mister Nature is pretty nosy

I don’t think I invited a TREE into the port-a-potty with me…

Rude.

3. It’s So HARDDDDDDDDD to Say Goodbyeeeeeeeeeee

Farewell, old friends.

I’ve had them for a year and a half, but I finally wore out (and stank out, pee YEW!) my pumped up kicks that my beau got me for Christmas 2010…. I will miss them dearly. I will NOT miss their aroma.

4. All the Single Ladies (AND their Single Pancakes!)

Yummy

Courtesy of Joy the Baker’s Single Lady Pancake recipe (and a few tweaks of my own), I was able to both clean out some pantry goodies (coconut, quick oats, flour) AND create a DECADENT oat-peach-coconut pancake order for one. Single girl living isn’t too bad if you’ve got syrup to wash it down…

5. Lost and FOUND!

Holy. Mackerel.

Remember that bag that went missing in FEBRUARY that I assumed was gone forever and I was so upset and it was the worst?

I got an email from a restaurant, and they said it TURNED UP IN THE LOST AND FOUND!! oh my goodness. Nothing was missing. It’s back. I am the happiest purse mama of all.