The 26th Year

Well good morning!

How are ya?

I’m exhausted once again. It’s safe to say the 25th year went out with a bang.

Today is my actual birthday, but really, who’s going to go out and celebrate their birthday on a Monday (whomp whomp)? I prefer the weekend for such things.Drinks were had. Dancing was done. Good music was listened to.We even made it to the stage in front of the crowd! Gotta show off our moves…

And possibly freak out the band with our groupie-like tendencies.

The only downer of the night was when the bar closed. And it closed during a downpour. The downpour of all downpours.

White shorts in a downpour are no bueno.

And also, when trying to hail a cab in horrific rain, to take your platform heels off while navigating  puddles that have formed across all the roads.

Yes. It was that bad.

Late night frozen pizza made us all feel better.

The next day I was tired, but got myself together because there were a few blogger ladies to meet up with:Holly, Megan, Lo and I all met up in Old Town for some summer night shenanigans.

It involved more dancing, free drinks, and way too many tater tots. Pretty sure Megan was responsible for getting the entire bar to sing “Happy Birthday” to me.  I love to hate her. 

I also promptly texted Megan on Sunday morning to thank her for that “low key” evening. Yeah…

Most people relax on their birthday, but because it was my birthday weekend and I do what I want, time was made for running.

Finally. Life sort of got in the way last week. As did the heat. And the whole “scrambling to take care of things because our power was out all of Friday”. Clearly we didn’t let this get in the way of our weekend plans, but it did disturb my normal routine.

Whatever. I may have been not feeling so hot from a long couple of nights out, but it was 80 degrees and there was no way it wasn’t going to be taken advantage of.

My planned route was altered to end somewhere on the lakefront. Public water fountains are sometimes necessary- as gross as they sound. 

After 3.6 miles, it was time to quit. It was a little disappointing (I really wanted to pass 4) and I was still almost 2 miles away from home. Oops. Overestimated my abilities on that one. It was a long walk back.

But it left me with some good thinking time.

To be honest, I really didn’t spent too much time thinking about my birthday. Mostly because I try to avoid that whole annoying “birthday blues” thing that sometimes creeps up. And I’m not quite ready to admit that I’m starting to slowly work my way into that “late 20′s” age segment.

However, instead of celebrating the whole “turning 26″ thing, I’m probably going to be celebrating how great 25 was. This last year has been good to me. I finally made the move from the ‘burbs to the city and could not love my neighborhood any more than I already do. Found myself a few more really good friends. Took one of my first vacations with some girlfriends. To Vegas. Twice. Ran a half marathon. Then ran another one. Met some boys. Had a few epic nights with some of my favorite girls. Celebrated weddings of some of my best friends. Danced my butt off. Over and over and over again.

So yeah. 25 was a good  year. And I’m sad to see it go.

But I am not worried. Because the trend seems to be that it only gets better.

26 is gonna be awesome. Holla’.

100 Words Saturday: Rest Day Edition

Friday nights dancing with the girls are fun.Friday nights spent dancing to the tunes of these dudes with the girls are even better:By default, I’m making this a rest day. Dancing is exhausting.

At some point, I’ll be joining the land of the living again. Mostly to pick up a red box and return to my cave.

I have, however, been productive in getting productive for my move next month.

As in, I’ve weeded out my closet a little and have a bag of clothes waiting to be dragged to Goodwill.

Baby steps.

Happy weekend!

A Little Bit Country… A Little Bit Rock and Roll

It’s been confirmed- not only is pizza generally a bad idea before a run, but I wasn’t the only one who didn’t um… digest it well.  Jaime reported similar findings.  We’ll just chalk that one up to an all-around fail.

Anyways, I’m sort of with you guys where breaking it up wasn’t ideal.  Another weekend where the long run didn’t happen… dang. 

But it’s not like I don’t have SUPER important stuff going on.  I mean seriously… it’s the middle of October and I hadn’t acquired the most important fall item of them all. BAM.  Now I have a pumpkin.  Stare at it while you can because it’ll be massacred into seeds and roasted pumpkin (cross your fingers) by this evening.

Jaime and her husband and I went to Didier Farms yesterday to celebrate all that is fall.  And all that is country-ish.Jaime and I had been excited about this place all week.  Mostly because there’s a kid inside both of us that needs to be exercised.  Little Jaime and Little Amy sometimes need out to play.  And at this place, they flourished.  Little Amy also got back to her roots:This farm girl’s still got it! 

After the petting zoo, we checked out the corn maze…Got lost ONLY once or twice…We found our way out eventually.  And then made way to the pumpkin patch to select a few winners…For some reason, we were under the impression that this would be an actual patch (maybe because of the picture on the website???).  We were a little sad it wasn’t, but are still pretty happy with what we ended up with!Oh but the fun doesn’t stop there, ya’ll…

Some girls got together to have a proper ladies night at Durty Nellie’s!  Look at those dolla’ bills… clearly I’m a baller.

Sure, they’re not Rod Tuffcurls and the Benchpress, but Rock Candy was pretty fun to see.They were fun, but I do have to say most of what they play is the current Top 40.  So it was a bit like spending an hour in my car on the drive home.  Without commercials.We were working it out on the dance floor.  Not as much as the man rockin’ out the zebra polo behind us, but still…

Because we danced ourselves up into a tizzy, we were quite famished on the way home.  So a pit stop at our friendly neighborhood Denny’s was in order.  At 3:00 in the morning, the hardest decision of the night was made.What should we order???You can’t go wrong with buffalo chicken.  Ever.

And that’s what I’m leaving you with today.  I think I need a walk.  And a little hydration. 

Enjoy your Sunday! 

Going With the Flow

Because of the crazy busy weekends of most of July and the beginning of August, my last two weekends haven’t really been full of plans.  That’s not to say I didn’t end up doing anything.  Because I surely did.  Things popped up, I went with it, and that is how things happen like meeting Johnny Drama…

I swear I’ll get to that in a minute. 

First, I wanted to give a shout out to Monique at She’s Going the Distance.  I won her giveaway a few weeks back and just now got to try out the running top she sent me.It worked well when it came to support, and it’s nice to have the little zip pocket.  Monique left me a sweet little note with it, too- but commented about how she hopes I have better luck with it.  It worked, but I think I’m in the same boat as you, Monique!  As you can see in the pic, it’s a bit short and definitely would creep up on me mid-run.  I’ll still wear it, I just wish it were a little longer!

Oh yeah, the run was 5.35 miles at an 8:20 pace.  Nothing unusual.

After my workout, I got a little productive in the kitchen.  Which is hard to do when my flourescent kitchen light it out.  Maintenance has to replace it and according to my clubhouse, it’s not an emergency, so they won’t fix it until Monday.  How is my inability to function in my kitchen not an emergency!?!?! 

With the help of my pantry light and every other light in the house ON, I had enough light to see.  Not without cursing the management company, but hey- I gotta go with the flow, right?This was my latest find at Trader Joe’s that I decided to be adventurous with.  Sure frozen asparagus is disgusting, but why not try this out?  They’ve been hanging out in the freezer waiting for their moment to shine- and this was it.  I unthawed, sauteed, and threw them in with my chicken.Baked BBQ chicken!  And yes, I always end up slicing up the chicken like this- no matter how I make it.  I’m crazy about making sure it’s done and figure I might as well just slice it up because by the time I’m through with it, it looks this way anyways.  Another thing I’m really weird (quirky?) about.  Verdict?  It was fantastic.  The peppers worked really well with the chicken.  That being said, they’re still not the same as fresh.  And I would never just eat them by themselves, or in a salad.  But mixed in like this?  Fab.  They’d probably do well in pasta, too… hmmm….

So back to my Johnny Drama story…  My friend texted me yesterday morning about possibly going out.  I was like, “uhhh… it’s 10:30… I really don’t know if I’ll do anything- it’s still a long time away for me to be making these decisions.”  But as they day wore on, the idea of cocktails just got better and better.  Why the hell not?  It’s not like I’m doing anything.  I haven’t seen my friend in ages.  I’m just gonna go.  I want to go.  I really want to go!  Let’s party!!!!

After sitting around and staring at each other for a while (we were completely indecisive about where to go), we decided to get a drink in her neighborhood and then head downtown from there.  I knew someone bartending at this club called Enclave, so at midnight we decided to give it a whirl.

Our timing couldn’t have been more perfect.  There was Kevin Dillon- right there!- posing for pictures.  I knew he was going to be there for a little publicity tour, but as those things usually go, you don’t really plan on seeing the celeb right in front of your face.  One of the bouncers asked us if we wanted to take pictures with Kevin.  Why not?  So yeah… I posed for pictures with Kevin Dillon aka Johnny Drama from Entourage.  Not gonna lie- he’s way shorter than I imagined him to be.  My friend and I both flirt with 5’8 before heels, so it was a bit funny when we made a Johnny Drama sandwich. 

After our photo op, I made no hesitation in whipping out my cell phone and texting my brother about it.  He’s a huge Entourage fan.  He said it’d be cooler if I met Ari.  There’s only so much I can do, my dear brother.  Plus Jeremy Piven’s a super shorty (I still heart you, Jeremy!).  And that would have just been out of control awkward. 

We bounced around to another place or two before calling it a night around 3:30.  I’m sitting back at home exhausted now, but am sooooo glad I spontaneously went.  I usually don’t do that.  And this was definitely worth it.

This was also worth it:I’ve always been that kid who wakes up thinking about food.  It’s a rare occasion that I go longer than 30 minutes awake without eating.  So the drive home was spent narrowing down my options.  I wanted a burger.  No… pancakes.  No… something from Panera.  No… what do I want?!?!  AAAAHHHHH!

Then I remembered the bbq chicken hanging out.  That’s good.  And the chips I still had from the Healthy Living Summit (not a big chip person- so they usually hang out for a while in this household).  Done and done.  I did hit the drive through for the biggest iced tea I could find.  Sonic opened up a few miles from my place- and their crushed ice is DA BOMB (Hi Retta!  I’m stealing your phrase!).

This sandwich wasn’t nearly as “healthy” as the one I constructed the day before.  But I wanted it.  And I refuse to say I’m a “bad healthy living blogger” by eating it.  There’s ranch and cheese on that baby.  And after a late night out, I will have it if I want to.  No guilt found here!

I’d stay and chat longer, but I really need to track down these photos I posed for.  Clearly I wasn’t able to pull out my tiny little snapshot camera and go “can someone take a pic with mine?!?!”  That would soooo not be very Hollywood of me… 

*Be back later with cake pics!

Integrating Friends With Martinis

I’m blogging with my coffee within reach at all times.  I have a hair cut/color (ooohhhh- sounds intriguing!) in a couple hours and I am not feeling so sassy.  I see a nap in my near future.  And it’s a good thing my half-mary training says “yoga”.  I may have scheduled easy Sundays for this reason.  Way to think ahead, Amy…

Last night, my two dear friends Annie and Mon met for the first time.  I know- whaaaaat?  It seems I always end up hanging out with them seperately and Annie has never been around when I chill with the girl a few doors down in my apartment complex and vice versa.  So yeah.  We had a girls night with martinis at a little place called Red Moon in our little downtown area.  It was a fun little spot that’s a little hidden off the beaten path.  We felt like that made it exclusive.    But it also made us laugh because it is this swanky-looking bar… right next to Yankee Candle and The Loft.And that’s totally Gwen Stefani in the background on the tv.  You sing it, Gwen- we ain’t no holla’ back girls!

The martini list was extensive.  Whereas it should be.  It was a martini bar.  Round One:I went for the Lemon Drop.  Hello sugared rim.  It was amazing.  I love making vodka lemonade slushies in the summer.  But they don’t hold a candle next to this.  But then again, most things with $10 vodka wouldn’t… :S Cheers!

Being as how I’m really not a big fruit kind of person, the list of options is much smaller for me.  But that’s ok.  It makes choosing much easier.    I also went for the Vanilla Cake Martini.  I couldn’t drink it fast enough for my tummy to be happy.  Raced through it… which could have been the reason why I really didn’t need much to drink after that.  And also might have been the reason we wondered over to the tiny little dance floor and busted a move.  Annie of course is an awesome dancer because she’s been dancing all her life and even teaches it.  So imagine my mediocre skills next to her. Let me tell you- it’s awesome.

It wouldn’t have been a complete night if I hadn’t of swung by Gatsby’s to say hello to some of the boys.  It had been FOREVER since I’ve been there.  The owner said I’ve been gone too long.  Yeah, the owner knows me.  So you can understand why I feel like there’s been a huge void in my life… I went that often…

Great nights sometimes come with a price of not-so-great mornings.  It happens.  Like I said- the coffee came quickly and the cup has not strayed from my side since.  Yesterday morning, I was browsing through the blogs and was severely upset I had already eaten breakfast when I saw Lindsay’s post of a baked pancake muffin!  I was a little nervous I would end up wasting 30 minutes and ending up with a disaster, but look at this:A new excuse way to eat pancakes… just what I needed.    And here’s the money shot:Topped with almond butter, coconut, and some chocolate chips.  It’s the weekend.  I do what I want.  Ok fine- I do that during the week, too.  Let’s not kid ourselves. 

Moving on…

Last night, before I went out, Mon called and asked if I ever eat shrimp or pico de gallo.  Why yes… yes I do.  She had gone to a fresh market the night before and said she had shrimp overload and didn’t want it to go to waste.  I won’t lie- I don’t have shrimp at home very often.  Or when I’m out really.  But I like it.  And why not try something new?  So I sauteed it.  And then added some pico de gallo and sauteed that for a quick minute.  Because I sautee everything it seems.  Then I added some whole wheat pasta I cooked up.  Funny story- it was old.  Like really old.  Like past the expiration date old.  Did you know pasta has an expiration date?  It does.  We won’t discuss how long that means I’ve actually had it.  But it tasted fine… The pico de gallo gave it enough of a kick, I didn’t even need to add any kind of sauce- just a little shredded cheese on top.  Because that’s how I roll.

Enough food talk.  I need more coffee.

Have a fantastic Sunday- I’m off to get my hair ‘did by my friend’s sister.  Hair dye may or may not be involved.  Nothing drastic- because I’m just not one to experiment with my hair.  It may be the one thing in my life I’m seriously conservative about.  It’s easy to take care of.  It doesn’t take a lot to maintain it.  Don’t mess with a good thing, right?

Peace out…

Ladies Night and No Sweets Week- Bad Combination?

Oh boy… it’s New Year’s Eve.  A time for friends, drinks, more drinks, dancing, more drinks and bad decisions.  Well… hopefully not that last part.  A girlie from work and I are stepping out together to bring in the New Years.  Our plans are set.  We’re rested up.  We’ve made sure to plan big meals (for energy, of course).

Hopefully I don’t freeze to death.  It’s gonna be cold.  I got talked out of wearing the red mini I really wanted to break out.  Probably for the best.  I don’t want to be that lady in red on one of the supposedly biggest nights of the year… and my legs could possibly freeze off, which would further delay my running efforts…  Jeans it is.  Damn Chicago winter…

I jumped the gun a little on my 2010 New Years resolutions, so to review them again if you would so care to do so, click here.  It’s not like I haven’t already started them anyways, but whatever.  I made them a month ago.  It seemed silly to wait that long on things I realized I should work on…  I think the crock pot I secured over Christmas will really help with item 2.  Although it is excessively huge for one person (I assumed I’d be getting a smaller size)- apparently my mom thinks every time I use it, I’ll be feeding 20 people or stocking up my freezer for the end of the world?  I guess you can never be overly prepared for such things…

No Sweets Week Update…. Extended?  I’m considering pushing along with my no sweets challenge.  Crazy?  Yes.  But it really wasn’t even half as hard as I thought it would be.  Seriously.  I would say you should try it.  I thought I’d be a mess… patrolling the halls of work for the first piece of chocolate (or bag of it) I could get my grubby little hands on…  Not so much.  I think my dedication (ok, dedication is a strong word- half-assed attempt is more like it) at intuitive eating is starting to help out.  And, I think my eating habits sans work out are starting to slowly feel normal and my body has accepted the fact that cutting back on the junk is part of this process.  Not bad, Amy…. not bad at all…

But yeah, so this is Day 6.  After tomorrow I’ll have completed it, but I think I’m just going to keep resisting and see how much further I’ll make it.  Just for the hell of it.  But, if I had to guess (and be completely honest with myself), I’ll make it until lunchtime on Monday- one of the first days all of us girls will be back at work together.  We aren’t nearly as bad of influences on each other divided (aka on vacation).  But together, I predict us taking down the first couple squares of the Trader Joe’s peppermint bark Christy bought.  I still believe this will make me high as a kite.  That afternoon at work is gonna get wild…

Have a fantastic holiday!  Happy New Years!