A New England Romp

Fun fact- Boston was on my top 5 list of cities to visit for YEARS.

Probably even top 3. For some reason, this place intrigued me.

It just seemed like a cool place. And people have neat accents there (always a plus). It was clearly THE place I needed to visit.

Not that it’s any surprise, but I was right.

It was awesome.

Then again, part of that may have been the crowd I was with. Stephanie, Kacy, Jess, and Kelly are just like an extension of my personality.

All smiles while waiting for our names to be called for brunch. By the end of our wait, I was ready to eat my arm off.

We’re a force of crazy. With a little sass on the side.

It’s probably quite scary. We apologize.

Because many of you have already been to Boston, or maybe even live there, let’s keep this brief when it comes to discussing my weekend…

1. Steph hosted us and found a few good spots to keep us entertained. One being Top of the Hub- a restaurant on the top of one of the tallest buildings in Boston.

An open-faced salmon sandwich. By far one of the classiest meals I’ve had in a while. Not really sure how I was allowed in.

It was quite fancy and required our best behavior. Which was like a mean challenge for 5 girls with no filters who haven’t seen each other in 5 months.

Well. It was a classy affair until Kelly took to making sure Kacy didn’t miss a bite of her lobster deliciousness in a bowl. Apparently it was tasty. We almost had to restrain her from licking the bowl.

2. One guilty pleasure of mine in new cities is finding a few super cheesy tourist things to do. This came in the form of visiting Government Center. Which was full of street performers and stands for tourists to waste their money at.

The dudes were just taking turns flipping over lines of people. Blew my mind.

We totally ate it up. The people of Boston were most likely rolling their eyes at us.

3. The weekend was unseasonably warm. Which was disastrous for what I had packed, but perfect for a Saturday of walking around in the park.

The Public Garden in Boston. The beauty was remarkable. The name a bit unoriginal.

Just some cool chicks I met on the interwebz.

It looked like we strolled straight into a romantic comedy. Personally, I was waiting for Ben Affleck to save the day when I misstepped off of a curb or something. He’d say something witty and we’d fall in love at first sight.

Matt Damon would have been fine, too. I’m not picky.

4. Not all inflatable mattresses automatically come with a pump to air them up. We found this out around 12:30 on Friday night.

Kelly and I remedied the situation by asking for extra blankets for padding on the hardwood floor. And a super stiff night cap of the vodka variety. There were a few worrisome cracks when standing up, but we learned we’re still young chickens who can rock out the floor if need be. Success.

5. Toys in bars are fun. This could come in the form of a jukebox where Kacy pumped way too much money into it for some solid jams. Or it could be in the form of actually toys in the corner of the bar.

It’s like they knew I was coming.

6. The only clam chowder I had in Boston, with the exception of a few spoonfuls of Kacy’s one night, was at the airport.

Fine. So it was at the airport. However, it still beat Campbell’s in a can. Win.

Does that count? Probably not. But don’t tell me otherwise.

Don’t also warn me the book I’m reading in the above pic is supposed to be done for book club tonight. I know. And I work somewhat well under pressure. So we’ve got this.

7. As for what happens when I get home from another long weekend away?

Green things. Not seen in my diet for at least 48 hours of the 3-day weekend.

It could go without saying.

Anyway….

It was a wonderful weekend with good friends. Not sure what exactly I was expecting out of the city- but it’s a beautiful town. Smaller than I assumed it would be. But that’s also possibly because I was pretty ignorant of such demographic information.

Now that my travels are over for at least another week and a half or so, it’s time to get back into a normal routine. Whatever that may be. I can’t really remember…

Long Run Sunday

It has been over a year since I’ve participated in pre-wedding shenanigans.

Which is unfortunate. Because girls’ weekends are fun.

Plus, I get to wear dresses. I like dresses. There needs to be more occasions where I can wear dresses.

And more occasions where I eat good food.

Low lighting at Rosebud Prime Steakhouse in The Loop makes it hard to see my crab and gruyere-stuffed tilapia. Dang.

I like good food.

And being silly. And gossiping. And big sleepovers in nice hotels.

All things that happened this weekend.

All things that keeps a person super busy. And makes them a bit neglectful in half marathon training.

Don’t get me wrong- I knew it was happening. It’s not like I just totally forgot to run 10 miles on Saturday.

No one ever goes “whoops… how did I totally forget to run for 90 minutes yesterday? How silly of me!

No. No one ever does that. And if they do? Well. That’s weird.

I mean, I’m weird. But that’s super weird.

We’re getting off track here. Let’s rewind.

So I was neglectful. And all of a sudden it was Sunday afternoon.

Sunday can’t always be a day of rest, folks.

Some people like running later in the day. I’m usually more of a morning person, but the weather was being gracious, so it could have been worse.

My usual theory on the long runs are just to get them in. No worries about pace. Just hit some big mileage and be thankful you can make it that far. No matter how much wine and cake was had less than 24 hours beforehand.

Some runs are easy. Like last week. And some are hard. Like this week. Until they all become easy (doubtful), I just have to keep truckin’.

Which is probably what I sounded like by the end of my afternoon run. Neat.

10 miles didn’t happen. This was assumed going into it. I did 8 instead.

Two of which were an attempt to run along the lakefront because it was such a nice day.

But the Air and Water Show was going on this weekend. And people kept stopping in the middle of the trail to just stare at the sky.

It would have been hilarious had this not caused a few almost-collisions.

Post-run fuel. I swear it’s the last of the cake pops. For now.

To make myself feel better about not hitting the full 10, I made sure to get up and do a solid 40 minutes of cardio on Monday morning.

Long run redemption.

Don’t tell me otherwise.

Hey ladies! If you’re still looking for a good race this fall, check out the ZOOMA Women’s 5k/Half Marathon! Enter “GLAMB1″ to get a discount!

Cake Pops

My friend D’s bridal shower and bachelorette was this weekend. We celebrated her happiness and how exciting it is for her to be getting married next month.

I first met D through my friend Mon a couple of years back. We had both heard a lot about one another, and hit it off right away. I think it’s our love of the color pink, cupcakes and sugar.

It’s definitely not our love of cake pops.

I love making them. They’re cute. Fun. And easy to get your friends to help out with.

Her opinion? Well. It’s not so favorable.

She may or may not have attempted making them once. 4 trips to the grocery store and $100 later, not to mention an irritated boyfriend who suggested she just go buy some at a bakery after the first few trips? I believe they were a success. But at that point, it was more the principle of just conquering the Paula Deen recipe.

I believe it was a “melting of the chocolate” issue.

She now hates cake pops. And Paula Deen. And me every time I give her a hard time or feature them on the blog (hey girl, heeeeeeyyyy!).

So I couldn’t help but laugh when I walked into the private room of a restaurant where her shower was being held.

Copious amounts of cake pops!

It couldn’t have been any more ironic.

Other things there were copious amounts of?

Tiramisu. Cupcakes. Candied almonds. Sheet cake. Hershey’s kisses.

Alright, so the cake had strawberries in the middle. But that doesn’t mean I won’t eat some of the buttercream icing off the top… I mean… when you’re handed cake, you should never turn it down…

The bachelorette may have been a low-key dinner out, followed up by drinks at a chill bar afterwards. But I still had a heck of a hangover the next day.

From sugar. Nothing else.

For a girl with an extremely high sugar tolerance, this is saying something.

But wanna know why I love D so much?

The first thing she did when getting up yesterday morning was go to the mini refrigerator in the hotel and exclaim, “cake pops for breakfast!”.

It’s like we were meant to be.

And it sounds like her hatred towards cake pops has subsided a bit.

Every Sunday morning should start with cake pops in bed.

And, in turn, this means every Monday should be full of salad, salad, salad, and maybe more salad.

It’s all about the balance, kids. Am I right?

When A Friend Comes to Visit

I have a lot of people come in from out-of-town to visit.

It’s hilarious. I became a much more interesting person once I moved to a cool place like Chicago. Who can blame them? It’s a cool place.

Juuuuust kidding, ya’ll. I know they love seeing me, too. Not just my awesome city.

Don’t tell me otherwise.

Anyway, when friends come, there are a few things I always make sure to do.

Like have them meet my Chicago buddies…Megan, Laura and I attended Festiv-Ale on Friday night- a benefit featuring some of the best breweries in the Midwest. My highlight of the night was one of the pumpkin ales being offered. And also anything Half Acre had to offer me. Because it’s delicious.

I’m not a beer snob by any means. But this event makes it a little rough to go back to the Bud Light chillaxin’ in my refrigerator. Le sigh.

There was also food:We saw everyone walking around with this pastry-like concoction and HAD to track them down. Stuffed with kung-pao chicken and pulled pork. They look kinda bland, but I promise it was a party in my mouth.

Insert joke here.

Also, what’s a girls weekend without shopping?I’m not a huge fan of malls. They make me overly anxious. But I’ll take a stroll down Michigan from time to time. Of course, my stroll includes stops at H&M and Charming Charlies. Not Gucci.

One day…

And because my friend is a college friend, I ALWAYS insist on making a trip to the Mizzou bar for college game time.True Tiger for life.

Someone please tell me why my head looks so huge in that picture. Sigh… I’m so awkward…Oh and I always make sure my girls get their fill of Mexican food. Even if it’s just guac and salsa at a bar. We’re not picky.

I also force my love of the Chicago Bears on them. That’s a non-negotiable. But she doesn’t know that’s happening yet. Not until 1:00 this afternoon…

And because we’re both advocates of fitness, we’re off to the Burdeen’s Diamond Dash 5k this morning!

That beer we had Friday night isn’t going to run itself off….

Girls and Baseball

Happy Monday, ya’ll!

This weekend I was lucky enough to have one of my best friends fly in to hang out with me and get in on the Cards/Cubs action going down in Wrigleyville!

We didn’t get tickets, but instead opted to watch at a bar outside the game and meet up with some peeps after it was all over.

It was a money-saver. We’re so saavy like that.

We were also so saavy by opting to eat at home for most of our meals. Mary had been traveling the last week and was ridiculously excited when I suggested it as one of the options.Sometimes it’s just refreshing to eat a normal meal. I had also been out more this last week than usual, so I was happy to oblige.

PS- sweet potato tortilla chips are some of the best things I’ve bought at the grocery store as of late. Get some. Today.

PPS- also, as long as I continue to drink Goose Island Summertime, I will refuse to acknowledge fall being just around the corner.

Word.

After getting some food in our systems, we walked our way over to Wrigley and kicked back until it was time to hit up the last Wrigleyville Block Party of the summer with my roommate and Megan.Look at that- Cardinals fans and Cubs fan can hang out together and be civilized. Sort of.

Or at least we were. That doesn’t go for everyone. There was a dance-off during the concert that got pretty intense. I swear people were THIS close to breaking out the worm or something of equal humiliation.

At about this time, Mon came down and joined in on the fun as neutral ground- she’s a Sox fan.Yes, a Sox fan. We were a group of random assortment, indeed.

The Block Party only went through the early evening (lame), so we wandered along and secured a table at Red Ivy.

The table was necessary. I needed to switch out shoes.This new pair of shoes has been waiting to be broken out for month (sad but true). They were fantastically comfy, but after 5 hours, it was time to retire them for the evening.

Tip of the day- wear a big purse. That way, you can sneak a pair of flip flops for emergency usage.

It’s much easier to wander from the table and take random strolls onto the dance floor that way.

Another tip of the day- never forget to eat dinner. Yes, we forgot to eat dinner. Sure, the lil’ power lunch held us over relatively well. But it’s a marathon, and after 8 hours of silliness with nothing of nutritional value being consumed, you’ll have a problem.

We solved ours with a late night visit to a mexican spot by my place. Funny enough, it was one of the multiple spots I attempted just a few nights before.

Second time’s the charm?

I drove Mary back to the airport yesterday, and now another standard week of work is really all I’m looking at right now.

Whomp whomp.

However, before I leave, it should be noted that today is the birthday of a good friend of mine:Excuse our appearance. 8 hours in Wrigleyville can do that to you.

But not to get off subject- today is Megan’s (Braise the Roof) birthday! We’ve known each other for a year now and I’m so glad to have found such a great friend in this city of mine off the interwebz who isn’t creepy… at least most of the time…

When You Wake Up in Vegas

So I’ve been to Vegas twice this year. Does this make me an expert on the town? Obviously not. But I still enjoy giving out tid bits of information that I think will help any other poor souls survive the streets of Sin City…

1. Don’t book a flight that requires you to get up at 3:15 in the morning. Especially if you don’t sleep well on planes. If you haven’t slept on a plane the last few times you’ve flown- it’s not happening this time. When I arrived in Vegas at 9:00 that morning (their time- 11:00 Chicago time) I was exhausted, but others were already there when I got in, so I was “on the go” from the first few minutes of walking into MGM (our hotel). Because of the time change, this resulted in me being up for a total of 28 hours straight. NOT recommended. It causes wrinkles. I swear.

2. If you’re already being semi-cliche by going to Vegas to do a bachelor/bachelorette (because who wouldn’t want to?), try to be original on the festivities. Enter our Katy Perry-themed night:Sure- everyone loves a good pink feather boa and condom veil (well- maybe not everyone). But we were set at a table next to another bachelorette that did that. And who had more guys come up to talk to us and offer drinks?

Imagine me and 9 other girls in my group pointing thumbs towards ourselves. THESE GIRLS!

Plus, if you do anything stupid, not one soul in that hotel is going to recognize you the next day. Not that any of us would know about this…

3. The buddy system is an awesome idea in theory. But not always easily practiced. Especially in such a huge club like the Marquee in the Cosmopoliton. One girl ended up at Planet Hollywood afterwards because she thought that’s where everyone else was heading. Two girls ended up on a service elevator and walking through the kitchen. And that must be how I ended up walking home solo on Friday night (I was fine!) and stuck sitting in front of my hotel door for who knows how long because I did not possess one of the 2 keys we had (whoopsies). Security does not like this. And it’s also very had to have a serious debate when you’re wearing a pink wig at 4:30 in the morning.

4. Red Bull is gross. As is McDonald’s breakfast. But both are a perfect way to start your morning (separately, not together) before heading to Wet Republic- a pool bar at MGM where we knew some peeps with a cabana.5. Hanging out in a cabana the entire time will deprive you of that fabulous Vegas tan you were hoping for. FAIL. However, after all this 60-degree weather Chicago is dealing me, I loved every second of chillin’ in the 90-degree shade.

6. Biggest douchebag awards will always go to the dude with Jersey Shore haircut making it rain dollar bills into the pool. So, um, don’t do that. Although a few swifty-taken chlorine-soaked dollar bills went towards my second round of McDonald’s breakfast the next day…

7. Pool toys are fun:There’s actually a story behind the masks- I’m not sure how we acquired them the year some of us lived together, but they were often broken out to scare people who were at an afterbar at our house for the first time. It was like a hazing process.

8. Dancing is fun. Dancing to live performances is even more fun:IYAZ came and hung out when we were at Vanity in the  Hard Rock Hotel. Randomly awesome.

9. The perfect way to end your vacation/start your detox is gelato.After my fiasco of having to go to the airport, get my flight cancelled, and having to go back to the hotel (about half the girls were staying an extra night), I was done-zo. As was one of the others. The idea of putting any more vodka in our systems was a no-go, so we went with gelato instead.

White chocolate was a good choice.

10. Being organized is a good idea.However, we could have used about 3 or 4 entire bottles of alcohol less. Because you can’t pack them back into your bag when you’re only flying with carry-on. I guess we were just really excited. Oh well. I just wish we had saved the extra cash. So we could do something with it. Like make it rain at the pool?

All in all, it was a good bonding experience for the girls. Can’t wait for Miss Mary’s wedding reception…I heart this girl! 

Oh and here’s a freebie foodie tip for ya…

It’s not really a secret that I’m not a fan of Starbuck’s. I think it’s bitter coffee that is horrifically overpriced. And they have lackluster food (I heart you, Panera!). So on my last day, when I couldn’t do another McSkillet or McGriddle or other McCalorie-fest, I chose to try Starbuck’s “perfect oatmeal” for the first time.Yes. I totally stood with my McDonald’s coffee in the line for Starbucks. I think the girl in the logo shed a tear when I did it. And you wanna know how much they charged me for that “perfect oatmeal” in the MGM Grand hotel? $4. $4! I paid $4 for what I could have made at home for a quarter.

And I sat and ate my oatmeal that should have had gold flakes sprinkled on top. What did I think? It was ok.

But I totally make it better.

The End.

Vegas Vacation

Oh hi there.

Finally well rested (comparatively speaking) and ready to go.  Who wants to hear a little about the trip to Vegas my girlfriends and I had?Clearly it’s Vegas and I can’t give you ALL the details, but here are a few highlights…

The biggest night out was Saturday night (our first day there).  Was it a mistake to make our wild night out right after traveling all day?  Yes. Did we care?  Not really. Although a bouncer did… (ahem… Monica… ahem…) But it was totally cool.  I talked our way into a second club for free.  Take THAT.

One of the best outdoor activities was a hike Annie and I made in Red Rock Canyon.  Simply beautiful.  And after spending so much time in recycled air (plane, hotel, bars), it was really nice to get out in the gorgeous weather and breath in some freshness.However, it was not nice to get stuck on a 13-mile “scenic route” of the canyon that could not have been made more curvy if they tried.  I mentioned this was after our wild night out, right?

My personal favorite meal was Diablo’s in the Monte Carlo.  It was a Mexican restaurant Annie had visited the year before and she claims she still dreams of their guacamole a year later.  Obviously I was signed up for this one. And did not hesitate to eat my weight in guac and the recommended fajitas.Mexican food has been our Sunday tradition as of late, so it’s totally ok. Gotta keep some routine in my life, right?

And do you see that margarita? This dinner happened the day after our “big night out”. The sound of tequila was SO unappealing. But then who am I to turn down a free drink? A couple sips later, and I knew the tequila would treat me just fine…

My favorite “sight” to see in Las Vegas was hands down the Bellagio fountain.  We watched two shows as we were walking and letting dinner “digest”.But not without dancing to “Vogue” when we heard it blasting down the street. Naturally.It was decided after this trip that every night should end with a water show at a fabulous fountain and each day should be started with a roller coaster ride. That’s right, a roller coaster ride.  While Annie was taking care of her work stuff, Mon and I explored and ended up at New York, New York. Who needs coffee when you can really “wake up” by getting shot around a casino at 60 mph?

I’m really sad we didn’t get the picture. Mon was screaming and slouched behind her shoulder guards and I was crying because I couldn’t stop laughing at the ridiculous sounds coming out of her mouth. Classy stuff.

It was interesting to discover the majority of my budget would have to go towards food. Our most interesting night was a buffet called The Wicked Spoon at The Cosmopolitan.  Endless wine and food for $42.

Most people think buffet and think jello molds, people touching everything, sneezing on the salad, etc.  But this one was cute- they had a majority of the food portioned out for you already.The weirdest thing tried was also that night.  Our friend (and a previous roommate of mine who lives just outside of Vegas) picked up “bone marrow”. And I figured if he was brave enough, I was, too.

Gross. The memory of it had to be drowned in wine.

Even with all the buffets, massive plates of good eats, and tons of consumed gelato, we tried to eat healthy, too.That’s right.  My healthiest meal came from Serendipity- a place known for frozen hot chocolate. Go figure. And yes, that is practically an entire bag of broccoli.  It was a “side”.

I worked out one day- a 1.5-mile run.  I had grand intentions to do 3 miles, but realized it would be the third day in a row of 4-5 hours of walking. Some of that in heels.  The run stopped early.

Found out I have no patience with gambling.  Just not my thing. Unless it’s someone else’s money.  I have no problems watching a group of guys we met play craps.  Maybe if they had let ME roll the dice, they may have won something, too.  Silly boys.

We stayed at Aria (it’s relatively new) after finding a ridiculously good deal on Expedia.  GORGEOUS hotel (and two awesome gelato spots inside- heads up!). I only got a little weirded out that everything in the bathroom was clear glass and mirrors.  It was weird being able to clearly see myself shower at every angle.  I’m way too shy for that.

Mon and I left Las Vegas on Tuesday evening (Annie still had to stay for work). The guy who checked our bags found out we were going back to Chicago and asked how we could ever live there.  He’s been living in Vegas and was originally from Hawaii.  My favorite part of the conversation was when he said “if I lived in Chicago, I’d have 20 kids by now”.

Sounds about right.

We sat and crossed our fingers the flight would be cancelled or seriously delayed. No such luck. We had to return home. The flight was spent semi-sleeping (long legs suck for such a thing) and adoring the two old women beside us. Mon and I figured that may be us in 40 years. But Mon was positive she’d be one of the old gals rockin’ a Rascal.

Seriously. There was an unnatural amount of rascals being driven around. If you go, I would suggest making it a game (or a drinking game?) to count them. It’s unreal.

And here I am, back at home safe and sound. Meh. Of course our return back would happen on a Tuesday. What was I thinking???

At least the weekend is fairly close… even if it is rainy and in the 40′s. Versus sunny and 70.

Needless to say, the countdown has begun for my next trip in May…

9 Miles And Off I Go!

Ok kids… as you read this, I am VEGAS BOUND!  Woot woot!

As I left the office after the longest day of work ever, my boss had one request.

“Please Amy, whatever you do, don’t get married down there. Seriously… don’t get married this weekend.”

I heart my boss.

Do I really seem that impulsive???

Ok fine. I am.

And I’m just gonna let my parents freak out for a minute…

Will she?  Nah… she wouldn’t get married out there. Amy’s not THAT impulsive… Oh wait… would she? Uh oh…

Well, if that’s the case, let’s talk about my last few nights as a single girl, shall we?

After work, I braved the ridiculous rainy weather and commute home. Got home later than usual. Great way to start out an evening that includes a 9-mile run.

Did I do it?  Heck yes I did.

I know. I’m as surprised as you are.

But this girl went into it with a game plan. 3 segments of 3-mile runs.  It was either that or just run until I couldn’t anymore.  And if I wanted to actually hit 9, breaking it up seemed a little more realistic. So that’s what happened. Walk .1 mile, run 3. Slow it to a walk, take a drink, walk a little more and repeat. Spent the entire time on an 8:41 pace. No issues. No severe fatigue (yes, I was surprised, too). Just a slight soreness this morning (as in, my body can tell I ran 9 miles- nothing of concern).

9 miles on the treadmill is no joke.  It is a mind suck. There’s only so much thinking I can do. Or staring at random spots in the room. Sooooo glad it’s over.

And soooo glad I had this to look forward to:

Thanks to a cleaning of the refrigerator at home and a buy-one-get-one coupon swiped from the newspaper in the break room, I ended up at Quizno’s today for lunch and (inevitably) dinner!On one of my many roadtrips back to my home state of Missouri, Annie and I stopped and enjoyed some Quizno’s. At that time, I said, “oh my goodness… why am I not here every day? This is amazing!”

That was 3 months ago. But I still felt that way as soon as I dug in (each time) yesterday.

After the run, the food, and a glass of wine, I crashed.  Hard.

And now here I am. Showered. Packed. And fed.Sorry Vince, you can’t come.  It’s a girl’s weekend. Maybe next time. Don’t you get started on wanting to go… you never take me anywhere!

Sorry you guys had to witness that. 

Anyway, have a lovely weekend! I’m off to catch my flight!