Sunday Morning

My favorite part of this weekend by far was Sunday morning.

And it started at 5:50am.

That’s when I woke up and urged myself out of bed. Not that I could have gone for more time with my head on the pillow.

But the women’s marathon was underway in London. And given that the track events are my favorite (a close second being anything involving the men’s swim team), I needed to be up to cheer on the team.

And sure, the USA ladies had a rough time of it. But it was still so mesmerizing to watch. These women work so hard all year long, every year to build up to an event that is still so exhausting and mind blowing-ly hard. Even though I’m sure I will never run a full marathon, credit needs to be given to all the girls that were out there running 26.2 miles as fast as they could in the dreary weather they had to deal with.

(source)

The word “inspirational” seems ridiculously cliché.

So I won’t use it.

But you know what I’m thinking.

And it may have been in the back of my mind while breaking out my yoga mat and doing my standard free weights with Jillian directly after.

Because the day was 10x more gorgeous than the one before, it was a lovely stroll to meet up with my friend for brunch.

Other than the woman at the salon who tortured my face waxed my eyebrows, he was one of the few people I interacted with in person all weekend.

When I said ”low key weekend necessary to reset“, I really meant it.

My friend is a guy I went to high school with and was in town doing media coverage for Lollapalooza.

Lucky duck, right?

So I lived vicariously through his weekend and he recounted the last few days of events and craziness.

It was like I got the good scoop on everything without the rain and mud soaked misery. And without the hangover.

Plus, I got to have pancakes as he was storytelling.Pretty sure this was a good deal on my end.

And even though my long run the day before was crappy, this made it totally worth it.

And now it’s Monday. I loved my quiet weekend and am sad for it to end. But now my awesome roommate is back from her weekend trip, I’ve got plans of a social nature this week, and I’m getting ready to head out to a job I love doing.

Things could be worse.

If You Give a Girl a Pancake

If you give a girl a pancake, she’s most likely going to want another one and also ask for some coffee.And if you give her coffee on a day when you’re attending a pub crawl, she’s going to be sure to put some Bailey’s into it.

Even if it’s possibly expired (yes, it’s’ been around THAT long).

But because she has her Bailey’s, she and her roommate, Bailey, will be ready to face all that is TBOX by 10:00 AM.Because the pub crawl theme was “Camp TBOX”, she’ll want to dress accordingly. She’ll also want to pack a peanut butter sandwich to go along with the theme and keep her going strong in the middle of the crawl. She’ll curse herself for not buying some trail mix a few days earlier.

However, even with the pb sandwich, because she’ll also be walking by a McDonald’s, she may just have to stop there, too. Just to be safe.

Because she had McDonalds that afternoon, your group will be able to power through the rest of the crawl. And truly make it “Wire to Wire” by visiting not only 12 Bars (hence the name Twelve Bars Of Xmas), but 15.

Because she goes “Wire to Wire” in 15 bars, she’s bound to meet some interesting people along the way.Did you know Jesus likes Miller Lite?

She didn’t either.

Because she drank Miller Lite all day with Jesus and all the other crazies at the pub crawl (her favorite costumes were those dressed up like Cousin Eddie from Christmas Vacation- that totally needed a mention), she was easily home and in bed by midnight.

She also insists you now call her Cinderella.

Because she was Cinderella with the early bed time, she’ll wake up early.

Because she wakes up early, she’ll decide to lay in semi-comatose on the couch and watch Saved By the Bell College Years, Friends and also two movies before figuring out how productive she’ll want to be during the day.

Because she laid around for the entire morning, she’ll most likely just go ahead and do the same for most of the afternoon and let the crock pot do all the work.Because the crock pot is doing work, she’ll sneak out of the house to slip in a 20-minute stairmill workout and a mile walk. Because that’s all she’s good for at that time.

Because she snuck in a workout, she assumes it’s ok for her to eat that much more when the crock pot is done making her soup of random vegetables found in the freezer/refrigerator/pantry.Because she ate her weight in soup (ahem- and cookies), she’ll roll herself back onto the couch for the rest of the evening to watch the Bears lose yet again.

Because she was a little down after the football game and didn’t have much else to do, she may go to bed early, making it possible to get 8 hours of sleep and still wake up early once again to hit the gym.

Because she hit the gym early, and doesn’t want to waste her breath/time with a half-assed workout, she’ll kick it up a notch and run a solid 4.3 miles like a champ. Like a CHAMP.

Because she’s feeling like a champ, she’ll need a breakfast to refuel herself properly.

Because there’s no better way to refuel herself, she’ll insist on reheating the leftover pancakes from Saturday morning.

And if you give a girl a pancake…

…uh oh…

It’s MY Kitchen

Hola kids!

How’s the lazy Sunday going?

Mine is fab. As usual.Any day that starts with alphabet pancakes is fab in my book. (And yes- I heart Sheldon)

Hannah was the friend who usually crashed at our house in college and would break out her breakfast-making skills amongst the beer bottles and cocktail glasses from the night before.

Turns out she’s still got it.

In this instance, I mixed the pancakes and turned over the batter to her. She makes a pretty awesome mickey mouse pancake, too…

This is really saying something about her skillz. My roommate hardly cooks, so it’s pretty much considered MY kitchen. Letting other people mess around and use it takes a lot for me. It’s mine. Don’t touch.

Like on Friday night- I had complete control of the kitchen and made chicken artichoke calzones!I’m not overly exciting when it comes to cooking (since I’m more of a baker). So when I break this out, you know it’s a big deal.

Or actually, I guess it was more “assembling”. Because really, it’s all the ingredients I put on a pizza. Just instead, I put it IN the dough.And made it all pretty. The braiding thing was learned from my obsessive browsing of Pinterest. I like it because it’s super easy but looks way impressive.

When boys come a callin’ again, guess what I’m serving? 

Check out that cheeeeese…. yeah buddy.

Hannah also had really good timing with  her trip up to see me. She was my fill-in date for a Second City comedy show.

Yes. I had bought the tickets. And not all the people they were intended for were going to be able to use them.

I also haven’t made mention of the man friend.

I’ll let you piece together that puzzle.

But no worries! We had a fantastic time watching one of my friends perform in a skit for the Second City Training Center. Who knew my friends were so talented???

After a few good laughs at the show and a nice cocktail or two, I can say, without any hesitation, it was a successful weekend.Now if only I could get more people to relocate to Chicago…

Thank You For Being a Friend…

Cowabunga, dudes.

Oh… and happy halloween! A bunch of us girls decided to dress up as a group once again. With some turtle power!

And by turtle power, I mean the name of the shots Annie made for us. Along with the vodka-infused gummy bears.The combo of sugar and vodka is a delicious one. And perfect for a night of rocking out with the Golden Girls.

Yeah, you heard me. The Golden Girls.

Rod Tuffcurls took their costumes to amazing new levels at Cubby Bear in Wrigleyville this year.I’m seriously curious how they kept their wigs on while rocking out.

The night was a major success. Our desire to find costumes that incorporated gym shoes was a genius move once again. Because 3 hours of dancing is rough in heels. And is to be avoided if at all possible. It’s important to be nice to your feet, ya know?

It’s also important to properly fuel when incorporating a night of dancing into your routine.

Beforehand with pizza:As the typical teenage mutant ninja turtle would do.

And afterwards with a big pancake and cinnamon roll breakfast. Cooked by yours truly and the roommate for all the peeps who crashed at our place for a giant sleepover. Because who doesn’t love carbs???

After everyone left, I retreated to the couch. The Bears weren’t playing, so I had no choice but to get through 8 more episodes of Daria on DVD. Eventually, to be a more productive member of society, I hit the gym for a stairs workout and a short stroll on the treadmill.

Key word is “short”. Let’s not get too crazy. Lazy Sundays are meant to be lazy (duh). So then I decided to retreat back to the couch with leftover breakfast and a few more episodes of Daria.Just the way as a Sunday was intended to be…

Another successful weekend. Good work, girls!

Some Things Never Change

They just don’t.

My favorite thing to do on Friday nights is to stay in with a few red box movies and my good friend Mon.

Lame? Maybe. Necessary? Very.

Anyway, it’s officially fall up in here and as we start our descent into the doom and gloom of Chicago winter, you know I’m stocking up on one important thing.Argyle socks!

I’m so sexy.

Don’t mind the bra on the floor in the background… perv…

My mild obsession with them is not only fashionable, but functional. Score!

Don’t tell me otherwise.

Even though it’s the weekend and I do what I want, there are still rules to follow. Like how weekend breakfasts should always include pancakes.I missed National Pancake Day this last week. It was tragic and I was devastated. But better late than never, right?

Pancakes are one thing I just use a mix for and add whatever I feel like. This particular batch had pumpkin and chocolate chips. Holla’.

T’was delicious.

Another rule is that, after you have a restful night in, the next night should always be reserved for good times out with friends.

And going to see our favorite Chicagoland band.It never gets old. Neither does staring at their legs…

…what? You’re totally doing it, too.

And neither does staying out on Saturday nights until waaaaaaaay past my bed time. My last text says I was up unti 4:02. No wonder I slept in until 11:00.

Yeah, I KNOW.

Because of the fatigue this produced, I let my crockpot, Cristiano, cook dinner.Aaaahhhhh steak chili. It would have also included onion and whatnot. But that would have required actually getting off my couch. And that, my friends, was not happening.

At one point, a visit to the gym was attempted. I looked at the treadmill and laughed. Retired to the stairmill for 20 minutes and called it a day.

And that was my one shining moment of productivity yesterday. Nevermind the laundry. Or the bathroom that needs to be cleaned.

Oh- at some point, my roommate and I decided on Halloween costumes for this year. So that’s considered productive… right?

Slow Sunday. Some things never change…

Maybe I was saving the little energy I had to cheer on the St. Louis Cardinals while I feasted on chili?

Maybe. Heaven knows I needed it. My Cards have been exhausting to watch. They seem to be a wild card in every sense of the word. My heart can’t take the stress.

But anyway, this weekend proved to be yet another typical weekend in Amyland. I like it that way. Just wish it were a little longer. Because work is not going to be a walk in the park this week. More. Coffee. Please.

Oh and before I leave you, just wanted to say there is still time to sign up for the Blogger Sweet Swap Round 2! If you haven’t yet, let Jess or myself know! It’s Fall-themed and you know you want some comfort food to curl up on the couch with… just sayin’…

On The Couch

That’s where I am and where I shall stay. All day.

Last night was rough.

On multiple levels. But I was talking specifically about watching the Mizzou game.

It was ugly. Really ugly.

As in, I should probably continue to hide in shame for the rest of the day.

Not that I am looking for an excuse to stay in all day. I have one.

It’s called dehydration.

But at least I’ve got my ol’ backup plan.

Granola pancakes. BAM.

And coffee. Duh.

Because my ego’s still a bit bruised from the poorly played game last night, I am boycotting football all day and breaking out this new purchase:Best purchase ever. Thank you, Katie, for giving me the heads up on the deal on Amazon after I expressed my undying love for the old MTV show.

It was one of those shows I’d have on in the living room, but as soon as I heard one of my parents coming, I’d switch the station to something else. Pretty sure they knew I was pulling the ol’ switheroo, but whatev- it made me feel scandalous.

It’s also how I watched Dawson’s Creek and South Park.

And kinda like how I broke the parental code on the movie channels. Repetitively.

Soooooo scandalous.

Hi mom.

But anyway, I clearly have no attention span today, so I’m gonna retreat back to the couch now and immerse myself in everything that is 1997.

La la la la laaaaa….

An Itch

After 4 days of visiting and traipsing around the city with my high school friends, it’s down to just me again.

Ho hum…

But maybe that’s a good thing. I probably need the sleep. Blood shot eyes confirm this.

After spending a night out in Wrigleyville, a day of shopping the neighborhood, block parties, a trip to the zoo, cheering friends on in races, eating out at a few local spots, movies, etc, we still weren’t done.

Clearly, this means we need to fuel up with breakfast again.

I still hate the word moist. Gross.

But anyway, I finally had an excuse to make Jessica’s Cake Batter Pancakes. There is no better way to impress your guests than with funfetti. And I had an itch for something sugary. Surprised?No you’re not. Don’t lie.

For the record, the sugar rush from the pancakes and the powdered sugar glaze will energize you for the entire rest of the morning. Promise.Just be mindful of the pancakes as they cook. Otherwise, you’ll end up with one black sheep in the bunch.I always burn at least one. Often more. 

Believe it or not, we fought over who would eat it. I ended up tossing it because I had made a recipe and a half and there were WAY too many pancakes. And no one really wanted it. We were just being polite. A rarity that sometimes happens in these parts.

Afterwards, we rode the train down to Michigan Avenue. Because we all had an itch to shop. However, our most important stop was our first one of the day:We wanted to say hi to Marilyn before the rain in the forecast became a legit concern.

This 26-foot statue of her from The Seven Year Itch was debuted on Friday. My friends arrived on Friday. Coincidence or fate?This is the first, but not the last, of many trips to say hey. That I am sure of.

After sweatin’ it out on the Magnificent Mile for most of the afternoon, the decision was made to stop off for a little happy hour celebration.

Which put the trip back home in the thick of rush hour traffic. Before a Cubs game.

Not the brightest move.

But hey- when you’re thirsty, you’re thirsty…

After coming home and cooling off, the three of us decided to sweat through a second outfit for the day and head to a bar advertising $3 burger and fries and dirty trivia night.

We were there for the food. And only the food. I swear.

Yet held our own up until the 3rd round.

Either way, a good way to end the extended weekend. Leaving me here. Once again.

I’ve still got a couple of days of recovery before another weekend hits me with full force.

Plenty of water will be involved. Along with a few of these:Because if I don’t watch it, my body is going to start figuring out where to stick all the grease and sugar for safe keeping.

Yikes.

Happy Hump Day, kiddos!

What Good Friends Do

I am a very lucky girl. With a whole group of good girlfriends. They’re all awesome. And very important to me.

So to make sure I keep all my awesome friends, I realized that being a good friend to them means lots of things.

It means you’re there when they’re sad. You’re there when they’re happy. You tell them when they have something in their teeth. You always have a bottle of wine prepped for a visit. You have a chocolate recipe or two ready for when they’re hormonal. You tell them when they look too skanky. You tell them when to show more skin. You don’t forget their birthday. You don’t forget the name(s) of their ex/current lovers (no matter if you love or hate every single one of them).

The list goes on…

Like I said, being a good friend means a lot of things.

This morning was no different. Mon had to get her car worked on and asked what I was doing and if I wanted to hang out in Lake Zurich for the morning.

Sure, no problem. What time? I’d love to.

8:00 in the morning.

What?

We’ll do breakfast or something.

You had me at breakfast.

So I picked Mon up at the car repair shop and off we went to explore Lake Zurich, Illinois. I looked on Yelp.com and ran across this gem:No. Not the adult entertainment store. The cute little cafe next to it.

But that’s convenient, am I right?

When an old man opened the door for us, he made a joke about it. “So, getting some pancakes and eggs before lingerie shopping this morning?”

Insert awkward laughter here.

The Eggshells Cafe is super tiny, but super cute. Mon and I felt right at home squeezing ourselves into a corner amongst all the senior citizens who had clearly been up and at em’ for hours.

It has seriously been MONTHS since I’ve had a pancake Saturday, so I didn’t even bother looking at all the omelet choices they had (I know- who am I these days?). Still undecided, I looked over the specials.

Oh hot damn. This is my jam.

It said “bacon waffle”. I didn’t know what that meant, but I wanted it. Not only did I get three slices of bacon on top, there was also bits of it mixed INTO the waffle.

This is key. I’ve had bacon pancakes before, but never have I ever had them where the bacon to pancake ratio was so perfect.

Perfect I tell ya.

Another thing I liked? They came around with samples of stuff.A sample of garlic bread for the lunch specials? Don’t mind if I do…

They were also amazing at keeping my coffee cup topped off.My heart was skipping beats by the end of breakfast. Not sure if it was the coffee or the bacon. Doesn’t matter. Wellllll worth is.

Mon insisted on paying for breakfast since I came to entertain her. We fought like old women about this. But to avoid a scene, I gave up. Someone owes her another homecooked meal. Which I would have done anyways. She doesn’t do the kitchen thing much. And while I’m still her neighbor, it should probably be me that makes sure she has a few more balanced dinners.

It’s what good friends do.

Now I have to go shred with Jillian Michaels to burn off some bacon while the caffeine is still kicking me into gear. And then get prepped to meet up with my good friend again to spend the rest of the day at the winery. Weeee!

Have a good one, kids!

Welcome to the Great Outdoors

G’morning!

Would you like to join me in welcoming the first full day of spring? All I can say is THANK GOODNESS.

The season was properly celebrated with an outdoor run on Saturday. Yes, the 10-mile long run and the first outdoor run of the season were done at the same time.

I’m a firm believer that as an individual, it’s a good idea to learn something new every single day of your life. Saturday, for example, I learned this was not the best combination. But I wanted to get my outdoor running started, and just took a chance.  The sooner I get out there, the better it is in the long run (pun- get it??? ahahaa). Besides, there are only 20 days until my half marathon.

Give me a second… my heart just stopped as I typed that….

Breathe…

Ok… We’re all good.

While out and without the treadmill to keep me updated, I took Saturday as a chance to recalibrate my Nike+ on the first loop around the trail. Not sure what happened, but the recalibration didn’t work correctly.

However, I do know my time for the loop averaged an 8:42 pace. Sounds about right. And considering it was my first trip outside, it didn’t hurt my feelings too much. The last 7ish miles? Safe to say the pace slowed. The miles weren’t timed and, if they were, it may have been somewhat discouraging.

Other than the slowdown in pace, everything went well. My legs felt fine during the entire run, breathing wasn’t an issue, and the temps were a little chilly but nothing to whine about- I was never uncomfortable because I had actually dressed properly. Usually I’m awful at guessing how many/what kind of layers are needed. 

10 miles… check!

I felt a little sore on Sunday and even this morning, but we’ll attribute some of that to me getting a little extra “mileage” while downtown in heels. A few random Mizzou friends I hadn’t seen recently met up for a free beer drink special (how does that happen?!?!) and some March Madness fun.

It ended with 2:00 AM pizza delivery. Just like when we were in college together. Nothing better. 

Although I’m not as young as I used to be. So sleeping in on a friend’s couch is not quite as accepted by my body. I woke up at 7:30 and got out quick.

Plus, my girlfriend I crashed with isn’t much of a breakfast person. What’s up with that?Sure, we just had pizza not that long before. But I find it’s VERY important to start each day with a solid breakfast.

Even if it requires an extra cup of coffee. And chocolate chips in the pancakes.

A Distinguished Look

My vacation day from work yesterday was just fantastic.

It included a two-hour nap on my couch in the middle of the afternoon.  What more can you ask for?

The nap was very important.  There was a big night with the girls in the works and I needed to be ready.

Since this was the first outting for the four of us in quite some time, we decided to make it a special outting.Because who doesn’t love a good mustache?

I went with “the sheriff”.  Good look, yes?

I don’t know what guy wouldn’t want a piece of this?

By the end of the night, our ‘staches were gone. But they served their purpose well. Hilarious. 

They weren’t the star of the night, though.  These kids were:Rod Tuffcurls and the Bench Press was playing at Durty Nellie’s!

I’m not quite sure how many times we’ve seen them play at this point.  But I’m so happy we stumbled across them one random night at Durty Nellie’s.  Us girls were a little unsure of what to do with ourselves being as how we walked into a concert with pantless boys rocking out. But the crazy works. Even if they all have better legs than I do. Fail.

They suck you in, man. (The band as a whole- not just their legs.)

And soon, you’ll find yourself rocking and flailing about to one of your favorite songs (because they most likely know it).

Mine happens to still be “500 Miles” by The Proclaimers.  So when it comes on, make sure to take a step back. It’s for your own safety.

We left the concert at what you would have thought would be a reasonable time to get food (2:00 AM). There may have been a mini episode because not one pizza place in the area was still open. Lame.

So this must be the reason why people always keep frozen pizza on hand.  Noted.

Woke up still miffed about pizza.  But I imagine just as they’re not open late, they’re also not open at 8:00 in the morning. I just can’t win.

Pancakes will just have to do.  Oh darn…

I went old school and broke out the cookbook because I was too lazy to google and search a million recipes. This cook book is ancient and was actually my g’ma’s back in the day. She has quite a few recipes bookmarked. Looks like she recommends the French Pancakes.  I looked that one up- there’s powdered sugar in the batter.

Oh grandma. My heart skipped a beat when I saw that. Great minds think alike.

We know what kind I’m making next time, huh?

I went with the cornmeal pancakes this time, though. They were highly anticipated because last time I attempted to make them, plans were put to an abrupt halt due to a mouse attack.I don’t mess around.

This was a beautiful thing. And I totally dominated the entire stack. Because that’s how I roll.

Happy Saturday!