A Force To Be Reckoned With

Good morning!

I spent the last few days traipsing around St.  Louis and would call it yet another weekend for the books.

If you wanted to give me a call and get all the details, feel free. The weekend was nonstop, so your phone battery should be fully charged before doing so.

Actually, I’m sure we’re all way too busy for that. So until then, I’ll just give you a summary of the good stuff.

My friend’s wedding was a beautiful and intimate affair. Starting in a greenhouse for the ceremony and ending at the casino after the reception. I realized it IS possible to forget how to do the Cupid Shuffle (if you don’t use it, you lose it?) and the only option for late night delivery in the St. Louis suburbs is Domino’s. Good to know.

I spent Saturday afternoon with my lovely besties. Drinking coffee. Gossiping. And even making it out for a 3-mile hike at a local park. This was a kind reminder that Missouri is SO much more hilly than Illinois- quite the challenge when coming off of a 4-hour night of sleep.

When getting ready for our night out, we tried a new vodka I had picked up for the weekend:Sacrifices made for the sake of research. You’re welcome.

It was really sweet. Almost too sweet depending on what you mix it with. I went with my standard club soda and it was quite lovely. Good for maybe one drink before moving on to something else. Just sayin’.

I went to a going away party for a girl who is ironically not only moving to Chicago, but living in the same apartment complex as I did last year! WEIRD.

A record was made. There were 3 trips to Panera in a 24-hour span.No one loves breakfast more than I do. Truth.

Speaking of fast food, you better believe I got that Arby’s that was being fantasized about the whole drive down on Friday:I was tired and not overly chipper. But gosh darnit, they weren’t kidding. Arby’s really IS good mood food.

There’s a grease spot on the bag from the curly fries. It’s possible the “good mood” in that saying comes from the food coma the curly fries put you in. Just a theory.

I got home at a respectable time and had a good evening rehashing the weekend events with my roommate and watching Forgetting Sarah Marshall. What more could a girl ask for?

Because for real- I’m a lucky one. And don’t you think I don’t realize that.It’s always nice to get a weekend trip in to a place where I have such sassy chicks to spend time with.

Mary’s husband says when the three of us go out, we’re a force to be reckoned with.

Don’t I know it.

This morning I woke up with over 8 hours of sleep under my belt. Ironically, this is more sleep than I got the entire time spent in St. Louis. And I’m still tired.

Imagine that.

Gotta go- the only image in my head right now is my work email inbox bursting at the seams. Yikes…

Travel Issues

Oh hey there.

Remember me?

I’m that girl who sometimes writes about silly things.

*crickets*

Oh yes… coming back now?

Ok good.

Well as you may have figured out, I pretty much went off the map in Vegas for the weekend. My friend’s bachelorette went AMAZING. Us girls had such a good time. Even after not seeing some of the chicks for a few years, it was like we never moved away from each other.

Silliness happened.

I was actually supposed to be back in the Chicago area late on Sunday. But when arriving at the airport on Sunday afternoon, I had the pleasant surprise of my flight getting cancelled. Luckily, most of the girls were still sticking around for a third night, so there was still an available bed for me.

As much as I loved being around the girlies for an extra day, this was actually not pleasant. I was exhausted. I missed a day of work. And my 4-hour direct flight turned into a 12-hour cross-country ordeal.

Why I needed to go to Washington DC to come home to Chicago from Vegas is beyond me.

But I got in a lovely cardio workout as I bolted from a flight that ran about 25 minutes late due to the storms in the midwest to my connecting flight. And had a cookie. Thanks DC.

Anyway, I was in bed a little after 1:00 last night and was up again to go to work at 5:15. Needless to say, my brain is mush. A proper summary of my trip will have to wait. Thinking too hard will just prove to be disastrous.

But because you asked:People thought we were all trying to be Lady GaGa.

It was actually Katy Perry (come on!)- the theme was “Waking Up in Vegas”.

And I still have the wig. Which could possibly make multiple repeat appearances. Because I’m in love with it.

Yep.

Happy Tuesday. I’m exhausted, my eyes have been bloodshot for the last 48 hours, and my body is currently rejecting the multiple McDonald’s breakfasts that were consumed.

Sounds about right.

Round Two

Happy Friday!

I’m off to somewhere a lot more warm and sunny!

Or at least that’s what the forecast promises me.

We’re off to celebrate my good friend Mary’s bachelorette weekend in LAS VEGAS!  Woot woot! This is my 7th time around as a bridesmaid and 2nd time as a maid of honor, but never have I ever purchased a plane ticket in order to get to the festivities.

10 girls. One City of Sin. Things are gonna get REAL.

Don’t worry mom- I’ll be in bed by 10:30 every night and promise to wear sunscreen.

I’m quite excited about the little weekend away from Chicago. Some of the girls going are old roommates/friends I haven’t seen since moving to Chicago three years ago (yeah, I really need to update that “About Me” page now that I think of it)!

Anyway, I’m literally typing this at 4:30 in the morning right before I head out the door.

Yeah, I’m SUCH a dedicated blogger.

You’re welcome.

Can’t believe I finished my packing last night, which may be a new record for me.Oh what’s that pink thing sticking out there?

Hmmm… I have a feeling things are going to get WEIRD.

Hopefully next time you see me, I’ll be a little more tan, a lot more tired and completely full of stories. Maybe even a few that are acceptable for blog discussion.

Or not.

We’ll just have to wait and see.

Peace out!

Weirdness in List Form

Being as how my thoughts are terribly scrambled as I rush around to get myself through the end of the work week, I figured I’d do well with a list today. Because then maybe you won’t notice that there isn’t one thing going on in my head that relates to the other.

1. First off, I feel the need to shout from the rooftops- I found a new place! No need to worry about me being homeless anymore! (Because I know you were freaking out.) I will no longer be living solo, but my new roommate is great. And our place is actually spacious enough to where we won’t kill each other. For at least 6 months. After that, well, there are no promises.

2. With the excitement of finding a place comes the sadness of leaving my current home. It hasn’t completely set in yet. We’re not talking about it now.

3. I missed Modern Family on Wednesday, but made it home for the new show Happy Endings. Has anyone seen it? It’s quickly moving to the top of my list.

4. Peanut butter sandwiches for dinner are one of the easiest things ever to eat in your car during rush hour. Balanced? Probably not. But I was quite content. For the last two nights I did it.

5. Along with that balanced peanut butter sandwich dinner, I’ve been enjoying cookies brought in by the office supply dude (aka Hottie McHotterson) who came by for a visit yesterday. It really is getting sad that the only thing we don’t know about his personal life is if he has a girlfriend or not. I know, I know… I should grow a pair and ask.

5. I’ve talked about my cereal obsession before, but I think we’ve hit another peak. Kashi is on sale at Target. Pair that with Kashi coupons from Target.com? I will not run out for at least 6 months. Pair that with how much fiber is in Kashi? I will not be hungry for the next year.

6. Today I’m off on yet another road trip starting as soon as we close the office at noon. But instead of only a 4.5-hour drive to St. Louis, we’re looking at an 8-hour drive to the middle of the state. Good times.

7. My mom informed me their computer was broken and so access to the internet is not looking good.  My heart stopped a little. And I immediately made plans to pack my laptop. Feeling “disconnected” does not sit well with me. Sad but true.

8. Last night was one of the worst nights of sleep I’ve had in a while. Unlike last time the phase happened for no seemingly good reason, I think this time it’s mostly because of all the stress factors in my life: traveling, moving, budgeting, work, etc. The plan was to maybe get up and do The Shred this morning. Instead, I was walking to the gym at 4:45. Because what else was I going to do? 2 miles at 8:28 (seriously, how do I get faster when sleep deprived?) and 15 minutes on the stairs. Believe it or not, I felt much better when the workout was over. Let’s hope this little “cardio high” at least lasts until halfway through my drive. A little wishful thinking never hurt anyone.

9. Mon messaged me yesterday about seeing identical twins in suits walking together down the street. She suggested I take one for myself and she could have the other. And she really jumped the gun with the kid talk:

Mon: Do you realize if we married identicals, there is a chance our kids would look a lot alike? Wouldn’t that be totally outrageously WEIRD? (I should mention here that along with the idea that we marry twins, she’s quite the red head and I also have that recessive gene popping up in both sides of the fam. So yes, there’s a good chance I will give birth to a little carrot top. I’ve braced myself for this.)

Me: Yes, that is very true. But yours would still be way shorter than mine. Woomp woomp.

Mon: Yeah well at least they wouldn’t have freakishly long torsos.

Touche, Mon. Touche…

10. That’s all I’ve got. I’m just really OCD, so I felt the need to end with a nice round number like 10. So yeah. Happy Friday!

Road Trip Ready

Today I’m making the drive to St. Louis for the weekend. Plans include meeting up with besties, celebrating my mom’s birthday, and running this darned race.

Long weekend, right? Good thing I’ve been carb loading.Not that I made a point of eating pasta. I just didn’t have much else in the house being as how I’ll be out for a few days. I’m even out of marinara now, so the sauce was a simple olive oil and various seasonings- heavy on the garlic salt and pepper. 

Oh… did I not mention part of the reason the family is getting together is for my mom’s birthday?  Well, it is. And it’s a milestone birthday at that. I won’t mention which one, though, because I’d rather not be greeted with disapproving look and “oh Amy!”

Anyway, in usual Amy fashion, I am so freakin’ good at procrastination, and since I’m leaving straight from work, my alarm was set 30 minutes early to make sure I wouldn’t forget a thing while getting ready this morning.

I’m tired.

And know I forgot something… it’s just a matter of when I figure it out?

Because of Holly’s little unfortunate incident of having to run in lacy underwire unmentionables, I triple-checked my running gear. So at least we’re good to go on that front.  I still applaud her for that one. Not that my teeny tinys need the support (insert my mom’s “oh Amy!” here instead), but I would be nervous of chaffing issues.  Eeek!

But anyway…

Luckily, in case my “eyes get tired”, or in case I use that excuse (because I’m a brat), one of my good guy friends is making the trip with me.

Don’t feel bad for him. He drives faster. So we’ll get there faster. Everyone wins this way.

Are you the slower driver or the faster one?

Because of some… ahem… speeding ticket issues from a few years ago, I’ve slowed my roll. The tickets finally dropped off my insurance and the added cost is not allowed back into the budget. Know what I’m sayin’?!?

Happy Friday!

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!

Travel Woes

Time for a Friday dance!!!

Or not. I’m actually attempting to save my energy. I’ve got a long run tonight.

Yep. That’s right. To plan around my little vacay that starts tomorrow, I planned a 9-mile run for tonight.

Feel free to say aloud “What where you thinking???”  Because I know I did.

This has been making me nervous all week. Usually, any run over 5 or 6 miles happens on a weekend directly after a night of sound sleep. Not after a day of work. 

Yesterday was a declared rest day for me. I slept well last night. I’ll be eating a solid lunch. So… BRING IT.

YEAH…

I guess?

Uh…

Anyway… not a lot else going on (other than the recent reappearance of Hottie McHotterson the office suppy rep at work but that is definitely a story for another time). 

Realized last night as I was packing for Vegas that a bag would have to be checked.  Crap. That’s what I get for traveling when the weather is so up-in-the-air. I need jeans, but pack some shorts because it will be warm during the day. Oh this shirt would be cute, but bring a light sweater to go over it just in case. Flip flops will probably be used but if it gets a little cooler, bring some flats, too. 

Before I knew it, my carry-on (that really is too big to be one, but I pretend by smashing it into the correct size when it needs to be) was overflowing. No good.  Stupid luggage fees.

At least when I go back this summer for a bachelorette party, the dress code is pretty simple. All I have to pack are a few party dresses and swimsuits.  Bet I could almost backpack that trip…

Oh the joys of airport travel…

At least I won’t starve to death while waiting for my flight. A recent report named a new Rick Bayless restaurant as one of the top 10 restaurants in airport terminals. Rick Bayless? Airport gourmet?  Really?

Although I try at all costs to avoid eating in the terminals.  Paying $8 for a mini cup of coffee a doll would scoff at makes me wince.

But it’s good to know that if desperate times call for desperate measures, I can dine in the lap of luxury. All while in my travel yoga pants.

TGIF. For reals.

Big Plans

Hello everyone! 

So no one actually likes pants.  Hmmm.  We should start a movement.  Yes?

Anyhoo, I feel like it’s been too long!

Not just because I didn’t post yesterday, but because I’m still trying to catch up with how everyone else’s holidays went…

Anyways, the story left off in St. Louis.  I spent the night at my friend Mary’s house, not only to break up my trip back home, but to spend some time with two of my best friends over the holidays.Another wine night. We had originally talked up a big night out.  Drinks flowing… dancing… cute shoes…

We went out to pick out a bottle and get a red box movie.  After agonizing for 10 minutes over a selection, we ended up deciding on watching Entourage reruns instead.  We’re wild like that.

And reruns of Entourage turned into an episode of South Park that was about the shake weight and people’s ridiculous obsession with the Food Network.  I think I laughed the loudest.

All three of us got up around 9:30 yesterday morning.  Yes- 9:30. After we all said we would probably “naturally” wakeup by 7:30.  The long holiday weekend has clearly taken a toll on everyone.  Anyone else suffering the “holiday hangover”?

Getting up that late only means one thing.

Time for BRUNCH!We hit a local joint just down the road from Mary.  Last time us girls were together, we all ordered the same thing (it’s ok to roll your eyes here- we were just as embarrassed about it as you’d think).  This time wasn’t any different. Omelets for everyone! Like the ”Bacado” pictured above.  Mine was stuffed with avocado and bacon and I couldn’t have been happier.   

We’ll discuss how this triggered my avocado obsession (again) at a different time.

We sat there and chatted over free refills of coffee for way too long.  Not too long because I needed to go (which is probably true), but because we were rivaling all the old people with time spent there and the waitress was getting annoyed.  Oops.

Do you ever overestimate how productive you’ll be during the day?  I do- all the time.  Original thoughts were to leave St. Louis by noon or so, get a good run in (I’ve been dying to- that’s not a joke), grocery shop, unpack, etc etc.

Yeah…

I didn’t leave until close to 1:00.  Hit some traffic.  Lost any energy to workout.  And the ONLY reason grocery shopping happened was because it happened before I got home- I knew I wouldn’t drive back out to do it otherwise. And a girl needs to eat. 

And if you think any of my stuff is unpacked, you’re just crazy.  Who was I kidding?  I usually live out of my bag until it’s all been used or it has to be repacked.  True story.

However, it should be noted how thankful I am for fantastic driving conditions to and from Missouri.  That never happens.

And I would also like to note my favorite road trip tune came from a station somewhere in central Illinois.  Chumbawamba?  YES PLEASE!

Because I got to bed early, getting up to work out this morning wasn’t that big of a deal.  I figured this work week should be started with a BANG. Tuesday won’t take me down that easily.

I did my new Jillian Michaels ”No More Trouble Zones” dvd.  It left me a little sore the first time I did it, so I’m assuming it’ll let me know once again where all my underworked muscles are. 

On that note, I did “feel it” from the P90X ”Ab Ripper” cd.  Just not as badly as expected.  Maybe it was because people were building it up to such a horrible thing. Maybe because it should be combined with other circuits (really have no clue how that system works).  But I had planned to crawl out of bed. And was pleasantly surprised when I didn’t have to. Awesome.

Let’s pretend Tuesday doesn’t suck and focus our attention on how it’s yet another holiday (aka “short”) work week!

Made it by Midnight!

Can I just say I find your answers to the elevator question hilarious?

My favorite would have to be Oprah.  Oliepants has her head on straight- because not only would you get out right away, she’d probably give you a car just because.

And we all like cars, right?

Speaking of cars and driving (do you like how I did that?  ha ha), I made it to Mid-Missouri by midnight.  And didn’t hit any snow- so it was in much better time than expected!

A little over 8 hours is still quite the drive.  Before you take a road trip such as this, you should probably ask yourself some questions like I did.

Such as, what’s the proper way to fuel yourself for a drive? Before I left, Mon took the time to stop by work with lunch and she brought Buffalo Wings! Specifically, the Buffalo Ranch Chicken Wrap. And I had them give me the Caribbean Jerk sauce instead of just the medium.

I needed the spice. We had been going back and forth the other day on email and I expressed my desire to have the “most opposite of sweet I could find”.  Smart girl, that Mon.As soon as I say that, she pulls out a “common sense” ticket she received from the rent-a-cop in our apartment complex.  Nice work on forgetting to lock your door, Mon. And Happy Holidays, rent-a-cop! 

After that, it was a matter of waiting for the signal from the boss and I was off…

When driving, you should ask yourself, “I wonder what songs I’ll get sick of on this trip?”

Definitely not this one:

I’ve had a recent obsession with “Spaceman” by The Killers for months.  It won’t get out of my head!  For future reference, you can sing it 4 times in a row before moving on.  But you can go back to it every 2-3 hours and still be fine.

On another note, how many Rihanna songs can I listen to before she gets boring?

That would be zero. Zilch. Nada.  Sorry Rihanna. You were everywhere and you drove me nuts.  I can’t talk to you right now.

How many times will I have to stop?

Three.  In all honesty, I could have done it in two, but the second place didn’t have any coffee except for some being made by a questionable looking gentleman who was missing teeth.  That was the stop where I was the only non-trucker.  Oopsies.  Should have slowly backed out of that station as soon as I realized what was up.

A stop elsewhere was necessary.Which was fine.  I mean come on- can you see what’s in the corner of this pic? I even had a machine in the bathroom that guesses my accurate weight and tells my fortune all at the same time.  Can you believe it?!?!

And yes, I’m bringing Rod Tuffcurls and the Bench Press love to Missouri.  Sort of.  My “And The” came off in the wash.  So now people just think I’m advertising some sort of fancy pants bench press.  Sigh.

And if you’re wondering, gas station coffee isn’t that bad.  Sure, this is coming from the girl who won’t go out of her way for Starbucks.  But still. The mixture of gas station english toffee cappuccino and gas station coffee is quite lovely.  Try it…

Ok ya’ll, I’m outtie.  Be safe out there and have a good holiday!