The TREE

I took off a day of work a few days ago and decided to go to breakfast with Bryan at my favorite breakfast spot- "THE TREE" as we called it in college.


A first-time visiter to the tree!

In college, me and the roommates would go to the tree to talk, take pictures, lay out on blankets under the shade, and drink latttes. It was one of our favorite hangout spots and going back reminded me why.

It was gorgeous weather, we stopped by a local bagel shop to pick up breakfast, then went to the tree and found a bench to sit under the branches. We had a view of the intracoastal waterway. It was breath-taking :) and brought back memories.

Pizza Tasting Party + The Bachelor

Last night featured a pizza tasting party with the girls... and a little Bachelor watching ;-)

Kashi Mushroom Trio and Spinach Pizza

In the mix were 3 pizzas:
Kashi Mushroom Trio and Spinach
Publix Greenwise Organic Margarita
Red Barn All Natural Mozzarella Margarita

My favorite was actually the Greenwise Pizza. It was the perfect blend of spices, cheese, and all-natural ingredients. Yum. The Kashi was good as well, but a little on the bland side. The Third Pizza was DELICIOUS with all natural mozzarella balls exploding in the oven! It was the cheesiest of them all hands down.

Paired with spinach salad and brownie bites with red icing in the shape of hearts (as a tribute to Brad Womack finding love- haha, cheesy, I know) it was a perfect meal!

````````````````
Back up a few hours before- I had the best day off yesterday! I woke up voiceless due to a little cold I attained over the weekend. So no voice = no work for me. Since my job requires me to speak alot I figured I better take the day off ;) and:

Go for a 7mile jog along the coast
Lay in the sun by the pool
Get a Starbucks with Bryan
Read magazines on the balcony of Barnes and Noble
Do a little shopping

Yay! I love days off and feel rested and refreshed to work 3 more days til my 3 Day weekend! (gotta use up the PTO sometime right?) Plus its Bryan's Spring break so I had an aching to get some time off.

Question: If you watch Bachelor, what do you think of the winner?

I am "ify" about Emily and Brad lasting but think they would be a great couple if it worked out...or at least they would make great looking babies! haha.

Rainy Thursday, Relaxing Evening

Today I spent the day up in Stuart for work with another rep from a neighboring company. It was so enjoyable to do sales calls together! Halfway through the day, the sky dropped out and we stopped in to a cafe "First Watch" for a light lunch and hot tea.

I ordered the Santa Fe Grilled Chicken salad with fresh avocado, shredded cheese, and cajun seasoning, and chipolte ranch dressing on the side. It was delicious, fresh, and crisp. Paired with a hot green tea it was just what I needed before heading back out to work.

After a few more office calls, I headed back to West Palm and went to a Bikram Yoga session downtown. Tonight was challenging but I felt so good afterwards!



My favorite pose of all time is the Tree Pose! Especially because its right before the long savasana- which means we are over halfway through the class. Its little mental things like these that get me through ;-)

Weekend + New Cafe!

So the weekend activities included:

Bowling

Sleeping in :)

Shopping with Bryan

Meeting up with friends for the MSU/MU game

Going out in WPB to a new salsa club (we got free VIP)

Church

Poolside Cookout

Going out for Frozen Yogurt

etc.

And then Monday-

I was craving something out of the norm.... so halfway through the work day I called my friend Heather to see if she wanted to meet up on the island for lunch. We ended up going to TooJays Deli and it was fabulous! It was one of those days- the sun shining, gorgeous breeze, and I wanted to be near the ocean. After lunch I drove along the beach as I headed back to work. Its little moments like these that I so often need to feel refreshed and remember to be thankful for all the things I am blessed with.

After work I went to a spinning class. It kicked my butt! I felt so exhausted afterwards so Bryan and I ordered spinach salads to go and vegged out at his place for the rest of the evening.

Then Tuesday-

I called my friend Glenn and met him downtown Delray Beach for a cup of tea at this new cafe called Spot Coffee. It was awesome. The entire cafe is set up with different levels of couches and tables and the cafe opens up to the sidewalk- allowing the fresh air inside. It was a nice change from Starbucks, which I am getting quite sick of these days (NEVER thought I would say that!!!). I like to support the less chainy smaller emerging comapies anyways.

Spot Coffee, Delray Beach

After lunch and work, I went for a 5mile run at the gym and then met Bryan for dinner at Jason's Deli. I LOVE that place. Their salad bar is packed with mixed greens, fresh trail mix, whole eggs, sprouts, homemade hummas, and every veggie imaginable. The best part? Dessert is FREE!

After dinner we went back to watch the Miami Heat game with his roomate. It was a nice little Tuesday evening :)

Question: Do you prefer routines in life or leaving things up in the air?

I used to be a big routine person planning EVERYTHING from my 9 mile run at 5am the morning to my discussion group at 10pm. But now that I am out of school- I am much more lax and find myself doing way more "spare of the moment" activities. I do like to have a general plan though.

A Refreshing Morning

I am in love with Kashi! And anything sweet.

I slept in this morning because today is my Bikram Yoga session after work. I decided to eat breakfast in the living room and open the window. It was a gorgeous cooler breeze this morning. I wanted to enjoy it as I relaxed.

It was refreshing and so was my breakfast: Kashi GoLean cereal, Strawberries, Grapes, and Pitted Figs drizzled with Vanilla Soy milk

It feels like a weekend day sleeping in ;) I had more time to reflect. There are certain areas of my life I want to be more "courageous" in. Courageous: cou·ra·geous/kəˈrājəs/ Adjective: Not deterred by danger or pain; brave. One area I want to be more courageous is my volunteer work- I want to give my full effort to the Relay for Life this year. Another area is my faith- I want to be noticeably different and not just do serve others in ways that are convenient or easy. Another area is my commitment to healthy living. I want to push my body again (like back in college on the cross country team during speed workouts).

Off to a great day!

What a Fox!

Today as I decided to take a new loop for my morning run I spotted a wild fox! He was hanging out along the coast and stopped right in his tracks and stood staring at me for a good 2 minutes! Foxes look a lot like cats and I would have mistaken him for a feline if it hadn't of been for his bushy tail and pointed nose. So cute! (Btw, I am not sure if you have googled "fox" in google images, but some crazy things come up!)

I ended up running a total of 5.2 miles. It was extremely windy out today- most likely the remainder of yesterdays rain showers.

After the run I helped myself to a HUGE bowl of strawberries, grapes, raisins, Kashi cereal, vanilla soy milk. I found if I add tons of sweet fresh and dried fruits to my cereal it provides the perfect amount of sweetness along with the crunchiness of the cereal (did I mention I have a HUGE sweet tooth?!) All morning I have felt full of energy!

Tonight I have a MRI appointment for my back. I hope that they can help to decipher what treatment plan is best for all the pain I have been having recently in my upper right back. Between chiropractor appts, massage appts, and Bikram Yoga sessions, orthotics, XRays, and about 4 pairs of shoes a year- running really does take its toll on my body and pocketbook- but I can never see giving it up! I LOVE LOVE it too much ;) Hope the MRI provides good feedback.

Question:

Have you ever been to a chiropractor?

In the past it was my tendinitis in my knees, so I did Bikram and it healed. But these last few years have been constant back pain. So I have been going to a chiropractor but it only provides temporary relief.

(Source- Fox)

The Street Painting Festival

So Last Sunday was the very first time that my family met Bryan's family. Well my mom met his ;) It was so exciting because she lives in Michigan and my parents live in Orlando and they both happened to be down in S FL the SAME weekend!


With common midwestern down-to-earth freindly roots- they got along great! We all went to the street painting festival together in Downtown Lake Worth. It was a gorgeous day and a perfect setting for everyone to get to know each other! Heres a few of the highlights of the festival!

Street Painting Festival 2011

It was a gorgeous day for it!

Clint Eastwood- this one was one of my favorites by far!


The dancers caught my eye- I loved the shading!


My friend Alissa came out with her lil pup :)


And because they were so pretty the flowers deserved a picture too ;)


Mikey Mouse Tribute :-) cause its Florida!