Celebrating Pride, Ice Cream, and One Hot Half

It’s a well known fact that a weekend away or in a different environment does the mind and body good.  I started off the weekend with a five mile race in Central Park, put on by the Front Runners in partnership with New York Road Runners.   As I noted Friday, we had created our own November Project tag for the event and as you can see below, showed up in full force for the race.  We had 64 finishers, the men’s team finished 11th overall and 2nd in our division, and the women finished 7th and 1st in our division!!! BOOM!

^^ Check out all those people ready to run and celebrate Pride weekend!

So I admit, I talk a big talk but never really follow my own advice.  I swore that I was going in feeling sore and not even sure I wanted to “race”.  I needed to take a break and not run or race for awhile and didn’t really follow that.  I thought “sure it’s hot and humid and only 8:15 but five miles can’t be so bad, right?  Harlem Hill isn’t that bad, right?”  Well, turns out I was competitive with myself yet again and ended up running 38:07 (7:38 pace).  I reallllllly need to work on actually training and not jetting out like a bat out of hell on race day.

^^ I couldn’t stay for the group photo this year but look at those hooligans.  What a good looking and fierce group!

Immediately after finishing the race and consuming the popsicle that was handed out (yes…think ahead folks to next year – popsicles at the Pride Run = amazing), I ran back to Equinox to shower and meet Lindsay at Grand Central in order to travel up to Connecticut.  Lindsay had found a half marathon in Fairfield and while I declined to officially sign up, I did agree to tag along and even run the last half with her.

^^ Yes.  A beach day was EXACTLY what we needed.  This beach (Jennings Beach) took us about 2.5 miles and an uber ride to find but was oh so worth it.  The water was crystal clear – as clear as the Atlantic Long Island Sound (thank you Lauren ❤ ) will get in Connecticut – and the sand was much cleaner than that of Rockaways or Long Beach.  It also felt VERY much like a suburb beach.  I don’t know why it felt that way, but I could definitely tell we were out of New York City.

In the end we only spent a few hours on the beach since we didn’t want to get too tuckered out from the sun.  After after a few hours of sun and surf, we walked to dinner, ate with the early crowd, picked up some ice cream and headed back to our AirBNB.  Shall I mention that we brought down the average age of the dinner crowd about 50 years?  I mean, they really could have offered us an early bird special at that point.

^^ AND I MADE A FRIEND

Sunday morning we both woke up bright and early and started to prep for the day ahead.  I have come to accept the fact that I just don’t “sleep in” and my body automatically wakes up between 5:30-6.  Sounds find during the week but on those days that you want to just lay around.  Wait, who am I kidding, I can’t even sit still long enough to do that.

Anyways, we were out of the door at 6:45 and off to the starting line (Jennings Beach).  Again, transportation brought to you by uber.  No this isn’t a sponsored post but I wouldn’t be opposed. Hint hint uber.

Lindsay picked up her bib and then I headed off to meet her around mile 4.  It was quite refreshing to jog and not have to look at my watch, my pace, or even listen to music.  I was more focused on the sights and taking pictures of all the fancy schmancy houses and people on Vespas that I saw.

Once I saw (and almost missed) Lindsay at mile 4, I ran out to mile 8 and once she came around we wound our way back along the course to the finish.  Let me just say, mega props to runners to compete in such gnarly conditions because at only 75F, it was brutally hot for the runners.  I can’t even imagine anything more than that.  Thankfully a lot of the neighborhood had put out sprinklers and extra water stations for the runners.  But, at least three runners were not so lucky and were being attended to within the last 3 miles.

^^ Perks of finishing by the ocean – automatic ice bath.  Too bad I wasn’t wearing a bathing suit and didn’t have a towel with me.  I would have totally been swimming all afternoon long.  After stretching for a bit, we called an uber (yep, uber again), went back to the AirBNB to shower and hit up a brewery before going back to the city.

It was very sweet of our AirBNB host to drive us to the brewery, but turns out she dropped us off at the wrong one… Since that spot felt a bit sterile and didn’t serve food (both no-nos), we took an uber back to the one we had in mind – Two Roads Brewing Company.  As you can see, it was quite an indulgence.  Maybe not the best post-race food for one’s stomach but we hadn’t eaten much afterwards and I guess my mind said “GO BIG”.  Cue “Assimilation fries” with a fried egg as well as an “eh” Cordon Bleu grilled cheese.

See I have this problem if I purchase something, I have the need to finish it – no waste.  Well, I was able to power through my food but wasn’t able to finish the flight of beers.  It was my fault for selecting the wrong brews or just not going with my gut instinct and ordering a regular size of the Lil Heaven IPA.  Lesson learned.  But, when we realized the remainder of the beers weren’t going to be consumed, we called an uber and made it to the train station JUST in time for the 2:51 Grand Central bound train.

Two Roads Brewing Company
1700 Stratford Ave, Stratford, CT 06615
Hours: Tue-Fri: 12-9 ~ Sun: 12-7 ~ Mon: Closed

I swear, the minute we entered Grand Central, it was like a mad house and the peace and serene feeling of being in the suburbs had vanished.  Nothing like pushing your way onto a crowded and humid subway platform to say welcome home.  The rest of the afternoon was spent lounging and watching the latest season of Orange is the New Black as well as the Olympic Trials. Just 39 days until Rio!! And about 590 until South Korea…if you’re counting.

What were you up to this weekend?  What sport (if any) are you looking forward to in the Olympics?

“Everything in moderation, including moderation” – Julia Child

Life of Late ~ 6.24.16

Who else woke up to the notification that Britain decided to leave the EU?  Well, it’s the end of the world as we (I) know it  – from the countless classes that I took between high school and college that talked about politics, my travels throughout England and Europe, and simply being aware of what was going on.  Between the Brexit and this Hillary vs. Trump phenomenon, our world of politics is on a nice roll.

But enough about politics.  This week I was feeling MUCH more refreshed – probably due to the fact I didn’t go out over the weekend and just hung outdoors – between the west side park and Central Park – for an absurd amount of time.

^^ Thank goodness I listen to morning television during breakfast because I learned that New York City was hosting our very own volleyball tournament and Kerri Walsh Jennings and April Ross (the Rio bound duo) were going to be playing!!  This was all FREE and thankfully I decided to bike rather than walk my way down (~3.5 miles) and made it just in time.  They won…obviously.

^^ After I went back to charge my phone a bit (yay for iPhone battery life), I went into Brooklyn to meet my friend Laura at the Brooklyn Bowl.  She is a HUGE fan of Jeremy Loops, a South African singer and song-writer and I was up for something new and different.  It was SO GOOD! Sadly it was his last USA performance for a very long time and I was so glad that I went.  You never know what could happen when you say yes to new opportunities.

I also happened to fall prey to the artisan ice cream truck before making it to the show, but hey it was part coffee (to keep me awake) and vegan dark chocolate (so healthy?)

^^ Almost more of a fan of the vegan ice cream (dark chocolate on the bottom because it didn’t melt as fast!)  This also was a summer must as Van Leeuwen’s is ranked in the top 5 ice cream spots 1 in NYC! Thank you PureWow for fueling my constant food exploration and consumption in this city.

Summer means fresh fruit, which means it’s time for BLUEBERRIES! And figs and strawberries and peaches…but I digress.  PureWow rounded up some fresh ways to use blueberries and of course there is one of my favorite YouTube videos about blueberries.  Enjoy:

^^ Saturday was filled with a very tough workout class (quasi-weights/boot camp), breakfast acai bowl, and lots of park time for a friend’s birthday.  I was quite a sight in the subway as I was not only carrying a butt load of fruit but also walking my friends bike through the mass amounts of tourists in the humidity.  I was not impressed when the subway was 20 minutes late and I’m sure the tourists were not impressed by my desire and ultimate need to get that bike in and on and out of the subway car.

^^ If you don’t follow Ali’s blog or instagram, I would do so if only for more pictures of Ellie.  How can you say no to that face?  Our friend Jason may have a different feeling after seeing that last picture of Ellie with his soccer ball…she may have thought it was a chew toy.  Oops.

The rest of the day I was SUPER social. Not.  What I actually did was go to Whole Foods with some friends, pick up mac and cheese w/ salmon and cauliflower and then go home to eat and watch Orange is the New Black.  It was glorious and I loved getting a full night’s sleep.

^^ The next morning was the Harlem Mile up in – you guessed it – Harlem.  Well it was at Marcus Garvey Park to be specific.  I hadn’t signed up for the mile but wanted to get a longer run in and cheer for my friends.  About six miles later, I was up above Central Park and ready to cheer on the speedy crew.  Our crew tied for first and it was also a blast to see all the kids running around – some more enthused about this thing called “running” than others.

For those who weren’t thrilled, I feel for you.  My dad had to draaag me around the local track when I was going into 7th grade.  I’m serious.  I couldn’t even make it that mile.  But hey, look at me now 😉

^^ Running + Brunch + Levain Cookies + Ice Coffee + Park + ANNELISE FOUND A FOUR LEAF CLOVER! What a Sunday.

^^ My view en route to Track Tuesday.  I may not love the track or even really like the track but it’s better with a group of people and the idea that I could get faster.  It also helps that the track is only a mile away from my apartment and I don’t have to get up at the crack of dawn (or earlier than I already do) to get to Central Park.  The little things my friends, just the little things.

^^ That’s the plan for this weekend.  After my 5-mi run (the NYRR Pride Run) tomorrow, I’m heading up to Connecticut with Lindsay and we plan to hang at the beach all weekend long. YES!

^^ New November Project tag ready for tomorrow’s race.  Thank you so much to the paint crew that got up early to spray paint all of our t-shirts because they look saweeet!!!  Here’s to an awesome weekend to all.  Enjoy!

“Know your own happiness” – Jane Austen

Gooooood Morning America!

For those of you who caught onto the “Good Morning Vietnam” reference, well done.  For those of you who didn’t, go watch the movie ASAP.  But obviously there’s more than just a really good line from Robin Williams.   This actually is in relation to THE Good Morning America in New York City.  Yep, a direct competitor to my beloved Today Show but November Project was asked to be on GMA, so I guess for a day I can be Team GMA.

Originally we were going to show up to the studios with as many people as possible.  I don’t think the producers really understood “just show up” mentality.  That and the fact that we are all like lemmings (though it’s not a cult…) and when they say jump, we jump.  So if they said show up in Times Square, we would show up in Times Square.  Well, the producers got wind of this and limited it to about 30 spots.  Our co-leaders created a link to sign up and anyone from any of the tribes could sign up!  It was certainly more feasible for those in NYC, DC, or Boston but hey, you do you.

After a few days, an email was sent out to a lucky 30 and yep, I made the cut!  I had voluntarily signed myself up for a 4:30am wake-up call.  Good job Kaitlin.  To be honest, it was like sleeping the night before a race and I didn’t want to miss my alarm, so it was a very restless night of sleep.

I also did not want to deal with the sporadic public transportation so early in the morning, so I waited until the last possible moment to wake up, caught a $10 taxi (free fitness ha) to Times Square and was present in Grassroots Gear by 5:15.  Once we had all 30 of us, we walked over to the studios, handed over our IDs to show that we were truly who we said we were, and then were brought up to a “green room” where we would hang for about an hour or so.  There was free fruit + pastries + coffee, all of which were “eh”.  << Good descriptive words right Mom? 😉

Around 7 or so, we went out onto the plaza and did a little warm up and practice.  This consisted of us bouncing, be told not to shout weird things (cough cough Paul) and smile very big for the camera.  We then went about our normal bounce routine, hugged one another and then hugged some people in the crowds.  Curious why we hug?  Check out the segment 😉

After a few practice rounds it was back into the greenroom for another 45 minutes or so.  Ok, to be honest, since I was up at 4:30 and some people were up at 4, time seems pretty relative and I don’t actually recall how much time was in between.

^^ There I am in all my butt-in-the-air glory.  I had told a few people and Sarah was able to catch it for me 😉 I know it was a lot of stop and go but man, we must have done something strenuous that morning because my abs were killing me the next day!  Those exercises either really work or I was just super out of ab shape (possibly the latter but let’s believe it’s the former)

Our air time was right around 8:40 but we did have a couple of snipets where we are in the background screaming and the anchor is watching with eyebrows raised in confusion.  Or just telling the audience to sit tight and tune in for this free fitness craze.

If you have a few minutes and want to check out the segment, click right here.

So maybe it wasn’t a full workout on a Wednesday.  Maybe I had to go into work a little late.  Carpe diem, right?  Now if I can just find a way to get us on the Today Show…

OH and if you didn’t get through my last post, this amazing gal on the right is OUR BRAND SPANKIN’ NEW CO-LEADER FOR NEW YORK! EVERYONE IS PUMPED!

Life of Late ~ 6.17.16

FRIDAY FRIDAY FRIDAY.  Sorry.  I can’t think of any other way to open these posts any more.  I think I’m still recovering from last weekend’s shenanigans and let’s just say that when you miss out on crucial sleep over the weekend, it just seems to add up during the week.  But that’s what being young is all about.  Or so I’m reminded 😉

Last Friday I ran over the Manhattan Bridge and out into Brooklyn for the November Project workout.  I had been jogging over with my backpack when my speedy friend Jessica caught up with me.  As our pace started to pick up, I told her to go on but she was sweet and stuck it out.  About 6 miles later, we made it to Prospect Park with the rest of the crew.

^^ Dreamy breakfast found in Brooklyn and must be replicated AS SOON AS POSSIBLE.  I will even run into Brooklyn to find this very basic but delicious egg sandwich with bacon, egg, cheddar, and avocado and the best (no really…it’s true) almond iced latte that I have ever had.

Tilda All Day
930 Fulton Street
Brooklyn, NY 11238
M-F (7:30a-5p) & S/S (8a-5p)

^^ Of course there were other November Project workouts in between and it wouldn’t be a workout if you didn’t take a picture, right?  All the BBG girls take them, so I’ll just upload mine here.  Sure, not the same transformations but still a hell of a good time and if you put in the effort, a good workout.

Part of the fun of working out with semi-professional photographers.  Many many thanks to the lovely Julia and Brian who wakeup at the crack of dawn and post these and many more for us to share on our own social media accounts.  It’s also so much more fun than waiting around for race pictures, which let’s be honest – rarely turn out how you imagine.

^^ As we are in the middle of upfront season, our department has been treating us to lunches and dinners in the office.  Cool free food.  Boo for staying late.  This was a little bit of a Thursday afternoon Italian Ice treat.  I swear the scoops were the size of golf balls but packed a punch like an ice cream sundae.  I took a shot of my friend’s rainbow scoop because if it’s not photographed, it didn’t happen.  I actually selected coconut but plain ‘ol white doesn’t look nearly as good for the camera.

Did you know that you can find nature in the city?  Yes, even this picture that LOOKS like we are outside of Manhattan, is not out of Manhattan.  A couple of weeks ago I went biking with my friend Emma who is training for a half Ironman and wanted some cycling company.  I was biking without gears and we got a bit lost a times but also realized that there is SO much more to this city and island than we realized.  Cue summer adventures!!

I also ran in the women’s 10k last Saturday, planning to jog and just go with the flow.  I had run 6+ with a backpack the day before and was/am still in a “non-racing/taking it easy month”.  << That’s seriously a joke because I don’t know how to relax.  I even struggle with napping or sitting still for too long.

^^ As my sister so perfectly put it ‘”I’m going to take it easy” are always the famous last words’  I guess I just get too competitive with myself.  I did however successfully run sans headphones and sans music. Thank you thank you to the epic NP cheer squad as always.

^^ My friend Callie and I posing for a picture so that we can immediately upload it and then go hunting for Juice Press and free juice.  (#willrunforjuice)  Also apparently because it’s a woman’s race, that means we have to have everything pink themed.  Well, I’m just not a pink kind of gal…but thanks?

^^ Of course right after the race, this group of girls 1) started having a dance party to the loudspeaker music (maybe we could have raced harder?) and 2) ever so politely asked to pose with MOLLY HUDDLE! who will be making her marathon debut this November at a little thing we call the New York City Marathon.  See you there Molly!

^^ We always come out stacked.  November Project ladies bringing our A game no matter the race.

^^ Racing was followed up by some green juice from Juice Press and an epic crab cake brunch.  We may have gotten mimosas for the table and banana bread pudding for dessert later that day.  Yeah, I’m not on the BBG diet nor whole30 diet at all.

^^ Saturday night I went out with some friends to a housewarming party and to celebrate a friend’s birthday.  See I CAN dress up in people clothes and do other things besides run and go galivanting through the city.

I pulled one of those nights where supposedly I had to act my age, so that meant a very very late bedtime.  But, despite the splitting headache the next morning, I was up at Central Park with some friends testing out our territory on two wheels.

^^ From biking to volunteering with a group of Santa Clara alums at the local soup kitchen.  I have been volunteering here for a few weeks and really do find it to be meaningful work.  You learn a lot about people and the struggles that they have to go through.  Some folks are grateful for your help and others are quite pissed off at the world.  It’s one of those life lessons that teaches you to give back but also appreciate what you have.

Last but certainly not least, we got an amazing addition to the November Project New York City leadership team this week.  Our tribe added a third co-leader and her name is Jeanie and she is going to rock everyone’s socks off!!!! I got to know Jeanie a little bit last year and have to say she is one hell of a leader, even before she became an official leader.  She has the charisma that anyone could kill for and damn that body 😉 We call it #bodiesbyjeanie.  Oh, and if you so happen to have a birthday and she is there to sing and dance, well, then you’ve won the lottery.  Here’s to a great new chapter in our tribe’s books and here’s to the WEEKEND!

Who Runs the World?

Note: I’m going a little rogue in terms of what I post about.  I might get a little serious and then sappy so if that’s not your jam, you have been told.

Today is a day where we need to truly look at how far we have come and yet how far we have to go.  In one instance, a not so happy one, I’m referring to the terrible incident that occurred on Sunday and the violence that has seemingly increased in conjunction with wrongful gun access.  I can’t adequately put my thoughts into words but my thoughts, prayers, and heart goes out to those who have been affected.  This violence and hatred is uncalled for and needs to end.

“We rise and fall and light from dying embers, remembrances that hope and love last longer, and love is love is love is love is love is love, cannot be killed or swept aside.” – Lin-Manuel Miranda (Tony Awards 2016)

I’m also referring to a more positive subject and that’s the movement of women.  A couple of weeks ago we saw that one of the November Project DC leaders – Kaelan Dickinson was planning a NP_DC women’s only workout.  It was inspired by The United State of Women summit, where very influential women will be coming together to speak on a variety of topics as well as educate and inspire those attending to take action.  Of course we have these lovely links to learn more about what’s going on, so educate yourself!

^^ yes I linked the picture to the topics so you decide…excel work or education reading 😉

But back to today.  You have probably seen and gathered how close I have become with people in November Project.  It’s safe to say that they are the closest thing I have to family back east and life certainly would not be the same without them.  I have so many wonderful people to look up to, support, and be supported by.  Whether we know it or not, meeting one another, interacting with one another (even for just a short time) has and will continue to help build confidence, build strength (for the mind and body) and build a better community.

The women that I surround myself with are role models.  Three amazing women from our own tribe – Katherine, Terri, and Meg, decided to lead our own “United State of November Project Women – NYC” workout.  We met at 72^nd street in Riverside Park by the statue of Eleanor Roosevelt and got our bounce going right at 7:02.  Punctual as can be.

From there we made our way down to some stairs and grassy area where we proceeded to have 25 minutes’ worth of exercises, all themed and named after influential women.  My memory is failing me right now but I did remember the “Michelle Obama” Dips and “Ellen DeGeneres” dance party finale.

There were a couple of times during the workout that the leaders would scream “who runs the world?” to which we would have to respond “GIRLS” and then find a partner and complete 10 curtsy lunges.  It was amazing to see the amount of women show up at a pop up workout, support one another and just have fun while sweating it out before the workday.

^^ Our amazing leaders this morning

Before we departed, Meg left us with a little speech.  Please note this is paraphrasing and not nearly as powerful as when Meg said it.

“This community has been one of the best things to happen to us.  The amount of support and love we have for one another – just know that you will NEVER be alone.  We are there for each other during the good and the bad and we need to continue to support one another.  This is our time to stop putting ourselves down (we all do it to ourselves), putting others down around us.  We may not like what they are wearing or how they act, but we need to stand up and fight for ourselves because we are the generation to make a change.  Maybe if we continue, we can make sure that the next generation of girls and women don’t have to go through the same crap that we do”

We may only see one another for 1-2 hours a week, but those 60 minutes build up and are oh so powerful.  This is the only life we have to life and it’s about time to make it a great one.

**This movement spread to a number of other tribe cities around the country including Philadelphia, Los Angeles, and Baltimore.

Life of Late ~ 6.3.16

Friday. Four day week.  June 3rd.  Better yet…NATIONAL DONUT DAY!  Now even though I have a sweet tooth, I’m not always the biggest donut fan.  If it were a showdown between Dunkin Donuts and Baskin Robbin’s ice cream, obviously a scoop of ice cream would win.  Though I am a sucker for food holidays and November Project was located near a donut joint (Underwest) so I indulged.  The verdict?  Very pleasantly surprised and actually satisfied with my choice.

There are a few parts to this success.  First – purchase donut from the source.  None of this donuts from Whole Foods or even donuts to go.   Second – partner up with someone so that you can sample multiple flavors.   This is a #runtoeat and #eattorun sort of deal so we can’t go donut crazy and eat 1 of each flavor (cue sugar crash at work and hello witchy Kaitlin), but splitting them is definitely a viable solution.  Thank you Rebecca for being my donut buddy 🙂

Underwest Donuts
638 W 47th St, New York, NY 10036
(Fun fact: this is located on the west side IN a car wash…yes it’s sanitary)

^^ Located right next to this big ‘ol boat named the Intrepid (location of today’s NP_NYC workout)

As I predicted, we have gotten into full swing of upfront season at work.  For those who don’t know what that is, it’s a time in ad sales where the publisher (where ads run) negotiates with agencies (who work for clients like State Farm and Geico and such) on prices and how much they are going to spend and where their ads are going to run.  This means we wait after work for them to come back with their best deals and then we revise our options and submit proposals.  It’s a lot of back and forth and some long nights but boy am I learning a ton.  I also happen to be on a solid team where my Account Executive and Associate Account Executive are super helpful and are genuinely interested in helping me learn.  Plus the company feeds us.

So my life goes back to the balance of working and working out – a combination that I am quite ok with.  Yes, there are 100% days that I would like to sleep in but then I see the sky look like this and am always happy I made it out.  The one recent instance where I wish I hadn’t worked out was yoga  yesterday.  Stretching = good.  Bad teacher = bad practice.  My friend Jackie and I arrived for our favorite class and soon learned that 1) water was shut off at this particular location (no showers no toilets) and 2) our favorite teacher was NOT teaching there anymore.  We stuck it out but when the OM at the beginning of class sounded like a capella group out of tune, my immediate reaction was “ah hell no”.  I stayed the entire class but it did nothing for me.

^^ Tested out a couple of classes via ClassPass and totally LOVED Throwback Fitness.  One of the gals I met at 24 Hour Fitness back in the day has been working out here at least 1x if not 2x every day and is obsessed.  I had been meaning to try it but didn’t want to interfere with training for Brooklyn.  Ha – as if I was really trying hard to train.  Best described below:

“We are gamifying fitness by harnessing the feelings of accomplishment, confidence, and camaraderie that come from being part of a team, and the excitement felt when working together to achieve a common goal. Our‘murderously fun’ workouts channel the nostalgia of adolescence by modeling our unique, competitive, partner- and team-based workouts after such childhood favorites as Dodgeball and Capture the Flag, or even dorm room-inspired games like Flip Cup.” (source)

So how fun does that sound?  Test it out, see how much fun you have and then BOOK A BIRTHDAY PARTY! That’s right.  How totally cool is that?  You can have your birthday at a fun workout class.  Because birthday parties are no longer for those under the age of 8.

^^ Another class that I took was a hip-hop class at Y7 – another successful discovery.  I had taken it the Sunday after Brooklyn and entered the class with practically no flexibility and all the aches and pains.  I wasn’t so good at the “flow on your own” parts but did leave limber and ever so sweaty.

I’m really going to have to kick up my yoga game soon.  Maybe I’ll make it a part of my two-a-day program when marathon training starts.  A little cardio/strength in the morning and some yoga stretching at night.  Solid schedule don’t you think?  Still have to test out the beloved Bethany at Lyon’s Den that Ali keeps talking about.

Reading >> The Lake House by Kate Morton

Watching >> The Barkely Marathon phenomenon/obsession via Netflix & Great Big Story ~ “The Man Behind The Most Grueling Footrace on Earth”

Salivating over >> Bondi Harvest ~ New Aussie restaurant in Santa Monica (+ amazing recipes here)

Cleaning >> My room and closet all.the.time.  I don’t have to move apartments for another couple of months but want to have as little excess as possible.  Seeing that I am either at work or on the go, I don’t need too much, right?

Drinking >> Iced coffee.  Starbucks is even coming out with new options like sweet cream cold brew and nitro cold brew!

Hoping >> To find Hamilton tickets.  I know they are hard to come by so don’t burst my bubble.  I’m hoping that I can find a loophole somewhere or that people don’t try as hard when the original cast moves on…

Baking / Experimenting >> With BERRIES. ALL THE BERRIES!  And this nut butter zucchini brownie recipe.

^^ Round #2 of single serving strawberry shortcake (homemade shortcake by the way…just call me Betty or Martha).  Second time was definitely the charm.

PureWow ~ “The Best Burgers in NYC” ~ This is no time to be vegetarian or vegan.  Let the games begin.

The Muse ~ “Sheryl Sandberg Opens Up and Reminds Everyone About the Power of Resilience“

Meter Tracksmith ~ “No Rest for the Weary” ~ aka Badass.

PureWow ~ “11 Iconic Summer Moments” ~ GOING TO JERSEY FOR A POOL! Hope you are reading this my Jersey friends because it’s happening.

Shine.com ~ Daily Texts for self-fulfillment.  No really – if you sign up, you will get daily texts and gifs to make your day so much better.

“Being Your True Self: Does Authenticity Matter in the Workplace?” ~ An interesting thought.  There are too many articles that look at millennials in a bad way, but there may be something to this.

Weekend wise, we’ve got some rain in the forecast (yay summer storms), I’ve got a bike ride and festive outdoor fete, some running to Central Park to cheer the runners at the Retro 4M and the viewing of Me Before You.  Let the games begin!

What are you up to this weekend? Are you a donut fan?