The best idea I had all week...

I took myself (and my Joyce Meyer's book) out to dinner at J.Alexander's last night - yummy glass of Joseph Carr Cabernet Sauvignon, chicken pasta soup and prime rib cooked to a perfect medium rare - amazing.

I highly recommend that you take yourself out to dinner at the soonest opportunity, and if you can manage to do it right smack in the middle of an extra stressful week - bonus points.

Les Miserables at the Hobby Center

Heading out to the theater

Saturday night Amanda and I went to our second show of the Hobby Center's Broadway Across America 2012-13 season: Les Miserables. This time around we made sure to purchase our souvenir cups to take in to the theater.  As you can see, they look a little bit like sippy-cups for grown-ups.  

Bringing a glass of wine into the show? Worth all 300 additional pennies.

On the terrace before the show

Amanda actually ended up with an extra set of tickets for this show so we got to attend a Saturday performance (our season tickets are for Sunday evenings) which was a nice change of pace.  

I had never seen Les Mis before and I really enjoyed it, the actors and sets were phenomenal and I was surprised how many songs I was familiar with. 

Photo-op with the cast, post-show

Standard shot in the main entryway :)

We had a great time and are looking forward to the next show, Catch Me if You Can, but we have quite the wait, it won't be here in Houston until February 2013.  Perhaps we'll need to squeeze in Peter Pan in the meantime... 

Wednesday's 'Special Assignment'

I feel very blessed to have a job I truly love (brilliant coworkers, respected partners, endless opportunities to learn and grow...) and I am so thankful for the fun opportunities it affords me.  Yesterday was a perfect example.

This week I’ve been experiencing one of those odd account service lulls where none of my project balls are in my court.  The benefit to a lull like this is that it allows me the extra time for ‘special assignments’ - like picking up 2013 Addy Award entry packets at a Wednesday afternoon mixer.

I headed out of our office around 4pm to pick up our packets at FotoFest, where I was invited to indulge in a sampling of finger foods - featuring four different kinds of deviled eggs (four kinds!) including Bloody Mary deviled eggs (must find a recipe for this), and other light bites.

Glass of wine in hand I made my way through the current exhibit, The Collector’s Eye, the collection of Frazier King.

Before leaving I spent some time enjoying the live band, The Carper Family, an Austin-based all-female acoustic trio.  I must start carrying cash on me because they really were fantastic and I would have liked to purchase a CD, but lucky for me (and you), they are on iTunes as well.

I would have liked to stay longer but I had to get back to Midtown for friend dinner with Kristin, which was fantastic and an entirely different story for a different post.

Spoiler: we had sushi. :)

Early Voter #8,213,342,865,234,287,32........

City of Houston Metropolitan Multi-Service Center - from the road.

Last Friday I spent my lunch break (and then some) putting my early vote in for the 2012 Presidential election.  I spent over an hour and half in a line that wrapped around the exterior before snaking through the interior of the City of Houston Metropolitan Multi-Service Center on West Gray. 

 "This is the longest line I've seen out here, never seen it this long ever," commented one man, a sentiment I heard repeated many (many) times during my wait, which to me, a first-time Houston voter, didn't really seem that bad.

One official admitted they hadn't expected such a large turnout and were clearly understaffed.  As a result no one seemed to be abiding by the 'No Cell Phones' rule (posted everywhere).  About an hour in a guy behind me commented, "I turn off my phone when my wife is around but I don't when she isn't," and she wasn't, so he didn't.

The line when I arrived...

The line when I left.

 I was so excited to vote (for the first time! Yes, I've been a crummy, lazy American in the past and declined to vote in the last two presidential elections) that the line didn't really phase me.  As you can see below, I was very happy heading out:

Me, after voting :)

If you didn't make it to early voting today is Election Day 2012 so run, don't walk, to those polls!

12 Hours : 2 CG Camps

I kept my promise to myself and made it to Stude Park last night for a great p.m. Camp Gladiator workout with Leigh and Shamus.

On the way home I reached out to my friend Emily (animal lover, marathon runner, outdoor junkie) and invited her to join me for an a.m. camp before Buddy Week ends.  Always up for a new adventure she agreed to try Hermann Park with me this morning at 5:30 a.m. (what a trooper!).

I am so thankful for friends like Emily, her enthusiasm gave me the motivation and accountability to complete two CG sessions in just 12 hours.  Camp this morning was tough, and especially muddy, but a great time.

Fingers are still crossed that I make it to tomorrow's 9 a.m. Spotts park camp - the last one of the week!

Camp Gladiator Update

The final week of Camp Gladiator boot camp is edging closer and I’d be lying if I didn’t admit that I’m a little disappointed in the nose dive my participation took last week. 

Week 1 I hit the ground running with four pre-sunrise sessions AND a 6 a.m. solo run on my off day. 

Week 2, life got in the way and I only made it to 2 boot camps, both were evening sessions. I had a ton of fun and got a great workout at both, plus, it opened my eyes to some great parks in my neck of the woods that I had previously been oblivious to. Unfortunately Halloween festivities swept the rest of the week right out from under me and after Tuesday and I didn’t make it again until... 

This week, Week 3. Week 3 is buddy week, so I brought one to the Tuesday evening session at Stude park. I was a little nervous after taking a week off but was pleasantly surprised by how much my overall stamina and endurance has improved in so little time. The CG boot camp format definitely pushes me further in each session than I have ever pushed myself in the gym. Wednesday was Halloween and with a towering laundry pile demanding my immediate attention (seriously, I was out of pants) I skipped boot camp to attend to domestic imperatives like laundry, watching Poltergeist and drinking Chardonnay. 

Tonight I am going back to Stude Park come hell or high water. From there I’d like to round out the week by doing a.m. camps tomorrow and Saturday to hit four sessions for the week. Next week is the final week so I’ll be hitting as many sessions as physically possibly and enacting a ‘no excuses’ policy. 

 Fingers crossed and updates soon!

10 Sweet Treats Under 100 Calories

Don’t let the abundance of leftover Halloween candy lying around your home or office throw your health and fitness goals off track.  Before you binge consider limiting yourself to one of the 10 ‘Sweet Treats’ Calorie Count recommends:

1 cup Strawberries with 1 tbsp chocolate syrup, 98 calories

3 Hershey’s Kisses, 76 calories

1/2 medium pear, drizzled with 1 packet of honey, 93 calories

1 Fun-Size Snickers Bar, 80 calories

1 small apple, baked, sprinkled with cinnamon and 1 tsp brown sugar, 88 calories

5 pieces of Starburst, 100 calories

3 Medjool Dates each stuffed with an almond, 90 calories

1 cup Jell-O Chocolate Pudding, 100 calories

1.5 cups Air-popped Popcorn with 1 tbsp of fat-free caramel syrup, 96.5 calories 
 
1 medium peach halved and cored, sprinkled with 1/3 ounce of pecan pieces and ground ginger, 100 calories 

source: caloriecount.com

Spooky Desktop Wallpaper

Chained to your desk this Halloween?  Giving your desktop a spooky facelift with the wallpaper above, compliments of the Desktop Wallpaper Project, is the least you can do to bring a little Halloween spirit to the workplace today.

Find this image and more in sizes suitable for desktops, laptops, iPhones and iPads here. 

Easy A.M. Work Out

1. Wake up.

2. Complete 50 jumping jacks, 5 pushups, 20 sit ups, 20 mountain climbers, 30 second plank, 7 burpees.

3. Repeat the cycle twice each morning.

4. Love your body.

Halloween at Home

In my world, October 1st ='s Day 1 of Holiday Decorating Season.

While spending the bulk of the past decade living in apartments I never did much spring or summer decorating beyond one lonely metal bunny pail that pops up most years around Easter, carried on from my time at ReyRey. Instead I've found that Halloween and Christmas decorating lend themselves best to small spaces, when a few simple pieces (that are easy to store) can transform an apartment without cluttering it.

The past few weeks I've been sprinkling my home with bits of Halloween flair. The photos below were all taken this year and with the exception of the first one, are taken in my current abode: a single family home in Houston, TX. Many of these pieces came from my previous apartments, no single item cost more than $25 and all of it works for spaces large and small.

This Ekk! mug from Crate and Barrel makes October mornings at home and work a tad spookier.

I am obsessed with these kitchen towels (also from Crate and Barrel), in fact when I brought them home I announced with great pride, 'They're soft enough to sleep on!' 

A shapeable wood and metal Halloween sign from Pier One sits perched on the half wall between our kitchen and living room.

This mosaic pumpkin (in the front room) will be much easier to clean up this year now that I've replaced his traditional wax candles with the LED tea light variety. 

The Pier One glitter pumpkin (next to the TV) was my favorite addition from last year.  The copper jack-o-latern in the floor looks happy to hold magazines (I believe we found him at Home Goods).

This hand towel and matching bath rug (both from Target) brightened up our first floor half bath by greeting our guests with Happy Halloween vibes.

With Halloween less than a week away I am already looking forward to switching these great pieces out to make room for Thanksgiving decorations!

October Friend Dinner with Amy

My friend Amy is brilliant, well read and eloquent. She is the wife that men wish wasn't taken and the friend that girls aspire to be. The definition of class, Amy knows exactly when to keep mum that she knows more than anyone else in the room (often the case), when to support without limits and when to simply call a spade a spade. 

Wife to a proud marine (hoorah!) Amy makes balancing a full time design gig, running her own marketing strategy biz after hours and keeping house look easy. Amy and I met when I moved to Houston for my first 'big girl' marketing position. We commiserated daily over snacks in the break room, causally chatting over hot chocolate about politics, relationship ups and downs, our bosses, dieting, social media progression, you name it. We shared recipes and 'you would not believe what my boyfriend/husband said/did/shouted at the grocery/bookstore/mall' stories as freely as we shared our dreams of wrap around porches and what days of doing 'nothing' might feel like.

 

Life in your twenties has a way of sweeping you off down the river and away from some of the people you care for most. Since I left my job with Amy a year and a half ago the frequency of our chats has dwindled, but our friendship certainly has not. We're pretty good at keeping up with each other via text, email and Facebook and last week we were even able to squeeze in a friend dinner together. 

Amy came over to my house (the first time I'd seen her in person in almost 6 months) and taught me how to make fish tacos with mango salsa, chipotle mayo and Spanish rice- from scratch - in the comfort of my own kitchen. We chatted away a few hours- cooking, eating, drinking wine and talking politics and relationships. It was perfect. 

Ever the social media enthusiast, the dust from her jeep hadn't even settled in the drive before I started tweeting our instagramed meal:

Beauty and the Beast

Sunday we attended our first show of the Hobby Center's 2012-13 Broadway Across America series and Amanda and I's first show as season ticket holders.

The actress playing Belle stole the show (ah-azing vocal skills) but the new guy playing Gaston was a close second. Overall the ensemble was pretty fab, although I wish the Beast had his mic turned up a little.  Quiet or not, his roar was quite fantastic.

Unfortunately, the Premium Seat Holder Lounge we had access to was a little ridiculous.  They had a lovely table set up with cheese and fruit and the Hobby Center's famous plaintains but the majority of the 'Premium Seat Holders' were absolute animals.  I think next time we'll pre-order our intermission drinks at the main bar, like we did at the Lion King, where there was much less shoving involved.  

Amanda and I Post-show 

We didn't locate the special beverage cups theater-goers are now allowed to purchase and bring in to the show, but for $3 each we will definitely be scouting them out at the next show, Les Miserables, and avoid that inevitable walk-and-chug at the end of intermission.

Kapeesh is Offering Autumn Specials - Yippee!

Great news! Kapeesh LLC is offering autumn specials on social media consultation, design and starter web pages:

http://www.kapeeshllc.com/specials.pdf

Kapeesh has been helping small businesses with their business cards, signage, websites, logos and social media strategy since 2009. The strategic, creative marketing and design team began in El Campo before expanding their service from Wharton County to include Northwest Houston, Cypress and Jersey Village.

The best part? Kapeesh is run by my brilliant and talented friend, Amy Morales.

For more info visit them on the web at http://kapeeshllc.com, or see what they're up to on Facebook and Twitter!

Back on Pointe

Backonpointe's Tumblr is the best tumblr I've come across for simple, creative and beautifully designed home workout plans.  Beyond the typical motivational blurbs there are endless routines listed in the Workout Challenges section and corresponding monthly workout calendars created by the author. I tried the Full Body Workout (below) last night and it was just what I needed to get up off my butt after a week-long hiatus from yoga.  I really needed to get moving but REALLY didn't want to drive to my gym at 8:30pm. Bonus: this took very little space and zero equipment to complete. 

http://backonpointe.tumblr.com/image/17828932930

My oldest friend is getting MARRIED!

L-R Front Row: Jaclyn, Carla, Trisha, Me, Steven. L-R Back Row: Mom, Aunt Keri and Michelle

My friendship with Trisha began when we were 5 years old, and her family lived just three blocks away from my Grandma’s house. We started PM kindergarten together that year, along with her twin brother Steven, and their Mom and older sister Michelle helped keep an eye on me before lining us all up at the bus stop each day.  Together we danced to ‘Love Shack’ and sang along to ‘Ice, Ice Baby,’ shared a love for the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and devoured Ketchup Sandwiches. I special ordered my tacos at Taco Bell and was often in timeout for a variety of offenses.  Trisha gave me the other half of her friendship bracelet and hardly ever ended up in timeout. Steven taught me how to ride a bike. Life was good. 

Trisha and I at an early 90's Skate World Birthday Party

After 1st grade we went to separate elementary schools and it wasn't until 7th grade that we both ended up at Agnes E. Beer middle school, where Trisha became my first friend all over again.

Amy, Dana, Trisha and I - 2003

After high school we experienced our ‘Canada Days’ together. Birth certificates in hand we crossed the border weekly and danced our way across Windsor (where the the drinking age is 19) to anything by the Black Eyed Peas. 

Trisha and I - 2004

As we grew older our friendship only got deeper.  Trisha is still the first person I call when I’m coming in to town and the first to offer up her spare bedroom.  She has the biggest heart of anyone I have ever met, and more kindness and patience than I ever thought possible. We have been friends for more than 20 years which has earned her the irrevocable title of ‘My Oldest Friend.’

Michelle, Trisha and I - Christmas 2011

Next Saturday Trisha is getting married to her best friend and I couldn’t be happier for them. Her sister and matron of honor, Michelle, had planned a fantastic bachelorette party that would start with cocktails and gifts at Trisha's house, not too far from where we all grew up in Michigan, and then move to Boogie Fever for a night of dancing. For all of her pre-wedding events Trisha had been more than reluctant to ask her out-of-state friends to travel. “Just be here for my wedding,” she kept saying, “the plane tickets are too much money.” 

Trisha and Mike

I hung back for the shower but couldn’t image not being there for her bachelorette party. Karen (another old friend) and I begun planning my surprise attendance back in August. I bought plane tickets, called my mother and Michelle was let in on the secret. As I walked up the driveway Trisha was shocked, and a little confused. We hugged, and laughed, and celebrated my oldest friend’s final ‘Girls Night Out’ before she'll walk down the aisle to become a 'Mrs.' 

Friends and family showered Trisha with gifts, some sweet, some racy, before loading on to the party bus. I wished the beautiful bachelorette 'a marriage filled with snuggles and celebrations' with the gift of a furry throw to share with her hubby on those cold Michigan nights and a set of leopard print Lolita wine glasses for celebrating their many blessings yet to come.  The majority of the night was spent dancing until our feet ached with other ‘old’ friends, some I hadn’t seen in years.

 

Trisha and I- September 15th, 2012 

Needless to say, the plane ticket and car rental were money well spent, spending that special night with Trisha was something I wouldn't have missed for the world. <3

Semi-annual Clearance Sale @ Express? Don't mind if I do...

http://www.express.com/

If you have previously skipped out on the semi-annual clearance sale at Express you are seriously missing the boat. Today I was delighted to snag a leopard print dress, a pair of destructed denim shorts, a lovely snake-print scarf, two adorably casual tops and the patterned sequin mini pictured below, 
all for under $100!

photo by: http://www.express.com/

Needless to say I am eagerly awaiting a visit from the FedEx man in 5-7 days.  I highly recommend catching this sale now, before the good stuff is picked over. Best of luck bargain hunters!

The Lumineers - "Flowers In Your Hair" Tour Video

Love this band, love this song and LOVE this video vignette of their 2011 tour.

Just add coffee for the perfect start to a fall Friday. <3

A deliciously easy meal, that may or may not be appreciated in your household

Last night I whipped up (what I believed to be) a delicious and well-rounded meal in record time using these three magic meal helpers:

Near East couscous, Steam-in-the-bag green beans & Lawry’s 30 minute marinade

With the addition of chicken, olive oil, water, Tony Chachere’s and a little salt this easy meal for two can be cooked and plated in about 15 minutes. *Add 30 minutes prep time to allow the chicken to marinate.

Voila!

While I thoroughly enjoyed my heaping pile of couscous, Matt was convinced he was eating grits and is not a grits guy.  Nevertheless, I give kudos to Near East for manufacturing a meal addition that is nearly impossible to mess up.  The couscous took less than 10 minutes start-to-finish and came out perfect. Just disregard anything you hear to the contrary from my picky-eater boyfriend.

Hopefully this one goes over better at your house than it did at mine! ;-)

Well hello fall-like day in Houston…

It was in the low 70’s when I left for work this morning and I was near ecstatic to pair my pearls with last year's favorite delicate-knit camel colored sweater, dark skinny jeans and gold flats. All that was missing was a pumpkin spice latte in my right hand.

Although it should get up to 86 during the day we’re going down to the low 60’s tonight and inside my heart is screaming: “Woo hoo! It feels like fall!”

After spending the past weekend in Michigan enjoying the type of ‘real’ fall weather we Houstonians can only dream of, I am welcoming this dip in temp with open, sweater-clad arms.  The adorable beige sweater and faux-leather shorts ensemble pictured here (borrowed from Wendys Lookbook), and this Pinterest Pick are perfect for ushering in autumn 2012.

Happy Hump Day Houston!