Road Trip Recap DAY 2

I was up at 7 the next AM to get back on the road. After THREE wild goose chases, courtesy of my GPS, I gave up my Starbucks search and ran into a Martin's to grab breakfast and iced coffee.

 Atoning for my buffet sins the night before with Greek yogurt and a banana.

I did a little more frolicking at rest stops. 

You see some strange things driving in the south... not like we were going 80 mph or anything...

After lots of twisty, turning mountain roads, I made it!

I arrived on Monday, and the past few days have been AMAZING. 

More to follow!

Road Trip Recap DAY 1

Let's be honest. A journey of 1,000 miles begins with- an awesome meal! Homemade chicken noodle soup, mashed potatoes and fresh bread!

Aren't those squash? Yep- dipped in flour. I was in a blissed-out starch coma. Thank you, mom.

I was up at the butt-crack of dawn on Sunday to hit the road. Thanks to the papi-chuela for waking up to see me off AND lending me his car for a week!

Joe and I stopped for a quick breakfast, and then I dropped him off at the train station.

I munched on a homemade granola bar from the farmer's market. It was actually pretty much a glorified chocolate cookie, but I didn't complain...

I did a little relaxing at rest stops...

I found a decent looking salad and sweet potato in Harrisonburg, VA before crashing for the night.

I'd be lying if I told you I didn't also eat A BUNCH of fried food from the buffet... Shh...

How do you roadtrip? Tips? Suggestions?

Do you have annoying nicknames for your parents. I call mine mahjah and papichuela.

Party Up!

GREETINGS FROM LITTLE SWITZERLAND, NC! I'm attending a playwrighting retreat so blogging will be a bit sporadic- I'm in an adorable cabin that has NO wireless or cell service. It's going to be a productive week! :)

In the meantime, enjoy my weekend recap! Saturday was a party day! Joe and I had a beach birthday party in the AM and a reunion BBQ in the afternoon!

Gettin' crazy at Caroga Lake with Travis and Jarred!

Joe likes soda.

It was rainy and overcast, but Jarred and I braved the cold mountain lake water like champs!

And then it was off to Nelliston for a reunion with some of my middle/high school besties! LOVE these girls!

Do you ever double or triple dip with parties? I was supposed to attend ANOTHER party Saturday evening, but got wrapped up packing for my artist residence in NC.

Farmer's Market Fun!

We had both woken up early Saturday AM, and though it was raining, we remembered the Gloversville Farmer's Market was open, and ran over for a quick impromptu shopping trip!

Baked goodies from Chick and Hen!

For breakfast, my mom picked up a Chick and Hen smoked bacon and gruyere quiche and a fruit tarte.

The quiche had a nice, crisp pastry shell with a mild custardy filling. It was denser than most quiches, but I really liked the consistency. I wished there was a stronger gruyere presence and a bit more bacon, but overall, it was delicious!

The tarte's crust reminded me a lot of shortbread. Topped with thick vanilla pudding and fresh fruit, it made a perfect breakfast dessert! ...Because we all know it's OK to have dessert after every meal. :)

Cheese from the Palatine Valley Dairy.

Fudge from Karen's Produce and Ice Cream- one of my first jobs was working at their produce stand and scooping ice cream!

Fresh strawberries from Conbeer's Farm! NY has a RIDICULOUSLY SHORT growing season for these...

This truck made me so happy.

A fun excursion with the maternal unit!

What is your favorite farmer's market find?

A Brief Break in the Storm

It stopped raining! For a little bit...

Joe and I went for a walk before dance rehearsal!

 We also took the opportunity to grab some ice cream from Udderly Delicious. Best. Soft. Serve. Ever. Joe rocked the twist with chocolate sprinkles, Shawn got a Boston Shake, Courtney got Blue Goo in a cup with Rainbow Sprinkles, and I got a PB Cup Arctic Freeze!

We headed home for a much needed nap, then went out to dinner with my mommycakes. 

For a chain, Ruby Tuesday's has a pretty decent salad bar.

And some garlic cheddar biscuits!

Joe got some sassy ribs, mashed cauliflower and onion rings.

Kinzie got some BBQ chicken with brown rice pilaf and broccoli!

Joe's Rib Bib.

And I had some tortilla soup. Mmmm...

It's raining like crazy here in upstate NY, and we're off to bed- exhausted, but estatic, because we stayed up to hear the results of the NYS Senate Vote. MARRIAGE EQUALITY HAS PASSED IN NY! I try to keep politics off this blog, but I'm making an exception tonight because I am so proud to be a New Yorker. Love wins, always.

New Workout, New Restaurant!

Thanks to my sister's boyfriend, Shawn, I had my first bout with P90X yesterday. I did part of the plyometric workout- pretty sweat inducing!- but was short on time so I didn't finish. I DID run through a few Sun Salutations, though. I hopped in the shower and ran a few errands, and then headed to Albany to grab the hubs at the train station and meet some friends for dinner!

This place was awesome! Fresh, local, high quality ingredients prepared with love and care. Delicious. The interior decor was quirky and fun, but we gladly accepted an outdoor table because the rain had stopped and the restaurant was PACKED! On a Thursday!

Daniel ordered the Award Winning Fresh Farm Burger! He seemed pretty into it.

Mikey got a blackened chicken sandwich with pumpkin rice! YUMMM!

I got a grilled chicken sandwich with creole remoulade and corn puddin'. OH. YES.

Good company and good food makes me a happy girl!

Family Matters

After yesterday's shopping trip, I did a nice 4.5 mile outdoor run- there's a BEAUTIFUL track near my mom's house and some killer hills on the way- along with a stadium workout (stair running, incline pushups, tuck jumps...etc)...

I was STARVING when I got home, so my sisters and I got to work making dinner! One of my favorite parts of being home is doing completely mundane tasks with my family- MUCH more fun!

Kieren grilled up some chicken.

Courtney took drink orders.

I made black rice and veggies!

From L to R- Kieren, Courtney, myself and my mom!

Courtney's boyfriend, Jeremi, joined us for game night.

This morning I had a quick dance rehearsal and then glued myself to the computer to finish up some end of the year teaching paperwork ( 'cuz mama's gotta get paid).

Kieren and I hit up Moe's this evening for some taco-yumminess with my dad!

Kieren is not amused with my incessant photo taking. She'll thank me when she's 800,000,000 years old and wants to remember everything we ever did ever.

Myself and the PapiChuela.

Now I'm chillaxin' with the mahjah watching ghost shows (her favorite) and eating watermelon. I might do some bodyweight moves... what are your favorites?