World Cancer Day!

My blog is currently under re-design by the EXTREMELY talented Jessica Eraso,

BUT I just couldn't stay away this long! I have so much to catch up on

but I just had to do a post on this very special day.

It is World Cancer Day, and cancer/cancer awareness

is something that has become near and dear to my family's hearts in the past few years.

While I was on my mission in Russia my dad was diagnosed with prostate cancer,

he fought the fight and has now been cancer free for almost 2.5 years!

He is one of the most amazing people in my life! 

Be sure to express your love to the cancer fighters/survivors in your life today ! 

A Little Update

For those of you who follow my instagram account you know

that Logan and I have been spending the holidays in Shanghai and Bali with my in-laws!

I know, I know, we are spoiled rotten!

Just wanted to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Come January this blog will be getting a little facelift if you will, and I will be sure to do

an entire post on our Shanghai and Bali adventures!

For now, here is a little teaser.

Hope you are are all spending time with the ones you love 

and finding your own adventures along the way! 

A Magical Week In NYC

So I have the most fabulous parents, and my mom is extra fabulous.

They are always doing things for their kids and making the extra effort to spend time with us.

So in September my mom surprised my sister-in-law Jacqueline and I

with a fun email outlining an amazing girls trip to NYC that would be happening in December.

We looked forward to the trip for 3 months and last week it was time!

So here goes my attempt to tell you all about it.

I will include a few reviews as well of places we went.

The trip began early tuesday morning with first-class tickets to the city.

I've actually never flown first-class inside of the United States so that was an extra fun detail!

No lines, AND they put your bags out first at baggage claim so I didn't have to wait too long in the cab line once I got to the city.

I caught a cab to time-square where we were staying and met my mom at the hotel.

My sister-in-law wasn't getting in for a few more hours so we had some time to kill together.

So we decided to hit up my dads favorite Chinese restaurant. 

Now my dad has been going to NYC for 30 years now so he is THE guy when it comes

to places to eat, he's got a place for everything, and being an even bigger foodie than

I am, he never disappoints.

Main Noodle House, 4 Stars:

The reason I am not giving it a 5 is simply because it's a whole in the wall kind of place. Tiny restaurant, with as many tables as they could possibly fit in the place. 

We ate at 2:30 p.m. and it was JAMMING.  

They do get people in and out very quickly so you never have to wait long for a table.

If you are wanting Chinese in the city this will satisfy any craving.

It is cheap by NYC standards and as traditional as it gets in the United States.

My mom and I shared a shrimp with mixed vegetables, and a beef with green beans (both were heavenly). 

Be sure to get the crispy wonton chips!

Then it was back to the hotel because Jacqueline was arriving.  

When we checked in to our room my mom had these little bird cages sitting on our beds 

stuffed full of little goodies! 

After checking in we got ready to attend a couple of "footwear events" with my dad.

Yes, my dad was part of the girls week.

When your dad has worked in the fashion industry his entire career he has to be in on the NYC girls trip!

A little blurry!

So we went to 2 events that night.  Now my mom and I are very use to these events but

it was Jacqueline's first time at them, and we saw A LOT of celebs.
She was excited about seeing celebs so it made it more exciting for my mom and I than it normally is.
We saw Kristen Cavallari, Olivia Palermo, Steve Madden, Tory Burch, Brian Boy, and most importantly Jessica Simpson (I think she is so cute and down to earth)!
Here is my paparazzi shot of her.

After the events it was time for a late night dinner at Eataly!
This was my favorite place we ate at.

Eataly, 5 Stars:
Eataly is like a mini Borough Market, but only upscale Italian products.
You can shop for groceries and produce, and eat dinner.
It is divided into sections, and you can only eat the food at it's intended section so you are constantly moving to a new table to eat the next type of food.
  Cheeses, Breads, Pastas, Veggies, Meats, Fish (you get the idea).
We started with a cheese/meat board so we could try the different proscuittos and cheeses, they were all to die for.
Then we moved on to the grilled vegetable station.
After that I had a piece of halibut that really hit the spot.
And we finished with gelato, heavenly, heavenly gelato.
Eataly is a true Italian foodie experience where there is definitely something for everyone!
I only wish I wasn't moving in a week otherwise I would have bought a bottle of imported olive oil.

Wednesday was a shopping day, and boy did we shop!
Zara, H&M, Forever21, Century21 but my favorite was the huge C. Wonder store!
We have one in Columbus but this one was very large.
They were having a 40% off sale on almost the whole store so all of us really loaded up!
After hours and hours of shopping we needed some recoop. time before the evenings festivities.
Another footwear party before we hit broadway.

I really liked my outfit for this event.
A long full skirt with my new C.Wonder pumps.

That evening we saw Motown.  Here is my review.

Motown, 3 Stars:
I'm sorry Motown I REALLY wanted to like you.
This is my music people, I grew up listening to The Temps, Stevie Wonder, and The Jackson 5.
Both of my parents listen to this music so I did in fact know every song going into it.
BUT, the story line was mediocre at best.  It turned into a "how many songs can
we fit in one play?" kind of thing.
And it was ONE BIG TRIBUTE to DIANA ROSS.
Sorry, Diana is great and all but there are SO many Motown artists
that were better than her, there was just too much Diana.
The saving grace of this play was the man who played Smokey Robinson, he was DEAD ON.
The little Michael Jackson was adorable,
but the David Ruffin (The Temptations) wasn't even close.
Sorry, David Ruffin was a legend and whoever was playing him just did not get it.
Diana was dead on as well, the actress who played her was fantastic,
I just didn't need 20 Diana numbers.
All that being said Motown is FUN!
 You will jam along and know a lot of songs.
But, Motown will not become a Broadway staple, plain and simple.

Thursday was Russian Day, as we called it.
We attended the Manhattan Temple which was much needed.
I came down with some sort of flu on Thursday and was feeling terrible, but I didn't want to miss out on anything on this trip so I pushed myself, I saw a doctor and started on antibiotics but was still sick as a dog.
Upon arriving at the temple the peace and quite compared to the noisy city was just what the
doctor ordered.
After the temple we ate dinner at the Russian Tea Room.
My appetite had been gone all day so I didn't feel much like eating but I directed
everyone as to what was good to eat.
Our waiters were less than impressed with us when they realized we wouldn't be ordering
vodka, or caviar (their two big ticket items).
We ordered Russian blini (crepes), borsht (beet soup), chicken kiev (butter wrapped with chicken, fried), beef stroganoff, and tea.
I got to speak Russian with our waiter which was fun (it has been a while), and I ate a little
soup and tea which helped my throat.

After dinner we were off to the ballet to see The Nutcracker!

The Nutcracker, 4.5 Stars:

This was my parents first time seeing Ballet so I really wanted them to like it.

However, after the first act was over they were like, "why are there only kids dancing?"

Ha! Well they were kind of right, the only adult ballet in the first act is the last scene "snow"(which is amazing) in The Nutcracker.  The first hour literally was kids running places.

However, my parents were RAVING at the end because the second act was unbelievable.

Every scene was perfection and the dancers were so beautiful. (and mostly adults)

The Nutcracker really captured the magic of Christmas time.

Listening to the music of Tchaikovsky always gives me a greater appreciation of Russian culture.

Our last day in the city was Friday, Jacqueline's birthday! 

We started at Bloomingdale's, I really wanted to go jean shopping, and they were having a sale.

Jack is like a jean fitting ninja and helped me find two pairs that I absolutely love!

I usually hate jean shopping and leave empty handed but I probably tried on 20 different

pairs and figured out what really works for me, happy day!

Then it was off to the races to get to the 9/11 memorial.

The line at the memorial was absolutely crazy (and it was raining).  

But it was worth it, the memorial(s) are very powerful and beautiful.

We were a bit disappointed however, that the museum is not yet open.

After the memorial we picked up tickets to the final activity of our trip...PHANTOM!
Jack had never seen it so it so we figured we needed to go to a classic Broadway show after
the Motown experience.

It was dinner and a show for Jacqueline's b-day and it was A BLAST!

Phantom Of The Opera: 5 Stars
Now don't get me wrong, I like Phantom, I have seen it several times.
However, It isn't my all time favorite musical, so going in I was like "oh this will be fun"
 (I did not expect to be blown away).  But blown away I was!
The two male leads starring in this show right now are PHENOMENAL, they do not get better
than this folks.  If you have a chance to see a show this holiday season, Phantom should be it.

After running, running, running for 4 days straight I left NYC sick as I possibly could be
but with a HAPPY heart.  Thanks again to my parents for such an impeccable trip!

Thanksgiving Extravaganza

The last few weeks have been BUSY! 

They have been so busy in fact that they might explain 

why I am sitting in bed very sick on this lovely sunday morning.

They were well worth it though because they were jam packed with FAMILY.

So while I am confined to my bed I will try to catch up on all of the recent festivities around here.

Let's start with Thanksgiving week.

The Bird clan all came to us this year! How lucky are we?

They were all escaping the record freezing cold in Ohio and New York 

so the 80 degrees and humidity were just what everyone needed.

Roger and Paige rented a house for the week with a pool and private beach access

so we all had a ball!  Even if the weather wasn't as ideal as Logan and I would have hoped for

no one else seemed to mind.

The week included lots of pool and beach time, 

yummy food from all of Logan and I's favorite local spots,

a non-traditional thanksgiving dinner at Texas de Brazil (so fun, because who really wants to cook on a beach vacation anyway? Especially in someone else's kitchen),

an everglades field trip, puppy shopping (no I didn't buy one, not for a few years anyway), and most importantly family time.

I really didn't take enough pics this week but here are a few! 

Thanks again to the best in-laws a girl could have, and for making the week happen!

30-Day Shred Level 2/Melbourne Beach Fun

So like I said, the first level of 30-Day Shred proved to be too easy for my taste.

I just wasn't sweating enough or feeling challenged.

So last week I moved up to level 2 and I really enjoyed it.

It was far more challenging and had me working up a good sweat by the end.

I would stick with my assessment so far that 30-Day Shred is great for people who have

not been very active before starting it, and great for people on a time crunch (IE: new mommies).

However it's just not going to be a physical transformation like

Insanity is.  But a great little workout program to get you in the habit

of working out.  I am enjoying it right now as the busy holiday season is

approaching I just don't have as much time to devote to working out.

I mean let's get real, hanging with family and loved ones is SO much better

than getting in a good sweat. So I am glad I have these

short workouts to do for the next month before I start on a more

strict regimen come January.

Speaking of family time, Logan and I got to spend some time 

with my Aunt and Uncle and cousins this weekend.

They rented a beach house in Melbourne, Florida (about 2 hours north of us) and invited us

up for a few days! Boy did we have fun soaking in some rays and playing in the ocean.

I must admit, my 8 month-old cousin Taggert is a real cutie pie, he is darling, don't ya think? 

 Logan skim boarding

My Cousin Kaylee and Aunt Jenna

And here is a nice little slice of heaven to leave you with! 

We are kinda spoiled down here with such lovely weather.

The beginning of the 30-Day Shred

So this week I started Jillian Michael's 30-Day Shred.

I've said before I dig Jillian Michael's.  

She has a strong, in-shape bod (no stick figures in her work-out videos)

and she is no-nonsense, tells you how it is.

However, after completing Insanity, this week of 30-day Shred was too easy for me
(It was good recovery thought after the beating I took with Insanity).

For those of you who are not familiar with 30-day shred it is divided in to 3 workouts.  

Level 1, Level 2, and Level 3,

 and you are suppose to stay at one level until you are comfortable to move on. 

You work out 6 days a week (just like Insanity).

Well I was probably ready to move on after day 1 but I wanted to give it a chance.

So today I will move on to Level 2 and I will also be adding in extra cardio from now on

because these workouts are only 27 minutes long! That is including warm-up and cool-down!

I know I know I should be jumping for joy about no more 60 minute workouts like Insanity

but so far it's just not enough exercise for me.

I love that there are weights incorporated because I missed that with Insanity

but I am definitely hoping levels 2 and 3 will up the intensity big time.

So far I feel that this program is MUCH more suited for people who have not been previously

very active.  I think for example this would be GREAT for new moms, you defintely won't hurt yourself as I feel you would if you did Insanity as your first program back after baby.

And it's a SHORT work-out which would also be nice for the new mommies.

But I'll keep doing it and give a final review at the end. 

I thought I would throw out a product for you to try today.

Let's talk protein powder!

It use to scare me as there are SO many different types and people can be nutso about their protein!

But my brother-in-law introduced me to this one and I'm hooked!

Recovery AFTER your workout is just as important as your work-out.

You can do a great work-out but if you don't refuel your body with the right nutrients

your body won't retain those muscles you've been working.

So I use EAS Lean 15, lean and toned protein powder.

Two scoops is only 100 calories so you won't be adding bulk to your frame.

I combine the 2 scoops with 5 ice cubes, 1 cup skim milk, 1 banana, and a TBSP. of honey in a blender

and YUM.  It tastes like a treat but it's really fueling your body.

It is important to drink your protein no more than 1 hour after your workout (I always drink

mine right after) or it won't do it's job.

P.S. I tried the chocolate flavor (not nearly as good, stick to the vanilla).

Happy exercising people! 

An Easy Week-Day Meal

It's the season of soup and I love it! 

Last week  Logan and I went to Texas de Brazil for my birthday

And I figured the next day we needed a little detox from meat

so that's where this vegetarian soup came in to play.

It's SO easy and fast. 

Italian Spinach and Tortellini Soup:

Serves 2-3

Ingredients:

9 oz. of tortellini (fresh or frozen is fine, I used fresh Bertolli)

1 14.5 oz. can of Italian diced tomatoes (the kind with spices and garlic already in it)

4 oz. Cream Cheese

2 cups chicken broth (or vegetable broth if you are true vegetarian)

1/2 bag of fresh spinach

Directions:

1.  Add all ingredients to a pot EXCEPT spinach

2. Bring to a boil and stir until cream cheese is well-incorporated

3. Reduce heat and simmer for 2 minutes

3. Add spinach and stir until spinach is soft

**It may seem like a lot of spinach but remember greens cook down A LOT!

**Also if you wanted to add meat to this dish Italian sausage would be a great option, just

cut up and sautee before adding the other ingredients.

Serve with shavings of fresh parmesan.