We had a great weekend in New England and I'm already ready to go back! At the last minute, our friend Jackie ended up being able to join us so it was Joy, Jackie and I. Our adventure started with a terrible drive out of the city on Friday night. It took us about 3 hours to go 70 miles. We finally arrived to Conway, NH at 2am...not exactly what we'd hoped for.
After a quick night's sleep, we were up and out by 10am. We found a cute little cafe in Conway where we grabbed breakfast. I had a goat cheese/spinach omelet that could compete with the best omelets in NYC. Conway is right on the edge of the Kancamagus Highway, one of the most scenic drives in America. The road goes through the White Mountain National Forest and we had a lot of fun driving through the mountains and making a few stops to do some hiking. We even saw our first covered bridge and a waterfall! I love to hike in beautiful places, so this was very fun for me and possibly motivated me to do some more hiking in NY this fall. We were a little disappointed in the colors of the trees. This weekend, they were supposed to be at almost-to-peak, but we still saw quite a bit of green. Not that we didn't see some really brilliant colors as well, it just wasn't quite what we'd thought it would be.
After our drive, we ended up in the town of Lincoln, NH where we found the perfect lunch spot. I had a piece of the most amazing pumpkin/cornmeal bread! From there, we headed on into Vermont. We drove through several cute little towns in Vermont, stopping at various places to shop. There were lots of markets/food shops selling Vermont cheeses and wines and they had tons of samples so that was fun. Our favorite town was Woodstock- it was so cute with great little shops, pretty houses, and even a covered bridge.
Saturday night brought dinner at Simon Pearce in Quechee, Vermont. I had found it online as being a restaurant that used Vermont cheeses and wines. It was a very nice, pretty restaurant. I got the Gorgonzola/Apple/Walnut Ravioli and it was absolutely amazing!
We turned in early Saturday night was we were exhausted. Our hotel was in White River Junction - a very small town with not much in it, but everything up there is so close together - it was a short drive from dinner.
Sunday morning, we got up and drove to a restaurant we had seen the night before for breakfast. Jackie and I got delicious pancakes - an apple/cinnamon, a Maine blueberry, and a blueberry/cranberry. They were great!
From breakfast, we headed on to the Riverview Farm in Plainfield, NH to do some apple picking. It was a blast! This farm had so many things you could pick...raspberries, blueberries, all different kinds of apples, fresh flowers that were beautiful, and a big pumpkin patch. People were there picking all sorts of things! We stuck with just apple picking, but I did pick up some pumpkins/corn/gourds so I could do some fall decorating at home. I had so much fun at this place and it was so nice to enjoy the outdoors.
After apple picking, we got in the car for the drive back home, which was much, much nicer than our drive away from NYC. We had a bit of traffic near the city, but it was not bad at all. We even got to stop in Massachusetts on the way home and grab some Panera for a late lunch, one of my favorite Missouri restaurants!
See pictures from the weekend HERE! These pictures don't do it justice, of course. Although there was still a lot of green, it was more colorful than the pictures show!
Monday, October 08, 2007
Friday, October 05, 2007
TRAINING - WEEK 2
Sunday - day of rest
Monday - Yoga/stretching
Tuesday - Ran 2 miles / walked a ton
Wednesday - 45 min spin class / strength training
Thursday - ran 3 miles
Friday - ran 2 miles
Saturday - HIKING in New Hampshire's White Mountains! (Hiking really is listed as a cross-training option. What a fun/easy way to get in one of my cross-training days for the week)!
This was a good week of training. I felt really good/strong and actually began to feel like I WANTED to get out and run, rather than forcing myself to get out there. Yea! That's one of the reasons I wanted to do this - to get to a point where I'm almost addicted to running like I used to be way back in the day.
Monday - Yoga/stretching
Tuesday - Ran 2 miles / walked a ton
Wednesday - 45 min spin class / strength training
Thursday - ran 3 miles
Friday - ran 2 miles
Saturday - HIKING in New Hampshire's White Mountains! (Hiking really is listed as a cross-training option. What a fun/easy way to get in one of my cross-training days for the week)!
This was a good week of training. I felt really good/strong and actually began to feel like I WANTED to get out and run, rather than forcing myself to get out there. Yea! That's one of the reasons I wanted to do this - to get to a point where I'm almost addicted to running like I used to be way back in the day.
Tuesday, October 02, 2007
Fall Activities
My regular activities started back up within the last couple of weeks. Tuesday nights is my NYU class and Wednesday nights is my Community Group (Bible Study).
My NYU class this semester is Meetings & Conference Management. Basically, the big class the most applies to what I think I'd like to get into. So far, it's been interesting. Tonight, I got put into my team for our big project we'll be working on all semester long. There are 6 of us - all girls about the same age and I've had classes with 2 of them before. I think it will be fun!
My CG is basically the same one I've been in the past summer and spring- however, we lost a few girls to other obligations and gained a couple of newbies. Amazingly, the new girls are sticking with our trend of having an almost all-Dallas group. They both just recently moved up from Dallas. It's kind of weird that we've all ended up together, but I like having that in common with them. The group was kind enough to switch our meeting night from Tuesdays to Wednesdays since I was going to have class on Tuesdays. It really meant a lot to me that they were willing to do that! This semester, we are reading "The Jesus Creed" and scriptures to go along with the book. I've only read the 1st chapter, but so far I really like it!
This weekend, I will really be getting into the fall spirit. I have been planning a fall foliage driving tour and am dragging Joy along for the weekend. It will be a whirlwind of activity through New Hampshire and Vermont. I can't wait!
My NYU class this semester is Meetings & Conference Management. Basically, the big class the most applies to what I think I'd like to get into. So far, it's been interesting. Tonight, I got put into my team for our big project we'll be working on all semester long. There are 6 of us - all girls about the same age and I've had classes with 2 of them before. I think it will be fun!
My CG is basically the same one I've been in the past summer and spring- however, we lost a few girls to other obligations and gained a couple of newbies. Amazingly, the new girls are sticking with our trend of having an almost all-Dallas group. They both just recently moved up from Dallas. It's kind of weird that we've all ended up together, but I like having that in common with them. The group was kind enough to switch our meeting night from Tuesdays to Wednesdays since I was going to have class on Tuesdays. It really meant a lot to me that they were willing to do that! This semester, we are reading "The Jesus Creed" and scriptures to go along with the book. I've only read the 1st chapter, but so far I really like it!
This weekend, I will really be getting into the fall spirit. I have been planning a fall foliage driving tour and am dragging Joy along for the weekend. It will be a whirlwind of activity through New Hampshire and Vermont. I can't wait!
Sunday, September 30, 2007
September Luck Continues
My luck with seeing celebrities continued this weekend. The Lincoln Film Festival started on Friday night and it was opened with the premiere of "The Darjeeling Limited". If you're not yet familiar with the movie, it was written/directed by Wes Anderson and stars Owen Wilson, Adrien Brody, and Jason Schwartzman. I had heard that tickets may be available at the box office that night, so I went by to check it out - since it was a film festival, it was at a huge Lincoln Centre theatre, not a movie theatre, like most premieres. There was a man there with 2 tickets, but he only needed one, so I bought the other from him and got to go to my first movie premiere! It was awesome. Wes Anderson introduced the film - worst speaker ever!! I seriously don't think I've heard someone speak that poorly since Junior High. Every other word was either "um" or "uh". It was literally painful. He brought the stars of the movie on to the stage to join him-- Adrien, Jason, as well as Bill Murry and Anjelica Huston and a few other people. It was cool! I think Bill Murry was drunk and was having to prop himself up on Anjelica the whole time - kind of sad, really. Owen, of course, was not there, but they did mention wishing he could be there. I actually enjoyed the movie more than I thought I would - I'm not usually a fan of the Owen/Wes flicks. This one had a better story-line though. There was a point about half-way through where I was getting bored and wishing it would end, but then I did like the ending. It was a fun evening!
Saturday, I went to watch some football with the Baylor alumni club. In NYC, pretty much all colleges have their own football watching bar. Ours is a place called George O'Keeley's on the Upper West Side. Anytime there is a televised Baylor game, they will play it on their big screen and our group can be found there watching. We lost, but were just glad it wasn't a total blow-out! It's weird, but when you're a Baylor fan watching their football games, you get to where you no longer cheer for a win, but just against a horrible loss! I do have to say, unlike most people believe, Baylor is actually a top-notch sports school. In the Big 12's 11 year history, we have the 2nd most Big 12 titles after OU. Not so shabby! So contrary to the opinion of many, I think we can hang just fine in the Big 12.
Today, I started my new job!! Yep, I've got a new gig on the side. I'm babysitting on Sunday mornings for a new parent's community group that just started up. It was a blast. I feel like Sunday School is always a little chaotic - you want to have structure, but it's difficult when you're only with the kids once every month or two and you're using borrowed space, etc.... The babysitting during communtiy group time is completely unstructured play-time and it was great! Plus, I'm getting paid a little for it. I started to deny the paycheck, but then decided that it would be a nice to have a little something extra in the pocket.
This afternoon, Joy and I went to see Pygmalion, a play staring Claire Danes. It was good and she did quite well in it!
Saturday, I went to watch some football with the Baylor alumni club. In NYC, pretty much all colleges have their own football watching bar. Ours is a place called George O'Keeley's on the Upper West Side. Anytime there is a televised Baylor game, they will play it on their big screen and our group can be found there watching. We lost, but were just glad it wasn't a total blow-out! It's weird, but when you're a Baylor fan watching their football games, you get to where you no longer cheer for a win, but just against a horrible loss! I do have to say, unlike most people believe, Baylor is actually a top-notch sports school. In the Big 12's 11 year history, we have the 2nd most Big 12 titles after OU. Not so shabby! So contrary to the opinion of many, I think we can hang just fine in the Big 12.
Today, I started my new job!! Yep, I've got a new gig on the side. I'm babysitting on Sunday mornings for a new parent's community group that just started up. It was a blast. I feel like Sunday School is always a little chaotic - you want to have structure, but it's difficult when you're only with the kids once every month or two and you're using borrowed space, etc.... The babysitting during communtiy group time is completely unstructured play-time and it was great! Plus, I'm getting paid a little for it. I started to deny the paycheck, but then decided that it would be a nice to have a little something extra in the pocket.
This afternoon, Joy and I went to see Pygmalion, a play staring Claire Danes. It was good and she did quite well in it!
Training - WEEK 1
Sunday -- Day of Rest since I was gone in KY all day
Monday -- extended stretching and some yoga
Tuesday -- ran 2 miles & strength training
Wednesday -- 45 min spin class
Thursday -- bad, nothing, made up for it Saturday
Friday -- ran 2 miles & walked a mile
Saturday -- ran 2 miles / 20 minutes bike & strength training to make up for Thursday
Monday -- extended stretching and some yoga
Tuesday -- ran 2 miles & strength training
Wednesday -- 45 min spin class
Thursday -- bad, nothing, made up for it Saturday
Friday -- ran 2 miles & walked a mile
Saturday -- ran 2 miles / 20 minutes bike & strength training to make up for Thursday
Tuesday, September 25, 2007
Kentucky Downs
So, I’ve had trouble deciding whether or not I should blog about my weekend, but decided what the heck since I generally know who’s reading this and don’t really mind if you know the details of my life. I spent the weekend in Kentucky. With a boy (gasp!). Yes, I met a boy a few months ago…it is nothing serious, at all. And right now, I don’t really expect it to turn serious. I met him on the street a few blocks from my apartment one Friday night on my way home (literally, on the street…sounds just like me, right?). He’s a Kentucky boy involved in all aspects of horse racing….owns ‘em, sells ‘em, breeds ‘em, races ‘em, bets on ‘em, and also advises other people on buying ‘em and bettin' on ‘em. He lives in Louisville and I had not seen him since the weekend I met him in June, but we’ve talked on the phone quite a bit and he offered to fly me down on Saturday morning to spend the day at some races with him.
The name of the meet we went to is Kentucky Downs and it's held in Franklin, KY, right on the KY/TN border. I actually flew into Nashville and he picked me up there and we went straight to the track and spent the entire day there. It was fun and I learned some more about reading the racing forms to determine which horses to bet on. He generally placed the bets for me and I didn’t keep track of how much I (or really he) was winning/losing, but I’m pretty sure I came out pretty far into the losing end of things. He did good though, so I’m sure his winnings covered my losings. He’s a pretty smart better and does all these complicated bets and hedges his bets against one another, ensuring wins. He chose my bets for me some of the time, but we were really trying to get me to where I can learn how to bet on my own…very, very simple bets for now. He brought a picnic lunch for us…chicken salad and croissants, fruit, wine, etc…. It was nice and fun. This was a very casual horse race…more like the county fair, as he put it. Very different from most of the races he goes to.
Saturday night, we just went to a casual steak place for dinner…it was good, but nothing fancy. He swam a bit...I didn't bring my swimsuit, but sat out by the pool- the weather was perfect! Sunday morning, we went to breakfast at a Cracker Barrel across the street, which was quite delicious. Then, we headed back over to the race track. There were no races at that track on Sunday, but there were some other big races at Belmont (the track here on Long Island), so we were able to watch those on TV and bet on them there. It was quite a set-up with tons of TV’s televising different races across the US and several tellers where you could place bets. Horse racing is a big deal in Kentucky. We were only there a couple of hours before we headed back to the airport for my flight home. A quick, random weekend centered around horse racing, but it was fun!
The name of the meet we went to is Kentucky Downs and it's held in Franklin, KY, right on the KY/TN border. I actually flew into Nashville and he picked me up there and we went straight to the track and spent the entire day there. It was fun and I learned some more about reading the racing forms to determine which horses to bet on. He generally placed the bets for me and I didn’t keep track of how much I (or really he) was winning/losing, but I’m pretty sure I came out pretty far into the losing end of things. He did good though, so I’m sure his winnings covered my losings. He’s a pretty smart better and does all these complicated bets and hedges his bets against one another, ensuring wins. He chose my bets for me some of the time, but we were really trying to get me to where I can learn how to bet on my own…very, very simple bets for now. He brought a picnic lunch for us…chicken salad and croissants, fruit, wine, etc…. It was nice and fun. This was a very casual horse race…more like the county fair, as he put it. Very different from most of the races he goes to.
Saturday night, we just went to a casual steak place for dinner…it was good, but nothing fancy. He swam a bit...I didn't bring my swimsuit, but sat out by the pool- the weather was perfect! Sunday morning, we went to breakfast at a Cracker Barrel across the street, which was quite delicious. Then, we headed back over to the race track. There were no races at that track on Sunday, but there were some other big races at Belmont (the track here on Long Island), so we were able to watch those on TV and bet on them there. It was quite a set-up with tons of TV’s televising different races across the US and several tellers where you could place bets. Horse racing is a big deal in Kentucky. We were only there a couple of hours before we headed back to the airport for my flight home. A quick, random weekend centered around horse racing, but it was fun!
Monday, September 24, 2007
Celebs in September
September really has been my month for celebrity spotting and it continued on tonight. I read last week that George Clooney's new movie was premiering here tonight, but I forgot until I was leaving work at 7:00- the time the premiere was supposed to start. I decided to go by anyway (it's only 2 blocks out of the way) and although everyone had already gone into the theatre, one person had gone in and was sneaking back out. Guess who? Brad Pitt!! He really is gorgeous. I am guessing that he wanted to support his pal, but couldn't stay for the movie since he has 4 kids to get to bed.
After that, the Letterman theatre was right on my route home and as I passed by, there was quite a crowd. Turned out Paris Hilton was about to come out after taping tonight's show, so I waited. She came over and signed autographs, so I actually got pretty close to her. She was "playing it cool" and didn't crack the slightest smile the entire time. She struck me as odd.
There's one more week left in September, so lets hope the luck continues!
After that, the Letterman theatre was right on my route home and as I passed by, there was quite a crowd. Turned out Paris Hilton was about to come out after taping tonight's show, so I waited. She came over and signed autographs, so I actually got pretty close to her. She was "playing it cool" and didn't crack the slightest smile the entire time. She struck me as odd.
There's one more week left in September, so lets hope the luck continues!
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