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Archive for February, 2012

a list

Posted in Lists, school, stress, swimming on February 28, 2012 | 3 Comments »

…because, yet again, it’s that kind of week.

1.  I should be studying Micro or starting my Chem homework, but my brain is going a million miles a minute.  And it’s only 5:31 a.m.

2. The trouble is, those things (see above) take TIME.  Like, more than an hour.  If I don’t have more than an hour, I feel like I can’t start them.  So I do other things, like blog.  Hey, they all gotta get done!

3.  I have my first swim practice today.  Did I tell you I joined the Master’s team at the Y?  I can’t remember…  It’s been making me anxious.  The old Holly would be sweating bullets by now, worried to death she wouldn’t be able to hack it.  The new and improved, best-shape-of-her-life, more mature and self-confident Holly is only the slightest bit anxious (hey, I’m still me) but realizes it might be a rude awakening in the pool, and maybe it won’t be.  Either way, I’ll get through.

4.  I have a Micro test tomorrow morning.  I am not prepared.  The teacher is kind enough to allow us to take it with any of her sections throughout the day, the last being at 5 p.m.  Seeing as I have her lab directly before the 5 p.m. lecture, (my real section is 10 a.m.), I just might take her up on it.  I hate doing that, but I just might need the extra study time.

5.  I have my second Chem quiz this weekend.

6.  We’re going out of town this week–as in, leaving Thursday night.  We’re going to Gore, which is in the Adirondacks, for skiing.  Well, I don’t think I’ll be skiing.  I just want to get away with my school books and magazines and not be on a schedule and just ready and study and bake.  Repeat.

7.  Did I mention we’ll be in a cabin with a bunch of other people with no internet and that I have a Chem quiz to do ONLINE?  Just a little stressed about this…

8.  My next chapter of Chem homework is due Friday, but since I’m leaving Thursday (see #6 above), I have to finish it before.  I haven’t started yet.  Did I mention the last homework took something in the ballpark of 6+ hours?

9.  I’ve been fighting a cold now for a week and a half.  Go away already!  My poor, red nose can’t take any more!

10.  In an email recently to a friend I confessed that if I didn’t love school (and the thought of being an RD) THIS MUCH, I would quit in a heartbeat because the schedule (with only 12.5 credits and a 10-minute commute!) right now is insane.  This must be what having children is like…

Say an extra prayer for me this week!

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moog bash & breakfast

Posted in Andrew, breakfast, eggs, teal on February 26, 2012 | 2 Comments »

Here we are, at the Moog MId-Winter Bash.  I had SUCH FUN getting dressed up and socializing with Andrew’s co-workers.

I even got my hair done!  My hair hasn’t been long enough for an updo in AGES (if ever, really), so I was excited to get a french twist for the occasion.  Doesn’t it look awesome?  Like I actually HAVE hair?

Can you believe just a few hours earlier it looked like this??!?!  She had to tease the heck out of it in order to get it to stay.

I don’t have any other photos of the bash, unfortunately.  It was really neat–TONS of food, multiple bands in different conference rooms of the hotel, as well as a couple comedy shows, too–but it was a little chaotic, too.  There were people everywhere; it was a wonder we ever ran into anyone Andrew knew.

Side note: Interestingly enough, we actually bumped into the company CEO!  I has interviewed him earlier in the week for a human interest piece for the Advertiser, so it was actually really neat to see him again and chat for a moment or two.  And introduce Andrew to him–certainly can’t hurt his career;)

We stayed the night at the hotel (it’s so nice to get away sometimes), so of course we were excited to come up with a place to eat breakfast the next morning.  The Lake Effect Diner is one we’d been meaning to try–it’s one of the places in Buffalo featured on Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives–and we weren’t disappointed.

It’s in a silver train car and it was standing-room only for a few minutes while we waiting for some spots at the counter.

“Guy Ate Here” emblazoned on the wall and a made-fresh OJ machine.

I don’t think we look too worse for the wear after our (relatively tame–we are old and married, after all) night of partying.  Note Andrew’s teal shirt and the teal stripes on my cardigan–we didn’t plan it, I swear, but I had to take a photo.

Here’s a shout-out to my dear friend, Emily, who gifted me with this purse hook for Christmas.  I don’t use it often (I prefer to use an empty chair next to me), but it was a life-saver this morning.

I was only somewhat indecisive this morning; as usual I wanted to try a little of everything, so I opted for an omelet and added a pancake.  I chose the banana and candied pistachio pancake (I mean, where can you get that combo?) and the Greek omelet.

It even had chicken souvlaki, the leftovers of which I used to top my salad tonight.  Home fries were pretty good, too.

The Lake Effect Diner is known for their smoked meats, so we had to try a couple varieties.  I chose the ham, since Andrew opted for the bacon.

Andrew had plain pancakes…

…as well as my toast and a side of bacon.

Like a good little healthy eater, I halved all my food (except the pancake) and loaded up a to-go box right way.  The box got even more full before I was finished–pancakes don’t keep well, so I opted to finish that instead of the rest.  It was SO MUCH FOOD.

Check out my two additional breakfasts, happily sitting in the fridge :)

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three kinds of jam

Posted in Uncategorized on February 24, 2012 | Leave a Comment »

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Breakfast indecisiveness at its best.

BTW, down five pounds since my sodium-filled trip…

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it’s a salad kind of week

Posted in Food, salad, Weight-loss/Nutrition on February 22, 2012 | 1 Comment »

OK, so Texas (while extremely fun and DELICIOUS) was NOT good to me.  At least not to my waistline.

I gained SEVEN pounds over the weekend!  SEVEN POUNDS!  I do realize, of course, that potentially all of that is water weight (I could feel my fingers swelling minutes after my first bite of enchilada Friday night…), and as such it will come off gradually this week as my diet normalizes.  But still?  SEVEN POUNDS?  Really?

**Here’s the science, in case you’re interested:  One pound of fat is equal to 3,500 calories.  That means that if you want to lose a pound of fat (not a pound of water), you have to burn that many calories, which is why it really isn’t possible to lose more than 2, maybe 3, pounds in a week, and more likely only one.  Anything more than that is water loss.  Because I’ve been tracking my intake at a 500-calorie-per-day deficit (in order to lose 2 pounds a week–trying to lose those pesky holiday pounds!), it’s highly unlikely that a two-day stint in Texas netted me an extra 4,500 calories than I’m used to.  So, it’s really just all that extra sodium (hello Mexican and BBQ and alcohol and desserts!) that did some damage.

**Side note:  It’s AMAZING how a little awareness about what you’re eating affects your body.  I cannot tell you how much more in-tune I am with how my body feels after eating different things.  Obviously, the biggest one is salt–just an hour or so after eating something really salty (popcorn, any kind of restaurant food…) my hands start to get dry and puffy, not to mention the affects during the night and in the morning.  I always take extra care to drink a ton of water with a salty meal, afterward and throughout the night.  Other things that I’ve noticed have different effects on my body include carbonated beverages, an abundance of high-fiber veggies and whole wheat pastas.  I won’t go into everything here and now, but I’d encourage everyone to start paying a little attention to what they’re consuming and how it makes them feel about an hour later.

**Side-side note: I’m not upset about seven pounds (or any pounds, really) of water weight gain, or even a one-pound “real” weight gain.  What I am upset about is that I DID overeat (as in, eating past the point of knowing I was full) on a couple occasions.  Thankfully, Heather and I split most of our meals, which helped tremendously, but there is no excuse for overeating.  Well, maybe those homemade tortillas at Pappasito’s…  But regardless, I’m not thrilled that I wasn’t more in control of my portion sizes and when to stop, even if the food is THAT GOOD.  Thankfully, today is a new day and there is no point in beating myself up for calories already consumed.

So, I’m taking it super light this week…  Already had two salads yesterday, and there will be more in my future, I can assure you.

After the gym today was was down a pound and a half, so I’m on the way to recovery…

At least all that BBQ was worth it!

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Texas, part 2

Posted in Uncategorized on February 20, 2012 | 1 Comment »

…and I’m back. Just a few more minutes before my flight home to Buffalo and my beloved :) I did miss him.

We woke up Sunday morning and, after enjoying a buffet breakfast at our B&B, headed to our spa appointments at The Gruene Day Spa, just a mile down the road. Heather got a facial and I got a sports massage… So nice!

Uplifting moment: after our spa trip, my tummy was growling, so we stopped at a little coffee and smoothie shop, expecting a bit of a hippie atmosphere. Well, after ordering my drink, I suddenly heard Christian music on the speaker. And then I realized all the books were devotionals and other God-inspired goodies. I just thought it was neat and unexpected, and made me feel just a little better that my $8 smoothie was supporting a Christian organization.

We checked out the Gruene Historical District, where I spent 20 minutes in the ‘general store’ sampling about 12 different flavored of honey butter before deciding in the blueberry nut and peach amaretto flavored. And then proceeded to leave them behind at Heather’s… Sad!

Heather couldn’t let me leave without some Texas Pride BBQ, so we headed there for a mid-afternoon lunch.

We split ribs, brisket and sausage as well as their cheesey potatoes, which were awesome.

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I couldn’t pass up the peach cobbler, which was amazing!

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The Riverwalk was our next stop, where we walked our BBQ off before our next treat–guacamole!

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We ended up at Boudro’s, where they make your guac right in front of you:

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We had plans that night to meet some of our Ohio bible study friends at Pappasito’s, where hey make the tortillas fresh!

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Being more than full at this point, I split some fajitas that were amazing. The homemade tortillas just made them incredible!

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Check out the tortilla maker!

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Not wanting to end the fun, we headed to the movies to see Safe House, which was pretty good. At that point, I was so tired and full, I just wanted to crash!

Boarding my flight now, see you all in NY!

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don’t mess with Texas

Posted in Uncategorized on February 20, 2012 | Leave a Comment »

I’m currently waiting in the San Antonio airport for my flight to Atlanta. I had such a great trip–a huge thank-you to Silas for arranging everything!

Here’s the rest of the trip:

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Heather and I headed out Saturday morning off on our own with plans to get a hotel and schedule some spa appointments.
Our first stop was the Magnolia Pancake House, a famous breakfast place around here and a feature on Guy Fieri’s Diner’s, Drive-Ins and Dives. We split an omelet and the apple cinnamon pancakes with hash browns-amazing!

We spent the rest of the day stopping by Central Market, an awesome grocery store here where I picked up some homemade tortillas, tortilla chips and chile- and margarita- flavored dark chocolate, as well as getting manicures and pedicures.
We headed to Salt Lick, a well-known BBQ place here also featured I the Food Network. We sampled their wine at the tasting room while waiting for our table.

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After splitting ribs, brisket, sausage and cobbler we headed to Gruene Historical District where we were staying. We went out that night to Gruene Hall, the longest running dance hall inTexas, to listen to some music before heading back to our room for wine and cheese, goodies we found at central market.

Oops! Plane is boarding! Will continue Texas highlights later…

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where am I?

Posted in Uncategorized on February 18, 2012 | 2 Comments »

I woke up to this…

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…and this:

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And I would take a picture of what it looks like outside, but it’s (uncharacteristically) raining.

Surprise! I’m in San Antonio visiting Heather! Her sweet hubby, Silas, called me before Christmas and we cooked up a scheme for me to visit sometime when I had a break from school.

Heather got a surprise at the airport: me!

I got in in time for dinner last night and wanted nothing but good Mexican and a margarita!

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We went to an awesome place and were able to sit outside under some tents with heaters.

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Silas joined us as soon as he got into town.

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After dinner, Silas took the munchkin home and Heather and I went out for gelato at Da Vinci Gelato, a favorite of theirs’, and apparently everyone else, since it was packed.

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Heather chose an Affogato, gelato covered in espresso.

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Old Holly reared her ugly head and, even though I was pretty full from dinner (although kudos to Heather and me for splitting some things at dinner–I may have indulged a bit, but not too much), I got a 3-flavor sampler.

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We’re currently waking up to thunderstorms here, enjoying some Just Dance Kids with Maggie and trying to plan our weekend. We’re thinking a little massage, some facials and mani-pedi action, as well as lots of good food!

There may even be some cowboy-boot shopping…

Our first order of business is to do some running in the apartment’s gym (yay someone for me to talk to!), followed by a family brunch at Magnolia Pancake House.

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10 years

Posted in Uncategorized on February 17, 2012 | 2 Comments »

Ten years ago today, Andrew asked me to be his girlfriend.

…three months and ten days later, he gave me a promise ring.

…two years, four months and twenty-seven days later, he asked me to be his wife.

…one year, one month and twenty-three days later, we said ‘I do.’

Andrew, I loved you even before day ‘one’ and I’ll never stop.

Forever and always,

your holly

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vindicated!

Posted in Uncategorized on February 16, 2012 | 1 Comment »

Ok, so I know I’m a pretty adventurous eater. Not that I’m into anything weird and if traveling in an Asian country I would probably be pretty cautious, but I’m certainly not afraid to try new things.

Coconut on oatmeal? Sure! Ginger maple syrup? Definitely! Cranberry ketchup? Tasty!

Anyway, one of my favorite combos is a little peanut butter (or other but butter)on a waffle with a little maple syrup for breakfast. It’s fantastic–I almost feel a little guilty–and it’s a great way to get a little protein in while decreasing syrup intake.

Andrew never fails to give me the usual eye-roll about it. While he’s come a long way, he’s still not a very adventurous eater.

Anyway, (and to the point of this post) Andrew announced this week that he was sick of yogurt for breakfast (the same day as he spilled it in his truck–go figure). I told him in. I uncertain terms that he needed to have a protein, somehow, some way, in his breakfast.

I hesitantly asked if he’d be willing to try my peanut butter/waffle/syrup combo, fully expecting him to refuse, despite the fact that he does, indeed, like all of the ingredients.

Surprisingly, he agreed.

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I prepared a waffle for him, slathered it with sunflower seed butter (it’s what I have open at the moment), and drizzled it with a generous helping of maple syrup (he isn’t counting HIS calories!). Then, I cut it up for him and sent him off to work with it.

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Imagine my surprise when, mid-morning, I receive a phone call from Andrew, and I quote:

“It was… (pause for effect) …amazing. I just thought you’d want to know.”

Yes, yes it is. Which is why I’ve been enjoying it for years now. And yes, I did want to know. Thank you for telling me, and I WAS RIGHT!

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the answer to everything is Pasquale’s

Posted in Uncategorized on February 15, 2012 | Leave a Comment »

Well, the Elm Street Bakery turned out to be a bust last night. Not through any fault of their own; we didn’t arrive until after 8:15 due to Andrew’s basketball game and they had sold out of all their dinner items. So, in true Layer fashion, Andrew suggested Pasquale’s…

Let me just pause here for a minute. For the Layers, Pasquale’s really is the answer to everything. Get home late from being out of town? Order pizza. Abigail home from college for the weekend? Order pizza and wings. Bored around lunchtime on Saturday? Go to Pasquale’s. Seriously. We had it four times in three days once. Don’t get me wrong, I love their pizza and wings… I just try not to eat it all the time.

Anyway, back to last night. Normally, we don’t even go out to eat for Valentine’s Day because of the crowds; I usually make a nice dinner at home, but with my busy schedule lately, I didn’t plan anything. Elm Street was really only supposed to be dessert, but Andrew wanted real food.

So, we head over to Pasquale’s (after I bought a pink and purple M & M cookie at Elm Street, you know, in case Pasquale’s didn’t have any desserts I wanted.)

We exchanged gifts, and in true V-day tradition, Andrew got me an assortment of Fowler’s chocolates:

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I was so incredibly proud of myself; I cut a piece of andrew’s pizza in half and did the same to my dessert and put it in to-go box and out of sight right away. I even had a glass of Lambrusco as well!

BTW, Andrew LOVED his bag of junk food. But you what he said when we got home? That he was glad I got the small bags of chips and things so he wouldn’t eat too much. Awww, music to my ears.

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