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Archive for the ‘Running’ Category

written directions

Posted in cleaning, races, Running on April 28, 2013 | Leave a Comment »

*Note:  This was supposed to have been posted Sunday afternoon, but time got away from me.  And then I totally forgot.  I apologize.

I did my last long run this morning before my half marathon next weekend with Emily, and to keep it interesting, I mapped a new course for my friend Stephanie and me to do on our usual Sunday morning run.

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We look a little worse for the wear–it got pretty warm out there–but we did it!  Stephanie said she wanted to try some more milage, so I mapped a 7.75 mile course (note the piece of paper I’m holding up) all over Orchard Park, and did three miles before she arrived.

MUCH has happened between now and then–pantry is almost finished, presentation has been practiced twice (giving it today at 1 p.m.!) and we’ve started our Italy-prep shopping–so it’s been a busy week.  But then, are they ever NOT busy?!

Oh, and I spent 8 hours cleaning the house yesterday.  EIGHT.  My fingers are sore (seriously–basically everything had to be vacuumed and then wet-wiped), but the house is almost free of project dust!

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run much?

Posted in Running, Shoes on January 27, 2013 | Leave a Comment »

After my post this morning about running outside, I thought I’d throw this one (which has been sitting in my queue) up next.

I started a new pair of running shoes today.  (The pink and black ones, below.)

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From left: green and gray, dated 4 July (2011), gray and light teal, Jan (2012) and the current pinks ones, Feb (2013.)  Above are my trail-runners, outfitted with YakTrax.

I haven’t been running as much (sad), so my pair from last year ended up lasting the whole year.  Good for our bank account, bad for me.  Resolution #8 (or am I on 9?): run more this semester.

(So far this week, I’ve run a whopping THREE times, so I’m off to a good start!)

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i miss running

Posted in Running, school, stress on October 14, 2012 | Leave a Comment »

And, apparently, running misses me, too.

I got this in my inbox the other day:

It’s from MapMyRun, and they miss me.  The last run I tracked was back in April.  APRIL.  (Now, I don’t track every run–really, I haven’t been running regularly since school started, but holy cow–has it really been that long since I mapped a new route??)

As I said in this recent post, exercise hasn’t been a big part of my life lately.  Sad.  Very sad.  The saddest part?  The increasing tightness of my jeans…

The other day, I really thought that to myself–that I did, in fact, miss running.  And working out in general, but mostly running.  We had a wonderful fall day earlier this week when I had a chance to run outside and enjoy the weather, but I didn’t.

It’s like I have a block or something.  I think my brain just cannot take a single additional thing to think about; between school, swimming, scheduling, cleaning, cooking, homework, house-planning and projecting, I just can’t squeeze anything else in there.  Now that the laundry room is done, I already a feel a little relief, but I’m not ready to jump into a rigorous gym schedule like I did so easily last semester.

And the good news is that, after two months of beating myself up over it, I’m giving myself permission to NOT work out right now.  I think my body, my sanity, my marriage needs it, heck–I KNOW my brain needs it right now.  I’m swimming twice a week now, and have high hopes I’ll get back to my punk rope class at the gym Saturday morning, but other than that, I’m not stressing.  Or at least trying not to.

I’ll hit the road again soon.

**Edited to add:  I wrote this post a few days ago and have been saving it in my queue until I had a chance to post it.  I’m actually going running in about an hour!  It’s 6:50 on Sunday morning and a friend/acquaintance (OK, it’s one of my professors who lives in Orchard Park…how does one refer to them?) invited me yesterday to meet her at a local park.  AND I made it to punk rope yesterday.  AND I’m back to calorie-counting; those pesky SEVEN (thank goodness it’s not more!) pounds have nothing on me!  The light at the end of the tunnel is shining down on me RIGHT NOW.

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a day of firsts

Posted in Pumpkin, Running, school on August 28, 2012 | Leave a Comment »

I cannot believe I couldn’t fit this blog post into last night.  I just cannot.  If these last couple weeks are any indication of what my life will be like this semester (the absolute insanity around the house, not cooking, staying up until midnight and not getting near enough done), then Andrew might have to get used to take-out.  Like, everyday.

Seriously.  It’s just really difficult for me right now–while staring at half-finished projects and myriad unhung pictures, un-placed candles and other decor items, not to mention starting to think about school–to put any brain power into cooking.  Or meal planning.  Or even–gasp!–working out!  I had moment yesterday in which I was actually sad and longed for the time I will bake my first loaf of bread in this house.  May that time come soon and may my  bread rise well.

Anyway, so yesterday, I:

-made my first attempts to return some lingering emails and make non-house commitments again, like writing for the Advertiser

-went on my first run in two weeks (note to self: do not take two weeks off again.  run sucked)

-which was also my first run in EA as a HOMEOWNER

-first commute into downtown Buffalo

-had my first classes of the semester (Applied Food Chemistry, Organic Chem ‘lite’, American History II)

-had my first ‘pumpkin’ drink of the season (I stopped at Dunkin on my way to La-Z-Boy and was feeling something warm and sweet and when the sweet girl on the other end of the microphone suggested pumpkin, I couldn’t resist)

-Picked out our first furniture purchase for the new house! (We haven’t ordered it yet, but we know what we’re getting)

-Ordered our first window

-Visited Carolyn’s apartment for the first time now that she’s a married woman (holy cow) and saw their NEW CAR

-just this morning: my first post for the co-op in a couple weeks…  I feel like a huge slacker that I totally dropped the ball on that stuff while moving.

That’s all I can think of right now…  Lots of home-improvement posts coming soon!

 

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one happy (valley) girl

Posted in breakfast, Buffalo, chocolate, New York, pancakes, Penn State, races, Running, school, traveling on July 16, 2012 | 1 Comment »

Well, where did I leave off?  (I realize I’m two days behind… I’ve been a busy, traveling girl!)

When I woke up Sunday morning, this is what was waiting for me on the table:

Awwwww :)  When Adam had asked me what I ate pre-race, I mentioned toast, peanut butter and banana.  And he got organic–double awwwww :) :)

Here we are, before:

I got the tank to match the neon pink trim on my shorts!

And can I just say that it was like 90% humidity and that State College has WAY MORE HILLS than I remembered?  Like, a ton.  It was as I was rounding the golf course hill that it all came back to me…

(Check out the building behind me in the above picture–that totally was not there when we went to school!)

And here we are, after:

Adam was DRENCHED and I was pretty sweaty, too.  Hot and steamy, it was!

And guess who WON her age group?  YOURS’ TRULY!  A 10k in 46:56.  Not too shabby.

I’d love to say I was shocked, but I wasn’t.  Perhaps surprised is more accurate.  I definitely wasn’t feeling fast that morning and was, as usual, intimidated by the field.  I have to admit; all this winning is still really new to me (let’s just say running wasn’t my sport of choice for, like, my entire life), but I’ve placed in my age group enough now that I feel like I can’t leave a race until they’ve posted the results.  It’s weird.  Awesome, but weird.  I don’t know if I’ll ever get used to it.  I mean, I don’t even really look like a runner.  At least not the fast ones.

And I have a theory: I’m in what I’m calling a “sweet spot” right now.  I’m in the 20-30, or sometimes 25-29, age group, which is just older than the super skinny, super fast high school/college ‘elite’ runners, but I’m younger than the ‘been-running-for-twenty-years-post-kids-competitive’ group.  More times than not, I’ve noticed that the ladies finishing just ahead of me are older, but don’t win THEIR age groups.

Apparently, my 15 minutes of fame is limited.  Or I’ll just have to get faster.  (I think I’ll take the latter.)

And the perfect end to a fantastic weekend, a great run and a win?  The Waffle Shop!

It’s a State College mainstay and super famous.  It now has three locations–the original being right on College Ave.–and always has a line around the building on weekends.  I’ll admit that Andrew and I weren’t regulars here while we were students, but it is the first place I had chocolate chip pancakes, and for that I will be forever thankful.

Adam, Andrew and I met up with Abigail and waited outside as the temps started rising.  We made it into the air conditioning just in time!

I ordered the “mini platter” and was able to request chocolate chip pancakes instead of plain.  Thank goodness for substitution-friendly establishments!

After our delicious and very traditional PSU breakfast, we all parted ways and I headed toward Philadelphia, while Andrew and Abigail went north back to New York.  I’ll be on the road through Thursday–more photos and updates on my travels soon!

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birthday love

Posted in birthday, chocolate, coconut, cookbooks, Friends, gifts, ginger, pineapples, Running, Things I LOVE on May 30, 2012 | Leave a Comment »

Or, “the year of the personalized presents.”  Or, “Holly is loved.”  Or, “…and this year’s theme is: GINGER!”

You get the picture.

I opened the pile of boxes the mailman has been bringing for the last week or so the other night, and there was no way to anticipate the amount of love those cardboard walls contained.

-a sparkly beaded necklace with color blocks of clear, silver and two shades of blue; I can’t wait to dress up and go to dinner wearing it

-teal running socks and tie-dyed sports bra, from a friend who listens (and who put together an incredibly thoughtful gift with four ‘themes,’ all beginning with ‘F:’ food, fitness, friendship and faith)

-Joy the Baker‘s cookbook, which I desperately wanted to buy the moment it was released a few months ago because the story of how she baked sweet potato pies with her dad touched my heart (it also features her on the cover, in a 50′s dress with tattoos on her shoulder, which something inside me just loves)

-an assortment of dark chocolate, some with fun fillings like orange and ginger and some without

-what looks like a lifetime supply of ginger candies from multiple sources (gosh, I must talk about ginger more than I thought?), including THREE tins of ginger Altoids, straight from Texas

-Pumpkin Ginger tea, two of my favorite flavors all wrapped up in a cup of warm goodness for those fall afternoons I’ll be spending doing homework

-Larabar’s Coconut Cream Pie flavor energy bar, which I’ve been eyeing every time I go grocery shopping since Wegmans stocks that one in the checkout line with all the candy bars and it CALLS TO ME EVERY TIME–how did my running partner know??

-two red and dark teal/green wall hangings, one featuring a pineapple and one with cherries, which made me long for a house in which to hang them

-various kitchen gadgets, from the cutest little chalkboard tiles on which to write dish names or guests’ names for entertaining, to beautiful metal measuring spoons decorated with designs of food

-flowers sent from a girlfriend from college that are colorful and beautiful and remind me how long it’s been since I’ve had fresh flowers in the house

-a beautiful orange scarf with tassels on the end, which complements my collection quite well–of all the colors and patterns I already have, orange wasn’t one of them

-two devotionals, which will come in handy since Made to Crave is (sadly) coming to an end this week

-a giftcard to Boden, which arrived in its own beautiful package and is my new favorite clothier (except that I own NOTHING from them so far), from the least likely source–just check out their website–can’t you just see me in everything they have or what?

-a giftcard for a massage that I am COUNTING THE DAYS until I can redeem!

-peanut butter-flavored Gu for long runs, from a friend who knows her energy gels

So, basically, I’m a pretty lucky girl.  No, luck doesn’t really have anything to do with it.  God has hand-picked each of these ladies (and family members) and put them in my life for a reason, and equipped me to be a friend worth having.  I am so blessed, it’s not even funny.

(And this doesn’t even include any of Andrew’s family’s stuff; we’re doing my birthday this coming weekend since we were gone this past weekend.  Yay for more love!)

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but i thought i WAS being spontaneous…

Posted in Andrew, banana, bible study, camping, grilling, hadrian, hiking, nut butters, peanut butter, Running, stress on May 21, 2012 | 1 Comment »

So, on Friday Andrew calls to ask if I want to go camping with some of his friends on Saturday night.  As in, the-next-day-Saturday night.  Less-than-24-hours-later Saturday night.

Of course, I said no.

No, because I wanted to RELAX during my first weekend free from school.  I wanted to sleep in my own bed.  I didn’t want to worry about organizing and packing (much less locating) all our camping gear up.

What’s that you say?  Camping IS relaxing?  Yes, camping is relaxing ONCE YOU’RE THERE and unpacked and the weather is perfect and SOMEONE ELSE did all the planning for you.

Well, once Andrew offered a little more information, like that he knew where our camping stuff was, and that the campsite was only a 30-minute drive and that we didn’t have to go until dinnertime on Saturday, and that another female had already taken care of much of the food planning, I started to warm up to the idea.

So we went.  And it was fun.  The location was actually the giant parcel of land (100 acres, maybe?) belonging to the family of one of Andrew’s co-workers.  There was a tiny ‘cabin,’ but it was all but useless.  Apparently it’s being remodeled/renovated later this summer…

Disclaimer: it’s looks a little red-neck, and maybe it was.  I mean, there were dirt bikes for pete’s sake!  At least they were all Moog engineers, (except me–a student–and the friends’ fiancee–a teacher) which really just means that the bikes were NICE and in good shape.  I don’t know why, but that fact made me feel a bit better.  I mean, we were in the sticks.

Hadrian had a blast.  Actually, that would be understatement.  He’s never had so much fun in his life.  He’s still sleeping it off…

Dead trees were cut down with a chainsaw for firewood…

Bananas were sauteed in butter as appetizers…  Amazing!  Slice some up and throw them in a skillet with butter–I dare you not to love them.

Dinner: corn, beans x 2 and burgers (note Andrew’s cheese-less patty).  Sahlen’s hot dogs and brats were next, as well as some surprisingly good Wegmans pre-made potato salad.  I’m not usually into pre-made “tub” salads, but this one wasn’t bad at all.  Actually kinda good.  Must be the camping talking.

We set our tents up in row on the makeshift driveway.  Thank goodness for air mattresses–I don’t care that it’s not hard-core camping; I value my sleep, AND my back!

Plus, there was NO TOILET.  It was trees and thank-goodness-I thought-to-bring toilet-paper–tell me that’s not hard-core!  I mean, even our boundary-waters trip up in Minnesota and Canada in which we had to CARRY OUR CANOES (wish I’d been blogging then!) came with holes in the ground at each campsite…

Not surprisingly, I was up before 6 a.m. the next morning.  Between the birds and other woodland creatures, nature is just deafening at sunrise!  I did, however, come prepared:

I paired a banana and some peanut butter with my Bible study and enjoyed some peace and quiet before people started stirring around 7:30.

Also brought running gear in case the opportunity presented itself.  (It did, of course.)

I took Hadrian with me for a loop I think was about 2.5 to 3 miles.  HUGE downhill one way, HUGE uphill the other.  I dropped him off at the campsite and did it again myself, this time in reverse once I got to the bottom so I could run the middle, more shaded, less hilly length twice on the second go-around.  Fifty-four minutes later, I was pooped!

We ended our short stay with Andrew giving one of the dirt bikes a try.  He had fun, but I don’t think he’s itching to go buy one any time soon…  That’s the problem with having lots of single male friends–they all have expensive toys!

Oh well, he has a (hot) wife :)  Or at least that’s what I keep telling him.

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day in review

Posted in bible study, Exercise, Lists, nail polish, Ranch Dressing, Running, school on April 11, 2012 | Leave a Comment »

1.  I’m eating muesli with a banana for dinner.  In fact, I decided this morning to have a ‘detox’ day after I pretty much ate my weight in chocolate/Easter candy/snack foods yesterday, all before going out to dinner, where I ingested two beers, a friend bacon strip (I kid you not), a few onion rings, most of my cheeseburger and all of my fries.  With ranch dressing.  So yeah, a light day was in order.  Actually, from the time I woke up this morning, it was like my body was telling me it wanted ‘real’ food, and my head actually agreed with it!  I’ve pretty much had fruit, vegetables, a cereal bar and peanut butter only, and with any luck, end my day with a cup of tea.

2.  I blame yesterday’s sweet-tooth-gone-out-of-control on many things: boredom, nervous energy about my upcoming tests, and the presence of Easter candy.

3.  While running this morning, it started to hail.  Hail, no matter how small, still stings one’s face.

4.  I took my Micro test this morning and felt pretty good.  I ended up with a 90%, which gives me a solid A in the class for the semester.  In fact, the teacher already has it in her book.  As she drops two of the six tests, I’m technically ‘done’ for the semester.  I can now sit back, relax, and actually enjoy her lectures.  (I will, in all likelihood, complete the take-home test in the hopes of dropping my lowest grade, but at least it’s a take-home.)

5.  In addition to the above good news, I also found out that I can complete the last three Micro labs AT HOME using the internet (same teacher).  So, basically, if I can manage to complete them all before next Wednesday, I can turn them all in and never go to lab again.  My life just got a whole lot easier.

6.  Which is a good thing, since test number 2 today was my Chem quiz, which I bombed.  Well, a 72% isn’t exactly bombing it, but I wasn’t happy.  I really thought I knew the stuff!  I’ve decided I have test-anxiety when it comes to that subject…MUST. STUDY. HARDER.

7.  Test number 3 this week is Stats, which is tomorrow afternoon.  I actually feel pretty good about that one.  Guess we’ll find out tomorrow.

8.  The cat left a hairball on our bed this afternoon.  Fantastic.

9.  We still haven’t filed our taxes yet.  We’re definitely “April 15th” people.  Well, I shouldn’t really say “we.” Andrew does about 99.9% of it, so I guess he’s the procrastinator, but since I don’t really lift a finger to help, I can’t fault him too much.

10.  I’m ending my day with session 2 of my Made to Crave Bible study lesson on DVD, with some toenail-painting and some more studying.

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Easter weekend

Posted in baking, Barefoot Contessa, breakfast, candy, chocolate, cookbooks, cooking, Dessert, Exercise, Family, Food Network, maple, Running, sweet potato on April 9, 2012 | 2 Comments »

Happy Belated Easter!  I had all sorts of fun things to blog about this weekend, but kinda took the weekend ‘off’ and this is my first chance to sit down (Not really, I still have TONS of schoolwork to do, but this is somewhat time-sensitive, too.  If I wait too long, it will be old news!) and type it all out.

There was LOTS going on this weekend for us, with Andrew’s grandmother visiting and Abigail home from school…

I ran in the Bunny Hop 5K…and scored SECOND PLACE in my age group!  Holy smokes!  Seriously…despite some of my recent PRs here and here, when I saw the 1,011-runner crowd lining up, all hopes of placing went right out the window.  In fact, I was having a bad morning due to a sudden neck spasm and stress (what else is new?), so I really had to pep-talk my way through the entire (almost all uphill, if that’s possible) race.

The neat thing was that the course went right by Andrew’s parents’ driveway!  I waved as I passed the first time… (I’m in pink and purple.)

Andrew’s family (and the dogs!) came out to cheer me on…

Here I am on the way back, just a 100 yards or so from the finish.  LOVE my purple running pants!

Andrew was convinced I’d placed in my age group (based on the small number of ladies who finished ahead of me), so we waited around for what seemed like forever at the finish for them to post results.

At least the oranges were good and even the store-bought oatmeal raisin cookies were decent.  Andrew ate my hot dog, but I caved and got another one and ate about half when the results still weren’t posted…

Sure enough, I DID place–I got SECOND!  Prizes for the Bunny Hop are chocolate bunnies, which, despite their appropriateness, are (in my mind) a bit counterproductive.  Carolyn had the brilliant idea to throw mine in the freezer and use it to bake with later.  It’s currently crushed into small pieces and chilling with my other chocolate.

We spent the day relaxing at Andrew’s parents’ house and running errands on Main Street.  We wanted to show grandma the new cupcake place, and while there, I picked up this little guy:

Perhaps the most memorable event was our dinner Saturday night, and, as usual, I got no photos.  We ended up at a local hibachi grill/Japanese Steakhouse/sushi bar due to our large party (8) and lack of pre-panning (it was 6:30 and we were trying to find a restaurant without an hour wait).  Can I just say the Layers aren’t big on change, ethnic food OR fish??

Let’s just say that if Carolyn’s face had frozen they way she was turning up her nose at the menu, she’s be one unhappy camper.  In all honesty, Andrew and I were pretty nervous–we’d taken everyone here thinking it was akin to a Benihana, but it turned out to be about 95% sushi and sans-hibachi tables.  Our table ended up with five chicken teriyakis, one beef teriyaki, one soba noodle and one edamame order with an Alaska roll.  Can you tell which one was mine??

The night wasn’t a total loss; we ended up in a room of our own and had a few good laughs, and everyone got to experience a few things out of their comfort zone :)

Happy Easter morning!  I got up early to cook breakfast :)

I made the Clinton Street Baking Co.’s buttermilk waffles (thanks for the book, Susy!), maple-roasted bacon and fruit.  I even made the maple butter from the cookbook and it. was. divine.  Even Andrew loved it.

As always, we did Easter baskets.  Andrew’s is full of junk food and candy.  I threw in a Bananagrams game, thinking it would be a good 2-person game for the house.

Andrew (as usual), went way overboard with my basket this year:

He collected all sorts of my favorite gourmet/health foods, like sweet potato chips, Luna bars, flavored seltzer, Starburst Jellybeans, Ritter chocolate with Marzipan (Heather introduced me to it before we moved last year)…

…brie and special topping…

…I’ve been DYING to try this chocolate bar since I saw it in a Food Network magazine like two years ago!

Dave sent me home with some Cadbury creme eggs last weekend, and I broke into it Easter morning!  (I was good; I only ate half, though.)

Andrew particularly liked his tangerine-flavored Jelly Belly carrot.  I had to force him to eat one before church…  Seriously, who has to be forced to eat ONE jelly bean EVER?  I wasn’t going to eat a bunch of candy all alone!

After church (we accompanied the Layers), we rushed home to finish our contributions to the meal and walk the dog before heading back to their house.

Butter ‘lambs; are a big deal around here.  I saw them at the grocery store a week or so ago and wondered where they’d been all the other Easters of my life.  Not where I lived, apparently.

I made caramelized pear, sage and orange biscuit bites, a recipe I found in a cookbook of Susy’s last time I was at her house. They were pretty darn good, but I don’t know if I’d make them again.

I also made Pioneer Woman’s Tres Leches cake for dessert.  I. CAN’T. STOP. EATING. IT.  Seriously.  I had two pieces yesterday and two pieces (so far) today.  Not good.

We spent the rest of the afternoon hanging out before Abigail had to head back to school.  I studied for my Micro test (I have THREE tests and a quiz this week…say a prayer for me, people!).

The rest of the family played ‘bean farmer,’ which I believe is really called Bonanza.

Andrew taught grandma.

Carolyn opted out and instead searched for dishes on the iPad.

After a light dinner of sandwiches and leftovers–not that anyone was terribly hungry–Andrew and I headed home to rescue the puppy and prep for the week ahead…if only I’d had another day off!

I’ll be up for air sometime on Thursday!

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i miss ‘us’

Posted in bible study, breakfast, chocolate, Dayton/Ohio, East Aurora, ethnic food, Family, Friends, Ice Cream, peanut butter, Running, thai, trader joe's, traveling, trips on April 5, 2012 | 2 Comments »

That phrase was uttered by our good friend, Dave Diercks, this past weekend during our recent trip to Ohio.

And then it was seconded.  And thirded.  (Is that even a word?)

Anyway…  Here are some highlights from the trip!  (As usual, I didn’t take enough pictures…so I’ll do my best to describe how we used a door as a table, and my two-scoop ‘small’ sundae.

-We brought cupcakes!  I’m a huge fan of Firefly, the new artisan cupcake shop on Main Street here, and we wanted to gift Emily and Dan with goodies.  Since Emily and I are trying to be good and watch our calories, we decided we’d save our splurges for Graeter’s and Rita’s.  But, Dan and Andrew can indulge!  We brought a ‘chocolate-covered strawberry’ for Dan and a Vanilla Bean for Andrew.  The picture doesn’t do them justice…they’re packaged in their own little cellophane bags with the cute Firefly card on the front.

-As usual, we stopped at Chick-Fil-A in Erie for a late lunch.  I really had been craving CFA…I got a 2-strip kid’s meal with fries….

…and a small cookies and cream milkshake to drink!  I love them :)  Andrew actually did a decent number on the shake, so I probably ended up having only 3/4 or less of it anyway.

-While I was “setting up” my food in the car (I have a method), I realized it would make a perfect blog post.  ”On how I eat in the car” coming soon.

-OK, here’s where the pictures begin to fail me…

-We made another stop near Dublin (skipping Jeni’s! A travesty!) for a Starbucks run for me.  Using the blessed iPhone, we found not one but TWO in grocery stores just feet away from where we were after taking the wrong exit off the highway… thank you, Jesus!  AND, the nice lady behind the counter was offering samples of their vanilla scones.  LOVE samples.

-We got into the Wilhelms’ around 8 p.m. and bounded into welcoming arms.  Within moments we were perched on the couch, debating the age-old question, “To where will we go for dinner?”  Silly us, we thought maybe we could quickly come up with a place with little conversation…  One thing we’ve realized is, the six of us (particularly the four Wilhelms and Layers) are PARTICULAR about our food.  And not necessarily in a bad way; we just really want to enjoy our meals, especially those together.

-The Wilhelms had been anxiously awaiting our arrival so we could go out for a nice, long, drawn-out dinner, which they’ve dubbed a “Layer dinner,” in honor of yours’ truly.  A “Layer dinner” is one in which you order drinks, then appetizers…and then shoo your waiter away and don’t order dinner until you’ve eaten said appetizer, and then you might even stay for dessert or coffee afterward.  They are infamous and can last upwards of two hours if you do it right.  Truthfully, these dinners started for us on or first trip to Europe, where people have long dinners all the time (in fact, often you have to flag your waiter down to even order your food, and they wouldn’t dream of rushing you out the door).  Now, if we have the time, we make it a point to stretch out our meals as often as we can.

-We almost unanimously voted for Thai 9, one of our favorite places to eat downtown, and got as gussied-up as our packed-clothes would allow.  We started with drinks (Belgian wheat for me, hard cider for Dan, cocktail for Emily and I can’t remember what Andrew had….) and appetizers.  Andrew and Dan split the chicken spring rolls and Emily and I split the crab rangoon–my mouth is watering just recounting the details!

-I LOVE going out to eat with Emily.  Our tastes are so similar, so we typical end up splitting one or more dishes.  This is something I can RARELY (if ever) do with Andrew, and it makes it so nice for me so I can enjoy multiple things on the menu.  I hate having to choose!  Emily and I wanted exactly the same things–pad thai and sushi–and that’s exactly what we got.

-Unfortunately, we were all too full by the end of dinner to splurge on Thai 9′s homemade coconut ice cream topped with fried banana pieces and honey (if you live in Dayton, you must order that as soon as possible), but it felt great to say “no, thanks” and leave without being over-stuffed.

-Emily and I are also early birds and exercisers, so we enjoyed a light breakfast the next morning while doing the first DVD session of our Bible study, before hitting up the workout room at their apartment complex.  Thirty minutes on the treadmill flies by when you have someone to whom to talk!  (Ain’t that the truth, Susy?!)

-The primary reason for the trip to Dayton (although who needs a ‘reason’ to visit friends?), was to meet little Aiden, Dave and Jen’s little boy who was born in January.  We arranged to meet them at Panera for brunch.  Isn’t he a cutie??

-After we ate (I splurged and got a cinnamon crunch bagel with honey walnut cream cheese–haven’t had one of those in YEARS–and smartly ate the top half and forced the bottom on Dan to prevent myself from eating it), Dave headed to his track meet and Andrew and Dan took Aiden home while Jen joined us for some shopping.

-We MADE OUT at TJMaxx!  M philosophy is that a true workout-aholic can never have too many items of workout clothes, and that is the place to go for a bargain.  I scored tons of awesome stuff, although the terrible overhead lighting washes everything out.  All of those colors are so vibrant–I couldn’t resist any of them!

-After bagging our finds at TJMaxx, us girls headed home to pick up the ‘two men and a baby’ we left behind and raced over to Dave’s track meet at Cedarville University.  Dave throws the javelin and is competing for a chance to go to the Olympic trials this summer.  He ended up scoring a 68-meter throw at this meet, which is just 10 meters shy of qualifying for a spot at the trials, and the most he’s even thrown in a season-opening meet.  Go Dave!  Check out his facebook page for more information; he’s also involved with Athletes in Action (a Christian organization geared toward outreach in the field of athletics) and is partially sponsored by PowerBar!

-It was pretty chilly, so we scooted out of there as soon as he was finished and headed back to chez Diercks, or as it’s affectionately called in our circle, ‘the cave.’   Seriously, between their huge comfy couches and lack of natural light in the living room, it’s very ‘cave-like’ in the coziest way possible.

-Yet again, we foolishly thought we could pick our dinner option from a hat…literally.  We all threw in names of various local establishments from which we could get take-out, and after turning our nose up at Chinese (what were you thinking, Dan??), a small contingent of us strong-armed the others into City BBQ.  Dave did what he does best and placed our order online while I arranged who was going where to pick up food; Emily and me to City BBQ (don’t forget the sweet tea!) and Andrew and Dave to Kroger for a rotisserie chicken and Cadbury mini-eggs.

-Upon arriving back to the Diercks’ lair, we found a door (yes, a DOOR) being placed on their oversized ottoman and topped with a shower curtain/tablecloth.  Don’t mind the handle, Emily…  If only I’d snapped a photo…

-We were all enjoying our food family-style with Ghostbusters on the in background, when it hit me.  These people are FAMILY to me.  Like, seriously family.  I mean, with whom else can you just sit and do nothing for hours on end, and it be totally fine?  (Especially if you’re in the cave.)  The six (now seven) of us have formed a bond like I’ve never had with anyone before, in particular in couples.  There are others with whom Andrew and I share this relationship (Heather and Silas, for sure) and I think that’s why God brought us to Ohio.  To make these lifelong friends.  (And to be near Andrew’s grandparents, but that’s another story.)

-By 8 p.m. Emily and I were getting a little stir-crazy and ready to walk around after dinner, so we convinced Jen to join us on another shopping trip–this one to Goodwill!  Beavercreek has the best Goodwill…there are NO good Goodwills here in NY…sad.  So, we left ‘three men and a baby’ to go stretch our legs.  I scored a pair of Gap trouser-jeans!

-We ended our night on a sweet note with a trip to Graeter’s, where I convinced the manager to give me two SMALL scoops (instead of only one) in my small sundae so I could have two different flavors.  LOVE. THEIR. WHIPPED. CREAM.

-The next morning, we all met at First Watch (one of my absolute favorite places!) for breakfast before church.  Again, Emily and I did our usual and split an omelet with pancakes on the side.

-Upon walking to our cars, Andrew and I realized we’d been fished!  I know I’ve blogged about it before, but haven’t the slightest clue as to when or under what title…  The short story: Dave and Jen own a giant stuffed fish and they (along with Emily and Dan) once hid it in our bed while we lived in Ohio.  It’s been traded back and forth between us three couples ever since.  The orange shirt it’s wearing?  It says “East Aurora” and was how I dressed it when I shipped it back to the Diercks after we moved here.  Gotta brainstorm its next trip to Ohio…this time to surprise the Wilhelms!

-Trader Joe’s is just across from First Watch… $86 later, we were stocked-up on goodies!  Favorites? LOVE their chocolate-covered almonds, sunflower seed butter and a new find, chocolate-ship brownie bars with oats.

-Before heading out of town, Andrew and I stopped into the nearest Graeter’s to redeem our ‘Sweet Rewards’ points for a t-shirt.  He always lets me choose.  What a sweetie.  Outside the doors, we met an Easter bunny!

-After meticulously choosing my shirt–I even made the young man behind the counter climb up and check the size of the one tacked to the wall–I settled for a child’s extra large (which was surprisingly big)  hoping it would shrink.

-We resisted the urge for more ice cream (well, I had to resist; I think Andrew has willpower of steel!) in favor of a stop at Rita’s on our way out of town.  I made the mistake of trying their new chocolate peanut butter flavor… (Back story: I grew up with Rita’s in PA and LOVE IT.  Mango is my ultimate favorite.  I try different flavors all the time, but mango is where it’s at.)  Anyway, I LOVED chocolate peanut butter and all of a sudden couldn’t choose!  It’s not like I could get one, knowing I could come back any time for mango.  Thankfully, Andrew opted for a large mango, which allowed me to order a chocolate peanut butter gelati–which features their vanilla custard.  I was in sugar heaven.

-We got on the road and had an enjoyable trip back to NY, filled with menu-planning and grocery-list making for me, (no Jeni’s AGAIN–we were too full of Rita’s!), a Wendy’s stop (apple slices for me, nuggets for him and a tiny Frosty to share) and then things went downhill.  Emily HAD to remind me I’d forgotten to take some of the dark chocolate-covered raisins off her hands…which led to a crazy craving!  We stopped at a gas station and ended up stocking up on Doritos, Swedish Fish (my favorite) and Hot Fries and an energy drink for Andrew.  And I might have gotten into the cookies Susy sent home with me…

-We drove straight to Wegmans since I knew our house was devoid of food.  Well, at least the fridge was. As in, EMPTY.  No fruit.  No yogurt.  No bread.  No nothing.  If we didn’t shop now, we’d have nothing for breakfast the next morning, and since I had to pick up the dog IN ADDITION to my normal routine, there wasn’t going to be any ‘going out for breakfast’ for us.

-$123 dollars later…

-We’re all settled back in at home now (we should be, it’s THURSDAY) and I can’t believe this post took me so long…  Notes to self:

-take more pictures!

-post along the way!

Here’s to next time :)

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