April Ultimate Coffee Date!
Hello there! Since it’s the first Friday of the month, I’m linking up with Coco and Deborah for the Ultimate Coffee Date! If we were having coffee together, the first thing I would share is…. I tried a new drink! Yes, I did! Normally I drink Earl Grey tea, no milk, just the tea- and I love it. One day the Starbucks barista asked me if I wanted to try a “London Fog.” Usually that’s Earl Grey with milk and a pump of vanilla syrup- but he said he would make it with steamed oatmilk and a scoop of lavender powder instead of the vanilla. Apparently I was feeling very adventurous that day, because I said “Okay!” It was good! And really fun to drink something else for a change. The lavender powder has a little bit of sugar in it, so it’s not something I would drink all the time, but I’ll have it every once in a while as a treat. If we were sipping our delicious London Fogs together, I might ask if you’ll be able to view the eclipse on Monday. South Florida will have a partial eclipse, but Waco, Texas- where my son is- is in the path of totality. The City of Waco is holding a three-day “Eclipse Over Texas” festival, culminating in a watch party at McLane Stadium on Monday. Classes are canceled for the day, and all students have been given special eclipse-viewing glasses. I’m so envious- I wish I could be in Waco this weekend! But I’m excited that my son gets to experience this. Speaking of my son, last week he was home for Easter. He flew home on Spirit, and back to Texas on JetBlue (side note- do you remember when flying on an airplane used to feel luxurious? Hahahahahahahahaha…) Anyway, when he checked in for his return flight, he learned that there would be no carry ons allowed- any carry ons would be checked at the gate. WHAT. For him, this isn’t just an inconvenience. His carry on luggage is his trumpet case, with three trumpets inside. It absolutely HAS TO travel on the plane with him- the case is not meant to be handled roughly, and if he checked it, all the instruments would be damaged. We knew there had to be a solution, and there was! For “only” $70 extra, we were able to upgrade him to a seat with extra space, so he could bring a carry on. Crisis averted! But seriously- could airplane travel possibly get any worse??? What would you tell me over coffee? Will you be attending an eclipse “watch party?” Have you experienced the “no carry on” rule on a flight before?
Reading and Eating
I read a great book last week, and had a cooking extravaganza while my son was home! Let’s start with the book. Alex Pavesi’s The Eighth Detective is “a love letter to classic detective stories with a modern twist, where nothing is as it seems, and proof that the best mysteries break all the rules.” An editor meets with an author to discuss his book, a collection of seven short mysteries. As they read through and discuss each one, the editor notices strange inconsistencies, and begins to suspect that there’s a real-life mystery behind it all. I really enjoyed this, even though I was pretty sure I knew what the big “twist” was… and then guess what- I was WRONG. The story took an unexpected turn at the end, which made it extra fun. On to the eats. I revisited some old favorites that my son hadn’t tried yet- the Buffalo Mac and Cheese from Nora Cooks (that was a huge hit), Gochujang Bowls with tofu- also a hit- and The Best Vegan Cheesecake, again from Nora. For Easter brunch, I made a Just Egg quiche based on a recipe from… you guessed it… Nora! I’m starting to wonder what we would do without her- would we starve? I left out the mushrooms (ew) and used broccoli instead. We decided a green dinner would be very spring-like, so my son made pasta with pesto, and I made roasted asparagus, a salad and garlic bread. Now the holiday is over, my son is back in school, the leftovers have been eaten, and it seems that I still have to cook. Can’t someone else take over for a while? I seriously can’t think of any more dinners for this week. SIGH! Did you make a special dinner for Easter? What are you reading now?
Summer Reading Project
Spring Break is over, which means it’s just a quick downhill ride to the end of the school year (I know how fast this fourth quarter goes!) I’m starting to think about summer plans- a new strength training routine, possible travel, running goals… and this year I want to do some sort of a summer reading project. Last week I listened to this episode of Best of Both Worlds podcast, where Laura and Sarah talked about their reading lives. Laura mentioned that one year, her reading challenge was to read War and Peace. The book is divided into 360 short chapters, so she read one chapter a day, to complete the book within the year. Well, I like that idea! Fun fact, though: I already read War and Peace, as a teenager. And I enjoyed it! This gives you some idea of the type of person I was- I didn’t go to my high school prom, but I did read War and Peace. Yep, I was a total weirdo. In my teens and 20s I read mostly classics- all of Jane Austen, Charlotte Bronte, Thomas Hardy, Edith Wharton… just to name a few (a total, TOTAL weirdo.) Funny to look back on that time, because now it seems like I mostly read mysteries. So I’m not looking to read, or re-read any classics. I’m thinking more non-fiction. Something big and kind of daunting, that I could break into ten sections (for the ten weeks of summer vacation.) It could be self improvement, or philosophy, or maybe something spiritual (I’m thinking along the lines of Buddhism?) I want something that could be relevant to my everyday life. A biography of Abraham Lincoln, which I’m sure would be an educational and challenging read, wouldn’t really be applicable to my life right now (no offense to Honest Abe.) Also, it doesn’t have to be one large book. It could be a series of books, or different books on a similar subject, that would all fit a central theme. So you can see I have a general idea of what I want- but nothing specific in mind. That, of course, is where YOU come in! Please give me suggestions! Any ideas are welcome. I’m also going to Barnes and Noble this week to browse around to see what I can find. I’ll plan to start this project after Memorial Day. Do you do any reading challenges or projects? Do you change up your reading over the summer? Top photo by Blaz Photo on Unsplash
Weekly Rundown- Easter Week!
Is there such a thing as too many spring breaks? Possibly. My daughter was back in school this week (for three days) but my husband had his spring break, and my son was home! It turns out, having my son home while my daughter is in school equals a lack of sleep for me. I wanted to stay up later with my son, but still had to get up at 5:30 with my daughter. Oof. But the workouts continued! Thanks as always to Kim and Deborah for hosting… let’s get right into it. Monday This was actually the last day of my daughter’s spring break, which was why I was able to have such a bright and sunny run! 3 miles with 3 minutes running/one minute walk intervals. Followed by the Caroline Girvan deadbug workout. Tuesday Leg day at the gym! Wow, this one hurt (in the best way possible.) I continued to work on Bulgarian split squats, and they are SO hard on my left side (the side with the ankle injury.) I did a couple sets with just bodyweight, and then added a little bit of weight. Trying to balance on my left leg, while holding the kettlebell and trying to get my right leg up on the bench behind me, was actually comical. I almost asked a random person passing by if I could hold onto them for a second to get my balance- but luckily didn’t have to resort to that. But it took at least ten tries to get into position. I also did squats, leg curls with the machine, heel raises, soleus raises, tibialis raises- all to help strengthen that ankle- and abs. My legs were toast. At night, my son arrived! His flight was delayed and he didn’t get home until almost midnight- ouch. Wednesday Long cardio day! As I shared in Friday’s runfessions, I’ve been doing a “long cardio” (in place of a long run) to get ready for my race in May. I started with 30 minutes on the stairmaster, then ran/walked on the treadmill for 30 minutes (3 minute running/one minute walking intervals again) and then did the Cool Bloggers Workout- 30 minutes at 12% incline, 3 mph. Now my legs were REALLY toast. Thursday Perfect day for an upper body workout! I did the Caroline Girvan Deadbug workout at home, then went to the gym for benchpress, reverse flys, and overhead press with dumbbells. Friday Running! I did my 3 mile route, and increased the intervals to 4 minutes running/ one minute walking. This was the closest I’ve felt to “normal” since the ankle injury. I can mostly run and walk without discomfort- it’s only when I do the strengthening exercises that it still aches. But that’s okay! I’m getting there. There was no school today, but the high school jazz band went to an event in Orlando- my daughter had to be at school at 9 am, and then picked up from school again at midnight. MIDNIGHT??? Sheesh! It’s Good Friday! Isn’t it supposed to be a day off? I wasn’t too thrilled about this… Saturday …especially because I work on Saturday mornings. The lack of sleep was really getting to me, so I slept in as late as possible and did a quick core workout- again, Caroline Girvan’s Deadbug- before going to work. Sunday The trumpet shall sound! My husband and son got up early to go play two Easter Sunday church services. I decided that two grown men didn’t need my help getting ready, so I opted to sleep late, and so did my daughter. On tap for today- some sort of workout at some point in the day. How’s that for vague? We’re making an Easter lunch and a special Easter dinner, but I’ll fit it all in. Happy Easter if you are celebrating! (If you go to church and there are trumpets as part of the service- that’s what my husband and son are doing today!) If you aren’t celebrating Easter, I hope you have a fun and relaxing Sunday! Top photo by Emiliano Vittoriosi on Unsplash