She Likes Purple

Half-Marathon Training: Week 4

Last week was pretty great, in terms of training, but in terms of the scale, shiiiiiiiit it was frustrating. More on that below, but let's touch on my day-to-day stuff, k?

***

Week 1
Week 2
Week 3

***

Monday: .7 mile run

FAIL! Well, fail because on the way to my 6 am (what-should-have-been-a-two-mile) run, I realized I had a 9 am meeting and I needed to take Kyle to school and I was cutting it awfully close with all I had to do between Run and Work. I basically just planned this one really poorly and it affected where my mind was at.

Tuesday: 1.5 mile run

Officially the shortest run left on my training. From here on, everything is 2 miles and longer. So, I took advantage of this final short run and upped my pace. Felt great.

Wednesday: 2.5 mile run

This was tough, but I didn't want to stop and that's progress, people.

Thursday: Rest

I rock the rest days. I should train for a nap marathon next.

Friday: Cross

I did the 30-Day Shred (Level 1) and it felt good to do something other than run. But, I always forget how hard it is to work-out at home. I can talk myself out of it so much easier than going outside of the house to work-out. I went back and forth on this work-out for a solid hour -- should I? shouldn't I? the couch, it is just so COMFORTABLE, you know? -- but as soon as I was done, I was in mega-productive mode and cleaned the entire kitchen. So, you know, first step is always the toughest, proved once again.

Saturday: Long run + Unplanned Torture

Kristie and I met at 6:30 for our first 3-mile run. It felt pretty great, actually. The last half mile sucked and there was a slight hill at the very end that I could have punched right in the face if that were possible, but it was one of the easier runs overall, so far.

Then, I talked Kristie into a yoga class with me later that afternoon, and she was game. I thought stretching post-run would do us good but OH HA HA HA I should really read websites better. We ended up doing a Barre class. Barre is not yoga. Barre incorporates strength and balance with ballet technique and makes for a really intense work-out. Kristie looked at me ten minutes in and her eyes basically said, "You've got to be effing kidding me?"

It WAS a fantastic work-out, I should say, and we both enjoyed the studio (Urban Yoga in Fort Worth) and our teacher. I'd gladly do it again. We just weren't prepared for the intensity, after our morning run.

Sunday: reeeeeest

My muscles would have forced this if my plan hadn't already.

***

Onto the scale.

I thought I'd monitor my weight throughout my training to make sure I wasn't fueling up too much and gaining unnecessarily, but I have this long, boring history of giving the scale a lot more attention than it deserves. It goes down down down and then spikes up for no discernible reason (or no valid discernible reason). It can derail all my positivity by just not budging one morning. It's a pat on the back one day and a slap in the face the next and it can become a measuring stick over 1) how I feel and 2) how my clothes feel.

So, I'm going to quit checking in so regularly. I'll continue to try and eat as healthy as possible (I'm keeping track on MyFitnessPal) and maintaining my work-outs but stepping on the scale so often is just screwing with me right now.

***

I'm back next week with some answers to a few questions I've received about my training. If you have any more, I'd love to hear them!

My Typical Day

Ginger offered up a pretty fun writing prompt about our typical day. I'm happy to play along. So, you know, here goes...

***

6:45 am: Kyle is up! I know this because instead of waking up to my alarm (that I set for around 7 am) I wake up to "MOMMY! I WAKE UP! MOMMY! I WANT CHOCOLATE MILK AND MICKEY MOUSE!"

7: I can occassionally get him back to sleep for a half hour or so. I usually can't and we get up and get the following: juice, breakfast, Mickey Mouse, snuggles. (In that order.) (He does not need chocolate milk no matter how many times he tells you he does. FYI.)

7:10: I jump in the shower and Mike gets up to hang out with Kyle.

7:20-45: Get ready.

7:45-8: Kiss the boys (Mike usually takes Kyle to school) and I'm out the door! I cross all my fingers that my usual hour commute isn't made longer by random traffic or an accident or people craning their necks to look at the accident on the other side of the freeway. My crossed fingers work about half the time.

9-11:30: Sit down, check email, start Pandora, check the news and work-related blogs, work work work email email email. Some meetings. Some calls. More email.

11:30: I usually eat lunch at my desk but every so often we go out. My favorite place near my office is Roma's, an Italian joint I wrote about over at Food Lush a while back. There's also a pretty good Indian buffet. Or a Denny's. You know, if that's your thing.

12:30 pm: More of the same.

1:30: A lot of my meetings are in the afternoon, so if I have one, I start prepping for it about now.

3: I NEED CAFFEINE. Either in the form of an iced coffee or Diet Coke.

5: I usually leave, but occasionally I work until 6 pm if Kyle is with Mike (he stays home Mondays) or my mother-in-law (who lives close and is a teacher, so she gets him every now and then).

5-6: Drive home. I usually call Cherie, Natalie, or my sister on my drive. Or, I make any number of to-do type calls. The drive home is always worse than the drive in because I want to get to Kyle pretty ridiculously badly.

6: I get Kyle and every single day I pick him up, he runs to me and yells out "MOMMY MOMMY MOMMY!" The other kids yell, "KYLE'S MOMMY!" Oh, guys. It's the best part of my day, hands down. I chat with his teacher for a minute, let him clean up, and we walk out into the awful, horrible heat and Kyle yells, "GO AWAY SUN!" Then I say, "What do we want?" And he yells back, "WINTER!" Brainwashing is fun.

6:10-6:30: Occasionally I have to swing by the store to get something for dinner or something for Kyle's school. I actually love the grocery store, so it's kind of a fun stop. (I KNOW.) The bank is in the same center, so I combine the two when I can. I just realized my typical day is kind of pathetically lame.

6:30-7: This half hour always varies. Sometimes: Kyle plays, we play together, when it's not so hot outside I openly weep we play outside, I do the dishes (Kyle helps), Kyle watches a movie while I start/make dinner, we collapse on the couch together and vow we'll sleep more (mainly just me on that last part).

7-7:30: Kyle eats and I usually eat with him. I start the "it's getting close to bedtime" warning, so he's not caught off guard. You'd think he'd never be, since it happens every night, but that warning is crucial, oh is it.

7:30-45: Bath (not every night, who am I, a superhero?), pjs, two books (although he'll always try to negotiate for a few more), and snuggles. This is my second favorite part of the day.

7:45-8: Clean up the kitchen, ignore the laundry, change into my work-out clothes, collapse onto the couch again.

8-9: Write, edit for Style Lush and Food Lush, occasional freelance work, Twitter, Pinterest, etc.

9:08: Mike pulls into the driveway from work and leaves the car running so I can get to the gym in time to squeeze in a run. Thankfully it's like three blocks away. I have about an hour, and that's plenty of time for now, but when my half-marathon training gets longer and longer, I'll have to do more and more morning runs. (Which means getting up about an hour or two earlier.)

9:45-10: Home and into a quick shower.

10-10:30: Talk to Mike about our days and anything cute Kyle said or did after school, maybe watch something together.

10:30-11:30: More writing/editing if needed. If not, more time with Mike.

11:30-on: I try to go to bed around midnight, but it all depends on what's on my DVR queue and on my to-do list. One last thing I do before heading to bed: sneak into check on Kyle. He's always sleeping. He never stirs even when I kiss him one more time. No matter how much he changes, I always have that moment at the end of the day, and it makes every other moment absolutely, hands-down worth it.

***

Your turn! What's your typical day like?

Half-Marathon Training: Week 3

Week 1
Week 2

***

Last week was rough all around. Mike was out of town, Kyle got sick, our a/c broke, my motivation was in the gutter. I'm surprised I got through any workouts at all, truth be told.

Monday: Rest

I kicked this one's ass!

Tuesday: 1.8 mile run

It was supposed to be 2.5, but I couldn't get through it. It was just rough, rough, rough. I blame my outfit, in part. I was wearing new shorts that ended up being ridiculously uncomfortable and I couldn't focus.

Wednesday: 2.2 mile run

This was supposed to be 1.5 but to offset the day before, I ran extra. This run was the exact opposite. Awesome, felt great, the music was fun, all around good. (I was supposed to do weights when I got home but solo parenting exhaustion trumped that plan. I went to bed early instead.)

Thursday: (supposed to be) cross training

Fail

Friday: rest

I did! I rested!

Saturday: 2.5 mile run

This day was just nuts. I know you can squeeze in a workout anytime, if you really want, but sometimes life really does take over.

Sunday: 2 mile run

Did it and felt great.

***

Yeah, not my best week, but those weeks are going to happen, I think. Gotta shake 'em off and focus ahead. This week, our a/c is fixed, Mike is back, my running buddy and I have big plans for our longer runs, so I'm feeling better.

Last week, Erin asked in the comments "when do you run?" and I thought I'd answer that. I alternate between running at 6 am (usually two runs a week) with Kristie at a local park or in one of our neighborhoods and at 9 pm when Mike gets home from work. My night runs are usually on the treadmill, at least for now when it's still 95+ degrees out. On the weekends, I squeeze in a run anytime I can, but I really prefer running early in the morning. It gets the weekend started on the right foot and keeps me accountable on Friday nights. I'll have to adjust as my distance increases, so I'll keep you posted.

Anyone else have a question? I'd love to answer.

If not, I have two questions for you:

• What's your favorite healthy living/running blog?
• What's your favorite healthy dinner recipe?

***

(Oh, I also guest posted on Trading Up Downtown on how to stay motivated to train when the weather is awful. Check that out!)

Grace in Small Things: Take Six

(Take One, Two, Three, Four, and Five)

We've had a spectacularly crappy last few days. I planned to write a post all about why the last few days have been so crappy but those posts are about as much fun to write as they are to read. All you need to know: they sucked! Let's hope the next few days don't.

To re-focus a little, here are some small and lovely things that don't suck one bit.

1. I taught Kyle how to eskimo kiss the other night, as we read stories before bed. He laughed, I laughed, my heart grew a little bit bigger for the millionth time.

2. My mom and my mother-in-law. Texas has been downright unbearable this summer, and while I could go on and on and ON about just how unbearable it has been (our a/c broke this past week, so I'm a wee bit preoccupied with the weather), we (mainly) live here because Kyle has an incredible relationship with both his grandmas. Last Sunday, the day Mike left, Kyle and I spent time at my in-laws' house and then had my mom over for dinner (and I squeezed in a run). I went to Target solo and stuck to my half-marathon training all because we have a really wonderful support system here, in Texas. Oh, Texas. I hate your conditions but love your residents. We're here for a while, because of the latter.

3. My new banner. (Look up!) Thanks Cherie and C*Squared.

4. I went to the gym tonight, discouraged over so much, and decided I'd just walk a little. There was no way I could run two miles (the distance on my training plan for the day). Somehow, someway, I ran two miles, no problem. I credit the Dixie Chicks, actually, for the surprisingly inspiring songs that popped up on my Pandora.

5. Kristie. You know our background, if you know us at all, and it's weird if that's all you know. What makes it not weird, not even a little, is that Kristie is the one who buys me champagne when my a/c breaks, who brings me Diet Coke when I need it, who Kyle calls to talk to without me knowing, who sends me Pinterest finds that remind her of me, and who gets up at the crack of dawn to run with me, when I need that motivation. She's one of the best friends I've ever had and, really, that no longer has anything to do with how we met. We've been friends for nearly six years and I'm just so lucky to have her.

***

(You guys live in some really cool places. Keep the cities and restaurant recs coming!)

Where Do You Live?

I love traveling.

You know this if you know me. (Or have read this site for longer than five minutes.) I get twitchy when I haven't gone somewhere (anywhere!) in a few months. I'm up for any trip, too. Whether it's a crazy family roadtrip or a girl's weekend or a day trip to some no-name Texas town, I'll probably be game. My budget doesn't often allow for anything extravagant, but I do my best to travel as cheaply as possible. Travelzoo, my friends! Bookmark it today.

I have a folder in my email titled "travel" and another titled "restaurants" and I fill them with links to places I want to go, places I want to stay, and places I want to eat. I also have a spraedsheet with things I want to do and try in my own area. (I kill at parties. Invite me to one today!)

But, aside from all that crazy, one thing you may not know about me is how much I enjoy hearing about where other people live. I love talking about your hometown just as much as my own. Or, where you like to travel to or where you were born or where you love to eat. Basically new places are my absolute favorite thing right behind my son's smile and Tim Riggins' everything.

So because it's Friday and because I have a kind of stressful day ahead, do me a favor and answer me this (to give me some fun reading material to enjoy during said stress):

Where do you live? What's your favorite restaurant there?

(This isn't for stalking purposes, in case it's coming across that way. I mean, I'm crazy but not that crazy.)

Rain, Rain

Kyle is moving classes next week and I'm not sad about him getting older (lies) but I am sad about the teachers he's leaving behind (not lies, they'e awesome). I talked to one in the parking lot this week and basically said, "How much will it cost to get you to just blatantly ignore your new class and check in on him every half hour?" She laughed because I think she gets me. Or I make her uncomfortable, kind of hard to tell.

Earlier this week when I picked him up, he said "Mommy, my rain hat is in my cubby." This sentence made little sense to me, but thankfully his teacher overheard and said, "Oh! Yes, we made rain dance hats for the rain dance I taught them. It should be in his cubby."

While the rest of DFW complains their way through the summer (including me, don't you know it), my son's teacher created a rain dance and then organized a craft for all the kids to make hats to go along with the dance. This is why I send him to school (in part). If I were home with him every day, it would never ever ever occur to me to create 1) a rain dance or 2) rain dance hats to go along with it.

He insisted on wearing the hat home and then, about a minute into the drive, started shouting, "RAIN, WHERE ARE YOU? I WEARING MY RAIN HAT! WHY'S IT NO RAINING!?"

He was visibly annoyed. You know, he did his part. He wanted results. This is how I feel every single time I run. HEY, I RAN! WHERE IS MY RUNNER'S PHYSIQUE!?

I was laughing pretty hard at him, yelling angrily at the sky, that he stopped and said, "Mommy, I make you happy?"

Oh, kid. Truer words have never been spoken.

(Not that a little rain wouldn't make me even happier. Can't lie.)

Elsewhere: Surviving a Long Road Trip

I never really talked about logisitically mastering a road trip with a toddler (and a dog) even though I shared details from our family roadtrip trip here and here. Well, I actually did share a few secrets just somewhere else entirely. (Sneaky!)

Head over to the North Hills Hospital blog for some of my secrets.

That part about scrambling to find a hotel in the dead of night? Yeah. That happened. To us.

 

 

Half-marathon Training: Week 2

For any newcomers, I'm training for my first half-marathon. Since this isn't necessarily a running/fitness blog, I'm going to try and keep training thoughts and updates to one post per week.

Week 1

***

Monday: 2 mile run

I have no recollections of this run, which probably means it was awful.

Tuesday: 1 mile run

Happy to report this was a piece-of-cake run.

Wednesday: 2 mile + strength

A pretty tough and discouraging run. I left wondering how on earth I'm going to do THAT distance 6+ times in just a few months, but I powered through and then went on to do a Carrots N Cake weight-lifting workout (which was incredible since I felt great during but also felt really sore the next day; highly recommend her Carrots N Weight series).

Thursday: 30 minutes of cross

I tried to do the entire Banish Fat, Boost Metabolism video until our DVD player crapped out on me about half-way through. I think the fitness gods were trying to tell me to watch Parks & Rec re-runs instead.

Friday: Rest

Ate and drank with Kristie, which is a great form of rest, if you ask me.

Saturday: 2 mile

I had plans to run this with Kristie on a local trail we love, but it rained (!!) with a side of lightning, so I had to cram this in at the gym later that afternoon. It was a great run, though, and it helped restore the faith Wednesday's run totally stole.

Sunday: 1.5 mile

This was an extra run for the week since Mike is out of town for a few days, and I'm not sure how easy it'll be to stick to my upcoming training schedule. It was fine, nothing too tough or too easy about it.

***

A question to leave you with: I'm really coveting this Garmin watch for training and for race day but, holy price tag, right? Any other similar watches you would recommend or is this price absolutely worth it?

Pinning, Lately

So, Pinterest, are you on it? (You should be, and then you should befriend me, so I can bogart all your awesome ideas and links.) What I'd love even more than the site as it is now, is if what you just pinned would then magically appear before you. If it's art, boom! It's on your wall. If it's a pretty skirt, bam! It's in your closet. If it's yummy homemade Twix bars, voila! It's totally in your stomach. The ideas and creations are something but making them appear in my life without any effort or money would really be something.

Get on that, you!

Anyway, if you're not on Pinterest, here are a few of my favorite pins lately.

These are lyrics from an Avett Brothers' song, "Murder in the City." I love it.

This is what I'd like to do with my race medals, when I have more than one, that is.

I think I've finally decided on something like this for over our couch, but what lyrics/phrases to frame?

I'm a fan of this outfit. Someone make it mine.

Slow cooker chicken tikki masala. Going on the September menu.

Funfetti sandwich cookies. I think I'll make these for Kyle's teachers next week, when he officially moves classes. (I DON'T WANNA TALK ABOUT IT. HE IS TOO BIG.)

I love the idea of framing a photo from a big day, surrounded by newspaper clippings from that same day. As long as you don't cut out clips from the crime section. That'd be less sweet.

A year of magical thinking. I shall absolutely do this in 2012. Remind me, though, would you?

Anything you've been pinning lately?

Half-Marathon Training: Week 1

On my training program last week were four short runs (1.5 + 1 + 1.5 + 1.5 = 5.5 miles) and 30 min of cross-training. I checked off each run but (hangs head) didn't do the cross. I can tell it's going to be a struggle when the activity is left entirely up to me and isn't as specific as "run one mile."

Let's talk about my runs though.

Run 1: 1.5 mile

I ran at 6 am last Monday morning, with Kristie. We ran in my neighborhood and even though it wasn't easy -- oh, it's hot even at 6 am -- it was nice to get the run out of the way early in the day. I also can't speak highly enough for running with a friend. It's such great moviation for getting out of bed. 

Run 2: 1 mile

I ran this on Tuesday, on the treadmill, and it was just plain tough, start to finish. One mile! So measly! So ass-kicking!

Run 3: 1.5 mile

Another on the treadmill, but not tough at all. This is the hilariousness of running: one mile is horrible one day and a breeze the very next.

Run 4: 1.5 mile

I did this on a (kind of hilly-ish) trail, and it was pretty tough. I couldn't get in stride, I was sweating after a minute (again, hot hot hot, even at 6:30 am).

All in all, kind of tough runs, even though they were all short, and no cross training at all. An okay first week, but I hope the hot weather is the culprit for zapping my energy and drive, and as it gradually cools, I'll stop hating life and exercise.

A couple questions for you, though. Any cross-training activities you enjoy while race training? Also, any songs you're loving right now while you kick ass at something?

Two And a Half

I think two year olds everywhere should hire me to be their key marketer. You know, if they had the budget for me, but I've found two year olds are pretty rotten with finances. Still, I'd happily go far and wide, taking moms of newborns aside, looking them deep in their eyes and saying, "Don't fret, stop pulling your hair out, two is ahead of you."

Glorious, glorious two.

Two is the most amazing ride I've ever been on. I can't believe any age will ever compare to two, and since I hear three is a total motherfucker, let me enjoy two. Don't tell me what's ahead. Let me revel for a moment. Magical two.

There are bumps, sure. There is hastily leaving restaurants and malls and wedding ceremonies because two is over it all (and two will loudly tell you it's over it all). Two will tell you "NO JUICE" and then innocently ask "Where my juice?" two seconds later. Two will break the one thing you asked it not to touch and as you look, stunned, at all the broken pieces, two says "Mommy, what HAPPEN?" As if to say, "WHO DID THIS? WE MUST MAKE THEM PAY." Oh, sweet child, you happened. Two also likes to wake up at 6:45 am on Saturdays and 8:30 am on the days you have to be at work early for a meeting.

Oh, two.

But for every head-scratching, scene-causing, WTF?-inducing  moment there are wide grins and silly dances and snuggles and hilarious awesomeness. And the talking! Listening to a two year old is the best hobby on the planet. "Mommy, I need chocolate milk and we go Target and Molly's funny and I put shoes on now and HUGS MOMMY! JUUUUUUICE!" Listening to a two year old is like listening to a totally out-of-control drunk friend without a hint of the concern. And they say all this nonsense in a voice that is so adorably eager. Eager for everything.

Two is innocent yet clever, sweet yet brave, smart yet heartbreakingly unaware of the tough stuff. Two is all the good in all the world, without any of the bitterness or cruelty or annoying Facebook updates.

Today, for one perfect day, we have as much two ahead of us as we have behind us.

Kyle is two-and-a-half today.

I know, it kind of blows my mind, too.

I think about his (near-perfect, really) birth often, and I think of how it all changed that day, how I looked into his steel-blue eyes with utter disbelief. I thought, "You're so much more beautiful than I ever dreamed you could be. I never, ever could have dreamed of you, and I dreamed of a lot." (He was an awfully cute newborn, wasn't he?) Man, how in love with that little guy I was, back then, and it's still just nothing compared to now.

They all say it'll stun you how much you love your child as soon as you set your eyes upon him or her, and yes yes yes that is true. That is the truth, but there's something else, too. All that love just grows. That love just wondrously expands. The love never stops building. You thought you loved then? Oh, just wait.

Just wait till two.

Happy half-birthday, my funny, miracle of a boy. I just plain adore you.

Half-Marathon Training

I'm training for a half-marathon that I'll run in Las Vegas (the Strip at Night). Mike promises to wait at the finish line with gallons of champagne for me. (Or, fine, a glass, but my mind is totally going to visualize gallons as I run.)

The training program I found and really liked was a 12-week program for beginners, but since I want to feel ridiculously confident about this race (and because I needed a plan to stick to now) I modified that plan and stretched it out to cover 18 weeks.

For those who want to follow along, I have my training mapped out in Google doc form (if you're training/running too, and want an invite to the doc, let me know!):

{Click on the image to enlarge!}

One of my crazy sidebar list items is to run 11 miles on 11/11/11, so that's worked in there, through two runs that day. We'll see how that goes down!

I'm just two runs in, so I shouldn't be all Braggy McGee, but I am happy with the plan. It feels more "doable" than "holy shit balls." And I credit adding a few extra weeks of padding to the Couch to 5K for my success with that program.

I'm trying to get my runs in outside, at the crack of dawn, before the heat really gets impossible to deal with, but I'll be on a treadmill for some of these (esp the Tuesday runs, due to scheduling). At least until the weather gets nicer. (WHEN WILL THE WEATHER GET NICER OMG?)

I may try to do some sort of weekly update as I train -- I'm not sure if that's something anyone would even want to read -- but it might be fun to look back on. (I had a Tumblr account for these-types of posts, but I abandoned it because one more site to manage turned out to be a straight-up awful idea.)

So, yeah, 13.1 miles. Soon-ish.

Where I Ate in San Diego: The Highlights

I titled this "the highlights" because you probably don't care to know about the Starbucks iced coffee I had every morning or the convention center nachos I ate in our booth for lunch. Unless you do care and if you do, you're probably my mom. Hi, mom!

So, how about a top ten list of awesome? Yeah, sounds good.

Top Ten Delicious Things I Ate (& Drank) in San Diego

10. Dark chocolate gelato from Chocolat Cremerie. I had a rough day of set-up, so I treated myself to gelato. And, oh my, am I glad I did. This was as creamy and chocolatey as gelato comes. I got a tiny, tiny cup because it was before dinner, and I ate it in like 15 seconds.

9. Lagunitas beer from The Hopping Pig. I'd never had this beer before, and I got it, admittedly, because it's from a brewery in Petaluma, where my step-mom and brother live. It was amazing, though! I sipped it while people-watching and writing on the bar's patio, in the 70-degree weather. Blissful!

8. Gorgonzola mashed potatoes from Panevino. I don't think this needs further explanation, do you?

7. Norah's Pear-adise cocktail from R Gang Eatery. I don't usually like vodka cocktails because the actual taste of vodka is kind of throat-burny. But, this was delicious. Light, fruity, really good.

{Norah's Pear-adise}

6. Fried pickles from The Knotty Barrel. Yum.

5. Smoked gouda mac-and-cheese from R Gang Eatery. Oh man, was this delicious. It might be my favorite thing from the entire trip. Jen and I shared it, and I wanted to order three more servings.

4. Hummus with ground Kobe beef from Sammy's Woodfired Pizza. I love hummus, but I have never once thought about adding any other protein to it. I'M GLAD SOMEONE ELSE THOUGHT TO!

{Hummus with Kobe beef}

3. Deep-fried twinkies from The Knotty Barrel. We split these, as a table, and that was a silly idea. I could easily have devoured an order all my own.

2. Cheddar cheese fondue from The Melting Pot. Dipping carbs into melted cheese. Yeah, like this one needs further explanation.

1. Warm crispy mini-donuts from Sammy's Woodfired Pizza. Oooooooh, I am still thinking about these doughy delights. Dip half the donuts in chocolate and half in the raspberry sauce and thank me later.

And, now you can see why I'm spending an awful lot of time in the gym, post-trip. Anyway, if you're heading to San Diego soon (BlogHer, anyone?), you can't go wrong with any of these dishes. Or all of them. 

We have a winner!

For the champagne flutes I'm giving away.

Amy!

Who I know loves champagne, which makes me happy to give her these. Amy, I'll email you, friend, to make sure I have your address correct.