I have been accepted to the Master's program in Occupational Therapy for the Fall of 2012 at Winston-Salem State University. I'm very excited and relieved after receiving the admissions letter Saturday, the day after my birthday.
As for my birthday, I started the day with a new bootcamp class at the gym and was thrilled to get back to doing some strength training. I carpooled with MW to work and was treated to a wonderful lunch with my two friends/co-workers. I picked The Basil Leaf, a new Thai place near our office. I was not disappointed and neither were my friends. I was happy to have introduced them to a new lunch spot.
After work, MW picked me up and we went to Haute Chocolate to pick out my birthday truffles. I picked the Earl Grey Tea truffle (a house specialty) and a Chipotle Cherry truffle.
(Earl Grey was gone at this point. MW's are on the top:
Creme Brulee and White Raspberry Truffle)
From there, we ran into City Beverage to pick out a beer for the weekend, but found out that the credit card machine wasn't working. We decided to run over to First Street Draught House to get a beer before grabbing cash and returning to City Bev. However, as we ordered our beer I heard a yell from across the bar
"HAPPY BIRTHDAY LEEANN!"
Bewildered, I looked across and saw our friend (and MW's former NY neighbor) Heather. We hadn't seen Heather since the summer, so we made our way over and started chatting. She invited us to stay and meet her friends, so we did. Several hours later, any plans of salmon and city bev had been tossed aside, without hesitation or dismay. We had a great time catching up with Heather and making new friends. Salmon can always wait.
Despite getting home around 9:30pm, I was pooped after a long day of exercise, work, and beer. I did, however, manage to eat my Earl Grey Tea truffle, completely savoring each bite before drifting off to pleasant sleep. It was smooth but also gritty in surprisingly enjoyable way. Needless to say, I'm excited to have my second truffle, possibly with a Hopslam and new Walking Dead episode.
Saturday we woke up and MW made me a famous MW breakfast. I grabbed some hot sage sausage at the local farm market and made little sausage patties. MW also re-upped our bagel stash for my birthday, which was a welcome surprise. We are some bagel lovers in this house. Thanks to Joseph, we had awesome eggs to dunk the bagels in and the sausage completed the whole meal. Best birthday breakfast ever. I ate it so fast, pictures didn't even stand a chance.
We had planned to go to my parents' house in Charlotte Saturday in order to see them for dinner and return my mom's car (which I had borrowed). I wanted to clean up a bit before we left, so I took the trash out and grabbed our mail key just to check for coupons or magazines. And surprisingly enough, there was a package from WSSU admissions. Our mail actually comes later in the afternoon, so it must have been delivered on Friday. I tore it open on the spot like a high school senior and nearly busted my face running up the apartment steps to show MW. He was, of course, ecstatic. What a great birthday gift!
I was so happy to be able to go down and tell my parents in person, especially since we were having a nice steak dinner. It gave us even more reason to celebrate. It was the best way to share the news: Dad's steaks are the best and the wine was phenomenal! I am so lucky to have my parents close by for exciting events like this.
Steak, roasted potatoes, steamed broccoli
Dad the photographer
My beautiful mommy!
MW posing
Unfortunately, the best I could do was Facetime with my sister, but at least I got to see her reaction. I also was able to show off the new Ugg slippers she got me for my birthday.
(which I love, love, love and am currently wearing)
Gus smells Riley on my new slippers
Zoe watches from a safe distance
After being chided about my lack of photos, I've quickly remedied the error of my ways.
My apologies, loyal followers. Thanks for all the encouraging responses!!
I enjoy March for some pretty obvious reasons: my birthday, official first day of spring, warm weather, march madness. Daylight Savings Time can get lost, though. I'm glad February is over. How did you spend your leap day? I didn't do anything exciting but after watching all our favorite shows, I feel like I was supposed to use the extra day in a fun way! Next time, I guess.
Usually, it is MW who reminds me that I'm slacking on my blogging duties. This time, however, it was my own mother. I know, I'm embarrassed to admit it. But I'm happy that she checks regularly enough to know there hasn't been a post recently!
Since my last post, I've been quite successful in my no-sugar diet. I admit to eating sweets 3 times during the whole experiment. I'm actually surprised I was able to hold out when times were tough. Especially since this time has included Valentine's day, for which my dad always sends me and my sister the Godiva Valentine's day bear complete with chocolate. I haven't touched a single one! I'm starting my 9th week and it's only been getting easier. From what I read, most people get over cravings during week 3 or 4, but honestly, I didn't stop craving until week 6 or 7. It took a long time, ya'll. I was that enmeshed with sugar. For the first 6 weeks, I would crave it during stressful days (which there have been), rainy days, tired days and almost everyday at 3pm. It got rough at times. But I pulled through with hot tea, fruit, and other tactics I found useful.
As I near the end of the trial (which I extended by 2 weeks) -and my birthday- I've been thinking about how I want to continue this and in what fashion. I recently decided that I would have a sweet treat for my birthday and took some time to figure out what I wanted. A local truffle shop opened in April of last year and I've never had a chance to make it there. I thought, if I'm going to break my sugar-free streak I want it to be on something out of this world delicious and positively decadent. What better way than truffles? So this Friday, I will be heading over to Haute Chocolate to pick a truffle for my birthday treat after work. I've already decided to make salmon for dinner, so the whole evening will be savory and wonderful!
Afterwards, however, I plan to continue being mostly (refined) sugar-free. I am going to add some honey in as a natural sweetener, though now most foods taste naturally sweet. But also because the granola bars I make are nice to have when I'm out and about and in need of energy reserves and they use honey to glue them together. I also plan to partake in small amounts of ice cream (since I love it) but desserts will mainly be for special occasions. I still won't be mindlessly eating chocolate at the office. I may decide to tweak this later, and either add or subtract more sugary foods, but for the most part I've felt great. I have fewer headaches and less shaky moments of low blood sugar. I eat regularly and fill up on veggies and fruit and whole grains, just as I think we were meant to. Like I said, this year is about balance, and I plan to use that as a guide as I eat.
Speaking of eating, check out these awesome lunch boxes I got for MW and myself:
They have two 1-cup containers and an ice pack, with extra space on top (or bottom, depending where you put the small containers). Last week I started meal planning, and these little buggers made it extra simple. Each night I would pack our super fresh and healthy lunches. This particular day we had a turkey, veggie, hummus wrap; salt and vinegar chips; grapes and almonds; and veggie sticks with hummus. I'm a hungry girl, so I always include a morning and afternoon snack. I'd rather eat a little bit often than a large amount two or three times a day.
One day for lunch, I made Sweet Potato Quinoa Cakes, which were great for packing. I found the recipe here on a blog I enjoy reading. They're an awesome vegetarian meal and are extremely tasty. I froze the extras, wrapping each individually.
One night I ate them plain with some apple slices, but the next day I took one to work on a bed of spinach. It was perfect!
Zoe continues to adapt to our new little family. She chases Gus all over the house, he hasn't slept so well since he was a kitten! She also continues to wake up at 5am and demand food by chasing our feet in the blankets.
They've been pretty lazy beans this weekend.
Last weekend we had the opportunity to go visit our friend Joseph and new baby Jobi and feed them for a night. Unfortunately, Miranda was sick and we're sad we missed out on time with her. But now we'll have to go back and feed her as well.
Joseph lives near a goat farm and I want to steal them (and give one to Miranda). But he says they aren't milk goats, they are eating goats and I don't like that. This one has a wee baby underneath drinking milk!
Baby Jobi and dad!!
I just love his dinosaur outfit.
Joseph had been taking care of Jobi for a few days solo, so I was happy to step in and give him a reprieve, including one free diaper change. I love babies, so I was thrilled to have a whole day with one.
We took our pasta maker and made Joseph a double batch of spaghetti.
...then we ate some.
Porter was happy to get the pieces that fell
We love visiting Joseph and Miranda. Theirs is pretty much the life we want to live someday. Joseph has chickens that we visited when they were itty bitty guys roaming around. Or, I guess they're mostly girls.
These are from last fall when we first saw them.
This is the mack daddy of the coup
Porter thinks he is a chicken
MW feeds some hungry ladies
Miranda with a chickadee, precious.
Now they're all big and grown and laying eggs. Delicious, fresh, nutrient rich eggs.
Check these guys out!! Luckily for us, Joseph likes us enough to provide a generous stream of fresh eggs.
You don't get eggs with yolks this rich from the store.
They make for a super tasty breakfast, like the one MW cooked me this morning:
If you haven't heard by now, MW and I have made an addition to our family.
Meet Zoe!
After Gus had a great time playing with Buster over Christmas, MW and I decided to look into getting another cat to keep Gus company. We strolled into Forsyth Animal Control Shelter, with the intention of finding a new, non-black cat. And then, we fell in love with a black cat.
She was so playful and friendly when we met her that we immediately felt like she'd be a good fit for Gus, whose energy seems endless. We spent about an hour with her and then decided to run home and bring Gus back, to see how they reacted to each other. Gus was anxious from hearing barking dogs and the meeting wasn't ideal, but he wasn't aggressive towards her at all. We went home that night and had the forms filled out the next day to adopt her.
She came home on the 17th, after being spayed, and she and Gus had a slow start. He's been our baby for three years now, so he was a little put-off by this little mini version of him in his territory. I'm happy to say that after a week and a half, they're getting along perfectly!!
Pooped from surgery, her first night home
They've been helping each other groom those hard to reach places
She's a nose licker. MW loves it.
She's been a great addition to our family. Even though she and Gus tore through the house like crazy cats at 6am this morning.
Last sunday, MW had the idea to make some ravioli, something we've planned to do for a while but just hadn't yet.
We roasted some cherry tomatoes
Used some local sausage mixed with onions, garlic, and parmesan for the filling
And spent some time stamping out the ravioli
Our stamp isn't ideal for making a lot, so we'll need to get a mold for quicker production,
but it worked fine for our first attempt.
After they were cut, we left them to dry
Sausage Ravioli with roasted tomatoes and pesto.
I can't wait to make it again! Good thing we froze some.
A few days later, we had some leftover chicken. MW got creative again and made homemade mayo so we could have chicken salad sandwiches.
It was so simple! And very flavorful.
We barely use mayo, so it's more than worth it to us to make it fresh when we need it for chicken salad or to spruce up sandwiches.
This was even better than it looks, if possible.
Wednesday evening, our good friends Joseph and Miranda were in the hospital, expecting the birth of their first child. Miranda was due to be induced the next morning, so while she rested, Joseph met us so we could get a pre-fatherhood drink for him. It was ideal timing, since Finnigan's Wake had just tapped their limited release keg of Bell's Hopslam.
Savored.
To fatherhood!
We were so happy to be able to spend that time with Joseph and we know they're going to be great parents. Congratulations Joseph and Miranda!!
Saturday we spent the day with our friend the Snowman, who was getting a new tattoo in honor of his Nana. He took some ideas to a local tattoo artist and the artist drew up his interpretation, which turned out beautiful:
Snowman with the artist
The tattoo shop was a few doors down from Foothills, where this year's Sexual Chocolate Stout was released on Friday. Naturally, we had to go (even though MW and I went by friday evening for a taste!)
It is divine.
Creamy, chocolatey, and so silky smooth. One of my favorite beers.
With two limited release beers (which we got to have on draught!) January turned out to be a great time for craft beers. We're excited to continue branching out and enjoying craft brews from around the state (and beyond). We're so glad we were able to get some time in with great friends this weekend, just before the semester starts getting busier for MW.
MW and I arrived to our hotel in Queens around 3pm to a drizzly, gray afternoon. MW's new Prius was a champ in getting us there safely! We checked in and got settled, not expecting KBurd (Fergie) and Regg until much later in the evening. Eventually we cleaned ourselves up and headed out to a bar nearby for some dinner and beers to pass the time. MW had a gigantic Chicken Pot Pie and I inhaled my burger and fries.
When KBurd and Regg arrived it was so good to see their faces!! We spent time catching up and eventually it was bedtime so we could rest up for the next crazy few days.
We woke up Wednesday and caught some breakfast at Dave's Bagels, a local shop that we walked to (and frequented). After filling up we decided to head to Midtown to see Rockefeller Center and the famous Christmas Tree! It was a busy day since the weather was so nice.
As warm as it was, it was still very windy!
We decided to meet up with an old friend of Regg/KBurd/MW's from high school at one of the few breweries actually in NYC, Heartland Brewery. After a quick stop by Radio City, we were there in no time.
I find the following sequence funny and endearing:
The beers at Heartland were quite good. I think Regg and his friend shared a sampler of the house drafts while I tried the Harvest Wheat and the Not Tonight Honey Porter. Soon, though, our stomachs were rumbling, so we took some tequila shots and headed out and down to the East Village.
Thanks to our good friend J, who sadly could not be with us, we knew of a small place serving the best Mac and Cheese in NYC: S'Mac. We ordered up two samplers and settled in to the cozy environment with active salivary glands.
The boys walking up to S'mac
Regg is contemplating which sample to try first
KBurd makes a suggestion, with delight in her eyes
Happy Mac and Cheesers
They arrive in scalding hot iron skillets
You even get a map of which types the sampler comes with so you are prepared for each taste. My favorite was the Alpine: Gruyere and bacon! yum! MW and KBurd both enjoyed the Parisienne: Creamy Brie, roasted figs, shiitake mushrooms, and rosemary! It was very savory. MW is becoming quite the mushroom eater, much to my surprise. To be honest, they were all extraordinary! If you are in NYC, you must go! These happy faces tell it all
Two empty skillets
Upon finishing, we checked our watches and decided to head back to Queens to freshen up before the concert. We bought unlimited subway passes for the week, so we weren't shy about hopping on the subway (sometimes just to go a few stops). But this turned out to be the only day we crossed back and forth before the concerts. Night one was fantastic and it was great to enjoy good music with good friends. MSG really is a magical place and Phish has the ability to bring it to life. That night we headed straight home and crashed hard.
Thursday we were up fairly early but it takes 4 people a while to get ready with one bathroom. I feel I need to note that, since we decided not to head back to Queens before the concert, I was no longer carrying my camera and will attempt to document through iPhone pictures as best as possible.
By the time we were moving and ready for the city, we decided to skip breakfast and head, instead, back to the East Village for the french fry experience from Heaven. Pommes Frites is a European style french fry shop with an endless combination of delicious, mayo-based dipping sauces. MW and I split a large bag of fries and got several dipping sauces, including Rosemary Garlic Mayo, Pesto Mayo, Parmesan Peppercorn, War Sauce (mayo, peanut satay, and raw onions), and the house standard: Especial (mayo, ketchup, and raw onion). By far our favorite was the Especial!
KBurd in line for some mayo goodness
We sat on the edge of the sidewalk, since it was pretty busy inside and we wanted to enjoy the sunshine and nice weather.
MW had an accident with the war sauce, but luckily our sights were mostly set on the Especial at this point. RIP War Sauce.
After filling our guts with fried-delicious-mayo-dipped-goodness, we located a bar in the East Village through Yelp (one of my favorite resources) and headed over for some brews. Jimmy's No. 43 was located down some stairs and had a very dark and cozy feel to it with old hardwood floors and hunting game hung on the walls. We happened to visit during a week when they had all Green Flash Brewery beers. I got a sampler, my usual go-to.
A favorite!
It was a great spot to hit while we thought about our next dining locale. We spent some time relaxing and genuinely enjoying one another's company. As a group, we meshed well with our travel expectations. We all have a very go-with-the-flow attitude, so there were never any difficulties, which made it even more pleasurable. Even with the few times I've met both KBurd and Regg, I grow to love them each time and have come to consider them both great friends. It's really a shame we live so many states apart.
Once our bellies signaled we were growing hungry (which is astonishing, considering the amount of mayo we consumed) we headed off in search of Bite, a European American and Mediterranean Cuisine. First, KBurd convinced us to stop for Egg Creams. We were leery of something called an "egg cream" that you drink and I expected something warm and thick, like eggnog. Egg Cream is like a carbonated, slightly creamy italian soda, available in vanilla and chocolate (we split one of each). I was instantly hooked and we slurped away until we reached Bite. We started our dining experience with Fresh Mozzarella and Basil Bruschetta and a Roasted Pepper Tapanade Hummus plate. Both were divine. MW even ordered a peach sangria that was strong and delightful.
Warm fresh pita with hummus is killer
The walls showcased the owner's son's drawings. They brought a smile to my face.
This was definitely one of my favorite spots of the trip. The owner was nice and the large windows in the front were so inviting. The food was simple but filling. The hummus was so smooth and flavorful that words just can't do it justice. I know when we return to NYC, Bite will be on our list of places to return to.
Completely content, we returned to Midtown and set up base camp in a bar close to MSG called Rattle N Hum. 40 Beers on Draught plus over 100 bottles to choose from. We're draught drinkers, so we poured over the menu. MW was thrilled to see a nice selection of IPAs to choose from. By the time we came upon RNH, the bar was already pretty packed, but we lucked out and nabbed a small table right by the front door where we awaited the arrival of some friends from Upstate NY.
Once they showed up, we had a few more beers and then rendezvoused to MSG.
Our seats both night one and night two were Fishman side and set back, but provided great views of the lights and the entire audience. Another great concert and we promptly ran to Dave's Bagels before making it home and collapsing into comas.
Friday!
Friday was basically a return to all our favorites. We started slow and spent some time in the hotel with our friends, who arrived in town that morning and were also staying at our hotel. Eventually made our way back to Bite (for Hummus and sandwiches). It really was THAT good. I wish I could just move upstairs and start every day with Bite. We walked around a bit, but wanted to stake our claim at a table towards the back at Rattle N Hum. We got there around 4 or 5pm and it was already lively, but we were able to slide into a booth and sip beers until we were reunited with our friends.
Reunited and it feels so good! We spent an hour or two crammed into our 6 person booth, getting pretty cozy with one another. It was a good time had by all. The beers changed daily at Rattle N Hum, so there were lots of new ones to try each day. We decided to go in early to the show to get to our seats and get our bearings, so we left, but stopped for some cheap pizza on the way.
This pleasantly lit spot between two buildings had small tables and a guy playing acoustic guitar. We hung out for a minute, soaking up the ambience just down the street from MSG.
(thanks to Regg for providing some of these pictures)
Regg, KBurd, MW and I had seats dead center this night, and they were by far my favorite seats.
Lit
The magic begins
The music and lights were phenomenal. The whole arena was transformed into this buzzing ball of energy that swayed and crested like a tumultuous ocean. Because the arena is actually a circle, hanging in suspension within a square building, you could actually feel the floor moving as people danced to the music. It was unreal. Even the lights became an integral part of the musical experience. It was by far my favorite concert of the run. It was a great night to relish with good friends and stories of that night will be shared between us for years to come.
Afterward we took a stroll through Times Square. Since it was the 30th, the stage and post for the NYE ball were all set up, and we stood right beside all of it. KBurd and I were determined to have Egg Creams and Roasted nuts this evening. We actually spent a good portion of our meandering earlier in the day looking for some Egg Creams, with no success. As we entered Time Square, we passed a nut vendor who didn't look very appetizing so we dejectedly walked on. However, on the next corner, as we stood in near daylight taking in the sights and sounds of NYC, the smell of glorious roasted nuts wafted through our senses. KBurd and I simply looked at each other and knew it was meant to be.
They. Were. Amazing.
Everything I had hoped for and more. As I stood chewing on my honey roasted handful, I turned around and realized we had a nut stealer among us (uhem, MW). Unfortunately, we never did find Egg Creams the rest of the weekend. Next year KBurd, next year.
From there, our trusty guide lead us to the Pig N Whistle, where a year earlier MW and I (and KBurd and our good friend EMC from Seattle) started our evening of New Year's Day. We found ourselves upstairs where there was a nearly empty, small bar and a refreshing balcony over looking the street.
Luckily our friend Rob is a pro at taking discreet pictures. This one is from him, thanks Rob!
We spent some time sitting around, sipping waters and beers, reeling from an overwhelming concert before calling it a night and heading back to Queens (where we were all conveniently staying).
This may give you an indication of how we were feeling at that point.
Fuzzy brained, silly, but ready for one more night!
Saturday (NYE) we woke up even later but we needed the rest. After dressing, we stayed in Queens for breakfast and went to Pete's Grill, a local diner we found last year. It was a hearty way to start the day. Unfortunately I thought I could tackle french toast topped with 5 gallons a large portion of cinnamon baked apples (basically apple pie filling). It was a little too hearty. And, as always when I delineate from my standard fare, I regretted not getting eggs and a bagel. But I managed regardless.
This day we spent walking around Little Italy and China town, mostly staying to Mulberry and Canal streets. MW got some gelato and we stood and watched an older group of Chinese singers entertain a small crowd at a park nearby. It was a warm day and we were in no rush, so on we walked for a bit.
At some point we made our way back to Midtown and poked our heads into a couple bars before heading to our old favorite Rattle N Hum (for the final time). Again we grabbed a table in the back, picked at some food, drank some beers, and saw our crew one more time before the concerts.
This time, we sat on the floor 9 rows from the stage. It was a whole different experience than the previous three nights. At midnight, the band pulled off their typical NYE gag:
(this is long, but it will give you an idea; pulled from youtube)
(yes there are floating audience members and instruments)
Go to about 15:00 - we were right in the thick of all of this
We all counted down to midnight, when balloons dropped directly on us and Phish played Auld Lang Syne. MW and I shared a new year's kiss before enmeshing ourselves in a group hug with our little NYE family. It was the perfect way to ring in the new year and I hope it is a great one for all of us!
Phish played three sets that night and then released us into the busy streets of NYC dazed, tired, but completely satisfied. Bars were packed with people from Times Square, so we headed straight for the subway and hopped on to steal away home, lost in our thoughts and wordlessly breathing in the hopes and anticipations we each held for the new year.
Sunday Morning (1.1.12) we said goodbye to our other friends from Upstate as they left to get on the road. MW, Regg, KBurd and I shared one more breakfast at Dave's before Regg and KBurd got on the road, leaving MW and I in NYC to celebrate our 5 year anniversary.
We cleaned ourselves up, picked a place on Open Table/Yelp and made dinner reservations, then went off to grab a drink at The Ginger Man, a bar we had attempted to visit last year but found extraordinarily packed full. It was dimly lit and a bit romantic as we nudged up into a corner booth and sipped our brews. MW's Big Sis and her boyfriend were in town from NYE, so we connected with them and decided to meet up in Little Italy, where they currently were. Conveniently, our restaurant and the friends they were staying with were both on the Upper West Side, so we rode up there and grabbed a spot at a local sports bar to watch the Football games. MW and I couldn't stay long, but it was great to see Big Sis and her man again.
We walked two blocks to Coppola's West, a romantic Italian Restaurant with great reviews. We were seated next to another couple at a table for two and after a few minutes, the manager came over and offered to reseat us at a larger table. It was a nice offer and we accepted, allowing us more space and privacy to talk. MW ordered minestrone soup, which we shared, and Chicken French while I had my Italian staple, Chicken Parmigiana. We sipped Chardonnay and had a great conversation. I wouldn't have changed one minute of that night because it matched us so well. The restaurant had a cozy sort of charm without being stuffy or high-browed. And the food, naturally, was fantastic. Including the heavenly tiramisu and decadent NY Cheesecake we stuffed down.
MW has been a wonderful partner to me. I never expected to share my life with someone so equally and I am truly lucky to have him. I look forward to many more years of sharing in our happiness.
