I knew that when I joined Bally, I would have a hard time staying motivated after a few months. I’m not a huge fan of working out. I like doing things that are fun first, and then good exercise second, like dancing, walking, rollerblading and swimming. Also, it helps if I’m good at it.
Truth is, I have not been to the gym three times in one week since the end of March. And while I do have a bit of an excuse – sickness, vacations, visitors. It’s painfully obvious that I have not been losing weight and been eating like, um, I’m on vacation. My lack of motivation, mixed with events that conveniently get in the way of my routine has made me lazy and lowered my self-esteem because of it.
Case in point – last week: I usually do kickboxing on Mondays and swim Wednesdays and Fridays. Since it’s no longer a frozen tundra outside, I have also taken to walking the two miles to my house from work on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Last week I did go to kickboxing and walked home on Tuesday. But, my Fiancé, friend and I went to see Billy Elliot on Wednesday, my boyfriend picked me up from work on Thursday, and we had dinner at our friends’ house on Friday (however, I did manage to walk home that day). Since it rained outside all weekend, I only left the house to get groceries, and did nothing in the way of exercise all weekend.
This week, to my knowledge, I have nothing planned during the week. I have decided it’s going to be the week to kick my butt back into the routine. Healthy eating, and just less eating in general, needs to be on the agenda too. Not only do I have the summer weather to get thinner for, but I also have a wedding in the distant – but not too distant - future (we’re thinking next August).
SO – here is to getting back into the routine, feeling better, looking better and being healthier for all that lies ahead.
Monday, April 26, 2010
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
Seeing the Windy City Sights
As I watched my cousin and her fiancé, Daniel, walk through the doors for Midway Airport to the terminal, I felt myself getting a little homesick for the west coast and for my family. In the four short days that they had been in our apartment in Chicago, I had grown every attached to having them around to explore the city with.
And explore we did! They arrived from Los Angeles on Friday afternoon, so we decided to put their 3-day train passes to good use and take them to Lou Malnatti’s pizza so they could have true authentic deep dish. We spend the rest of the night chatting and catching up before we went to bed to get ready for the weekend.
It’s amazing all of the sights and places that we crammed into their visit. Saturday was brunch and Ann Sather’s (excellent), a trip to Wrigleyville to see the Cub’s stadium, a walk from our apartment on Division to Navy Pier, the Ferris Wheel, vodka snow cones, a trip down the Mag Mile, dinner at Old Town Pub and then lots of board games and booze at Guthrie’s in Lakeview. So many Yelp reviews to write, so little time!
Sunday was a little more laid back; we hung out at the apartment for a while and watched WAY too much food network, because when we finally did go out the door, we were craving the Mac and Cheese dish we just saw. We drove them to the Sears…oh, excuse me…Willis Tower, down to Steve’s school on the south side, the United Center and then to Dominick’s where we picked up the ingredients to make Mac and Cheese. It was good, if we do say so ourselves! We then took a quick drive to Lincoln Park for Molly’s Cupcakes and Red Mango. A VERY sweet way to end the weekend indeed!
On Monday, I worked a half day, and when I arrived back home at noon, we went for some lunch at Corner Bakery and then headed down to the Museum of Science and Industry. We looked at the U-boat, the coalmine and explored storms, trains and planes. When Steve got out of school at 6:00, we headed to the Mity Nice grill for dinner, then up to the John Hancock lounge for some spendy drinks! The view, though, was SO worth it.
Tuesday was the day they were leaving, but I took another half day and we managed to squeeze in some Italian beef from Five Faces Ice Cream on Division, and then a quick trip to the Lincoln Park Zoo to see the wolves, bears, lions and monkeys. I was so sad when I finally dropped them off at the airport at 5:00 that afternoon. I wished so much that we lived closer to each other so we could hang out more often than a few times a year. Perhaps one day, that will happen. It meant so very much for them to come all the way to see me and the city.
Overall, it was a wonderfully exhausting weekend. It’s odd to have such and empty house. Now, I guess, it’s back to reality. With all the trips and visits, my gym attendance has gone WAY down and my diet has been awful (but SO yummy). It’s time to get back on routine to be ready for summer and get prepared for all the adventures yet to be scheduled!
And explore we did! They arrived from Los Angeles on Friday afternoon, so we decided to put their 3-day train passes to good use and take them to Lou Malnatti’s pizza so they could have true authentic deep dish. We spend the rest of the night chatting and catching up before we went to bed to get ready for the weekend.
It’s amazing all of the sights and places that we crammed into their visit. Saturday was brunch and Ann Sather’s (excellent), a trip to Wrigleyville to see the Cub’s stadium, a walk from our apartment on Division to Navy Pier, the Ferris Wheel, vodka snow cones, a trip down the Mag Mile, dinner at Old Town Pub and then lots of board games and booze at Guthrie’s in Lakeview. So many Yelp reviews to write, so little time!
Sunday was a little more laid back; we hung out at the apartment for a while and watched WAY too much food network, because when we finally did go out the door, we were craving the Mac and Cheese dish we just saw. We drove them to the Sears…oh, excuse me…Willis Tower, down to Steve’s school on the south side, the United Center and then to Dominick’s where we picked up the ingredients to make Mac and Cheese. It was good, if we do say so ourselves! We then took a quick drive to Lincoln Park for Molly’s Cupcakes and Red Mango. A VERY sweet way to end the weekend indeed!
On Monday, I worked a half day, and when I arrived back home at noon, we went for some lunch at Corner Bakery and then headed down to the Museum of Science and Industry. We looked at the U-boat, the coalmine and explored storms, trains and planes. When Steve got out of school at 6:00, we headed to the Mity Nice grill for dinner, then up to the John Hancock lounge for some spendy drinks! The view, though, was SO worth it.
Tuesday was the day they were leaving, but I took another half day and we managed to squeeze in some Italian beef from Five Faces Ice Cream on Division, and then a quick trip to the Lincoln Park Zoo to see the wolves, bears, lions and monkeys. I was so sad when I finally dropped them off at the airport at 5:00 that afternoon. I wished so much that we lived closer to each other so we could hang out more often than a few times a year. Perhaps one day, that will happen. It meant so very much for them to come all the way to see me and the city.
Overall, it was a wonderfully exhausting weekend. It’s odd to have such and empty house. Now, I guess, it’s back to reality. With all the trips and visits, my gym attendance has gone WAY down and my diet has been awful (but SO yummy). It’s time to get back on routine to be ready for summer and get prepared for all the adventures yet to be scheduled!
Friday, April 2, 2010
In New York, concrete jungle where dreams are made of... There's nothing you can't do...
Day 3 – Saturday, March 27th:
We didn’t really have any reason to get up early Saturday morning, so I slept in until about 9:00 and Steve again got out of bed an hour later or so. We went to this amazing little diner called Madison’s and had some of the best French Toast of our lives. I was still bummed from the day before that I begged Steve to go back to Battery Park to see if we could hop on a tour to Liberty Island. He agreed and we bought a Subway ticket and rode the E train down to Battery Park. When we got there, there was a HUGE line stemming from the ferries. I knew that was not a good sign. Upon asking at the ticket counter, we found out that it would be two hours to get on a ferry. I wanted to see the Statue, but I didn’t want to waste our entire day in line. So, still disappointed, we bagged it and headed back to downtown on the Subway.
We got off at Grand Central, and then walked to Rockefeller Center, where we bought tickets to go about 70 stories up to “The Top of the Rock.” We took some great pictures of the city below, and tried to catch a glimpse of any famous TV stars. No luck. After we went down, we walked around and located the New York office of Steve’s future employer: Ropes and Gray. We then headed to central park, but not before stopping to grab some Pinkberry. Central Park was gorgeous. It is the oddest thing to see such a huge, lush park in the middle of a big city. There are tons of fountains, lakes vegetation, and street performers. We walked to Strawberry Fields and then up to Belvedere Castle and took tons of pics along the way.
We had decided to get and early dinner of New York Pizza down at a place that our bus tour guide recommended the day before. It was called John's of Bleeker Street and it was actually right next to Rocco’s in Greenwich Village. After walking back downtown to check to see if the ticket booth under the red stairs was packed (it was), we rode the train down and ordered some yummy NY pizza. I still think Chicago’s Deep Dish takes the prize, but I can see how New Yorkers think their thin crust is the best. We did some souvenir shopping and then headed back up to our hotel on the train to take a rest before going out later.
We wanted to watch the NCAA games that were playing, so we chose a neighborhood bar called the Stag’s Head to watch them in. It was really low key and the drinks were pretty good. We also got some raspberry chocolate cake for dessert! Now, I realize that NY has a ton of bars and clubs to go out in, but Steve and I are kind of low-key and we weren’t really ready to go to the hotel yet after the game. So, we decided to go and see a movie! We took a cab to the nearest theater and watch How to Train Your Dragon in 3D. It was a silly way to spend a late night it NY, but we had a blast and the movie was so good! After it was over, we headed to the hotel in cab and went to bed to prepare for our last day.
Day 4 – Sunday, March 28th:
Our plane didn’t leave until 8:00 pm on Sunday night, so we honestly had another full day to explore the city. We had breakfast in our hotel at the Top of the Tower. The appearance of the restaurant was not that great, but I did enjoy my goat cheese omelet and it was convenient. I had been brainstorming since Saturday how we could see the Statue of Liberty up close, and after looking around a bit in the business center (which didn’t work very well) at the hotel, I had found a two-hour harbor cruise at 1:00 pm that went right next to both Liberty island and Ellis Island! Steve was game, so we cabbed it to the Circle Line boat tour on the piers at the west side of the city. We were early, so we had no problem getting tickets or a seat next to the window. It was raining that day, so an indoor boat tour was really the best way to spend our time. Our tour guide was fun and had lots of great information. When we sailed by the statue, I headed outside to stand in the rain and proceeded to take tons of pics of the Statue. I could see her beautiful green color and look right into her eyes. I loved it and both Steve and I were SO glad that we decided to go on the tour.
After we got off the boat, we grabbed a cab back to our hotel and had some lunch at Nations café. This was honestly the worse part of the trip. The service wasn’t good and the turkey sandwich that I ordered was literally bread, dry turkey and lettuce. No dressings (I had to ask for mustard) and no pizzazz. I was not impressed. The Manhattan chowder was average too. Oh well, it was food and it was fast. It wasn't quite time to go, so we headed up the street to Pinkberry for some dessert. We reflected on the awesome trip and could see ourselves living here for a few years maybe someday....maybe. :) We walked back to the hotel and our car service that had been arranged to take us to the airport was there. We had stored our luggage after we checked out that morning, so we grabbed it and were wisked to the airport. Our driver didn't speak a word of English and he took some bizarre back roads, but we got there in plenty of time. Good thing too...because we were actually dropped off at the wrong terminal and had to take the bus to where we were supposed to be!
As we flew out of La Guardia, we were so tired but so happy and excited about all that we had seen and done. We had fairly nice weather the entire trip and did most everything that we had set out to do. I can’t wait until we can go back again! It was truly a trip to remember.
We didn’t really have any reason to get up early Saturday morning, so I slept in until about 9:00 and Steve again got out of bed an hour later or so. We went to this amazing little diner called Madison’s and had some of the best French Toast of our lives. I was still bummed from the day before that I begged Steve to go back to Battery Park to see if we could hop on a tour to Liberty Island. He agreed and we bought a Subway ticket and rode the E train down to Battery Park. When we got there, there was a HUGE line stemming from the ferries. I knew that was not a good sign. Upon asking at the ticket counter, we found out that it would be two hours to get on a ferry. I wanted to see the Statue, but I didn’t want to waste our entire day in line. So, still disappointed, we bagged it and headed back to downtown on the Subway.
We got off at Grand Central, and then walked to Rockefeller Center, where we bought tickets to go about 70 stories up to “The Top of the Rock.” We took some great pictures of the city below, and tried to catch a glimpse of any famous TV stars. No luck. After we went down, we walked around and located the New York office of Steve’s future employer: Ropes and Gray. We then headed to central park, but not before stopping to grab some Pinkberry. Central Park was gorgeous. It is the oddest thing to see such a huge, lush park in the middle of a big city. There are tons of fountains, lakes vegetation, and street performers. We walked to Strawberry Fields and then up to Belvedere Castle and took tons of pics along the way.
We had decided to get and early dinner of New York Pizza down at a place that our bus tour guide recommended the day before. It was called John's of Bleeker Street and it was actually right next to Rocco’s in Greenwich Village. After walking back downtown to check to see if the ticket booth under the red stairs was packed (it was), we rode the train down and ordered some yummy NY pizza. I still think Chicago’s Deep Dish takes the prize, but I can see how New Yorkers think their thin crust is the best. We did some souvenir shopping and then headed back up to our hotel on the train to take a rest before going out later.
We wanted to watch the NCAA games that were playing, so we chose a neighborhood bar called the Stag’s Head to watch them in. It was really low key and the drinks were pretty good. We also got some raspberry chocolate cake for dessert! Now, I realize that NY has a ton of bars and clubs to go out in, but Steve and I are kind of low-key and we weren’t really ready to go to the hotel yet after the game. So, we decided to go and see a movie! We took a cab to the nearest theater and watch How to Train Your Dragon in 3D. It was a silly way to spend a late night it NY, but we had a blast and the movie was so good! After it was over, we headed to the hotel in cab and went to bed to prepare for our last day.
Day 4 – Sunday, March 28th:
Our plane didn’t leave until 8:00 pm on Sunday night, so we honestly had another full day to explore the city. We had breakfast in our hotel at the Top of the Tower. The appearance of the restaurant was not that great, but I did enjoy my goat cheese omelet and it was convenient. I had been brainstorming since Saturday how we could see the Statue of Liberty up close, and after looking around a bit in the business center (which didn’t work very well) at the hotel, I had found a two-hour harbor cruise at 1:00 pm that went right next to both Liberty island and Ellis Island! Steve was game, so we cabbed it to the Circle Line boat tour on the piers at the west side of the city. We were early, so we had no problem getting tickets or a seat next to the window. It was raining that day, so an indoor boat tour was really the best way to spend our time. Our tour guide was fun and had lots of great information. When we sailed by the statue, I headed outside to stand in the rain and proceeded to take tons of pics of the Statue. I could see her beautiful green color and look right into her eyes. I loved it and both Steve and I were SO glad that we decided to go on the tour.
After we got off the boat, we grabbed a cab back to our hotel and had some lunch at Nations café. This was honestly the worse part of the trip. The service wasn’t good and the turkey sandwich that I ordered was literally bread, dry turkey and lettuce. No dressings (I had to ask for mustard) and no pizzazz. I was not impressed. The Manhattan chowder was average too. Oh well, it was food and it was fast. It wasn't quite time to go, so we headed up the street to Pinkberry for some dessert. We reflected on the awesome trip and could see ourselves living here for a few years maybe someday....maybe. :) We walked back to the hotel and our car service that had been arranged to take us to the airport was there. We had stored our luggage after we checked out that morning, so we grabbed it and were wisked to the airport. Our driver didn't speak a word of English and he took some bizarre back roads, but we got there in plenty of time. Good thing too...because we were actually dropped off at the wrong terminal and had to take the bus to where we were supposed to be!
As we flew out of La Guardia, we were so tired but so happy and excited about all that we had seen and done. We had fairly nice weather the entire trip and did most everything that we had set out to do. I can’t wait until we can go back again! It was truly a trip to remember.
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