Happy New Year!!

It is that time of year again, the time of year when networks countdown the most popular news stories, radio stations countdown the most popular songs, and individuals reminisce about the biggest moments of the year gone by.

I can truly say 2010 has been an amazing year for me. I am at a job I enjoy working with people I truly like. I have reconnected with old friends, made some new friends, and am closer than ever with the people I love. I have a little home with my husband and two sweet pups. Maybe most importantly, I am content and very thankful for the life I have.

Since this is just the right time of year for countdowns I give you my 10 favorite moments of 2010! (You can click any of the bold links to read more!)

10. Running In Pink Project was born.  One little post in March of 2010 started my blog, which has grown tremendously over the last year. I love having this creative outlet, which I hope will grow into something really great in 2011!

9. Happy Birthday to Me-Turning 30 at Disney World. Even though this was pre-blog it still had to make the list. I turned 30 in the happiest place on earth, finally got a photo with Alice, had ice cream for breakfast, and generally spent one the happiest days I’ve ever had at Disney with the hubs.

8. Getting my PR during a local 5K. The hubs and I attended a local 5k where I felt “free” to just run for the very first time!

7.  Wicked (and Wicked Again). You all know I love a musical. Wicked is pretty much my favorite. I was lucky enough to see the touring production twice this year. Once on a nice date night with the hubs and once for a fantastic girls day out!

6. Family Time. The hubs and I took a road trip to WV to get in some serious family bonding time!

5. Finishing the Wine and Dine ½ Marathon. While this experience had its bumps (the hubs dropping out, getting permission to run his leg of the relay along with mine, finishing after nearly getting swept) it was a bittersweet experience. However, I think it is an experience that made me a better person and so it is on my list of favorites for 2010.

4. Attending the Healthy Living Summit in Chicago. This experience was pretty amazing. I got to meet some really great girls, including online pal Andrea. I learned a ton and had a wonderful time visiting “The Windy City” for the very first time.

3. Fit for a Princess-Disney Princess ½ Marathon Weekend. Even though this ½ marathon did not go exactly how I had hoped it still introduced me to the joys of organized endurance events (Disney Style), prepared me for future races, and put a drive in my soul to “try harder” and “be better” Later in the year (see #5) I did just that! (On a side note-I am somewhat sad, yet resolved, in reporting I am not participating in the ½ this year. We will be there on vacation to cheer you girls on and I will be doing the Royal Family 5k so I can participate in the Princess weekend but weight loss, not training, is my focus this year. I hope to cap off my year of fitness and weight loss by participating again next year. But, I can’t wait to see everyone!!)

2. Visiting New York for the very first time. There is not much I can say here other than “WOW!”. This was an experience with three of my great girlfriends that I will never ever forget.

1. God Bless Texas! The hubs and I took a trip to Dallas Texas and see the Cowboys play. This might seem like a strange thing to take the top spot. However, the hubs and I had an amazing week in Dallas bonding, ate great food, saw my most favorite team of all time play football, toured the stadium, and made some really cool memories. It definitely meets the criteria for an amazing moment.

What are some of your favorite moments of 2010?

Wishing you and yours a Happy, Healthy, and Beautiful 2011!!!!

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In the 212- NYC Trip Recap Day 2

Saturday morning found us all looking a little better and brighter than the night before. We got up around 6:00am because we wanted to soak in as much NYC as we possibly could. Here I am looking a touch too chipper for 6:30am!

We also woke up to a freezing cold room. After calling the front desk our heater was promptly repaired and the four of us were compensated with free breakfast at our hotel. You’ve got to love free in NY so we headed up for some orange juice, scrambled eggs, fruit and toast. I also indulged with a scone every morning. YUM! Other than a passive aggressive wait staff breakfast was simple and filling. We were out on the streets of NY in less than 30 minutes.

Our first stop was a 7:30am stop at what I lovingly now refer to as “the only Macys that matters”. This was a very smart move on our part as it was reasonably un-crowded at this hour.

The four of us split up since there was a lot of ground to cover. This Macy’s is massive. You could literally spend an entire day in there and not cover everything. However, with only 3 ½ hours allotted for Macys I had to do some serious speed shopping. This Macys was full of amazing sales and deals. My favorite find was this Dooney and Bourke bag.

A few hours later the four of us, multiple overstuffed bags in tow headed back to the hotel to drop off our purchases. Our room was starting to look a little bit disastrous but that was ok. At this point we went out searching for some NY style pizza. After a bit of a smart phone snafu we found exactly what we were looking for. I went with the somewhat unconventional choice of ham and pineapple.

This pizza was good but all of the grease immediately made me sick. It left me more than a little grossed out. While I was down, I was not out! We decided to head up toward Union Square to do some more shopping.  After some subway confusion (we went down the exact same set of steps, wrong steps I might add, TWICE) we hailed a cab and headed on our way.

There seems to be shopping at every turn in the city so after hitting a few stores we took another cab uptown. We wanted to look at the beautiful store windows at Bergdorf Goodman, Barney’s, etc and they did not disappoint.

However, our final destination uptown was Tiffany and Co. (~cue angels singing~). It is no secret that I love anything shiny and fabulous so I was pretty much beyond excited to get into Tiffany’s. I had visited a Tiffany’s with my blog pal Andrea on the Magnificent Mile in Chicago over the summer but had not purchased anything. However, during this trip the group of us were giddy from all of the shopping/giggling/fun and several of us rode up to the sterling silver floor (floor 3) and made purchases. I loved getting that famous little blue bag in my hands. It made me all warm inside!

We made our way back to the hotel, stopping to shop along the way. We were four totally worn out girls by the time we made it to dinner.

We chose a little place called Jack Dempsey’s since it was just a block or so from our hotel. I had an amazing lean bison burger (not pictured) and we spent the night talking, laughing, and winding down.

Even though we were pretty worn out, we could not resist the appeal of a late night trip to the top of the Empire State Building. We walked the two blocks from dinner to the Empire State Building and since it was around 11:00pm we were able to go right up with no waiting!! We were shocked. Even though this is a very touristy thing to do, I highly recommend it. The photos were beautiful, the view amazing, and the experience with my girlfriends is one I won’t ever forget.

We literally could not cram another ounce of fun into our day so we headed back to our hotel. We had a big day of site seeing and musicals to rest up for!

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Sometimes You Have to Get Away

Fact-The last few weeks have been crazy busy. Fact-The holiday season will be even busier. Fact– It is important to get away with your significant other and leave the madness behind for a bit. That is exactly what the hubs and I did this weekend. We got up super early Saturday morning to make the three hour drive to Williamsburg, VA also known as Colonial Williamsburg. The weather was snowy cold but the clear brisk day set the tone for our fun little adventure.

The hubs and I bundled up in our warmed gear to visit “Christmas Town” in Busch Gardens. This is the second year for Christmas Town but essentially it is tons of lights, warm drinks, good food, and fun times. Each “country” has it’s own theme and they even set up special holiday themed attractions like a polar “penguin experience” and Santa’s workshop.

We spent a lovely afternoon/evening wandering around the park admiring the animals….

Listening to carolers….

Scoping out the lights…

Visiting Santa’s Workshop…

And even sneaking in some snuggles!

The next morning the hubs and I woke up to snow on the ground. After a warm country breakfast we headed out for a super faun day of shopping. (Read all about it in my Sara Shops segment tomorrow). One of my fave finds was this super cute “tree hat” topper for our Christmas tree!

Spending some time away with the hubs was the perfect way to get rested and energized for the upcoming holiday season.  How was your weekend?

 

 

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The Work Lunch and Family Traditions

If you work in an office or even just with a group of people the time will inevitably come for a “work lunch” with coworkers. Personally, I love the work lunch. It gives you time to bond with coworkers outside of the office, relieve some stress, and get a little break from the workday. Unless you are a complete control freak you will not always have control over where said, work lunches take place. That is why, when on a weight loss plan, it is important to have a general idea of foods to avoid and foods to order. Today some fabulous ladies from the office and I headed to Roly Poly in Lynchburg for some lunch. PS: Kudos to Roly Poly for listing calorie information right on the menu. It certainly takes out the guess work!!

I ordered a cup of Green Chilies and Corn Bisque along with a whole grain wrap stuffed with grilled chickens and lots of warm veggies. It was very tasty and certainly got me over the mid-day slump! I also have to say it was fun to sit and talk with a co-worker I don’t know very well (though it is always awkward to take photos of my food in front of people I don’t know). Luckily she was cool about it and the group of us girls had a nice relaxing lunch.

The hubs had the day off and was waiting for me when I got home. We decided today would be as good of a day as any to take some shots of my favorite holiday ornaments. We got the idea for the photos from our pal Jason at Star City Photo. While this was a simple tip it made for some adorable photos. (For some super fabulous photography check out Star City Photo HERE. ) Anyway, the hubs and I are short on our own holiday traditions. The Christmas brunch was passed down from my mother, the fancy Christmas Eve from my Grandmother, the Christmas pajamas from my parents, and you get the idea. I wanted something that was all our own. So, the hubs and I started picking up an ornament to commemorate special occasions, vacations, etc. I love this tradition and hope to one day have a tree full of special memories.

We snagged this Alice In Wonderland at Downtown Disney after the Princess ½ Marathon last year. Isn’t she sweet?

We also pick up ornaments on vacations. This one is from an early Spring weekend in the Outer Banks two years ago..

Here is an ornament given to us as a housewarming gift when we bought our home..

And Finally, another Alice because I heart all things Alice In Wonderland..

We had a lot of fun reminiscing about all of the ornaments origins. Well I reminisced and the hubs sort of just listened. It was actually pretty cute to watch the hubs in action. We had quite the set up for photos of such tiny things. 🙂

All in all, it was a sweet little way to spend an afternoon with my family. Do you have any holiday traditions that are all your own??

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Tis the Season…Well Almost

I am a huge fan of this time of year. I love all of the decorations (even if they are out way too soon), hot chocolates on cold days, and general happiness that comes with the holiday season. No matter what your religion, there is something lovely about winter and the holiday season in general. One of the things I adore is Christmas shopping for others (and myself, who am I kidding) on a gorgeous fall/winter day. I could not have asked for a more perfect setting for my date with the hubs this weekend.

Saturday morning we were up bright and early for a trip to Short Pump shopping center in Richmond, VA. After a quick breakfast of Eggs in a Nest we packed up the hubs SUV and headed on our way.

Although the drive was around two hours we could not have asked for a more gorgeous day. The sky was a perfect blue and we spent the drive chatting and singing along to old songs on the radio. It was possibly the shortest two hour drive ever.

When we arrived, we made a quick stop at The Cheesecake Factory for lunch. We only eat here once or twice a year due to the insane calorie content of the food. However, Saturday is my flex day so the extra calories were planned for. I ordered a lunch portion of the crusted chicken ramano of which I ate about half. The star of the meal was of course the slice of white chocolate raspberry cheesecake I split with the hubs.

The hubs and I spent a great day walking around, snapping photos, and shopping (read more in my first ever upcoming Sara Shops segment). We even took a little break in the afternoon to see the new Harry Potter movie. Anyone else out there LOVE Harry Potter as much as we do?? I was pretty much completely excited to see this movie and *no spoilers* it definitely did not disappoint. After we got our Potter fix it was back to shopping. There was plenty of ground to cover since this outdoor “mall” is two floors and gigantic.

We ended a great day with vanilla lattes, a revisit to some of the stores where I had passed up items earlier in the day, and of course a visit to the huge Christmas tree. The hubs and I are of different religions (perhaps a blog for another time) so it meant a lot to me that he came along for one of my favorite traditions. He also makes a fantastic guest photographer for the blog, don’t you think??

How do you like to kick off the holiday season?

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Cowboys & Margaritas

How can I even start to write a blog about having one of the best days ever while watching my favorite team of all time lose? Well, maybe I should just start with breakfast and go from there.

This hotel is a treasure trove of healthy breakfast options. This morning I visited the omelette station for an egg white omelette with mushrooms, spinach, tomato, and onions. I also grabbed some wheat toast. The omelette was delicious but slightly more oily than I would like so I only at about 1/3 of it. The hubs made sure I had some peanut butter on my toast so I could get my needed protein and calories.

We were a touch late to meet our tour group. It turns out it pays to be timely. I had won a jersey in a raffle but were late so it went to the runner up. BOO! I only pouted for a second because it was game time!!

Our group traveled to Cowboys stadium which is a sight to behold for any sports fan. It’s nothing short of amazing. I was snapping photos like a crazy tourist and I could even tell the hubs (not a Cowboys fan….yet) was getting excited.

We made our way over to tail-gate with our group and we made a couple of new pals. It’s amazing how easy it is to bond over football. Anywho, the tailgate options were meat, meat, cheese covered meat, grease covered meat and booze. Ok I am kidding (sort of) but it was pretty much a frat guy’s culinary dream. Mine, not so much. I was told I HAD to try the homemade salsa so I got some with a handful of tortilla chips. That plus two bottles of water and one diet soda rounded out my tail-gating experience. We were watching televisions outside of what was going on live inside so I figured we should probably just head on in.

If you are not a huge sports fan this might not make sense to you but going inside the stadium took my breath away. I have been waiting for as long as I can remember to see the Cowboys play and suddenly there I was. I was ecstatic.

I was so excited to see the DCC (Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders). I probably took 30 photos of them. I danced for all of my childhood, teens, and early twenties so dance teams are near and dear to my heart.

After the players were introduced (and I have never screamed so much in my life except at U2 which is to be expected. I mean Bono hellloooo) Miss America came out to sing The National Anthem.

 

Game on! The Cowboys led for a hot second before they started getting their cute Cowboy butts handed to them. Just watching them play was a huge thrill for me.

Around 1/2 time I started to get hungry but food in the stadium is obnoxious expensive. I mean 60.00 for a pizza? Please. That pizza better do my dishes and take phone calls for me at work. To be fair, I saw on the way out they offered fresh fruit near the entrance and I will file that fact away for next time. So, for the second day in a row I had skipped lunch. (It’s bad. I know. I am making a promise to do better tomorrow.)

I had seen several of the girls around me sipping these tall yummy looking frozen margaritas so I sent the hubs off to get one for me. In retrospect it was not the best plan to have this on an empty stomach but it certainly made watching them continue to lose (badly) for the second half a lot more fun!

In all honesty, even though the game was painfully bad, I could not have had more fun (even without said frozen margarita). We did have some overly obnoxious Jacksonville fans behind us screaming “Yeah baby. That’s money baby” every single time Jacksonville did something even remotely good. It was annoying but something tells me I’ll be saying “thats money baby” for the rest of the trip. All in all, I was all smiles and I think the whole experience made a Cowboys fan of the hubs! (Ok I know..He told me so himself and wants to do it all over again next season!!)

When we finally made it back to the hotel we decided to make the 1/2 mile walk to a burger joint for a dinner. Not the best choice but I ordered the smallest burger they offered with a small order of fries. I loaded the burger with veggies and the meal fit well within my planned calories for the day. The hubs and I walked back to the hotel for some REST, blogging, and more rest.

We are headed to Cowboys Stadium in the morning for a tour. I am almost ashamed of how stoked I am to stand on that famous star and take a photo! So that was my day and I can’t resist ending with…. How bout them Cowboys!?!?!

　

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Once a Cowboy…

Even with a little nap today started to feel like the day that would not end. However, I somehow found a second wind when it was time to go pick up our football game tickets, swag bags, and meet our tour guides. If there is one thing a blogger loves it’s swag so I was super excited to get my grab bag which had a shirt, hat, coffee mugs, pens, etc. Ican’t lie though-the most exciting thing was finally getting my little paws on those Dallas Cowboys game tickets!!

After we got our goodies we found a table and got ready for the meet and greet. I had a bad feeling they would bring in a no name 4th string guy for the event but was actually pleased to learn they had chosen a retired Cowboy instead.

Yup! That is Kevin Smith. He was part of the team back when they were a force to be reckoned with. I can remember being in elementary/ middle school and watching them win the 92, 93, and 95 Superbowls. This guy was a part of that team!!

I of course felt the need to meet him so after the interview/Q&A session I went up to have my photo made with a real live Dallas Cowboy! Retired or not, he was a great player and it was really neat to meet him.

I am completely 120% excited to go to the game tomorrow. I feel like a kid on Christmas Eve night. Teehee! Thankfully I am going on 4 hours of sleep so hopefully I will drift right off into some sweet Cowboys dreams!

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Our Lone Star Digs

After our late breakfast the hubs and I explored our hotel a little. To say this place is gigantic is an understatement.  In addition to the restaurants, Starbucks, etc this hotel is floor after floor of oversized suites. Can I just say any hotel with trees and waterfalls inside is okay by me? 😉

Still inside the hotel..

 

Our room is one of the more modest suites in the hotel but there is still plenty of space. The living room has a perfect little office/work area for me to set up my pink netbook and blog.

There is a small kitchen area across from the bathroom. I love having a microwave and fridge in the room because it makes healthy snacks/drinks easier to store. I do not love the mini bar items. Too tempting and too expensive!

The bedroom is at the other end of the suite and is cozy (ie small). However the room is really nice and the photos really do not do it justice.

And check out the view. I truly cannot get over how flat Texas is. When we were landing I felt like I could just see for days and days.

In a weird turn of events there is no”regular” television here. There are 2 flat screens in our room but all stocked with “On Demand” TV and movies. $5.00 for an episode of GLEE? I think I’ll pass!!!

I am heading to get in some rest before meeting up with our tour guide in a bit to pick up our game tickets (and maybe even meet a Cowboy or 2) !

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Welcome To Texas

It was a super early morning or super late night (depending on how you look at it) in the Running in Pink Project household.  The hubs and I were up at the unseemly hour of 3:00am to catch our flight to Charlotte, NC. Even though getting up this early sort of feels like a punch in the face I think we were looking pretty stylish for 3:30am!

 We made it to Charlotte with a short smooth flight. I slept the whole way and probably snored the whole way too. Sorry everyone else on board. *edit* The hubs assured me there was no snoring on the flight to NC! J After a quick layover it was time to board the flight for our final destination Dallas Texas!

 

I can honestly say the Charlotte airport is one of my favorites and I would have much rather spent an extra 30 minutes in there rather than crammed on the plane. It felt like we sat on the runway for eons. Maybe that’s just my impatience talking.

Finally, we were up in the air and headed to Dallas.

 I love love love that there were so many Dallas Cowboys fans on board (and Jacksonville fans). It makes me feel a little less crazy for flying across the country for a football game. It was fun to listen in on all of the football talk. It was also on the flight that my first fail for the trip took place. I never eat before flights because it makes me sick. However, I usually bring a snack or two *just in case*. I meant to grab a banana and some Annie’s organic bunny grahams for the flight but completely forgot. Cut to me starving on a plane to Dallas with 2 hours to go! I decided to pass some time by starting a blog post.

 The flight was smooth and painless (other than those pesky hunger pains) and we arrived in Dallas Texas. I am beyond excited to be here. This is my first trip to Texas and I cannot wait to take it all in.

 Since I was beyond starving upon landing the hubs and I found a place close by to grab a quick breakfast.  Dining out so much on vacation can get tricky when dieting or on a specific eating plan but there are options out there. This morning I lucked out as we arrived during our hotel’s morning breakfast. I was able to get an oatmeal mix which included raisins, granola, blueberries, and strawberries. Add on a side of pineapple and some skim milk and it was heaven in a bowl!

 

Now we are off to explore our hotel and suite.  I can’t wait! I am ready to take on Texas (after a super quick nap that is!!)

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A (Semi) Working Brunch

Bright and early today I met up with my friend Kristen at Panera Bread in order to start planning our Christmas trip to New York. Kristen and I, along with our longtime besties Nichole and Tiffany, will all be traveling together for what I am sure will be the busiest weekend ever! We had to go over those pesky details like train tickets, finding a hotel, deciding what to see on Broadway and looking up fantastic food and shopping. We figured in order to divide and concur we would just meet for some brunch and get the task done as a two-some. We found a corner, unloaded all of our gear and got right to work!

After having a long debate over plan versus train (the train won out) we decided to grab some early lunch/brunch. Today I went with my favorite combination at Panera: The Low Fat Vegetarian Black Bean Soup and 1/2 Cuban Chicken Panini. The Spicy chicken and pickles on the panini are the perfect compliment for the rich bean soup. Also, this combo is a pretty healthful choice with all things considered. YUM!

After about an hour of travel site checking, one mango smoothie, and 20 side tracked conversations later, we decided to take a break from Panera (IE: We were booted off the internet) and mosey across the street to Kohls for some shopping.

Can I just say the Simply Vera Collection by Vera Wang for Kohls is rocking my socks right now? I just adore her pieces and the price points are pretty great too. We will not however get into the fact that a certain someone in my life is considering jacket from Kohls by a Miss Lauren Conrad. Ahem. Personally, I loved The Hills (I know I should be ashamed) so I kind of enjoy LC’s collection at Kohls but said pal mercilessly mocked my Hills fascination so I am kind of loving her love for this jacket. Teehee.  I am on a tight tight budget right now so I only picked up one thing on our shopping adventure today, this awesome slouch hat. Katherine Heigl wore a couple of these in Life As We Know It and I decided I needed one. Very cute and stylish for fall!

We finished up our working brunch at my house. How super serious do we look in that photo? Luckily everything is planned and now its all over but the waiting! Countdown to Christmas in NYC if officially on!

 

PS: In honor of my pals little sweetie dressing as “the cutest bee ever” for Halloween I have added a handmade bee hat to my Open Sky Store. Check it out HERE

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