Last month, I was nominated by two fabulous bloggers– Meghan and Cinnamon for a Leibster award!  We all know how much a love these questionnaires and filling out surveys, so I was all about it….except, it took me like 3 weeks before I actually got to it.  But no more delay– here it is!

Here are the rules:

• Write 11 random facts about yourself
• Answer the 11 questions given by the blogger who nominated you
• Create 11 new questions
• Nominate 11 bloggers and mention them in the post
• Thank the blogger who nominated you and tell the bloggers you’ve nominated

Instead of posting 11 things about myself….I thought I’d combine the two awards and just answer the questions that both of them asked. They both chose fun questions!

Here we go!  First round from Meghan:

1. What is your favorite brand and style of jeans?
Right now, I’m obsessed with a pair of Gap boyfriend jeans.  Since it’s cold out though and I’ve been wearing boots constantly, I’m usually in skinny jeans…esp the cheap ones I buy at BP at Nordstroms.  A few years ago I wouldn’t be caught dead in GAP jeans or anything other than $200 7 or Joes, but those days have changed and my bank account is much happier now.

2. What is your favorite “secret” guilty pleasure tv show?
Definitely the Housewives and lately, I’ve been into Say Yes to the Dress and Four Weddings (wedding on my mind so I can’t help it).  I change the channel whenever someone else comes into the room though.

my say yes to the dress experience

3. If you could have one thing for free, no matter how big or small, what would you pick? 
A 2 week vacation somewhere amazing!

4. Do you get dressed up even when you stay at home for the day?
No way.  The more days I can spend in yoga pants, the better.  My mom always gets dressed nice, even if she’s the only one home, but I didn’t seem to inherit that gene.  I would be happy staying in yoga pants and not brushing my hair.

i would be very happy wearing leggings and a zipup sweatshirt every day if i could

5. How many blogs do you read on a daily basis?
I would say 20, but it really depends on the day.  I’ve cut my reading down lately

6. What’s your favorite type of cuisine?
Mediterannean/greek.  I can always go for a chicken kebob, greek salad, or some pita and hummus. Yum.

7. Why did you start blogging?
I think my story is probably similar to many…I needed a creative outlet, wanted a new hobby, loved reading blogs, like writing and an excuse to take photos and so it seemed like a natural fit.

8. What do you think is worth spending good money on?
Organic meats and fruits/veggies.  Quaity dog food and dog treats.  Doctor visits just to make sure everything’s ok.

9. Is that your “natural” hair color?
What a timely question! I don’t really dye my hair but this past weekend, I wanted to get rid of a few grays and used a supermarket dye…..UMMM, my hair is now JET BLACK.  I left it on way too long.  I can’t wait until it washes out.  We have engagement photos next weekend and I hope it’s not super noticeable.

10. Favorite day of the week and why?
Sunday.  I spend Saturday doing errands, cleaning, catching up on stuff, etc and so by the time Sunday rolls around, I feel like I can actually relax and mellow out.

11. Pets? Do you have some and what are they?
Yep, Charlie, the canine love of my life.

sleepy charlie

Next set from Cinnamon!

1. If you could visit any country, where would you go?
Another timely question!  Jared and I are trying to figure out where to go on our honeymoon…we both insist on getting our passports stamped, so we’ve been reading a lot of travel guides.  We haven’t figured out our destination, but if money, time, and monsoon season weren’t influences, I’d say- the Maldives, the Seychelles, the Cook Islands, Greece, Thailand, and Italy.

this is a photo of the Maldives…how amazing does this look? Unfortunately, it’s monsoon season when we want to go

2. Do you like to plan things or be spontaneous?
I’m a planner.  Too much spontaneity and unexpectedness  stresses me out.

3. What is your favorite joke?
Eek, I can’t think of anything!

4. How do you like your steak cooked? (if you eat steak that is)
Medium….not too bloody, not to tough.

Meidum, please. I can’t wait until it’s warm and bbq season again!!!

5. Favorite number and why? 3 and 14.  I have no idea why….14 was always my soccer number, but I’ve always chosen 3 “just because”

6. What is one website you go to everyday? Facebook, Huffington Post, cainer.com

7. How do you feel about public speaking? Love it! It doesn’t make me nervous at all.  I’m more shy in small group settings, but am so happy presenting in front of a crowd.  I got the highest grade in my speech class in college.

8. Would you ever sky dive or bungee jump?
Nope, never.  I hate heights and this would be a nightmare for me.

9. What did you want to be when you grew up?
A second-grade teacher.

10. What accomplishment are you most proud of?
Taking risks, bouncing back from hard times, persevering.

11.  What is your favorite movie/book?
Movie- Everyone Says I Love You and Love Actually.  Book—too many! Gone with the Wind is high up there and the first to come to my mind.

Happy Friday!!  And for my February Thanks– Gourmet Club was so much fun! I missed girl time…and I am so grateful to haev fun girlfriends and a monthly excuse like Book Club or Gourmet Club to get together

Answer some of the questions for me!   And the ones I’m particularly intersted in are….

– Are you good at public speaking?
– Favorite book/movie?
– Do you dress up if you’re just home for the day?
– If you could have one thing for free, what would it be?
– Or answer another one from above!

Hola!  This week has flown by (I think I always say that lately) and I haven’t had nearly enough time for the blog (reading or posting!). UGH.  Going to play catch up this weekend!  TGIF……

Time for a list of Friday Things

1)  My dog seriously has a mind of his own.  It’s hysterical sometimes.  Last weekend he literally dragged me over a mile across the city to a burger restaurant we went to 6 weeks ago.  I wrote a post about it in my other blog.

He also dragged us all though Walgreens, past the dog aisle and the food, and directly to the sunscreen. So weird! It was hot out, so maybe he wanted us to wear more…..?

2)  Also dog related from this past week…the last 2 of 3 times I’ve picked Charlie up at the groomers, they’ve tried to give me the wrong dog! They go into the back, put his collar and leash on another dog, and bring the other dog out to me….the weird thing is, when I say, “uhhh, this isn’t my dog…” they’re like, “What? It’s not? Are you sure?”  Umm YES I’m sure! Time for a new groomer.  But I must say, he looks pretty cute and clean from his haircut on Wednesday.

There’s only one Charlie…..won’t work to try to give me a new dog

3)  From Wednesay’s post and comments, it seems like most of you haven’t had a persimmon before!! You are missing out.  They are all over our farmer’s markets lately, so be on the look out for them at yours. They’re originally from China and Japan, so maybe that’s why we have so man on the west coast?  Here’s a couple things about persimmons:

There are several kinds of persimmons, but Fuyus and Hachiyas are the most common.  Stay away from the Hachiyas!! If they aren’t exactly ripe when you eat them (which is almost impossible to tell), they taste really bitter, like detergent or something really gross.  On the other hand, Fuyus are delicious!  They’re more firm and inside is sort of a cross between apple and mango-like flesh (I know, that description probably confused you even more). The most similar flavor I can think of is papaya—sweet, but not overly so, with a hint of floral or spicy tones. Both fuyus and hachiyas are usually available in late fall and early winter.  And yes, you can eat the skin (I eat mine like an apple).  Try them and let me know how you like them.

4) Jared started his taper earlier this week for next weekend (!!!)’s Ironman race.  WhooHoo, it’s taper time so we made it through everything.  His birthday is this weekend (the big ‘ol number 34) so it luckily falls right when he can actually enjoy it (though he’s so exhausted from the past few weeks’ workouts that we won’t be doing anything too crazy.

Tapering means he gets to eat a lot and sleep past 5am….I’m pretending like I’m tapering too so I can eat a lot and sleep a lot too!

5) Speaking of the birthday boy, I’m making chocolate peanut butter cupcakes for him and his training “team” this weekend!  I found an amazing looking recipe and can’t wait! Expect a post about that sometime in the next few days!

Okay, all for now, I have to get to work………….

But keep me company in the blogworld today and tell me…

– Your favorite cupcake flavor.  I like just straight chocolate.
– Interesting fruit you like that other people may not have tried?
– How often do you get your haircut?  I get Charlie’s haircut every 4-6 weeks…..but I only cut my own every 12 weeks (part laziness, part liking my hair long…)

This morning, I drank red, white and blue inspired coffee…..

sorry for the mug that looks a little dirty!

And voted!

No lines at all over here- I got there at 7:10am and there were probably a handful of other people.  There was a steady stream of people coming in, but no wait for your ballot.  I can’t imagine what it’s like for the people in Florida and Ohio who are waiting hours and hours at the polls.  It’s insane.  Think we’ll all be able to vote via email by 2016?  Doesn’t seem like it’s working too well in New Jersey today, but maybe they’ll get their act together in 4 years.  That will really change the voting population, don’t you think?

Anyway- back in the day when I worked in politics, I’d spend election day campaigning like crazy and then party hop all night from candidate victory party to victory party.  Tonight, I plan to watch the returns while on the treadmill. Oh how times have changed!  I’m way more excited about watching it on the treadmill than the “up for 24-hour adrenaline exhaustion” I’d feel at those victory parties.  I def had some amazing election day experiences though.  If you’re curious, ask me, otherwise, I’m digressing….

In honor of election day, here are some Election Day Fun Facts! (from here)

1. If Obama wins reelection, we’ll have had three two-term presidents in a row. This event is so rare, you’ll have to go back 200 years to find the last consecutive winning streak (Jefferson, Madison, Monroe).
In fact, Americans born after 1980 have seen only one president seek reelection and lose: George H.W. Bush.

2. This is also the first election since 1976 that no Bushes or Clintons were running for president or vice president.

Remember Socks, the Clintons’ cat?

3.  We’ve never had a president whose name starts with the extremely common letter S.
We have, however, had one with an S first name. Give up? Stephen Grover Cleveland. Harry S Truman’s middle name was just “S,” and Ulysses S. Grant was actually named Hiram Ulysses Grant. Those are the only two with “S” middle names, and in both cases, it’s not quite legit

4. John Tyler, our 10th president, born in 1790, fathered more children (15) than any president in history. He also has two living grandsons: Lyon Gardiner Tyler Jr., born in 1924, and Harrison Ruffin Tylerborn in 1928.

5. Only two men have appeared four times on a winning presidential ticket: FDR and Nixon.

6. We’ve only had one election in which someone lost both the popular and electoral vote, but still won. Who was it? No, not George W. Bush: John Quincy Adams, in 1824.

7) Some fun Presidential firsts: Benjamin Harrison, No. 23, was the first prez to attend a baseball game. In 1910, Taft began the presidential “first pitch” tradition. FDR was the first to fly, in 1943. Richard Nixon was first to visit all 50 states. And Martin Van Buren, born in 1782, was the first president who was a U.S. citizen.

8. Not many people know that we’ve had a Native American vice president. Charles Curtis, veep to Hoover, claimed Kaw, Osage and Pottawatomie ancestry.

I had never even heard of Charles Curtis! but here he is…

9.  President William Henry Harrison caught pneumonia after giving the longest inaugural speech in history- 1 hour, 45 minutes- on a cold, snowy day.  He passed away exactly one-month later.  Poor guy was only president for 30 days!

10. Here’s one that’ll knock your socks off: When George H.W. Bush was elected president, it was the first time since Van Buren that a sitting vice president had been elected without the president dying.

And who knows, maybe in a few years there will be some “Fun Facts” about today’s election day!

So no matter what today, JUST VOTE.  Your voice counts.  We’re making history today. 

– Were there lines at your polling place?
– Do you vote every year or usually just in presidential years?
– In general, are you very interested in politics, sorta, or could care less?
– Think we’ll be able to vote via email sometime in the next few years?

Thanks for listening to me whine yesterday. All your comments were so sweet! I’m much better today. I started yesterday with an extra boost of antioxidents (fruit + this poweder that Jared uses) and whether that helped or it was just all the extra sleep I’ve gotten the past few days, I feel almost totally normal today. Yay. Just in time for the weekend.

Besides, how could I not feel good– the Giants have won two world series games so far!

This morning, I was a nice sister and took my sister to the airport at 5:30am. Coffee….lots of it….was in order. Okay, now on to other things….

I wanted to say a big THANK YOU to Nicole of Apples and Arteries. She knows I love magazines and was so sweet to me a package of some of her just-read ones! Annoyingly enough, the post office somehow lost it in the mail BUT I still think it was such a nice thought and appreciate it a ton! Who knows, maybe they’ll arrive eventually, but wanted to publicly tell her thank you anyways. Nicole, you’re awesome.

Jared wanted me to share his “amazing” dessert from Applebees yesterday (he stopped after an out-of-town work mtg… aside from the time this summer when it was the only option, i don’t like to go there…), but for $2, he got (what looks like…) a glass of oreos topped with chocolate mousse, whipped cream, and more oreos. He really wanted me to put it on the blog so he even took a sneaky photo of it during a work meeting…..cute.

Next….Last week, I went (through work) to a Health & Wellness Festival hosted at LinkedIn’s Silicon Valley Office. My nonprofit had a booth and while we’re not health & wellness related, I promoted volunteer opportunities to the employees (volunteering is good for your health after all!).

I wouldn’t necessarily blog about this except that I think it was so terrific that a big company took the time to organize something for the health of their employees.

There were booths from sustainable food company, a mini farmer’s market, gyms offering passes and exercises, massages, and at least a dozen free foodtrucks.

a couple nonprofits had booths(this is not mine)….and the food trucks looked great

This was the best food truck– Karaoke Ice Cream!

You could literally do karaoke before or after getting some ice cream.

LinkedIn has a whole bunch of bikes that their employees can use if they need to get to another part of campus or just want to cruise around town on their lunch hour.

i took advantage of the free coffee too

I don’t actually know much about LinkedIn’s employee programs or other health amenities, but I do see that more and more companies are making an effort to prioritize health and wellness as part of their company values. I work for a very small office (4 people) and while we’re all active, there’s no company-wide mantra (which isn’t really appropriate in a small company)…but it makes me extra interested in what larger companies do.

So tell me–
– Does your work (or school) prioritize personal health and wellness?
– What sort of health and wellness extra would you most like from work? I’d LOVE a free gym in the building…and free kombucha and fruit in the kitchen.
– How far do you live from the closest airport? I’m about 25 minutes, but public transportation isn’t that accessible, so I usually end up finding someone to give me a ride.

Ready for a really random Friday brain dump?  I feel like that has been my end of the week tradition lately.

Here we go again….

1) I’m leaving for Boston tonight!  It might not be the fall foliage trip I dreamed of (aka, it’s a little early in the season, plus it’s supposed to rain…), but we’re going up to NH and western mass and I’m sure it’ll be beautiful.  I’m so excited for a weekend away and to see one of my good friends.  Anyone else have Columbus Day off?

2) I went to see Christina Perri and Jason Muraz at the Greek Theater in Berkeley last night!  Such a fun concert venue and date night.

3)  Have you tried this Pure Bar flavor?  I discovered it recently and it’s amazing.  My new favorite flavor, hands down.

4) Soooo….I’m pretty sure I’m never going to be able to give up coffee….and I realized from my latest attempt that I don’t really want to.  Less coffee (aka not daily) and more tea is good, but I’ll stop trying to force myself to quit it altogether.

5)  Here’s a photo of my cute boyfriend taken by Paige 110 miles into a ride with 6,200 feet of climbing.  They got lost in a no-cell-service area and ended up going 10 miles further than they were supposed to in 96 degree heat- Ouch, but nice job!  44 days ’till the AZ Ironman!  Excited for them.

6) This is the big weekend in SF– Blue Angels, Fleet Week, America’s Cup, Bluegrass Festival, Columbus Day Parade, Giants post-season game, street fairs, etc…..and of course, I’m missing it.  I love what I’m doing instead, but why do things always fall on the same weekend?

7)  I love all the people I’ve been “meeting” and emailing with through blogging and just wanted to say thank you.  xoxo

8)  This Thai Kitchen peanut noodle kit is my very favorite quick weeknight meal.  It’s so good and takes literally 10 minutes. I could eat it every night. Gluten free too, btw.

9)  I was planning to post a photo of last night’s dinner before the concert…..but we went to the restaurant, ordered, and then realized we were running out of time so asked the waitress to just box up the food and then ended up eating it while walking to the car.  It tasted a good, but wasn’t a photo friendly situation.  I did manage to drink a glass of wine though, so here ya go instead…a photo of my wine

and 10) Your turn…..tell me something about your week or what you’re excited for this weekend.  Who has Monday off for Columbus Day?  Where’s your next weekend trip?  Have the leaves changed near you yet?

I attempted to make Tina‘s Two-Ingredient pancake for breakfast today, but it didn’t end up looking much like hers.

It tasted okay (I forgot how sweet grilled banana is!), but I don’t think I’ll be making it again….I’d prefer a regular scrambled egg and banana on the side.

My coffee hit the spot today though. And still, it’s always fun to try something new.

Tried any new recipes lately?

On Sunday, my cousins from New Jersey were in town, so my parents hosted a bbq with a few other family members.

I said I wouldn’t post photos unless I told everyone they would be on the blog, so you’ll have to settle for a drinks photo (yes, they still drink soda…)

I baked cookie brownies and my mom made an amazingly delicious lemon-raspberry cake that I just had to share with all of you. If you like lemon desserts, you really should try this.

Lemon-Raspberry Cake (from Sunset Magazine, not my recipe, I just cut and pasted it here)

Ingredients:

1 cup butter, softened
1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
3 large eggs
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup plain low-fat yogurt
1/2 cup low-fat milk
1/4 cup lemon curd
2 1/2 cups flour
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
4 3/4 cups raspberries (about 18 oz.)
Powdered sugar

Directions:

• 1. Preheat oven to 325°. Butter a 9- by 13-in. baking pan. In a large bowl with a mixer on medium speed, beat butter and granulated sugar until fluffy. Beat in eggs, salt, vanilla, yogurt, milk, and lemon curd until mostly blended.
• 2. Add flour, baking soda, and baking powder to bowl and beat until smooth. Spread half of batter in pan and scatter half of raspberries on top. Gently spread remaining batter over berries. Scatter remaining berries on top.
• 3. Bake until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, about 1 hour; if cake begins to brown too quickly, tent with foil. Let cake cool about 1 hour, then dust lightly with powdered sugar.

It’s Friday! I’m not sure if I’m dreading the weekend or looking forward to it…..I still have so much packing to do and the movers come bright and early Sunday morning (yes, it’s only a mile away, but still got movers….much easier with furniture and heavy stuff and no one wants to drive a truck in hilly SF). Anyways….

Today my post is a little all over the place (as is my brain today!), but I had some Sonoma-related things from last weekend and other misc random Friday things to share. I posted my “day in the life of a spectator” post yesterday, which recaps the other part of my wknd in Sonoma.

Here are some Misc Friday Things….

1) I am loving summer berries and toast with this amazing jam that my parents brought back from their trip to LA. If this could be my breakfast every day for the next month, I would be a happy camper.

Random. But shared with you anyways.

2) Do you love fruit stands too? I love the ones that the farmers have on the side of the road in more rural areas. This Sunday though,I stopped at a cherry stand….but they turned out to have been grown in Washington State! Kind of a let-down because I like buying local things, but they were still really tasty!

Back-story…..

On Sunday, we woke up in Sonoma, hung out in the pool until noon and then ventured through Sonoma County. We stopped on a side of the road because there was a big cherry stand, manned by a very talkative guy in a tie-dye shirt. I bought a basket of the red ones (that he’s holding in his hand…).

Turns out, unfortunately, cherry season is over in Cali, so they truck these in from Washington State every week. So much for lessening my carbon footprint.

There was also a guy selling honey. I really like the random side-of-the-road fruit stands!

3) We saw Old Faithful! It’s the big geyser in Calistoga, right near where we were. I had never been before!

The geyser only blows about every 40 minutes and lucky for us, we got there 2 minutes before it erupted!

The first two minutes, we just stood around waiting….everyone had their cameras out and was glued to the little pond.

And then, it happened!

It was really neat and lasted a good 3 minutes!

Here are some details from their website: Water for the Old Faithful Geyser of California comes from an underground river. When this water flows over the hot molten magma deep in the earth, it boils and expands and is collected in large cavities. Under tremendous pressure from the heat, and assisted by a constriction of the passage upward, the superheated water is forced through the fissures and fractures and erupts with an outpouring of steam followed by a fulmination of hot dancing water.

4) And then the day followed with my sister’s birthday party in the park and then out to dinner (a new mexican restaurant- her choice) with my parents, my sis, her boyfriend, and Jared.

I drank too many glasses of wine and ate a lot of guacamole. ‘Nuff said.

And ummmm, I guess that’s all for now. The rest of my week has been filled with work stuff and packing, so not that eventful, which is why it’s Friday and I’m still posting about last weekend. I’m such a mess today!

Happy Weekend!!! Hope yours is fantastic.

What are you loving for breakfast lately?
Packing Tips? Funny moving stories?
What flavor jam do you like on your toast?
What kinds of fruits or veggies can you buy off the side of the road near where you live?

I was there! I saw the game!

WOW. Any baseball fans out there? Wednesday night, I was at the Giants game where Matt Cain pitched a perfect game. The FIRST in Giants 128-year history. And only the 22^nd ever in MLB history.

It was amazing! The game was obviously a big deal here in SF, hence my lingering excitement. The Giants were on fire….and the Astros were most certainly not (to their credit, maybe just an off-week).

We bought tickets a month ago and who would have thought that we got to witness history!

The other cool thing was that we were sitting in the bleachers and a homerun ball came literally 2 people down from us!

Here’s Matt on his 3rd to last pitch of the game. The crowd was so nervous, everyone was standing and all ancy– so fun

And lucky me, I was at the game on Tuesday night too. I was going to do a whole long post about Baseball eats and the differences from what you get if you sit in the “Club Level” (corporate and season tickets) versus the cheaper Bleacher area…..but I’ll try to make it simpler instead….

So, Tuesday, we had the “good seats.” I used to sit there all the time, but since I don’t get them through work anymore, I go less often. Here was our view:

Being in the Club Level means you have a special food area that only your area can go to— It had way healthier options than the rest of the park. Check it out:

Sushi (surprised, right?)

Salad and wraps

Lettuce and tomato to put on your hot dog

And you can even order from your very own waiter who brings you food during the game

And all the normal ballpark favorites too, of course

I ate before the game so just had a handful of peanuts

Anyway– on Wednesday, we sat in the bleachers– always very lively and fun.

Lots of food variety around here, but very different than the Club options

So- Do you think they assume people who sit different places have different tastes? Or it’s just the variety of the park and who paid what for their food leases?

And– I feel like I’ve been posting a lot of photos and not much content– any opinions? Write more? Doesn’t matter to you?

And lastly— Who’s your favorite team and what do you usually eat at the game?

Happy Friday!

Happy Friday! This week, I did something I had been wanting to do for a while….I signed up for Girls on the Run!! I’m super excited. It doesn’t start until September-ish, so I have some time, but it’s such a great program. More info when I get it

Yesterday, I went to a work luncheon. It was hosted at a building on the grounds of the Oakland Zoo! Great spot and it had a beautiful view of the city.

The food was pretty good too- pea soup (actually not very good) and a steak salad (very good)

And the best part? I won the table raffle and got to take the centerpiece home! It’s now sitting in my living room, brightening up the place. Love fresh flowers.

The hosts made it really nice too– much nicer than I was expecting. Fun way to spend the afternoon (as opposed to in front of my desk eating “the usual” for lunch. My lunches are super boring lately!

I’m seriously obsessed with greek yogurt these days though. Check out my fridge. There’s 7 or 8 in ther I totally stocked up….and I don’t even think this will last me a week!

It’s interesting though because for 3 years, I gave up dairy completely (except for ice cream). I gradually started adding it back, but it wasn’t until a few weeks ago that I would eat yogurt (I only ate soy yogurt before). I’m not lactose intolerant, but I was caught in the Skinny Bitch and China Study mantra about how bad dairy is for adults. I still don’t drink dairy milk, but I do eat yogurt, the occasional butter, and ice cream— and I’m still not sure how I feel about it. Cheese isn’t my thing (unless it’s on pizza), so no prob there. I’ll have to do more research…..I felt really great when I was semi-vegan…..but I can’t help loving yogurt lately. Controversy in my head everytime I eat it!! What are your thoughts on dairy?

And lastl thing to tell you– my green smoothie exploded in my blender this morning! I still have absolutely no clue why, but it was a disasterous mess! I still managed to save enough for breakfast, but there was green everywhere! eek!

Happy Friday!

– Do you eat dairy? Why or why not? Besides those who are lactose, what do you think of it health-wise?
– What are you doing this weekend?
– For your job, do you stay mostly in the office or are you “out and about” often? Mine’s 50-50, though lately, I’ve been in the office a ton.