My name is Marie and I am a 20-something blogger, social media marketer and dancer. I spend my free time doing what I love - dancing, working out, spending time with my family and friends, cooking just like my Italian family taught me, and baking like chocolate is going out of style. Oh, and drinking really good wine.
Since it looks like I will be doing a lot more running in the upcoming months (!!!), I have lots of things to do that all revolve around my new hobby.
#149 .. My first 5K
First, buy new sneaks. This is so important because I honestly don’t remember when I bought the pink Champions that I’m running in now. I know, so bad. I plan on making a trip to the New England Running Company and getting professionally fit for rockin’ running sneakers.
Research GU. I read lots of running blogs (like Christine, Emily, Aron and Ali… just to name a few) and I’m always hearing about this GU stuff. Apparently, it gives you extra energy and calories when you run longer distances. There are gels, chomps, jelly beans and I want to try them all.
Make a schedule. During my 5K training, I was much more accountable when I knew exactly when I was training. For the Tufts Women 10K, I plan on posting my schedule everywhere, here included so y’all can track my progress.
Get jacked. Okay, not jacked. But I would like to be more toned. And since my legs will be doing lots of work, the rest of my body needs to be equally fit. I used to think that being a skinny twig was all that mattered. In a much healthier mindset, I now believe that muscles = sexy, healthy and happy.
Run outside more. Merr, I suck at this. I like the treadmill and I find it much easier to run when I am on one. There are no forces to deal with (rain, temperature, wind, etc.). In reality, races are not run inside. I need to stop being a wimp and get my butt outside.
Cross-train consistently. This one is a little easier for me because I dance three nights a week and have no problem mixing up my cardio workouts with classes at the gym. Nevertheless, more sweat never hurts.
Keep up the good eating. More Weight Watchers please. Lose another 10 pounds? Count me in.
Invest in a Garmin. A simple Garmin Forerunner 110 will do. But, since sneaks come before fancy gadgets, I’ll keep it on the wish list for now. Anyone have one I can borrow for my upcoming races? I’ll wipe the sweat off of it when I’m done, I promise.
Take more risks. Sign up for a 10K… check. Start running hills…. fail. I can’t run flat forever. “I think I can, I think I can…”
Be more confident. Running is hard for me. I have a love-hate relationship with it. It is not something I am naturally good at and sometimes, I have to force myself to do it. But I aim to be one of those people who say to their friends, “I got in an awesome 5 mile run this morning” or “I can’t go out; I have a long run this weekend” or “I need pasta.. I’m carbo-loading for my half tomorrow.” I know, in time, I will be.
After my first 5K... best feeling in the world.
I want to know…. What’s on your running and/or fitness to-do list? What types of sneaks should I look into at for running long distance? Runner friends, what am I missing from my list/what else should I research?
It’s Friday… the best day of the week! Many happy things going on lately.
Grad school starts in 3 weeks. I’m excited and nervous. I won’t be all alone; one of the guys who went to my high school also got into my program, so at least I’ll have one friend. Nevertheless, the nerves are definitely there.
DanceWorks Boston is back in action. I’m in 5 routines and could not be happier that I get to dance 3 nights a week. It keeps me sane, the show is going to be out of this world and I’ve met some great friends through it. And my piece is going to be unreal, just saying.
I ran 3.1 miles yesterday at a 9:50 pace. My first 5K pace was around 10:50 min/mile, so I was thrilled to get through the same distance today, 3 months later, a whole minute per mile faster. I felt great doing it and I was super sweaty at the end. Win.
I have 2 more 5Ks and my first 10K coming up. Chelmsford, Salem and finally, the Tufts Women 10K in Boston. Obviously I still have more training to do for the 10K, but I think I’ll be able to pull it off. P.S. If you’d like to be my running buddy for any of these, please let me know!
I plan on running a half marathon before next spring. Yes, you heard me correctly – a half marathon. 13.1 miles. I considered the Cape Cod Half at the end of October but at the moment, it’s not in the cards. I have some awesome training plans and lots of support thanks to my runner friends. A half is definitely happening within the next year. I currently have my eye on the 2012 Great Bay Half Marathon in Newmarket, NH. We’ll see.
I made a kickass dinner last night. Chicken breasts stuffed with a spinach, low fat ricotta cheese and pancetta mixture, spiced corn-on-the-cob and broccoli. Anything with spinach and cheese just calls my name.
Colorful = Healthy
I’ve lost 10 pounds. Thanks Weight Watchers, you really work!
Earlier last week, boyfriend asked me if I would be interested in going to the Patriots game on Thursday night. Wait, the opening Pats game at Gillette, aka the start of football season? Of course I want to go. Duh. Oh, and the seats are 24 rows up from the field? Can I take my best friend too?
Sweet.
When Thursday night rolled around, three of us (myself, boyfriend and Alyse) headed to Foxboro for the game. After getting beer (our number 1 priority the second we got through security), we found out seats.
Check out those Pats shirts.
Many beers later, the Pats dominated the Jaguars 47-12 and we left the game very happy (and maybe even a little buzzed.)
Check out those seats!
For my first ever Pats game, I would say it was wildly successful.
The next night, Friday night, meant one thing: Cooking.
As my good friend and fellow blogger, Megan, quotes “So you know how some people say they need retail therapy? I often need cooking therapy.” That pretty much hits the nail on the head.
I knew I wanted to try a recipe I haven’t tackled yet. I also wanted something I have been craving for a while. A few months ago, I went to a restaurant in Boston called Cafeteria and ordered their veggie burger. Ever since then, I have been determined to recreate it. On Friday night, I got pretty close.
Black Bean Burgers with Goat Cheese, Arugula & Chipolte Mayo
Chipolte Mayo
(Adapted from Bobby Flay)
1/2 cup light mayonnaise
1 chipotle pepper in adobo sauce
1 TB adobo sauce (from the can)
Squeeze of lime juice
Salt & freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Combine all ingredients in a food processor and puree until smooth.
Black Bean Burgers
(Adapted from Sandra Lee)
1/2 medium yellow onion, roughly chopped
1 tablespoon chopped garlic
1/3 red bell pepper, roughly chopped
2 (15-ounce) cans black beans, rinsed and drained, divided
2 teaspoons dried basil
2 teaspoons dried parsley
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/2 cup bread crumbs
Salt and fresh ground black pepper
4-6 hamburger rolls, if desired
4-6 TB goat cheese
Arugula
Heat a skillet on the stove to medium-low.
In a food processor, combine onion, garlic and bell pepper until finely chopped. Add 1 can of black beans, egg, parsley, basil and red pepper and pulse to combine. (The mixture will be slightly liquid-y.)
Transfer mixture to a large mixing bowl. Add the remaining can of black beans and the breadcrumbs. Season with salt and pepper and mix well until thoroughly combined.
Divide into 4-6 portions, depending on how big you want your burgers to be. Place in the warmed skillet coated with a thin layer of oil and cook about 4-6 minutes per side or until heated through.
Place burger on toasted hamburger half. Spread chipotle mayo (as much as you like, but be careful – there’s a definite kick to it!) on the top half and place arugula leaves on top. Spread about a tablespoon of goat cheese directly on the bean burger. Place mayo/arugula-ed half on cheesy burger and enjoy!
Is it weird to crave veggie burgers? Maybe...
The next item on the cooking agenda? Meringue cookies. Simple, melt-in-your-mouth, I could eat 50 in one sitting, meringue cookies. They took a little longer than I expected, but were delicious, airy and the perfect thing to bring to my aunt’s drinking party casual get-together later that night.
Meringue Cookies
3 egg whites
1/4 tsp cream of tartar (I accidently put in 3/4 tsp. They came out good anyway, but I don’t advice doing this.)
3/4 cup gradulated sugar
1/4 tsp vanilla extract
Preheat oven to 200 degrees. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
Place egg whites in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Beat eggs on high speed until you can no longer see the bottom of the bowl, about 6 minutes or until the foam can hold soft peaks.
With the speed still on high, gradually add the sugar until the egg whites hold stiff peaks. Then, beat in the vanilla extract.
Transfer egg white mixture to a piping back or a plastic storage bag with the tip snipped off. Pipe swirled kisses on prepared baking sheet and place in oven. Bake for an hour and ten minutes with the oven door completely shut. Seriously, don’t open it. Not even to peek. Even the slightest change in temperature while baking meringues can cause them to break. After an hour and ten minutes, the cookies should be slightly browned and dry. If you pick one up and the middle is still wet, continue to bake in 5 minute intervals until done.
Shiny pillows of sugary goodness
After my cooking and baking excursion on Friday afternoon, I rounded the night off with some quality time at my aunt’s house and drank copious amounts of red wine. Solid Friday overall.
Saturday marked a very special occasion: the day the first of my best friends got married.
I met Amy in college and we became close friends while being involved in school musicals together. On Saturday, in a beautiful Catholic church in Nashua, NH, she said “I Do” to the love of her life in a gorgeous white dress. The second my friends and I saw her, we all started crying. It was a beautiful ceremony.
Saying "I Do"
And then, we partied.
College friends at the wedding receptionMaid of Honor, Groom and Bride
She and her new husband are now honeymooning in the White Mountains and I hope they are having a fabulous time. Congrats Amy & Alex!
On Sunday morning, after a late night and many glasses of wine, Stephen and I headed back to Massachusetts so he could go to work and I could go to the mall with my parents, during tax-free weekend, to buy my first Mac laptop. Even though I’m not computer savvy at all, it has rapidly become my favorite new toy. It needs a name… suggestions?
Sunday night, I cooked again. I know, I was on a cooking roll this weekend. And a roll was exactly what I made. Craving more of my Friday night goat cheese and arugula combo, I sliced a large eggplant, grilled it, spread goat cheese on it, pressed on some arugula leaves, rolled them up and together, my father and I devoured each one.
Mmm... eggplant
After a wonderful weekend, I couldn’t have asked for anything better. And then I took a kickass muscle class at the gym and the new season of DanceWorks Boston started on Monday night.
Win.
How was your weekend? Are any of your best friends getting married? And what do you think of veggie burgers?
A few weeks ago, I received an e-mail from a lovely woman named Barbara. A frequent reader of my blog and experienced writer herself, she asked if I would consider letting her write a guest post for Chocolate & Wine. I happily agreed and after reading some of her work, decided that she would be the perfect person to write a “How-To” post for beginner cooks. It is insightful, includes recipes and helpful videos, and can help any cook no matter what your skill level is.
Cooking—while some have a natural gift for it, others simply improve with trial and error. If your first attempt at cooking was an utter disaster and you’re hoping to be part of the latter group, a good place to start improving your culinary skills is to do some light studying. No worries— quizzes and exams will not be administered, but brushing up on your culinary vocabulary is great way to make sure that you follow your recipe-of-choice correctly. After all, what good is reading a recipe if you don’t know what you need to do to make sure the meal comes out right? With that said, below are some explanations of common phrases and key words that pop up in most basic recipes and a list of supplies every kitchen should have to execute. Make sure to check out some simple semi-home made recipes found at the bottom of the article as well and put your freshly new knowledge to the test.
Must-Know Phrases/Key Terms
Sauté: ThisFrench term can be used when referring to both meats and vegetables. All it means is to cook the item of choice in a small sautéing pan (a skillet can be used in its place) until the meat is no longer pink or
Cook Vegetables Until Tender: This phrase is used to describe the state where a fork can easily insert into the once-raw vegetable with ease.
Cook Until Translucent: This phrase is typically used whenever onions are involved. All this simply means is to cook the onions until they become more transparent and are no longer a deep white or deep yellow—they should look more “see through.” Other words associated with onions and other vegetables include “chopped,” which are large cut square pieces of onion; “minced“, which are tiny miniscule cut pieces of onion; or “sliced” which are cut pieces that will appear like rings.
Brown Meat: This phrase is typically used when referring to ground meats such as hamburger or turkey. This means to cook the meat until it is no longer pink and bloody. To make sure that your ground meat gets cooked and “browns” properly, break apart the meat with a wooden spoon so that is distributes into small round pieces as it cooks.
Beat Eggs: This phrase is simply asking you to briskly stir the egg yolk and white together using a fork or whisk until the two components are thoroughly incorporated into one runny yellow mixture. Eggs must be mixed in a separate bowl by themselves to be considered “beaten.” To get a better idea of how it’s done, check out this video.
Stir Frequently: This means to repeatedly use a spoon to make sure all of the ingredients in the pan/pot are well-mixed, “Frequently” is typically about every 3 minutes or so. This instruction is usually given so that ingredients don’t stick to the bottom or sides of the pan.
Must-Have Kitchen Utensils/ Equipment:
Ovenproof Frying Skillet
Medium-Sized Sauce Pan
Large Pot
Baking Dish; 8 inch square and 12-inch square
Mixing Bowl
Cutting Board
Strainer/Colander
Measuring Cup and Measuring Spoons
Wooden Spoon, Spatula, Large Knife, Whisk
Semi-Homemade Easy Recipes for Beginners
Potato, Bacon and Green Onion Frittata
Prefect for breakfast or brunch, this easy-to-make dish is a great meal to test your elementary cooking skills. Omit the bacon for a vegetarian version. (Serves 4)
Ingredients:
6 slices of bacon
1 cup of Shredded Potatoes (can be purchased in the frozen isle)
1/2 cup of chopped green onion
6 eggs, beaten
1 cup of finely shredded cheddar cheese
Directions: Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Cook bacon in an ovenproof nonstick skillet until it is crispy (add no oil, bacon will make its own). Take the bacon out and place on a plate. Dab with a paper towel to remove excess oil. Drain excess oil from skillet. Chop cooked bacon into chunky pieces. Add chopped bacon back into skillet and add potatoes and green onion. Cook for about 6 to 8 minutes or until potatoes are crisp, stirring frequently. Stir in eggs. Sprinkle one layer of shredded cheese on top of egg mixture. Cover the skillet with appropriate lid and place in heated oven. Bake for 20 minutes or until the center is thoroughly cooked. To check this, insert a fork directly in the middle of the frittata; if no uncooked egg remains on the fork when you take it out, it is cooked.
Saucy Lemon Pepper Chicken
Prefect for lunch or dinner, this great dish only takes about 15 minutes to make and requires no complicated marinating yet still has a burst of flavor. And if it doesn’t ( or you accidently burn the meat) the special sauce will disguise it. (Serves 4)
Ingredients:
4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
1 ¼ of lemon pepper seasoning
4 tablespoons of butter
1 cup of sliced mushrooms
¾ chicken broth
1 tablespoon of flour
¼ cup of sour cream
1 teaspoon of minced parsley
Directions: Sprinkle chicken with lemon pepper seasoning, making sure that all areas are covered. In a large skillet, melt 2 tablespoons of butter over medium heat. Place the chicken in the skillet and sauté for about 10 minutes on each side, or until the inside is not longer pink. Remove the chicken from the skillet and set aside on a different plate. Add remaining butter to skillet and sauté mushrooms for about 2 to 3 minutes. While cooking, whisk broth and flour in a mixing bowl until all of the lumps are gone. Pour liquid over cooked mushrooms. Bring the liquid to a rapid boil. Reduce heat and simmer for about 3 minutes. Add sour cream and stir. Add chicken back into skillet, making sure to spoon sauce over chicken. Sprinkle parsley on top of chicken and serve immediately.
I believe that change is a good thing. Healthy, natural, it’s what helps us grow up and defines who we are. I welcome change.
For the most part.
I think change is easier when you know that other people support you, adapt to whatever is changing about you, sometimes changing a bit of themselves as well.
That’s where you all come in.
I want to talk about a specific change; namely, the genre of this blog.
It’s kind of happening already. During the summer, I spend more time dancing than eating. And in reality, once September rolls around in a few short weeks, there will not be much time in my schedule for cooking. As my dad would say, “Marie, school comes first.” Thanks Dad. (He’s been saying that since I was in pre-school.) But he’s right. Between grad school, dance, work… cooking won’t come daily.
While food and cooking is a huge part of my life and one of my favorite pastimes, I enjoy an abundance of other things as well. With my re-found love of the gym and working out, my passion for dance and my aspiring running, along with my busy life in general, I am finding more and more that I wish to tell you about. And as long as it’s cool with all of you, I’ll continue to keep this slight change in my blog’s line up.
Will I be abandoning cooking/baking completely? Absolutely not.
Will it happen a little less often? Sadly, yes.
In turn, I hope to turn this blog into a jack-of-all-trades forum where I talk about whatever comes to my mind. Sometimes it will include food, especially the occasional baked goods I will be providing my DanceWorks friends. It will also feature my fitness/running endeavors, school and work updates and of course, dance.
So I pose the ultimate question to you, my readers….is this all okay with you? Will you still find time in your busy lives to read me if I talk about cooking a bit less and life a bit more?
I would love your feedback and appreciate all of your support. Thank you so much for giving me a reason to write and keep my life documented in Chocolate & Wine. This blog is dedicated to you.
Greetings from Towson, Maryland, Louisville, Kentucky, Long Island, New York, Branford, Connecticut … home. Wait, what?
I know I’ve been away for a long time again.. When you are on NDA time, it’s almost as if real time has stopped, the rest of the world passes at a glance and not one staffer could confidently tell you what day of the week it is.
The past 3 weeks have been nothing short of ridiculously busy. Here is the Sparknotes version.
3 Saturdays ago (the day after my birthday), I pulled myself out of bed at 5am to catch and early flight to Louisville, Kentucky. After a much later night than I had anticipated, I was cranky, a total bi-otch. The flight was originally delayed a half hour and when we finally got on the plane, the captain informed us that we would be sitting in the plane for an additional 2 hour delay before embarking on the 2.5 hour flight to Chicago, IL. Needless to say, I missed my connecting flight and had to take a much later one.
However, despite my ill-willed travel, I arrived in Louisville and was greeted by NDA staff friends that I had come to know and love from previous years/camps. I dove headfirst into a 5-day, very large camp with 10 other amazing staffers and came out alive and happy. Slightly worse for wear, maybe, but happy nonetheless.
Louisville Staff 2011
The last day of my Louisville travels marked the first day of my next camp: Adelphi on Long Island, NY.
Of course, American Airlines decided to be difficult once again and I was delayed in Louisville for an extra hour and a half, therefore missing my connection in Chicago. I’ll just say it now: I hate the Chicago Airport. Sorry Chicago friends (if there are any out there), but your airport stinks.
Rant over.
I made it to Long Island and met up with another rock star staff. Together, we pulled together our routines, staff assignments and inventory (broken trophies and all..) and headed out for our first night meeting at none other than 16 Handles.
Yes, friends, guilt-free indulgence at it’s finest. Then we laughed a lot.
I want some now. Sigh.This is what we call the "Awkward Starfish". Embrace it.
Unfortunately, Adelphi was only a 3 day camp rather than 4 days so before I knew it, awards had come and gone, applications had been given out and I had to say goodbye to one of my favorite buddy teams of all time. Specific details aside, it was easy to become close with this team and when they gave me one of their camp t-shirts and signature heart pins at the end of Day 3, it took all I had not to start crying hysterically.
Adelphi Buddies ❤
I cry a lot, it’s whatever.
When I got home, I proceeded to unpack to repack, saw Stephen for about .02 seconds before falling asleep and didn’t wake up until the early afternoon hours the next day.
Keep in mind, that day was my only day off.
After repacking, having lots of coffee and making myself look half-decent, I left for DanceWorks Boston auditions in the Prudential Center. Apparently, the travel gods didn’t like me in the month of July because a trip into Boston via train that should take not longer than 30 minutes took me a hour and 45 minutes. I showed up flustered but somehow, miraculously on time. Just in time, in fact, to hear Lisa, our director, introduce herself, the company, the day and our first showcase piece: mine.
I got up, said my shpeal (spelling?) about my piece, cried halfway through (of course), and did a small demo of the routine. All in all, it went well. I watched the rest of the routines (9 total), decided which ones I wanted to audition for (two) and which others I would sign up for (six). I held my auditions, auditioned for the other two I hope to be in and then got Pinkberry with a few of the girls.
Oh, and I made cookies. I forgot that part. Pretzel M&M cookies, recipe courtesy of Brandy’s Baking.
There were none left. Win for the baker.
DanceWorks Boston Auditions!
After auditions, I returned home to finish packing, get some last minute travel details out of the way and fell asleep around 11pm. Just the way I like it.
Monday morning, I was back at the airport, this time to catch a flight to Wisconsin, a state I have never been to. And I have to say, Frontier Airlines makes everything so easy. Nice people, no delays, arrive on time… makes Marie a happy camper staffer.
A short drive with my Head Instructor and 1 other staff member brought us to the small town of Whitewater, Wisconsin, where I was clearly not in Boston anymore. Seriously — it was like a set of a (mid-)Western movie.
Am I wrong about the movie? Can't you just picture a tumble weed blowing by?
Although I didn’t know the staff as well as those I have worked with at previous camps, we clicked minutes after we met, breezing through our Day 0 to-do lists, grabbing dinner at an adorable (and cheap!) little restaurant a few blocks away and sweating profusely in our non-air-conditioned dorm. (Oh, the gym isn’t AC-ed either. I think I lost about 5 pounds of water while there.)
Whitewater proved to be a great time. My buddy teams were wonderful and I feel like our staff worked great together. Sure, they took a staff picture without me, but I’m sure they can crop me in!
Whitewater Varsity Buddies!Whitewater JV buddies!
A few days later, I drove down to the small town of Branford, Connecticut…details aside, it was the wrong location. With only one other staffer, coincidentally the same one I convinced to apply to NDA, we would have had a small 3-day home camp ahead of us. That usually means a 9-4 day, comfy hotel beds and more time to learn my routines (!) Due to a mix up, I came home a little earlier than planned, but hey, it happens.
Branford staff on the way home... but not without a froyo stop first!
I have 2 camps left this summer but not for a week and a half. They are back to back, one in New York, one in Rhode Island. Until then, I have quite a to-do list in front of me. Including LOTS and LOTS of blogging.
Now that we are all caught up, I promise to have more pictures when I can get my camera to work. I plan on doing a full summer recap right before I go back to school (ugh… did those words really just appear on my screen?) and there will be many pictures to accompany it.
Until then, I want to know: What’s the best and worst travel experience you’ve ever had? Did you get stranded somewhere or was a flight attendant particularly nice to you? Which airlines are your most and least favorite? And finally – what is the best part of your summer thus far?
PS – I plan on hosting a personal giveaway when I get home (for good). Anybody interested? Shoot some ideas my way!
I realized I haven’t done a Weekly Gratitude in quite some time now and I have SO many things to be thankful for. Bear with me, this list could get lengthy.
I’m thankful I have a wonderful family. Seriously, people, my fam puts up with a lot. When I’m moody, aggitated or tired, watch out. Hurricane Marie will bulldoze you right over.
Cupcake charm = birthday present from Mom & Dad. Super cute next to my giraffe and seashell.
I’m thankful for mid-morning snacks. Fruit, nuts, quinoa (?)… whatever. It helps me get through the first 5 hours of my day and makes me smile.
My aunt's quinoa: Roasted eggplant, peppers, onions, squash... Delicious despite the crappy picture.
I’m thankful for dance. Towards the end of college, I was completely burnt out. I no longer wanted to go to practice, couldn’t stand the thought of running our routines “one more time” and didn’t even enjoy the sweating aspect of it anymore. I felt like I lost a piece of myself. After graduation, I spent my summer with NDA, and although I loved every minute of it, I felt strangely out of place. As the year progressed, I joined DanceWorks Boston and my outlook changed. I found my love of dance again and with it, a love for myself again. Even this summer with NDA feels completely different than last summer and my confidence is soaring higher than ever before. Thank you DWB and NDA; you gave me a piece of my heart back.
DanceWorks Boston, Spring 2011NDA circa 2009
I’m thankful for my friends. Family friends, dance friends, home friends, school friends. I’d be so lost without you.
Oldie but a goodie. And go figure, even at 10 years old, my mouth was never shut.
I’m thankful for my job(s). That I do things that I like/love, that I work with great people and that I get a paycheck to pay my school loans so my parents don’t have to sell the house. Win.
I’m thankful for exercise. Sweat = love. I’m especially thankful for two of my oldest friends, Lauren and Joanna, for convincing me to take a Cross-Fitt class at the gym on Tuesday afternoon. My inner thighs and lower back STILL hurt.
I’m thankful for Weight Watchers. 6 pounds down and eating what I love? Yes, please.
I’m thankful for my boyfriend. Words do not express this at all. He is the kindest person I have ever met, has a heart of gold and would do anything and everything for me. He took me out to dinner last night, gave me a beautiful gift and even indulged my desire for (more) frozen yogurt. The whole time I was thinking that I must be the luckiest girl in the world.
Oh hey, BoyfriendSo good to me...I like diamonds.
I’m thankful that tomorrow is my birthday. I’m happy, healthy and ready for 23.
I had a revelation and made a big oops: I am a good staffer and a bad blogger.
If you have been reading C&W for more than a day (if this is your first visit, WELCOME!), you know that I travel during the summer with NDA (National Dance Alliance) to teach middle school and high school dance teams at camps all over the country.
Being on staff entails many things, including early mornings, late nights, complex meetings, 2-3 sessions a day, complicated decision making and above all, lots of dancing and lots of teaching. Being prepared is essential, being unprepared is… bad.
Last Monday, I ventured 5 hours to Long Island, NY to meet up my good friend, Duke undergrad and fellow staffer, Julianne, spent the night at her house and drove 5 more hours with her the following morning to Towson, Maryland for my first big camp of the summer.
Unlike my Kansas camp, this camp was four days long (five for the staff if you include our report day), had many more teams and a much bigger staff (6 of us total.) I love big “resident” camps because you get to work with multiple teams in four short days and getting close to your other staff members is surprisingly easy. I think we spend more time laughing than anything else.
Check out those jazz hands. I'm a pro.It took us about 10 times to get this picture just right. We were too busy laughing.
Nevertheless, I have been neglecting my lovely blog and I have so many things to share with you!
I got my first sponsor! I received and e-mail the other day from a woman with a darling company in the UK (yep.. I reach that far apparently!) called Bags of Love and asked if I would like to place the link to her “Personalized Aprons” on the sidebar of my blog. Well, of course I would! I even figured out how to make a pretty button for the link so click on over and check it out for yourself. I will be doing a product review for her in the coming weeks. Stay tuned.
I have an obsession with frozen yogurt. I mean, we knew this already but this past trip to New York/Maryland gave me the excuse to ask Julianne, “So you’re from New York and New York has frozen yogurt. Can we go, please please pleaseeeee?” I ended up getting froyo four times in the past week: Red Mango, 16 Handles Too (a kiosk of sorts inside of a mall), Yogoya and 16 Handles (the real one!) Would you like to see what they looked like?
The journey through a frozen-yogurt-packed week:
Red Mango right near Jules' house. I wish I had one.
Frozen yogurt overload. I’m so jealous of my NYC friends (especially Christine and Ali) for having this at their disposal whenever they want it.
Which brings me to a small update about how my Weight Watchers endeavors are going. I am now 3 weeks in and down 6 pounds. I am beginning to see a difference already and it’s really motivating me to eat well and work out. I hope to see a bit of an increase as the weeks progress but for now, I’m happy and I’ll take it!
Oh and as a staff, we went to see Harry Potter 7.2 on Saturday night. I proceeded to cry through the entire movie. It was just that good. If you haven’t yet seen it, go. Right now. You won’t be sorry.
Towson Rock Star Staff
What’s coming up!!
Today: Normal work day, gym sesh, cooking dinner for the first time in FOREVER.
Wednesday: Normal work day, longer gym sesh, then boyfriend is taking me out to dinner and for some surprises for my upcoming birthday. So excited! He’s a master of surprises, even though he has a total snoop of a girlfriend.
Thursday: Normal work day, gym (or maybe some hot yoga?), repacking my giant suitcase for 2 back-t0-back camps.
Friday: Normal work day, gym, maybe festivities with the fam, bed early.. and oh yeah, my 23rd birthday.
Saturday: 8am flight toLouisville,Kentucky!!
That flight will be followed by 5 days in Louisville and 4 days in New York for two seperate resident camps. And the last day of July? DanceWorks Boston auditions!!! See “Hello World” on that schedule? Yep, that’s me.
So tell me friends… what is your favorite frozen yogurt and where can I find it??
I’m sorry I’ve been a bit MIA this past week. As you could see from my July schedule, I spent my Independence Day traveling to Seneca, Kansas. I had never been to Kansas before and I assumed it would be lots of fields and rolling plains and corn.
I was right.
Mmm... corn
But you know what they have in Kansas that they don’t have in Massachusetts (besides corn pickers, weird watering devices and horrifying highways where the only way you can pass is by driving in the opposite lane…) ?
ORANGE LEAF.
Yes, my friends, frozen yogurt at it’s finest. The fro-yo phenomenon is just barely reaching Boston, which is unfortunate. While Pinkberry is pretty awesome, there are other chains that allow you to pour your own fro-yo into a cup (and there are a ton more flavors), load on whatever toppings you want and pay for it by the ounce. It’s spectacular. Such chains popping up around the country include 16 Handles, Red Mango and of course, Orange Leaf.
So after my fellow NDA staffer and Idaho native, Kira, and I drove an hour from Seneca to Manhattan (also known as “The Little Apple”), found Orange Leaf and indulged in the frozen treat. Oh yeah – did I mention it was 100 degrees the entire time we were there and the high school gym we were dancing in wasn’t air-conditioned? So, yeah, frozen yogurt was a must at that point.
I settled for a low-fat swirl of brownie batter and chocolate chip cookie flavors topped with a ton of fresh strawberries and a few cookie dough bits. I was in heaven.
C'mon Boston.. work with me here.
Kira and I also got to try out a cute little restaurant close to our motel on the last night of our stay. I had the Champagne Chicken Salad which included mixed greens, grilled chicken, strawberries, dates and spiced pecans with a champagne vinagrette that I got on the side. It was delicious and definitely filled me up. If you ever visit Seneca, Kansas, I highly recommend “The Willows”.
The Willows in Seneca, KS. Go here.I love salad.
The camp itself was great and the perfect way to kick off my NDA summer. The team was fun, enthusiastic and they picked up the 5 routines we gave them really well. I was even a little sad to leave after spending three days with them.
Kira, me and the Centralia High School Dance Team
Coming home wasn’t as fun. It involved a 3-hour detoured car ride back to the airport, a long delayed layover in Chicago and a 3am bed time, but eventually I got home, hit my bed hard and slept for the majority of the next day.
So what’s next? According to my schedule, I have normal work today, a gym date with boyfriend and some packing to do before I hit the road to Long Island, NY tomorrow. Five hours to Smithtown, a sleepover with one of my best NDA friends and an additional 5 hour drive to Towson, Maryland on Wednesday for 5 days of Resident camp fun (and maybe a late night showing of Harry Potter? I think so.)
Although I didn’t get much have any service while in Kansas, I believe I will have more connection in Maryland. Hopefully I can update the blog as I go but there is a good chance I will be so entralled with Level 3 Kick, I might not have much time on my hands.
What’s going on in your life this week? Any big plans? Do you travel a lot during the summer or do you prefer to relax at home?
Hello July!! I’m so excited you are here; you are my favorite month and not just because of my birthday.
Here’s what’s going on in Marie’s July:
July 3rd: Annual epic 4th of July celebration on the South Shore. YES.
July 4th: Independence Day. Happy Birthday America! I’ll be celebrating on a plane and then going to bed early.
July 5th-7th: First NDA camp of the summer in Kansas!
July 9th: Dance2Save benefit with DanceWorks Boston. SexyBack style.
July 12th: Road trip to Long Island/sleepover with one of my best NDA friends.
July 13th: Drive to Towson, Maryland with said NDA best friend.
July 14th-17th: NDA Towson camp (2nd year on this one baby)
July 20th: Birthday celebrations with Boyfriend (he won’t tell me a freakin’ thing)
July 22nd: My 23rd Birthday… gah.
July 23rd-27th: NDA Louisville camp (helloo Kentucky, I’m back!)
July 27th-30th: NDA Adelphi camp (I didn’t make a mistake.. they do overlap)
July 31st: DanceWorks Boston dance auditions!
Whew!!! What a month. I’ll be away 21 of the 31 days and dancing through all of them. I love my job. Thank you NDA for making the summer more fun! And DWB friends, I apologize in advance for being practically crippled at auditions.
As for these mid-year goals, I realized that I didn’t do a 2011 goals post like so many other bloggers. After reading Ali and Emily’s mid-year check-ins, I figured it’s better late than never to set some goals. At least I’ll have something to check-in for when December rolls around.
2011 Mid-Year Goals:
Work (at least) 8 NDA summer camps.
Run 2 more 5Ks.
Host a blog giveaway.
Stick to Weight Watchers (not playing a numbers game here. Work out, eat right, follow the points, be healthy and let the body do what it will.
Rock the first semester of my grad program at Boston University (all A’s would be sweet but we like B+s too)
Try 1 new recipe a week.
Dance in 4 DanceWorks Boston fall pieces.
Train for and run a 10K.
Take hot yoga regularly.
Those seem pretty good if I do say so myself. This summer is one of the busiest I’ve ever had but 2011 is flying people, and I can’t wait to see how I do by the start of 2012!
I wanna know… how are your goals coming this year? What goals do you still need to work on? Any new ones in mind for the last 6 months of the year?
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