Gifting
Lovely – Ecto ate another post. AHHHHHHHH.
The gist:
I went to a holiday party and ate pizza.
I tried to run with the pizza in my stomach and it jiggled around too much.
I organized all the Christmas gifts I’ve purchased with bags and tissue.
I enjoy the challenge of shopping for gifts even when I’m baffled about what to buy. I know a lot of people are moving towards not exchanging gifts to save time and money, but I think It’s worth it in the end.
Does your family still exchange gifts?
Read MoreSadness & The Rest of the Weekend
Friday was such a sad day. The news was heart breaking and I just can’t stop thinking about it. My coping mechanism thus far has just been to ignore the media and continue on with the weekend. But each time I learn another detail, it’s sickening and so horrible. Honestly, I didn’t even want to write a blog post because I’m at a loss for what to say about the tragedy. But I know it’s important to talk about what happened, especially as a nation. My thoughts were with the families of those lost at Sandy Hook all weekend and will continue to be over the holidays.
Nothing Better
There’s really nothing better than pizza and wine.
Actually, there is – gourmet pizza and wine with friends…
These lovely ladies (and the men) and I went to the new Pizzeria Toro for a late birthday celebration. The restaurant is a adorable, but small, and we were told there would be over an hour wait for a table. Luckily, we were seated after only 30 minutes! Our table shared pizzas topped with…
A Bit of Everything
It was one of those fabulous weekends. The sun was shining, the temps were perfect, and I had the whole weekend free to play. I did a bit of everything – relaxing, cleaning, organizing, exercising, eating, drinking, friending. Friday started with drinks and dinner at Fuqua Friday, and then Matt and I came home for a movie night. We watched Reality Bites, a movie that I’ve actually never seen, despite having listened to the soundtrack a million times. I really enjoyed it, and could definitely relate with the whole post-graduation blues thing. Although, I’m feeling that this year might be a turning point….
And we also enjoyed this wonderful Octoberfest, which was a nice prelude to Saturday’s festivities.
I accidentally slept until 9 on Saturday and it felt glorious. A lot of times I feel zombie-like if I sleep too much (and when I sleep too little), but I felt great, so my body must have needed it. I went to spinning, and then worked hard to get my life in order – laundry, grocery shopping, a good shower scrub, cold-brewing new coffee for the upcoming week, dishwasher unloading, sheet changing – ya know, all the things that take over your weekend when you are supposed to be having fun:) In the afternoon, we dashed out to Fullsteam Brewery for a birthday party and then made our way over to the Bull City Burger Octoberfest.
We met lots of friends and enjoyed 20oz plastic mugs of Octoberfest with live music. It’s funny how good beer and conversation with friends can make hours just fly by.
Around 8, we decided non-alcoholic nourishment was needed, so we walked to the Federal. I always order the veggie sliders because they are soo good, but I forced myself to branch out this time. I’ve been to the Fed three times before and always had the same thing, so I went for the burger this time (well, I really wanted the pimento cheese and fried green tomato sandwich, but they were out of tomatoes!). The burger was great – thick and juicy and topped with gruyere.
Of course when we saw Pumking on tap, Matt and I had to share a glass. Oh, and we also had the nachos, which were some of the best I’ve ever had! It was one of those nights where it just felt so great to be relaxing with friends with nothing else on my mind.
Sunday has involved pancakes and coffee and a glorious run around Duke’s East campus. It’s rare that I would describe a run with that adjective, but it just felt good today. I’ve started leaving my watch at home and just running, and I’ve noticed it’s made running more enjoyable because I’m not worried about time goal. I’m still only running once or twice a week at most, but after having to quit because of stomach issues over the past two years and then deciding I hated running, I’m still trying to rekindle the relationship I used to have with it in college.
Back to Sunday – I spent the afternoon baking cupcakes for a cookout I’m going to tomorrow. I’m such a messy baker, but I do enjoy it! I used a double chocolate cake mix that I’ve been trying to use up forever, but made my favorite strawberry buttercream icing to go on top. Though I haven’t tried a cupcake yet, I think this batch of icing is my best ever – the perfect balance of butter, sugar, and strawberry.
I also made pizza! And I’ve got leftovers to pep up my Monday!
New Eateries
It felt so good to stay in Durham this weekend and resume normal life.
I ran, I did laundry, I caught up with friends, and I saw a rainbow.
This weekend was all about enjoying friends and Durham, so a group of us tried a new tapas place (Taberna) that opened while I was gone this summer. They don’t yet have a liquor license, so we brought our own wine = awesome.
The tapas were reasonably priced and tasty too. These sweet potato fries topped with pulled pork were a brilliant idea.
Bacon wrapped dates are always one of my favs.
Lots of meat!
Saturday, I was feeling under the weather, so after running a bunch of errands, we just grabbed a pizza at a new establishment (Lilly’s Pizza)
It’s definitely a new favorite because of the crust and the interesting (and fresh) toppings. Half was covered with black bean salsa, cheddar, green chiles, and cilantro, and half was a Thai theme with all kinds of veggies, chicken, and a curry sauce. Most unique pizza I’ve had in a while! I also watched The Rum Diaries (with Johhny Depp) – it’s pretty weird, but really entertaining. I’d recommend it for a Saturday night in.
I’m really behind on my movies these days. What else is good?
Read More
Welcome to TBT!
I've created this blog because I'm in a bit of a quarter life crisis. Since graduating from college in 2008 and earning an advanced degree in school psychology in May, I still don't know what career path to follow. All I know is that time is moving way too fast and I find myself living only for the weekends. Bear with me as I attempt to reclaim my twenties by finding pleasure and balance in the work week and incorporating my passions of food, fashion, fitness, and fun into everyday life. 
She said what?