Love is in the Air

“There are only three things women need in life: Food, water and compliments.” – Chris Rock

Last weekend I headed to Rhode Island for one of my closest friend’s baby shower.  My flight was leaving out of Charlotte, so I made sure to get there in enough time to eat dinner at Luna’s before I made my way to the airport.

Still in love with the Manicotti.

I’ll never be able to wrap my head around the fact that everything here is raw and vegan and SO delicious.

Of course my flight was delayed a bit…by the time I landed in Providence and then made it to my Aunt & Uncle’s house it was about midnight, so I went right to bed.

I woke up to a winter wonderland the next morning.  Normally, I would’ve loved this, but I had so much to do and the snow was accumulating fast and wasn’t showing any sign of stopping.

At least it was pretty.

I finally made it on the road and headed to Ashley and Keith’s in Rhode Island.  On the way there, I stopped at Garden City to grab a few things and get a bite to eat.  I finally ate at b.good. My friend, Christina, eats there all the time and I’ve been dying to give it a try.  I opted for the Citrus & Avocado salad (with chicken) that was made with boston lettuce, radicchio, orange, avocado, pistachios, goat cheese, fennel and lemon-mint vinaigrette. So good.

We went to dinner at Celestial Cafe.  Growing up, I hated seafood, which is such a shame considering that I grew up in Massachusetts and Rhode Island.  About eight years ago I gave it another try and voila!  These days, there aren’t too many things that I don’t like.  I decided to get the RI Mushroom, Kale & Onion Risotto with Scallops.  The dish was spinach, artichoke hearts, Schartner Farm kale, RI mushrooms, carmelized onions, Naragannasett Creamery garlic & herb cheese, roasted garlic and Marsala broth with risotto.  My mouth is watering as I am writing this!  We started with “Pat’s Pork Nachos”, which were made with Pat’s Pastured smoked cubed pork belly & pulled pork, Celestial’s honey onion BBQ, pickled hot peppers, green onions, cheddar and served with a side of salsa and side of Cool Ranch.  Since we had a (pregnant) DD, it was time to go all out. Just kidding. However, “The Navidad” caught my eye and I found myself sipping on tequila, tepache, ginger liqueur, pineapple juice, cinnamon syrup and bitters.

Saturday morning, Ashley got up and she made us a healthy green smoothie.  Moments later, her husband, Keith, arrived with Allie’s Donuts.  Basically the best of both worlds.  If they weren’t expecting a baby in two months, I would’ve probably asked if I could move in.

Been around since 1968. 

Then, it was off to the shower.  The snow added such a beautiful touch to the back drop of the shower and perfected the “Baby, It’s Cold Outside” theme.

Quidnessett Country Club

Ashley’s Bridal Shower was perfect. Her wedding was straight out of a magazine.  So, it was no surprise when her baby shower had my heart melting quicker than the snow.

Can. Not. Wait. To. Meet. Him.

All of the sweets were right up my alley…

Tasted as good as it it looked.

Hot Cocoa Bar. YES!

Tiniest little mama to be.

I seriously can’t wait to meet Ashley and Keith’s little man.  They’re definitely one of my favorite couples and Ashley and I have been super close since 9th grade…hope this kid lives up to my expectations and is as wonderful as his parents (and grandparents…and Uncle) 😉

After the shower we went back to Ashley and Keith’s for a bit and later went out for dinner.  That night we watched 21 Jump Street and then called it a night.

I had an early flight back down to Charlotte the next morning.  I decided to stay in Charlotte for the Super Bowl. I was really excited to relax a bit before heading to my friend’s an then out.  And then, the auras started. Noooooo…. not a migraine?! Yes, indeed.  Plans got rearranged, but I did end up making it over to my friend’s house to watch the Super Bowl.  It’s always so wonderful to catch up with my “big sissy”.  Especially, when Snap Chat gave us this option:

We really bring out the best in each other.

Monday morning, I went to check out Pure Barre South Park with my Mom.  Afterwards we headed to lunch at Luna’s. Yes, again. I clearly had to get the Manicotti, but also ordered the Cacao Cacao smoothie.  It was even better than I remembered.  We were torn between getting the Caramel Brownie and the Turtle Cake. And by we, I mean me.  Luckily they were out of brownies, so Mom and I decided to share the Turtle Cake.

Thee Best Raw Food.

On Thursday, I figured it was time to make sure my coworkers were feelin’ the love since Valentine’s Day was right around the corner. With some love inspired jams and a red tutu that my coworker, Elizabeth, had in her desk drawer, I was ready to go!

I want to wear this every time I teach.

On Thursday night, I stayed in Sparkle to teach a Platform class.  I had been going and going all day and didn’t even realize how cold it was when I went outside to talk to Olivia.

Get back inside!

When I taught on Friday morning in Greenville, the girls told me it was supposed to snow.  I didn’t take it too seriously.  I made my way to Spartanburg, taught class and then came out of the studio to find that it was snowing….hard!  By the afternoon it had all melted.  Short lived. After working in Sparkle all day, I made my way back to Greenville to teach Bring on the Men.  This version was particularly special because 1. It was Platform instead of regular Pure Barre 2. 5 of the girls from the office were bringing their significant others!

SO much fun!

The guys did AWESOME! (Girls, I guess you did alright too).  I had so much fun teaching it and think I may have been sweating as much as everyone else.

I had today (and tomorrow) entirely off.  I still got up around 8 because I don’t know how to sleep in, but took advantage of all of the free time. Made breakfast. Cleaned. Cleaned some more. Laundry. Cleaned even more.

I wanted to bake, so it was time to convince Randall that he wanted sweets for Valentine’s Day tomorrow.  At the end of January, Randall suggested we eat “clean” for the month of February.  I was semi on board.  I decided I would do my absolute best Monday-Friday, but then on the weekends would treat myself as much (or as little) as I felt like.  Randall has zero interests in any sweets, so I found myself on Yelp looking at bakeries.  I decided to head to GiGi’s to get cupcakes.  If I baked, there would be WAY too much in the house and I wouldn’t be able to cut myself off.  Most of the cupcakes were decked out for Valentine’s Day.  I couldn’t decide which one I wanted so I got the Red Velvet and Champagne.

Champagne is already gone. Red Velvet half way gone (half way there). Whoops!

Having sweets and treats sometimes and eating clean and green other times is a MUCH better balance for ME.  Last year, when I did 30 Clean, I felt like I was losing my mind.  Afterwards, I had a really weird relationship with food… for a while.  Hey, I’m not knockin’ it, so much respect to you if it works for you, but eating “good” during the week and then mixing it up on the weekends is working wonders for me (says the girl that has been doing this for only two weeks)

Whether you’re single and ready to mingle or have googly eyes for your boo thang, I hope you have a wonderful day tomorrow. Treat yourself. Love yourself. Remember it’s Sunday Funday.  Tell someone how fabulous they are or how much they mean to you.  The world needs more love.