July 2010

Little Brother to the Rescue!

by Meghann on July 31, 2010

Can I just start off by saying there are not enough hours in the day?

I left my apartment at 11:00 am this morning and am just now able to sit down, relax, and blog at 10:00 pm. Sure, I was able to get a lot accomplished, but what a day!

It all started at Ikea where I was on the hunt for a desk replacement.

I took my time surveying my options and concluded that a desk really wasn’t what I needed for that space. That ‘desk’ had not been used as an actual desk since I moved in two years ago. It had become a disorganized storage space and after a couple of hours of exploring I decided a bookcase would be a better alternative.

I found this gem of a bookcase and fell in love.

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Plus, the price was right up my ally.

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Major upsides to shopping by yourself – you get to take your time, you don’t have to worry about the other person being bored, and all decisions are 100% yours.

Major downside to shopping by yourself – no one is there to left the heavy boxes for you. :(

As soon as I found the box for the bookcase I knew there was no way it was fitting in my car. Luckily, my little brother just happened to be in the Orlando area and agreed to help me get the bookcase home. Sweet! :)

I wasn’t hungry when I had left my apartment earlier that morning, but knew I would become hungry while shopping. Instead of wasting money at a food court, I packed a lunch for the day.

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Ikea’s food court came in handy. Once I reached the food court I was more than ready to eat. It was nice to be able to sit, eat, and mentally recap all my furniture options. Sitting down and taking a breather really gave me the perfect time to make and stick with my final bookcase decision.

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For lunch I had packed a wrap filled with hummus, tabouli, cucumber, and arugula.

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On the side, a serving of TJ’s Peanut Butter Pretzels.

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La Beverage

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And a Carrot Cake Scuffin to end the meal on.

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Nest stop: the outlets!

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Where some damage was done.

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Since my brother was helping me with the book case, I offered to meet him at Menchis for frozen yogurt – my treat. :)

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I’ve been trying to cut back on self serve fro – yo. I realized I had been eating it at least twice a week the other month. This was not good for my bank account or my waist line. Self serve frozen yogurt is suppose to be a treat, not an everyday occurance. And let me tell you, after not having it for 3 week, the frozen yogurt actually tasted better than before. :)

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My brother ended up being a life saver! He was able to lift the box with little to no effort and his truck was the perfect box transporter.

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Ben and Ashley also made the perfect bookcase assemblers. I believe they had the bookcase assembled in 20 minutes tops!

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Out with the old…

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In with the new..

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I still need to put everything in the shelves, but so far so good! I really like the bookcase and believe it fits the space perfectly. :)

For dinner, Ben, Ashley, and I invited ourselves to Anthony and Kelly’s to grill out.

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Kelly is in Miami for the weekend, so it was really only Anthony’s place for the night.

We came bearing meat.

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I’ve been craving steak lately and what better time to enjoy steak than an evening with friends?

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I don’t cook steak often – or ever really – so Anthony told me to poke them with a fork and marinade them with the A1and Soy Sauce.

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While the steaks grilled I had a couple pita chips with hummus that Ben had brought with him.

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I also quenched my thirst with a beer.

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The table’s set and ready to go.

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Steak, steamed green beans, and roasted sweet potatoes. Yum!

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My plate

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Everything was delicious. Sometimes a girl just craves a good steak and I was very happy to have that craving satisfied. :)

Thanks for letting us invite ourselves over Anthony! Kelly – you missed out! :)

I have an early 14 miler planned for the morning. Let’s home for cloudy skies and an unexpected cold front. A girl can dream, right?

Good night!

{ 19 comments }

Inside a Runner's Head

by Meghann on July 31, 2010

If you were to record the thoughts running through my head during any given run it would probably read something likes this:

“Woo hoo! Feeling great! Let’s do this thing.”

“Boy, it’s hot. Can a person really sweat this much?”

“Water! I need water! Is that driveway empty? I wonder if those people would mind if I drank out of their water hose.”

“Can we pretend that airplanes in the night sky are like shooting stars. I could really use a wish right now (wish right now, wish right now) “

“So, if I make a smoothie when I get home then I have frozen strawberries, mangos, and yogurt to add to it. I wonder if I should top it with granola or crumble a scuffin?”

“Two more miles. Two more miles. You’ve got this Meghann – You’ve got this!!”

“Ahh.. my pace is climbing. Sprint Meghann, sprint! Must get under 9:00 minute miles!”

“I’m done! I’m done! Dear god, please let Chicago weather be better than this.”

At least, that’s how my thoughts read this morning. :)

I had 6 miles on my training plan this morning with a goal of finishing around a 8:56 per mile pace.

Here’s my splits:

  • Mile 1: 8:55
  • Mile 2: 8:45
  • Mile 3: 8:51
  • Mile 4: 8:51
  • Mile 5: 9:06
  • Mile 6: 8:54
  • Total: 53:24
  • Avg pace: 8:53

Goal accomplished. :)

I’ve been having issues with my iPod shuffle lately.

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My ipod can’t handle all my sweat and has been shorting itself out after 5 miles or so. I’ve tried wearing it in different places, but it seems as if there are no sweat free spots on my body.

Any suggestions? Maybe I need to wrap it in a plastic baggie?

Hopefully I’ll figure something out 14 miler tomorrow :/

After a hot, sweaty run I was really craving a cold, refreshing smoothie for breakfast.

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In the blender:

  • Frozen Strawberries
  • Mango
  • Ice
  • Plain Yogurt
  • Almond Milk
  • PB2
  • Xanthum Gum

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Blend, Blend, Blend

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Smoothies are so much better in a bowl. :)

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I topped it all with some granola and cacao nibs.

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With a Carrot Cake Scuffin on the side.

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I have the whole day to myself! That’s a first! But, I think sometime a girl deserves some me time.

I, also, have several projects to finish around the house and on the blog (By the way has anyone seen the new travel post tab I created yesterday? Check it out) I’m going to finish the blog work first and then head out to shop!

I need to find something else to go in this space, he desk just isn’t working anymore.

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Umm… yeah. I’ve got my work cut out for me.

Wish me luck!

{ 44 comments }

From Dressy to Comfy in 15 seconds or less

July 30, 2010

It’s the weekend! That means I go from this…. Cute, professional, trying to be stylish Meghann. (Like my new headband?!?!) To this… Bum, hair is a mess, outfit doesn’t match Meghann. And boy does it feel good. Luckily Maddie doesn’t care what I look like. She loved me just the way I am. I’ve been more »

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You know what I do when I can’t decide what to have for lunch?

July 30, 2010

I make a salad. Salads are one of my favorite go-to foods; they can be transformed to fit what ever needs you have. Craving veggies? Fill her up. Lacking protein? add beans or almonds for a protein boost. Need calcium? Pass the cheese please! Or switch out the typical lettuce for dark leafy greens instead. more »

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Pushing Myself

July 30, 2010

Happy Friday Everyone!!! It’s almost the weekend! Woop! Woop! My Friday started off with a bang thanks to Back2Back Body Power and Spinning. I’m so thankful they only changed body power to group active on Wednesdays so that I can still get a body power class in on Fridays. I made a goal with myself more »

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Yoga Love

July 29, 2010

Oh hot yoga, do you know how much I love you? Let me count the ways. I love how you bring me together with old friends. Ashley just happened to be attending the same class as I I love how no two classes are ever the same. Tonight’s class was slow and focused on strength more »

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