Category: Boston

This Week: Workouts, Short Week & Things I’m Looking Forward To

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Hi there! I hope you all had a great weekend… a great long weekend for those of you who had yesterday off! I spent it in Maine and it was just what I needed after a big week of teaching. The past couple of weeks/month have been much lighter on the workout front- both in length and in teaching. And you know what? I’m ok with that! It was a hard adjustment to make- that whole slowing down thing is really hard for me- but after having a week where I taught 6 classes in 5 days, I’m reminded of just how physically and mentally demanding that type of schedule is. It’d be one thing if I didn’t have a full time job, but after an 8+ hour work day, teaching that many classes, for me, at this time, is just too much. I’m sure last week won’t be my last week of a big teaching schedule because I love subbing and sometimes it just works out like that, but it’s a good reminder that I made the right decision by dropping some classes!

I only have 3 “real” days this week since I had yesterday off and am taking Friday off for Sheila’s wedding, which normally is a good thing, but this week I feel like I have so much to cram in in such a short amount of time! I’m moving next weekend and have done zero packing- whoops! Oh well. It will all get done, and the beauty is that I’m just moving up to the second floor so I can move things up in small shifts! I think I’m going to take a break from working out next week (besides my teaching) so that I have ample time to move throughout the week.

But, let’s get to the workouts!

Last Week’s Workouts

  • Monday- I taught my 6am Muscle Work class and then ran for 10 minutes on the treadmill. RM and I went for a walk later that evening, too.
  • Tuesday- I taught my first outdoor bootcamp in Wakefield! We had so much fun… or at least I had a lot of fun. There were 3 ladies and they rocked it- I can’t wait to throw new things at them this week!

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  • Wednesday– I ran 20 minutes before teaching, and doing, my UXF Burn class at Central Square. With the 90* temps, it was not the most enjoyable run, but I went out without my Garmin or Map My Run and just went for time. It was nice to not do anything but run! In class, I threw in some new core moves that I made up and was happy to see that they left me a little sore!

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  • Thursday- I subbed my old SHRED and Cardio Kickboxing classes at the Central Square BSC. I’d heard bad things about the guy who took over my classes (I’ve taken one of his classes and thought he was a total jerk, so I can’t say I’m surprised), and was sad to see that there were only 5 people for SHRED and 6 for Kickboxing. I hate hearing that the numbers have dropped so much 😦

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  • Friday- I rested besides a little walk to run errands.
  • Saturday- I taught my Saturday kickboxing class at the Oak Square YMCA. I was afraid it was going to be a very small class, but there ended up being about 20 people- not bad for Labor Day Weekend!

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  • Sunday- Another rest day, besides filming another set of cardio kickboxing videos– can’t wait to post them for you!

This Weeks Workouts

  • Monday- Yesterday we all were up early so I headed out for a 3 mile jog and finished up with a short strength circuit and some core work with my mom!
  • Tuesday- I’m teaching my outdoor bootcamp again- can’t wait!
  • Wednesday- I’m teaching UXF Burn at 6:30 at Central Square and will probably do some cardio beforehand.
  • Thursday- I’m not sure! Maybe a class at PUMPS, maybe kickboxing at Wellington, maybe my own workout?
  • Friday- I’ll workout before I head to the Cape in the morning. Probably kickboxing if I don’t do that on Thursday night. Or a running bootcamp workout.
  • Saturday- I would love to do something before Sheila’s wedding. She doesn’t think she will have time to join, but maybe some of my other friends will?
  • Sunday- Probably a rest day after the wedding festivities 😉

Things I’m Looking Forward To

I am SO excited for Sheila’s wedding!! Sheila is one of the funniest and fun people I know and I am positive her wedding will be nothing less than an absolute blast. And, when all my SMC girls get together, it’s never a bad thing! I’m also excited to see the boyfriend… we haven’t seen each other since last Tuesday, which is a really long time for us. I missed him!

Questions for you: What was the best workout you had last week? Did you have Monday off?

Weekending: Barry’s Bootcamp Roof Deck Workout & A Maine Visit

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Good morning! I hope today’s off to a great start for all of you. The weather is supposed to be perfect all week, so for all of you who may be vacationing, I’m jealous! I was also very jealous listening to my mom and her friends plan out their week: beach day, pool day, lake day, baseball game. Retirement/summer vacation seems pretty awesome!

Last weekend was a blast! It was nice to have a night in Boston, but even nicer to escape the city for a night and head up to Maine.

Friday

My gym friend, Jen, somehow found out about a bootcamp that Barry’s Bootcamp was offering on the roof deck of the Revere Hotel and when I found out it was on a night I could go, I jumped at the chance! It was $20 which included the 60 minute workout and a cocktail… can’t really go wrong with that 😉

photo 3I wasn’t sure what to expect for the workout, but I was expecting hard since the last time I went to Barry’s I died a little. Mostly because of the treadmill runs, but still, it was tough! I knew there wouldn’t be treadmills for this workout, but I was expecting a lot of burpees and other cardio exercises, which sadly, we didn’t do!

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All in all, though, the workout was pretty tough! We just used resistant bands and our body weight and worked all the big muscles. The arm sections were by far the hardest part for me- SO. MANY. PUSH-UPS!!! It was good to feel challenged with that! The leg exercises were all things I’ve done before- actually, things I’ve posted videos of here, here, and here! That’s ok, though- still had my legs screaming because we did all of those exercises with booty bands around our ankles. Yikes!

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Once the workout was done, we enjoyed our free cocktail- love gym friends and workout get togethers!

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After, I met RM at City Landing for dinner and drinks. I thought I’d be able to find a shower, but no such luck. Nothing like a little baby-wipe “shower” and running water through the hair to try and look somewhat decent… and clean!

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City Landing has a whole gluten free menu- check out this pizza and Ahi Tuna! Delish!

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Saturday

We got up relatively early for a Saturday and hit the road to head north around 9am. I was afraid of traffic, but the roads were clear the entire time! Sadly, it wasn’t beach weather when we got to Ogunquit, so we grabbed a gluten free breakfast sandwich at Cafe Amore and then walked part of the Marginal Way, which is a gorgeous path along the “cliffs” in Ogunquit.

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So pretty! Once it reached a reasonable time to have our first cocktail, we headed to a favorite: Barnacle Billy’s. RM hadn’t ever been to Ogunquit or Perkins Cove so it was fun to show him around… and introduce him to his first Rum Punch, Billy’s signature cocktail. If you go to Ogunquit, you need to go to Barnacle Billy’s and have one!

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(yes, I realize I’m wearing the same thing as I did Friday night- I promise it was clean!)

The weather finally started to clear and our seats on their upper deck couldn’t have been more perfect! After a few cocktails, we ordered a lobster roll and steamers- holy.yum. Such a delicious lunch!

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On our way home, we stopped in at Shaw’s Ridge for an ice cream and to catch up with Mr. Shaw and Meredith (who, btw, just got engaged!!! So, so, so happy for you and Brandon, Mere!!) and grab an ice cream cone. Mr. Shaw wasn’t there, but it was good to see Mere!

We finally made it to my parents around 4:30… just in time to pick veggies from the garden for dinner (<— love doing that. nothing better!) and start on cocktail hour. We all were responsible for different things and the kitchen was quite busy!

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Dad wanted a lamb, so he did it on the rotisserie- I wasn’t sure I liked lamb but it was delicious! Even cooler? All of the veggies we ate were from our garden or a nearby farm (the corn). There’s just something to be said for the whole “farm to table” way of eating. So fresh and flavorful!

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We finished dad’s 65th bday celebration with a bond fire. It was the most perfect night for one! I think it’s safe to say he had a really great day!

Sunday

After breakfast and some reading, RM and I went on a nice 2 mile stroll. It helped clear my wine headache 😉 By the time we got back, it was getting late to make it to the beach, so we opted for going to our family friend’s pool instead. Poolside, wine in hand, family and friends- can’t get much better than that!

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All in all, it was a really awesome weekend… we were both so sad it had to end! Trips back to MA from ME are always the worst 😦 Luckily I’ll be home for a few nights this weekend!

Questions for you: What did you do this weekend? Have you been to Ogunquit and/or Barnacle Billy’s? Where is your favorite place to get drinks?

This Week: Workouts, gearing up for lots of teaching & things I’m looking forward to

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Hi there! Can you believe this is the last week in August?? I seriously have no idea where the summer went, but to be honest, although I’m not ready for summer to be officially over, to have cooler weather and to lose some daylight hours, I am ready for fall. A slower schedule (hopefully), apple picking, pumpkin everything… you get the idea 🙂

I posted on Facebook last week that it was all about changing up workouts for me last week.

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When I was teaching a million classes a week, it was hard for me to try new things or change up what I was doing because I was on a tight schedule. However, now that I’ve lightened up my teaching schedule, I’m able to jump around and try new things. It didn’t hurt that I had 2 free classes at Exhale Spa before the end of the month 😉

My workouts, in addition to being different than usual, ended up being less intense, which came at a perfect time. Last week I was going through some stomach issues and a weird blurry eye/headache/sinus pressure thing, which made it really hard to workout (makes me so tired!). I’ve gotten them before, but never 3 in one week. Something weird is going on… hopefully it doesn’t happen this week because I’ve got a big week of teaching. RM is out of town so I took advantage of some subbing opportunities- never bad to make a little extra $$ 😉

Last Week’s Workouts

My workouts last week were on the lighter side, which is ok. It’s good to give your body a little break from the high intensity/impact workouts sometimes. I did a LOT of walking- both at lunch and after work since I went to 2 classes in the city, so that was a nice change of pace.

  • Monday- I still had a stomach ache when I woke up and was nervous about teaching my 6am class, but surprisingly enough, as soon as I started moving, I didn’t notice my stomach ache! There was just one girl in class but we had a killer workout!
  • Tuesday- I went to Exhale Spa for a Core Fusion Cardio class. I usually go to classes where Chrissy Snyder is teaching (because she’s amazing!), but she wasn’t teaching on Tuesday and that’s when I wanted to go so I went to a different instructor. She was good, but it wasn’t nearly as hard as Chrissy’s classes. Oh well!
  • Wednesday- My blurry eye thing was bad in the afternoon so I opted to go for a walk instead of run. I walked 20 minutes at lunch and power walked another 20 before teaching. I did about 50% of the class with my UXF Burn group- I hadn’t planned on doing any, but when I get in there and feel their energy, I can’t help myself!
  • Thursday- I walked 20 minutes at lunch and then went to Chrissy’s Core Fusion Yoga class at Exhale Spa after work. It was a great class- low impact but it had me shaking! Every time I go to yoga I’m reminded why I love it so much and why I should do it more often. Does it happen? not usually. sigh. haha

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  • Friday- I went to a Barry’s Bootcamp workout on the roof deck at the Revere Hotel. I thought it was a good workout, but it wasn’t as hard as I was thinking/hoping it would be! Still learned some good moves and got to workout with these beauties so I can’t complain!

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  • Saturday– Nothing 🙂 We walked the Marginal Way in Ogunquit but besides that, nothing.
  • Sunday– ANOTHER rest day! I don’t remember the last time I took 2 rest days in a row… it was actually nice. I’m teaching a lot this week so I figured it was best to rest. RM and I went on a 2 mile walk in the morning which was a nice way to wake up!

This Week’s Workouts

This is a big week of teaching and workouts for me! It’s funny how things tend to all happen at once- subbing, starting a new class, etc. That’s ok, though- having a big workout schedule before a long weekend is never a bad thing 😉

  • Monday- I’m subbing the 6am Muscle Work class and will do some cardio after.
  • Tuesday- My friend Christy’s sister-in-law, Kerri, asked if I was up for leading a bootcamp for her and her friends. Umm, yes! of course I was up for that! Tuesday is our first session and I am excited!
  • Wednesday- Probably some light cardio before teaching UXF Burn.
  • Thursday- I’m subbing my old double! SHRED and Cardio Kickboxing- I’m so excited!!!
  • Friday- Rest day 🙂
  • Saturday- Teaching Cardio Kickboxing at the Oak Square YMCA before heading to Maine for the long weekend.
  • Sunday- Not sure- maybe a walk with my mom and/or sister? maybe a bootcamp with them? maybe rest?

Things I’m Looking Forward To

I am most excited about heading home to Maine this weekend for more than a 24 hour period. My sister is also going home, so it will be fun to just have the 4 of us since that hasn’t happened in-gosh- months and months! I foresee lots of laughs, lots of good food and lots of wine and I CAN.NOT.WAIT! I’m also excited for the first bootcamp session and going back to my Thursday night double 🙂

Questions for you: What was the best workout you had last week? Did you try anything new? What are you looking forward to this week? Has your summer gone by fast?

This Week: Workouts, B/Spoke Review & Things I’m Looking Forward To

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Good morning! Did you guys have a good weekend? Mine seemed extra long because it was kicked off by going to the Red Sox game on Thursday night, but I’m not complaining!

Last week was a pretty solid week of workouts- a good mix between at-home stuff, teaching and GOING to classes- one of my favorite things to do!

B/Spoke

A while ago, I was invited to take a class at a new indoor cycling studio in the financial district: B/Spoke. It’s been a LONGGG time since I’ve taken an indoor cycling class, so I was really excited to get back “in the saddle”, as they say. I reached out to my friends Athena and Caroline to see if they wanted to join. Sadly, Athena had wedding planning plans, but Caroline was still able to come so that was fun! I also invited my friend Megan to come since they offer a free first class.

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As soon as I walked in, I was greeted with smiling faces and asked my shoe size. I love that all these studios provide shoes- I hate wearing non-spin shoes on those bikes now that I’ve seen what it’s like to wear them. It really makes a huge difference in your ride! I was also given a free water- never a bad thing! They have elastics, ear plugs and gum- free of charge- as well.

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The studio is a little cramped in places, but they definitely made the best use of the space that they could by offering lots of locker space and a nice bathroom area. The showers were stocked with fancy shampoo, conditioner and body wash, they had towels to use and soap, q-tips, and other necessities to make getting showered and ready after class a breeze. The only thing I wish they had was more bathrooms, but it seems to be a common thing to only have a few of them at these types of studios. I guess I’m just used to big gym locker rooms.

Ok, enough about the building and amenities, how about the class, right?! I actually loved it! The room was the right size- not too big, but big enough to fit a crowd of people.

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They keep the lights down low so you’re forced to just be in the moment and focus on your ride rather than looking around at everyone else. Caroline, Megan and I were front and center, which is where I generally like to be when I take classes, but not always when I’m in a spin class since that’s not my forte. However, I didn’t feel like a fool or like I couldn’t keep up in this class- maybe I didn’t push myself hard enough? I felt like I was working hard, but when we finished I felt like I could’ve done another ride. I was actually a little sad it was over. I must have definitely not pushed myself hard enough 😉

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The instructor was really great, though. She wasn’t annoying or boring- she was the perfect mix of bubbly energy and hard-core “push yourself” type of instructor. I’m fairly critical of instructors these days, and she passed the test for me. We chatted after and she was super sweet. I loved her choreography because we were hardly in the saddle, which is my least favorite place to be! We did lots of booty drops and oblique work and then the arms song left my delts screaming!

All in all, I really liked the class and would love to get back there. You really can’t pass up a free first class, so if you’re looking to check out someplace new, I suggest getting your bums over to B/Spoke. Take a class with Natalie- she was great!

Last Week’s Workouts

  • Monday- I went to B/Spoke. Before I went, I filmed my 7 Minute Body Weight Upper Body Burner and did this workout from Pumps & Iron. Loved it!
  • Tuesday- I went to a Chisel class at my new gym. The instructor was awesome!!! I loved her energy and southern accent and it was overall just a great class. I used a lot of moves in UXF Burn on Wednesday.
  • Wednesday- I ran 3 miles on the treadmill before teaching UXF Burn. We worked hard… like really hard. Lots of back to back shoulder exercises and leg stuff and cardio. For the cardio blast, I took Nicole’s format from this post, but did a 5 minute AMRAP of the 4 different stages of a burpee and at the end just had them do 1 round of 10 reps of the 4 stages. They loved to hate it 😉 The crowd is definitely growing now that I don’t teach there on Thursdays anymore. And, now that I don’t teach on Thursdays anymore I have LOADS of energy when teaching my Wednesday class. No holding back anymore!

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  • Thursday- I was given tickets to the Sox game on Thursday night so I got up and did 30 minutes of kickboxing in my kitchen before going to work. I hadn’t done any kickboxing in 3 weeks- I was sore on Friday!
  • Friday- I went to the Lynnfield BSC during lunch and kicked my butt on the UXF turf- no cardio, but my heart rate was up the whole time!

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  • Saturday- I finally taught my kickboxing class at the Oak Square YMCA. I missed that crowd so much!
  • Sunday- Rest day 🙂

This Week’s Workouts

    • Monday- I taught my Muscle Work class at 6am today and did some cardio after.
    • Tuesday- I plan on going to a Core Fusion Cardio Exhale Spa. I have 2 free class coupons to use by the end of the month so I’d like to take advantage of it!
    • Wednesday- I’m either going to do a double or run before teaching UXF Burn.
    • Thursday- Not sure! Maybe the cardio/strength fusion class at PUMPS? Maybe kickboxing at Wellington? Who knows!
    • Friday- I’m going to a Barry’s Bootcamp workout/event at Revere Hotel with my gym friend Jen. I can’t wait!
    • Saturday- Probably rest day since RM and I are getting up early to head to Maine for my dad’s birthday (and a beach day).
    • Sunday- Not sure- maybe a jog or walk in Maine?

Things I’m Looking Forward To

What I’m most looking forward to this week is going home to Maine on Saturday- I haven’t been home since FATHER’S DAY, which is unheard of for me! My dad is turning 65 on Saturday so it worked out perfectly for us to get up there for a beach day and celebration for him. I’m also looking forward to having a quieter week and hopefully not drinking during the week. I know it’s summer and summer brings about reasons for social gatherings more so than during the winter months, but I’ve just realized how often I’m having a casual cocktail multiple nights a week at this point. I know it’s not a big deal, but I just like to have the week as a detox from drinking.

Questions for you: What was the best workout you had last week? Have you been to B/Spoke? What are you looking forward to this week? Do you drink during the week?

Weekending: Italian Cooking Lessons, Birthday Celebrations and Lots Of Patio Time

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Good morning! What a weekend I had- I’m still smiling from it 🙂 Although it started out a little busy, once my parents got here, there was LOTS of relaxing for me. I mentioned it to my parents as we were sitting on my patio and my dad said that the last time I relaxed that much was probably the last time I was with them. I have to say- he’s got a point. If they weren’t here, I would’ve kept myself busy with random things, but since they were here, I pushed aside all of my “to-do’s” and focused on enjoying my time with them. It was perfect timing amidst the craziness of this summer!

Friday Night

My mom’s request for her birthday meal was “something Italian”. My boyfriend’s mom is from Italy (she moved here when she was 19), and I always rave to my parents about her cooking so my mom wanted to see for herself. RM and I went to Waltham on Friday after work and after eating dinner (she made us pork, carrots and a salad), we got busy in the kitchen. I’m not sure if it’s an Italian cooking rule or not, but the first order of business for me was wine… duh 😉

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We made a chicken cacciatore dish and it couldn’t have come out more perfectly. Everyone (even RM, who has his mother’s cooking all the time), was raving about it!

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So lucky to have the chance to get extra cooking lessons. Meatballs are next on the agenda 🙂

Saturday

I headed to Wakefield to teach my first class at PUMPS (went so well!!) and then ran about a million errands to prep for my parents arrival. It’s amazing how much you can get done when you’re on a timeframe 😉 Sue and Al got here around 1:15 and I made a little mixture of things for lunch while we caught up on the patio. Mom and I later went to get pedicures. I had a little treat planned for her: bringing mini bottles of wine to make the experience even better. Everyone around us was pretty jealous!

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Later in the evening, RM joined the Gagnon’s, bearing gifts of wine and flowers for my mom- very sweet!

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Phew- we drank A LOT of wine throughout the evening. It’s so hard not to- family, laughs, great patio weather… they all go hand in hand!

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I let my mom relax and I took care of all the prep work- I think she needed to wear the apron as a security blanket to make her feel ok about not helping!

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Although my apartment is small, it was just enough room for the 4 of us (my sister was away).

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Look at that dish! Oh. My. God was it delicious!!! I couldn’t get enough of it. All in all, it was a perfect night!

Sunday

I stayed with RM and let my parents stay at my place (Hotel Monique), so I headed back there on Sunday morning before church. We walked to a nearby church and were amazed that the mass was only 35 minutes! For my fellow Catholic readers, 35 minutes is generally unheard of for a mass! I’m used to at least an hour. Crazy.

RM took us to brunch later and then I spent the rest of the afternoon reading with my parents on the patio. While I was reading, I had thoughts like “oh man. I should be blogging right now. I should be getting ready for the week. etc.”, but instead, I let myself indulge in a new book! It felt really good.

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Have any of you read this?

Once my parents left, RM and I headed back to Waltham to return the pot I borrowed from his mom. Conveniently enough, it was time for Sunday Dinner 😉 We had steak, sausages, salad, rainbow chard and peppers- so delicious, and eating outside again was even better!

We made a quick stop at the driving range before heading back to East Boston (and an ice cream stop… whoops!).

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I was in bed by 9:30 and it was awesome… I can’t remember the time I slept that much and that well. Boy was it needed- I felt like a new woman yesterday!

Questions for you: What was something fun that you did last weekend? Have you ever taken a cooking lesson? What’s a book you’ve read or are reading?