Weekending Through Pictures

What a weekend we had in Boston, right?! The weather was long awaited and it was so great to feel warmth and sunshine and be able to be outside without a jacket on! On top of that, it was part 1 of my birthday weekends and between massages on Friday and a hair cut and mani/pedi on Sunday, I was fully pampered! Enjoy the highlights:)

  • Friday night we had massages at Exhale Spa and then dinner at Ward 8 with my friend Jessi and her boyfriend.
  • Saturday I wore my new top from Lulu and taught a super sweaty kickboxing class.

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Weekending: Quiet night in, Spring Wine Fest, Girls day out

I love when I have weekends that are a mix of relaxation and fun events- they’re the best right? This past weekend was one of those weekends and it was just what I needed after a busy week, as well as what I needed to prepare for a busy week this week.

Friday night, I headed into the city after I finished work to go to Lindsay’s class at Recycle. I had never been to the studio on Newbury Street, but I was a huge fan!

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Working out on a Friday afternoon was a nice treat!

The rest of my Friday night included wine, a healthy dinner and serious couch lounging, which was exactly what I needed/wanted.

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Spring Wine Fest

A few months ago, my friend Jessi sent out an email telling us about a Spring Wine Fest that she has gone to for a number of years. The tickets at the time were only $19, so clearly that was a no-brainer on my part; sign me up! Drinking wine on a Saturday afternoon with my girlfriends (after teaching an awesome kickboxing class) is probably one of my favorite things do to.

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We had a blast walking around and trying lots of different wines from various wineries. Some of my favorites were Kim Crawford, Wild Horse, Estancia and Simi, although there were so many others that were great, too. I liked going during the day because even though it was still pretty busy (we basically would get a sample then drink it while waiting in another line), there was still room to move and mingle and hang out. They had lots of free food samples, which is key at a wine tasting event 😉

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The lighting in the Cyclorama was amazing- these photos came out so great! Doesn’t hurt that I have pretty friends, either 😉

After a few tastings we were feeling silly enough to jump over to the photo booth. I die a little every time I look at these pictures…

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Look at my head in that second one- it makes no sense!

Our tasting ended at 2:30, so we walked over to Gaslight for a much needed late lunch. I had a Bellini to start and then switched to wine after.

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My sister met us for lunch and she and I shared the Croque Madame and scrambled eggs with a Truffle Oil sauce. Holy yum!

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After lunch, our large group broke up and some went home and others went to The Playwright for a Boston Marathon fundraiser. I was so happy that my friend Meaghan was able to join us!

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Needless to say, after a day of drinking, I was happily home, fed and in bed by 9:30 😉

Sunday was a standard Sunday that consisted of laundry, grocery shopping, visiting my sister, packing and lots of blogging/workout planning. It’s always a little stressful right before I leave for a trip (even if it’s short) because I have to get my blog posts prepped for the time I’m going to be away and I have to make sure that I’m packed correctly (in other words, it takes time to pack smartly vs. just throwing stuff into a suitcase.). I have to say, though, one thing that was really nice was the fact that I didn’t need to cook a big meal or prep for the week. It’s sad how much easier my day felt without that task!

Here’s to a good week!

Questions for you: Do you like to workout on Fridays? What’s your ideal Saturday consist of? Have you ever been to the Wine Fest in the South End?

10 Things To Do Before Summer Is Over

Hey Friends! Happy Friday! I hope you’ve all had a good week.  Mine was relatively uneventful, but I worked out before work on Monday and Tuesday and it was SO NICE to have some extra time after work to do, well, whatever I wanted! My Tuesday workout wasn’t terrific (I did one of my recent UXF workouts and it is really hard to do those first thing when I don’t have the energy I do at the end of the day!), but it was something so that’s all that matters!

Anyway, I don’t know if anyone else has noticed, but ever since August 1st came around, it seems like everyone is officially doing a “summer countdown”. I don’t know about you, but I am NOT ready to even think about summer being over! I know I’m probably not alone when I say this, but I cannot believe how fast the summer has FLOWN by. But! Don’t worry, there’s still plenty of time to do fun summer things before we officially step into fall.

10 Things To Do Before Summer Is Over

1. Go to a local produce stand and buy fresh summer veggies! Or, visit a friend who has a garden; I’m sure they would love to share the fruits (err, veggies) of their labor. You’ll be amazed at how fresh your salads and meals taste when you eat freshly and locally grown veggies.

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2. Go out on an ice cream adventure! There’s something about going to an ice cream store just to get an ice cream cone. And when I say “ice cream cone”, I mean just that: get real, full fat ice cream. None of that “fro-yo” crap (ok, jk, it’s not crap, but get the good stuff!).

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3. Get outside and enjoy the weather! Go for a run along the water or a pretty trail, grab a friend and go for a power walk to catch up, get an iced coffee and stroll through your city or town. Soak up the nice weather while we still have it!

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4. Find a new beach, grab a good book or magazine and a cooler and take an afternoon for yourself to relax and chill out.

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5. Go shopping! Stores are FULL of summer sales right now, but summer isn’t over yet so everything that’s on sale is still great to wear for the rest of the season. And, getting a good deal is a great feeling 😉

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6. Check out a farmers market and talk with the vendors. They always have loads of information to share! If you’re in the Boston area, you have to check out the SOWA Open Market in the South End. I have only been once, but I’m dying to get back!

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7. Find an outdoor workout class or boot camp to take. My friend, Athena recently went to an outdoor CrossFit Class that looked like SO MUCH fun!

8. Find a fun roof deck or outside bar to go to and spend an afternoon there! Day drink and push all your other “to-do’s” aside! Take advantage of nice weather and the great mood it puts people in.

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9. “Summer clean”. Go through your closet and bureau and clean out everything you haven’t worn in the past year. I recently did this and couldn’t believe how much I could donate!

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10. Make a fun summer cocktail. Sangria is always a good choice and Rachel provided a delicious recipe in her Guest Post a few weeks ago!

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Focus on the now and stop your “days left of summer” countdown. That little trip you’ve been putting on? Plan it! That recipe you’ve wanted to try? Make it! The new restaurant you’ve been wanting to go to? Go! Enjoy the rest of your summer!

Questions for you: What’s something on your “summer list” that you still want to do? Favorite roof deck bar? Have you been to any outdoor fitness classes? What’s something I missed?