ashleyd /

Five Things from The Weekend – February 27th

Greetings from the friendly skies! I am currently en route to Las Vegas for my company’s annual sales meeting. While the week will be extremely busy and filled with long days, I’m looking forward to catching up with old friends and mentors and enjoying some fun in Vegas. Tonight we’re going to Beatles Love by Cirque du Soleil and Wednesday night we are going to see Backstreet Boys. Needless to say, I think I’ll need to jam out to some old school Backstreet Boys during this week’s hotel workouts.

orangetheory park slope blogger workout

This weekend was a fun-filled weekend with lots of friend time.

  1. The weekend started with a tough Xtend Barre workout with Heather and Melissa. I’ve said it before but Xtend Barre is unlike any barre class I’ve taken before. Within five minutes of starting the beads of sweat are beginning to pool and my arms are burning. Taking the class with friends made the time fly by quickly as we gave each other glances during the tough parts and enjoyed some quick dance parties during the transitions as Friday’s playlist was a fun one.
  2. After the workout Heather and I ended up enjoying fun evening together which included a dinner and dessert date in Brooklyn. It was fun to spend time together outside of workout gear or Orangetheory while enjoying pizza and cocktails (mocktails for me) at Boutros and oreo cheesecake at Mia’s. cheesecake
  3. Saturday morning I met some of my favorite ladies (Evann, Kayla, Theodora, Meaghan, Ashley, and Heather) at the Park Slope Orangetheory for a workout and brunch date. We powered through a strength workout which was one of the harder ones I’ve done – 30 minutes on the treadmill with LOTS of hills and then 30 minutes of strength. It was a blast working out with these ladies as we were dancing in between sets and on the treadmill, giving each other high fives and just smiling the entire workout.  After the workout we headed to Bergen Bagels for delicious bagel sandwiches and some much-needed catch up time while enjoying the sunshine and gorgeous weather. bergen bagels
  4. After enjoying a nap I headed to the Upper West Side to celebrate Zoe’s 30th birthday. Zoe and I met in London through Charlie a few years ago and it has been so fun to have she and her boyfriend in New York City. While I don’t make it up to the Upper West Side that often, it was a fun afternoon of nachos, laughter and having the opportunity to celebrate the birthday girl while meeting some of her friends.
  5. Yesterday Bo and I spent the day deep cleaning our apartment and working on a few projects before hosting some of our Geneva friends for a dinner. There was lots to celebrate including an engagement and a birthday. Even though it had been a while since we’d all spent an evening together, as one of them lives in Boston, the laughter and conversation flowed for hours.

Hope you had a great weekend!  I’ll do my best to share my Las Vegas adventures and how I strive for moderation and a healthy balance while traveling via Snapchat (@healthyhappier) and Insta Stories!

Share Button
Follow:
ashleyd /

Five Things from the Long Weekend

Happy Monday! The sun is shining and the temperature is supposed to reach a mild 70 degrees today in Brooklyn. Our plan for the day is to stay local, exploring and doing some shopping before relaxing this evening with leftovers and Manchester By the Sea.

Washington Square ParkI thought it’d be fun to share a few of the things we did with my parents over the past few days during their visit. As you guys know, my parents visit us in New York at least 2 to 3 times per year so we tend to relax together and just enjoy versus trying to hit museums and tourist spots that they’ve seen multiple times. Since it was my dad’s birthday weekend, we chose a few restaurants that we knew he’d love so he could enjoy his favorite cuisine.

  1. Birthday dinner at Joe’s Shanghai in Chinatown for their famous soup dumplings. If you’re local or visiting and love Chinese food, Joe’s Shanghai’s Chinatown location is a great option for authentic, reasonably priced Chinese food. Unlike many places in Chinatown, they offer an English menu so you aren’t clueless. We loved that the restaurant was filled with locals versus a line of tourists. Soup dumplings
  2. A long, cold walk through Gramercy, Union Square, West Village, NoHo, SoHo and Tribeca. Even though the sun was shining and the sky was blue, the weather in NYC yesterday was deceptively frigid due to the strong wind gusts. We bundled up and enjoyed a long walk through some areas my parents are less familiar with while perusing shops and enjoying the sights, such as Washington Square Park. 
  3. Delicious Italian dinner at Gran Morsi in Tribeca. Our friends Mike and Liz introduced us to Gran Morsi earlier this year and since then I’ve been dreaming about their delicious meatballs and the cast iron Eggplant Parmesan.  My parents loved the relaxed yet chic atmosphere and the service and food were just as good as we remembered.  Ashley bump
  4. A very successful shopping experience at Seraphine Maternity. As you guys know, I haven’t purchased many maternity items thus far, instead relying on a few hand me downs and a few key items. Now that Spring is coming and I’ve also popped quite significantly over the past two weeks, my mom and I agreed that it was time to go shopping. The experience shopping in the Seraphine SoHo location was incredible. The staff was very friendly and helpful while their seasonal sale allowed me to walk out with seven pieces, 3 dresses, 3 tops, 1 sweater and one pair of panty hose, without breaking the bank. I couldn’t believe that two of my favorite items were under $60! I was able to find two dresses (this one and this one) which will be perfect for my Savannah and NYC showers. 
  5. Two nights of delicious cooking and baking with Mom and Bo. After two nights of eating out we decided to spend Saturday and Sunday nights cooking in and relaxing together. We were all craving meat so we opted for a traditional steakhouse dinner on Saturday night followed by a slow-cooked pot roast on Sunday night. Since my mom and I enjoy baking together so much, we spent both nights baking delicious treats including this delicious German Chocolate cake.  Even though my dad doesn’t cook, it was still fun to have everyone in the kitchen relaxing together.

 

Share Button
Follow:
ashleyd /

A Sweaty Start to Valentines Day

orange theory valentines day workout

Happy Valentine’s Day friends! Most years I roll my eyes at this commercial holiday that has become focused more on chocolates, flowers and gifts than just taking time to be thankful for loved ones. However, this year, I woke up this morning bursting with happiness.  Over the past few weeks I’ve been reminded multiple times that I am blessed with an incredible support group of friends, co-workers and family members both near and far.  So regardless of your status this Valentine’s Day, I hope you can take a moment to be thankful for yourself and those people in your life you hold dear.  I took a few minutes earlier today to thank each of my team members for their support by gifting them $5 on Venmo for a coffee or sweet treat. It isn’t much but sometimes the smallest, unexpected gestures are the most rewarding.

This morning Bo and I kicked off Valentine’s Day at Orangetheory Park Slope with a grueling Valentine’s Day themed partner workout led by Coach Corey. One of my favorite coaches, his playlist is always amazing and he did a great job motivating the class today as well as providing prenatal adjustments. This morning’s partner workout included an endurance hill and speed treadmill station, rowing and squat thrust station and a strength station that was packed with squats, chest flies and tricep extensions. By the time the clock hit 7:45, Bo and I were both dripping in sweat. Speaking of Orangetheory workouts, did you guys know that every Orangetheory location across the US does the same workout each day? My mind was blown when I discovered this the other day. How fun is that?!

Ashley and Bo 100 pound journey

Workout dates are something that Bo and I are trying to prioritize in our schedule between now and June when Baby Girl Diamond arrives.  As many of you know, we both enjoy sweating together as it provides us with time before our busy days to connect, workout and enjoy each other’s company.  When we started dating fourteen years ago, fitness was not a priority, as you can tell from the above picture. Since we’ve been together we’ve lost a combined weight of one hundred pounds, much of which can be attributed to our healthier and more active lifestyle. I’m so thankful that these days Bo and I equally enjoy working out and staying active together. In fact, it’s become such a part of our routine that I often take it for granted until I read posts like this.  Since running is something that I enjoy more than him, most of our workout dates revolve around workouts we enjoy equally such as high intensity interval training at Orangetheory or Fhitting Room, spin classes at FlyWheel or swimming at the YMCA.

This evening we will continue to enjoy Valentine’s Day together by cooking one of our favorite dishes together, sesame encrusted tuna, and relax with a movie.

Hope you guys have a great day!

Share Button
Follow: