Valentine’s Day 2016 – A Day Date in Williamsburg

 

 

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I hope you guys had a wonderful weekend and enjoyed time with people you love, whether celebrating Galentine’s Day or Valentine’s Day. Even though yesterday was the coldest day thus far, with wind chills dipping down to -10, we bundled up for a daytime date, exploring an area of Brooklyn we rarely visit. We spent three hours walking hand in hand taking in the sights, sounds and tastes of Williamsburg

Williamsburg Valentine's Day

We started our adventure with a cortado and latte at Black Star Bakery & Cafe.  With coffee to warm our hands, we spent 45-minutes in line at the famed Bagel Store, before realizing it was a fruitless attempt. Luckily just a few blocks away there was another bagel store which came highly recommended on Yelp. Once we bit into the egg everything bagels, stuffed with cream cheese and lox, we almost forgot how cold we were.  Bright colors and creative murals greeted us around every corner. We warmed up in Bedford Cheese while sampling their delicious cheeses and buying ingredients for an evening cheese plate. We stocked up on our favorite flavors (goat milk, almond butter and sea salt) at Mast Brothers.  We sipped on a fresh green juice from The Shanti Shack, while regretting not bringing clothes for a class at Kula Yoga Project.  Finally, I fell in love with the unique designs and collections at Mociun boutique, especially their  jewelry and home goods.

Your turn – What did you do yesterday to celebrate Valentine’s Day?

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Friday Favorites – February 12, 2016

 

bricks

Happy Friday gang! Anyone else already looking towards the clock, hoping it says quitting time? I’m ready for the weekend! Do you have any fun plans for the weekend? Celebrating Valentine’s Day? We have quite a few plans today and tomorrow but Sunday and Monday are all about relaxing, staying warm and spending time together. I’m dreaming of a bubble bath, glass of wine and some couch time as well. Too bad my bubble bath won’t include a view like the one above. One can dream, right?

As promised, in regular Friday fashion, here is this week’s version of Friday Favorites. So, as you count down the hours until the weekend begins, let’s dive into this week’s edition of Friday Favorites, including recipes, articles, posts and other things that caught my eye this week.

This article changed my smoothies immediately! I had no idea there was a right order for smoothie ingredients! For weeks, I’ve been making smoothies but finding that they aren’t blending well. Turns out, there is an art to putting the ingredients in your blender. This morning’s smoothie blended easily, was frothy and smooth even with the protein powder, chia seeds and frozen banana!

Need motivation before this weekend’s long run? This woman ran 7 marathons on 7 continents in 7 days! I guess this makes this afternoon’s treadmill long run seem much more manageable!

Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds are so stinking cute! Did you know they fell in love on a double date?

Looking for a few tips to make your lunch even healthier? Check out this post which includes tips and tricks from some of the healthiest people, including my girl Anne!

The winter weather has me layering on moisturizer ALL day and night. I’ve gone through two tubs of this night time facial moisturizer which leaves my skin feeling soft and hydrated when I wake up. Each morning and before any outdoor run, I apply a heavy layer of this moisturizer since it has SPF and evens skin tone, hydrates and smoothes the pesky wrinkles I have near my eyes.

Even though it feels like 12 degrees outside, Jenna has me craving Mexican and margaritas for dinner! Who wants to join for grapefruit margarita happy hour tonight?

These lip balms are traveling everywhere with me this winter as my lips are CONSTANTLY dry. I love that they add a natural hint of color while

This week’s workouts left my hamstrings so tight that last night before bed I spent ten minutes doing this yoga sequence for tight hamstrings. I think I’ll do it again this afternoon before this evening’s long run.

Speaking of workouts, I’m challenging myself to take four classes at Brooklyn Body Burn via ClassPass (affiliate link save $25 on your first month) this month. The class, which is often called the hardest workout in NYC, leaves my humbled every time but I know that it is a great way to get stronger. The megaformer is basically a Pilates machine on steroids and every move is a combined movement so you’re working multiple body parts. During Tuesday’s class Christine and I grimaced at each other no less than five times during class yet we both found ourselves signing up for another immediately!

Your turn – Are you doing anything special for Valentine’s Day?

Disclaimer: This post is not sponsored and instead is a list of the things of my favorite things this week. As normal, it includes lots of beauty and fashion items which means there are a few affiliate links via ShopStyle. It takes time and money to maintain a blog so I thank you for the support and few cents that come from clicking through the links!

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Thursday Thoughts

Hey guys! How is your week going? Things over here are going well. My work week is very much what I call a “catch-up” week as I don’t have client meetings but I have a lots of things on my to do list that I’m trying to get done as well as cleaning out and organizing my entire Outlook inbox.

I have a number of posts ready for next week including some fun announcements, but today I thought it’d be fun to share some random musings with you guys as we wind down the week.

Royal Palms shuffleboard

Tuesday night I headed to Royal Palms Shuffleboard for an evening of beers, laughs and shuffleboard with fifteen other local P&G employees. It was a great place to sit back, relax, catch up and talk about everything except work. If you haven’t ventured out to Royal Palms yet, I highly recommend it. They have a great beer selection, plenty of booths for catching up over drinks, ten shuffle board courts and a food truck serving an assortment of Greek food. You can walk-in or you can make a reservation in advance, which costs $40 for an hour court time. Don’t worry if you’ve never played before – they provide a complimentary lesson!

brick nyc

My goal half marathon, the NYC Half, is in five weeks and I’m excited and nervous at the same time. My training has been very different this time around with only three runs per week but my cross training has me feeling stronger than ever. During yesterday’s B/X class at Brick Grand Central via ClassPass (<–get $25 off your first month) I could feel the difference that the mix of cross training is making. My legs, arms and abs felt strong as we pushed through the multiple five minute AMRAP sessions including wall balls, rowing, push presses and jump squats. I am going to use this week’s eight mile long run as a diagnostic to assess any changes I need to make in the coming weeks. 

Speaking of running and training, I wish I had a crystal ball to know how much longer winter was going to last. I am tempted to invest in a few more pieces of warm weather running gear like better gloves and a wind-proof vest. Since I’m running outside at least two days a week now, having the right gear is a must. Tonight’s forecast already has me feeling cold – 25 degrees and 20 mile per hour wind gusts! If I was to order new gear today, I’d buy these Asics wind-proof gloves, this Nike vest and this Nike Dry-Fit wool top.

Until reading her post today, I’d never heard of the “Jesus year” but if anyone is making it happen it’s Theodora. She has shown so much strength this year and is truly making 2016 her best year yet! Today is her birthday so be sure to hop over to Preppy Runner and show her some love!

After a number of emails back and forth, my best friend Amy and I finally booked a long-awaited girls vacation for the end of April! We are going to spend four sunshine and blue water filled days enjoying cocktails, massages and relaxing at the adults only Iberostar Grand Hotel at Rose Hall. I’ve been craving a warm, sunny, beach-filled vacation for a while and I was elated when Amy said she was happy to join in the fun. Years ago we planned to plan a similar trip for our 30th birthdays but due to living abroad, babies and life it never happened.  I’ve never been to Montego Bay, Jamaica but considering that our goal is to read, relax, swim and enjoy drinks poolside, this all-inclusive resort fit the bill perfectly!

As you guys know, this weekend is Valentine’s Day. Similar to New Year’s Eve, this is one of those holidays that I feel is over hyped and way too commercial. Instead of going out to an over priced dinner where we’re forced to order from a special pre-fixe menu, Bo and I are doing something a bit more fun AND inexpensive.  We each are choosing a favorite workout, favorite food and favorite activity to enjoy together on Sunday and Monday. I think mine is going to be enjoying a homemade cheese plate, going to hot yoga at Tangerine and going to see a movie at BAM (Brooklyn Academy of Music) which is supposed to be a gorgeous venue.

So, I’m craving a change in the hair department. My hair is the longest it’s ever been and while I love it, some days I go to Pinterest and search “lob hairstyles for thick hair.” I mean how cute are these styles?  But then I think, “Ashley who are you kidding, you don’t know how to blow dry your hair like that or use a curling iron to get those tousled waves.”

I think part of this haircut inspiration is due to the fact that the amazing hair stylist who I loved when we moved to Carroll Gardens didn’t in fact move to South America like the salon told me! It turns out she’s working a few blocks over at Sara June, a small, boutique salon near Park Slope.

Your turn: What’s on your mind today?

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