Get to Know Me A Bit Better

This survey has been going around the internet so I thought it would be a fun post for tonight. Bo and I are busy finishing some last minute prep work for tomorrow night’s Thanksgiving feast. We are hosting 21 friends, including Meghann and Derek! In fact, we’re heading to the train station in a few minutes to pick them up!

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Four names that people call me, other than my real name:

  • Pumpkin (My dad’s nickname for me.)
  • Matilda (My mom’s nickname for me.)
  • Bear (Bo’s nicknames for me.)
  • AD (work nickname)

Four jobs I have had (not counting any current jobs):

  • Cutting lawns
  • Editor at SAVVY – The Savannah Morning News’ teen newspaper
  • Writer & Contributor for Bulldog Families – University of Georgia housing office newsletter
  • Holiday staff at Talbots

Four movies I’ve watched more than once

  • Dirty Dancing
  • Love Actually
  • Father of the Bride
  • The Sound of Music

Four books I’d recommend

Four places I have lived

  • Savannah, Georgia
  • Athens, Georgia
  • Philadelphia, Pensylvania
  • New York, New York

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Four places I have been

Four places I’d rather be wouldn’t mind being right now (I like Theodora’s rephrasing of this question)

Four things I don’t eat

  • Watermelon
  • Honeydew
  • Raw scallops
  • Black licorice

Four of my favorite foods

  • bananas
  • guacamole
  • anything my mom bakes
  • boiled shrimp w cocktail sauce & Old Bay

Four TV shows that I watch

  • Scandal
  • The Good Wife
  • Grey’s Anatomy
  • Madame Secretary

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Four things I am looking forward to this year (next 12 months)

  • Time with friends and family during our Atlanta-Savannah-New York City trip for the holidays
  • Ski weekends with friends
  • Visting St. Petersburg, Russia
  • The three day Indian wedding of one of my best friends, Raj, in New York City

Four things I’m always saying

  • Anything new or interesting?
  • I love you
  • I’m having wine, do you want any?
  • Will you make coffee?

Now it’s my turn to tag a few people! You’re next Charlie, Kristine, Meghann & Leah

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Hiking the Saleve

Over the past two years, I’ve had the opportunity to ascend the Saleve in just about every different condition and manner– running through snow, hiking through rain and fog, biking in Summer heat, and now hiking through the clouds to complete and utter beauty.

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Known as Geneva’s “local mountain” the Saleve is located just over the French border but is one of Geneva’s landmarks. At an altitude of 1097 meters, or 3500 feet, the views on a crystal clear day are striking. During the Summer months, the Saleve is a popular spot for paragliding and picnics. In the cooler months people typically drive up to the top for a scenic lunch or drink in the restaurant. In the winter months, many people drive to the top for an afternoon of cross-country skiing. But, during these in between months, when a foggy, cloudy haze covers Geneva, many people head to the top of the Saleve for blue sky and sunshine.

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After receiving a new pair of hiking shoes from Ahnu Footwear to test and review on my blog, as part of a partnership with Fitfluential, I knew I wanted this past weekend’s agenda to include hiking. Luckily after a few quick emails, six of us were up for a Saturday hike.

Our group met at the bus stop on Saturday ready for a morning of fresh air and hopefully sun. The morning greeted us with cool temperatures and a light mist, not ideal for hiking. This time, after learning so much from our Chamonix hike, I made sure that everyone carried plenty of water and food along with bringing plenty of clothing. Reanud even carried he and Sarah’s adorable 18-month-old son on his back! I mean seriously, I hope Ugo realizes what a lucky kid he is! Bundled up in the equivalent of a snow suit or baby sleeping bag, Ugo nodded off and on during the hike.

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Once again, Renaud served as our fearless guide, happily leading our group up the Saleve. When we started, the trail was in a deep fog, limiting the views as we ascended up the path. There are so many different paths leading up the Saleve that no visit feels like the last.  This path felt a bit steeper and more difficult than previous times, but it could have been due to the slippery, wet leaves.

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After about an hour and a half of pretty strenuous hiking we finally reached a clearing on the edge of the tree line. From this clearing, we could see the Mt. Blanc and the clouds and fog we’d just hiked through.

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We continued to hike across the top of the Saleve, for over a mile, before stopping for a picnic lunch. No longer protected from the wind, we added extra layers and gloves, to stay warm during our lunch.

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After eating and taking a few more pictures, we continued our hike, across the top of the Saleve. We kept our heads turned towards the sea of clouds, completely in awe of the views. While the clouds blocked Geneva and the lake, what we saw was more beautiful than anything I could ever imagine. The clouds were bright, white and seemed to be more like an ocean, crashing into the cliffs. The views reminded me of the Pacific Coast, not cloud cover.

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After crossing the Saleve, we began our descent down, which included breathtaking, cliff trails and steep, slick steps through canyons.

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Nine miles later we found ourselves immerging back into the Geneva fog, in awe of the beauty we’d seen just a few thousand feet above.

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Thank you Renaud, Lauren, Sarah, Emily and Essensia for the wonderful day and gorgeous pictures!

If you want to read more about my Saleve adventures, see below:

An Autumn Adventure Up the Saleve

Running Up Mount Saleve

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Eating, Reading & Watching Lately

I hope your weekend is going well! My weekend has been exactly what I needed – a perfect mix of friends and relaxation. While Geneva’s weather was less than stellar, gray and gloomy, it worked out quite well. I had no desire to leave the house today other than a short walk to Le Pain Quotidien and to take out the recycling. Luckily, our hike yesterday provided us with a break from the gloomy weather, as we discovered blue sky and sunshine above the clouds! I’ll save the rest of the details and pictures for tomorrow’s post, but safe to say it was another gorgeous Geneva adventure!

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I spent five hours hiking yesterday with friends and then hosted a girlfriend for dinner, which means that I was able to enjoy some time in the kitchen cooking and baking! I went to bed exhausted last night at midnight, after falling asleep while watching The Holiday with a girlfriend. Waking up naturally, after 9.5 hours of sleep, was the perfect way to start this relaxing Sunday.

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Most of today, this has been my view, save for an hour I’ve spent folding clothes and the other hour spent writing letters to friends and family. I’ve kept up with my note writing habit and am now mailing an average of 3 notes per week.

Today I wanted to take a break from reading and relaxing to share a few of the things I’ve loved this week ranging from recipes, YouTube videos, and articles.

Eating

This 10-minute pumpkin pie oatmeal was delicious and made six days worth of breakfasts! I just whipped up another batch today! As an FYI, I altered the recipe to include two scoops of protein powder along with only using a quarter of the brown sugar.

These pumpkin oatmeal chocolate chip cookies came out perfectly even when baked after a bottle of wine and cutting the recipe in half!

This pumpkin chili, flavorful and filling, was the perfect dinner last night to warm our souls on a cold Geneva evening. I added some extra veggies such as chopped peppers and a bit of spice to the recipe, but it’s a keeper. I loved that it was satiating even with the omission of meat.

We are hosting 21 people for Thanksgiving on Thursday night, and I think this pumpkin bean dip could be the perfect, easy appetizer to make!

As if she read my mind, Anne posted this healthy, homemade cranberry sauce recipe just as I was writing my Thanksgiving shopping list!

Reading & Watching

Even though I’m not as familiar with Amy Poehler as many people are, I’m enjoying her book Yes Please and really identified  with and appreciated her chapter on apologies.

In keeping with Amy Poehler and reading the book, I’ve spent some time on YouTube watching SNL clips referenced in the book. If you need a laugh, check out this hilarious clip from the 2008 Sarah Palin era.

This article is a good reminder that spending too much time on our devices is not only bad for the mind sometimes but also our neck. Just another reminder to keep going to yoga and put down the device.

I saw this inspiring video posted on no less than 20 of my Facebook friend’s pages this weekend and finally clicked through yesterday. Twelve minutes later I was a puddle of tears.

Have you watched Madame Secretary yet? If you like West Wing, Scandal, The Good Wife or other political dramas, you’ll love this new series. Bo and I both LOVE it!

Inspired by Meghann’s Instagram pictures yesterday, I had to click through to this article  about one persons experience visiting each Disney Park when I saw it on New York Times this morning!

Your turn: What are you eating, reading or watching lately?

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