ashleyd /

Sometimes Life Gets in the Way

…and that’s okay.

This post could have many titles,

  • long run fail
  • reunion weekend
  • long walks through the city

But instead of focusing on what I didn’t do we’ll focus on what I have done the last 24 hours. A year ago I would stressed out today, trying to figure out how I’ll make up the miles. But these days, I’ve learned that embracing life is more important than any training plans.

This weekend, two of my sorority sisters, Robin and Alison, ventured up to New York City for a good old fashioned girls weekend. In fact, I was humored and also quite relieved when they said they had nothing on their weekend wish list other than to catch up, enjoy manicures and pedicures, and a few long walks.

It’s hard to believe that this picture was taken almost six years ago as it feels like yesterday that we were enjoying $2 tall boys and belting out the words to Vidalia.

Since they arrived last night, we’ve enjoyed dinner lots of wine, a delicious dinner at Barbounia, slept off the wine, walked through the city for three hours, and enjoyed blissful manicures and pedicures.

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002001 003 006 009 011 015Our six mile walked allowed me to show them Gramercy, Union Square, Greenwich Village, East Village, South Street Seaport, Financial District, and Tribeca. While it wasn’t the 8 mile run that I had planned today, it was far better because I was able to spend hours catching up with these ladies.

Hope you’re embracing life today too!

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ashleyd /

Spontaneous Date Night: Barbounia and Black Swan

Good morning! I’m up early so I can get my check list done before spending the afternoon in Hoboken with a girlfriend I haven’t seen in ages! Today’s list includes:

  • Grocery store for dinner ingredients and breakfast ingredients for the week
  • Gym elliptical and abs session
  • Put away laundry
  • Blog

Let’s rewind to yesterday. :)

After yesterday’s lovely girls day out , I was craving a date night with Bo.

After busy weeks, we tend to spend our weekend nights at home, relaxing. This is normally okay with me but last night I wanted nothing more than to sip a glass of wine over a delicious relaxing dinner.

We spent 30 minutes looking up some of our area restaurants and other restaurants that have been on our list to no avail. Everywhere had an hour to 2 hour wait time or they couldn’t ft us in at all. I even tweeted about our search, hoping to find somewhere. Unfortunately, New York isn’t the best city for spontaneous date nights.

imageWe finally decided to bundle up and walk in the direction of Union Square, hoping we’d find a bar spot at either ABC Kitchen, Craft Bar, Gramercy Tavern, or Barbounia. In the end, our stand by favorite, Barbounia, won with 2 corner seats at their bar. Barbounia NYC

Bo and I have been to Barbounia 6 times since we moved to Gramercy and we’ve never been disappointed! You can read my full review of the restaurant here .

Last night, we started with their mezze sampler which was delicious as always. We chose the hummus, spicy feta, and roasted eggplant. The spicy feat was especially delicious last night.IMG_1310

There was lots of energy in their bar as the restaurant was packed. Luckily however, our service was better than normal and we were able to order a glass of wine with ease and even enjoy our conversation.

IMG_1311We decided to try something new last night and sample some of their appetizers. We’ve never ordered any other appetizer than their mezze sampler so this was a treat.

The charred octopus was my favorite by far. It’s flavors were surprising mix of sweet and savory as the mint balanced the smoky octopus and the fennel provided a refreshing crunch. The portion size was perfect for sharing.

Barbounia Grilled OctopusBo was intrigued by the iron skillet shrimp after seeing it go out to three other parties. It did not disappoint, though the oil was a bit overwhelming for my taste. Bo loved the strong garlic flavor of the dish paired with the tender shrimp.

Barbounia Iron Skillet Shrimp

By the time our entree arrived, which we planned to split between us, we were stuffed. Instead of wasting it, we asked our bartender/waiter to box it up so we could enjoy it for leftovers.

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Our relaxing Saturday date didn’t end there. Instead, we finally saw The Black Swan together. We’ve heard so much about it through friends, bloggers, and the news that we had to experience it for ourselves. WOW! Natalie Portman was absolutely amazing in this role but the movie itself was quite intense. After the first hour I think my eyes were covered by my hands more time than not but it was still a wonderfully performed story. I think it shows the true side of the pressure we often put on ourselves to be perfect.

What did you think of Black Swan? Would you see it again? Do you think it’s too extreme?

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ashleyd /

TGIF

By 7pm, I was so happy that it was Friday! We have summer Fridays in my office which means that “in theory” we leave the office by 1pm on Friday. That doesn’t always happen but, it does allow for VERY productive afternoons since there are no meetings and the quiet allows me to plug in and listen to Glee on Pandora while I work. 🙂

During my Weight Watchers meeting this morning I realized that I ran out of desk drawer oats. Therefore, I picked up a box of Weight Watcher Blueberry oats.

Weight Watchers BLUEBERRY HARVEST Instant Oatmeal 2 pts

They were 2 points and included 9 grams of fiber and only 2 grams of sugar. I’m not crazy about anything beyond pure, Quaker Oats but these made the cut today AND they were on sale!

Around 1pm, I met Bo for lunch and gave into my craving.

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Say what you want about the sodium in Subway but sometimes it just tastes delicious. When I was losing weight senior year of college via Weight Watchers, I swore by this as my fast food choice. They have 8 different sandwiches ranging from veggie delight to chicken breast which are under 300 calories and filled with protein and fiber! I enjoyed a six inch turkey on toasted wheat bread with apple slices. Yum!

We had dinner plans tonight with Kat, Bo’s friend from Georgia Tech who is in town visiting. We had a great time getting to know her high school friends who happen to be interning in NYC as well. After much debate, we decided on a 9:30 dinner at Barbounia. I reviewed the restaurant’s brunch but this was our first dinner experience.

We had another great meal tonight but it was a very different experience. Barbounia is definitely the “pre-club” location in Gramercy. There were 2 bachelorettes and at least one birthday party celebrating there. Their co-ed bathrooms are a social area and the place is definitely not conducive for intimate conversation. But, the food was amazing!

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W

We started with the mezze sampler which included hummus, tiziki, and other Greek goodness! The pita was absolute doughy goodness.

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The boys enjoyed the lamb terra cotta which was absolutely delicious and covered in a mix of crispy and chewy dough. Does it get any better?

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Kat chose the scallops and pumpkin risotto which were the table favorite. Luckily she was full and generous enough to share with us! They were tender and the risotto was filled with flavor.

I wasn’t that hungry after our delicious appetizer and therefore stuck with the Greek salad. It was over 1/2 cucumbers which was not a win in my book since I’m still acquiring a taste for them.

I highly recommend Barbounia for a Friday night dinner spot as it transitions very well from happy hour to dinner and the area is ready for everything from group parties to close friends hoping to laugh and catch up. The service is phenomenal if not too attentive and the food is always delicious!

Unfortunately, the rest of the pictures are on Kat’s camera so I’ll have to upload them tomorrow. Right now my uploading is getting in the way of downloading more Arrested Development and Modern Family. Can you tell what we’re about to do? 🙂

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