Style Cure -- Day 1 | Interview

Day 1: Thursday, August 1
Assignment: Complete the Style Cure Interview

Style Cure Interview

1. List your favorites in each category:

• Actor: Morgan Freeman. Tim Curry.
• Actress: Maggie Smith. Meryl Streep... "She could play Batman and be the right choice." - Cameron, Modern Family.
• Artist: Rothko, Monet...and my honey.
• Writer: J.K. Rowling, Alice Sebold, Jenny Lawson...just to name a few.
• Music: Singer/Songwriter. Ragtime. Lady Gaga. (My honey says my iTunes has one of the broadest ranges of styles he's ever seen. I would never argue with that.)
• Restaurant: I prefer to cook and eat at home. Or go out for sushi. Or to a brew pub. Or to Cracker Barrel whenever we travel to a place that has one.
• Automobile: Ours? 
• Movie or Television Show: For TV it is currently Boardwalk Empire. For movie, it is Harry Potter. All of them.  
• Clothing (pieces, designers or stores): Does jewelry count? If so, the jewelry my honey bought me -- engagement ring, antique garnet ring and gold triangles necklace. 
• Furniture (pieces, designers or stores): Grey couch from Ikea. Yellow flowered (hellooooo, 1970s) chairs from my parents. Crate & Barrel wine cabinet thingy. 

2. Choose three words to describe your personal style: Casual. Classy. Clean. 

3. Think back over all the homes you've lived in, both as a child and an adult. Which rooms would you choose as your favorites and how would you describe them?

• Favorite room from a childhood home and description: My bedroom. This was my favorite because it was truly my space. I decorated with things I liked and cared about and rearranged the furniture whenever I needed a change of pace. 
• Favorite room from an adult home and description: Our current family room. This is where I spend some of my favorite time relaxing with my loves -- my honey and our orange cat named Stella. 

4. Whom do you consider a role model? What three adjectives describe the qualities you admire in this person? My parents -- inclusive, generous, hard working.  

5. Every home has areas that are "just right." Which three spots or things in your home do you feel are beautiful and feel proud of, right now, as is: Kitchen. Dining/Living Room -- Ikea shelves with cookbooks & favorite lamp & friend's art. Divider shelf thing between kitchen and living room. 

6. A month from now, at the end of the Style Cure, how would you like your friends to describe your home? Comfortable. Interesting. Fun. 

Step two, analyze your responses...

• Questions 1 and 2 help form a picture of your style...
• Questions 3 and 5 are different ways of connecting with what you find pleasing, comfortable and beautiful...
• Questions 4 and 6 can help form a direction and your goals...

For more information and/or sign up for the Style Cure click here. 

Project: Apartment Therapy -- The Style Cure

I received an e-mail from Apartment Therapy this morning that made me super duper excited.

The Style Cure is Coming! Check it out and sign up for the daily e-mails here.

I am all in on this one and will post blog updates, just like I did for the January Cure. Sooooo...stay tuned!



PS: Is it really almost August?!? Woah.

One 5K Down, One to Go!

I have heard that doing 5K events can become addictive.

After completing my first 5K on July 4th, I can totally see that.

Don't get me wrong, I still don't really like running. What I do like is how I feel afterwards. There are days where I don't feel like doing a Couch-to-5K training but I have NEVER regretted doing it.

The July 4th 5K was SO. MUCH. FUN. I did it with a good friend and it started and ended at a plaza where we go to watch the parade each year. Perfect. The course went mostly through neighborhoods and the thing that surprised me the most was how many people were outside of their houses, cheering us on.

Pre-5K smiles with my friend, Jackie.

My goal was to finish in less than 45 minutes. That may not sound fast but, seeing that until a month or so ago I'd never even run half a mile straight, this goal was actually a good challenge for me. Our official chip times were posted aaaaand (drum roll please) I finished my first 5K in 41:55! 3+ minutes under my goal!

I'm enjoying my heart rate monitor.
(that I forgot to turn off after finishing...whoops)
I'm also enjoying my bright blue running shoes!

Yummy post-5K lunch.
Greek salad with chickpeas, olives & LOTS of veggies.
It paired nicely with a few mimosas.

Within days of finishing my first 5K, I signed up for another run in October. It is in Southern California and I'm doing it with a high school friend. My honey and I will stay with him and his family for the weekend so it was also a fabulous excuse for a visit.

My goal for my second 5K is to do it faster than 41:55! I will report back and also try to do more updates and recipe posts in between.

Long time, no post!

Oh my, it has been a while. 

Just a random update, with more to come at a later date...

If you have been paying attention, I started a Couch-to-5K training last fall...but only made it through a couple weeks of training. Well, signing up for an actual 5K was apparently the way to go. I signed up for a 5K (scheduled for the fourth of July) and consistently since mid-May I have done a run/walk workout every other day. Seriously. I haven't missed a day and I do additional workouts (generally elliptical) on my "off" days. I have also re-committed myself to eating healthier -- lots of lean meats, vegetables and fruit. I am nowhere near where I would like to be BUT I know that I have come a long, long way. Before starting a Couch-to-5K program, I don't think I had run more than 5 minutes at one time and have certainly never considered myself sporty. Now I am running 10-12 minutes at a time and clocking in long runs/walks on a regular basis. Crazy. 

I do plan to return to blogging again sooner rather than later with 5K updates, new recipes, etc. For now, I'll leave you with one of my new favorite running mantras: 

Recipe: BLT Egg Muffins

I like making things in muffin tins. (Exhibit A) I also like easy/healthy/filling breakfasts that I can eat on the go (Exhibit B). So when a friend posted a drool-inducing Facebook post about bacon and egg muffins, I quickly decided that I wanted to create a bacon, lettuce and tomato (BLT) version.

These are good on their own but I think these would be even better topped with fresh avocado slices and a few drops of your favorite hot sauce. I think that avocado and hot sauce make most things better.

Oh, and while you could use regular bacon, I opted for turkey bacon and still found them to be delicious. According to my calculations, each egg muffin, without toppings, is approximately 115 calories. Two of these are a perfect, substantial workday breakfast for me.

Makes: 8 muffins

Ingredients:
8 slices turkey or regular* bacon
8 whole eggs or egg whites
A handful of arugula, chopped
2 tomatoes, seeded and chopped
Garlic powder
Avocado and hot sauce for topping (optional)

Nonstick spray

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Spray muffin tin with nonstick spray. 
3. Wrap a piece of bacon around the inside of each cup of the muffin tin. Divide the chopped arugula and diced tomatoes between the cups. 
4. Crack an egg into each cup (or pour in egg whites) and top with a pinch of garlic powder. 
5. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until eggs are set. Let cool slightly and then pop out muffins to eat immediately or pack up and refrigerate for a future grab-and-go meal. 

* If you use regular bacon, you will probably want to transfer the cooked muffins to paper towels to soak up some of the grease.

Cuba, te quiero!

Since I last posted, I went to Cuba! It was amazing.

Let me repeat that. It. Was. AMAZING.

Sunset over Old Havana. View from one of the rooftop bars at our hotel.

I have been asked a lot of questions but I find it challenging to put how incredible the entire experience was into words. Hence the reason for the delay in this post as well. Since words can't quite capture the trip, I decided to share a selection of my favorite photos and I am including captions to provide at least some level of detail.

If you find yourself thinking of specific questions, please please please feel free to post a question (or ten) in a comment section and I will respond as I am able. If I don't know the answer, I'll try my best to point you in the right direction.

Our hotel. SO fancy.
Yes, there are old American cars all over the place.

Life in Old Havana.

Perfume shop. Old Havana.

Strolling down Obispo Street in Old Havana.

Patty-cake and bananas. Old Havana.

One of the restaurants where we consumed mass amounts of rum and food.

All of the food we ate was DELICIOUS.
Pictured above: cheese plate,
chicken with sour orange sauce, black beans and rice,
and a grilled lobster tail. 

Visiting an organic farm.
While 75% of the food consumed in Cuba is imported,
about 65% of the produce is grown within the country.
This farm provides the produce for our hotel.

"Papa Hemingway" daiquiris at Floridita and the bell at his house.
(If he liked you, he would ring the bell and let you in.
If he didn't like you, he would hide.)

Cretin's Corner at the Revolution Museum.
Our tour guide: "We didn't really like Bush."
Us, in unison: "Neither did we!"

Lunch in Piñar del Rio, one of the most beautiful places.

The "Mural de Prehistoria" in Piñar del Rio. Got to love the 1950s.

Visiting with a tobacco farmer.
Piñar del Rio is the "Napa Valley" of tobacco.

Our childfree family enjoyed this sign.
Hotel Nacional, Havana.

Vamos a ir a Cuba!

We are going to go to Cuba! If it isn't translating well to the interwebs, let me make it clear that I am extremely excited. Not only because I have never been there but also because it has been almost three years since our last international trip (our honeymoon) and we planned this trip almost a year ago. Oh, and it is CUBA! 

Our trip preparation has been primarily focused on getting accustomed to the food and beverages that we will hopefully encounter. 

Practicing our mojito drinking and ceviche and plantains eating.

Alright, we haven't just been drinking and eating. We have also been reading lots of articles and watching programs about Cuba. Which has only increased my excitement. Needless to say, I will be taking LOTS of photos. 

When I tell people about our trip, there are a few questions that come up most often. These include: 

FAQ #1: Is that legal?!?

Answer: Yes. There are some extra steps (for Americans) to go but it is completely legal. You have to fill out paperwork, as part of the "research license" process, but it isn't shared unless asked for when returning to the states. No big deal. We are also going as part of a group through a travel company which makes travel there a lot easier. Our group is only 12 people, all of whom know each other through at least one other person in the group. Once we arrive in Cuba, we have a local guide and an itinerary that is a nice balance of tours and free-time. 

FAQ #2: How are you getting there?!?

Answer: Um...a plane? Isn't that how you would get there? We happen to be flying through Mexico and are spending a few days there on the way. (Side note: I have also never been to Mexico!)

FAQ #3: Are you going to go scuba diving? 

Answer: No. (Seriously, this has been a frequently asked question.)

I will report back, with photos, after our trip!