Tag: training

Weekend Things

Lauren2 Comments

Wow, wow, wow.  This weekend was so good!

I recently realized that I’ve vacationed every September since 2014 and while it’s meant really good vacation weather, it’s also meant missing really good weather right here in Colorado.  We’re only 11 days in, but I’m already LOVING this month and being able to spend it fully at home.  These last few moments of summer — it IS still technically summer — are so so precious and I’m taking full advantage of each and every warm weather second we have left.

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Friday, Joey dropped me off at Base Coat for a “Quick Coat Mani” and I got an A+ on my nail care report card.  As in, my manicurist told me my nails looked really good and there was barely anything for her to do, then complimented how moisturized my hands were.  I walked home afterwards, feeling really good about myself, ha!

We grilled up some chicken for dinner, then decided to be fun young people and go to a 9:30 PM movie at the Sie FilmCenter.  Get this, we’d never been there!  But we’d been wanting to check it out and they were showing “California Typewriter,” a documentary on typewriters that featured Tom Hanks and John Mayer, so I was sold.  There were only four of us in the theater, but whatever because the film was so interesting and there was a full bar and we were in our happy place.  Mark my words, this will NOT be the last time we come here.  Also, can I borrow someone’s typewriter to send Tom Hanks a letter?

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Saturday morning, we woke up, ate breakfast then biked over to the Farmers’ Market.  We have officially reached the point in summer where I live in paralyzing fear that this is finally the last week peaches will be for sale.  Luckily, they were still there this week!  Plus baby cucs, — including two that reminded me of those pull-apart popsicles — shishitos, giant corn and a baguette that Joey biked home with and it made me love him so much.

Afterwards, I dug around in our out of control tomato bush, read in the hammock, made another batch of granola, hit up the grocery store and basically just felt really chill for the entire day.  It was honestly so nice and relaxing and I’m just now remembering that I even took a nap.  More days like this please!

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But the main event of Saturday was actually later that night, at Dining Al Fresco!  This is an event the restaurants of Larimer Square put on a few times a summer, where they extend their patios out onto the street, giving diners a chance to enjoy the summer weather and eat underneath the string lights.  We got to witness the entire sunset over dinner and I could not get over the view.  It was prettier and prettier every time I looked up ♥

As for actual dinner, we signed up to eat at TAG and honestly, they did NOT have their shit act together.  They totally botched our reservation and sent out the wrong food, but those string lights made for the most magical dinner atmosphere and the taco sushi and black miso cod were both incredible so I’ll just leave it at that 🙂  I already can’t wait to do this Dining Al Fresco thing again next year!

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Sunday started with another 6 mile training run (it went GREAT!) then we cleaned ourselves up, only to get tired and sweaty all over again biking to brunch (<– still Summer Bucket Listing!) at the newly opened (or should I say reinvented?) Candela Latin Kitchen.  It used to be Central Bistro but recently closed and reopened as a Latin restaurant with a taco-stacked menu and while I still need to get there for HH/dinner, the chilaquiles on their brunch menu was CALLING TO ME and so we had to go.  I think one other party was sitting inside, but we were the ONLY ones eating out on the patio and I couldn’t understand why because the food, service and vibe were all AMAZING.  Get here, Denverites!

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The rest of the day featured more hammock reading, Rainbow Veggie Bowl prep, a kombucha field trip, dinner and me hiding in our room while the Cowboys game was on.  I roasted some salmon and served it with this Tomato-Peach Salad with Tofu Cream plus that baguette for dipping and it was all so summery and fresh and good.  All those tomatoes are from our garden and that makes me incredibly happy.  I guess the Cowboys won but whatever because, more importantly, ROCKIES SWEPT THE DODGERS!

Hope you all have a lovely (and for those of you in Hurricane Irma’s path, a SAFE) weekend!

Weekend Things: Labor Day 2017

LaurenLeave a comment

I just looked back at the titles of Labor Day Weekends past and I had called them all “Labor Day Weekend Things.”  Every.Single.One.  But, I’m changing it up this year and that’s pretty much the theme of my LDW in general.  Joey was out of town till Sunday night and at first I was sad that I’d have to spend a holiday weekend without him, but then I saw my bestie (and felt the baby!!!), had a sister date, cooked myself dinner and watched a movie, maybe openly cried during said movie and walked to Sunday breakfast with my parents.  Then Joey came home and we got to spend a perfect actual Labor Day together.

So I guess what I’m trying to say is, this Labor Day Weekend may have been different, but in a good, refreshing, totally satisfying way that meant I got to spend time with lots of people I love, doing lots of things I enjoy and it all felt really amazing.  Except that part when I was in bed alone and a spider ran across my comforter…

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I met Hannah for happy hour on Friday and not only was she smart enough to suggest meeting away from Denver and (worse than normal) Denver traffic, but she suggested a restaurant I’d been wanting to try because: PUFFY TACOS!  It was all too good to be true.  But as good as the tacos, smoky salsa and vibrant pink drinks were, time with that beautiful mamma-to-be was still the best part.  P.S. She and Josh got me that perfect taco dishtowel and I can’t get over how funny it is!

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Saturday morning, I took a solo bike ride to the Farmers’ Market and made a bee line for the peach tent because I am loving so hard on those stone fruit beauties this year and I had a serious fear that they’d be out, or worse, done for the year.  I was relieved to find them there and in ample supply.  Phew!  Also spotted some cutesy baby melons and headed back home with shishitos, corn, aforementioned peaches and a loaf of Challah bread that I was seriously excited about.

Maybe it was the iced coffee I’d had with breakfast or my bag of peaches, but I felt so dang happy that morning that I almost skipped back to my bike.  Dug around in our tomato plants when I got home and found all these goodies!

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I had plans to take my sister to the MCA for some sophisticated art viewing and lunch on the rooftop but when I pulled up the museum website I was greeted with a lovely message announcing they were closed.  THE HORROR!  But oh well because we still biked downtown and had lunch at Mercantile (scored some salt while we were there) then walked through Union Station and maybe also through the fountains that all the kids were playing in.  That night, I grilled a brat and some corn and made a quick potato salad for myself.  I ate it outside in the backyard and decided solo dinners are underrated.

I watched Corrina, Corrina afterwards and look, I used to do this thing in high school where I’d put a movie (VHS!) on repeat while I slept so if I woke up I’d catch a few minutes and I’d do that every night with the same movie for MONTHS at a time, so those movies — the lines, the soundtrack, the wardrobe — are seared into my brain and this was one of those movies.  I hadn’t watched it in years but I’m happy to report it was as good (and heartbreaking) as I remembered it being.  Grilled a peach, then filled it with honey and yogurt for dessert and I need to do that way more often!

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I woke up Sunday and ran six miles for race training and now my legs are REALLY FREAKING SORE!  I’m scared!  But other than that, it all felt really good and afterwards I got to walk to breakfast at Sunny’s with my parents ♥  Isn’t it nice when you have a solid breakfast joint in your own neighborhood, no car ride required?  My mom gifted me that collapsible cup because she recently told my sister and I that my grandma used to ALWAYS have one (and a rain bonnet) in her purse and we’d never even seen/heard of such a thing.  How funny but heartwarming is that??  Food prepped us some lunch for the week and sauces for our Labor Day dinner afterwards, then JOEY CAME HOME!!!

We had dinner together then headed over to his aunt and uncle’s to see his cousin who was in town from Houston.  He did have to evacuate to Austin last week but luckily there was no water in his apartment.  P.S. I ate the best homemade Oreo cheesecake ice cream while were there, omg!

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Monday, we woke up and put that Challah to good use with French toast (topped with a miso-date butter that I ADORE) then relaxed until game time.  I just want to point out that Monday was the only Rockies game I attended and also the only game we won all weekend.  So the key to our success isn’t the offense or the pitching, IT’S ME!  You’re welcome, Rockies.  But the highlight of our Labor Day was definitely definitely dinner.  I hit up the butcher on Sunday and though what I was actually trying to buy was something more like lamb spare ribs, I ended up with rib chops and maybe it was a blessing in disguise because these turned out SO GOOD!

We marinated them all day in salt, pepper, olive oil, garlic and rosemary then Joey did the grilling outside while I cooked up some flatbread inside and then we put it (plus the sauces I made the day before, some grilled shishitos and an amber ale) all together and were in dinner nirvana.  I was so impressed with the flavor and with ourselves.  It was the perfect way to end a holiday weekend and to toast the end of UNOFFICIAL summer with (though I’m still living a summer lifestyle until OFFICIAL summer ends on the 22nd).

HOW WAS YOUR LABOR DAY WEEKEND??!!