Coffee Talk
Oh coffee how I love thee. In hindsight I probably should have started a blog about coffee instead of fitness because the coffee sure seems to be getting a lot more action these days. I miiiight be guilty of stopping by Starbucks for something ice cold a little too frequently lately.
Anyways, Coffee Date time! How did it get to be July already? I know it’s been 1000 degrees the past few weeks but seriously, where’d June get to?
// Pretty much everything is revolving around not melting in this crazy heat and getting our new house ready – hopefully we will be able to move in and get settled in a few weeks.
// We ended June by celebrating our EIGHTH wedding anniversary. We’ve been together for over a decade and no, I don’t feel old enough to have actualyl said that. We went to dinner at a local Thai place – not anything fancy but something we’ve talked about doing for years, only to be highly disappointed by the Pad Thai. Enter sad face here. They didn’t even have mangoes with sticky rice!
// I have been so, so terrible at getting to the gym since we’ve moved. More about that another time, but I finally caved and decided to succumb to the workout DVD and power of streaming. Barre3 and Piyo it is.
// We’ve been spending a lot of time on bikes. Or more accurately, KB has been on his bike and I’ve been chasing behind him. As in so much so that you may not see a picture of him without a helmet on for the rest of eternity. Most of the time it’s at dawn and in our PJs because, well, hotter than hot hot hot.
// Maybe I’m just old, but I don’t get Snapchat {I’m sideofseakers btw} I mean, I understand how it works but I seem to be missing the point. You can’t interact with anyone and stuff just goes away anyways. Periscope {oh hey, also sideofsneakers, shocker} on the other hand, I think could be a good one, even though I hate videos.
Annnnd today is the husband’s birthday, which means there are Funfetti cupcakes in my futre. Hope you all enjoy his fireworks. 
Coffee Talk
I’m home alone without a child for the next hour.
For the first time in a month and a half.
I DON’T KNOW WHAT TO DO WITH MYSELF.
Actually, yes I do. EVERYTHING. Work, write, eat, shower, breathe, read, relax, work, what?
I’m mostly doing the responsible thing and working but my brain needed a little break, so I’m popping over here. Whoever thought it was a good idea not to send the toddler to summer school without cutting back on work was an idiot. And yeah, that was me.
It’s ok. We’re mostly having lots of fun. This week has been a little rough because I’m extra tired for whatever reason and most of our friends are gone for the holiday, but that just means today’s kid-free break is all the much more welcomed.
Anyways.
Do you know why I secretly love coffee talk days? It gives me an excuse to look at old Instagram pictures. 
It’s pretty much the only way I can remember what’s happened in the past month.
1// The Kynado discovered the existence of imposter Raffi the 2nd, a duplicate backup lovey in case he ever got so attached he couldn’t sleep without him and we lost the original. The world only slightly collapsed for a few minutes and then he put his first major life lesson behind him.
2// I made it to spin for the first time in, umm, a loooong time. A gym-hating toddler means I rarely make it to a class, but somehow, someway the stars aligned and he not only went into the childcare without tears, he managed to stay the whole time. If only I could bottle up the magic formula that made it happen and use it on repeat.
3// The fastest of fast, easy dinners. Zucchini ribbon noodles with shrimp, sundried tomatoes, oil, garlic, and white wine. I should probably write about my love affair with my spiralizer because every time I post a picture of zoodles I get questions about it. I’ll put that on my non-existent summer to-do list that never gets anything checked off of it.
4// Seriously. Babies and bubbles, what better entertainment can you ask for?
5// NACHOoooos. Seriously addicted. I think I went through a two-week phase where I ate them every.single.day for lunch. Black beans, roasted peppers, jalapenos, chipotle hot sauce, cilantro, and “cheese” made of either Daiya havarti and coconut milk, or blended cashews and red peppers. There’s a lot of things I’ve had to cut out of my diet but nachos will never be one of them.
6// The husband and I celebrated our 7th wedding anniversary this week. SEVEN years. That’s like almost an eternity. I can think of very few things I’ve liked consistently for seven years straight. Luckily, he’s one of them. This picture was from a friend’s wedding at the beach last year. I love that we share an anniversary. 
{Apparently when you have a child and aka no time, one of the arbitrary things to go is writing about your anniversary… 3 years // 4 years // 5&6 never happened.}
Stuff you might have missed: sweet potato chicken patties // summer cocktails // weaning woes
For more coffee talk: April // May // June
Thoughts
The day almost passed me by.
But it didn’t.
Today marks 4 years since I started down this crazy road of chronic pain and all that comes with it.
It’s a good thing I almost forgot about it. That means it’s not taking over my life anymore. Thank goodness. But I did say almost forgot about it- it’s still something that’s there in my every day life. I’m thankful to be able to say it’s just part of my life and no longer all encompassing or even a burden. I don’t give it much thought and it doesn’t get in the way of anything I want to do anymore. My hands bother me more than my feet, which is a welcome change. I ask a lot of my feet everyday and there’s no getting around it. I can ask for help or come up with another solution when it comes to using my hands.
I’m never going to go as far as to say I’m grateful this happened to me, but now that I’m not in the height of pain I can certainly see the bright side. It feels a little fake to say I’ve been able to accomplish so many things in spite of the pain since I’m not actively racing or even really running right now, but it’s not my feet that’s stopping me this time around. I was able to finish a triathlon, 2 24-hour bike rides {1 while 13 weeks pregnant}, 2 half marathons, an obstacle race, and a handful of other races. That’s pretty good in my book. I was even featured on Fitness Magazine’s The Fit Stop!
Now I’m not running and racing because of other things in life. Good things. I miss it though, and I ache for the day that it’s back in my life. But I got it back once, I’ll get it back again- and there’s much less to overcome this time around. I do have to say, I’m terrified to stop breastfeeding because I’m pretty sure the hormones have something to do with the pain holding off… only time will tell. Until then, my fingers are crossed. As crossed as I can get them anyways. 
Restaurants
Yesterday the husband and I celebrated our four year wedding anniversary.
I will neither confirm nor deny whether one of the parties in said relationship perhaps may or may not have forgotten the occasion…
For our first anniversary, we celebrated with a trip to the Biltmore in Asheville.
By the fourth anniversary, we settled for carry out.
At least it was fancy carry out though: Carrabba’s Italian Grill!
I’d been hanging on to a card for complimentary Crispy Calamari since I went to the Carrabba’s Tastemaker event umm…last August. {The event incidentally was a ton of fun- we got to learn how they make some of their signature pasta’s like the Tag Pic Pac and Penne Franco.}
Anyways, we cashed in the coupon and along with some pasta, salad, and bread, we were all set for a delicious anniversary dinner. What’s better than great food in the comfort of your own home that you didn’t have to cook?? That’s what I was thinking. 
It ended up taking two trips up to Carrabba’s to actually get our whole meal, but once we finally had all the food in our hands it was a delicious meal.
The calamari was good, but after a few bites it was too salty for me to handle. Everything else was fantastic though. We had one of their summer pasta specials, the Pasta Rambo {and no, I didn’t get it just because it has an awesome name…though it does.}
The Pasta Rambo was thick linguine with shrimp, sautéed mushrooms, and tomatoes in a lemon basil butter sauce. The shrimp in the pasta were cooked perfectly, and the light sauce was perfect for the dish.
I could probably eat a whole week’s worth of meals of just Carrabba’s Caesar salad and bread- their dipping oil spice blend is by far my favorite of any restaurant.
I can’t wait to dig into the leftovers for lunch, although there’s not much left.
What’s your favorite restaurant?
