Marvelous Work Day (Yeah Right)
The Biena Foods roasted chickpea snacks giveaway closes tonight at 11:59PM EST, so make sure to enter! I will announce the winner tomorrow.
Who has the day off for Columbus Day? Oh, you do? Well I don’t like you. Sorry, I am a bitter Betty today. My alarm went off for work and I felt as if I could’ve slept another few hours (realistically I probably would have slept about one hour more, but I’m just sayin’).
At least Columbus Day meant my commute was not long or crowded.
Let’s focus on the marvelous though, because it’s marvelous that I even have a job, after all. And my weekend was full of marvelous too.
Be sure to join Katie’s link-up and share your marvelous!
Marvelous is…Friday night pizza and salad at Kat‘s house with her, hubby Mike, and baby Penelope. I provided the wine, Kat provided the delicious food, and Penelope provided the laughs (and alas tears – she is teething). Kat prepared a fresh spinach salad with radishes, heirloom tomatoes, balsamic, and EVOO. She also made four naan flatbreads – one with roasted shredded baby cabbages and goat cheese (we obviously had some on the side too), one with fig and prosciutto, and two with buffalo chicken and fresh basil (bro-friendly for Mike). My favorite was definitely the fig and prosciutto but the Brussels pizza was obviously a close second.
Kaitlin came up with a great caption for this picture: “Why don’t you guys put that stuff in my bottle?”
Before/after – nom nom naan!
It’s baby inception…baby cabbages and a real baby! Look at her eyeing them!
Marvelous is…successfully remaining unspoiled for, and enjoying, Playhouse on Park‘s production of Othello. I hit a wall during intermission and definitely was feeling the post-red-wine drowsiness (the play lasted until 10:45PM) but the acting was incredible and I highly recommend the show (running until 10/20) to anyone in the area . Every single seat at Playhouse on Park is a good one, and I’m so glad I experienced a live production of a Shakespearean play (my first one). I can see why it’s Kat’s favorite!
Also the actor (RJ Foster) who played Othello was not only talented, but extremely attractive. Sorry not sorry, you know it’s true. Source
Marvelous is…spending time with my brother during his weekend home from school. Michael and I went to see – and enjoyed – Captain Phillips. We also chatted and caught up, mostly regarding his life at college. It was so awesome to spend time with him and truth be told, it was the most time the two of us have ever spent together just us. I’m already excited for his next visit home and also to go visit him and hit up Willimantic Brewery, my favorite restaurant by Eastern.
In our preppy best.
Marvelous is…a dinner date at Agave Grill in Hartford with my blend Kelly. The margs were delicious, the food was (mostly) yummy, and most importantly the company was excellent. Full blog post to come on our meal, but spending time with this girl always rocks my world.
On every day, she wears pink.
Marvelous is…a night out with friends at Rooftop120. They updated the drink menu with some new wines by the glass and I was excited to try the Silver Palm Cabernet, which did not disappoint. I also got a glass of Graham’s Six Grapes Port, something I tend to crave like clockwork on the weekends. My friend-since-high-school Hong was kind enough to give me a ride and we met up with Lidia, who I hadn’t seen in way too long. Later my pals Jeff and Alexis (and her awesome friend Bethanie, who reads my blog and was a pleasure to meet) came to meet us. We had our own mini dance party (as in no one else was dancing) and I had a blast! And a pear and Gorgonzola flatbread…because who needs dessert when there’s some form of pizza?
Me and Hong! And his awesome glasses.
Classic Caitlin/Lidia dynamic – I smile, she doesn’t.
I was super glad Hong ordered the Smashed Pumpkin martini (Capt Morgan, Fulton’s Harvest pumpkin liqueur, cinnamon, whipped cream) so I could try a sip. SOOOO GOOD.
Though my favorite bartender Andres no longer works at Rooftop120, the bartenders remember what a fan of his I am, and they still call my parents and I his family!
Marvelous is…a kickass spin class on Sunday morning that was just what I needed to pull me out of a post-night-out emotional slump. Okay, so it didn’t totally pull me out, but the Sunday morning spin teacher at my gym, Marla, seriously always has the best music and does not let anyone slack. “Don’t touch your resistance!” “Take a quick sip of water then back up at three!” All these “commands” keep me on my toes (pedals?) and keep me pushing hard. Thank goodness the last song yesterday was Lady Gaga’s “Applause”.
Marvelous is…a fall hand polish change at my favorite nail spot, Ceci’s. I can’t recall the name of the OPI colors (yes plural, the ring finger on each hand has a subtle glitter disco nail) but I’m glad I went for fall colors instead of Halloween. I considered the whole black and orange thing, but this choice seemed more applicable to the entire season.
Marvelous is…majorly awesome deals at Victoria’s Secret. I scored a $10 PINK bra (thank you sales associate who doesn’t read coupon fine print and let me use two $10 coupons on one item), $15 sale bra, $20 sale galaxy-print yoga shorties, and $10 sale lace bandeau (been in the market for one of those for eons). The fabulous sales were almost enough to make me forget why I was dreading the bra shopping…dressing room mirrors are EVIL.
Woo hoo! Just in time for…fall. Oh, that’s why it was on sale.
Marvelous is…just what I needed to see after experiencing those dressing room mirrors. I received a package from Molly an embarrassingly long time ago, but am glad I waited until yesterday to open it. The contents, including a well-written, touching, encouraging (glittery!) card, were just what I needed to see to give me a kick in the butt and remind me that the body image struggles I was (am) dealing with are a to-be-expected part of recovery. My favorite part of the card was this: “Recovery is a 24/7 job. There are no days off.”
I put on the handmade barrette this morning as a reminder to myself to be grateful for the fun I had this weekend and try not to think of it in terms of calories consumed or my perception of my appearance.
And a silly faced selfie to help lift my spirits.
Marvelous is…a special Sunday night dinner date at CW’s Chops N Catch with Mom. It wasn’t just special because of the amazing (seriously some of the best I’ve ever had) wine, the local kale, the blackened salmon, the craft cocktail list, the SaveNowCT deal, the maple-glazed Brussels sprouts, and the chance to chat with Manchester restaurant owner and chef extraordinaire Corey Wry. It was special because my mom and I both broke out of our box and went out instead of having dinner in (normally our Sunday night). We enjoyed ourselves, appreciated our food and drink, and reveled in each other’s company.
Autumnal Equinox – Disaronno, port, Grand Marnier.
Local kale salad with goat cheese, dried cherries, pistachios, blackened salmon, crispy straws, and pesto Caesar vinaigrette.
Some of these were leftover and are in my salad lunch for today. SO EXCITED.
Ah, I feel better already. I love MIMM because it really does force me to spend a good while compiling a post that reminds me of how freaking lucky I am to have such marvelous weekends to write about. So much of life is what you make of it and your mindset while viewing it. This is a tool I use to improve my mindset and make it more positive.
What was the most marvelous part of your weekend?
Do you have today off? If so, what are your plans?
