March 2011

Good morning! I’m glad you all are enjoying the new Race Recaps Series.  I think I’ll be posting them once or twice a week, so stay tuned for more motivation! It’s a little dreary out in Charlotte today, but I don’t mind.  I actually love warm, cloudy days (my favorite form of weather is summer [...]

Name:  Marisa Location:  New Jersey Age: 32 Race:  Haddonfield Adrenaline 5K Personal Tidbit:  Married and mother to two beautiful boys   In Her Own Words:   Yesterday, I ran the 6th Annual Haddonfield Adrenaline 5K in Haddonfield, NJ.  I had two goals in mind – not to finish last and to run the entire time.  [...]

Boy, oh boy – do I have a salad recipe for you! Now, the ingredients in this dish might sound a little strange, but the combo is really, really refreshing and delicious.  A perfectly wonderful and fulfilling salad, if I do say so myself. In the  mix:   1 cup chopped watermelon 1/4 cup loosely [...]

As I’m sure you’ve picked up by now, my sister-in-law Sophie has officially (re)moved from England to America.  She stayed us with for a week, but she’ll be spending some time in Florida before moving to Charlotte permanently.  It’s really nice for the Husband – and me! – to have his big sister around all [...]

Hey, friends.  How’s your Saturday going? :)  I did a little work, a little running, and a little relaxing.    First up: got a bunch of work done at the clinic.  Brought a packed lunch, too!   A hummus and fresh basil (try it – amazing) sandwich with tomatoes and watermelon spears (not related to [...]

I woke up this morning CRAVING fresh fruit.  The urge for fruit was so powerful that when I opened the fridge and saw we had no fruit, I jumped in the car with wet hair and drove all the way to Trader Joe’s at 9 AM. I think the bag boy thought I was mildly [...]

A day late, but still lucky!   I’ve never found a four-leaf clover before… pretty exciting.  I’ll admit that I squealed hysterically.  I’m such a sucker for superstition.  Fun fact:  I kiss the side of airplanes before I board!   I was definitely feeling lucky when I stumbled upon FABO Cafe (FABO = Fabulous Art [...]

What a day so far!  It’s a million degrees (okay, 82) in Charlotte, which is the warmest it’s been since the summer.  I sat on my patio for a while and got some writing done… it was a nice way to enjoy the sunshine.   Ate breakfast while working – a slice of PB toast [...]

Several people commented in last night’s post that Guinness is not vegetarian. ‘Tis (sort of) true – Guinness (and many other alcoholic drinks, especially dark beers) are refined with isinglass.  Isinglass is basically dried fish bladders.  It accelerates the clarification process and, although very little isinglass remains in the drink after it’s finished, many vegetarians [...]

We did a massive Charlotte bar and restaurant crawl tonight!   Petite Phillipe for sips of red wine and amazing chocolates:   If a chocolate is named OMG, you should definitely get it.  Yum, salted caramel!   But the Orange Basil ran a close second: Shout out to Pierce, Charlotte’s chocolate master, who made those [...]

Happy to announce that Sophie and I completed a 5K run this morning, and all parts (lungs, knee) felt pretty good.  It’s been a rough week, fitness-wise, so I’m glad I’m getting back to my normal self.  And not a moment too soon! We took it easy, especially going up hills, because I definitely could [...]

Good morning, and Happy St. Patrick’s Day! :) My sister-in-law, Sophie, was very surprised yesterday when I told her what a big deal St. Patrick’s Day is in America.  Just wait ‘til I take her to the bar later for Green Beer! But first… a beige breakfast.  :)   In the mix:   1/2 cup [...]

The best part of house guests are… when they cook dinner for you! :) When we arrived back home, Sophie my sister-in-law was cooking a lovely coconut milk Thai dish.    She used loads of different stir-fry vegetables, like collard greens, broccoli, carrots, peppers, and bamboo shoots, and created a lovely coconut cream sauce with [...]