Weekly Recap

Soufflé Pancakes & It’s Finally Autumn!

Published on December 3, 2018December 4, 2018 by Mackenzie92 Comments

Hey, everyone! I am trying to get us all caught up before a super busy (and fun) week ahead 🙂 This morning is a three cups of coffee type of day, but I’m resisting considering I have to get up at 4 am tomorrow morning. Wish meh luck…. sometimes I wonder how I did that on a regular basis for over a year. I think we left off right after Thanksgiving!

November 23rd was a day of utter relaxation for DJ and me. I used to love Black Friday shopping, but now that online shopping is available I would much rather do it from my home than fight the masses. I ran a few errands and then we had a Thanksgiving Round 2 with all our leftovers in the evening (you can see those in the Friday Faves post).

November 24th DJ and I woke up early, went to our local Target, and then grabbed some Starbucks. I still have to try their new holidays drinks. Anyone try the Juniper Latte yet?

After breakfast I enjoyed a nice long run on a my-kind-of-Saturday-morning grey day!! It actually finally feels like Autumn now. Leaves are falling, I repeat- the leaves are falling!

After working on some school work I was in a mood for a movie. I am never in the mood for a movie at home, but for some reason nothing sounded better that evening. I usually can’t sit still that long, but I was so exhausted after all the festivities, and with the warm Christmas tree up it all sounded perfect. We chose Manchester by the Sea. About twenty minutes into it we turned it off- it was too depressing for the mood we were in. Instead, we tried Crazy Rich Asians, which I had heard raving reviews about. It was a good movie, we enjoyed it- but were sad they portrayed Christians in a such poor light, yet again, through the Hollywood lens :/.

Sunday morning of the 25th before church we tried out Koja Kitchen. DJ and I have been drooling over pictures of these soufflé pancakes for a couple months. After our experience at Cafe Jacqueline, anything with the word “soufflé” is calling our names! Within this last couple weeks just started selling them at this particular location by our apartment… serendipitous I do say!

DJ had their mixed berries ones, and there was not a trace left within a couple minutes. Rarely does DJ rave about food in the way I do, but he couldn’t stop talking about how wonderful these were!

And I concurred. My matcha mascarpone ones were next level fluffy, yummy deliciousness!!! These are crave worthy- the texture & flavor is everything. I don’t know how soufflé pancakes aren’t a staple for all breakfast spots. They are just phenomenal.

You can see in this video just how fluffy they are when you cut into them…

After church I enjoyed a shorter run soaking up the beautiful day.

November 26th I went on a nice walk before finishing up my massive paper for the semester. Woohooo!

On Wednesday November 28th I just continued to truck along with the school work with a run squeezed in between.

In the evening I posted a whole bunch of stuff on Poshmark and sold a few items. That always feels so satisfying, especially when you sell something that has just been sitting in the closet for a while!

Thursday the 29th was the same ole’, same ole’ for us with school and work, but in the evening I made more of the mac and cheese recipe from Thanksgiving! My goal is to figure out a vegan version of this. But for now- bring on the dairy!

I classify this as “cry food”: Food so good you get emotional and may even feel the urge to cry tears of joy.

Friday November 30th I went to a new hair salon and had my roots fixed from the fiasco of the last lady now that I’ve nursed it back to health somewhat. I loveeed how it turned out, I paid about half the price as the other place, and definitely spent half the time in the chair. I am so stinkin’ excited about this… y’all know I’ve had a difficult hair journey since moving here, so I’m glad to have found somewhere affordable and high quality! I loved my stylist too- she’s so sweet, fun to chat with & knowledgable.

We decided to have a formal date night for the first time in a long time! We have been kinda all over the place with work/school/etc. this last few months, so our attempt at a weekly date has fallen to the wayside (although we could consider our weekend breakfast tour a date day I suppose!).

We received a coupon from Steins to try out their new menu. If you’ve been following along for a while this place probably looks familiar. We were excited to try it out!

I am always skeptical about a soft pretzel since trying the one at Deschutes in Portland. That one was just too good & has ruined every soft pretzel since- nothing ever comes close! However, this one was solid. Not as good still- but close, especially with the dipping sauces of caraway beer mustard, pub cheese, & tomato jam!

Gotta get those truffle fries!! The lemon aioli they are served with is the most heavenly aioli everrrr.

We tried their creamed spinach too- and was pleasantly surprised how good this was! Typically steakhouses are the ones with the best creamed spinaches, but this is up there for sure.

DJ had their chicken tenders with their super spicy hot sauces. Mmm mm! I used some of the hot sauces for dipping too. DJ said these are some top notch tenders.

I tried their vegan cauliflower & garbanzo bean vegan dish paired with a cold glass of Pinot Grigio (perfect combo). This dish is supposed to serve three people, but when in marathon training….lol.

The dish was… fine. I wouldn’t order it again, probably will go for the fish next time- but it was still satisfying & is a great vegan option for those that are strictly vegan!

We came home, watched Arrested Development, and crashed.

On the morning of Saturday December 1st (How is it December?!), we had to go back to Koja…… the cravings were REAL.

This time I tried their Tokyo caramelized banana option! It was tasty, but I still prefer the matcha mascarpone. DJ had the mixed berries again.

I had a great long run of 16.75 miles after that carb load. I studied the entire time on the treadmill because it was raining outside. I made a solid dent in the books & actually felt better than I thought after the run. In the evening we had all our leftovers, and I spent the rest of the day resting the legs and blogging.

Yesterday, December 2nd, we went to an awesomeeee church service, then I did the first 20 minutes(ish) of this Youtube HITT routine. I ran some errands and then stopped by my friend Sara’s to wish her a happy bday. I worked on school work for a few hours, spent on hour talking to SheIn customer service (do not order from them- it’s not worth it), and last, to round off a nice, lazy, yummy weekend, we watched a couple episodes of Arrested Development.

Today the 3rd, I made a bunch of returns on my Black Friday orders. I ended up keeping two shirts, but it’ll feel good to see that money come back. Right now I’m enjoying this bowl of overnight pumpkin oats with fresh cranberries, a dollop of Fage, & maple syrup. Holy smokes – I might be on a new kick!

The rest of the day is dedicated 100% to studying. Watch out Research & Stats, I’m coming for ya. We leave tomorrow for Disney, so I’ll probably be MIA till next week! Hope this week is absolutely restful, joy-filled, & lovely for each of you!

Questions for you:

If you have been to Disney, which is your favorite park?
What are some of your favorite online stores with cheap(ish) clothes that you can trust? There are so many sketchy sites these days, but all of them seem to have such cute clothes until you get something totally different in the mail, lol!!

xo <3

Our First Ever Hosted Thanksgiving!

Published on November 24, 2018November 27, 2018 by Mackenzie92 Comments

Hi, Everyone!!! Happy Sunday to youu! Currently it’s Saturday night, we’ve got some Elton John playing, and DJ is working on a graphic for work! It’s a goooood night. Time to recap Thanksgiving week!

Monday the 19th I ran on the tready while doing a bunch of reading for school. Then I headed over to Peet’s, chatted with my favorite barista, Connie, and then get started on listening to lectures.

After studying up, I did the big ole’ trip to Safeway for alllllz the Thanksgiving goodies. I haven’t shopped at Safeway in forever since discovering TJ’s, but there were a few items I wasn’t sure TJ’s would have, so I just did my whole trip there using my Safeway account. I hardcore lallygag when I grocery shop. I love grocery shopping. I look forward to it during my week, and truly get lost in the aisles while listening to my podcast. Anyone else see grocery shopping as the equivalent of going to the park?

I went to Peet’s again on Tuesday the 20th, and witnessed the most horrendous parking job of all time. It’s super hard to find a good parking spot in this lot- so I was a bit miffed. I truly don’t know why I’m sharing this- but it’s cathartic- so here we are.

I whipped out my major assignment for the week and wrapped up my discussion boards, so I could focus on Thanksgiving activities the rest of the week!

For starters, Wednesday November 21st I designated as a full on prep/clean/cook day. I relish in days like this. They make me so happy. Also, for the first time in a long time it was raining!! You can hear my reaction in a tragic run-on sentence. tehehe.

This was much needed after the fires and totally purified the air. I will never take for granted fresh luxurious air again! My runs outside since have been filled with the smell of pine and a crispness. Anyways- first, I picked up few last minute items I forgot in my first trip (did you actually host a thanksgiving without multiple trips last minute to the store?). Once home, I grabbed some tea to warm me from the chill outside (I already had hit my coffee limit for the day), listened to Up and Vanished and cooked my heart out! (Also DJ had the day off, which added an element of warmth to the apartment just having him there).

Now, I am a bit mischievous, I must say. I secretly made a couple vegan dishes- and only waited till after they were confirmed delicious before divulging that they were in fact vegan 😉

First up- vegan cauli. mashed taters!!! I also made regular mashed potatoes the day of, but I didn’t get pictures. So for these ones, ya just boil your cauli, put in a food processor with butter, salt, and pepper, and then you are good to go! I loveee them, especially with a little gravy on top!

Next up- my vegan stuffed acorn squash! This was my “main course” for the big day. I was going to use the chicken I discovered at TJ’s, but was craving these even bit more.

Next- pumpkin hummus ! Mmmm mmm so good! I served it with the pumpkin cranberry crisps from TJ’s. Golden combo (and of course I had to taste test the day before 😉 ).

Nowwww- some vegan sweet potato casserole!!!

I waited until actual Thanksgiving day to top with mallows to make sure the mallows wouldn’t get stale overnight or overcook.

Oh, and is it actually thanksgiving without green bean casserole?! This has traditionally been one of my favorite dishes (although this year I think I even liked the sweet potato casserole more!). I used this vegan recipe from Delish. I will say it does need a dash of salt at the end to top it off- but besides that it was scrumptious!

And totalllly not vegan, but totally necessary- mac and cheeeeeeseeee!

DJ rated this a “10” and said it was the best mac and cheese he has ever had. (He doesn’t blow smoke either- always gives it to me straight!). He even said it was better than Homeroom’s *gasp*. I mean it was great, but I don’t know if I’d go that far….

And the last thing I made that day was DJ’s requested dirt. I love/hate when he requests it because the stuff is so darn addictive!

I don’t have a rolling pin to crush the Oreos, so I use a wine bottle lol. Works like a champ.

I also de-grouted my kitchen floors. They needed it badly!

Before

After- Not perfect- but much better!

Ready to go 🙂

I topped off the evening with my usual nightly ice cream cone (I just rotate through flavors year round- currently we are on a chocolate brownie kick, and always have to add the cashews).

Thanksgiving morning I had a stellar 15-mile run in the clear air under beautiful blue skies.

I returned home around 11 am and then got started on the Turkey. My mom was a lifesaver answering my questions over the phone about the giblets and whatever-the-heck else I didn’t understand for my first turkey roast haha.

And now for the final spread left to right: roasted multicolor honey herbed carrots/corn muffins/green bean casserole/croissants/regular hummus, grape, and pecan pumpkin butter, pumpkin hummus/turkey with stuffing/stuffed acorn squash/mac and cheese/mashed potatoes (vegan & regular)/sweet potato casserole/apple pie (Amy’s homemade!)/pumpkin pie/deviled eggs!

Amy and her boyfriend joined us for the feast!! (Yes, that was only for only four people, haha). If you want leftovers please stop by because we have sooo much.

Unfortunately, I did make one boo boo. I forgot to take the chilled cranberry sauce out of the fridge. How do you forget the cranberry sauce??!!?!

After stuffing ourselves to the brim, we played the first season of Hunt a Killer. It’s a detective subscription box where you try to solve a murder (Amy and I are total true crime junkies). We actually solved it fairly quickly with four minds working together.

After, we played Office trivia while eating Amy’s amazing apple pie and then they headed back to the city.

Ah, so much to be thankful for. God is so darn good. I think where I was mentally & emotionally this time last year, and it’s amazing to see all the goooood that has happened since. Even though we missed a big part of our family this year, I was reminded just how grateful I am for them and the small blessings of each day. Love to you all.

Questions for you:

I gotta know- favorite Thanksgiving dish?

xo <3

Candytopia!

Published on November 24, 2018 by Mackenzie89 Comments

Happy happy Saturday, everyone! I hope all my American friends had the most wonderful Thanksgiving and everyone else had a beautiful week. Currently I am sipping on a cup of coffee with the OSU vs. Michigan game on in the background and DJ working on a project next to me. I have just been relishing in this long weekend. I can’t wait to share how my first time hosting Thanksgiving went- but I don’t want to pass over last Sunday November 18th! So, without further adieu, let us jump into the land of Candytopia!!

Candytopia is a pop-up interactive candy experience- basically a Candyland come to life! I loveee my candy, so when I heard about this I couldn’t pass it up. My sister in law, Amy, joined me!

Our tickets were for noon, so I drove down from Cupertino around 10 am to make sure we had plenty of time for parking, etc.

All the sculptures in Candytopia are made of candy. It’s pretty sweet!

Time to go inside!!

We all shuffled into a lobby-type room before starting the tour while they explained the rules, explained how to use the app, and gave a general intro. I was shocked at the creativity just in this room alone. I mean look at this dragon- entirely made of candy. They have a sign next to each piece saying what it is made of and how long it took to construct.. this took 542 hours!

Also in each room you enter there is a box of candy with yummies for the taking.

My candy corn lovin’ self was lovin’ this fox

We all congregated into the next room as Lindor Truffle’s propelled down on the other side of a clock from the ceiling! I LOVE these. Some of the yummiest chocolate.

We then took an escalator downstairs into another room…

This room was bright and playful! It felt like we were in Willy Wonka’s factory.

My favorite part of the room was this little toad stool.

The next room was a chandelier room with epic recreations of some prominent figures & just fun photos.

Then there was a little crossover area with large blow up balloons and a photo op!

Next room- the underwater room! This one may have been my favorite for the actual aesthetic effect.

But the room with the most laughs- the Unicorn room!

Yes- you are interpreting this photo correctly– there is a pig farting confetti. Only in SF, folks, only in SF. hahaha.

I am still finding confetti around the house even after vacuuming several times, hah!

And now.. onto the marshmallow pit! We had a hard time getting a solid picture.. oh well. It was SOO much fun. Talk about feeling like a kid again!

We ended in the gift-store with some fun, unique finds! We were gushing over how cool this Candy Sushi was!

Amy and I grabbed a quick cup of coffee at Starbucks, and then I headed back to Cup to meet up with DJ. Time to get our tree!!! We usually don’t get our tree until after thanksgiving, but this couple of weeks is crazy busy & I didn’t want to fight the masses that would be going to get them this weekend.

This year we went to a place in the mountains of Los Gatos called Tabacco Ranch.

We had an extra hard time this year finding the right tree, on top of my general indecisiveness. I don’t know if it was a bad year for trees or if the thick smoke damaged a lot of them, because there were many that seemed to be missing entire halves and branches. But finally- we stumbled across THE one! *cue angels singing Hallelujah chorus in unison*

Okay, time to go eat some leftovers & then work on the Thanksgiving post! 🙂

Questions for you:

Favorite candy?
Christmas tree- real or fake? Colored lights or white lights? I always love hearing what everyone prefers to do!

xo <3

All the Carbs, Please!!

Published on November 7, 2018November 15, 2018 by Mackenzie89 Comments

Hey, Hi, Hellur! I worked my tush off this week promising myself I could blog a bit tonight if I could get “x” number of assignments done! Annnd here we are! Wooohooo!!! The last week and a half was stuffed to the brim with soo many fun things. I cannot wait to share!

Sunday October 28th we went to church in the morning. I came home and whipped up a stuffed purple sweet potato with some leftover crab from my giant sushi burrito, avocado, and fage.

It hit the spot! In the afternoon I worked on a massive school assignment that is due at the end of November while DJ worked on grad school schtuff. For a little break I ran to TJ’s.

^These pumpkin biscottis were mighty tasty with some coffee!!!

On my way home I received this text from my mom- in case anyone has a Boarshead near ya I thought you’d appreciate me passing it on 😉 How good does this sound?! Has anyone tried any dessert hummus?

When I came home from our massive haul I whipped DJ and me up a Margherita Pizza.

The way it bubbles gets me every time 🤤

Monday October 29th all my new assignments were released. I worked, worked, worked as did DJ. For dinner I made him Bison Tacos per his request (I swear he never gets sick of these things haha), and I made myself a giant garden salad.

October 30th was the same ole’ as the day before. Except for dinner I used some mini raviolis I found at Trader Joe’s to make mac n’ cheese ravioli.

I also tossed in a little tomato sauce and a bit of parm on top. I love the texture of parm on top of any pasta- always the perfect finishing touch!

I had a tiny bit with my favorite salad, and DJ pretty much destroyed the rest 😉

In the evening I perused through Food & Wine magazine to get ideas brewing for Thanksgiving. I am PSYCHED to cook up a storm this year.

In the morning of October 31st (Happy Halloweeeen!), I had a nice long run outside greeted by a beautiful day. The sky said summer, but the leaves were begging for fall. Welcome to California autumn, haha. I am LIVING for all of your autumn pictures you guys have been posting. It’s so different here. I still love the weather, don’t get me wrong- but I do miss the gray skies, chill and smell of “fall” in the air.

I worked all day on assignments, and then headed into the city to meet up with my friend, Cynthia, from my residency cohort! I haven’t seen her since we graduated from the program in March. I’ve missed her! We have stayed in touch, but haven’t had a chance to get together. As I drove into the city a beautiful palette of colors greeted me along the skyline.

Of course, pictures never do justice 😉

We went to her favorite local pizza joint, Ardiana’s. We have similar taste buds, so we decided to split a couple dishes. First up was the roasted Brazillian broccolini, white anchovies, chili oil, preserved lemon, and pecorino romano. It was beyond delightful. Oh my! I don’t know the last time I’ve had anchovies- but I’m allll about um’ now! The combo was perfection.

We followed this dish with a pizza with funghi, caramelized onions, thyme, fontina, and moltinero truffled pecorino. The truffled flavor is something I have dreamt about ever since. This was easily one of the tastiest pizzas I have ever tried. Better than Pizza Antica even! I dare say it was even better than Jack Rose Libation House which before stood as my favorite.

I stayed at my SIL, Amy’s, apartment for the evening since I was a bit nervous driving all the way home late on Halloween evening. I slept so well and woke up to this gorgeous view on the morning of November 1st.… I just love this city <3 Not a bad way to start the month 🙂

At around 7:30 I headed toward the Embarcadero to squeeze in a run before heading home. I have been craving a run on the Embarcadero lately. Do you all remember when Annie lived here? I used to love staying at her apartment and getting up early to sneak in a run on the water. It is the bestttt.

After my run, I decided I still had time before I wanted to head back to Cupertino. I was loving loving loving being in the city. I went back to the car, grabbed my laptop and school materials then headed to Peet’s in the Ferry Building.

I grabbed a quest bar for breakfast and had to see what this vegan eggplant “bacon” was all about. It wasn’t too bad, but way too expensive for what it tasted like. I actually prefer my homemade eggplant strips to this!

I was happy as a stinking clam. I just missed Kate because this is the Peet’s where we first met in person! I sent her a little snap of the table we sat and chatted at.

I was surprisingly productive for being so giddy. I knocked out one solid assignment and decided to head home to eat up some groceries rather than spend more money eating out.

On Friday November 2nd, I had a gala for Boys & Girls Clubs. Okay, I haven’t really mentioned this on the blog yet…. but this has been a big part of my life for the last couple months. This also probably explains why I haven’t been able to get out my posts in a timely manner, haha. First, I help third graders with their homework on Thursdays. I just adore these kiddos and always get the cutest little drawings haha. Yes, I have one eye in the middle one 😉

It has been one of the most rewarding, lovely, amazing experiences. Truly a highlight of my week! Next, I have been mentoring a high school girl and helping her get ready to compete in something called “Youth of the Year” (YOY). They choose three outstanding high schoolers from the program, they each write a speech about what the club has done for them, and then compete for a scholarship. I have grown close to the girl I’m mentoring, and when the opportunity came to volunteer for the gala I eagerly signed up since it meant I could see her give her speech!

I chatted with her and the other two YOY contestants before, we ran through their speeches, and then just all hung out trying to calm their nerves. I then went to help out at the raffle table when the event began.

Oh, and if you are a fan of Happy Days or Holes, you may recognize Henry Winkler, the guest speaker for the evening. He was great and entertaining!

I wasn’t planning on taking pictures for the evening, but since I was tucked away in the corner at the raffle with no one around me for dinner time (except a couple third grade twins I was watching for the evening) I decided to sneak in a few shots 🙂 I had the butternut squash ravioli. It was tasty but unfortunately a bit cold when it came out- that’s whatchya get with banquet food sometimes! I know, I worked in the banquet industry. Difficult to keep all that food warm for sure.

For dessert they brought out a raspberry mousse stuffed cookie. This was just incredibly delicious. I savored every little bit of this thing!

Here are all the awe-inspiring, amazing students lined up!

She didn’t win, but to say I was SO proud of her would be an understatement. I was bursting with pride watching her speak so eloquently and confidently. She vulnerably shared parts of her life and demonstrated a courage that amazed me. It was a wonderful night. I hope to continue to mentor her in some way even though this event is over. DJ attended our church gala, and although I was sad I couldn’t be in two places at once he shared every detail with me! I will save that for the next post. Oh, and next recap is a travel post- yeeehaw! 🙂 **I don’t have time to edit this post because we want to watch Haunting of Hill House, so please excuse errors that I will cringe at when I find them tomorrow, lol. Goodnight one and all!**

Questions for you:

Favorite pizza toppings?
Pizza or pasta? I know, I know.. cruel to make you even choose!

xo <3

Flights & a Sushi Burrito!

Published on October 31, 2018October 31, 2018 by Mackenzie94 Comments

Aaaand let’s jump right into the better half of last week! Currently it is midnight, my neighbors are being loud per usual (But they are leaving within the next week!), and I am eating mac and cheese. No one can be mad while eating mac and cheese. Monday the 21st, I had my big ole’ midterm- It went really well! Deep breaths of relief all around 🙂 The rest of the day was horribly unproductive. I still received a whole new round of assignments for the week, but barely made a dent. Brain fried like an egg on cement on a hot July day in the south. Tuesday the 22nd to Thursday the 24th I chipped away at my assignments, but felt super off. I had a weirdly hard time focusing- my emotions were alllll over the place, and I had that “impending doom” feeling for no reason. I told my mom on the phone I wouldn’t be surprised if it was a full moon because this is how I get around them (aka off my rocker)… turns out it was! Hahah. All is right in the world now though- as soon as it started waning we were back on track. DJ thinks I’m nuts blaming my emotional crises on the moon- but it. all. makes. sense. I can palpably feel y’alls’ eyerolls- “there she goes…. talking in crazy Californian”. teheh.

Anyways, nuff of the hog wash. So, I am sooo excited to share that I received my first ever foodie invite!! You might remember Flights from here or here. I just love this spot! Everything, food and drink, is served in Flights of three. I received a DM in my foodstagram (*mackncheeeesy… subtle plug*) inviting me to “media” night at their new location opening in Mountain View. I have to be honest– immediately I was terrified by the thought of “media night”.. doubting my worth being there, worrying about the logistics, etc. But I have learned this last year the power of just saying “yes”. Any type of event that I don’t know 100% what to expect can be kinda scary- but usually the unexpected turns into some of the greatest memories.

Back to the fooood (important things)!

We walked up to the stunning entrance and had to give our names on the list- heart racing- are our names going to be on there?! They were. Phew! We were greeted with champagne and encouraged to take a seat wherever we wanted. We found a nice little table and then were given a menu. The CEO came over, shook our hands, and told us to indulge to our hearts content. I was floored- everything was FREE! Everything was complimentary. WHAT?! We ordered sooo much food- trying to avoid what we had already tried. And we still haven’t tried everything. My goal is to try literally every food item on the menu! At this point I think I have like 2 more dishes to try haha.

Oh, so this is a pretty fun detail— if you need service you press the “service” button, same with pay and dessert respectively.

They also had spreads for us to snap shots of too!

Now for what we ordered! We started with the hummus.. and holy smashed chickpeas… it blew me away. I never expect much from hummus after having Oren’s… but this was dang good! And the pita was warm and fluffy. The flavors they have are avocado cilantro, roasted red pepper, and roasted garlic. I truly could not pick a favorite!

We also ordered the veggie pizzas— this is easily one of my favorite things on the menu. They had blue cheese apple, pesto margherita, and mushroom teriyaki. I think I love the mushroom teriyaki best, but the pesto margherita was close behind as was the blue cheese apple. YUM!

We ordered their salad flight too- I would say they were just okay. The caprese was the best of the three!

The star of the show in my opinion, was the tuna! SO GOOD! My mouth waters just thinking about it- so fresh, so delish!

I went with my good friend, Sara, who y’all probably recognize by now! DJ’s new favorite video game came out that Friday so while he graciously offered to go with me I knew he’d much rather be gaming. Plus I hadn’t spent time with Sara in a while so this was a perfect excuse to hangout. Also can we have a moment to just admire her hair? Seriously the most beautiful hair in the woorrrrld.

We had to try at least one meat item- cause I gotta be objective for my carnivores out there! I tried one bite of each, as did Sara- and we agreed the truffle empanada was the best of the three. So tasty. The al pastor and ground beef were a bit too salty for our liking.

To top off the meal we had beignets!

I’ve beignet waiting all my life for a flight like this <3

HEAVEN! They surpassed all expectations!!

It ended up being just a wonderful event, so easy and fun! I am super glad we said yes. I will say the next day I started feeling insecure when I saw everyone’s gorgeous photos of the spreads from the same event. I started comparing myself to the other food bloggers, thinking of all the different shots I should have grabbed, but quickly remembered one of my go-to fave nuggets of wisdom “Comparison is the thief of joy”. I am not a professional, I do this for fun, and that’s exactly what it was! I am grateful to have been invited in the first place, and it was truly an unforgettable experience!

Saturday morning of the 27th I went for a nice run in the morning followed by a riveting CPR class to renew my license. How does two years go by so quickly?!

I desperately needed to go to the grocery store, but wanted to work on school work in the evening… so I messaged DJ to see if I could pick up some food for us from the mall nearby (this mall has the greatest food options! I seriously go there just for their food sometimes). I was craving Sushirrito, and he wanted Panda. I grabbed him some orange chicken and I tried a BL item– the ultimate Sumo Crunch roll!

I was a starvin’ marvin’ at this point, so I also snatched some seaweed salad to tide me over. It literally didn’t even make it home…. I wonder what other drivers were thinking hahah. And yes, I ate it with the chopsticks. And yes, I spilled it all over myself (goes without saying).

And now for the epic Sumo Crunch roll!!! I will say I loved the amount of crab on it and the red tempura flakes – mmm mmmm. I still think I preferred some of the other rolls better. Some people say you should get it with tempura shrimp, so maybe that’s what I need to do next time.

But wait….. could it be?!?!? BAKED BY MELISSA! Halloween Edition!!! Thank you so much to my mother-in-law for this sweet halloween treat. Y’all know our love of Baked Melissa- so we were PUMPED! I think our favorite is the “eyeball” or the “bear-ied” alive hahah.

One day I’ll catch up on these updates. Hope you all have a fun & safe Halloween. I won’t be really celebrating this year (sigh- in the midst of the craziness we never really got anything together), but I am eagerly looking forward to seeing all your posts!!

xo <3

**This is a sponsored post with affiliate links. All ideas and opinions are my own**

Jus’ Out Here Havin’ a Ball!

Published on October 28, 2018October 29, 2018 by Mackenzie86 Comments

Hey, Everyone! Wowzas- long time, no seee! The last couple weeks have been an absolute whirlwind. I feel like I have just soo much to share- this may take multiple posts. We left off Sunday the 14th from our jots around SF. Monday the 15th – Wednesday the 17th I spent all day e’ryday chugging away on school work. Of course, Monday night Dancing with the Stars consumed the evening. But they didn’t even send anyone home! I’m sick of the participation trophies, haha. On Thursday the 18th I volunteered in the afternoon and then deep cleaned the apartment. Feels so refreshing to do that every couple weeks!

In the evening, my friend Dani came by to get ready for an event in SF. We actually heard about it from Venmo John on Sunday, as he was promoting it. It sounded like a tremendous event, a wonderful cause and a fun girls night. We were just sad Tammy couldn’t join us! As I mentioned in my last post, Dani is a traveling occupational therapist and is moving, so this was our last time to hangout together. My sister in law, Amy, joined us too!

This event was hosted by Spark– a “network of young professionals who invest to improve the lives of women around the world”. The theme was black and pink if ya can’t tell 😉 We realized when we got there that it was just one massive fundraiser, but still a fun time! I’m just totallly not used to settings like that haha.

Sista sista! I seriously can’t express how much I love living this close to my SIL. She is easily one of my all time favorite people to hang with.

Picture with one of the band members

Dani and me <3 Ugh, I am going to miss her tooo. darn. much. Seriously always the best of memories with this one!

Always always have to get snacks of course. They had the cutest little pass around dishes. The best thing I tried was a little cheesecake cup, but the picture came out a bit too blurry…. Not blog approved 😉

We said hey to John and thanked him for telling us about such a great event!

By the time the event was over, we needed real sustenance. We headed to Nob Hill Pizza & Shawerma to nosh on some pies!

On Friday the 19th, I studied big time for my midterms. Deej and I had a chill night at home while he worked on grad school interviews.

Anyone else study on the treadmill?

Saturday the 20th, we decided to try out a new breakfast spot. There is nothing better to fuel up a long Saturday run than some yummy breakfast food.

This new Dive is called Toast Cafe & Grill– and we knew nearly immediately it would be a favorite.

The menu is extensive- with alllll the yummies!

I ordered their french garden skillet with egg whites. It hit the spot. You can’t see the hashbrowns underneath in this photo, but they were mighty tasty. I will say I feel kinda bad for not trying out their toast at TOAST (quite out of character for me), but next time, next time 😉 The skillet just sounded too darn good.

Deej tried their South of the Border omelette, and he said he may like this place better than Bill’s…… *gasp*. I don’t know if I’m gonna go that far just yet.

I do like their pancakes better than Bill’s though.. I have to admit! But nothing tops Bill’s french garden omelette or smoked salmon benny. Mmmm mmm!

The service was impeccable too. We both cannot wait to go back.

In the afternoon I had a glorious long run! That evening Deej & I just had a chill evening. We watched the first episode of The Haunting of Hill House on Netflix. We weren’t sure how we felt about it at first, but now we are loving it!!

Sunday the 21st we went to Church in the morning. Afterward, I grabbed a much needed cup of coffee with Tammy. She knows all the best spots. I had never been to this fun little cafe called FlowerFlour before, but I am officially obsessed.

Is this not the most intricately and eclectically decorated cafe you’ve ever seen?

Such a great place to visit in the fall! We grabbed lattes and shared some scrumptious zucchini bread while having a great chat.

After DJ was done “bumping out” at Church (tearing down the venue since we use a pop up site) we went to LazyDog, a restaurant we just love on Main Street Cupertino, for some good eats. He called me mid run, but I am always down for a snack break. Lol.

I usually have a hard rule against ordering the same thing on a menu twice- but I can never resist ordering their seared ahi tuna over cauli mashed potatoes. Mmmm mmm!

DJ had their fried chicken sandwich. All their food is too darn good! I kept stealing probably too many fries than he would have liked, hahah oops.

I ordered the second half to go, but literally as soon as I got home I was itching to have the second half.

And I finished the evening with the second half of that run and some beautiful views. I ended up running about 26 miles in two days (a 12-miler followed by a 14 miler Sunday (split into two parts). I’m currently gearing up for a marathon in January if my knee can handle it. Also, I was stressed about taking my midterm in the morning this run helped calm me down a ton.

I enjoyed some veggies, cheese, hummus, and pita chips to snack on post run + some Dexter with DJ.

This is getting long so I’ll wrap it up here! Have a wonderful week, m’ friends!

Questions for you:

Favorite post run/ post workout snack?
Anyone else love “leftovers” as much as I do?

xo <3

A Day in the Bay! (+ a “Celeb” encounter)

Published on October 17, 2018October 18, 2018 by Mackenzie118 Comments

Hi, Everyone! How are you? I have midterms this week, so I’m knee deep in the books + studying. I can’t wait to catch up on your blogs after I finish the testing up! This past week since my last recap was pretty uneventful. I included the highlights in my Friday Faves 🙂 DJ was in Monterey for another work trip for a couple days, and I just worked hard for school. We both wanted to take Friday & Saturday easy at home, so we just ran errands, had leftover mac and cheese, put on some football games, snuck in a couple long runs and lounged around- it was just wonderful.

My friend Dani (you may remember her from here or here among many other posts) is leaving soon for another occupational therapy travel assignment, so we are soaking up whatever days we can find to hangout together. This Sunday it worked out for Dani, Tammy, and I to have a full out girls day in SF. “Fun” is truly an understatement- it’s always a blast when we all get together! I’m excited to share our day with you all! These pictures are compiled from the three of us from the day.

So let’s get to!!! We made our way up to the city around 8:30 am.

First stop *drumroll*…. Mr. Holmes Bakehouse!! I have wanted to try out this gem of a bakery since we moved here.

I’m not joking when I say we tried one of everything….. (minus their cookies and a couple savory pastries)

One of two boxes, naturally!

YOU GUYS!!!! Look at this box. Lol, I love this place.

Literally everything we tried was delicious. I think the favorites were the matcha croissant, churro donut, sticky pecan bun, and the blueberry/lemon/pistachio bostock. They are known for their cruffins as I mentioned, and while it was yummy I wouldn’t say it was a favorite. It’s hard to compare to B. Patisserie & Tartine because it’s a different type of bakery. The other two have a lot of variety and dimension. Here, it is more about the novelty (of course, the pastries are amazing too!). The only downside is there really isn’t anywhere to sit and enjoy your pastries- it is more a grab and go type place. We were lucky to grab the only counter space available.

We were walking back to the car and spotted a little coffee shop that had a line out the door. If there is anyone that has the need to try out the hoppin’ spots like I do, it’s these girls!!! I was so excited when Tammy said this was a place she has been dying to try- and we could always go for another coffee.

This popular spot is called Jane . I am actually shocked I haven’t seen this on on the lists I’ve searched.

How adorable is this?! They also brag many awards- best croissant in the bay of 2018, best baguette 2017… how have I not heard of this place?!?!

We ordered our coffees- and I am SO stoked that I finally got to try something charcoal. I have seen a lot of charcoal items featured throughout the bay, but never have stumbled across one. I ordered the black charcoal latte with activated charcoal, raw cocoa, coconut, and reiki mushrooms! yes, mushrooms. You couldn’t taste them at all- but I think they act like an antioxidant.

(Behind the scenes of the picture- tehe!). I cracked up when I saw these pictures Tammy took!

ZERO chill. Hahah.

The lattes were terrific! I am going to crave that charcoally goodness. (may be the first person in history to ever utter that sentence).

Next stop on the bucket list?! Bernal Heights!!! The views are just tremendous.

Of course we had to try out the famous swing…

It was sooo much fun. A must if you are in the city.

And sometimes ya just gotta go barefoot ya know?

We then met up with some of Dani’s friends in town so they could see her before she goes too. One of them is an NP! I had a great time chatting with her.

Time for food at Soma StrEat Food Park !

Annnnd guess who we ran into?! Venmo John from the Bachelor! He was truly the nicest guy… he chatted with us for a while then gave us his volunteer food voucher! (my excessive use of exclamation points is entirely warranted in this post)

my look of disbelief that we just chatted with Venmo John and now have his meal voucher…. What is life

We grabbed a dish from The Sarap Shop. I ate some veggies under the chicken, and had my emergency protein bar on me to add some protein!

I love this little area they have set up to eat with picnic tables and TVs

After chowing down, we still had room for dessert… Ice Cream time!!!

This matcha ice cream was some of the best I have ever had!!! I saw in one of Rossy’s posts the fish cone- and man is it tasty!!! It is way better than a traditional waffle cone. Not sure what’s in it, but I’m in love. We also had nutella drizzled inside of it which was a perfect touch.

My friends are the cutest <3

And that’s a wrap!! Hope you all are having a great week 🙂 Don’t mind any errors in this post, I whipped it up super fast, but time to get back to studying. *Sigh*

Questions for you!

Have you ever had anything matcha flavored?
Have you ever met anyone that’s been on TV? (I’m such a fangirl, I love these convos, hahah).

xo <3

Birthday Treats & Festivities!

Published on October 8, 2018October 9, 2018 by Mackenzie100 Comments

Heyyyy ya! Hope you are all doing well 🙂 I am on my “fall break” today which means I didn’t get a fresh load of assignments this morning. Woohoo! I still have a ton of work to do for projects due later in the semester, so I’m going to chip away on those anyways.

On Thursday October 4th, I finished up all my homework for the weekend, then did all the weekly chores- laundry, deep cleaning, etc. In the evening I went into SJ to volunteer for few hours, then caught up on blogging.

Friday October 5th, I ran around like a chicken with my head cut off, just the way I like it! Hah. I woke up early, did an intense leg burning HITT routine, ran to Baskin Robbins to pick up a cake for my sister-in-law, Amy’s, birthday, then made DJ’s favorite dessert- Oreo Dirt Pudding for his birthday (They are twins to clarify!). If you have never tried dirt pudding, it is a must. This stuff is addictively delicious & pretty easy to whip up. The recipe I use isn’t hyperlinking for some reason- But I will share it soon if any one is interested!

I was running low on time, but I had a meeting in San Jose to make. I grabbed my stuffed sweet potato bowl and decided to munch on it on the road. I was 98% sure I was going to get some food on me, but I didn’t! It’s the little victories, right?!

When I returned, I surprisingly still had a little time to make dinner- I put together a dinner of swordfish, corn-grits with butter & parm, zucchini, asparagus with parm, and sourdough bread for DJ.

I was still a bit stuffed from my stuffed sweet potato (THE IRONY), so I just chowed down on all the veggies (including roasted acorn squash- my new autumn obsession!).

DJ had to get up early to run on Saturday followed by work all day, so he wanted to go to bed early. We celebrated his birthday technically last weekend with the Brown’s game since we knew he’d be booked for the actual day of. But the night was young! I was excited to drive down to SF to hang with Amy.

We had some cake then hit the town- anyone catch the reference on the cake 😉 ?

We went to our favorite SF hangout spot, Smuggler’s Cove. You may remember it from when Kelsey visited- I have more pictures of the actual place in that post. It’s very tucked away with no signage, and while it’s busy like any place on an SF Friday night, it is still pretty low key. We had so much fun, just chatting and catching up!

On Saturday the 6th, it was an absolutely beautiful morning!!

We weren’t super hungry for a full on brunch, so we decided to try out a bakery. We headed to one on the ole’ bucket list, B. Patisserie. (Thank you for the suggestion, Rhonda!!!) This bakery is on Thrillist’s list for the best bakeries in America (along with Tartine that we visited a couple months ago). Mom and Pete will have to return soon to try this one out!

The lady in front of us in line gave us some terrific suggestions of what to try. We had the cinnamon roll, Kouign Amann, pumpkin almond croissant, ham and cheese croissant, 10-hour apple tart, and berry cream croissant.

Everything was insanely good. Hands- dough-n the best bakery I think I’ve ever been to. It pain(au)s me to say, but I think it even tops Tartine. The Kouign Amann (the pastry on the circle plate with the chocolate in the middle) is one of the greatest, if not the greatest, pastry I have ever had. It’s kinda of like a croissant, but even better.

Amy vouched for the ham and cheese croissant too- so if you eat meat- you must try this! The pumpkin almond croissant was magical & the apple tart was perfection.

And it doesn’t stop there… I had to try one of their tartines for a savory fix, so I ordered the mushroom tartine with caramelized onions, fontina, and gruyere cheese. It was heavenly.

After rolling out of B. Patisserie (so much for not being very hungry 😉 ), we went to a super neat event at Duboce Park. In light of Fleet Week in SF, there was a naval band performance followed by demonstrations with dogs trained in finding people under buildings, cadaver dogs and dogs trained to trace an individual person’s scent. It was SO cool. For one of the demonstrations, they had a dog smell a scent of one person in the park, the person went and hid far from the dog in a mass of people, and the dog found that individual. It was bananas! The Blue Angels were here all weekend too!

https://mackmarie.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/img_5561.mov

In the afternoon, I drove home enjoying the gorgeous highway mountain views, went for an amazing ten-mile run fueled up by the morning carb load, did some school work and then took an on-and-off nap while watching Netflix. I hardly ever take naps, but gosh they are nice!

Later in the evening, I had my leftover mushroom tartine and then had a big bowl of oatmeal with Fage and PB for dinner. I can’t go a day with out this lately <3 I am officially on a new kick!

DJ finally came home from work late in the evening, and he said all he wanted to do was watch Dexter and eat dirt, so that is what we did!

Sunday the 7th DJ and I went to church, I worked on my Savings September post then just got prepped for the week. Time to return to reality! Also, happy Anniversary today to my Mom and Pete! They are at the hot air balloon festival in New Mexico! So excited to see pictures.

Questions for you:

What is your go-to birthday treat? If cake, do you have a favorite kind?
Has anyone seen the Blue Angels perform in person?

xo <3

All the Cheese Please!!!

Published on October 4, 2018October 4, 2018 by Mackenzie105 Comments

Hey everyone! This past week was really solid- just an overall great week. Saturday the 29th, I woke up feeling much better. Still not 100% up to par, but overall better (at least I could move!). It was sooo nice to have DJ home; we just lazed around while I worked on a school project, and DJ worked on apps. The applications are going to be submitted soon- prayers would be greatly appreciated! This decision will affect where we live and just our trajectory in life in general. It’s a biggun’. I never really feel anxious about these “huge” life decisions anymore because God has proven so faithful time and time and time and time again- even things that seem terrifying end up being some of the greatest (and formative) adventures- taking us to people, experiences and places we couldn’t imagine our lives without.

Okay enough sap, time to get to the sub!

I have wanted to try a dutch crunch sammy for a long time… it’s a type of bread that is pretty famous in certain places around the Bay. One of DJ’s favorites is Ike’s! He’s had it several times at work, but I have never tried one before. We had one right down the road and since I wasn’t feeling up for making dinner we decided to head there and knock something off the BL.

Doesn’t Deej make a cute Ike? Hahah.

The menu is massive, and they have an abundance of vegan options (so you know I was terribly indecisive). When we were ordering the cashier asked if I would like sourdough bread, DJ said my eyes got super wide, almost in horror, when I said, “Oh no! Dutch Crunch!”. He said it was the most dramatic bread order ever. He ribbed me about that for quite some time after, haha. Look, I’m serious about my dutch crunch!

Since I was eager to get home and cozy up in my warm blankets, we decided to take our food back.

And this is what the lovely dutch crunch looks like!

I ordered the “Sometimes I’m a Vegetarian” (quite a mouthful, huh) which had grilled mushrooms, marinated artichoke hearts, pesto and vegan provolone.

It was super yummy- I give the dutch crunch a big ole’ two thumbs up!

DJ ordered his go-to- the Menage a Trois- a popular sandwich here. This has BBQ Sauce, Cheddar, Halal Chicken, Honey Mustard, Pepper Jack, Real Honey, and Swiss.

In the evening after getting some energy from Ike’s I decided I should try to get some fresh air after being cooped up for a couple days. I went for a short walk around the neighborhood, and saw this Lime scooter. These are everywhere right now. You can use an app on your phone, activate the scooter, ride it anywhere, then just leave it. Welcome to the Silicon Valley!

In the morning of the 30th, I tried to get up early for church but still wasn’t 100% and we had big plans in the afternoon. DJ said to just sleep a little extra and that sleep made alll the difference. I chugged some vitamin C and echinacea, then got ready for the day. I had a slice of avocado when I woke up then we met back at the apartment around 11.

Time to represent our home team!! Gooo CLE! DJ’s birthday is this weekend (October 6th), but to celebrate his birthday all he wanted was to go to this game. I gave him the tickets a couple weeks earlier to make sure he didn’t have to work this game day.

Right before getting to the game at noon(ish), I ate a salad I packed for the road to save on the $15 stadium meals (and since we wanted to get dinner after) & packed a No Cow bar for midday snacking.

We heeerreeee!

The energy was just spectacular!!!

NFL games are such a blast, and we loved every second (despite having a few hot/cold flashes & then witnessing the end when the Browns lost- womp womp). Happy early birthday, Deeeej!

After the game we were starvin’. Since we were in Oakland, we realized we were close to a place we’ve been wanting to try- a famous mac and cheese spot called Homeroom. What better way to cope with a heartbreaking loss? We put ourselves on the Waitlist on YELP and hungrily headed to the restaurant.

It’s set up with a school house feel- so cute with many small little touches.

While DJ was standing in line for the bathroom I couldn’t help but entertain myself.

And now— for some next level mac and cheese!!!

Like I said, we were hungry— so we ordered three. First, the Gilroy Garlic (with added breadcrumbs). Gilroy is a city near us that is known for their garlic. If you drive through the city you can actually smell the garlic! I couldn’t resist when I saw this on the menu, and it was my favorite of the three (especially after I lathered it with some hot sauce)!

Next: The Jalapeno Popper! Gosh, this one was great too. This was DJ’s favorite. I loved the spice and flavor combo of this one. It was a close second.

And last, the vegan mac and cheese. I will say- this is a tasty mac and cheese IF you haven’t tried the other two. It’s delicious in its own right- and definitely tastes like cheese- but it has nothing on the garlic and jalapeno.

You are what you eat— and I am mac(k) & very cheesy #selfawareness. I know- It’s all a bit much to swallow, but also pretty darn grate. I couldn’t brielieve how delicious this meal was. No way you could feel blue after downing some of this goudaness.

And for dessert- their large oreo!

We returned home, did some laundry, and watched Dexter the rest of the evening. It’s getting to be a bit much! Season 6 is too disturbing- if it doesn’t settle down soon, we may need to find something else- I find myself covering my eyes and squirming through so much of the episode. I’m hoping it’s just this case they’re working on, we will see. But we just love our Dex! the struggle..

Anyways, it was just a wonderful day!

On Monday October 1st, I read & ran some then met up with my friend Kim from church at Peet’s in Campbell. This was the prettiest Peet’s I have ever been to!

The rest of the day was more just study, study, discussion boards, papers, Monday night football, then Dancing with The Stars! (A nice thing about being on the West Coast is DJ’s football usually ends right about when the 8:00 pm shows start!). Fall TV is the bestttt.

Tuesday October 2nd, I had some Ezekiel cinnamon toast with toasted coconut vanilla yogurt, apricot, and chopped walnuts with coffee for breakfast.

I went on a nice run outside and noticed these neighbors added a tree right in front of the street on Floral Row? I have walked this street a thousand times, and never noticed this— I’m 85% sure it’s new. It’s like the tree has a vase?! Lol.

This house amazes me with their green thumb- every year they have butternut squash that start popping up.

And the cute little peaches are appearing all over the place now too.

I finished up some tough assignments for the week this day, so that felt great.

In the evenings of this week, DJ and I have been having a rotation of grilled cheese and tomato soup, stuffed sweet potatoes, and for me- a massive salad. Unfortunately, he is fighting the cold now too, and mine is lingering just a bit. Needless to say, this meal has been hitting the spot. I make mine vegan his with regular cheddar (I even snuck in some leftover mac and cheese one of the nights which added a fun flavor!) too much cheese? nah. Too many carbs? no such thing.

Yesterday, the 3rd, we just were in work mode all day. I did make a pit stop to get some groceries at TJ’s and Sprouts.

Questions for you!

Favorite mac and cheese? (It can totally be homemade too 😉 ).
Have an NFL team you love?

xo <3

Friends, Flowers & Pizza!

Published on September 29, 2018September 30, 2018 by Mackenzie116 Comments

I am desperately trying to keep up with my recaps to present time- I’ve been preferring whipping up somewhat shorter recaps rather than crazy long ones that won’t crash your computer– which do you prefer? Here we gooooo!

Tuesday September 25th, I had some oats with stevia, better n’ peanut butter and Fage for breakfast. I’ve been having this on repeat this past week; it’s like comfort food. The tang of the Fage mixed with the sweetness of the PB and crunch of the oats resembles dessert! (I have a feeling Kori subliminally influenced this combo ; ) ).

I went for a lovely walk in the afternoon and found maybe one of the most gorgeous flowers I have seen yet on Floral Row as I have started calling it.

I also received a delivery while I was “going to school” ….A bottle of #Besties wine from Trending Wine in Napa!!! You may remember this winery from when Kels and I visited. Take a look at that link if you want more details about it 🙂 I have never received a complimentary bottle from any winery like this; it was so kind & the best surprise! You are guaranteed laughs, fun and unforgettable memories if you decide to make the trip here. There is now has a spot in SF, so you know we’ll be tryin’ that out someday!

After working up another appetite, I decided to have my stuffed purple sweet potato. Gosh, I wake up in the morning already thinking about when I can have this during my day. I crave it all the time.

Unfortunately, at some point in the afternoon, I noticed my hair had a serious reddish/pink tint to it. Not that I have anything against pink hair- some people rock it so well- but when it’s not intentional and haphazardly pink, it can look a bit funky.

I had noticed it days earlier.. and DJ had too, but I thought maybe if I washed it again and toned it, it would be better… but it seemed to have gotten worse. I messaged my hair lady, and she said to come in the next day to get it fixed.

That evening I went to my friend Sara’s house to watch our show and catch up. I got to hang with Foxy again!!! I love when Sara is dog sitting this cutie <3

I took my giant salad with me. I have started adding pita chips to my salad and it’s sooo good mixed with the hummus & adds a great crunch.

Wednesday the 26th I had my hair fixed while catching up on e-mails…. it still has a slight reddish tint to it at the roots, but nothing too noticeable unless you’re looking for it. She offered to go darker to get rid of it totally, but I don’t want to spend another hour in that chair or another cent or hurt my hair anymore. It’s just hair!!! I’m happier with it now, but I occasionally see the pinkish red. Hunida told me it’s perfect for autumn, and I love that way of thinking!

On Thursday the 27th I did an two intense 20 minute body workouts in the morning. I usually do Insanity on my archaic super slow laptop on which it’s downloaded, but DJ took the charger we share for that type of laptop out of town with him. I decided to try out the HITT routines our apartment has in the workout studio for the first time, and they were such a nice change! I will continue to work them into my weekly routine. I was soooo sore the next day.

After, I could barely focus on my school assignments because I was so excited to get together with my closest friends from my Stanford neurosurg. cohort.

We met at Pizza Antica and chowed down on some tasty pizza, shared a bottle of wine and caught up on each-others’ lives. It was my favorite night of the week and helped lift my spirits with DJ being out of town!

I missed them soo much <3

I had their bianca pizza (which isn’t technically on the menu- but it used to be- and they will still make it for ya!) & added mushrooms and arugula. Leave it to me to basically get a salad on top of pizza, lol.

Friday the 28th, I officially came down with a cold. I could feel it coming on the day before right after my intense workout, but it went into full fledge I-can-barely-move mode Friday. I could barely walk from the soreness in my legs, but I also felt just so weak overall. I tried to wake up with some my new go-to breakfast and coffee, but still didn’t feel 100% after.

After picking DJ up from the airport and hearing all about his trip, I worked on a couple quizzes and school assignments before having my stuffed purple sweet potato for lunch.

He had a great time in Des Moines!! He said it was a charming city, and he would love to go back together.

In the afternoon, after DJ worked on grad school apps and I tried to get some work done, we then watched a few episodes of Dexter, because a whole week without Dex was near torture! #irony. We just had leftovers for dinner and headed to sleep pretty early.

And that about sums it up !!

Questions for you: