Road Runner

12:00 am. J just got back from the office, he's now sitting at our "office" desk finishing up his memo from home...apparently he can " lawyer" and dance in the seat at the same time..impressive. Yep there's my sweater wearing, bourbon drinking, air guitar-ing very musically talented husband. Gotta love him.

I however chose to take the relax on the couch path. It's past my bedtime.

Today I realized I miss running. Call me crazy ( and some of you are, I know which ones) but I really miss being super active all the time. I was always an athlete. Still am, but I consider myself retired for the time being. Today it hit me like a brick, I have GOT to start pounding the pavement again. No reason not too around here. No humidity, trails for miles on the water and some fancy under armor given to me a year ago by a bestie of mine for my birthday. Keep in mind it was a motivational tactic on her part to get me in shape for my wedding. Subtle. Around 1:00 I strapped on my shoes, downloaded a running tracker to my phone, updated my pandora stations and hit the road. Well, first I had to stop and buy new headphone because I very accidentally ruined the expensive ones J let me borrow. He definitely got more than he bargained for. I also, prematurely maybe, put a running counter on my blog here. Its to hold me accountable. If it doesn't get updated soon, I will remove it and we will never speak of it again.

I chose the back bay path today. Three miles of heaven. I decided to ease into the whole long distance thing. Get my sea legs back. And you know what? I still got em. It felt good. Not to mention I got a gnarly tan running in a tank top. I obvi stopped a few times to capture the scenery from the trail. ( Which is code for I needed to stop and catch my breath for a hot sec)

              

It was so gorgeous. The back bay is kinda btw the ocean front and the mountains.Weird sounding I know but it's 22 miles of trails plus hiking excursions galore. I saw one that was labeled " From the mountains to the sea".. maybe next time. As I was running to my country station on my phone, I crested over a hill to find....lo and behold, I do declare, a " Southern Mansion". You may not be able to tell from this pic but it was a water facing, wrap around porch wearin', balconies a blazin', american flag flyin' plantation house and all. I wish I could have gotten closer but the trail went to the right. It really put a giddy-up in my two step. Ok, I will stop with the southern cliches but as a born and raised gal from the south it made my skirt fly up as the pioneer woman would say.

It was so refreshing to get out and just run. I forgot how much I liked it. How relaxing it was. Like I said, it felt good. I figured out half of the worlds problems. I used all my remaining energy to sprint the last mile or so. I think it was all the feel good energy. That or I had already fixated my brain on an ice cold fountain DC and when that happens there is no return. 

hahaha and now I have to go, J is actually out of his seat shakin and movin dangerously close to me in the living room. Nothing like a midnight dance party right?  I'm pretty sure he just broke out a version of an irish jig. He keeps me young.  

Misc. Monday!

I'm linking up with Carissa this week for the first time over at lowercase letters! Such a fun blog!

No one and I mean NO ONE should let me near spray paint again :) I went to town this weekend hacking away and refinishing our dining room table..its now a fab white and I love it! BUT thats wasn't without a few tears and humphing around. hahah it got difficult for a while but I took care of it!

It totally smells like fall here at night, people are burning fires and I LOVE LOVE LOVE it. 

I made Turkey Sausage Gnocchi Soup  for dinner on Friday and it was unreal delish. It was warm, flavorful and filling! I substituted reg sausage for the turkey bc I had some on hand, so great!

Thanksgiving is around the corner and I've got my menu board laid out and a shopping plan in place. I'm ready to tackle my first culinary domestic challenge! Please note how wine is all caps. I keep adding food to the menu daily, whoops. I'm grocery shopping a little at at time so I can stay sane.

I spent some good quality time with a great new friend L on Thursday and Friday...Sometimes you just need some coffee, girl talk, long walks and shopping. We kept each other sane waiting for Ina to sign our books and surprisingly the wait went super fast.  Minus a redic salesperson at Nordstrom our trip to South Coast was a success!

The other pics are uber blurry bc we were so excited and then the poor woman in charge of taking peoples cameras to take pics while they got their book signed couldn't work the camera on my phone. Oh well! 

 All I want to eat right now is parmesan cheese..sooo sooo weird. I have been going to the fridge and breaking off chucks all morning. Good thing I buy the real stuff in big wedges!

Lastly,
I can not stop watching millionaire matchmaker. End of story.

Happy Monday everyone! 

Happy Friday!

I saw this on a few of my fav gals blogs and decided to join in! 

 1. What are your middle names? formerly Ann, now Tretiak; his Alexander


2. How long have you been together? it was 3 years in August; Married almost 3 months :)

3. How long did you know each other before you started dating? 10 years!

4. Who asked who out?  he asked me after laying some "ground work" as he calls it

5. How old are each of you?  I'm almost 26, he will be 26 in June

6. Did you go to the same school? Same high school, J graduated from William and Mary and me from Virginia Tech

7. Are you from the same home town?  yep, Richmond!

8. Who is the smartest?  hahah him with some things, me with others?

9. Who majored in what?  I was apparel, housing, resource management; merchandising management  he was marketing with a concentration in finance and then law

10. Who is the most sensitive?  def me

11. Where is the furthest you two have traveled together as a couple?  arrrrrruba

12. Who has the worst temper?  we both get irritated about different things but neither one of us has a huge temper; I definitely get irritated more..whoops

13. How many children do you want? 2-4? There are 3 in his fam and 4 in mine so I guess we will see :)

14. Who does the cooking?  me and Im obsessed with it

15. Who is more social? we are both "people people"; he's super great with groups of people he doesn't know and can talk to anyone, I'm definitely not shy or reserved but I don't totally dig rooms of complete strangers

16. Who is the neat freak?  I'm going to go politically correct on this one and say we both have our strengths and weaknesses when it comes to being neat.

17. Who is the most stubborn? I think I am?

18. Who wakes up earlier?  J during the week, we normally get up together on weekends

19. Where was your first date?  officially it was Coppola's in NYC 

20. Who has the bigger family?  I've got 3 sisters, he's got 2

21. Do you get flowers often?  on special occasions

22. How do you spend the holidays?  a big TBD. We are hosting Thanksgiving here at our house this year for us and J's sister from San Fran. We are red eyeing back for Christmas and will have about 4 days with our families so whatever we do will be fun and action packed! I'm just excited to see everyone!

23. Who is more jealous?  ehh neither but he's very protective in a good way

24. How long did it take to get serious?  Since we had known each other for so long and knew each other so well it took me until I finished my first glass of wine on our second date, Les Halles on Park Ave, I knew I was going to marry him after that date. 

25. Who eats more?  him normally but trust me, I can eat

26. What do you do for a living?  I am currently an "international woman of leisure" but am looking for a job in our fine new city ( I previously worked in fashion and  mag industry in ny and am trying to go a similar creative route) , J's a corporate attorney. 

27. Who does the laundry? me but J has a very particular way of folding his clothes, Im learning :) 

28. Who's better with the computer? I email and blog. Thats it

29. Who drives when you are together?  He always does. He is a better driver and Im not embarrassed by that, BUT I did beat him on our CA drivers written test. Being a true lawyer he found some discrepancies with the poorly written questions on his test and credited that to his missed answers. 

30. What is your song? Im not sure we have a "song" but we danced to Michael Buble's "You've Got What It Takes" at our wedding. It was a BLAST!


                            

   Hope everyone has

 a great weekend!

Baby after my own heart

Unreal adorable! Who doesn't love a little car dancin? He's too funny at the end

WILW!

Happy Hump-day! 

I hope everyones having a great Wednesday! Since it IS Wednesday, you know what that means! A little What I'm Loving over at Jamie's blog...link up and go check her out!

I'm LOVING that on Friday I'm going to meet one of my all time fav ladies.....

Ina Garten! She's doing a book signing on this beauty ...

She makes the BEST stuff and does a good amount of French fare which is my obsession...I'm currently watching her on Food Network and she's doing a french dinner party..tres magnifique! She also started cooking and throwing her famous dinner parties when she was working as a budget analyst for the White House, which entailed writing the nuclear energy budget and policy papers on nuclear centrifuge plants for Presidents Gerald Ford and Jimmy Carter. Yikes! The gal can certainly multi-task!

I am beyond excited!

Im LOVING that my sweet hubby researches the Williams Sonoma site from time to time to check out if there are any classes I would like or people coming to talk etc. and found out about this! He also got me the cookbook so I can roll on over and chat it up with Ina! 

Im LOVING that it is COLD at night here now! Like sweater and scarf cold!! Since its getting colder the holidays must be around the corner right? :)

Im LOVING that on the 24th I'm turning 26! 25 was such an amazing year and I just know that 26 will be fantastic as well! I can't wait to see what this new year holds for us!

Im LOVING the new Trader Joe's Italian blend coffee we got last week! It really starts my morning off right and hyper for that matter!

soooo many choices! I can't wait to try the wintery blend next

Finally, as always, I'm LOVING my hubby!

Be Thankful

This weeks T2T over at Taylor's blog is top 2 things you are thankful for! With the holiday of thanks right around the corner this is a perfect topic! Go over and check out Taylor and link up!

1. My husband. We met ten years ago and became friends when we were 15 ish but didn't start to date until after college.We actually started dating 5 days before we both moved 800 miles away from each other and did distance for 2 years before we got engaged. It wasn't always easy but if anything it made us stronger. He knows me so so so well and always knows what I need and want sometimes before I even do. Since he's been around for a decade he's seen me in the good times, bad times, really sad times and everything in between. He loves me unconditionally, makes me feel secure, is incredibly appreciative, thoughtful and genuinely caring. Plus, he always makes time to DVR things I might like on TV and when I don't feel like cooking he gets me my fav takeout :) He makes me laugh everyday, and is everything I could have ever wanted for a husband and best friend. Mushy enough for you? :)


For privacy reasons with his firm and clients he doesn't want pictures of him on the blog BUT he's super handsome :) 

Some dannnncin' hair

leaving the best night ever!

2. My family and the chances and opportunities I've been given. I've been given more than any one person deserves. My parents were and still are the most generous people I have ever met.   I never wanted for anything and they gave me and my sisters more than we could have asked for. My mom puts Martha Stewart to shame ( its ridiculous)  and although my dad worked and traveled a lot he never missed a game, conference or special occasion.  I'm so grateful and thankful for the dedication, support and love they've given us over the years and for the way they've always welcomed hubs into the family. They are really fab!


I know I posted this pic before but we just got the photogs pics yesterday

And because we got the pics back two of my fav so far....

View from the bar/lounge area through the middle room into the big dancing and dinner area..you can see me waaay up there!

 We had the reception at the club on top of a downtown building because we really wanted a city feel with floor to ceiling windows all around...I love that you can see people eating dinner in the reflection and the city lights down below!

Hope everyones having a good Tuesday!

Misc. Monday!

I hope everyone has had a great Monday! 

   It was an unreal beautiful day in SoCal with an amazing breeze. Really puts you in a fabulous mood! Plus, since its cold outside right now Im making some spiced wine with my new mulling spices, seriously, it makes your house smell unreal and totally fall! Go get some now! 

Some random things on my mind...

  I got to spend Saturday with one of my great friends from college, Meredith, and we had the BEST time! She is so much fun and it was such a blast catching up and seriously laughing! We took her to our FAV neighborhood restaurant, Crow Bar, and it did not disappoint! You know the show on Food Network called " The Best Thing I Ever Ate"? Well, if I was ever on that show, hands down, I would talk about THESE fries. Hear me out, ( I have an addiction, but to be fair, so does everyone else I've taken there and has tried them)... Perfectly cut fries, fried in duck fat, paired with a truffle aioli that is TO. DIE. FOR. Anything truffle and I am there!! ( In fact, Im gunning to make Ina Garten's truffle butter roast turkey for THE big day coming up soon). I don't know what to say but they are out of this world! I get them every time without fail. I absolutely have to have them! We live a block away so I'm tempted to high-tail it over and get some!

O.M.G

Also, with Turkey day around the corner and us getting ready to host for the first time, I've definitely got re-decorating on the mind. We just moved in about 6 weeks ago and have everything put where we want it, so now its down to the fun stuff! I also have a problem with wanting to re-decorate every 6 months or so. I think senior year in college I went through 4 different bed spreads? I just needed to switch it up. Its an outlet for me and I just can't get enough! Soooooo, with that said our first project to be done this weekend is re-finish the dining table and chairs.  If you couldn't tell from posts before, I am obsessed with white. That being said, I am dying over these tables so I've decided I MUST re-do the table glossy

white. End of Story.

decorpad.com

younghouselove.com

And because I LOVE houses, interiors, and all things light and bright, here is the rest of the home that features that gorg dining room above. All pics are from younghouselove.com and are from a tour of Richmond's own Katie Ukrop. Dream home potential. 

And lastly, 

Im so so so so EXCITED that some new gals are reading my blog! It's so much fun to meet new bloggy friends! I LOVE it!

Cheers!

With the holidays right around the corner I can feel a good party coming on! Company Christmas parties, thanksgiving dinners, family cocktail nights, its all to die for! There is little I love more than getting all dressed up with somewhere to go! I  couldn't help but post a few of my leading favorites...

via Nordstrom

this also comes in a drool worthy mushroom color, via Nordstrom

Balmain, one of my fav french designers, via net-a-porter 

Sooooooo many gorg ruffles :) via net-a-porter

Thakoon Addition via net-a-porter

   Now this little baby I would do with black tights  and these CL suede boots ( not everyone loves the light and dark but I really am digging it)

Let the festivities begin!!

Cheers!

Some of the gals cheers'n the first night of my bach weekend!

Mama's Song

Just stumbled on this greattttt song by my gal Carrie...having just gotten married and being very close with my mom, it tears on my heartstrings a little :)
                                

       "You look back and think, where did that time go? It goes by fast"

                        

My sweet momma

look at my dad and alllll his girls!! Right before the wedding....

Grainy and all this is a fav pic from the wedding....my mom and my MOH's mom watching us cut the cake

Dancing with my sister Blair

And just for good measure, my dad's style of dancing at the wedding...

Let me set the scene,

Crowded dance floor, band is pumping, Dad sees his long time air guitar partner, my bf Liz's dad.   Crowds part, dancing Dad comes busting through and they battle it out for a good song or two...one of my fav wedding moments by far! If you had asked me last October if I thought my dad would be dancing like this at my wedding I wouldn't have been able to answer for sure.  So seeing him so healthy, happy and having a blast made my night!

Hope everyone's having a good Thursday!!