Some Randomness

• Our puppy was born yesterday!!! I'm hoping we can travel out there next weekend to actually pick her out. (I'll bring my camera to capture some serious puppy-mania! The momma had had 8 pups when I talked to the breeder last night...but she still had more yet to be born.)
  
• This season of the Bachelor has totally drawn me in! I can't wait for the finale on Monday!!! I'm seriously hoping he picks Tenley.....I still can't believe that he chose Vienna over Gia.
  
• I haven't ever really watched American Idol before, but we have seen a couple episodes this season.....and is it just me, or is Ellen not as wonderful a judge as I'd hoped? I love her show, and sense of humor in general...but her comments/reviews don't seem to add that much.
• The women's figure skating programs last night were simply amazing. My sister was a competitive figure skater (I gave it a go, but quit at the ripe old age of 7), so I feel like I have a special appreciation for what they do, and the time and energy they dedicate to their sport. I couldn't help but shed a few tears after seeing Yu-Na win with her record-setting score under enormous pressure...and of course seeing Joannie from Canada win bronze under the worst possible circumstances. That podium was filled with tears...happy, sad, everything!
  
• TGIF! No big plans this weekend, but SB is probably running a race tomorrow, and I'm playing tennis on Sunday.
  
• Have I mentioned lately that I'm ready for spring? Spring temperatures, spring flowers, spring clothing, spring break vacation, Easter......I. Can't. Wait!!!!
  

Lime and Honey Glazed Salmon Recipe

**with warm black bean and corn salad**

This Rachael Ray recipe is FANTASTIC!! (In fact, so far I have really, really liked all the recipes I've tried out of her Rachael Ray 365: No Repeats cookbook. I just stick by the rule that I don't have to say annoying terms like "yummers" and "evoo" out loud while I try her dishes!) I made it two nights ago, and both SB and I thought it was delicious (that doesn't happen all the time!). It took about 40 minutes from start to finish.

Ingredients:

• 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil (divided use)

• 1 medium red onion, chopped

• 2 large garlic cloves, chopped

• 1/2 to 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

• 1 teaspoon ground cumin (1/3 palmful)

• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

• Juice of 2 limes

• 3 tablespoons honey (3 gobs)

• 1 teaspoon chili powder (1/3 palmful)

• 4 (6-ounce) salmon fillets

• 1 red bell pepper, cored, seeded, and chopped

• 1 (10-ounce) box frozen corn kernels, defrosted

• 1/2 cup chicken stock or broth

• 1 (15-ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained

• 2 to 3 tablespoons fresh cilantro leaves, chopped

• 6 cups baby spinach

Directions:

1. Preheat a medium skillet over medium heat with 2 tablespoons of the olive oil (twice around the pan). Add the onions, garlic, red pepper flakes, cumin, salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 3 minutes.

2. While the onions are cooking, preheat a medium nonstick skillet over medium-high heat with the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil.

3. In a shallow dish, combine the juice of 1 lime, honey, chili powder, and salt and pepper to taste. Add the salmon fillets to the lime-honey mixture and toss to coat thoroughly. Add the seasoned salmon to the hot skillet and cook until just cooked through, about 3 to 4 minutes on each side.

4. To the cooked onions, add the bell pepper and corn kernels and cook for 1 minute.

5. Add the chicken stock and continue to cook for another 2 minutes.

6. Add the black beans and cook until the beans are just heated through.

7. Remove the skillet from the heat and add the juice of the second lime, the cilantro and the spinach. Toss to wilt the spinach and then taste and adjust the seasoning.

8. Serve the lime-and-honey-glazed salmon on top of the warm black bean and corn salad.

And unfortunately I forgot to take a picture, but here's one I found:

A week in the life...

It would be an understatement to say that I like to stay active. The truth is that my life would not be complete without sports, general activity and the like. I have played tennis competitively since I was ten years old. I traveled the state playing tournaments, and even won two state championships playing doubles in high school. To this day, I love playing and competing, and a tennis court is one of the places I feel most comfortable. I came into running in college when I realized that the combination of cafeteria food and college life in general weren't doing me any favors (helloooooo freshman 15!). These days, running serves as a stress-reliever, challenging endeavor, and allows me to indulge my sweet tooth without as much guilt! I'm not fast...never have been and never will be....but running clears my head, and makes me feel good. Right now I'm planning to run my second 1/2 marathon (with SB) over Memorial Day weekend.....and am trying to build up the endurance. I didn't train all that well for my first one, but I have had some IT-Band issues, and it flares up whenever I run over 6 miles...which makes those longer runs a little more painful (as if they weren't hard enough already!)! I try to fit in a combination of running, tennis, and some lower-impact exercise every week. I'm doing my best to add in more strength-training (per my 2010 resolution) -- but have been taking baby-steps on that one. Some weeks are better than others....but this is what I did last week:

Sunday: 3 mile walk with Daisy, 2 hour USTA tennis match (lost in 2 tie-breakers....ouch)
Monday: 5 mile run - 48:37, weights, abs
Tuesday: rest
Wednesday: 20 min walk with Daisy, 25 min on elliptical
Thursday: 1.5 mile run (was NOT feeling it), 15 min on reclined bike, weights, abs
Friday: 3 hours WTT Tennis
Saturday: 5.3 mile run - 50:38

New Pupppy News

I've mentioned before that SB and I have been thinking about getting another dog. We love Daisy to pieces, and we think that she would benefit from having a "sister" and playmate. The fact that I work from home will (hopefully) make training a fairly easy process with #2. We've found the breeder we want to work with - and she has a momma dog that's expecting a litter any day now. Once the puppies are born, we'll travel out to see her (she lives like 50 min from here), and pick a pup!!!! We'll probably get to bring them home around mid-April. She sent along these pics from the last litter that she had from the same mom and dad dogs......so here's some puppy eye-candy for you:

TPC Sawgrass is OURS!!

So this week one of our beautiful, magical, pristine wedding venues was featured in the national news. Yes, the location of our farewell brunch was the site of none other than TW's "apology" speech over his many, many, many indiscretions! I've stated my feelings on the subject before, but I just think it is appalling that he carried himself in the manner that he did......so when I found out that his speech was to take place there, I was sort of sad. I think of TPC Sawgrass as the first place SB and I celebrated with our family and friends as a newly married couple (aside from the wedding itself, of course!). This picture surely takes on new meaning.....as we are in TPC Sawgrass as newlyweds, with a picture featuring Tiger behind us:Ah well, the positive memories surely outweigh this one little coincidence. The club is beautiful, and if anyone gets married in the PVB area, I would HIGHLY recommend this venue.

Sometimes it's the little things...

...and yesterday after a long day of work, a little elliptical-ing at the gym (to reduce the post-dessert guilt) , and a JL board meeting (requirement for new members) I NEEDED one of these:
And? It was amazing. Chick-fil-A shakes are the bomb (and I don't even care if saying "the bomb" is so 2001). They have new smaller sizes (at least "new" since our move from Atlanta 2+ years ago)....which also helped reduce the guilt a little. A chocolate milkshake cures everything :)

Bold fashion statement, eh?!?

Now don't get me wrong....like any good preppy blogger, I do love me some argyle. I also love bright colors. But holy wow - the Norwegian curling team made a VERY bold statement with their competition outfits (a la Payne Stewart, no?):Speaking of Olympic fashion statements.....am I right that the snowboardcross competitors wear jeans? Does that seem odd to you? I feel like there must be a better performance-enhancing-type material for them. (however, given that Seth Wescott won the gold....perhaps I shouldn't waste anymore time worrying over their denim outerwear! Spandex doesn't really seem to "fit" in with the vibe of snowboarders anyways.)Photo Credit: Reuters

And last but not least....did you see the video last night where Shaun White explained how his Mom took his gold medal from Torino to the local dry cleaners to steam clean the ribbon....and she just handed over the whole thing and left it with them. Can you imagine?! He said that they gave it back to them, hanging from a wire hanger, with the traditional plastic wrap around it....and charged $10! Too funny!

***PS: Thanks to The Hosta Chronicles....the "jeans" are not in fact denim! Burton created the uniforms...and here's a New York Times article explaining the look. I feel so much better now :)

Happy Valentine's Day!

Happy Valentine's Day to my sweet husband! (Photo credit: madebygirl.com)

Olympic Love

Don't come a knocking when the Athlete's Village is rocking!! Do you know how many marriages are formed at the Olympics? It is pretty unbelievable....especially when you think about the amazing athletic genes that their future kids will inherit. The Today Show (my morning addiction) has a slide show on their site detailing a number of the relationships. One that boggles my mind is between current pairs figure skaters.....the big catch -- they don't skate together! They're on separate teams! Can you imagine? Plus they're competing on Valentine's Day....hopefully they'll be celebrating at another time!

I can't wait to watch the Opening Ceremony tonight! I loooooove the Olympic Games!

Fleece-tastic!

My all-time favorite fleece jacket is on sale (big-time!!)! If I didn't already have one, and if I weren't on a spending freeze, this one would be mine! Patagonia's annual sale is going on right now, and they have lots of amazing deals. Their R4 jacket is medium-weight (not too light, but not too heavy), blocks ALL wind (making it my total best friend), and wears really well (I've had mine for 7 years....and if it weren't for a little dog hair, it'd look brand new).

ABC's of ME

I can't remember exactly where I found this....but it's a lot of fun, so feel free to copy and paste and play along!

A - Age: 28

B - Bed size: King (and there's no going back.....a king bed is a DREAM to sleep in!)

C - Chore you hate: cleaning the floors

D - Dog's name: Daisy......and there's a good chance that puppy #2 will join our family in April. Potential names: Lucy, Scout, Lilly...

E - Essential start your day item: cereal....usually Honey Bunches of Oats or Cinnamon Life

F - Favorite color: anything bright and cheery!

G - Gold or Silver or Platinum: Platinum

H - Height: 5'5" (and a half)

I - Instruments you play: None....I had a brief stint playing the flute in middle school, but I quickly learned that I have no musical talent.

J - Juice: orange...pulp-free please

K - Kid(s): None yet

L - Living arrangements: My first house with my adorable husband!

M - Mom's name: Alice

N- Nicknames: Em

O - Overnight hospital stay other than birth: once as a baby with severe asthma......and once in college with a severe migraine

P - Pet Peeve: people who are unaware of their surroundings

Q - Quote: Be the change you wish to see in the world -- Gandhi

R - Right handed or left handed: Right

S - Siblings: 1 sister, 1 brother.

T - Time you wake up: 7am (thanks to Daisy)

U- Underwear: Hanky Panky most of the time....

V - Vegetable you dislike: Cauliflower....blech!

W - Ways you run late: Can't figure out what to wear!

X - X-rays you've had: My back multiple times.....I had two stress fractures in high school....it was brutal

Y - Yummy food you make: Baked goods galore!

Z - Zoo favorite: Polar bears

Grounded....and I couldn't be happier!

Right now I should be in DC. I was supposed to travel in for business Tuesday through Thursday this week. Turns out, Mother Nature had other plans -- and as such, I am still at home, and am relieved that I didn't have to attempt to drag a rolling suitcase around DC's snow-filled sidewalks! Our DC offices are closed for an unprecedented third straight day, and it sounds like everyone is going CRAZY with cabin fever!!!! I hope all that snow melts soon, and that nobody experiences any power issues!

Sporty Sunday

I hope you all had fun watching the Super Bowl last night!!! My sports day actually started a little early....I went to the gym and did the elliptical and SB ran 9.5 miles in the snow! Then we watched the Caps vs. Penguins game together. There is a great rivalry between these teams....fueled by two of the sport's greatest players: Ovechkin and Crosby. The game totally lived up to the hype...and the great part is that the Caps pulled out a win in overtime! Classic!

After the game, I did a little baking, a little napping - and then we headed next door to watch the Super Bowl with a bunch of our neighbors. The game was great, the food and conversation were fantastic....but the pictures of Drew Brees and his son after the Saints' big win are just beyond priceless (photos courtesy of Getty Images):Next up? DUKE VS. UNC this Wednesday! GO Duke!

Wispy Remedy!

The other day SB and I were in a running store, and I saw these adorably-patterned headband thingies. Turns out they're called "Sweaty Bands," and they're all the rage on the running scene. Click here for their web site, but basically they're cute ribbons with some sort of material on the back that helps control sweat, and stretchy elastic at the bottom to make sure the thing really stays on your head. I should probably buy a couple for my nieces - but I wonder if I'd like them too for tennis and running. The only thing is I have a really high forehead, so I'm not sure they'll look quite as cute on my head! Here are some pics of the "Sweaty Bands" in action, and my fave patterns:

(The green one has a reflective strip....perfect for runners!)

(all photos from the Sweaty Band site......this is not a solicited posting.....I just think the product is cute and could be very practical!)

Valentine's Day Gifties

I love Valentine's Day. I think it's a sweet holiday, and serves as a good reminder that we need to tell the people in our lives that we love them. That said, SB and I traditionally don't really give each other material gifts for V-Day. I mean, don't get me wrong - we will celebrate by going out to eat, cooking something fun together, running, or doing things like that....and maybe there's a mixed CD here, or a Reeses peanut butter heart there....but nothing super big. That said, if that tradition were to change (ha! I know it won't....especially given my current "shopping hiatus"), here are a few little goodies I have my eye on...Banana Republic SweaterRunning Outfit (Athleta) Potted Gardenia.....I just love the scent! (Red Envelope)Why, hello sweet tooth! (Vermont Brownie Co.)I can't wait to watch this movie....I really can't believe I haven't seen it already!!

Jeans and Boots

I'm a little late to the whole "jeans in boots" trend. I always admired it on other people, but I thought it was a look reserved only for the stick thin girls. Well it turns out (with the right balance of top and bottom) that's just not the case! A couple of weeks ago, I spent the weekend in Chicago with my best friends from high school. Well, EVERYONE there was wearing super cute boots with jeans tucked in. After a friend raved and raved about the "Intyce" Steven by Steve Madden boots, I bought a pair and have been learning to love the look! Here are a few looks I threw together on Polyvore:
(PS -- I'm on a self-imposed "shopping hiatus" for the month of February! AND of course I'm already dying over a few items that I just want to snap up. Must.use.some.self control...ugh!!)

Small ears? Who knew?

The traditional iPod ear buds have never worked very well for me. They pop out whenever I run, do the elliptical, or just turn the wrong way, and really they simply aren't comfortable. I figured they just weren't for my ears, and continued to rock the 90's style Sony Sport headphones (much to SB's dismay). Well (and I'm probably way late to this discovery) it turns out that people's ears are sized differently, and now there are lots of ear bud options with small, medium, and large sized buds! I picked up a pair of the Sony EX buds -- pictured above. The result: so far so good! I've been wearing the smallest buds, and they work well while running, they're comfortable, and I will continue to wear them!