My Dad’s Day

Posted on January 22, 2012

Like I said in my last post, yesterday was my dad’s birthday!! It was a great day and I think he really enjoyed our dinner out together!

He started the day with his weekly “brothers” tennis game and then came home to nice breakfast made by muah!

[a yummy breakfast burrito with salsa and black cherry greek yogurt with Sweet Cranberry Love Grown granola]

Dad’s Breakfast Burrito

serves 1

-2 eggs

-1/4 cup crumbled turkey bacon

-1/4 cup part skim mozzarella cheese

-1 laughing cow swiss cheese wedge

-1/2 avocado, chopped

-1/4 cup salsa

-1 whole wheat tortilla (the ones at Wegmans are DEEEElicious!)

Wisk the two eggs together with some salt and pepper. Heat a pan to medium heat and spray with cooking spray. Add eggs. Once they set a little bit, add the bacon and mozzarella cheese and scramble everything together. Once eggs are cooked through, remove from heat and set aside. Meanwhile, spread the tortilla with laughing cow, top with the egg mixture, then the avocado. Sprinkle a bit more salt over the avocado and either top with salsa or serve it on the side!

After breakfast, we pretty much relaxed for the rest of the day! I worked on some essay writing (which I completed…thank god!!!) and we snuck out for a little walk with Ella. But besides that it was pretty chill as you can see…

Someone needs a haircut! This week for sure.

Later on we headed to dinner at a local restaurant called Betty’s!

They actually specialize in vegetarian cuisine! But the menu offers meat options as well! Perfect mix of both worlds.

A little ambiance…

To start we shared the Mediterranean Dipping Plate!

[Tabbouleh, lentil dip, humus, baba ghanoush, feta, olives, cucs, tomatoes, marinated onions, and warm grilled pita!]

So tasty.

We enjoyed our dinner’s in the dimly lit room over great conversation!

House Salad with fresh fruit added:

Vegetarian Shepherd’s pie with lentils, veggies, and potato goat cheese crust:

We skipped out on desert, as my mom and I had a little surprise for my dad at home…

[Chocolate Intensity cake with Dark Chocolate ganache!]

Needless to say he loved it!

Gifts and cards were also opened!

I got my dad some new, warm pajama bottoms and 4 restaurant.com gift cards! My mom and him have many date nights to look forward too! Smile

I love my Dad so much and am so lucky to have a person like him in my life!

I hope you had a wonderful birthday Dad!! Love you!

——–

Hope everyone’s Sunday goes well! If you haven’t entered my giveaway yet…GO CHECK IT OUT! There is a really cool food scale up for grabs!!!

Talk to you tomorrow!!!

Kaila

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THE BEST DAY YET!

Posted on December 31, 2011

Too bad it took until the last day of the year to get here! But at least it came…and it came in the form of a PERSONAL DISTANCE AND TIME RECORD!!!

That’s right folks…I ran TWELVE (12.34 to be exact Winking smile ) to welcome 2012!!!!

Seriously…I cannot believe it. After being injured for the past month and losing a lot of my motivation to workout, let alone RUN, I never thought I would PDR with what was left of 2011. But alas…it happened.

This was the best run I have had this year…but not for the reasons you would think. It was not one of those easy, weightless runs. Each mile was a struggle. Mentally and physically.

I am not back to where I was endurance-wise pre-injury, so running definitely feels like a challenge again. But besides the sheer difficulty of this 12 miler…everything that went on during it made it the best run of the year.

I struggled even getting out the door this morning to go for it! And within the first 3 miles…I considered stopping probably 100 times. But I kept going, and at all the right moments…the PERFECT songs were coming on. I just downloaded some new music this morning and I really think it made all the difference. Thank you Eminem, Taylor Swift, and Adele!

Once I got over the initial “omg I am gonna die” feeling, I tried to really focus on my heel-to-toe form and keep my mind clear of all the things that have been making me anxious lately. I kept telling myself how great I would feel after this run, how excited I was to not be injured anymore, and thought about all I wanted to accomplish in the new year.

Before I knew it, I had run the 10 miles I had set out to, and figured I might as well keep going! I mean hey…LAST RUN, LAST WORKOUT, LAST DAY of the year! Might as well end it with a bang! And a bang it was!

I ran the longest and farthest I have ever run. And it feels great.

This one run renewed so much within me. It helped me realize that I really do love the sport, that I want to run a half marathon, and that I am capable of much more than I give myself credit for.

And that is the attitude I want to ATTACK the new year with!

I am not setting any resolutions for myself this year…and that in itself is kind of a resolution for me. I am often caught up by to-do lists and sticking to certain schedules and rules I set for myself. Well, this year, I want to free myself up a bit! Be open to change and spontaneity! And that mean looking at the year in a broader sense, instead of tying myself down with specifics.

So here are a few things I am looking forward to in the new year:

graduating from high school and starting college
celebrating the 2nd anniversary of my blog
running my first half marathon
making the blog more professional looking and reflective of who I am
delving into possible career interests
travel (somewhere!! I don’t care where!)
becoming more independent

And some things I want to work on:

not being so hard/putting so much pressure on myself
letting myself relax more (both physically and mentally)
being more open to change
accepting and learning from failures
overthink exercise less
second guess myself less
being more creative in the kitchen
discovering new outlets for stress release
being more reflective and in touch with my emotions/thoughts

No specific time frames. No specific goals. Just some sweeping thoughts on what I would like to work on and be more mindful of in the next 365 days.

A lot can happen in a year. And I am hoping most of the occurrences are positive …or at least provide an opportunity for me to learn and grow.

Here’s to a new start everyone. Cherish the positives from the past year and let go of the darker moments. Look to the future and grow from your past.

Thank you for all your love and support this past year. You all are truly amazing individuals and I am privileged to have come in to contact with each and every one of you.

Kaila

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Another Holiday

Posted on December 29, 2011

One of the reasons I love blogging is because it is such a fantastic way of documenting special occasions. Like my own photo album or journal…perfect for looking back on special memories. Plus it helps me recall a lot of things that may have been forgotten otherwise. (all this will make my 2011 recap post infinitely easier!)

Yesterday was another special event I would hate to have gone undocumented. Yesterday was my mom’s birthday.

Honestly my parents birthday’s are like holidays to me. I just feel so lucky to have them in my life so celebrating their birthday’s is so special. Sure it marks a year of growing older for them. But for me it’s a celebration of how lucky I am to have had them in my life for yet another wonderful year. I really like when their birthday’s are special and enjoyable…I want them to know on their ~~birthday’s~~ EVERYDAY how much they mean to me!

Here’s a little picture recap of my mom’s day!

-presents-