So Lovely.

I was scrolling through Perez Hilton and came across my girl Sara Bareilles doing a cover of Coldplay's Yellow. This chick is awesome and did an amazing job. I love Yellow and this cover is now on top of my playlist. 

Enjoy.

Quote of the day.

Monday, Monday! The weekend blew by as did the month of January. I hope everyone has a great start to the week.


Today's quote was found on Hollies Quotes, my go to site for some great quotes. This quote is from an unknown source and it could very well be my mantra. I love quotes like this.


Enjoy!

I just thought this picture was pretty.

So far I've learned that everyday of your life must be lived to the fullest, life is about smiling, laughing, and crying, life is about making the most of what u have and what your given, its about keeping relationships and losing them, life is about falling in love and losing someone you do love, life was given to us as a challenge, and its not easy, but you have to try and meet that challenge and make the most of it while you can because you don't actually know when it will be your turn to lay down to rest, you only have one shot at life, so make sure you take it with both hands and squeeze every little drop out of it you can.

-Unknown.

Quote of the day.

Happy Sunday, hope it's a great one for you. I am beyond sore from the workout I did yesterday, went for a run this morning and could barely move. I know being sore is good though, so I'll deal with it. 

The manfriend has a game today and I am really looking forward to cheering him and his team on, Go Ikaros! And I am really looking forward to enjoying some yummy Mexican food and sangria after. 

Today's quote is from the one and only Audrey Hepburn. I've used quotes from her before, I love her, her style and humanitarianism. This is a really cute quote and it makes me smile.

Enjoy! 

I believe in pink, I believe that laughing is the best calorie burner. I believe in kissing, kissing a lot. I believe in being strong when everything seems to be going wrong. I believe that happy girls are the prettiest girls. I believe that tomorrow is another day and I believe in miracles. 
-Audrey Hepburn

CrossFit Tabata Intervals 1...Meg 0

Because I am now training for a Half Ironman triathlon, I've really had to take my training to the next level. My workouts each week would usually consist of long runs and yoga, I can't get away with that anymore. I've now included swimming, speed/tempo runs, yoga with extended core workouts and the newest addition Crossfit. 

My manfriend is a Crossfit junkie, he is actually a certified Level 1 Crossfit instructor and is always on the Crossfit website looking up the workout of the day, watching videos, reading blogs, Crossfit, Crossfit, Crossfit. I am always mildly paying attention to the videos and he is always proclaiming that it is just the kind of workouts I need that can get me to the next level.

What is Crossfit, you may be asking. Crossfit is a strength and conditioning style of workout. It combines weightlifting, sprinting and gymnastics. The people of Crossfit believe that in order to be a good athlete, you must have proficiency in all ten of the fitness domains which include; cardiovascular/respiratory endurance, stamina, strength, flexibility, power, speed, agility, balance, coordination, and accuracy.Blah, blah, blah. 

It all sounded very scientific to me and when my guy started reading me some of the workouts, I was literally scared for my life but I was willing to try it out. I mean if Crossfit could get me closer to my dream, there is no harm in trying.

So this morning, I had my manfriend whip up a workout for me. I would be doing Tabata intervals. The Tabata intervals consist of 20 seconds of all out intensity exercise, followed by ten seconds of rest which is done for a total of four minutes, so eight sets in all.

This didn't sound so difficult, I would be doing Tabata squats, Tabate bicycle crunches, Tabata planks, Tabata hip raises and Tabata back bridges. Well I was totally wrong, this workout wasn't  hard, it was insane. I went into oxygen debt right at the start of the bicycle crunches and was in pain the rest of the way. Being that the sets are short bursts of intensity it gives your body really no time to respond. 

When I completed the workout I was dazed but also was so proud of myself that I did every set. It really kicked my butt, and I probably won't be able to walk tomorrow but I realized that these workouts will definitely help my achieve, succeed and get me into amazing shape. So hopefully in a couple of months I will not only be a beast of an athlete on my way to completing a Half Ironman, I will also have abs like Marisa Miller. 

Hey, one can dream!

Retraction. It's Kyle NOT Jason.

In yesterday's post My Favorite Skinny Girl Returns February 28th on Bravo! , I confessed that Jason Hoppy who is married to Bethenny Frankel was the man of my dreams. I knew that writing this could possibly piss off my manfriend but I wrote it anyway. 

Well, later on in the day as my guy was reading through my latest posts, I saw him pause which then proceeded in him saying, "So Jason is your dream guy." 

So I am now retracting my statement that "Jason is my dream guy." My manfriend is clearly my dream guy and I even let him know that he reminds me of Jason in a lot of ways. I also let him know that there was no chance of me landing Jason because he is well MARRIED. I told him I'd retract the statement,  hoping  to  embarrass him. So there you have it my statement is retracted. 

<-- It's Kyle NOT Jason -->

Quote of the day.

Saturday, how I love you! Hope everyone has a great weekend, I am trying to be as productive as humanly possible. I've been in such a positive state of mind lately, I feel like a better version of myself. I had an insane workout out this morning, which I will talk about in another post. I also landed a little coaching job this summer which I am very happy about. I'll be training some pretty ladies to run a 10K in Central Park, I'm excited to help people achieve some personal goals.

Today's quote is from one of my all time favorite movies Big Fish. It's directed by Tim Burton and I just love his directing style. The movie itself is great and I find that Ewan McGregor and Billy Crudup are pretty handsome fellas, so that's a perk as well.  The message of this quote is that sometimes people might think you are crazy or a fool for following a dream or certain path. Be the fool, it's your life and as long as whatever you do has a positive effect on you and maybe even the people around you, go for it.

Enjoy!

There's a time when a man needs to fight, and a time when he needs to accept that his destiny is lost... the ship has sailed and only a fool would continue. Truth is... I've always been a fool. 

-Big Fish

My Favorite Skinny Girl Returns February 28th on Bravo!

I don't know what it is about this lady but I love Bethenny Frankel! 

  Last year Bravo documented her in, Bethenny Getting Married? which followed the Real Housewives of New York Alum as she was getting engaged, planning a wedding, writing a book, promoting Skinny Girl Margarita and having a baby. She is one busy, driven lady and very relatable, you really feel like you know her. 

Now she is back with her second season called, Bethenny Ever After. This season we will see her as a new mom, business woman, fitness and food guru and newlywed. I am looking forward to this show so much because not only do I love Bethenny, her husband Jason is every girl's dream man. (Well at least mine, I hope this doesn't piss off the manfriend.)

It premiers February 28th on the Bravo Network. Definitely check it out, because even though it is reality television it is in no way trashy.

From Austin to Athens For Uncle Mike.

Earlier in the summer I signed up to run the Austin Livestrong Half Marathon February 20th in Austin, Texas for Team Livestrong and raise funds for the Lance Armstrong Foundation. I didn't know however at the time that I registered that come February I'd be living in Athens, Greece. I had a little dilemma on my hands. To go back to the States and run this race would cost me a lot of money and because I am currently unemployed over here, I really couldn't swing it. What could I do to fix this? 

It was really bothering me, I was going to be running this half marathon in memory of my Uncle Mike who lost his battle with cancer this past July. I didn't want to let him or my family down.

So I decided if I can't be at the race, I'll just bring the race to Athens. On February 20th, I will be running my own Half Marathon in Nea Smyrni Park in memory of my Uncle Mike. I know it isn't Austin, but it will be quite a test. I will have to run the loop in the park 26 times to reach the 13.1 mile distance. I am definitely up for the challenge and will have to deal with Kyle as my only spectator, but I am sure he'll be loud enough.

 I've already reached and surpassed my fundraising goal of $500, I'm currently at $873 and I have hopes to reach $1000 by race day. 

My Uncle Mike was a great man and this is my way of paying tribute to him. He may have lost his battle to cancer, but I have hopes that one day we will find a cure, so no one will have to go through what he and his family went through. So I run each mile with that on my mind. Running is my way of helping find a cure.

If you are interested in donating to Team Livestrong and The Lance Armstrong Foundation please check out my personal page. Any little bit helps in the fight. 

My Team Livestrong Austin Half Marathon Donation Page.

Thank you for taking the time to read this, and remember to Livestrong!

Grab the Tissues. Meet Chris Medina from Season 10 American Idol.

Last night while getting my daily dose of Perez Hilton, I came across this clip of American Idol contestant Chris Medina. His story is truly inspiring and the tears were streaming as I watched with my guy. On top of having a crazy story, his voice is awesome and made it to the next round. I wish him much success on his Idol journey.

Check it out!

Quote of the day.

Happy Friday Loves, I know everyone in New York got rocked with snow, but at least you have the weekend to look forward to. I'm feeling a little homesick today, this comes and goes, you just learn to deal with it. So I will enjoy a nice Starbucks Caramel Macchiatto which is always a comforting reminder of home.

Today's quote was given to me by my good friend Mary, she is always giving me feedback on the quotes I post and sending me quotes that she has found. The most recent one she sent me is an Irish Blessing, I love Irish quotes and this one is so sweet.

Enjoy!

May you always be blessed with walls for the wind. a roof for the rain. A warm cup of tea by the fire. laughter to cheer you. Those you love near you. and all that your heart might desire.
- Irish Blessing

I need to be here.

I included a great song by the Flogging Molly, feeling a little more Irish then usual today. 

Sweet Treat.

After dinner tonight I refrained from eating the usual chocolate or cupcakes that I love to indulge in. Instead I  decided to take a healthier approach at dessert, with a little creativity, I think I succeeded in making a yummy yet healthy after dinner treat.  

 I made grilled pineapple, seasoned with cinnamon and a honey glaze. It is really simple to make and the result is delicious. I used canned pre sliced pineapple, pure cinnamon and Greek honey. I grilled the pineapple on the pan and sprinkled cinnamon on top. I made sure I flipped the pineapple so that each piece was equally grilled. Once grilled you remove them from heat and drizzle some honey of top and bon appetit! 

Like I said, this is a really simple dish to whip up and it's really healthy for you as well. Next time I am going to try doing this with sliced apples, yummy. 

Yummy!

Cafe' Thursday.

This afternoon the manfriend and I went down to the marina by our apartment to get a coffee and take in the views on this nice day in Athens. The marina by our place docks some ridiculously huge yachts, you can't believe how big these boats are. It was crazy walking the docks and knowing that you are surrounded by million dollar boats, maybe someday I'll have a yacht like that. 

(In my dreams)

After drooling and fantasizing about where I would sail my yacht around the globe, we found a great cafe' overlooking the water. It was nice to relax, enjoy a cappuccino, my manfriend, conversation about the new apartment we got back in the States and take in the sights. Which made me realize I am more of a simple chick, yea a yacht would be nice but I'll take a cappuccino and good conversation over that any time. It's the simple things that make me happy and I will preach this until the day I die. 

Live Simply!

With that said, I will show you some of the yachts, because they are crazy.

Couldn't forget to include some coffee pictures.

Quote of the day.

Happy Thursday Lovers! I had another amazing run this morning, I am feeling so good. The weather here is getting really nice. I honestly feel bad for my family and friends back home, they are getting slammed with snowfall after snowfall. So feel free to come an visit the manfriend and I whenever you need a break from the cold. 

Today's quote is from one of my favorite quote websites Quotable Cards. It's by Wilfred Peterson who is an American writer, it is definitely my kind of quote, very positive!

Enjoy your day. 

Walk with the dreamers, the believers, the courageous, the cheerful, the planners, the doers, the successful people with their heads in the clouds and feet on the ground. Let their spirit ignite a fire within you to leave this world better than when you found it. 

-Wilfred Peterson

Our First Place.

I've never been more excited to start an adventure as I am about the adventure the manfriend and I are about to embark on. We just got our first apartment and it couldn't have gone more smoothly. We thought that looking for an apartment back home while living overseas in Greece was going to be very difficult but we definitely got lucky with this one. 

Every morning for the last couple of weeks my guy would check the listings in New York and see if anything fit what we were looking for. We were very specific with what we wanted, it had to be located preferably between both of our parent's homes, close to the main shopping areas, but also quiet and the apartment itself needed to feel warm and cozy.

 Well we hit the jackpot, about a week ago my guy called me into the living room to check out a new listing that was just posted, the pictures were amazing and the location was absolutely perfect. I immediately regretted looking because I fell in love, we sent the listing to our parents and contacted the landlord, keeping our fingers crossed. 

We made it a point not to get our hopes up because with our situation we doubted anyone would want to deal with us. As much as I didn't want to think about it I couldn't help myself, this was the perfect place. It was literally right between our parent's homes, five minutes either way. The apartment was clean and just what we were looking for and the best thing about it is that it is right across the street from the park, I would be in a runner's heaven.

The next morning we woke up to an email from the landlord and he said to give him a call. I thought, well if he didn't want to deal with us he wouldn't have us call, so this is a good sign. Because of the time difference we had to wait to call which made me anxious the whole day. The first attempt at calling we got his voicemail and left a message. We were literally playing phone tag because we had to call from Skype and couldn't leave a number, so we had to have him email us to tell us to call back.  

When we finally got in touch he told us, that he'd be more then happy to give us the apartment, he was aware of our situation and he was cool with it. We had our parents go and check it out, they thought it was great. We emailed him back to give him the go and bam we now have our first apartment. Nothing has ever gone this smooth in my life, especially something I wanted so much. I move in March 2nd and will have it all set up for my guy and I when he returns the end of April. 

This is the perfect first apartment, not to big, it has all the amenities, it looks so cozy and having a view of the park is pretty awesome. We have already started picking out furniture and coming up with ideas, I can not wait to decorate, entertain and turn this apartment into our home. 

Here is what we are working with.

 I am so in love with this kitchen, there is so much space.

 Cute Kitchen Nook

 Our Living Room, I can see a nice flatscreen on that wall...haha.

 The Bedroom 

 Another Kitchen Shot

The Bathroom

Quote of the day.

Hey Loves, Happy Hump Day! Had a great yoga session and I am ready to conquer the day. I hope everyone is having a great week.

Today's quote is by Plato who was a classical Greek philosopher. It is a cute quote and a little mushy, sometimes we need a little mushy in our lives. 

Enjoy!

According to Greek Mythology, Humans were originally created with 4 arms, 4 legs, and a head with two faces. Fearing their power Zues split them into two separate parts, condemning them to spend their lives in search of their other halves. 

-Plato 

You're My Cuppy Cake.

What a guy! The other night after my manfriend's practice he decided to stop at our local cupcake spot, I Love Cupcakes and pick up some yummy treats for us to enjoy after dinner. I was so surprised when he came through the door holding their signature box. He sure knows the way to this girl's heart and that of course is cupcakes.

He decided to try some of the new cupcakes they had displayed, so along with two classic vanilla cupcakes, he also picked out an apple maple cupcake and a hazelnut mocha cupcake. I couldn't believe my eyes when I opened the box, these cupcakes looked like mini works of art, but that wasn't going to stop me from digging in. 

We started with the Apple Maple cupcake. It was apple maple cake, with bits of real apple in the cake, covered with an vanilla cream cheese icing and a thinly shaved piece of apple on top. This cupcake was so yummy, you could actually get away with eating one of these for breakfast because of the delicious maple taste. 

Next was the Hazelnut Mocha and this my friends was a show stopper. At first I thought it was only going to be mocha cake with hazelnut icing, but to my surprise the cupcake was filled with Nutella! This cupcake was so amazingly delicious I didn't want it to end. I must pass on this idea to my sister because this cupcake needs to be tasted around the world. 

Oh My GGGGG...

We saved the classic vanilla for the next day, the manfriend and I agreed that even though the other cupcakes were out of this world, nothing beats a classic vanilla cupcake. 

So once again much love to the I Love Cupcakes Shop, you always leave me satisfied and keep me coming back for more. 

Cupcakes and Baileys...Yes Please!

Book of the Week.

This week's book of the week is a great story by one of my favorite writers, Jon Krakauer called Into the Wild. Into the Wild was originally an article Krakauer wrote for Outside Magazine called, "Death of an Innocent", but because of it's huge success he turned the article into a book. 

 Into the Wild is about a young adventurer Chris McCandless and his journey in the wild. Chris graduated for Emory University in 1992 as a top student athlete, after graduation he gave up all of his possessions, donated all of his savings to charity and hitchhiked his way to Alaska, so he could live in and off the wilderness. The story turns tragic because four months later his body was found in an abandoned bus in the woods of Alaska. 

When his remains were found so was his diary that documented his travels, and how he tried to survive, and what most likely led to his death.  Krakauer's book goes over the life of McCandless, it includes many of his personal diary entries and the mystery surrounding his death. Jon also makes comparisons to his life and adventures throughout the book.  The great writing by Krakauer makes this an emotional journey from beginning to end. 

 Into the Wild was made into a movie in 2007 staring Emile Hirsch and was directed by Sean Penn. The movie is great because it is so accurate to the book, and the cinematography is amazing. Eddie Vedder put together one of the most beautiful soundtracks for this movie, and it is a constant on my personal playlist. 

This book is a quick read with amazing writing, and I strongly suggest reading it. If you enjoy this story and Krakauer's writing definitely check out his other works, Into Thin Air, Under the Banner of Heaven and Where Men Win Glory: The Odyssey of Pat Tillman. You will not be disappointed.

Here is a song off the Into the Wild soundtrack called Guaranteed.

Happy Reading!

Quote of the day.

Hey there everybody, hope you are having a great Tuesday. I'm excited because my cousin will be visiting me in Greece in less then a month, it will be so fun showing her all the cool spots in and around the city. 

Also,  I think the manfriend and I found an apartment to move into when we get back to New York. I can't tell you how excited I am to finally have my own place, I know we are living in a sweet apartment over here in Greece, but it's not the same because we didn't get to pick anything out. I am really looking forward to decorating and making it feel like a home. 

Today's quote is actually a song off the Coldplay album Viva La Vida called Death and All His Friends. I know I've been using a lot of lyrics lately but sometimes a great song with an awesome message can really put things in perspective. This song is about worrying less, being more relaxed, harboring less resentment, and forgiving. I always end up running to this song because the music and words put me in the right frame of mind. 

Enjoy!

All winter we got carried away

Over on the rooftops, let's get married

All summer we just hurried

So come over, just be patient and don't worry

So come over, just be patient and don't worry

So come over, just be patient and don't worry

And don't worry

Try

Try

No I don't want to battle from beginning to end

I don't want to cycle, recycle revenge

I don't want to follow death and all of his friends

No I don't want to battle from beginning to end

I don't want to cycle, recycle revenge

I don't want to follow death and all of his friends

And in the end we lie awake and we dream of making our escape

And in the end we lie awake and we dream of making our escape

-Coldplay, Death and All His Friends

I included the song for you to take a listen. 

Enjoy and Happy Tuesday!

Decisions, Decisions.

The only bad thing about going out on a long run is that I have to much time to think. And when I get to thinking sometimes I concoct some ideas. 

While I was running I thought what if I try and run a marathon this spring to qualify for the Boston Marathon for spring 2012. I  would need to run a 3:40 marathon, which I am only seven minutes away from achieving. Originally I planned on running the Brooklyn Half Marathon in May to qualify for the New York City Marathon for November 2012. I would need to clock a time of 1:37 or better and I am less then two minutes away from achieving that time.  Now my head was spinning.

After my run I came back to the apartment to see if there are any marathons this Spring that I could run and not cut into my Half Ironman training. I found that the New Jersey Marathon is May 1st, which is totally an option. Now the decision is, qualify for Boston or qualify for New York. 

I've run New York twice, the first time I got in because I knew someone and the second time I ran for Team Livestrong. Boston I ran once and ran with Team Livestrong. So I never qualified for either of them. New York is my hometown and an amazing marathon, but Boston is the most prestigious marathon in the United States and to qualify for that is on my bucket list. 

So what will it be? I know I have the resources and weather in Greece as an advantage to really get in some great training while I am over here. But I also need to think of the overall picture which is competing in the Timberman Half Ironman this August, that needs to be my main focus. So will a marathon get in the way or is May enough time to recover? 

Ahhhh, a big decision needs to be made and I have to make it soon. 

What should I do? 

Boston April 19th, 2010.

 New York Nov. 1st, 2009

Athens Riviera

Yesterday the manfriend and I took a drive to Lake Vouliagmeni, after our swim which was extremely cold we decided to check out some of the area beaches. The beach right outside of Lake Vouliagmeni is known as the Athens Riviera and in all my life I have never seen something so amazing.

The Athens Riviera is a peninsula and a beautiful stretch of coastline. It's a quiet part of Athens where you came escape the hustle and bustle of the city. On the peninsula there are hotels and a wide variety of restaurants, but it is the incredible views from the Riviera  and the extremely clear blue water that would have anyone in awe.  I can not wait until the end of February early March when the weather really starts getting nice and taking a trip to the Riviera. 

Check out some of the pictures from our Athens Riviera Adventure.

 We spotted a rainbow.