My First Vlog.

I've been wanting to do a Vlog for a while now. Since Jeans and Tee's and Travel and Cakes is hitting the 40,000 view mark today, I figured I'd do one. It definitely switches up the blog experience and I'm always down for trying a new  creative outlet.

In my first Vlog I talk about: Yoga by Meg, coaching my Team in Training ladies, while managing to train for a Half Ironman 70.3 series.

I hope you enjoy and if you do maybe there will be more Vlogs to come.

Weekend Roundup

Hey there loves, how was your weekend? Mine was pretty busy, productive and relaxing all in one, which for me indicates that the weekend was a success. I live for weekends like this, doing a little bit of everything and doing it with great company.

Friday

I was so excited for Friday to get here, it was my first week back at work after living overseas and I knew it would be an adjustment getting back into the swing of things and by Thursday night I was so exhausted.

 Another reason I was looking forward to Friday was the grand opening of Sprinkles Cupcakes in NYC, I am a cupcake junky and a sucker for Sprinkles. So on my lunch break I headed over to Sprinkles on 60th and Lex and waited with the other cupcake conesuers for about forty minutes to get my hands on some yummy goodness. Well it was definitely worth the wait, I went a little overboard to say the least, I left Sprinkles with 18 cupcakes, some to share with my co-workers and some to bring home to my family My nephews were coming up to visit so I had to have sweets for them, or I'd be the worst aunt ever.

I made sure that I stuck to the classics on this visit to Sprinkles, I would broaden my horizons on my next visit. So I purchased an assortment of vanilla, chocolate, strawberry, red velvet and black and whites. I couldn't wait to dig in, I had to control every urge in my body not to jump behind the counter and go to town on the racks and racks of cupcakes. I managed to keep my composure until I brought the box into my parents house, they were just finishing up dinner and I insisted we have the cupcakes, "NOW!" Once they saw what was inside box they concurred. Everyone agreed with me that Sprinkles were most definitely better then Magnolia cupcakes but not quite as yummy as my sister's Fat Bottom Cupcake creations. I chose the classic black and white, which consisted of yummy vanilla buttercream icing and deliciously moist chocolate cake.

It was great to share these sweet treats with my family. What a way to end the busy work week on a sweet note! This was the first time my immediate family was all together since Christmas, I could tell my mom and dad were in their glory and this put such a smile on my face.

Another sweet surprise on Friday was the delivery the manfriend and I recieved at our new place. Our landlord sent us some homemade cookies and the sweetest card welcoming us to the neighborhood. It was such a kind gesture and I'm so happy to have such a great landlord, I know some people who haven't been so lucky.

Sprinkles Cupcakes NYC Grand Opening Day

 

The yummy cookies our landlord baked for us.

Saturday

Saturday was a very funfilled day for me, which started with meeting my running team for practice. Despite the early meeting time, I truly look forward to this every weekend. Coaching has truly become a huge passion of mine and my team makes it so enjoyable for me and let me tell you they are making amazing progress. The race they are training for is three weeks away and I know they are going to beast it. I am so proud of them and their determination, oh and did I mention they are raising money for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, these ladies are truly BAD ASS!

Once practice commenced I headed over to my Nana's house to spend some quality time with her, which I seriously don't do enough. There is something about Nana's house that makes me feel so cozy and safe. For a woman in her 80's she has  quite the memory and I love hearing the stories of her youth. On top of that she made one of my favorite comfort foods, homemade macaroni and cheese. Her recipe is amazing and it really hit the spot.

After my Nana visit, I spent some more necessary  quality time with my sister. I hate that I don't see her as much as I'd like, she is my best friend and living far away from each other truly sucks. We spent most of Saturday afternoon doing what girls do best, SHOP! I love going shopping with my sister because we always leave buying more then we actually need. I helped her pick out an outfit for a dinner she was going to and I knew she would look stunning as usual. I'm excited because I will see her two times in less then two weeks, which is always awesome.

Saturday night the manfriend and I had a date night at our favorite restaurant, Beso. This is a Spanish restaurant which is known greatly for their amazing tapas style cuisine. I always get a little giddy when I know I am going to Beso, the food is that great. We got there pretty early because it gets extremely busy and they don't allow reservations for parties smaller then five. We waited well over but the service is great, they set us up at the bar, got us our usual order of sangria and we ordered their infamous chips and guacamole. When they called our table, I was ready to chow down.

We have a routine when it comes to ordering at Beso, we each pick two items off the tapas menu, so four in total and we always choose the sashimi tuna along with the beef medallion with grilled blue cheese on top (they are out of this world). Then we like to try something new, I picked the BBQ baby back ribs and Kyle went for the eggplant wrapped in bacon. Well our picks didn't let us down, especially the ribs, the meat came off the bone like butter and the smoked bbq flavor was so amazing.

It was another successful trip to Beso. The highlight of our night out was the gentleman sitting at the table next to us, asking me if I was a food critic. He asked this question because I am notorious for taking pictures of any and everything I eat. The poor manfriend has learned to become extremely patient with my habit and I love him for it. I did get to plug my blog which is always cool.

Beso Chips and Guac

Yummy bread and olive dip.

The best sashimi tuna out there! (At least in my eyes!)

BBQ baby back ribs.

Beef medallion with grilled blue cheese

Eggplant/bacon combo.

Sunday

I was bummed sunday morning, because I had to cancel practice with my team due to the horrendous thunderstorms, boo! I was really looking forward to seeing everyone and getting in a great run with my team. Because it was so gross out I decided to do a yoga/core session in the apartment, it was such a great workout and set me up for a great day.

The manfriend and I had a very productive day and got a lot done with our new place. We did our weekly food shopping, went to Bed, Bath and Beyond and got some apartment essentials. But the biggest achievement of the weekend was my acceptance of a piece of furniture that I've fought against for the last few months.

We went to a furniture store to look for a chair to accompany our couch in the living room. I wanted a nice oversized leather club chair, which I've been lusting for the last decade. The manfriend had another idea, he wanted a recliner or as I like to call it a "MAN CHAIR". I was so against this, I didn't want a chair that belongs in a "man cave" in my living room but I am learning to pick my battles. This is just as much his apartment as it is mine and a if he wants a recliner why shouldn't he have one. So we picked one together and I must say it was very comfortable. I will be happy when the day comes when we actually have a house with a "man cave" so I can happily surrender the recliner to the room it was destined to be in.

We then spent a good part of the afternoon at Kyle's parents house. Every Sunday his mom makes delicious sauce and meatballs, which I always look forward to. We enjoyed our yummy food and actually watched, My Big Fat Greek Wedding. You'd think we'd be sick of all things Greek, since we lived there for 7 months but I actually found the movie funnier then ever after living amoungst the Greeks.

All in all is was a wonderful weekend. I got in great workouts, which always makes me happy. Got to do some work on our apartment that is really becoming our home and also got to spend time with the people I love. I wish every weekend could be like this.

Oh yea, how could I forget to congratulate the Chicago Bulls for beating the Miami Heat in Game One of the Eastern Conference Finals! Sorry I am a Heat Hater. :)

Inspirational.

I've posted earlier in: You Can Now Call Me Coach Meg, that I am coaching a group of amazing women for Team in Training which is part of the Leukemia  and Lymphoma Society. They will be competing in the New York Road Runner's Mini 10k June 11th, which is an all women's race, all while raising money for people living with blood cancer. Can you say beasts! 

This is my first coaching gig and it has been an awesome experience that has only become even better as the days progress. I have a group of 49 women, this is a very large number that intimidated me at first but they've made it very easy for me. They are all rock stars in my eyes, some are runners, some are beginners, some run/walkers, some are cancer survivors, each woman's story is uniquely theirs and that's what gets them out the door and running. I am so honored to have been given the chance to coach such an inspiring group. 

I promised them that no matter what obstacles get in their way, that I will help them achieve their goal. I will help them get to that finish line. I couldn't tell you how proud I was this past weekend when we went for our group run and saw a sea of purple (our team color) throughout the park, this literally gave me goosebumps and I was so happy to be a part of something so great. They truly do not give themselves enough credit and it is people like them that make the world a little better. It's their selflessness and commitment to a cause while achieving a personal goal that should never go unnoticed. I know they inspire me to be better and do more for others. 

I may be their coach teaching them ways to run better and how to get to the finish line but they don't realize what teachers they are to me. They've taught me so much in the two weeks that I've been coaching them and for that I am forever grateful.  

Some of the Team and Myself.

"Everybody can be great...because anybody can serve. You don't have to have a college degree to serve. You don't have to make your subject and verb agree to serve. You only need a heart full of grace. A soul generated by love." 

— Martin Luther King Jr.

Weekend Roundup

This was a crazy weekend, one minute I'm in Greece the next minute I'm sitting in my parents house in New York City eating dinner, catching up and not believing how fast this year went, it really is crazy what can happen in a day. Here is a look at the highlights of my weekend, I hope you had a great one as well. 

Friday

After returning from Santorini Thursday night, I spent Friday which was my last day in Greece in Athens. I packed up what was in my manfriend's and my apartment, watched the Royal Wedding, enjoyed lunch from Noodle Bar (this great spot in Nea Smyrni, Athens...if you are ever there you have to check it out), editing pictures from our Santorini trip, visiting our favorite local spot Dos Amigos for our last dinner together in Greece ( Yes, I know it's a Mexican place in Greece, but we like what we like.), saying goodbye to Deon and Amber, some great friends we made while living overseas, and enjoying a Lacta bar while watching Jennifer Aniston in, The Switch.

Friday Highlights

I absolutely loved watching the Royal Wedding, it was so enchanting. I really felt like I was watching a fairytale. The Prince looked so handsome in his military getup and I don't know where to begin with Kate. She looked stunning, the Grace Kelly inspired wedding dress, her hair, her poise, she truly embodied everything you would picture in a Princess. I have to say that Prince William really hit the jackpot.

This Dress was Flawless!

The happy couple.

The Kiss

Grace Kelly and Kate, their dresses are so similar.

 Saturday

On Saturday I said goodbye to Greece,it was really bittersweet. I was anxious to get home, be in our new apartment but Greece was a big chapter of my life and I couldn't believe it was closing. I learned so much about myself this year that as I said in a post earlier this week that I'm really proud of myself and also my relationship with Kyle. It was our first time living together and we did it in a land very unknown to us. I didn't think when my plane took off from Athens en route to New York that I'd get a little choked up, I guess it's this thought I keep having that I may never come to Greece again, a place where I grew, lived and loved. But I'm a mush so I should of known the tears would start falling. 

My flight was relatively smooth despite some turbulence at the beginning of the flight. The person sitting next to me was actually quite normal, which I haven't been so lucky in the past. I got to watch two great films, Black Swan (awesome) and The King's Speech. The King's speech was amazing and I am so happy I got a chance to watch it, which only made me more fascinated with the Royal Family. I think I'm going to head to Barnes and Noble one day this week to pick up a book or two about King George the VI and that era. 

Again tears began to form as we made our final descent into New York. When Jones Beach came into view, the passenger next to me probably thought I was a nut job as I began clapping to myself like an excited four year old. But he doesn't know my relationship with New York and what this city means to me, so I didn't care how crazy he thought I was. When we touched down, I couldn't wait to call my parents and say, "I'm home." It's been a crazy year, and now was a chance to get back on a routine. (I love my New York routine.) 

 When I got home I couldn't wait to see my puppy, he stuck to his promise and didn't pass away while I was overseas. I know that sounds very morbid but he's very old, I got him in the fourth grade and I'm now twenty five that's ancient for a dog and he was there waiting for me like he always has. I told my manfriend that I think I could of possibly broken the poor dogs ribs because I was hugging him so hard. I was also extremely happy to see my parents. My mom fixed me a glass of wine and put on the Bravo channel for me while my dad made my favorite, BBQ chicken, I was in Heaven. It really was crazy to think that earlier in the day I was eating breakfast with Kyle thousands of miles away and here I am sitting in the house where I grew up enjoying a nice meal with my parents, while my dog begged for my chicken. Life is crazy.

Saturday Highlights

Coming back to New York, my family and my puppy. Being away really makes you appreciate what you have back home and in your family.

Brooklyn Bridge, New York City. I took this photo last summer.

He waited for me, my old puppy Cobi.

Sunday 

Sunday morning marked my first practice as a running coach for Team in Training. So say I was nervous was an understatement, but the manfriend assured me that running comes so natural to me that I have nothing to be nervous about. I told him it was more butterflies then anything, I've wanted to coach for so long and now the moment was here and I was given my chance to do what I've dreamed of for so long. I met with the lovely group of women that I'd be training at a local park, some faces were familiar and others I was just meeting for the first time. Our first practice went great, and I couldn't be more proud of these amazing ladies. What they are doing by running for Team in Training is exceptional, they are raising money for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, while achieving their own personal goal. Each woman's story is unique in what got them to join and help the fight against cancer, and this inspires me in so many ways and I couldn't be happier to help them along their amazing journey. I truly mean this when I say, these women are Rock Stars! 

After practice I headed to my neighborhood Starbucks which I've missed so much, the make my drink perfectly and I've been craving their perfection for many weeks, while away. Then it was time to get down to business, getting my apartment in order, food shopping and all that fun stuff. It was a very, very productive Sunday, I love that I transitioned right back into the grind that I love so much as quickly as I did. I don't like wasting time, because time is way to precious to be wasted. I have a lot of great things going on in my life right now and I really feel blessed. 

Sunday Highlights

Arriving at my local park and being able to run and to run as a coach. I was in all my glory, you'd think I was Bill Bowerman ( Legendary track coach for the University of Oregon) coaching Olympic athletes. I was having so much fun and I hope my girls had just as much fun. I can't wait for them to run their race in a few weeks, it will be life changing not only for them but for me as well.

Being home in my new apartment.

Coaching for Team in Training, I'm so excited!

 

Another huge highlight was the capture of Osama Bin Ladin, you can check out my view on the whole situation here,May 2nd Quote of the Day.

Have a great week loves!