May by the Numbers

Hello friends!  Hope you’re all doing well.  I’ve been doing some thinking and I realized that I keep getting stuck in the past on the blog, and don’t ever find time to write about the present.  So I’m going to power through – fire off a bunch of old posts that I really want to remember, mixed in with some fun new things.  Feel free to skip the old, boring stuff if you want!  I hope to be done in two weeks or so, and then finally be all caught up.  By that time, we should have our professional wedding pics, in which case I’ll also bang out some Weddingbee style recaps, and then be on our merry way.  Sound good?  Good.

To start off, let’s recap the month of May in true accounting style – by the numbers.  (PS can you believe it’s June?  Holy Crap.)

1 – One new camera!  Check out this amazing gift that the hubster surprised me with.  I cried!  I can’t wait to use it on our honeymoon!

1 – Also a new iphone!  I’ve been loving using apps like instagram (see pic above!) and beating Robert at Words with Friends

2 – New blog friends who I finally got to meet for lunch last week!  Chrissey and Stephanie and I had a great lunch at Marathon Grill in Philadelphia.  It was surreal meeting people I met on the internet, but we had so much to chat about.

3 – Flavors of frozen yogurt I had at the new Yapple Yogurt down the street from our apartment!  It opened two weeks ago, and Robert and I went to welcome in summer over Memorial Day Weekend.  I tried white chocolate, peanut butter, and birthday cake – they were all so good!

4 – Number of books I read in May!  This includes Bossypants by Tina Fey (amazing, had me laughing on the train, and loving all of the Pennsylvania references!  she also included a great message for women – not just women comedians.  Girl power!)  I also read The Love Season by Elin Hilderbrand.  This book was good, but I threw it on the couch at the end because I was disappointed by the ending. Finally, I read Firefly Lane and True Colors by Kristin Hannah.  I am now officially addicted to her books!  The first had me bawling on the train, and the second was so deeply real.  Kristen Hannah really paints you into the story, both in the plot and in the setting.  You find yourself so invested in the characters!  I loved both books and can’t wait to read more of her work in June!

7 – Inches I chopped off of my hair right after the wedding!  I couldn’t wait to get my Post Wedding Chop, and scheduled my appointment for the first day that the salons were open after the wedding.  Take a look:

             Before………………………………………………………After!

8 – Number of yoga classes I attended at Dana Hot Yoga this month.  I really enjoyed the chance to fulfill my groupon, but by the end of it, I was ready for a little break.  But I truly feel like I am a better “yogi” now… except:

1 – Number of times I FACEPLANTED while attempting crow pose.  OUCH.  My nose was bruised for days!

13th – My 25th birthday!  Robert and I celebrated with an amazing dinner of calamari, basil mojitos, and amazing bacon burgers at 20 Manning.  The burger was great, but not the best burger I ever had!  (Although I might have kept comparing their food to 20 Manning’s sister restaurant, Audrey Claire.  The mussels at AC are in the top 5 of favorite meals ever!)  We finished the night with drinks at Table 31 on the Thursday prior.  Although I work right above Table 31, I’d never been there.  We sat outside, and I swear it felt like we were in Miami!  The celebration continued at my BFF Kirsten’s house, where she and her husband bbq’ed for our friend Georgia, Bob’s friend Pat, Robert, and me.  We drank strawberry wine from Heritage Vineyards, ate a giant cookie cake, and just chatted.  It was the perfect way to celebrate my birthday! 

31 – Days of being a wife!  I never thought that being married would feel very different.  We’d  been living together for almost 3 years by the time we got married, but it has been amazing.  I feel more connected to Robert, and I’m just giddy with love.  (Ok I’ll stop making you puke now.)

80,000 – Degrees that it’s been outside.  OMG it is so hot and humid, and it was only May.  I’ve never wanted rain so badly before in my life.  Anything to break the heat!

What were you up to in May?!  I can’t believe my favorite month is over

Cupcake Craving

Last night I was on my way home from yoga when I had the sudden urge for a chocolate cupcake.  I’m NOT a huge cake person, so I figured that if I had such a random craving, I should indulge it.  But where is one to find cupcakes in Lower Merion at 9:30 at night?  Unfortunately not at a bakery.  Enter… WAWA!

(not my picture, but my wawa!)

Besides Wawa, another Philadelphia staple is a Tastykake.  I’ve never really been the biggest fan of the sugary treats, but look – a craving is a craving.  I sprinted into Wawa and came out with this:

Ahh sweet sugary relief… Wawa + Tastykake = 24 hours of cupcake!

In other news, I took my third yoga class at Dana Hot Yoga yesterday.  My second class last week was ehh – the teacher was too quick (so many chatarungas without stopping!)  But last night I took Jeff’s class, and he was slow and deliberate and made sure to explain and demonstrate the poses.  (Often times at Dana it’s too crowded for the instructor to also do the yoga.  Strangely enough I enjoy it when it’s crowded – it’s cozy and I love seeing 45 other people who are taking steps for their health.) 

Last week I spent a lot of time in child’s pose, but this week I went to class with the intention of spending a lot of time upside down, and I succeeded!  I attempted to go into crow and headstand (and failed) but I was still upside down.  It was a great way to clear my head… as silly as it sounds, I imagined all my crazy thoughts falling out of my ears and I left clear headed and not stressed.  During the whole class I felt strong, instead of rushed and flustered from not being able to keep up with the moves.  It was a good class.

I also found another friend  from both SJU and the firm where I used to work… blog, meet Julia! 

Ok so that’s a really old, bad picture… but you get the idea.  I love that I run into so many friends at the yoga studio.  And I love that we all have time to go to yoga on a weeknight now that we’re not working Busy Season anymore

Does anyone have advice for getting into crow or headstand?  I think I’m strong enough, I just think I have the wrong positioning!

Two Four Letter Words

1) Yoga; 2) Tofu

And I conquered both this weekend.  I’d mentioned how I bought a ton of yoga classes at Dana Hot Yoga, and I was too chicken to use them.  One of the deals expires on 3/24, so considering I leave everything to the last minute, it only seemed right that I start using them with 11 days left! (Oh sarcasm.)

I suited up and headed to Dana Hot Yoga to kick some ass.  As I was checking in, I ran into a good friend of mine from SJU and Big 4, Brianne!  Blog, meet Bri!

(Clearly this was NOT at yoga!)

Anyway, it was great catching up with Brianne before we started practicing.  Her last day at our old firm is tomorrow and I couldn’t be happier for her. 

The yoga class was great, and so was the studio.  A little cramped, but it was cozy, and it felt like I was in a ski lodge. It was hot, but I was close to the back door so whenever I leaned back I got a lovely little breeze.  Hot yoga cheating?  Maybe.  But it felt awesome, and I walked out of yoga class in a happy little daze.  I can’t wait to use up the rest of my classes… and then maybe go back for more.

Afterwards, I was craving tofu with no where to get it.  I took a leap and decided to make it myself!  I have heard amazing things about Gliding Calm’s tofu, so I gave it a shot.  I think I overcooked it a smidge, but I paired it with brown rice, tomatoes, carrots, and a fried egg and topped it with hot sauce…. a perfect after-yoga dinner. 

Sorry I hardly have any pictures for this post, but believe me when I tell you that I’m so glad I stepped out of my comfort zone!