i'm just here for the candy

Happy Easter! As a single 30-something far from home, this isn't really a big day for me. I'm planning to grab brunch with friends and maybe see a movie, but it's not really so different from any other Sunday. But! I am definitely planning on partaking in one of the best Easter traditions: the candy. Easter candy is the. best.

I came across a few great candy-related recipes that I'm definitely going to be trying today. Delicious sugar high guaranteed.

Truffle Bunny Shots

A cocktail you make in the hollows of a chocolate Easter bunny. I saw this and just thought, I'm not using my brain to it's fullest potential. Genius.

Peeps S'mores Skillet

There really is no candy that says Easter more than those sickly sweet and colorful Peeps. You can take them to the next level with this rich and gooey layered s'mores dessert.

Easter Candy Bark

Candy bark is super easy to make and is a great way to get a lot of sugar bang for your buck -- this one has a magical unicorn quality that I'm digging.

Bunny Shortbread

This is an elegant little dessert -- you'd never know that several chocolate bunnies had to die in order to make it happen.

field trip: key west, fl

On the work front, this year has proven to be one of the most hectic and exhausting of my career (and it's just March). A few weeks ago I had friends in town, and after their time in Orlando they headed down to Key West for some true R&R...and on a whim, I tagged along. It wasn't a vacation exactly (since I work remotely anyway it was easy enough to just take my laptop and cell phone to stay connected), but it was a nice change of scenery.

I'd never been to Key West before, but I knew I would love it -- a sleepy beach town with a vibrant history and aesthetic. The spot where Jimmy Buffett and Ernest Hemingway intersect. Cool, but not too cool. It was just what I needed.

A few highlights and tips from my trip:

to pack

Most trips I take involve lots of advance shopping/wardrobe planning and elaborate packing lists (that I save for years, because I am a weirdo), but this was really a "drag out a suitcase and throw things in like a madwoman" situation. Surprisingly, it worked. Here's what I took for a quick and casual tropical vacation:

Basics: a pair of jeans // my favorite pair of print shorts // a white button down // one or two good tee shirts // cute sneakers

Good stuff: an easy maxi dress // a not-boring bathing suit (a departure from my usual black tank suit) // a comfy t-shirt dress that doubles as a coverup at the pool // a lightweight sweater for cool mornings and evenings // a romper, the easiest warm weather outfit (I wore my trusty black one, but I wish I had picked up this chic white one or this super-cheery printed option) // cool shades // very walkable sandals // a tote that works for day and night

Travel essentials: a suitcase that holds a ton (and looks so chic as you're schlepping through the hotel lobby or airport) // a cheery bag to hold all of your beauty essentials // the cutest portable electric toothbrush // a great read for lounging poolside (loved this one -- lots of laughs and some really great advice)

to stay

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My friends had the good sense to book a room at the Gates Hotel, a modern and stylish hotel that offers a lovely spot for a peaceful retreat while still being pretty close to the action. I absolutely loved it here. In another city this hotel might be a bit of a scene, but there's really no room for pretension in Key West so I didn't have to worry about trying to compete with the cool kids. I enjoyed several leisurely afternoons lounging by the pool with a tasty cocktail or two (love a good cabana...and a good cabana boy). There's no restaurant, but the on-site food truck serves really tasty bites for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and even late-night snacks. PS -- this hotel is pet-friendly!


to do

My goal for the trip was to do as little as possible, but I did manage a few fun excursions:

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The Southernmost Point is the photo op in Key West. A great spot to gaze upon the clear blue waters (and daydream about a trip to Havana, high on my travel bucket list right now).

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Ernest Hemingway House and Museum is a great place to spend an hour or two exploring the legacy of one of Key West's most famous residents. I loved strolling around the gardens and hanging with the current residents, lots and lots of six-toed cats (many of whom are descendants of Hemingway's polydactyl cat Snow White).

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Sunsets are a big deal in Key West, and Mallory Square is a great place to watch them. You'll have a great view of the main event and enjoy a carnival-like atmosphere including street performers, tasty food, and lots of cocktails.

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I came away from this trip with a new favorite phrase: nuisance chicken. There are chickens everywhere in Key West! I kind of liked seeing them strut around (and I may or may not have done a bit of chicken dancing down Duvall Street after a few rum-based beverages), but not everyone is a fan.

to eat

This wasn't a particularly foodie-centric vacation (we bought some groceries on the way and did a lot of snacking in the room, by the pool, etc.), but I can recommend a few good spots:

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Cuban Coffee Queen is a fairly tiny food stand that serves up a lot of good Cuban comfort food, great coffee, and another good photo op.

Filed under "it's a small world" is Santiago's Bodega, a great little tapas spot where we grabbed lunch after our visit to Hemingway House. Several people recommended it, and the menu of lots of tasty sharing plates sounded perfect. When we arrived I noticed that this restaurant has a few outposts, including one in Orlando, and I realized it happens to be right across the street from my hair salon -- my hairdresser raves about it! Crazy that I had to drive to the end of the world to try it, but totally worth it.

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There are LOTS of great bars in Key West, and I don't think we ever encountered a bad one. The Rum Bar was small but charming, with all of the rum-based drinks you could want. The Bull and Whistle is one of the better looking dive bars I've been in (and for the adventurous, offers a clothing-optional Garden of Eden roofdeck). The Green Parrot is a Key West institution, patronized by locals and tourists alike. Key West is a good time kind of town, so don't be afraid to do a bit of exploring. You'll have a good time for sure.

in my head: running

At any given time there are about a dozen things that I'm obsessing about. Right now it's running, specifically the half marathon I am signed up for on Sunday. In the wee hours of the morning, me and 17,000 tulle and glitter encrusted ladies (and a few dudes) will gather to torture ourselves by running thirteen-ish miles around a theme park. I'm excited because Disney races are always quite a lot of fun, and I love being part of the incredibly warm and inspiring running community. And I'll be accompanied by a friend who is running her very first half, always fun. But I'm also freaking out, just a little, because I didn't really have time to train. At all. Oops.

But I know that 50% of racing is mental, so I'm trying to at least get my head together and hope my legs will follow suit.

eating

Spaghetti pie for dinner tomorrow night -- you a little jelly?

via Smitten Kitten

Spaghetti, cheese, eggs, black pepper. Simple, perfect. I stumbled upon this recipe this week and realized it would be a lovely pre-race meal. (If you think running is hell on earth, this also seems like a good sort of recipe to whip up for dinner on a chilly Sunday night.)

reading

I get weirdly emotional right before a race, and I like to lay in bed and cry and read about running and racing, succeeding and failing. Here are some of my favorites:

Born to Run was a bit of a phenomenon and really made people think differently about distance running // John Bingham is a hero for the back of the pack runners who are only racing with themselves -- The Courage to Start could inspire a love for running among even the couchiest of potatoes // somehow I was unaware of its existence until this week, but I just ordered Haruki Murakami's memoir about marathon training -- a treat for myself next week when I'm recovering

wearing

Never enough cute athleisure wear:

this Kate Spade bow-adorned running jacket is fabulous, though too precious to sweat in // Raw Threads makes all of the performance wear your inner princess could need // floral leggings when you want to look just a little fancy -- maybe yoga or your local neighborhood 5K // this cozy sweatshirt looks dreamy for throwing on after a tough workout // a gym bag you won't be embarrassed to carry

stocking

I love running because it's a relatively low-maintenance sport, but there are a few items I've come to rely on for races:

Swedish fish for a quick burst of energy mid-run // a sturdy (and cheery) pair of earbuds // melatonin to fight pre-race jitters // banana chips stashed in my gear bag (because the post-race banana are never ripe enough) // Sparkly Soul headbands look great (and mostly stay in place) // a truly amazing gel for taking care of post-run ouches // your favorite pair of aviators look cool and keep the sun out of your eyes // a flat water bottle to sip from until the first water stop on very hot days (they're so cheap, I just toss in the trash when I get tired of carrying it).

resolved

I've never really been great about New Year's resolutions. Sure, there is something lovely about starting a new year with a clean slate and thinking that it is a perfect opportunity to reinvent yourself, shed old habits, and emerge from your cocoon to become the beautiful butterfly you were meant to be.

But change is hard.

The last few years have been busy, a little tumultuous: learning, changing, growing, stepping far outside of my comfort zone, failing, succeeding, slipping back into old habits. As 2015 drew to a close, I was very aware that I wasn't exactly where I wanted to be. I'm not far, but I'm not there. So this year feels like the year to declare a few resolutions that will nudge me in the right direction.

I'll start by saying I hate the idea of resolutions as punishment: I'm giving up dessert! I'm quitting smoking and drinking forever! Thinking about a resolution this way is guaranteed to fail. Because even though we look like adults, we're all basically 3-year-olds and we're definitely going to throw a tantrum when someone (even ourselves) tries to make us do something we really don't want to do. The way you frame your resolution can make all the difference, so my resolutions are all focused on the positive.

And yes, I'm totally aware that I'm about a month late in talking about this -- January was sort of a "soft open" for my resolutions, but I'm excited about kicking things into gear in February.

Consume More

We are living in the golden age of media -- from must-watch television to books to film to addictive podcasts to the blogs everyone is talking about, there is so much good and juicy content out there for the taking. And last year I found myself consistently frustrated that I was missing out. Somehow there is never enough time to read and watch and participate in all of the good stuff. Except that I know that's not true. We find time for the things that matter. I make time to work my 8-ish hours everyday, I find time for laundry, grocery shopping, and walking the dog, I even find time for getting a good sweat once a day (though that did require a concerted effort), so now I want to find time for great content. I want to read more, I want to see movies that challenge me, I want to learn and laugh and cry and be inspired.

So the first part of my resolution is to make time for the good stuff by being a little more ruthless with my schedule and finding those pockets of time. Car trips, long runs, and housecleaning are excellent times for catching up on podcasts. Mindless TV sometimes feels like a treat, but Seinfeld reruns and Chopped marathons aren't doing me any favors. Between Netflix, Hulu, and my friend's Xfinity login (shh, don't tell), I have an incredible library of TV and movies at my fingertips, so I do not need to watch Meangirls every time it's on.

I've also dusted off my Feedly account (RIP, Google Reader -- you are still missed) and loaded it with all of the blogs that I never get around to keeping up with. I want to get out of the habit of spending time on Facebook first thing in the morning (because click-bait headlines screaming "Kim Kardashian Doesn't Look Like This Anymore!" are rage-inducing) and give myself 30 minutes to read things that are inspiring and enlightening and help me do my job better.

And it's hard for me to admit how little reading I've been doing lately. Reading has always been my favorite, a way to explore and try to understand myself and the world around me, and for years I consumed books in great gulps, chain-reading one after another. That hasn't happened for the past year or two, for reasons (books are expensive, my library stocks mostly beach reads, no time, etc.) that are mostly lame. I'm remembering that when I started my first job (at a tiny nonprofit in Boston) I was thrilled to discover that there was a bookstore just around the corner. I would spend almost every lunch hour there (sometimes I bought and sometimes I just found a cozy corner and "borrowed" -- nonprofit salaries are painfully small). Since I work from home now, it really shouldn't be hard to carve out 20 or 30 minutes to read while I eat lunch.

Consume Less

One of the unhappier discoveries of 2015 was that when it comes to shopping (particularly for clothes), I've been overdoing it. I decided to end my first blog for a number of reasons, but a big factor is that it made me too focused on shopping and buying. Even though I've been thoughtful about my purchases and have been tracking my spending, I couldn't shake a serious case of Veruca Salt "I want it all"-itis.

Like everyone else in the world, I was charmed by Marie Kondo's anti-clutter manifesto The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying and last year spent a good amount of time weeding out excess from all corners of my house. Taking inventory of my closet made me realize I have a lot of clothes -- more than I really need for my current lifestyle (work from home in leggings, the best dress code ever). This doesn't mean that I won't be buying any clothing in the coming year, but I need to scale things back.

I'm on a month-long shopping freeze for the month of February (I did it last year and thought it was great). It's a weird season, there are racks full of crusty old clearance merch, and let's face it, it's a short month -- it's really the perfect time, and I'll be doing a thorough closet clean-out to get rid of things I don't wear. For the rest of the year, I'll use the following rules: focusing on needs instead of wants, limiting the amount of time I spend stalking coveted items waiting for sales, and cutting way back on fast fashion (this documentary and this book are on my respective lists, but I know they are both devastating).

Consume Better

I know I feel better when I'm eating well and taking care of myself. Well, at least my brain does. Lately my mouth has been calling the shots, and it wants cheeseburgers. And even when I'm eating relatively healthy, I find myself falling into the "snack trap" -- afternoon munching on relatively harmless snacks (popcorn, trail mix, dried fruit) that kind of ruins my dinner appetite and gets me a bit out of whack. 

A few weeks ago I watched In Defense of Food, a great documentary about the mess we've made of our food industry and our generally skewed ideas about nutrition. I'm happy to say there wasn't much in the way of new information, but I really loved the way Michael Pollan presents his basic tenets of nutrition. Pollan started a bit of a nutrition revolution when he declared we should. "Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants." This delves a bit further into the ways that we've gone so very wrong when it comes to nutrition (low-fat mania, over-processing, way too much sugar) and some smart, easy ways to get back on track: shop the perimeter of the grocery store (where all of the fresh stuff is), don't go crazy restricting or obsessing over certain ingredients, and basically ignore all of the obnoxious and misleading package labels that are trying to convince you that Lucky Charms are healthy because they are "made with whole grain" (spoiler alert: they are not).

This is important to me because while I've done a pretty good job of making exercise a regular part of my routine, I've been reminded over the past months that you can't undo a bad diet in the gym. I had sort of been convincing myself that since I love donuts and I love running, things would sort of just even themselves out. Turns out, not so much. You have to run about 3 miles to burn off the calories in a donut, and when it comes to donuts I never can have just one...

My goal for this year is to ask myself "is this food?" before stuffing anything into my mouth, and then being able to answer "yes" about 90% of the time. For example, a banana? Yes! Trader Joe's white cheddar popcorn? Sadly, no.


Is there anything that you've resolved to do (or not do) in 2016? How's it going?