HAPPY NEW YEAR!!
I can’t believe it’s 2016. This is the year I graduate college! <- That is crazy.
Anyway, I hope you had a great New Year’s Eve and holiday weekend!
I’m coming at you today with a recap of my year so far. 😉
Category: Friends
25 Things You Don’t Know About Me
I saw (and really enjoyed reading!) this questionnaire on Tina and Julie‘s blogs and I figured that it’s time I share a little bit more about myself on here!
This questionnaire has 25 pretty random prompts, and I am almost positive you guys don’t know most of these things about me. But you will now!
25 Things You Didn’t Know About Me…Until Now!
1. I’m happiest when… I’m with my family and friends.
2. …Especially if it… involves relaxing on a boat or the beach, enjoying amazing food, or experiencing new things!
3. I’ve always wanted to… go to a taping of Ellen. Still a dream 🙂
4. My family and I… love to joke around, go out to dinner, and support each other in all that we do!
5. I was a terrible… soccer player. I played (for one season) when I was 5 and all I remember is that at the last practice, I peed my pants in the middle of the field because I didn’t want to go to the porta-potty by myself. Also, one time I let the ball go right past me and straight into the goal because I was waving to my mom. Yep, I was MVP. I’m glad I tried it though because I learned (and my parents quickly saw for themselves) that any sport involving a ball is not my forte.
6. My first job (besides babysitting) was… as a hostess at a local Italian restaurant. I got paid a full 10 bucks an hour plus tips and got free dinner after my shift – not a bad gig for a 16 year old!
7. I could probably definitely eat… ice-cream everyday. In fact, I pretty much do.
Sorry I got a little carried away there… You drooling yet?
8. I stole… ummm all I can think of is a few t-shirts from my brothers’ drawers when I was in my ‘sporty’ phase in 5th grade.
9. I was born on the same day as… my uncle. And (I just looked this up) Jessica Alba’s husband, Cash Warren (woohoo).
Funny story about birthdays though – two of my three brothers were born on April 22nd (4 years apart), which is also one of my cousin’s birthdays. And my other brother was born on April 27th, so there were many shared birthday parties for them!
Three boys, 2 years between each, all born in April, all with blue eyes…3 years later, in January, came me, a brown-eyed girl. Talk about the black sheep!
It’s too bad we don’t look (or pose…) like that anymore.
10. My all-time favorite film is… oh gosh, I can never choose favorites… maybe Parent Trap? But to be honest, I like almost every romance, comedy, or chick flick that I see – I’m not a tough critic when it comes to movies.
11. I do a pretty mean… British accent. One summer my friend and I went on vacation together and spoke in accents whenever we were in public (only when we weren’t with my parents because there was no way they were going to attempt to play along…that would’ve been a dead giveaway). I’m sure we fooled no one, but it was our tween-age idea of fun!
12. I’m still mad… I quit taking piano and guitar lessons. I started piano lessons in 2nd grade and quit after about a year because my teacher made me sing along… In school I played violin in 4th grade, then flute from 5th – 8th (both of which I’m not too mad I stopped playing). In 6th grade I took guitar lessons outside of school, but I quit once dance started taking over my life in 7th grade (I danced from ages 3-14).
I’m so mad I quit piano and guitar because I absolutely love music, and playing one (or both!) of those instruments is a hobby I wish I could have. I’ve tried to pick the guitar back up every now and then, but I end up getting frustrated when my little hands won’t stretch to get my fingers where they need to be. I just need more patience, really. Oh well…
13. I met my husband… HAHA funny one. I’m still in college, and probably pretty far from getting married (although I’d love to one day!!). I’ve been single since last July and am in no rush to meet my husband. That said, I’m definitely ready to have a boyfriend again, so I’m open to whatever is meant to happen.
14. I always knew I wanted… to be a mom. But seeing as I don’t want that to happen without first being able to answer number 13, I’ll go with… to study abroad. And that’s why I’m going to (in 22 days) (EEEEK!).
15. I’m not afraid to… try anything (within reason) once! That’s the attitude I’m trying to have as I go into my study abroad adventure this Fall!
16. I make the best… eggs. Haha trust me, I make more than just the microwave variety and I also am slowly learning how to cook and bake many things, but as a college kid, I have a lot to learn. I absolutely love being in the kitchen, experimenting with different ingredients, and trying new recipes as well as learning my family’s classics. Cooking and baking are definitely passions of mine, I just need much more practice (and time)!
17. I have almost no… hand-eye coordination when it comes to sports. I cannot catch/kick/throw a ball to save my life. Refer to number 5….
18. I always cry when… I watch the movie A Walk to Remember. Oh and Marley and Me. Aka almost any movie with a sad/deep/emotional ending.
19. I’m a… Connecticutian (Connecticutter? Yeah, I don’t know…), but I’m also a Bostonian because I go to BC. I love being both!!
20. I’ve spent 20 years (I guess technically 18 since I’m in college, but I’m home in the summers)… in the same house. My family moved into our current home about two years before I was born, and my parents aren’t planning on moving any time soon. I am more than okay with that because I love my home sweet home.
21. I wish my folks… the best (oh gosh, that sounds like I’m leaving them, which I am not. Well I guess I am for the semester, but you get my point). I love them so much and my brothers and I owe everything to them, so I pray every day that they stay healthy and happy 🙂
22. At 5, I was deeply in love with… a boy in my kindergarten class. I thought we were going to get married. I also was in love with dance and figure skating.
23. I believe if everyone… learned to love one another and treat others with respect, the world would be a better place.
(source)
24. I can’t stand… when people hover over me. Whether I’m studying, writing, eating, packing, whatever it may be, I hate when people stand over me/ watch me/ look over my shoulder if we’re not actually having a conversation as this happens. I also can’t stand…super slow walkers on campus between classes. I appreciate the fact that maybe they’re just soaking it all in or enjoying nice weather, but if I have a class to be getting to, pick up the pace or get out of my way! (Woah, did I just say that?)
25. Whenever… Keeping Up with the Kardashians is on, I’ll watch it. Yep, I said it.
Less Than 48 Hours Later… (Escape to the Cape – Part 2)
Hi guys! Happy Hump Day!
I feel like it’s been ages since we last spoke…
It’s been much longer than I anticipated because I did end up going back to the Cape on Thursday night, and unfortunately we had no internet.
I actually wrote an entire Thinking Out Loud post last Thursday in the car, thinking I would hit publish as soon as we got to the hotel.
Wellp that wasn’t exactly possible when we had no internet. The hotel ‘had wifi’ but for some reason it didn’t work, at least not in our room..
I was a little extremely frustrated at first, but then I decided to fully embrace a much needed break from technology. I didn’t use my laptop once and I only used my phone to text (and to Instagram one pic) when we were at restaurants and places where there was service. I have to admit, it was really nice to step away from the internet and social media for a couple days and just focus on my family and enjoying our little vacation.
Anywho, most of the post I wrote on Thursday is still relevant so I’ll probably edit and publish it tomorrow. Since today is Wednesday and all and I have tons of food pics, I think that calls for another WIAW, hosted by Jenn of course!
First of all, you may be wondering why I headed back to Cape Cod less than 48 hours after I returned home from there…
I got back from Chatham last Tuesday at about 8pm, worked Wednesday and then Thursday from 7am to 1. After weighing the pros and cons, I decided to give someone else my on-call shift Friday so I could head back to the Cape with my parents on Thursday afternoon. They had made these plans to go a while back, and since a few of my college friends were possibly going to be in Chatham, my goal was to at least see one of them.
Going into it, I knew that even if I didn’t end up seeing my friends, the quality family time was needed, especially since I’ll be leaving for Europe in less than a month.
After I got off work Thursday, I did a quick run and some arms, then repacked my bag (that I had basically left packed from Tuesday, just swapped out some outfits and such).
We arrived in the Cape Cod town of Yarmouth around 7pm and went right to The Skipper Restaurant & Chowder House. We had to wait an hour to be seated, but we didn’t mind!
I started with a few spoonfuls of my mom’s chowdah, which was super thick (and tasty).
For my meal, I ordered the ‘Grilled Scallop Salad’ which was fantastic. The cranberries and poppyseed dressing were just the right amount of sweetness to balance the salty scallops. I also had a piece of cornbread alongside my salad which tasted like dessert, so obviously I loved it.
We ate every bite of our meals, but there was no question about whether I would get ice cream from Skipper’s Icecream counter…
I chose the ‘Sea Salt Caramel with Walnuts’ which had some surprise chocolate caramel cups in it! I learned quite the valuable lesson by eating this ice-cream -> I don’t love plain walnuts… I guess I only like the candy-coated variety. That said, I loved everything else in this bowl of goodness that I enjoyed later on at the hotel (and I still ate all the walnuts – gotta get those healthy fats ;))
On Friday I woke up and ate a quick breakfast before heading out for a run (while my parents walked). I had some greek yogurt, a pear, and a bit of s’mores coffee pre 5 mile run, then a protein bar afterwards. Nothing too exciting, but it got the job done!
There was not a single cloud in the sky and our hotel was right on the water, so we quickly changed into our swimsuits, bathed in sunscreen, packed some lunch, and headed to the beach!
We relaxed in our chairs for a couple of hours before my mom and I took a walk along the water. When we returned, we were more than ready for lunch!
I packed a pb banana wrap, a white nectarine, and a kind bar.
Around 3:00 we decided to head back up to the hotel to lounge by the pool.
Clearly it was rough day..
For snack I had a gala apple with the rest of my pb + some almonds.
Around 4:30 I took a much needed shower and then we headed to Hyannis for dinner!
We parked our car and then walked around in search of the perfect place to eat. We came across The Black Cat Tavern where we were told it would be an hour wait. I had plans to meet up with one of my roommates (the same one I saw last week!) at 7:45 for an a Capella concert, so we said thanks anyway. As we started walking away, the hostess stopped us and said they could actually seat us right then. Score!
I chose the ‘Oven Roasted Pistachio Encrusted Salmon’ which was cooked to perfection and served on top of the most delectable orange honey glaze and creamy fruit risotto. I ate every last morsel and even used a piece of crusty bread to soak up all the delicious remnants. It was dee-lish.
We finished dinner right around 7:30 so I made it just in time to catch the Hyannis Sound concert with one of my college besties and her mom (while my parents explored town and went to ice cream, awww).
If you are ever in Cape Cod in the summer and you like good music, cute boys in Vineyard Vines, and/or having fun, you need to see one of their shows. Click here for all the info (and to listen to some of their amazing music!)
After the incredible show, we drove to my friend’s condo in Chatham where I was spending the night. On the way back we stopped for, what else, ice-cream!
I chose the ‘Purple Cow’ which was black raspberry with white and dark chocolate chunks. Yum!
We stayed up giggling like middle-schoolers and chatting away before calling it a night around 1:30.
It was a long but fabulous day!
On Saturday morning we woke up at 8:30, ate some cereal and fruit, then headed out for an easy run around downtown Chatham!
It was pretty humid out, and the pool was calling our names when we got back!
We were bummed we couldn’t see our other roommates (one had an early ferry ride to Nantucket, so the timing didn’t quite work out, and another ended up having to go to New Jersey), but we had a blast and were thankful just to see each other again!
My parents picked me up at 11:45 and as soon as we arrived back at our hotel, we got set for the beach.
It was pretty windy and the sun was going in and out of the clouds, so after about an hour I had to drape a towel over me as I ate my lunch (which was the same as Friday’s).
In an attempt to escape the sea breeze, we headed to the pool shortly after.
Around 4:00 it started to sprinkle, so I headed in for a shower before mass and dinner with my parents.
^ Lilly Pulitzer + some serious tan lines…
After church we went to The Waterfront at Lighthouse Inn in West Dennis.
I chose the ‘Sweet Salad’ which was a ginormous bowl of fruit over a bed of lettuce with seasoned shrimp. I thought it could have been tastier with spinach instead of romaine and iceberg lettuce, but the fruit and dressing were great and the shrimp was even better!
The sun was setting outside the window, which was an absolutely perfect way to end a yummy summer meal.
We then drove to Harwich Port to walk around for a bit before it got dark.
As we drove back to the hotel, we were on the lookout for a good ice cream spot. We saw tons on our way, but most were super crowded, so we decided to just head back to Skipper’s Icecream.
I got ‘Lobster Tracks’ which was vanilla ice-cream with a thick fudge swirl (oh my gosh), and red white-chocolate caramel cups. It was to die for. Definitely my favorite flavor of this trip!
^ That second photo is a massive fudge chunk. Aka a bite of heaven.
I went to sleep very happy (and very full) that night.
I got up at 7:45 on Sunday and went straight out the door for another 5 mile run. When I got back I stretched and sipped some coffee out by the pool, soaking up one last bit of sunny Cape Cod.
Once my parents were all set, we packed up, checked out, and headed to Hyannis for brunch at The SunnySide Restaurant.
.
We grabbed a table outside and enjoyed some breakfast while people-watching and recapping our awesome mini vacation!
I got a blueberry pancake and an over-easy egg. Once I saw my moms wheat toast and jam, I wish I had gotten eggs and toast instead of the pancake, but I was craving pancakes all weekend, so it had to be done!
We hit the road around noon, just as storm clouds rolled in and the skies opened up. Perfect timing!
Because Cape traffic can get a little crazy on Sunday afternoons, it took about 4 hours to get home, so a light lunch was needed in the car around 3:00.
I whipped out an undocumented nectarine and then topped a wheat wrap with pb and banana (while we were in motion, hence the horrendous presentation).
Plus an apple and more pb as soon as we got home!
In the summer, my parents usually throw something on the grill and we have a nice Sunday dinner with my older brothers, but since we didn’t get home until after 4:00 and were in no mood to cook, we ordered takeout around 7:00.
I got my fave Cosi salad (the Peruvian Palm). No pistachio-encrusted salmon or waterfront dining, but I still liked it!
It was such an amazing long weekend with my family (and a friend!). I’m so glad I decided to take work off to spend that time with my parents. I’m going to miss them so much when I’m abroad, so this was the perfect trip for us. Plus, the beach and food weren’t too shabby either…
Once again, thanks for enduring another photo dump/ rambling post from me! I hope you enjoyed reading it because I loved writing it.
Have a great rest of your Hump Day, and a fabulous rest of the week 🙂
I’ll see ya back here soon with some Thursday Thoughts, a ‘how to pack‘ post, and much, much more!
xo’s
PS – Don’t forget, my Twitter and Instagram handles (as well as Pinterest) are now @fuelingfab (which will possibly be my new blog title!). Your input on my blog name (once I go self-hosted) is still much appreciated 🙂
Questions of the day:
- Have you gone anywhere fun this summer?
- Do you have any end-of-summer plans coming up?
- What is your all-time favorite ice-cream flavor?
And in case you missed them, here are some of my more recent posts…
A Quick Escape to the Cape
Hey hey what up on this Wednesday?
I guess someone’s a little (too) excited to be back on the blog today (and to have an app that frames pictures)…
I did stop by for a quick ‘hey!’ on Monday, but today it’s back to your regularly scheduled programming with another WIAW link-up hosted by Jenn!
As I briefly mentioned at the end of my Friday Favorites post (and made pretty obvious in Monday’s Instagram), I did end up going to Cape Cod, MA for a quick trip. A couple friends of mine have cottages there, so since I had work off and schedules aligned, I packed my bags Saturday night and headed up there with a high school friend on Sunday afternoon!
We arrived around 5:45 and went straight to one of my college roommates/ best friends’ beautiful condo. It was cool and drizzling, but I did not care one bit. I hadn’t seen her in over 2 months and I was beyond excited to reunite!
A couple of my high school friends met my roommate when they visited me at school, and since this friend was one that visited, it wasn’t awkward (not that it would’ve been even if they hadn’t met) when we drove into downtown Chatham and had a nice long catch-up sesh over a delicious dinner.
Originally we had planned to go to The Chatham Squire, but there was a 45 minute wait (must mean it’s good!) and my roommate had to be on the road by 8:00 to get back for work on Monday morning. We walked around a bit and quickly decided on The Captain’s Table, and we were soon quite glad we did!
I ordered the salad plate with salmon, which was a tossed salad topped with a salmon filet and drizzled in raspberry vinaigrette (<- my favorite). It was simple but absolutely perfect. Plus a fluffy roll dipped in the dressing (I told you it’s my favorite!) rounded out the meal.
After chatting away for almost 2 hours, we (sadly) dropped my roommate off at her condo so she could head home. Even though it was way too short, I’m sooo happy I got to see her! 🙂
We then headed to my high school friend’s adorable cottage and got settled before leaving again to get ice-cream.
When I’m on vacation (and even when I’m not…), the question isn’t “do you want ice cream tonight?”, it’s “what flavor do you want tonight?”
We went to Emack & Bolio’s and I got the ‘Salted Caramel Chocolate Pretzel’. So sweet. So salty. So. freaking. good.
It was pretty nasty out so we decided to take it back to the cottage and eat it while watching the Kardashians because come on, is there any better way to spend a rainy summer night? Not in my book.
After devouring our frozen treats and commenting on the ridiculousness that is the Kardashians, we Face-Timed one of our friends who is interning in DC. It was awesome to ‘see’ him and he (as always) had as laughing so hard my abs were sore (which is a good thing since I didn’t workout at all Monday or Tuesday). I know I say this a lot, but I am seriously so blessed to have the hilarious/ fun/ caring/ incredible friends that I have!
We went to bed super late (and I didn’t end up falling asleep til 4 am…) so on Monday we slept in until 10:30. We had brought a ton of food from home so we could just eat dinner out (and ice-cream, that’s a given) in order to save money after the NYC trip last week. Breakfast was light and uneventful, and we left the cottage around 11 to head into town!
It wasn’t raining, but it wasn’t awesome weather, either. The skies were gray but luckily the temps were prime, so we decided to park the car in town and walk ~1.5 miles to Lighthouse Beach, window shopping and chatting as we went. When we got there we realized we wanted to stay so we walked back to the car, grabbed some beach towels and headed back.
I couldn’t help but snap some photos of the gorgeous hydrangeas and breathtaking ocean views!
The 4.5 mile walk in flip flops (+ lack of sleep) meant it was nap time as soon as we found a spot to spread our towels.
It was a bit chilly and windy, but the sun peaked out for about an hour or so. The soothing sound of waves crashing and little kids giggling made me so relaxed that I almost fell completely asleep (but not quite). I had my eyes open for a total of about 30 minutes to eat a pb + banana pita, white nectarine, almonds, and a few other snacks that I honestly can’t even remember (that’s how boring they were).
At about 4:30 we decided to make the trek back to the car so we could shower before heading to dinner!
Looking out and seeing this reminded me just how good life is.
After a nice warm shower, we headed out in search of an inexpensive place to eat. As we drove into town, the sign for Sweet Tomatoes caught our eye so we turned right in, ordered at the counter, and snagged a table outside! The sun was out now, and the weather couldn’t have been better for some casual outdoor dining.
Since it was just the two of us (other friends from home couldn’t get off work, which was a huge bummer, but we made the best of it!), we decided to split a salad and a sandwich. Again, another great dinner decision!
We literally did not leave a crumb on our plates.
The salad was fresh, and the raspberry vinaigrette (see, I did it again!) + goat cheese brought it to the next level. The sandwich was on the most incredible, thick focaccia and the roasted veggies + warm goat cheese melted in our mouths.
I know I can sometimes always sound a bit dramatic when I describe food, but I’m just being honest, and honestly it was that good.
Once we licked our plates clean, we sat and talked for another hour before going back in and grabbing a root beer. Don’t ask why I was suddenly craving this… It was weird but I just went with it.
Naturally, we then ventured over to Harwich to go to Schoolhouse Icecream and Yogurt for our nightly ice-cream fix. After mulling over the menu for about 10 minutes, I chose the ‘Harwich Mudpie’, which I believe was coffee ice-cream, brownie bites, almonds, and a little bit of heaven sprinkled in.
We brought them back home to eat later on after digesting our dinners, and so we had something to enjoy as we watched suffered through the painfully awkward ‘Bachelorette: The Men Tell All’.
By that, I mean we had it on in the background as I blogged/ read blogs/ enjoyed every spoonful/ cringed at the conversations the guys had. I haven’t been watching this season, and honestly after Monday night’s episode, I don’t feel like I’m missing out on much.
While I was happy when the episode was over, I was legitimately sad when I finished my ice-cream. I could’ve eaten another cup despite the fact that this ‘small’ was literally overflowing with chocolatey goodness.
Exhausted and in mild food-comas, we happily went to our rooms around midnight, and I was asleep by 1:00.
Tuesday was a sunny day (yay!), so I woke up at 8:45 ready to beach it. Again, we ate some lame breakfast, and then grabbed Dunkin iced coffees (toasted coconut for me!), and were basking in the glorious sun by 10:20.
We laid out, chatted, people-watched, and relaxed for a solid 5 hours before we decided to call it a day so we could hit the road and be back home before dark.
In case you’re wondering (which I’m sure you aren’t) – Yes, I did apply (and reapply) sunscreen, but yes, I did still get burnt in the places that hadn’t seen the light of day all summer. My stomach, upper thighs, and random patches on my back are the color of a tomato. Ouch.
Anyway, after a quick cleanup, we were saying goodbye to the cottage and to another awesome little getaway by 4:15.
The ride home takes about 3.5 to 4 hours, so we made a pit-stop at Dunkin again, and this time I tried the blueberry coffee. I always thought it sounded pretty gross, but I went for it and was pleasantly surprised!
As we sipped away, we had the age-old Starbucks vs Dunkin debate and concluded that DD’s coffee is the way to go.
This is because 1) it’s cheaper, 2) it comes in way more flavors, and 3) it doesn’t taste like syrup. I don’t know about you, but whenever I’ve gotten a flavored iced coffee from Starbs, all I taste is syrup. Could just be a bad barista, but I still prefer the price and variety of DD’s. Starbucks is good for other things though!
I digress…
I hadn’t eaten lunch (WHAT?! I never forget to eat a meal!), so as we drove I ate another pb banana pita, almonds, and various other treats I had stuffed in my bag.
I got home at 8:00 ready for a real meal, and luckily my wonderful mother had saved me some leftovers. I also had a bowl of cinnamon chex, yogurt and fruit, and a few little granola bars throughout the night because I was suddenly starving. I guess all that sun really drained my energy!
It was an awesome quick escape to the Cape, filled with fun times with friends, fabulous food, and lots of R&R!
Also, while I was there, I thought a lot about this little blog of mine. You may have noticed that my Instagram and Twitter handles are now @fuelingfab… As I said in my short post on Monday night this may be the name of my blog once I become self hosted…or it may not.
As I commented on my Instagram photo ^, I originally titled my blog ‘Fueling a Life’ for these reasons (also explained a bit more here).
As much as I love and am always going to keep the purpose of my blog and the meaning behind the current name, I love the word ‘fabulous‘ because I think it can describe so much – from life in general to fashion to workouts to food, which is what my blog is all about! Although I may discuss some serious topics, my blog is generally meant to be a lighthearted, slightly witty read to brighten peoples’ day, so I like how ‘fabulous’ is a fun word (that I use quite often) and is shortened to ‘fab‘, which is just a little more spunky (if a word can be spunky?). Plus, I do love a good alliteration…
I guess it all boils down to what name has more of a ring to it/ makes sense/ represents my blog/ lets the reader know exactly what my site is all about right from the get-go.
As you can see, it’s a really tough decision for me, so any and all input would be greatly appreciated! And don’t worry, you won’t hurt my feelings either way 🙂
Thanks for sticking around through my long posts and listening to allll my thoughts! I hope you have a great Wednesday and a fabulous rest of the week 😉
xo’s