“We fit in way too well here…”

I always love the weekends following holidays, especially after Thanksgiving. It’s the start of a really exciting month…and most importantly, the end of the school semester! In just two weeks I’ll be home for good, basking in the glory of a month off from school. I’ve been using the past week and this weekend to “recharge my batteries” and prepare myself for the next week or so of studying for finals, moving out of the sorority house, and tying up the loose ends for my trip to Paris. I’ve practiced yoga everyday for the past week and a half (minus T-giving day), taken long walks, and spent tons of time with friends. Livin’ the dream

 

Breakfast was an old favorite today. One that I hadn’t had in quite a while. Just some oats with chia seeds, cinnamon, sea salt, almond butter…and Fage greek yogurt. It was like icing on the cake! Except that it was yogurt on the oat, but I digress.

After a slow morning, Mom and I went to the bank to get a foreign draft to send over to Paris as a deposit for my rent in the Spring. What a process! I left a bit anxious about the trip, especially in the mulah department. I can’t believe I leave in like…5 weeks. Sheesh. But anyway, I digress…again.

 

After errand running, I met up with my friend Jen to take a noon Flow class. Yesterday we went to a 2 hour challenging and detoxifying Hot Flow class. My legs and back (read: gluteus maximus) are a bit sore today, and today’s class was just what I needed to loosen up my tight muscles from yesterday’s class.

 

Post yoga we went to Greenwise for lunch. I think this is the third day this week…but who’s counting. We sit at the same table every time and one of the cashier’s greeted me by name yesterday. Totally normal.

 

I got what I always get…salad, some cooked veggies (eggplant and broccoli today!) and some rotisserie chicken.

 

After our bellies were full of Greenwise goodies…we went to the ZOO!!!

 

Yes my friends, just the two of us, hanging out at the zoo after yoga and lunch. So random, but so fun. We, of course, named every animal and made up a whole story line about their lives and what they were thinking. Typical.

 

Did you guys know you could pet a giraffe? This picture was taken just before she licked the little girl’s head who is feeding her the cracker…

 

We couldn’t get over how beautiful they were..

We also decided they would be great yogis due to the fact that their necks are long, allowing their shoulders to naturally roll onto their back creating a lot of length and space for their necks

 

We also spent some time with the white rhino’s. We happened to walk up right when they began playing in the mud and decided they were a group of rowdy college aged kids getting into trouble…

She’s totally going to regret that in the morning.

 

We couldn’t help but feel sorry for these camels though. Camel rides? Seriously?

Can you imagine the conversation at the dinner table tonight? “So dear, what did you do today?” said the husband. “Oh, just the usual. Took out the trash, made the kids breakfast, did a load of laundry…rode a camel.” she replies.  To each his own, I guess!

 

Our very favorite was the orangutans. We must have stood there watching them, completely mesmerized, for a good half hour. First we saw this lovely lady, Gwendolyn (actually, I think that’s her real name).

I spy with my little eye…a baby!

 

This was the sweetest thing!! The mom was just loving on her baby (who we named Rebecca…?). She walked all around with her and held her and played with her. So. freakin’. cute.

 

Did you know that orangutans and humans have 97% of the same genetic make up? That answers a lot of questions I had about some of the men I’ve dated… But yet again, I digress.

 

And how could I forget the fiercest animal of them all!? The Great White Labradoodle.

Love that lil’ booger. Raleigh was probably staring at my dinner as I was taking her picture. No broccoli for you missy.

My Dad made a family favorite last night: spaghetti with meatballs and tomato sauce. Not just any tomato sauce…Nana’s FAMOUS tomato sauce. And by famous I mean that we all love it and wouldn’t consider making tomato sauce any other way. Here’s Dad attacking his plate of leftover yuminess tonight..

I opted not to have the pasta and meatballs and used the leftover sauce on some steamed broccoli and topped it with an over medium egg. My Dad grew up Catholic, and when he was a kid they didn’t eat meat on Friday, so Nana (his mom) would fry an egg, and stick it in the tomato sauce to finish cooking. They’d eat the sauce and fried egg over pasta (can you say healthy!?) and I’ve always been intrigued with the combo. We have had it a few times as a family and I decided to make it a tad healthier for my own version. So there.

 

And that’s that my friends. I’m going to spend tonight packing and getting ready to head back to school tomorrow…but not until after a 9:00am Ashtanga yoga class.

 

Oh, and just for fun I added a Songs of the Week page to the blog! I’m always listening to music and get a lot of questions about what I like to put on my playlists when I practice yoga. I’ll update it weekly to keep things fresh Enjoy!

Tagged as: broccoli, dining out, oats, pasta, Raleigh