New Year, New Resolutions

Finally, the holidays are over and I'm back to a normal schedule. No more holiday parties and baking loaves of pumpkin bread. I just got back down to my normal weight that I've maintained for the past 2 or 3 years, thankfully. All is right with the world. 

So what's next? I conquered Tough Mudder, passed my PMP exam, completed 14 races in 2011 (2 more than my original goal) and migrated to a full-time apple user with my new mac book air and iphone 4s (thank you John!). It was a good year and I'm very pleased with my accomplishments. What made the end of 2011 even better is my new years promotion at work! I'm now a Project Manager / Process Engineer in Human Resources at my company.

So now that it's 2012, I need to set a few more goals. When I list resolutions, I really means goals. I think that word sends a better message. Goals are more motivating to me and I tend to stick with them, plus they can be super small and repeated. So below I've listed my goals for 2012. Hooyah!

1. Become proficient in my new role. While I have managed many projects in my career, leading projects that really make a business impact is what I want to achieve. I want to be comfortable with PM terminology like it's the back of my hand, and become meticulous with my documentation by using the right tools. I am nervous of the unknown, but excited to take on the challenge.

2. Try new workouts and races. I've already signed up for a "barre" class and I bought the living social deal to Crossfit here in RVA. Two new things already on the list for 2012! I want to continue trying new things when it comes to physical activity. For the past several years I've been a consistent run/bike/swim and weight trainer. I threw in a few Bikram Yoga classes here and there, plus a SEAL team course, but that's about it. I also want to sign up for new races. I didn't get into the Cherry Blossom 10 Miler unfortunately, but I signed up for a "mini Tough Mudder" race in Cville for April, plus I plan on racing Cville's 10 miler too.

3. Discover new recipes and restaurants. I'm the type of cook that throws everything into a pot and hopes for the best. I love discovering a new meal just by mistake. But I also need to try a few new recipes too. Everyone knows I LOVE to go out to eat but this year I want to try new places. I went to Roosevelt down in Church Hill before the new year, so that doesn't count. I want to try Pasture, Kenn Tico, Stella's, and Ironfish for sure. There are so many more - thank god there's plenty of days in the year!

I'll leave my goals at that for now. I noticed my "new things" theme when writing this post, hence the title. There will be plenty more I'm sure. So with that, I wish you all a Happy New Year and good luck in your goals as well!

Foodie Weekend

So this weekend I enjoyed an assortment of excellent food... Friday night I headed to Pescado's China Street with 2 girlfriends for happy hour and dinner. We enjoyed pitchers of Sangria, colorful mojitos, and one big guava jalapeño margarita that was to-die for... It packed some heat too! The great thing about Pescado's is you can dine all night long on their small plates and taste a variety of options. We chose the escolar tostada, fried oysters, and ceviche that was out of this

world. The seafood paella entrée rocked too. The risotto griddle cake underneath the clams, shrimp, mussels, and chorizo made for a unique twist to the traditional meal. The best part was dessert... Avocado Tarte. Everyone who knows me fairly well knows that my favorite food is avocado. I eat probably a half avocado every single day. I use avocado for everything - it replaces my cream cheese when I have lox and bagels for breakfast, and trumps mayo any day on a deli sandwich. So when out came a beautiful graham cracker crust bowl of avocado creaminess topped with whipped cream and fresh mint, you can only imagine my anticipation. Words cannot describe the heavenly taste of this dessert. It was light yet full of flavor - a great way to end our wonderful meal!

On to another favorite restaurant of mine in RVA... Stronghill Dining Company. John and I were able to brunch on Sunday for the first time in a while. After a round of bloody mary's, we enjoyed egg's benedict, but topped with fried goat cheese and smoked salmon instead of the traditional Canadian bacon. It was excellent. I ordered an omelette with goat cheese, mushrooms and

crawfish. It was very fresh - not fishy at all! And of course a side waffle, because I always want a

taste of sweetness with my eggs...

S0... with all that said, hope you drooled a little while reading this post and of course, head down to Pescado's or Stronghill for a fabulous dining experience!

Bikes, Burgers and Valentine's Day

I just got home from the most amazing Valentine's Day meal of my life. John took me to Pescados, one of my absolutely favorite restaurants in Richmond. The menu is filled with Latin and Caribbean Seafood. We did the Valentine's Day prefix, which included the following:

Appetizers: Scallops with caviar and cauliflower curry puree

Duck confit over arugula and dried fruit coated with a sweet raspberry sauce

Dinner: Peppercorn and blue cheese crusted filet mignon, cooked medium rare over top of broccolini and mashed potatoes

Fresh lobster tail over corn risotto

Dessert: Passion fruit parfait and chocolate ravioli

Everything was paired with a wine to match. It was spectacular, savory, romantic and absolutely wonderful. When we got home, I had a half bottle of Rosa Regale, a sparking red Italian dessert wine that you sip while eating dark chocolate. It tastes just like a chocolate covered strawberry. Yum. Plus, John had beautiful flowers delivered to my office. It was a wonderful Valentine's Day. Thank you babe!

Now, let's back up to last week. My last post mentioned that I had signed up for Endorphin Fitness's Triathlon Essentials crash course. I had completed Monday's flexibility and core workout and was ready for Tuesday's cycling class. At least I thought I was... The class was filled from wall to wall with cyclists of every level. It was inspiring and overwhelming all at the same time. We were instructed to bring our road bikes and moun

t them on a rear axle suspension devise that ultimately made our road bikes into stationary spin equipment. It was incredible. My heart rate maxed at 180, which is quite high for me. I loved every minute of it. The massive number of cyclists was so inspiring. I wish I could afford the entire spring program at Endorphin, but alas, the great outdoors on my own time will have to suffice.

Along with my Endorphin crash course on Triathlons, I also crashed my diet as well, specifically with burgers. My coworker Stanley convinced me to attend the soft opening of Boom Boom Burger, the grass-fed organic small business burger joint down by the Farmer's Market on 17th street. The atmosphere was great but the food was okay. Definitely enjoyed the local produce, especially the oyster mushrooms, but $10 bucks for a burger with no sides or drink is pushing it here in RVA. I guess I can't get too excited about Boom Boom burgers when I had the Barnyard Burger to look forward to later that week...

Have you ever been to Lemaire inside the Jefferson Hotel? Everything on their menu is fabulous, and normally I would never consider ordering a burger at a 5-star locale,

but at Lemaire, the Barnyard burger is the best $18 you

will ever invest in when it comes to burgers. Ground tenderloin topped with thick cut bacon, a fried egg and

my favorite: the foie-gras sauce to top

it all off. It's a heart attack on a plate for sure, but worth the 10 mile run afterwards. Hands down this will be my marathon treat of choice. Oh yeah, and we tried antelope. Lemaire's special was a medium rare sliced antelope, very lean and drizzled with a red wine jus. It was awesome, but the burger was better.

So there have it. My week filled with food and cycling. Nothing unusual for me but so much fun none the less!