Belated Birthday Dinner

#11. Try a new restaurant every month

Every year I go out with my two girlfriends for my birthday, but this year with hard to plan around schedules all around, it took us a month to actually do it - not that I can complain to celebrate my birthday a month after the fact! This year I chose a place that my coworkers had raved about - Back Forty - and they weren't kidding! This place was amazing - the food, the drinks, and the atmosphere were all great. This place only serves fresh ingredients, so the menu is always changing. I had the roasted brussel sprouts to start (insanely good), a special of the day, which a delicious steak with roasted winter vegetables, and DO NOT MISS the Fresh Doughnut for dessert - yes I said doughnut, trust me.

Pre-New Year's Resolution Part 2

#40: Make meal plans every week
#41: Try a new recipe at least twice a month
#44: Make (or order in) one vegetarian meal per week
#45: Make fish at least once a month

Along with my workout kick, I'm also trying to cook more (both dinners and lunches for J and I), both as a means to save money AND be healthier! So far, it's been pretty great!

I've tried a bunch of new recipes from EatingWell and they've been a hit:
Chicken Paprikash
Sweet and Sour Chicken
Honey Soy Salmon

I've also made a delicious Turkey Chili recipe for lunch this week from the Food Network.

Pre-New Year's Resolution

#26: Workout 3 times a week for a month

Since I didn't make it last time, and I'm starting anew...I will start counting this again! This time I will count how many times I work out, my total goal is 3 times a week for a month...which comes to 12 workouts (it sounds so much easier to attain like that, doesn't it??)

I had a great first week back, going to the gym to walk on the treadmill twice and doing my 8 minute Arms and Abs workouts twice. Yesterday was my first gym blowoff (I was tired and was having dinner with my parents!) but I'm going to return strong tonight and tomorrow, doing one arms and abs workout and one treadmill.

Harry Potter Marathon? Yes please!

#9: Have a lazy day Harry Potter Marathon, Star Wars Marathon, and Lord of the Rings Marathon (1/3)



Counting it! This weekend was cold and rainy and thank goodness for cable networks in December! ABC Family was having an all weekend Harry Potter Marathon! I found out towards the beginning of #2, and was glued to the TV for the rest of the night through the end of movie #3. The next night #4 aired, and I happily watched. While I definitely would love to have a full marathon of ALL the movies (perhaps over a weekend...) I'm going to count it for now. Funny also, TNT was having a Lord of the Rings Marathon on Sunday, and I watched most of the second film while I was home (and tivoed the 3rd but didnt have a chance to watch it)

Chasing Harry Winston

#2: Read 1 new book every 2 months



Another chick lit book - what a surprise! This time, I went for Devil Wears Prada'a Lauren Weisberger's next book - Chasing Harry Winston. I loved Prada and her second book, Everyone Worth Knowing, so I was excited to put this next title on my library queue! While probably being my least favorite book of the 3, Harry Winston was very cute and fun to read. The book follows three best friends since college, Leigh, Emmy, and Adriana. The POV shifted between all girls within each chapter - I am a fan of the shifting POVs!

The friends are 29 and facing life before turning the big 3-0. Emmy was just left by her boyfriend of five years for a young, virginal personal trainer (who she bought for him as a present). Leigh seems to have it all - the perfect job, the perfect apartment, and the perfect guy, but for some reason it isn't cutting it but she's scared of letting anyone know how unhappy she is. Adriana is a gorgeous brazilian heiress who loves getting the attention of strange, handsome men. One night, Adriana and Emmy make a pact - within the next year, each will drastically change her life - Adriana, who goes through men like Kleenex, will be in a monogamous relationship by the end of the year, while Emmy, who's only ever slept with her 3 long term boyfriends, will become more uninhibited and have an around-the-world sex-fueled adventure.

I wish vacation could be always

#22: Go somewhere warm in the winter with Justin
#78: Go to a Cirque du Soleil show

Perhaps the 101 thing I was most excited to do (and hopefully will get to do again ...and again......) was escaping the cold for somewhere lovely and warm with Justin. While I originally envisioned laying on the beaches of Bahamas (maybe next time), we ended up spending 9 fabulous days in Orlando, FL at Disney World! Yes, we've been there before together (two other times) but we really love it, and we got a really great deal, so off we went! We had a really amazing time (despite a few setbacks, like someone breaking my camera on day 1 and them switching the park hours so that we had to rearrange our scheduling), it was so much fun and we didn't want to leave!!! We're hoping to plan a group trip to Disney sometime in the next 2 years - I don't know if I can wait that long! I'll link to all the trip pics once I get all that settled...



And, while we were there, I took care of yet ANOTHER 101Thing....we saw Cirque du Soleil's La Nouba at Downtown Disney! The show was really entertaining and had a lot of fun acts, including adorable little chinese girls playing with the diabolo (Chinese yo-yo). They hold two sticks linked by a string, they slide, juggle and toss a musical wooden spool while performing flips in the air. Other standout acts were cyclists, hire wire, flying trapeze, and a trampoline act.

Happy Birthday to me!

#99: Get a large TV for the living room

My birthday present this year from my parents, Justin, AND myself, is a wonderful large screen TV for our apartment!!! We decided on a 42 inch Insignia tv cause of the great price and I don't know how I watched tv before without it!

Thank God for Spa Week!

#62: Get a Facial once a year

Without Spa Week, I might never get to enjoy the wonderfulness that is a facial (or a real massage for that matter). Thankfully, Spa Week does exist and I got to get my first facial in a year! I went to a place I hadn't been to before, but it was conveniently located and got good reviews - Moonflower Spa, located on 41st street between 5th and Madison. It was a cute little place and everyone was very nice and friendly. The facial was relaxing and made my skin feel fresh and smooth! I'm already looking forward to the next Spa Week, whenever that may be! Massage next!

Always check if it's a BYOB!

#11: Try a new restaurant every month

So this past friday night I met a couple of my girlfriends for dinner down on the lower east side. We chose this restaurant, new to all of us: Antibes Bistro. One little issue with the place...it was a BYOB and we didn't know it!! The site has a wine list under the list of menus and you have to click onto the wine list for it to tell you that it's a BYOB and then it gives you a suggested wine list. I mean come on! That was a major disappointment since on a friday night, I was in need of a nice big glass of wine to start off the weekend right.

Anyway, the place was cute and small with nice ambiance, tho a little too tight with other tables. I love small places downtown but waitresses shouldnt have to ask people to move so they can reach another table! They put the 3 of us at a table for 2! And we did call for reservations in advance. They also had a small little outdoor seating area that would be nice in the warmer weather. We were astonished to see multiple groups of people sit there in the 40 degree cold! At least they had their own wine tho!

On to the food - I got the Beet and Goat Cheese appetizer which was sooooooooo yummy. I'm a big fan of this combo. For the entree, I got the Salmon with Ratatouille which was a little disappointing - for one, I saw a picture on their website of this which looked a LOT better than what was served to me. Secondly, the salmon wasn't so great, not enough flavor, a little too fishy. The ratatouille was good though. Then we split a Vanilla Panna Cotta with Poached Pears for dessert, which just didnt look appetizing at all. The pears had a pinot noir sauce that I just didn't like and the Panna Cotta was better than I expected (I have a thing about foods with weird consistencies) but still pretty blah.

Overall, I loved the appetizer and the ambiance of this place and would consider coming back with Justin sometime - with a bottle of wine in hand - and trying a different entree (since both my friends loved theirs).

Nothing like a good ChickLit!

#2: Read 1 new book every 2 months

So after my foray into a very long sci-fi series, I decided to go back to my favored book genre - Chick Lit! Now, it may seem like I strictly read books that are in a series, but I promise that's not true...it just is true for this particular Chick Lit book...and the one I plan on reading next...

Well see, what happened was...when I was looking for a new book to read, I started the search with authors that I've read in the past and liked - a natural place to begin! So first up is actually book #2 in a series (somehow I've read books 1 and 3...but it's not like a serious series, just has the same characters) of Rachel Benjamin mysteries - The Jinx, by Jennifer Sturman. This series is a lot of fun cause it's a mix of chick lit and murder mysteries!

The first book in the series, The Pact, follows Rachel and her college best friends who made a pact back in college to make sure to tell each other if the group ever felt a man was not worthy. Well, one of the friends was about to marry someone not so worthy and they all were there for the wedding - when the night before the wedding the groom-to-be was found dead! Needless to say Rachel helps figure it out - AND meets a guy while she's at it!

The Jinx picks up when Rachel is in Boston for the week for business and for her annual reunion with her friends...when her client/friend is attacked! Rachel has to figure it out all while wondering if her boyfriend is cheating on her and her college crush comes back into the picture! (I totally should write those summaries on the back of books, am i right??)

Anyway, long story short, it was a fun, short read!