So, if you had asked me on Thursday what I was doing this weekend I would have said laying out, seeing a Broadway matinee, and meeting up with fab UGA folks at the NYC BBQ festival in the city. Well, now Monday has once again graced us with it’s presence and we did NONE of those things. But we had a great weekend full of firsts:

1. We didn’t eat out one time! We decided to relax and enjoy our time together by cooking together. We enjoyed grilled fish fillets and veggies with a great new Riesling Friday, turkey burgers and sauteed mushrooms and onions Saturday, and healthier pad thai and our Japanese mushroom soup we invented last night.

2. We made our first trip to Staten Island, NY in hopes of actually finding the perfect rug which we were hunting down at Pier 1. Driving around that place was a bit crazy as the traffic was unbelievable and the signage is horrible! My girlfriend Lindsey had the rug in her adorable house last week when I was in Philadelphia and I knew it was perfect! When she told me that it was from Pier1 I was in shock! The rug was $100 less than any other rug we’d seen at Pottery Barn, Crate and Barrel, etc and is perfect! I highly recommend checking out their rug selection!

3. We FINALLY decided on a dining room/kitchen table. My friend Meg has decorated her amazing Atlanta condo from floor to ceiling and is always the best person for boutique and furniture recommendations. After exhausting our standard options (Ikea, Pottery Barn, Crate and Barrel, Williams Sonoma, etc) we were ready to look at a smaller chain and outside of NYC. Sure enough she sent me two great links Ballard Designs and Grandin Road.

The table is round, has classic curves, great chairs, and comes in a pretty deep maple color (we didn’t go with this BLACK color in the picture) which should blend perfectly with the rug above and the rest of our decor. Unfortunately it is backordered until June 29th but we can be patient. I highly suggest hopping over to their website today as it’s the last day of their FULL WEBSITE 15% off sale!

4. Meditated daily! While I have enjoyed and practiced yoga on and off for years, i’ve never tried meditation before this week. But, as part of the Bikini Bootcamp book I won in a giveaway, it challenged readers to invest in their mind and soul for 10-15 minutes each day. I didn’t think i’d be able to reach a state of piece but their suggestions really worked! The purpose of meditation is to calm the mind and develop inner peace. The first step is to find a quiet space whether it’s your car while it’s parked in the driveway after a long day at work, your cubicle when no one else is around, your home, or local park. Next find a comfortable position that works for you. Sometimes it’s cross legged but for me laying flat on my back with my hands gently lying on my stomach was the most calming and peaceful position I could find. After a few minutes with my eyes closed I began to focus on trying to push thoughts out of my mind. It is like a cleanse for your brain. It is hard and almost seems meaningless the first time but after 8 days I’m addicted!

I’ll be back later today to give you our awesome Japanese Mushroom Soup recipe, talk about the importance of eating healthy during meetings/class/work, and the power of positive “health” models.


Have a great Tuesday!