Birthday Gone Right

So while the birthday weekend didn’t start perfectly, it certainly ended well!

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After our poolside adventures yesterday we spent the evening grilling outside, sipping cool drinks, watching the Olympics, and blowing out candles of course!

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Dinner included rubbed and grilled baby back ribs, corn on the cob, grilled asparagus, an arugula salad topped with honey goat cheese and tomatoes, washed down with refreshing drinks ranging from spiked lemonade to dark and stormy.

After dinner we spent the rest of the evening watching the Olympics from the comfort of the sofa and blowing out candles. Scott picked up cupcakes from Brown Betty Dessert Boutique in Philadelphia which were perfect for sharing between the five of us. Bo’s favorite was the chocolate while mine was the sweet potato!

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In keeping with the cooking and dining theme, we enjoyed a group brunch on the back patio this morning before Bo and I had to head back to New York City via Amtrak. The weather was perfect and the eggs were some of the best I’ve ever had! If you’re looking for a scrambled egg recipe I highly recommend eggs, sautéed shallots and garlic, along with some shredded cheddar cheese.

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Brunch on the back porch was made even more interesting by deer appearances throughout the morning. Bambi was far braver than her mom who quickly ran back in the woods as soon as she saw us.

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Then, our evening was made complete by two episodes of The Newsroom, a family dinner guest appearance by Theodora, a birthday toast, and a delicious dinner of Chilean Sea Bass served over sautéed shitake mushrooms and Tofu Shirataki noodles.

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I really am not ready for this weekend to end but rumor has it tomorrow’s Monday and that means an early morning workout!

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Birthday Fun in the Suburbs

Oh what a day it has been!

Last night I was asleep within minutes of hitting the air mattress. Needless to say my day of stressful travel and week of enjoyment left me completely exhausted.

This morning, my host, Sean, was sweet enough to prepare breakfast and coffee before I woke up at 7am. His girlfriend loves the Morningstar Farms Veggie Sausage, Egg & Cheese biscuit and therefore he figured I’d appreciate it as well. It was the perfect start to the morning and a great mix of protein, carbohydrates, and vegetables! IMG_3667

After picking up Wendy, Sean’s girlfriend, we headed to Philadelphia where we met Bo at the train station. IMG_3671

Our plan today is to celebrate Bo’s birthday with 2 of his best friends, Sean and Scott, down in the suburbs of Philadelphia including swimming, sunshine, Farmer’s Market shopping, grilling, and celebrating together.

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You know it’s going to be a great night when the backseat of the car is filled with food and alcohol!

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After shopping we headed to the pool for an afternoon of relaxing fun including locating the first diving board we’ve seen in ages, playing Marco Polo and chicken, reading on our Kindles and iPads, and catching up.

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After an afternoon of laying out I was finally ready to enjoy a run after a three day break. My legs felt fresh but the heat and humidity didn’t allow me to truly enjoy the experience. After 3 miles I was more than ready to throw in the towel. Luckily there was a shady path that provided some shade and animal watching. During my less than 30 minute run I saw a groundhog, 2 deer, birds, and lots of squirrels.

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Now, if you’ll excuse me, it’s time to celebrate with some Goslings and Ginger Beer to celebrate the birthday boy!

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Healthy Living Summit 2011 Recap

I can’t believe Healthy Living Summit 2011 has already come to an end.

IMG_1917 (640x480)After checking into our room at the Philadelphia Downtown Marriot, Gretchen and I headed straight IMG_1874 (640x480)IMG_1875 (640x480)to El Vez for a lunch hosted by the awesome Wellsphere team. This Stephen Starr Tex Mex establishment was conveniently located on 13th street, just a few blocks from our hotel.

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The shrimp enchiladas were hands down my favorite dish ordered, though the guacamole was also quite delicious!

It was wonderful getting to know the team better and spending time with some wonderful new blogger friends!

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IMG_1902 (640x480)The official Healthy Living Summit festivities started Friday evening with the cocktail party. Located in Reading Terminal Market, this year’s location gave attendees a taste of a Philadelphia landmark while also allowing for more space than last year’s location. This meant that there was plenty of space for mingling, laughing, and photo booth fun! I was elated to see so many new and familiar faces alike!

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Yes, we were a very fun group of roommates for the weekend! Playing with props before the photo booth session with Anne, Gretchen, and Theodora! (photo via Anne)

IMG_1915 (640x480) Photo booth fun with Anne, Leslie, Meghann, and Melissa!IMG_1921 (480x640) IMG_1926 (640x480) I had a great time getting to know Ashley, Lisa, Caitlin, and Claire!

After the cocktail party, Theodora and I ventured out for more food since we had 14 miles coming up bright and early. Paulie’s Pizza was a drunk girls dream even though we were both stone sober.

IMG_1927 (640x480) IMG_1928 (640x480)Five short hours later, we were up and ready for the Healthy Living Summit long run!  My exhausted eyes and brain were thankful that I didn’t have to think about my long run fuel since I planned ahead with a packed sandwich thin.

IMG_4049 (640x478) (640x478) By 5am, there were over 20 other runners downstairs ready to enjoy a long run along Kelly Drive.

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For some reason, they all trusted me with directions and last minute instructions. It felt pretty amazing to be party of such a supportive group this early in the morning. Last year I was too scared to run with the large long run group but this year I was organizing it!

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Photo via Meghann

The first few miles of the run sped by since I was so excited to have new running friends. I chatted with a few different runners as we navigated the dark Philadelphia streets including Kelly, Meghann, Monica, Ben, and Evan.

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By the end of the second mile I decided it was time to slow down and run with my normal run buddy, Theodora. Mile 3-7 flew by as we chatted with some of the other runners, enjoyed the sights, and talked about our presentation.

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(photos via Meghann & Theodora)

But, by the time we reached the turn around point we were bored, dehydrated, sweaty, and alone. The group naturally broke into different pace groups and we were smack in the middle. We continued on though, only walking 2-3 times for 30 seconds each time. I had one stomach scare after trying a new Accelerade gel, but was luckily able to keep going.  Running into Evan two miles away from the hotel also helped as we were able to catch up with him and hear about his college life!photo (12) (478x640)

Fourteen miles and 2 hours and 26 minutes later I was thankful for a quick ice bath compliments of the hotel ice machine. DSCF7939 (640x480)

There was no time to rest and relax since the sessions started only an hour later! By 9am, I was dressed and ready for a day of networking, learning, and eating!

The morning flew by as we learned the importance of mantras from Dawn Jackson Blatner, RD and how to Write a Better Recipe, taught by Stepfanie Romine.  I can’t wait to share some of the things I learned during Stepfanie’s session as it was definitely an epiphany moment for me. I apologize for all my recipe posts to date and will in fact be going in to update them based on what Stepfanie taught us. IMG_1995

At 11:30, Theodora, Cynthia, and I took the stage for our presentation filled with nervous butterflies but excited for this wonderful opportunity.

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The group was attentive, asked wonderful questions, and seemed to enjoy the topic!

My growling stomach was ready for the famous Healthy Living Summit lunch, always known for fresh, delicious, and wonderful food which delights both vegan and omnivores alike. I think Theodora’s photo below captures my noon time feelings perfectly: starving and exhausted.

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IMG_1954 (640x480)IMG_1957 IMG_1958 (640x480) IMG_1960 (640x480)IMG_1963 (640x480) After lunch I spent the afternoon learning a great deal from Monica and Katy. I’m going to do a few separate posts regarding the highlights from each session at HLS, but if you have the chance, go go www.spokeo.com. This is a very eye opening and scary sight showing just how much anyone can find about you and your family.

By 4pm, our table decided it was happy hour, compliments of one of Kath’s blog readers.

IMG_1983 (640x480) IMG_1984 (640x480) IMG_1986 (640x480)We continued to toast once the conference ended for the afternoon during happy hour at my favorite Philadelphia wine bar, Vintage.

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As you can see from the below pictures, Anne plays two roles in pictures: professional photo bomber or photogenic beauty.

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IMG_2000 (640x480) The table shared two appetizers, fried calamari and goat cheese, before heading to the next bar.

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Our next stop was Time, a new to me whiskey and absinthe bar at 13th and Sansom.

IMG_2015 (640x480)IMG_2010 (640x480) Kath and I were ecstatic to see that they had a pumpkin beer on the menu! (photo via Kath)

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Katie meanwhile was far more adventurous and chose the absinthe! You’d think we were a crowd of frat boys the way we were cheering her on during her first taste of absinthe!

IMG_2014 (640x480) At 9pm, a group of us finally made our way back to El Vez, where they graciously had a table for 12 ready and waiting.

Words can’t explain the hilarity that ensued with the group over multiple margaritas and lots of laughter.

IMG_2016 (640x480) IMG_2017 (640x480) IMG_2018 (640x480) IMG_2020 (640x480) Below from left, Katie, Lisa, me, Ashley, Claire, Gretchen, Caitlin, and Beth.

IMG_2022 (640x480)This morning, the conference ended with a 3 mile run/walk to the Rocky steps at the Philadelphia Art Museum and breakfast. IMG_2023 (640x480)

We enjoyed some wonderful sights along the way, including the Franklin Institute and Love Statue.

IMG_2024 (480x640) IMG_2025 (480x640) IMG_2027 (640x480)IMG_2031 (640x480)IMG_2032 (640x480) We posed for a quick group picture before heading over to the steps. It was wonderful such a large group came out for the morning walk as it was a great chance to catch up with familiar faces like Heather, Amelia, and Brittany.

IMG_2029 (640x480) IMG_2034 (480x640) IMG_2037 (640x480)Heather even inspired me to run back to the hotel with her so we could continue talking. The 1.8 mile sprint was exactly what my legs needed to shake out the soreness after yesterday’s run! Thanks Heather for pushing me that extra bit!

After the sweaty run, a Quaker sponsored breakfast was the perfect way to end the conference. I caught up with Kath, Sam, and others while devouring oatmeal and a delicious new yogurt.

IMG_2038 (640x480) IMG_2040 (640x480)But, since all good things must come to an end, we all parted ways at 11am.

Heather was kind enough to drive Theodora and I all the way back to the last NJ Transit station so we were able to spend quality time chatting in the car versus being cramped on the train. Spending time with them discussing the weekend just left me even more passionate about Healthy Living Summit, blogging, and the amazing friends I’ve made along the way.

If you’d like to see all my pictures from the weekend, head over to my Facebook page!

Question: If you attended HLS, what is one thing you’d like to see again or included next year? If you didn’t attend, what was the best part of your weekend?

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