Another Productive Weekend

Good morning!

Bo and I are currently enjoying a fresh breakfast on the couch with a side of Grey’s Anatomy. Our Sunday breakfast routine in Geneva is a cup of French press coffee with only a splash of local 2.3% milk, toasted maize bread from the farmer’s market, grilled chicken sausage from the local butcher shop, and a poached egg.  We both love that nothing is processed nor laden with preservatives or artificial sweeteners. Historically, my coffee mug would be topped off with skim milk and Splenda even though smart dieticians like Kath and Anne have been trying to convince me to change my ways for years. Sunday breakfast

While it’s tough not to watch my favorite football team play between the hedges, waking up to read the highlights of an amazing win against Steve Spurrier and the South Carolina Gamecocks is a great way to kick off Sunday! (photo credit)

Let me back track to Friday and Saturday and fill you in on our weekend.

Friday

Since it was Ryan and Amy’s last full day in Geneva, we wanted to spend as much time together as possible. Amy and I are running the Hartford Marathon together in October so enjoying a ten mile run through Geneva and France was the perfect way to cap off a great week together. We spent the entire time talking in only a way best girlfriends can; finishing each other’s sentences, talking about our husbands, venting, opening up, and planning future trips. We barely thought about the run other than when I pointed out special sights such as crossing into France or local Geneva attractions. Sunrise in GenevaAshley and Amy long run geneva After work, the three of us headed down to Bains de Paquis as I can’t let visitors leave Geneva without a swim in the lake, especially when it’s 80 degrees and sunny at 5pm!rainbow genevaIMG_1917 Amy and Ashley sunsetSince Bo’s flight didn’t arrive until later we stopped by Cottage Cafe for a glass of wine and a few tapas.   sunset from cottage cafeIMG_1946We met Bo at home within minutes of a huge thunderstorm starting which kept us curled up in our flat, sipping wine together, enjoying an amazing cheese and meat tray, and laughing about our terrific week together. IMG_1954Saturday

After dropping Ryan and Amy off at the airport Bo and I spent the day checking things off our to do list while also discovering new spots in Geneva. The hardest thing about this move is settling in to two cities versus one. This means that the first three months or so we expect to spend the majority of weekends running errands, setting up electronics, unpacking, and trying to get our lives together versus spending our entire weekend with friends our and touring Geneva and London.

Since Ikea is only 5 minutes from the airport we picked up a few needed items bright and early, before the crazy crowds took over. Who knew that Ikea has beer, wine and spirits in addition to home goods. We didn’t buy any as we saw them after checkout but next time we may have to buy some just so we can say we’ve tried it! IMG_1970We relaxed for the next few hours meandering through the Carouge Farmers’ Market or Marche de Carouge. Carouge Farmers MarketThe rest of the afternoon included a run through Parc Des Eaux Vives, hours of working on the flat, a delicious cheese plate, dancing in the kitchen while cooking dinner, and buying a vacuum. See, our life isn’t all that exciting especially when we force ourselves to be productive. IMG_1991IMG_1999IMG_2019IMG_2014Steak and potatoesNow, it’s suddenly Sunday and we both feel as if we have an overwhelming amount of work left to do. The sound system has to be installed, there is a pile of dirty clothes screaming at me, dinner has to be cooked, and a pile of paintings and pictures have yet to find their way onto the walls.

How about you? How did you spend your weekend?

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Wordless Weekend

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What the Doctor Ordered

Friday morning, after coughing all night, I finally went to the doctor. If you live in New York City and ever need to see a doctor quickly, I highly recommend the Beth Israel Medical Group. They have a walk-in clinic at each of their locations which guarantees you see a doctor within an hour! Even better, these doctors spend half their time seeing regular patients as well which means if you like one, they can become your primary care doctor. That’s what happened to me on Friday! Finally, some luck came my way!!

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The doctor confirmed that I had bronchitis and therefore immediately gave me three different prescriptions to help with the cough, aches, stuffy head. In addition, she also suggested that I put aside my running aspirations until at least Monday but preferably Tuesday, depending on how I feel. She insisted that my body needed to use all its’ energy to fight the bronchitis and heal. Duly noted doc, I want to get better too!

With this new knowledge, Bo and I altered our weekend plans a bit. The last thing I wanted to do, thanks to my lack of smell and therefore taste, was go out to dinner. The only thing I craved was some quality time with Bo and comfortable PJ’s.

After 7 meals of soup, I finally decided it was time for some real food. Friday night we ordered from our favorite Greek restaurant and spent the evening catching up on the three Grey’s Anatomy episodes. Holy drama! I’m loving this show more than normal right now!

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The medication worked its’ magic as I slept a solid 12 hours Friday night! We didn’t wake up until 10:30 and spent the entire morning cleaning, taking our winter clothes down to storage, and getting ready for next weekend’s Diamond Derby party. There isn’t much we can do this far in advance but at least we can get out all the décor and such.

Around 2pm we decided it was time to enjoy some fresh air and a workout. Since Bo’s allergies are at their all-time worst state, we headed to Equinox instead of our Central Park plan. Bo ran 6 miles on the treadmill while I power walked 3.5 on an incline, catching up on lots of my April magazines. After the walk I spent 10 minutes doing pushups, ab work, and headstands. The doctor said I was free to workout as long as I kept it lighter than normal, didn’t spin or run and didn’t exceed an hour, regardless the intensity.

We spent the rest of the afternoon wandering through Union Square Farmer’s Market and Whole Foods. We saw some crazy sights including protesters, larger than life flowers and this humungous Opa fish they were cutting fresh in Whole Foods!

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Many people have asked how we make time for each other and one of our favorite ways is to cook together. We unplug for 2-3 hours and spend the evening cooking, laughing, making a mess in the kitchen, and sipping wine together.

IMG_2038Last night was no exception as we made two of the recipes from the Hali’imaile General Store cookbook, my favorite restaurant in Maui!

Dinner included a delicious, spicy Crab Topped Gazpacho which took all of 15 minutes to make using our Vita-Mix!

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Our main course was something we’ve never made at home before, chicken and mushroom lettuce wraps! These took a bit more time, most of which was the chopping and preparation, but the recipe made enough for at least two nights and was so flavorful even I could taste the rich mushroom and the Asian influences.

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All together now!

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This delicious food, paired with lots of Downton Abbey was the perfect way to spend time with Bo while also giving my body the much needed rest and nourishment it needed and craved. Not to mention that chewing was a nice new sensation after many meals of Progresso Soup!

Now, just like that, I’m off to Houston for three days of consumer research! This is trip 1 of many for the next few months and I’ll be back later to share my first round of tips for keeping sane during a busy travel season.

Have a wonderful Sunday! I wish I was staying in New York City so I could enjoy the incredible weather and wish my cousin many happy wishes at her baby shower! I’m so sad to miss Meredith’s big day but I have lots of Hawaiian surprises for her little bean when she finally greets us!

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