Blog Celebrity

Tonight I met someone I consider a blog celebrity. 😀

Meghann (of the fantastic blog The Inner Workings of a College Graduate) and I got together in Winter Park for a massage, followed by dinner at Mellow Mushroom. (Kind of romantic, no?)

Me 'n' Meghann

I feel like such a little dweeb-o because I get all giddy before I meet someone whose blog I follow daily. I know way too much about their life and almost feel like I am intruding by reading their blog, even though they post for the world to see! Odd, huh?

Massage

Meghann and I met up after work and I got to check out her sweet ride that she’s enjoying as part of a promotion with Chevy.

We drove over to Massage Envy in Winter Park for our massages,which Meghann received for free through Chevy and kindly shared with me.

Time to Relax

I love massages but I never buy them for myself because I can’t stomach the cost, so this was a special treat!

We both agreed that our massages were very relaxing. If I were a bazillionaire I’d get a massage every other day.

Dinner

Post-rub down, we headed to Mellow Mushroom for pizza!

Smilin' Pretty

Yours Truly

We decided to share a mega-veggie pizza.

Mega Veggie Pizza

The Goods

It was fun to eat with Meghann because I wasn’t the only crazy lady photographing her food. 😉

Blogger in Action

I paired my two large pizza slices with a small side salad.

Side Salad

It was fresh, filling and veggie-packed.

I really enjoyed getting to know Meghann better and was very grateful to her for including me in her massage excursion. I had a great time! 🙂

Foodie Friday

I’m now heading off to the kitchen to get to work on my Foodie Friday treat!

The Foodie Friday recipe winner will be revealed in the mornin’. Thanks to all of you who weighed in on which treat I should make.

I’m already drooling just thinking about it…

Question of the Evening

Have you ever met another blogger in person?

What Once Was Hot, Now Is Cold

Many things that were once hot, are now, um, not so much:

• Scrunchies
• Slap bracelets
• Pogs
• Hooked on Phonics
• Super-Soakers
• Tamagotchis
• Beanie Babies

I think I dabbled in all of the trends listed above, especially Beanie Babies. My mom, sister and I had more bean-stuffed animals than anyone in their right mind should own.

Hey, Baby

I am deathly afraid of needles (I don’t even have my ears pierced), and as a reward for not hyperventilating at a doctor’s appointment when I was younger, my mom would give me a Beanie Baby. I wish Beanie Babies still had the same calming effects on me!

Lunch

My lunch today contained something that was once hot, but turned cold, kinda like a skip it.

Broccoli florets –>Tossed in olive oil + garlic salt –> Roasted at 400 degrees for 20 minutes –> Chilled in the fridge for four hours

Cold Salad

Cold roasted veggies are the jam!

They add so much flavor to salads, sandwiches and side dishes.

Today I made myself a salad using the cold roasted broccoli as the base.

Into the mix went:

• Cold roasted broccoli
• Thawed frozen sweet corn
• Cucumber
• Goat cheese

Eat Me!

I planned to toss the salad in a light olive oil and balsamic dressing, but nixed that after realizing the broccoli and goat cheese made the salad extremely flavorful.

On the side I enjoyed a cup of Greek yogurt for some filling protein and a Sargento Colby-jack string cheese because string cheese = fun to eat.

Yog

Cheeeeez

All Together, Now!

Questions of the Afternoon

Were you into any of the no-longer-hot trends listed above?

What is something you used to think was hot, but now is not?

Please don’t say Jessica Simpson, because I love her. 😉

Working Out: Solo or No?

Working out is something I like to do on my own. I enjoy the time to myself, listing to my iPod and thinking about the day ahead.

I do, however, have one workout buddy that I absolutely adore:

My Running Machine

Lots o' Love

Sadie is the best running partner because:

• She is always in the mood to run
• Her pace is faster than mine, so I never have to drag her along (Quite the opposite, really)
• She takes time to jump around, pick up sticks and enjoy the run
• I never feel pressure to run faster or slower than I want to with her

"Oh, Hello."

Pretty Giiiirl

Her energy is unsurpassed by any human or animal I’ve ever had the pleasure of meeting. She really is a non-stop dog, and while this can get annoying at times, it makes her the perfect running, hiking and walking companion.

This morning I leashed Sadie up for a 5-mile run in the dark.

I felt really strong in the beginning, but was definitely ready to be done by the last mile. I felt my tummy grumbling!

Breakfast

Post-run, I made myself a strawberry banana smoothie.

Smoothie Time!

I was craving something cold since my body was dripping in sweat.

Into the blender went:

• 1 frozen banana
• 3/4 c. frozen strawberries
• 1 scoop All the Whey strawberry protein powder
• 2/3 c. cold water
• 6 ice cubes

This smoothie hit the spot! I drank it rather quickly as I drove to my Invisalign appointment.

Guuuulp

Cold + Creamy

I think drinking my smoothie so fast made me feel extra-full. I wasn’t all that hungry when my morning snack time rolled around. Still, I love my morning snack time, and made myself a quesadilla (Colby jack cheese microwaved on a Joseph’s whole wheat tortilla) anyway!

Question of the Day

Do you prefer working out alone or with a partner? Who is your favorite workout partner?

I Ate Shamu!

Sorry for the lack of dinner post yesterday! I didn’t get in until pretty late, so please enjoy last night’s recap this morning. 🙂

SeaWorld for Dinner

Once I got off work last night I high-tailed it to the Gaylord Palms, the gorgeous hotel in Orlando where my dad is staying on business for the week.

After making the 30 minute drive to the hotel, I met my dad in the lobby and we waited for a shuttle to take us to SeaWorld, where his company was hosting a dinner event for their employees and customers (and some lucky dates, like me!).

Dad + Daughter

I hadn’t been to SeaWorld in several years, and was excited to check out the marine animals and enjoy a delicious dinner with my dad.

Upon our arrival we were greeted by a huge sealion named Clyde.

Clyde

He was such a litte big ham. Clyde made the funniest noises, kissed his trainer and stuck out his tongue. He was fun to watch!

While making our way to the dinner pavilion, my dad and I grabbed some drinks. I had an ice-cold Michelob Ultra.

Beer!

My dad’s company planned the event really well because there were several different buffet tables piled with food so the guests didn’t have to wait long at all.

My Plate

I filled my plate with shrimp, crab claws, roasted vegetables, grilled salmon and salad.

I went back for thirds (yes, thirds) of the crab claws. They were delicious and already cracked for you! Doesn’t get much better than that.

Once dinner was over, we headed to Shamu Stadium for the Shamu show.

Father-Daughter Time

When I was an intern, the Shamu show running at the time was called Believe and really focused on the relationships between the trainers and the whales. It was a beautiful and moving show.

The Shamu show now running is called Shamu Rocks and wasn’t quite as good as the previous show. Likely due to the tragic events involving a trainer back in February, the trainers did not get in the water with the whales at all.

My favorite part of Shamu shows in the past was watching the interaction between the people and the whales. They seemed so happy together. Watching the whales jump and splash by themselves this time honestly made me feel sad for them. 😦

Still, the whales truly are amazing and we enjoyed watching them and ooh-ed and ahh-ed our way through the show with the rest of the crowd.

Shamu

Flip!

After the show we headed to another area of the park where they had games, a band, karaoke, drinks and dancing.

While listening to music and talking to my dad and his coworkers, I ate Shamu. 😉

Edible Shamu

Ice cream on a stick reminds me of childhood. It’s always so creamy, cold and delicious. You gotta eat it fast though!

We hung out for an hour or so before heading back to the shuttles.

On our way out we passed some very energetic flamingos.

Flamingos

They were so pretty and very active for so late at night!

Within 15 minutes, the shuttles had us back at the hotel. I hugged my dad goodbye and thanked him for such a fun night!

It was such a treat to see my dad and attend the function hosted by his company. I wish we could’ve had more time!

I’m off to shower before heading to an Invisalign appointment this morning. Catcha later for breakfast! 😀