Favorite Tokyo Olympic Moments

I already miss the Olympics and they just ended yesterday!!!! Usually, I am tied to the Olympics and watch every single moment they are on TV. However, this Olympic Games, the time difference made it a little more tricky and I wasn’t as in to it as normal. That said, I still love the stories, the dreams, the challenges, and the grit. Here are my favorite Tokyo Olympic Game moments. And yes, they are track and field heavy because (a) I am a runner and (b) the Track and Field Olympic trials have been held in my hometown for the past five consecutive games!

 

1. Women’s Marathon

 

Talk about grit, heart, and determination! Molly Seidel ran her third marathon ever and won a bronze medal. Super inspiring!!!

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Currently Loving July 2021

Mid July, here we are. Second half of the year, here, too! Here is what I am currently loving this month:

 

1. Martha Stewart’s Blueberry Crisp Recipe

 

We went blueberry picking this week and picked over 12 pounds of blueberry. So I decided to make a blueberry crisp (and follow a recipe!) I made two of these crisps (used 6 pounds of blueberries) and found this recipe perfect — not too sweet, but light and refreshing.

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Movies / TV Shows

In the past month, I have had a lot of screen time (even more than normal pandemic increased screen time). Here are the movies and shows that I have enjoyed watching.

 

1. The Blind Side

 

A MUST WATCH WITH THE KIDS! I saw this movie ages ago (when it came out) but we watched it as a family this past week and it was hands down a winner for all of us. A must watch.

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Our Friend

Over the extremely cold weekend, I plopped myself on the couch mid day and watched the newly released movie “Our Friend.” I was intrigued by the movie with its stellar cast (Dakota Johnson, Casey Affleck, Jason Segel), but had no idea that it would be such a realistic, beautiful and highly emotional movie. I sobbed — hysterical tears, and then spent the rest of the evening researching the movie and the real life characters. I loved it and highly recommend it. Warning — for those of you with cancer or who have a friend or family member with cancer, it might be extremely triggering. The movie is a true story based on a young mother dying of cancer and her husband and best friend’s life taking care of her.

 

The best friend, Dane, and the daughters.

 

It is based off of the husband’s essay he wrote for The Esquire Magazine in 2015. “It was a routine death in every sense. It was ordinary. Common. The only remarkable element was Dane. I had married into this situation, but how had he gotten here? Love is not a big-enough word. He stood and faced the reality of death for my sake. He is my friend.”—Matthew Teague, “The Friend.” The movie shows how pure and special the friendship Dane has with both Matthew and Nicole — and we should all hope to have a friend like Dane in our life. Or to be a friend like Dane — someone truly kind, selfless, and supportive.

 

Stellar performances from all actors. And more important, a realistic and heartbreaking account of death, being sick, and the love and care from others.

 

I absolutely loved this movie and want to watch it again. It is that good. It is raw, honest, and beautiful. To read the review, go here. To read the actual essay (extremely beautiful and a MUST READ after you watch the movie) go here, and to read more about where Matthew and Dane are now, go here. You can watch “Our Friend” on demand for a fee of $20, and it is worth every cent.

Currently Loving End of Summer 2019

Here we are, another season has flown by, and now onto the new same old (a la Alanis, isn’t it ironic?). Tomorrow, we go in to our same old routine but now, a summer under our wings with new experiences and thoughts….so, that said, here is what I am currently loving.

 

1. Lizzo Tiny Desk Concert

 

MAD CRUSH

 

All summer, I was obsessed with Lizzo. I listened to all her songs, read her interviews, and fell madly in love with her. So now, I can’t wait to see her in September at Radio City Hall. She is one flipping incredible musician and loving and personable person — I want to meet her and become friends with her. You need to listen to her interview on Fresh Air and watch the Tiny Desk Concert linked above. Wildly talented.

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Currently Loving April 2019

AHHHHH April….Spring, but in terms of the school year, feels like almost Summer. From April to June, it feels like a sprint to the finish line of the year: so much going on with recitals, meetings, wrapping it up. Often times, I forget how to breathe during this time. So, I need to remember to be in the present and here is what I am currently loving!

 

1. Eat Clean, Play Dirty Cookbook

 

If I eat like the authors do I become beautiful like them????

 

One of my besties gifted me this cookbook last week and I cannot wait to make all of the recipes, which are uber healthy, vegan, plant based. A great way to start off the Spring – Summer in a healthy detox way. I especially want to try the breakfast recipes and the salad dressings — they all look so good.

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Saturday Night Live Taping

This past weekend we had the experience of a lifetime, attending Saturday Night Live and hanging out backstage with cast member Mikey Day and his partner Paula, who is a friend of Ken’s from college. Paula and Mikey are incredibly friendly, interesting, funny, and grounded. So when they invited us to attend the dress rehearsal, hang out in the dressing room during the show, and then go to the after party (!!!!), we jumped at the opportunity… especially Ken, who is the show’s biggest groupie. We had SO MUCH FUN.

 

We had tickets for the dress rehearsal which required us to be there at 6:30. There was a lot of security to go through before it actually started at 8 pm.  The dress rehearsal lasted 2 hours and has more skits than the live taping.  They are militant about not allowing pictures. 🙁

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Casey 2 Cook – TV Chef

Today we go behind the scenes with a TV chef (one of my favorite types of TV). Casey (aka, Casey2Cook) is a successful chef who won a season of Cooks vs. Cons! (BTW, that is my biggest nightmare — being quick and fast in the kitchen). Such an inspiration and I learned so much from the interview. Thanks so much, Casey! And FYI, her partner Steven is Natori’s E-Commerce Shipping manager!

 

Talented and beautiful, too! Thanks, Casey for this interview and inspiration for all of us.

____

 

How did you start cooking? What inspired you to become a chef?

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Currently Loving…

Happy last week of January. Can you believe we are almost 1/12 done with 2014? WHOA. Speaking of randomness, here is a random grouping of (random) items I am currently loving…..Enjoy!

 

600 Hours of Edward

I devoured this book over the weekend…highly recommend! It is heart wrenching, thoughtful and an enjoyable overall read.

600 hours

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Josie Natori’s Closet

Nothing makes me more jealous than seeing a big, spacious, luxurious, all-in-one, elegant closet. Especially when it belongs to my mother-in-law!  Talk about insane — her closet is so beautiful that you want to move into the closet ITSELF and call it your home.

The ever-so-fabulous, Josie Natori on this past weekend's NBC Open House! Fashion designer turned TV STAR!

The ever-so-fabulous, Josie Natori on this past weekend’s NBC Open House! Fashion designer turned TV STAR!

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Gossip Girl loves JN

Tonight, we bid adieu to the fictional fashionable elite of the Upper East Side, as Gossip Girl comes to an end.  Throughout the series Queen Bee (Blair Waldorf) has been spotted wearing gorgeous silk caftans, robes and chemises designed by who other than the beloved, Josie Natori. To celebrate B’s impeccable taste in sleepwear and lingerie, we’ve gathered the best pieces that she has worn to create a Gossip Girl retrospective of Josie Natori, as seen on Blair Waldorf. Enjoy!

Natori robe

Blair Waldorf in a Josie Natori Robe Season 3, Episode 15: “The Sixteen Year Old Virgin” Hello, sexy black dragon.

Lace chemise

Blair Waldorf in Glamour Lace Chemise Season 4, Episode 9 : “Witches of Bushwick” RED, LACY, SILKY, SEXY, AH-MAZING.

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