March really has been Madness!

The title of this post say it all - March has been mad crazy! (I’m so New York using this lingo)

The madness began with Patch, Set, Hit, the company volleyball team I started in the fall of 2010. Our first season was fun, but nothing compared to our second season. Every Thursday for 8 weeks about 10 of my co-workers and me put our game faces on and rocked the volleyball court. We had so much fun during the games and at the post-game bar celebrations. We not only made it to the playoffs, but based on our record, we were seeded #2 which means we got a bye the first round and headed straight to the semi-finals. Unfortunately, we fell just short of a victory, but redeemed ourselves in the next game taking the 3rd place bronze medal. In addition to medals, we won a $50 bar tab at a nearby bar so we celebrated our season with a couple of pitchers. It was a lot of fun and let’s just say, we were all a little bit sluggish the following Friday at work!

Patch Set Hit - 3rd place bronze medalists

Celebrating with free beer!

March 11 was Alex’s Birthday and to celebrate I took him to a really swanky Puerto Rican restaurant called Sazon. We had a delicious meal upstairs, complete with desert and a birthday serenade by the waiters (despite the fact that Alex told me not to tell them it was his birthday!) and then headed downstairs to the club part of Sazon. I enjoyed a few pina coladas while Alex enjoyed some Coronas and we danced the night away. Ok, so we only danced for about an hour, but it was still really fun. I’m slowly but surely getting the hang of salsa. I love the fact that Alex can dance, and actually enjoys it. I’m used to dating guys that refuse to get out on the dance floor at weddings unless they are drunk and busting some ridiculous moves. It’s the first time I have ever dated a Hispanic so I’m excited to take Alex to family functions where we listen and dance to Spanish music, he’ll fit right in! I also love that he enjoys teaching me things and for the most part, is patient with me. In addition to salsa, he is also teaching me how to play pool. A few weekends ago we had dinner and then headed to a pool hall in the Bronx where we had a few drinks and Alex taught me “how it’s done” (as he said it). I’ll be honest, I’m not all that great, but we still had fun. That’s one thing that is definitely not lacking in our relationship – fun. We honestly have so much fun together, even on the nights we don’t really do anything, we end up laughing and having a good time no matter what. Can you tell I’m totally smitten!?

Alex & me out for his birthday

The Birthday Boy enjoying his tres leches at Sazon

In true March Madness news, I enjoyed watching KU games either at home or at the Village Pourhouse, a Kansas bar in Manhattan. We started the tournament off strong, but unfortunately couldn’t pull out a win in the Elite 8. I was SO bummed when Cinderella Story VCU beat KU to make it to the Final 4. I seriously wanted to shed a tear, but I didn’t. This year’s tournament was full of upsets, which is why my hopes to win this year’s bracket challenge at work went out the window. Overall, the Jayhawks had a great season so I can’t complain; we can’t win it every year!

Even though I love March Madness and look forward to it every year, it wasn’t the highlight of my month this time around. This year, March was special because my 2 sisters and brother-in-laws came to visit me in NYC! Starting March 1 I literally counted down the days until they arrived on March 16. I spent the entire evening before their arrival cleaning my entire apartment so it could be ready, and partly because I wanted to waste the time away to make it go by faster, the anticipation was just killing me! The time finally came and they were at my door step, I couldn’t have been more thrilled. We didn’t get to bed until about 2 am and then woke up Thursday morning, St. Patrick’s Day to take a NY Waterway cruise around the harbor. This was just the first of many adventures we had during their 4-day visit. You can read all about it on my sister Andrea’s Blog (Days 1 & 2 - Days 3 & 4). What I can tell you is that it consisted of A LOT of walking, sight seeing, talking, smiling, laughing, a little bit of eating (they say I was a slave driver who walked them to death and deprived them of food, lol) and a whole lot of fun!

Here is their visit in pictures!

Visiting my office in SoHo

Stopped at the famous Ferrara's for some italian desserts

Subway smiles!

Brooklyn diner breakfast

Time Square

Central Park

Radio City Music Hall

Andrea & George at Rockefeller Center

Empire State Building

Jersey Boys on Broadway!

Sisters, Best Friends!

Kim & Michael in Hoboken, NJ, NYC in the background

Carlo's Bake Shop from Cake Boss

Stroll across the Brooklyn Bridge

Statue of Liberty

NYC Harbor Cruise

I was so sad to see them go, but considering it was 5am on Monday and I had to be at work in a few hours, I was too tired to shed any tears. I bid them farewell, but knew I’d see them for Easter in April so it wasn’t as hard as some previous goodbyes. Overall, we had a fabulous time together in NYC and I’m so thankful they took the time, money and sacrifice of leaving their kiddos behind to come visit their little sister in the big apple. I appreciate and love my sisters (and brother-in-laws) very much!

Like I mentioned in my previous post, I decided to try Nutrisystem in addition to my exercise program to help achieve my Project Get Fit goals. It has definitely been a challenge, especially considering I cheated during the weekend my sisters were in town, but overall, my first month has gone well. The month of April is going to be a bit crazy, explanation to come next post, but I plan on continuing NS for another month or two. Wish me luck!

As March concludes, so many things conclude with it. A lot of change is going to take place in the coming months and April will no doubt be a crazy and exciting time. Details to come very soon! ;-)

March brings Spring Fever!

Just like I said I would, I enjoyed President’s Day off! I ended up doing a little shopping and made some great purchases including, 2 new jackets and 3 new pairs of shoes. I know what you’re thinking, I went overboard, but I really didn’t. Let me explain. I had been wanting a black pea coat and a brown North Face and found both for ridiculously awesome prices. You see, I own a red pea coat that I love, but red doesn’t always match everything and the black pea coat I used to own got stolen from a party a few years ago so I thought it was time I invest in a new one. I found a really cute one on sales at Burlington that I love and that will last me for a few years so I snatched it up. I had also been searching for a brown North Face coat, but either couldn’t find the style I wanted (brown, medium length, fur hood in a large) or could, but couldn’t find it on sale. Since it’s the end of the season, I knew I’d eventually find a good sale and I was right. After looking at several different places, I finally found exactly what I was looking for at half price! I love both my new coats and have already gotten good use out of them because unfortunately, Spring hasn’t hit NY yet and it’s still cold and in the 30s. I haven’t put my new shoes to good use yet, but will, next winter. You see, I bought a new pair of gray heeled boots and a new pair of black ones. I figured it made sense to buy these on sale since it’s the end of the season instead of waiting until next winter to buy them at full price. The third pair of shoes are basic simple black heels that I needed as over the last year of walking the streets of NY, my old ones really got worn down. I haven’t worn the new ones yet, but am excited to bust them out when the weather gets nicer.

I totally have Spring fever as it’s one of my favorite times of the year. First of all, it’s the beginning of March Madness and being a Kansas Jayhawk, it’s always an exciting time of year. Secondly, it’s awards season and I love watching all the shows and, of course, the fashions. I spent last Sunday night watching the Oscars, but unfortunately, I wasn’t that impressed this year. It was still a nice relaxing Sunday night with Alex. Actually, it started out that way, but he left in the middle of the Oscars to catch the Knicks game. Apparently, Carmello is more important than Anne Hathaway and James Franco. Ever since Anthony came to NY, Alex has been more into the Knicks, which basically means now I have to compete with the Yankees AND the Knicks, how’s a girl supposed to get any undivided attention!? ;-) Lastly, I have Spring fever because I’m so ready for the nice warm weather. Last Sunday we had a short 1-day preview of nice weather so Alex and I took advantage by spending the afternoon before the Oscars outside, walking down the Fordham road strip mall. It kind of reminded me of Mass St. in Lawrence which made me start thinking about Kansas, which made me start thinking about my family, which made me super excited for March. In just 2 short weeks my sisters and brother-in-laws are coming to NYC to visit me and I couldn’t be more excited! I have the itinerary ready, tickets for a Broadway show and a harbor boat cruise bought, now all I need to do is clean my apartment! I plan on doing some Spring cleaning next weekend in preparation for their arrival, and let’s face it, because it needs to be done. In all honesty, I actually like Spring cleaning, it’s one of those times of year that I get motivated to clean and organize. Next week is also Alex’s birthday. It’s on Friday, March 11 and I’m hoping to take him out to dinner that night or possibly Saturday. I’m thinking a really nice Puerto Rican restaurant in Tribeca and a Yankees jersey as his gift, shhh, don’t tell! ;-) I’m not sure what else is on the agenda to celebrate his birthday, perhaps we’ll catch a movie after dinner or meet up with his friends for drinks on Saturday. Speaking of movies, this past weekend we went to see “Just Go With It” with Adam Sandler and Jennifer Aniston as Val recommended it and rightfully so, it was hilarious! I haven’t laughed that hard at a movie in a long time (ok, well not that long, since the Hangover!) If you haven’t already, I highly suggest you go see it, you won’t be sorry.

In other news, I have been doing pretty well with my new year’s resolutions. Here is a quick update:

1. Project Get Fit – Yesterday was the completion of my 12-week training program at the YMCA. I met with my personal trainer to discuss how it went and the consensus, pretty well! In 12 weeks I lost 5 pounds and increased my strength by quite a bit. In almost every strength training exercise, I increased the amount of weight I can lift by 10 pounds and went from being able to do 3 sets of 10 repetitions to 3 sets of 12 repetitions. I also went from doing 30 minutes of cardio per Y visit, to 45-60 minutes. In the beginning, I was able to do a walk/jog combo for about 30 minutes before feeling tired. Now, I do at least 45 minutes of straight cardio only walking about 2 minutes to warm up and 3 to cool down, so it’s about 40 minutes of straight jogging without stopping. Sometimes, when I have a lot of energy, I do a full hour of cardio, something I definitely wasn’t able to do at the beginning of the program. Overall, the program helped me learn a lot about how to target specific areas of my body, which exercises to do and how to do them, and most importantly it helped me get motivated and stay that way! Just because the program is over doesn’t mean that I am, it’s really just the beginning of a healthier me!

2. Learn how to cook – I’m really proud of myself regarding this resolution. Since I’ve made it, I’ve cooked one, if not two, new meals per week. I’ve tried a few Puerto Rican recipes from Alex’s mother and a variety of other ones from family members and online and although some turned out better than others, overall, I’ve learned a lot about cooking already. I’ve also tried a few healthy recipes that are simple and delicious, one of which is baked chicken fingers and homemade baked french fries. The key here is that both are baked, not fried! I’ve also made a Weight Watchers Chicken Enchilada Casserole dish (a recipe my sister Kim’s Mother in Law gave her) that was really yummy!

The final product, they were delicious!

I know it’s only March, but I am already taking a “break” from this resolution. Not because I am giving up, but because I have made the decision to do a 1-month trial of Nutrisystem, which means instead of cooking or eating just anything, I will only be eating Nutrisystem pre-packaged meals. This diet does allow for fruit, veggie and protein additions with the occasional eating out, but for the most part, you stick to the meal plan, which hopefully will aide in my weight loss goals. With my sisters and BILs coming to town this month, I will definitely be eating out for a few days, but I am promising myself to make healthy choices while doing so. I will evaluate my progress over the month of March and let you know how it goes.

3. Read more – As much as I hate to admit it, I haven’t done so well on this resolution. I definitely still read, just not as much as I had hoped to. My weeknights pretty much go like this: Get home from work at 7, hit the gym from about 7:30-9:00pm, come home and eat dinner, take a shower, go to bed. I try to read and then go to bed, but by the time I open a book, I’m already half asleep! I tried reading on the train in the morning and after work, but because I have a slight case of vertigo, it makes me dizzy to read while moving. So this leaves the weekends, which considering I don’t spend a lot of time with Alex during the week, are spent with him as well as working out, doing laundry and cleaning. I know these are technically all excuses, but you have to admit, they are some valid ones! I am definitely going to try and work harder on this resolution in Q2 of this year.

The whole point of my resolutions is to become an overall healthier person, that means in mind, body, and spirit and I feel like I’m off to a good start. In addition to working out, eating healthier, cooking more, and reading more, I’ve also had a 1-hour full body massage and have a facial scheduled for next week. In addition, with the Lenten season approaching, I’m taking up praying on a daily basis. As much as I hate to admit it, I don’t pray each and every day like I should, so in an attempt to prepare myself for Easter and to work on the full mind-body-spirit trifecta, I’m going to take a few minutes out of my day and talk to the man upstairs.

Well, I have a volleyball game tonight so I must be going. Wish Patch, Set, Hit luck in our last game before playoffs next week! I’ll let you know how we do in my next post.