Five Things Friday: Good and Bad

I guess twice a week of posting is the best I’m gonna get this summer. Not that I won’t strive for more, but this season sure is busy. With my busy weekends I don’t have time to draft up posts on my days off! Oh well, fun fun fun, and I’m still posting as frequently as ever on Instagram. Let’s get this Five Things Friday show on the road.

Be sure to link up with Clare if you’re participating!

1. I ran 7 miles this week! Once again I got my long half marathon training run done on Tuesday and once again it went better than I thought it would. I stuck by the Charles River for most of the route and that made a huge difference. The gorgeous sights and “sea” breeze were helpful but most important was the presence of so many other runners. I really felt like a part of that Boston running “scene” and that motivated me to run strong and keep going! Really once I got to my halfway point and turned around, I knew I was home free because well…I have to get back home, right? The hardest part of my runs, I’ve found, is getting to a halfway point and turning around. But that makes the second half easier, so I’m going to try to stick with that type of route, instead of one that takes me on a circle of sorts.

I wore my pink and purple PUMA ensemble (the leggings too) and being so matchy-matchy definitely helped my run motivation!

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2014 Best of Hartford Magazine Winners Party!

Oh how I have missed my Connecticut events! Boston events are great, don’t get me wrong, but I don’t have nearly as much of a network here as I do back in the Hartford area. That’s one reason why I was so excited to be able to attend the 2014 Best of Hartford Magazine Winners Party this past Friday! As first runner-up for both Best Twitter and Best Blogger in the 2014 Readers’ Poll, I received one ticket for me and one for a plus one – so I brought Rachel, the girl who named this blog. Of course that’s really a reason way down low on a very long list of reasons why I brought her with me. She’s a great friend and I was so happy to be able to share the special night with her!

Our red carpet glam entrance - thanks Sean!

Our red carpet glam entrance – thanks Sean!

And of course I got to reunite with all of my CT event buddies! That included Carolyn Paine (founder of CONNetic Dance, which I have blogged about before) and Emily Cahill, Community Manager for Yelp Hartford. Oh, and you know Kat was there. That’s a given.

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Five Things Friday: On the Road Again

It’s Friday which must mean I’m hitting the road again! My summer is going to be defined by weekends away from my Boston home, but that’s all good because all my weekends away will be pretty fabulous. I’m lucky to have so much fun stuff going on! Last weekend DC, and this weekend it’s back home to Connecticut to see my family and many old friends. I’ve got updates about those plans plus this past week, so I thought a Five Things Friday link-up with Clare was appropriate.

1. Tonight is the Best of Hartford Magazine party at the Hartford Public Library, and I get to attend as the first runner-up for Best Blog! I can’t remember if I ever mentioned on this blog the fact that I received this honor…I know I mentioned it on social media. But I’m really really pumped to reunite with my CT event friends, FINALLY. And I’m bringing one my token foodie plus ones, Rachel, along for the ride. Expect lots of photos like this to come:

YAAAAAS

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Marvelous DC Trip!

I’m back from a marvelous weekend away and am excited to share photos from my trip! Thankfully my flight had me back in my apartment last night by 8PM, so I had time to sit down and write this post before hitting the hay.

Join Katie‘s link-up if you’d like to join the marvelous!

I’m back from my trip to DC to visit my friend Jeff, and I have to give myself some props for not only making sure I hit up many different restaurants and beautiful sights, but also for ensuring that I saw as many friends as possible!

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One bummer was that timing did not work out for Alex and I to finally meet up, since she was out of town for the weekend. But she did recommend a stellar dinner spot in Georgetown – Farmers Fishers Bakers!

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Thinking Out Loud: Writing & Rambling

Back again posting twice in one week, and that’s not so hard to do when the writing prompt is…ramble about whatever’s on your mind. Thanks for that one, Amanda!

Join Amanda’s link-up if you plan to Think Out Loud on this Thursday!

1. I’ve been feeling better since Saturday’s “whale day”Thanks for your supportive comments! I also saw my therapist this past Tuesday, so that was some good timing. I’m liking her more after each appointment; I know that it takes time to get acclimated to someone new. She gave me a cheesy “homework” assignment for the next couple of weeks, but also not an assignment I’m unfamiliar with. She asked me to stand in front of the mirror a few times a day, look at myself, and literally just say, “I love you.” (Pausing for laughs.) Hey, I am willing to try anything to help me on this journey to self love, no matter how cheesy it may sound! Plus, I love cheese (the literal and figurative kind). I have to admit though that I keep forgetting to try the assignment…maybe writing this will help me remember.

Until then, I will continue to master the art of hand on hip pose and bask in the super-inspiring comment my sister Hannah left on my last post.

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Whale of a Time

I had so much fun at Saturday’s Boston Rose Cruise (check out Kat’s recap too!) – a whale-sized (aka large) amount of fun. Not only did Kat come to Boston to join me, my 90+ Cellars co-workers, and Eventbrite ticket-buyers for the three-hour Rose-only all-pink-wearing boat cruise, but my mom, sister, Greg, and Jen did as well!

MY PEOPLE! (Photo by Sean Fowler.)

MY PEOPLE! (Photo by Sean Fowler.)

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Thinking Out Loud: Twice as Nice

I’m back, twice in one week, wahoo! I’m writing this post on Wednesday night because I had enough time to cook, but decided to instead make dinner leftovers and use the extra time to a) write this and b) have a glass of NY Cabernet Sauvignon. I didn’t have anything to drink the last couple of days because the event I worked on Sunday was pretty nuts (in a very fun way). But now I’m ready to relax with my glass and think out loud.

Link up with Amanda if you too are thinking out loud today!

1. My half marathon training has officially begun! Tuesday’s aforementioned personal training session didn’t happen because the trainer had to cancel – but never called me to let me know? So I was at the gym, without a plan, and decided to kick off training this week instead of next, which is what I had planned! And I decided to get this week’s longest run done – 4 miles. I’m no fool, I know that I should savor the fact that this week’s longest run is 4 miles, and believe me I am! I did at a 9:13 pace on the treadmill, with a 1% incline. With a side of Kardashians…enough to get me through. I’ve also been following a June ab challenge I found on Facebook, and though these earlier days are pretty easy, I know by the end it will feel very hard. Just like my runs – ha! But seriously, having plans to follow has been really helpful for me. I felt like I had no direction at the gym and now I have a couple of things to follow!

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One Week Later…

Well well well, where did the time go? This is the second time since I moved to Boston that I went a week without blogging – oops! I’ve been really busy – each weekend this summer is seriously already “booked” with plans, some home and some and away, some personal and some work related. It overwhelms me when I think about it, but then I try to tell myself to just NOT think about it, and take it one week at a time.

Working an event this past Sunday – I matched the Rose!

Previously on Cait Plus Ate (let’s say this in the Emily Thorn voice, a la Revenge), I was having a really tough time trying to figure out what was “okay” to do –  in terms of healthy living – while in recovery. I’d had a long Memorial Day weekend of plans that involved drinking and “risky” food, so I decided to abstain from alcohol for a few days. That actually ended up being no big deal and, I feel at least, not related to deprivation. I really just didn’t want anything to drink, and my body felt better for it. Perhaps that’s why Friday nights beverages hit me way harder than I anticipated, but that’s a story for another time.

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