Category Archives: Wine

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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Gerard Bertrand at Bistro du Midi

Thanks so much for your support in response to Wednesday’s post! I’m proud of how far I’ve come and your kind words mean the world to me. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, my readers rock.

Last Tuesday my new friend Jay treated me to dinner at a lovely restaurant called Bistro du Midi, located on Boylston (near Boston’s iconic Newbury Street). I met Jay at Wine Riot (through Jeannie), and we ran into each other again at the Nantucket Wine Festival. He works for Gerard Bertrand, a French wine company that I actually am already very familiar with! Upon meeting I informed Jay of my love for the Gerard Bertrand dessert wine called Banyuls, and also the fact that I was already an overall GB wines fan. He invited me out to a Boston restaurant that carries Gerard Bertrand wines so that we could talk all things wine, restaurants, food, events, and more.

Jay and I at Nantucket Wine Fest!

The two-floor restaurant has a bar on each level and the second floor has spectacular views of the Boston Common! Jay said that around Christmas time, a second floor seat makes for excellent cozy dining and viewing of lights. I’m not anxious for winter to return anytime soon though, and the green Boston Common view was pretty darn nice too.

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My First Nantucket Weekend!

This past weekend I had the opportunity to travel to Nantucket for the island’s annual Wine Festival! I worked the Saturday afternoon Grand Tasting pouring 90+ Cellars and Ironside Cellars, but the rest of the weekend was spent tasting wine and food, exploring Nantucket’s shops and restaurants, and drinking champagne. Lots of champagne.

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Jeannie and I hit the road Friday morning and JUST missed our high-speed ferry, but luckily we were able to walk onto a freight (aka slow) ferry so that we could get onto the island ASAP. Our next high-speed ferry option wouldn’t have had us on the island until about 6PM! The crew of the ship got a kick out of us for some reason and invited us up to steer the ship. Okay not actually steer, but I did get to sit in the captain’s chair and use binoculars!

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Marvelous Barcelona – in Brookline!

I’ve written many blog posts about my experiences with meals and events at Barcelona Wine Bar‘s West Hartford location. It’s one of my favorite restaurants! So imagine how happy I was to realize that despite the fact that I was leaving Connecticut to move to Boston, I’d still be able to get my Barcelona fix, because there is a location in Brookline’s Washington Square. That’s a mile from my apartment! It’s not every day that one of my favorite restaurants happens to also be a small-ish (but growing!) restaurant group with a location near both my old and new homes. That’s pretty marvelous! (Now I just need a J. Gilbert’s and Krust to show up in Boston and I’ll be set.)

Seems like awhile since my last MIMM link-up!

But there are so many restaurants in Boston, and despite the fact that I’ve been living here for over two months now, I still hadn’t made it to Barcelona Brookline. Until this past Saturday night! My Boston blend Jen selected Barcelona as the spot to celebrate her 27th birthday, and I was psyched to finally have a night there planned. But between college graduations and Mother’s Day, the place was pretty booked. Luckily GM Jason Boske was nice enough to set aside a few bar tables for us! I first met Jason back when he was GM of the West Hartford location, and I was thrilled when I found out that he now is GM at Brookline. Seeing him again was so great!

Thanks Jason!

Thanks Jason!

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Spring at Seasons 52

Before I get rolling on this post, I want to announce the FIVE winners of my Taste of Nature bar giveaway! Another huge thanks to the company for offering that many prizes – very generous! The winners are:

I will be emailing you guys to connect you with Taste of Nature so you can arrange the receipt of your bars. Congrats and thanks to all who entered!

I received the food and drinks featured in this post free of charge. I had no idea that would be happening until I finished my meal, and all opinions of my experience are my own. This is not a sponsored post.

Seasons 52 is – as the name would suggest – all about seasonal food and drink. And seasonal often means the freshest, healthiest options. This is one of my favorite chains (it doesn’t even seem like a “chain”) and was first introduced to me when I started reading blogs. Once I finally got the chance to visit I saw what all the hype was about and even “converted” my family into Seasons 52 lovers. Now whenever we visit anywhere with a location nearby, we all have got to go!

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MIMM: Weekend in Pictures

It’s Marathon Monday! This is my first Marathon Monday as a Boston resident and I hope to get out of work a little early today so I can meet up with friends and take in the event. To do that I had to put in Sunday work time, and since I write these posts on Sundays, this will be a quick one! And don’t worry, I’m sure I’ll do a marathon-centric blog post, but seeing as I haven’t experienced it yet I’m holding off!

Share your marvelous on Katie‘s link-up. Thanks for hosting, recent-birthday-girl!

It was a marvelous weekend despite a Sunday spent feeling pretty guilty about my eats/drinks from the night prior, and also not loving my body at all. But gotta push on and hopefully the meaningful day here in Boston will help me refocus on what is most important in life.

Tried out a new-to-us spot by the office with some coworkers on Friday, while we killed time before an event. Asian restaurants are not places to go for good cocktails but they are places to go for pretty drinks!

In honor of our 90+ Cellars Paint Nite, I had the job of dressing the most interesting man with our new Rose t-shirt. Which by the way I get to model on our website!

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Just Marvelous

I finished up my first full Boston weekend since my recent vacation and man it was just marvelous. I’m going home again this Saturday (for Penelope‘s first birthday party!) so to have a weekend with no events to work and just time to do what I enjoy, in the place I love, felt really great.

Be sure to link up with Katie!

Marvelous is…this video. I don’t usually watch YouTube videos but this one is too spot-on not to share. Plus it features two of my favorite things, saying “yaaaaas” and #Hathahate.

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Wordless WIAW: Millwright’s Goodbye Dinner

As I mentioned previously, my department took me out to dinner at my favorite Simsbury restaurant, Millwright’s, to bid me farewell during my last week at work.

You too can link up with Jenn‘s famous WIAW party!

This post is actually being published on my first day at my new job, so I’m writing it the day before and am also making it fairly wordless. I’ve got a TON to do to continue getting settled in Boston! So here’s my recap of our amazing meal, which was the perfect send-off and very appropriate for What I Ate Wednesday.

Work/dinner outfit…skirt purchased at Kohl’s on Black Friday. Not showing: the still-attached sensor. Ugh.

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Thinking Out Loud: 2DAYZZZZ

Two days. Said to the “tune” of “2 Chainzzzzz”. As in two days until I move to Boston. Now I will use the 2 Chainz reference to plug my current favorite song.


I’m short on time today so let’s dive right in and think out loud. Thanks as always to Amanda for giving me an excuse to ramble and feel like there’s purpose behind said rambling.

1. I’m really totally kinda dreading the whole actual act of moving. The movers are arriving Saturday morning around 7:30AM and the day before (aka tomorrow) is my last day of work followed by happy hour co-worker shenanigans. I’m expecting I’ll be feeling the shenanigans the next morning and an early wake up call followed by a drive to Boston won’t be at the top of my list of things to experience. Gotta power through! And drink ALL the water.

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Starting My Marvelous Move

Thank you so so much for your well wishes in response to my big announcement! As I mentioned, I’ve already begun making moves toward beginning the transition from Connecticut to Boston and that has eased the anxiety I am feeling about the big changes coming my way. Plus those big changes are all pretty marvelous so how could I not also be feeling freaking excited?!

Link up with Katie if you want to join the marvelous party!

My current employer was nice enough to let me take Friday to head to Boston for my new employer’s annual sales meeting. It just so happens I was hired just in time to attend, which is a good thing because I got a comprehensive view of a lot of the goals and initiatives I’ll be working toward/on! The meeting concluded with a moment that made me want to pinch myself and say, “WAIT, this is my job?! MARVELOUS!”

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Testing out some potential vinos…

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Meet Caitlin

I’m a 28 year old full-time working girl living in Boston (previously lived in Connecticut). I’m passionate about food/drink, restaurants, self-love, fitness, and the ever-present search for balance. I write about that journey on this blog – I hope you enjoy!

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Design Credit

My header was originally designed by Mai Le and later tweaked by Chris Roggi to match this theme, which he helped me customize. He also moved me over to self-hosting! Both can be contacted through their sites for design & development work!

Disclaimer

I am not an RD and do not have any official training, certifications, or degrees in nutrition or fitness. This blog is a way to write about my life. Any views I express are mine alone, based on what works for me, and should never be taken as medical advice. Always talk to your doctor or a trained professional before starting a new diet or fitness plan. In addition, this blog and its content are in no way affiliated with Kate Gosselin, “Kate Plus 8”, TLC, or any related affiliates.

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