Strategy is Everything.

I have a chapstick strategy. I bet you are all jealous.

There is a chapstick in every prime location in my life. by my bed, at my desk, in my wallet, in my toothbrush drawer, in my fiance's bedside drawer, all the primo locations! That way I never have to suffer through the discomfort of chapped lips.

jealous yet?

What's in my fridge?

Yesterday after work I bought the following from Stop&Shop to have for meals for the week:

2 ears of corn
1 eggplant
1 zucchini grilled (by me yest)
1 package wrap-itz whole wheat tortillas
1/2 lb sliced mozz cheese
1 red pepper grilled
1/2 bag leftover lettuce
leftover carton of eggs
1 loaf of pump rye bread
2 english cucumbers
1 package light multigrain english muffins
1 sweet potato
1 can black beans
lite syrup
1 package of kashi waffles (never had them before)
1 small container strawberries
3 single serving yogurts (1 vanilla chobani, 1 plain chobani, and 1 vanilla stonyfield farms)
4 bananas

In house I have oatmeal, pb, 2 small potatoes, 1/2 box of Kashi Mightybites and some other stuff that a pantry might have. Actually, all my cabinets are full right now, but I guess I don't make use of everything often enough.

How much do u spend on groceries/week? My new goal is going to be < $50 for ALL food from monday-friday including dinners out with my friends, but excluding Friday night dinner. the grocery shop above came to $39 and it is more than enough food for me, and I can even have friends over for dinner if I like (I think I overbought. I blame my hungry belly at the time).

Any tips on maximizing my $$ at the market? I always overbuy and underuse.

The weekend of weddings

This weekend PB and I went to TWO weekends, hence, the weekend of weddings. Both were super fun and very different! Here are a few pics of us!

Saturday's Wedding in Manhattan


Sunday's Wedding in Fair Lawn, NJ (please forgive the frizzy hair + shadows)


at the end of the summer I might do a post with a pic from each of the weddings we've been to this year, just to show how crazy it is!!!! PB's group of friends is just at the end of the marriage stage, and my friends are just started, so it is weddings, weddings, weddings! So fun!

Congrats to all!!!

Zucchini Panino

Fact: Panino = 1 sandwich, panini = more than one sandwich

I was craving veggies + good bread so I decided to make a simple Zucchini paninO for dinner tonight, and boy did it hit the spot! Here's the easy peasy recipe:

Zucchini Panino
serves 2

Ingredients:
1/2 zucchini, sliced lengthwise
2 oz sliced mozzarella
4 pieces of your favorite hearty rye bread (like the kind PB buys me in PHL)
olive oil or olive oil spray

Directions:
Heat your panini maker (pm).
When warm, spray the pm lightly with olive oil.
Grill the zucchini slices for about 3 minutes total (3 minutes each side if you are using a regular grill).
Take the zucchini off the pm and put aside.
Spray the pm again with olive oil.
Assemble your sandwiches (1 slice of mozz and half the zucchini on each).
Put on the pm and grill for about 5 minutes until the cheese is nice and melty and the panino has those nice grill marks.
Put on a plate, slice in half, and enjoy!!!!

Yum! I had mine with 1/2 a serving of terra chips and a sliced cucumber on the side. it was amazing.

Happy Anniversary (Backwards!!!)

Exactly one year from now PhillyBoy and I are getting married! Yah! I am so excited!!

These are the things we have decided so far...

Life:
-I am moving to Philadelphia!!! Not sure about work yet, but I will still work for my dad for a few months until the office can run smoothly without me. It's not easy to lose 1 employee when you have less than 10!!!!
-We redid his(our) bathrooms! pics to come soon, I swear!!!
-I joined PB's church. My grandfather is a minister but his church doesn't really exist in the U.S. and PB is really involved in his so I was confirmed there 2 weekends ago!
-We are in love, we respect each other, we have very similar values. I can't wait to be his wife!

Wedding Details:
-Future Husband: Booked! And he's amazing.
-Ceremony: Booked! And it's a perty church too!!
-Officiant: Booked! the bishop from D.C. he's awesome!
-Venue: Booked!!! The Westin, baby!
-Flowers: Booked! Flowers by Semia. She is freakin incredible
-Band: Booked! Well, sort of. PB has the details worked out.
-DJ: No idea, but we don't want someone expensive, he will just be a filler for when the band is taking a break or we want a slow song!
-Dress: I bought it!!!!!!! Priscilla of Boston, and I'm in love.
-Bridesmaids' dresses: Picked, and they are coming with me to Boston in a few weeks to try them on and order yah!
-Photographer: Booked! LifeFusion. Marina and her husband did my brother's wedding and they were oh-so-incredible!
-Videographer: We have no idea yet. Someone cheap, yet efficient preferably.
-Engagement party: in a few weeks! Hosted by our parents, but planned by us. A little more work than I would have wanted, but I am psyched!
-Tuxes: No idea, but I just bought PB one yesterday so if it fits he might wear that!!! Gotta love SYMS!
-Wedding guest list: errrr, let's not go there just yet.
-Jewelry: I hope to wear some of my mom's jewelry to have something of hers on me. Semia suggested putting a piece in my bouquet as well, and I think I really want to do that. Any way to remember my mom will make me feel better I think.

I am really excited to marry PB and start our lives together. The wedding is just the topping on the cake (which, by the way, we are NOT having).

Funny Things My Dad Says

My dad said:
"And they put their foot to the wall!"

He meant:
"He put his foot down!"

My dad said:
"square and fair"

He meant:
"fair and square"

My dad said:
"Anybody have anything that could go into the throat?"

He meant:
"Does anyone have any snacks?"

That last one is my favorite, for sure.

He is not from this country, can you tell? :)

Snacks

If I eat a snack I wasn't planning on do I have to count it?

Because, er, I don't.

Thanks for the (unplanned) biscotti + iced coffee PB!!!

Wedding Florist

So PB and I met with a florist last weekend to discuss our ideas for the wedding decor and such and let me tell you: I AM SO EXCITED!

I haven't been too in love with anything yet (we are getting married at a specific hotel only because of its capacity and location and not because we LOVE the venue). But. I am extremely excited to work with our florist. I hope that everything pans out with her and that the "vision" or whatever comes to fruition because in my head it is going to be so pretty!

And! It is a really big sign that PB is really happy about it too. And it is awesome that she was willing to rethink our quote to make it less expensive.

And... I am happy! :)

Greenheads

from http://www.brigantinerowingclub.org/Misc_home/greenhead.html


"Moving and dark objects are most often attacked."

I guess having tan skin + dancing around the pool = greenheads' favorite meal.

I know bugs are hungry, but why must they eat ME?!?!?

Had a great weekend by the shore with PB and my friends Hubbs and John (and PB's friends too!!)

However, I came home miserable. Why's that? Well, after a great 60 minutes by the pool (no time for the beach on Sunday), I went inside to find myself COVERED in bug bites. My friends? They had None.

I guess I must have the tastiest blood? Anyway, it was even worse all night. I didn't sleep and when I woke up my thigh looked scarily huge. I thought it might be from all the ice cream. kidding. those stupid bites swelled to crazy proportions.

I called my doc and what did she do? Prescribed serious steroids. I can't take those for some greenhead bites!!! So I am sitting here at work, suffering. BTW- what are greenheads anyway? Anyone know the technical term?

Major grouch today grr.

P.S. my flight from PHL-PVD was on time today, however I got a nice cup of hot tea this morning in the airport, put it down for one second, and spilled the entire thing. All over my dress. And my feet.

HAPPY ONE YEAR!

Today is PB and my "official" one year anniversary... here is how this date became ours...

I was on my way to Greece with my girlfriends and while on the plane PB and I were texting back and forth...He had just left Providence from visiting me for the night. This is the convo we had (I hope PB doesn't kill me for posting this!!!):

Wed July 18th
Sabrina (aka RhodeyGirl)(2:14pm): U made it?
PB(2:21pm): Yeah sweetie. Literally just landed.
PB(3:03pm): They lost my bags – f****ing US Airways.
Sabrina (3:05pm): No you're kidding! Did they find them?
PB(3:07pm): I am in their office now – nothing even came off the belt from my flight – I swear, these people are messed up.
Sabrina (3:08pm): No one got their bags?
PB(3:10pm): Other people did – they think because the flight is full mine got put on the next flight.
Sabrina (3:11pm): Oh no I'm sorry sweetie. I hate incompetent peeps. If no no liquid law u could have brought as carry on.
PB(3:12pm): I Needed to smell good for my special friend.
Sabrina (3:13pm): Maybe we need a better term than special friend.
PB(3:14pm): ☺ We do. What did you have in mind?
Sabrina (3:16pm): ???? ☺
PB(3:16pm): Ha ha no ideas?
Sabrina (3:17pm): I have one…
PB(3:18pm): I wanna hear…
Sabrina (3:20pm): I'm shy.
PB(3:21pm): That's ok ☺ You are making me smile – cause I feel like we are thinking the same thing.
Sabrina (3:24pm): Is it rushing too much?
PB(3:28pm): If you feel rushed, I don't want that. But I know how we feel when we are together – and that no one else is on my mind. I don't want you to rush anything. I feel so secure with us – the title thing didn't really weigh on me.
PB(3:32pm): But to give you a short easy answer – I personally don't feel rushed. I want you to feel secure that you have me to yourself. ☺
Sabrina (3:32pm): I want you to be mine.
PB(3:34pm): I want you to be mine too. It excites me more than it makes me nervous and it makes me smile. And I don't feel that way very often.
Sabrina (3:34pm): So?
PB(3:35pm): So you want an Armenian with a baseball booty to be your boyfriend?
Sabrina (3:36pm): Yes. You. Is that ok with you?
PB(3:38pm): Yes – more than ok. I'm honored and so happy. This has been so easy – and such an incredible surprise in my life.
Sabrina (3:39pm): I agree! I just got butterflies. Haha
PB(3:40pm): Do you know how happy you made me? This is surreal!
PB(3:41pm): I am waiting to wake up! haha


Ahhhh just reading that over again makes me fall in love even more!! I was so shy (totally not me) and we were just so... young haha. Is that weird because it was only a year ago????

Anyway, happy 1 year PB, I can't wait to marry you! (in one year and 1 week, exactly)

Rolls with Jam aka Crepes aka "omlette"

Growing up my brother and I (and my cousins) always begged my nonna and/or mom and auntie to make us "rolls with jam". They were our FAVORITE and seemed so special because they would make them out of a few simple ingredients in just a few minutes. Nonna always rationed them out to us (2/kid) so that my brother could have the majority of them (like, at least 6) since they were his ABSOLUTE FAVORITE. Nonna calls them "omLETTE" and we always called them rolls with jam. I made them recently for my fiance's friends randomly one night and they kept raving about them and saying they understood why he was marrying an Italian girl (and running so much to burn it off haha- 4 people ate a double batch in about 5 minutes!!!!).

Here's the basic recipe:

Rolls with jam
(yields: 4 huge or 8 medium ones)

Ingredients:
4 heaping tablespoons of flour
2 flat tablespoons of sugar
1 egg
pinch salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
pinch of lemon zest
"approximately" 1/2 cup milk (add as needed to reach the right consistency)
butter for frying
powder sugar to decorate

Filling:
apricot jam, or Nutella

Directions

* Mix all ingredients in bowl
* Heat non-stick skillet to medium-high heat
* Melt butter in pan (1/3 teaspoon for each roll, just enough to spread in pan)
* Pour an almost full ladle of batter into the frying pan and immediately swirl the pan to cover the entire surface evenly with batter
* Cook until edges loosen and bubbling begins (approximately 45 sec.-1minute- the edges will turn up)
* Flip. After about 30 seconds remove from pan and spread a thin layer of jam or Nutella over one half and roll up
* Sprinkle with powdered sugar
* Finally, eat as many as you can :)

Tips:
- The batter should be realllly thin. Add enough milk to reach that consistency.
- If you like things a little sweeter you can add a capful of vanilla extract
- Don't worry about the first couple looking not right... for some reason the first ones are always yucky!
- If you don't want to use butter use SOMETHING (Smart Balance, etc) because it makes the crepe brown nicely and helps the batter to be distributed evenly (slick pan)
- Any kind of milk you have in your fridge is fine.
- Don't be afraid to adjust the batter after you see the first couple cook.. I usually add a little more milk if the crepe looks a little flat.
- Don't add too much batter to the pan. One small ladle is enough- you want these to be really thin!

My favorite classic combos:
1. Low sugar apricot jam (it has little bits of peel in it and is just amazing)
2. Nutella + banana slices
3. Nutella on its own
4. Orange marmalade
5. Strawberry preserves (not my favorite at all).

These really make a big statement when stacked next to each other on a nice tray and sprinkled with powdered sugar.. your guests are sure to love them!!!

Good luck, and enjoy!

My motivation is back....

lifestyle

I can't decide if it's the fact that I got injured or that PB and I got engaged, but I lost my motivation for quite a while there (engagement + injury happened the same weekend).. No, I did not gain any weight, but I didn't lose any either. I have been hovering around the same place, but I just feel... *icky*. I feel so much better when I eat really well and exercise at least 4 days a week for an hour each time. So, that's what I am going to do. If I lose any weight in the process, it will just be a bonus.

It seems that once I am on a roll I can stay that way, but once I skip a workout or eat a little too much dessert I fall into this habit of skipping workouts and eating desserts.

The tips are simple and straightforward:
1. eat what makes me feel good (yes, maybe a chocolate once in a while but I feel so much better with lots of fruits and veggies!)
2. Drink lots of water
3. Do some fun activity (running/kickboxing/etc) a minimum of 4 times a week, including 1 hardcore circuit.

The ultimate goals....

I have lost 10 lbs since February (going from a size 8 to a 4/6) but I would like to be a solid, loose 4. I know that numbers don't count and yadda yadda, but can't I have a goal? I know that if I lose about 5-7 lbs from where I am I will be at a weight that I will want to maintain for life.

Also, I would like to be able to run 3 miles with PB at HIS pace without having a near heart attack.

And last.. like KellyT (thanks for the inspiration), I would LOVE to be able to do on, solid pullup. I am close to it (I can do a few with the "help" on a 3) but not quite there yet.

I know just a few days of this will make me feel superb, and I can't wait to get there and then keep it going!

In other news...

celebrations

PB and I are celebrating our engagement in exactly 1 month from today in Philadelphia! I am super excited! I have a really pretty dress (still need shoes) and as of right now about 93 people have RSVPed yes! It is going to be a blast! Our friends are DJing it and we are renting a margarita machine to go alone with our lemon/lime look. It has been such fun planning it (no stress as it's just the engagement party) and I can't wait! I bought the cutest stamp that says "all you need is love" in this cute writing and I stamped all of the cocktail napkins with is. Also I bought pretty citrus orange and lime green fabric ribbon in cute designs and PB and I tied them around the silverware (clear plastic) and big yellow dinner napkins. After the party I will post pics for sure!!!!

life with PB

PB has been here since Friday and is here until tomorrow afternoon, then I fly down with some friends on Friday to go to the shore for the weekend which = the first time we will have spent an entire week together (7 days in a row). It is so fun!!!! Last night we went to the market, he worked at home while I cooked, we had a nice dinner, watched some tv and did engagement party stuff. It is so cool to get to see him like that!!! I can't wait to be married.

A surprise ruined

I couldn't mention it on here because PB reads, BUT... I was PLANNING on surprising him in Philly yesterday for dinner, then flying back in the morning.

I bet you think I am going to rave about how fun it was to surprise him and yadda yadda, but it did not happen. I got to the airport and all was well. My hair was blowdried nicely, I was wearing a cute dress, and I had his gifts. Then the delays began, due to weather in Philly. First a one hour delay, then 2... still I waited. I thought better a quick dinner than none. Finally we boarded the plane, and took a tour of the tarmac... go to ANOTHER gate, and get told to get off the plane as we won't be leaving yet. Wait another hour when they say it will be two more hours for an update, not even a departure time. That's when I started crying in front of the flight attendants. How mortifying. I called my dad, and he picked me up. And thank goodness I did.

Late last night I called SW just to find out what happened to that flight (as I was so devastated that I couldn't surprise my boy!). Turns out they took off and then the weather was so bad and the airport so backed up that they had to go straight to Pittsburgh, leaving the Philly passengers stuck until this morning. Therefore, I made the right decision to go home.

At least I tried. :(

Happy Birthday PhillyBoy!!!

PB turns 29 today!! Happy Birthday! I love you!

Turning into my mom (it's a good thing)

I just wrote a whole long post about my mom, decided it would make me too sad to reread later, and deleted it.

Instead, I will tell you the story of how my parents met!

My auntie Daniela was dating my Amo (arabic for Uncle) Victor. Victor lived in the states while Daniela lived in Trieste, Italy. He wanted my aunt to meet him in Milano for a couple of days while he was on business, but she wasn't allowed to go unless she brought my mom (Alessandra). So! Victor decided to bring one of his brothers with him to keep my mom company (plus my dad needed some new Italian suits!). The day the sisters were to arrive, my dad (victor's brother) was getting a haircut in the hotel salon. He saw a beautiful woman with long blonde hair walk in, and he said to himself "if that is the woman I have to entertain for the next few days, I am going to marry her!"

Anyway, that night he discovered that it was, in fact, her!! They hit it off immediately. At the end of the evening my dad wanted to keep talking to my mom to get to know her, so he asked my aunt if he could take my mom out to a cafe down the street. My aunt said NO! There was a bar in the hotel and so she told him that they could sit right there and talk as long as they wanted. So they did. By the end of the night they were in love and wanted to get married. I am not joking.

The next day my dad bought my mom a promise ring. They were all walking around and my mom pointed to a ring, saying it was beautiful, and my dad went in and bought it for her. I still have it. They extended their trip a few more days, and always said it was the most magical week all four of them have ever had.

It truly was a story of love at first sight.