a little breather

Oh, hey there, blog! It's been a bit since I've last posted. That's because I took a little break from social media these past few weeks. My hiatus wasn't driven by a great purpose; I simply haven't felt like reading blogs, Facebook, and Twitter as much. And you know what? It's been refreshing! I've never really thought about how scrolling through those pages occupies the times that I'd otherwise spent daydreaming or simply letting my brain take a breather.

Perhaps this break is part of a larger ebb. For the first time in a while, I'm not training for an athletic event and I don't have a huge work project or office stint. Instead, I've been spending more time walking, reading, cooking, hanging, and managing a sizeable (but not insane) workload. I'm enjoying this quieter stretch! In a world of should-be-doings, it's so nice to be in a this-is-enough stage. Plus, I know life will go back to crazy-mode before long.

With that all said, what else has been going on with me? I just got back from a trip home to North Carolina, where I ran errands and went to doctor's appointments with my mom. We went swimming twice, and I even got her to buy a swimsuit. (!) I also caught up with some dear friends I haven't seen in ages, and booked a surf trip to Costa Rica in March. Not too shabby. :)

a touristy weekend

I swear my cat saves me thousands of dollars in therapy. Just one look at her little face and I'm instantly happier. Isn't she the cutest? This weekend I've been spending a lot of quality time with Monkey. Erik's out of town for work, and I've been in a lay-low kinda mood. Besides plenty of yoga, kitty snuggles, and Top Chef episodes, there's also been a little exploring: On Friday, I had mini-adventure on the UWS. I rarely head up to that neighborhood, but I had head that way for work, so I spent the rest of the afternoon sight-seeing. I love being a tourist in my own city! Also, I'm jealous of Fairway. Can we get one of those in Williamsburg?

Yesterday, I ran with the tourist theme and headed up to Woodbury Commons, a gigantic sprawl of an outlet mall center. Shopping for clothes is one of my least favorite things, but I was in dire need of a new winter coat. Since I love scoring a deal and had a bus ticket voucher, I made a day of it. Whoaaa, this place is INTENSE. It's full of tourists from around the world, dragging thousands upon thousands of dollars in purchases in rolling suitcases. Most of the stores are still far too pricey for my wallet (think: Gucci and Prada), but I did nab a North Face parka, ski jacket, and a few J.Crew shirts, plus underwear and socks, at less than half their regular price tags. Then my patience ran out and I high-tailed it to the bus early. I was more exhausted after those few hours than I am after a 20-mile long run. (Although I did have a bit of an endorphin high.) Serious shoppers of the world: I salute you!

6 things (holiday version)

Hope everyone had a very lovely holiday and happy New Year's. Mine was sweet and relaxing! Here are 6 things I did over the break:

1. Went to D.C. to visit Erik's lovely family. We spent time with his (four!) sisters and extended clan.
2. Did our one and only annual tradition: Tree-peeping and burger-eating in the city.
3. Relaxed. My workload was actually lighter during this break, and it was so nice to not have to frantically type away during stolen moments. Ahhhh. I spent my free time watching documentaries and cooking.
4. Watched Les Mis at the shiny new movie theater in my neighborhood (insert angels singing). Although I'm not a huge musical fan, this one was good--although I'm glad that we ladies left our respective fellas at home. :) I may or may not have sang-talked and danced around the rest of the day.
5. Went to the gym. Remember what I said about loathing this place? I take it back. I've been going to the (surprisingly good) yoga and bootcamp classes. For the first time in a long time, I'm not training for a marathon or triathlon. It's been fun mixing things up...and sleeping in!
6. Rang in the New Year by dining at local hipster piano bar and cuddling up on the couch. Heaven.

Team Freedom does Queens

When I went freelance, I imagined going on leisurely bike rides and beach trips for the better part of the week. In reality, I spend most of my time chained to my computer or tethered to my phone. But, once in a while, I have a gem of a day that makes it all so, so worth it. Take this past Monday: In honor of Heather's month of freedom, we decided to hit up Spa Castle. If you've never been, you must go! Located in Flushing, this three-story building is a Korean spa-food court-water park hybrid. It's insane. After dunking into hot-and-cold tubs and sweating in salt, jade, and other various saunas, we finished the day sipping lagers in a hot tub on the roof. It was so nice to feel the cold nip of the winter air on my cheeks as the rest of my muscles unwound in the steamy water. When we were all thoroughly relaxed, we headed to a delicious hot pot restaurant. I ate so much of the spicy broth that my forehead had a sweaty sheen. It was such a fun girls' day. How lucky are we?

relaxing weekend

For the first time in a very long time, I had a no-big-plans weekend. It was soooo nice. I cooked and baked a bunch and watched two documentaries (Marley and Jiro Dreams of Sushi, both awesome). I ate delicious lobster here and drooled over handsome dudes, I mean, went shopping at the Brooklyn Surf Flea. On a sad note, I also cried my eyes out over the Connecticut shooting. So so horrible.

6 things...

...I did this week:

1. Spent a relaxing weekend in North Carolina with mom. I slept a lot, ate delicious home-cooked Chinese dishes, snuggled with my adorable mom, walked around the lake, and finished up some work. I also unearthed this hilarious high school swim team collage, above.
2. Protested the cold, drizzly weather by making these delicious beer-battered fish tacos with lime-slaw and Baja sauce. Best washed down with Pacificos.
3. Finally went running. It wasn't until after the marathon-that-wasn't that my Achilles tendon started troubling me, but I've laid off for the past few weeks. It's funny how much a missed running. Who am I?!
4. Caught up with friends. Isn't it amazing how fast life zips by? You don't see a pal for a little bit, and all of a sudden they're living with their boyfriends in a new city or getting a big promotion. Happy news!
5. Conquered my 5/4 wetsuit, which is insanely thick and doesn't have a zipper. Basically, you squash your entire body through the neck hole. It's terrifying.
6. Got a new computer. Word to the wise: Do not open a bottle of seltzer within a one-foot radius of your laptop keyboard.

epic vacation, part three: Bangkok

So, where did we leave off? Oh, right, paradise! A lovely one-hour flight later, we were in Thailand's capitol city. Hustle and bustle is my baseline, but, man, Bangkok takes it to another level: streets full of vendors, insane traffic, and bright neon lights.

Our lovely hotel (the Ramada Encore) was located smack-dab in the center of city, so we spent the first evening wandering around and eating the most delicious shrimp tom yum soup ever. Erik and I were definitely those tourists with our heads permanently tilted back and a dazed, amazed expression on our face. I may have also had a camera around my neck. Ha! The next morning, we headed to the old city to check out Wat Po and the Grand Palace. We gaped at the 150-foot-long golden Buddha with enormous mother-of-pearl feet just a few days after Obama did the same.

I actually saw these sights on my last trip to Thailand, but that didn't keep me from being any less awestruck. These temples are probably the most magnificent historical sites I've ever seen, with their bright colors, gold gilt, and endless detail. Erik took about a zillion pictures. Of course I could only force him to be in two.

After our eyeballs reached their maximum gorgeousness capacity, we made our way to the famous backpacker street of Khao Sarn Road. The thing I love about traveling with Erik is that we're both adventurous and not stuck on itineraries. We poked around and explored the side streets and, finally, when our feet ached, we plopped down and got $5 leg massages on the street. Ah-mazing. I wish that was an option in New York City! When we reached Khao Sarn, we shopped and I ate some amazing street pad thai. Sadly, Erik has a sensitive stomach so he watched jealously as I played Russian Roulette with my intestines. (I was fine.)

On the final day of the trip, we didn't have any set plans, so we took the train to a ginormous flea market in the northern part of the city. We bought a mask for our apartment, and I cooled off with a fresh coconut popsicle. By the time we were going to melt, it was time to have lunch with owner of a store in Thailand that carried Erik's clothes. (Side note: We spotted a bootleg knockoff of one of Erik's shirts in a night market, next to all the Nike stuff. Does this mean he's big time?!) The owner and his girlfriend were so sweet, and it was cool to see Erik's clothes sold in a place half a globe away.

The rest of the evening, we checked out a few more neighborhoods, rode in tuk-tuks, and (what else?) got one final Thai massage. I joked that I felt like a piece of Kobe beef. Sigh. It was truly THE trip of a lifetime. How are we going to top this one next year? Guess I should start planning now... ;)