Sprinkled with Love

Happy Friday! I hope you all had a fabulous week. Here’s a look at what’s been going on with me lately. As I mentioned in my last post, it was my sister’s graduation last weekend so I wanted to give you a quick glance at the celebratory festivities first and foremost. Congrats Kru! You made it!

The graduation was postponed Thursday evening due to the bad weather so we all woke up bright and early Friday for the rescheduled ceremony. Luckily, the rain held off for the Class of 2011 to march to Pomp and Circumstance and grab their diplomas!

Saturday was Kristen’s graduation party. The food (half of it being catered for convenience purposes) got rave reviews but the fruit salad in particular, the presentation courtesy of my father’s “famous” pineapple trick, was my personal favorite. I’m pretty sure half of that big bowl was consumed by yours truly, alone…my stomach is still thanking me for that.

Although I would have loved to help make a few dishes, I was quite busy catching up with visiting family members and enjoying some much-needed R&R so I contributed by making a simple punch. Two liters of raspberry lime seltzer + one 64-ounce Ocean Spray Light Cranberry Raspberry Juice + a bag of frozen raspberries + lime slices = perfection. For my over 21-year-old crowd, add some cranberry or raspberry flavored vodka and you have yourself a great cocktail. 

Before I knew it, it was Monday again and I was back on the train to New York. Tuesday was super exciting because I had the pleasure of meeting and interviewing Giada De Laurentiis! Words can’t even begin to describe…such an amazing experience. What did I ask? What did I learn? Find out soon at The Fit Stop. I’ll keep you posted!

I had to show you Tuesday’s romantic train ride dinner for one: Chicken & Avocado Salad (topped with Lentil & Couscous Salad) drizzled with balsamic vinaigrette from Pret A Manger! Can you tell I was ravenous? Every last bite was consumed and 5 miles were ran once I got home thanks to the boost in energy! After a very busy day in the office on Wednesday, I attended an Ed2010 event about the do’s and don’ts of interning. Really great stuff! A fellow intern, TK, and I ended up going to Havana afterwards for some Cuban cuisine. I got the Ensalada De Pollo A La Parilla (Grilled Chicken Salad) for an incredibly affordable $9.00. (Of course I took a photo but it didn’t turn out well, wahh!) TK and I couldn’t believe our bill was just over $20, not that we were complaining! We ended up crashing on another intern’s couch for the night after sitting in Bryant Park and chatting under the twinkling lights of the NYC skyline for a bit. Isn’t it funny how comfortable you feel right off the bat with someone who shares a lot in common with you? We both joked the entire night how we felt like we had known each other for years, rather than days.

The first month of my internship is now behind me and I cannot believe how fast it whizzed by. I have been learning so much, meeting incredible people I will be sure to stay in touch with in the future and even got to cross something off my bucket list! Someone PLEASE pinch me. After getting off the train yesterday morning and squeezing in a quick upper body workout at the gym, I relaxed poolside with Chelsea. We flipped through magazines, chatted about our week and bronzed our pasty bods. Sounds like one solid afternoon to me! At 5:30 we headed over to a favorite local restaurant of mine, The Guilford Bistro & Grille Cafe, for a mother/daughter dinner. How priceless is that picture?

I got the Montego Bay salad (arugula and fennel with balsamic vinaigrette) topped with grilled salmon and asked for some cucumbers and grilled asparagus to be thrown on there. Delicious!

A bottle of red and a bottle of white were polished off, four massive meals were enjoyed (with endless MMmmm’s! inserted here and there) and girly giggles were muffled by napkins, as we tried to not disturb other patrons enjoying the outside dining. Such a pleasant way to end the week before a long holiday weekend! Bring on the fireworks!
If you could meet one celeb who would it be? What would you ask them if you had the opportunity?

Sprinkled with Love,
Lauren