It Goes a Little Something Like This...

**This is a lot of information and I apologize if you're not ready for it.


1. I've been feeling under the weather lately. I'm not going to go into all of my ailments (of which there are plenty) but I will let you know that I've had a killer runny nose for three days now. So, for the TMI: Last night I woke up in the middle of the night with something running down my cheek. I swiped at it. Looked at my hand, saw that it was dark, and figured I woke up with a bloody nose. This should alarm you. It did me. Who wakes up in the middle of the night with a bloody nose? Isn't that what happens to really, really sick people? Actually it was just my runny nose and somewhere in waking myself up for my runny nose I busted my lip open. Yup, I'm pretty cool.

2. As part of my 30 before 30 I decided I wanted to become a certified yoga teacher. I have applied to a studio near my home and classes begin (if I'm accepted) on April 14. This is actually pretty cool. I'll be able to cross something off my list. I'll be able to do yoga and make some money doing it! I get free classes all summer long at this studio (if I'm accepted)! Sweet, right? Then why am I a little nervous to do it?

3. I have been applying for Summer jobs for back home once the season is over and I've also been applying for "real" jobs. Just in case. When I apply for a "real" job I only choose the ones in places that I would like to live. Maybe this is bad, and I should apply to everything just to broaden my capability of finding something, but what is the point of applying for a "real" job in a dump place when one day Matt and I could have to make a decision between my work and his work? But yes, I totally want to work from home and teach yoga at the same time. Is that too much to ask?

4. The hockey season could be over soon. There. I said it. I'll have more details on Monday...depending on what happens.

5. I absolutely think it's brutal that Picnik is going bye-bye in April. Who's shutting it down? Why are you shutting it down? I need to edit my pictures. I am just not that adept with Photoshop and Picnik is way easier and quicker anyway.

6. I'm pretty good at making cheeseburgers. I better be if it's my fav food. Usually we stuff them with a few things, put some spices in the meat, sometimes mix some onions and cheese right in there with it too. My favorite, probably goat cheese mixed in. Last summer I even made a homemade mango barbecue sauce and soaked the beef in that for a bit before grilling them up. Omelets and burgers are my forte. Why am I telling you this? Because we're having burgers for dinner tonight ... and I totally put maple syrup in them.

7. My husband is seeing my friends husband behind my back. They had a cappuccino date tonight before practice. No wonder he left early... {I know this because I just turned on the iPad and it beeped that there was a Skype message. It showed up at the top of the screen exactly what was said. I wasn't snooping I swear!!}


8. Right now on eBay I'm watching three Burberry wallets, one Louis Vuitton wallet, a burberry bag, and then this random coat that I can't remember where it came from. There's also a burnt orange shirt with a fox in a fedora on there. Then after typing those two sentences I spent about five more minutes browsing eBay before coming back to type this one.

9. There is a girl I'm following on Pinterest who only pins pictures of hot girls. With unreal bodies. I mean this in a strictly fitness, workout, healthy type of way. They're in unbelievable shape. These usually link to a workout of some sort, or a blog that can usually be categorized as "fitspo", but I'm not sure what to think of all these pictures of girls. Maybe she's a very visual person and needs constant affirmation that what she's doing will get her the body she's working towards. Maybe she likes girls.

10. Matt and I were talking the other day about how awesome this Summer will be because we're not planning a wedding. It sucked and I'm never doing it again. Yay for being married already. There's no one here to high five.

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A Virtual World

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Sometimes when I talk with my husband about what things were like when we were kids there's a major difference when we get to middle school and high school. We're only four years apart but we run into the age of the computer and realize that there probably is a pretty good explanation for why I'm just a little bit better with them than him. I remember taking my first typing classes around third grade. Having to turn in typed papers in middle school and just about everything having to be typed by some point in high school. He didn't turn in his first typed paper until college. He can barely remember ever taking a typing class and his favorite stories are of ICQ {the first ever AIM - only in Canada, my friends} and the "wee-ooh" sound it made whenever one of his friends would write to him.

Now every household has multiple computers. I'm writing this blog post on my MacBook Pro while Matt is downstairs watching Alcatraz on his own MacBook. Our iPod Touch is on the night stand next to me and our new iPad 2 sitting on the kitchen table. {We're an Apple family if you can't tell.} Matt also has a Blackberry which can do just about as much as our computers and I have a Kindle to read any book I want as quick as the click of a button. I love these things. Don't get me wrong. Traveling with 20+ books is not an option for us, not having Skype and email readily available for friends and family back home would make traveling so much harder. Heck, I wouldn't have a job if I didn't have some of these things. Even having our computers for the TV we miss from back home has been a Godsend. Technology is helpful, fun, necessary, and makes life a whole lot easier. But I think we've gone too far...

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This morning I read an article from The New York Times called Behind the Google Goggles, Virtual Reality. If you couldn't tell, Google is working on some virtual reality glasses that can be worn anywhere and everywhere, with lenses that act as computer screens projecting images right in front of you. They're saying things like "It will look very strange to onlookers when people are wearing these glasses. You obviously won't see what they can from behind the glasses. As a result, you will see bizarre body language as people duck and dodge around virtual things."  The glasses will have motion sensors, and a GPS. Even a camera and inputs and outputs for audio.

Basically Google is giving everyone an excuse to live outside of the real world. To live in their virtual reality 24/7 if that's what they choose to do. Human interaction? Who needs it? Let's meet for a coffee and plays Sims and have our characters meet for a coffee too. Oh and in case you were missing it, let's throw an advertisement for Russian porn in there while we're at it. Because that's also what you're going to get from these glasses. Advertisements. Whenever your new Google glasses want to throw them at you.

What's cool? They use the example of you standing at a landmark, gathering information from your new glasses. Cool. Actually, let me pull out my iPhone, Blackberry, or Android phone and Google some info myself. Whew. That was easy. Best part? I did that without having to put on ridiculous glasses and tune out the rest of the world for awhile until I found exactly what I was looking for. Oh yeah, and my friends aren't pissed at me for being such a loner.

You know that face recognition technology that Facebook has been using as of late to tag your photos for you? Well, your new Google glasses could have that same sort of system, allowing them to "recognize" someone's face even if you don't. How about another excuse for never having to really get to know a person? I'll just have my handy dandy computer here recognize you, tell me who we know in common, determine where it is we could have come in contact with each other before, and then tell me your name, where you live, who you work for, and what you were doing back in 2008 (because you just updated Facebook to Timeline and I can see that now). Seriously. I could have just said, "Hey, you look familiar. I'm Erin." Then you say, "Oh yeah, Erin! I met you at Cindy Lou's party last summer. I'm Patty, Patty Mayonnaise." That was much easier. {Also because then I know that my friend Doug, who wears his underwear outside of his shorts and his belt around his head, has a major crush on you.}

So you see, I'm not a fan of your new glasses, Google. And when you decide you're going to turn everyone into a robot, I'm going underground.

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Love, In Many Ways

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I may not have gotten to spend my Valentine's Day with Matt {Insert longest road trip on Valentine's Day, Italian League. I dare you. Oh, wait, you did it. Shit.} but I did do some pretty awesome stuff today.

Matt was away for his game so our friend and I decided to take a day trip. We ended up in the most fabulous place I've been to in awhile. It took us awhile to determine where we wanted to go. There were two places that looked great but we chose to go the easy way out and travel as little as possible. After only and hour and 15 minutes we made it to our destination. Right away I knew I liked this place.

There was Louis Vuitton and Prada, Zara and H&M, cafés and ristoranti, a giant park that would be beautiful with more snow or during Spring when all the flowers are blooming. It was a bit metropolitan but close enough to the "country side" that you wouldn't feel like you couldn't get away if you wanted. Number one, I'm definitely taking a girls trip back there to shop. Number two, I am definitely taking Matt there because I think he would absolutely love it too. We missed two of the major sites there so I think that's a perfect opportunity to head back with Matt and check it out.

I got to spend the rest of my V-day with Lucy, snuggled up on the couch watching Captain America. (Which is just okay.) Had day-old chili, because it's always better the second day! I also attempted pumpkin cookies (because I have a lot of leftover cans of pumpkin) and I will soon attempt to cut one into the shape of a heart for Matt when he gets home at 5 a.m.! Cheesy? It happens.

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**I was just reminded that Matt asked if I wanted to buy heart shaped cookie cutters at Accessorize and I said, Seriously? You know I can't bake.

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Mini-Vacation Special

You know when you just need to get away? When everything around you is on your last nerve? That's how I've felt lately. We got a measly two days off and were so bummed about that decision by our coaches and management. We were afraid our traveling days were over. That we wouldn't be able to make the most of our time here again until the end of the season. Boy, were we wrong! Sunday morning we left to head down the mountain to a little town I love called Bolzano. It was so refreshing to be in a place that I see as absolutely amazing. A place that reminds me of some awesome times from two years ago. What could be better?

Ohh, how about us meeting some of our best friends there for a cappuccino and then hitting the road for a one-nighter in, that's right, Innsbruck, Austria!

There's something about turning the corner on the autostrada and seeing this beauty laying right smack in the middle of the Austrian Alps. It's not a big city, but it's big enough. There's shopping, skiing, a trolly, some tourists attractions that I know nothing about nor did I see while there. It was just a great trip with some great friends. It was perfect. I couldn't have asked for a better 24 hours.

What was even great about this trip was that I got to spend a few hours in the car, just Matt and me, chatting about anything and everything other than Asiago and hockey. I learned that if Matt had to lose a limb, it would be his arm. He learned that I would rather lose my foot ... because how terrible would it be if I couldn't wipe my own ....

If we won the lottery we would both immediately buy a home, but with many different features. We would put $500,000 away for two kids to go to college one day, and he would buy a cottage and I would love a house in the mountains. (Does our current situation explain my answer? Yes.)

If we could have any pet in the world it would be Lucy. For real. But then he'd have a black bear and I'd have a cheetah. He also said something about an eagle because people can't see eagles. I'm not sure that was completely thought through.

Sometimes everyone just needs a little mini-vacation to get them back into the swing of things. To make sure you're not going to completely lose your mind; and to remind you that some of the most elementary conversations can make you smile and think about things you may never have before.

As our good friend and travel buddy says, "You can do magic! You can do anything that you desire. do doo dooo doo do ..."

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Picture This

Well, Kourtney, that makes one of you! Who doesn't love photos of you and your family or friends around the house? It's what makes a house a home. I bring a handful of framed photos over to Europe every year because it makes the place feel more like ours. It's not our furniture (because we don't own any), it's now our house (because we don't have one), it's not our dishes, beds, appliances, nothing. The one thing that I can do to really make these places we're in every year feel like our own ... put up some photos of our life.

After watching this past week's episode of Kourtney and Kim Take New York I couldn't help but think that maybe Kourtney's life is so full of photos that she just needs some sort of escape from them when she is in her own space. Unfortunately for the rest of us we're not photographed looking our best (and worst) every time we step out of our Gansevoort suite. Actually it's a very rare occasion, and usually only very special occasions, that we get such photos taken. So we tend to like it.

Lately I've been thinking that I'd love some photos of us. I don't really need anymore framed wedding photos, those are nice, but I'd love some everyday type ones. I guess my idea of "everyday type photos" aren't exactly something you get everyday either. They're cute, in everyday clothes, capturing more of a feeling, a moment, rather than super staged and obviously from a special occasion. We didn't want engagement photos and I'm still completely okay with our decision, but sometimes that could be the only chance you really get for photos like that.

But those are so "We're so happy and in love and we're getting married in 8 weeks!!" I want these to be more "We're so happy and in love still, even after Matt just told me he's tired of eating off dishes that have old, caked on food on them and then I nicely reminded him that I hate dishes and am now completely exonerated from doing them." Now those are the moments I want to remember.

After a bit of searching I've found some I'd really love to recreate. I highly doubt Matt will agree to these but I'm hopeful that somewhere along the line I'll be given the go-ahead. Have you seen any awesome "couples" photos lately? I'd love a link to them just to give myself some more ideas and to torture Matt with the possibility of more photos. Maybe we can even include Lucy? Oh yeah, who wants to take these for me? Awesome, let's do this!

{I do love this one. Via Pinterest.}

{I think these would be nice in wrapped canvas! Via Pinterest as well.}

{These two are adorable. Via Cliff Marck}

{The Photo Booth may be a fad, but if it's good enough for Elvis, it's good enough for me. Via Hot Parade.}

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Confess This

I'm linking up today with Leslie over at A Blonde Ambition ... because truthfully I am not that interesting and I need a little boost something super easy to blog about today. I'm pretty bogged down with stuff here in Asiago. Like sweeping the floors, playing fetch with Lucy, feeling like I need to beg my husband to go for a walk, and all around needing to get out of this apartment. Shall I begin?

1. I may have begun my rant just a second ago but I swear if I don't get off this mountain on Sunday I might scream. This is about the time every year when we all start going a little stir crazy and are just about ready to go home. Me, I'm not ready to go home yet. Actually this year I'm totally fine with being here right about now. What I'm not fine with is the lack of excitement I've had lately.  I want to go shopping, even if it's window shopping. I need to take a mini-trip somewhere that isn't called Asiago. I just need a change of scenery. Rant over.

2. I began my half marathon training this week. It requires me to run only three times a week but to cross train two others days. Today is an off day. Tomorrow is my long run day. Great timing because Matt has an away game tomorrow and I'll need something to do!

3. This week I opened our storage closet with every intention of organizing and cleaning it out. It was too much for me at that very moment so I put it off till later. I opened the closet yesterday to find it mysteriously is organized and clean. I must have a Fairy Godmother. Or Lucy just really knows me super well.

4. Have you heard of the book Onward by Howard Schultz? Well, I started reading it this week. For non-fiction, it's quite interesting. I'm a big fiction girl and I'm happy to admit that. I like to use my books to escape. This, however, makes me want to work at Starbucks. I'll make $8 an hour to be a barista for stock options and insurance.

5. I could really go for a Caesar right now. {Canadians will understand.}

6. Rum and vitamin juice will suffice. Holy sugar. Oh well.

7. Have you been watching the new show Once Upon a Time? I'm really into it right now. It's my "Matt's away so I finally get to watch something other than Friday Night Lights"-show.

8. It's 7:19 PM and I could use a nap. Instead I'm going to finish watching Once Upon a Time (before Matt gets home), and try to decide where I want to go on our next break. My top choices as of late: Zurich, Salzburg, Lake Como, Nice. What would you pick?

9. Normally I like to include pictures in my confessional. Apparently not today. I must have had a lot on my mind.

Happy Friday Everyone!

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What I Ate Wednesday

I set a goal awhile back to have one full meatless week before I turned the big 3-0. It seemed like it would be tough since Matt is, like most men, quite the meat lover. Ribs, chicken, pork loin, steak, burgers, you name it, we're having it. It has come to a point where a big cut of chicken or beef is just not that appealing to me. On the flip side, I can't imagine never eating a cheese burger again. I just can't commit to something like that.


However, the idea of dedicating one week of my life to being vegetarian seemed like it was more than doable. That is why #6 of my 30 before 30 is "Take Meatless Monday a little far. A meatless week!" 


Matt left today for France. Due to a very ridiculous set of circumstances I was not able to go. So basically all those posts I wrote about going to Rouen for the Continental Cup...lies. However this did lead me to the conclusion that with Matt gone having a meatless week is totally possible. So today I embarked on that journey and have, so far, come out on top.


Now, you may wonder why this is one of my goals. It's just a health thing. Nothing too "animal rights activist"-ish, or "I'm the new tree-hugger"-thing. I've followed Meatless Monday for awhile now. I like where they stand in terms of saving the planet, energy consumption, health benefits, and, okay, a bit of animal rights too, and I've had many meatless days over the past 2 years. I must admit, I do feel slightly more weighed down when I go a few days in a row eating meat at almost every meal. Meat has started to lose its appeal and I can honestly say that I want it less and less as the months go by. I highly encourage everyone to try just one day a week without it, you can't know how something affects you until you try! But, for real, make your own decisions.


Side bar ::: I read this article on the NY Times (which is quickly becoming my favorite news read) about meat consumption. "We're Eating Less Meat. Why?" It's interesting, informative, and the final sentence is exactly what I had for dinner tonight. :::


So back to What I Ate Wednesday. At the start of my meatless week, and now coming to the end of the first day, I feel completely satisfied, full but not stuffed, and know that today contained no where near the variety of foods I could have the rest of this week. Serious, check out some meatless recipes and see just how much you're able to do. You just might surprise yourself.

I'll keep you updated while I make my way towards a meatless week, showing you everything I eat along the way. My guess is I'm going to feel great after a full week without meat. I already feel awesome after just one day without it. Maybe you'll even make the decision to join me for just one meatless day. Possibly this Monday? They don't just call it Meatless Monday because they both start with an "M" ... okay, that's definitely why, but there are also many other good reasons to begin your week with a resolution.


Onto some late-night yoga (the best), Pretty Little Liars, and cuddle time with Lucy. Happy Hump Day. Your week is almost through!

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♬ These Are My Confessions ♬

Leslie over at A Blonde Ambition has made herself a little link up. There was no way I was missing out on this one, as she's one of my daily reads. For real, daily. Her blog is one of the few that I religiously stick to and love every part of.

Here I go. Just pouring my heart out ...

1. My mother comes to Italy TOMORROW! Which means that I probably won't be blogging much until she's gone. She's only here for a week, so I apologize in advance for seeming like I don't care next week. I have the entire trip planned, kind of. Venice tomorrow, Asiago Sunday, Florence Monday and Tuesday, Matt's game Tuesday night, Verona(or something else awesome) Wednesday, Val di Fassa on Thursday and then she's up and back to the States on Friday. Whew, I'm going to be tired.

2. We have not yet been paid for November. Dun dun dunnn. That's European hockey for you. Honest truth. Everyone is starting to freak out and it's starting to annoy me. :o) I mean, obviously we need our paychecks too, but pleeeease tell me that you at least knew a little bit about what you were getting into? It's called planning. Sheesh.

3. The link to the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show has been brewing in another tab on my Safari since about 10 this morning. Why haven't I gotten to it, you ask? Because Matt wanted to watch The United States of Tara, and I needed to work out. I also needed to sweep/swiffer/mop the floor, make lunch, clean out Lucy's poop tray, read The Help, and take a nap. Now I'm onto my 3rd cup of chamomile tea (because my throat hurts) and I'm blogging. It's about time I turn that on and make myself feel like I need another run!

4. I am Über excited about dinner tonight. Salmon and rice and sriracha! Thank the Lord I went to Slovenia. Sriracha is my fav.

5. I may or may not have punched a girl in Slovenia. She broke my cardinal rule. Don't pull hair. You pull my hair, I punch you. Simple and sweet. Not exactly classy, I know, but it's made for some good stories from my hubs this week.

6. The past few days I have been on the hunt, AGAIN, for an online Master's Degree program. I found one last year, Boston University, but the more I read into it it looks like I would have to take two classes on campus at the end of the program. That's probably doable for the way our life goes, just end up living in Boston for a summer, but sort of defeats the purpose of online, right? I'm torn. Do I wait until this chapter of our lives is over for that, or use the huge amounts of spare time to study and really put in the effort a graduate degree needs?

7. Earlier this week we found flights for 40 euro to Paris in January. The boys are playing in the Continental Cup there and we want to go! I thought this was awesome news...until today. When we found flights for 25 euro ROUND TRIP!! See you soon, Eiffel Tower.

8. My final confession.

For some reason "Matt has a face that fans just don't like" says his daddy. But last year I found this guys wearing his jersey! I apologize for looking like such a mess here. I look like I've been out all night! But I saw this guy again in some of the pictures from last weekend's Continental Cup round and thought it was super cool.

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Hey There Coffee Girl

There's a reason people write songs about it. You know what the title of this post is from? Anyone? Canadians?

The Tragically Hip! -- Now, they're not exactly my favorite band or anything, but I do love that song. Even the late, great, Frank Sinatra wrote a song about coffee. Now, I love him.

It gets you through a tough morning. Keeps you going when you think you might crash mid-day. Hypes you up before a long night out, or helps those lids stay up when you're studying for a test.

I just enjoy the stuff. I've weened myself off the cream and sugar and drink it black. So it better be a good cup of coffee because there are no fillers, no cushion, just the pure taste of coffee. Yum.

Total side story: Did I tell you Matt had Kopi Luwak while we were in Barcelona?

It's what some like to call "Cat *Poo Coffee". {A profanity was replaced by Poo. Just an FYI.} Technically the stuff comes from the digestive tract of a little animal called the civet. It's a cat-like animal found in Indonesia. Their stomach acids react in just the right way with perfectly matured coffee beans and then, as always, they poo them out. Partly digested and ready for picking. Gross. I get it. But this stuff sells from ~$600 per pound. This baby cup Matt's holding ... 4.70€.
That price tag isn't a joke, folks. Ugh!


You know what else is pretty awesome and huge craze right now? The one-cup coffee makers. Perfect if you're trying to run out the door without having to worry about cleaning the pot and having just a little bit more than you're able to fit in your cup. I've used a few one-cup coffee makers in my day. And when I say "my day" I just mean in the last few years.


Matt's family is obsessed. Each of his brothers has asked for one for Christmas within the last two years and we can all blame his sweet, little mother for this. She's got each flavor lining her stove back and we all just go nuts trying them out every time we're there.


They've become such a hit with us that we got one of those spin-o-rama things --where you can display the flavors-- as a wedding present. Nope, it wasn't on the registry but somebody knows us well!


Keurig makes themselves one of the best I've seen, in terms of one-cup coffee makers. My favorite? The B40 Elite K-Cup Coffee Maker. Right now you can get it for just $119.99 at One Cup Connection! You can totally pay way more than that for a regular coffee maker and you're stuck with one big pot full of one flavor for an entire family. Why not make it easier on everyone and let them choose what they want each morning?

There are even 16 different brands available for the Keurig machines. Each brand having many flavors. You'll definitely be able to find something for yourself. They're even cutely named - K-Cups! Who would have thought they had a blog about the stuff too? Yup, a blog about coffee. Named after exactly what we use the stuff for, a break. Coffee Break! Check it out.


You know what should really hop on board with Keurig K-Cups? Starbucks. For heaven's sake I love the stuff. You know what else I love? Their Christmas look.

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Wouldn't you just adore some coffee for Christmas? Keurig one-cup maker, yes please! Starbucks gift card, I'll take it! 

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Apples and Tureens and Scrubs {Oh My!}

As the Christmas markets opened in town yesterday I found myself perusing the shops looking for ... well, nothing in particular. Who cares! Christmas has come early to Asiago.

Now, I'm not spoiling Thanksgiving or anything. Decorations for the Ho-Ho-Holiday will not be put up in our house until after November 24th; so Turkey Day can have it's ... day. Okay, enough with the dot, dot, dots.

I did grab myself an amazing brulé alla mela (it's just hot apple cider, folks) and that reminds me more of Fall, pumpkins, hayrides, and Thanksgiving than it does of Christmas. It was also really nice to walk around town with my husband and some friends. There's nothing quite like it when the weather is nice and there are fun things to do in town.

I've also been on a huge apple kick lately. Hence the brulé alla mela. I can have myself a Fuji, Pink Lady, Golden Delicious, and (my all-time favorite) a Granny Smith any day of the week. They're all over the place! They're delicious. Grab an apple, add some whole-grain toast and a teaspoon of honey and there's breakfast.


They're not only tasty. Apples are so good for you:

• They're a great source of Vitamin C. You know what that's good for? Your immune system. "An apple a day keeps the doctor away!" You're mom wasn't yanking your chain.
• Apple eaters have lower levels of C-reactive protein. C-reactin protein causes inflammation which has suggested an increased risk for heart disease and diabetes.
• For you athletes out there, an apple before a workout has proven to increase exercise endurance. Apples deliver an antioxidant called quercetin which makes oxygen more available to your lungs. Thus allowing you to work those glutes longer!

Yes, this could totally be a post for A Recipe for Fitness at this point, but it's really just this amazing little food that I've been loving lately and I wanted to share it with you. So go eat an apple. Do it.

Since Thanksgiving is coming up super soon I thought you hostesses might enjoy a little treat. Anthropologie has ridiculously adorable things for your wardrobe and your home and now they have this adorable little tureen. Tureen is new to my vocabulary and I feel very Susie Homemaker using it in a sentence.

I discovered something awesome a little bit ago: Homemade Exfoliants. I know, I know, it's not exactly brand new, or life-saving, but it works and I loved the way it made my skin feel! So here's the recipe I used: {notice how make-shift it truly is}

• 2 packets of Turbinado sugar (coarse brown sugar) that I stole (term used lightly) from a café here in town
• 1 tablespoon of honey
• 1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil
• 2 drops of eucalyptus oil

     Mix together all the ingredients in a little bowl and there you have it! A homemade exfoliant.

Easy enough right? SUPER EASY! Here's a list of a few more types of at-home exfoliants you can use if you're just not that into mine. But you should be into mine. It worked you know.

During out trip to Barcelona I kept saying that I wanted to bring back something to always remind me of our time there. Matt wanted to get me a new watch (he's seriously awesome - and knows me oh-so-well), I was looking for a shirt of some sort (no, not an I ❤ Barcelona shirt), but I ended up with something totally different, unrepresentative and exactly what I've been wanting for awhile.

I don't care what they're supposed to be called, I call it my Russian Hat. I've been searching for just the right one for a few years now and I found it. This isn't mine specifically, but it's close. I discovered yesterday that I should really only wear it when my hair is curled, but that's okay. Looks like I'm going to start curling my hair more often this winter!

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"Take It To The House"

Today, while hanging laundry out on the balcony, I tripped.

I fell into the door, smacked it pretty hard trying to keep myself up, and I succeeded. Then I looked at my husband who actually looked legitimately concerned.

He did not laugh.

Until I sort of cracked a smile. Then we both started dying. I like him.

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{Love}ing

Want to join in on the "What I'm Loving Wednesday!" craze?! Visit Jamie at This Kind of Love and link up!

1.

This hairstyle. If anyone wants to send me a super easy tutorial, I'll pay you. Okay, I won't pay but I'll give you props. I've tried to do this a few times over the last couple days and I have not yet figured it out. Help!!

2.

I want to be in a place right now where I can wear this entire outfit and be comfortable. It's too cold here. It's impractical here. I don't have anything like this here. I want.

3.

4.

Like I've said before, love this for storing ... anything.

5.

I know people think it's nuts but I love the idea. Maybe not hearts, not names, but something. It would be especially nice since my husband can't quit taking his ring on and off, on and off, dropping it on the ground, juggling it, etc. In the middle of the night I'll hear it roll across the floor because he can't quit messing with it.

6.

Too bad it's not Summer anymore. I'd really love a pair.

7.

8.

Of course, Match.

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Make Your Monday: {Shopping}

There are few things in this world that can make a girl happier than shopping. Yesterday we took a little tour through the town of Bassano where a friend and I were granted the opportunity to take a peak through just one store. One. While our husbands sat outside wishing for nothing more than to head back up the mountain to sit on the couch and possibly drink some pops on their day off. (Pops = beer)

Bassano Del Grappa

I couldn't tell you what the name of this store was, but I can tell you it was marvelous. Women's clothing on the left, baby clothes on the right, and men's clothing in the back. Right where it belongs! The whole place was full of beautiful blue grays, browns of all shades, a pop of teal, orange or red here and there. Distressed wood and statement pieces to display accessories. Now, I'm not in the market for a baby but they also had this beautiful stroller in a light apple-green. Sigh.

It got me pining away for a few new things. Unfortunately everyday Matt is asking me where I got my latest pair of pants, shirt, or shoes. Yes, I did some shopping before I left. But they were early Christmas presents people! None of our own money was spent on it. Why should he care? So because of this I sort of think I should be able to actually go spend some of my own money on new stuff. He doesn't quite see it that way. He's also a man. Who hates to shop.

But since I'm thinking of it anyway I had to indulge in a little bit of online browsing this morning. So here are some of my favorites! There's even a little gem in here from, gasp!, Abercrombie! I haven't worn Abercrombie since I was in high school but I saw a friend with a pair of their jeans on the other day and thought "You know, those are super cute. As long as it's not a sweatshirt with A&F scrawled across the front what's the difference?"

{via}

Pair these puppies with a cute sweater and boots and you'd never know they were made for adolescent kids who wear too much cologne.

{via}

Love this from Burberry. Something about everything they make is so classic and chic. I'd probably wear this out in one season.

{via}

I would totally throw these first three items together for a finished product. These shoes from Asos are amazing. Not exactly practical on these Italian cobblestone roads but if le regazze qui can do it, so can I!

{via}

This beauty from Burberry is so simple but I love that racing green and the pattern peaking out on the cuff is just enough not to be designer gaudy.

{via}

These are so off of anything I've ever had or liked before but there's something that catches my eye about them. When you're in a simple crew neck sweater (see above) but you want to dress it up a bit - while still being casual - the concealed wedge gives you a boost and it's just enough flair to be your statement piece.

Happy Monday everyone! I hope you had a great weekend and wish you a fabulous week ahead!

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Let's Get It Started

Today marks the first regular season game for Asiago! Let's go ... SUPERMERCATI!! Actually I don't have a clue what our team mascot or name is. I know that we're HC Asiago and we're yellow. Well, sometimes we're yellow. I'm not sure what other color we are yet. But I'll find out soon! I won't be in the dark for much longer. I apologize.

Based on this logo I bet we're the lions. HC Asiago Lions. Rawr.
Oh, and we're red. But I found this logo after I wrote that first paragraph.

I've been here for just under a week now and I'm finally starting to get my bearings. I'm finding my way around town without a guide, our internet is (obviously) working, Lucy has gone right back to her playful self (yes, Cincinnati was way too hot for her this summer), and after kicking most of this cold I woke up decently early and went for my first run in a week.

Last year I got sick and did everything I could to push through the pain and still workout. I found this to be a very bad idea. For me. Or at least for that specific sickness. If you're not quite sick yet, a good sweat could get all of that bad bacteria out of you, if you're already sick you will probably just wear yourself down even more. That's what I did. So from that point I have tried to let my body, and immune system, rest while I'm sick and not push myself too hard. Today was the perfect day to get back into it.

I went for about 25 minutes. I'm not sure how far but I kept it at a decent pace and just wound my way through the streets of town. I figured if I got lost it would just add a bit of distance. I found the closest recycling bins to our place, I now know at least three different ways to get to our street and a quicker way to get to our friends' apartment. I can find all four Euro Stores on my own now (it's their dollar store!) and can get to the arena all by myself. I feel accomplished.

Add some abs and lunges into the end of that little run and I'm definitely doing something good on this Saturday morning. I even got a relaxing bath afterward. Considering that's all you're able to take in this place.

Yep. This is our tub and slanted ceiling!

It's pre-game though right now and Matty is settling in. Most hockey players have their rituals. Some are ridiculous about the order in which things must be done on game day: what exactly they eat, whether they nap at 1 p.m. or 2 p.m., and if that nap lasts only 32 minutes or one hour and 30 minutes.

I'm lucky. Matty isn't quite like that. Of course he likes pasta and meat to get his carbs and protein in for the day. You can't work as hard, and sweat as much, as they do without prepping your body with the right food. But it can be whatever he feels like, or what we happen to have in the house. Yes, he does like to nap, but I'm totally allowed to nap with him (which I've come to find is a rare occasion). He even lets Lucy join. He doesn't mind. His day isn't down to the minute with rituals. It's just supposed to be relaxing so he's not tired when game time rolls around.

I feel bad for the women who have to deal with an overzealous pre-game player. I applaud you on your patience. It's something that, I'm sure, you've dealt with forever and think of as just another day. Maybe it's good I came around the hockey world when I did. If Matt made me creep around the house all day so as not to disturb him, or leave the house entirely, I would have told him to beat it! But maybe that's what he gets for being with an American.

Yep. I'll pull that card.

I don't think Carrie got to nap with Mike on this day.

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Love, Love, Love, Love

Nine Loves

1. This song:

2. Obviously

3. This man

Maybe I have a type?

4. Sushi. The boat specifically. I'd eat it all. All of it I tell you.

5. As many guys say, "A girl's typical choice for sports teams." No. I really like them. Not because they're winners. Because, let's be honest, they just really aren't winners anymore. BUT THEY WILL BE!

6. Avocados. Delish.

7. If you haven't started watching this yet, you should. I don't know one (1) single person who doesn't like this show. Not one.

8. Bud Heavy. Bud Diesel. Budweiser. Not that watered down crap that everyone else drinks. I want a Budweiser. Please, waiters, stop looking at me funny when I order this. Please, waiters, stop putting my beer in front of my husband just because you think he should be drinking the beer and I should be drinking that glass of wine. Get over it. I'm a girl. I drink full flavored beer. Thank you.

King of Beers

9. Burberry. I honestly think it's beautiful and classic. Not because it's expensive.

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