MIMM: Low-key plans with high entertainment value

Let me preface this post by saying that American Horror Story this week gave me the serious creeps. I can't deal with that butler, or all the blood. Ugh.

Now that that is out of the way, onto more marvelous things. Like the weekend. I'll do my best to keep descriptions brief despite all the amusing and awkward details. Honestly, it's too much to share, and I'd have no idea where to begin. 

Friday night I finally got together with another girl who works for the trivia company after several reschedules. We were going to check out Justine's, but we ended up at The Avery because it was easier to locate. No complaints there. I would have snapped a picture, but it's always super dark in there. We happened to end up seated next to this group of completely insane group of people ranging from what I guess would be late 20s to late 40s. Long story short, they convinced us to go with them to Lili Marlene's on Federal Hill, and we stupidly offered them a ride. Weirdest mile-long drive in my life. It took like 20 minutes to fully get out of the Avery parking lot haha.

Lili Marlene's was not what I expected from a bar on Federal Hill. It isn't exactly easy to find unless you know you're looking for it. I actually wasn't even sure it was open when I looked from the street. Upon walking in, all I could think of was a speakeasy. Again, too dark to take a picture. I loved the vibe of this place, and definitely want to go back. My grapefruit martini was amazing and for only $7.50 for a drink on The Hill, I have no real excuse not to. Our experience at Lili Marlene's was filled with just as much surreal and random interactions, even after our drunk/crazy "guides" were cut off (no surpise) and left.

Saturday is better explained in pictures, I'll leave the details up to your imagination:

Marilyn Monroe themed bathroom at The Scurvy Dog in Providence.

The usual yoga on Saturday and Sunday mornings left me feeling a little better about all the alcohol I consumed. All in all, a solid weekend that deserved the entirely unproductive Sunday I had. I'm also a little bitter that I have to work today despite it being a holiday. At least I won't hit much traffic.

Linking up to Katie's Marvelous in My Monday!

MIMM: On patience and things well-deserved

Another wonderfully uneventful weekend gone by and it's Monday again. And marvelous it is! My yoga instructor and owner of Shanti Yoga & Fitness in Rehobeth, MA, Paula Paluch, found out yesterday that she was accepted as a brand ambassador for Jade Yoga! Congratulations, Paula!

I can't say enough about Paula. This past week has been a great one for her, and she certainly deserves it! Last year she was brave enough to relocate her yoga studio and quit her job to dedicate her life to what she loves. Undoubtedly,  this wasn't easy for her and life threw her some curveballs, but she was persistent and positive throughout it all. Now all of her hard work is truly paying off in tangible ways: a slew of new yogis have been popping into the studio, she had a wall-to-wall full class on Thursday, and now she is a brand ambassador for her go-to yoga mat company! I'm so proud and inspired by her.

Now onto a quick weekend recap: After a week of sheer insanity and a packed schedule, I was ready to do absolutely nothing come Friday. The crappy weather was a great excuse for me to stay home and lounge about on Friday and Saturday. My sister convinced me to go to the movies to see The Lone Survivor on Saturday afternoon, though she failed to convince me to change out of my yoga attire.

Photo cred

I just can't turn down an opportunity to gaze at the beauty that is Mark Wahlberg. Will I be watching Wahlburgers on A&E when it premieres next week? You bet your ass I will.

Lone Survivor was disturbingly intense. I have to say it was an amazing story of strength and courage, and the acting was superb, but I was a ball of anxiety for the entire 121 minutes.

By Sunday, I was itching to at least pretend to be productive. During yoga, Sue asked for some help with a facebook issue, giving me a excuse to take a walk in the unseasonably nice weather and spend some time at The Good Seed Market in Seekonk, MA.

Check them out on Facebook

I just love browsing around this store. They have an awesome variety of natural and organic products at really reasonable prices, and the owners and employees are so welcoming and helpful. I'm really happy to have met the owners. Like Paula, they are just doing what they love and their passion creates success. If you live in the RI/MA area, you should definitely stop in and check it out! FYI, they're running an awesome special on chia seeds. I made sure to create a post to advertise it on their facebook page while I was there.

Who doesn't love chia seed pudding?

I had a really encouraging conversation while I was there, and I left feeling more positive than I had been about my current situation and the future in general. Hearing Paula's news later that evening only reinforced my feelings. I just have to continue to pursue my passion, be patient, and eventually it will pay off. Maybe not in the way I expect or as soon as I hope, but it will happen.

As always, I'm linking up with Katie for some Marvelous in My Monday action :)

MIMM: Weekend Wrap-Up

My Monday might not be especially marvelous (with the exception of back-to-back vinyasa and hot yoga after work, that is), but my weekend sure was, so let's focus on that, shall we?

I spotted these two gems at BJs on Saturday. The wisdom penned in these two books is, I imagine, insurmountable.

Duck Dynasty cracks me up. And I am a die-hard Anchorman fan. I was anti-Anchorman 2 at first, but the promos and  previews sucked me and I'm anxiously awaiting its release date.

Saturday night was the annual Stoop Christmas party, which my ex-neighbor and dad's best friend decided to take on this year. Everyone brought a dish and a $15 gift for the best version of Yankee Swap in existence. Having multiple opportunities to steal gifts from people and cause arguments is always a great time. 

My contribution to the swap: The Winter Warmer Pack. Warming chamomile tea, fuzzy socks, and nips.

I started the game with this heinous clock and figured I was destined to end up with it. I always seem to go home with the crappiest gift. To my surprise, after three decks of cards and some vicious steals, I scored some lottery tickets. Bonus! I won $35. Not the Hot $1,000,000 advertised, but I'll gladly take it.

Sunday was a super lazy day. I stayed at home in sweats, did paperwork, and made a clean-out-the-pantry type soup. I used this recipe from Spatulas on Parade, with a little tweaking. I omitted the taco seasoning and used Weber's Kickin' Chicken seasoning in place of the chipotle rub, and amped up the spice with chili powder and medium instead of mild enchilada sauce. Pretty delicious. I was lazy and didn't take pictures, sorry.

Linking up to Katie's Marvelous in My Monday!

MIMM: A Long Weekend Well-Spent

Happy Monday! And a very happy short work week! Needless to say, this Monday is extra marvelous: I'm embracing the opportunity to sit around in my pajamas, sip coffee, and watch an America's Next Top Model marathon on Oxygen just because I can. Since weekend mornings typically have me (gladly) rushing off to yoga right after I get out of bed, this morning laziness is a rarity.

Just a few marvelous weekend highlights:

Saturday night I spent a lazy night in to free up some space on my DVR. Nothing exciting there, other than staring into Jonny Lee Miller's gorgeous eyes throughout last week's episode of Elementary.

Usually on the weekends I make a crockpot meal, but it just didn't happen this week. I gladly enjoyed a roasted acorn squash as part of my Saturday dinner. Hooray for winter squash being on sale for $0.89/lb at Stop and Shop the past few weeks!

Olive oil, sea salt, cracked black pepper, roasted at 450F until desired crispiness.
Always enjoyed with the skin intact, my favorite part!

Sunday was unusually busy this week. I started my day off with two hours of yoga, then headed home to grab a quick meal before heading to a Providence Bruins game with my mom, Kris, and her friend, who was so nice to get us free tickets!

Didn't mean to catch Kris with her eyes closed. Oops!

Providence Bruins definitely like to put on a show. There was a fight within the first 3 minutes of the game ending in blood shed.

Not sure what caused a fight this early, but it was entertaining. 

In the 3rd period, every player on the ice was involved in an all-out gloves-off brawl. It was nuts. Bruins ended up dominating the game, shutting out the Hartford Wolf Pack 6-0. 

After the game, I rushed home to eat a quick dinner, then headed to Hose Company for trivia. It's much harder to play than it is to host, that's for sure! We ended in last place, but had fun nonetheless. 

I came home to end the night with Once Upon a Time. How sexy is Captain Hook?

Marry me, please.

Not sure what lies ahead for today, other than vinyasa yoga and hot yoga from 6-8pm. I expect today will be marvelously relaxing :)

On a not-so-marvelous note, Tuesday's weather forecast is bleak:

I'm not ready for snow and cold :(

The bane of my New England-based existence.

Linking up to Katie's MIMM: