birthday rundown + last call

thank you all
for the birthday wishes! i had a completely lovely day yesterday -- i don't want to invoke the p-word but it was pretty much perfect.

events of the day included
♥ cathartic apartment cleanse. yes, i scrubbed the toilet on my birthday! and it felt good.
♥ massage! [note to locals: tim at bella trio does a fantastic job -- i highly recommend!]
♥ spa mani/pedi, also at bella trio. theresa helped me pick the colors:


OPI hot & spicy and melon of troy

♥ spin class & yoga
♥ enjoying all the fun facebook messages and e-cards that go along with having a birthday:


my dad sent me a lady gaga e-card, complete with video. YES!
♥ breaking in my new favorite: sunwashed dots dress!


this dress is just. so. ME!
♥ enjoying an amazing dinner experience at chapel hill's bonne soirée.

a gem under the radar
a few more words on our dining experience! bonne soirée is classic french with an emphasis on local and fresh ingredients, and they manage to strike a balance between refined and elegant (think hand-written menus in calligraphy!) -- yet warm and inviting at the same time.

the food was absolutely impeccable. josh had soft-shell crab and then fresh red snapper, and i enjoyed a goat cheese and beet soufflé and then scallops in a lovely herb sauce. lots of sharing went on, of course! for dessert we shared an amazing raspberry jam/almond tart that reminded me of something from my childhood (mom, any ideas?). we were treated with the utmost welcome and i was especially amazed with the wine pairings and how they complemented each course.

i would have LOVED to take pictures and share this experience -- but unfortunately no cameras (nor cell phones) were allowed. locals, for a special occasion, you will just have to experience this place for yourself! this is the second birthday dinner i have had there and josh and i just may make it a yearly tradition.


date night picture show

happiness project: week 1


as i mentioned yesterday, this month's theme is mindfulness. the structure my project will take is to work on just ONE happiness tenet or goal each week. this may take the form of an idea that i will keep in mind or a project/challenge to undertake, and i will post daily updates at the bottoms of my posts (in the workouts/cooking/reading section that has been absent as of late for no real reason).

this week's theme/idea is to delight in the mundane. this week, i want to work on finding peace and being present during the smaller moments of life (ie: bathroom cleaning time!) as well as the bigger ones (30th bday celebration). in a recent blog post, gretchen rubin quoted samuel johnson who wrote, “it is by studying little things that we attain the great art of having as little misery, and as much happiness as possible.”

and with that in mind, i will enter my LAST CALL EVER!! 30 little hours, but kind of a big deal. happy friday!

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5.20.10

workout: yoga for runners and a 45 minute spin express class at my gym. it's been so long since i went to spin class, and i forgot how great of a workout it is. i still wish the class at my gym had more updated music, but i did enjoy rocking out to madonna's "vogue". it reminded me of the recent madonna-themed glee episode!

cooking: is about to return. stay tuned!

reading: is also going to make a comeback. in the form of board prep + venturing into endo!

happiness project corner: i had the opportunity to work on my first challenge (see above) multiple times over the course of my birthday -- while cleaning, while doing yoga, and at spin class. there were times (while doing all 3 activities) that i got frustrated, but it really helped to take a step back and remember that they were all things that i chose to do -- and that there was nothing terrible about any of them.

for me, simply being aware of negative thoughts is sometimes all it takes to realize that there is nothing of substance behind them. let's see if i can apply this to CALL!