Grits in the City - Fitness. Family. Food.
Hope you enjoy all these as much as I do!
When Tori Amos announced she’d be back on the road in 2023 for a second leg of her US tour I was thrilled to see the venues in a travel radius of our house.
I elected to skip the Beacon Theater in NYC and Count Basie in Red Bank in favor of Wolf Trap and Hershey. I absolutely love Wolf Trap in Vienna, Virginia. I’ve seen both the Indigo Girls and Joss Stone there — and the opportunity to see Tori there wasn’t something I could miss.
One of my favorite ways to experience any place is through the best food. After we went to the Franklin Institute we headed to a restaurant and when I saw Federal Donuts was on the way back to our car, I was thrilled.
[Read more…]Our kids love museums. Philadelphia isn’t too far of a drive but we’ve only been there with them a few times to go to the Philadelphia Zoo. For a while, I’ve been wanting to take them to the Franklin Institute so a few weeks back, I decided to surprise them with a trip. What was the verdict? Read on to see!
[Read more…]I dare say I’ve found my reading groove? I used to read a lot but since having kids (so around six years) I haven’t been great about it at all. I set a low reading goal for 2022 on Goodreads and miserably failed. But I’m back, baby!
This month, I started and quickly finished Curtis Sittenfield’s Romantic Comedy. I loved her book Prep and two of her other books (The Man of My Dreams and You Think It, I’ll Say It) have been hanging out in my to-be-read stack for what feels like forever. I thought this one sounded like an interesting read so was happy it was my book club’s May pick.
[Read more…]I’m not a big cold weather runner. I don’t enjoy the layer upon layer upon layer required to bundle up to run outside, especially if we are talking 25 degree Fahrenheit or colder. I was kind of curious how it would go if I had to run during the winter? And then the more I read about the United Airlines NYC Half Marathon, I decided that I had to run it — and I was about to figure out how I could make training during the wintertime possible.
This was my first time entering the lottery to run. I threw my name in on a whim and realized how much I wanted to do it when I wasn’t selected. I didn’t want to wait it out over multiple years to get a yes. I decided to reach out to the Autistic Self-Advocacy Network, supporting a cause close to my heart. They have a small team but happened to have a spot open. I was so proud and excited to get to be part of their team.
[Read more…]Our dating anniversary is just after Valentine’s Day so we tend to celebrate it over the holiday. However this year we wanted to check out the January and February only thing Bellemara Distillery in Hillsboro, New Jersey has been offering — igloos! For $50, we were able to book a 1.5 hour time slot to have an igloo all to ourselves. We were in!
When we arrived, we saw the igloos took up the majority of their patio. The last time we were there, it was around summertime, and that space was filled with patrons at tables. Made sense with the cold to switch to this, even though the day we went it was unseasonably warm.
[Read more…]Just a few days left to go in the year! Time for my favorite activity — the 2022 year in review. It’s amazing how many things you do throughout the year that you forget about. It’s easy to remember the downs so I love to use this as a moment to reflect back on the year and appreciate all the moments of good. I always share this and to be honest, it’s usually more for me to pause to soak it all in!
We managed to squeeze in several trips this year. We went on a family vacation to Lancaster and to Dutch Wonderland. We had a great time and had so much amazing, fresh food. We also went to the Jersey Shore, visiting Lavalette the week after Labor Day. I made a solo day trip to Sea Girt and Spring Lake for some beach time. So many cute spots in the North Jersey Shore area!
[Read more…]I have been going to Air since 2020 when T bought me a certificate close to their opening for Valentine’s Day and I was instantly hooked. I took a bit of a break during peak pandemic (and while I had my broken foot) but have been back at it as soon as I could. I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to further elevate my level by signing up for this fall’s 25 hour aerial fitness certification. The certification program is their teacher training, so it is a great way to take your practice to the next level or to progress on to teaching.
My goal this month was to find a fun place we could dine “outside.” That’s a tall order at the moment, as there are no longer many options and the temps have been pretty brutal. I wanted to find somewhere nice my dad, sister and I could enjoy a nice meal on the day that my mom died.
I was so glad that I remembered Fig & Lily, a restaurant I’d been wanting to try in Morristown that has igloo dining. On the weekend, the igloos require you do a $68 prix fixe menu. The same is not required if you go for lunch during the week.
[Read more…]I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again — I miss NYC restaurants. I miss them so much. Stalking the openings. Curating lists of spots to try or hitting up special events at the holidays. We eat some here and there in the ‘burbs but there’s really no comparison.
I was really excited when I got the chance to go into the city earlier this month for our team holiday dinner. It was a randomly warm December NYC day with high temps in the 50s (not that I’m complaining.) Perhaps a bit on the warmer side but I loved that we had the option for it and that I was able to fully join in.
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