May 2015 | Recap

I was really excited for May, because I knew that if I could get through May, I would make it through my first year of grad school!

I had big plans for MeMadeMay. I started the month off strong, but my enthusiasm trailed off once I realized I'd be wearing a lot of the same things over and over. I have a list of garments I want to make for myself, so next year it will be easier. It's still fun to look at the hashtags on Instagram and get ideas.

I ran my fastest half marathon ever and my first since June 2014. It just happened to be on the same day as the Parkway Half Marathon, so I was running in solidarity!

My mom sent me more Target stationery goodies!

We went to a craft fair and while there were lots of goodies I wanted to purchase, I restrained myself and stuck with some soap and an affordable brass ring. Funnily, the lady I bought the soap from was also from Sacramento.

On our way home we stopped at The Franklin Fountain, an old-time-y soda fountain / ice cream shop. It opened in 2006, so it's not truly authentic, but they offer vegan ice cream so I'm on-board with the theme! It's cramped, hot, and cash only, but the ice cream makes up for it. I tried the vegan strawberry ice cream and Courtney tried the coconut...both were delicious.

Courtney found a cemetery with a running trail around the perimeter and after running there a few times we decided it would be a great place to take pictures of our recently finished creations. So one Friday we spent a couple of hours photographing everything...hence the recent revival of the blog.

Running was going well, distance and pace wise until I ate it. On our 17.5 mile run, I fell on a gravel path and scraped up my hand, elbow, and knee. Since we still had 2 miles to go, I got back up and kept running. I was all dirty and blood was dripping down my leg, but I finished.

The next day we visited Loop for a knit along cast-on party. On the way there we stopped at Rita's for a treat, then headed to Whole Foods to pick up gift certificates we (both!) won in an Instagram giveaway. As we back tracked to Loop we decided to stop at Sweet Freedom Bakery for more treats. I was super impressed with their gluten and allergen-free baked goods. Anyway, once at Loop we dived into the pattern. We are knitting Melodia, an easy garter stitch crescent shaped shawl.

The next long run after my fall was hard. I'd half-assed my stretching all week and hadn't really rolled since my knee was still gross (and tender). I was super tired and didn't want to get up and run so I dragged my feet getting ready. Once I got out there and got a few miles out of the way it got better. But after 12 or so miles, I really started to feel it. My legs tightened up and my hips hurt so bad. My stomach wasn't cooperating so I wasn't fueling properly. Things got worse and worse until 2 miles from the end I was seriously questioning if I could make it. We slowed down a bit, but I finished. I was so proud of this run. It was tough, but we finished with a solid pace of 10:16 min/mile...the same as last week.

After the run I thought I deserved a treat. I made the executive decision to go out to dinner that night since my mom had given me some extra money and told me to celebrate her birthday for her. We settled on Manakeesh, a Mediterranean place within walking distance. It was good, but the staff was kind of unprofessional. I'm glad we tried it, but I doubt I'd return. I know I can find better falafel and hummus elsewhere.

Less than two weeks after my last fall, I fell on (or rather off) the treadmill. I was at the gym with Courtney and we were running several treadmills apart since my watch LOVES to read her sensor. I suspected my watch was reading her sensor when my pace was right around 8:30 min / mile, so I stepped on the side rails of the treadmill to double check. Sure enough, the distance on my watch kept rising so I stepped off the treadmill to stop my watch and reconnect the shoe pod away from Courtney. I got it all linked up and came back to my treadmill. I stepped on the belt, assuming it had stopped when I was gone....only it hadn't. Since I had stepped on with my left leg, my right knee hit the belt hard, ripping off my scab plus additional skin. I then shot off the thing with my back landing on the leg of a nearby recumbent bike. I looked like a rollie pollie on its back...my legs and arms were flailing in the air. My first thought was to put my legs down since I was wearing shorts.

Since I always drop my (old) phone (used for podcasts) when I'm running, Courtney thought the loud thump was just me dropping my phone again. She saw the guy next to her look over, but he was blocking her view, so she thought he was just being a look-y loo. While the fitness floor attendants made sure I was okay and offered me bandaids, water, etc., Courtney just ran on! I thought she just didn't want to embarrass me with more people, so I actually had to go up to her and tell her what happened. Needless to say, I didn't finish my run that day.

I guess it was just one of those days and I wasn't paying attention. Honestly it was more embarrassing than anything, but I felt the effects for a few days.

I joined the Tales of Purbeck MKAL. While I bought the pattern and yarn on the 20th, the day the first clue came out, but the yarn didn't arrive until the 27th, the day of the second clue. So I had two clues to work on! I had both clues finished by Friday. It's a fun knit so far!

I had a job interview, but I don't find out about the job for about two weeks.

Goodbye May, hello June! 

// Lauren

April 2015 | Recap

On the last day of March, Courtney and I stayed up super late so that as soon as 12 am on April 1st rolled around we could sign up for the Philadelphia Marathon at a special rate. It was only $80 (plus processing fees), so incredibly cheap for a marathon. Thankfully, we, along with my mom, Marissa, and Heather all signed up in time to get the special rate. That means November will be a fun month of visitors and running.

I had my first SAS class and loved it. I can totally imagine myself spending all day creating / working on SAS programs. We'll see how that goes when I take more advanced classes.

That weekend was Easter, which Courtney and I spent enjoying Easter baskets and brunch. Since Abby had sent us some vegan Easter candy, we decided to send Abby a little surprise. I knitted her a little Bunny Nugget, but instead of stuffing it I turned it into a finger puppet.

Thanks to a sale at Running Warehouse, I bought some new running shoes. They are a bit different than my current shoes, but the same brand, so I decided to give them a try. To be honest, the orange and green sealed the deal.

After poking around the planner community on Instagram and the internet, I learned about Muji pens and decided to try them. They are now my favorite pens!  

My mom sent me LaraBars after I asked her to try and snag the new limited edition flavors at the store. They are one of my favorite snacks. 

Courtney and I finally got to visit Mariposa Coop, thanks to our local store being out of nutritional yeast. Thankfully we found what we needed, plus Earth Balance Sour Cream + Onion and Cheddar chips. I could barely get out of the store before I wanted to sample some. While they are both good, the cheese were my favorite.

I kept plugging away on Courtney's sweater. It's taking forever, but I know that in the end it will be worth it.  

We also visited Loop for their 10th anniversary celebration. Of course we made a stop at Rita's on the way. At the shop I picked up some Madelinetosh Merino Light in Susquehanna, a custom dyed colorway for the shop as well as a skein of Brooklyn Tweed Loft.

While at Loop I saw a Koigu + Madelinetosh Sock triangle shawl being knit by the shop's owner. I was intrigued. After asking about it on Instagram, I started one of my own with Koigu + Plucky Knitter Primo Fingering.

I had a meeting for my practicum this summer, which involved the subway, a trolley, and a bus. Needless to say, Courtney came with me to make sure I didn't get lost in a not-so-great area of Philadelphia. We figured that Courtney would sit in a Starbucks while I was in my meeting. HAHA! In that area there was no Starbucks to be found, so she got to enjoy a soda at McDonald's.

Also, my runs this month started getting longer, but I kept up the pace!

// Lauren

March 2015 | Recap

I know this March recap is very very late, but better late than never, right?

March was a pretty exciting month. Courtney's family was coming to visit so I knew that I had to get all my school work done so I could really enjoy their visit. So the first week was full of preparations. I did a ton of school work and cleaning of the apartment so that I wouldn't have to focus on those things during their stay. At the top of my planner that week, I wrote 'GET SHIT DONE'.

Anyway, leading up to their visit, my mom's package of Target DollarSpot stationery goodies was a nice surprise / distraction.

I finished Courtney's quilt...finally!  It had been sitting quilted with one side of the binding attached just waiting for me to hand sew the other side. I powered through and finished it up in a couple of days.

Courtney's family arrived on a Sunday and we had big plans to go to the Philadelphia Flower Show. Unfortunately, Nate was super tired from the red eye flight and Marissa was sick, so Courtney and I were the only ones that went with her parents.

Because her family rented a car, we took full advantage of that! We were able to visit IKEA to pick up a shoe rack...our shoes were out of control in our entry way. Plus, we went to Target and stocked up on essentials. Since Target is far enough way that I can't walk and I'd need to take the subway and a bus, I don't go very often. I miss Target so much. In college I used to wander the aisles as a study break because there are so many things to look that!

On Tuesday, we tried Hai Street for the first time with the Chinns. As weird as a sushi burrito sounds, it was delicious...even with the portobello mushrooms! (I typically hate mushrooms) Later that day, we were able to make a trip to Trader Joe's and really stock up since we didn't have to carry everything home ourselves. They also visited Pat's to get cheesesteaks. Nate introduced us to Trivia Crack and by the ends of the week we were all addicted and determined to beat each other. 

On Wednesday, Courtney's aunt, cousin, and grandma arrived and they all went to Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell when I was in class. That night, her parents had an event to attend so Courtney, Marissa, Nate, and I went out to Thai food and gelato. We finally tried Capogiro and I am definitely a fan. So good. While I tried gelato, they have plenty of dairy free sorbettos to choose from.

On Thursday, Courtney's family waited for me to get out of class and we visited Reading Terminal Market. I think it is one of the best things in Philadelphia. A whole warehouse space filled with different food stalls. Of course we indulged in a few Miller's Pretzels and Courtney had to get some vegan baked goods. While we were there, her aunt purchased some Irish Potatoes (a Philadelphia candy) and insisted we tried some. I have to say that while they look very interesting, they are so delicious.

That evening, Courtney's dad, Courtney, Marissa, and I went to the 'Rocky steps' at the Philadelphia Art Museum to run the steps. Us girls raced and I won both times. Marissa was still sick so she gets a pass, but I crushed Courtney! She still thinks she's the real Rocky after running through the streets of Philadelphia to bring me my forgotten calculator before an exam.

On Friday, we visited the Adventure Time Aquarium in Camden, NJ. It was a cool experience, but I still think Monterey Bay Aquarium is the best one out there.That being said, it was cool to see hippos! Later than night we went to Su Xing House, an all vegetarian Chinese restaurant and on a ghost tour of Philadelphia. Courtney and I spent the entire tour quietly poking holes in the guide's stories.

The Chinns were scheduled to fly out Saturday afternoon, so we spent the morning at Reading Terminal again since that seemed to be everyone's favorite. More pretzels of course!

The next week was my finals week, so nothing much happened besides studying and exam taking. My last final was on Friday which also happened to be the first day of spring. I guess Rita's, a water ice and custard chain, celebrates the first day of spring by giving away free treats. Of course Courtney and I were all over that. Unfortunately that day was super cold and snowy, but we still trekked from school to Rita's then back to the apartment in a snow storm.

Courtney finished my bleated-birthday cowl. It is amazingly soft and goes with so much.  

Spring Break was pretty low key. I had big plans to get a lot of projects done, but mostly I just relaxed and worked on what I wanted to. I did download SAS, which was itself an adventure.

I also finished a piece for my art wall, a plastic canvas yarn embroidery. While it sounds pretty cheese-y I think it's a great yarn themed project. It uses up scraps and is a way to display my love of yarn. 

I was so excited to start the spring quarter because I only have class Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. With work on Tuesday and Thursdays, my Mondays and Fridays are completely free! So that first Monday, Courtney and I stopped at Starbucks to try the new 'Birthday Cake' Frap. It was a yummy treat. Then it was off to Whole Foods to get supplies for our fancy Easter brunch. Then we tried a new Indian buffet, Sitar. I ate way too much and felt sick the rest of the night, but it was worth it. Sitar offers mango juice at the buffet and marks all the vegan dishes.

// Lauren

February 2015 | Recap

Although February is the shortest month, I jammed a lot in! 

Courtney and I celebrated / watched the Superbowl with vegan nachos. Since we don't have cable, we streamed it online and missed most of the commercials, but the nachos made up for it.

I decided to participate in a mini skein swap on Ravelry. I got to work dividing my 100g skein into 10 10g skeins. It was a disaster as my cheap scale was not very accurate and I ended up with 13 skeins. I decided to use the hacked up skein in a two-color linen stitch cowl.

Became addicted to sweet potatoes due to Courtney's delicious dinners.

Worked on getting faster during my mid week runs.

Surprise...I ate a lot of salad. Cashew cheese sauce/dressing has changed my attitude about salad.

Visited IKEA and bought stationery goodies and frames for an art wall. I hope IKEA continues to carry paper goods. They have fun stuff that's reasonably priced and easy to find (unlike Target Dollar Spot stuff).

My mom surprised me and sent me lots of Target Dollar Sport goodies! Don't worry, I shared with Courtney.

Made a trip to the ER with Courtney.

Celebrated Chinese New Year at Su Xing House! Read about it, here.

Saw the Schykill River freeze over. I told Courtney's mom that we were going ice skating on the river, thinking she would realize it was a joke. Soon Courtney's family was asking her how ice skating was.

Because we couldn't go to Stitches West, we decided to visit Loop. Courtney needed yarn to knit me a cowl (!) and I got sucked into buying yarn to make a hat. Darn you, shop samples!

Ate a lot of pizza! Cashew cheese is my new favorite.

Finally finished up my mini skeins. I had to measure the entire skein using a 12 x 12 quilting ruler, then divide it into 10 even skeins. It was time consuming. Next time, I'm getting a new scale. This one was highly recommended.

I had an Epidemiology midterm and kept reminding myself to not forget my calculator. I even told Courtney to remind me. Needless to say, on test day I forgot my calculator. I arrived to class 20 minutes early and was doing some last minute studying when I heard someone freak out that they had forgotten their calculator. I immediately realized I had done the same thing. With 15 minutes before class I texted Courtney and then frantically called her. She ran my calculator to me just in the nick of time. Seriously funny post about it, here. 

Ran my first 10 miles since January 1st. It was 28 degrees, so pretty dang cold, but we were within a couple seconds of our goal race pace.

Goodbye February, hello March!

January 2015 | Recap

What happened in January?

It SNOWED!

I got sick and missed the first week of marathon training, but Courtney made me homemade no-chicken noodle soup with homemade whole wheat bread.

My new sewing machine arrived. It's a Janome 2030 DC and I love it!

Courtney and I went to Hub Bub and tried Dottie's Donuts...yum! The latte was better than Starbucks, but the cafe was crowded and hipster-ish.

Made spicy cashew dressing...new favorite salad dressing.

I worked on Courtney's sweater. This is 'concentration knitting'. The charts are easy to memorize, but keeping track of three at a time adds a bit of difficulty.

Tried the new Green Line Cafe. More low key and better stocked with donuts than Hub Bub.

Bought some fun new planner goodies. Can I just say how much I love those Staedtler pens?

I finally caved and bought a Patagonia Better Sweater...it was on clearance. Score!

Made a Linden Sweatshirt, Scout Tee, and Tiny Pocket Tank (minus the pocket). Post coming soon!

Had fun decorating my planner.

Goodbye January, hello February!