New Year’s Eve 2013

This New Year’s Eve was exactly what we hoped it would be – small, relaxed, casual, yet fun. We landed in New York City around 4:30pm just in time to hop in a cab to our friend Mike and Liz’s home where we were staying for 48 hours. 008When making plans for New Years many of us weren’t in the mood for a big celebration instead preferring for a more intimate party at someone’s home where we could cook together while catching up. Mike and Liz graciously hosted 12 friends for a dinner party complete with delicious cocktails, appetizers, and a delicious meal which revolved around an 8 pound prime rib.018Amanda, one of Liz’s close friends, recently completed culinary school and therefore we let her lead the menu and kitchen cooking while the rest of us helped in anyway possible. 028  010022

Reemus, their adorable toy Australian Shephard even joined in the fun by providing everyone with lots of kisses and puppy licks!

While part of the group was in the kitchen cooking Liz and I set the table. 031 032 While the 8 pounds of meat cooked slowly in the oven we were able to catch up with everyone over cocktails and cheese. Liz served the ladies a delicious holiday cocktail: gin, Saint Germaine and champagne!011016 030024By 10pm we were all sitting around the table enjoying the home cooked meal which included roasted potatoes, brussels sprouts, white bean sautee, and roast beef. 036 040At midnight we toasted with champagne before going to meet friends at Puffy’s, a nearby bar in Tribecca.  047 043 041 053

It was the perfect New Years and waking up on New Year’s Day with no hangover was an added gift. The small, intimate setting allowed us to catch up with friends versus spending the evening screaming to be heard in a cramped or crowded bar.

New Year’s Eve – What’s your favorite way to celebrate?

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2013: A Whirlwind Change Filled Year

Like many bloggers, I figured I would do a 2013 recap with my favorite blog posts, highlights from the year, running statistics and more. Well, today is December 31st and each time, including today, that I’ve started typing the post I become overwhelmed with a mix of emotions. 138 

2013 was not the year we ever expected or planned.

There are moments when this fact stresses me out more than you could imagine. Right now our life is in such a constant limbo that we can barely plan anything more than big visits from friends and family. I can’t tell you the last time I tracked a workout in Daily Mile. Before this vacation in Savannah neither of us had felt rested in months. I think our bodies were telling us something loud and clear by sacking both of us with bronchitis smack in the middle of the holidays.

In 2014, we need to ensure we stay healthy during this crazy time in our life, both mentally and physically.

As I look back on 2013 I can say that it was an incredible year filled with family and friends who supported us more than we could have ever imagined as we packed up our life in New York City and started creating a life for ourselves in London and Geneva. Our family members continue to be our biggest supporters while our friends, both new and old, have been incredible in helping us make sure we have fun along the way. We watched my 30th birthday video, which my sister in law Meg made as a birthday gift, with Bo’s parents the other night and I will never cease to be amazed how lucky we are for the people in our life. Our new friends in Geneva and London have helped us get to know these foreign cities from a locals perspective and ensured that we never felt alone. ashley first day of workI saw 15 different major cities and 7 different countries ranging from Tampa to Istanbul.  I ran fewer races than the past couple of years due to our move and not having the New York Road Runners weekly races. I had a fun marathon experience in Hartford but that was made more memorable by the people and organizers than my marathon performance. My most memorable race was the New York City Half Marathon which was incredible both for the strong and fun training I had with Bo and the race day PR through my favorite city in the world. Professionally, my role is more challenging than ever before.  Working with people from all cultures has been a great learning opportunity. I have so much I want to accomplish in the coming months that I am excited to return to the office on January 6th after more than 15 days vacation. That is an awesome feeling to have even though I’ve enjoyed every second of disconnection while in Savannah.

I laugh at even setting resolutions or goals for 2014 as who knows what is in store for us. But, I do know a few things about the coming year.

  • I know that I want the Berlin Marathon to be my strongest yet and am ready to put in the effort.
  • I want to use Daily Mile every day so even though I won’t be running the number of races I have previously, I can at least track my training miles and workouts.
  • We will see even more countries this year than last year as we already have a trip planned for the first 8 months of the year.
  • Focusing on each other and our quality time together will need to continue to be a focus to ensure that our relationship continues to grow.
  • I want to continue setting up our Geneva kitchen and understanding the grocery stores so I feel more well equipped for cooking both on weeknights and weekends. 502 So now that 2013 has come to a close, I am thankful for our support network which includes family, friends and blog readers near and far. I have no idea what next year will hold but I know I’m ready for it. 2014 shall be an epic year and I can’t wait!
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A Savannah Christmas: Part 1

I hope you all has a wonderful holiday if you celebrate Christmas.

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Our Christmas was filled with lots of family and a little bit of chaos. This morning my dad and I both looked at each other and laughed because the house was so quiet. For the first time in years, his siblings all came to Savannah for Christmas celebrations. It was such a treat to have them all in one place as they live all over the country: Arizona, Florida, North Carolina and Georgia. In addition extended family joined from St. Louis. It was a delight and time filled with memories we will cherish forever!

Our festivities started with dinner at Elizabeth’s on 37th. Each year Bo’s family joins us for this dinner and it has become a way that we kick off the holidays together and is always a night filled with delicious Southern food, good wine and laughter. This year they finally were smart and put us in a side room so our gregarious laughter didn’t disrupt the rest of the guests. This year the scallops topped with tuna were one of they highlights!

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No holiday meal at Elizabeth’s is complete without their Gregarious Eggnog which we each enjoyed after dinner! One sip is all I can handle of this dangerously delicious concoction!

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The next morning Bo and I headed to the gym with some of the family members for an hour long workout which included Barry’s Bootcamp inspired treadmill intervals and some heavy lifting.

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By 10am I was in the kitchen of my parent’s cottage cooking alongside my mom and aunt. We spent the next six hours having far too much fun in the kitchen together while working our way through the Christmas Eve menu. Two ovens and 6 helping hands made the task of cooking Christmas Eve dinner for 13 far less daunting! In between cooking we finished decorating the cottage and set the table.

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By 4pm we were able to leave the house to enjoy a long walk together. The Savannah weather cooled down just in time to make it feel like Christmas! Blue sky and 40 degrees was the perfect weather for a walk along the golf course.

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The walk, while lovely, seemed to be the last straw in my immune system. For the first few days of our trip I was battling off what I thought was a cold by getting sleep, eating healthy, taking vitamins and DayQuil, and drinking water. By 6pm on Christmas Eve I was a hot mess – coughing, chills, headache, and no appetite. Like a good hostess I tried to limit my coughing and sneezing to the hallways or bathroom but it definitely put an unfortunate damper on the evening. Luckily the food and desserts were all delicious- especially the fried turkey and the stuffing! Unlike some families, our Christmas Eve dinner is very similar to Thanksgiving – turkey, cranberry, sweet potatoes, and stuffing.

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I’ll be back later with highlights from Christmas Day and the 26th. Unfortunately it’s time for another nebulizer treatment and medicine!

How about your family? What do you eat Christmas Eve?

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