Dare You To...

I know my posting has been sporadic at best, lately, but I've happily been keeping busy doing, living, working, enjoying...  It is summer, after all!

What have I been up to?  

Some work...  A little travel...  Plenty of gym time...  Several weddings... A bit of downtime...


It's been fun!  In the back and forth, the work and play, the home and away, having a do-it-all bag has proven essential.  Such a bag is tough to come by.

I used to have a different bag for everything:


They all sort of suited their individual needs well enough... even if they didn't all have satisfactory organizational interiors and my items ended up a mess inside.  Then, a greater problem arose when I needed more than one.  I was a bag lady!


It sort of worked, but hardly well.

Now, if I'm setting out for the day--or the weekend--and need to carry a bit of everything, I can rely onone bag to fit and organize (!) it all.   In my recent gym trips, bus travels, and beyond, I'm glad to have something …

FIRST UP!  The winner of a 30-day gym pass to New York Sports Club is Evann!! Congratulations, Evann; enjoy your BODYPUMP makeover!

Now - recap time!  Just a weekend in pictures, today:

Recently, I spent a marvelous weekend with two of my best friends, not only reuniting and having the best time ever giggling about nothing and having serious heart-to-hearts, but also celebrating D's passing of her boards AND her upcoming wedding!  The bridal shower was a ball and I am so so happy that SHE is so happy.

Here are a few scenes from the weekend in Columbus, Ohio. Although a good amount of the time was spent in PJs at D's house (good catch-up sessions, adorable kitten, and excellent home cooking!), we also ventured out into Columbus.  We brunched at Tasi Cafe and dined at Level, shopped around the boutiques in Short North, and scoured the shelves at my new favorite place in the country: The Book Loft.  The weekend concluded with the bridal shower: The sweetest tea party I've ever…

Dropping in to post a quick WIAW, documenting eats from my trip last week to Sedona, Arizona!  (Read all about our adventures here)

We didn't have a single bad meal, and I was highly impressed by the gluten-free accommodations everywhere we went!

Picazzo's, a restaurant that is some 90% gluten-free, was outstanding.  We started by sharing the "Heart Healthy Gourmet" salad, which was SO good we got it again the next day to pair with our leftovers for dinner!!

As an entree, I very much enjoyed my mushroomy-goodness rotelli:


Even my gluten-loving compadre enjoyed his buffalo chicken pasta dish!



Brunch at Red Rock Cafewith the locals was quite satisfying.




In the evening, we sampled the local wine: Kokopelli



On our hikes, I sustained my energy by munching on Quest Protein Bars:




Lunch uptown was at Wildflower Bread Company ("making up for the gluten-free dinner"), where I got a delicious Chopped Salad with Salmon!



In town, I also enjoyed a bit of fresh fudge from th…