Life Lately

Happy Thursday, everyone! I’m taking a bit of a break from Iceland posts to talk a bit about what I’ve been up to here in Pennsylvania. After our Iceland vacation, I came back to my hometown to visit with my parents for a few weeks. It’s been glorious to enjoy fall in central PA, except…it’s still hot! There is no fall weather to be had. If you’ve been wondering how I’m spending my time, today I’m diving deep into what I’ve been up to, eating, seeing and enjoying lately 🙂

Life Lately – October 11, 2018

My parents have a great kitchen that is really fun to cook in, so I’ve shared with them a few of a my favorite recipes like a modified version of tortilla soup and Nadie’s take on Meghan Markle’s pasta. They loved both! We also visited with family friends at a local restaurant called The Millworks. They have an in-house brewery and I enjoyed a beet salad. So yummy!More food pics, are you surprised? There is a quaint store up the road from their house that has every kind of candy you could dream of – seriously…this is why I love small towns and coming home! It’s a favorite for me every year and I stock up on all sorts of treats (they are usually gone before I ever even get on the plane back to Honolulu). One night for dinner my mom made cauliflower and pumpkin ravioli with butternut squash sauce. Dane snapped that photo of Bill and sent it to me — it’s obvious he is still unclear on “please do not lay on my nice chairs”. And last but certainly not least – I finally got to attend the Penn State University donor’s dinner! I’ve only been hearing about it for years now and this year I was actually in town to enjoy it! So delicious and lots of yummy wine 🙂I didn’t really think I had taken too many food photos, but now I’m thinking otherwise. In addition to the kitchen inside their house (times TWO!), my parents also have an amazing outdoor kitchen setup with a pizza oven. It’s INCREDIBLE. It’s something I look forward to every time I get home, coupled with the delicious pizza and toppings they come up with…I’m salivating over here! Salad pizza is a family favorite 🙂 The top right photo are delicious fried zucchini fritters we got at a wellness weekend my mom was teaching yoga at last weekend. So yummy!

Speaking of the wellness event (it was a 2 day spiritual and physical wellness summit), there’s a fun photo of the whole fam! It’s a new favorite for me and it was really special to be there all together and to watch my mom teach a yoga class. In the spirit of fitness, I tried Orange Theory for the first time ever last week. My best friend Allie has been raving about Orange Theory for awhile now and so she suckered me into taking a class while I was home. 1. I was so happy to be seeing my bestie, so I jumped at the chance and 2. It was my first time so it was absolutely free. First things first – it will kick your ass. I mean – truly. I burned 600+ calories in an hour and really felt like I pushed myself to get a great workout in. That said – I can’t afford it long term. It’s $99 for 4 classes, which is honestly just out of my price range. I know it varies by location so I would definitely call and ask for pricing in your area if you are interested! Of course, since I’ve been home, I stopped in my favorite Calicutts to pick up spices 🙂

I don’t know what it is about the masks at Target this time of year – I can’t stop myself. So I was goofing around at Target and my mom snapped a pic. Lots of people have asked how much I’m missing the Hanson Labs (A LOT!), but I do have my parent’s black Lab Millie to keep me company 🙂 I also got to enjoy firsthand the glory of Trader Joe’s — you guys, I want to move into that place. That Green Goddess dressing above is divine, cauliflower gnocchi, gluten free pumpkin scones — my word. I think I could easily spend hundreds of dollars in there just on goodies!

Whew! I’m a little exhausted just rolling through all of that again, but honestly, it’s just been so nice to be in the company of my family. I’ve been able to sleep in a bit (thank you EST!), enjoy pumpkin coffee and watch Kelly + Ryan (I’m oddly obsessed and we don’t have cable) while getting some work done.

What have you been up to lately?