Rested & Restored

The dust has settled after the craziest, busiest time of my life! I’ve taken the past two weeks to really decompress, relax, and get back into the groove of what I love to do: hang out with the man, eat, run, have fun, and repeat!

And I’m feeling like myself again. 🙂

I took a break from blogging for those two weeks, so… Prepare for photo overload!

PIZZA!

The let-down of Grease ending has left me feeling a little directionless, but I’ve got auditions on the horizon and perhaps another half marathon, and I am also looking forward to having free time with the man!

I think the only thing Nick and I love more than eating pizza is eating pizza we’ve made. The first thing on our post-Grease agenda was to make a delicious margherita pizza on our new pizza stone from World Market. Here’s our lovely couch-and-coffee-table dining setup since I’ve been too busy and exhausted to help build his new IKEA dining table and chairs.

I had a big conference in Vail to speak at during the first week after Closing, so our little pizza-making break was highly appreciated. (We topped off the night with double dessert.)

FOREVER 29?

After Grease closing and the conference going well, I had nothing else looming over me; it was time to truly decompress, hardcore. Nick was going out of town to officiate a wedding (like a boss), so I dedicated my weekend to treating myself.

I kicked off the weekend by doing some thrifty shopping at Forever 21!

My good friend Jeff who played Kenickie gave me a gift certificate to the store, so I figured that was a good excuse to go and see what I could find!

I got some dresses and skirts that can still stand the Colorado heat but also transition into fall with boots, leggings, and sweaters. (I can not wait for Fall weather. So very Basic B of me.) Above you’ll see four dresses, two skirts, and one top, all for $90! And that’s before the gift certificate even entered the picture.

I immediately wore the new items that week.

SOME SPA TIME

Nick was so sweet and got me a Perry Nail Salon gift certificate, so I got a manicure and pedicure the weekend after Closing Weekend! My feet were especially in need of some TLC after all that running, dancing, and moving! (I’m now living at Nick’s apartment until I move into my new place down the block in a couple weeks.)

The man knows I love Perry Nails (it’s where I went to get my Rizzo nails done before the show opened), and I’d gladly make the 25-minute drive for their great service (and those pedicure massage chairs!).

I got a sparkly blue/silver on my toes, and a light pink on my nails. Fun! I then decided to try my luck with the treadmill after not running for about 3 weeks. It was a giant success!

I couldn’t have myself being too productive, though, so I took a bubble bath afterward. 🙂

SUNDAY STRONGDAY

After my couple days of pure indulgence, I decided to have a surprise for Nick upon his return that night: a newly built dining table and chairs!

I am no stranger to building IKEA furniture by myself, as you probably remember.

About five hours later…

…they were put together and awaiting dining guests! (You can tell by my feet that I was ready to relax on the couch, eat another breakfast for lunch, and watch Stranger Things for the remainder of the evening.)

He was so surprised to see the table built and ready for use! We decided to test it with takeout Taki Sushi in Wash Park.

UP & RUNNING

I’m so happy to say that I’ve gotten back into the swing of things when it comes to running strong, and that I haven’t felt faint-ish since the incident! I sent a very attainable goal of 40 miles for the month of August, and it’s already 40% complete. Yay!

MOXIE BREAD CO.

You guys, I spent a day this week out in Louisville for a work function, and we ate breakfast and lunch at Moxie Bread Company. I also brought two mini-loaves back to Nick. This place is LEGIT. If you’re in the area, GO.

CREAMY GOODNESS

I also need to tell you about the pasta dish we made last night after our rainy (and rainbowed) run in Wash Park. So simple: heavy cream, butter, garlic, shiitake mushrooms, zucchini, peas, and parmesan cheese. SO GOOD. Next time, the only thing I’d change is making the pasta from scratch. 🙂

And, of course, we dined on the new table!

HOW HAVE YOU GUYS BEEN?!

DID YA MISS ME? 🙂