Bloggers of the Day (randomly from yesterday’s comments)

• Veganism For The Win – Sava talks about her life, interests, and (obviously) vegan food
• Embrace Your Skin – Camille shares her life after disordered eating and enjoying all the fun it offers, with good food along the way
• Sassy Molassy – Lauren is a fabulous runner and openly gives her thoughts about it along the way

*************************************

Last night my sister and I set out for a sister date night. The traditional dinner and a movie! Although with a slight twist.

After sitting in traffic, because its everywhere in Atlanta at 5pm on weekdays, we made it to our restaurant of choice. Parma Tavern in Buford.

While shooting the above picture, some of the workers from the restaurant saw me through the windows and came out to see what in the world I was doing. They seemed excited (and confused) when I told them that I’m a healthy living blogger. We had fun talking and joking with them for a few minutes and grabbed a seat.

Before ordering, we learned all about Parma’s approach to food. They use all fresh ingredients with an emphasis on using local and quality food instead of mass produced products found in some other Italian joints. My sister and I both have the same tastes, so we opted to share an appetizer and entree.

We started with a spinach & artichoke fondue, made with Gruyere cheese and white wine. And lots of garlic.

The fondue tasted excellent with bold flavors. I only wish that it was served with something other than tortillas, which is why I mainly dipped my bread after our meal was served. We shared the Penne Bosco, which had chicken, mushrooms, sundried tomatoes, basil, garlic, scallions, Marsala wine, cream, chicken stock, and Parmesan Romano cheese.

Split between the two of us, these dishes made for a satisfying meal and surprisingly didn’t feel too heavy or rich. Thanks, Parma for a delightful dining experience!

After dinner, we headed to the movies for a preview screening of Disney’s new movie Secretariat.

I didn’t expect it to be quite the big deal, but there was a loooonnnggg line of people to get in. We received this opportunity thanks to BlogHer and after the Disney representative checked for us on her list we were sent right in. I felt kind of like the chicks in movies who cut the lines at bars. Kind of strange. LOL Especially when we realized we had reserved seating.

The whole experience proved different than I expected, including the movie. These thoughts are all my own. I thought the  movie would be cute and make for a fun night, but nothing too amazing. I ended up loving it!! Secretariat basically shares the true story of Penny Tweedy, who after her mother’s death, helps run her father’s farm and race horses. She ends up completely involved and grows to believe in one horse born shortly after her mother’s death. The story unravels as he becomes one of the best race horses of all time and she shows strength and determination in doing more than expected of her in the day’s society.

It was so, so good! All the actors portrayed their roles exquisitely. The story line drew you in. The passion and fire in Diane Lane’s character, Penny Tweedy, had me rooting for her and that horse the entire time. Even though, I’m not quite sure I feel so good about horse racing in general.  To me, the most powerful aspect of the movie lay in the determination of Penny Tweedy. She would not stop pursuing her passions and doing what she loved, which was providing for Secretariat and rebuilding her parents’ farm and worth.

Her belief in herself and everyone she worked with just proves that with determination great things are possible. It actually inspired me a pretty good bit. To keep living life to the fullest and working hard on the things I love. Who knows where they will go? I personally believe God has plans for me, but I’m still responsible for going after them wholeheartedly, even while gaining my strength from him. I love when Diane Lane’s character says something along the lines of she will win, but even if she doesn’t she still won because she tried. Pretty good way to look at life, no?

• What’s your favorite inspirational quote?
• Do you like Italian? What’s your favorite dish? I’m not a huge Italian fan, despite being married to one. I prefer basic pasta with bit of sauce and lots of flavorful veggies over the heavier dishes.

A couple pieces of blog housekeeping – 1) LOVED reading all your thoughts on the Food Rules post from this morning. 2) Check out my guest post on Biochemista. It’s a letter written to my college self and part of Lauren’s fabulous Letters to Myself series.

Today has gone by in a flash! I had many things to do. While I didn’t get to accomplish everything I intended, I still consider the day a success. Of course, my morning started with my ritual of taking some time in prayer and reading my Bible. I love those mornings where God just speaks to me. Today my message came as a bit of a slap upside the head. This morning I kept getting distracted by to-dos and other thoughts while praying…then pick up my Bible and its all about keeping the focus on God, not earthly things, because He will take care of me and help give me more than I can imagine in a blessed life. The dude is a mind reader, I’m telling you. 😉

[source]

After a little change in perspective, I did the usual morning routine hustle and bustle of breakfast. Then, we headed to the gym for a spin workout. I’m so in love with spin right now. I wonder what the instructor would think if I tried filming myself there? 😉

From there, it was on to the park. I had a meet up with a special friend. Remember when I was taking advantage of at the Chick Fil A indoor playground during the summer months and was recognized by a reader? After the slightly awkward “crap how does this person know me” moment I had, we got to talking and have sporadically emailed back and forth since. Well, today was the day we finally changed all that and got together for some fun.

I wish I had gotten a picture of the two of us, but the kiddos will do. Stacey and I were able to chat about everything from mommyhood and busy schedules to blogging and eating habits. In fact, she started her own personal blog recently to share her journey to overcoming negativity and embracing balance. I hope we can get together again soon.

The rest of the afternoon came in a bit of a rush. Immediately upon coming home from the park, I whipped up some sandwiches for M and I. Can you tell I’m on a bit of a sandwich kick?

Hummus, tomato, pickles, turkey, swiss, onion, and a few mushrooms. With an apple + sea salt pita chips for some crunch. Just what I needed for my grumbling stomach. And to fuel my fingers so during the spare two hours I had I could type up this post, get caught up on emails, and other mommy tasks such as dishes and laundry.

I now leave you for my fun-filled evening with my sister. We are heading out for a delicious dinner and then a movie courtesy of BlogHer’s review program. Complex carbs and Hot Tamales will be consumed. Be back tomorrow morning with an update of our shenanigans!

• What movie do you want to see soon? I would love to see Social Network. I’ve heard good things about it.
• Have you ever met another blogger? Who is someone you would want to meet in person?