Seeing the Light

This weekend was very busy...filled with great food, good drinks, and we even managed to fit a 4 am free pizza delivery in.  After everything that went on, I think a lazy Sunday afternoon is appropriate.

Did you know that Fridays from 5-6 pm Sticky Rice in the Fan does a half price sushi menu?  (They also do a similar deal on Mondays from 10:30 pm to 12:30 am).  They don't include all their sushi in this deal, but they do have a pretty good selection.  Adam and I ended up going there after I got off work and got a huge plate of sushi and some Sake.  

The sticky balls in the upper left corner of the photo (basically fried rice, crabmeat, tempura battered, and fried with a aioli sauce) were to die for.  We also tried the eel, octopus (too chewy for me), a spicy salmon roll, crunchy shrimp roll, and a yellowfin roll.  Oh!  I almost forgot, the house hot Sake is also half off during this time!  

Can you guess how much all this sushi and two large hot Sakes were? $27 + tip.  At any other time, this would have been double.  Such a great deal and so yummy!  

After dinner I peeked in the DT2 thrift store across the street.  It was closed, but I wanted to see if there were any neat things displayed in the window.  I saw a really neat lamp and an unfinished, all-wood short bookshelf for $10 that could have made a really great wine rack.  

I had all intentions of going to grab up these two neat items when the store opened, but we ended up going out to Shockoe Slip that night, and well, it didn't happen.  When I finally got out of the apartment and over to DT2, the bookshelf was gone, but the lamp was still there!  (This goes to show that if you see something you want while thrifting you should get it as it might not be there even an hour later!) Anyways, the lamp was originally $25, but with the 25% off coupon I referred to in an earlier post, it was $19.  The metal part of the lamp where the shade connects had some structural issues that made the lamp shade wobble, but I was able to fix it with a heavy application of Krazy Glue.  It's worked thus far, so hopefully it stays!  I also think using an extra washer would solve the problem too, so if the glue doesn't hold, the washer will be another simple fix!

I love how the lamp also doubles as shelves.  I plan on finding some really cute picture frames to put in each!   

We also celebrated Mom's birthday last night at award-winning Avalon in the Fan.  Adam and I went once before and I fell in love with this place! Soon after we went, I bought a Living Social coupon deal ($15 for $30 to spend), which we used last night.  I am a Groupon and Living Social junkie!  These websites are great because they allow you to try new places without paying full price.  They are also dangerous because the deals are only available for a day, so you end up buying them for fear of missing out.

Anyways, Avalon is a small plates/tapas-inspired restaurant, so the idea is to order a lot of plates and share.  I would have taken a picture of all the food we got, but I was so excited about eating that I forgot (I also had 3 glasses of wine at this point).  The standout dishes were smoked seafood chowder, grilled caesar, buttered brussel sprouts (signature dish...you must get these if you go), arctic char, and the cheese plate.  Avalon is great because there's so many different flavors in each of the small dishes!

So two questions: Do you like websites like Groupon and Living Social and have you purchased any amazing deals from them?  And what's your favorite restaurant in Richmond?  Maybe I'll go try it out!

Coupons Aren't Just for Food

Spent a good amount of time editing the blog layout today.  What do you think?  By the way, I have no idea how to format blogs beyond the presets in Blogger, so I got creative!  To add the title heading (picture of the cool yellow chairs that I found online), I used Microsoft Publisher, created my image and text, saved it as a .jpg, then went into Windows Live Photo Gallery, cropped the .jpg image, saved it as picture file, and uploaded it where Blogger gives you the option to upload a picture in the title.

Will someone tell me if there is an easier way to do this for future reference? I see so many cute blogs out there with a ton of personal ad-ins and this took forever!

In other news, I'm a pretty big "saver" when it comes to shopping.  I've even started couponing at the grocery store.  Would you believe it's actually a little exhilarating when the cashier rings you up and you've saved $10!  I'm not trying to be one of those crazy-get-everything-for-free (everything that's chocked full of preservatives) people, but I do like saving if I can. 

And you can too! 

Look at this cool offer I found from Diversity Thrift (near the Diamond) and their second store DT2 (in the Fan across from Sticky Rice).  Also, all proceeds go to benefit the Gay Community Center of Richmond, and the other non-profits that support them!  Additionally, they take donations (see website for donation days)!

Here's the Deal:
If you are a college student (or still have some form of college ID), go to this link for coupons or print them off from my blog, and you can get 25% off any regularly priced items until 9.30.11 (there's a coupon for Diversity Thrift and DT2).  I believe this includes your entire purchase, and not just one item, so it's a great deal!  Additionally, Diversity Thrift was voted best place to buy second-hand furniture in Richmond by Richmond Magazine (tried to find the link but couldn't, sorry).

If you aren't a student, they have senior (50+) Thursdays, where anyone over 50 gets 10% off a regularly priced item.  My idea is to take your parent with you and have them pay...just justify they pay so you can get the discount!

Diversity Thrift is also offering limited time specials that you can read more about on their website.  I have yet to visit this thrift store, but I've heard great things about it and will be stopping by soon!

Yellow is the New Black.

I did this tonight. 

Remember all that fabric I got at Class and Trash for $2? Thanks to Target's little "mistake" of sending me 3 packs of frames instead of 2, I was able to add some decor to the bathroom!  I like to call it shabby, urban chic.  I got the 12.5 in. x 12.5 in. frames (they are supposed to be record frames) in a pack of 4 for $39.99.  I only put 3 up in the bathroom.  The fabric, which I showed in the post before, was $2, and I have a little left over (another project perhaps!?).  Was able to do this project for under $35!

What I did: Bought square frames and picked out a fabric.  Cut fabric to fit frame.  Place in frame and put the back of the frame on.  SUPER SIMPLE!  The only difficult part is measuring and leveling them to line up (mine still aren't perfect).  Also, because it was a design, I had to cut the fabric so the same design would appear in all 3 frames.

What is great about using frames and fabric or some other cheap material is that I will always be able to use the frames if I decide to change the design or color scheme in the future.  If I purchased pre-fab art (although they're some really neat pieces out there), I wouldn't be able to do this!  Here's where I got my inspiration: DYI Wall-Art Projects.  This link also has a lot of other neat wall art ideas that won't cost you a fortune!

Same concept. The picture doesn't do it justice. 

I also did this in my living area with the same type frame, and some fabric from table runners I found on sale at Crate & Barrel (I believe 5 feet was $3.95) The pillows (silk, down filling) were $20/each from Crate & Barrel's summer online sale.  I got a C&B gift card for graduation, so used it to get these!  I've seen a lot of designs this summer/fall where yellow and grey are the "in" colors.  I usually wouldn't pay this much for pillows, but when I got them, the quality was really great!!

Side note: Did I mention I have 15-foot ceilings in the living and bedroom area? Do you think I should do a duplicate layer of the same pictures on top of the existing ones to fill more space?

I also got a set of 6 white dinner plates from C&B at the request of the boyfriend who's culinary skills are on par with my creative skills! Now he has pretty plates to take pictures of his yummy food!  I'm pretty happy about that!

Re (Purpose)

Last work week did not go by so smoothly. Although my job isn't incredibly challenging, it can be super stressful at times!  I also work in a very small office (as in, me and my boss) so it gets really lonely.  Adam has been in paradise, better known as Hawaii, for the past 2 weeks, and it's been a difficult adjustment.  He's really been a great support system, especially when I need to decompress and leave work woes behind for the day.

Sometimes I wish I was still in college.  While no school means no homework, and free time after work and on the weekends, I kind of miss the excitement and challenges of being in college.  I really need to either really focus on finding a dream job for the future, or put my energy into something I enjoy.  I'm hoping to start Rosetta Stone (Spanish) soon, and maybe even teach English in Spain one day...wouldn't that be neat!

As for working out, I've been doing Body Pump like it's my job.  I've gone up on all my weights by 5 lbs, and I am really proud of myself! Also, I don't know if it's the new thing to do, but I've taken 2 BP classes where they didn't turn on the fans.  Of course, I could speak up and say turn on the fans, or turn them on myself, but who wants to be that person?  Still, BP is a whole lot easier when the fans are going. 

It's been difficult trying to balance work and working out though...at least trying to fit it all in.  When you like to fit the gym in for 2 + hours a day and then work 9 hours, and then try to fit time to eat and sleep, plus all the other errands you need to run you find your day is completely booked.  I just wish I had a little more free time.  Side note: This pregnant lady came to BP last Saturday (I've seen her in there before), and apparently she was due the next day! Is this safe? I mean if it is, that's some dedication!  I really think I need to start running more....possibly training for a race....not sure yet though!

Also on Sunday I went thrifting with the mom.  Some people know I love this, love crafting, love creating things.  I'd rather make it, or refurbish it than buy it brand new.  I do wish I had more expertise on refinishing furniture and sewing though, but I get by.  Anyways, we went to Class and Trash and I found a few things.  I think I could spend more time in there, but there's no air condition and I think we went on like the second hottest day of the summer.  I did find some really neat, good quality fabric I'm going to use as art (picture to come) for $2.






Then I got these Thalhiemer's Leather gloves for $4 that definitely need some TLC. They were made in France.  Hoping to get some leather polish and cleaner and fix them up at some point!















Lastly, we stopped in Hickory Creek Antiques in Ashland, VA. I've been looking for a storage trunk/ottoman type thing to store blankets in for our living area.  I've seen ones at Target, but they are so expensive and bulky looking, and the less expensive ones are not great quality. I'm really into retro-modern stuff.  I also like shabby chic, so it's a challenge decorating.  Our living area is retro-modern.  I found this hiding in a corner at Hickory Creek for $10!

With a little cleaning, it fit in perfect! I'm going to the dollar store to get some sticky drawer liners for the inside too.

I love thrifting/antiquing.  Some people hate the notion of using other people's things, but I think it's great and economical.  A lot of pieces I have now have come from thrift stores!  I also have found two J. Crew Cashmere cardigan/sweaters at Goodwill (I don't get my clothes there, but sometimes they have really great finds!) and paid $5 for each.  A trip to the dry cleaner, and you have a $200 sweater for $10.  It's really amazing!

W&M is a Petri-dish

If there was a major for getting sick in college, I would have finished that degree a long time ago.  And guess what!  I am sick again.  I have to have to worst immune system in the world.  Maybe I'm just a wimp when it comes to being sick?  I think it's just that time of the year; I know a handful of people that either have the flu or a cold, and you can tell by the amount of people coughing and blowing their nose in class-- ew!  I definitely skipped a good deal of class this week, specifically ones that don't take attendance.  My bad.  But I'm a senior, and if I'm sick, I'm not going to bust my butt waking up early, running all over campus, and feeling like crap.  I'm over it.

Aside from my cold/sinus infection/flu or whatever I have hurting my good attendance record, it has negatively affected my workouts!  I was doing so well too.  On Tuesday (the day I started feeling crummy) I worked out with my trainer, J.  He pretty much kicked my butt.  One of the things I love best about working out with a trainer is they target muscle groups that don't get worked running, or on the elliptical, the machines at the gym, etc.  At the W&M Rec, the trainers also sit down with you for a fitness assessment and cater your workouts to the goals you set for yourself.  This week, we started the "pyramid training system" where you do 3 sets, but 12 reps on the 1st set with a moderate/manageable, 10 reps on the 2nd set with a heavier weight, and 8 reps on the 3rd set with the heaviest weight that challenges you.  We also do most of our work outs in what I like to call "the testosterone section" of the Rec.  It's nice to have someone challenging you and telling you what to do, as the gym can be an intimidating place.  I really hope this sickness subsides by tomorrow because I really need to get a good 3 mile run in and would like to strength train too.  It sucks because I feel as though I probably picked up whatever germ that caused this at the Rec.  Sigh. What are your opinions of working with trainers?  Also, is it okay to work out with a cold?  I've heard no by some, and yes by others.

Aside from being sick and missing a few classes, I think the semester is starting well.  I've gone to my strict attendance classes diligently (so far).  I'm a little behind on reading, but that's no big deal.  Let's hope I get better by this weekend--I would like to get energy back to resume my workouts, and maybe even go out one night?!  I'll also end on the note that I'm trying to think up some creative Campus Golf themed costumes--do any of you W&M people who know what Campus Golf is have any ideas?

Day-tripping

I survived another long Thursday of classes.  Not fun.  I really don't know how I'm going to be able to handle it for the rest of the semester, because when I get home at 5:30 pm all I want to do is sleep for the next 3 hours, which is obviously not good.  Any advice on how I can make it through long days where I'm in class from 9:30 am to 5:20 pm without wanting to cry at the end of it?  I also am frustrated because my Intermediate Acting class is at the end of the day and it is 2.5 hours.  I honestly think I would enjoy this class if only I didn't have 4 straight hours of lecture before hand--by the time I get to Intermediate Acting I just want to take a nap, and I honestly zone out about half way through it.  I also feel like I might be getting sick.  My chest kind of feels weird when I try to breathe in really deep.  The parents both had flu/cold symptoms this past week, so I hope I didn't catch what they had.  Also campus is like a petri-dish so it's always possible I could have picked something up there.  Ugh.  I don't have time to be sick...guess it's time to load up on the emergen-c.

Yesterday, Adam and I went back to RVA and explored Carytown.  I had a doctor's appointment and he decided to tag along last-minute.  We went in a lot of the boutique shops, which I think are overpriced.  I wish I had the means to support local businesses, like the ones in Carytown!  While there, we stopped by sweetFrog, a frozen yogurt shop.  I had never been there before, but had heard good things about it.  Basically the concept is super simple...about 10 flavors of frozen yogurt on the wall in frozen yogurt machines, you get a cup, serve yourself, and then there's a toppings buffet with fresh fruit, candy, chocolate, etc.  I was really happy with the assortment of fresh fruit!  Then they weigh your yogurt, and at 39 cents/oz it's really cheap!  We ended up sharing a cup of New York cheesecake, blueberry, and white chocolate macademia nut with strawberry, mango, kiwi, and blueberry toppings.  It was less than $5.  It was so incredibly yummy!  It's also designed really trendy and clean; white plastic chairs and high-top tables, and pink and green decor.  They play really loud pop-music too, which I guess is either hit or miss.

Here's a picture of our healthy snack!

In Williamsburg, we have something similar, Berrybody.  (What is it with these yogurt shops and two-word names?) Berrybody is okay, but is way more expensive  and has less selection.  At Berrybody you only get to chose from 2 flavors, then you only get 3 toppings.  That will run about $5, and it's only half the size of the serving at sweetFrog.  So basically, sweetFrog is better.  Adam made the argument that sweetFrog can keep costs low because it is all self-service.  We will definitely be going back, especially when it gets warmer!

We dropped by to see the parents and steal some Chinese food they had ordered, and then headed back to Williamsburg.  It's been nice going to Richmond and actually exploring more places downtown, which I never did when I lived there.  It's not that bad of a city.

Great Food, Good Friends, Family, and Home

So apparently I don't have a job at College Delly anymore? Not totally sure yet, as nobody has officially told me I don't have a job, but since the owner's of Paul's Delly purchased it (or so that's the rumor) a lot of the original staff isn't working there anymore.  Honestly, it's not a big deal, I only worked once a week, and  most of the time it was 11 pm-3 am.  I was planning on leaving after this month anyway since it's senior year, and I would like to have my Friday nights available to have fun after I depart for the real world.  Yikes.

This past weekend, I went back to Glen Allen for a nice home-cooked dinner with the parents and Adam.  We went ice skating afterwards at RVA on Ice which is at the new CenterStage theatre/artsy place downtown.  For all you people who know downtown, it shares a block with the old Miller and Rhodes department store building.  The rink is pretty small, and they don't have a Zamboni resurfacing the ice, so it has a lot of shreaded and uneven ice.  It was nice to skate outside (well except for the 5 police cars responding to some drug bust the next block over).  I even had a little girl ask me if I was an ice skater! I must have been good.  Maybe it was the fact that I still have my ice skates from when I was 12 that have been worn about 3 times in my life.  Here's a picture of me looking like I know what I'm doing!

Oh and another of the boyfriend attempting a triple toe loop... (just kidding it was his first time on ice skates)

I think I want to take ice skating lessons now and get some use out of my ice skates!  My mom took us on this very romantic date (yes we're back in high school) down to the rink and watched/took these fabulous pictures.  Then my camera died, so we did not have further documentation of our ice skating abilities or the fact that I'm just too speedy to skate with Adam.  Too bad.  

After ice skating, mom, Adam, and I met up with Alison and Mike (Adam's sister and her fiancé) for a few drinks downtown.  It was nice to see them and hang out again! 

When I go home we always have great food, and for Sunday brunch we ate at Kitchen 64 on the Boulevard near the Diamond.  We shared the Steak Fries, which you must try if you ever go there.  It's pieces of steak cut up, onions, mushrooms, cheese, all over french fries.  This was definitely one of my cheat meals for the week.  We got to spend the afternoon at Alison and Mike's place downtown and after watching some of Adam's home movies and looking at old pictures, went to Kuba Kuba for dinner.  It's not fancy by any means, but the food is really good.  Yay for paella!  So after a weekend of great food, good friends, family, and the comfort of home, I'm back in Williamsburg for another week of class.  Tomorrow is my super busy day AND I have a personal training session at 7:45 am.  I hope I can make it through the day!