Random Assortment

And I did it again - I disappeared for a couple of days. Sometimes, life just gets the best of you. But in the best way possible. Let's start from when I left you on Tuesday. After work, I stopped at the Clubhouse to drop off my backpack, and immediately headed out to Northwest Austin to take some of my WyldLife (now YoungLife!) girls to dinner. I squeezed six of them in my car (sorry, mom and dad), and we enjoyed a delicious dinner at Newk's in the Arboretum. I had never been there before, but it's been on my list forever, so I was excited for an excuse to try it out. 

It's a really cute soup, salad, and sandwich place, and everything we had was excellent. I would definitely recommend it. Obviously we couldn't part ways before having dessert, so we piled back in my car and drove over to Amy's Ice Cream, which we (or they) enjoyed while hanging out on the random cows. They were getting ready to go to Anderson High School Transition Camp the next morning, so it was great to get to spend some time with them and talk to them about their fear and excitement for their upcoming high school years.

Wednesday started bright and early with a six-hour shift at SRD, followed by a sunny swim at Gregory, and an afternoon spent hammocking and reading at Zilker Park with Dylan. He even climbed a tree to hang the hammock in the perfect spot - what a gentleman.

My view from my hammock 

After our hammock session, we threw the football around for a little while, before giving in to our grumbling stomachs and setting off to find food. Dylan might be embarrassed when I tell you that we had Jason's Deli for dinner, but one, I happen to love Jason's Deli; and two, we were dressed in athletic gear - slightly sweaty due to the hot Texas summer, so Jason's Deli was the ideal dinner. Plus, we had dessert at Pinkberry right across the way, so no complaints were made by me.

We even walked out to this pretty view

Thursday started early and ended early. I took my workout to Town Lake, where I ran one three-mile loop around the lake before walking another. It was H O T and sunny outside, and in the hour that I was out there, I managed to get a whole new set of tan lines. A combination of my olive complexion that tans easily (not that I can complain much about that), and the intense Texas sunshine (and I can't complain much about that, either).

I worked from 2pm-6pm yesterday, but I went over a little early so that I could enjoy one of my absolute favorite SRD meals: beef and shrimp fajita tacos. I love Mexican Thursday at SRD, and I whipped myself up a beef and shrimp salad, topped with chopped tomatoes and salsa. You probably know by now how much I love salsa! It was delicious, and I made sure to tell the chef just that, so I really hope to see it on the menu again sometime soon.

After work, I came home, put on my favorite outfit of Nike shorts and a t-shirt, and set up shop on the couch. I turned on the Spurs game, opened up my computer, and started pinning recipes like it's my job. I was in the baking mood, and lucky for me, I found a dessert that I could eat. It was super simple, and I already had all of the ingredients. I present you: Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free, No Bake Chocolate Cookie Bars courtesy of Practical Stewardship. Sound amazing? They are.

They took a total of five minutes to make, and I left them in the refrigerator for about an hour before cutting them into rectangles. I also ate one (or three) last night before going to bed. They were delicious, but we also know that it's rare for me to dislike anything chocolate.

Not shortly after devouring a few of those, I went to sleep around 10:30am, because I had an early date with the sunrise this morning. Dylan picked me up right around 6:00am, and we drove out to Pennybacker Bridge so that we could watch the sunrise that was scheduled for 6:28am. It was absolutely beautiful, and I am so glad we got to see it. Sunrises are one of my favorite things, and I may have mentioned that to Dylan once or twice.

He also listened when I mentioned that breakfast is my favorite meal of the day, so after hanging out on top of the overlook for a while, we left to go get breakfast. We originally planned to go to Counter Cafe, this tiny cafe that is only open until 4:00pm every day, but it happened to be closed today. Not to worry, because 24 Diner was right next door, and I was told that it has incredible breakfast.

And I would have to agree with that statement. Everything I saw looked incredible, but I opted for the egg white veggie frittata, and Dylan went for the classic chicken and waffles. Neither of us could finish our meals, but we both agreed that they were delicious. And, now we have leftovers!

After another run one loop, walk the next session at Town Lake, I'm off to work the desk until 6:00pm, when I will be returning to the Clubhouse and calling it a very early night. I am attending a 9am-6pm spin certification class tomorrow, so I am feeling a very good night's sleep. Have a great Friday!