Running and Running Around

Sorry neglected little blog, I've been too busy out there living life.  Saturday, I got up bright and early to meet Christina at Waterfall Glen. She and I did two miles and we had a great chat. I forget how much I love the social aspect of running. Then I set out to complete another 10 on my own, getting lapped by a bunch of high school boys clipping off sub-7 miles. I didn't quite make it to the 12 mark because my stomach and left IT band were bothering me, so I just ran for the car. It turned out to be a beautiful day, and Waterfall Glen is so gorgeous to begin with. It has little streams and lots of wildlife, which helped distract me from the task at hand.

Once I got home and showered, I tried a new-to-me coffee that I picked up on a whim at Ultra Foods. I think it was $1 for this sample. I was skeptical - how can a coffee delivered the flavors of German chocolate cake? I was so pleasantly surprised that I want to try the other Steep n Brew flavors and get a full-sized bag of this brew.  It was certainly chocolately with a vague hint of coconut and cream. I drank this latte style with almond milk.

Then, I was off to the city for a meeting with my friend Caylei. We had a wonderful brunch at Frog n Snail, splitting the house mimosas, a salad lyonnaise and the pear mushroom crepe. Sounds weird, but it was lovely - a nice sweet and savory balance. The decor in this place is also awesome and very chic. I'd like to live there, I believe.

After that, we stopped in NoMI for a beverage with a view. It was lovely.

We also made a pit stop at Ralph Lauren ... before we got kicked out for taking photos. That awkward moment you get kicked out of a fancy store. Also, Oprah shops here, so perhaps they detected I was not one of them.

The photo in question

Then, we capped on the afternoon with appetizers at The Purple Pig.  The broccoli there is amazing and unexpected. Who knew broccoli could be so scrumptious?

Alas, I got home really late and stayed up even later cleaning and prepping because this morning, I hosted the Chicago Blogging Workshop. An amazing group of ladies came over for brunch and blog talk, and it was lovely. Tomorrow, I'll go over the interesting tidbits I learned today at the workshop, along with all the awesome eats! However, I just finished biking 25 miles on the indoor trainer, so I'm spent and hungry.

See you tomorrow, Internet world!