thoughts for thursday: 'merica, cars, and pups

happy almost-weekend! today i'm linking up with nat and annie for the first time with some thoughts for thursday.


how heartbreaking was the us game on tuesday? we were glued to the tv - i can't believe how close they were! tim howard is a total rockstar. i even wore my most patriotic outfit, but alas, it wasn't meant to be. luckily, this outfit now doubles for the france game AND the holiday tomorrow! what a fashion-forward thinker i am.

which brings me to my next thought... i am so nervous for that game! i've been a huge germany fan since growing up there, but how cool would it be if france went all the way while we're here this summer? so excited to go watch it down at the local brasserie, though it feels slightly wrong to be cheering for both of those countries on the 4th of july... i think i'll get over it. this seems to be a realistic rendering of about how the game will go.

ok, i know my goal for this month is to be more present and not worry about things in the future BUT holy crap, we realized we're buying a car THIS MONTH and it's the first time in my LIFE i've ever owned a car and WHERE DO YOU START? of course as soon as i start browsing, Facebook is all up in my biz and now won't leave me alone about ford escapes. i swear i was just looking!

so here's something i am dreading about time here going to fast, and that's the thought of leaving our sweet pup that we're watching! we have become the best of friends, and we're trying to figure out how to smuggle her home. pretty sure we can just sneak a 100lb great dane on a trans-atlantic flight, no worries at all. right? also, she is totally living the dream here. she's the best.

and finally, three cheers for a long weekend! the weather is supposed to be hit or miss here, but we're taking a day trip to dijon which is about an hour away and yes, they make all of the mustard there. might need to alternate wine tastings and mustard tastings along the way. other than that, i expect to do a whole lot of sitting on the patio and enjoying incredible sunsets like this one. here's to a lovely three days off! happy birthday 'merica!

a new month, new goals

holy crap. how is it july today? how has it been a whole month since we left nyc? so insane. to start things off right, i'm setting some goals and writing them down here so that i HAVE to achieve them because that's how goals work. here's what i'm committing to this month:

being present: this is the most challenging of the list. there are so many big life changes for us in the next few months, that it's really hard to focus on today and enjoy each day for what it is. i'm going to make a concerted effort to not spend all day googling restaurants and yoga studios in la, or apartment-hunting, or google earth stalking different neighborhoods (yes this is a thing). instead, i'm savoring this time we have to ourselves, in france, before the craziness starts. this one will be hard but is the most important to me. 

running: i have two running-related goals this month. it's been about 30 days since i last laced up, my longest break since i started running two or three years ago. yes, we were on vacation, and bopping around europe, and getting settled here in semur, but i don't really have any excuse to not be running any more. a great motivator? i'm going to sign myself up for a race later this fall in la! once i put that money down and have a date to train for, it's much easier to find that motivation in the morning. and i know i feel a million times better when i take that time to get the blood flowing.

sugar dragon: oh man, oh man. to borrow a whole30 phrase, i am really battling my sugar dragon here. after doing two whole30s in the past 10 months, my eating habits had really changed. i already knew dairy and gluten were my nemeses, but since last august, we'd also cut out all grains, all sugar, all soy, and cut way back on alcohol. lo and behold, here we are in july and i'm sneaking dessert with every meal and having a glass or two of wine every night. it's obviously not crazy, but i just know i feel better when i eat less junk. part of me says, hey, we're in france, it's ok to indulge! but then the other part is seriously craving the magical tiger-blood phase of a whole30. compromise? cutting back on sugar. maybe just one macaron a day instead of five. or ten. and a whole30 in october.

saving cash money: to be totally honest, spending six weeks in europe was the best financial decision we've ever made. do you know how much more money is in your bank account when you're not paying manhattan rents? it's crazy! having some extra cash floating around is tempting me to take advantage of summer j.crew sales, but instead, we're trying to sock away as much as possible for all the fun expenses that await us in la in august. things like a car (?!?!), an apartment deposit, new furniture, etc. so here's to living frugally in a place where to be honest, we couldn't really even spend money if we tried. except on wine and macarons (see goal above).

so that's what i'm tackling in the next... (thirty days have september, april, june, and november, all the rest have 31 ...) 31 days!

what's on your list to accomplish this month?

the perfect lunch plate

now, this might be surprising, but it turns out there isn't a chipotle, or a chop't, or even (god forbid) a subway within about 100 miles of our village. i know, right? what do people eat for lunch??

the thought of cooking a third meal along with breakfast and dinner every day seemed really overwhelming.  not to mention, lunch time falls right around the start of my work day, so i'm usually already set up on my laptop for the day. so instead, i've perfected the quick cold lunch plate. and i'm about to let you in on the secret.

ok, it's not really a secret (anymore).

a little cold rotisserie chicken (we buy about two of them a week); some roasted, salted almonds and olives with herbs; some chopped carrots and cucumber; a little dab of local mustard to dip it all in; and some incredibly juicy and perfectly ripe cherries for a little dessert. 

so that's the basic template, and it has protein, fat, and veggies to keep me full til dinner time. not super into cold chicken? try some prosciutto wrapped melon, or a slice of ham to change things up. add some cherry tomatoes or an apple and almond butter. the beauty of this bad boy is that it's all about what's in the fridge, and not about prepping and cooking a super fancy meal. note: if dairy and gluten doesn't make you feel like death, then some cheese and crackers would sure fit in awfully well.

et voila!

oh, and if you happen to have a macaron or two or ten laying around to snack on once you're done, that certainly can't hurt. sadly, they never last long enough around here for a picture. someday. maybe. probably not. 

feeling a little homesick...

i've been missing nyc like crazy the last few days. yes, we're in this beautiful french village, and yes, we're on this amazing adventure and i cannot WAIT to get to la, but it feels like we're kind of in this purgatory here.

this weekend, all i wanted to do was go back to our routine when we lived in new york. wake up in our apartment, go to yoga or for a run in the park, enjoy a long, leisurely brunch, walk around, go grocery shopping at whole foods, meet friends for a drink or dinner... i'm just missing normal, little things. things like:

sunsets in central park, looking at the west side.