Decisions, Decisions

Hola bloggies! Sorry I missed ya yesterday. We had to take Peanut to the cardiologist for a follow-up appointment which took up a majority of the day. Everything is fine. She’s had a heart murmur since birth and the doctors just want to keep an eye on it.

I had to decide between blogging and running in the little free time I did have yesterday evening. Pretty sure you can figure out which one I chose. There was rain almost all day so I was really excited when the weather broke and I got to lace up and head out. I did a mile to the bike path, 3 miles on the trail and a mile back home for a total of 5 miles! That probably seems like a mere pittance to most of you, but I’ve never run any further than that and the last time I achieved the feat was back in early 2008. Then, I was doing the distance once a week. I seriously slacked on my running after we got married as I adjusted to married life, a new town and an hour commute to work. I’m not sure why, but hitting that 5 mile mark again felt like a major milestone.

My Tuesday eats were pretty uninspired so I’m backtracking to Monday. Peanut and I went to our Mom & Baby group at the hospital in the morning, then hit the road to visit my BFF and her 2 week old little boy. When I’m in Dayton, I always make it a point to stop at Dorothy Lane Market. I’ve posted about my love for this local, gourmet foods market before. That’s where I headed for lunch on this journey, too.

I always get sushi when I’m there because there are absolutely no stores or restaurants near our town that sell or serve it. I picked up some Tokyo Fantasy which is basically just spicy tuna rolls with brown rice.

I spotted a delicious Greek Shrimp Orzo Salad in the deli case. I decided to get a small container of the salad instead of the spring
rolls I normally get to accompany my suuuu-shay.

I wasn’t disappointed. It was delicious! It wasn’t overly oily (which I’ve found true of most deli pasta salads) and had the perfect blend of orzo, shrimp, kalamata olives, herbs and various diced veggies.

I hit the Boston Stoker coffee cart on my way out the door for a Skinny Lady Latte. It’s basically just a skim white chocolate latte, but they seem to taste better there than anywhere else. I think it’s their exceptional quality espresso.

We had a fantastic visit with my BFF and her little man. In 7 months I’d honestly forgotten house teeny tiny newborns really are. I didn’t get a chance to take any pictures because he was either eating or sleeping the entire time we were there. My BFF and I have decided that our kids will go to prom together so I guess there’s always that photo op to look forward to enjoying.

My husband worked late and I wasn’t at all hungry come evening. I just had a cup of hot tea while I fed Peanut her dinner. This wasn’t just any hot tea. It was the best Earl Grey tea I think I’ve ever had. I picked it up on a whim while we were at Dorothy Lane Market. I’m not sure what made this Kensington Earl Grey so good, but I’m sure glad I decided to give it a try.

What was the last fitness milestone you achieved?

Have you checked out Yoga Pose May yet? I’ve been following along day by day and it’s awesome. I’m learning a lot about yoga and feeling inspired to incorporate it into my fitness routine more often. I’ve also discovered an abundance of new blogs to add to my Google Reader. As if I weren’t having enough trouble keeping up with that thing before, now it’s just plain ridiculous.

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The Kindness of Strangers

Hello fellow bloggies! I cannot tell you how much I’ve missed you all. I’m planning a baby shower for my BFF and it’s turned into quite the ordeal. The original guest list was around 35. Very manageable. There were a few additions here and there which blossomed the guest list to 75. Then there’s the group invitation that was extended to the women of her church and looks like will result in another 20-25 guests. I’m trying not to panic and just keep plugging away at my to-do list. It’s turning into a full-time job which hasn’t left much, if any, time for blogging, reading and commenting.

BFF is on bedrest because of some minor complications so Peanut and I loaded up in the car and drove up to visit her last week and help around the house. We really couldn’t chat or hang out much because she’s working from home, but I was glad to pitch in because I know she’s stressing about the state of the house while she can’t do anything about it. I would go every day if I could. Unfortunately, she lives an hour and a half away.

On the way home, I decided to stop at my very favorite grocery store in the entire world, Dorothy Lane Market. Sometimes I wish we lived in a big city so I’d have access to more fresh, healthy food options like this. Other times I’m glad we don’t because I’d probably put us in the poor house. LOL

Half of the store is a traditional grocery layout while the other half houses cases of fresh foods including a deli, bakery and my personal favorite…a sushi stand! Not one place near us sells sushi so I decided to take advantage of being in the “big city” and pick some up. I love how the people who actually make the sushi come right out to the case and help you make your selection. After much deliberation, I settled on spicy tuna with brown rice and a container of spring rolls. I ate all the sushi and 2 of the spring rolls, taking the rest home to savor later. Since I can’t eat and drive, I partook in a front seat picnic while Peanut slept soundly in the back seat.

Actually, I need to rewind a little to get to the title of my post. I paid for my sushi, but couldn’t pass up the Boston Stoker coffee cart on my way out. I’ve had a lot of coffee in my 27+ years, but theirs is hands down the best. I have to get my fix anytime I’m near one which isn’t often enough.

I hopped in line behind an older gentlemen and talked and played with Peanut in her car seat while we waited. After placing his order, the man turned around and said “…and I’d like to pay for whatever this young lady is having.” I looked behind me thinking maybe I had separated a party in line, but the man was talking about ME. I was flabergasted and it took me a minute to catch my breath. I thanked him for his generosity, but told him he didn’t need to do that. The man persisted and said that he goes to that coffee cart every day. Each week, he randomly picks one person and pays for their coffee. I finally gave in and ordered a small iced skinny latte. Before the barista could get started, the man laughed and said “She’ll have a large.”

I thanked the man about 642 times while the barista made our drinks. I was absolutely floored by his generosity. I know I’ll probably never see him ever again, but that small act of kindness had the biggest impact on me. I can’t afford to buy coffee for someone once a week, but I’m making it my mission to pay it forward every chance that I get in ways that don’t cost a dime. Thanks to Mr. Unknown, I enjoyed this beautiful specimen of coffeehood on my drive home:

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