IT’S CRUNCH TIME.
Crunchy roasted corn kernels, that is.
oh my goodness someone teach me how to roast giant corn kernels like this
No but seriously, it’s crunch time because there are only two more weeks of class left before finals. What what what. However, the rest of my Thanksgiving weekend went swimmingly— I procrastinated school work with family and friend time, and I’m okay with that.
There are many other things that happened over Thanksgiving break that could have frustrated me (and would have frustrated or upset me in the past), but I realized that I’m okay with some spontaneous, surprising, and sub-par moments in my life. So here is take two of “I’m okay with that.”
Ben and I were on a mission to find the best carrot cake in New York City, so we stopped by Lloyd’s Carrot Cake (self-proclaimed best carrot cake in NYC) for a couple slices.
no cake in the case but look in the back— CAKE EVERYWHERE
We bought them on our way to our family dinner and ate a bite while the cake was still fresh and warm. We had dessert before dinner, and I’m okay with that. Especially since this carrot cake blew my socks off! Dense, just enough frosting, luscious, and not dry at all (I would say the “m” word, but so many people don’t like that word, so you’re welcome).
with nuts and raisins is the only way to go
After accomplishing our carrot cake mission, we ate at a restaurant called Inti (thanks to Groupon, haha). Unfortunately, the ceviche was overly salty, and my shrimp entree was unexpectedly drenched in a heavy cream sauce, but I’m okay with that. The food was tasty and it was wonderful to be sharing a meal with my family. Salt and cream don’t need to ruin that. (Also, the roasted corn kernels above were an amazing amuse bouche.)
We walked for a little bit to find a place called Bibble & Sip, which is a cute coffee shop that my mom suggested because she wanted green tea latte art. (They didn’t do a bear like she wanted, but whatcha gonna do?)
I shared some with her and loved how frothy and creamy it was. I consumed more cream from this latte after my creamy dinner (and then more cake when we got back to the car), and I’m okay with that. I ate and drank what I wanted, and ended the night feeling very satisfied.
I learned that I can no longer do a single pull-up, whereas in the summer, I could do up to three full pull-ups. It was humbling attempting to do them again, but I’m okay with that because I’ve been working on other skills like handstands and pushups in college, and I know I’ve gained weight for the better.
I also learned that I’m not that much lighter than my older brother (probably why I can’t do a pull-up anymore!). I’m okay with that, because weight is literally just a number. I feel energetic and strong, so as far as I’m concerned, this weight is working well for me.
I spent Saturday night watching Maze Runner and having deep chat with my friends when I could have been doing work or yoga or laundry. I’m okay with that because quality time with friends is not a waste in my eyes (and I had a good gauge of the work I still needed to do).
I RAN yesterday.
I ran 5K at 9:44 pace, which is not fast at all, but I’m okay with that because I RAN and it was beautiful outside and I RAN. For the first time in, like, eight months!? I didn’t hate it.
I didn’t really catch up on sleep over Thanksgiving break, but I’m okay with that. I got enough, and I did not want to let my time with family and friends slip away!
I’ve eaten a lot of sugar in the past week, but I’m okay with that because apple pie a la mode, pomegranate seeds, bananas, Lloyd’s carrot cake, and Arman’s no bake balls are just too good.
It feels nice to be okay with things. A little less stress, ya know?
I’m not saying that these things don’t bother me at all (if they didn’t bother me even a minuscule amount, I probably would not write about them in the first place), but I am saying that these things do not need to affect me.
Alrighty. Happy Monday and Happy Advent, friends! Go listen to some beautiful music that makes you smile or happy cry.
So tell me:
What is your favorite kind of cake?
What is one thing you used to be able to do that you cannot do anymore?
What is one thing you can do now that you could not do before?
Daily Moves and Grooves 
Dessert for dinner makes sense when it’s delicious cake!!! 😉 glad you had a good weekend!!
Dude, have your grown taller? Or have I envisioned Ben to be a giant? Or are those boots under 10 inch heals?
Not going to lie, I was mad envious when I saw the carrot cake being personally frosted! Glad you guys had a good weekend and you enjoyed it (with salt, cream and groupon, obviously). I’m also on team ‘no pull ups’. I pulled my arm muscle trying to do one when I could do maybe 4 or 5 in New York?
Haha I look taller than my bro in that pic don’t I!? I think it’s just an optical illusion with how we’re standing and the angle of the photo. But let’s just believe that I’m taller than him.
New York is the only good place for pull-ups I guess.
I’d forgotten how much I love carrot cake, but I had some on Thanksgiving and it was so good!
I used to be able to do king pigeon in yoga, but I’ve let my hips tighten up a little too much for that now… things to work on! But now I can do proper pushups with some new arm strength 😀
My hips are SO tight now too! I can do a lot of stretches still, but not nearly as comfortably as before. Oooof.
Being ok with new and sometimes uncomfortable stuff is definitely a struggle for me but hey you win some, you lose some and it looks like you’re winning #moistcarrotcake😉
Any kind of spice/carrot/cinnamon cake or a dense chocolate cake for me!!!!!
Happy advent and happy Monday Alison 😘
You would fare well on a girls dessert date with my family because I like carrot cake and my mom loves chocolate cake! 😉
Bibble and Sip… what a cute coffee shop name! I love you Alison, and I love how well equipped you are in handling all that life throws at you. You are an inspiration Alison. A pure inspiration. I love reading your progress, and I know I say this on every blog post, but you rock, and I feel the need to tell you that as often as I can.
Fave cake: yellow boxed cake with chocolate frosting. Classy.
I used to be able to do a straight scorpio, but alas, I don’t have the flexibility of a young child anymore. Sigh.
I now can sleep through multiple people screaming and running up and down the halls.
Happy Monday, Alison!
From the most sincere depths of my heart, I thank you for your support and inspiration in my life, Julia. You should know that you have impacted my recovery in such positive ways in this past year.
And oh man, don’t get me started on loss of flexibility…
If it makes you feel any better, I can’t do a pull-up to save my life… and I think I’m okay with that 😉 I feel like different times of our lives call for different things to be priorities, and that just because things are a certain way now doesn’t mean they’ll be that way forever. The beauty of life is that it’s constantly in motion, and the best we can do is ride the waves and make the most of what comes our way.
Hope you’re smiling today, lady! 😀
Indeed, the only thing that is constant is change (and God :D). Hope you are doing well, dear!
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Hehe I’ve never ever been able to do a pull-up. O_O I have an eventual goal of being able to do that. Who knows if I ever will? I’m glad that God always keeps me humble in this fitness journey! I LOVE homemade carrot cake
I believe that you can! 🙂
This makes me happy. You’re right that it makes life so much easier when you just become okay with certain things…I know that’s the case for me too and the trip I went on was 1000000 times better than ones in years past for that reason. Carrot cake is hands down my favorite cake – that looks AMAZING.
Amen! So glad to see and hear that Hawaii was AMAZING.
I’m not a huge fan of cake…but if I had to have cake, the denser, moister (oops – just said it!), and more fudgey it is, the better. Essentially, I realize that what I’m actually saying is, the less like cake it is, the better. 😜
I used to be able to beat my little brother in a race…and get my breath back sooner than he did. Now he’s not so little, and I’ve stopped running, so I certainly cannot beat him anymore, and I’m sure the getting my breath back first thing (which I admit, used to be a rather silly point of pride for me) had evened out as well. I’m most of the time okay with that. 😉 My sense of balance though, thanks to dabbling in some Barre and starting to practice yoga, had improved tremendously!! <- something my klutzy self really needed! And I've never in my life been able to even do one pull-up! 😉
Yeah, girl! Dense cake, balance…all good things 🙂
I love all cake! But, I will always have a soft spot in my heart for red velvet 😉
Mmm good choice!
This is perfect! Thanks for sharing. I’m starting to say “I’m okay with this” more and more often and I love the freedom it gives me! Keep up the amazing work and thanks agin!
Thank you for your kind words, Olivia! Wishing you all the best ♥︎
Congrats on the run!! That must have felt beautiful. I ,too, have been eating a heck more sugar lately…. but its cold, and I’m busy, so thats just how it works! And as a carrot cake fanatic – I am truly jealous.