You all know me by now, and to say I spend 90% of my life in workout clothes could actually be an understatement. So I love any chance I have to get dressed up and put makeup on!

So it was a no brainer when Canopi contacted me to attend an event, hosted by Elle Magazine and Wella Hair Professionals.

(from Charles Scott’s Facebook page)

The event was held at Charles Scott in Rocky River, where I’ve actually had my hair and nails done before. However, it was much different from what I remember.

The place had been remodeled and there was a DJ, professional photographer, cocktails (champs!), appetizers, and complimentary hair styling, makeup, and nails!

(me and Suzanne)

I didn’t waste any time picking up a cocktail and sitting down to get my hair done.

I’m a sucker for pampering.

Plus, I ran into a lot of my favorite Cleveland bloggers so that in itself made it a good night!

Bloggers chatting, drinking, and waiting to get their nails done. We’re definitely a chatty group.

The only issue I had with that night was trying to sleep without messing up my waterfall braid!

I didn’t get much sleep that night because I kept waking up trying to make sure I wasn’t moving around too much. Hehe. I’m ridiculous, I know this.

Do you get your nails done, do you do them yourself, or are you a bare nails type of girl?? I live for shellac, but right now I’m doing them myself!

After reading about Jess and Jolene, and their barre n9ne experiences/transformations over the past year, I was so excited when I heard we were finally getting a barre studio in the area. Barre Cleveland just opened in Beachwood last week so Jess, Kimberly, Nadine, and I made a trip to the eastside to check out all the hype.

The space was really pretty and as I looked I around I got kind of giddy thinking how I was about to get my big booty kicked.

I had such high hopes for this place. And I really enjoyed the class, I did (found myself giggling more than once when the instructor kept telling us to “poke” <—–totally immature, I know ). But I left wanting more. More shake in my legs, more burn in my core, more sweat on my brow, just more.

And maybe this is because the studio is new and trying to figure out what works best for everyone? It’s too bad that the only location in on the eastside because if there was one on the westside (and a cheaper price package – wowza!), I’d love to give it another try.

At least I got to see these girls (and meet Kimberly for the first time who is so sweet and seriously gorgeous!):

Have you ever been to a barre class (or something similar)? What did you think?

**As part of today’s Ohio Blogging Association’s All State Blog Swap, I’m happy to introduce to you Nadine from Blog – The New Black. On this day, bloggers from around the great state of Ohio are guest posting on one another blogs as a way to help to get to know one another in our blogging community. For a full listing of blog swap participants, please visit Poise in Parma today!**

So, here she is, is the fabulously fashionable Nadine…..!

Hi! I’m Nadine from Blog – The New Black. As part of the OBA Blog Swap I am guest posting for Heather today to share some insight into my new neighborhood – the Detroit Shoreway/Gordon Square Arts District.

Truth be told, Ohio City was love at first sight. The near west neighborhood of Ohio City will always hold a place near and dear to my heart, and much to my dismay, a week from today I will no longer call this place home.

The good news is that I’m moving to The Detroit Shoreway! More of a “love at second look”, the Detroit Shoreway is just a touch West of Ohio City, and my boyfriend and I are about to embark on the journey that is home ownership for the first time. If you are a current reader of my blog, you may have been following our difficult journey to find the perfect home, and the saying “nothing ever comes easy” couldn’t be more true for our own situation. I can confidently say we found the perfect first home in the perfect neighborhood and I’d like to tell you why……

Living off W. 65th opens a whole new avenue of venues and local businesses to visit. Shopping local and knowing where my hard earned money is going is something that is extremely important to me, and there isn’t any place more wonderful than Sweet Moses to fork over that cash to! Thank goodness Sweet Moses is so close, so I can cancel out feelings of guilt over eating giant bowls of hand churned ice cream by justifying that I have to at least walk a few blocks to get there. Aside from ice creams they have to die for brownies and delicious chocolates that make great hostess gifts. Last time I was sattled up to the bar for a sundae someone ordered the Terminal Tower – 10 scoops of ice cream and the photo doesn’t even begin to do it justice!

Aside from glutenous treats, The Detroit Shoreway is home to the west side’s best theater establishments. Last summer JPC and I supported Cleveland Public Theatre by attending Pandemonium, an annual fundraising event that is worth experiencing! Tons of live performances, open bars, stocked buffets, and fashionable guests make it one of my favorite events in the city! Last year was our first visit to the theater, and now that we can stroll down the street to take in a show I can promise it wont be our last.

Of course, a post about the Detroit Shoreway cannot be complete without a mention of LUXE Kitchen and Lounge. The restaurant has been a favorite of mine for almost two years and was the setting of choice for our recent Mother’s Day brunch. I can’t express my excitement enough by telling you how perfect it is that I’m moving in down the street just as summer begins. I will be spoiled by this beautiful patio until at least September and can’t wait to enjoy every minute of it!

If you haven’t had a chance to visit The Detroit Shoreway I encourage you to stop by this summer for a visit, I promise the hosptiality won’t disappoint! On June 9th the neighborhod will be co-hosting Parade The Circle, Party in the Square with University Circle and it will be a lovely event with Lolly The Trolley on hand to take you East to West and vice versa. I hope to see you there!

Thanks, Nadine!! J and I LOVE Gordon Park Square – we may just have to hit you up on one of our many trips we’re sure to take to Sweet Moses this summer!!!

Do you know the bloggers in your city/state??  p.s. You can check out my post on my little tip on how to up your fitness game over on Nadine’s blog today!

Hey there, and Happy New Year!

Gosh, it’s been awhile since I last blogged. It was really nice to disconnect and take a break for a bit. But I’m back now!

So much happened over the holiday break that I’ll be nice and provide you with the cliff notes version.

Lots of traditions were kept:

Taking this photo was such a debacle. This is the best pic we could get with both pups, so you get a nice shot of Diddy’s butt. You’re welcome.

Tons of family time was had:

Someone got a ridiculous amount of wear out of his new hat:

I swear to you he has worn that hat every day since Christmas. He just wears it around the house. Great purchase by mom!

And hangovers were nursed:

Me, Alana, and Kimi enjoying ourselves a little too much at the #holladays party. Which resulted in me being #holladrunk and spending most of yesterday on the couch (it’s been awhile since I’ve done that!).

Angelo’s marguerita pizza = best hangover cure ever.

You’ll notice that I didn’t mention running. I ran the Holidays Virtual 10k, but other than that I don’t think I ran more than 3 miles at a time (and maybe 3 times at most?). I’ve been spinning and boot camping it up instead. The change has been nice! But I have a lot of plans for running in 2012. After being out of business for almost 4 months last year I’m hoping that 2012 is my comeback year! I’m a little scared I’ll jinx it, though, so for now that’s all I’m saying.

Hope everyone had a kick ass holiday and New Years!

Do you have to work tomorrow? Luckily I don’t go back to work until Tuesday………yes!

Back in February I posted about my love affair with the Vitamix. J and I initially questioned the big investment, but we were both so fed up with the handful of blenders we had blown through that we finally bit the bullet and coughed up the dough.

Result? Best money we ever spent. No lie – the thing truly lives up to all the hype. 100%.

So when Vitamix invited me to come visit their new factory outlet store last week there was no way in hell I was saying no. Especially when I heard they were going to be raffling off one of the reconditioned machines (um, yes please)!

But before the raffle, we got to sample some fun food! Local chef, Rocco Whalen, who owns Fahrenheit, served up some kick ass miso dressing for an ahi tuna salad.

And Chef Beverly Shaffer, from Vitamix, whipped up some berry kiss sorbet and then CHOCOLATE FONDUE.

Ummmmmm…….I don’t know how to DIP when it comes to fondue – it’s straight up DUNKING for me. That marshmallow was strictly a vessel for shoveling that delicious chocolate in my mouth. I have no shame when it comes to chocolate. Seriously, the more the better.

And then it was time for the big ticket item……….

……..sadly I didn’t win, but you can tell from this picture that Alana was a gracious winner:

Hehe……..brat.

And if that wasn’t enough, we were even sent home with goodie bags!

Allison, me, Alexa, Alana, and Shannon

It was such a fun event: bloggers, food, fun, and chocolate.

The factory store is open for the holiday season 7 days a week from now until mid-January. So if you’re still looking for present for someone, you should seriously hit up the store. Take advantage of purchasing a like-new Vitamix for a great price! Here’s the address in case you Clevelanders are interested:

4720 Great Northern Blvd
North Olmsted, OH 44070
(in the HH Gregg plaza, right around the corner from HH Gregg)

A HUGE thank you to Vitamix for inviting lil ol me – it was a great time!

Tell me – do YOU Vitamix?

Besides the love I had for all the exercise we did on Friday morning, the next best thing was all the friends I saw and/or met at FitBloggin.

Me, Katie, Alicia, and Tina

Let me tell you – it’s extremely uncomfortable asking a stranger to take a “jumping” picture.

But I did it anyway (I have no shame, seriously).

Everyone I met at the conference was super sweet and pretty damn cool.

Gotta love redheads (Monica and Brit)!

I’m still trying to teach the peace sign.

Maybe this is something you’re born with? You’ve either got it or you don’t (sorry, Beth – haha!).

I was very lucky to get to meet so many great bloggers.

(Amanda and Heather are on the ends)

And in addition to all the great people, I came home with a TON of swag:

My favorites have to be the New Balance tennis shoes, capris pants, and head phones!

Unbelievable!

My mind is still swarming with information I learned regarding blogging, as well as with all the new people I met. I’m not going to bore you with the gritty conference details, but I do want to say that this weekend was quite the experience. It really forced me outside my box and to break out of my comfort zone. I’m really glad I went and put myself out there. I keep telling myself it builds character.

Random question: were you born with the peace sign gene, or is this completely awkward for you??

Hope you had a great Monday!

Hey guys!! I hope you had a great weekend – mine was quite the whirlwind!

I’m sure there will be plenty other recaps of the entire conference so today I just wanted to talk about the fitness fun we had at Fitbloggin. Friday morning was spent with lots of activity!

We started the day bright and early with a 5k walk or run. My poor roommates now know how much of a morning person I am NOT.

Alicia, me, and Beth

But the scenery more than made up for the early wakeup call. We ran along the harbor and it was beyond beautiful.

I seriously would consider moving to Baltimore. Waking up and running along the water front every morning wouldn’t be such a bad thing.

Tina and I kept a pretty good pace and picked it up at the end – she really pushed me that last mile. She has come far in her running this year!

Beth, Katie, me, Jenn, Matt, Tina

After breakfast Beth and I attended a kettlebell session, which was pretty great actually, and then went to Cathe Friedrich’s fitness challenge, which was taught by Cathe herself. This class was right up my alley! Lots of energy and intense intervals. I was sweating by the end of the 25 minutes (but who are we kidding, we all know how much I sweat)!

If that wasn’t enough, right after Cathe’s class we went to a Fitness Trampoline class with Abbie Appel.

This goofy happy face was before the class started. I did NOT look like this after. Seriously, this class is NO JOKE. My azz is still sore and this was Friday morning.

I was really, really impressed all around. Abbie was amazing, the class was extremely tough, and it was for all fitness levels. Win win. Hands down, this was my most favorite part of the entire conference. If I could afford one of the trampolines I would invest in one today. If you ever have a chance to participate in a class like this I highly recommend it!

If you can’t tell, I really enjoyed Friday morning. I’m all about trying new things and pushing your body to the max. I know some people took these classes to have fun, but if you know me, you know I’m always about the workout.

Ok, well I’m off to enjoy some down time with my handsome hubby – maybe I can get him to massage my sore booty??

Did you do anything different this weekend that pushed you outside your comfort zone??

Glad you guys enjoyed the video of Biggie! I guess I should have mentioned that J had covered the back side of the baby gate with plexiglass. That’s why he couldn’t get a grip with his feet! So now we’ve since bought another gate and stack them one on top of each other. It seems to be working (for now!).

Anyways, I was thinking today as I was starting to prepare for my weekend that I don’t think I’ve ever mentioned that I’m going to Fitbloggin. It’s being held in Baltimore this weekend!

I had originally made plans to go with Allison some time ago, but she had to back out due to her lame work trip to Jamaica (seriously, whose work takes you to Jamaica??!………….so jealous). There are some other great bloggers going, too, but I’ll definitely miss my partner in crime!

In any case, I’m going to be honest about this weekend. I’m nervous. Yes, I know that makes me sound like a sissy, but it’s the truth. But let me explain why:

• I’m not a big time blogger, I do this for many reasons but I do not do it to make money
• I’m not great at first time meetings – I’m better after I’ve gotten to know you. So I feel like I don’t really get to show people my true personality in such a short time frame.
• Will anyone even know who I am?
• Most of the other bloggers are 4 to 5 years younger than me!
• People taking pictures left and right and getting a picture of my azz and posting it on their blog. Not that anyone will take a picture solely of my butt, but you know what I mean. No one needs to see that. I like having control of the pictures that get posted – my blog, my pictures.

It’s definitely going to be an experience and force me to get “outside my box”. But that’s OK. I push other people to do that every time I teach a class and need to practice what I preach. Try before I cry, right??

I made a batch of cookies tonight for a friend and ended up eating way too much of the dough and now have a belly ache. #Fail

Ugh, I do it every time I’m nervous!

But for now I’m trying to focus on the positive. I’m looking forward to meeting new people and seeing the city of Baltimore, since I’ve never been there before! Is anything a MUST SEE (or eat)?

Do you have trouble in big crowds with new people? Or are you a natural socialite??

Thanks for all the great feedback on my last post! I’m thinking about having something similar every Wednesday. Maybe a workout Wednesday series? Hmmmmm…..something to think about….

But, today I wanted to talk about the 5 food groups in our house. These are not the regulated FDA food groups, trust me.

• Cereal – we should seriously buy stock in Kashi cereal – we eat a TON of it!
• Bread – does bread not make the world go round??
• Protein smoothies – I’ve been on a chocolate/banana/pb kick lately (it used to be strawberry/banana)!
• Roasted veggies – cauliflower, broccoli, green beans, squash, you name it – we LOVE it

And last, and most important……………….ICE CREAM!!!

Yes, I have designated ice cream as our #1 food group. I’m not ashamed. We only live once, people.

We all have our favorite: C likes his on a cone, J likes his in a giant bowl with not too many toppings, and I like mine in a small bowl with peanuts and chocolate sauce on top.

Ice cream is so prominent in our lives that last summer I had to instate a rule that if the boys wanted ice cream then we had to either walk or ride our bikes there, no driving (sadly, that rule didn’t last, but I tried!). This summer the rule is going to be in FULL EFFECT. And I say this because, there’s a new sweet spot in town!!

This new throw back ice cream/candy parlor is opening close enough to our house that I foresee this being a HUGE problem this summer. Heck, it’s going to be a problem as soon as they open this Saturday!

Lucky me, my BBF (best blogger friend), Allison, knows my love of sweets and invited me as her “plus one” to a special media preview of this fantastic shop last Saturday.

The inside is darling and decorated with that old school, 1950′s, classy ice cream parlor:

There are options for everyone!

On the right are pb sandwiches (bacon, marshmallow, nutella, or jelly)! O.M.G.

But my eye was on the ice cream.

Unfortunately I had my invisalign in so I didn’t partake in any of the ice cream tasting, but don’t you worry, you will be seeing plenty of this place in the next few months. There’s even a “Terminal Tower” on the menu (10 scoops!), so maybe it’s time for a new challenge when Mandy comes home??

What’s the #1 food group in your house?? Please tell me we’re not the only ones where sweets reign supreme!!

Hey hey!

I mentioned in my last post that I had some fun things from the weekend to share, and Saturday night was one of them. A few weeks ago, I kept hearing about this fantastic event Lexus was promoting called the Dark Ride, A VIP Experience. And I was lucky enough to win tickets from one of my favorite bloggers, Alana!!!

So, Saturday night J and I prettied ourselves up and headed downtown to the State Theater.

To be honest, I wasn’t really sure what to expect. But as soon as we walked in I knew it was going to be an awesome night. Check out the lobby:

There were free cocktails as soon as we walked in, so we immediately partook.

After a few drinks we we ushered into the theater. I’m not sure if you can see, but this is the view from the seats if you were at the theater:

(can you see me??)

There were bars in each corner of the stage, along with Lexus cars! The music was loud and obnoxious (and right up my alley with the hip hop), with dancers already on the dance floor and on the stage. Between the booze and music, it didn’t take long for me to start shakin my hips.

Luckily there were lots of friends at the event:

And then it was time for the concert! Seriously, I felt like I was at the club. And I loved every minute of it.

Dev rocked it out:

J and I weren’t too sure about her (we’ve never been fans of “Like a G6″), but she ROCKED.IT.OUT. We’ve already downloaded the songs she sang Saturday night and I can’t stop singing “I like my beats fast and my bass down low” to C (he’s sufficiently annoyed with his mom right now, btw, hehehe).

Jay Sean was up next:

And he was OK. I think Dev had already won me over so Jay Sean kinda took back seat. Sorry, Mr. Sean, but you were totally upstaged by your opening act Saturday night.

And what better way to end the night than with…..

A soft pretzel bar!!!!!!!! I die. I immediately regretted the cookie table J and I had at our wedding – soft pretzels are where it’s at!!

I don’t regret marrying this guy, though:

Stud.

I was so lucky to win these tickets – thank you, Alana!! The Playhouse and Lexus really did this event right. I sure hope there are more like this in the future!

What fun events have you been to lately??