Celebrating

We’ve been celebrating around here the past few days!

Thursday after school, I ran out the doors jumping for joy that I was done teaching! It was time to celebrate!

Since it was also Kristy’s birthday, we took her to Glaze Nail Bar for some pampering. (Kristy is my sister, and she is staying with us for a month while she completes her internship.)

We really enjoy going to Glaze Nail Bar. It is not the cheapest place in town, but I’m willing to pay a little more for a more comfortable and relaxed experience.

My excited face!

(Please ignore the thing popping out of my neck.)

Craig was excited too.

Kristy: the birthday girl.

This might have to become our tradition for birthdays. Craig and I also got pedicures for my birthday back in March. (And yes, my sister is wearing the exact same cardigan that I have on in the post.)

Getting pampered. My runner’s feet badly needed some TLC.

I ended up choosing a dark pink color.

Kristy got a manicure.

Craig and his classic open-mouth smile.

Go figure! The clones picked out the exact same color, and I swear we did not plan that!

Next it was time for some dessert action at Sugarspoon.

We have come here many, many times in the past and love it!

Another “ah, I’m finally done” picture. (Although I felt more like Macaulay Culkin in Home Alone.)

Sisters!

(I seriously look absolutely ridiculous wearing my sunglasses inside.)

We played Blokus while we waited for our food. Craig totally dominated!

I ordered the Warm Tapioca Pudding with coconut milk, cinnamon, and a strawberry lime sauce. It was good, but I wished I had ordered something different.

Kristy got this amazing creation: Profiteroles. Vanilla ice cream with caramel and dark chocolate sauce. This was my favorite!

I don’t remember what Craig’s dessert was called, but it was a new summer item and very delicious. The only downside was that there wasn’t much to it.

The birthday girl.

 

Friday

I did have to go into work for a couple hours on Friday to turn in my laptop, keys, and do a final checkout, which made it official that I was done!

That night we got dressed up and went out to our favorite restaurant, Ginger, to celebrate.

Craig and I

We love going to Ginger in downtown Anchorage. The atmosphere is very chic and modern.

Every time we’ve gone, we have nothing but high remarks for this restaurant. We think it truly is the best sit-down restaurant in town.

We celebrated the end of the school year and Kristy’s birthday (plus one day).

We each started with a salad. I had the House Salad with a wasabi vinaigrette dressing.

House Salad
mesclun greens, cucumbers, sprouts, tomatoes, wasabi
and lemon vinaigrette

This was the first time I had this salad, but I was not overly excited about it. I would definitely get one of the other salads next time.

Craig ordered the Spinach and Prosciutto Salad. We have had this several times before and it never fails us for being an exceptional salad. The prosciutto is the key.

Spinach & Prosciutto
warm ginger and prosciutto dressing, pine nuts and
julienne of roma tomato with carrots

 

Kristy ordered the Strawberry Chili Salad with candied pecans. This was also a very good salad.

Strawberry Chili
butterleaf lettuce, fresh strawberries, creamy sweet chili
cilantro dressing, candied pecans, and shaved red onion

While we waited for our salad, we took the classic couple pictures and probably annoyed everyone in the restaurant.

Craig not smiling.

Me not looking at the camera.

Since I’m trying to be really good with my diet and avoid dairy products, I ordered the Vegan Curry.

This was a coconut-based curry with a ton of vegetables and tofu. Sadly I am not a fan of coconut curries and always forget this until I am tasting them again. I’m not sure what it is—since I do like sweet foods—but I prefer savory curries such as Indian curries.

Vegan Curry
sauteed tofu, mushrooms, onions and zucchini deglazed with
a yellow curry over rice topped with lime, cilantro and sprouts

Craig ordered the Panang Beef Curry, which he has had before. He said it was very good!

Panang Beef Curry
beef tips simmered in a spicy coconut curry with onions
and crimini mushrooms served over jasmine rice with
chopped peanuts

Kristy had the Sesame Crusted Ahi. I am not a big ahi fan, but Kristy and Craig really enjoyed this dish.

Sesame Crusted Ahi
grilled and served over coconut rice with sauteed spinach
and red peppers, finished with a tamarind sweet chili
beurre blanc

Of course we had to order dessert. We all shared the Ginger Pumpkin Spice Cake with a scoop of ice cream that was to die for!

Ginger Pumpkin Spice Cake
pumpkin ginger spice cake with ginger cream cheese filling, brown butter glaze and topped with whipped cream

 

Saturday

Today has been filled with a lot of laundry, cleaning, and organizing, but I don’t mind doing those things.

I also did a long-ish (for me) run of 10 miles. My training plan called for a 10K race but there were no 10K races happening today, so I held my own race with me, myself, and I.

I did the same thing when we were in Hawaii and actually ran close to my PR of 45:03 while I was there, so I made it my goal today to break my PR.

When I first started out, I wasn’t feeling this whole race thing. I had too many other things on my mind, but I figured this was a good opportunity to practice “mind over matter.”

I started by running 2 miles as a warm-up and then picked up the pace. I pushed myself to keep a pace under 7:20 minutes/mile, and I’m happy to report that I averaged 7:15 minutes/mile and completed the 6.2 miles in 45:00, which is a 3 second PR for me! And I did not run a flat course. One of my miles was 7:39 due to some large hills.

I was very happy that I felt so good! This only boosts my confidence for the marathon!

Afterward, I refueled with a Picky Bar.

When I first reviewed these, I wasn’t a huge fan, but I have tried a couple other flavors and am really digging them now. I also like supporting small businesses and athletes who know their stuff!

I liked this All-In Almond flavor, but so far my favorite has been Lauren’s Mega Nuts.

I also had a protein smoothie with banana, almond milk, frozen berries, and vanilla protein powder to refuel my body.

Well, it is now time for me to hit the hay. It has been fun celebrating!