On Saturday night I had a family birthday party to attend. I planned my day accordingly, making sure that I got to the gym for a good work out and eating healthily all day. At the gym I did 46 minutes on the elliptical burning over 400 calories and (according to the machine) covering 4.2 miles in distance. After the cardio workout, I did twenty minutes of weights, concentrating on the lower body. (Leg press, leg extensions, hamstrings, etc. etc.) It was the first time in a long time that I had incorporated weights into my workout routine. Let’s just say I felt it this morning, which I guess is a good thing.

After the gym workout I ate an apple on my way to the card shop to pick out a birthday card. I found a great card with Sarah Palin and a shot gun – my family has a thing for ‘funny’ birthday cards.

Once I got the card I headed over to the mall. The one thing on my agenda for the day was clothes shopping. I only have one pair of pants that fit at the moment, that are not jeans. I went to Ann Taylor Loft where I had some shopping success during the summer. I tried on about twenty five pairs of pants, a couple of skirts, a couple of dresses and a few tops.

Here is a sampling of what I tried on:

The main goal was to BUY PANTS. Unfortunately, I did not find a single pair of pants that fit – and I did not like any of them. I was a little down in the dumps about this shopping failure. But I did leave with three tops, a dress and a skirt. I am going beg my mom to go shopping with me later this week. If I can just find three pairs of pants that will fit me, I will be set for the fall and early winter months. Keep your fingers crossed!! I am so sick of wearing jeans every day to work – but thankfully I have the type of job where that is acceptable.

The only thing I did get that I truly fell in love with are my new Kate Spade readers. I love them! But all in all I felt rushed and deflated after my trip to the mall.

Thankfully I had a party to attend on Saturday night! 🙂

A lot of members of my extended family were at the gathering, and it was really fun to see everyone and catch up. The food was fantastic, as usual. The first course was a cold split pea and curry soup which I loved – not only because it was so hot and muggy on Saturday, but the flavors were amazing. On the side was a piece of lamb. What a great combination!

Dinner was also amazing. Rice pilaf was always one of my favorite side dishes when I was growing up. We also had roasted vegetables, a lovely salad and grilled kabobs. There was a choice between beef, lamb or chicken. I decided to go with chicken. It was flavored wonderfully!

The rice pilaf and salad were my favorite things on my plate. Dessert was to die for. We were celebrating Nancy’s birthday, and she has recently taken up a gluten free diet. She has not had cake since she started her gluten free lifestyle. Thankfully her husband, Daniel, found a gluten free coconut cake at our favorite dessert establishment. If you are in the Providence area, you should really swing by Pastiche which is located on Federal Hill. This cake was amazing. I could not believe it was gluten free. This was one of the best desserts I have had in recent memory.

Oh, and the cake itself was beautiful! I really wanted a second piece of cake, but obviously I was not hungry and did not need a second piece. I hope we have this cake again for the next family celebration. Wow!

Overall it was a really fun party with great food and even better company. See you soon, Bloggies.