My Friend Mac.

09.29.2014

This post is dedicated to Mac... also known as Mac-a-doodle, Mic-Mac-Paddy-Wack, Kevin McAllister (the list of nicknames could go on forever). It doesn't feel right continuing with blog posts without providing a tribute to our friend, Mac. 

Most of my blog readers have had the pleasure of meeting or at least hearing about this beautiful "Maniac Mac." This weekend, Mac went to doggie heaven. He just couldn't wait to meet our beloved golden retriever, Jake.

We all miss him so much and thinking about him makes me laugh and smile because he was such a character. 

My sister, Allie, and Mac rescued each other in March of 2012 and our lives haven't been the same since. He made a lasting impression on everyone he met. He made us laugh and cry and sweat because of all the daredevil-ish things he did.

Mac absolutely loved the camera and knew exactly how to pose and smile when it was requested of him.   

His shirt says "Merry Christmas Ya Filthy Animal" - everyone in the family has one!

 Mac loved licking the empty jars of peanut butter and greek yogurt clean before they went in the recycling bin. 

 Mac loved sitting in front of the television and barking at us when it was his bedtime.

 Mac lllloved giving his family a scare by running a few laps around the neighborhood and then meeting us back at home by the garage door. Mac was the king of selfies and morning snuggles.

 Mac loved rolling around in the dirt IMMEDIATELY after getting a bath.

He had a gift of driving everyone nuts but winning them over with his charm. He was my favorite singing partner and I will miss him dearly. 

Silence.

09.23.14

Do you hear that? Me neither.

I have come to realize how much I value silence lately. Maybe I'm getting older. And, with that, comes an appreciation for quietude. This is more than just tuning out or ignoring background noise. This is a complete abandonment of all the noise and chaos.

I used to always have music playing or the television on while I was home just to fill the silence. 

Lately, silence is precious to me. 

I'm making a point to not leave the TV on unless I'm giving a show or movie my undivided attention. I've been keeping my phone at home when I take the dog for a walk or run (or I use that time to call Mom and Dad). I even turn off the radio while I'm driving around town. It's refreshing.

You may not realize how much noise noise noise surrounds you throughout the day until you reach total silence. (I always think of that quote from Dr. Seuss' How The Grinch Stole Christmas describing the Who kiddies playing with their new toys on Christmas morning.)

Observe what happens when you don't turn the radio on during your morning commute or you don't turn your television on as soon as you get home. You might be pleasantly surprised at how much you needed silence in your life.

Bye Facebook!

09.18.14

I deactivated my Facebook account yesterday and, BOY, it felt good. I'm posting this as one last "hoorah" with Facebook for a while. It'll be nice to take a breather from the chaos that is my newsfeed.

In college, everyone in a sorority had to deactivate their social media accounts during recruitment. I remember accidentally checking Facebook as if I was still signed in (even though I wasn't), like it was muscle memory. I felt so bummed without Facebook for a week. But now, it feels like an obligation.

This social media outlet just doesn't do it for me anymore. If I want the latest news or comedic relief, I turn to Twitter. If I want to see the latest pics from my friends and family across the country, I scroll through Instagram. If I am looking for a killer workout or indulgent recipe, I obviously get right to Pinterest. 

It's funny that something so popular a few years ago became something that people now hate. It is such a cliche that your newsfeed is comprised of pictures of peoples' babies at every angle or obnoxious political rants, but it's so true! I've talked to a few people about this in the last couple of weeks and I keep hearing how much they hate it. Guess what? You can delete it!

So this is me signing off on Facebook indefinitely. Might I suggest bookmarking this blog or following me on twitter? (@maddiequercia)

Back On The Mat

09.12.14

As much as I love running and the lovely endorphins that come with it, I have been looking forward to not actively training for a race. I am aching to get back onto my yoga mat. I have practiced at home either completely on my own or with a DVD a few times. So what is stopping me? I am ready to recommit to my yoga practice.

This is what Mac and I look like when I practice at home.

For someone who really loves and enjoys yoga, I am utterly shocked with myself that I haven't practiced in a studio since March. But there's no time like the present! A few weeks ago, I saw an online deal for an amazing studio across town. I took it as a sign from the yoga and shopping discount gods that my body needs yoga again.

So, I found myself signing up for two weeks of unlimited yoga!

Not everyone likes music when they practice yoga. However, I think it really enhances the experience and it's what I'm used to in vinyasa yoga ("flow"). It helps me with pace, breath, and motivation.

Amos Lee "Keep It Loose, Keep It Tight"

The Shins "New Slang"

Shakira "Gypsy"

Florence + The Machine "Cosmic Love"

Florence + The Machine "Shake It Out"

Beyonce "I Was Here"

Coldplay "Fix You" (Live from LeftRightLeftRightLeft)

Coldplay "Strawberry Swing"

Pink "Glitter In The Air"

Debussy "Clair De Lune"

The flow (pun intended) of this playlist has a purpose. The first two songs are great for a warm up sun salutation and/or focusing on breathing in child's pose. The tempos really pick up in the Shakira and Florence songs. They're perfect for working up a sweat during Sun B and warrior poses. 

I'm almost 99.99% positive that Beyonce song was written for balancing poses. I could be in tree and/or eagle pose for the entire thing. Coldplay is great for detoxing and restorative poses. 

The last two songs are on reserve for Shavasana aka nap time (everyone's favorite pose!) I'm just kidding. Shavasana is meant for reflection and meditation. If you happen to doze off during shavasana, job well done. 

I like adding music to my practice as a queue for what poses I want to do next. 

This is one of my favorite quotes about yoga. I find it difficult to explain what yoga means to me. Similar to running, it's such an individualized experience but there is an amazing community feeling that comes with it. 

Yoga is more than stretching out your hammies in a hot room. There are many deeper meanings. Every time I practice, I learn something new. It has taught me that cheesy cliches like "You get out of it what you put into it" are really, very true. Also, it's important to have fun with it and not take it too seriously. Nothing in life is fun or worth your time if you're not enjoying yourself. One of my favorite instructors of all time would always make us laugh while we were balanced in crow pose to really challenge us. I loved that about her! 

The best shape of my life was when I was practicing two or three times a week at the studio. Yes, my muscles felt better than ever. But that didn't compare to how it made me feel on the inside. Strong and calm. That's what yoga means to me. 

http://www.fitsugar.com/Ways-Live-Yoga-Outside-Class-24085400

Girls Weekend Recap!

09.08.14

Andrea, food, and shopping... these are a few of my favorite things!

My dad was spending the weekend with the guys at the Notre Dame game and we wanted to have a little fun of our own! So Mama Q flew into town on Friday afternoon for a quick girls weekend. 

I quickly hustled home from work to pick up my two favorite girls for dinner. We went to Yellow Porch - the first restaurant we went to when my parents helped move us down here. Of course, I am a creature of habit and got the same dish I ordered last time: butternut squash gnocchi with kale and mushrooms. 

We were on a bit of a sugar high after we stopped at Jeni's Ice Cream in 12 South. My favorite thing about Jeni's is getting to try two flavors at once! I ordered the blueberry and lemon frozen yogurt mixed with bramble berry crisp ice cream. I'm still dreaming about it.

On Saturday morning, we fueled up at Marche for brunch before we headed out to shop! Croissant French Toast makes me happy. Simple as that.

I made reservations at Margot for that evening. We didn't have time to go there last time mom was in town and we were all dying to try it! Before we left the house, we took one look at the menu and we were all a little skeptical. Believe it or not, I found more things on the menu that I wanted to try than the other two chicks and I'm the vegetarian of the group! Funny how that happens. 

But, we still wanted to give it a shot and we all loved our meals! We toasted with an Elderflower cocktail before our first courses. I had a tomato bread soup and it was spectacular. I had a roasted vegetable stack seasoned with spicy breadcrumbs. Mom had "sheepshead" which was really a flaky, white fish. Could have had us all fooled with a name like that!

Sunday morning, I finally got to go to Pinewood Social! I have been dying to go since I moved here. Their brunch menu was actually a little too funky for us so when we go back, we will go for dinner. Overall, the food was amazing but I much prefer brunch at Marche. 

Sunday morning caffeine buzz

We spent Sunday afternoon snuggled up on the couch watching Veep and getting a serious ab workout from laughing so hard. 

The next time I'll see her will be in Key West next month! Already counting down the days!

"Got Any Cheese?"

09.03.14

How could I not title this post with an Urkel quote?! 

You guys... I was vegan for 4 1/2 days. (Can we round it up to 5 so I seem less of a wimp?) FIVE DAYS. No way in hell I was going to last 21 without cheese! It was worth a shot, right?

I did learn a few things for the 5 days that I went vegan. I didn't realize before that a lot of what I had previously ate was already vegan. Also, I didn't realize how much I would miss cheese. Yes, I know it was only 5 days. But to be honest, my body didn't feel different cutting out dairy and other animal by-products. 

I felt like I was constantly telling myself "Nope. You can't have that." Let me tell you, that is nooooo fun. And for someone who comes from very strong French and Italian cultures, food should be fun. 

Don't get me wrong, I ate some very delicious meals and it inspired me to get creative and excited about the food I was eating. I also noticed that I was eating much bigger quantities of fruit than before - bananas in the morning, grapes in the afternoon, strawberries at night, etc. After buying soy milk and adding it to my coffee, I much prefer it over regular skim milk - it's creamier, sweeter, and has double the calcium! It's good to try new things with food, recognize preferences, and make healthy swaps for ingredients and snacks. 

One thing that really set me back was dessert. I really wanted cookies or cupcakes or ANYTHING. On Day 1 of being vegan, I was offered cupcakes on TWO separate occasions! Do you have any idea how difficult it was for me to pass TWICE on cupcakes?!? I have the biggest sweet tooth. 

I've found a few vegan dessert recipes that I want to make at some point. But there is nothing in this world like the intoxicating smell of melted butter and sugar. 


Breakfast:

• Acai Bowls: almond milk, frozen acai concentrate, Kashi cereal, sliced banana, and chia seeds

Recipes courtesy of Fitnessista

• Cereal (my favorite is Kashi GoLean Crisp Toasted Berry Crumble) with soy milk
• Oatmeal (with chia seeds and sliced banana)
• Smoothie: orange juice, banana, frozen organic strawberries, and chia seeds
• Whole wheat toast with peanut butter, sliced bananas, and a sprinkle of cinnamon

Lunch:

• Bean salad: either Mediterranean or Mexican flavored
• Avocado sandwich on whole wheat toast
• Hummus sandwich with tomatoes, sprouts, etc.

Dinner:

• BIG Salad (Seinfeld style): fresh romaine and spinach mix, red pepper, tomatoes, onion, avocado, carrots, chopped walnuts, and balsamic vinaigrette
• Garlic quinoa and brown rice mix, edamame, garbanzo beans, tomato, and white onion

• Enriched pasta with tomatoes, spinach, garlic, and a drizzle of olive oil
• Amy's Soups - so many delicious vegan options and a very convenient meal

This whole ordeal was an experiment to see how different my body would feel and how difficult it would be. Turns out, I have little to no willpower. I could feel myself getting cranky without cheese in my life!

Instead of denying myself the life's simple pleasures like cheese, I'm trying new foods and loving it! Salmon? Check. Catfish? Check.

I have no complaints - I really am living in the perfect city to really indulge and enjoy good food!