Ready for the weekend!

All week I’ve really been looking forward to my favorite day of the week…Friday! Every since I was a kid I have always loved Fridays (I was even born on one). I usually get to leave work a little bit early and the second I walk away from the desk I feel free to start the weekend!

In a few hours I’ll be heading to my parents’ home for a weekend full of fun and exciting things. I’ve got a bunch of things on my to-do list that I want to finish and then on Sunday I have a baby shower to go to for my friend Ashley, who is ready to pop any day now. A whole weekend of seeing family and some of my dearest friends sounds great to me 🙂

When packing to go see my parents, I always try to keep it light, but inevitably I need to bring a bunch of stuff back and forth. Here is the first half of the stuff I crammed into my suitcase, before I started dashing around the apartment thinking of things that I needed to bring. Why is it that there is never enough room to fit everything no matter how hard I try?

The bus ride is a long one today (new office location means new route!), so I packed a book to read, along with my shopping and to-do lists for the weekend. I’m making some fun Valentine’s goodies this weekend (posting on Sunday!) and I don’t want to miss any ingredients. Also on the list: Valentine’s Day Dinner. The boyfriend and I decided to save money and the stress of city crowds by planning to stay in for the evening, so I’m going to make one of his favorite dinners: Cornish Hens!

When I go visit family its hard to find time to fit in a workout, especially when it isn’t as easy as just going for a run in the summer. To keep myself on track, I try to plan one or two fitness dates with friends while I’m visiting. Tomorrow morning I’m joining my friend Courtney for her local boot camp (only $5 for a walk-in!) and then on Sunday the boyfriend and I have a gym date. I’ve been working out using a new weight training routine every few days for the past couple of weeks and I just started using cue cards to keep track of the progress. Of course I have to pack my iPod too…I could not survive a workout without some kind of music. A couple of weeks ago at the boot camp class, the instructor forgot her usual dance mix cd and use Shania Twain instead. It sounded like a weird idea at first, but it was surprisingly great for keeping us going! I’m thinking of adding a few of her songs into my next playlist.

Also in the suitcase: baggies of peppermint tea bags and protein powder for my breakfasts. Yes, I know I’m weird, but I’m not going to drink all of it. Some of it is for a new recipe that I’ve been fiddling around with….which is what the white chocolate chips and stevia are for too. As soon as I’ve got this perfected, I’ll be sure to pass it on.

All of that is fine and dandy, but what is the most important thing that I pack?

I love how he jumped all over my neatly folded sweaters and made himself right at home. He would care more if he chipped in on doing the laundry sometime 😉

Well, I’m off to enjoy some lunch and then wrap things up to hit the road. I’m looking forward to a nice calm family movie night in front of fire this evening with a nice rum and diet coke in one hand and a cute puppy cuddled up to my side. Happy Friday Everyone!