ben franklin bridge | kristastes

I am so boring my god. Seriously I was in bed (gladly) before 12am last night and spent all of today embracing my virgo tendencies. I deep cleaned the SHIT out of my apartment, got rid of 92302125915 pages of organic chem, physics, and bio notes that I am gladly saying sayonara to, canceled my POS internet provider (thanks neighbor who doesn’t block their wireless heh), paid bills on time like a responsible adult, and finished it all off with my first bridge run since surgery.

Lots of running firsts in the past couple of weeks, huh? I did 5 miles on Thursday morning, too…16 weeks post op officially…I was premature with last week’s 4-miler! I know you’re all sick of hearing about it but it just makes me smile and love life. 3 months ago I was sobbing my eyes out feeling like I would never run again. Dramatic much? But really, major sports injuries are a humbling experience and it’s certainly been a rollercoaster ride. Never take advantage of your ability to move your body.

All my instagram/facebook friends already saw this picture but I am obsessed. SHE IS THE BEST. Stella joined me on my 3 miler this evening, and what a gorgeous one it was! She was dragging by the end because now I’m faster than her hehe.

I took it pretty easy but still clocked in at a sub 9 minute mile pace, totally pain-free. My knee was kind of throbbing for a bit earlier but it went away and I feel good…didn’t even ice it. Time to drag myself away from my new Walking Dead obsession and be social since it IS, in fact, Saturday! Have you guys seen this series yet?? Someone recommended it and I am 100% hooked.

ZOMBIESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS. Enjoy the rest of the weekend!

I had an amazing weekend. I did not read one blog (all caught up on y’all now), but I ate, drank, laughed, danced, and LIVED. Just what life is all about, right? Saturday, I headed out on another bridge trek with my friend Mike and the pups. It was not quite as hot as Friday, but still a glorious Philadelphia day.

There weren’t too many people on the bridge, so we let the two hooligans off leash. Finn and Stella are only 2 months apart and grew up together…they’re both English labs. I get asked all the time what kind of dog Stella is – apparently short and stocky labs aren’t too common around the city. They’re also the best dogs to have if you want to make friends of ALL sorts.

We were worried this cop was going to ticket us for not leashing our dogs, but instead he stopped and chatted, gave them water, and started showing us pictures of HIS English lab on his cell phone. Philadelphians are friendlier than you might think. Winking smile He said we made his day and to ‘visit’ soon. LOVE it! We did about 6 miles total with the dogs and they were POOPED when we got back.

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I was rocking my 4all by jofit Thumbs Up jacket…still loving this piece! Stella was rocking yellow.

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I would really like a pair of labs (or three), but one is enough of a handful and I can borrow Finn anytime I want! I took a nap after our walk which was the first in a very long time. I miss college days where you could nap between class…RIP naps.

I was resting up for my girlfriend’s bachelorette party! We had plans for a delicious meal at Alma de Cuba (one of the many Starr restaurants in Philly), and dancing after (DUH!). Some of the other Starr spots I’ve tried include:

Pizzeria Stella (take your $ and head to Tacconelli’s)
Parc
El Vez (fav pre-drunk night out)
The Continental (brunch outside!)
Continental Mid-Town (heart rooftop bars but crowd is young)

Most of these (as you can see) were way before I was blogging…I guess I have to go back to do official reviews. I walk by Alma all the time and have been meaning to try it Fo FO-EVA. I had a bunch of tastes of everything. My favorite dish was Oysters Rodriguez.

Oysters Rodriguez – Crispy fried over fufu (mashed sweet plantains with bacon), sauteed spinach with horseradish and huacatay sauce

Tuna Tartare Tacos – candied lemon and pickled onion (the only dish I really did not like)

Royal Palm Dates – Almond-stuffed dates wrapped in bacon with cabrales blue cheese

Rainbow Ceviche – Tuna, salmon and black bass marinated in lime juice and jalapeno with roasted sweet potato slices

Gloria’s Black Bean Soup – Crema fresca and rice croquettas

Chorizo Sliders – Cuban chorizo sliders with matchstick potatoes, mustard and pickles

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I think Alma de Cuba is currently my favorite Starr restaurant! I enjoyed 90% of what I tried and would definitely love to go back again. The service was impeccable (especially for a busy Saturday night) and the atmosphere cozy. A perfect calm before the storm of dancing with a fun group of ladies!

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This is the only picture you guys get of the rest of the bachelorette ha. I left around 12 to to meet up with a bunch of my college friends to continue Ame’s birthday celebration. We had a blast as usual, being our random obnoxious selves. I always come prepared with a spare shoe stash (dancin shoes, foo!) and a classy bag in which to carry them.

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