Christmas With Our Families 2012

This holiday season we decided to take a tour of the northeast, stopping to visit friends and family along the way.  From North Carolina, we drove up the I-95 corridor, with a stop in Baltimore to sleep, before continuing on to NYC, upstate NY (Albany area), Boston, RI, and back through NYC to NC.  We drove about 1800 miles during our 10 day adventure.

The first post from our travels includes details about our Christmas Eve and Christmas Day celebrations.  We spent Christmas Eve with Colin's family in upstate New York.  Being the only family members not living in the area, it's easiest for us to travel to visit the family than for the other 8 members to travel to us!

The Millers beautiful Christmas tree is overwhelmed with presents!

We decided to open presents before dinner, and our 8-year-old nephew Brian distributed the gifts to everyone.

Two-year-old Isabella was one of the main attractions at Christmas!

She loved her tea set, stuffed animals and books.

The living room is filled with people and presents

Brian couldn't wait to put together his legos

Our Italian Christmas Eve dinner (and oyster soup for the fish eaters)

On Christmas Day, we woke to 2" of snow on the ground and stockings filled with gifts from Santa.

The snow is a beautiful backdrop to the Christmas decor

The Millers must have been good this year because Santa filled the stockings!

Colin and I had wanted to do something for others for the holiday, and since most community volunteer opportunities were filled, we opted to cook brunch for the family instead.  On Christmas Eve, we prepared The Food Network's Sourdough Strata and Sausage, Apple, and Walnut Stuffing, so it was ready to be cooked on Christmas morning.  I had made the stuffing at Thanksgiving and found it to be a delicious breakfast item.  The second time I made it, at Christmas, it was not as good as the first time because I used Sourdough bread and non-spicy sausage.  The Sourdough Strata was the highlight for me and most of the family.

The Sourdough Strata (left) and Sausage, Apple, Walnut Stuffing (right)

Before setting out for our 3-hour drive to Rhode Island, we managed to get a few holiday photos of the family.  The toughest, by far, is to get 2 kids and a dog to sit still, look, and smile at the camera at the same time!

The Miller crew, minus one, on Christmas Day

Darwin, Isabella, and Brian almost all looking at the camera

Thankfully, it had snowed the 1-2" overnight and the skies remained mostly clear during the afternoon drive from Albany to RI.  We arrived to dinner in the oven, more presents under another beautiful tree, and the Clemente family ready to welcome us with open arms.

The Clemente tree is also filled with presents

An amazing dinner consisting of lots of vegetables, pork and ham

The Clemente's on Christmas Day

After pictures and dinner, we opened our gifts.  It was funny that my brother, Colin and I all got sneakers!  I guess we all want to help each other stay fit in 2013.  Even my parents received exercise gear (just not sneakers).  I love that my family is motivated to stay as healthy as possible and supports each other to exercise! 

Showing off our exercise gear

To continue with our tradition, we ended the night jamming out to Rock Band! Colin tested his abilities on hard and I managed to save us during a few songs by doing the vocals and the guitar at the same time!

It was wonderful to see all of our family and to spend some time with each other during the holidays. 

Stay tuned for more on our holiday week adventures! I'll warn you that there will be lots of pictures of very adorable children!

What is your favorite holiday memory?

With the Miller family, I love that the family, presents, and wrapping paper fills the living room when we open gifts.

With the Clemente's, I love that we jam to Rock Band.

A fair amount of exercise in NYC

I realize I've already been back from NYC for two weeks, but I wanted to share information about my efforts to feel good through eating well and exercising.  As I've posted previously, it's challenging to stay on track with healthy habits while away from home.  If you read my post that detailed my accommodations in NYC, you know that I picked a studio apartment rental and had a tiny kitchen with a microwave, single cooktop burner, and refrigerator.

I started the week off well with a trip to Whole Foods - where I picked up hummus, carrots, yogurt, and granola for breakfast and snacks.  I knew the training would provide lunch, but wasn't sure about breakfast.  Because I planned to meet up with friends for dinners, I didn't get any food for dinner.

Turns out the training offered a dietitian's nightmare of a breakfast and the same lunch every day.  The options for breakfast included muffins (only 1-2 bran choices), croissants, or white bread bagels.  I tried to vary my choices each day, and finally just decided to eat my yogurt and granola for breakfast towards the end of the week.  Because the food was sitting out each day when I arrived, and was still available during the morning break, I did eat more than I wanted.

Lunch was a little bit better.  There were the same sandwiches offered each day and I varied my selection between the vegetarian sandwich (bean based), tuna, and turkey.  The sides were pretty awful, but I didn't indulge.  Instead, I opted for fruit with my sandwich and fruit for an afternoon snack.

At home, I prefer to have a bigger meal at lunch and a smaller meal in the evening.  Having only sandwiches at lunch during the training meant I was hungry for dinner and ended up eating my larger meals then.

• Monday I ate a dish called "Ropa Vieja" at The Coffee Shop in Union Square.  The restaurant offered Latin and Brazilian dishes and boasted a diner atmosphere.  Ropa Vieja means old clothes in Spanish and the dish included shredded steak, rice, beans, and plantains.  It was definitely a filling meal!
• Tuesday I took it easy with some vegetables, hummus, and yogurt for dinner.
• Wednesday I enjoyed my vegetarian meal, called Garden Delight, at Zen Palate in Hell's Kitchen. I suspect I have a minor-moderate allergy to soy and several types of nuts, so I try to limit my portions of these foods.  Thankfully, there aren't any foods that make me go into anaphylactic shock, but soy and nuts cause my breathing passages to not be as clear as I'd like.  My dish included lots of different vegetables and had a small amount of soy pate with it.  I split a delicious seaweed salad with my friend as an appetizer, so I ended up bringing some of my food back "home" with me.
• Wednesday's leftovers turned into Thursday's dinner (along with more hummus and veggies).
• Friday I met up with former coworkers near my old office and enjoyed some lamb sliders and a cocktail at Rattle & Hum Bar & Restaurant during happy hour.  My former colleague was celebrating a promotion, another was recently married and I hadn't seen anyone in awhile, so we had a ball.  But the evening did not end there. Colin flew in to the city Friday evening, so I met up with him at our friend's apartment in Long Island City, where we enjoyed pizza at Bella Via Restaurant.  I'm sure my fat and sodium intake were through the roof on Friday.

To balance out all this eating, I made a strong effort to be physically active.  Each day I walked the 1.5 miles to and from the training and I walked around lower Manhattan for at least 20 minutes 3 days of the week.  

Walking from Union Square to downtown for the training

Walking "home" through Washington Square Park

For dinner on Wednesday, I walked 2 miles each way to dinner. 

My "neighborhood" for a week.

I also managed to get some planned exercise into my schedule.  On Sunday I went to New York Health & Raquet Club where they gave me a 3 day trial pass.  So I worked out Sunday and Monday, and took a pilates class and swam on Wednesday before dinner.  The weather was also fantastic, so I managed to get a 5 mile run in on the bike path (West Side Highway) on Tuesday.  

A beautiful sunset on a 50 degree day in NYC

Makes for a great place to run.

I had great plans to exercise on Friday, but ultimately didn't do anything too physical on Thursday, Friday, or Saturday. On Superbowl Sunday, knowing we'd be eating poorly, Colin and I enjoyed a 4 mile run with our friends in Bay Ridge.  It was quite a sight to see our group of 5, with the 2 soccer ladies leading the 3 "fighting" men.  The run seemed effortless despite our decent pace and made me feel less bad about my indulgence in of pigs in a blanket, Doritos, pizza, and cupcakes while watching the game. 

After 10 days in NYC, it was definitely time to get back to a healthy routine in Raleigh.  I'm a sucker for free food, which is unfortunately almost always unhealthy and I frequently look for the best value in a restaurant (which is not usually a salad).  The exercise kept me feeling better than I would have without it, but meals prepared by restaurants and catering companies always have so much added fat and sodium.  I didn't weigh myself before I left or when I came back, but I doubt I balanced my calories burned with so many that were eaten (even with 2 days of small dinners).

Do you ever try to exercise in anticipation of eating a large and/or unhealthy meal?

Fitting it all in at Thanksgiving!

Now that we are in Raleigh, NC, visiting family for the holidays is proving extremely challenging.  I think a lot of it also has to do with having a dog.  Unfortunately, he hates the car and we hate leaving him behind.

So, this year for Thanksgiving, I took the whole week off to try and see all of the family and bring Darwin along.

We started with a 12.5 hour drive from Raleigh to Rhode Island on Sunday before the holiday.  In the usual fashion, Darwin sat behind the seat, resting his head on the center console for the entire ride.  I can't imagine he's comfortable now that he's too big to really fit in that space!

His body is behind the driver's seat and then twists so he can rest his chin on the console.

We made an hour pit stop in New Jersey so Darwin and I could get out and stretch our legs.  It was dusk when we arrived at Jen's family's farm house, but the dogs still ran around chasing each other for awhile.

By the time we arrived in Rhode Island, I was exhausted and Darwin's stomach told me he was not feeling well.  We both needed a good night's sleep, but had a hard time resting that first night after a stressful day.  It took a solid 36 hours of being "home" and a more restful night's sleep before we both felt normal.

On Tuesday afternoon, I made my way up to Worcester (without Darwin) to celebrate with my dear friend, Juliamy, on her 30th birthday.  Since she works in the schools, the party started at 3pm!  Even though it started so early, we still closed the bar down at midnight!!  I'd call that a successful party.

Here is "my best friend Juli" with her birthday cake.

(Apologies for the "fuzzy" look - it was taken with my phone camera)

After a very filling breakfast a the local diner in Spencer, MA, I made my way back to Rhode Island.  I had been trying to get walks in with Darwin each day after the 12 hour drive, but I decided to up the ante and run on the eve of Thanksgiving.  My parents are so fortunate to have a greenway less than 0.5 mile from the house.  At some point it will connect from Worcester, MA to the southern beaches in RI - but for now it is an easily accessible 8-10 miles of well maintained pavement.  Most of this section travels along the Blackstone river and offers an abundance of opportunities to view, and experience, nature.

While I catch my breath after a 5 mile run, Darwin acts like it was no big deal!

 

While traveling, there are 3 main things I need to feel at my best - rest, exercise, and eating right.  Unfortunately, it's difficult to combine all 3 of these things when away from my routine at home.  I'm pretty good about getting a run or walk in on the greenway when visiting my parents.  It helps that they love to go walk/run as well.  Colin and I also frequently run in the neighborhood at his family's house.  The resting part is hit or miss.  When we try to do a lot, I don't rest much.  On this trip, I felt tired the entire week and didn't really get caught up on sleep until the weekend after I came back home.  Eating is also hit or miss.  My mom makes really delicious foods that are mostly healthy.  During the holidays, there are always a few extra desserts that I really don't need.  I always find myself choosing the less healthy options when I am away from home as well.  On this trip, I did pretty good with my eating - until we celebrated our niece's 1st birthday!

My mom's Thanksgiving spread was amazing!!

My fairy healthy portion of turkey, stuffing, corn, potatoes (white and sweet), and veggies.

I wanted to make sure I left room for dessert (which I will not show you).

From RI it was on to the Albany, NY area.  I think Darwin remembered how awful the last car trip was, so he would not get in the car.  Colin threw out his back getting him into the car (I think he just likes picking Darwin up - but this time it backfired).

In upstate NY, we celebrated Snow White's 1st birthday (our niece) 

with lots of food, desserts, and presents.

Darwin was also a big hit, especially with our nephew Brian.  

As Brian says, "I'm Darwin's best friend."

It took Darwin a little time to adjust to his new surroundings, but I think he was just so happy to be out of the car again.  We managed to get a few walks in the neighborhood, but didn't run because of Colin's back and rested only a little because we snuck in some visits with friends.

So after 3 days in Rhode Island, a day in Worcester, and 2 days in upstate New York, it was time to drive back to North Carolina.  Knowing the Sunday after Thanksgiving would be an awful driving day, we decided to leave upstate NY at 6am in the hopes of beating the traffic (although we had low expectations for south of DC).

Halfway to NYC, we saw the first signs of daylight.

Making just one pit stop in Jersey to get gas, take a bathroom break, and stretch our legs, we made it to DC in about 6.5 hours!  Unfortunately, by noon, people were on the roads heading home.  After sitting in N. Virginia traffic for an hour and only going about 20 miles, I needed to take a real break.  A consultation with Google Maps on our phones allowed us to see that we were very close to "Prince William Forest Park" - a national forest near the Quantico Marine Corp base.  Since it was about 70 degrees and sunny, we pulled off the exit, parked the car, and hiked a 2 mile trail.

It was a really pretty trail and the day was fantastic.  The hour break was just what I needed to rejuvenate for the 250 miles we still had left on the drive.

Thankfully, there was only another hour of traffic before we had 3 hours of stress-free driving again.  I could not have been more thrilled to pull into our driveway - 14 hours after leaving NY - safe and sound.  

I think this image of Darwin summarizes how we all felt.

 

It was great to visit family and friends - but oh so exhausting.  That drive up I-95 is brutal!!  I'm looking forward to having family visit us in North Carolina in a few days for Christmas!!

How do you keep your sanity when traveling long distances by car?