Weekend Dispatch

Last weekend was jam packed that it didn't leave much down time. We had a casual family dinner on Friday night before my sister-in-law and brother-in-law returned to Denver. On Saturday I met friends for coffee at the café at the Herbary at Bear Creek. It was a lovely place to meet and a nice change from our "on the beaten path" coffee shops. Saturday night my girlfriend had a birthday party, and Sunday was a slow start, naturally, and full of errands and prep for the week.

After a busy weekend, here's how I plan to spend this coming one:

I haven't been watching a whole lot of Netflix or Amazon Prime Video lately due to my newfound obsession with reading. But I've recently added a few things to My List in Netflix, and I plan to tackle them this weekend. First on my list is "Chappaquiddick", a movie depicting Ted Kennedy's involvement in the fatal 1969 car accident that claims the life of a young campaign strategist, Mary Jo Kopechne. I've wanted to see this movie for quite a while. I haven't heard much about it, but I've always been fascinated by the story. So much so that when I first went to Martha's Vineyard in 2000, we rented bikes and took the ferry over to Chappaquiddick to bike to the bridge where the accident took place.

I've become addicted to podcasts. I used to listen to music at the gym, but now I find that I am much more entertained (and sometimes educated) by podcasts. My latest find is "Glowing Up", a podcast about how to find your inner glowy goddess. In one episode, the two hostesses share their Thrive Market favorites. In another they talk flu shots. They chat about dollar store hauls and so much more. If you like beauty, shopping, health, and fitness, you'll love this podcast.

I love smoothies as meal alternatives. They work great for breakfast and post-workout recovery. I am always up for trying a new recipe. However, when I first saw this Cookies & Cream smoothie (which Jennifer Garner swears by), I was skeptical. Mostly because of its gray-ish color. It looks rather unappetizing. So, I decided to make it to see if it did indeed taste better than it looks. And sure enough, it does!

photo via

I've been hitting the gym just about every weekday for the past month or so. But there was a day two weeks ago when I couldn't make a trip to the gym work with my schedule. I went on YouTube and searched on at-home workouts and found a great workout video that I really, really loved. It's a 20-minute, full-body workout that's perfect to squeeze in when I need to step away from my computer. Now that's it's getting chillier here in New Jersey, this type of workout is a great alternative to a short, brisk walk.

I've mentioned how I've been reading voraciously lately. Today, a friend dropped off Ghosted by Rosie Walsh to me. There is one stipulation, I need to read it by Monday and drop it off at another friend's house by 4 pm. I wasn't sure I was up to the challenge until I saw that this weekend's weather is forecasted to be rainy and my girlfriend said she read the book in less than 48 hours. She couldn't put it down! It sounds so good (click the link above to read a synopsis and/or download the book).

So, tell me. What do you have planned this weekend?