Let me ask you this: when was the last time you did something that scared you? Maybe it was just last night getting that cockroach out of your apartment (ew, good for you, I'm still deathly afraid) or maybe it was a few months ago when you took on a new project at work that you were a little apprehensive about. No matter how big or small the feat, it is so important that we get outside of our comfort zones and tackle our fears.

Get ready to laugh. Friday was my day off and Michael took a half day, so he took me skiing at a mountain nearby. I've never been skiing before, but I was really excited and thought I would be able to pick up on it quickly. After all, I would say I'm in shape, I used to water ski all the time and I have pretty good balance. It couldn't possibly be that hard, right?

I get my skis on, and I freeze up (no pun intended). I'm like a drunk child trying to walk and failing miserably. You guys, it took me about 20 minutes just to get over to the lift...this whole skiing thing did NOT come naturally at all!!! I looked up at the slope above (a bunny slope, at that) and I was SCARED. Freaked the eff out. I don't do heights and I don't do rollercoasters, so the thought of gaining speed and cruising down the slope made my heart race. 

Fast forward, we get on the lift. We're halfway up and I just break down. Literally start crying out of no where. I just thought, "I can't do this." If you've ever seen the Kardashian episode where Kim breaks down before going zip lining, that was me. Quite accurately. (Fast forward to :11 please..)

[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GqzU0-lW4M8[/embed]

If it wasn't for Michael there telling me what I always preach, "YOU CAN DO ANYTHING YOU PUT YOUR MIND TO," I would have given up. So I'm crying and manage to hop of the ski lift and wipe out. Michael starts teaching me how to cruise down and I just keep falling. And crying. I cried like four times. This shit was HARD. I was about to give up, and Michael just looks at me and tells me to "have some damn faith in myself" and it just clicked - I NEEDED to do it. There was no turning back because it wasn't like I could just walk down. So I get up and just keep repeating in my head "you can do this, it's okay." So I did it. It took a long ass time, I probably fell about 25 times and I WISH I had video to see how much of an idiot I looked like. But I made it down the slope. And then I immediately ran up to the bar for a beer. PHEW!!  

So the moral of the story is: I desperately need some ski lessons FACE YOUR DAMN FEARS!! No matter how much something scares you, when you get to the other side and conquer that fear, it only makes you that much stronger. 

I hope you enjoyed this story. Have a wonderful week, everyone and break down those obstacles.

XO- Rach

When was the last time you overcame a big fear?

Is there a motto or saying that helps you get through tough times?

Hello!! It's been a while, huh? I decided to take a short hiatus from blogging. October has been a very busy month at work, a very busy month in general, and sometimes I just can't do it all.  In addition to work, there's been some really great times this month. One of my best friends, Corinne, came to visit philly, I got to travel to Ohio for work and this weekend we were able to head to the Finger Lakes in New York! Next weekend, I'll leave October with a bang in the Philadelphia Rock 'n' Roll half marathon. There's been a lot to be thankful for and a lot to look forward to. 

The Finger Lakes: 1 Day, 8 Wineries

Michael and I left PA on Friday night after work to head up to New York. Our friends Andrew and Lauren invited us to stay at their relative's B&B in Hector, NY, which is right off of Seneca Lake. Oh man. It is GORGEOUS up there. We stayed in Lauren's family's guest house, which resembled a rustic barn. Complete with two horses in the backyard, and a labrador named Maisey, who was the coolest dog ever. 

We started off Saturday morning with a big breakfast and a short hike down to the gorge led by Maisey. Side note - she picked up a semi-fresh deer leg in the woods on the way down. Yum!  After our hike, we quickly showered and got ready for a full day of wine tastings. Around Seneca Lake, there are more than 20 wineries. We made it to 8 of them in a time span of 6 hours...we made pretty good progress! I will say that we tasted so many wines, that I don't remember each one. I have a few absolute favorites and I will explain in pictures. We took a group photo at every stop so that we could look back and remember each winery we stopped at. A full day of wine tasting leads to a blurry memory...who would have thought? The best part about tasting wine in the Finger Lakes...each winery averages about $4 to taste 6 different wines. 

Stop 1: Lamoreaux Landing Wine Cellars

Lamoreaux was one of my favorites. The wines were all amazing and the view was picture perfect. My favorite wine at Lamoreaux was the 2012 76 West, a Bordeaux blend that combines Cabarnet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. Listen to this description: Bright notes of blackberry and blueberries harmonize with aromas of luxurious vanilla and espresso. A classic steak wine or an accompaniment to Roquefort cheese. Um YES PLEASE.

Stop 2: Standing Stone Vineyards

At Standing Stone, we went for a wine and cheese pairing, otherwise known as a match made in heaven. The cheese really changes the way that the wine tastes and it's so fun to try all of the different combinations. My favorite combo at Standing Stone was the Smokehouse Red wine paired with a spicy chipotle cheddar cheese. Lauren noted that she downed a whole bottle of this watching Magic Mike XXL, and I can definitely see why because it's so smooth, so I am now referring to this wine as the Magic Mike Wine. 

Stop 3: Hector Wine Company

Hector Wine Company looked like a classy brewery inside. The atmosphere was great, but to me the wines weren't as memorable as the other wineries we stopped by. They definitely win for best logo design, though - I love it! 

Stop 4: Damiani Wine Vineyards

We stopped for lunch before heading to Damiani Wine Cellars - perfect timing because at Damiami we were able to pair chocolate with the wine for desert! My favorite pairing was the black tea dark chocolate (INCREDIBLE) with the Cabernet Franc. Another match made in heaven. 

Stop 5: Ryan William Vineyards

Ryan William Vineyard might have been my favorite in terms of the tastings. Every single one I tasted was so different and SO amazing. The Chardonnay was incredible. I ended up purchasing a bottle of Pinot Noir Rose´. I usually hate drinking Rose´ because it's way too sweet for me, but this one was a game changer. Had to buy it. The guys even loved it and termed it 'Brose´' 

I don't even know what's going on here.

Clearly excited about my new wine...

Stop 6: Atwater Estate Vineyards

Atwater was awesome. I loved the cozy atmosphere and in addition to the wine tasting, they added on a special treat of a mulled wine tasting at the end. Oh. My. Gosh. Amazing. Can't get much better than heated and spiced wine. Perfect for a winter night. 

Had to buy a shirt to remember this experience. No coincidence that I spent more money as the day went on...shopping feels great when you're a little buzzed until you look at your bank account later! Woops. 

Stop 7: Chateau Lafayette Reneau

Chateau Lafeyette Reneau was beautiful inside will high ceilings and a view overlooking the lake, but these wines were mostly too sweet for my liking with an exception to their Cabernet Sauvignon - it was amazing.

Stop 8: Hazlitt 1852 Vineyards

Hazlitt was by far the most fun. Hazlitt is super quirky inside, with a taxidermy grape weasel on the wall (yes, I thought it was a real animal at first,) and popcorn served to go along with the wine tasting. So great. The wines here were great, too, but the music playing was even better, so I think we were mainly focused on singing out loud and feeling that wine. 

It was a weekend well spent with great company. No 'wining' over here! However, I'm very ready to get back into a routine this week.

CHEERS!!

XO - Rach

Let's chat:

What's your favorite wine?

Bloggers - have you ever needed to take a hiatus from blogging?

How was your weekend?

Hey there! How was everyone's Labor Day weekend?

Mine was great - considering the awesome protein pancakes recipe I'm about to share with you :) On Friday evening, Michael and I headed up to the Poconos to stay with a couple of our friends at their house. I had never been up there before and it was just beautiful. So peaceful, quiet and we couldn't have gotten more lucky with the weather. I don't have many pictures because I wanted to disconnect a bit this weekend from technology. On Friday night we sat on the porch and had a few too many drinks in the cool weather. We had intentions to get in a workout Saturday morning, but instead we slept in and drove up the road for a diner breakfast - you know, the greasy kind that cures all feelings of a hangover? So great.

After getting some food in our bellies, we geared up for a full day at the lake with a huge cooler filled with LOTS of beer and snacks. We got to the lake and headed into the water for a full day of floating - with our floating cooler. We swam (floated) all the way to the other side of the lake and back, and didn't get out of the water for a good 3-4 hours. 

Obviously in Gator gear for an awesome Gator win on Saturday night! Full of beer and all sunned out, we headed back home to relax and grill a delicious dinner of chicken, asparagus and zucchini. 

We headed back to Philadelphia yesterday late morning. Today has consisted of lots of relaxing! I got in a great workout earlier, mostly because I had all the time in the world and didn't have to rush! I love that, don't you? I'll post my workout later this week - it was a sweaty one! Now we're just enjoying being lazy (aka blogging + watching Arrested Development the rest of the day) before getting back into a busy working routine tomorrow.

Before working out, we woke up slow and I wanted pancakes, but after a weekend full of not the healthiest meals, I wanted a healthier version - cue the homemade protein pancakes! These are easy to make and if you're one of those "ew cottage cheese!" people, I'm sure greek yogurt would work just as well :) 

[yumprint-recipe id='1']