what would sophia do?

Obviously I share a lot about myself on this little blog. I talk about running accomplishments, my amazing cooking skills, some of the cool companies I've worked with and our newest major purchase.

I also share some my bf's quirks. Duh. How can I not? He makes me laugh and equally angry all at the same time throughout out our 3.5 year courtship.

What I'm about to say could come as a complete shock.

He religiously watches Golden Girls.

There. I've said it.

Yes, he religiously watches Golden Girls. Every night when it's on Lifetime Network at 11 p.m. I put on my sleep mask to go to bed and fall asleep listening to Rose saying something funny and Blanche saying something slutty for a 70-year-old.

I've seen more Golden Girls then I ever remember seeing before.

At one point, I think he told me he would watch it every day in college before certain classes too. My friends and I did this with tons of shows including Saved by the Bell and a Wedding and Baby Story on TLC. But the Golden Girls? Really?

Apparently his girlfriends from college all know this about the BF's interesting tendencies and I bet this doesn't surprise them one bit. (I don't think much of what I write about surprises them considering they lived with him for an entire year. That's right - my BF survived living with four girls for a whole year.)

What are the odd TV shows your boyfriend or girlfriend likes to watch?

10 miles down, only 3 more

Leading up to the 1/2 marathon, my friend Maureen and I decided it would be a great idea to test ourselves at the Hermes 10 miler this past Saturday.

I didn't feel prepared for this. I was more than a little nervous. I have been lackadaisically following Hal Higdon's 1/2 marathon training schedule and only running between 4 to 6 miles at any given time. Prior to this race, I've never exceeded running more than 62 minutes.

Do you see why I was a bit nervous? I was adding on four miles!

Between all the people, the sprinkling of rain and my music to get me through, I completed the entire 10 miles (without stopping) in 1 hour and 43 minutes.

what kept me going


I was very proud both of us because neither of us call ourselves runners. Just a few girls trying to get in shape and lose weight in the process.

We are almost to the 1/2 marathon with only three weeks left until the big day on May 16. I'm going to try and run 11 miles this weekend and then 10 then lighten up the week of the race.

Who else ran the 10 miler? How did you end up doing?

new boutique in town: B. Lux

To all my Cleveland readers, I'd like to introduce you to a new boutique in Hudson. You might have read about here in today's fashion section or caught the clip on Good Company this morning. My good friends, Lia and Michelle who are regularly featured in photos on this blog, opened this boutique a little over a month ago called B. Lux Boutique.

I missed the grand opening with my fun trip to D.C. but I've made up for it with multiple visits that have lasted longer than your average shopping spree.

Lia working behind the counter

As someone who loves to shop, there are many different styles to choose from including casual sun dresses, flowery skirts, bright (and glittery) scarves and a few beautiful jeweled cuffs. Brands include Kensie, Glam, MissMe, Hazel and Michael Stars. Because I received an inside peek as they were designing the store and picking clothes, my friends were pretty conscious of a unique style at an affordable price when searching for the perfect pieces. I currently have my eye on two dresses and a flower empire waist skirt myself.

new earrings anyone?

So if you find yourself in Hudson, run over to B.Lux for a few new outfits, and you never know, they might just have punch and cake to share with you.

street runners

Late last year, I decided I'd start my running career with a 10K and have kicked up a notch this year with a 1/2 marathon. Yes, you read that correctly. I really like running. I like running more than I ever thought possible. I really surprised myself with this and I'm glad. (To test my ability, I even signed up for the 10 miler this weekend. Uh oh.)

However, those who run in the street instead of the sidewalks make me nervous. Very nervous.

You could get killed.
There are sidewalks for a reason.
For your own safety, get on them.

After passing a street runner, I said to the BF, "He should just get on the sidewalk, it's so much safer."

BF: "I don't run on the sidewalks."
Me: "Well that's another reason we will never run together."

Bikers also make me nervous when they are in the street. This past weekend, a couple was biking down busy Mayfield road when there are perfectly good sidewalks to bike on instead. The girl eventually jumped on the sidewalks and the guy remained in the street with the busy traffic.

For you bikers and runners who run/ride in the street, why not hop on a sidewalks when you are on a busy road? Is it that bad to run on?

romance shomance

It all started with a conversation with a friend. I then started thinking more about it and posed the question to more friends over sushi and wine because it wasn't possible that two of us could think the exact same thing, right? We all agreed. We all laughed, shared our stories and laughed some more.

Romance is dead. Or, at least on life support when it comes to our relationships. I told the BF how all my friends and I agreed that him and his friends need to kick it up a notch when it comes to the romance department. He laughed and went back to watching TV. (Told you romance was dead.)

To further prove my point with the other sex present, I brought it up again with the help of two friends to our boyfriends and husbands over dinner and drinks again. (I was the only non-married one of the group.)

We talked about everything from sex to love to flowers and back to sex again because it might truly be the one thing always on a guy's mind.

Here's what I've come to realize and it will save you subscriptions to Glamour and Cosmopolitan and countless future psych sessions.

Are you ready?

I'm not sure you are.

It's quite earth shattering.

All guys are the same. They are ALL the SAME! There. The secret is out of the bag. You all know it.

So when you think that the other guy is better to his girlfriend, paying more attention to her, buying flowers and making surprise dinner reservations to her favorite restaurant, just know it is one big fat lie!

And, if you don't believe me, I listened to two of my friends share the exact same stories only for their husbands to corroborate each and every one of them.

What you might have overheard from our table:
"That shit only happens because it's a new relationship."
"I want kissing for the hell of it."
"We need more spontaneity."
"I just want a little cuddling, not a lot, just a little."
"Why do you always have to grab them?"

And, to quote one of the guys, "Well ladies, at least you know you aren't holding out for anything else because we are all the same!"

How do you kick up the romance again in your relationship? What do you do? All tips and tricks will be shared with all of my girlfriends who always share their opinions and feelings with me, no matter how ridiculous they are.

Editor's Note: Most of our conversation was around sex, as it normally is when my friends and I get together. How much are you having? Is it enough? Does it last long enough? How do you keep things fresh? Do you role play like Phil and Claire from Modern Family? You know, those kind of things. However, knowing certain family members read this blog, I decided to keep it a PG and tongue-in-cheek rather than them picturing something else.

Market Under Glass Take 2

I would like to personally thank everyone who entered my contest for the Market Under Glass event next Thursday.

To have an unbiased giveaway, I enlisted the help of my friend Katelyn pick names out of a martini glass.



Congrats to Ohmommy from Classy Chaos.

Her response when I announced it on Twitter -

@allisonpeltz OMG!!!!! I was SO hoping to win because I need a date night w/the husband. YAY ME!!! This made my day... thanks Allison!

Glad I could make someone's Friday!

the one where I'm actually a cook

I roasted a chicken tonight.

Yes, you read that correctly, and we devoured it. I often share how I'm sometimes culinaryly challenged in any and all kitchens, but I changed that tonight. I selected this Ina Garten recipe and make my own little tweaks it to by asking others for their advice.

the unsuspecting dinner


Now, this post wouldn't be complete without a short video demonstrating how to actually prepare the chicken. I didn't make it that far. I started to wash it, remember that it was in fact a real chicken and not your typical breast or thigh, and I quickly became slightly freaked out that I was holding a whole bird in my hands.

And, yes, it's important to make sound effects when preparing your food.


ready for the oven


we killed it