Juliana Moves

I cannot believe it’s already September! August felt long and short all at once, but don’t all months feel that way? Here in Arlington we’ve had a brief break in the humid, summery weather and I think we’re all holding our breaths in hopes that the cooler temps will stick around. Regardless, it’s exciting that fall is truly headed our way. 

Our little courtyard had a Labor Day picnic this weekend; complete with a slip n slide. Patrick and I both did it and, I have to say, throwing your body on the ground like that is less appealing as an adult. We also found out that the court goes hard with Halloween decorations (more so than Christmas, apparently), so we are really going to have to up our game!

I hope you have a fantastic week and lots of fun plans for the season ahead.

What I’m…

…Reading: How to Take Over the World by Ryan North. I finally finished Opinions and Circe and immediately started on this new book. It’s non-fiction and the author, who has written from DC and Marvel, is going to walk the reader through multiple real supervillain scenarios… with the hidden agenda of understanding how to actually make the world a better place. Knowledge is power, I guess!

…Eating: Our Sweetgreen Autumn Harvest bowl copycat. I think Patrick and I had this bowl in Chicago 5 years ago and we’ve made a copycat version a couple times since! Massage some kale and add grilled chicken, roasted sweet potatoes, apples, dried cranberries, nuts, the grain of your choice (I like farro), and a fun cheese (white cheddar or Trader Joe’s unexpected cheddar are superb here). It’s so delicious! We use olive oil and vinegar to dress ours. 

…Wearing: Some new clothes! I decided to buy a few classic pieces from Gap and Old Navy to continue slowly (very, very slowly) but surely updating and elevating my wardrobe. I wanted pieces I could wear to work for a long time, but that I could also wear as an elevated casual outfit. I think I nailed it! I also read up on my Kibbe type again so that I could have an idea of what to look for. I’m a Soft Classic (I think LOL).

…Listening to: Sally McRae’s Choose Strong podcast. I volunteered to sweep a race many weeks ago and spent two+ hours chatting with my fellow sweeper. She recommended this podcast and I love it. Each episode is long, so it takes me a while to get through one but the ultrarunning advice and wisdom that Sally shares is so inspirational and applicable. 

…Drinking: Drinks with my homemade pumpkin spice syrup! I made this recipe this weekend and it is so tasty in a shaken espresso. I used an old Nespresso frother to make Patrick a pumpkin spice cold foam and it worked like a charm. Starbucks who?! Now I want to make other syrups throughout the season!

Note: If you make this recipe, I’d recommend cutting the sugar ever so slightly and maybe adding in some maple syrup. It is pretty sweet and has a sickly sugary taste if you’re not cutting it with enough bitterness.

…Thinking About: This walrus live cam.If you’re having a bad day or just need a brain break during work, might I recommend watching animal live cams? The website also has some in aquariums and the like. It is just delightful! Bonus: jellyfish cam.

…Excited For: Kicking off a fall block of training. Patrick and I mapped out all our training for the week ahead and I got started by going to the gym before work on Tuesday. My plan with my coach officially started this week and I can’t wait to see what happens. I was working hard towards the half marathon this summer and I feel like I really focused on my lifting, but it still felt like I was just floating in between bigger goals. I’m pumped to get going on fall training!

P.S. I finally bought a domain name! Now this site is just good ol’ julianamoves.com.

Have a great week!