Hey friends! I missed you dearly yesterday. Blogging on the weekends is going to be sporadic for awhile. I’m not getting the hours that I need at the clinic so I decided to pick up extra hours at my retail job. That means I’ll be working between six and seven days a week. It’s been really difficult for me to save any money, which is super frustrating! While my retail job is not my ideal option, it’s also not permanent. I’m blessed to have two jobs, though, right? Right!
Now that that’s out of the way, let’s talk about Saturday because it was awesome!
Workout
Yesterday, I made the brilliant decision to tackle ZWOW #34. I’d watched it the night before and knew it was going to be a doozy but good Lord! After the first exercise, I legit thought I was going to quit. But I didn’t! I made it through all three rounds and felt like a total warrior! I used 15 lb. dumbbells for all of the exercises so the dumbbell pulls were not as challenging as I would have liked to them to be. The workout was still a killer, though!
Lunch
My Nana had been dying to try Garden Grille for quite some time and she, my Mom, and I had talked about making plans to go there since early Spring. It has been quite the chore trying to get all of our schedules to coordinate but yesterday was our lucky day because we had the opportunity to make the trip out there!
Excuse the poor lighting; it was really dark in this corner of the restaurant. How cute is Nana?
My Nana is a plain-and-simple kinda Irish gal so she had no idea what anything on the menu was. I made sure to go over each entree with her, specifying what an aioli was and what seitan, spelt, quinoa, and edamame were. She was so interested and open to everything, which I loved! Eventually, Nana decided to order the Tofu BLT with avocado. Throughout the meal, she kept raving about the “tufo.” Mom and I erupted into laughter; it sounded like she was speaking some sort of Asian language. We corrected her but Nana continued to call tofu “the tufo,” which, of course, only made us laugh harder. I love when the elderly mix up words; it’s just so adorable.
I ordered the edamame-white bean burger with avocado (if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it). The burger came with a side of kim chi remoulade, red cabbage slaw, and a pickle (!!!).
Next time, I vow to order something different. 
Melissa’s Send-Off
After lunch with my Mom and Nana, I headed to my retail job for the day. I couldn’t wait for my shift to end because Matty and I had plans to go to Providence for my friend Melissa’s Send-Off Celebration! First, though, Matty and I enjoyed some dinner and much-needed cuddle time. Cuddling is our favorite. #gag
Then, we were Providence bound! Melissa is moving to South Carolina this week and, while I couldn’t be happier for her, I’m going to miss the crap out of her.
First, the wine was poured.
Pinot grigio, please!
Then, hugs, laughter, and love were shared. You know, the usual. It was the perfect little evening with people I love so much.
We just chatted, laughed, and mingled. It was a very chill send-off.
Melissa is destined for greatness. I mean, everyone can be destined for greatness, but I know that she is just going to flourish down south. She needs this change and I’m so proud of her for pushing herself out of her comfort zone, scoring a new job, and making the big move to South Carolina on her own. Her new home will be on the beach and a round-trip flight is only $98 so I definitely predict a visit (or two!) within the next year!
Melissa’s drive and determination to make her dreams happen down south has provided me with such a source of inspiration. It has motivated me to continue following my own dreams and to make things happen for myself. Saying goodbye to her was definitely bittersweet but mostly sweet! Her friendship is something I have always treasured, but this past year was definitely pivotal for us. We’ve both gone through a lot of growth and spiritual changes together, and I’m so grateful that we were able to be there for each other and to share that. It’s almost like the Universe said, “Okay, you helped each other get to this place of inner peace – now it’s time to fly!” It gives me chills just thinking about it.
Okay, I’m off to do some yoga and then head to my retail job for the day. Have a gorgeous day, everyone!
Stay lovely,
Heather
Beautiful! So important to have close friends like that
Have a great rest of your weekend!
Tufo! That’s so sweet! Major props to your grandmother for being so open minded. Mines like, “And you’re still not eating meat? …Interesting,” – but she clearly doesn’t really think so.
What career field is Melissa in? I went to high school with her, but I don’t know her well. It’s so nice to see that you’re such great friends!
Melissa studied business and she’s going to be a sales manager at Hilton Worldwide right on the beach! I’m so stinkin’ proud of her.
I LOVE that your nana ate tofu and called it “tufo”…my grandmother regularly yells at me for not eating meat so I know I will never see her eating any tofu but I can definitely see her messing up the name! Old people are just too cute
How adorable is your grandma and how awesome is it that she’s eating tofu!!! Love it! Happy Sunday!
That is so cute your Nana says tufo! haha. My boss is a cute 61 year old lady and she always calls tofu, “tobu” it’s adorable.
Tobu?! Oh my goodness, that is precious.
Loved this post
. Also, you totally inspired my lunch today from all your fun salads, I decided to put together a dressing with hummus/nutritional yeast/almond milk and poured it over spinach and roasted yams, holy yum! Thanks girl 
Yay! I’m so pumped that you tried (and loved!) the hum-nooch sauce. It’s pretty life changing if I do say so myself!
Hahaha that’s so funny about your Nana calling it “tufo”!
And I’m so sorry about your friend moving away – I have some friends who are off living in other provinces so I know how sad it is when they leave!
Thanks, Chelsea! I love her so much and will miss her but it’s totally the best move for her!
Your Nana sounds so supercool! Edamame white bean burgers? Oh yummm!
True friends are hard to find, hard to leave, but impossible to lose. And superfun to visit, especially on the beach!
Bahaha. That quote rules, my friend!
You are just so gorgeous!! And your food looks amazing- I wish we had good restaurants like that here in Indy… sigh… one day!
Aww, Andrea! Thank you so much.
I wish I could teleport Garden Grille food to you. It is unreal!
Ah your nana is adorable!! Hilarious about the “tufo!” I brought monkey bread to my in-laws yesterday and Jonny’s grandpa kept calling it “monkey balls!” haha
OMG THAT RULES. Hahahaha.
Melissa seriously inspires me and gives me hope that I will live where I wanna live someday! Glad you, her, and Raquel got to spend such good time together before she departs. You and your Nana are too cute! I love that she wanted to go to GG. Adventurous Nanas FTW! And you know I’m proud of you for vowing to get something diff next time
I totally thought you would say that, BB! <3 #twins
$98 flight is amazing!!
And I hear ya about the unable to be able to save and taking up some extra work. It’s totally worth it, I believe … or at least that’s what I’m telling myself
YES! Must. Keep. Trucking.
can i just say that i love how you spent your weekend! Full of love, family, and connecting. No need to connect here on the weekends. Live!
I love you more than words could say and this post still makes me melt! You have been such an inspiration to me with your dedication, work ethic, and positivity – you influenced me to be able to make this move! Love you baber xoxoxo can’t wait for you to visit!
My love! I’m so happy that you read this post…and that I could give you whatever extra push you needed. You’re AMAZING and you’re going to do amazing things down south. I can’t wait for the stories.