Five for the road

This weekend was cause for celebration.

With a lot of love, work and the grace of God, Mark and I marked five years of marriage. It's been quite the ride, these 1,800-plus days, but I think we're both happier for having taken the journey.

This anniversary seemed like such a milestone, much bigger than the others, and so we decided to celebrate in the most fitting way: Ordering carry-out and fighting with Miles to eat his dinner.

You might think I'm kidding but I'm not. Our anniversary day, Friday, was non-descript - work and family. We had considered going out but Miles was in no mood to be in public and our baby-sitter (aka my mother-in-law) was recuperating from surgery. Before you feel bad, which I know you don't, I think it should be said that a) I think it was a good celebration of the life we created; b) we had a date night last week; and c) there was cake.

An amazing chocolate-strawberry cake from a nearby panaderia. Oh. My. Word. It was so delicious and far better than the cake I had on my wedding.

Wait. I didn't have cake at my wedding. Sad but true. I was too busy dancing and talking to eat the piece my friend had saved. When I went back for it, the catering crew had thrown it away.

The one thing Mark and I reflected on, over this weekend, was that the wedding and the marriage was/is so much more than us. It's about the family we've made, the friendships we have fostered and the bonds we celebrate.

Terrible photo but it does show that people were actually at my house.

So it was only fitting to have some of those who were there for us on Dec. 13, 2008, to be with us this weekend as well.

I made a dinner of braised short ribs and creamy polenta, and our friends brought green bean casserole (hello, it's the holidays!), bread and wine.

It was a delicious meal filled with food, conversation and drink. While I was not hip to the custom cocktail when I was in the midst of planning my nuptials, I made a perfect drink for our guests.

Made with ginger ale Zevia, triple sec and pomegranate juice, it was fruity and sweet and a bit too smooth. As in you can drink several before you realize that you are drinking alcohol. It was a gorgeous burgundy color that made it quite festive for the season. For the under 21 population, it can easily become a mocktail by substituting orange juice for the liqueur.

Ginger Holiday Sparkler

1 ounce triple sec
4 ounces pomegranate juice
Ginger ale Zevia, chilled

Pour triple sec and juice into a wine glass. Top with Zevia. Garnish with orange slices. Drink and be merry.

Disclosure: I was provided with Zevia, free of charge, for an upcoming review but was not required to create a recipe or write a post. All opinions and alcohol consumption are my own.

Dear Santa

It's not even Thanksgiving. Not even. And yet, at dinner on Friday, my mother-in-law requested that I give her - of all things - a Christmas list. A Christmas list!

OK. Let's end the charade. I'm not really aghast - in love is more like it. I have fantastic in-laws who love to give gifts and love even more to give gifts that people really want. While I might be busy planning the perfect cheese tray to take to my aunt's house on Thursday, I decided that I could be just as gracious and find the time to answer her plea.

It's easy for me to just throw out some running gear but this year I'm trying to be a bit more, well,  balanced with my requests.

Fitness

Yoga mat. When I first tried yoga (thanks, Crunch DVD), I picked up a basic mat at Target. It was nothing special and it did the job. Until I left it on the basement floor for longer than I should of. Given that we do get some water there with a big storm, the yoga mat became soaked and smelly. I tried to rinse it but abandoned the task fairly quickly, deciding it would be easier to just get a new mat. I'm not very snobby when it comes to mats - I'm not hitting up hot vinyasa classes regularly - and like the printed Gaiam mats, the Flower of Life mat in particular.

Even if you already have a mat, a second one is nice to keep in your car for a spontaneous Piloxing class or Pilates session.

Tanks. Winter is near, and everyone is talking about base layers and half-zips. While I'm not against those things - and require them for outdoor runs - my mind is on tanks. Since I began teaching BODYPUMP, my desire for more fashionable tops has skyrocketed.

I am partial to the R-Gear Shades of Gray ($34.99), lululemon Back Burner Tank ($58) and the handful tank ($48). I won a handful tank via the Body Glide Facebook page, and I loved that the padded top meant I didn't have to wear a sports bra. It does run a tad big - I got a small and could have maybe squeezed in an extra small - but found it to be cute and functional.

While it's not a tank, I'd also like a shirt from the another mother runner store.

Stocking stuffers. The moment I saw it I knew I was in love.

The 'Twas the Night Before the Race mug is big enough to wake my butt up after a 5 a.m. alarm and cute enough to keep me motivated to run all winter long.

Other little things that are always good: Asics or Feetures socks (the only ones that my second toe can't poke a whole through), BIC Bands (I have one that has seen better days) and Yurbuds (as I'm taking to listening to podcasts on my lunch runs).

Beauty + Fashion

I am not the most fashion, beauty-centric gal but there's a few things that I'm antsy to put into my drawers.

Boscia B.B. Cream. I first fell in love with this stuff when I got it in a Birchbox, and it's a great moisturizer-makeup product that evens skin tone and offers SPF protection without being a foundation. It's pricey ($38), which is why it's a great gift - something you want but wouldn't buy for yourself.

Aveda Hand Relief. The minute the mercury dips below 50, my hands become dry, red and cracked. The hand relief from Aveda is the only product that offers help without being greasy. Bonus: It now comes in a Rosemary Mint scent.

TOMS. It's quite possible that a pair of TOMS shouldn't be listed under fashion but I got a pair for my birthday and love them. If someone ever tries to take these away, I will kick them in the face. I really like the Grey Pop Cords for winter.

In a similar vain, my boss wore moccasins today and they are uber cute. Pretty sure I'd rock a pair like these all winter.

Kitchen

My husband meant well but for our first Christmas as a married couple, he gave me a blender. A BLENDER. Astounding, I know. Even more so that we are still married. I have matured since then and now welcome kitchen gadgets and accessories as gifts.

Rice cooker. I am trying to eat more brown rice these days, and it's a pain to cook. It takes too long to do it after work and I sometimes forget to do it in the morning. I'd love one that I could set and forget.

Whisk. It's dumb. Really dumb. Except the only whisk I have belongs to my Cuisinart hand blender, and I don't want to fig it up just so I can scramble some eggs. I also know that I can easily buy one but I always forget and/or hate to add that much more to my already high Target bill.

Giant muffin tin. Is an explanation needed? Muffins are great, giant muffins are greater. (P.S. I'd also like to make egg muffins/patties for me to freeze.)

What's on your list this year? Any suggestions for my in-laws?