I feel like this weekend was full of “I almost didn’t do XYZ….but I’m glad I did.”

So with that theme, let’s get to it!

The weekend began with a surprise when I got home from work: a package from my parents! Best. Delivery. Ever.

There was nothing “I almost didn’t” here though, because this was totally unexpected.

Yay!

To kick off my Friday, I bit the (expensive) bullet and ordered delivery from the vegetarian restaurant that is the sister restaurant to my spin studio where I teach.

I almost didn’t because it was crazy expensive (the delivery)…but I’m glad I did. The weather was yucky and with traffic, it would have taken forever to get home.

I got a MASSIVE kale salad (I almost didn’t order the half size but I’m glad I did!) It was oil free, with marinated kale (in lemon juice?), scallions, sunflower seeds, tomato, avocado, and nutritional yeast. YUM. I also got a side of local, fresh and warm GF bread, and veggie spring rolls with truffle dipping sauce.

This was so good, but I was SO FULL after this. I was really looking forward to doing a baking experiment that night, and drinking an Oktoberfest beer while watching my college football team and the Giant’s game, but I couldn’t handle it. I settled for a microwave pumpkin pie thing. Pumpkin pie filling+egg whites+whipped cream, and a Dove milk chocolate ghost.

The football game was ugly but the Giant’s game was AWESOME. I stayed up past midnight watching it (yay time difference), but it was so worth it.

Saturday morning I taught spin. I almost didn’t make a fresh spin class (I would have adapted an old one), but I’m glad I did because everything just flowed really well. I surprised myself by having pretty wobbly legs coming off the bike! I think you can check it out on Spotify here.

I went straight from spin to check out the Soulard Farmer’s Market,

The market first started in 1779! Crazy! It’s pretty similar to Pike’s Place Market in Seattle, but on a smaller scale.

I quickly realized I should have actually come with a plan about what I wanted to buy…I made a full pass through before stopping!

My first purchase was beet, apple, carrot, ginger juice. Yum!

Then, I got a chicken tamale. I absolutely love tamales. I took this outside and sat on a ledge while I ate this and decided what I wanted to buy.

I almost didn’t buy this…but I’m glad I did because it was so delicious!

My plan for the rest of the morning was to go for a hike, since the weather isn’t too cold yet! I had to spend some time at home charging my phone before heading out. After sitting around, I was feeling lazy and I almost decided to just stay in…but I’m glad I went out. The plan was Route 66 State Park.

I was a little confused about where to go to reach the trailhead. I drove a few circles, and when I arrived at the visitor center and realized the trailhead wasn’t in the same place, I almost didn’t go in but I’m glad I did. There was a little history museum inside.

I also learned some really interesting history about Route 66 State Park. It used to be the beach town of Times Beach, where St. Louis residents would spend their summers. Later, people lived there year round. Then, it was found to have been contaminated with dioxin, and evacuated. Years later and after having it cleaned, it was turned into a state park. (More info here if you’re curious.) I couldn’t see any evidence of the town while I was hiking around; it just looked like nature. It was crazy to imagine what it would have looked like back then, full of people.

While looking for a trailhead, I found myself at the boat dock. Which was not the trailhead. But I’m glad I made the stop, because I got a great view of the river.

Finally, I found the trailhead, and while I enjoyed the scenery, I realized I made a bit of a mistake, as there were swarms of bugs (mosquitos) that would attack me anytime I stopped.

I didn’t do the full loop; I decided that since there was a good paved portion, I would save it for a run, when more leaves have changed. Plus, I had a baseball game to watch!

I really planned my day around watching the Giants game. It is crunch time! I got MLB tv for super cheap, so I’m able to stream the games. And, I finally got my beer.

My trusty sidekicks stuck with me through it all.

It was an AMAZING game. Our rookie pitched amazingly, and got 2 hits! THAT is what October is all about.

My big experiment of the night was a pumpkin bread sort of attempt. I wanted to see if it was possible to make pumpkin bread from pumpkin pie filling. The answer?

Ehhhh….not really. It wasn’t BAD per se, but didn’t really resemble pumpkin bread. I think my pumpkin ratio was off. It was more like a cross between pie and bread. Oh well, can’t win them all.

Saturday night, I took Claritin because Yoyo was threatening to sleep in my bed (he didn’t). It’s SUPPOSED to be non-drowsy, and I’ve never had an issue before. However, I was shocked to look at the clock and see it was almost 9 when I woke up Sunday morning! I woke up still so, so tired.

I spent the majority of the morning on the couch with the kitties because I felt so out of it.

I had planned on a morning run, but since I was feeling so off, I almost didn’t. But I’m glad I did. It was exactly what I needed to shake the drowsiness, and I felt 1000x better and more awake afterwards.

I was running late, but I whipped up a quick lunch of egg whites+spinach+garlic and herb laughing cow, plus pineapple. The nectarine was from the farmer’s market the previous day, and it was just not good.

Then, it was time for the main event of the weekend: Oktoberfest! I’ve never been to one, and one of my intern buddies found one last one (apparently they were all in September…whoops) in Grafton, Illinois. I almost didn’t want to go because it was an hour away, but I’m so glad I did!

I’ve never been to an Oktoberfest, and I’ve never been to Illinois. Why not kill two birds with one stone?

Armed with a live stream of the Giant’s game, we headed to Illinois.

The first goal was to find some German beer, one thing I was excited for. At least at Oktoberfest, I didn’t have to worry about accidentally ended up with some sort of IPA!

It was a smaller event, but it was still a fun trip! We got seats out on the water.

And grabbed some snacks. Potato salad and applesauce for me.

 

Even better? The Giants were killing it, and we WON! We are headed to the wildcard game on Wednesday!

I actually mentioned my blog to my zoo friends, so if you guys are reading: hi!

I actually really enjoyed driving through the Illinois countryside. I really like seeing different parts of the country. I really enjoyed driving through TN as well over the summer. It’s so different from anything in California, even if it doesn’t seem like much.

On the drive back, I thought about how truly happy I was in that moment. Sometimes these moments are small, but they’re something to hold on to. (I’ve actually been thinking about best moments a little lately, so I thought I might do a fun post on that soon).

I am also really loving this fall weather. The cloudy skies. The leaves. The light changes. It was drizzly out, so when I got home, all I wanted for dinner was grilled cheese and tomato soup.

The best part of cooking and buying all my own food is that no one can judge me for using American grilled. cheese. American is the only way to go for grilled cheese or burgers (unless we’re talking gourmet). I absolutely cannot do cheddar grilled cheese. I got the 2% American cheese in hopes that it might hold up a little bit better and be less soft.

It was delicious. Judge me.

I almost didn’t buy the cheese and soup but I’m certainly glad I did. This was the perfect way to wrap up the weekend.

What is something you’re glad you did?