I Run Like A Girl

Hellooo there, friends! I’m currently blogging from my childhood home in beautiful upstate New York, where I spent the past 9 days. I have a two-week business trip in Chicago starting next week, and I wanted to take advantage of free flights to visit my family across the east coast: New York for my mom and sister, Boston for my brother…totaling 3 whole weeks on the road! SF has been so cold and cloudy this summer that I couldn’t say no to spending some time on the east coast where it finally feels like REAL summer. 🙂

I was a bit nervous about the thought of living out of my suitcase for over 3 weeks, but this first week at home has left me even MORE recharged than when I arrived. It’s just been me, my mom, and my little sister, and us three gals have had it so simple and relaxed here alone. We ate salads for meals (#summerdiet), lounged around in our pajamas, enjoyed evening walks and movie nights together…I’ve loved each and every moment this past week.<3

Getting to my hometown was quite a trek. 12+ hours of travelling total!

When I got here, I was feeling restless and so sissy and I took a walk around Vassar college. We had a little photoshoot around the beautiful lake.

Sissy’s fashion ascetics = a hip mom 😛

Week days were filled with working remotely, but every day my sister and I got out of the house for some mini-dates. Sissy finished her summer internship and it was one of her last weeks before going off to college again, and so we tried to sneak in as much quality time as possible –> ice cream / froyo dates never get old.

We had a treat-yo-self date at the nail salon for manis and pedis.

Coming home = I cut everyone’s hair, ha. (My special talent).

I even went a step beyond and dyed my sister’s hair this time…it came out BEAUTIFULLY!

Oh and shopping, lots of shopping.

Mom was also working from home, and so in the evenings she joined the fun with the three of us taking walks together. 🙂 My hometown has tons of beautiful spots that I totally took for granted growing up. We checked them off one by one, strolling away each night after dinner.

Vassar College is our all time favorite. Beautiful brick buildings on the open green campus, and only minutes from our house!

We also live by Marist College – another large, more modern-looking campus right by the Hudson River.

Have I mentioned I grew up near the CIA? (CIA = Culinary Institute of America) 😉 Lots of beauty around the campus with vegetable garden too. Mom and I had a one-on-one walk and ooo’ed and aah’ed at all the flowers left and right.

Only seen at culinary school 😛

Last walking spot: Locust Grove, a gorgeous estate that has been preserved with tons of hiking trails to the Hudson. Sissy and I enjoyed the sunset there one evening.

It was HOT.com in upstate NY last week! I was completely in over my head and went for a run during the hottest time of day (>90 degrees!). I think it’s safe to say I’m officially a bay area weather-wimp.

Although, I definitely didn’t hate being on my favorite hometown running trail at golden hour 🙂

And that was my relaxing, heartwarming week in a nutshell!

Next stop is Chicago, where I’m seeing my project team for the first time in a year. These next two weeks are going to be packed with lots of intensity and hard work; I remember feeling completely overwhelmed with the stress and lack of alone-time last year. But this year, I’m coming in with much more positivity, another year of experience balancing travel/life as a consultant, and an overall feeling of rejuvenation from spending time at home. My life in August is definitely a bit of roller coaster, but I wouldn’t have it any other way. 🙂