Kelocity.com

A runner with an appetite for adventure!

An Adventure in Mini Golf July 25, 2011

Filed under: Boston,Family,Friends — Kelocity @ 1:17 pm
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Last Sunday night, we joined my sister, Mikaela and her BF Chris and my mom for a night of mini golf! Kelley Pix (20)

The course was actually quite challenging and super fun.

The couples!
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Me and my mom!
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Sisters! Don’t you just love that classy “one leg up” pose? LOL
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I usually have a pretty good putt, but sometimes I just like to whack it and see what happens….. oops! Water trap!Kelley Pix (25) Kelley Pix (34)

I was more excited that my ball matched the flowers than playing the game itself. It’s the little things, right?Kelley Pix (36)

Chris got the only Hole In One of the night. He was pretty stoked.Kelley Pix (38)

He and Irving are so funny when they’re together. They were deep in a golf competition and they played by the rules 100%. I wish we lived closer so we could all hang out more often!
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After the game, Irving and Chris had to “go to the bathroom”… my sister snuck behind them because she had a suspicion that they were getting into trouble. And she found this! LIARS!!! Boys will be boys!
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They won enough tickets to get tootsie rolls and twizlers! Kelley Pix (43)

And of course, per mini golf tradition, we got some real new england ice cream at the end.

PS… This is a “Kiddie” size. No joke.  Can you imagine what the Large is like?!
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What’s your favorite Ice Cream? Although I love Menchie’s Frozen Yogurt, my all time favorite would be Hoodsie Cups! You can only find them in Massachusetts! Sad!

 

Royal High Tea July 9, 2011

Filed under: Dining Out,Food,Friends,Los Angeles — Kelocity @ 9:00 pm
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In honor of Prince William and Princess Kate’s royal trip to Hollywood, my friend Janet and I decided that having afternoon tea would be the perfect way to celebrate.
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Ok, so that’s not entirely true. We bought a groupon a few weeks back and scheduled our Tea Date long before we realized the Royals would be in town. But it seems appropriate, don’t you think?
Our destination was “Two A Tea”, a cute little tea house about an hour away. And we agreed it was definitely worth the drive.
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The tea house is set up like an old Victorian home. Complete with crystal chandeliers, baroque art and antique linens. It was so fun to dress up, act proper (as proper as snapping photos of your meal can be) and enjoy some dainty foods.
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They have various menus to choose from, each varying in the amount of courses you can enjoy with your tea. We chose the “Royal High Tea”. It was my first visit to a tea house, so might as well go all out, right?
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The tea list is pretty big, and it’s hard to decide on a flavor. We each got our own pot, so in the end, decided on Vanilla Coconut and Peach Apricot. While the tea brewed, we started up a great conversation. It’s fun to catch up with friends without distractions. I really needed an afternoon of girl talk.
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Before long, our tea pots were ready. Freshly brewed tea is so delicious. And even on a hot California day, it hit the spot. It was so fun to drink out of beautiful teacups too. It felt fancy schmancy.
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Our first course was a freshly baked blueberry scone. It was the perfect mix of crumble and sweetness. Served with lemon curd, clotted cream and berry preserves. I admit I was scared to try the clotted cream, but it was really good.
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Next up was the soup course. I got the pureed red pepper with feta cheese and croutons.
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And Janet ordered the carrot ginger that also came with croutons.
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Next up was a citrus salad. This was so perfect for a summer day. The dressing was sweet and refreshing!
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Meanwhile, we were sip sipping our tea the whole time. Cup after cup.
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Soon a scoop of sorbet came out to cleanse our palettes. I thought it was adorable that they served this on a tea bag rest.
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Then we were ready for our tea sandwiches!  We had a turkey, cream cheese & cranberry sauce, egg salad, roasted vegetable, curried chicken and cucumber. I had one of each (minus the egg salad). My favorite one was the cucumber, although I was too full to finish it.
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And finally, we had dessert. We decided to each get one and split it half and half. One was a warm berry cobbler with vanilla ice cream and caramel sauce and the other was a black forest chocolate cake with a chocolate mouse with raspberry drizzle and fresh whipped cream.

Oh my, they were amazing. Sadly, all my camera wanted to focus on was the whipped cream, but you’ll have to trust me that it was beautiful and yummy.
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I think we sat and chatted for almost three hours! The waitress refilled our teapots once, so I’m pretty sure I drank almost two pots of tea in all.
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What a great afternoon, hope to do it again someday. Thanks for the great company, Janet!

 

Superior Donuts at the Geffen June 29, 2011

Filed under: Friends,Hollywood Events,Los Angeles,Theater — Kelocity @ 7:31 am
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My friend Chely scored some free tickets to the Geffen Theater in a fundraising raffle last year. I was thrilled when she invited me to be her guest for a show last night. I don’t go to the theater nearly as often as I should and it was a great excuse for a night on the town.
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We had a communication mixup and I was parked in front of her house, and Chely was parked in front of my house. We kept telling each other “I’m out front” “Me too” “Where are you?” “Right in front!” Oops. We laughed about it later, too funny. We finally met up and headed over to the theater.
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The Geffen is really beautiful. It’s an intimate theater with all the right touches.
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With our tickets, we also had entrance into the Founder’s Room, a VIP area to hang out before the show. That’s how we roll!
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I know, I had the opportunity to snag a free MINT CHOCOLATE Clif Builders bar or a cookie and I didn’t take it. Day 3 of eliminating sugar. And you know what? I’m not even really missing it yet.

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There weren’t too many people in the room with us, but everyone else was fairly older. I love people watching. I think it’s so cute to see older couples get all dolled up to see a show together. The men wear their suit coats, and the women put on their lipstick. It’s so beautiful.

I also noticed that old people LOVE Hershey Kisses. LOVE them! They’d sneak over, and grab a whole handful. One woman winked at me and said “I took 7. One for every day of the week”. So cute. When I’m old, I hope I can enjoy life’s simple pleasures with such enthusiasm too. If you pay attention, you really can learn a lot from the older generations.
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The play was Superior Donuts and it was just amazing. It starred Gary Cole, who I know from Entourage, but he’s been a bunch of other things. Also starring was Kathryn Joosten (known for her role as Mrs. McClusky on Desperate Housewives) and Edi Gathegi (OMG, he plays Laurent in Twilight!!!!!!!!!)
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It was witty, funny, emotional and brilliantly written. I loved it from start to finish. The set was very impressive and the way the used the space was really smart. I laughed out loud several times. I have to say this was probably the best play I’ve ever seen in LA.
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We had great seats, but behind us was a group of kids on a field trip(?) that were quite loud. The play was riddled with cuss words, adult jokes and (a little) bit of violence, so I was surprised to see so many kids there. But regardless, I think it’s great that they enjoyed the show. I just wish someone would have schooled them in theater etiquette before hand. See, I fit right in with the old people. I’m probably more cranky than they are. ha!

If you’re in the LA area, definitely check out this play before its run is over. You have another week or so. It is definitely worth it.

 

The Hollywood French Toast Tour June 12, 2011

I don’t venture “over the hill” often. I love living in the Valley and can’t stand the Hollywood traffic. But I made the drive twice this weekend with one of my favorites! Janet is pregnant and she’s been craving french toast. And when pregnant mama wants french toast, you go with her to get it. TWICE!
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We called this weekend, “The French Toast Tour”, and it all started Friday night at the Larchmont Bungalow.
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This was my second time there, and I loved it the first time, so I was psyched to go back again!
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I looked at the menu, really I did, but really, I knew in my gut the decision was already made. I ordered the red, white and blue pancakes… again! But Janet came for one reason, and one reason only…. french toast. I think she loved the décor just as much as I do!
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We sat outside and chatted for a bit before the food came out. It’s fun dining al fresco on summer nights!
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My pancakes were every bit as amazing as I remembered. It’s such a unique taste, and it’s just so pretty!
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Janet’s french toast looked beautiful too!
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Served with a side of Bacon! Oh man, their bacon was delicious!
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I think we had a happy mama!
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Breakfast for dinner is fun! I ate as much as I could, and still couldn’t eat the blue velvet slice. I saved it for later!
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Friday night dinner with friends!
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Janet liked the french toast, but said she was still dreaming about the Griddle Café. We made plans to go for breakfast the next day for part two of the french toast showdown. Janet arrived promptly at 8am yesterday morning. We wanted to avoid the crazy lines and get in early!
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Our plan worked, we were seated almost immediately! We ordered coffee, which each came in an individual french press! So cool!
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Janet, of course ordered the French Toast. I stole a bite and it tasted like cake! I’ve never tasted anything like it!
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Irving ordered a waffle. It was dense and savory and a little bit sweet.
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And I completed the breakfast item trifecta by ordering the “Mounds of Pleasure” pancakes (coconut and chocolate filled pancakes topped off with whipped cream). I love coconut, so I ordered them. Holy Canoli! This thing was HUGE!
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Three 12-inch pancakes with layers of coconut and chocolate in between. It was the size of a birthday cake. Literally. I can’t even put into words how big this thing was. I was in shock. Right away, I asked for a to-go box. I couldn’t even cut into it, it was so large! I ate about 1/8th of it before being stuffed to the gills. I actually needed a second to-go box just to fit it all in!
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The taste was incredible, but next time, just ONE pancake will do! And even then you could probably split it!

We had a great time, the griddle café is a hollywood legend that must be eaten to be believed. I’ve officially been initiated in!
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Oh, hi Irving!
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So in the end, I think the Griddle Café won for “best tasting french toast”. And it also wins for best tasting and unique flavors of pancakes. And they win for size of pancakes too.

But in my heart, Larchmont wins for prettiest red velvet pancakes.

So much fun, thanks Janet!

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After the Griddle Café, Janet, Chely and I scrapbooked for a solid five hours! I got a few pages done that have been on my to-do list for ages! And when I came home, I took a three-hour nap. Guess I was tired! Can’t think of a better way to spend a saturday: friends, food, scrapbooking and a nap!

 

Where’d The Weekend Go? May 16, 2011

I had a fabulous weekend, but it went much too fast. On Saturday, I participated in Race/LA. It’s like The Amazing Race but it all takes place in one day in Los Angeles. If you love scavenger hunt/adventure races, definitely check it out. I’ve been working for them for six years! A few times a year they have the full day events and they are SO much fun.
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I hand out clues at certain stations around the city. Each stop has a clue with some kind of task they have to complete before moving on to the next one. It’s a ton of fun! I’ve never run the race as a competitor, but someday I really want to!
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On Sunday, my friend Courtney came to visit! We went to High School together and don’t get to hang out very often, so it was awesome to spend the whole day together!
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We did the usual touristy things around Hollywood: Mann’s Chinese Theater, Rodeo Drive, Hollywood Sign, celeb stalking, etc. It was so much fun. Sometimes it’s easy to forget we actually live here! I love exploring this town and having friends to do it with!
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Doesn’t this look like a tropical island or something? It was actually the Hollywood Reservoir! Who knew!

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Since it rained Saturday night, the skies were so clear on Sunday. We could see all the way to the ocean from up in the Hollywood Hills.
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For lunch, we met up with Erika and Timmy too! We ate at Caioti Pizza in Tujunga Village. I love my high school friends!
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Erika’s due date is next week and we are all SO excited for them. Caioti has a salad on the menu that is rumored to induce labor! I was so excited that Erika ordered it. Hope it works!

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Today, after work, I went for a 3 mile hike. It has been months since I hiked this trail and it felt SO good to get back at it again.
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I needed a little bit of nature today.  A good way to start off the week.
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Plus I got to wear my Ragnar shirt. Yippee!!

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After a quick stop at Trader Joes, I threw together a dinner of “whatever I felt like”. And it was awesome.
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PB&J, Cantaloupe, spinach with a drizzle of honey… and two pickles for good measure. Hit. The. Spot.
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Rewind to earlier…. I made the perfect sandwich. The right amount of peanut butter, the perfect scoop of Jelly…. And then this happened.
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Ever try to clean up shattered glass mixed with sticky jam? Not easy and not fun, but these things happen. I appropriately hashtagged it “#MustBeMonday”. (Is ‘hashtagged’ a verb? It is, right?)

 

Do you still keep in touch with your High School friends?
I love mine and I’m so glad we stayed close. I miss them!