Birthdays, good finds, a suprise and trying new foods.

HAPPY HAPPY HAPPY Birthday to the world’s absolute best mom in the whole wide world.  Wish I could be there to eat lemon cake with you today, miss you like crazy!

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Brooke and I went to Costco without Billy yesterday.  I still feel bad about leaving him out of our family tradition but I couldn’t go any longer without my Costco necessities.  I hope he forgives me soon.

My two favorite buys of the day were the tub of feta cheese (so now I can pour it on absolutely everything I eat… except for cereal) and the 12 pack of Naked Juices.  They were on sale for a killer deal.  

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I already didn’t follow through on my meal plan this week.  Bangs Friend came home last night and her husband invited us to come pick her up and surprise her at the airport.  We definitely surprised her!

We picked her up at the San Francisco airport and since we were already up there we of course had to go try a new restaurant.  

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We went to a Vietnamese restaurant called Ben Tre. 

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We started with pork spring rolls (amazing).

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And I ordered the 5 Spice Chicken.

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It also came with a ginormous bowl of Pho.  This was my first time trying Pho and I LOVED IT.  It was a huge bowl of rice noodles with veggies and the best broth ever.  

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I really like trying new foods.  

Who wants to place a bet on whether or not I make it to an early morning yoga class today? 

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Feel free to wish my mom a happy birthday… she reads every post and the comments…she loves you guys!

Ever tried Pho?  Did you like it?

Favorite appetizer?  

Do you use the snooze button in the morning?  On average how many times do you usually push snooze?   

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110 comments

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Happy bday HRG’s mom!!!! I hope you have a great day!
I am not brave enough to try new places. Ha!! My latest post on my blog is about a new fundraiser my husband and I are doing for our domestic, infant adoption. It involves eating at new places and I’m scared!

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Happy birthday HRG mom!! Favorite app… I love a good salad honestly, something fancy like arugula, nuts, and some fruit, feta obviously! I’m on of those annoying people who spring to live instantly when my alarm goes off : )

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HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOUR WONDERFUL MOM! Never tried pho… I’ll add it to my to do list though! Favorite appetizer is anything with buffalo sauce or bleu cheese! And yes I normally set my alarm for earlier than I need to be up just because it’s impossible to get out of bed when it first goes off!

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Happy birthday mama HRG! I love reading your daughters blog posts every day!

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Happy birthday to your mama!!:)
Never had pho, but sounds delish!
And, didn’t comment on the last one, but congrats on getting a coach!!! Can’t wait to read all about it:) I love having a coach – it def pushes me.
Have a great day!

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Happy Birthday to Momma HRG. Today’s actually my step-dad’s birthday too!

I LOVE LOVE LOVE PHO! We recently moved to GA from CA (San Diego) and I am dying for the yummy delicious HUGE bowl of broth and rice noodles.
When I eat Pho, I always have to get the egg rolls. They are so delicious and you can dip them into your Pho.
Right now, my alarm is my 3 mos old. If he had a snooze button, I’m not sure if I would push it. He’s so sweet to snuggle with.

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Happy Birthday to your mom!! Favorite appetizer is probably spinach artichoke dip or some type of Nachos… I need to be more adventurous with food :)

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Awww happy birthday to your mom! My roommate is obsessed with Pho and goes all the time. I’m not a fan but I’m also the pickiest eater in the entire world so I don’t count..

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Happy Birthday to your mom! :)

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Happy birthday HRG Mom!!!!

I’ve never tried pho, my favorite appetizer is spinach & artichoke dip – yum!

I don’t use the snooze button, but that’s mostly because I set multiple alarms: one a little earlier than I need to get up and then two like 5 minutes apart closer to when I actually should get up. I think it eliminates the ability to push snooze too much?

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Happy Birthday to your Mom!!! :D
Brooke & G are twinners again- just got her that striped onesie from Target. Isn’t it the CUTEST?! I saw it & had to have it :)
I’ve never had Pho, but always wanted to try it.

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I have never tried Pho, but have been wanting to lately – I’m right there with you, LOVE trying new foods!

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Happy Birthday HRG’s Mom!!!! Never tried Pho, but it looks awesome!! And those pork rolls….got me drooling!! I hope you make it to your early morning yoga!!! Yoga always sounds fun to me!! I never push snooze, but on Friday’s I just lay there and listen to it (the radio is my alarm).

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Happy birthday HRG Mom! I love trying new foods too. I had my first pho experience a few weeks ago and loved it. Hope you made yoga :)

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Have you ever made spring rolls yourself? They’re so good and I LOVE making my own so I can have as much goodness as I can fit in them. Delicious! :)

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Happy birthday to your mom!

I’ve never tried Pho, but I saw a Man Vs. Food where the guy ate a bowl big enough to feed 5 people in like 10 minutes. I’m not sure I want to try i now.

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Happy birthday to your mom!! And omg that tub I feta cheese is almost bigger than Brooke!! Haha

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Happy Birthday, HRG Mom!!!

I do love pho.

I am a snoozer depending on the week. Until daylight savings time I had gotten into a good habit of not hitting snooze, but the extra hour really threw me off last week. This week we got a new puppy, so there’s no snooze button for when he wakes you up at 4:30 to go to the bathroom and since I already wake up at 5, I just don’t go back to sleep.

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Happy birthday to your mom! My favorite appetizer is definitely nachos with lots or guacamole! I always always hit the snooze! In fact, I set my alarm an hour before I have to get up because I love having time to stay in bed but hate being late. :)

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Happy birthday HRG’s Mom!
Hope you have a fab-tab day.
:-)

Never tried Pho. I love all appetizers. I usually get a couple and call it my meal!
Nope, don’t hit the snooze. I usually naturally wake up 10-15 min before my alarm goes off.

Long run day……

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Happy birthday to your momma! My mom’s birthday is a little less than a month away and I’m already starting to plan something special for her. And then dad’s birthday is about a week and a half after that. Eep! April will be full of cake :mrgreen:

As for the snooze button, I don’t use one because I don’t use an alarm clock :shock: My body kind of wakes me up naturally around 530-6 every morning, and I haven’t had to use an alarm clock in years. It’s strange because I used to be a complete night owl, but I guess I’m transitioning into being more of a morning person.

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Happy Birthday to Mama Hungry Runner! (My friends used to call everyones moms, Mama… Then their last name.
I love trying new things but I haven’t tried Pho yet. When I waitressed at a BBQ place we had an appitizer of BBQ Chicken Nachos. It was smoked chicken and turkey that simmered in a spicy bbq sauce all day. Then they made the tortilla chips fresh and topped it with the chicken mixture, cheese, sour cream, and jalapinos. They are amazing!
There’s also a Cajun place where I live, family owned and they have something called BBQ Shrimp. It’s NOT regular bbq but the shrimp are cooked in an amazing cajun sauce that is reduced 4 times before going on the shrimp and it’s served with big grilled crusty bread.
Man….. I love food.

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Happy Birthday HRG Mom!!!

I hope you made it to yoga, I’ve been going to an early morning class Tues and Thurs morning and I love it :)

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It’s nice how you have a great relationship with your mom.. how nice to see!!! Happy b-day.. lemon cake is the best.. good choice!

I never need an alarm.. so no snooze needed. My legs and my brain start to get restless…. wired in alarm.. lol.. and I get up at 4:30am!

Never tried Pho.. looks good.

Favorite app.. Spicy chicken wings.. or chips/salsa.

I need to try that Naked Juice.. does it taste like fruit, chunky or smooth? What about the green one.? Are they all good?

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Happy Birthday HRG Mom!! Have a great day!

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Happy birthday to your mom!!

I’m OBSESSED with pho!! I even went on a little mini vaca to D.C. this past weekend and ate it there…it’s in my latest post!

http://whenwewander.blogspot.com/2013/03/washington-dc.html

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Happy bday to your mom it is my moms bday today to!! Brooke is so adorable is there ever a moment she is not smiling?? No alarm for seven months unemployed at the moment. Good score on the naked juice!!

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Happy Birthday to your cute mom!!! Loved meeting her in St. George! What a nice lady!

Favorite appetizer is probably wings. My dad used to always order them when we would go out for dinner and it was the best.

The sleep app I use that tracks my sleep cycle lets me snooze up until a certain time that I set and then there’s no snooze option so I have to get up. I love it!

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Happy Birthday Janae’s Mom!
Love Pho and my favorite appy would be salad rolls or calamari.
I have never hit the snooze button, not a lie!

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Happy birthday, HRG Mom and have a wonderful day!

Now I’m hungry for pho. I know what I’m making for dinner…. =)

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Haha, if your behavior is eleldry than I am in serious trouble! I barely do anything on the weekends but sleep and eat unexciting food At least you take glorious pictures for me to oogle nothing better than a bowl of cereal, tea and pinterest attacking the eyeballs for a few hours on the weekend!!xx

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DC has a huge international community, so I can eat pho alll the time. It is amazing. I love it. Every time I see the massive bowl, I’m like, there’s no way I can eat all of this… and then, I do.

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Happy Birthday to your mom! :)

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First of all…I am OBSESSED with the snooze button…which can get me in to trouble!

Have you seen this yet!?

http://womensrunning.competitor.com/2013/03/inspiration/52-marathons-in-52-weeks_11268

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Happy Birthday HRG’s Mom!!!!!!!! :) Your daughter is pretty awesome – I read her blog daily and it always puts a smile on my face! Great job ;)!!!

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Happy birthday HRG mom!

Janae shared your lasagna recipe recently, and let me tell you it was amazing!

Enjoy your day, and there is nothing wrong with lemon cake for a birthday breakfast.

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Happy Birthday to your mom!

If I want to get up to work out I absolutely cannot use the snooze button. If I don’t get up immediately then I am not getting up at all. No snooze button for me!

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This was back to the “Heroes” of last season..thank God. I alsomt kicked this show to the curb!I agree with your hatred of Mohinder. Such a lovely man, but such a stupid ass character. What I want to see is some Elle/Mohinder interaction. Let the guy be a MAN for once. He is so goody-goody, it’s kind of irritating. He is wimpy and stupid. Now, if they paired him up with Elle, that might get interesting. I’d like to see him fall for her, but hate himself while doing it. Give the guy some angst.

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Happy birthday to your mom! As for the snooze button question, I push the snooze about 3 times in the morning, but I have a system. I set two alarms every night – my regular alarm clock at 7:30 and my cell phone alarm at 7:45. When my cell phone alarm goes off, I know that’s when I really have to get out of bed.

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Happy birthday HRG Mom! I hope you have a fun-filled wonderful day!

I usually hit snooze twice, but once my feet hit the ground I’m wide awake. Fortunately my hubby’s a morning guy, or I would drive him nuts in the morning with my cheerful babbling!

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Happy Birthday, Momma! Have an AMAZING day :D

Billy obvi was doing something Brooke didn’t like in that picture..too cute :D I think my favorite appetizer is fried pickles. Yum yum yum!! I used to NEVER hit the snooze button in the morning, but now that I’m in grad school, the snooze button has become my friend. Since my IT band is bothering me lately, today I opted for 45 minutes more of sleep and only 2 miles run so that I could do yoga/abs and try not to stress out my IT band anymore.

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I did not use the snooze button – until I went back to work. Now I hit it all the time – but I think it also has to do with winter as well.

LOVE PHO!!! So good!

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Happy Birthday HRG momma!!

I love Vietnamese food! I love all Asian food. Who are we kidding, I love all food.

I never snooze. But then again I only wake up to an alarm 3 days a week, which is pretty dang nice.

I got those same Naked juices on sale at Costco, too. Good stuff girl!

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Happy Birthday to your mama!!

That entire meal at the Vietnamese restaurant looks phenomenal! I love Vietnamese food! I have that love/hate relationship with the snooze button. it’s on my iphone though…so, sometimes once that alarm goes off and the phone is across the room charging up a storm, I would rather chuck it threw the window because the typical iphone ringers can get irking from time to time. I still manage to hit snooze at least 5 times, though. :)

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Happy Birthday to your beautiful momma!!!

can I say, I got a little giddy thinking they sell Naked Juice in bulk! MUST FIND!

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Happy Birthday, HRG Mom!!

I love the way Brooke is looking at Billy in that picture!! :)

I must push snooze at least 2 times!! I don’t know why I do it because it always makes me feel more tired!

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Happy Birthday to your mom!!!
Hope she has a great day!

The snooze button is my friend- – I hit it about about 3X each morning unless I am subbing, then I hit it once!

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That’s crazy that you’ve never had pho before. I recently discovered a new Vietnamese place that has amazing peanut sauce. I might have ordered salad rolls before jsut for the peanut sauce that came with it.

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Happy Birthday Hungry Mama!

I love trying new foods, too. I try to always get something different when I go out unless the restaurant has something I absolutely love. My favorite app is probably calamari or edamame with tons of sea salt!

Blue Cheese > Feta!

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Ooh never tried Pho! I’m usually pretty cautious (okay, scared!) to try new foods, but that all looks delicious!

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I love trying out new restaurants but it’s hard for to find people that like to venture out and try new foods. I used to be the person that always ate the same things and claimed I loved food….NO! Now I know what loving food looks like. I will try everything at least once. And if I say I don’t like it, I try it again somewhere else….just incase the first place didn’t make it right.

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Happy birthday Ma!!!
I use the snooze button once or twice, my boyfriend on the other hand snoozes for like an hour but it drives me crazy!!!
Favorite appetizer is stuffed mushrooms or bruschetta!

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J— precious J and mom!! It’s my happy day too!!!! E

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Happy birthday to your momma! I am obsessed with naked juice…so good!

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Happy Birthday to your Mom! Pho is a big deal around here but I haven’t tried it yet, I really need to though.

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Happy Birthday to you! Birthdays are the best :) Lemon cake sounds amazing!

Also, Brooke’s outfit is too much! How cute is she?! I love when littles wear jeggings, precious!

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Happy birthday janae’s momma!!! Pho is AMAZING isn’t it? we’ve tried to recreate it at home but it’s just not the same. our favorite appetizer is a fried yam with shrimp and sweet fish sauce for dipping. it’s awesome and we’ve only found it at 1 place. sooo, if you’re ever in minneapolis let me know:)

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Happy Birthday Mom!!!

And can that little nugget get any more adorable?! I have a niece whose a little younger than her, who is also a total ham. Little girls are the BEST! :)

Sarah
http://www.thinfluenced.com

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Happy Birthday Hungry Runner Mama!! Your mama is the cutest, I hope she’s having a lovely day :)

The food looks SO good! The thing I dislike the most about living in a smaller place is that we don’t have a lot of different food options and not a lot of [authentic] international cuisine.

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Happy Birthday HRG mutha!
I had to coach the 5am class this morning at GPP… I set my alarm for 4AM! It was brutal… but always worth it!

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Happy Birthday!! I love naked juice! Chips and salsa are my favorite app.!

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Happy birthday, HRG’s mom! Hope you have an amazing day celebrating!

I’ve never tried Pho…and hadn’t heard of it until now… I probably won’t be experimenting with it (I don’t like to get out of my food comfort zone!).

I never use the snooze button. As soon as my alarm goes off, I jump out of bed. It drives my husband crazy!

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Aawww, happy birthday to your mom!!! Hope she has a fantastic day!

I love pho, but I always have to tell them not to put cilantro in mine. I’m one of those people who can’t stand it!

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Awww, happy birthday HRG Momma. Vietnamese is my new favorite food genre. Have you tried bun yet? It’s like pho without the broth. Sooooo good.

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Happy birthday to your mama!
And I LOOOOVE pho. That’s great that you enjoyed it. There’s actually a lot of people who can’t eat it because it has a very unique taste and it’s too “ethnic”… whatever that means. I try to eat pho at least once per week, haha.

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Happy Birthday HRG momma! We’re almost birthday buddies – mine is tomorrow!
And I love that you put Brooke in with your Costco purchases – that little girl sure is cute!

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Haaaaaaappy Birthday Janae’s mom!!!!

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HAPPY BIRTHDAY HRG MOM!!! Hope you have a fantastic day!!!

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Mmm I love Vietnamese food! Pho is so delicious and SO cheap at most places by me!

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I don’t even remember what the snooze button is anymore! Now that my daughter is 14 months old, she dictates when we wake up. And she definitely doesn’t have a snooze button. Nothing is better than waking up to “mamaaaaa” though. Definitely beats a beep.

I just want to say you seem like you are the HAPPIEST person in the world. Reading your blog just puts me in a good mood. Everything looks so warm and sunny in California, especially since we have snow coming down here in NY, it must put you in the best mood!

Happy Birthday to your mom. I am so happy I decided to start reading your blog a few weeks ago!

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Happy Birthday HRG Mom!! Have a fantastic day :)

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Happy Birthday to your mom. I hope she has a wonderful day!!!! I can’t believe how big Brooke is getting. She is a doll!!! Have a good day.

Sue

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No way! It’s my mom’s birthday as well today!

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Happy birthday HRG momma!!!

I rarely hit snooze, except on weekends. I wake up early on a regular basis during the week so if I start getting into the habit of sleeping in a little later, all of the other days feel extra rough. This morning I surprised myself by waking up *before* my alarm!

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Yum!! I love trying new restaurants! This looks delicious!

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Those pork spring rolls look delish!! I cannot hit the snooze button because if I do, it’s all over. I’m kinda militant about getting up as soon as my alarm goes off… weird, I know.

Happy birthday, HRG Mom!!! :)

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Happy Birthday to your cute little mom!! My fave appetizer would have to be anything that is a dip, like artichoke dip, spinach dip, crab dip, love it all! I push the snooze button approximately 11 times every morning. Waking up is very hard for me.

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happy birthday, HRG mom! =) i hope she has the best day ever and enjoys her birthday desserts!!! =)

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Happy birthday to your sweet mom! I hope she has a wondeful day and an awesome year coming up! I LOVE pho!

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Happy Birthday to your sweet sweet mama! I’m so anxious to hear about your running coach!!!! I would also like you to move to San Diego. Just saying. :)

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Happy birthday Mom!!! You are blessed to have such a sweet daughter and family!!! If I was near you I would invite myself over for lemon cake too!!
I usually only hit the snooze button once. Alarm goes off at 3:45am for my 4:30 run. Getting up means I get coffee and breakfast!!! A true motivator.

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Ohhhh pho is so yummy! I’m happy it I in your life now:)
Those spring rolls look amazing! I’m on a spring roll roll right now and I just can’t stop :)

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I can’t believe you haven’t tried pho yet! But I’m very glad you did. I LOVE it. I have cravings for it once in a while and it’s the ultimate feel-better-when-you’re-sick food!

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I love vietnamese food, much more than chinese food in fact. The Pho are usually to big though, I can never finish it after all the lovely starters.
Guilty of snoozing every morning! once on average but this morning was tough and I snoozed for 30min!

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I LOVE pho lol especially since I’m from NYC and winters seem to go on forever so the cure-all is to just eat a big bowl of noodles to stay alive. next time you’re in a vietnamese restaurant, you must try “beef cubes.” it’s basically beef steak pieces chopped into cubes haha sooo delish esp with the sauce!

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Happy Birthday to your Mom! She sounds like a fantastic woman!

I love spring rolls. Yum!

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happy birthday HRG MOM!!!

I am in love with pho – there is a delicious place right by my new office!!

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Happiest of birthdays to you, HRG Mom! Have a wonderful day!

Hubby and I are snooze-aholics. We hit the snooze button at least 5-6 times before finally getting up. It’s a problem…

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Happy Birthday to HRG’s mama!! Hope you have a lovely day!

I hit the snooze once….twice.. and if I am extremely tired, three times. I LOVE Pho! It’s so healthy and yummy and warms the soul ;)

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Happy Birthday HRG Mom! Such a cute picture of your three generations! :)

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HAPPY BIRTHDAY JANAE’S MOM!!! Have an extra slice of cake for both me and Janae today!

I’ve never tried Pho, but I always hear about it’s amazing-ness from FB friends when they are sick.

Crab Cakes are my favorite appetizer. Though, crab cakes are my favorite entree (right now….) As long as their not fried!

Snooze button….I abuse that thing! Today, it was only 4 times. Yesterday, it was 8. #alarmfail :(

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Happy birthday janaes mom!!

I try so hard not to use the snooze button. The button of death! I snooze once max! My husband on the other hand will snooze at least 8 times before getting up.

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Happy birthday HRG mom! I hope you have a great day!

I absolutely love Bang Bang Shrimp from Bonefish…so delicious!

Yes, I snooze at least once but usually about 2 times. I hate setting an alarm :-(.

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Happy Birthday HRG Momma!

Fried Alligator has to be the best appetizer ever — so yummy!

And I hit the snooze button for approximately 30 minutes after the alarm starts…

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I’ve been dying to try Pho, all my friends here in Chicago love it!

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HAPPY HAPPY BIRTHDAY MAMA HRG!!!! sending you some positive birthday vibes from a spring break- er in Seattle!

i LOVE pho! it’s the best. i especially love bean sprouts.

Oh my goodness I am a snooze monster… really not sure how to deal with that problem.

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Pho is my favorite and sometimes I actually get it to go like once a week. I love it, and my town has a really great place. Also it’s my favorite splurge because a small chicken isn’t terrible on calories. I hardly ever get appetizers, but if I do I like spicy buffaflo wings.

I never hit snooze, I’m a morning person and I hardly ever sleep in. I’m ok with that. My husband hits it all the time and it drives me nuts.

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My favorite appetizer is definitely calamari or spinach artichoke dip!!

I use the snooze button almost everyday since I am the worst morning person ever. Lately I’ve been getting into the habit of accidentally hitting the “dismiss” button instead of the “snooze” button which is great at the time, but not so great when I end up waking up 2 minutes before I have to leave the house…

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Big Happy Birthday to your mother!

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Happy Birthday HRG Mom!! Hope you had a wonderful day!!

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Happy Birthday to your MOM!!!

P.S. I love how Bangs husband has bangs too!!!!! hehehe

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Happy Birthday HRG’s mom! You have the cutest grandkids in the world-no lie! (Both HRG’s and HRG’s sisters).

I’ve never tried Pho-but it looks yummy! My favorite appetizer is the fatting ones-like spinach and artichoke dip or some yumminess like that. I just try not to even go there.
I will hit the snooze only once. It’s really a back-up. The first gives me time to exercise the second one only gives me time to get ready for work. Guess which one usually wins ;)

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Happy Birthday to your mama!

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Happy birthday to Mrs. Janae’s Mom! :)

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I love trying new foods!! And I buy that exact tub of Feta from Costco! I am a feta addict. Have you tried it on your omelets?

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Happy Birthday to your adorable mom Janae!! :)

So happy that you like Pho!! I’ll treat you to Pho next time I see you. :) Soo good!! xo

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Happy birthday, HRG Momma! Those Naked juices look TO DIE FOR, and while I’ve never tried Pho (or Vietnamese food at all, for that matter!), the Thai restaurant in my college town had some pretty ballin’ drunken noodles. :)

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Happy Birthday to your Mom, its my birthday today too!

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My fiance and I always made it a point to eat at our favorite vietnemese spot for Pho ONCE a week!!! We are obsessed!! I am trying to muster up the courage to make it at home one night.

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Happy belated birthday to your Mom!! I have never tried Pho. I do use the snooze button every morning. I have about 4 different snoozes going off. I usually get up after the 2 or 3rd snooze.

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