Poppin’ In

Hi there!

I feel like I’ve been M.I.A. from the blog for quite a while – sorry about that! I’ve been enjoying the short amount of time I have to spend with my parents here in Savannah, so that is my excuse.

We’ve been busy house hunting, walking around downtown, meandering along the beach, cooking, eating, movie watching, and celebrating Mother’s Day! Tomorrow I make the drive to Orlando, which is where I will be spending the remainder of my summer! I’m really excited to move in with Steph, but I will definitely miss my parents!

I’m off to bed, since I have my first big road trip in my car (!!!) to rest up for! Catch you guys from Orlando!

And just for good measure, a picture of mom and me at the beginning of last summer:

Confessions of a Shopaholic

Today I definitely discovered the meaning of “shop ‘til you drop!” Mom and I went to Target and then the mall, and I got TONS of stuff! From target I got FIVE new work out tops, which I cannot wait to wear!

I also got two new pairs of summer sandals, which I didn’t snap a picture of.

At the mall I got a pair of nude pumps! AH! I have been searching for these babies for at least a year now, but have never found the perfect pair…until today! LOVE.

I also got two dresses and three shirts. Here is a picture of one of the dresses:

I love the color! I’m thinkin’ this dress + the nude pumps needs to happen ASAP!

After a longgggg day of shopping, some food was in order! I had half of the leftover pesto pasta, some sweet potato and regular potato fries, and a tomato basil pizza “burger” from MorningStar Farms.

And let’s not forget dessert – a sliver of chocolate cheesecake + vanilla ice cream with some cookie dough chunks (added by yours truly)

yumyumyumyum!

What a day! I’m off to bed (yes, I’m being totally lame on Cinco de Mayo) because tomorrow I have another busy day! We have to go get my car (!!!) registered, and then we are potentially house hunting again. Night!

House Hunters and Alliteration

A little recap of yesterday…

My mom and I had a pretty busy day! We left the apartment around 8:30 to drive  to another part of town to meet the realtor. We ended up looking at six or seven houses, which is exhausting business! We saw some cool ones, including my favorite – a log cabin!!! It felt so home-y and cozy in there, plus it had a fire place that was to die for! Unfortunately, it was right next to a major road and a gas station, which is kind of a no go for real estate. BOO!

Some pretty kitchens:

Pretty front views:

Aaaand the wonderful log cabin!

Isn’t that fire place amazing?! Swoon.

On the way back from house hunting, we stopped by the Toyota dealership. As you probably know, Toyota has had quite a few recalls, and my car fell under one of them. We took the letter in and in 40 minutes they had replaced the (potentially) bad part, free of charge! Woohoo!

By the time we got home we were tired and hungry, so as usual, I went with something quick and easy – Pesto Pasta Primavera! (How’s that for alliteration!)

I made some whole wheat noodles while chopping up green peppers and onion. I also threw some frozen peas and broccoli florets into a skillet to cook, and added in some of the leftover roasted cauliflower from Monday night as well. After everything was done cooking, I threw it into a big bowl and coated it with pesto. TaDa! Dinner came together in a little over ten minutes, and tasted fantastic!

Today

Today began with an 8 a.m. wake up call (this is early for me haha) to go on a run with my mom! Well, she was going to walk and I was going to run. We headed over to the trail that is behind the YMCA here, and we were off! I ran around the trail two times (2 miles) and then back tracked for about a half a mile to meet up with mom. We then walked home, so all in all I think I got in about 3 miles of running/walking. Not a bad way to start the day!

When we got back to the apartment, I decided to wash my car (!!!) It was really dusty when we bought it, but now it’s sparkling and beee-you-tee-full!!! LOVE IT!

For breakfast I made a green smoothie with:

• a large handful of spinach
• 1/2 cup frozen blueberries
• 1 frozen strawberry (all that was left )
• 1 scoop chocolate protein powder
• 1 cup of almond milk

It was very tasty! I’m so happy to have chocolate protein powder back in my life – I definitely prefer it over vanilla!

Now I’ve gotta run because mom and I are going to Target and the mall. What a life!  

Would you like to live in a log cabin, or would you rather live in a more traditional house?

I think we know my answer to this one…log cabin all the way baby!

Keeps Gettin’ Sweeter

As if this day could be any more sweeeet:

I had this amazing combo for dessert! A sliver of cheesecake + a blueberry ice cream/smoothie/shake.

Into the bullet went:

• 2 scoops vanilla ice cream
• 1 cup of almond milk
• a dash of banana extract
• 1 tablespoon instant banana pudding powder
• 1/2 cup of frozen blueberries

YUM! This was so good! Go make it – like now!

The Happiest Girl in the World

That would be me!!! I am a generally happy person, but today I am SUPER happy because I GOT A CAR!!!

Let me preface this by saying that ALL my friends have cars, and since everyone started driving in high school, I have always been known as the girl without the car. So this is a BIG deal!

I am so so so sooooo excited, although it hasn’t really sunk in that it’s my car yet! It’s a black Corolla, and I looooooooove it!

After we got back from getting my car (!!!), it was close to 8, and we were starving. I quickly made some roasted sweet potato squares and egg sandwiches for me and my parents. The sandwiches were on English muffins, and included a scrambled egg, a slice of American cheese, fake sausage patties on mine and dad’s, and spinach on mine. YUM!

The meal came together quickly and was really good too. Can’t beat that! I didn’t take any pictures because I was too busy being starving and scarfing down my food – sorry!

I am on excitement overload right now, but I’m going to attempt to chillax by watching a movie or reading my book. Happy Tuesday!

Pesto Pizza

Dinner tonight was yum-my if I do say so myself! Pesto pizza is something me, Meghan, and Claire started making last year, and were slightly obsessed with! It is SO delicious!

Ingredients:

pizza crust of your choice (this one was tasty! )

+

PESTO!

=

Spread the pesto on the pizza crust, then add whatever veggies float your boat! For tonight’s pesto pizza I added green peppers, onions, and spinach.

I also sprinkled on a little of this seasoning that I found in my parents’ pantry:

The next step is pretty crucial – CHEEEEESE! I added mozzarella, but you could add whatever kind of cheese you like.

Finally I tossed it in the oven to bake at 425 for about ten minutes, or until all the cheese was melted and the edges of the crust looked brown.

I roasted the cauliflower at the same time, but put it in first so it could roast for about 25 minutes. To season the cauliflower I put some pesto on it, then sprinkled on salt and pepper.

The final product:

So. Good. The parents gave it rave reviews as well, but I think they are required to.

My mom had the idea to make a special drink to go along with this meal, so I got right on it! In the blender I combined:

• one cup of water
• a few handfuls of ice
• 1/2 cup of lemon juice
• 8 frozen strawberries
• a few sprinkles of Truvia sweetener

After blending it all together, we had a refreshing, low cal, summery drink! Perfect!

Since we were being all fancy schmancy, I cut up a kiwi and put a slice on each of our glasses. Presentation is everything! (Please ignore the ugly plug in the back of the picture haha)

I’m off to hang out with my parents – we got the movie State of Play for five bucks at the store today, so I think we’re gonna pop that sucker in! Hope everyone had as good of a Monday as I did!  

❤

Oh hey Savannah

Well, I made it to Savannah! My parents and I made the drive yesterday after packing up a bunch of my stuff. By the time we made it to their apartment (they STILL have not found a house!) I was pretty famished. After a quick scan of the fridge,  I decided on a simple combo of a light English muffin, peanut butter, apple, and cinnamon.

I enjoyed the rest of the apple on the side. I spent most of last night reading my book, and settling in – it was an early night!

Today

Today was full of excitement! Drumroll please…I got new running shoes! WOOHOO! I have been in desperate need of them for quite some time now. I went to a running store here in Savannah called Fleet Feet, and was fitted for my shoes. This is actually the first time I have been fitted, and I think it is so worth it! The guy watched me run on the treadmill as well as outside, and picked out shoes for me based  on how my foot fell. He said I didn’t have much pronation – apparently my foot is neutral, and he said that means I’m a natural runner! I don’t know about all that, but it was fun to hear!

After testing out a few pairs of shoes, including Saucony and Asics, I decided on the Nike Zoom Structure 14. The thing that really sold me was how light they felt on my feet – compared to these shoes, all of the other ones felt like major clunkers!

I went on a short run when I got home to test ‘em out! I love them already! My run certainly didn’t make me feel like a natural runner – I was huffing and puffing through two miles. I would like to blame the fact that I have not worked out in an ENTIRE week! GAH! These babies are just the motivation I need to start pounding the pavement again. Hopefully having properly fitted shoes will solve my shin splint woes! Cross your fingers!

My other new running buddy is feeling left out…meet my new iPod sleeve!

My wonderful roommate Ang got me this for my birthday! My birthday isn’t until July, but she felt bad that I always get gipped out of birthday presents from college friends since I have a summer birthday. Thanks Ang!!!

After the running store, my mom and I hit up the good old grocery store! I was pumped to finally grocery shop again, and reintroduce fresh produce to my life. The last few weeks at school were grocery shopping-less, which killed me!

Tonight I’m making my favorite pesto pizza for my parents, and I plan to roast some cauliflower on the side as well! Recipe to come in a future post.

For now I will leave you with some just-recovered pictures from my last trip to Savannah, when my parents and I visited Tybee Island for the day!

SO PRETTY! I loveee the beach, and plan on hittin’ up Tybee for a day or two before I depart from Savannah!

Were you fitted for your running shoes, or did you pick them out yourself?

 

Pomp and Circumstance

I can now officially say that I am a college graduate! It’s hard to believe – my time here at UF has absolutely flown by! Being finished is bittersweet, but I am coming back next Fall to finish up my Master’s, so it’s not too bitter just yet!  

My weekend has been fabulous! Meghan’s sisters were both in town for Gator stompin’, along with a few of our other friends. The weather ended up being pretty terrible, and it poured most of the night, but we still had a blast!

Friday we spent most of the day lounging on the couch watching Royal Wedding footage! Kate looked so pretty, but I think it would sort of stink to get married that way – everything was so formal and official, it seemed like they couldn’t really enjoy the ceremony.

I also did a little cap decorating….

My parents came into town around 5:00pm, and took me, my roommates, and some friends out to dinner at a place called The Gelato Company. They have a vegetarian panini that is to die for, so I was more than game to go there!

Oh, and did I mention you get free gelato with your meal if you order a drink?

Yeah, The Gelato Company is definitely a winner. I got half New York cheesecake and half mint chocolate chip. They even put a complimentary cookie in there for me!

After dinner we came back to my house and played games, ate cookies, enjoyed a few “beverages” and laughed – a LOT! It was such a wonderful night with great people, and I feel so lucky that I got to celebrate my graduation with all of them!

Today was the actual big day, but my ceremony didn’t start until 2:00pm, so I had plenty of time to sleep in, get ready, and take pictures!

Whew! The actual ceremony was not too bad – it got a little boring about half way through the calling of names, but thankfully I had my phone and my iPod touch to entertain me!

I actually spotted Julie in the crowd during the ceremony, and tweeted her telling her to look for me! We waved at each other, and I actually ran into her after the ceremony as well! It was so awesome to meet her, and she was just as beautiful and sweet in person as she is on the blog.  

Tomorrow I have to finish packing, and then I’m off to Savannah with my parents for a week or so before I return to Orlando for the summer! Woohoo!

I’m off to bed – it has been a loooooong (but extremely fun-filled) past couple of days! Goodnight!

I’m Going to Pee My Pants!

Okay, so that title is slightly inappropriate? BUT SERIOUSLY I AM SO EXCITED!!! Why? Many many manyyy reasons!

Yesterday I figured out some big life plans, and let’s just say I am SUPER pumped for the second half of 2011 – IT.WILL.BE.AMAZING! But I’ll save that for another post. Gotta keep the mystery alive, ya know?

So why am I super excited for TODAY in particular?!

First of all, my roommate from last year, Claire, is coming into town today! I haven’t seen her since October-ish, so I cannot wait. She’s my roommate Meghan’s older sister, and I love her to pieces, and miss living with her a lot. When all of us reunite things get crazy, and I know tonight will be no different because….

IT’S GATOR STOMPIN’!!!!!

What the heck is Gator Stompin’?

“It has been a right of passage in Gainesville for over 29 years and was rated by the Independent Florida Alligator as one of the Top 10 Things to do before leaving UF. The event t-shirt gets you into 50 bars, nightclubs, and restaurants from midtown to downtown. Celebrate being part of the Gator Nation with delicious food, amazing drinks, live music and over $5,000 in sponsored prizes.”

So basically, you wear the shirt, and get into TONS of places for free, and then you use those little tokens to get a drink/food/enter contests etc.

A HUGE group of us went last year, and it was honestly one of the BEST nights of my college life, hands down. I’m hoping this year can live up to that!

Last year:

So that, my friends, is why I am SO excited that I’m going to pee my pants. I hope you understand!

Dinner last night consisted of roasted broccoli and sweet potatoes, with a generous dollop of sour cream on the side. I have been eating quite crappy lately (I blame the end of the semester) so it was nice to get some veggies in my system!

Currently I am sippin’ on this baby – Stash chai tea – and catching up on blog reading.

To end this post, I’ll give you a clue as to what some of my SUPER exciting news for the 2nd half of 2011 is:

Any guesses? 

Busy Bee

Hi guys,

I have been busy busy busy lately, packing up my room, hanging with friends, and getting ready to graduate!!!

Here’s the progress picture of my room:

Yes, believe it or not, that IS progress. Organized chaos, my friends!

And here is my DELICIOUS Easter breakfast, from this awesome restaurant called The Flying Biscuit:

I had a veggie scramble omelet, which had white cheddar cheese, spinach, red and green peppers, onions in it. I also got some home fries on the side – all of it was great!

Today I had graduation pictures taken!!! Here is a little preview:

Yayyy for graduating! Sorry I’ve been so M.I.A. – I probably won’t be posting much again until after graduation! I’m trying to soak in my last few days of the semester!!!

Here’s my favorite youtube video of the moment – Shiv showed it to me, and we died laughing:

Baby Monkey!

Much Love! ❤