London Calling

Just booked a flight to London!!!!

SPRING BREAK 2011 !!

I LOVE Spring Break! I have always been a Spring Break lover, and try to travel SOMEWHERE on Spring Break! This year I find myself in Kansas City! Unfortunately I missed the good weather, last week the weather was in the 70's, this week low 40's. Regardless I have been enjoying my relaxing Spring Break by doing the following....

-Running 4-5 miles daily
-Meeting up with college friends to witness an eating contest!
-Enjoying a new beautiful Church!
-Early morning Starbucks dates
-Shopping! Purchased this cute spring coat at the Loft
-Cooking--tried this new recipe. Success!
-Cooking Class--learned how to make tamales, guac, salsas etc. YUM
-Movies
-Reading ( Currently reading MockingJay)
-Top Chef Marathons
-Planning some upcoming traveling---VERY excited. More to come :)

Bummed that I only have two days left in KC. Tonight I am thinking of checking out the campus. Although I will be very sad to leave KC, I am SO excited for a friends bachelorette party on Saturday! Life is GOOD!

Not Loving the Moment

Written 3/24/2011

I woke up this morning feeling how I almost always do, tired. It is so hard to get yourself to crawl out of bed on a cold Minnesota morning. When I finally worked up the courage to leave the warmth, I looked at the clock, 5:15 AM. How depressing. This morning I thought about how two years ago I would NEVER be up at 5:15 AM. I was the early bird of my college house, getting up at 7:00-7:30 to workout.  This morning I stumbled down to the kitchen to cook some eggs, again thinking fondly of my college years and remembering the one time I cooked eggs at 5:30 AM while in college--the only reason I was up early enough to do this, was that I came home from a night out at 5:30 AM. Oh, how life has changed. I often reminisce about the good old college days. Life was so carefree and fun. My reminiscing today got me thinking, how will I look back on my twenties (post college).

Judging by how our twenties are portrayed in the media, we will be looking back at them when we are in our thirties, with the same sort of longing I experience when I look back into my college years. I wonder if this will really be true. Maybe for some. For many the twenties have been great. Many of my friends and past roommates lives have really started to take off. When 30, They might look back at their twenties as an exciting time when they started out their career path, started really living on their own, planned a wedding or even enjoyed the fast pace experience of graduate school. I am nervous for how I will someday reflect on this time of my life. My twenties have been a whirlwind, and not the exciting whirlwind of a fast paced new exciting lifestyle. My whirlwind feels like I am standing still while the rest of the world continues to move around me. I feel stuck.

I often am told by my older (maybe wiser), colleagues, friends and family, that I shouldn't feel this way. I am told that I am SO young still, and I can work for the rest of my life, so I should enjoy this time of little employment responsibility. It is so hard to see it their way. Again, I am stuck while everyone else is moving. How can I enjoy feeling stuck!?

Snow Over It

Ugh. Minnesota is such a tease. After a brutal Winter, March  has seemed pretty mild. The last couple weeks I have been enjoying runs outside, and enjoying dreaming of summer/spring clothing. Only to wake up on March 23, to a freaking blizzard!! Not cool MN. Not only is it snowing, its a sleety wet snow. Gross. I realize the weather is not in my control, so it is pointless to get upset about....but it's ruining my plans. If this weather affects my Friday road trip to KC...I will be utterly depressed. I can only hope this is the last blizzardy day of the season.

                                             Snow Dog

                         This area was literally snow-free yesterday. So sad.

So Fetch

This video combines two of my loves--Disney princesses and Mean Girls. Enjoy :)

Lent: The New Diet Plan?

Every year when Lent comes around, I give up a few things. Every year I seem to give up the same few things, food items. For the past few years I have been fixated on giving up sweets for Lent, this year is no different. I have given up sweets and…wait for it…Chipotle.  Truth be told, this is difficult. I have already been presented with a Whoopie Cake (no idea why it’s called that), a trifle, and a random package of Starburst. So far, I Have remained strong, it’s easy enough to reply, “Sorry I gave up sweets for Lent”, and then watch painfully as others enjoy dessert. Chipotle has also been difficult to give up; I am someone who frequents the Mexican grill weekly. And I don’t skimp; I can easily finish my burrito bowl, chips and guac in a sitting.  Although giving up these food items is challenging, I always find myself wondering if I am giving them up for the right reason. Lent isn’t a ‘New Year’s Resolution’. Lent shouldn’t be about eating healthier, and losing a couple lbs, because you gave up some of your favorite food indulgences. Although I’m sticking to no desserts and no Chipotle for Lent, I also am going to do something for Lent. I am going to write down one thing I enjoy about everyday. I am doing this to focus on enjoying life, and also focus on being thankful for the life I live. After a long, hard Minnesota winter, it is easy to get stuck in complaining mode. For this reason I am going to write down at least one thing I enjoyed from each day of the Lent season, to remind others and myself that life needs to be appreciated, because everyday is a gift. 

I will post my list at the end of Lent

I Like My Money Where I Can See It...

"I like my money where I can see it, in my closet" -Carrie Bradshaw

J's Everyday Fashion

This morning I engaged in the same routine I do daily. Check my email, check my phone, and browse online stores for cute clothes. While looking at the Ann Taylor Facebook page, I stumbled upon a blog I really enjoyed reading. The blog is called,  “J’s Everyday Fashion.”  The blog focuses on taking fashion from fantasy to everyday life. For anyone who cannot imagine how a runway trend could every function in everyday life—I highly suggest checking out this blog. I was inspired by a post that focused on how to successfully shop at Forever 21. I hate shopping at Forever 21. The store is so crowded, gigantic, and the return policy is ridiculous. I do, however, seem to often find myself commenting on how much I like a friends shirt, only to learn it came from Forever 21. Whenever this happens the same thought comes into my head, “WHY can’t I ever find anything cute at Forever 21.”  

So, after a pointless job interview, I headed to the Mall of America on a mission—a mission to successfully bargain shop. I successfully walked past J Crew, Bloomingdales and Nordstrom. I marched onto Forever 21 and H&M.  My trip was semi-successful. H&M was good to me; I left the store with a new nautical stripped boat neck shirt, a faux turquoise ring and a leather bracelet—all for under $20. Nautical inspired clothing is supposed to be a big trend this spring and summer. I do have to admit H&M and Forever 21 are the perfect places to try new trends, even if I do sometimes struggle with the quality of clothing these stores carry. When I finally made it to Forever 21, I searched and searched through the mass of clothing and found NOTHING. Unfortunately, I still am a Forever 21 failure.

 

H&M Boatneck. Love!

5 Years

http://szottfoundation.org/

Starting out the blog on a somewhat depressing note, but this is a day to remember how important it is to live in the moment. Also, I am a bit embarrassed about the quality of this writing. Please don't judge :)

I cannot believe it has been five years since my friend Abby passed away from a rare type of bone cancer. It is hard to describe what I am feeling as I remember her on this day. I feel a bit of guilt—five years, it seems like so much has happened in five years, and it’s just not fair.  I feel a sense of peace; I know she is at peace with God, and pain free. I still feel confusion and anger, the WHY still lingers. I know I should be in the acceptance stage of grief by now, and I am getting there, I really am, she was just so amazing it’s not fair. The one thing that helps me is the thought that she was already done with her time on earth. She was so good and so pure; she already had given so much back to the world. She has inspired many and her time here was done, she was ready to be with God a little earlier than the rest of us, as we strive to have an ounce of her courage and kindness.

Finally, I am overwhelmed with thoughts of a love for life. We cannot take life for granted. As someone who is guilty of selfishly whining about how nothing in life ever goes my way, it’s time to stop. It’s time to stop worrying about how much more money your peers make, or how fancy of a degree others have, or who drives the nicest car and has the most designer clothes.  It’s time to stop holding grudges and start remembering to forgive. Life is so short; it should not be wasted wishing for something better to come a long. It’s time to appreciate a sunny day, the air in your lungs, and the laughter you share with friends and family. Most importantly, it is time to remember what really matters in the end.

Miss you Abby.