pounding the pavement

I know at some point in our lives we have tried to take the easy way out. It just seemed--well-- easier. Believe me, I would know. This semester has been overwhelmingly busy, but I have found that if I make myself a list and just start doing whatever it is that needs to be done everything manages to get done on time! 

This semester I have avoided making excuses for myself not working out. Some days I just can not bring myself to do any physical activity and others I just don't have time. I realized the best thing to do its just workout when you can and not stress about missing a day or two during the week. I have made a genuine effort to enjoy running and I can really tell it is making a difference. I have so much more energy and running is a great workout! 

Sometimes it takes a little motivation. I got a super cute pair of new running shoes, an awesome ipod that tracks my runs, and lots of cute school supplies for getting things done. 

The little things can make a big difference in my attitude towards something. 

Just remember, procrastinating and making excuses may hold you off for a little while but eventually you will have to just 

POUND THE PAVEMENT. 

obsessed: super comfy and cute (Nordstroms)

school supplies from lifeguard press

words of wisdom

School can be totally overwhelming at times, but just take it 

a little bit at a time and you will be surprised how

much you are able to accomplish! 

Fall Favorite: Texas State Fair!

If you can eat it, you can fry it at the Texas State Fair. In fact they are

famous for the random things they fry like butter, beer, pizza, 

PBJ sandwiches.. the list is literally endless!

We (meaning Chase and Alex) tried fried pizza, 

fried sausage gravy and biscuits, and a churro.

Brielle and I tried fried samoa Girl Scout cookies that were actually

delicious! 

The day we went the State Fair's iconic symbol Big Tex caught on fire and burned down.

 The best part of the fair is the animals!

 precious baby goats

 parade

 fried biscuits and gravy

 buh-bye Big Tex

Fried pizza... they had some grumpy tummies after that!

Fit Friday! My Halloween Costume Workout

Halloween is creeping up on us! My favorite part about Halloween is decorating pumpkins, drinking hot cider, and eating chili, but this year I was invited to my first GROWNUP Halloween party. I wanted to get as fit as I was this summer before I try squeezing into a costume! Especially because I know there will be tons of pictures taken. (groan...) 

 I have been doing this QUICK and FUN workout once or twice a day along with a short run.

What I wish I was wearing Wednesday

What I wish I was wearing Wednesday...
Stubbs and Wooten Slippers!
I love how classy and practical they are for fall.
Definitely on my wish list!

A Day at the Museum: New York City Part II

Our day two explorations included much anticipated apple cider donuts and apple cider from the Union Square Farmer's Market! So so so yummy!

I loved how quaint the little market was amongst all the HUGE buildings surrounding it. 

We took the Subway down to the American Museum of Natural History which is where the movie Night at the Museum takes place! 

 so happy about our apple cider donuts and apple cider! 

 leash children too funny!

 doggy carrying his doggy bag.. how well behaved!

 John Lennon memorial 

New York City Part I

Friday I was sitting at Einstein's waiting for my next class to start when I ran across an American Airlines fare sale. I saw a super cheap flight to Manhattan and got all excited that I would get to visit my sister over fall break (which started the next day). Anyways, silly me Manhattan airport is in Kansas. Who knew?! But as luck would have it, I found an equally good steal on a flight to Newark. I have only been into the big city a few times and none really that I remember, so I was very excited to get to visit the Big Apple and see my little sister at NYU! 

 I am such a creature of habit. I love having cereal for breakfast!

Washington Square Park 

 China town smelled like fish. Pewww

 Subway!

 Looking a tad exhausted after exploring all day 

 Ferris Wheel in Toys'R'Us

Hudson River Pier

maybooks stationary coming soon!

I was so excited to find out that one of my favorite paper goods companies will be launching a new stationary line! The mixture of patterns and colors creates a perfect casual chic notecard for thank you notes and snail mail letters!

My favorite one is the lime green chevron print with coral accent monogram circle. 

This is the preview they have up on their blog. Head on over and check it out! 

Maybooks blog

FALLing back into the swing of things

Fall is here! Fall has become one of my favorite seasons since I have moved to Dallas, most likely because fall is a real season here! (most of the time) I can not believe it is already the middle of October and I am just now getting back into a normal school routine, but better late then never. 

For the next two months I will be sharing with you my favorite fall outfits, fall activities around dallas, and delicious fall recipes! 

YUM! I love pumpkin. Lots of pumpkin recipes to come...

stay tuned: blog makeover

Lots of fun new things coming this weekend!

LAX: 'nuff said

I am dashing home for two weeks to visit my lovely and lonely doggies, my grandmothers, and taking a trip to the keys! Somewhere in my planning process I pretended the Los Angeles airport was close enough to Santa Barbara to make it worth saving $200 dollars on my flight. (new clothes as a reward for my thrifty travel planning, I think yes) Anyways, my super planning also included a red eye flight both ways. I saw this as a positive, I don't have to lose a whole day traveling! Well upon our arrival to LAX a mere 2 hours later miraculously without traffic, we enter what seems to be the airport version of disney world. Lighted signs, a spaceship looking control tower, and tens of thousands of tourists. Yes, I realize I am not for California, but I am at least from this country and consider myself to not be a tourist amongst the crowd frequenting this airport. After 40 minutes of trying to find a parking spot for my DUALLY, yes, we drove to LAX in a dually, we finally found this mysterious parking level with no cars on it. Yes, it is probably haunted, yes we were annoyed that they make hybrid car only parking, but we pulled right in and began the hike over to the terminal. 

I packed light, a small carry on and a tote....that weighs 20 pounds. I blame the extra purse, the MCAT books, laptop, etc. Anyways, I tried to use a restroom with said tote and carry on. My mistake. Those things are not meant to be maneuvered into a stall! Heaven forbid you leave the thing outside the stall they will probably call national security for an unattended item. 

I gave up and bought my $4 Evian water.

Phew! 

Now just to wait for the flight.

tasty table: spinach mushroom pie

I had an ambitious day and managed to cook two things today! 

I love the combination of cheese, toppings, and marinara sauce on pizza, but I wanted to 

make a somewhat healthier version. By making the crust the "topper" of the pie, 

I was able to fill the casserole dish with spinach giving me a much better vegetable to carbs ratio.

-fresh spinach (you will need a lot more than you think!)

-approx. 1 cup of part-skim ricotta cheese

-1/2 cup italian cheese blend or mozzarella shredded

-marinara sauce for dipping

For the whole wheat pizza dough:

1 1/2 cups regular whole wheat flour

1/2 cup white flour

garlic 

1+1/2 tsp baking powder

3/4 cup water

1/4 cup olive oil

I found this recipe at Kristin in her Kitchen and modified a little bit. 

Saute the spinach with garlic and a little olive oil. Mix in ricotta cheese. 

Transfer to a casserole dish. Saute mushrooms. Layer mushrooms on top of spinach and ricotta mixture. 

Sprinkle italian shredded cheese on the top. Roll out pizza dough and place on top.

Bake for 

at 350 degrees.

Serve hot with marinara for dipping! 

YUM!

tasty table: avocado chicken salad

All the taste without all of the fat!
Summerland market has an outdoor BBQ on Saturdays, so I used grilled chicken, but any will be tasty!

- one pound chicken

 - one whole avocado

- juice of half a lime

- about 1/8 a cup of green onion

- salt and pepper to taste

Very fresh and delicious!

love: lifeguard press

I am so excited the new Lilly Pulitzer agendas are available! The new sticker sets seem to be the perfect addition to these agendas. I love that they are categorized, sorority, academic, and family. It may seem silly to have stickers covering all the pages, but I am more likely to continue writing things down if it looks cute! 

I try to write down everything I need to do or else I will surely forget it. I know our fancy iPhone technology is probably a much more efficient way to organize my life, but there is something fun about writing it all out.

LP also has new sorority items including tumblers, white boards, and cell phone cases. 

Two thumbs up Lifeguard Press!