Tiny Boxwood Cafe

Happy Good Friday, everyone! And what a Good Friday it is! I planned on trying to sleep in a bit, but since I went to bed fairly early last night, I woke up on my own at 7:15am. It was fine by me, because I had a quick homework assignment to email in before 5:00pm today, so I managed to get that done before meeting Amira for a 9:15am spin class at the MAC.

I have been going to spin classes in Austin on a pretty consistent basis, but none of them are as hard (or as long) as this 70-minute spin with Betsy. I thought my lungs were going to explode when she had us go one level higher than our hard hill, maintaining 70 RPM. If none of that makes sense to you, it was basically pedaling fast on high resistance. It was so tough! But it was a great workout and I am going to miss my favorite instructors this summer. Luckily, I will be home for a few weeks before I head back to Austin to work, so I will be sure to take full advantage of them while I am home.

After a shower and a bit of reading - apparently professors think it's okay to assign homework over a holiday, what's that about? - I headed over to the Highland Village to meet two of my best friends from high school for lunch. Remember my Spring Break To-Do List? Well, I crossed another one off my list this afternoon - after battling some insane traffic, I enjoyed an incredible lunch at Tiny Boxwood Cafe. Not only was the food delicious, but the atmosphere was precious. I can't wait to go back!

After much deliberation, I opted for the Turkey and Avocado Club - minus the bacon and basil pesto aioli, with a side of fresh fruit.

Lindsay also went for a sandwich, whose name is escaping me, and Amira went for Tiny's Summer Salad.

Everything was absolutely delicious, and the company was even better. I always love getting together with them, and I hate that it happens so infrequently. I am hoping they will be able to make a couple trips to Austin this summer, though!

And now I am relaxing, getting ready to finish reading Shakespeare's The Tempest, and gearing up to make a grocery store run - I have a few new recipes that I am dying to try!

Resting

Sorry for my blogging hiatus - I have been busy catching up with all of the homework that I didn't do this weekend. I have also been trying to catch up on all the sleep that I missed out on this weekend, so that has not left much time for blogging. Plus, I don't have any new recipes, any new workouts, or any new and exciting news, so any post I even thought about writing would not have been very interesting.

We've been spending quite a bit of time together this week

I felt a little under the weather on Monday, so my no homework streak continued until then, and the only productive thing I did all day up until my student teacher meeting (more on that in a minute), was take a 12:00pm cycling class at the gym. It probably wasn't my best decision in terms of how I was feeling, but it was a great workout.

After my cycling class, an episode of Pretty Little Liars, and my second nap of the day, I biked over to campus for a mandatory PDS meeting. For those of you who don't know, PDS stands for Professional Development Sequence, which is what I will be entering into next fall. I will be in a class that meets six hours a week at UT, and in addition to that, I will spend 6-8 hours a week at a high school in the greater Austin area. This meeting basically explained what our schedule was going to look like - busy - and introduced us to any resources that might be of any help next year. I am very excited to finally be in the high school, but this little piece of advice did not make me feel any better about how busy I am going to be next year. Thankfully, I am only going to be registered for nine hours in the fall, so that will hopefully leave me with a little bit of extra time.

And that's really about all that I have for you guys today. I just wanted to check in so that you don't stop reading! I am heading home to Houston tomorrow after class to spend Easter with my family, so hopefully I will have a bit more to share with you guys then. Until then, try a new recipe for me, because I have been seriously slacking in that department!

P.S. If you want to watch my performance in our placement night skit, click here. The entire skit is worth watching, but if you only have a minute or two, go to minute 2:41 - you won't regret it!

Christmas in March

#placementnight2013 was the official hashtag of the night, and what a night it was.

YoungLife Placement Night is one of the absolute best nights of the year, because it is just one big party and celebration. I am not sure if I have ever dedicated a post solely to YoungLife, but I will be sure to do that soon. Basically, we spend an entire semester being "trained" on becoming a Young Life leader - meaning we get to hang out with middle school and high school kids, play fun games, get to hear about their life stories, and eventually lead them spiritually. It is a truly rewarding experience, and I never could have imagined how much joy my eighth grade girls bring me.

Anyway, placement night is the night when new leaders get placed on teams. Your team is the middle or high school at which you lead, so my team is called Murchison, and those teams add up to make different areas - Northwest Austin, East Austin, West Austin, Central Austin, Round Rock, etc. 205 new leaders were placed last night, which is just incredible. Big things are in store for Austin, Texas!

Each area performs - dances, puts on a skit, or just does something crazy - onstage before the new leaders are announced and welcomed into the area. It's always hilarious, and Jesus is definitely present in that room - there is so much joy and excitement. My newly-formed area chose to do a parody on musicals - one school acted out the Lion King, we acted out Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, and the third school in our area acted out Pitch Perfect. We dressed as oompa loompas and had the best time performing the oompa loompa dance onstage. We didn't start practicing until Thursday night at 9:00pm, but we pulled it off, and our costumes absolutely stole the show, if I do say so myself! When I receive a video of our performance, I will definitely share the link - after all, this was my big dancing debut!

After placement night is officially over, each respective area and team then goes off and does their own thing - you might call it initiation (but don't worry, nothing bad happens) - and just hangs out until the wee hours of the morning. Our team took the newbies to our school and had them lay in the middle of a field while we attacked them with squirt guns and water balloons before going over to a committee families house and making s'mores. As per tradition, we then headed over to Kerbey Lane Cafe in Northwest Austin and indulged in some late night snackies. 

Our precious new leaders!

It was a night for the books, and we have SEVEN new wonderful additions to our team. It was a great night, and now I am off to get in a workout before partaking in some 21st birthday festivities! See y'all later!

Wholly Cow Burgers

Happy Friday, my friends! This first week back from spring break has been a good one, and it has absolutely flown by. I am going to assume that the rest of the semester will follow suit, which is both a good thing and a bad thing. I'm so excited for summer, but that also means I am one step closer to graduating from this wonderful place. But let's not get too far ahead of ourselves!

Breakfast

My original plan this morning was to wake up, go for an early run, and then come back and fix myself breakfast. Well, our placement night practice lasted a bit longer than we anticipated last night, so I woke up a bit later than I wanted to. I ate breakfast - a combination of egg white vegetable bars and banana-oatmeal-almond butter muffins, did a little bit of cleaning up, and then headed out for a workout. Whatever works!

Workout

Around 9:45am, I drove over to Mt. Bonnell to run some stairs. It has been a while since I have done this, and the humidity was high today. I was huffing and puffing at my eighth set, but I pushed through and finished it, knowing I would feel better if I completed what I originally set out to do.

I then made my way over to 24-hour Fitness for a quick 30-minute arm and ab workout that looked like this: 

Lunch

I tried to do a bit of homework, but I think the excitement of this weekend just got the best of me. I didn't end up finishing very much of it, but it's the thought that counts! My dad happened to be making a trip to Austin for a business meeting, and though I just saw him last week, I am never going to turn down a chance to hang out with him. Plus, I got a free meal at a new-to-me restaurant. That's a winning combination in my book!

I have been meaning to try Wholly Cow Burgers for some time, and since my dad and I are both big-time burger fans, I figured this was the perfect time to do so. It's only about ten minutes from my house, which made it all the better. Wholly Cow Burgers serves only local grass-fed burgers that are both hormone and chemical-free.

My dad went for the regular old cheeseburger, while I opted for Bella Bella Bella, which is supposed to be a veggie burger sandwiched between two portabella mushrooms. However, they were out of portabella mushrooms, so they substituted the mushrooms for lettuce, and just added some sliced mushrooms to the top of the burger.  We also shared a side of sweet potato fries, because they are definitely one of my weaknesses. These fries did not disappoint.

My burger was good, but I was just a little bummed out that they didn't have the portabella mushrooms. Oh well, I guess that means I'll have to go back! The highlight was that I got to  hang out with my dad before he headed back to Houston, even if only for a little while. And now I'm off to campaigners, and the excitement that is UT YoungLife Placement Night! There should be some priceless photos to share with you guys, so be on the lookout for that post that should be coming your way tomorrow.

Texas Forever

I know, I know, you have seen this title before. But this time it's for a different reason. A couple of weeks ago a friend showed me a blog by the name of bkrafty, run by a girl with exceptional artistic ability who also happens to attend The University of Texas. I was so impressed as I scrolled through her website and Facebook page, that ordering something was inevitable.

One of the canvases that caught my eye was a Texas flag with a name printed on it in cursive. When I saw this canvas, I immediately thought of Friday Night Lights, and since Sarah and I have been talking about hanging some sort of tribute to Friday Night Lights in our room, this seemed perfect. I quickly emailed her asking if it was possible for her to recreate this same canvas with the words "Texas Forever" painted on it, and she replied to me saying that she is also a huge fan of the show and that she would be happy to do it.

She did an incredible job with it, and it looks great hanging in our room. These canvases also make great presents, and since it was my best friends 21st birthday just a few short weeks ago, I decided to give her an A&M traditions canvas. As much as it pains me to have this in my room right now, I am pretty confident that she will like it, so I sure hope she doesn't read this before I get to give it to her!

Bethany has some unbelievable artistic ability, so if you are in the market for a canvas (and even if you are not), check out her blog, her Etsy page, or her Pinterest page. Thanks, Bethany, for doing such an incredible job with these - they look great!

Liebster Award

Fitness and Fro-Yo has been nominated for a Liebster Award! If you don't know what that is, don't worry, I didn't either, but I borrowed this from Running A Thousand Miles to help explain it to you guys.

The Liebster Award is for any up and coming blogs that you enjoy reading and a great way to promote them!

• This award is given to new or up and coming bloggers who have less than 200 followers.
• The award is then passed along to other bloggers in the same category to help spread the word and support one another.
• Each blogger should post 11 random facts about themselves.
• Answer the questions the tagger has set for you.
• Choose 11 new bloggers (with less than 200 followers) to pass the award to and link them in your post. 

I am sure you guys have figured out by now that I love taking surveys, so even though I have already done a variation of this 11 things survey, I am obviously going to take the chance to do it again. I'm finding it to be pretty tough because I feel like there's not a lot that I haven't told you guys, but here goes!

Eleven Random Facts About Me

1. My brother and I were born in the exact same hospital room in Houston.

2. I LOVE school supply shopping. I look forward to it every semester. There's something about a brand new notebook!

3. My favorite number is 3, and I tend to do things in multiples of 3 - crunches, pushups, calf raises, etc.

Numero tres

4. I have eaten at the oldest restaurant in the world.

5. When I was in second grade, I got lost at the Miller Outdoor Theater in Houston. There were police dogs out looking for me and everything!

6. I'm a list maker, and I get a weird satisfaction out of crossing things off my list.

7. I have no sense of direction. My iPhone GPS has saved me from getting horribly lost multiple times.

8. I almost made a B in my high school art class. Clearly, I am a stellar artist.

My one piece of art chosen to be displayed at Memorial City Mall

9. One of my biggest fears is speaking in front of my peers. Giving presentations absolutely terrifies me and as hard as I try to slow down when I talk, I talk extremely fast when I am nervous or excited.

10. I received the "Can-Do Spirit" award in the third, fourth, and fifth grade. I'm all about having a positive attitude!

11. I once got a 0 on a test in high school. It was in AP Physics, if that tells you anything. No worries, I still made an A in the class!

Eleven Questions

1. What is your favorite book of all time?

2. What is one food you will never eat?

3. N'Sync or Backstreet Boys?

4. Why do you blog?

5. What is your favorite childhood memory?

6. What is your favorite strength exercise?

7. Name one thing on your bucket list.

8. Name your absolute dream job, regardless of how unrealistic it may be.

9. What is one thing on your fitness bucket list?

10. What movie can you watch over and over again?

11. Tell me an embarrassing high school memory.

And now to answer Kelsie's questions.

My Questions to my nominees:

What's your favorite meal of the day? Breakfast, Lunch, or Dinner?

Breakfast, for sure. There are so many different options, and I love almost all of them - pancakes, eggs, muffins, yogurt, fruit - you name it, and I have probably eaten it for breakfast.

Egg white pancakes 

Scrambled egg whites

How many countries have you been to?

Four. Spain, France, England, and the U S of A.

Millennium Bridge in London

View from the top of Montmartre

La Sagrada Familia

Where were you born?

Houston, TX.

Most embarrassing story about you?

Oh my gosh. I hate this question because I can never think of an embarrassing story when I am asked, but I will think of something randomly that I always plan to write down 
But, I have one. One time in fifth grade, I went to a friends birthday party and we were wrapping houses. Naturally, it was dark outside, and we were running away so the boys didn't catch us. I managed to scrape my head on a branch as we were running away, and I was left with a little scrape on my forehead. We had class picture day on Monday, so most girls would probably be embarrassed by the fact that she had a scrape on her head, but I brought a red marker into my bathroom before I left for school and actually enhanced the scrape on my forehead, because I secretly thought it was cool to have a scrape on my forehead and be all dramatic about the fact that it was picture day.
So, it's embarrassing now, though it's not like anyone knew that I did it at the time. I'm sure I have a far more embarrassing story than that, but that's the only one that came to mind!

What is your favorite candy?

I'm not a huge candy eater, but if I do eat it, it will likely be some sort of sour candy, or Swedish Fish.

Favorite workout other than running?

Swimming. To me, it is so relaxing, and I don't even feel like I'm working out. Plus, I get a really nice (one-piece) tan. I enjoyed a nice swim yesterday, in fact. I'm glad I managed to get it in before this stormy weather hit!

Favorite clothing store?

Anthropologie, hands down. Their clothes are classy and timeless.

Have you ever met anyone famous?

I met Brandon Backe once upon a time, though you probably don't even know who he is. He used to be a pitcher for the Houston Astros, but he got into a bit of trouble and I'm not even sure what he's doing these days, but I just thought he was really cute.
I also met Mary Lou Retton one time, and if you know me at all, this is a huge deal because I love the Olympics. Granted, I didn't really possess this love when I met her, nor was I alive to see her win the all-around, but hey, it's still cool to say!

I love the Olympics!

Favorite brand of workout gear and why?

I love Lululemon (doesn't everyone?) but I don't own much of it. I usually just wear Nike Tempo shorts and a t-shirt to work out, but Lululemon and Nike are my go to brands. They're comfortable, fit well, and last a long time.

How long have you had your blog and what made you start it?

I started my blog in September of my sophomore year of college, so I have had it for about a year and a half now. I toyed with the idea of starting a blog toward the end of my freshman year, but I didn't know what to blog about, because I didn't really like the thought of just blogging about my life, though that is essentially what this blog has become. I started reading healthy living blogs and since I have a passion for fitness and healthy lifestyles (and frozen yogurt), I thought I would give it a go. And thus, fitness and froyo was born!

If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be? 

I would live in the moment more than I do. I feel like I am constantly looking ahead to the next thing in my life, and forget to enjoy what I am currently doing.

And finally, my nominees. I'm not sure about the number of followers, but you should check them out regardless!

Running A Thousand Miles
Baking and Swimming
Faith Food Fabulous
Melissa Runs
Jamie Runs Around
Hungry Healthy Girl
Winter Fat to Winter Fit
Fitness and Christ
Mountains and Miles
Fit 'N' Cookies
Pencils and Pancakes

They are all great blogs, so you should check them out! And a huge thank you to all of my readers who encourage me to keep writing. I hope I can inspire at least one of you in some way. And feel free to comment with your responses, I'd love to hear them!

March Madness

So, I had a whole post all typed out that was all about my humid six-mile run at Town Lake this morning, but I didn't post it on account of the fact that I couldn't get my Garmin to upload my run to this tracking website one of my former teachers told me about, so that post is currently sitting in my drafts. I'll give you a brief synopsis - it was a HUMID run and it was a struggle to get through those six miles. But, I did it, in a 8:54 min/mile pace, which is a bit slower than usual, but the important thing is that I talked myself out of stopping and walking. Gotta take what you can get!

March Madness

Now, onto the more exciting things. I am a HUGE sports fan - I grew up playing sports, watching my little brother play sports, watching sports on television, going to professional and college sporting events - so you could say that sports are a big part of my life. I will admit, though, that basketball is not my favorite sport to watch. March Madness, however, is a whole other story. I love March Madness. It's so exciting, and the players are out there having the time of their lives. My bracket never actually wins (well, one time it did), and always ends up getting busted, but I still love making one! If you made a bracket, who's your "sleeper team?" I always try and predict who it's going to be, but I never quite get it right.

I pick Duke to win every year - I LOVE Duke basketball!

This year, along with my actual March Madness bracket, I am participating in the Jezebel March Madness: 80's vs. 90's. This March Madness is sort of poking fun at the actual March Madness bracket obsession and focuses instead on "resolving greater cultural disputes." This year is a battle of the decades, and being a product of the 90's, I couldn't help but make a bracket. I will admit that I didn't know what some the things were, but it will be a Cosby Show-Spice Girls showdown for me. Who will be the winner? As much fun as I had with the real bracket, I had just as much fun with this one. Make one, and tell me how your bracket compares to mine!

It's Baaaack

I apologize for my true Survey Sunday absence, but I am back in action, and here is a traditional dosage of Survey Sunday for you!

Favorite food to crunch? Popcorn, or Pop Chips!

Favorite comfort food? Chili.

Favorite picnic lunch? Picnics remind me of the Fourth of July, so I'll go with hamburgers and watermelon.

Best summer snack? Watermelon.

Favorite winter snack? There's not a snack that just screams "winter" at me, but I guess cinnamon sugar pecans are a wintery indulgence.

Food that reminds me of the ocean? Subway sandwiches - every time I go to Galveston, I always stop at the Subway right by the beach to pick up a sandwich to eat for lunch.

Most likely to eat for lunch? Dairy-free pizza - had it today, in fact!

Least likely to eat for lunch? Pasta - it just makes me feel sluggish for the rest of the day.

Food that makes me gag? Tuna. I was forced to eat tuna when I went on Wilderness the summer before my senior year and I just about cried while eating it, practically begging my friends to finish it for me in exchange for their dessert (because that's a fair trade). I know, dramatic, but I REALLY don't like it.

Food tradition I love? I don't know if I have any "food traditions," other than snapping a picture of it!

Soup or salad? Soup. Unless it's a Wildfield salad from La Madeleine.

Favorite breakfast food? I love almost all breakfast food, but my current go-to is scrambled egg whites and spinach with salsa.

Favorite ethnic cuisine? Mediterranean, Spanish, or Mexican.

Favorite ice cream flavor? Chocolate.

Favorite type of chocolate? Dark Chocolate.

Favorite beverage? I'm going to be boring on this one and say water. I know I'm 21 and all, but I haven't tried enough alcoholic beverages to have a favorite quite yet!

Smooth or crunchy peanut butter? Crunchy, for sure. Unless I'm going to spread it on toast. Smooth peanut butter spreads so much more easily!

P.S. Happy St. Patrick's Day! I feel like I should be doing something to celebrate, as I do have a bit of Irish running through my blood, but, I am not. Oh well! Maybe one day I'll be in Ireland to celebrate!

Until Next Time

It's hard to believe that I am on the latter half of the spring semester of my junior year of college. I am heading back to Austin in just a few hours, and as much as I love Austin, I am not sure how ready I am for these next seven weeks filled with papers, tests, and projects. My plan is to take it one day at a time and to just embrace my final semester as a regular college student, as my final two semesters will be seeing a lot of "teacher Kelli," so, that's something to look forward to?

Anyway, I had a wonderful week in Houston with my family, and though I only crossed an embarrassing two things off of my Spring Break To-Do List, I'd still say it was a successful one. I got some good sleep, did a bit of shopping, explored some new areas of Houston,

continued a ten-year Houston Rodeo tradition,

enjoyed food from my all-time favorite restaurants,

Hungry's

Ruggles Green

and got to spend time some much-needed time with my family.

I'd say that's enough to motivate me for these next couple of crazy months. Plus, I have lots of exciting things coming up - my dad is coming to Austin for business, so not only do I get to hang out with him, but I also get a free lunch out of it, and that gets two thumbs up! We have Young Life Placement Night, which is always an incredible night, it's my room-roommate's 21st birthday, Easter, the Blue Bell Fun Run in Brenham, and much more! The weeks after spring break always fly, and I know I will find myself wondering where the time has gone.

Until then, I'll just enjoy the ride!

So, until next time Houston, and I'll see y'all from Austin!

Ten Year Tradition

Last night marked the tenth year that Gayle and I have gone to the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo together. We started going in sixth grade as part of her birthday party, and each year the number became fewer and fewer, until it was just us left. And we have never, and as long as we can help it, will never, miss a year. I only wish I could dig up all of the pictures from past years - wouldn't that be a treat?

Gayle and I before we left 

The view we met upon our arrival

Anyway, last night's rodeo experience was awesome, as usual, and I just love so much that we have this special tradition. It never fails to be an incredible night. We arrived at the rodeo grounds around 7:30pm, where we quickly went and rode our favorite ride before meandering over to the food tents. We settled on Pappa's BBQ, where I opted for the sliced pork sandwich. I piled it high with pickles and olives, and it really hit the spot. I love barbeque, but I hardly ever think of it on my own, so in a place where barbeque is aplenty, ordering it is a no-brainer.

We then headed inside in search of the roasted nuts stand. I love roasted nuts, especially almonds, if you will remember from when I went to London, so I obviously jumped at the chance to purchase some freshly roasted almonds.

Please notice the photobomber! 

After this, it was about time to head into Reliant Stadium to find our seats for the show. We made a little pit stop at the Maui Wowi stand, but not for our typical smoothie purchase. We have been waiting for years to be able to carry around the big cylinder-shaped slushie drinks, and since we are 21 now, we could not pass up this opportunity. Gayle went for the Pina Colada flavor, while I opted for a Strawberry Daiquiri. I was a bit concerned about the $13 I had just spent when I took my first sip and was met with a very strong taste. Gayle felt the same way about hers, so we proceeded to just drink the slushy part of it, letting all of the alcohol gather at the bottom. I guess we still have to get used to the taste of alcohol! Still, I won't lie and say I didn't feel like a real adult carrying it around. Hey, I'm new to this whole 21 thing!

Naturally, we had to document it

We settled into our seats just in time for the barrel races, the calf scramble, and the mutton bustin' - my three favorite rodeo events. The mutton bustin' is probably the cutest event at the rodeo by far, and I am going to do everything in my power to have my future kids participate in it. It's just so cute!

World's largest calf scramble

Mutton bustin'

And finally, bring on Blake Shelton. I really like a lot of Blake Shelton's songs, so I was excited to see him perform live. He put on a really great show, and you could tell that he really loved being there, which makes it even better. He even sang a George Strait song in honor of this Sunday night - George's last performance at the Houston Rodeo, and one of his last performances ever. That was awesome, and I am incredibly jealous that my parents will get to be there for that show - I am sure it will be unforgettable!

"It didn't take me long to figure out how proud Texans are to be from Texas"

"All my exes live in Texas"

After the show, we decided to use up a few more of our carnival tickets and ride both sets of swings, the slides, and the big ferris wheel. We left the park a little after midnight and though that is way past my bedtime, it was a great night with my best friend. Initially, we were bummed when we found out that Brad Paisley wasn't coming, because we have seen him for the past three or four years and he puts on an incredible show, but we powered through the setback and still ended up having a wonderful night.

Mid-swing

Swings round two

A helicopter (or ferris wheel) view

I can't end this post without a shout out to all of the hundreds of volunteers that make the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo such a huge success. While I was riding the ferris wheel last night, I realized just how much work goes into putting an event like this together. It gets bigger and better every single year, and it takes a huge amount of dedicated people to make it possible. So, if any of y'all happen to come across this little blog, THANK YOU for all of your hard work. It does not go unnoticed! So, until next year, Rodeo Houston!