Things I'm Loving Friday VII

Happy Friday! As I mentioned yesterday, this week just seemed to fly by, and I'm not entirely sure where the week has gone. I feel as though I stay pretty busy during the week, so that's probably a contributing factor.

Anyway, before I jump into this week's rendition of Things I'm Loving Friday, let's back up to last night's workout and dinner.

Workout

It's been a little while since I've taken a spin class, so when I got a look at the somewhat dreary weather (which got considerably worse that evening), I decided to forgo my afternoon swim in favor of a 5:45pm spin class at the gym. Thomas teaches this particular spin class, and I always leave his class feeling pretty worn out, and sufficiently sweaty. This class was no different, and I just about quit when we pedaled using just our legs - that means no bounce in the upper body - for four minutes straight. Though I felt pretty weak by the end of it, I am feeling strong today, so I think the class did its job!

Dinner

I was hungry going into my spin class yesterday, so I knew dinner was going to have to happen fairly quickly once I got home. I remembered, however, that though I had quite a few vegetables ready to be heated up, all of my meat and/or fish was in the freezer. I knew I wasn't going to be able to wait until said meat thawed out, so I ran by Central Market to pick up a pre-cooked lemon rosemary chicken breast to heat up to eat alongside my vegetables.

While I was there, I also picked up a container of Latin Chipotle Red Quinoa Salad, thinking I would save it for another day. But nope, I went ahead and ate it after my chicken and vegetable bowl. I guess I was hungrier than I thought!

I spent the rest of the night just relaxing, packing, cleaning, and reading, and I was going to go to bed at a somewhat decent hour until the storm picked up and we lost power, resulting in a freak out from me. I probably should have included thunderstorms on my list of fears, because no matter how old I am, they will always scare me, at least a little bit. That probably comes from the fact that my house in Houston has flooded twice, and I always seem to assume the worst. Thankfully our power came back on around 7:30 this morning, so we are good to go over at The Clubhouse!

Things I'm Loving

And here we go with yet another week of a quick peek at some of the things I'm currently loving. Enjoy!

Austin Boardwalk

The Boardwalk Trail at Lady Bird Lake (aka Town Lake) experienced its opening weekend this past weekend. For those of you who are unfamiliar with Austin, or who have not heard of this project, the trail will allow runners to complete the 10.1 mile loop without having to run alongside Riverside Drive over I-35. This 1.2 mile trail goes over both land and water, and it offers spectacular views of the city. It will be lit at night (huge plus), and I even saw a few rollerbladers. Some of my roommates and I went and checked it out this past Sunday evening, and we were all very impressed.

Real World Survival Tips

I am such a sucker for any sort of article that attempts to give advice, especially those that are in the form of a list. One of my Facebook friends posted this article - 20 Incredibly Practical Tips to Survive the 'Real World' - and I have to say, this one made some great points. A lot of it I have heard before, but it's important advice nonetheless. While my transition is going to be made easier by the simple fact that I will be moving home, I am very aware of the fact that next year is going to be hard. And though it will certainly be tough, that certainly doesn't mean that it won't be great.

Handmade Crafts

One of my sweet friends, Hanna, who will be starting her own blog as she leaves the great state of Texas to attend law school in Indiana, gave me such a special graduation present that will certainly have its place in my classroom. This quote - "Education is the most powerful weapon we can use to change the world" - is something in which I truly believe. Education is something to which every child can have access, and it is so much more than memorizing formulas and writing down the themes present in The Great Gatsby.

Quote by Nelson Mandela

Volleyball

I've mentioned a couple of times on my blog that recently Dylan and I have been playing a little volleyball. Once we found out that I would be coaching freshman volleyball at Bellaire, Dylan told me to pretend that he is a freshman girl at Bellaire who has had very little volleyball experience. We went over the basic footwork and movement for passing, setting, and hitting, and this probably speaks more to his athletic ability than my ability to coach, but he's a pretty stellar volleyball player. And I've absolutely loved this opportunity to brush up on my skills - it's just like riding a bike, it never really leaves you - and getting to play the game that I love so much.

Essie Nail Polish

I am not one to have my nails painted on a regular basis, mainly because once one nail starts to chip, I have to take the polish off of every nail. Painting my nails is also something I can never seem to do for myself, mainly because I feel as though I can't touch anything for hours after they've been painted. Dramatic, I know. But, I have recently discovered the greatness that is Essie Nail Polish - it dries quickly, lasts a respectable amount of time, and comes in colors that are both classy and fun.

I hope your Friday the 13th is as lucky as it can be! Have a great one!

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!

D-O-N-E

Creative title, right? You had to know it was coming, because I am finally done with my fifth semester of college. It was a whirlwind of a semester, that is for sure, but I am finally done. I can't really rest easy yet, though, because I only know one of my final grades definitively, and the other four could really go in many different directions. But you know what, I worked hard and gave it my all, and that's all I can really do, right?

I get to (try) and sell these suckers back tomorrow!

After I submitted my papers, around 1:00 this afternoon, I finished watching an old Disney Channel movie on Netflix - Wish Upon a Star, which I highly recommend, by the way - put together some Christmas presents for my roommates, and eventually made my way to the gym for a good sweat session. The feeling of being able to workout without school work hanging over your head is truly a good one.

Clubhouse Christmas!

I found this workout on FitnessNYC's blog and I really liked it when I did it on Monday, so I decided to do it again today but add one more round of 3's to the end of the workout. I ended up covering a little over six miles, but it was a combination of both running and walking. My workout ended up looking like this:

After my workout, I ran a few errands for my baking escapades tomorrow and Friday before coming back to shower and making my go-to dairy-free pizza with a little bit of dairy-free ice cream for dessert. It was a dairy-free night!

After dinner one of my roommates and I made a Michael's run because she needed a few last-minute supplies for her UTeach portfolio, and I had an idea of what to do with my Europe souvenirs so that they would be all together in one visual presentation. A scrapbooker I am not, but I did decide to bring out my crafty side on this chilly Wednesday evening.

That is about as crafty as I get, but I am pretty proud of it, and though I obviously couldn't include everything from my trip, I definitely hit the high points and I think it will be a great addition to Sarah's and my room.

Have a great Wednesday - see you tomorrow for my first full day of freedom! I plan on doing a little bit of Austin adventuring that I have missed out on all semester - I can't wait!

It's Easy as ABC

Happy Survey Sunday, folks! Sorry for the delay of a post, but Sundays are always pretty crazy, and I have also been getting ready for the big move back to Austin tomorrow! But I couldn't leave you guys without a fun survey!

[A] Apples or Oranges:

Apples. I have never been a big orange fan, and I have been known to eat three apples in a single day!

[B] Beans or Lentils:

That's a toughie, I really like both! But black beans are my current obsession, so I guess I'll go with beans.

[C] Cereal or Oatmeal:

CEREAL. Cheerios in particular. No matter how many times I try, I just cannot make myself like oatmeal. I have, though, recently discovered the art of baked oatmeal squares to trick myself into eating it.

[D] Dates or Raisins:

Raisins. I am such a fan of adding raisins to anything - yogurt, cereal, cookies, etc. 

[E] Eggs or Milk:

Eggs. That's a no brainer, since I can't drink milk, but I love eggs - omelets, scrambled, hard-boiled, you name it!

Omelettes were the star of my meals in Paris

[F] French toast or waffles:

Waffles, although I used to love French toast with powdered sugar on top. I just have waffles far more frequently, so waffles take the cake.

Who can forget Belgian Waffle Friday at SRD?

[G] Garlic or salt:

Garlic.

[H] Honey or maple syrup:

Honey.

[I] Ice cream or frozen yogurt:

I think you all know what my answer is going to be..

FROZEN YOGURT.

[J] Jam or toast:

Toast, but isn't jam supposed to go on the toast? Anyway, I prefer to top my toast with peanut butter and cinnamon.

[K] Kale or spinach:

Kale is one of those things that I have been meaning to try - I feel as though it becoming more and more popular in the health food community. So until I give kale a try, spinach.

[L] Lemon or Lime:

Lemon. Though I am not a huge fan of either flavor, but lemon adds a little something something when cooking meat or fish.

[M] Muffins or Cupcakes:

Muffins. I could eat warm blueberry muffins until I am blue in the face. I have also recently become addicted to these pumpkin-walnut muffins - there is no stopping me!

[N] Nut butter or jelly:

Nut butter. I am not a huge jelly fan, but any type of nut butter gets two thumbs up from this girl!

[O] Onions or peppers:

I really like both, believe it or not, but I'd say peppers gets the edge because they don't leave your breath so stinky!

[P] Peanuts or Almonds:

Almonds - I have a serious addiction!

Roasted almonds are my very favorite!

[Q] Quick bread or yeast bread:

Yeast bread. Y'all, yeast roll days at SRD were probably the most celebrated day of the week.

[R] Raspberry or blackberry:

I have recently discovered my love for blackberries, so blackberry it is!

I do love all berries, though!

[S] Sweet or savory:

Savory.

[T] Tea or Coffee:

Neither. Again, these are two things I wish I could like, but I really just don't.

[U] Udon or spaghetti noodles:

Spaghetti - I don't even know what udon noodles are!

[V] Vanilla or Chocolate:

Chocolate since the day I was born. I have never been a vanilla girl, there is nothing to give it any flavor!

[W] Whole wheat or white bread:

Whole wheat.

[X] Xanthan gum or Guar Gum:

I hear xanthan is great for adding thickness to smoothies!

[Y] Yogurt or Pudding:

YOGURT. Funny story, though I am now obsessed with it, I used to hate the stuff. Pudding, I have never liked.

[Z] Zucchini or Cucumber:

Zucchini - so, so delicious!

Again, I apologize for the late post, but today has been busy, busy, busy. Well, it has and it hasn't. I have certainly had my lazy moments, but I did manage to work on a little craft for Sarah's and my bathroom, plus, I finally learned a little bit about cooking. My dad knows to expect more than a few calls from me in these next few weeks!

A sneak peak of some of the bathroom decor! If you know me, this is about as crafty as I get!

Crock pot fun!

I'll see you guys from Austin - I can't wait to finally be an official resident of da clubhouse!

What a Year It's Been!

Well, my goal of blogging at least five days a week during the holidays was an epic fail. I just enjoyed being home without the pressure of snapping pictures all the time. But that is okay because that is why we have New Years Resolutions. I was going to start blogging a couple days ago, but decided to really and seriously get going once the new year began. I have had a couple months to get used to blogging and learn some of the ins and outs, so now I am going to turn over a new leaf and really start blogging on a regular basis! Here is a precious "New Year's Printable" that I found on Pinterest and couldn't resist filling it out to end this wonderful year and start the new year!

A LITTLE ABOUT ME:

Name: Kelli

Age: 19 (almost 20!)

Favorite Color: Pink

Favorite Food: Frozen Yogurt

Favorite Activity: Running

Favorite Book: TOUGH question - probably Redeeming Love, followed closely by the Harry Potter series

HIGHLIGHTS FROM 2011:

Greatest lesson learned: my GPA does NOT define me!

Hardest thing of the year: being a Kamp Kounselor! Although it was extremely rewarding, it was much harder than I anticipated it would be!

Favorite memory: Florida Spring Break Trip & Crooked Creek Ranch

What I loved most about 2011: the amazing opportunities I was given!

My small group in St. Petersburg, Florida - Spring Break 2011

The beautiful Florida sunset

My cabin at Crooked Creek Ranch - a YoungLife camp

LOOKING FORWARD TO 2012:

Want to learn: how to make a difference in this world

Want to get better at: living in the moment (& blogging!)

Biggest goal: to share the love of Christ by loving others!

This Christmas break has been absolutely wonderful. While I haven't done a whole lot that could be considered productive, I have caught up on sleep, relaxed, hung out and caught up with high school friends, read (for fun!), worked out, baked, visited some of my favorite Houston hot spots, crafted, watched football, and have just spent some quality time with my family. While I am anxious to get back to Austin and get back into an actual routine that does not involve me just sitting around reading for hours at a time, because that is what happens quite frequently, I am very thankful for a five-week break from the daily grind that is my life while I am in school!

Lindsay, one of my closest friends from high school and I at Houston's - SO GOOD!

A tray that I baked - it is made out of peppermints! Directions can be found here

A Pinterest inspired recipe - cookie dough, oreos, and brownie mix!

My friend and I spent some time crafting with crayons and a hair dryer!

I hope you all have a wonderful New Years Eve - stay safe! I am excited to ring in the new year with my best friend since sixth grade - we are getting dinner, maybe seeing a movie, and watching the fireworks at the oh-so-popular City Centre! I can't wait to see what this new year brings! Wishing you and your family a prosperous 2012!