Return to Austin

Happy Monday, party people! I'm officially back in Austin and ready to hit the ground running. This morning started out bright and early (a first for this break, to be honest), and I have been on the move ever since getting out of bed.

Breakfast

Now that I'm going to be getting back into a regular routine, I guess it's time for me to get back to my regular posts. As much as you all probably enjoy reading about my personal life, you're probably really here for the recipes and workouts. I understand. That's what this blog was created to be for, anyway!

I started my day off with my usual scrambled egg whites and spinach topped with salsa, along with three cuties. The perfect combination of healthy and sweet - you really can't beat that.

Workout

After breakfast I quickly threw on my swimsuit and headed on up to the gym. I was hoping to get in a last neighborhood run before heading back, but I've been advised to stick to cycling and swimming for a couple of days, just to make sure my knee is fully healed. It's really more sore than anything, but I'm going to take every precaution possible!

Anyway, I snagged a lane and swam a mile and a half before making my way over to the sauna. I didn't realize how much I liked the sauna until very recently (and I mean within about the last week), but I hope to make it a regular thing. That, and yoga. I know I've said that a hundred times, but I did recently treat myself  to a nice yoga mat, so I'm sticking to that resolution!

The Mat (Source)

After the gym I made a quick run over to Ikea to pick up something to help Dylan finish putting together some furniture in his house, and to save us an additional trip out to the Ikea in Round Rock, and dropped a letter off at the post office.

I then made my way over to FedEx Kinko's to print off my syllabus for the semester (I put the pro in procrastination, because I truly could have done this absolutely any other day over the break), and finally headed back home to shower and pack up the remainder of my belongings. I am not sure I will ever learn how to pack lightly, as I, once again, brought home entirely too much stuff. Now I just have to drag all of it back with me (and then some), but lucky for me, my parents are coming to Austin on Friday for the George Strait concert, so I won't have to go too long without anything.

Because it's always incredibly hard for me to leave home after the Christmas break, I decided not to put it off any longer and to just bite the bullet and start heading west on I-10 as soon as I was finished packing. I got back to Austin (to a very empty street) right around 3:00pm, and I immediately started unloading my car. I told myself that I couldn't go get anything else out of my car until I finished unpacking the bags I had just taken inside. Otherwise, it all piles up around me and I get extremely overwhelmed. My method worked, and I was finished unpacking (and organizing!) in an hour and a half or so. As much as I wanted to stop, I just kept on trucking, because I knew if it didn't happen today, it would honestly probably never happen.

Missing my roomies

I then grabbed my reusable grocery bags (because I'm not in Houston anymore), and visited the oh-so-familiar HEB. I grabbed just a few things, as I did bring some groceries back with me, so that I could prepare a couple of meals for the next week or two. That is going to be the key for me this semester: meal preparation! I have quite a few pins just for that purpose, so here's to actually putting them to good use this semester. For now, I made my usual pineapple chicken and vegetable dish and a round of spaghetti squash and lean ground turkey, but I'm hoping to get a bit more adventurous as the semester goes on.

And now it's time to pick out my outfit for tomorrow, prepare my lunch,

and sit back and watch the National Championship game with my Central Market salad before going to sleep nice and early. Or attempting to. Something tells me it will take me a while to actually fall asleep.

Here's to my return to sophomore year. And to learning and growing more than I ever thought possible. Houston, you were so good to me, and I am thankful for time filled with family, friends, and rest, but now that I'm back in Austin, I know that it's going to be a great semester.

Productive Friday

Normally I would be excited about the idea that it is Friday, but as Christmas break is quickly coming to a close, I find myself wishing time would s-l-o-w down a bit. Don't get me wrong, I am looking forward to going back to Austin and all of the shenanigans that are sure to occur with my roommates and YoungLife team, but the thought of entering into another semester of countless papers and assignments is not always the most enticing.

Anyway, I thought I was going to wake up at 7:00 this morning and run an errand before hitting the MAC for a 9:15am spin class. Well, I slept in until 8:00, and went for a little less than six-mile run around my neighborhood. Running is feeling good these days, and I can't believe I only have NINE days until my third half marathon.

Once I returned from my run, I headed out to cross a whole slew of things off of my "To Do Before Leaving Houston" list. First on the list, a stop at CHASE bank to deposit some money into my account. I ran a little baking business over the holidays and my bank account was very happy with that fun source of income.

Next up, a trip to the post office to finally return some textbooks that I rented at the beginning of the semester. Better late than never, right? Anyway, after waiting in line I was quickly informed that I needed to take my box to a UPS store, not the post office. The things you learn when you take on adult responsibilities.

After my post office faux pas, I headed downtown to pick up some postcards to send to admitted UT students in the Houston area. I signed up to do this forever ago and I just now remembered to pick them up. Luckily, they're pretty easy to do, and I only have nine left. Plus, it feels good to welcome new students to the Longhorn family!

On the way home I found myself a UPS store and dropped off my rented textbooks. I was in the Town and Country area, so I decided to stop at Ulta to pick up some mascara I have been eyeing, as well as Bath and Body Works to stock up on my favorite Christmas fragrance. Not only was it still in stock, it was way on sale. Score!

I stopped by my house to grab a quick lunch before heading back out the door to get my car washed. I couldn't tell you the last time I got my car washed, so this was long overdue. It had been so long that I didn't even realize that Bubbles has you stay in the car while they wash the outside. I always loved that as a kid, and I enjoyed it today. And, I finally have a clean car!

There was one more errand to run before I could finally park myself on the couch and go back to my non-productive ways. I'm contemplating going back up to the MAC to do some weights before I return home to watch the 2013 Cotton Bowl game - the Aggies of Texas A&M vs. the Sooners of Oklahoma - a Longhorn's worst nightmare. I'm not sure whether to root for Texas or for the Big 12. All I'm asking for is a good football game, okay, and maybe a final score of 0-0.

Enjoy the rest of your Friday!

Articles of possible interest:

http://www.shape.com/healthy-eating/diet-tips/healthy-snacks-6-foods-you-cant-overdo

http://www.shape.com/healthy-eating/healthy-recipes/10-healthy-peanut-butter-recipes