Random Survey

I’ve been a bad blogger. I didn’t post a Things I’m Loving Friday Post, and though I had all the time in the world yesterday, I didn’t post yesterday, either. I can’t say that I did much yesterday, and I also can’t say that was a bad thing. This entire week I’ve felt extra tired, so it was nice to just lounge around for the majority of the day. But I didn’t lounge around all day. I did go for a 7.1 mile run around my neighborhood, and I also picked up my car from the shop, that thankfully didn’t have any major issues.

It was a real welcome into the year of 23 when my check engine oil light lit up on my way to school Friday morning, but that false alarm ended up being a blessing in disguise, as my front brakes were absolutely shot. Nothing major, thankfully, because I’m not quite ready to start making car payments!

Anyway, I know I missed Things I’m Loving Friday, but I will stick with our regularly scheduled Survey Sunday. So, let’s get it going! This one is kind of random, but fun nonetheless. Enjoy!

Household chore I actually enjoy doing: This might be really weird, but I actually love cleaning the bathroom. Sarah and I used to almost fight over who would get to clean the bathroom. Though I don’t love cleaning the bathtub, whoops! I also don't mind hand washing dishes, but I would rather do a bunch at one time, so the dishes might pile up a bit before I manage to get going.

Biggest house disaster: I feel bad answering this, because it's not technically my house. It belongs to my parents. I just have a room here. But I also can't answer it because our house isn't one bit a disaster, it's just lived in. And that's not my way of saying it's messy, because it really isn't. But I will say that I have sort of taken over dining room table with all of my books and papers and pencils and pens and jewelry and race bibs and to-do lists and lots of other things that probably shouldn't be there. But if we only eat in there on Thanksgiving and Christmas, it's okay if I claim it as mine the rest of the year, right?

Before company arrives, I hide: I'll answer this one in regards to my actual room. I'm thinking of one specific day when my friends Sam, Alex, and Corey came over, and it was a bit of a surprise to me. Before they walked into my room I made sure to stash any neglected clothes under my bed, because sometimes I maybe don't always hang my clothes back up after I've tried them on and neglected them? Whoops!

Most recent music download: I'm loving this old school download - Crazy For This Girl. Was anyone else a Dawson's Creek fan? I didn't watch it regularly, but if I saw it was on while flipping through channels, I would keep it there.

(Source)

The last thing I bought online: I may or may not have taken advantage of the Kendra Scott additional 15% off all sale items. But the color was so unique that I just couldn't live without them! I'm just kidding, of course I could live without them. But the earrings I purchased were a good deal. And I wish I could find a picture of them for you, but I guess you'll just have to wait in anticipation until I get them in the mail.

I hate to shop for: Hardware. I'm not sure if that's a thing, but honestly my least favorite places in the entire world might be places like ACE Hardware and Home Depot. I used to dread going those places with my dad when I was younger, and though I actually grew to kind of like Home Depot a little bit, I always just felt so overwhelmed in there. I'm sure it was very obvious that I didn't know what I was doing, and DIY projects are absolutely not my strong suit. 

Favorite family ritual: Honestly, I'm going to have to go with the nightly game of Wheel of Fortune that my parents carve out time for each evening. If I'm home when it's on, you better believe I'm playing along with them. I have yet to win, but I am usually doing other things at the same time, if that counts for anything.

I sleep in: a big t-shirt and either pajama pants or shorts. Or maybe leggings. It just depends on the night.

I have style crush on: I'm not so sure I can answer this question. I have a very classic style that I don't really model after anyone. I will say that I follow Anthropologie on Instagram (surprised?), and I do find myself gasping and saying, "Oh, that's a really cute outfit" on the daily, but my sense of style is very limited. 

 

One of my go-to sweaters (and my students can attest to that)

Warning: This picture is from almost three years ago

I’m currently reading: I've just barely started reading Malcolm Gladwell's Tipping Point. I also just purchased a copy of American Sniper from Target, and I cannot wait to start reading it. Because let's be real, the chances of me actually going to see the movie are slim to none. And I have a whole list of books I hope to read ... maybe over the summer when I have some more free time?

What’s up with the ________ trend? Starter Pack. I'm not sure if that's even a thing anymore, but for a while I saw captions on a group of four photos that would be something like, "The Procrastination Starter Pack," or "The Monday Morning Starter Pack," or "The White Girls Starter Pack" (#basic), and I guess I just never understood where it even came from! A lot of trends I can get behind, but that one seemed to come out of the blue.

How did I ever live without… A foam roller. No really. This little runner has been experiencing different aches and pains throughout this year of more running than ever before. Nothing serious, but I'm certainly feeling the extra use. Which I'm taking as a good thing, because it's alerting me to the importance of stretching and rolling - two things I never used to take the time to do.

And I hope your Sunday is a great one. I'm hoping to post this and then be productive, productive, productive, as I didn't get quite as much done yesterday as I had hoped, and I want to have all of my loose ends tied before spending what I hope will be a beautiful weekend in Austin this upcoming weekend. Talk to you guys soon!

First Day of School

I truly cannot believe that today is the first day of my junior year of college. While I (probably) have quite a few first days ahead of me due to my wanting to be a teacher, I still can't believe how fast time has flown. I don't have class until 2pm today, but I plan on student teaching on Wednesday mornings throughout this semester, so hopefully I only have a few weeks of nothing in the morning left! Plus, I am sure school will get very busy very quickly, so I don't think I will be bored for long!

Since yesterday was our last day of summer, two of my roommates and I braved the heat and headed over to the Greenbelt for a nice morning hike. The Greenbelt is about eight miles in length, so while we didn't cover the whole thing yesterday, we hiked for about an hour and a half and we definitely plan to come back and explore more of it.

We hit a few dead-ends and took a few questionable paths, all the while praying we didn't come into contact with any poison ivy, but we had a wonderful time exploring another great place that Austin has to offer.

Natalie jumping off some mogels 

A very creepy doll that we found 

Rock climbing canyon? 

Austin sure is a great place to live!

After running some last-minute errands: Target, grocery store, textbook pick-up, etc., Sarah and I got to work finishing up our room, which still is not finished, but we are definitely making progress. I even learned how to hammer nails into the wall - big accomplishment for this girl! I promise you guys will get a house tour, but we still have some things to craft, and some decisions to make on how we want to decorate things. I want to show you guys only the best, so that might take a little patience! We have thrown out some great ideas and I think it is going to look great! The only trick is finding time in what are sure to be extremely busy schedules.

One of my favorite parts of the house - a chalkboard!

This first day of school started bright and early as I biked on over to Gregory for an early-morning swim (snagged a lane, score!) and then completed 20-minutes on the stair master while reading my latest book - Gone Girl. I am hoping to have it finished by the time PBFingers posts a review on September 4th, but I don't know if that will actually happen. I will say that it is pretty darn intense so far and I am only 10% into the book!

After a shower, a little snack, and this blog post, I am getting ready to check a couple of items off of my to-do list: organizing the room, creating a craigslist ad for a beautiful armoir we are wanting to sell, and making sure everything is in order with our cable and Internet bill before preparing a quick lunch and heading off to my first, and only, class of the day, Literature of Islamophobia. Yeah, I'm interested to see how that one will turn out, too! Can't wait to report back with my "first day of class" opinions!

Moving On and In

Sorry for my two-day absence! Just when I thought I was getting good about updating the blog every day. But, I do have a good excuse! These past few days have consisted of (finally) moving everything from SRD over to my new house. My mom came up to Austin yesterday to bring some other stuff from home and to help me unpack, set up, and organize it all. I'm thankful for the fact that we plan to have this house for two years so I won't have to go through this moving process again next year, but I will say that my mom and I had an absolute blast yesterday. We ran some errands, put together some furniture, washed some dishes and just had a great time making something that could be very stressful a lot of fun. I always love having family members in Austin - it's so much fun showing them around one of my favorite cities!

I put together my own chair - just call me Ms. Fix-It!

We took a break around 1:00 to get some lunch, and my mom wanted to go somewhere she had never been, so I took her right across the street to Food Heads, one of my favorite restaurants in Austin. Not only is the food good, but the atmosphere is just precious. It is a cozy little house-turned-restaurant with plenty of indoor and outdoor seating and tons of antique decorations. I took my dad here a few months back, and my mom was anxious to see if it lived up to the hype! I opted for the apple and pork tenderloin sandwich and I think it became my new favorite. It had the perfect amount of spicy to it without going overboard, and the bread was toasted to perfection. I foresee many trips here in the next year, seeing as it is just a hop, skip, and a jump away from my new house!

My mom left sometime in the late afternoon, so I biked on over to Gregory for a swim before deciding what to do about dinner. I decided on Central Market, and though it was about 100 degrees outside, the chili just looked so appetizing, so I filled up a bowl and grabbed a container of fresh berries to cool me down and headed to the outdoor patio to enjoy some live music while literally sweating as I ate my chili. After running a few errands, I headed back to my house (which I promise I will show you once it is all decorated - it is still in the "moving in" phase, but I am already loving it so much) to read and relax from a long day. Moving will take it out of you!

Vegeterian black bean chili 

This morning was an early one as I headed over to the gym to complete a circuit workout provided to me by the bootcamp program in which I am participating. It was tough and had me sweating like I haven't in a while. I'll highlight a few of my favorite moves for you:

Standing Leg Extension with Shoulder Press (Source) 

Squat with wood chop (Source)

I love moves that work my arms without my having to focus on working my arms - I feel the burn, but I don't get bored or feel total fatigue in my arms. These were winners!

Now I am working my penultimate desk shift. I can't believe my time at SRD is really and truly coming to an end. I have said it before and I will continue to say it, but I am so thankful for my time at SRD. I will also say that the minute I know I am having a daughter I will be sending in an application for her to live at SRD. Hey, you gotta do what you gotta do! 

Enjoy your Saturday!

P.S. I am trying to become more blog-savvy, so I created a Facebook page and Twitter account for the blog - I can't promise super frequent updates as I have my own Facebook and Twitter account to keep up with, but I will do my best! Check them out!

And I'm Back

.. in Austin for the next four days, finishing up work at SRD, and officially making the move into my new house. My seven other roommates have all moved in, though not all are currently living there, and I am the last one to make the move! I have transferred quite a bit of stuff from both SRD and my house in Houston to my new house, but it still doesn't quite feel like a home, at least to me, because my room currently has two beds and about 5983497 boxes scattered around the room. Our room will look precious once it is all done - I will feature a little room tour on the blog in a few weeks - but for now, it feels somewhat like a guest room. That will quickly change, as Sarah and I have some cute ideas up our sleeves!

Sarah's bed (left) and my bed (right)

I made myself get up this morning around 7:15am so that I could finish packing, load up my car, get in a quick workout, and head on down the road back to Austin. I went to bed last night with intentions of going to my favorite 9am spin class taught by Felipe. I get excited every time I am in town on a Wednesday morning because his spin class is by far the toughest exercise class I have ever taken, and though I silently curse Felipe during the class, I walk away (with much shakier legs) glad he caused me to push myself harder than I would have on my own. However, his class is always very crowded and you have to get there pretty early in order to get a spot in the class, and I just wasn't feeling it this morning. Though I am sure I would have been glad I went, I opted for a nice 40-minute swim instead. I hadn't been swimming since last Friday, so it felt great to get in a low-impact total-body workout.

I also put myself through a pretty intense cardio-session yesterday, so a grueling spin session was not really what I had in mind. I almost skipped my workout altogether, but since I am going to be sitting for almost 10 hours today, I knew I would have regretted it, so I dragged myself to the gym and ended up swimming for longer than I originally anticipated. It's true, you never regret a workout.

I took the idea from PBFingers, but added my own special flare!

After a pleasant drive to Austin, I stopped by SRD for a delicious shrimp and broccoli lunch before popping on over to my house (which is looking so cute, by the way) to drop some things off. I can't wait to be officially living there with all of my roomies, they are the best. Case in point: I walked into the study room and saw my desk already set up and ready to be used. I am so thankful for them!

I'm going to miss this!

Now I am holding down the SRD front office until 10pm before spending my first night in my new house! Can't wait!

Makin' Progress

It's the last Monday of summer school, folks. I am definitely feeling that end-of-term fatigue, and though I have thoroughly enjoyed my English class this summer session, I will not be sad to say good-bye to school (for two weeks, anyway) and spend some quality time with my friends and family back in Houston. It has been an adjustment being away from home all summer, but I guess you have to grow up sometime, right?

Anyway, this Monday morning started off on the right note with a great (and pretty quick) workout. This week began Phase Two of Tina's Best Body Bootcamp, and it was a good one. It was a circuit style workout, with five minutes of cardio followed by a superset with weights. I loved that because it prevented me from getting bored in either area. One workout with which I was not familiar was the front squat, which looked like this:

(Source)

My legs are already feeling sore, so I can only imagine what they are going to feel like tomorrow! I rounded off my workout with 20-minutes on the elliptical while reading my new book, Sister, by Rosamund Lupton. I've heard it is hard to put down once you really get into it, so I can't wait to continue reading!

After breakfast, a shower, and a visit from one of my froomies, I headed out to return a movie at Vulcan Video, and in typical Kelli fashion, I made a few pit-stops along the way. SRD is very close to a Buffalo Exchange, which is fun to go into every once in a while because you never know what gems you are going to find. It is very hit or miss, but today was definitely a hit. I had no real reason for going in here other than to see if they had any fun costume-y clothes I could use for Young Life clubs this upcoming semester. There were so many great finds, but in the end, I settled on these two vests, because who doesn't need a denim (so 90's) or a leopard-print vest? Two items of clothing that everyone should have in his or her closet!

After my success at Buffalo Exchange, I got in my car and drove on over to Francesca's, again with no real reason behind it other than the fact that I love that store and after seeing way too many cute things on their website, feeling as though I had to check it out. I ended up finding a pair of mint-colored pants (for which I have been on the hunt FOREVER), but this particular store did not have them in my size. The Westlake Francesca's did, though, so I decided to make that little trek since I still had plenty of time before I had to be back on campus for class. They ended up not working out (such a bummer), but I did end up buying a cute tank top, so it wasn't a total waste of effort!

I was pretty hungry by this point so I set off in search of a Smoothie King to appease my stomach until I got back to SRD, but I ended up never finding it and settling on some fro-yo from Froyoyo. Fro-yo is never a bad idea, at least to this blogger it isn't. I had a combination of chocolate and cookies and cream with strawberries and blueberries on top. The yogurt tasted awesome, but the topping options were a little dismal. It still hit the spot, though, and held me over until I got back to SRD.

I also found this while I was out running errands - is that a sign that I should live in the Westlake area?

After class I headed to my car again, this time on a mission. I start moving things into my house on Wednesday (although I am not officially moving in until a few weeks later), and after ordering a desk from Walmart the other day, I wanted to find a pink desk chair that would make my new study area complete. I remembered seeing one at Staples, and lucky for me, it was still there and on sale! Score! I am slowly but surely making progress on the house front, buying a dresser for Sarah's and my room just last week, and looking at several different bookcase options. I can't wait to see it all come together!

Desley Mesh Task Chair (Source)

Our dresser - the result of some antique shopping!

After a delicious dinner, I am now manning the desk for the next three and a half hours, at a loss of what to do after I finish this post because I have finished all of my homework for the rest of the week until my final exam is released. What has gotten into me? Let's hope I can keep this up into the fall semester!

Enjoy your Monday evening, and watch the Olympics for me!