Two Songs

Happy Hump Day, Waffle Cone Wednesday, and Day Nine of the Ten Day You Challenge (I'm really dragging this one out, aren't I?). I'll start with the normal workout and breakfast before starting in on the penultimate post of the Ten Day You Challenge.

Workout

After work yesterday I made a very quick stop by my house to grab leggings and a tanktop so that I would be properly dressed for another Pure Barre class. It's hard to fathom wearing tight leggings in almost 100 degree weather, but there are some exercises that require using either a ball or a single or double tube between or around your thighs, and it is much easier to grip when wearing yoga pants than if you were to wear shorts.

(Source)

This was my third barre class, and a dancer I am not, but each class gets better and better for me. The workout is so hard for me, but I absolutely love the total-body workout, and this might be the first exercise class I've ever taken where I'm not shocked at how slow time is moving. And yesterday's thigh sequence was just a little bit easier for me (though I still had to take quick breaks, of course), so who knows, maybe I'm already getting stronger!

Breakfast

Today's breakfast is back to normal. I have to admit, that smoothie I made yesterday just wasn't my favorite. It wasn't the flavor combination, but it was the fact that I didn't include either frozen fruit nor ice that would have given it that extra oomph. It's hard to drink a smoothie that isn't truly cold, so I couldn't even finish half of it. So today's breakfast featured my usual egg whites and spinach, and I happily ate every bite.

Two Songs

This is another difficult day of the Ten Day You Challenge. How in the world am I supposed to pick two songs out of the millions I've ever heard? I decided to pick one of my all-time favorite songs,

Crazy Girl - Eli Young Band,

(Source)

and one of my recent favorite songs,

I Don't Dance - Lee Brice

(Source)

I could go on and on and on about more of my favorite songs, but for the sake of staying true to this challenge, I'll just leave you with those two for now. Have a great Wednesday!

Three Films

It seems that I have taken quite the hiatus from this Ten Day You Challenge. I am so close to being done, so I might as well finish it off strong, right? I think the reason I have been putting it off is because two out of the last three are incredibly difficult. In my opinion, at least. Three films, out of a million and one incredible movies out there? So, to make it a little bit easier on myself, I am going to split this into categories - one movie I will never get tired of watching, one movie series, and one movie I want to see.

One Movie I Will Never Get Tired of Watching

Remember the Titans

After AP tests my junior and senior year, this was a popular movie to play. I think I watched this movie no less than five times in the span of a week and a half my senior year of high school, but I never stopped watching. Not only is it an inspirational sports movie, it deals with the very real theme of racial segregation, and how the students at T.C. Williams High School overcome it. Based on actual events from 1971, the football team learns that before they can win, they have to become one, and both the players as well as the adults learn how come together by depending on and trusting one another.

(Source)

One Movie Series

Harry Potter

I am sure this one comes as no surprise to you guys, as both the Harry Potter book and movie series are some of my absolute favorites. I attended many of the midnight premieres, and Harry Potter Weekends on ABC Family are some of my favorites. Even though I own every single DVD (and a few of them on VHS), there is nothing better than an entire weekend dedicated to Harry, Ron, and Hermione. 

One Movie I Want To See

The Giver

Gone Girl

Okay, I cheated with this one. There are quite a few good movies coming out in the next couple of months, and two of them are of books that I recently read and loved. The Giver, by Lois Lowry, tells the story of a perfect world, that Jonas soon realizes is not really so perfect. Memories may be painful, but there can be no pleasure without pain, and no pain without pleasure. 

(Source)

Gone Girl, by Gillian Flynn is truly one of the more twisted novels I have read, but it was impossible for me to put it down. I was a bit frustrated with the ending of the book, but I was just informed yesterday that the movie is going to have a different ending, which made me that much more excited for the October movie release.

(Source)

There are so many other movies I wish I could have included - The Parent Trap, She's The Man, How To Lose a Guy in 10 Days, The Breakfast Club, The Wizard of Oz, The Sound of Music, Titanic, Up, Never Been Kissed, and so many more! But, I guess picking just a few is part of the challenge, right?

And to end this post, I have officially signed up for the 2014 TXU Energy Houston Turkey Trot 10K race taking place on Thanksgiving morning. This will be my fourth year to run the race, and though last year's race was absolutely freezing, I do look forward to it every year. It's the best way to start out one of my favorite holidays!

(Source)

Five Foods

And I am B A C K with another post for today! It’s time to continue on with the Ten Day You Challenge, and next up on the list is five foods.

Five Foods

As you can probably imagine with the nature of this blog, this post was also pretty difficult for me. I love good food (who doesn’t?), and I love discovering new restaurants – I think that’s what Dylan and I are at best at – so I’ve had quite a bit of good food in my 22 years of life. Because it is simply too difficult for me to pick five dishes that I have loved (that is a post for another time), I’ll just focus in on five foods that you would rarely see me say no to.

Frozen Yogurt

Obviously nothing else was going to top frozen yogurt for number one on this list – I could eat (and have eaten) frozen yogurt every single day and not get tired of it. When you have so many different flavor options, and a plethora of different toppings from which to choose, how could you get tired of it? The tart flavors are my favorite, but I will almost always add at least a little bit of chocolate to my mix!

Chocolate

Speaking of, chocolate is hands down one of my favorite foods, and it always has been. I’ve always picked chocolate over candy, and you’ll still be hard-pressed to find me turning down any chocolate that is offered to me. I don’t go a day without chocolate, and I’m not sure that will ever change!

Apples

Okay, I guess I’ll get some healthy food in here, too. Apples are easily one of my favorite foods – especially those of the Honeycrisp, Sweetango, or Granny Smith variety. I eat one almost every day, and when I was in Spain, I was averaging two or three a day. You just can’t beat something that is crispy, juicy, and delicious with many different toppings (my favorite is crunchy peanut butter).

 

(Source)

Celery + Hummus

I am on a serious celery and hummus kick right now, which is funny because I used to not care for celery much at all. I can’t seem to get enough of this combination, and I have been known to eat an entire stalk of celery in one sitting. Oops.

 

(Source)

Brussels Sprouts

This is another one that probably wouldn’t have made the list last summer. I turned my nose up at Brussels sprouts my entire life, and no one in my family much likes them, so I was never made to eat them as a child, either, and I just assumed that I didn’t like them (as is the case with many of the foods that I “don’t like”). I recently discovered that I absolutely LOVE Brussels sprouts, but I’m still on the hunt for the perfect method of cooking them. If you have any go-to Brussels sprouts recipes, please send them my way!

I’m loving this Ten Day You Challenge – but I will admit that it has been much more difficult than I originally anticipated. But in a good way that has made me think a little bit about the things that mean the most to me. See you guys for round seven - four books!

Six Places

Happy Tuesday! I hope you have enjoyed a great one. Mine started off on an excellent note when I walked out to my car feeling a cooler temperature - I almost felt chilly - and it continued on at work when I was able to give many future residents a look at their future home. I love it when excited and enthusiastic freshmen come by to look at SRD, but it also makes me nostalgic because I absolutely remember coming to look at my room when I was at UT for orientation. I love sharing stores about my time at SRD, as it is certainly a great place to be.

Anyway, I certainly could have blogged while I was at work, as I only had a couple of small projects to complete, but I chose to waste away my time on the Internet, doing who knows what. You need a day like that every once in a while, though, right? I came across a few cute articles that I will be sure to share soon!

After I got off work, I headed over to Gregory to take advantage of the sunshine and partake in a little afternoon swim. I got a surprise visit from Dylan, so in return I watched him play a little basketball before coming back to my house to cook a delicious dinner of chicken sausage, zucchini squash, and brussels sprouts. I was pretty bummed last week when I took out my brussels sprouts and found a little bit of mold on them, so I made sure to cook these in a more timely manner this week.

With a full stomach I headed over to Half Price Books to find a copy of The Hunger Games so that I can get a jump start on my summer reading. While there, I also picked up a few other books so that I can slowly but surely build up a classroom collection of some of the Classics. However, I will also be sure to have copies of the more popular Young Adult novels - hey, I like reading them, too! 

Half Price Books is truly a bargain - books that have been well-read and love, all at a low price. I just don't know how you can beat that!

Six Places

Like the Seven Wants, day five of the Ten Day You Challenge is pretty open-ended. There are so many places that I have visited and absolutely loved, but the direction I am going to take is talking about six places I would most like to go. I am going to preface this list by saying there are probably about six hundred places I would like to visit, but I'll limit this list to the number it asks for.

Seattle, Washington

One of my favorite uncles recently moved from Houston to Seattle, and I am dying to go and visit him. I have heard nothing but great things about the city, and though I am not a coffee drinker, I would love to visit the original Starbucks.

(Source)

Interlaken, Switzerland

When Sarah and I were in Europe, one of the places we really wanted to visit, but just couldn't fit into our schedule, was Switzerland. Specifically, Interlaken. I think it's the thrill-seeker in me, but I am just dying to go canyon jumping, and Interlaken is one of the two places in the world where that can happen. 

(Source)

Machu Picchu, Peru

I recently had a few YoungLife friends travel to Peru, and after seeing Instagram post after Instagram post, I decided that it is a must-do on my travel list. Hiking the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu would be the ultimate accomplishment, because it combines exercise with absolutely stunning views. I love vacations, but I think I prefer to be active and exploring new places.

(Source)

Santorini, Greece

After seeing Sisterhood of The Traveling Pants, I don't see how anyone couldn't want to travel to Santorini. With views like this, you must feel as though you are waking up on a postcard, and I hear this volcanic island is known for its sunsets, which you guys know are one of my very favorite things!

(Source)

Cliffs of Moher, Ireland

I have a little bit of Irish in me, so naturally Ireland is at the top of my to-travel list. One of my roommates studied abroad a couple of semesters ago and posted a breathtaking picture from the Cliffs of Moher, and I just have to get there (and the rest of Ireland - Dublin is a literary dream).

(Source)

Cinque Terre, Italy

While there are many cities I want to visit in Italy, I think Cinque Terre tops that list. The rest of the country is full of museums, Cinque Terre offers a break from the norm and allows you the opportunity to stretch your legs and take in the beauty of this happy and colorful town.

(Source)

And one of the perks of becoming a teacher is the fact that I will still have Christmas, spring, and summer break, so it's no question that some of my salary will be set aside for traveling!

*Disclaimer: I originally typed this post up last night, and never actually posted it! Whoops!

Eight Fears

After a chaotic day that began at 5:45am, and didn't end until close to 11pm, I am more than ready for a low-key day today. Luckily, all that I've had to do at work is scan a bunch of old pictures onto the computer for SRD's new website, so I've been able to do that while still taking some time to just aimlessly surf the web (and blog, of course).

As for yesterday, phew, what a day! I left Austin around 12:30pm, and I was making great time to Houston on a beautiful day. 

I was just about 45 minutes from home when I noticed that my air conditioning wasn't doing its job as efficiently as it was just a minute ago. I also started smelling a smell that I didn't think was normal for a car, so I will admit that I panicked a bit when I called my mom to tell her about my air conditioning. She told me to stop by the house so that we could switch cars - I could take her car up to Bellaire for my meeting, and she would take my car to the shop to get checked out. I knew I was making good time, so I decided to stop at a recent favorite restaurant - Salata - to pick up a quick late lunch.

I scarfed it down during my ten minutes spent at home, before getting in my mom's car to head to Bellaire for a 4:15pm meeting. As per usual, I was early for the meeting, but it allowed me some time to get gas, and to just stop and catch my breath. You guys know how I feel about tardiness, so it's much better that I was on the early side. I found the room right away, and talked with some of the teachers who were in my interview with me. 

The main goal of this meeting was just to get to know one another and briefly talk about the upcoming year before summer really gets going. I was jealous to hear about all of the fun and exciting trips many of my team members will be embarking upon, but, it's hard to complain about a summer in Austin! Anyway, we started out with introductions and icebreakers, and I quickly realized just how little experience I have compared to everyone else on my team. It overwhelmed me a little bit to think about how much there is for me to learn, but, my mom was quick to remind me that everyone has to start somewhere, and nothing good ever comes without a little bit (or a lot) of hard work. And, I know that my teammates will do whatever they can to help me. In fact, they are one of the reasons I wanted to be at Bellaire so badly. I really felt like I connected with the teachers in my interview, and because Bellaire is very big on team planning and collaboration, I knew that would have to be a deciding factor. So, though I do not yet know exactly what I will be teaching (Academic, College Prep, Reading, or Pre-AP), I know that my team will be available to help with whatever questions may pop up.

The next thing we discussed (and the part for which I was most excited) was the reading list. Though I did not always love (okay, nor did I always read) every book that was assigned to me, I always loved the thought of a new year and a new set of books to read. So, I was excited to learn what novels and short stories I would likely be teaching this year. Summer reading will be Suzanne Collins' The Hunger Games, which is easily one of my favorite trilogies, and some of the other pieces that are pretty much set in stone are The Odyssey, The Pearl, and Romeo and Juliet. With the exception of The Pearl, which I read in middle school, the other two were pieces that I read my freshman year of high school.

The other pieces will be decided upon soon, and I was probably a little bit too excited to take home my very own Teacher's Edition of the Literature textbook.

It was great to officially meet my new team, and I am excited to start thinking and planning for the upcoming year. I am definitely a planner, so it feels great to already have a meeting under my belt. At the very least, I can start reading some of the required texts, and think about how to make them come alive for my future students.

After my meeting, I made a quick trip home to touch base with my parents about my car, which wouldn't be ready until today, so I took my mom's car back to Austin with me last night. My sweet brother is going to meet me halfway between Houston and Austin to exchange cars with me - my family really is the best!

Eight Fears

And now for the third day of the Ten Day You Challenge. It’s ironic that some of my roommates and I were talking about our greatest fears the other night. When asked about my greatest fear, it didn’t take me much time to reply. So, without further ado, here are my eight fears.

Drowning

This one seems a bit ironic, given my love for swimming, but drowning, or more so the possibility of running out of oxygen underwater, is something that has always frightened me. When my parents were looking for houses, my dad said he couldn’t buy a house with a pool because he once woke up from a dream (nightmare?) that I was at the bottom of a pool and he couldn’t get to me. Valid fear, and I will probably be the same way.

Fires

These first two are very generic fears, but I think I have seen one too many Lifetime movies in which someone is simply watching a fire engulf a family member, and because I cannot even imagine what that must feel like, it goes high on my list of fears.

Something happening to a family member

Continuing on with the above fear, something happening to one of my family members is not something I constantly worry about, but it is definitely something that scares me. If I ever can’t get in contact with someone in my immediate family (which is a very rare occurrence), my brain goes into overdrive, immediately coming up with every possible horrible thing that could have happened to them. They just mean so much to me, and I would be so lost without them!

Escalators

Irrational, I know. But I’m still scared that the step will fall through, and that will be the end of me. At the very least, a shoelace could easily get stuck in between one of the steps. Yikes!

Not enjoying the moment I’m in

I’ve talked about this a bit on the blog recently, and it has also come up in conversation, especially with Dylan, because I have this habit of looking into the future instead of enjoying what is right in front of me that very day. I have a lot to look forward to this upcoming fall, but I also want to enjoy these last couple of months with my friends and roommates here in Austin, and not think about how hard it will be to leave and start this new chapter.

Cockroaches

I’m sorry, but I just don’t really understand why cockroaches were put on this Earth. They are disgusting creatures, and I will forever make someone else kill them for me.

Letting opportunities go to waste

One of my biggest fears is the failure to live up to my full potential, and not take advantages of all of the opportunities presented to me. But, at the same time, I don’t want to overload my plate, because I am really bad at saying no to things, because I worry too much about letting other people down. I have recently learned that I can’t please everyone, and that I have to do what is right for me.

One opportunity I'm glad I didn't pass up!

Cramped spaces

I have recently realized that being in a small space with a bunch of other people really stresses me out. I hate not having enough space to feel comfortable, so being stuck in a small space with too many other people sounds like a true nightmare.

Disclaimer: This post was a bit of a downer, and I promise I don’t worry about these things constantly, but as part of the Ten Day You Challenge, I had to share them, of course!

And with that, I'm about to finish up at SRD for the day and head to Gregory for an afternoon swim! See y'all tomorrow with some more Things I'm Loving!

National Running Day

It's funny to me that on every National Running Day, I always seem to find myself sitting in a car for more hours than I would like to admit. The summer after my freshman year of college, I was driving home from Missouri on National Running Day, so obviously no running happened for me that day. I'm not entirely sure where I was the next two years, but today I will be making yet another one day trip to Houston and back. Though that is quite the daunting task, especially when I will be driving for significantly longer than the reason for the quick trip, I am so excited for my first official English I team meeting taking place this afternoon. I received an email on Saturday afternoon from the English I team lead, so that's when I officially learned what grade I would be teaching. Since I will also be coaching freshman volleyball, I was really excited to learn that I will be able to fully dedicate myself in the 2014-2015 Bellaire High School freshmen.

My freshman volleyball team - crazy to think that I'll be the coach this round!

I can't wait to meet the other members of the English I team, and to find out what I will officially be teaching, along with the reading list and curriculum, as skeletal as that might be. I will surely come back with a full report, so for those of you who are interested, be sure to hold tight for my next post!

Workout

Anyway, I was determined to not let this day pass without at least some sort of run, so I woke up just before 6am and made the quick drive over to Mt. Bonnell for a little stair workout. 104 steps x 10 sets = quite a lot of steps, but it felt great to start my day with a workout, especially one that afforded me such a stunning view. Seriously, I think Mt. Bonnell might be one of my top five places ever. I couldn't tell you exactly why, but I just feel so much peace up there.

After 10 rounds up the steps, which took just under 20 minutes, I found a ledge and completed a very mini bootcamp workout that resembled a lot of what I would have done during volleyball practice.

I was sweating like crazy by the end of it, which is surely the sign of a great workout!

Once my workout was complete, I returned home for a quick shower, and then made my way over to SRD, where I will work until about 12:30pm before making my way to Houston. Phew! I have a feeling I will sleep very well tonight.

Breakfast

Same ol', same ol' - Scrambled egg whites and spinach topped with salsa,

with a chopped mango on the side. Healthy and refreshing - what could be better?

Nine Loves

It's time for day two of the Ten Day You Challenge - nine loves. This one was hard for me, because there is so much that I truly do love, but I tried to narrow it down for y'all. And, aside from Jesus, whose death on the cross is the truest display of love, here are nine of my most favorite things, people, and activities.

Family
My family means the world to me, and I am so thankful for their constant support and encouragement, no matter what crazy idea pops into my head. I am always welcomed back home with open arms, and they have given me so much in terms of laughter, advice, wisdom, and yes, material things too (Spoiled Rotten Daughter, right?). They believe in me always, and I am so very grateful for their love that I know will never be broken.

Friends
I am very lucky that I have some of the very best friends - both from high school and college. I love going home and picking up where I left off with my Houston friends, and I have loved living these past four years with my Austin friends, and though I know these long-distance friendships will be tough, I am confident that our friendships will outlast the distance between us.

Dylan

I asked him if he would be embarrassed of me including him on this list, but I got the go-ahead, so, here I am. It's crazy to me that this time last year was the very beginning of our relationship, and I am so incredibly thankful for the way he cares for, leads, and loves me. He is one of my favorite people on this planet, and though two and a half hours isn't technically "long distance," I sure will miss living ten blocks away from him next year!

Books
Lately I haven't been in much of a reading mood - I think because I still feel like I am running one hundred miles an hour in about ten different directions and I don't feel like I have time to sit down and read - but when I do get in a reading mood, all I want to do is sit and read my book. I take my Kindle everywhere, just in case I have a few extra minutes, and I could spend hours in Barnes & Noble reading the backs of books. Some of my very favorites include -

• The Catcher in the Rye
• Redeeming Love
• The Harry Potter Series
• Life of Pi
• Pride and Prejudice
• East of Eden

Exercise

If you haven't figured it out by now, exercise is truly one of my favorite things to do. My day just doesn't feel complete without some sort of physical activity - even if it's just a short little power walk through my neighborhood. It instantly turns around any day, and it gives me energy I didn't know I had. 

Sunrises and Sunsets

I think sunrises and sunsets are my love language. They happen every day, but every time I see one, I just have to pause to admire it. I read a quote the other day that said, "If God made the sunrise once, we'd celebrate it as the greatest thing we've ever witnessed. But he does it daily, so we take it for granted." And I think I would have to disagree. I take way too many things for granted, but the sunrise/sunset is not one of them.

Travel
If you look at my "take me there" board on Pinterest, there are so many beautiful places that I hope to visit - both in the country and out of it - one day (perks of being a teacher, right?), and I hope to make it to as many of them as possible. I was bitten by the travel bug after studying abroad in Europe for almost two months the summer after my sophomore year, and I already know that part of my paycheck will be put towards crossing things off of my travel bucket list.

Frozen Yogurt (and dessert in general)
It's no secret that I love frozen yogurt, and though many consider it to be "healthy," I'm going to go ahead and say that it's just healthy-er than some other dessert choices. On occasion, Dylan and I will be out to dinner and we will order dessert. I will start out by eating a forced bite, but then I will continue eating all on my own accord. His surprised, "Wow, you must be hungry if you're eating dessert," comment really isn't necessary - I love love love dessert, and I have a major sweet tooth, but I try and be good and not go too crazy, because I could eat it after every meal. But, I'm very glad that Dylan doesn't ever let me (fully) skip out on dessert!

Good Food

I consider myself to be a foodie in every sense of the word (well, I don't always try everything), but there is nothing that I enjoy more than a good meal - extra points if it photographs well. Whether it's something that I or someone else whipped up, or a meal from a 5-star restaurant, I will always take the time to appreciate what is going into my body.

Next up on the list is eight fears, so be on the lookout for that one coming soon! I hope you all enjoy this National Running Day, and that you can squeeze in a run, or any workout of your choice. It's also only fitting that I entered the lottery for the Aramco Houston Half Marathon today - fingers crossed!