Ten Questions

Happy Sunday! Man, do I have a lot to share with you guys. I have had the most wonderful weekend, and it's not even over yet. One of my best friends and roommates, Katie, returns to Austin tonight after five weeks of "romping" around Europe. I have talked to her a couple of times, but I am so excited to get a full play-by-play from her. She ended her trip in Barcelona, so I am especially excited to relive that trip!

Anyway, I do have quite a bit to report - I crossed a couple more items off of my list! - but I am about to run off to another Pure Barre class, and then an 11:15am church service with Dylan. Something tells me that we'll grab lunch after that, so I am just touching base with you guys before I give you the full rundown of my LAST WEEKEND in Austin.

So, here are a few fun questions to hold you over until then:

1. Favorite Condiment? Mustard. Or salsa, if that counts!
2. Favorite type of M&M? Crispy. Which don't exist in the United States anymore BUT my good friend Amira (we may or may not have gone to three separate grocery stores in one night to try and find them) just informed me that they can be ordered on Amazon. So for those of you who are missing Crispy M&M's, miss no more!

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3. Window or Aisle Seat? Window. I find it a little bit easier to sleep when I can lean my head against the window. And whenever I have the aisle seat, while it eliminates any awkward crawling over of people to get to the bathroom, I feel as though some part of my body is always sticking out and getting in the way of the flight attendants. 

Plus, you get to take pictures like this one

4. Who was your favorite Spice Girl? Sporty Spice, or Baby Spice.

Want to feel old? "Wannabe" was recorded just over 18 years ago (Source)

5. If you could rename yourself, what name would you choose? When I was younger, I used to love to pretend that I had a different name than my own. It usually became the name of the book, movie, or television show I was reading or watching at the time. Hermoine, Kim, Stephanie - just to name a few. But I really can't imagine my name being anything other Kelli.
6. Would you rather have a male or female twin? Oh, male for sure. I feel like there is a lot of competition between twin girls, and boy/girl twins are always so cute! That's the ideal child situation, in my opinion.
7. What’s your favorite book? Talk about one of the hardest questions to answer. Look here and here to see some of my all-time favorite books, but my very favorite has got to be Francine River's Redeeming Love. It is such a beautiful story, and it is officially being made into a movie!

8. What is your biggest fear? I listed eight fears here, but my biggest fear is probably not noticing the good in all that is around me, getting caught up in what I don't have, when I have so, so much for which to be thankful, and so much to appreciate.
9. What is the longest friendship you have ever had? I met Lindsey on the very first day of Pre-K, and though I haven't seen her in a while (going to college in different states will do that to you), she still remains one of my closest friends.

10. Favorite motivational quote or picture? I have so many, but here are a few of my recent favorites:

• "and now that you don't have to be perfect, you can be good" - John Steinbeck, East of Eden
• "be joyful always, pray continually, and give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus" - 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
• "may your fields always be filled with wildflowers, and your heart with love"
• "the meaning of life is to find your gift. the purpose of life is to give it away" - Pablo Picasso

I'll check back in with you guys later, promise! Because I know you're all chomping at the bit to see some more food pictures. Have a great Sunday!

Return To Sophomore Year

The excitement of finally getting your drivers license, and anticipating all of the freedom (or not) that comes along with it, the chance to host the big Sweet Sixteen dance, the much-talked about sophomore research project, the no-longer-a-freshman, but not-yet-an-uppeclassman feeling. At least, that's what sophomore year was all about at my high school. In a way, it was the most "lost" year, because, like I said, you've lost that freshman feeling of "Oh, I'm in high school and I'm so excited!", but you have not yet hit the big junior year, which is consumed with standardized test preparation and college visits. And of course, you are nowhere near being the big man on campus. 

Race For The Cure

In all honesty, my sophomore year didn't really have any "stand out" moments. I was in the usual algebra II, chemistry, world history (easily my least favorite class of my high school career), Spanish, English II, the required technology class, and of course, volleyball. Volleyball was fairly mediocre that year, in both high school and club. I will never forget the day we gave our coach her first district loss ever as either a coach or a player. So that happened.

Spirit Sisters

But I did get my drivers license on my 16th birthday, and though my mom wouldn't let me drive on the freeway by myself for months, it was so nice knowing that if I needed a new tube of Burt's Bees, I could drive myself on up to Walgreen's and get it. That's the definition of freedom right there. And speaking of 16th birthdays, sophomore year was the year Stratford girls got to choose to become a host of the annual dance called Sweet Sixteen. Basically, it's a formal dance hosted by the sophomore class, and each girl is allowed to invite one freshman girl, the junior girl who invited you, and one extra invitation (that usually goes to a senior). Each invitation is good for a girl plus her date, and the sophomores who host get to have professional photos done, get to wear beautiful long dresses, get to arrive to the hotel hours early to have a sit-down dinner, and get to leave with the satisfaction that you got to be such a big part of such a fun night. 

Volleyball

Long live the MATH journal

This dance, because it is an off-campus dance, is traditionally a little bit more fun than the on-campus dances, mainly because there is no real restriction on the music that gets played. I remember loving my Sweet Sixteen experience my sophomore year, despite the fact that I had to leave to go to San Antonio at 4:30am the next morning for a volleyball tournament.

And the whole point of this post? To tell you guys that I will be interning in a sophomore English II classroom at Westwood High School this semester. I could not be more excited, because ideally, that would be the level I would want to teach. I remember really liking the course content (despite having to read Animal Farm, and unfortunately, they still read that book), and it is really such a fun age to be around. My cooperating teacher (CT) is also a UT grad, and I cannot wait to meet her. Both my UTeach professor and my observer have told me that they think I'll just love her. And I really can't ask for much more than that. I am so excited for the opportunity to learn from her and work alongside her.

Spring Game

Fun fact: He was drafted to the Chicago White Sox in the fourth round

Football games at Tully Stadium

So, here's to my return to sophomore year. I can't wait to share this journey with you guys.

Dr. Seuss Inspiration

And I'm back. I finished reading Pride and Prejudice (maybe my new favorite book?), chatted with one of my roommates who came by to visit me, caught up with a fellow former RA, and now I am taking a quick Internet break before jumping back into Lessons in French. While reading through my Twitter feed, I came across this article posted by USA TODAY College titled "13 Dr. Seuss Quotes to Live By." I was, and still am, a huge Dr. Seuss fan, and Jasmine, the author of the article is very right in saying what we learned from Dr. Seuss weren't just childhood teachings, but lifelong lessons. Thanks to Pinterest, I am already dreaming of what I am going to do with the book "Oh, The Places You'll Go" for my future kids.

The cutest idea ever (Source)

Anyway, Dr. Suess quotes are some of my very favorite quotes, so I thought I would share a few of them with you.

• "You're off to great places. Today is your day! Your mountain is waiting, so.. get on your way."
• "You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself any direction you choose."
• "Everything stinks till it's finished."
• "It is better to know how to learn than to know."
• "Step with care and great tact. And remember that life's a great balancing act."
• "A person's a person, no matter how small."

And finally, 

• “Live with intention. Walk to the edge. Listen hard. Practice wellness. Play with abandon. Laugh. Choose with no regrets. Appreciate your friends. Continue to learn. Do what you love. Live as if this is all there is.”

And with that, I am off to find something to entertain myself at the desk for the next four hours. I hope you enjoyed this walk down memory lane!

Throwback Thursday

I absolutely love this Instagram trend. At first I just saw it as an excuse to post pictures of yourself, which it is, but some of the pictures people post of themselves when they were younger are absolutely hilarious. I participate almost every Thursday because I have come across some gems that I believe deserve to be shared with the world.

Me and Samantha - my beloved American Girl Doll 

My brother and I 

One unhappy flower girl

Skorts and tie-dye shirts were my go-to outfit

The reason for this post today is because on Monday, I saw a post from Julie of Peanut Butter Fingers titled Elementary School Memories. She got the idea from another blogger, so I decided to follow suit. Julie mentioned this article, and I too have read that article and resonated with (and laughed at) it.

I'll talk about some of my elementary school memories, and believe it or not, a few of my memories resemble hers, despite her being about seven years older than I am.

Lava Monster

I am sure you have all played some variation of this game at one point or another in your life. Basically, one person was pronounced the "monster," and the ground was the lava. Everyone else had to move around on the playground structure, avoiding both the monster and the lava. Basically, it was a more dangerous game of tag.

Stupid

I'm not sure if this is a real game, or if we made it up in elementary school. This game really was stupid, because it called for one person on each of four swings, and the rest of the players lined up on one side of the swing. The goal of the game was to run through the four people on the swings without getting hit by any of them. If you got hit, you became a person on the swing. We had more than a few injuries playing this game, but it always gave us a thrill.

(Source)

Wall Ball

This was easily my favorite way to spend recess, and I think most of my classmates would agree with me. It requires only a tennis ball and some very competitive little kids. We lost more than our fair share of tennis balls to the roof of our school, and that always added a little drama to the game.

Oregon Trail

Hands down the best computer game that was ever invented. I remember playing this during social studies stations, and I feel as though my party always died while crossing the river, or of dysentery. Nonetheless, Oregon Trail was a big part of my elementary school experience.

(Source)

I am toying with the idea of a "Throwback Thursday" post every week because I am running out of surveys for our beloved Survey Sunday, but I also have a couple of other things up my sleeve, so don't worry, I will never leave you guys hanging on a weekly post idea. And now I'm off to class until 2pm. See y'all after!

First Day of School

This morning started bright and early with my alarm going off at 6am so that I could head to the gym and start my day on the right note. I went in with the thought that I would run five miles, but after 4.1 miles I got a little sitch in my side and I decided to not run it out as I normally would and instead spend some time doing a little bit of ab work. I did a combination of push-ups and crunches, and I think my arms might hate me a little bit even though I really didn't do that many push-ups at all. Push-ups just never get any easier for this girl!

I headed home for a quick shower so that I would have enough time to get ready for my first day at Lake Travis Middle School. I mentioned a few weeks ago that I would be student teaching in an eighth grade Language Arts classroom, and we were finally cleared to enter the school this past Friday. I went for second and third period - 9:38 - 11:19am, and I was just blown away by this school. Now, I came from a rather affluent middle school myself, recognized nationally and home of the world's strictest dress code, and though I didn't love all aspects of it, it really did prepare me for high school - whatever that even means!

First day of eighth grade - round one

However, I was unprepared to see that the students shake their teachers' hand before walking into the classroom, and that they all have their own iPads. Come on, eighth grade? In my day, walking in to the class to see that we would be working with computers at all was an exciting day! Times are sure a changin'! Maybe I can use this to convince my parents to get me an iPad!

Anyway, the kids were so polite and my teacher is just great. She really has a handle on the kids while also joking around and having fun with them. They were all pretty excited to have me there, I hope, anyway, and I am already looking forward to going back next week. I think I am really going to learn what it means to be a teacher and though I am fully prepared for it to be tough at times, I am also expecting to learn a lot this semester.

First day of eighth grade - round two

The only thing I didn't like? The traffic I hit on my way to the school. Grown-up problems, am I right? Okay, I have one more thing that I didn't like. The darn humidity that just won't go away. Humidity and my hair just do not get along.

I think I mentioned a few months ago that once I had a phone that allowed me to take selfies, the selfies would become a lot more prominent. I do try and keep my promises!

The drive home was pretty easy, and I came home to finish off my crock pot chicken and vegetables and then enjoy a big ol' honeycrisp apple with a side of peanut butter. 

Nommin'

My belly was pretty darn happy as I reluctantly headed off to my Literature of Islamophobia class. The book we are reading right now is just dragging on and on, and I am about ready to move on to the next one!

Anyway, I'm off to small group - enjoy the rest of your Wednesday!

Throwback Thursday

Okay, I've given in. I rolled my eyes at the growing Instagram and Twitter trend, but I eventually gave in to how fun it is to post pictures of yourself from past years - whether that is a baby or elementary school picture, or a picture from high school.

Pre-K 

My now senior little brother

Friends since Pre-K and now she is one of my roommates 

A little high school throwback

This trend got me thinking of all of the things that I grew up with that are now considered "throwback." Remember how important it was to have the most perfect AIM info? Posting inside jokes with your friends, an inspirational quote, the inevitable initials of your crush - they were all there. And don't even get me started about choosing the perfect font. Along with that, our MySpace bios were ever so important. I specifically remember browsing the web for hours trying to find the perfect layout and song to enhance my already perfect description of myself.

I could go on for hours about the shows that existed when I was younger, and how much better they were than the stuff that is on TV now. Boy Meets World, Full House, Hey Arnold, Rocket Power? Though I will admit, I own all seven seasons of Boy Meets World, so I can take that trip down memory lane whenever I feel a bit of nostalgia for some life lessons from Mr. Feeny. And who doesn't hold their relationship standards to those of Cory and Topanga?

This man has taught me so much (Source)

Hey football head! (Source)

I would also like to take a moment and reminisce on some of the unfortunate fashions that made the rounds when I was younger. Gaucho pants, Juicy sweatsuits, Angel jeans, outfit-matching ribbons, Hollister, scrunchies, choker necklaces - what ever happened to those? I can't help but laugh when I look back at my middle school years and compare them to my eighth grade Wyldlife girls, because they are so trendy and cool, and I was so not. At least I can look back at pictures and know that I wasn't alone! It just makes me wonder when I am going to look back at what I wear now and laugh - I mean, come on, chacos? Yoga pants? Oversized t-shirts? Well, maybe I'll never outgrow those things.

Juicy and super straight hair

Check out that sugar cookie shirt - courtesy of Abercrombie Kids

If you look closely, I (#6) am wearing a choker necklace

Double-whammy: Abercrombie shirt and a jacket tied around my waist

There are so many things that I could look back on, and maybe I will make a few more Throwback Thursday posts and highlight some of my favorite 90's hits, but one thing I cannot do is end this post without mentioning the beanie baby craze. Now, I am not sure what your beanie baby experience was, but mine was a pretty involved one. I had so many beanie babies that I am almost embarrassed to admit that I am fairly certain I had over 300 of them. My mom and I went to actual beanie baby conventions and would browse at the special editions that were going for hundreds of dollars. Remember how important those tags were? I had tag protectors for them, and for some of my bears, specifically Princess Diana, special protective cases. My family will probably shun me for this, but during the mini-beanie baby month at McDonald's, we definitely contributed to the growing trend of childhood obesity because we went there pretty much every day so that we could add to our already-too-big collection. I will have to try to find a picture of them the next time I am home. How much do you think these little guys are are worth today?

Probably my most cherished beanie baby (Source)

I love taking trips down memory lane, especially now that I am in my twenties (so old), and our house has its first 21st birthday coming up this weekend. I promise my regular food and fitness posts will be making a comeback very, very soon! But for now, enjoy my take on Throwback Thursday!