Change of Plans

Hump Day! How it's already Wednesday is beyond me, but I'll roll with it. I spent much of today sitting down with my pull-out map of New York City and mapping out all of the sights, places, and restaurants I have on my New York City To-Do List. Okay, I spent about 30 minutes on it before heading to the pool to tan. But I'm really not familiar with the city at all, and while I am not going to plan out every minute, rather, I am going to see where the city takes me, I want to have some of my bearings about me. It's all about maximizing the time I've got. Besides, I'm well aware that I will be a tourist, but I don't want to scream tourist. I can be a New Yorker. Though the non-New York accent might give me away.

Breakfast

This week, we're back to the old tried and true breakfast of scrambled egg whites and spinach. A grocery store trip has been on my list for a couple of days now, but I just don't have it in me to sit down, make a list, and then execute said list. I've gone with some old favorites this week instead of being adventurous and trying something new. Next week is my week. I promise.

Workout

I was beginning to think we were never going to have a full day of sun around here, but when I woke up and checked the weather on my phone, I was pumped to see sunshine nearly ALL DAY LONG! I knew a long swim would be in the books for today, and then I plopped myself down on a lawn chair and pulled out my most recent read - Jon Krakauer's Missoula. It's quite an intense read, and really unlike anything I've read before, but I saw it on display at Barnes & Noble when buying a Father's Day present for my dad, and since my Kindle officially tapped out on me while I was in Cozumel, I plucked this one off the shelves. Krakeuer's Into the Wild is on my summer reading list, but if I don't get to that one, I figure another book by the same author fits the bill just fine. My list, my rules.

Lunch

After slicing through the pool, and then sweating my way through my book, I was more than ready for lunch. Not wanting to whip up anything too complicated, because I was pretty hungry right then, I settled on an old favorite - my dairy-free vegetable-filled pizza. I've actually shared this recipe on the blog before, what feels like many moons ago, but I'll be sure and share an updated recipe for those who might want to recreate this deliciousness. Full of veggies, and I would have added dairy-free cheese had I been in possession of it, this pizza is really whatever you want it to be. It absolutely hit the spot, and I have a feeling this will be making a regular appearance in my diet this summer. It makes for a most perfect lunch, and though I haven't yet been, I think I give the custom pizzas at Mod Pizza a run for their money.

Chevron Houston Marathon

Remember this post from a couple of months ago? That announced I was planning to run my very first marathon in 2016? Well, I am still planning on running a marathon in 2016, but I'm moving my run date up about six weeks. Instead of running the Aramco Houston Half Marathon for the second year in a row, I am going to be running in the Chevron Houston Marathon. That's right - 26.2 miles through my beloved city. This was actually the dream all along, but I worried that between the start of school and volleyball season, I wouldn't have time to adequately train. Because if I'm going to run a marathon, I'm going to do it right. Or at least to the best of my ability. And that means not stepping up to the starting line feeling as though I could have prepared better.

When I first announced my decision to run a marathon, I received more than a few comments encouraging me to either get a running buddy or to join a running group. I went with the latter, because while I love running for the alone time I get, I know that I'm going to need the camaraderie and motivation that comes from running with a group. You are a special person if you can get out there and run 20+ miles all on your own. Because nine miles is about all you will be able to squeeze out of me. And that's why I am now an official member of Houston Fit. Their winter season begins on July 11th, and it lasts 26 weeks until, you guessed it, the Chevron Houston Marathon. I was going to join a running group regardless of the race I ran, but because this one culminates with the Houston race, I figure, what the heck. This race is preferable for a number of reasons - the time of year being my number one concern. The Woodlands Marathon takes place in March, which is a risky time in Texas. Really, any time of year in Texas is risky, but at least there's a greater chance of having cooler weather in January. I may be absolutely freezing at the start of a race, but it takes me all of .25 seconds to start sweating once I've started running. So a January run is right up my alley.

After running - and loving - the Aramco Houston Half, I could not be more excited to be doubling that distance as a participant in the Chevron Houston Full. Am I nervous? Of course! Whenever I cross the finish line of a half marathon, I am always thankful that I don't have to run yet another 13 miles. Well, it looks like I'm going to be one of those crazy people this time, because 26.2 miles seem to be calling my name. And what better place to do it than the city in which I grew up? I've grown up knowing and watching and dreaming of this marathon, so to finally be one of those runners is a dream come true. Remind me of these happy feelings when I hit a wall at mile 20.

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And though I can't officially change my entry until August 1st, I'm counting on the fact that I'll be able to easily make the switch. I spoke with a marathon representative just yesterday, and he assured me that it's as simple as filling out a form, and paying a fee, of course. And once I get going with Houston Fit, I'll be sure to give you guys a full recap. I've only ever heard good things, and I'm not surprised. A whole group of people who love running? Yeah, I can get in on that.

Swimming Circuit Workout

Surprise! I'm back, but only briefly. I talk a lot about swimming on the blog, but I rarely share what it is that I do in the pool. I am sure it comes as no surprise that I am more of an endurance swimmer than I am a sprint swimmer. Seeing as I prefer to run longer distances of seven and eight miles than run sprints for 20 minutes. I think it's the years of volleyball that did that one to me. But I digress. Everytime I get in the pool, I am swimming at least a mile, usually a mile-and-a-half.

I swam this afternoon, waiting about 45 minutes so that I could have my own lane, and my workout today looked like a circuit, in that I completed three rounds of the following workout -

To expand a little bit on this, my first 12 laps consisted of one lap of breaststroke, followed by one lap of freestyle, followed by one lap of backstroke, and then repeating that cycle four times. Four consecutive laps of breastroke followed that, as did four consecutive laps of freestyle, and then I picked up a kickboard for my kickboard series. I swam one lap strictly using my legs, then ditched the kickboard for one lap each of freestyle and breaststroke. I picked the kickboard back up for 50 yards, and then repeated my freestyle and breaststroke regimen before finishing that mini-round of eight laps with the kickboard. To finish out the circuit I did four laps of freestyle only using my arms, and then I started the circuit all over again, twice, for a total of 96 laps. A solid Sunday swim if I do say so myself.

After my swim it was definitely time for some food. I seem to have established a weekend tradition of heading to Salata for a late lunch, and today was no exception. I enjoyed a spring mix and spinach salad topped with herb marinated grilled chicken, while reading another chapter of Mindy Kaling's Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? My uncle sent me this book for my birthday, and I am loving it so far. Mindy Kaling is hilarious, and her book follows suit. Her voice really comes through in her writing style, and I think the fact that I just spent a significant amount of classroom time explaining voice to my students makes me appreciate it all the more.

And how about those Rockets? Wow, talk about a game. Lebron James vs. James Harden has got to be the NBA's best match-up. The game did not disappoint, and I so wish I had been there. I almost felt sorry for Lebron when he missed those two free throws, but I love that Clutch City got the W.

New Kicks

Happy Saturday! While we were supposed to have a very rainy Saturday, we've hardly had any rain at all. And while I was looking forward to the rain, as a means of being productive, I'm glad the sky held itself together. Because yesterday after school I treated myself to a pair of new running shoes - Asics GT-2000 3, to be exact - from Luke's Locker, and I am obsessed. In love. Infatuated. Call it what you want, but they feel like pillows on my feet. And they're pretty cute to boot.

I believe I mentioned in last Sunday's post that after the Austin Half Marathon, I was going to invest in a new pair of running shoes. You are supposed to replace your running shoes every 300-500 miles, and I think it's safe to say that I've put my fair share of miles on my pink Brooks. My body was certainly telling me that, and after putting on my new pair of Asics, I knew it was true. I felt a difference right away. And as I've also mentioned before, I pronate when I run, meaning I need a little extra support so that my knees won't start giving me trouble. And though that means buying a more expensive shoe, I would much rather pay a little bit more for shoes, than have to pay for knee surgery, or worse, stop running altogether. And ever since I have started purchasing shoes with that extra support, I have experienced very, very little knee pain. And I'm hoping this new pair of shoes will help with my left shin pain. Because weirdly enough, it's only my left shin that has been giving me trouble. Hopefully the new shoes, paired with some diligent calf stretching, will do the trick.

To break in my new shoes, I decided to take them out for a seven mile run around the neighborhood. They have to get acclimated with one another, after all. I know many parts of the country are experiencing some crazy cold weather right now, but not this part. It was about 72 degrees with 80% humidity when I went out for my run. I thought it was going to be a tough run, but it was actually very pleasant. I set out to run only six miles, but it felt so good that I just kept on going. A little slower than usual, but I'll chalk that one up to the humidity. Nonetheless, a great Saturday afternoon run.

I was nice and sweaty after that run, so I came home to shower and freshen up. One of my fellow English teachers has the same off-period as me, and he has a teacher float into his room. And I obviously do not have a classroom, so we both find ourselves in the English lounge at the same time. He is absolutely hilarious to talk to, and he is also a big-time runner. Just the other day we discussed how when we run, we sweat. Some people maybe have a bead of sweat running down the side of their face, but that is not the case for me. So, a shower was very necessary.

After my shower, I headed up the road to Salata for a healthy post-run salad. I sat in there and read Scary Close by Donald Miller while I was eating my salad, and though I am only about one-tenth of the way through the book, I love it already. It focuses a lot on meaningful relationships, and the freedom that comes from loving other people. I'm hoping to get a few more things done so that I can curl up for the rest of the evening with my Kindle.

After making a few stops at CityCentre, I headed back home to continue working. I have been surprisingly productive today, but I still have quite a lot of ground to cover, mainly in the grading area. Honestly, I'm not even touching the short answer responses they wrote yesterday in class, because they are an absolute train wreck. The question asked of them was extremely complex, and I'm not sure that they really gained anything by writing them. I want to take time to go over (for the upteenth time) how to correctly answer a short answer response question. It would take me far more time than it's worth to truly grade and make comments on them. I do still have a stack of expository essays staring back at me, and I would like to get to those before the weekend is over.

I hope your Saturday has been a good one! Anyone gearing up for The Oscars tomorrow night? I will watch them, of course, but because I'm absolutely awful about going to see movies, I'll probably be watching it more for the dresses. And to see if Bellaire grad Richard Linklater can bring home another award for his film, Boyhood. See you guys tomorrow!

ABB 5K

I truly hope that your Saturday has been as beautiful as it has been here in Houston. I mean seriously, days like today are my kind of days. So much so that I went to Bendwood Park after I ate lunch so that I could write and draw and sit out and enjoy the sunshine. Normally I would do something outside, like bike or blade or work, but I want to save my legs for tomorrow. I will be up and on my way in less than 12 hours, and I am getting more excited by the minute. Part of that excitement came from participating in the ABB 5K this morning, but I'll get to that in a minute.

Let's backtrack to yesterday. The bell rang at 3:15pm, and I was more than ready to push some of my kiddos out the door. This was my first full week back at school, as I mentioned yesterday, and I won't lie, it was l-o-n-g. And normally, I would be flying out the door right along with them, but I had plans to meet Sarah and Natalie at Mi Luna Restaurants & Tapas Bar in Rice Village for Happy Hour. Because I saw no reason to go home and then come right back to the same general area, I simply stayed at school and got a little bit of work done. Maybe the reason this week felt so long was because my to-do list was never-ending. I would cross one thing off, and then add two more. As a result, I felt extra productive this week, but it absolutely wore me out! So, some $3 wine and tapas with two of my favorite people was just what I needed.

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We met at the restaurant just around 5:00pm, and I was immediately impressed by the atmosphere. It was dark and cozy, but not so dark that you can't see the people next to you. The waiters were all extremely attentive, and the food was wonderful. It absolutely reminded me of Barcelona. On that note, though the Happy Hour tapas menu was very appealing, I just didn't feel right ordering anything but my beloved tortilla. If you can go back in time a couple of years, Sarah and I were obsessed with tortilla, so we would be doing ourselves a disservice by not ordering it. I ordered a side of Brussels sprouts on the side, and they were cooked in such a way that I can never seem to mimic. Delish! Natalie was the smart one and ordered three different items off of the tapas Happy Hour menu, and they all looked incredible. Judging by our clean plates at the end of our meal, I'd say we would all agree with that statement. Throw in some house wine and some best friends, and you've got yourself a recipe for a great evening.

I got home around 7:45pm, and I can't say that I did much of anything productive. I was pretty wiped from the week, and I knew I was going to have to wake up early the next morning, so I lounged around before calling it a night at 10:00pm. My alarm went off bright and early this morning, instantly making me question my decision to voluntarily wake up this early simply to go run three miles, but I knew it would be worth it once I was up and moving. Once I'm up, I'm up, but sometimes it just takes me a couple of minutes. The race was scheduled to start at Discovery Green, and because I still needed to pick up my packet, I headed down there extra early. I found some parking (for only $10 - Houston, you are going to make a killing off of this race weekend), and headed over to the green. I was walking over there just as the sun was rising, and I was overwhelmed with how much love I have for the city in which I grew up.

I picked up my packet, snapped a few pictures, threw a couple footballs (and got a free t-shirt!), and finally made my way over to the starting line. Some of the fastest women in Houston were introduced, the National Anthem was sung, and then we were off. As I mentioned earlier, the weather was absolutely perfect, and I am hoping that will hold true for tomorrow's race as well. The course wasn't exactly thrilling, but it was a lot of fun to get to be a part of the first race of the Houston Marathon weekend.

Sometimes when you run alone, you have to take selfies

I finished in about 25-26 minutes (I am currently charging my Garmin, so I didn't have an exact time today), and after picking up my medal and free banana, I headed just across the street to the George R. Brown Convention Center to check out the race expo. My mom so kindly picked up my race packet for me yesterday, but I have no will power and ended up just strolling through the expo to see what it had to offer. Plus, I wanted to make full use of the $10 I paid for parking. I was glad that I went because not only did I purchase an Addaday Roller (again, it hurts so good), but I found what I will call the Skecher's Goal Wall. I absolutely loved reading through people's goals, which ranged from hardcore to inspirational to downright funny.

And of course, I couldn't resist adding my own.

My principal, along with about seven other teachers at Bellaire, is also running the half marathon. And I won't lie, one of my goals for tomorrow is to beat his time. I'll keep you posted on that one!

I also loved walking around and looking at all of the running gear. Though I didn't purchase any of it, I had to laugh when I saw this shirt. Typically it's miles 7-10 that have me questioning my sanity, but crossing the finish line elicits a feeling that is like none other.

I finally made my way home, and I was hungry. I ate some of my banana-oatmeal-almond butter "dough" long about 6:45am, along with munching on a few free samples from the expo, but I swear my stomach had transformed into a bottomless pit. And it was only three miles! I ate a couple of cuties, a handful of grapes, and whipped up some of my scrambled egg whites and spinach. Nice and warm on a cool morning.

I did a little bit of school work, took about a 45-minute nap, got all of my belongings together for tomorrow, and then headed out to Salata for one of my favorite salads in town. I told myself that I would make my own salad with what I have here at home, but it was so pretty that I couldn't just sit inside all day. So, to Salata I went. I had my usual spring mix and spinach mixture, with herb marinated grilled chicken, tomatoes, bell peppers, celery, onions, alfalfa sprouts, black and green olives, chickpeas, and a scoop of my new favorite dressing: sundried tomato. It absolutely hit the spot!

After finishing my salad, I went right down the road to Bendwood Park with my journal and my Kindle and spent some time writing, reading, and just enjoying the sunshine. I loved seeing all of the people out - playing on the playground, playing frisbee, flying kites, and playing soccer. As I have said over and over again - the perfect day.

And with just about an hour and a half until I start winding down, I'll probably park myself on the couch with a tall glass of water, Pinterest, and some basketball on in the background. And keep your fingers crossed that my IT band doesn't give me any trouble tomorrow - I've been rolling and stretching pretty religiously. And I will certainly be back with a full recap of tomorrow's race. Enjoy the rest of your evening!

Working Woman Grocery List

Well guys, it's Monday, and Mondays can sometimes be hard, going back to school or work after a too-short weekend, but I hope you found something in your day to make you smile. I managed to get a great night's sleep last night (thanks to going to sleep before 9pm), and I got to school nice and early, where I managed to check a few things off of my to-do list. I also made one of my co-workers smile with some of my Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cheesecake Brownie Bars, recipe courtesy of Baker's Royale.

I got all of the grading done that I had intended to do over the weekend, so it was mainly picking up copies, numbering my vocabulary quizzes, and making sure that I had everything ready to go for the rest of the day. 

It was as good a Monday as any, and I managed to beat the gray day with an after school run around my neighborhood. I have been running, running, running, both in an effort to train for my upcoming half marathon (six days!!!), as well as in an effort to keep up with my goal of running 2,015 (but really 1,0007.5) miles this year. I am hoping to sneak in a swim tomorrow to give my legs a little bit of a rest, but it can sometimes be difficult to snag a lane at the MAC, so we shall see!

Anyway, I wanted to pop in and share my "Working Woman" grocery list with you guys. It doesn't look a whole lot different than my "College Student" grocery list, but I don't hold that title anymore (sadly), so I was inspired to share with you guys what I take with me to eat on a typical work day. Obviously, I don't take all of these things to school with me, nor is this an exact list of what I eat each week. This is just a general list of what I might gravitate toward at the grocery store. My list may be a little skewed, as I do live with my parents, so I don't often (okay, hardly ever) make my own dinner. I included items that I would purchase if I were to cook my own dinner because after all, it wasn't too long ago when I was responsible for every meal. But I won't lie, it's kind of nice to step back into that "kid" role again.

You may notice that I do not include fish on this list. I love fish, and I typically order it whenever I eat out at restaurants. I am always a little bit hesitant to cook it up myself, just because I don't want to give myself food poisoning. There's just not time for that! Again, this is a very broad list, and there are certainly things that I did not include on this list, but I hope this is even a little bit of a help to you if you are out in the working world and don't know where to start. Woman cannot survive on Lean Cuisine meals alone.

P.S. For all of my Houston readers, how pumped are y'all for the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo concert lineup? I was THRILLED to see that Brad Paisley will be coming back this year, and I am excited about a couple of artists as well. It's almost my favorite time of year!

Student Quotes

Two days in a row. I’m on a roll. But, what else is there really to do? I’ve been sleeping in later and later each day – the real world wears you out, and setting an alarm doesn’t sound very appealing – and I need to feel like I’m doing something productive.

I did manage to finish a 400+ page book this morning (yes, that I started just two nights ago) – it was a very quick, dumb little read, but I enjoyed it nonetheless. I may have majored in English, but that doesn’t mean I don’t enjoy a good “beach read” every now and again. Anyway, football in Texas is always something I can get behind, even if the school in this book had a big rivalry against my very own Longhorns. Hook ‘em Horns, by the way! I’m hoping Charlie Strong will get to bring home a final 2014 victory, before rocking 2015 with all of these new recruits we’ve locked up.

 

(Source)

I also went for a run around my neighborhood, followed by some very pointless wandering of the Houston Galleria. I made zero purchases, but there are quite a few good sales out there. I followed up my shopping expedition with lunch at the new Whole Foods on Post Oak, where I enjoyed a delicious salad filled with lots of protein and veggies. I also stocked up on a few ingredients for a new recipe that will hopefully be making an appearance on the blog sometime tomorrow. It’s not a Kelli original, but it should be delicious (and dairy-free!) nonetheless.

And for a little end-of-the-year humor (because who doesn’t need some of that with the post-Christmas sadness?), here are the top 10 best quotes from my students in the fall semester of 2014. Many of them are face-palmers, some are sweet, some border on inappropriate, but I guarantee all of them will make you laugh, or at least smile. So, without further ado:

10. “Miss, your eyebrows are on fleek!”

Once I received this compliment, I knew I had made it.

9. “My favorite character is Katniss because she is very brave and very hot.”

I asked my reading students to tell me who their favorite character was, and why, in the book that they were reading, and this particular student had a thing for Katniss from The Hunger Games. Can’t blame him, to be honest.

8. We were reading The Odyssey, and I was talking about how money can’t buy love. One student responds with, “Yes it can! You can buy strippers, and that’s love!”

7. Thunder sounded one day, and we were experiencing quite the rain and thunderstorm. A student asked me, “Can I go home? My hair don’t like this weather.”

6. A fellow teacher walked into my room and asked a student, “Oh, your teacher isn’t here yet?” This isn’t uncommon – I am often mistaken for a student. But this time a dear student of mine replied, “I know, she’s too cute to be a teacher, isn’t she?” I won’t lie, I was flattered.

5. Because I teach both reading and English, I have some of the same students twice a day. I have one student first period, and then again fourth period. He wasn’t in first, but he sauntered into fourth. When I asked him where he was, he said, “You know I was hitting up Chick [Fil-A] for the free breakfast.”

4. Again, while reading The Odyssey, a student remarked, “See, you women just marry us for our money.”

They learn the ways of the world early.

3. Please, just Urban Dictionary what ‘THOT’ means. And as a student advised me, “DON’T say that in reference to your mother!”

2. When I asked a student where she had been the day before she replied, “Oh, I was getting my hair done!”

Thanks for the honesty.

1. And finally, while taking an exam over The Odyssey, a student asked me this, “Miss, is Odysseus a boy or a girl?”

And I thought I was doing an okay job.

 

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Like I said, my students constantly keep me on my toes, and while they frustrate me to no end sometimes, they also keep me laughing, and remind me that I truly, truly love my job.

Until tomorrow, and Hook ‘em Horns!  

Zocalo Cafe

Happy Tuesday! I don't have much to report on the fun things front, as I spent much of yesterday working and packing up my room. How I have so much stuff, I will never know. And where it is all going to go in my Houston house, I really don't know. I think I'm nearly finished, though, and I'm hoping to get almost everything else packed up this evening so that tomorrow I can enjoy my last evening in Austin, but we won't go there quite yet!

And because these are my last few days in Austin, I will make these last few posts very Austin-y for you guys, and I have a new restaurant to share with y'all today. I grew very nostalgic, and I haven't even left yet, when my mom asked me to make a list of restaurants to take to her boss at work, who is going to be in Austin the first few days of August, because there are just so many incredible restaurants here. Not that we have any shortage of good restaurants in Houston, and I am so excited to go out and find them. But before I get to the new restaurant, let's talk our usual exercise and breakfast.

Workout

This morning started out bright and early with another 6am Pure Barre workout. I took this same class last week and I loved the instructor, so I knew it was going to be worth the early morning wake-up call. I was right, and I have to brag on myself for getting through almost the entire thigh portion without breaking form. Almost. My legs were shaking like crazy, but I managed to fight through it!

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Breakfast

Breakfast is the same as it always is - scrambled egg whites and spinach topped with salsa. I'm trying to finish off what all is in my refrigerator (not going to happen) before I leave, so I don't see much variety happening here. And that's fine with me, because it sure is a tasty breakfast option.

Zocalo Cafe

I might have mentioned last week that my mom came up on Thursday to help load some boxes into her car to take back to Houston with her, to lighten my load when I make the trip home this Thursday. Before we started the packing process, however, we needed a little bit of fuel. On a recommendation from Katie, we headed over to Zocalo Cafe, a Mexican restaurant that is in the same family as one of my very favorite restaurants - Galaxy Cafe.

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I immediately noticed the similarities between the two, so I had a pretty good feeling that I would really enjoy Zocalo. I wasn't wrong, and after much deliberation, because so many items on the menu sounded great, I went with the classic chicken fajita tacos, subbing a side salad for the rice and beans.

Dylan had the Chicken Burrito,

and my mom decided on the Nachos Extravagante, adding on some ground turkey.

We agreed that not only did everything taste wonderful, but it made a wonderful presentation. All of the food was very picture-worthy, which you know is important to me. Two thumbs up, for sure. We enjoyed a wonderful meal talking basketball (of course), before heading back to my house and loading up my mom's car pretty darn effectively. My mom left shortly after we finished loading her car, and Dylan, his brother, and I left a few hours later.

And though we didn't eat this on Thursday, it's been a while since I've mentioned any frozen yogurt on the blog, so I'll talk about Wednesday night's dessert - frozen yogurt from The Yogurt Spot.

We were dropping some friends off at a concert at Stubb's, so we were not only in the area, but I also had a Yogurt Spot gift card that was begging to be used. Unsurprisingly, we went over the $10 limit, but a couple extra dollars for some delicious frozen yogurt is never a bad deal.

His and her fro-yo

I went with a combination of sweet and tart - combining chocolate, cookies 'n' cream, Granny Smith apple, and raspberry - and topped it with some sliced fruit. If it has fruit, it's healthy, right?

And that's all I have for you right now, though I might be back with another post later today if I'm feeling ambitious! Have a great Tuesday!

My Texas

And I am back, with the second recap of my weekend. I should probably clarify one thing - while this is my last weekend in Austin, I don't make my final move home until next Thursday, July 24th. I am, however, going home this weekend for a final pre-move drop off and preparation. I know myself well enough to know that it will take me quite some time to unpack all of my bags, especially when I started throwing things into bags and boxes, so I am going to work really hard this weekend to unpack what I have already brought home.

Enchanted Rock

Anyway, let's pick back up where we left off. So, after one incredible breakfast (arguably the best in Austin), Dylan and I headed back to my house, changed into athletic clothes, and made the hour and 45-minute drive to Llano so that we could hike the massive pink granite dome that offers incredible views of the Texas Hill Country - Enchanted Rock. Fun fact: it is the second largest formation of its kind in North America, and it is among the oldest exposed rock in North America. Cool, huh? I have wanted to visit Enchanted Rock since probably about my freshman year of college, so though I knew it was going to be so incredibly hot, this was really my very last chance to go. At least for a while, anyway. So, we made the plans to go on Saturday, made it out there very easily, paid the $7 entrance fee, parked our car, refilled our water bottles, and slathered on the sunscreen. The sun was out in full force, and there are few things worse than being sunburned.

We easily found the trail, and decided to start with The Summit Trail so that I could get the view from the very top of the rock. It wasn't a very long hike - about .6 miles - but it was a pretty steep one. And leave it to us to try and race one another up the steepest part of the mountain (I'll let you guess who won). We stopped a couple of times so that I could take some pictures before hanging out a bit at the top.

We had a little fun on the way down, taking unmarked trails and climbing over some rather large rocks. I took one series of rocks a little too quickly, almost losing my balance, but I managed to catch myself just in time. Once we made it back down to the bottom, we decided to take the loop trail, which winds around the base of Enchanted Rock. I'm not sure we covered the entire four mile loop, but we probably covered close to four miles due to taking a wrong turn and having to double back. That didn't bother me one bit because I love a good walk, and I especially didn't mind because I had some great company. One of my favorite things about Dylan (and I will probably pay for saying this when he recites it back to me) is how we can talk about something deep and serious one minute, and then the next minute we'll be joking around about something completely silly. Twelve consecutive hours with him led for quite a bit of conversation!

We finally made it back to the park headquarters, refilled our water bottles once again, purchased a Powerade to replace those electrolytes (I am such a salty sweater), and headed about 25 minutes South to Fredericksburg. I have been to Fredericksburg once before, but it was during Christmastime, and my roommate Jamie Lynn told us that we had to walk down Main Street, and I really wanted to buy some Fredericksburg Peaches from Fredericksburg. They were harder to come by than I thought, but we managed to find them!

We had a great time walking down Main Street, even making purchases for our dads, as they're both big history and Western buffs. I know my dad will read this (he was my first follower, after all), so I'll refrain from posting a picture until I give it to him as to keep from ruining the surprise. We also went into Rustlin' Rob's Texas Gourmet Foods, which was probably my personal favorite stop. This shop contains everything from salsa to sauces to honey butter to fudge, and so much more. Dylan and I had fun taste-testing everything, and being the salsa lover that I am, I purchased a jar of peach salsa. Fredericksburg Peaches in salsa form? Yes, please!

Cooper's BBQ

We started to get a lot little hungry at this point, so we made our way back to my car and headed 45 minutes North back to Llano for some Cooper's BBQ. To explain the title of my post, you should probably go listen to the song "My Texas," by Josh Abbott. I am now able to say I've "climbed up to Enchanted rock" and "eaten Cooper's down in Llano," among other Texas things. 

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Now, I've never been to the famous Franklin's BBQ in Austin, but this was the best barbeque I have ever had. I'm not sure if the fact that my stomach was practically eating itself by the time we got there, or that it's really just that good, but my stomach was so happy after about 20 minutes of chowing down on some good meat. Between the two of us we got brisket, sausage, turkey, chicken, and pork ribs, with a large pickle on the side. There was a little bit left at the end of our meal, but definitely not much! Cooper's is unlike any other barbeque place I've ever been due to the fact that you simply line up outside and choose the meats you want off the smoker before taking it inside to weigh and pay. 

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It can be intimidating if you have never been there before, or in awhile if you're Dylan, but we managed to order our food just fine. It was fairly crowded in the main dining area, but we were pointed to an additional dining area that we had all to ourselves for the majority of our meal. As I said earlier, the food was incredible, and the turkey and brisket were the unanimous favorites. We left with full and happy stomachs, and made the return trip to Austin, getting back around 8:30pm. We hung out for a little while longer until I could no longer stand the thin layer of dirt, sunscreen, and sweat on my skin, and I kicked him out so that I could take a shower and get ready for bed. I wish I could say that I called it an early night, but I sat around wasting time on Pinterest and my blog. I fell asleep in approximately eight minutes, though, and slept very soundly until about 8:30am, when I got up to get ready for a 9:45am Pure Barre class.

It was probably my favorite barre class I've taken thus far, though the thigh portion absolutely killed me. I really liked it because though it was still extremely challenging, I felt as though I could actually do all of the moves. In the class I took on Thursday, I felt a little lost through some of the movements, which is never a feeling you want to experience. That intimidation factor is what prevents people from coming back. So, I was glad to have had a good experience at this morning's class.

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I hurried home from North Austin so that I could shower and get ready for an 11:15am church service with Dylan. This was my last Sunday at the Austin Stone Community Church, at least until I come back and visit, and I'm not kidding when I say this was easily the best sermon I've heard all summer, if not one of the best sermons I've ever heard. Derwin Grey, the founder and lead paster of Transformation Church in South Carolina, was a guest speaker at this morning's service, and though he didn't talk about anything I haven't heard before, it was his passion and the way he made the topic so relatable that really impacted me. I left feeling so thankful to call myself an adopted daughter of the King, forgiven and loved unconditionally, and it was the sweetest way to end a four-year run at such an incredible church. I plan on purchasing his book, Limitless Life, and reading that before volleyball and school prevents me from reading for pleasure.

Lunch

And after church, I was absolutely starving, and because Dylan nor I ate not one vegetable yesterday, our only criteria for lunch was that it was somewhere relatively healthy. We settled on one of our favorites - Mandola's Italian Restaurant, and I knew immediately what I was going to order - the Mista Salad (sans cheese) with grilled chicken. 

I'm pretty sure I've ordered this salad every single time I've been to this restaurant, and I have yet to get tired of it. It is one of my very favorites, probably because the chicken is so tender and complements the salad so well. We both cleaned our plates, and even shared a Pignoli cookie for dessert. One of my last goals is to find a good Pignoli cookie recipe and make a batch of them before I leave. Dylan described it well when he said it's soft, even a little bit gooey, but has nuts on top which gives it a nice crunch. I couldn't agree more, and Dylan told me that he knew I liked it when I took more than one bite of it!

And that, my friends, is what I call one great weekend. I rounded out my Sunday by watching Germany win the World Cup, catching up with Katie and hearing some of her best stories from her trip, and baking a batch of Kit Kat-stuffed chocolate chip cookies for a friend in exchange for some school supplies. My heart was so full, and my body was so tired. A most perfect last weekend.