Encouragement

If you want to show me some love, an encouraging note is the best way to do it. I mention this because I was recently asked to complete an interview about my time spent abroad for a website called Go Overseas, a website that helps future travelers make educated decisions when choosing between study abroad programs. You can check out my interview here. 

Wooly Mammoth in Barcelona - fun fact: they do NOT still exist! 

Cathedral in Madrid

Anyway, as many of you know, I am very passionate about my time spent abroad, and I was bitten by the travel bug, forcing me to extend my list of places I want to visit. So when Megan Lee, the Study Abroad Director for Go Overseas emailed me saying she loved the way I write and recommending that I apply for their Writing Corps Program, I was all smiles. Writing and travel are two of the things that bring me the most joy, so for someone to complement me on my travel writing abilities means a lot. I am definitely going to apply for the program, and we will see where that leads me. For now, it is an opportunity for me to revisit one of the most special experiences in my life, and I will never turn down that opportunity!

Paris

Outside the Louvre

The Eiffel Tower all lit up

My cousin Alexia and I before exploring the Louvre

Workout

After letting myself sleep in a bit and lounge on the sofa, I looked out the window and saw a beautiful sky looking back at me. I knew I couldn't spend a day like this inside a gym, so I headed up to my alma mater to complete a 35-minute track workout I found on Pinterest.

My first lap followed this workout exactly, but the remaining laps were a bit different. Actually, everything remained the same except the skipping. I also alternated each lap with forward and backward lunges. In place of the skipping, I did broad jumps, side lunges, walking squats, and high knees. Broad jumps have always been pretty tough for me, and I only did about 15 before jogging the remaining distance. I really loved this workout, and the weather was perfect, despite the headwind I had for the sprinting portion. It was tough, but I was constantly changing my movements, so it prevented me from getting bored.

After a short rest period, I made my way over to the bleachers for bleacher runs. I completed three sets of 12 bleacher runs, and while it is not quite my Mt. Bonnell workout, it still did the job. In between each set of bleacher runs, I completed 20 one-leg tricep dips (ten on each leg). All in all, it was an excellent workout, though I have a feeling my hamstrings are going to be S-O-R-E tomorrow.

After my workout, I headed out to Bellaire to cross an item off of my Spring Break To-Do List: Island Grill Restaurant. It was the perfect day to try a new smoothie, and this one did not disappoint. I ordered the Strawberry Wave, which is a blend of strawberry, banana, and apple juice. I realized that I order this smoothie blend quite often, but it is always so good that I have a hard time straying from what I know I like. It looked like a fun little restaurant, so I will definitely be returning to order actual food.

Excuse the crazy hair - I didn't shower right after my workout, sue me!

I then had myself a nice little Houston adventure, that I will be posting about once I pick up my camera cord from a friend. I hope you haven't let this beautiful day pass you by!

Crossfit + Peanut Butter + SPAIN

Happy National Peanut Butter Day! Peanut Butter is definitely high on my list of favorite things, so when my mom text messaged me saying it was National Peanut Butter Day, I knew that something that I ate today had to be topped with a bit (or a lot) of peanut butter. I ended up enjoying it two times today, once at lunch with my banana (best combination ever in case you were wondering), and once at dinner with a honeycrisp apple. I spent over $6 today at H-E-B for three honeycrisp apples, but, and my dad would agree, they are so worth it. They are by far the best types of apples!

(Source)

Are you drooling yet? (Source)

Workouts

Last night in an effort to promote team bonding, or just to have some fun, we all headed over to Anderson Mill Road to participate in a Crossfit workout. One of our team leaders is a Crossfit Instructor, so he decided to lead us in a TOUGH Crossfit workout that consisted of a 400 meter run, 40 squats, 30 chest-to-the-ground pushups, 20 burpees (the worst - we used to do those as punishment in volleyball), and 10 (modified) pull-ups. You might be like me and take one look and think, "is that it?" Yes, that's it, but it was quickly proved to me that that sequence is quite enough. What's the catch? It's all timed, so you are trying to complete the workout as quickly as you possibly can. I was doing well until the last 5 push-ups and then I lost some steam, so when I went to do my first burpee, my arms literally gave out from under me and I basically collapsed. The pullups, although modified, were pretty challenging as well, but I managed to finish the workout in 6:10. As hard as it was, I really enjoyed myself. I always love a new and challenging workout!

This morning I was feeling a little under the weather so I decided to forgo my morning workout in favor of a little bit more sleep and some reading. Once I finally found my motivation this afternoon, I headed down to the SRD fitness center and ran 2.5 miles before completing this KILLER arm workout inspired by PBFingers, but modified it a little bit. Three straight minutes of bicep curls? I definitely need to build up my arm strength!

Now for the most exciting news of the day..

I WAS OFFICIALLY ACCEPTED TO STUDY ABROAD IN BARCELONA THIS SUMMER! I am so excited about this opportunity to spend six weeks in a different country, really getting immersed in the culture, traveling over Europe, oh and maybe doing a little bit of studying too! :)

Beautiful Barcelona! (Source)

It has been a wonderful, yet rainy, day thus far, and now I am off to work the desk and get some more reading done!

Doesn't this squirrel cookie just brighten your day?