Inevitable

I knew my blogging streak was too good to be true. Based on my track record from last semester, we all knew that when the going got tough (with school), the blog was neglected. This past week was a little busy for me in terms of school, as are the next three weeks until Spring Break, but I am taking a little Friday break to update my blog, catch up on pinning, and watch some Boy Meets World. It is a dreary, drizzly day, which means it is the perfect day for all three of those activities!

Does the number of alarms I had to set emphasize how tiring my week was?

Valentine's Day

How did y'all spend your day of love? I spent my Valentine's night on a hot date with Mark Twain, but that didn't stop me from participating in the spirit of the day! I wore my Valentine's themed socks (love the Peanuts gang!), my red Phillies shirt, and enjoyed the plethora of sweets that SRD provided for us. SRD really makes the effort to make the holidays special for all of us - it makes me feel like I am at home! Thumbs up for SRD!

Chocolate covered strawberries from Amy's!

Workouts

Well, the Austin half is in two days and I have officially decided that I am not participating. My back is at about 90% - it barely even hurts anymore - but I haven't run in almost two weeks and it does still hurt every now and then. I figured that probably wasn't the best combination when it came to running thirteen miles, so I decided to forgo it this time around. Oddly enough, I am not too upset about it, I think my body definitely needed a break!

Since I have been unable to run, I have been swimming quite a bit, and really enjoying the beautiful sunshine that we were blessed with this week! Texas really is the best state! Where else can you lay out in the middle of February? I have also been spending a lot of time focusing on weight training, which is a new thing for me because sometimes when I start running a lot, I neglect weight training, and it really is so important!

Nothing like soaking up some rays in February!

Now for the most exciting news..

I received two emails today regarding this coming summer and I could not be more excited! I was OFFICIALLY OFFICIALLY accepted into the IES Barcelona Language and Area Studies Program for the first half of Summer 2012. I have three weeks to confirm my pace in the program, plus quite a few forms to fill out and orientations to attend. It's hard to believe that in three short months I will be preparing to live in a different country for six weeks! iEstoy muy emocionada!

On a Hike

I become more and more convinced every single day that Austin is THE best city in the world. I mean, where else can you hike four miles with these beautiful sights around you?

This morning I woke up around 7am ready to hike. My back is still bothering me a little bit so I am taking it nice and slow on the running front. I deduced that if I can't run, why not take advantage of the many wonderful trails in Austin and put my Wilderness hiking boots from the summer before my senior year of high school to good use and explore one of Austin's best hiking trails: River Place Trail. It was about a twenty-five minute drive away from where I live in Austin, but it was well worth it. I hiked about four miles in the crisp, cool air and I thoroughly enjoyed myself. It was TOUGH though, I was huffing and puffing after climbing some of the "stairs". It was the perfect way to start my day and I am hoping to explore various trails in Austin throughout the next few weeks!

The view from the top! (or what I think was the top)

I think my mom was happy to hear that I got some more wear out of my hiking boots that I used for my Wilderness trip senior year!

The Vow Disaster

Remember how excited I was to see The Vow yesterday?

Well, I probably should have realized I was not the only one who was excited to see the very same movie on opening day. I picked up my seventh graders and we went over to Alamo Drafthouse Village where we planned to see the movie, but we were quickly informed that it was sold out. Instead of going to see it somewhere else, we got some fro-yo and walked around, enjoying the cool night. It was a really fun night nonetheless, but this girl is still a little bitter that my sixteen-year-old brother is seeing the movie before I am!

It may not have been The Vow, but the fro-yo was delicious and the company was superb!

Survey Addict

I seriously LOVE taking surveys, so when I saw this survey on one of PBFingers posts, I decided to steal it and take it as well. What better way to pass the time of a Friday evening shift? Plus, I was always a sucker for those MySpace surveys, probably annoying all of my friends by constantly posting them. I was one cool middle schooler!

• Where would you be able to spend hours and be happy? The MAC
• What’s your favorite kind of doughnut? I know everyone thinks I am crazy, but I am not a huge donut lover. It's something about the smell of them. When I was younger though, plain old glazed donut holes were definitely the winner!

My roomie and I at Gourdough's last year - a gourmet doughnut trailer here in Austin!

• Do you have any tattoos or piercings? Two holes in each ear.
• What is your favorite movie? Remember the Titans, A Walk to Remember, Up
• Who was the last person you spoke to on the phone? Mi madre
• Are you still friends with the people you knew in middle school or high school? Yes!

Mel (at Stanford) and Lindsay (Rice) - boy do I have some smart friends!

• What is the last thing you ate? Popcorn
• What did you want to be when you grew up? A lawyer (I wanted to be like Elle Woods), and a teacher
• Name three things that are close to you: My phone, my purse, and my history textbook
• What was your best subject in school? English or Math (talk about polar opposites, right?)
• What is your favorite restaurant? Hungry's
• Any hidden talents? I can wiggle my ears?
• What is your middle name? Elizabeth
• What is your favorite website? pinterest.com, pbfingers.com, twitter.com
• How old were you when you first learned how to ride a bike? Hmm.. I would have to say, 5? I know my dad always tried to motivate me to by telling me that my cousin (who is my same age) already learned how to ride a bike! Talk about a developing a competitive side early on in life!
• Chocolate or vanilla? CHOCOLATE, obviously. Vanilla just has no flavor.
• What is your favorite girl’s name? Favorite boy’s name? This is such a tough question! For girls I love the names Mollie and Riley (and so many more!) For boys, I love the names Ross and Ryan (I am sensing an "R" pattern here!)
• Favorite store? Anthropologie and J.Crew
• Would you rather be a rock star or a famous athlete? Famous Athlete - I wish I could be an Olympic gymnast or swimmer, or a professional beach volleyball player!

Mel and I at a beach volleyball tournament in Galveston

• Favorite food? I think I'd have to go with cereal, I am a total addict! That, or frozen yogurt
• What are you wearing right now? Red sweater, leggings, riding boots
• What is your favorite animal? Dog
• Did you graduate from college? Expected date of graduation: Spring 2014, let's hope I make it that long! :)
• What does your last text message say? Haha do it! We need to go together sometime! (in reference to hiking)
• Do you have any nicknames? KTom, Kel, KT

Finally Friday

It's FINALLY Friday! I feel as thought it has been quite a long week, and though this weekend holds a whole lot of studying for me, it will still be a good one. I am hoping to find a cool place to hike tomorrow morning, so hopefully this beautiful weather continues until tomorrow! Here's to an enjoyable weekend for everyone!

Jump for joy! It's the weekend!

My Friday started off just the way I like it - with a workout! I woke up a little after 7am, ate a quick yogurt breakfast and biked over to Gregory Gym to swim. The swim gods were definitely on my side this morning as I had a lane all to myself almost the entire time. When is the last time that happened? It felt good to get in a good, long workout, as my workouts have been less than stellar with my crippled back. It still bothers me a bit, but definitely not as much as it did last Saturday. I am still unable to run so right now it is looking like the Austin Half is a no-go, but I am still hoping that my back will suddenly feel 110% and my legs will be itching to run 13.1 miles next Sunday. You never know!

Lunch

Today's lunch was a winner, as usual! I enjoyed chicken scampi with a side of roasted asparagus, roasted peppers, and fresh strawberries. I am not usually an asparagus fan but I decided to give it a try again today and that was definitely a positive life choice. My meal was delicious and really hit the spot after a morning of reading and paper writing!

I will never get tired of grilled chicken!

One of my favorite fruits!

Next up on the agenda for today? Campaigners (bible study) with my seventh grade girls, work, and seeing THE VOW with some of my seventh graders! I am so excited about this movie, I am such a sucker for these cheesy romantic movies and what's not to love about a movie with Rachel McAdams and Channing Tatum as the main characters?

On the BACK Burner

Sorry for the absence fitnessandfroyo followers! It has been a busy week for me as all my classes are picking up speed. I have had two quizzes, three short response papers, and many, many pages to read. Things have picked up in the RA world as well, and blogging has been put on the back burner.

Things are certainly getting busy!

Another reason my blog has not been updated in a few days is because of some back pain that I mentioned a couple posts back. I hurt it somehow during the Color Run and it really bothered me the rest of the day. I got myself some Icy Hot, and a heating pad and literally laid in bed all day on Sunday in hopes that it would feel better. It felt MUCH better on Sunday but was back to really hurting on Monday. I have been taking my workouts VERY lightly, as in, no running (it's only been FIVE days since my last run and I am going crazy!), in hopes that light activity will make it feel better but not wanting to injure it even further. It feels much, much better today but I am still taking it slooow with the running. I am nervous because as you know, I am signed up for the Austin Half in a little over a week, but at this point I am still unsure of whether or not I will be able to run it to the best of my ability. Either way, it's a donation to a great cause! I just don't want to risk hurting myself even further and being out of running for even longer! It's scary stuff being injured!

Although I really enjoyed the color run, my back didn't feel the same way!

Here's to hoping my workouts (and back) improve over the course of the next few days, and that my blog posts become more regular again!

Happy Thursday, we have almost crossed another week off of our list!

Two Decades

Two Decades. Doesn't that sound like a long time? Well, as of yesterday, I am officially TWO decades old! It doesn't feel much different but I sure had a great time saying goodbye to my teenage years and ringing in my twenties! After the Color Run on Saturday morning, I relaxed with a heating pad and a little bit of homework before getting all dressed up in my neon to head over to Red Mango to get a little frozen yogurt in our bellies before jumping around all night at Jump Street.

High school friends at Red Mango!

Reppin' Stratford America. Always.

Jump Street is a places filled with wall-to-wall trampolines, a foam pit, a mechanical bull, a slide, and a dodgeball area. We had the best time jumping around and acting like little kids. I couldn't ask for a better way to end my teenage years - despite my friends singing "Happy Birthday" to me for everyone to hear! Does anyone know what you are supposed to do when people are singing at you? If so, please let me know! :)

Love love love them! 

Thanks for making my day so special! Love y'all!

Loved the foam pit!

Sunday morning I woke up to howling wind and some sprinkling rain. What a birthday! After going down to eat my yogurt breakfast, I got dressed in my new Hunter's Rain Boots and got ready for church. It was an awesome service, as usual!

Once I got home from church I did virtually nothing for the rest of the day besides a little reading, a lot of Boy Meets World watching and some Pinteresting. I'd say it was a pretty successful birthday if I do say so myself!

Now it's time to get back in to the swing of school and really get cracking on my school work. It's okay to take a weekend off every now and then, but I definitely let myself fall a little bit behind. Hey, you only turn twenty once, right?

I was so blessed by my family and friends this weekend and I am so thankful that God put each and every one of them in my life. Thanks for making my day so special! I love y'all so much!

My first Tiffs Treats gifts! :)

The best surprise EVER - rice krispie treats bouquet! DELISH!

Blowing out the candles on the cake..

... that my grandma sent all the way from Philadelphia!

Courtesy of my wonderful family!

The Most Colorful 5K You'll Ever Run

I have already had the greatest weekend and it is still only the beginning. After my shift at the desk yesterday I headed over to campaigners which was awesome, as usual. My co-leaders are incredible and I love seeing the seventh grade girls! They are so crazy but so, so much fun to be around! They always brighten my day!

Ellie - one of my co-leaders with one of our crazy girls!

After battling some Austin traffic, I headed out to dinner at Santa Rita Cantina with two of my good friends from high school - Sam and Alex. I enjoyed my favorite fish tacos, as did Alex. By the looks of our empty plates, I think it is safe to say that we enjoyed them!

They made fun of me for taking this picture!

Sam and I

Sam - bottom left; Alex - middle left

We had a great time sitting outside on the porch for a few hours, reminiscing about our high school days. I really enjoyed myself (and the life advice they gave me) and we hope to make this a monthly thing. Thanks for kicking my birthday weekend off right, guys!

This morning began early as five of my friends and I headed down to Walter E. Long Park for the Austin Color Run. The Color Run is a Fun Run 5K where every kilometer color bombs are thrown at you as you run. We started out looking like this:

Sarah, Natalie, Katie and I before

and ended up looking like this:

Froomies! :)

It was SO much fun but those 17mph winds paired with a late start made us a little bit grumpy at the beginning. Hey, we're Texas girls at heart!

It was also a LITTLE bit muddy - whatever happened to that drought we were going through?

I sure hope those come clean!

Back at SRD, I attempted to get all of the color off of me - there is still a little bit that just won't come off! - and I plan on spending the entire afternoon laying in bed, doing homework, writing blog posts and watching Boy Meets World before the festivities begin tonight. I hurt my back a little bit during the race so I am hoping to lay low with a heating pad to make it feel better. Have a colorific Saturday!