Monthly Archives: September 2014
What happened to September?
Remember when weekends meant being able to sleep in and have some time to actually relax?
Good times. :)
My “free time” is currently combined with the 45 minutes to an hour I use to get in a workout or go for a run each day….but I shouldn’t complain because I am greeted with views as beautiful as this:
Is that not the most gorgeous center-divider you’ve ever seen? I swear those leaves are that saturated in real life. That totally set the mood for my long run Sunday that I tackled by myself in the afternoon with yet another SOLID playlist. Specifically:
{Daughtry’s new single Utopia; Famous by Kelleigh Bannen; Running with the Boys by LIGHTS; How to be a Heartbreaker by Marina and the Diamonds; Superheroes by The Script; Fire by Gavin DeGraw and Surrender by Cash Cash}
It finally feels like fall. Full on chilly air, chai tea, scarves and boots, football games, tailgate parties, roasted acorn squash and yellow leaves FALL. My roommate even brought home a carved pumpkin this past weekend that is currently residing on our kitchen counter. Some people say it’s a bit premature but I say WHO MADE THE RULES.
Now I have a week of autumnal life to catch up on. I definitely won’t admit to the fact that I’m blogging instead of editing the research assignment due tomorrow…… ;)
Remember last semester when I couldn’t stop going to Sedona for solo getaways? It happened again. I don’t think I’ll make a habit of it because I’ve found a few cute and more importantly local places to bring my homework. One of which conveniently includes my dining room. Go figure.
But it was a glorious, sunshine-y, short little reminder that I live in a pretty spectacular place.
I was able to concentrate on GRE and “quantitative reasoning” for about 3 hours before the sunshine and my growling stomach told me it was time to pack it up. I made it home before a massive thunderous storm rolled in for the weekend, which I whole-heartedly welcomed because I think the dark skies and the sound of rain are so comfy and cozy.
Fortunately our second home football game of the season took place in an INDOOR stadium, so our fans and players didn’t get soaked during their epic WIN in the last quarter. In the last 2 minutes! It was a thrilling game, partly because I got one of the best seats in the house:
Yep, I was feeling pretty fly sitting up in the media box. Next to me was the Director of Marketing, the Announcer, the Camera/Video Director, and the Digital Media Designer. I got a ton of hands on experience working with the video and advertisement screens. Another day in the life of a new sports marketing intern :)
Tangent –> Anyone else done the new iOS update? I was super excited when I saw the new “HEALTH” app put on the front screen on my phone. But I can’t figure out what to do with it! Am I completely missing something? It seems like it could be a great tool…..help me! :)
I’ll wrap up this hodge podge of a recap now as I pour some coffee and join my roommate in our GRE study session. T-17 days til test day! Welcome, October :)
We don’t mess around with salads.
Two of my best friends and I had a group text going on about where we wanted to go for dinner. Why are girls so indecisive? Especially with food!
Three very different tastes (they are pro-Mexican food…I am not), but we all agreed on one thing: we wanted something super healthy. After throwing out restaurant ideas we decided to just put together our own dinner at my place. Which I prefer anyways because we get to talk and hang out in the kitchen before eating, where we can be sillier than in public ;)
Easiest thing EVER to make: a colorful salad bar. We don’t mess around when it comes to salad-building.
The base was spinach leaves.
Diced carrots, bell peppers, tomato, and avocado.
Olives and black beans (I skipped those.)
Apple chunks and strawberry slices.
Feta cheese & dried cranberries.
Raspberry vinagrette.
With a side of (unpictured) baked sweet potato crisps.
5 stars for the most un-boring salad. :)
Allllllll the nutrients and vitamins in this beautiful salad were counterbalanced with a couple cocktails later when we explored downtown. We experimented with fizzy and flavored waters for homemade cocktails at home first, and discovered the super simple blend: Sparkling Peach Water with Malibu Rum. 100 calories for 2 ounces of rum in 8 ounces of water, with ice.
All these veggies are good for the brain, which I NEED right now becauuuse……
I’ll be taking the GRE in 24 days. I have no general direction for my life after May, but I figured I best keep Graduate School in the realm of possibilities. Application deadlines are quickly approaching, so I secured my spot in one of next month’s examinations. An hour after registering, I was sitting in Barnes & Noble deciding which test prep book looked the prettiest most helpful. I got good ole’ vocabulary flashcards to go with it…
WHAT THE PHONICS!? Who made these up. “Diurnal.” “Xenophobia.” “Vituperate.” I don’t know these words! When was the last time you heard anyone say “polyglot” in a sentence? My roommate is studying with me, and we decided to do “Words of the Day.” Therefore…I think I will fall asleep early tonight because this studying is soporific. ;)
Sam Hunt is killin’ it with the playlists on Youtube….he’s like country meets coffee shop. Pure perfection for my study session. So I’m trading Monday Night Football in the clubhouse gym for Monday Night Flashcards (plus pumpkin coffee/Sam Hunt covers/big sweatshirt/Sprout’s snacks/roomie bonding/lemon candles/intermittant dance breaks / Sports Center app updates.)
More brain food to come!
Lately.
Because there is more than just workouts and recipes. And because rainy nights make the best time for brewing coffee, burning a pumpkin candle, and blogging.
So what’s happening lately. Well I’ve been watching Angel’s games, adding sugar-free pumpkin spice creamer to my oatmeal, using far too many emoji’s in group texts, feng-shuing the apartment furniture, and falling asleep before 10pm. We’re experiencing weird side effects from the tropical storms and there is a weird limbo period right now between summer and fall. Most mornings I’m not sure if I should wear a sundress or a scarf.
Lately I’ve been thinking about where I’m going after graduation. All summer long, I basically researched cities in Washington, Idaho, Virginia, Georgia, Colorado, Tennessee and every where in between. Where am I going after graduation? Not here. Not home. My heart kept going back to North Carolina. And the more I felt pulled towards Carolina, the more it would pop up. My two FAVORITE bloggers moved to Charlotte over the summer (Simply Taralynn and Peanut Butter Fingers). Their pictures and posts are filled with Charlotte-this and Charlotte-that. Meanwhile, I’m looking for a post-graduation career in sports marketing. Charlotte = NASCAR capital, not to mention part of the “triad” (an area of D1 schools with incredible athletic programs). The character in the book I’m reading – NC native. My new athletic marketing boss – NC graduate. My running buddy at my local running club – ran for NC collegiate team.
Coincidence?!?!
One city that is too cute to be true: Wilmington, NC. I have to go there. I have to at least see it. I’ve spent hours on the internet, researching the demographics, the history, the culture. Drooling over pictures of the historic downtown, picturesque boardwalks and scenic parks. It’s basically a straight-line on the I-40 from here to Wilmington and I honestly day-dream about what an amazing roadtrip that will make after graduation.
Plus, Chase Rice is from North Carolina. I’m doing my part to keep the cd industry alive and picked up his new Ignite the Night album the other day because my car pre-dates modern technology to plug in iPods and I wanted some new music to drive around to. Good Lord. After listening to the album start to finish, I searched for Mr. Rice’s concert tour dates. He’ll be two hours away next month. Aaaand now so will I :)
At the risk of looking reeeaallll creepy…..I totally looked up Chase Rice’s instagram and fell in love when I saw this picture.
Lately, I also searched the Spotify workout playlists for some fun new upbeat stuff to fill my iPod.
Current playlist —-> Habits (Stay High) by Tove Lo; Black Widow by Iggy Azalea ft. Rita Ora; Ugly Heart by G.R.L.; Ex to See by Sam Hunt; We Can Glow by Royal Teeth; Animals by Maroon 5; and I’ll totally admit it……Shake it Off by Taylor Swift.
My fitness routine is a whole lot different than 5 months ago because I’ve learned that for ME personally Cardio >>> Weight Lifting.
I do HIIT regularly with body weight strength exercises but prefer to get sweaty than get swole. Cardio of choice: forever and always running.
So lately, there’s been some running on the treadmill:
And running on the road:
Running at running club. And tonight I’m running with an old teammate :)
So that’s me lately. :)
