We made it to Friday again! *coffee cup clink* It’s also Food Truck Friday (the office will have 4 food trucks come for lunch) and Frizzy Hair Friday (I wore my natural “curls” to work today. No, you do not get a selfie of that hot mess going on.)

The weekend is hours away. My “grown-up” plans? Shopping for the new apartment! Assuming everything goes smoothly, I sign a lease to my apartment for senior year with two of my best girl friends this weekend. Since I’ve been doing the on-campus housing thing for three years, it’s time to invest in some furniture like mattress, dresser, desk….you know, the essentials.

I can’t wait to get to the non-essentials and have taken to Pinterest to plan my new digs:

Source: http://www.noplacelykehome.com/2012/01/diy-cafe-corner.html

In the middle of our shopping we will no doubt stop for lunch. But you know what’s better than a restaurant in my personal (though very reliable) opinion? A picnic. Seriously. Packing your own snacks is a healthier route and opens up so many options. Last weekend I picnicked with my mom’s best friend from high school and her daughters. We usually meet up for dinner at Panera or Olive Garden so the outdoor, sit-on-the-ground, pack-a-cooler play date was fun. We had the little league baseball games going on in the background which made it extra cute J

 Summer produce makes it so dang eeeeasy to fill a cooler with all sorts of juicy colors.

Cherries, Grapes, Strawberries. We topped a bed of mixed greens with strawberry slices, almond slivers, chicken, cucumber, bell peppers. *If you pack a salad on a picnic, bring the bottle of dressing itself. Avoid a soggy salad that’s been sitting in dressing too long.

Plus something crunchy, so we opted for Quaker POP chips.

Other crunchy sides:

•  Handful of almonds, pistachios or other unsalted nuts
• Whole Wheat Pretzels
• Whole Grain Crackers

This is similar to the lunch cooler we bring to work everyday.

Restaurants are great for socializing but I’d rather be outside (assuming the weather isn’t in the triple digits, which are coming next week!)

On an unrelated note…

Anybody else watching the new season of Big Brother? YIKES. I watch the ridiculous reality show every summer and usually love it. There are always a few likable players to root for (Um Jordan and Jeff?!) but this season…..oh my. I’m embarrassed for the contestants. They’re too obnoxious to handle, I don’t know if I’ll make it through the whole season. (I say that now, but ask me what I think in a month. It hooks me every time.)

Guilty pleasure I guess!