Blog Archives
Hosting Thanksgiving (I’m still here!)
So that was quite a hiatus…I’ll admit that blogging is not a priority among the senior year scramble. Honestly I haven’t even read some of my favorite blogs in months! (PBFingers and Simply Taralynn withdrawals.)
The semester wraps up in about a week and that little light at the end of the tunnel has me fired up to get back to HOBBIES like reading that stack of books I bought over the summer, trying some of the recipes I pinned, and maybe even updating this little site here and there :) I’m honestly surprised to see that so many of you stuck around during my drought of posting. I missed you!
Back to normal, I’ll recap my *healthified* Thanksgiving. We deviated from tradition this year….my parents came to ME. For my first three years of college, I took the overnight train home for Thanksgiving two weeks before finals. It was always a little hectic and rushed. My new apartment this year is comfortable enough to have guests over (I feel so grown up!) so I invited my parents and Missy to spend the holiday weekend with me.
Before they arrived, I tried to make the apartment as festive as possible. I have an addiction to candles, so I started saving the empty glasses to refill with tea lights and festive fillers. Yay for recycling!
I was CONVINCED that I would cook the entire Thanksgiving meal all by myself…….until I realized (or someone pointed out to me) that in order to cook a turkey, one must use their hands to remove the giblets and guts from the inside.
Well that’s not happening.
Next option?
A pre-cooked ham ;) glad we can be flexible! Our meal was rounded out with my lightened-up sweet potato casserole (no marshmallows allowed), roasted broccoli and brussels, and a corn bread stuffing that my parents brought.
I’ll admit it isn’t as impressive-looking as last year’s Thanksgiving, but for a first attempt I’d say not bad :) Most important part was spending the day with my family! Aside from a malfunctioning can-opener, we avoided any major catastrophes. What more can you ask for.
I have to say, I was most proud of my bartending skills. I’ve discovered the simple perfection that is sangria this year. An apple cranberry sangria was a perfect afternoon cocktail for my mom and I, but I knew my dad wouldn’t be so appreciative of fruity wine to go with his football game. My mason jars were perfect for the “Fire Jolly Rancher” – sparkling apple cider with Fireball whiskey, over ice sprinkled with brown sugar. It’s a sipper!
The night was rounded out by homemade praline pumpkin pie (and coffee, duh) with a good ole’ family movie night.
Obviously we couldn’t be sedentary too long after THAT meal so we took to the trails the next day for a hike in the gorgeous fall weather. I love that my family is as happy going on outdoor explorations as I am. Black Friday has nothing on these views:
Hosting Thanksgiving was so much fun, I felt like I was playing “housewife” ;) Until reality kicked in that I have three final presentations, two research papers, and a couple finals exams in these last 7 days of school. But I missed this little online scrapbook. I’ve had so many workouts, recipes, adventures and stories that I’ve “wanted to post” and didn’t have the time. Hopefully I can play catch up over the coming winter break!
So I can’t promise that I’m back with the usual posts, but I can promise that I’m not done forever (though I thought I was for a bit.) And you know I have no shortage of cute Missy pictures: As if there are any that aren’t cute… ;)
Summer Done Right // Day & Night
Nothing blatantly “health-related” about this post because I haven’t done a whole lot that is health-related in the past few days…and I am perfectly happy with that. My roadtrip back to school for the Eli Young Band kickstarted a whole summer weekend with all the cliche activities that everyone should have on their to-do list. The Simple Summer Checklist:
- Dairy Queen Blizzards
- A picnic is the grass
- Read in the grass and sunshine
- Minor flip-out over aggressive grasshoppers
- Explore the the forest and trails (which results in picking wildflowers. Which leads to subsequent selfies with the best friend.)
- Sunset photos with a picture-perfect water tower
- Coffee shops for breakfast
- Lazy afternoons with sangria
- BBQing for dinner (grilled zucchini and sweet potatoes are a must)
- Back to school shopping with a bestie
- Staying outside as long as possible
Aaaand after a full day, it would be a shame if we ended the night quietly at home. A little group of us headed downtown, replaying Chase Rice’s “We Goin’ Out” no fewer than 8 times as we got ready.
To add to the perfection of the weekend, Friday night is Country Night at my favorite bar :) Country music, line-dancing, yard jar drinks. People in cowboy boots and hats.
Why does a cocktail taste so much better in a mason jar?!
When everyone else seemed to know every step of the Footloose choreography to Big & Rich’s “Fake ID” we agreed that we would Youtube instructions before going out next time so we could join the fun ;)
This summer weekend was stereotypical in every way and my heart was so happy :)
On Tuesday I’ll have to share some of my “Extra-Credit Exercises” for the week after an extra-fun-but-not-so-healthy weekend like this one. Speaking of which, it’s time for SUNDAY LONG RUN.
What’s on your Summer Bucket List?