Saturday Saturday Saturday!!!

So yesterday I had absolutely nothing that I HAD to do. Nothing. That NEVER happens! I was so excited I actually decided to do some laundry, burn cd's for the car and update Sparty the Ipod

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After doing that I decided I should probably go for a run. I got to the gym and it was completely empty... so happy I could run my 5 miles in absolute peace!

When I got home my roommate Kelsey and her cousin Amanda wereback. We ate a quick dinner of stuffed peppers and painted our nails.

Since we had a pre-teen in our presence Kels and I decided that ice cream sundaes were in order. We stocked up with chocolate and strawberry ice cream, caramel and chocolate sauce, nuts, oreo pieces, and of course whip cream and cherries!!

Amanda and Kelsey enjoyed the sundaes very much!!

After the sundaes we needed to burn off all that sugar so we played just dance 2 on the wii and once I learned how to hold my remote I kicked butt!! Such a great Saturday!!

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What do you like to do on Saturdays?

-- I love to have Saturdays be "me" time. Just time to relax and enjoy the weekend!

Do you have any Superbowl plans?

--I'm going to my friend Kristin's for some good food, football, and homework!

What day of the week is your favorite? Has to be Monday-Thursday.

--My favorite day is Thursday. I teach my kids and then work 6-10pm. And of course the Jersey Shore is on!

Lake Mead is Like Lake Michigan, and Christine's Birthday!!

Have you ever noticed how on a map the great lakes are always prominent and oversized? Random question, I know, but I'll explain later :)

This week was my friend Christine's birthday. I'm so lucky to have known this girl for 4 years now. For her birthday her and her husband gathered some friends and went to Chilis.

During dinner some topics of conversation were Women at the Wella (video below), why Lake Mead is so small compared to Lake Michigan on a map, crazy resident, professor, and job stories, what is the best way to toast a marshmallow and of course awkwardness that Christine points out :)

After dinner Christine got a birthday sundae! She said it was very yummy!

Like I said before I'm so lucky to have Christine in my life. She is such a great friend and always has the best stories. Seriously, check out her blog! P.S. Wish her a Happy Belated Birthday!

Friday Favorites

Recently I've had no motivation. For anything. I think it was the whole snowpocalypse that hit and all I wanted to do was drink hot chocolate, play family fued and chill with the roommate... which I totally did!

In order to get myself a little motivated I did a little shopping. I have the theory that if you get new workout clothes then you'll want to use them! So I found these amazing pants... now they just need to get to me!

Road Runner has THE BEST shopping for fitness. They have a wide variety of selection, size, colors, and brands. The best part is their return policy. If you don't like something you can easily ship it back- they provide everything for you and you can send it back being worn! They encourage you to keep the shoes for 2 weeks and then send them back if you don't like them. I was needing some running pants and these ones were on sale!

After being stuck inside for 2 days the little sister and I decided to go out and have some fun. Being a student teacher I have "adult" looking clothes and wanted to spice them up a little. So I went on a Forever 21 binge. I got all this for only $20! How awesome are deals?!

After the shopping I decided I should probably go and workout. I did Jillian Michael's arm circuit and 5 miles on the elliptical. I then decided to do a yoga class. Needless to say I looked like this girl!

Disclaimer: I don't know this woman butshe looks better than I did!

After doing that disgusting workout I wanted a good dinner. I made fish tacos and of course my favorite candy...Twisted Twizlers!!

After dinner my friend Krystinah and I decided to go out for a drink. We went to a local bar called the Riv and played trivia... We won!!

Mmmm Yummy Sex on the Beach. Best drink ever!!

Fun Filled Weekend

This is Amee. She has been my church mentor with her husband for the last 6 years. She was diagnosed with breast cancer right before Thanksgiving and has been going through chemo.



This past weekend I went and stayed with Amee and her daughters Camryn and Maddie. On Saturday Cam had a basketball game. It was so great to watch her play!

Saturday night I took the girls to the local sledding hill and we went sledding and snowboarding. This is on the car ride there. Love Maddie's face lol


Maddie loves making snow angels!


Maddie and I before we left. She was so tired from all the fresh air!

I love this family. They have been there for me through thick and thin and have always encouraged me. I was with Ron and Amee the day that Maddie was born and have seen her and Camryn grow up. I'm so lucky to have them in my life and what a great way to spend my weekend!

P.S. Did you know that sledding and snowboarding burns tons of calories?!

Do you have any mentors? Is someone close to you going through chemo? What is your favorite winter activity?

Favorite Fridays

*Disclaimer, I haven't been around internet for the last few days so I'm playing catch up on posting!*

Onto regular posting....

One of my favorite bloggers, Janae, does a post every Friday about her favorite things. I love reading it because it makes me realize how little things make a world of difference :)

Friday is my day. Between school, work, student teaching and professional development groups I have no time to myself during the week. But Fridays the only thing I HAVE to do is work from 3-7 pm. Fridays I sleep in (8:30 am) and this is my comfy cozy bed :)

Friday morning workouts are amazing to me. I can do a longer routine and the gym is usually people free. Don't you just love when you can still wear high school clothes? Yay for HS Track!

I love these girls. We call each other sisters because we are so close. Their Mom and Dad have been my church mentors for 6+ years. I got to spend all weekend with them but that is for the next post :)

What are some of your favorites? Is Friday your favorite day of the week? Do you have anyone you're really close to?

5 Tips to Make It Through The Day

My friend Christie recently posted on Facebook, "Freshman year = "ooo college is exciting", hanging with friends, a few classes, movie nights, floor events, at least 10 hours of sleep, fun and free time. Senior year = "get me outta here", what friends?, a million classes, work, sleep? what's that?, forget free time, add more classes and more work." I couldn't agree more with Christie but with the help of some loyal friends, roommates, and simple pleasures in life, we (especially me) will make it through!

Tip #1 No matter what time it is ALWAYS make some time for your friends. My favorite is to play Just Dance 2 on the Wii with my roommates/friends.

Oh yea we Whip it :)

Tip # 2 Make Studying fun with Pandora (Disney and Glee Station), Colored Pens, and Notecards

My fav is using a hot pink pen and colored sticky notes!

Tip #3 Make time for your favorite activities; college goes by way to fast to not participate!
Trisha and I in 2008 at MSU Football game! Yea Spartans!


Tip #4 Enjoy the simple pleasures in life.

I absolutely love this gum, chewing a piece instantly puts a smile on my face!

Tip #5 On a really bad, boring, fun, tired, whatever day, take a pic of yourself and make a funny face. It'll give you a nice little break!

Can you tell I'm bored at work??

Recipe so easy even Christine can do it!

Eat in Month. I'm doing ok. I've cut back my eating out to 1 day a week (excluding $1 coffee from speedway because my coffee make broke). I'm determined to do better but as a college student who doesn't ALWAYS want to cook for just myself and have a ton of leftovers, it's hard to do. But I did cook today and did really well!

For breakfast I had a Special K shake, chocolate flavored!

I had to have a quick lunch between classes.
It was a Myloplex bar and banana.



For dinner I went all out, with Vodka Cream pasta with Spicy Italian Turkey Sausage!
Here's the recipe:

Ingredients

• 1 lb. Spicy turkey sausage
• 1 32 oz can of tomatoes, flavored with basil, diced
  
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1/2 small onion, chopped
• 1 cup vodka
• 1 cup cream
• 1 large bunch of basil, chopped
• Olive Oil
• 1 lb Penne pasta

Directions

• Preheat large skillet. Drizzle with olive oil and add sausage to pre-heated pan. Brown sausage. Add onions and garlic and saute until translucent. Drain and add tomatoes. Add vodka. Turn heat to a simmer. Break up tomatoes with a spoon or potato masher. If more liquid is needed add pasta water.
• In a separate saucepan, while sauce is simmering, bring water to boil for pasta. Cook pasta according to package directions
• When pasta is done, Add cream to sauce and bring to a boil, then remove from heat. Add basil and stir until just wilted. Serve over pasta, and don’t forget the garlic toast!