Such a Fun Weekend

Hello, Hello!
I am sorry I have not posted in almost a week!  There never seems to be enough time in a day.  I have one more midterm coming up on Wednesday.  So today I get to tell you about a fun little thing my housemates and I did this weekend.

Friday night we celebrated two of my housemates birthdays.  Evie turned 23 and Katie is turning 22 this coming weekend.  We had a nice dinner at cheesecake factory and then headed out to go dancing.  It is always fun to hang out with friends and the night was a blast!

Valentine's day of freshmen year a little something called a 'panty exchange' came into my life.  Everyone on our floor in the dorms (45 girls) drew names out of a hat and bought that person a pair of panties.  It was a secret of who each person had.  On Valentines day, we all exchanged our panties with one another.  When I moved into the house I live in now (with 5 girls from that floor and with my best friends) we decided to continue the tradition between us.  So last night we had our panty exchange with each other and it was so fun!

I honestly LOVE these girls so much!  They are the most beautiful women and I could not ask for more loving, fun and encouraging friends in my life!
Love You Evie, Christine, Lindsay, Tia and Katie!!!

How It Began

Today, the beginning of my new prompt schedule, I will be writing about a memory.  Because most of these memories will be involving college I thought I would begin with telling the story of how I ended up in Seattle and the anticipation it involved.

I decided I wanted to come to the Pacific Northwest for not much more reason than that it was different than what other people were doing.  I applied to 5 different schools, all being in Oregon or Washington.  When I visited SPU I felt like I had to come here!  I remember so clearly the day that I received the letter.  I had called earlier in the week to see if it had shipped and they said it had and it should be arriving around Friday.  So after school, I sped home, opened the mailbox and saw a big envelope.  If you have ever gone through the college application process, you know the good letters are in the big envelopes and the let downs are in the small envelopes.  I jumped back in my car at the end of the driveway and couldn't even wait to pull in so I immediately ripped open the envelope and found the letter and all the goodies that go along with the being accepted.  I called my mom, texted my teacher and everyone who I had been talking to about this anticipated day.  I was accepted and had no doubt in my mind that I would be moving to Seattle and going to school there.

The summer before was awesome and, as much as I can remember with it now being almost four years ago, seemed to go by very slow.  All my conversations involved talking about the upcoming years in school.  Where I would live, who I would live with, fears, excitements and everything else you can imagine.  I spent time with friends(now knowing that was the last time) who were also leaving for school and preparing to say goodbye to my family(which I really didn't know or understand what that was going to look like).  The closest reference I had to relate the experience to was going off to camp.  I had been going to summer camp for about ten years and it was a very familiar feeling.  That is what it felt like.  Summer camp.  I felt like I was going to leave my family and then come right back.  Yes and no.  Yes, I was coming back and of coarse got to see them but I was also moving away. This meant I would be in Seattle more of the year than I was in California.  I remember about a couple weeks before I was leaving, my mom would come in and say goodnight to me and would be crying.  I will never know until I have the experience with my own kids(if I am blessed in that way) what my mom was feeling.  I do know that it was sad but also a joyous feeling she felt.  She has never shown disapproval of me moving and has been so supportive which is what children really need from their parents.  To know that what ever they do, they could never step out from their parents love or acceptance of them.

I look at this time leading up to college and see someone who has grown up so much now.  And that is perfectly okay that I was the person I was then because now I am a more sanctified version of that person.  Jesus is sanctifying me on a daily basis and that is the reason why I can look back at life and be joyful.  If I could say one thing to that person the summer before college it would be to not fear.  Funny because how often I did hear those words only not coming from me but rather coming from the Lord.  There is no reason to fear the unknown or the unexpected.  It all works out, it always works out.  And even better, when you are in Jesus' family, you only have joyfulness and comfort to look forward to!

I could have never expected the amazing journey God put me on when He brought me up to Seattle but I will ride this wave of His grace until He decides to put me on another one!

My mom and I my junior year of high school visiting Seattle.
This is when I decided I wanted to come to SPU!

Update

So I have a little bit of time to write a post!  I just finished an essay a lot faster than I expected and so now I have tonight to relax(as much as a college student can relax).
I just wanted to point out that today was so gross outside here in Seattle.  I has been very cold.  It has been raining pretty much all day and the rain has been hard.  Like it wants to be hail but it is not quit there yet.  It has also been really windy and dark due to the clouds that have not left the sky.  Luckily, today I got out of class at 1220 and was able to walk home, take a nap and be super comfy inside my house.  We have this really big comfy couch and I have been sleeping and studying on it all day.  I currently am enjoying a cup of all natural pear white tea.  Yummy!
This quarter has been so fast that I don't really feel as though I am getting anything done.  I feel like I do not have time to get anything done.  Life as a college student is so interesting.  You always have stuff on your mind and never truly(until the breaks after your quarter is over) have time to clear your head.  Even if you do clear your head, the next time you look at your schedule, it all floods back in.  Sometimes you just want to have no worries or no to do lists.  I can say though that I am enjoying my classes.  I am learning a lot.  Last quarter(fall 2011) was a very rough quarter for me emotionally and I didn't enjoy my classes because I didn't allow myself to.  I was very stressed about so many other things that I never got to just learn.  This quarter I am taking classes for my minor.  I decided to minor in Individual and Family Development last year for my self.  I did not want to do it for my career choice(which as of now, I really don't know what that will be) but rather to help me when I have a family.  I have enjoyed all of those classes and have appreciated learning about family and certain things which will be helpful like nutrition and interior design.  It has been very fun.
So what has God been teaching me lately??  Well at the beginning of this quarter I asked God to teach me more in this quarter than He has in any other quarter.  I wanted to grow so much this quarter and I will be able to look back at this quarter and know the things which had changed in my life.  Among the many things God has taught me, He has been revealing idols to me that He is commanding me to drop, give up on them and turn to Him.  One idol that I have is my Idol of Comfort.  I can see that my desire and "need" for comfort has become a sin.  When I say comfort, I am talking about the sitting on the coach for hours at a time, eating food which tastes good and is not good for me and just the all around idea that those things is where I get my strength from.  I need to remember that I get my strength from God and God alone.  He is my refuge and my strength.  I am not saying that sitting on the coach or eating yummy food is a sin.  But I am saying that it has become a sin, a lot of the time, in my life.  I desire is so much that I think that it is a big deal if I am not able to sit on the coach for a couple hours a day.  When in reality, God is my strength.  I can go through the day without have rest because He sustains me.  He blessed me with my very first thought yesterday morning when it was so exhausting to have to get up at 6am of "God sustains me, He is my strength."  He is!  I can see that although I almost feel like I am "worse shape" in my faith this quarter because my idol is so much in my face right now I am certainly not.  Maybe I was not aware of my idol last quarter but it was still an idol in my life.  I am thankful for the Holy Spirit revealing this idol to me because now I can REPENT from it.  God is so good to me.  And I can say that and whole heartedly believe that.
I am currently going through this group at Mars Hill called Redemption Group.  It has been so great.  We are in a group of about 10 women and we just get to share and work through our junk and our past and our sins and everything and be able to see where the gospel and where God is in all of it.  We are going through Redemption, a beautiful book.  I encourage you to read it!  I am blessed to be saved by Jesus and to be instilled with this wisdom.  I certainly do not deserve any of it and yet in His grace, I am NEW!!

Busy Day

Todays Day:
6am - my morning walk to work.  I work at my school's coffee shop in the Student Union Building.
10am - got off work!  I usually have a class at 1030 but it got cancelled today!  So instead I headed to the library to read and research for a paper that is due Thursday
130pm - Walk to my Family Finance class.  It starts at 2 but I sort of like getting there a little early.
320pm - Walk to the SUB and begin writing my paper.  I met a friend in there and got to talk for a little bit.
5pm - Walk up to Subway(we have one on campus which is very convenient)  and have dinner with my friend.  I stayed there after she left and continued to write my paper
645pm - Meet a friend and we drove to our church.  I am in a group called Redemption Group at my church.  It is ALWAYS a blessing to go and dig deep with our group.
930pm - Group ends and drive home
10pm - Take a shower and just chill for a little bit

It is pouring and super windy outside right now!!  I always go to bed hoping that it will not be that way in the morning when I have to get up and walk 20 minutes to work.  I plan on writing more soon.  I am sorry I have been so MIA this quarter.

Back in Seattle; Surprise!!

I know I haven't posted anything for a while but here I am!  I have been so busy with my crazy and unpredictable life.  So, I am back in Seattle after the summer months of thinking I was going to stay in California.  The transition has been difficult but also very good for me.  I am very close with my family and even though it is my junior year, I still have trouble with wanting to be home sometimes.  School is going good.  I am officially living in a house where I pay rent and utilities.  This is a first for me!  The past two years I lived in the dorms and I just paid it all to the school.  My landlord is actually a professor at my school and she is so sweet and there for us when we need anything.  I am living off campus but I am only a four minute walk away which is really nice.  I also have a job on campus.  I work at one of the coffee shops on campus.  I had a hard time when I first started because I didn't know how to work the register and didn't know where anything was.  The person who I had to ask questions to was not helpful and a bit rude so I felt lost.  Now that I know everything it is really fun!  I work at 645 in the morning which I really like because I get off but then have all day for class and studying.  This year is super busy also.  Pretty much when i am not in class or working, I am studying.  It has been good so far and I have been blessed in countless ways since the first day I got here.
A theme that is my focus for me this year is growth.  I have realized that I put too much pressure on myself to be at the finish line before running or even training for the race.  I have been trying to see and be intentional about making small steps of progress each day.  There is no need to wish I was somewhere else or in the future because then I miss out on what is happening right now.  I am blessed where I am at:  Seattle, in College, and currently sitting gin the Student Union Building drinking a delicious pumpkin spice latte and eating a bagel with pumpkin cream cheese.  I promise to update more often!  I haven't forgotten about you all!

Coffee House Adventures

Because I have been working at It's A Grind Coffee House for a few weeks now, I thought I should update you on how it is!  First, I must say that I love working there!  It is my favorite job I have ever had.  So a couple of mistakes/funnies I want to tell about.  One happened this morning when I opened.  I got there at 5am and It was my first time actually opening the door and dealing with the alarm.  I typed in the wrong code and set the alarm off.  My co worker said that she has never experienced it before which got me a little worried.  She said the police sometimes come and charge a big fine if they are false alarms.  Fortunately nothing happened and I certainly learned my lesson!  That will never happen again  :)
The next one involved me and another co worker.  We were cleaning the syrup bottles and one of them fell off the counter, broke and got everywhere on the floor.  Broken glass and sticky syrup!  We had to sweep and mop and then the other person had to clean on his hands and knees because it was just so sticky.  Of coarse, that one as well got fixed and everything worked out just fine.
I have experienced other mishaps as well.  Small ones like messing up a drink and having to redo it.  At the moment, it seems like a big deal but then a few minutes pass and I realize that it happens and I am still learning.  I really enjoy working with my co workers!  All of them are so nice as well as our customers.  I loved coffee shops before I started working here so I feel like this is the perfect job for me!
My favorite shift would have to be the 5 am shift.  This sounds crazy but I do really enjoy it.  I get up at 4 in the morning which I thought would be so hard and it is not my favorite thing in the world but once I get to work, I wake up, get some coffee flowing through my body and forget all about it.  I also really like how fast the shifts go by.  There are people that come in consistently throughout the shift at a pretty steady pace so there aren't moments when I am just waiting around or doing boring odd end jobs.  I get off at 1030 in the morning so I work a full shift and then come home and have the whole rest of the day to get things done that I need to!  It is really great!!
Another great thing about working here is that I absolutely love coffee.  I love espresso as well and being able to use coffee and espresso in so many different ways is so much fun!  I get a free drink while I work so free coffee or tea every day is the best!
I would have to say my favorite drink to make would have to be an Iced White Chocolate Mocha.  Their are so many aspects to making it, getting the chocolate, espresso and milk.  It is easy yet complex!  Love it  :)
Very blessed to have a job right now!  And a job that I love  <3

Small Updates

A few things I have been doing lately.....

Finishing invitations for my cousins baby shower that I am throwing for her!

I made some wonderful scones!  I got the recipe HERE!  They are from one of my friends blog.  I used whole wheat flour and dark chocolate chips.  They turned out great!
To make them last longer, I wrapped them individually in plastic wrap and put them in the freezer.  In the mornings, I would take one out and put it in the microwave to warm in up.  That worked perfectly!

Before they go into the oven

All done and delicious!

I picked some beautiful roses from the garden!

I also noticed that my cat found a new bed in our flower pot!

Other than these things, I have just been working a lot and spending time with family and friends.  I am planning on doing some more baking this week so look for that!
Currently reading:  Spoken from the Heart(still, because it is so long) and Charlotte's Web
New fave website:  pinterest.com

Needed Changes

Since starting my job, I have failed to continue with some other important things this summer.  This includes reading, keeping my room and things organized, journaling and spending time with God.  Because I have been really tired when I come home from work, all I am motivated to do it sit on the couch and watch TV.  Friday was a little different.  I was rushed when I came home from work because I had a skype date with a friend from Seattle.  Then I went to the gym for just a little bit.  After that I came home and watched TV because I was very exhausted.
I have noticed a lot thought that the more I watch TV, the more exhausted I am.  I want to try and go to bed early(around 10pm), wake up around 6am and be productive with my days.  I really need to get back into reading and baking and doing other important things rather than wasting time watching TV.  Exercise is a whole other story.  I get unmotivated to exercise the more I am out of shape.  Now that I am pretty out of shape, I need to make my self go to the gym and run because the more I go and do it, the more I enjoy it.  I am really enjoying working at the coffee house!  Because that gives me a little structure in my days, I need to focus on creating structure for the rest of my time.
I am still in the beginnings of reading 2 books, Spoken From the Heart and Beautiful Things Happen When a Woman Trusts God.  After I finish with these two books, I want to begin reading youth novels and kid's books to prepare for teaching.  I want to begin building my library for when I teach in the next few years!
Lots of things to reshape in my life but they will all improve me as a person which I want!
God Bless and Thank You for Reading!!!

It's A Grind Coffee House

I have been working at It's A Grind for 4 days now and LOVE it!!!  It is a coffee shop, where I belong  :)

I will post more about my first few days later.  I have been so busy!

Experiencing Summer Goodness

So I know it has been a while but I have been enjoying summer so much!  I have been catching up with old friends as well as making new friends.  I have also been applying for lots of jobs, reading lots of books, and doing a lot of thinking about what my future has for me.  I have been thinking a lot about transferring schools.  SPU is getting very expensive and I am just such a California girl I am pretty sure I don't want to go back to Washington.  I have also been contemplating on changing my major.  I may switch from Psychology to Elementary Ed.  I have wanted to be a teacher for as long as I can remember.  Then, when I took a psychology class senior year of high school, I loved it and decided to do that!  Now, I am questioning if that is what I want to do with my life.  I would still keep a minor in Psych but be a teacher.  It sounds so great to me!  We shall see.  I hopefully will be taking fall semester off due to transferring so then I will be able to spend some time in a classroom and really be able to observe.  Lots of things going on!

This morning I went to the bike trail and rode my mountain bike 20 miles!  It was a lot of fun and the weather was perfect.  I also got a new book to read!  I finished The Case for Christ.  This book was very good.  It gives you a lot of information and the proof of Jesus' existence on earth.  I just got Spoken from the Heart which is the Biography of Laura Bush. I started it last night and just the first chapter had me hooked.  I love reading about people lives and the things they have accomplished as well as their struggles.  I am very excited to continue.  I just love summer and California so much.  It is hard to imagine returning to Washington for any long period of time.  

I also wanted to share with you a recipe I made last night for dinner.  It is from Runners World Magazine and it turned out very delicious.

Pasta Bean Toss

1 pound whole-grain penne

2 medium red onions, thinly sliced

2 large garlic cloves

1 teaspoon olive oil

5 carrots, cut into slices

2 cups raw broccoli

12 ripe plum tomatoes, diced

3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

4 tablespoons fresh basil, chopped

1 can red kidney beans

1 can white kidney beans

1/2 grated parmesan cheese

Cook pasta according to package.  While pasta is cooking, saute in a large frying pan onions and garlic in oil until tender.  Add remaining vegetables, tomatoes, Worcestershire sauce, and basil.  Simmer for 4 minutes.  Add beans and simmer for another 2 minutes.  Add pasta and cheese and toss.  

Beginning of Summer Treat

Since it is summer I thought I would post a summer smoothie recipe that you should try!  I am definitely going to try it once I am back in Cali in the nice warm weather.

Mango Smoothie
Ingrediets:   1 1/2 cups peeled chopped mango(Frozen or fresh)
                     1 1/2 cups fat free milk
                     1/4 cup lime juice
                     1 tablespoon brown sugar
Directions:  Put all ingredients into a blender, process until smooth.  Serve over ice.
*  It is also good when you add other fruit as well.  Strawberries or raspberries are very good!

So I will update a little on my life.  I have finished spring quarter!  It is officially summer which is so strange.  I am packing up my room today and moving out of the dorms.  I will be picking my dad up from the airport at 745 tomorrow and then be driving all day back to Sacramento.  I am very excited!  This summer will be very good.

Summer reading update:  I have finished Reshaping It All by Candace Cameron Bure.  I will do a book review soon
<3

Back in the Saddle

So this morning was the first time I had run since Bloomsday on May 1st.  After the race I told myself I was going to take a little break and that break made me lose motivation for any kind of working out.  I tend to be very rigorous and almost obsessive about making a set schedule on when I am going to workout along with what I am going to do.  Then when the time comes, I don't want to do it because it feels like work rather than enjoyment!  So when I talked to my counselor about it, we came up with a solution!  I very loosely decide which days and sort of when I will exercise(we also talked about changing what you call it.  Rather than working out which sounds so intense, I decided to start calling it exercise or movement.) but not to plan what kind I will do.  That way I can do what feels fun to do at that time and what I want to do!  This will help me to look forward to exercise because I know I am going to be doing something which I want to do at that time and not something I feel like I have to do.
Today was like that.  I planed on going to our school gym and doing something like the bike or something but then I woke up and it was so sunny and beautiful outside I couldn't pass it up.  So then I changed my plan, guilt free, and went for a run outside down the canal.  It was a lot of fun!  Because I haven't run for a couple weeks, I only ran two miles but I also ran up these hills which I usually walk up.  So that was a plus!  They really got my heart beating fast!  I am learning to use exercise as a way to improve my health and enjoyment rather than focusing on weight loss.  Slowly but surely that will happen!

Summer Book List(I know it's a little soon:))

I just finished a book I have been slowly but surely getting through since spring break.  I will soon do a review on it because it is definitely one to read!  I try and read at least one pleasure read during the quarter so I can take my mind off of the madness of schoolwork and still be productive.  Finishing this book has been hard because I realize how much I cling to my pleasure reads in the times of stress for a nice little break.  It is probably a good thing that I finished it before finals and such because then I can't use it as a distraction but it makes me look forward very much to the summer and the books I have planned to read.  My goal is of coarse to read about one book per week.  It is doable and I am actually looking forward to it very much!

Summer Book List:

1.  Reshaping it All

2.  Food Rules

3.  The Case for Christ

4.  Lunch in Paris

5.  A Homemade Life: Stories and Recipes from my Kitchen Table

6.  My Life from Scratch: A Sweet Journey of Starting Over, One Cake at a Time

7.  Marie Antoinette: The Journey

8.  Adventures of Huckleberry Finn

9.  The Gift of an Ordinary Day

10.  Choosing to SEE

11.  The Thing about Life Is That One Day You'll Be Dead

12.  In Defense of Food

13.  One Thousand Gifts

14.  Devoted

Can't wait to start!  I have three weeks until I am on my way HOME!!

Fall Quarter Classes

Junior Year of College!!  I don't feel like I am old enough for that.  Yikes!!
I registered for my classes for the fall quarter and here they are...

Counseling Theory and Practice
Introduction to Interior Design
Nutrition through the Life Cycle
Animal Biology

But summer will come before I move on to these classes!  And it can't come soon enough  :)

Working Woman

As many of you know, I am now a working woman.  I am still a student but now I am student with a job.  I work for my school's catering company which has actually been a very fun job!  I work random hours throughout the day but am given lots of time for studying, sleeping and class.  That is the nice thing about working on campus.  Along with that, I am also learning a lot about hosting events, the proper way of setting and designing a table and so on.  This is my fourth week on the job and I just got paid.  Now I have not worked a paying job since the summer between my sophomore and junior year of high school.  During that time, my parents still provided me with money for the things I needed, I had a car and I didn't have anything I was saving up for.  So, stupidly, I spent my money on things I didn't need.  Now, my parents still provide me with money for food and the essentials(just for this year but come next year, I will be paying for all of that), but knowing how hard I worked for my money, I put it straight into my savings.  Now part of the reason is because I am saving up for an iphone which I will buy when I get home for summer(22 more days!) but the fact that I have worked for my money, spending it on things such as clothes or going out to dinner doesn't seem as though it is worth it.  I am very happy that my attitude toward money has changed and a lot of it is probably due to that summer when I spent it all and how at the end of the summer I felt like it was not worth it.
I am now in the process of applying to a few summer jobs as well as volunteer positions.  I am praying that I will get one and that way I will have money with I will be saving up for next year in college where I will be living in a house off campus!!  I will have more bills than I expected but if I learn how to manage my money well, it should be no problem.

Daydreaming of a More Relaxing Time

Some beautiful flowers in my
backyard from last summer

It is that time of the quarter when my motivation to do anything is very low.  I feel like I have only been doing the minimum and not really preparing ahead(which I usually tend to be very good at).  It is ending week six which is a little crazy to think about because that means we are half way done with the quarter.  On top of that, it is spring quarter so that means we are almost to summer.  I am so excited for summer to come.  In all my years of school, I think this is the summer I am the most excited for.  Not that I am doing anything fantastic(although I do plan to do fun things) but because I am in desperate need for a long break from school work and people.  Don't get me wrong, I love both school and the people I am with, it is just difficult having 9 months straight of both.  I really enjoy studying and learning new things but I am really looking forward to getting through books which I want to read fast.  I love reading books but it is hard to read personal books at a fast and consistent pace when you have a stack of textbooks staring at you from across the desk which should have higher priority.  I do give myself breaks and read personal books but I wish I could read them faster.  I also love the people I am with and live with.  It being the last few weeks of living in the dorms forever is a bit of a strange feeling.  It is great living with 45 girls but I am very much looking forward to next year when I will being living in a house with my best friends.  It will be fantastic!  I have been looking up new recipes I want to cook at home and am so excited to have the freedom to do that.  I don't have a kitchen here at school where I can cook meals and I am so excited to have one during the summer.  I plan on sharing many of these recipes and my adventures in cooking them on my blog.  I am also looking forward to the little things like catching up with old friends, meeting my mom for her lunch break, swimming and, of coarse, reading!!  I also plan to run a half marathon on August 28th which will be a blast as well.  I am really just looking forward to the peace and comfort of everyday life which is not filled with stress, deadlines, and constantly feeling like there is not enough time in a day.  I know it seems a bit soon to be daydreaming about summer but what can I say, I am from California(which it has been in the 90s there this week) and living in Seattle(which has been raining).  What can I say, I miss the sun.  I am really excited to help my parents in the garden(they grow tons of food and one of my favorite things to do is to go out and pick what we will be having for dinner) and sit out on the patio, getting tan and drinking iced tea.  It will surely be fantastic!  I am also excited to hang out with my sister and go to the college group at church.  I am excited to grow in my relationship with God as well as the other people in my life!  There are many things I am looking forward, I can't write them all down!  :)

Beautiful Weekend

Friday afternoon I went on a walk.  The weather was absolutely beautiful so I decided to go on a walk to Starbucks.  I went to the Starbucks in Fremont which I walk by the canal and over a bridge to get there.  There were lots of boats out on the water!  Pictures tell a better story than I can  :)

The bridge goes up when boats need to pass through.
It is inconvenient when you are driving but it is fun when
you are on a walk.

Crossing the bridge and overlooking the canal!

A beautiful tulip :)

On friday afternoon, my friend Lindsay and I drove to Spokane.  While I was there I got to meet up with my friend Tami who goes to Whitworth.  It was really good seeing her because I hadn't visited her since we all moved to school.  The next day, Lindsay, her friend Rachel and I are ran in the annual Bloomsday race.  It was so fun!  The race was 7.5 miles and I did a lot better than I expected.  There was a total of 50,611 runners and we placed 18,000th.  I want to do it again next year because it was so fun!  I encourage you to run or walk in a race.  The events are really fun and they often raise money for charity.  Here are some pictures of the race!

Before the race and the view of people.  The amount of
people  was as far as the eye can see.

Lindsay and Rachel

Lindsay and I

Our shoes with our timers on them.

People throw there jackets in the trees and after the race the
workers collect them all and donate them to charity.

It is really hard to see but this is the beginning of doomsday hill.

This is the three of us after the race with our finisher shirts!

The weekend was so great and I am so glad we ended up going.  You should go next year!  After the race, we were all so tired and our bodies were in much pain.  Lindsay and I had to drive back to Seattle and sit in the car for 4 1/2 hours!  It did go by fast though and it was fun driving with Lindsay.  I love friends so much  :)

Yesterdays Productivity...

I love days when you feel as though you got a lot done but did not feel overwhelmed or overworked.  Yesterday was that way for me and I am hoping today will be a continuation(it has been so far!).

630a - Woke up, showered and got ready

715a - Went to dining hall for breakfast and read my bible while eating

8a - Went to my Social Psychology class and filled my brain with new information

920a - Read a book for fun(I try and have a book I am reading personally along with my school books to have a break yet still feel as though I am accomplishing something) 

10a - Meeting with my nutritionist

1045a - Eat a snack and write blog post

1130a - First day of my new job!  We just went over the employee handbook, got my uniform and then set up chairs for an evening event they were having.  

1p - Went on a 4 mile run(I am running in Bloomsday this weekend which is 7.5 miles and am not sure if I will make it) in the sun(sort of)!

145p - Ate lunch in dining hall and read my book while eating

230p - Watched an episode of Desperate Housewives(my new tv obsession and all the seasons are on netflix watch instantly...not a good thing for me:))  This is it started pouring in Seattle(it is really annoying how much the weather changes in Seattle.  An hour before I was running and then it was pouring and cold.  I am just glad that I went on my run early in the day!)  All the rain made me want to cozy up with a blanket, a cup of hot tea and a good  ol episode of Desperate Housewives.

330p - Read my personal book(I am in the last 100 pages and when I get to that point in a book, it is hard to put it down!)

430p - Read a chapter in my nutrition book.  This chapter was about Carbs and I learned a lot of information I did not know before

545p - Met up with a few friends for dinner in the dining hall.  Had a big salad(my favorite food) and felt really good after.  After dinner I went to the coffee shop on campus and got a raspberry hot chocolate.

630p - Checked and answered emails which I was dreading answering them.  I am not a big fan of email...

730pm - Watched this weeks episode of the biggest loser

830p - Read another chapter in my book( the title is We Two, just fyi) while texting a friend from home.

10p - I went to bed.  Who knew there was a college student on the planet who is not on crew who goes to bed that early!!  I DO  :)

I know that I should have been more productive with school work but I am still getting back in the swing of things from coming off of break.  

I Heart Home

So some of you may know that I spent this past weekend(long weekend, Thursday morning till tuesday afternoon) at my home in Sacramento.  I originally decided to go because when I left from spring break I didn't think I could spend another 10 full weeks in Seattle with the risk of it raining every day again.  I thought I might have gone crazy!  So my mother booked me a flight home for Easter which was conveniently half way through the quarter.
My time spent at home way so wonderful.  It consisted of bike riding, going on walks with my dog, sitting on the patio drinking ice tea with my mother, spending time planting in the garden, spending time with my beautiful grandparents, and seeing family I don't see very often.  It was all in the SUN as well which I much needed.  Here are a few pictures of my yard which I love so much.  It is so much like a park.

There was a couple of days where I was able to cook dinner with my mom.  I am enjoying cooking dinner more and more every day.  The night we cooked we made homemade whole wheat biscuits which we pair with peas and roasted garlic ravioli.  It was a very good dinner!  The second night I did most of the cooking before my parents got home from work.  I made fresh whole wheat tortillas for tacos.  Of coarse everything turned out great!  With the tacos we have rice.  I only took a couple pictures of the tortillas but I hope they look good.

They are super easy to make.  They only took about 30 minutes to make the dough, roll them out and cook them on the griddle.  I am posting the recipe for these delish tortillas.  I am so happy to have a mom who cooked while we were growing up and has showed us to enjoy home cooking better than fast food or processed foods.  Home cooking with fresh ingredients is the best!!

I am back in Seattle now and back to the grind of school work.  I also begin my new job today(in about 20 minutes).  I am excited and nervous!  The sun is out though(with a few lingering clouds) but that can change any second though, in being Seattle.  I have 5 more weeks and then the feeling of missing home will soon pass because I will be there all of summer!

Whole Wheat Tortillas:

Ingredients -

2.5 Cups of Flour

.5 Cups of Whole Wheat Flour

1/3 Cup of Olive Oil

1 Cup of warm water

Dash of Salt

Directions - 

Mix together Flour, Whole wheat flour, and salt in a large glass bowl.  Slowing add oil while stirring at the same time.  Add water and finish stirring until the dough has the consistence of bread dough.  Roll out individual tortillas into whatever size you prefer.  Cook on griddle until each size has a brownish tint.  Enjoy!!!

Birthday Dinner!

Some friends and I went out to dinner this evening for my birthday.  It turned out to be a really fun evening full of laughter and smiles.  We tried a new restaurant called Pasta Bella.  If you are ever in Seattle, you should go!  Pictures are better than words...

Me, Lindsay and Evie

Jaime, Chelsea and Ali

Really good food! 

All of us together!

Our amazing FREE desert

Lindsay and I

We ate a lot of food

I am officially 20 years old!