Wednesday, December 21, 2011

Forever Yours

Alex Day, or Nerimon, is a popular Youtuber that I have been following for a while now. As well as making videos Alex has introduced the world to Time Lord Rock, which is music based off Dr. Who, as well as other types of music. During the past month or so Alex has been working to get his song, Forever Yours, to the number 1 selling spot in the charts by Christmas day. He is currently at number 4 in the UK and I believe 40 something on the US charts.
I bought the song, I love the song, and I encourage everyone to go out and buy Forever Yours to prove that people can come together and make this happen for Alex. Or just go check out his works in general.

Go buy Forever Yours on iTunes
or
Watch Alex's latest video on the subject and get links from there

DFTBA!

Monday, December 19, 2011

Hey Ho by the Lumineers




This songs gives me fuzzy warm feelings inside.

Holiday Cheer

So I'm home (been home since Thursday night) and this weekend was marvelous. I got to see a very large portion of my family and I love the holidays.

We had the Kloosterman Christmas Saturday, which basically involves way too much food and a whole lotta people.... oh, and of course some presents. I'm so grateful I can spend time with the people I love, with a full belly and the cozy comforts of home. These are luxuries my family is lucky enough to have this holiday season, unlike too many others.

Today involved watching my grandmother play piano and organ :) She is wonderful and it always makes me wish I had learned as a child. I had so many friends who were forced to take lessons. The rest of the day included more time with the family and finishing up reading "The Help." Seriously, if you haven't read this book yet I would definitely recommend adding it to your book list.

I am going to say something ambitious right now: as of now, my goal is to read 50 books during the 2012 year. Maybe that doesn't sound like a whole lot to some people, but to me it's quite a stretch. I have college classes, hopefully I will have a job next semester, and I don't think I have ever read even one book a month let alone 4. I think I'm going to revise my book list of ones to choose from. I'm always coming up with more books I want to read, but I have so many books on my shelves already that I still have yet to crack open. I feel so behind in the book market now.


Monday, December 12, 2011

Exam week

blerg! Exams kinda suck guys, luckily this semester I have two art classes in which both of those projects are pretty much finished (I have like 2 things I need to glue onto my poster board before Wednesday), no exam for my Psychology of Genders class, and my research proposal paper to finish writing for my Research Methods class. That means that I really only have one test to study for :)

I wish it were Thursday already. I can't wait to go home and spend time with my family for a bit. I can't wait to see my friends and my cousins. I can't wait to go watch Christmas movies at the State (hopefully) and get coffee from my favorite coffee shops. I can't wait to put some of my ornaments my mom left off for me on the tree (or at least I think she left some off for me). I can't wait to eat lots of yummy food and see all the pretty lights. Christmas time is pretty much the best time of the year.

So with that I will leave you one Christmas song from my favorite holiday cd this year and one song that I just can't stop listening to lately.

Christmas: Christmas Waltz by She and Him


 Other: In the Mourning by Paramore

Saturday, December 3, 2011

Final Project Inspiration

My final project for my Form and Surface (2D) art class is a piece of giant billboard poster covered in an interpretation of important lessons, ideas, or facts we have learned from our previous classes in college. Since I've taken quite a few art classes I'm throwing in a lot of psychology influences with brain functions, neurons, and neurotransmitters. I also wanted to include some painting from my painting class this summer and some sort of representation of schizophrenia from my abnormal psych class. I need a place to keep all of my idea's in one place so I resorted to this.

Here's some picture inspiration:
(dopamine)


Per usual I found a lot of inspiration in music as well.

"Don't waste your time on me you're already the voice inside my head"

Wednesday, November 30, 2011

Keeping Myself Accountable

Even though I don't currently have a race to train for I might as well keep documenting my runs so I can see if I ever make improvements. Tonight I ran/walked 2 miles in 30 minutes. I think because I took a break the last 5 days or so I wasn't expecting to go far or really push myself, just something nice to loosen up my muscles.

Here's the breakdown.


  • walk 3 minutes
  • run 5 minutes
  • walk 2 minutes
  • run 4 minutes
  • walk 2 minutes
  • run 1 minute
  • walk 1 minute
  • run 1 minute
  • walk 2 minutes
  • run 1 minute
  • walk 5 minutes
  • run 2 minutes
  • cool down 2 minutes

Turkey Trot 2011 Recap

I realize this is a bit late so it's not going to be very detailed just some nice words.

The race this year was a lot more crowded than last year. I believe they said it was the fourth anual Turkey Trot so I can only foresee more people in the future. This year also had a new route/finish/start line which was nice to switch things up. I liked this route a lot better because we didn't have to run by the water as long. Although the temperature was surprisingly warm on Thanksgiving Day, the wind was definitely not. The wind bit through my clothes like my cat often does. I definitely should have remembered some nice ear-warmers or something.

My dad ran again with me this year (one of these times I will get my whole family in on this), but I like running with my dad. We crossed the start and the finish line at the exact same time so our time was exactly the same.... 48:15. That's not what I was hoping for and five minutes slower than last year, but it could gone worse. I just felt good about being active in the cold, and on a day when I planned on eating a ton. Nothing went horribly wrong and we made it to the finish line with another 3.1 miles behind us.

Thanks dad for running with me :) Hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Saturday, November 19, 2011

City of Owls

I went with my friend Nicole last night to Grand Rapids for an Owl City concert at the Intersection. Owl City is Nicole's favorite band and she begged me to go with her. I like some of the band's songs, but have not listened to them in a while. I honestly didn't know what to expect and in no way did I think the show was going to be as packed as it was. I was pleasantly surprised by the outcome of last night because not only was Owl City a great concert, but their opening act, Day's Difference, was also pretty good. Even the venue was great. The only problem with last night was that I wasn't 5 inches taller... really being in a crowd of people when you're 5 foot 3 does not exactly give you the greatest view. Even though, we were still able to see the stage pretty well during some parts.

(the best one of Adam that I got)

The thing i love most about seeing any band in concert is the energy in the crowd. Everyone seems to be happy and having a good time. Everyone singing along to the songs like Fireflies, Hello Seattle, the encore Vanilla Twilight. I tried to get some videos but the sound didn't turn out to well; I was a little bummed.

Nicole took a lot more pictures than I did and happened to get some really cool ones...



Now I'm just ready to go to more concerts. Nicole asked me what band I would want to see live the most, but I really can't decide who I would choose.


3.1 Training Run

I told you I would do it.... 3.1 miles in 45 minutes, with like a 5 minute break in the middle because my side of my calf would not loosen up and I didn't want to pull anything or cause damage to it right before the race.

It was a little rough, but I think the first time you run longer than you have been running it's going to be challenging.

Here's the breakdown:


  • walk 3 minutes
  • run 8 minutes
  • walk 1 minute
  • run 1 minute
  • walk 2 minute (mile 1 done at 13.5 minutes)
  • run 1 minute
  • walk 3 minutes
  • run 1 minute
  • walk 2 minutes (another .5 mile done followed by 5 minute break)
  • walk 1 minute
  • run 2 minute
  • walk 1 minute
  • run 1 minute
  • walk 1 minute
  • run 1 minute
  • walk 1 minute
  • run 1 minute
  • walk 1 minute
  • run 1 minute
  • walk 1 minute
  • run 1 minute
  • walk 1 minute
  • run 1 minute
  • walk 1 minute
  • run 1 minute
  • walk 1 minute
  • run 1 minute
  • walk 1 minute
  • run 1 minute
  • walk 2 minutes
That's a total of 23 minute of walking and 22 minutes of running. Hopefully I can push a little bit harder on Thursday and finish around 43. But really whatever time I get, I finished and that's what is important.

Friday, November 18, 2011

It's not about looks

I have this reputation for pointing out attractive guys all the time (come on we all do it). Movies, bands, classes, sports teams.... it really doesn't matter, but that does not mean that just because a movie or band or team has an attractive guy in it I automatically like it.

Recently someone said to me "you only like that band because you think the singers hot." Needless to say it rubbed me the wrong way, because that is definitely not true. I listen to all sorts of music, if I like a band's sound that is why i like and listen to them. Music is a really important part of my life and I am not going to listen to music I think is crap. Looks really don't matter in quality of music, sports team or movie.... it's just an added bonus.

Thursday, November 17, 2011

Run, Run, Running

Another logged run. I went to the gym thinking I was going to go on the elliptical but they were all being used, so I hopped on the treadmill instead.


I should have had Josh there to motivate me.

Anywho, here's the breakdown for anyone who cares:

  • walk 3 minutes
  • run 7 minutes
  • walk 1 minute
  • run 1 minute
  • walk 1 minute
  • run 1 minute (the first mile was really more 13.5 minutes... every second faster counts)
  • walk 2 minutes
  • run 1 minute
  • walk 1 minute
  • run 1 minute
  • walk 3 minutes (finished .5 mile in 2.5)
A little over 1 and a half miles logged in 22 minutes.

I will run 3 miles next time.
I will run 3 miles next time.
I will run 3 miles next time.

But seriously it's happening.

t minus 7 days.... did I say it was 7 last night too because I'm pretty sure I meant 8 haha

till next time,
S

Wednesday, November 16, 2011

Forth Training Run

Short and sweet.

Just over one and a half miles in about 23 minutes. Ran a mile in 14 minutes.... pretty sure that's the fastest I've done it in quite some time (even though that still seems incredibly slow I'm sure for a lot of people)

  • walk 3 minutes
  • run 3 minutes
  • walk 1 minute
  • run 2 minutes
  • walk 1 minute
  • run 1 minute
  • walk 1 minute
  • run 1 minute
  • walk 1 minute (1st mile done, water break)
  • walk 2 minutes
  • run 1 minute
  • walk 2 minutes 
  • run 1 minute
  • walk 3 minutes
Longer run tomorrow or Saturday. We'll see when I have the time, can't believe I only have 7 days till the race!

It's come to my attention

... that everything I want is in the UK.
All the good stuff comes from there guys, seriously. So many good bands, clothes, youtubers, bloggers, tv shows, actors.

I feel so unpatriotic right now. I really need a job so I can go visit London during this lifetime. Why do plane tickets have to cost so much?

Tuesday, November 15, 2011

Went to see Jason Derulo tonight

Hey did a show at Miller Auditorium and me and a few friends got late tickets for the grand tier. It was fun purely because it was a concert but it didn't last long. The opening act was Black Violin which was cool but at the same time and hour of that got me a little tired and not pumped up like opening acts should do to you. Still, the $12 tickets were totally worth the show.


Me and my friend Nicole had fun dancing

hello guilty pleasure song that I haven't stopped listening to for a month (I don't listen to the radio that often so it hadn't been overplayed for me yet)


Now I'm stuck doing homework till the wee hours of the morning. Luckily I have my friends on Skype to keep me company :) So glad we're all late nighters and homework procrastinators.

Saturday, November 12, 2011

Third Times a Charm

aka. 3rd Turkey Trot training run or When running feels good

Today's run went off way better than I had hoped for. My legs didn't hurt so bad, my hips weren't aching for me to stop, my back felt fine, my shins did not feel like they were splitting open.... all was good. Granted running is still running and there for I still had to stop and take breaks. Sometimes when I'm running for a while I get light headed or dizzy which is never good and I always take it as a sign to slow down or stop. Today was a 2.5 mile run done in 40 minutes, not the greatest but better than last time (besides being less painful). My legs actually kept begging me to keep on going when they're usually telling me to stop.

Here's the breakdown:

Mile 1

  • walk 3 minutes (warm up)
  • run 7 minutes
  • walk 2 minutes
  • run 1 minute
  • walk 2 minutes
Mile 2
  • run 1 minute
  • walk 2 minute 
  • run 1 minute
  • walk 3 minutes
  • run 2 minutes
  • walk 4 minutes
  • run 1 minute
  • walk 1 minute
Last .5 Mile
  • walk 5 minutes
  • run 1 minute
  • walk 4 minutes
That's a total of 14 minute running and 26 minutes walking. I'm hoping to at least get to where I can run 3.1 miles in 45 minutes (even though I'd really like my time to be less than that). I'd say today I would have been right on track until the last half of a mile :) Hopefully Thanksgiving will be a good running day for me.

Today's To Do List


  • Finish reading Mockingjay
  • Clean my room to find my running pants
  • Make a short Christmas list (not really asking for much this year)
  • Read some of The Help
  • Make a grocery list
  • Do load of laundry
  • Workout/Run
  • Complete a rough draft of my Family History Paper
  • Finish at least 1/3 of my Article Summary
  • Paint my nails
Now I'll leave you with this....

Thursday, November 10, 2011

Second Day Log

Wednesday night I went to the gym for another training run. It was harder than the first one. The second day of working out is always harder than the first one. I still managed to do 2 miles that took me an even more time than the last time (didn't think I could get any slower).

Here's the breakdown:


  • 5 minute warm up walk
  • 1 minute run
  • 1 minute walk
  • 1 minute run
  • 1 minute walk
  • 1 minute run
  • 2 minute walk
  • 1 minute run
  • 4 minute walk
  • end of mile 1 and quick water break
  • 3 minute walk
  • 1 minute run
  • 2 minute walk
  • 1 minute run
  • 3 minute walk
  • 1 minute run
  • 3 minute walk
  • 1 minute run
  • 8 minute walk
I ended up walking a lot of the time because my body was just not feeling the whole running thing. Something was really off about my stride and it threw everything else off. I have no idea what my problem was, but I only ended up doing just over 2 miles. One of these days I need to run the whole 3.1

Tuesday, November 8, 2011

Music Update


I have been listening to so much Aunt Martha lately. Not only do they do a lot of great covers on their Youtube channel but their original songs are perfection.

Monday, November 7, 2011

Cross over Humor


This still cracks me up every single time. I love both of these things so much and the fact that they intersect makes me happy. 

First Documented Turkey Training "Run"

"run" aka a jogging pace

2 miles took me 33 minutes tonight. Yikes that's slow, I feel like people walk the whole thing faster than I can semi run it. I have started out by alternating running and walking because that seemed to work on previous occasions.


  • walk 5 minutes
  • run 2 minutes
  • walk 1 minute
  • run 2 minutes
  • walk 1 minute
  • run 1 minute
  • walk 2 minute 
  • run 1 minute
  • walk 2 minutes
  • run 1 and a half minutes
  • walk 2 and a half minutes
  • run 1 minute
  • walk 3 minutes
  • run 1 minute
  • walk 3 minutes
  • run 1 half minute
  • walk 3 and a half minutes


I think that's right.... it should total to 10 minutes of running time and 23 minutes of walking time.

Even though I have a ton of homework I knew I needed to find time to train and just plain get exercise. I'm just making excuses if I say I have too much homework because I still take breaks and I might as well spend one of them working out.

I just got back today from a weekend with my great grandma. I love spending time and getting to talk with her.

Saturday, November 5, 2011

Signed Up

Last night my dad agreed to run the Turkey Trot with me again!
He even signed us both up. So it's official. In about 19 days I'll be out in the chill kick starting my metabolism so I can eat gilt free on the day of thanks and feasts!
Guess I better get my butt to the gym on a more regular basis this next few weeks in order to train more seriously. I've been running off and on this semester and have built up a little distance (only on the treadmill) but during the next few weeks I plan on getting up to at least running one and a half miles. If I really thought I could train well enough to do 3 in the next 3 weeks I would but I don't see that happening. I'm up to about 7 out of 30 minutes right now.... but it's a lot better than the 3 out of 30 I started doing at the beginning of the semester. The plan is to work up two more minute each time I go, keeping about a 12 minute mile pace. Not fast but fast enough for me, and probably the only way I can run any sort of distance for at least now. I'm gonna run 3 times a week and hopefully get to the gym a fourth time for some sort of strength/crosstraining exercise.

Wish me luck! If you're in TC on Thanksgiving hope to see you there :)

Wednesday, October 26, 2011

My current thought process...

  1. I'm right there with you Penny.
How's this for irony.... I'm procrastinating on my research homework about procrastination.
Courtesy of tumblr... which I shouldn't even be on because I need to be working on my homework.

Sunday, October 23, 2011

The Perfect Fall Weekend in Spartan Land

The last few years I've managed to get tickets to a Michigan State football game from my friend Sam. Last year I made it for the Notre Dame game which was awesome. If you don't remember that game here you go....


A few weeks ago Sam told me she could get me free tickets to the Wisconsin game if I could make it to East Lansing. Of course i said yes and managed to overcome my fear of driving down here enough to make the well worth it trip. If you weren't in East Lansing yesterday or if you missed the game on TV, you missed out BIG TIME! That game was beyond exciting and amazing. I'm so happy I went and so happy about everything. As the group of us walked back to Sam's apartment last night around 1 am I could stop smiling, and people yelling Go Green, Go White always make me happy as well. It's days like that that I'm slightly bummed I decided to go to Western over MSU because when it comes to sports they have my heart. Spartan teams are bound to win their fighting is the best rah rah rah! (The sad thing is I always accidentally start singing the MSU fight song during WMU games).




The moment right before this play was so quiet and no one wanted to move, every one was holding their breath and then everything erupted. I'm surprised I managed to keep my balance the whole game while jumping around and high fiving people. I even still have a voice today.

Other than football the whole weekend was fun. Sam was a pretty kick ass host and I think I ate better this weekend than I normally do here. So many pumpkin flavored treats this weekend (plus I got sent home with some, I felt like I was leaving my house not my friend's).

Friday was mexican night with a nice gathering of friends at the apartment for burritos and drinks
Saturday included tailgating and the game
Sunday we went to the pumpkin patch for cider and doughnuts :)

Have I mentioned enough how much I love fall?

Saturday, October 22, 2011

Not Giving Up

Everyone has good days, and everyone has bad days. I'm definitely not the only person who knows that when one thing goes wrong, everything seems to go wrong. It's just the way life works. We have to learn to "roll with the punches," "separate the good from the bad" and most importantly, not give up when things do go awry.

I guess what I'm trying to say is no matter what, hang in there,

On cloudy, rainy, windy days
On the days when you have piles of homework
On days when you fight with your friends
On the days when you get overwhelmed with money problems
On the days when you don't hear the answers you want to
On the days when there just doesn't seem to be enough time
(or too much)
On the days when you feel fat
On the days when you don't meet your fitness goals

Because there's always a tomorrow and tomorrow is bound to be a better day.

It also helps when you go on a long vent to your friends. Luckily I have really patient and supportive friends who are wonderful listeners and that always helps. I also love calling my Mom on those days because she can be really logical about working out all my problems :) Yay for being an adult and still calling your mother to help figure out your life. Go me!

I also want to say that running and working out in general usually helps clear my head in these situations and I've been making so many excuses lately to not work out. It really needs to stop.

Sunday, October 16, 2011

October's Playlist

Songs I've been frequenting in October:


  • Wildcat by Ratatat
  • Somebody that I Used to Know by Gotye
  • Houdini by Foster the People
  • Nantes by Beirut
  • Is A Hope (Drinking Alone) by Laura Marling
  • What You Know by Two Door Cinema Club
  • Frick Park Market by Mac Miller
  • Freshman by The Verve Pipe
  • You Are a Tourist by Death Cab for Cutie
  • It's Like That by Run DMC
  • Money Honey by Lady Gaga
  • Midnight in Her Eyes by The Black Keys
  • Helena Beat by Foster the People
  • Polish Girl by Neon Indian
  • Towers by Bon Iver
  • Homesick by Radical Face
  • The Joker by Steve Miller Band
  • East Harlem by Beirut
  • When the Sun Goes Down by The Arctic Monkeys
  • Too Dramatic (The Morning Benders Remix) by Ra Ra Riot
  • What Sarah Said by Death Cab for Cutie
  • Cheers (Drinks to that) by Rihanna
  • Wildfire by SBTRKT
  • Only Man by Audio Bullys
  • Anthem Part 2 by Blink 182
  • King of Rock by Run DMC
  • Night by Night by Chromeo
  • Naked Kids by Grouplove
  • Love the Way You Walk Away by Blitzen Trapper
  • Boys Boys Boys by Lady Gaga

I've been revisiting a lot of The Fame by Lady Gaga (I was not a fan of the Fame Monster at all) and the one band we all agree on in my art class is Blink 182 which kind of makes me laugh. Of course Run DMC is always good as well as anything Death Cab or Black Keys. Also, I've been loving Foster the People recently, the whole Torches CD is a recommendation (but I guess I recommend any band on this list).

* Here's the playlist on Youtube

Wednesday, September 28, 2011

Perfect Song for Bed Time/Relaxing/Studying



Running thoughts

Just for starts I'd like to say that this new blogger interface (I think they've had it for a while but I just switched) is taking me a bit of getting used to.

Secondly, I'm still sore from running (with a lot of walking) Sunday and Monday. Granted it's only Wednesday, but I didn't run that far and I used my foam roller. I need to get back to running at a regular schedule. I'm thinking Mondays and Thursdays at least for now, although I'll probably up that when my legs get adjusted to the work again. I had a horrible time Sunday trying to get my calf/shin muscles to loosen and stop causing me pain. Finally after thinking I'd have to give up running for another day I reached a point where the pain subsided enough and that was really all I needed. After that running felt so good.... for the 10 minutes that I ran. The only good thing about running on a treadmill instead of the track at the SRC is that I can pace myself better. I usually run at a 12 minute/mile pace on the treadmill, which keeps me steady and also prevents me from slowing down as much when I take walking breaks.

Sunday started with around 10 minutes of walking
1 minute run
5 minutes of walking
5 minute run
1 minute walk
1 minute run
and 5 minutes of walking

.... it was a start at least.

Monday was a short and quick: starting with about 6 minutes of walking
1 minute run
1 minute walk
1 minute run
1 minute walk
1 minute run
3 minute walk
1 minute run
5 minute walk

both days were a little over 1 mile each. Followed my lifting weights and leg presses.
Getting serious for the Turkey Trot this year.



Sunday, September 25, 2011

Spending my Sunday....

  • doing homework
  • doing laundry
  • cleaning my bathroom
  • working out... hopefully
  • trying to figure out how much longer it would take me to finish college if I decided to switch to a double major in Psych (what I am now) and Art Education (instead of a minor in art)
Guess it's gonna be a busy day, I better hit up the counseling office sometime next week.

Saturday, September 24, 2011

Today was my Great Grandma's 97'th Birthday!

I even got to spend the day with her and it was wonderful. So blessed to still have her around. She's such an inspiration to me and I love finally having her so close.


 (can't believe this was taken almost 4 years ago)

Love you so much and 
Happy Birthday Grandma!

Friday, September 23, 2011

Current Obsessions

1. Somebody that I Used to Know(ft. Kimbra) by Gotye. I have been listening to this song nonstop for the last day and a half.


2. New Girl. I've already watched the pilot episode again because I got it for free on iTunes this week. I love Zooey Deschanel, and Jess is pretty much the perfect character. I'm so excited for new shows this year.

3. Hunger Games. I finally broke down and bought the trilogy because I haven't been able to make it to the library and I finished One Day. I had only read about 60 pages (nook version) of it from reading out of friend's books over the past month or so. I bought the books last Saturday night and have already finished Hunger Games and read 100 pages of Catching Fire. I just don't want these books to stop. SO GOOD!

4. Tumblr. All day, all night.

5. Shoes.  I want new shoes so bad and I think today it finally hit me that in reality I have no money. All the money that is currently residing in my bank account is not for me to just spend on shoes, shoes, and more shoes, it's there to pay for my apartment. There's a really cute pair of purple Converse I want, and a pair of TOMS, and a pair of heals, and a pair of boots for fall/winter that would all look wonderful on me and in my closet. Sadly, I know that for me, none of these shoes are a necessity, just a luxury which I can not currently afford.

6. The Art Buildings. I pretty much like all my classes this semester, but being in the art buildings with all the artsy people makes me super happy. I feel so comfortable when I walk in there and excited for class.

Monday, September 19, 2011

Things I love about Fall

Some of these things will happen more in the next month or so when it gets a bit colder, but I can't wait!
  • Football
  • Seeing school friends
  • Apple Cider
  • Fresh doughnuts from Gallagher's 
  • Pumpkin flavored everything
  • Crisp air and sunshine
  • New seasons of TV shows
  • Sweaters
  • Fall scented candles
  • Pie
  • Uggs
  • Leaves changing colors
  • Rainy days
  • Chili
  • Jeans
  • Busting out the North Face jacket
  • Harvest Chai
  • Hats and scarves
  • Halloween movies
  • Cozy socks
  • Leaves crunching under your feet
  • Plaid
  • Hoodies
  • Quilts
Have a fun fall!

Sunday, September 18, 2011

Western for the Win!

This weekend has been marvelous! I went and spent Friday night at Corie's dorm room so I was on campus already for the big game. Saturday the game started at noon so we got up and got ready early to get good seats, which was not hard but worth it. Western played our big rivals Central Michigan University and ended up killing it. We won 41-14!!!!
Go Broncos!

The game was fun and it ended up being an amazing day out. I wish I had brought my sunglasses... and put on sunscreen. We were expecting clouds and sweatshirt weather, but were pleasantly surprised.

Saturday was followed up with a trip to Ulta and Buffalo Wild Wings, which was totally worth the wait. I chowed down on those wings! So good. I broke down and bought some new nail polish at Ulta. I'm addicted and need to stop spending money on it, although I did have a coupon (yes, I'm trying to justify my purchase).

Finally Sunday was spent watching the Lions, reading the Hunger Games, watching Burlesque with Nicole (Cam Gigandet is so yummy in that movie, he'll always remind me of the OC), and working out. I'm back up a few pounds so I need to get serious. I haven't been working out on a regular basis at all, so that needs to change.

Thursday, September 1, 2011

School-time Drag

Is it really the first of September already?
I feel like it was just January 1st,
like yesterday was the last day of spring semester,
like summer just started
and my birthday never happened.
There was so much I wanted to do this summer that never got accomplished...
as usual.
It's funny,
how sometimes with what seems like a blink of an eye
time is lost.
Without noticing we fall into a routine
like you're watching the same film
over and over again.
You graduate high school
start college
go to class
find a job
just to make it through.
What is there to show of it?
We're all still scared of the future anyway.

Monday, August 29, 2011

Moving In

I've been so busy the last few days moving back to Kalamazoo.

Friday I went down to see Hannah and her family for her birthday. That was a blast, but way too short.

Saturday morning we woke up and drove to Kzoo to move me into my new apartment. There were a few bumps in the move in day, but those were resolved and hopefully smoothed out. I don't want to get off on the wrong foot with my roommates.

Sunday was spent catching up with Nichole who now lives conveniently right across the parking lot from me :) We went to Panera for dinner then out to see Crazy Stupid Love. Three words: Ryan Gosling's body. Oh my god! Seriously the man can do no wrong. The movie was really cute too. I would go see it again. I liked how the whole story line was kind of a mystery and there were a lot of unexpected things that happened. Afterward I came back to the apartment to work on putting away kitchen stuff. My room is still in boxes. I can't wait till everything is put into place.... eventually.



Today I went outside to hang by the pool with Nichole. The sun was blazing and the pool was a bit chilly to actually go swimming in, but it was nice to get outside and enjoy the last bits of summer. After the pool I came back and worked on putting my clothes away.

Wednesday, August 24, 2011

Things My Future Roommates Should Know About Me

I'm sure we all have habits and certain behaviors that define our daily lives. Some may be normal, others may get on each others nerves. Since we're moving in on Saturday, I thought I'd take this time to share a few of those things I know I do and probably should try to stop. I probably should apologize right off the bat for these things that may annoy you in the future. I'm sorry, I will try to work on my bad habits.

1. I tend to sing along with songs. Most of the time it just happens and I don't even realize what I'm doing. Feel free to tell me to shut up.

2. I dance... a lot. When I'm cooking. When I'm cleaning. When I'm listening to music. When it's completely silent. When I'm sitting. When I'm standing. All the time.

3. I have a habit of leaving dishes in my room. Eventually I'll get around with picking them up but yeah, they might stay there for a few days. I also tend to leave dishes in the sink. These usually get cleaned up within a few hours, but I can see this being a problem for those living with me.

4. I'm either really organized or, most of the time, I'm messy. I know where everything is, but it's scattered around. The only good thing about this... it will probably stay within the confines of my own room, so no worries :)

5. I've been told I'm a whiner. I mean, I don't see how I complain that much but my family has pointed it out before.

6. I'm broke. I'm sorry if I can't go out every night or go on shopping trips all the time because I have no money... and right now, no job.

7. I love Kraft Mac n Cheese. It's a problem for my wast-line but so good in my stomach :)

8. I might talk to myself sometimes.... I swear I'm not crazy. You can feel free to ignore me.

9. I come up with kind of crazy ideas every other day. Things I'm going to do eventually. Most of the time they don't get done.

10. Which also leads into the fact that I'm a huge procrastinator. I wait till the very last minute to do all my important stuff (and not so important stuff).

Hope you're not already dreading having me around after this. I'm sure it was bound to come out eventually.

Tuesday, August 16, 2011

"Fitblr" Favorites

I woke up early for another morning jog. This time I went 3.1 miles and finished in an hour. I figured it took me an extra 15 minutes or so to wait at all the lights and go in and talk to my mom, so it was probably more like 45 minutes of actual run/walking. I wish I was faster. Right now I'm just trying to work up to a straight mile again before I work on speed, but I get so discouraged when people can basically walk faster than I can jog it.

One of the reasons I've started to work out and get motivated again is from reading two blogs that really have inspired me lately: One Twenty Five and Ben Does Life. I had heard of Ben Does Life here and there in fitness blogs that I've read over the past year or so. He's made local, national, as well as international news. Ben made headlines after making an incredibly inspirational Youtube video called "My 120 pound journey"(I cry every time). I'd definitely recommend checking it out, because you pretty much can't not get up and get exercising after you watch it. If he could run at 358 pounds (at a faster pace than me nonetheless), then you really can't make any excuses for yourself. Since Ben started he's run 5ks, 10ks, marathons, and even two Ironmans. His blog is pretty amazing! I've laughed, I've cried, and I've gotten jealous of the way he does life.

Liz at 125 is this Canadian bad ass, who recently announced she's skipping over to Europe to travel and climb Mount Everest! Seriously, I think she's super cool and just want her life. She used to be 200 pounds and then a few years ago (around the same time as Ben, started the blog to keep her accountable. Her goal weight is 125 and she's already down 50 pounds.

So I guess in a way, I owe Ben, and Liz, for getting me back out there, getting one step closer to my goals every day.

What are you waiting for? Go out and DO LIFE.

Love and Peace,
S

PS. I totally agree with Liz in that I hate the word fitblr.

Sunday, August 14, 2011

Morning Jog/Walk


I mapped my "run" this morning which turned out to be roughly 2.6 miles. Farther than I thought it was going to be. Weather was perfect this morning! A comfortable 68 degrees and the sun was still behind the morning clouds. It took me roughly 45 minutes (because I walked a lot of it). I did however run the full way from the light at Division and the Parkway to the turn toward the water and the open space, past the volley ball courts. It was a major accomplishment seeing as when I first started running last year I could only do about half that before stopping to walk. Probably if I had really pushed myself I could have made it a bit farther too. I'm hoping by the time I go back to school in a few weeks I can run all the way from my house to the sculpture that marks the start of the TART trail. It's quite a bit farther for two weeks so we'll see. I guess it just depends how much running I can fit in between now and the 26th.

I told my dad he better start training too or else he won't be able to catch up (lies because he can already run 3 miles without really training... lucky). Now I just need to find a 5K to sign up for to keep me on track. Anyone know of any races coming up in Michigan?

Off to cross off thrift shopping with Sandy at Goodwill!

(file under perfect Sunday)

Summer Music Playlist

Songs I just can't stop listening to. Some are old, some are new, some are pop, some are indie, some are rock. All in my opinion are great for summer.


  • Miss Me by Andy Grammer
  • Who Says by Selena Gomez & the Scene (yeah, I know, but it's a good song to jam to with the windows down or sing shout along to while dancing around the house)
  • Paris (Ooh La La) by Grace Potter and the Nocturnals
  • Kids In Love by Mayday Parade (LOVE LOVE LOVE. I haven't been able to stop listening to it)
  • Super Bass by Nicki Minaj
  • Lost in my Mind by The Head and the Heart
  • Pumped Up Kicks by Foster the People
  • Talk on Indolence by the Avett Brothers
  • She Gives it Away by Beth Hart
  • Wow, I Can Get Sexual Too by Say Anything
  • We Sing In Time by The Lonely Forrest
  • The Galway Girl by Steve Earle (this song is for every season and every year)
  • Me & All My Friends by Walk the Moon
  • Coyote by The Lonely Forrest (I know I've mentioned this before)
  • Fragile Bird (I've mentioned this one too)
  • We're Gonna Make It by The Orange Peels
  • Animal by Ellie Goulding
  • When I Grow Up by Fever Ray
  • Crazy Bitch by Buck Cherry
  • The Edge of Glory by Lady Gaga
  • Dance Without You by Skylar Grey
  • E.T./ Waiting for the End by Michael Henry and Justin Robinett
  • Lisa Baby by Walk the Moon
  • Going to California by Led Zeppelin (Classic)
  • To Kingdom Come by Passion Pit (Passion Pit is always a good decision)
There we go. 25 songs perfect for the summer.... now that it's almost over. Listen to it on the beach, on a nice bike ride in the sun, on a run, on a walk, while reading a book while laying in the grass, blast it in your car, dance to it naked around your room, wake up to it, go to sleep to it, relax to it, or pump yourself up...
Live
Laugh
Love your life.

and love music.

Tuesday, August 9, 2011

Running Again

Today, August 9, marks my first "run" since the Bayshore 10K on May 30th (fail). Really when I say I "ran" today, it means I jogged at a pretty slow pace before stopping to walk. I don't know how far I made it before stopping, but it wasn't too far (maybe a tenth of a mile?) I'm basically back to square one, but this time I want to be smart about it. Take care of my knees and take certain precautions to keep my body happy. I'm glad my pain above my left knee has finally gone away, but I'm still worried that it will come back. 

I'm hoping this is a start of something good and I'll actually keep it up this time. I remember running my first full mile in the weeks after finishing the Turkey Trot 5K last fall and just how satisfying that feeling was. I still can't believe my original goal was to run the Chicago marathon in October of this year. Lets be real, I would have never made it. I want to be smart about my goals and work up to running distances before getting too far ahead of myself. I'm hoping to run a few more 5 and 10K's within the next year. Then maybe, if I don't get more pain in my knees or anything, try for a half marathon. I'd really love to run the Walt Disney Princess half marathon.... because lets be honest how sweet would it be to run in a tutu through the castle? 

London Riots

London and the surrounding areas are in my thoughts. I can't believe how scary it must be there right now. What has happened to humanity? Hope everyone stays safe.













These are so sad.

Monday, August 8, 2011

Confindence

Phenomenal Woman


Pretty women wonder where my secret lies.
I'm not cute or built to suit a fashion models size
But when I start to tell them
They think I'm telling lies.
I say,
It's in the reach of my arms,
The span of my hips,
The stride of my steps,
The curl of my lips.
I'm a woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That's me.

I walk into a room
Just as cool as you please,
And to a man,
The fellows stand or
Fall down on their knees.
Then they swarm around me,
A hive of honey bees.
I say,
It's the fire in my eyes,
And the flash of my teeth,
The swing in my hips,
And the joy in my feet.
I'm a woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That's me.

Men themselves have wondered
What they see in me.
They try so much
But they can't touch
My inner mystery.
When I try to show them
They say they still can't see.
I say,
It's in the arch of my back,
The sun of my smile,
The ride of my breasts,
The grace of my style.
I'm a woman

Phenomenally
Phenomenal woman,
That's me.

Now you understand
Just why my head's not bowed.
I don't shout or jump about
Or have to talk real loud.
When you see me passing
It ought to make you proud.
I say,
It's in the click of my heals,
The bend of my hair,
The palm of my hand,
The need of my care,
'Cause I'm a woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That's me.

- Maya Angelou


All I really want to say about this poem is that one day I will walk strut around town with the same sense of confidence in myself. I will hold my head high and know that I am a phenomenal woman.


Just In Time

In the last few minutes of the day, I finally get a chance to tell you that it's my Mammasita's Birthday today!!

I have a feeling she might kill me for this picture, but it's too late. Love you mom!!

(ps sorry for my double face happening in this)

Saturday, August 6, 2011

My Whole Family is Cooler than Me.

So, my brother went tubing down the Platte River and my parents left me for Elk Rapids all afternoon. I'm home alone, doing absolutely nothing and realizing how lame I am. Sitting around killing time till work at five.

I need a life

I need a meaning
I need a mission
I need a path
I need conviction
I need a life I've never had
I need much more good and much less bad
Forgot to foam roll after Insanity's Cardio Power and Resistance workout...


and now I can't move.


Regret, so much regret. I'm feeling the lactic acids today.

Friday, August 5, 2011

Random question for the Universe...

Does anyone know what to use if you don't have a food processor? Is there any other house hold item that I may or not own in which I can get the job done?


There's so many recipes out there that I'm dying to try. Like black bean burger and pesto, that seem to require a food processor.I have a blender, but I'm pretty sure that's not the same thing.


On a totally different note, I went to the street sale downtown after work today with my parents. Even as tired and sore (actually I'm surprisingly not that sore) from work and Insanity I still figured it'd be a fun outing. I guess I should work on getting out of my house more often than work and school (hermit girl). I'm glad I went though, because I bought a really cute pair of comfy heals(yeah, I didn't think those existed either) and a ear-warmer for winter on campus. My parents and I also saw a ton of people we knew and the whole night ended up lasting a little longer than what we originally planned. I love seeing and catching up with people I haven't talked to in forever.


I'll have to post pics of my presents I got myself today, also I'm pretty certain I'm getting a pair of TOMS. I tried some on tonight, but they just didn't have the biggest option color wise so I'll probably end up ordering some online. 
What are you're opinion on TOMS? Anyone out there that has them and love them? Do they really last that long? Are they comfortable to wear for long periods of time? I'm thinking I will use them for work.

Thursday, August 4, 2011

Shaking Muscles

First off, today was kind of a bummer due to the fact that I was on my way to bring a milkshake to my favorite cousin, Ariana Joy, when my car decided it hated driving around. I haven't had any troubles with the breaks since my dad and I bleed them out; but when I started smelling burning rubber and my car was having trouble accelerating, I knew something was wrong. My dad had to come get me and there went my fun afternoon.

I've been kind of stressed about money and school and the apartment next year that I knew it was time to get back into regular exercise. Not that regular exercise isn't good when you're not stressed, but stress is definitely a good motivator. Because I basically fail at follow through and sticking to my goals, I wasn't surprised when after taking, what I intended as, a week off from Insanity around the time of the Bayshore 10K, I seemed to quit all together.

Tonight I took the leap back into Insanity workouts. I ended pretty much exactly at the half way point, right at the start of the recovery week before the workouts get even harder. Basically this time around I decided to start with a few days of the first cycle workouts and then go into the recovery week. I decided to do the Plyometric Cardio Circuit DVD. HOLY MOLEY I SHOULD NOT HAVE STOPPED WORKING OUT FOR A FULL TWO MONTHS! Seriously I kind of don't know what I was thinking by not working out for that long but tonight was HARD. It was mentally and physically challenging and there were so many times when I just wanted to stop, lay down on the ground, and just guzzle my water. I was surprised at how long just the warm up seemed again. The more I did the workouts before the warm up seemed to get easier and shorter, now it just went on for forever (and so did the workout!) By the last few punches and jabs I was ready to rejoice in the fact that it was finally over.

As much as I dread working out and the hard work that is put into exercising like this, I secretly love the way it makes you feel. It reminds me of a good day after dance. If your body is sore, you know you put everything you could into your work outs. You tried hard and now you're feeling the results from pushing yourself through the challenge. It's somewhat satisfying when your muscles start to shake as you're walking up the stairs and the moment you sit down you loose all power to get yourself up again. The ground seemed to be my happy place until I was able to muster up enough strength to take my body to the shower. Oh the shower, it's such a lovely thing when you're covered in sweat. Now I've resorted to lying in my bed, ready to read a bit of "One Day" before I fall asleep.

This will definitely hurt worse tomorrow and I'm kind of dreading it. I'm just hoping I manage to make it through work the next four days straight. I'm a little terrified that I might collapse under the weight of clothes tomorrow.

Wednesday, August 3, 2011

Summing Up Yesterday

In list form of course..

  1. Lunch with Sandy and CHELSEA!!!!! Luigi's, chatting with old co-works for way too long (the good kind), rain (so much rain!), baby belly rubbing non stop, pregnant Winnie wearing heals while I wear flip flops (call me lazy). 
  2. Listened and relistened to Coyote by The Lonely Forest, Fragile Bird by City and Colour, Amor Fanti by Washed Out, and Lost In My Mind by The Head and the Heart. All of these songs I got on Amazon for free, which by the way I finally realized how many amazing deals Amazon offers and their free songs are serious steals; not to mention the 69 cent stuff. Sorry iTunes but I doubt I'll be buying much from you anymore.
  3. Looking up apartments in Chicago and San Francisco for after I graduate. After which doing the math and realizing that I better have a good job or couple of jobs or else this will never work.
  4. Painting my final picture. I love maps and globes and anything that has to do with traveling.
  5. Seeing a sweet frog stuck to my window last night! I love frogs and haven't seen one in forever!









Tuesday, August 2, 2011

List of Love

  • Movie theater popcorn
  • Newly painted nails
  • Baths
  • Old book smells
  • Sunglasses
  • Accelerating
  • Perfect music for the way you're feeling
  • World Maps
  • Multiple exposure photographs
  • Raspberries
  • Sun on your skin
  • Hope
  • Remembering dreams
  • Dark chocolate
  • Last words and quotes
  • Sand between your toes
  • Film camera shutter clicks
  • Planning a trip
  • Nectarines
  • Frogs
  • Watching passersby from inside a coffee shop
  • Lists
  • Men in suits
  • Shadows
  • National Geographic
  • Saved ticket stubs
  • Summer lust
  • Dried paint on your hands
  • white wines
  • Sunsets/sunrises
  • Coffee
  • New tights
  • Towels right out of the dryer
  • Dreamcatchers
  • 5 o'clock shadows
  • Solitude
  • Having exact change
  • 11:11
  • Stage lights
  • Happy memories

Monday, August 1, 2011

Holy Blog Changes!!

Hope you enjoy the new look :) Let me know what you think. 


I'm still planning on making a few more changes to the about me section and hopefully figure out some sort of direction for this bloggity blog of mine.

You May Say



... but I'm not the only one. 


I hope someday you'll join us and the world will live as one.


Dear New York City,
One day I will return to you and we will have more fun times together. For now I will keep dreaming, but will never forget how much good I have right in front of me now.