2011

In 2011 I...

Started a blog & had no idea what I was doing.

Ran my second and third half marathons.

Got to be a model.

Got to meet my new baby cousin.

Watched two other cousins get married.

Graduated with my Bachelor's of Science Degree.

Then decided to change my career goals..

Watched my best friend get engaged to a wonderful man.

Turned 22 years old.

Shared tons of silly, frantic, deep, hilarious, intense, adventurous, stupid, anxious, sad, beautiful moments with the people I love, and unfortunately 

I lost two wonderful people, my sorority's beloved house mom, Ms. Anne, and Auntie Kaitlin, along the way.

It's been a crazy year, but I look forward to what 2012 brings. Thank you all so much for reading what I have to say and allowing this 'side project' to become a true passion and creative outlet for me. You have no idea how much it means to me.

Drink lots of champagne, enjoy your night and make questionable decisions, but do NOT drink and drive -if you live in these states AAA is offering free rides and car tows to drunkies tonight. Call 1-800-400-4AAA.

Happy New Year's Eve!!!

My Very First InstaFriday!

My late Christmas present has arrived: a white iPhone 4S. I AM OBSESSED. I was one of those people who constantly checked the Droid App Store to see if there was a bobo Instagram App yet, so yes, in case you were wondering, I will be extremely obnoxious about taking Instagram photos from now on. On that note, today is my very first... INSTAFRIDAY!! Without further ado, I give you random pix I took with my iPhone between now and yesterday when my phone got the hook up:

I'm still getting the hang of it, but here's what I know: I really like to take pictures of my dog. I got my nails and toes did tonight for NYE tomorrow (EEEK!) so obviously I took photos & that one on the bottom right was me after running two miles (without stopping) in my Vibrams. My knee is still intact and I am officially stoked about it.

In honor of the new year vastly approaching, I thought I'd share a little somethin', somethin' from Old Year's Eve.

I made these bad boys from scratch (the icing too) back when 'baking from scratch' was a foreign term to me. It's true, despite my current domestic goddess status (baha) one year ago I thought I hated cooking. Also, these were chock-full of butter, sugar, milk, more sugar and a side of dairy (aka delicious). They were diminished in a matter of 5, 4, 3, 2, Yum (See what I did there?).

I haven't decided if I will be supplying more delicious treats this year or not, but I do know they won't (or a least a few won't) contain lactose-sugar bombs.

What are you guys bringing to your New Year's Eve parties this year?

Karaoke Fail

Shirt: Ross

Jeans: PacSun

Cowboy Boots: Steve Madden

Necklace: Grandmother's

Earrings: Gifted

I'm going to let you all in on a little known fact about me: I love to sing. Okay, so maybe if you have ever met me in person you already know that I sing along to every song on the radio (and I mean every song, no matter what station). But I also really like to sing karaoke. The problem? It scares the poop out of me.

Last night the boyfriend came in to town late after he got off work and was all, "Yo, my bros are singing karaoke tonight, let's go" and I was all, "Okay, homeboy, what does one wear to a karaoke bar in redneck town Ocala?" I might be ad libbing the whole conversation right now, but I decided cowboy boots were the best option regardless. Then once we got there and "Sheryl Crow's 'All I Wanna Do'" written on a little slip of paper was in the DJ's hand, my cowboy boot clad toesies went numb.

I promptly ordered "Smurf Piss" because, for one, it was called "Smurf Piss" and, two, I thought it would make me less nervous. It didn't. Then, they called my name and I walked up on the stage and really scary, psycho-killer clown music started playing. The screen read, "Psycho Circus" starting in 5,4,3.." 

The DJ apologized and promptly started playing "Psycho Circus" again, meanwhile I'm trying not to Smurf piss my pants. Finally my girl Sheryl comes on and I start singing... but the microphone is apparently off. Nice goin', deej, didn't even tell me I had to turn on the mic.

Needless to say it was a somewhat traumatic experience, but luckily there were only about three other people in the bar besides my crew anyway. And speaking of my crew, they were not at all microphone shy..

The older, hairier version of the Jonas Brothers. 

By the way, this is the song I actually wanted to sing.. woops. 

I feel a "Songs-I-Want-To-Karaoke-The-Shit-Out-Of" Playlist coming on. 

I could keep a copy of it in my wallet for redneck bar emergencies.

What I Wore Wednesday Part IV

Dress: Ross (approximately $10)

Jacket: Target

Boots: Steve Madden

Earrings: Lucky

Bracelet: Gifted

Ring: McIntosh Festival

I wore this outfit to go out in downtown Ocala, which is surprisingly fun these days considering all my high school buddies are home for the holidays. Gotta enjoy it while I can. 

I picked Austin up from the airport yesterday and on my way back home today I heard oldschool Justin Timberlake on the radio twice. It was a sign. So without further ado, I give you my Song of the Day:

Happy Hump Day!

Born To Run

I mentioned before that for Christmas my super awesome boyfriend got me a Kindle (!!!) but I failed to mention that I blew through my first ebook in approximately three days. The first book I read was "Born to Run" by Christopher McDougall and it was so good. It might have helped that I'm obsessed with running, but I'm pretty sure even the running-haters out there would still find this story incredibly interesting. 

It's a true story about a journalist on a quest to learn the secrets of the Tarahumara tribe, a group of people living  in the Barrancas (or Copper Canyon) in Mexico who run great distances (I'm talkin' a hundred miles at a time) through an effing canyon wearing just thin leather sandals. These people are awesome. They barely eat meat, they rarely get injured and they survive in one of the most dangerous places to live (can you imagine bringing up toddlers in a canyon?!) Basically I want to follow these people around and learn their secrets for myself, but this book is the next best (less dangerous) route. 

Considering the length and nuisance of my left knee injury, I was more than willing to learn about a running technique that could possibly help cure and/or avoid future injuries, so..

I got Vibrams for Christmas!!

I ran one mile (very slowly) in them on Christmas day and my calves are still sore, but my knee wasn't too bad. I take this as a ginormous sign that I'm supposed to build up my foot strength and all my running problems will be gone once I find the perfect stride. Just let me think this way.

I also got this super cute apron to cook all my vegan cookbook recipes in! (Don't mind the pjs and non-makeup-face.) I will keep you all updated on my Vibram running experiences. I'm pretty excited about it. Also, I highly recommend you read this book if you have even the slightest bit of interest in running. It's amazing.

Song of the day -- the oh-so-appropriate Bruce Springsteen:

Homemade Gifts

Have I ever mentioned my mom's beehive? She loves, loves, loves bees and for the past year or so, she's been taking care of them and collecting their delicious honey. Coincidentally, my dad and his five other siblings all have names that start with "B" (Billy, Bobby, Barry, Buddy, Bonnie & Belle -- yea, I'm not kidding) so back in the day when they started their own band, they called themselves the "B" Hive. As a symbol of my siblings and I's shared love for our momma (& the weird B-name coincidence I suppose), I made us all matching bee jewelry for Christmas. (The middle two are a small sample of gifts I made for others, not all of which have been dispersed yet. More to come soon!)

Unfortunately, some destructive beetles got a hold of my mom's beehive a couple days ago and there are just a small few of those little guys left. As discouraging as this is, she's going to start all over again and I have no doubt that this hive will be stronger than ever.

As for Christmas day, here's a bit of a summary via photos:

Clockwise from top left: 

Lactose-free White Russian, Lactose-free eggs benedict (a family tradition), epic vegan cookbooks, Ziggy ruining one of her Christmas presents, stocking stuffers, awesome new reading material

I came out with some pretty great loot & I definitely have more to share later. I hope you all enjoyed your day, I certainly did. Thank you to my friends and family for making this such a great Christmas! I love you all.

Happy Christmas!!

Eat, drink & be merry. Enjoy your holiday. Christmas is the best.

Christmas Magic

Wee baby me

Back when I used to look like that, I had an overwhelming love of Christmas. I still love it, of course, but back then it was so real, so magical, so perfect. Everything about it gave me butterflies. Sometimes during the summer I would randomly think about how wonderful Christmas is and start doodling snowmen, snow flakes, Christmas trees and get excited all over again.

I remember lying on the floor by the fireplace with all the lights off except for the lights on the tree. I must have stayed there for hours wishing with everything in me that Santa might come by early and fill my stocking. I would close my eyes really tight, reason being that Santa just didn't want me to see him, so with my eyes shut tight he could wiggle down the chimney real quick and leave my goodies in my stocking.

There was definitely magic in the living room, I could feel it. The colorful glow of the lights, the homemade ornaments, the fireplace with stockings hanging from it. I knew he'd come any second, but even if he didn't, the anticipation was so exciting. I remember feeling so peaceful lying on the carpet just waiting for Santa.

My sister as a wee baby

I always took care of providing refreshments for our Christmas guests. One time I threw reindeer food (glitter and dry oatmeal, obviously) on the roof so they would be nice and full by the time they left the top of our house. I also made sure to write Santa a little letter that I left by the plate of cookies. He always wrote back. Letters are magical too.

My children will definitely make their own, beautiful ornaments every year.

They will definitely receive a letter from the big guy himself.

They will feel the Christmas magic and peacefulness.

And if they're anything like me, they'll love their stockings more than any present under the tree.

Lactose-free Eggnog Cookies

These eggnog cookies are super addicting. At the first bite you're thinking to yourself, "Hmm.. these don't taste like much," then you take another bite and think, "Oh, interesting!" until the third bite when you transform into a big blue monster screaming, "COOKIE! COOKIE! ME EAT COOKIES!"

Okay, I might be exaggerating slightly, but seriously these cookies rock my mismatched socks off. Here's what you need:

Then you simply follow the directions as explained ever so eloquently here, and have a giggle to yourself as you pull these aromatic creations out with this here oven mitt.

Then sit back, relax and enjoy your third bite.. a lot.

Song of the day The Killers' cover of Dire Straits.. (Brandon Flowers is beautiful, just sayin')

Merry Christmas Eve Eve!!!!

"The Mermaid Chair"

I picked "The Mermaid Chair" by Sue Monk Kidd off my mom's infinite bookshelf several weeks ago because I loved "The Secret Life of Bees" by the same author so much that I figured I would simply have to love this is one just as much. However, after reading the whole thing (which took much longer than my usual book reading time lately) I thought to myself.. "meh."

I found it to be a little pointless; a little too self-centered and dramatic for no real reason. Also, considering the title and pretty cover I was expecting and hoping for a lot more magic. I'm a huge fan of magical books (if you haven't read "Blessed Are The Cheesemakers" and you're a fan of magical fiction, I suggest you do so right now). I guess they say don't judge a book by its cover, but I thought I'd be safe considering how wonderful Bees was. The good news is, I learned a lot of GRE vocabulary words and there was plenty of beautiful imagery throughout the course of the lead character's self-indulgent mid-life crisis.

"From then on he'd been trying to decipher the emotional scribbles inside himself by writing them down. Oddly, they became accessible that way, transposed into something deeply felt."

I marked several other pages for seemingly significant quotes at the time, but on second glance this is really the only one that still speaks to me.

I'm almost finished with "Born to Run" by Christopher McDougall now and I am LOVING it.

What I Wore Wednesday Part III

Shirt: Forever 21

Skirt: Pacsun

Jacket: Dillard's

Earrings: Dillard's

On Monday I went out with some of my good friends from high school. These ladies and I hit up the current ghost town that is Gainesville during Christmas break. It was amazing hanging out with these girls again. They're the ones who know all kinds of insignificant details about my life from running hours on end with me. Two of them ran cross country with me in high school (Kemper -- far left and Leah -- far right) and the other (Kim -- second from right) ran my PR half marathon with me! These are the kind of running buddies that turn into life-long buddies as described in this post. They are hilarious, super fun and they like to party.. & party we did.

As for what I wore today...

Headband & Rings: Dani at Me And My New Life

Shirt: O'Neil

Jacket: Target

Jeans: Hollister

Big shout out to Dani at Me And My New Life and 5OhWifey for giving me the opportunity to win super cute stuff! I honestly rarely win any kind of giveaway, but lately I have been on a blog giveaway winning streak and I am so stoked. Be sure to check out the rest of Dani's super cute shop here. These rings are completely adjustable and all of her products are very affordable. I have several other accessories that I'm very excited to show to you all in the near future.

Spanish-Style Quinoa

I have mentioned Quinoa before, but I have really just recently discovered it. For those who don't know, Quinoa (pronounced keen-wha) is a protein-packed whole grain with tons of fiber and a fabulous crunchy texture. It is super easy and diverse to cook with and basically I'm in love with it now. This time around I went with a Spanish-Style Quinoa recipe which, due to the green peppers, tasted a lot like one of my favorite dishes, stuffed peppers, except without the rice.

That night I paired it with feta cheese and had it as kind of a hot salad, then the next morning I added eggs sunny-side-up for breakfast and tonight I added lactose-free American Cheese (Borden) and I even got the approval from my 7-year-old nephew. I'd call that a success.

There is white quinoa as well as red, but I think the red has more flavor.

I have been keeping myself super busy hand-making all my Christmas gifts. I'm so excited to show off all these goodies, but alas, I must wait until after Christmas.

Christmas is in FIVE days!!! Who else is excited for Santa?! I may or may not have gotten an AWESOME early Christmas present today.. details to come.


Song of the day by Motion City Soundtrack:

Monday's Middle School Mashup

This is what I looked like in eighth grade.

Yes, those are boys Vans.

& this is what I listened to... a lot.

Enjoy. I hope this brings back lots of happy, ultra embarrassing memories.