30 day blogging venture: Day 5

Day 5: a photo of yourself two years ago
If I could choose a place to go at this moment it would be where I was 2 years ago.

In the summer of 2009 I took a little trip down south, to Mexico and wish I could go back to those warm sandy beaches. Those hot days filled with jet-skying, relaxing, swimming, exploring, and hanging out. Even though I got stung by 3 different jelly-fish on 3 separate days it was all worth it to spend time with my second family!

30 day blogging venture: Day 4

Day 4: your favorite photograph of your best friendSo I am not really a fan of using the phrase "best friend." My mom always taught me that I should never call anyone my best friend because I don't want to leave anyone out. So I am playing it the safe and sharing you the person who isn't just a best friend. She is also my sister, complete dork, and torturer {well at least when we were little}! And yes, that is a onesie that I bought for her, complete with monkey footy slippers, for Christmas a few years back.

fill in the blank friday #5

1. If I had to use 3 words to describe why I am undoubtedly a....Ryan....they would be....compassionate, adventurous, and a little crazy.

2. Something that happened to me in life that initially seemed bad but turned out to be good was....when my mom got very sick and was in the hospital for 2 weeks. It made my never take life for granted and also made me want to go into the medical field.

3. Something I inherited from my mom is....her organization.

4. Something I inherited from my dad is....his very protective nature.

5. My goal for this summer is....to get in shape, travel as much as possible, take a risk and let my guard down.

6. The best thing about this week is....getting to see so many of my friends!!

7. Something I couldn't give up if I tried is....I'm going to be shallow and say chocolate because I just have some and it was soo amazingly splendid.

30 day blogging venture: Day 3

Day 3: your idea of the perfect first date
For me, the idea of a perfect 1st date would be spontaneous, romantic and adventurous. Now this is sort of a fairy tale post so I would never hold a guy up that these standards, but this is just a fantasy.

In my mind going out to a fancy private dinner or anything where there can be awkward silences and pauses....not for me. I like events where there is something to focus on and do together. For me, something fun like bungee jumping, going to a sporting event that neither of us have seen {like lacrosse, cricket, or hockey}, sky diving, going horseback riding, or renting a boat out on the lake would be an amazing start.

For dinner I like to cook, and even better I like cooking with other people who like to cook. Creating something together would be amazing and it doesn't have to be fancy. Even roasting smores and hot dogs over a fire would be perfect in my book.

Last of all there is always one thing that comes to mind when I think of a perfect date scenario. Something that I wish every date could end with: taking a walk on the beach at sun set. It does sound a little corny, but I don't care, this is a fantasy after all!

30 day blogging venture: Day 2

Day 2: a photo of something you ate today

Now while I don't have an actual picture of the food that I ate this afternoon {because I was without my camera} I do have a picture of the sauce that I ate. A few girlfriends {from school} and I had a nice little late lunch in between classes this afternoon. I was craving boneless wings and so excited to eat at one or my favorite restaurants.
I tend to venture into the spice sauces but have never gone past the caribbean jerk sauce {it's the one with the arrow on the right side}. Today I kept it on the mild side with some spicy garlic/parmesan garlic sauces. Maybe with a little persuasion I will venture even farther over onto the wild side!

Due to a little hic-cup with the blogging system shutting down last night this post went up a little later than expected, but in the blogging world it's about going with the flow, right?

30 day blogging venture: Day 1

New blog project. I have been starting so many new projects lately, its crazy. This one I've seen done on a few different sites, so I thought I'd give it a go. It's a 30 day blogging venture. We'll see just how in shape I am for this little blogging marathon.

Day 1: a picture of yourself and a description of how your day wasMy day has consisted of the dreaded homework. The ever consuming vortex of time in a students life that will be done in 6 weeks time. I simple can't wait till I can pick up my fictional books without the stabbing guilty feeling that I should really be reading one of my medical books. My day did brighten with a visit from this little girl! This is a picture from last week's visit because it was just too dismal outside to take any pictures today.


Here's a little preview for what's to come....

Day 1: a photo of yourself and a description of how your day was

Day 2: a photo of something you ate today
Day 3: your idea of the perfect first date
Day 4: your favorite photograph of your best friend
Day 5: a photo of yourself two years ago
Day 6: a photo of an animal you’d love to keep as a pet
Day 7: your dream wedding
Day 8: a song to match your mood
Day 9: a photo of the item you last purchased
Day 10: a photo of your favorite place to eat
Day 11: what is in your makeup bag?
Day 12: a photograph of the town you live in
Day 13: your favorite musician and why?
Day 14: a TV show you’re currently addicted to
Day 15: something you don’t leave the house without
Day 16: your celebrity crush
Day 17: a photo of you and your family
Day 18: something you crave a lot
Day 19: another picture of yourself
Day 20: the meaning behind your blog name
Day 21: a photo of something that makes you happy
Day 22: a letter to someone who has hurt you recently
Day 23: 15 facts about you
Day 24: a photo of something that means a lot to you
Day 25: what’s in your purse?
Day 26: a photo of somewhere you’ve been to
Day 27: a picture of you last year and now and how have you changed since then?
Day 28: your favorite movie
Day 29: something you could never get tired of doing
Day 30: a photograph of yourself today + three good things that have happened in the past 30 days

the summer of travel

"Remember that happiness is a way of travel....not a destination." - Roy M. Goodman

"We wander for distraction, but we travel for fulfillment." - Hilaire Belloc

For some people summer break is just on the horizon. The summer break I am talking about is school. For so many people they have a few finals left, or 13 days {my mom and lil sis are counting down} and some are even done already! For me, I am in my 6th out of 12 weeks, so I still have 6 more weeks to go. This will inch way into my summer but I will not be denied of vacation or any sort of adventure just because I have school. I am packing so much into these short months it is making my head spin.

1. Even though it may not be my break, I'm starting off the summer with a little road trip {leaving in 3 days} to get a friend from her semester studying over in Colorado.

2. So along with the papers, presentations, getting ready for my internship, and finals I am also playing on a softball team. Not one of those super competitive ones {thank goodness, because I am not the most athletic person in the world}, but just a group of us getting together and having a blast.

3. There are also 2 other road trips planned so far, one for a girlfriend's birthday party in Iowa and a retreat just north of the cities, not to mention the number of road trips to the cities to visit a girlfriend who is going back home for the summer {you know who you are}.

4. There is a family vacation planned for late June that will last 1 1/2 weeks with the parents, sister, aunt + uncle and cousins.

5. And to finish it off I am planning a trip to CA, 2 days after the family vacation. This will all finish before my internship starting late July.

6. I also do have a job , babysit a few times a week, 3 graduation ceremonies to attend, and have other various activities that I am involved in.

Wow, I thought my head was spinning before. It seems a little ambitious but when you only have 3 weeks of no school, it's all about packing it in when you can and this summer is definitely no exception. It seems that just about every weekend has some sort of large event from now till September!

These plans seem to be screaming the same thing at me, something I am not so good at. SAVING. I am not the best long term saver of money. I tend to spend when I feel like it and don't have the best plan, but I am getting better. I have been donating plasma which seems to cut down on my credit cards, so by the time these trips role around I will be doing fine.

"He who would travel happily must travel light." - Antoine de Saint Exupery

"A good traveler has no fixed plans, and is not intent on arriving." - Lao Tzo

These will be my mottos for this summer. I always seem to pack way too far in advance {well that's some people's opinions} and way too much. But this summer I will really test out what it means to pack light. I am not exactly an expert on that, but mixing and matching will be the name of the game, as will going with the flow and not making definite plans. Can't wait for these new ventures!

sushi.sushi.sushi

When I first heard of sushi {back in California when I was still a little girl} I was instantly grossed out, to say the least. I never gave it even the smallest chance of being good. This all changed when a close friend informed me that not all kinds of sushi have large chunks of raw fish on it. There are so many variations, my favorite being the California and Philadelphia rolls {I haven't tried to many other kinds}. With some soy sauce and a spoon full of wasabi this is quickly becoming one of my favorite dishes.

Just a little tip, don't attempt to drink a Vente coffee and follow it with an assortment of sushi. I learned the hard way that even though they may be 2 of favorite things, don't think that you have an iron stomach. It wasn't so pretty.

Anyway, This has been a staple theme in my cuisine for the past few weeks, but I am anxious to branch out a little. I would love to try some new types and am thinking about buying the tools to make it. Have any of you ever tried to make sushi? I can't wait to give it a go.

happy mom's day

For all those mom's out there, we can't thank you enough!

It's days like these that we remember how wonderful they are will all their affection, sacrifice, and love. While my mom is spending this particular mother's day in bed {she's got a little nasty cold} we still had a little celebration to show her how much we care.

ingredients for my friday night

+ a few very hyper girls

+ kiddy cocktails

+ relaxing in our PJs {mine are Tinkerbell}

+ 2 yummy pizzas

+ some clay face masks that made our skin so soft

+ watching a little baseball

+ giggling till our tummies hurt

+ reminiscing back to high school with the movie 'The Perfect Man' {staring one of our favorite actresses from a few years back, Hilary Duff}

+ a few dishes of ice cream

+ making a last minute run to the store for supplies

+ bonding time with the girls