Healthy... blah

Okay lovely people I'm about to get real with y'all...

I've gained some weight.

Yeesh that's so embarrassing to say! Yet I think a huge first step to conquering an issue is admitting there is a problem. So that is what I am doing.

Food in college is tricky... it seems like there are days when I don't eat at all and others where I eat like it is my last meal. I think that part of this is a time management issue... and another part is will power. As in, I have none. The chick fil a in the SUB is so delicious and easy, I have an incredibly hard time turning it down. Burgers and coffee and baked goods are so yummy and they always seem to end up in my tummy. I'm coming up on my 8th week here, and while this isn't a full blown issue yet (i.e. my clothes still fit well even though they are a bit more snug) I would preferably like to get it under control now.

So here is my plan:

1) EXERCISE THREE TIMES A WEEK! This is my one goal that I am having particular trouble with. Aka: haven't done it once. Not one single time. This must change people. My healthy pinterest page (check it out!) will get some use. I want to run the bear trail, take a Zumba class, and maybe even brave the workout room at the SLC. Oh boy.
*UPDATE* Ran my first 3 and half miles on the Bear Trail yesterday.... sore muscles? You betcha.



2)Plan out where and when I am going to eat each day. I know this is going to be tricky. Sometimes spontaneity happens and plans will change, but if I have a specific time to eat then I won't end up super hungry and over eat, or eat somewhere super awful for me because I am not thinking straight.


3)Only have 3 meals a day. Common sense right? Not exactly. In Waco, there isn't much to do. One of the main hang out activities is eating, so there are days when I will inadvertently have four, or even five meals! 3 is the new number. If I go hang out with friends at a dining hall, I will have to force myself not to eat just because they are.

4)Gulp... only 2 cups of coffee a day.

5)Bigger gulp... chick fil a 1 time a week. I might cry.

But I can do this!
Because I want to be healthy.
Because I want to cherish the body that the Lord gave me and use it to the fullest.
Because there's no time like the present.
Because this is life and I am going to live it.
Watch me. 

Birthday Weekend: Recap

What a whirlwind of a weekend!! I actually feel like I blinked and then it was over. Ah well, such is with fun!

Friday: It was HOTTTT!!! But my riding boots and I were stubborn, and we pretended that all was cool calm and collected. My roommate woke me up with a super adorable cupcake cake that looks like my dog, a princess card, and a birthday pin.

Isn't it cute??

I spent the day with friends hanging out (with a class or two thrown in there for good measure).
Then around 6:30 two of my bestest friends in the whole entire world came into town along with my parents, little brother, and his girlfriend.

My favorite picture of the three of us from last year .

We had the most delicious dinner at 1424. I had steak that cut like butter and melted in my mouth along with fried potatoes and broccoli. It was so yummmmmmm. Then the parents went to sleep and the kids attempted bowling... but the bowling places closed early... wamp wamp. So we stayed up late watching the avengers, playing jenga, and laughing at my idiotic little bro.

It was a great way to end my birthday :)

Saturday: (Fun fact: it was my mom's birthday! We are just a day apart... isn't that cool?) We had a lazy lazy morning! Clare (of Let Us Eat Food) and I had a leisurely breakfast at the hotel while everyone else slept in, then the whole clan (minus Miles because he had to head back to the big H-town) headed to Georges for some superb classic Waco food. It was super cold outside but the food was hot so all was well. Oh, and the boys were happy because of the football on tv. We said bye to my parents and then Clare, Kev, and I went to see Pitch Perfect!

Source: leftstudios.com via Marquise on Pinterest

Oh. So. Funny. I want to see it four more times. Kev headed back to College Station and Clare and I got some quality girl time watching silly movies and gabbing.

Sunday: Nothing too exciting... drove Clare back to Georgetown, picked up Andrea, and went back to Waco. Oh but I did have a super awesome Strike! It was so much fun :) The entire theatre department comes together to tear down the most recent show and then there are a whole bunch of traditions. I can't really explain much but it was great to come together as a big theatre family. I love those guys.

There ya have it! My birthday has come and gone, and now I get to see what 19 will bring! Whoop!!!

Week 7: What I Wore

I don't have much to say about this week... its starting to get cold here which is super exciting! 

Scarves are starting to be okay and I will finally allow myself to wear riding boots!

Fun Fact: My birthday is the day that I allow them to come out... and today is my birthday! So the Tory's are back. Woo hoo!!

Here's to being 19... it's going to be a good year :)

Collins had a fire drill at 4:30 this morning...

...luckily A (my roommate) and I were still up.

Why we were still up at 430 in the morning? I'm so glad you asked!

1) I am addicted to coffee and so is she, so we were not tired yet and
2) I had a not so great evening and was upset, so A took me to Whataburger for a taquito (yummmmmm), we watched Rent, and gabbed like girls until 430.

We then dealt with the fire drill (which we didn't know was a drill. I may or may not have saved my Bible...and my Revas. Priorities?) and talked for another hour or so about how incomprehensible the love God has for us.

I thank God for my roommate.

I haven't ever lived with someone before. It is a learning experience for both of us

(i.e. When she takes funny videos of herself on my iPad, there is a good chance they will be sent to our friends. & For me, I have learned that headphones are good things that I should use when skyping or listening to music while we are both studying.)

but we are having so much fun! Our room is like an eternal sleepover. I once walked in at 2:30 and exclaimed "I want to play dress up!" (yes. I'm four.). A, instead of rolling over and going to sleep, hopped out of bed and we created outfits for an hour. Were we tired the next day? Definitely. Was it worth it? Oh yea.

Tonight is another great example. I was fully expecting to curl up in my bed and sob for a little while but A pulled me out of bed and took care of me. We had some great conversation, a few tears, and a lot of laughs. #collegelife

My roommate is wonderful, and I am so very blessed to share this year with her. I think that the Lord has placed us in each others lives for a reason.

Think about the people around you. Why are they there? Do you glorify God in your relationships with others? Try to spend today doing that and thank Him for those people He has gifted you with.

Book Review: A Bride Most Begrudging

I am such an avid reader. I can still remember the first time I dicovered the magic of books. I was 7 years old and my cousin had given me "Junie B Jones and Handsome Warren". I sat on my grandma's couch and read that book cover to cover without stopping. 

You might say that is when the monster was created. 

I devour books. 

There is nothing more relaxing to me than curling up with a good piece of literature and spending hours immersed in another world. 

That was basically my Saturday. I awoke to pouring rain and chilly temperatures. Instead of going out into the mud and muck I spent it curled up all snuggly in my bed with A Bride Most Begrudging  by Deeanne Gist. 

Oh what a read! The story is about Lady Constance Morrow, an English woman kidnapped and taken to colonial America. She is then sold as a tobacco bride to Drew O'Connor, a wealthy tobacco farmer. That is all I am going to give you about the plot, because I highly encourage you to read it yourself! The writing is outstanding, full of colorful language and well researched content about life in colonial America. It made me laugh out loud many a time, as well as sob during parts. Another thing I love about it is that it is Christian Fiction. I have read Mrs. Gist before, and she write characters with a heart for the Lord, which is a great thing to read about. Her works glorify the Lord who gave her the gift of writing and its great. 

So if you are looking for a good book I would recommend this one for sure! It is amazing and I think you will thouroughly enjoy it. 

(Ps- Birthday countdown.... 2 down 2 to go! EEEEEEEEEEKKKK)

I like pretty.

I do. I really do like pretty. Who doesn't? Beauty points to God, because beauty is infinite, just like He is. No one in the history of ever has said "Okay that's enough beauty, can I have some ugly please?" Because that would be dumb.

Sometimes I am in awe of beauty. It smacks me in the face with its amazingness at the most random times.

For example,  let's look at the desk I am sitting at.I am in the SUB right now finishing up some homework. The rooms here are gorgeous. They are refined and peaceful. Studying usually stresses me out, because I feel like it never ends (let's get real... it never does), but not this afternoon. Call me crazy, but I credit it to the beauty of my surroundings. I am sitting at an antique desk. There is a vase of flowers to my right and a painting above me. It's beautiful, and it rubs off on me and my studies. I am enjoying sitting here surrounded by beauty, and the chore of homework seems to transform into a blessing. For if I did not have that essay to write, I wouldn't be in the presence of these beauties, and that would be sad.

I challenge you to notice the beauty around you! There is so much of it, and all provided by a loving God who just wants to show you how much He cares. Bask in His little gifts and say thank you to the ultimate Beauty.

I stayed up til 5, my birthday is Friday, but lets just talk about muffins :)

For future reference, procrastinating Spanish hw until the night before is such a bad idea (yes mom you were right).

In other news I TURN NINETEEN ON FRIDAY. Gosh I love my birthday.

But that's not the point today. The point is that I have disovered a miraculous recipe.

The Two Ingredient Pumpkin Muffin
(originally from Sweet Verbena- I love this blog. Probably going to try 80% of these projects)

Yes. You did hear correctly. Two ingredients.

One Can Pumpkin and One Package Spice Cake 

Actually the simplest thing I have ever made.

Mix both in a mixing bowl, put into cupcake tins, and bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes. That's it!

Result? A moist, fluffy muffin that rivals Starbucks's Pumpkin Bread... did I really just say that?

I wish there was a bit more spice to this recipe. That is my only critique. Next time I bake them (which will probably be next weekend... I've already had 6 of them) I think I will add some cinnamon.

I love this because there are so many variations you could do! I have heard of people adding chocolate chips to it and also varying it with different cake mixes. The possibilites are endless! Wouldn't it be cool to put pumpkin seeds at the bottom? Or powdered sugar at the top?

I'll let you know how my experiments go!

*UPDATE* Tried to bake this in bread form... took like an hour and a half and wasn't as texturally amazing as I wanted it to be. But I did add cinnamon sugar and it made all the difference! I probably used about two tablespoons just eyeballing it.