Wednesday, January 30, 2013

On My Mind Wednesday..
1. The main reason I am writing this list is to distract my self from the ONLY thing on my mind, a very sick friend in the hospital. Say a little prayer if you're reading.
2. Despite having a crazy busy day yesterday and not getting to bed until late, I feel very well rested.
3. I packed myself tuna and avocado with lemon juice for lunch. I HATE tuna, but it's so cheap and good for you. My hope is that the avocado, which i LOVE, will drown out the tuna taste.. I know, deep stuff, deep.
4. My First 5K is coming up in less than two weeks!! I am having feelings of both "oh my gosh I'm so excited!" and also "holy moly what was I thinking I;m going to freeze/ not make it!"Any tips for running outside in cold weather?
5. I have yet to use the crock pot that I wanted to so badly and received for Christmas!! Shameful!! Does anyone have some quick, inexpensive crock pot recipes?
6..... Is it friday yet???!!!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!!??!?!?!?!!!!!!!????????????????

Friday, January 4, 2013

Fit Chick



.
                                                                                                            ... I got 'em !

In my quest to continue staying in the gym and getting in the best shape I can be in, I got myself some new running shoes. They are Reebok Smoothflex Cushrun ( whatever the heck that means). I've been running since May- usually no more than 2.5 miles at  a time but I usually combine some walking wih my running as well and am currently training for my first 5k. My old shoes were OLD and smelly and not supporting my feet properly. I read some reviews of these online and they seemed fine, and from what I can tell so far feel like a dream on my feet- MAJOR difference from my last shoes. The color.. well, it's a little brighter than I had expected. I mean, I wanted something fun & bright- but these things are like traffic-stopping. I still kind of like them though and am definitely keeping them.. so that's that. 

I'm super nervous because I will be putting these bad boys to the test tomorrow morning in a class I'm taking for the first time. My new apartment in Center City is right next door to a personal training studio and so I have finally bitten the bullet if you will and signed up for a class tomorrow! 

Wish me luck in my new kicks y'all!

XOXO Natalie

Thursday, January 3, 2013

2012 In Review

Favorite trip? Probably one of my first trips to Long Island. Since starting my job in May there hasn't been a lot of time for travel so this little miniature vacations have been super refreshing. The beaches on Long Island are so peaceful and beautiful 

Favorite book? "Sula" by Toni Morrison. I actually picked this book up in a desperate panic. I had to choose a book from a list of about 30 to write my final thesis paper for an English class on in the spring and waited until the WAY last minute. Sula just happened to be the one I found first and I'm so glad it was. I wolfed the book down in ONE night! Definitely not a light read, but so emotional and compelling. 

Favorite movie? Of the movies that came out in 2012, I guess Dark Knight Rises was my favorite. I didn't see many, but this one definitely didn't disappoint! That batman is such a hottie. 

Favorite TV show? PARENTHOOD. I got hooked around this time last year. If you know me, you know that i really never watch tv. So, I'm definitely not as avid as the most avid fan- but for me, this is as avid as it gets. Avid. Just wanted to say it one more time. :P For real, probably my most favorite show since State of Grace.. anyone remember that gem? no? Well if you do I will have you know that Amber and Grace of State and Grace are one in the same.. CRAZY. ( Grace/Amber/Mae Whitman is on Right in pic below)

Side Note..Is Joel (Parenthood) not the most perfect husband in the world? #love #dreamy




Favorite song? Album? Absolutely Florence and the Machine's Ceremonials. Florence Welch is so talented. I could listen to ANY of her songs on repeat. Shake it out and Only if for Tonight were two great ones from this album though. 

Favorite purchase? I think my last post made this pretty clear, but without a doubt, my shiny new baby, "Holy Hannah the Hyundai" 



Favorite meal out? Bar Ferdinand in Northern Liberties, Philadelphia. This is where the bf took me for my birthday dinner and it was so perfect. It was spanish tapas and everything was delicious. The WINE WAS AMAZING. It had such great atmosphere and was so romantic. There were dried red roses hanging everywhere. Perfect night. 

Favorite new recipe? Well, due to my new found love in 2012- Pinterest- I found and tried many an excellent recipe. However, I will just share this one with you as it has become a quick, healthy, staple for me- and the end of 2012 was all about cleaning up my diet. Zucchini, Black Bean, an Rice Skillet

Favorite day? "It's impossible to pick just one" says the blogger I borrowed this from and I couldn't agree more. 

Favorite development? Again, I don't think I could pick just one. New apartment, new roommate, new boyfriend, new friends, new car, new job, new gym - I can't even imagine what will develop next.

Favorite outfit? Yoga pants and a tee- any moment I could find to kick back and relax or go to the gym, this was my uniform. Don't get me wrong, I love to dress up and had plenty of great outfits this year, but I'm most proud of the things I do in my yoga pants. 

Favorite holiday? Thanksgiving. It was my longest vacation since starting my job and my first holiday spent in Long Island. I loved every minute of it. 

Wednesday, January 2, 2013

Within Myself, An Invincible Summer..


,
I've been gone for a long, long time- this, I know. But, new year, new attempt at being a blogger. So, I've deleted all of my old posts and am starting fresh. I thought I would start off my "not-so-first" post with a quote I found ( above) earlier this year that I love and I think defines my year perfectly. This was one of the hardest years I've ever had and at the same time one of the best, because it made me take a long, hard, look at myself. I know this year is going to be even more amazing than the last. It started off with a laid back new years party with some fun people. Here, I would normally give you tons of awesome pictures However....
This is the only picture I have from New Years -taken to show me which chunks of hair I still needed to curl in the back before we even got to the party ha! ( Hair turned out pretty awesome once it was done..btw!) I passed on (/forgot about taking) other pictures from the evening in exchange for drinking copious amounts of champagne, dancing, pouting (result of having too much champagne), and ultimately being carried to the car by the bf because my feet hurt #reallife... at least you can (kinda) see my sparkly NYW dress. Soo, to wrap this up I wanted to make a list of things I accomplished in 2012 instead of a list of resolutions. Sure, I have resolutions but I am pretty proud of some of the things I accomplished in 2012 and I think if I can continue to head in the same direction I will be A-OK :)

1. Figured out how( started to figure out how to) balance a healthy diet and exercise/lost weight got fit ( TBC obviously ) 
2. Moved into a new apartment in the city/ started paying my own rent for the first time!
3. Found and kept a good job for myself right out of college 
4. Bought a car all on my own ( Pretty new white 2013 Hyundai Elantra, woohoo!)
5. Really learned how to create a budget for myself and began to save $
6. Drank less/Slept More..
7. Started taking better care of my skin/ using a moisturizer daily .. see ya old lady skin
8. Became more organized/more of a planner-aheader ( mainly out of absolute necessity)
9. Oh... graduated college. 
10. Became a better/healthier cook.. started some adventures with my new crock pot!
11. Met some truly incredible people :)

Are there things I would have done differently this year? TOTALLY. But, at the end of the day,this year taught me so much about myself and I think gave me the push I needed to grow. That's all for now- hopefully I can stick with it and will talk to you again soon!

XOXO Natalie