Happy Holidays!

Good morning and Merry Christmas Eve!

I'm sorry for the two week hiatus that I took in blog posting. In these two weeks there was studying in the library, going to review sessions, exchanging secret santa gifts, and coming back home to Charlotte, North Carolina for a long awaited break. In the midst of all of that, I didn't have much time to do any posting so I figured I would give myself a little break and wait until things settled down for a second.

So here I am on the morning of Christmas Eve day having slept in for the first time in months, sipping tea, and watching a true Hollywood Story on Leanne Rhymes. Just what Christmas break should be!

Here's a look back in pictures of the last 2 weeks!

Like I said, there was plenty of time spent in the library, studying. Sometimes we have to go to extreme levels to keep ourselves sane... hence the intimate fireplace setting.

Lunch one day was a salad with lettuce, tuna and broccoli with some simple italian dressing on top. 

Secret Santa exchange with Sirens! 

The best secret santa gift ever! 

More oatmeal for breakfast with agave, cinnamon, and blackberries!

Lunch at the library...black bean burger on whole wheat! 

 And then just a few days later, the dreaded finals were over! 

To celebrate the start to break, Joey and I went out for dinner and shared a big plate of sushi! 

Workouts during finals week were pretty much fit in whenever I had an extra second. Sometimes it was a quick 30 minute jog in the morning, and sometimes it was an evening workout. Regardless of how hectic things became, I tried my best not to let my workout routine completely crumble. And at times, taking a break from the books in favor of an easy run was really relaxing and beneficial to my mental clarity. 

Now that I'm home, I've had a lot more time and flexibility to workout when I feel like it. Most days I head to the small gym my family belongs to and get a nice workout in that usually includes the usual run on the treadmill, abs on the standing half bosu ball, and arm work with free weights. Today my plan is to head over to the gym around 12:30 and will do a nice long run on the treadmill...but who knows, that's just my thought now as I lay on the couch....still watching E! True Hollywood story...only now it's about Miley Cyrus. 

Empty little gym yesterday when I was there for a quick birthday run

Birthday time!! My birthday was yesterday (December 23rd) and I had a great 20th. The day started the night before when I got to celebrate with great friends from high school. The next morning I was pampered and treated to a mani/pedi, coffee with a great friend on her way out the door to England for the holidays, a quick 5 mile run, and a big dinner at home with family there to celebrate with me. It was really a fun day. 

My friend Maddi made me a cake! Funfetti is always a good idea. 

Dinner cooked by my mom was pork tendorloin, asparagus, pear and strawberry salad, and corn and onion soufflé. Now obviously the pork tenderloin was not for me so I had a nice big bowl of tomato and red pepper soup in place of the meat!

A very special birthday cake was delivered for me! It was a caramel cake from Caroline's Bake Shop in  Annapolis, Maryland. It was a surprise for me that they flew in this cake that they new I would like and wow was it amazing. I also had a few bites with breakfast this morning :) SO delicious!! 

Cute cousin Josh helping me blow out the birthday candles! 

mmmmm!!! 

Okay now I need to actually get up and be somewhat productive for the next few hours. Maybe I'll even be extra motivated and bundle up to take my doggies on a walk once this rain subsides a bit. 

Have an amazing holiday everyone!! Merry Christmas!  

Welcome to Finals Week

This past week was the last week of classes at Hopkins. You would think that teachers would slow things down during this time since it's the end and they want to end on a positive note, and really how much more could they have to teach us?...that is a very wrong assumption to make. I had two exams this week and I consider myself luck since many people I know had a plethora of exams, tests, quizzes, and papers all due this past week. And if that isn't enough, we now have a weekend + 2 reading period days to prepare for finals...Yayyyy. Luckily/ unfortunately my exams are all at the end of the finals period so I have this week to prepare for my finals that start Friday. As usual, the MSE library will be my home for the next 8 days...Good thing I always have friends to keep me company in the lib!

Let's change things up and start with workouts from this past week:
GYM TIME...
Monday (12/3)- 45 minute run outside (it was eerily warm and beautiful outside) a nice long stretch afterwards. Side note- I have been stretching after running almost every day recently and I can't stress enough how much it has helped my legs recover faster. I focus on stretching out my hips, calves, and quads with various stretches and I can definitely tell a difference the next day when I start to run. My stride feels longer and less labored, and my legs don't feel as stiff as they have in years past. Moral of the story-don't underestimate stretching! It can make a WORLD of difference! 
Tuesday (12/4)- 30 minute run on the treadmill focusing on uphill sprint intervals, 15 minute stationary bike, 5 minute abs, stretching
Wednesday (12/5)- 45 minute morning run on the treadmill, 75 girl pushups, stretching
Thursday (12/6)- rest day!
Friday (12/7)- 6.25 mile run (slower pace) on the treadmill, 5 minute abs, 3 sets of 1 minute forearm planks w/ 30 second rest in between, stretching
Saturday (12/8)- 45 minute morning treadmill run, arm work with resistance bands, stretching
Sunday (12/9)- 30 minute treadmill run, 5 minute uphill alternating lunges on the treadmill, 10 minute stationary bike, 5 minute abs, 50 girl pushups

There you have it! That's the most I've spoken of working out in a while, but hopefully it gives you some ideas of ways to change up your own workout routine!

FOOD TIME...

Oatmeal on oatmeal 

A delicious lunch! Carrot ginger soup plus kale and chickpea salad...all vegan too!

Watching friends make a gingerbread house!

Look at that icing-mixing technique 

Oh so much candy...my sweet tooth was thoroughly intrigued

Is that bacon? Why yes it is. I had the unique chance to go to a "bacon" party that a friend of mine threw this weekend. Although I did not partake in the bacon nomming (vegetarian problems), it looked like everyone was really enjoying it!

More oatmeal for a quick breakfast before a Phi Mu seminar on Saturday! Along with a special treat-Skinny pumpkin spice latté..yessss.

Dinner tonight- tomato soup, edamame, and a slice apple (half of which was eaten before this picture was taken) 

Other pics to recap the week: 

Sirens Christmas performance! We sang Carol of the Bells! 

I don't think there's a recording of us singing it but click here to listen to another great and famous acappella group's version of the song-Straight No Chaser!

A little shopping!

An interview! 

Friend time :) 

One last thing before I go to read about schizophrenia and other psychotic disorders (Abnormal Psychology exam on Friday). Here is a link to a treadmill workout I hope to do this week. I found it on FitSugar.com which, if you haven't explored it already, is a great resource to find workouts and healthy eating tips. Check it out!! 

Sick Sunday :\

Happy Sunday from a very sickly girl. I am usually a person who never gets sick, but it looks like I jinxed myself by saying that too often because Friday I started to come down with a bad case of the sniffles. It's now escalated into a bad sore throat, cough, little nausea, and just overall achy-ness.

Luckily this virus thing hadn't gotten the best of me yet on Friday night at the SIRENS CONCERT!!

I was so so proud of us! It was a blast and I think the audience had a great time too. It's always such a great feeling to see our hard work from the semester pay off at the concerts. Congrats guys!! <333 Ps- Check out our videos on YouTube!!

On the food side of my life, here are the eats of the week: 

Dinner with Sirens friends at Carma's Cafe! I had the Greek salad and a cup of the green lentil soup with a piece of "health bread toast" 

Of course I have had my green protein smoothie most mornings for breakfast this week, but since I started to feel sick, the only thing that sounds good to me is warm oatmeal. It's such a comfort to me and my stomach that I can't resist a bowl or two :) 

Soup...lots and lots of soup. Sickness means warm foods are a necessity. 

Joey and I had our one year anniversary dinner tonight at a fun restaurant in Baltimore called Pazzo. It is a mediterranean cuisine inspired restaurant with a really cool atmosphere. We sat in the lounge area on couches and were very comfy. Joey and I mainly ordered from their tapas menu, but my favorite thing of the night was of course the butternut squash and black bean duo soup. It definitely hit the spot for me and my sick self. 

You know you have a great boyfriend when he gets you food as your anniversary present :) Some of my most favorite foods of all time in one bag! So thoughtful. From right-Razzles (I haven't had them in forever but there awesome..First a candy..then gum!), milk chocolate with pretzels in it (enough said), pumpkin butter, hemp ginger granola, oatmeal, multigrain flax crackers, chamomile tea, and popcorn! And of course Mo had to check out all of the food. 

Although I have had to take a day off to let my body rest a bit during this sickness, I have kept up with my standard daily run + strength training for the past week. I hope to post a good workout up here soon so look out for that! 

Alright I'm off to finish my tea and hit the hay early. It's going to be a busy last week of classes, that's for sure. Have a pleasant Monday!