Stuck

I got stuck practicing handstands yesterday. I flipped over (luckily the couch was there to stop me). I then attempted for the next few minutes to kick myself back over in a respectable fashion. I couldn't do it, so I just flopped down completely ungracefully and rolled off the couch onto the floor.

In case you're wondering: yes, I do practice weird things like handstands... (note the title of my last post)

Easy to find better things to do than study for the CPA...

So I've been seriously neglecting my blogging duties... So here's a quick recap of life since Brazil!!! (And I have no idea why that last stuff is underlined...)

Such a fun 4th of July watching fireworks with the fam and Amy!!!

Happy Birthday to me!

Tres leches! Too bad we don't have Jason in the pic to make cuatro...


Saying adios to Austin and on top of the most amazing Whole Foods known to mankind!

Hello New York and the love of my life!!! I finally found him! ;)

There was also a Europe trip in there.. Oh and graduation... But my family has those pics, and I'm not quite sure how to access them at the moment!

SYTYCD

I thought the dances tonight rocked. That being said, I also think the type of dance selection (could i use genre here?) was rigged!!! There is no way the melissa drew ballet and phillip drew hip hop... again. Have they realized their guys just aren't anywhere near as good this year and are taking away the random selection to please viewers and get good performances? I thought it was bizarre...

Amen

Read this.

When I was in Japan, those kids worked soooooo hard at school. I've always been a hard worker - a bit prone to perfectionism. I look at the kids around me these days, barely studying at all, and I wonder... why not? Why not study hard when you're little. Obviously not to the point that you break down or don't learn how to enjoy life. But what benefit are kids getting from playing video games instead of studying? Would it really hurt them to spend more time on education? Do they really need almost a full 3 months of summer? I think that a good number of our kids would not hurt at all from more school-time, but would actually benefit immensely (especially if good teachers are thrown into the mix, not just time).

Balance is so important in life (something I'm still trying to get a handle on). Let's focus on productive activities (like education and fitness) while still letting them have fun and have some free time. Maybe we could all learn a bit on how to work hard and play hard.

RIO!!!

For the break, I went with my dad and little brother, David, to Rio de Janeiro, where we enjoyed much fun in the sun (in my opinion, the best kind of fun)!!! It was a blast and just what I needed to get ready for this semester...Hmmmmmm. Maybe I didn't need it as it got me into the "play" mindset and now all I want to do is go swim and play instead of study!

This is obviously a flying saucer...
Watch here
Mmmm... I think the mix of these two foods should be explored more here in the US...
Can it get more fun than soccer and paddleball on the beach (in case you get tired of just laying there, straining to read because you forgot your sunglasses....
Check out that skyline!
Dinner at our favorite restaurant we discovered our last night :( Via Sete

David thought we could look like we were climbing the trees. I think it worked.

Addicted to...baking!!!

I can't stop baking/cooking this week! I'm not quite sure if it's my lax school schedule or trying to avoid the little homework i have for the next week or so. Hmmmmmm. Based on my life up to this point, I'm going to guess the latter! Ok, enough blogging; I'm on to make a new recipe of delicious cookies! (They were delicious when I tried them, at least... Thanks, fernash!)

Twitter

I do not tweet. Nor do I have any desire to tweet. I do not need another internet distraction to take away my precious time that I waste so often on so many other things! But this is a funny article interviewing the twitter creators...

Vegetarianism...

I decided to become a vegetarian today.... Then 3 seconds later I decided against it when I thought about the pork tenderloins I wanted to cook tonight... Maybe one day...

Lentil and Beef Soup

I haven't made this yet, but ate it at a restaurant last night. The chef emailed this to me. Nice, huh?

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 1/2 pounds boneless beef chuck, cut into 1-inch cubes
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 3 large celery stalks, chopped
• 2 large carrots, peeled and chopped
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 6 garlic cloves, chopped
• 1 1/2 teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary leaves
• 1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
• 6 (14-ounce) cans beef broth
• 1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes in juice
• 2 cups (about 11 ounces) lentils, rinsed
• 1/3 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley leaves

Directions

Heat the oil in heavy large pot over medium-high heat. Sprinkle the beef with salt and pepper. Add half of the beef and cook until brown, about 8 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the beef to a bowl. Repeat with the remaining beef. Add the celery, carrots, onion, garlic, rosemary, and oregano to the pot. Saute until the onions are translucent, about 8 minutes. Return the beef and any accumulated juices from the bowl to the pot. Add the broth and tomatoes with their juice. Bring the soup to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low. Cover and simmer until the meat is just tender, stirring occasionally, about 1 hour. Add the lentils. Cover and continue simmering until the lentils are tender, about 40 minutes. Stir in the parsley. Season the soup, to taste, with salt and pepper. Ladle the soup into bowls and serve.

I LOVE WARM WEATHER!!!

This is going to be me pretty soon. Minus the old school bike,short dress, and fabulously long legs... Plus my sweet orange road bike (which I love)...

EXCITED!!!

I woke up this morning with a sense of excitement. I'm not quite sure why. It could be because my roommate curled my hair yesterday, and it was fun. Or it could be because the Academy Awards were also yesterday and I wore a fun skirt to church to celebrate. Or maybe it's because I had a mopey weekend, and I've decided to be over it. No more moping. Whatever the reason, I am grateful!

Here are some of the thoughts I've had this morning (none of which are particularly deep, but I fun thinking them):
1. Ben Folds radio on Pandora adding in variety of Coldplay = absolutely thrilling
2. I love my parents because they give me silly things that I won't use like an eyeshadow set that talks in order to explain how to make a smokey eye
3. Am I the only one that responds to the radio when asked a question by the DJ? Today they played "Like a Virgin" and then asked "Did you like that?" Without thinking, I promptly responded with a nod and a heartfelt yes. How can you not love lyrics like "you're fine and you're mine"?
4. I love blogs. Not mine.. But other people's. I love looking at blogs: people's that I know and people's that I don't. (Don't make fun of me for the poor grammar right there... not quite sure of the right way to write that)
5. I'm soooooooo excited to move to NYC next year! I can't wait! It's going to be absolutely amazing. Hopefully I'll be able to figure out how to live on the meager salary I will be receiving... I am not so excited about the winters, though... Anyone have any ideas of how a girl like me (I have an extreme aversion to anything cold) can survive during the not hot months?

Ok. I think I'm done blogging for now. This was fun. :)

Dallas

As many of you know, I am quite in love with my home state and city, which would be Dallas, TX. I was reading on Yahoo today about the top 10 best and worst places to live. Guess what was ranked number 9 of least desirable cities... You guessed it: The place most near and dear to my heart. This is what yahoo said: "Dallas' economy is doing better than many other parts of the country partly because of Texas' robust energy industry. But the city has a reputation for traffic, crime, and sprawl. The top negative attributes, according to the survey, were the people—their backgrounds, talents, and perspectives (49%); environment—climate, park space, natural resources (39%); and image (38%)." Let me point your attention to the top negative attributes: the people. Seriously? How could anybody not like the people? I think that the people who did this survey should re-do it.

Hello All!

Hello! In an effort to organize my thoughts and let others know what is going on in my life (I think some realize how horrible I am at keeping people up to date...), I've decided to start a blog! I've noticed that bloggers tend to find humor and joy in the little things. So, hopefully, through blogging, I'll be more keen to detail, notice more the blessings in my life, and fill y'all in on my crazy world! Let the blogging begin...