return to texas!

and we've made it! it's friday morning and i couldn't be any happier about it. i know that i say this EVERY SINGLE friday but man, i am excited for the weekend. ever since shaking out of my funk this week, i have been on cloud nine. i don't know what it is but i am in a fantastic mood. that goes against everything normal for me considering when the weather is dreary and gray (as it has been all week) i usually stay dreary and gray right along with it, but hey, i'm not going to look a gift horse in the mouth. i'll take my good moods where i can find them. here's a happy little brain dump for you (that sounded like bob ross, anyone remember that guy?)...

1. you know what is irritating to me about workout clothes? that you can't return them after you wear them. sure, trying them on gives you a vague idea of how they'll fit and look, but for me, until i've run a few miles in a shirt or some shorts i have no idea whether or not i'll like it. take this top for instance - it's a lululemon top i got from my dad from christmas (the team spirit tank). i've never had any lulu before because i'm just not that fancy (or wealthy) and i wanted to love it. i felt like i should because you know it's LULULEMON ZOMG...but i tried it on and it felt kind of weird and the fit seemed strange. i decided to keep it anyway because i love the back (there are little ruffles you can't see in the picture) and i'm a whore for brand names. i wore it on a run on tuesday. verdict? i LOVED it when i was running. it was so light and comfortable and i literally felt like i wasn't wearing a shirt. i understand why one cannot sweat through something and then return it but i wish there was a way workout clothes came with a trial period. nothing worse than paying $60 for a pair of running crops only to find out they don't stay up when you're running. 

2. i get to see my boo tonight! can't wait. i also can't wait to be in texas in general as it has been way too long. i cannot believe i haven't been there since july. el tiempo margaritas and fajitas are calling my name...

3. i can't get over how smooth my shakes have been with the vitamix. i swear to god i'm going to stop waxing poetic about this thing soon (NOT) but i cannot get over it. i was so done with shakes after i kind of od'd on them this summer but they are back with a vengeance. they have replaced my beloved nighttime cereal snack in a big way (er...except for when i have the cereal AND the shake). i think i had stopped eating them also because it was COLD outside and an icy shake just wasn't doing it for me but now that they get blended up so well they are more like thick chocolate milk than a slushy, consistency-wise anyway. i've been sticking to my usual pb/chocolate or pb/maple for the most part and oh lord it has been the best three nights of my life. that's maybe overstating it a bit, but i am nothing if not prone to hyperbole.

4. how much better are toasted nuts than not toasted ones? i swear, toasted pine nuts in a salad take it to a whole other level. i had my friends justin and rebecca over for dinner on wednesday night and i made prosciutto and provolone stuffed chicken breasts with garlic bread and a side salad. i decided at the last minute to toast some pine nuts and this might have been the best last minute addition i've made to a dinner in a long time. plus my whole apartment smelled amazing when just and rebs got there, which is always a perk when you're trying to prove to people you make good food.

5. speaking of salad - i hopped off the wrap train at lunch yesterday and today and got back to my roots and i almost forgot how obsessed i am with this salad. i would argue that there is no better fruit in a salad than an asian pear. if you want to debate with me on that topic i'm going to need proof in the form of a salad you present to me alongside a seltzer water and a bag of tj's popcorn or a cup of cho. thank you in advance for all entries. 

(source)

6. anybody else watching the biggest loser this season? i've never watched it before but after getting mildly obsessed with j.mike over the past year or so (i love her podcast so much), i was intrigued by this season because they're dealing with the issue of childhood obesity. this was such a touchy subject matter to try to tackle on television because for anyone who has watched the show before, you know the trainers (particularly jillian) can be super harsh with their teams. i started watching thinking it would be a train wreck and the poor kids would get their lives torn apart, but i really love how they're handling it. the kids aren't living on the ranch and they are meeting doctors and nutritionists to help them make realistic changes in their lives all while being trained (mostly virtually is the impression i get) by jillian and the gang. childhood obesity is a topic super close to my heart as a teacher and i'm really glad to see biggest loser is handling it in an honest and compassionate way while still emphasizing what a huge problem this is in our society. {dismounts soapbox} point being: if you haven't seen it, i recommend checking it out. along the way i've gotten attached to the adult contestants too so i think we can go ahead and say this is a show i'll now be obsessed with in the future no matter how unrealistic it is, premise-wise.

7. a big congrats to BOTH of my brothers (there's a third one, i swear, but he's so busy all the time with kids and stuff that he can't just jaunt off to miami to watch notre dame and take pictures on beaches with us - well that and he's not an ND fan, which is probably feeling pretty good given the current controversy) for rocking their applications and both getting into business school! they're still waiting to hear from other schools before finalizing where they'll be starting in the fall but so far they've been accepted and gotten awesome scholarships to some of their top choices and i'm a super proud sister right now. 

my weekend consists of a mexican feast date on saturday night, a 7 miler sometime either saturday or sunday, going to see gangster squad and generally just soaking up my time with tex. i'll be mia more than likely so try not to miss me too much. fun plans for the weekend, anyone?

<3