Things I Would Tell My 21 Year Old Self

So, a blog that N and I both read from a fellow high school alum had an interesting post last night, which inspired this post from me.

Below, I've broken out advice by main topics that we all worry about at 21.

Topic 1:  Love
Stop focusing on trying to fall in love so much.  Take this time being single to REALLY enjoy living with 3 of your best friends (and 1 person you will stop speaking to, and 1 stinky girl).  Enjoy the freedom this gives you to travel, stay up all night, have pink EVERYTHING.  Life is fun and carefree - enjoy it (and your grades will be better too, if you don't have a random weirdo in your life).

Topic 2:  Trying to Thin Enough
Enough is never enough.  Eat with your friends, for some reason, people don't like eating with others that only eat 1/2 cup of special k cereal.  Not ok.  That random girl is really skinny, but she's an awful person.  At least you're nice :)

Topic 3:  Rushing To Graduate
This is the hardest!  School was hard - sure, but nothing beats have structure and having your parents there to help you with your goals.  Working is not that fun, you really just work for the weekends.

Topic 4:  Sure, your parents are odd - who's aren't?
Hahaha - I would have never believed that I would enjoy (maybe even LOVE) seeing and spending time with my parents.  Sure they have quirks - whose don't?

Topic 5:  Being popular
This one is silly.  Enjoy good friends.  Ones that love you - math jokes and all.  And embrace the nerd in you :)

Blog Shout Out

In the spirit of the random "5 Happy Things" we sometimes post, here's a good blog to follow: The Top 1000

Thanks Re!

N's 30 Things Update

7 down, 23 (in 3.5 months) to go! Yikes. I've been lazy and have only done the easy/fun items. The newest are as follows:

• Saturday: It started drizzling when I got home from the gym, so I figured it was a great time to go for a walk in the rain since I was about to shower anyway. Granted, it stopped raining by the time I got to the end of my street, but it still counts - right?!
• Sunday: I'm not extremely religious, but I appreciate the peace and spirituality associated with temples. However, I've only gone when my parents have taken me. So I made an effort to visit the Hindu temple nearby, only to find that there was a kids' camp going on and the whole building was insanely loud. The purpose was a bit defeated, but I stayed for a bit and made my donation. Maybe I'll go back.
• Today: I took a 45 minute voice lesson. I felt extremely self-conscious but learned some cool info AND have a recording of the entire lesson.* No, I don't plan to take classes regularly or actually pursue singing. It was just something I've wanted to do.

*I was totally about to attach an audio clip here since I don't have photographic proof (and count it as a bonus item on my list since it's like performing a solo), but I'm too lazy to sign up for online storage and upload the clip and link it here. Your ears will thank me.

Hips / Puberty #2 - I'm done with you - go back now.

I never claim to be a skinny person.  However, I know that my weight fluctuates a good 3-5 pounds and it drives me insane.  Well, I have a new grievance- MY HIPS!  WTF $#$*&#@?!

I don't understand.  My jeans fit fine and some of my dresses fit fine, BUT the dresses that have no hip forgiveness are TIGHT!  I mean like "lay on the bed, put grease on my hips, and still too tight to pull up!!" 

I've been complaining about this for the past few weeks, and someone finally said "oh you're growing into your 30 year old body." WTF! No one told me that there would be another "change" coming!  ARGH!

And then yesterday, I went to the Nordies Anniversary Sale and tried on multiple dresses with such little luck on dresses that fit.  Even the dresses that did fit, showcased my HUGE hips...I guess on the bright side it makes my waist look falsely small.

I did buy this dress tho -

Pretty dress...but man, my hips are FOUR times the size of that chick's. 

The Perfume Project

1. R and I take quizzes* online and read descriptions to find 3 potential "signature scents" for ourselves and each other.

2. Each of us, hopefully armed with store-provided coffee beans, sniffs away at the predetermined list of aromas to narrow it down to one.

3. We send each other the names of our personal scent of choice and the scent we each think will best fit the other.

4. Discussion and trips to Nordies will ensue, and we'll score our signature scents! Added bonus: I will cross another item off my "30 Things" list.

*In case you're interested:
http://www.marieclaire.com/fragrance-finder/
http://www.lhj.com/lhj/quiz.jsp?quizId=/templatedata/lhj/quiz/data/FragranceQuiz.xml

Cross Camping Off of R's List!

So - some may argue that what I did below does not qualify as camping - but in my world it does!  SO...here are the details:

Some friends of ours's son decided he needed to camp (he is the coolest 3 year old ever!), so they decided to have about 6 of us come over and camp in their backyard.  The camping included grilling, chevelas, wine, s'mores, a nighthike, and sleeping in tents.  I put a tent together with some help from Mrs I.  Man - putting those things together is quite a challenge - I almost lost an eye.  S'mores on a campfire are awesome - it was like crack!  I also perfect my technique and ended up making some for many people :)  Its all in toasting them first, before catching them on a bit of fire :)

I did sleep in a sleeping bag in a tent, which was cool.  The ground is not nearly as comfortable as my bed, but I'm glad I did it :)

YAY - only 29 more to go :)

Monday's Yummy Dinner - July 12

After many weeks out of my house, I finally decided to stop living like a bum and make a decent grocery run.  After two full grocery trips, our fridge is now stocked like a normal couple's.  So for the first time in three weeks, G and I actually had a meal that required turning on the stove (SHOCKING! I know). 

I wanted to share what we had:  ginger soy pork tenderloin (bought pre-marinated from Gene's), spicy green beans (made by moi) and quinoa (also made by moi).

I've included the recipe for the green beans (you'll learn - my recipe is VERY different than a normal person's)

Ingredients:
*  Fresh sliced green beans
*  1 clove of garlic, thinly sliced
*  1 tsp of minced garlic
*  1 tsp of minced ginger
*  1.5 tsp of five spice powder
*  Olive oil
*  Chili oil
*  2 tbs of sesame seeds
*  Sriracha hot sauce
*  2 tsp of soy sauce (or really a R Dash)
*  1 tsp of lime juice

To prepare the green beans, heat a wok on high heat and coat with olive oil.  As the pan gets warm, add the sesame seeds.  You want the sesame seeds to be toasted dark before you add the garlic and ginger.  Once the garlic and ginger become fragrant (OR once it starts to darken if you can't smell), add the green beans and sliced garlic.  Shake the wok to ensure everything is stirred up.  As the green beans cook, add the five spice powder, sriracha, soy sauce and continue to shake the wok.  As the green beans complete cooking, add the lime juice and a quick dash of chili oil and allow a couple more minutes before taking the green beans off of the heat.

Bon Appetit!

5 Happy Things of the Week

1. A lovely long weekend which will look like this:

2. 4th of July sales!

3. The completion of another fabulous weekend in ATL

4. Iced tea

5. Crossing another item off my list of 30 things*

*I've been a bit slack, but here's a brief update. I planted a tiny pot of basil (boring i know - but baby steps), bought a bikini, saw a movie outdoors (Invictus), and today K and I decided to indulge in some cake at lunch which I picked out with my eyes closed. Other more interesting items are in progress. :)