{Week of Thanks} My family

A mosaic I love.

My family means the world to me.

I do not know what I would do or who I would be without them in my life. While I live too far away to make the trip for Thanksgiving (I get to see my mom though!), I cannot wait to see them for a whole week in December. With them in my life, I feel very blessed.

Happy Thanksgiving!

xoxo

{Week of Thanks} Friendship

 

These otters seem like friends to me! SO cute!

My friends are the greatest. It's really difficult to find a true friend these days, and I am so lucky to have a few of them.

When I'm having a tough day or need help, I know that my friends will have my back. 

I feel entirely grateful to have them in my life.

 

What are you thankful for today?

xoxo

{Week of Thanks} My Dog

My lovebug!

Seriously, dogs are the best.

Isn't mine just so cute? Her cuteness definitely keeps her from getting out of trouble. 

She is so sweet and I am so glad to have her in my life. 

Even though she barks when we go on long drives (I'm bracing myself for tomorrow), loves food more than anything, and likes to paw me when she wants attention, I am so thankful to have her in my life because she makes it so much better. 

What are you thankful for today?

xoxo

{Week of Thanks} Coffee

So close! Only two letters off this time!

With Thanksgiving coming up this Thursday, I thought I would take this week to talk about the things that I am thankful for. 

Today, I am thankful for coffee 

(even though the people at Peet's and Starbucks always spell my name wrong). 

It has been a very stressful quarter for me, the last few weeks especially, and I have two long weeks coming up (two papers, one of which is 8 pages, and finals.... do not a happy blogger make.) The  only things that will be getting me through these next few weeks are coffee, determination, the thought of a winter break, and more coffee. 

Seriously, coffee is my savior right now.

What are you thankful for today?

xoxo

Recipe: {Broccoli Bites}

Broccoli Bites

I found this recipe on Pinterest a while back and decided to try it out. It wasn't my favorite, but they are interesting for a somewhat-healthy snack. 

Ingredients:

16 oz. package of frozen chopped broccoli, thawed and drained of liquid

1 1/2 cup of grated cheddar cheese or low fat cheese (I used a mix of shredded cheeses)

3 eggs

salt & pepper



1 cup of seasoned Italian breadcrumbs


Pre-oven

Directions:

Mix the ingredients together in a large bowl,

then form small patties with your hands, 

placing them on a baking sheet lined with parchment.

Bake at 375 degrees F for 25 minutes.

Be sure to flip the patties over after the first 15 minutes!


All done!

As you can see, I used muffin liners (I was all out of parchment, unfortunately) and I would 

highly recommend only using the parchment method.

I could not get the patties to come off of the muffin liner, so I had liner-bits to pick out as I 

was attempting to eat. No fun.



If you try them out, I hope you enjoy them!

Source: thinnrecipes.blogspot.com, stacysnacksonline.com

xoxo

Friday Five

ONE | MONTEREY

Seriously though, how beautiful is this place? I think I'm in love. Also, their aquarium and cannery row are so much fun! I bought an annual pass to the aquarium so that I can come all year round! (:

TWO | APPLES TO APPLES

Apples to Apples

This game is so much fun an absolutely addicting! I highly recommend it. 

THREE | EARL GREY TEA

I have had a bit of a cold recently, and honestly, tea and smoothies have gotten me through it (I'm finally on the last few days- I can't wait to feel better!)  Early Grey tea is my second favorite, but I was all out of my "After Seven-Fifty-Nine" tea from Crown & Crumpet in San Francisco. 

FOUR | BIG BOWS

Seriously, though. I am obsessed. 

I bought this bow for my Madeline costume, and I wear it all of the time now! 

I fully intend on purchasing a green or blue velvet bow to wear at Christmas. 

FIVE | ENDORPHINS

I have been wanting to work out every day lately, but I was really sick, so I couldn't muster the energy some days. However, a new leaf is turning as I am starting to feel better, so I am going to work out tonight, and each day this weekend, and every other day next week! On my way to a fitter, healthier me!

Happy Friday!
Have a wonderful weekend!
xoxo

Quote of the Week 11/19/2013

"I realized this week that I cannot do it all. So I will choose to do what I can, fabulously." -Clinton Kelly

These past few weeks have been tough: I have attempted to be a good student in classes that are not of much interest to me, I work my butt off at the preschool, and I still want some semblance of a social life, although making out-of-class friends has still not happened, really. I have been in a rut, and it's not like me at all. So I am taking some advice from Clinton Kelly, and realizing that I really cannot do it all. There are so many precious hours in a day, and I should not waste the precious hours of my life doing things that I hate. 

So I am choosing a different path for myself. 

It will be different and semi-unconventional, but that's fine with me because it is my life. 

You only get one, so live it in a way that makes you happy.

xoxo

My Birthday Weekend {Part 3}

"... the sea, once it casts its spell, holds one in its net of wonders forever."

-Jacques-Yves Cousteau 

Here's the last few photos of my birthday that I wanted to share! Above is such a cool jellyfish! They have a jellyfish exhibit right now, and it is so awesome! I think I took fifty pictures in there, but I obviously couldn't share each one! I liked this one best, so here you go!

View from the back deck of the Monterey Bay Aquarium

This place is so gorgeous! 

Half-chicken and salad

Doesn't this meal look delicious? We went to the Fish Hopper restaurant on Cannery Row - this was actually my mom's meal, but hers looked (and tasted! I stole a few bites) way better than mine so I am glad that I got a shot of it before we started to eat.

This was the view from the restaurant, which had huge windows on all sides to show the bay all around. It was absolutely gorgeous, and I would definitely go back. 

xoxo

My Birthday Weekend {Part 2 - Monterey Bay Aquarium}

Otterly adorable!

I am so excited (still!) that I was able to go to the aquarium this past weekend. It was on my list of 101 in 1,001, and the main reason I wanted to go was to see the otters! I would sit and watch them all day if I could - I love otters! They are so cute and playful. 

Isn't this view of a sea star nifty? There are so many interesting creatures to be seen at the Monterey Bay Aquarium!

  To the left, we see the kelp forest (I want to say it was the first of its kind in an aquarium, but don't quote me here!) as well as many silver fish and a leopard shark. If you look closely, on the right, you can find a fish poking out of the shoe!

Can you spot the flatfish? 

There's two!

This trip was particularly enjoyable for me because I took oceanography about 1 year ago and love learning about marine biology! 

xoxo

My Birthday Weekend {Part 1}

Tequila!

This weekend was so much fun, and I am so thankful for the friends and family I have in my life. I am feeling extremely blessed. 

This weekend, my family came to visit and we went out to one of my favorite restaurants on Friday night (can you say happy hour?) where we had a few margaritas and a wonderful time. It was such a great gathering and it felt like a vacation! 

On Saturday, my mom and I went shopping (mostly for Christmas stuff), relaxed, and then in the evening, we went to the arcade and we won a stuffed-animal otter! (I have decided to name him Leo!) It was a great night. Then, on Sunday, we went to the Monterey Bay Aquarium (post to come), and here's a little sneak peek:

It's a sea cucumber!

I had a wonderful birthday weekend and I cannot wait to share more about the aquarium with you soon!

What did you do this weekend?

xoxo

Quote of the Week 11/11/2013

"Raise your words, not your voice. It is rain that grows flowers, not thunder." -Rumi

In times of stress, it is easy to lash out at the ones that you care about. They will always love you, but that is no reason to be unkind. With the holidays coming up, I thought I would just put out a little reminder to be kind to the ones you love, the ones you don't, and most importantly, be kind to yourself. 

If you seek to be kind to the people in your life, and to learn to be kind to yourself, too, you will live a happier life. I've been working on this lately, and struggling as the pressure from work and classes build. However, I will continue to strive to become a better person, the person who I want to be. I want to accept and love myself, and let that love extend to others around me. 

And on another note, Happy Veterans' Day! 

If you know a veteran, be sure to thank them for their service and bravery. 

xoxo

Auguroni!

The Beatles, "Birthday"

Today is my birthday! Wahoo! I made it another year, and through my Roman Warfare midterm this morning (just barely made it out of that one, oh my goodness). But I hadn't updated on here lately so I thought I would provide some explanation as to why I've been missing-in-action. I have been preparing for the midterm from hell, which ended up being semi-decent due to all of my hard work, writing papers, and cleaning the house for birthday visitors! 

I'm doing a weekend-long celebration, pretty much, so I will be sure to take lots of pictures and update as much as possible next week! I have done some more recipes and I will have Christmas crafts on here soon! 

But in the meantime, I will enjoy my anthem for the upcoming year:

I'm feelin' 22!

xoxo

Book Review: Allegiant {The Divergent Trilogy}

Goodreads

Allegiant (Divergent #3) by Veronica Roth

*Spoiler Alert! This is the 3rd book in the trilogy, so there will be spoilers*

Synopsis: Tris Prior, formerly known as Beatrice, has had her life change forever. The society she was raised in consisted of five factions, but now those factions are shattered. They have been destroyed by power struggles and violence between the factionless and those who believe in the factions. She is offered a chance to learn what is outside of her city, to explore the world, Tris is ready. She hopes that beyond the fence, she and her boyfriend Tobias can create a new life together: she hopes that they can live without lies and painful memories.

However, the world beyond the fence is more alarming than the city she left behind. Truths come into light that change the lives of people she loves. Tris has to find a way to comprehend human nature, and herself, in this new world that is forcing Tris to make impossible choices about life, love, and allegiance. 

My Review: I honestly don't even know where to begin. This book has left me a little bit numb, although I was not entirely shocked by the way that it ended. I just wish it ended differently, but then it would not have been true to the character involved. Anywho, I really liked the way the book started, with the people who believe in the factions forming a group called the Allegiant who are suppose to go figure out the purpose of their city in the grand scheme of things. But once we got out into the world, there was a ton of other issues and everything got muddled together. Too many ideas for one book, in my opinion. 

The book also switched back and forth between Tris' and Tobias' perspectives, and I feel that it would have been more powerful just to use Tris' perspective until the end. A bunch of people were extremely upset about the ending, as was I, but I think that it makes perfect sense. The end fit with everything the character had done up to that point. It is heartbreaking, yes, and I won't lie: I bawled like a baby. But I can understand the character's motivation, and I believe that she would sacrifice herself in order to save others. 

Overall, I liked the idea of the city, was not fond of the outside world, and was devastated but understood the ending. 

My rating: 3.5/5

xoxo

My 22nd Birthday Wishlist

ONE | Hunter Rain Boots

The rainy season is on its way, and I love wellies (and the color burgundy). 
These wellies are simple but sweet!

TWO | Lilly Pulitzer "Buy Local" shopping tote

I love Lilly Pulitzer, but funding has been low since paying for school and moving out, so I can't afford many things from the wonderful brand. This tote, though, is affordable and super cute. My community is really big on purchasing organic and local so this tote is perfect!

THREE | Bow Makeup Bag
This one is just adorable.

FOUR | Nike+ Fuelband SE

Since I have been trying to work out more, I was counting steps and calories, but that had to stop because it was draining my phone's battery power (and I don't have time midday to charge it) and with school, things are all discombobulated. But I'm tired of making excuses, so I am starting to plan my workouts and I'm going to put money in a jar for each one, set up a rewards system and work from there. I think the Nike+ Fuelband SE would really help me reach my goals, but for now it will have to wait because it is just so expensive!

FIVE | Sweater
This sweater looks comfortable and even a little bit sexy (without trying too hard) and once I gain some confidence from all those workouts I've been doing, I will need something just like that to wear. For now, I will keep it on my wishlist but once I hit my goal weight, I am going to purchase that sweater! (Or something similar).

I'm turning 22 next week, and I can't wait to celebrate. This year is actually the least-planned out birthday I've ever had - we usually go to Disneyland. This year, I still haven't picked what I want to do, but I'm sure that I will figure out something soon!

xoxo