Girl Crush: Marisa Miller

I love her so much. Even after becoming a huge supermodel, she is so laid back and real. I look up to her so much. Plus, she is my motivation to stay healthy and workout! Totally love her!

Sunday was a busy day.

Today I woke up a little early, to ensure that I had time to eat breakfast, and maybe get a little bit of my homework done before I left to catch the bus to work. I had two clementimes and a cup of coffee (big surprise there) for breakfast, and I got a little bit of reading done. I was in an extra good mood because I also got to enjoy a full episode of Sabrina the Teenage Witch...yeah, um...I love that show. I left for work at 9, and worked 10-5. I drank an entire liter of water while at work and took a large number of bathroom breaks, or "Code Fives" as we call them. I had a bowl of chicken noodle soup for lunch, which was perfect because about 3 hours into my shift I developed a sore throat, which has worsened throughout the day. :( It's ok though because the second I got home I made myself a large lemon tea with honey. The rest of my evening was spent doing this:

I have a paper due tomorrow for my WWII class that I just finished, and am now relaxing and watching the Grammys. Can I just say that Green Day rocked it with the cast of American Idiot tonight. Laura, Megan and I are going to take a "mini-vacay" this summer to NYC to go see it on broadway. I am SO excited, and really hope we can actually follow through with it. Oh! I almost forgot, I got a new pair of tennis shoes today as well for the gym. Let's just say I love my job, and the great discount that goes with it. Here they are:

I love them, and I needed a little extra boost of motivation to get to the gym! ;)

Hope everyone is having an excellent evening. What did everyone do for the weekend? Anything fun?

end of the week update.

I am so excited. So, today I reached 50 followers. I know that isn't much in the blogosphere, but to me it's a TON! Thanks so much, I never thought that people would actually read my blog. It feels so great. So, I would like to say hello to all of my new followers! It is so nice to meet you!

Ok, now I'll move onto my update. Yesterday was a fairly normal day. I woke up, did homework, went to class, and then went to work. I was particularly proud because I went to the gym with Megan after work. I did about 25 mins of cycling, and then did my ab/glutes routine. It felt great. Today was a different story. I woke up and had a huge cup of coffee and then left for work, which took up my entire day. After work Luke took me to the grocery store. Good news...I stocked up on clementines. Haha, ok so I'm lame...it's good news for me. :)

I'm so sorry that this post is so lame. I've been feeling extra lame and boring the past few days. I feel like all I do is homework, work, sleep, and repeat. It's really bringing me down especially since I know it is exactly how tomorrow is going to be. I work 10-5, and then have a huge paper to finish for Monday. Oh, and guess what? I work on Monday too! Blah. I need something exciting to happen.

What do you do to stay positive?

P.S. Everyone check out my mom's blog! She posts tons of yummy recipes, the occasional embarrassing picture of me, and updates of her weight loss journey. :) Click here to go check her out!

Healthy Snacks!

Sorry I haven't written recently! I don't really have a lot to write about. Last night was Grant's birthday, and we went over to our friends' house to celebrate. It was a pretty good night. Today was a rather uneventful day, though it was semi-productive. I rearranged and organized my room, did some laundry, then ran some errands with my roommates. Having this blog has really made me realize how boring some days are. I don't like it, but I guess everyone needs to relax once in a while. Now, I'm just relaxing and waiting for Burn Notice to come on. Have you guys watched that show? I've been obsessed with this show since it started, and it's already on season 3! If you haven't watched it before, you definitely should check it out!

Going on with my theme of fitness and health, I thought I'd make a list of some of my favorite healthy snacks, or just foods that satisfy my urges for junk food. Some of my favorites are:

- Crystal Light On-the-Go packets. It's a great replacement to soda or other unhealthy drinks, and it only has 10-15 calories a packet. Plus, it's great for people who need flavor, and have a hard time forcing down 8 glasses of water a day. Definitely a must have in my diet.

- Laughing Cow Cheese. At only 35 calories a wedge, it's perfect with wheat thins, or even mixed in with scrambled eggs, for those of you who need that cheesy flavor. It comes in multiple different flavors too!

- Fiber One Bars. These are great for bringing with me to class, and (obviously) have tons of fiber in them to keep you full longer. My favorite flavor is Oats & Chocolate, and it's perfect for when I'm craving a chocolate bar.

-Gensoy Chocolate Soy Protein Shake Mix. I just recently discovered this, and have fallen completely in love with it. It's perfect for breakfast or at night when I'm craving something sweet. I like to put it in a blender with half a banana and some ice for a delicious shake!

- Clementines. These cuties are my absolute favorite snack, as of right now. :)

What are some of your favorite healthy snacks? I need more ideas!!

i love you.

Thank you for everything that you do, and for the way you make me feel. You are the best, Luke.

Clockwise from top left: Estes Park, CO; Ellis Island in New York City, NY; Philadelphia, PA; Atlantic City, NJ

winter.

I have once again come to the conclusion that winter in Minnesota is not about looking cute. Period. It is currently 5 degrees outside, but with the windchill it feels more like -15 degrees. This is not fun. This means I am wrapped from head to toe in multiple layers, not exactly the most attractive thing. It's easy to tell the difference between those who grew up here and those that didn't. Those that did...look like me. Those that didn't think they can still pull off wearing only a sweatshirt. I could tell by their faces that they regretted this decision.  I am seriously wishing it was summer. Either that, or that I could be somewhere warm.

Oh, and I just wanted to clarify something. We do not say "Yah, you betcha," or "Don'tcha know." At least I don't, or anyone I know. So don't believe any of those stupid movies that make us sound like a bunch of idiots like, Fargo or New In Town (though I will admit I did like this movie). I'll post more about the rest of my day later.

Hope everyone is having a good day. Please, if you live somewhere warm...appreciate it. For me at least?

Workout Playlist!!

So a few different people have mentioned posting their workout playlist. I decided I would share a few artists and songs that get me pumped up and ready to sweat. After all sweat is sweet!

"Walk This Way" -Aerosmith

"Dirty Reggae" -The Aggrolites

"Single Ladies" -Beyonce

"It's My Life" - Bon Jovi

"Sunshine Highway" -Dropkick Murphys

"Stop Drop and Roll!!!" -Foxboro Hot Tubs

"Mother Mary" -Foxboro Hot Tubs

"American Idiot" -Green Day

"St. Jimmy" -Green Day

"King For A Day" - Green Day

"See The Light" -Green Day

"Pop" - N*SYNC

"Crazy Train" -Ozzy Osbourne

"Killing Zone" -Rancid

"Don't Stop The Music" -Rihanna

"Breakin' Dishes" -Rihanna

"Disturbia" -Rihanna

"Fat Lip" -Sum 41

I definitely could go on and on, and it does tend to change over time, but these are the songs that currently get me ready for a great workout! What songs/artists do you listen to while working out?

feeling better today.

Hello everyone! So, I woke up this morning in a much better mood, though still disappointed about last night's game. I was up last night until about 1:30am writing my paper, but I think it turned out pretty good. I woke up this morning, had breakfast (two clementines and a big cup of coffee), and finished up editing my paper. Then I sat down with my planner and wrote out everything I have to do this week for my classes, scheduled my workouts (to assure that I do them), and other miscellaneous tasks that need to get done. I'm feeling good about this week, aside from the fact that I work A LOT, including tonight, which I am really not looking forward to. I also have to start going to speakers on campus every Tuesday night for my Human Relations class, which I really don't have the extra time to do, but in the words of Tim Gunn, I'll "make it work."I'm prepared to be ahead of the game. I'm going to go get ready for the day. Then I have class at 2pm and work at 5pm. I'll try to make time for another update tonight! Have a good day everyone!!

in a bad mood.

...not going to blog tonight. i'm in the worst mood ever. vikings lost. refs are incompetent. great, now i get to write a 3 page paper.

seriously, pissed.

tgif.

Clementines are my life savers. They taste like candy but they aren't, and are perfect for satisfying my sweet tooth. Thank goodness for fruit. I'm really proud at how well I'm doing at being healthy. My other favorite semi-healthy food is tortilla pizza. It's basically exactly what it sounds like. We use wheat tortillas, and put sauce, turkey pepperonis (which have 70% less fat in them), and cheese. Put it in the oven at 400 degrees for 12-13 mins, and it's perfect. Plus, you get to have pizza, but only half the calories!

I don't have much else to write about because life has been pretty uneventful. I work again tonight 5 to close, and then the same tomorrow. So I'll probably spend the rest of the day and tomorrow keeping up with homework.

Oh, and one last thing. I am so happy that I have such wonderful friends. I've finally realized that I'm so ready to be done with the people who want to tear me down. I'm done with the people who pretended to be my friend for years, when all they really did was hurt me and cause unessecary amounts of drama. All the bs left with you. Thanks. :)

Wednesday

Today was yet another busy day. I woke up early and when to a group fitness class with Megan and one of my coworkers. This one was called Extreme Bootcamp, and was by far my favorite one yet. I felt so good and so motivated afterwards. I've never felt so good after a class before. The class starts with 20 mins of cycling which adds up to about 8 miles. It was really intense. After we are done cycling we toned different areas including glutes, abs, arms, and hamstrings. The moves were all so new and different from everyday ones, which kept the class fresh and interesting. I will definitely be going back to this class and instructor every Monday and Wednesday morning. I have yet to find the "one" for the other days of the week. When I got back from working out I got ready, and got a little bit of homework done before my WWII class. The rest of the day was mostly spent doing homework for tomorrow's classes. This evening I watched Confessions of a Shopoholic, which I will admit made me want to go shopping. Bad...i know.

Goals for the rest of the week:
1. Finish all of my reading for this week/next week.
2. Go to either a class or the gym Thursday, Friday, and Saturday.
3. Keep away from junk food/snacks/pop.
4. Pick out a haircut, and make an appointment. I need one desperately. Here are the ones I'm debating between.

I love her bangs, and layers. I want something I can leave wavy, so I don't have to straighten it everyday.

I'm loving their layers too. Help! I need opinions. Right now my hair is pretty much all one length with side bangs...I'm sick of how blah it is.

What do you guys think? Do you have any other suggestions?

Drunk History

As a history major, these videos make me laugh so hard. If you have time definitely watch them. They are a bit long, but SO worth it!!





Ok, getting off YouTube, and getting back to homework. Seriously sidetracked.

Busy Bee

I've been so busy lately. I'm already being bombarded with homework and reading from my professors, and I've been working tons. At least I'm not sick anymore, and I feel like I've accomplished quite a bit in the past few days. I've completely redone my blog, which I love love love love, and am so proud that I figured it all out on my own! Oh, and I'm so excited about this little number that I just ordered with the remaining balance on my gift card:

 Yay! I love it. It's so cute :) It's making me really wish it was spring already. I'm so sick of the ice and snow and slush. BOO!

Sorry for such a short post. I'll write a more detailed one later tonight, but I'm off to Bodysculpting class!

P.S. I made a new, and much cuter button!!

Sunday Funday

Today was an excellent day. The girls and I invited a bunch of friends over for the first Vikings playoff game. It was very successful. We made tons of delicious, but very unhealthy, food. Don't worry I didn't gorge myself. ;) We all just hung out and watched the game, which the Vikes won! They play the Saints next week. After the game everyone left, and we cleaned up the place. After that I worked on a little bit of homework, and am now watching Away We Go. It's super cute so far! Tonight we are going over to a friends house for a "shindig." That's what we call them. It should be a lot of fun, and it'll be nice to hang out with friends before the semester gets too hectic.

So, on a different note, I've been thinking about other blog names. I do love "Minnesota Girl," but lately I've been thinking about what I want this blog to accomplish. Though I am a Minnesota Girl, I do things that people all across the world do, so I think a different title would be more fitting. I was thinking of "When Dreams Collide," or something like that. Does anyone have any suggestions? Any help or inspiration would be amazing!

I'll end with a few pictures from today!!

Hope everyone has a great evening, and day off tomorrow (if you have one)!!

Seven things you didn't know...

I was tagged by Casey and Iris to do this fun little post! I'm supposed to write about 7 random things about myself. Here goes nothing!

1. I have a weird and sick obsession with the show Ghost Adventures. It's totally cheesy, but I absolutely love watching it. It could be that the host, Zak Bagans, has nice arms. Who knows why, but I own season one on DVD. My roommates could kill me.

2. I am the biggest history geek ever. I love history-based movies. I love history books. I love historical sites. I love all of it. It's ok if you poke fun. I can handle it. Oh, and did I mention that I'm going to be a high school history teacher?

3. I think the Pillsbury Doughboy is the cutest thing I have ever seen. I seriously giggle everytime I see a commercial or ad. Seriously. Cutest thing ever.

4. I've been in the front row at a Green Day concert. It was the best night ever. I love them so much.

5. I hate running with a passion. I have tried many times to be a "runner." It always fails. I just don't have it in me. I'll stick to my group fitness classes, thanks.

6. I never wear heels because of how tall I already am. Seriously, this is what happens when I do:

(Halloween, 2009)

7. I asked my boyfriend, before he was my boyfriend, to prom. Talk about ball-sy, and, yes, I had blonde hair.

This was so much fun, and I'm so flattered that people wanted to know a little about me! I'm going to tag Megan, Sam, and Kaelah!

I really, really hate being sick.

It has been a long and stressful first week of classes, and as much as I'd like to be positive it is becoming very difficult. The amound of homework I've been given has surpassed any other first week ever. I'm trying to keep up with my reading, which is what most of my homework is, but am struggling with a severe head cold/sinus infection (I'm not really sure which). My manager sent me home from work early this evening because I looked and felt like crap. We'll see how tomorrow goes when I'm working 9-5. Hopefully going to bed early will allow for my body to rejuvinate itself by morning. Fingers crossed. Despite it being a difficult week, I do feel like I accomplished a lot. I'm almost finished with all of my Valentine's for Lindsay's card swap, which I am so excited about! (I'll put pictures up after they are sent out so I don't ruin the surprise) I've gotten quite a bit of my reading done, and even managed to make it to the gym a few times. Next week is "Free Week" on campus and I can attend any group fitness classes that I want. I'm defnitely going to make time to try a few. I did them last semester when I could squeeze them in, and I always felt like I got a lot more out of them then just going to the gym.

I'm going to finish up a bit of reading. Then, maybe watch Inglorious Bastards, and go to sleep. Work in the morning. I promise I'll have some more interesting posts once I'm feeling better. Hope everyone has a good weekend!

Wednesday

Hi everyone! So I'm going to start out by saying that I had an awful (end of the) day, but I'm trying not to let it keep me down. Tomorrow is a new day! Anyways, I didn't do a whole lot today. I got to sleep in (til 9) which was wonderful. For breakfast I made Luke and I delicious smoothies and then sat and read most of my article on fascism. After relaxing for a few hours I got went to class (history of WWII). I am really excited for this class. The professor is by far my favorite professor ever, and could honestly make history interesting for anyone. He's so enthusiastic, and it makes me really happy about the major I've chosen. I'm going to be just like him because it's so much easier to like a class if the teacher/professor is passionate about it. After class, I came back to my apartment and made myself lunch, and then left for another 5-close at work.

This is when my day started going downhill. I had so much stuff to put on hangers which is what first made me crabby. Then, a customer came back to the fitting rooms, and I started with the usual, "Are you ready to try on?" The woman was rude from the start, replying with a blunt "Yes." Now, it is store policy that we physically take and count each item from every customer to prevent shoplifting. This usually isn't a problem, so I said, "Ok, I can take them for you and get you in a room," while placing my hand on her items. She says then proceeds to say, "I've got them," practically yelling at me. I then just told her that I had to take them and that it was store policy. She shoved the pile of clothes into my chest, turns and says, "Ya know what? I don't want them anymore." It was so weird because usually the people who react like this are those that are trying to steal, but I know she wasn't because she had the amount of items she told me she had before I even attempted to take them. I almost started to cry standing there...I know I sound like a baby, but I am not used to people talking to me like that. I try really hard at work to be very polite because, even if I am in a bad mood, it cheers me up when I'm nice to customers. So, it was such a shock to have her respond like that. The thing that frusterates me the most is that she probably thought I was singling her out, but it also made her look so suspicious when she refused to give me the pile of clothes. After she left another customer came up and said she thought the woman was out of line and completly rude to me. Thank you random customer. You made me feel so much better. 

Ok, but I'm done ranting. I'm not going to let it ruin my night. I don't like to go to bed crabby because I usually wake up feeling the same. So, I'm all smiles now. Especially since Luke made me dinner to cheer me up.

So, my resolutions are going really well so far. I started my regular workouts yesterday, and even recruited a few coworkers to be my workout buddies. I've also been tracking what I eat each day. I use The Daily Plate, which is an awesome website that already has the caloric value of a lot of different food. You can even create meals so that if it's a food you eat often you don't have to enter each part in everytime. It makes watching what you eat so easy! If you are someone who has a hard time with it you should definitely check it out. The site also has tons of exercise and health tips. I'm addicted!

Here's another outfit picture:

It's hard to see, but I love the lace on this shirt. It's so girly and feminine :)

First Day of Classes

Today was a great first day of classes! Lucky for me I got out of inventory last night at 9:45pm. That is like a serious record for the store I work at. So I went to bed a happy camper. I woke up this morning around 9, brewed some coffee, watched Las Vegas, then got ready for the day. My first (and only) class of the day was from 2-2:50pm. It's going to be an excellent class specifically on World War II. (I told you...history geek.) I'm not one of those slackers who thinks a great class is an easy A because this one definitely is going to be a lot of work. I have a record of 9 books for the class, and on the first day I already have been assigned a 57 page article on fascism (w/ a 1 page response on it due Friday), chapter 1 in the textbook, and the book Strange Defeat by Marc Block to be finished by next Wednesday. Kill me. It is a good thing that I absolutely love the topic and professor. I'm also excited about this class because Luke and I are taking it together. I love talking about history with him. It's kind of our thing. ;)

After class was finished I came home and relaxed for about an hour before work. Thank goodness for awesome roomies that bring you to work when it's cold outside so you don't have to take the bus. Work was really boring despite being only a 4 hour shift, it felt like forever. I completely forgot to eat before work, so by the time I got home I was starving. Luke made me breakfast for dinner. My favorite: eggs over medium and hashbrowns. He's such a good cook. I'm so lucky.

I'll leave you with a picture of the amazing sunset from my way to work this evening. :) I love it.

Goodnight everyone!

Perfect Day

Today was so much fun. I woke up at 9, and got ready. Megan and I brought our neighbor, Joe, to work, and then ran a few errands. I got so much done today. We found some awesome stuff at Target and TJ Maxx for our apartment. We found some pictures to hang above our couch, which is a wall we have been trying to fill for over a year. Plus, they were only 5 bucks a piece. This is my new haven.

I got a lot of other goodies too. Here they are:

These are above my bed. They make me smile.

This was from our drive home. The sky is so beautiful.

Oh, and another new dress. Yes, I am addicted. They make me feel so good!

On a less happy note. Tomorrow is inventory. BOO! I will be at work from 11am til who knows how late. Last year I left at 2am. So tomorrow will be a long day! Then the semester starts on Monday. I am oddly excited about it! My books have been coming and they are going to be so interesting!! More are on their way too.

Hope everyone has a good night. I'm watching 500 Days of Summer. I love Zooey Deschanel so much. She has the cutest style ever, and her voice...I love it.

Good night loves!!