I bet you never thought you'd see those two words together...but they basically describe the rest of my weekend.
On Saturday, I went with Katie and her fiance Steve to his family's tailgate for the Ohio State/Wisconsin game. OSU wasn't supposed to win this game but we DID! It was definitely a nail biter at the end but we pulled off a W in the end! Katie and I took this picture as the game was ending:
GO BUCKS!
Sunday was spent watching Tiff's son play his last little league football game of the season and eating her delicious chili. When I got home, I realized I only have 2 hard boiled eggs left for tomorrow's breakfast. Luckily, I have a whole carton of eggs waiting to be boiled so I got down to business. I hate making hard-boiled eggs but I love eating them. If I'm not eating oatmeal for breakfast, then I'm probably eating eggs. I'll eat at least 4 at a time, which means I need to boil a whole lotta eggs pretty much weekly. I haven't perfected the egg boiling process, but each batch seems to be better than the last. I've noticed that the colder the water, the easier the shell separates from the whites inside. The worst is when the egg white comes off with the shell. Since I don't eat the yolks, the white is all I have and I don't want to waste any of it.
How to make hard-boiled eggs
Heat raw eggs in large saucepan filled with cold water. Bring the water to a rolling boil for 30 seconds (timing is crucial so use a stopwatch if possible.) Remove the pot from the heat and cover for 20-30 minutes. Transfer eggs from the pot to a large bowl of ice water. Make sure all the eggs are fully immersed in the ice water. I usually keep them in the ice water for 10-15 minutes (if I don't forget altogether that they are in there.) Put eggs back in carton and store in refrigerator. Hard-boiled eggs last about 10-15 days in the fridge.
Now, I'm off to finish watching Bridesmaids on DVD in my holiday jammies!
Happy Halloween weekend! Last night I went to a Halloween party and dressed up as a Rockford Peach from A League of Their Own. The costume was a hit! Everyone complimented me and Steph. We also got a lot of "there's no crying in baseball!"
I ordered this costume from amazon.com. It was pretty short so I wore shorts underneath. I am not, and never was, one of those girls that wears reallllly skimpy costumes for Halloween. Case and point: one year I was Scooby Doo. I just don't feel comfortable with all my goodies hanging out for the world to see. Plus, it's like 30 degrees at the end of October in Ohio; I'd rather be warm and funny than cold and sexy. Priorities.
nice and warm
Anyway, I ordered my "uniform" online so I didn't get a chance to try it on. There are only two sizes: small/medium or large/extra large. Since I usually wear a large, I bought the bigger option. When the package came in the mail, the front of it said "plus size," not large/extra large. I kind of laughed to myself because I put it on and it is definitely not plus-sized (in my opinion.) I also think it's hilarious that a large costume is considered plus size. I wasn't offended or anything; I just thought it was pretty ridiculous. But, such is the world of adult women's costumes!
I always think of 100 ideas for Halloween every year and I always change my mind 57 times after I buy one. I wish I was one of those crafty people that could put together a really great costume with glitter and feathers but I usually just buy one from a store. My favorite idea this year, one that I could never pull off, is Julia Roberts' hooker outfit in Pretty Woman. That, or Hannah Montana. Both classic characters :) I could even use the same wig!
I get daily emails from "Eat This, Not That" and I look forward to them because they really include some pretty interesting information. A lot of the tips are how to make smart swaps at restaurants or at the grocery. I like the advice because it's easy things you can do to make healthier choices without having to cut anything out of your normal diet.
Anyway, today's email featured the best and worst Halloween candy. Naturally, most of the "not that" option is what I generally prefer...but, luckily, I don't particularly hate the "eat this" suggestions. Either way, it's good info to know if you're trick-or-treating this weekend, or, you know, just buying bags of candy for your purse.
"Fun-sized" Candy Bar Not that: Butterfinger (100 calories) I think I may be the only person I know that doesn't like Butterfingers Eat this: 3 Musketeers (63 calories)
Classic Fruit Candy Not that: Airheads (3 pieces, 140 calories) Eat this: Dum dum pops (3 pieces, 77 calories)
Minature Candy Bars Not that: Twix (3 pieces, 150 calories) Eat this: Tootsie roll (3 pieces, 70 calories)
Chewy Candy Not that: Brach's milk maid caramels (4 pieces, 160 calories) Eat this: Now and Later (4 pieces, 53 calories)
My absolute favorite candy bar of all time is Snickers. I'm also a huge fan of Hershey's Take 5 bars. I am obsessed with the chocolate/pretzel combo and those Take 5 bars are money. After trick-or-treating, I would always trade out 3 Musketeers and Milky Ways for Snickers and Crunch bars (since they didn't have Take 5 back in the day.)
Demi told me to start paying attention to the Weight Watchers Points of my food. I have never legit tried ww because it seems like a lot of work. But I know plenty of people who have done it, lost mucho weight-o, and have kept it off. Demi suggested keeping track of the points in my food to keep my portions in check. However, I'm not sold that it'll help me lose weight.
I've been counting calories since I can remember. I stopped counting calories for awhile but I've started to keep semi-track since February. But I get so sick and tired of counting and thinking and focusing on the numbers associated with my food. I used to be really strict about counting calories (i.e. only eating one jolly rancher because that would only be 13.2 calories) and I'm certainly not that extreme now, but I do find that it helps me make healthier choices when I think about how many calories I'm consuming. So, instead of keeping track of calories, I'm re-training my brain to keep track of points because it's supposed to be easier and less demanding. However, I find myself looking up points of various foods and not believing that they are indeed that many points. For example, the website I'm currently using (since I'm technically not paying for ww...heh) says that the egg white of a hard-boiled egg is 0 points. But what if it isn't? What if it is actually like 3 points? When I eat my 4 hard-boiled egg whites for breakfast, am I actually eating 12 points instead of 0?
I know I'm thinking about this too much, like I do everything, but I'm going to be skeptical until I see physical results.
I've been obsessed with eating oatmeal lately. My current favorite is oats made with milk. I've always only made my oats with water until I tried it last week with milk and I seriously cannot get enough. All I do is heat 1 cup unsweetened almond milk, add 1/2 cup oats, cook for 5-6 minutes, and then add some peanut butter or dark chocolate peanut spread after transferring the oats to a bowl. So simple, yet so delicious! And, it's only 4 points (supposedly...)
America's favorite smart-mouthed kid turned 21 over the weekend. He was only 5 years old when he starred in Jerry Maguire. I can't imagine what it would be like to be 5 and working with Tom Cruise and Renee Zellweger. Although I'm sure he had no idea how famous his co-stars were at the time. At least he has some sweet bragging rights for his resume!
After seeing the news that JL is all grown up, I started thinking about movies that I've seen 100 times (give or take) and almost always watch when I catch them on TV:
*the TV versions of all of these movies don't do them justice but I still enjoy quoting them when I catch them on a channel, even though other people watching the movies with me do not appreciate my commentary.
Jerry Maguire (duh)
Almost Famous
The Breakfast Club
Dumb and Dumber
Mean Girls
The Notebook
Garden State (awesome soundtrack)
Clueless
I could go on...but you get the point. I think JL and JTT should get together and star in a reality show about finding new work now that they are all grown up. You're probably thinking, "didn't A&E try that a few years ago with two other child actors by the same name?" Yes, but I would actually watch this version.
I went to the doctor yesterday for a few reasons, and I usually hate going to the doctor for a few reasons, one of them being that they always weigh me. Yesterday, though, I was kind of curious to see what my weight would be since I haven't really weighed myself since July-ish. I knew it would be lower than the last time I went to the doctor (which was last year and the time she told me I had fat on my liver and needed to lose weight) but I was a little worried about what the number would be. I don't feel like I've gained weight and I feel like I look more toned than I did in July but the number came up and according to her scale, I've gained about 10 pounds since July. It's weird because the number is still pretty high but I don't feel like I look like I weigh as much as the scale said. I'm not upset with the number because honestly, I'm confident in the way I look which is the whole point of my losing weight in the first place. But I do wish the number reflected more accurately how I feel like I look. I did take in to consideration that I was fully clothed, boots and all, and I had ran a half marathon two days before (which can cause water retention, resulting in weight gain) but I still wasn't thrilled with the number on the scale. I've decided to really buckle down, re-focus on my goals, and get that number down to where I feel it should be. I work so hard in the gym and on my runs, I want to look like I work out as much as I do. I know I look different than I did just 10 months ago and I am very proud of myself for getting to this point, but I want to continue to move forward, not stay where I'm at or move backward.
Now that I've made that sweeping declaration, I'm going to talk a little about breakfast today because it was a good one. I've made pumpkin banana oatmeal a few times before and it is so delicious, I wanted to share it. The recipe is from Peanut Butter Fingers, but I changed it a little because she made the recipe for two servings and I only need one. The first time I made it, I didn't realize it was two servings until I poured it in to a bowl and thought to myself, "hm...that's a lot of oatmeal." I checked the recipe and sure enough, she has down that it serves 2.
Boil 1 cup water. Add oats, reduce heat, and cook for about 2 minutes, stirring occassionally. Add half of the banana slices and cook for another minute, continuing to stir. Add pumpkin and brown sugar, stirring until well blended. Add cinnamon and cook for about 3 more minutes, until oatmeal thickens. Remove from heat and pour in to bowl. Top with remaining banana slices and nutmeg if preferred.
I cut all of the ingredients in half from the original recipe but I keep the same amount of pumpkin and banana since I love both flavors so much. The cooked banana is really flavorful and really helps to thicken the oats. Of course, feel free to cut back if you don't want as much. The cinnamon is really noticeable in this breakfast dish but cinnamon is loaded with health benefits, including reducing leukemia and lymphoma cancer cells, so I say, the more cinnamon the better!
I think I'm addicted to races. Every time I finish a race, I think about the next one I want to do. But then I complain about having to train during the months leading up to the race. However, I've never regretted doing a race...just regretted committing to the race a few times before the event. Regret isn't the right word but you know what I mean...
I think a lot of people have this "problem." I love the races because I like having a goal in mind and having to work hard to achieve it. I also like having a challenge and being able to overcome that challenge. However, sometimes I resent running because I feel like I "have" to do it. Don't get me wrong, I loooove running. I love how strong I feel, I love when my mind wanders and I forget how long I've been out there, I love the feeling of accomplishing a great workout, and I love the muscle soreness you can only get from running. However, when I have to go run 8 miles when I only feel like running 3, it kind of takes the pleasure away from the run. But, I must admit, it is a fantastic feeling getting more miles in than you felt like doing.
Maybe I worry that if I don't have a race to train for, I won't run as much and I will lose my running mojo, which is what happened a few years ago when the shit hit the fan for me physically. Maybe I need the races to keep me in check and remind me how much I love the sport. I don't mean to toot my own horn, but I consider myself a "good" runner. I don't know what that means exactly, but once I got back in to the groove of running, it's like I never stopped. My body just knows how to run. Other people say they just aren't runners. Well, I just am a runner and I never want to forget that again.
All of this explains why I just registered for my next race: Michael Scott's Dunder Mifflin Scranton Meredith Palmer Memorial Celebrity Rabies Awareness Pro-Am Fun Run Race for the CureColumbus Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving Day. I ran it last year when I was in horrible shape. I hardly trained for it but I still ran the whole thing and I felt awesome accomplishing that goal. I want to run it again this year and see how fast I can do it. It's 5 miles, which is the distance I already run three-four times a week anyway, and if I can work on speed from now until Thanksgiving, I should be able to get it done in enough time to win a pumpkin pie! The first 1,000 male finishers and the first 1,000 female finishers get pumpkin pies and last year I (obviously) didn't make the cut. I'm interested to see how much faster I can run it this year, although I don't remember last year's time and I didn't have a timing chip so I can't go back and look for it. Either way, it's a nice, small goal I have set for myself, to keep running as part of my workouts but not so much that I resent having to go out and run a long distance. Can't wait to eat mah pie!
I have developed a weird habit and I'm not sure where it came from. Every time I go to Target or CVS, I have the urge to buy a bag of candy. I don't necessarily eat it, I just like having it around. I'll put it in my purse, then take it out at work, then put it back in my purse at the end of the day; it's like I always have to have candy on me just in case I am ravenous and cannot wait one more second to eat a piece of chocolate. However, I honestly hardly ever eat the stuff. I'll usually give up carrying it around and put it out at my house or at work, but that's after I have carried it around for awhile. I'll occasionally eat some, and the bag of candy corn I have in my purse right now is almost gone because I have slowing been doing work on it, but I've had the candy corn for like a month now. And I just bought another bag the other day. It's weird, right? Who carries candy around and doesn't eat it? I feel like if I don't have it on me, I'll crave it and be like, "I wish I had some candy corn right now." But when I do have it around, I don't eat it all at once, or even remember I have it half the time. It's a good thing I don't eat it all the time, but it's not good that I'm buying all this candy all the time! Wish it was carrot sticks I was hoarding!
Steph and I carved pumpkins yesterday afternoon. I had a pattern picked out to make a really sweet design of a bat flying in front of a moon with a spooky cloud looming in the background. After tracing the pattern for about 5 seconds, I got bored and ended up with this:
Steph powered through using a different pattern (because she's more patient than yours truly) and this is her pumpkin:
She wins.
Finally, I leave you with a preview of Ella's first Halloween costume. Can you guess what she's going to be? Hint: I could just eat her up!
Guys. I just finished my third half marathon. Just 10 months ago, I could barely run 2 miles. Now, I have 39.3 race miles and three medals under my belt. Not gonna lie, it feels like it's been a LOT longer than that. This one was the most iffy because I didn't train as much as I did for the others and I was sick last week. Also, this race was the biggest one I've been in. I was very overwhelmed at the start, feeling like I wasn't ready when the cannon sounded (yes, a cannon.) But once I got started, I got more comfortable and confident in my ability to kick this race in the bum!
dancing across the finish line. you know how I do.
I want to share some race day tips for anyone thinking of completing their first half. Most tips are applicable to full marathoners as well but since I've never done a full, I can't personally say how to prep for race day for the full shebang.
1. Don't worry if you feel weird. Let me elaborate: It's perfectly normal to feel "off" the week or two before your race. You are most likely tapering your runs so you're not running as far as you're used to. Your runs the week before the race may even be sucky. I ran 4 miles the Tuesday before my August race and I could hardly get through it and that race was the one I PRed in. Boom roasted. Continue to eat as you normally would, trying not to "cut back," which I have to really focus on. Since I'm not exercising as hard, I feel like I shouldn't eat as much. But it's really important to continue eating when you're not running as much. Your body needs the rest and it will thank you after your race.
2. Hydrate, but not too much. Drink plenty of water the week before the actual race. But don't overhydrate. I just tell myself to remember to drink water when I'm thirsty. I'm usually good about this but when I'm out visiting schools and I'm in my car all day, I sometimes forget to bring water. Overhydrating can be almost as dangerous as underdyrating but most people don't have an issue with this.
3. Don't try anything new on race day. Do NOT drink anything on race day that you haven't trained with. Same goes with food. For example, if you've never used Gu, it's not something you'll want on race day. You never know how your body is going to react. Most race websites will mention what they're giving out on the course (Gatorade, Powerade, Gu, etc) so if you don't want to bring your own, you can try those things on your longer training runs. I don't train using anything but water, so I never take anything that they hand out on the course except the water.
Same goes for clothing. Make sure the clothes and shoes you're racing in are ones you've trained in before. Blisters are a bitch, and so is chafing.
4. Train in bad weather. This is more of a "before" race day tip, but make sure you are comfortable running in less than perfect weather and make sure you have adequate gear to get you through the race in that weather. I have been extremely lucky that all three of my races had perfect running weather. However, I've trained in the snow, rain, cold, and blazing heat, so I feel comfortable adjusting my pace and clothing to the elements.
5. Wear layers. Today was the perfect example of dressing like it's warmer than it is. It was pretty cold this morning before we started the race, but within the first 2 miles, I was sweating. Since you do have to stand outside for a bit before you get moving, wearing a trashbag with holes cut for your arms is a good way to warm up before starting. When you start sweating, you can just ditch the bag on the side of the road. Some people wear old sweatshirts they don't mind never seeing again, and a lot of races collect the clothes and donate them to goodwill the next day. I wore tube socks on my arms so when I started to get hot, I just ditched them. Any of these options will keep you warm until you don't need it anymore.
6. Slow and steady wins the race. I've seen so many people start up toward the front, only to get trampled once the people in the back try to pass. Or, they start out too fast because they are with the faster runners and then are burnt out by miles 5 or 6. If you start father back, you can be the one passing people as you get in to your pace. Also, it's more fun to pass people than to be passed ;)
7. Have fun! Look at your surroundings! There were 17,000 people participating in the Columbus Marathon and TONS of people cheering us on. It's so great to look around at the signs and see people cheering while you run! I high-fived a few mascots on the course today. Interacting with the crowd helps pass the time, distracting from how far you have left to run. It's great wearing the purple TNT jersey because people yell out "Go Team" without even knowing who you are.
Katie came!
8. Whatever happens, happens. You've put in the miles (hopefully, if you trained beforehand) and now is the time to just let yourself run. If you need to walk, walk. If you need to stop at a portapotty, do it. This is YOUR race, YOUR day, and you can do whatever you want. I get nervous before the race, worrying about everything. After each race, I've always said to myself "that wasn't so bad." I was worried for nothing! No matter what your time is, you still get the medal when you cross the finish line! :)
For anyone looking to challenge themselves, training and completing a half marathon is a fantastic and very realistic goal. Take it from me: if I can go from barely running 2 miles to completing three half marathons in less than a year, anyone can!
Remember, you're the best around, nothing's gonna ever keep ya down!
That's right. You heard (read?) me. I've been so sick the past two days with the flu. I had to take my first ever sick day in three years yesterday. I won't get in to the gory details but let me just say that I now know how to lose 7 pounds in two days! I NEVER get sick (hence never having taken a sick day) and I certainly have never been this sick. Apparently, my brother was the first to get sick and has been spreading it around to various family members. Thanks, bro. I know I sound dramatic but I consider myself a pretty tough person and this thing really knocked me out.
As I was lying there unable to move, I was thinking to myself that this must be what it's like to be on chemo. My dad's last chemo treatment was Tuesday, the first day of my illness, and although they give him medicine for nausea, he still had stiffness and the chills. I had all of that and more. And his treatment was very tame compared to others I've heard about. I can't imagine feeling like that for a month, 6 months, 1 year, 3 years....then possibly having to do it again later down the road. I couldn't even stand up straight and I could hardly walk the five steps from the bed to the bathroom; I can't believe people on chemo have to take care of their kids, go to work, run errands, go to the grocery store, actually do things. I kept thinking, "these people have to live their lives feeling like this." I honestly don't know if I could do it.
This came along at the completely wrong time for many reasons, one of them being my third and final half marathon is on Sunday and the possibility of not being able to complete it crossed my mind. However, I banished that thought from my brain because I am determined to do it. It's the most important race I've done so far because I now have a direct connection to the purple jersey I'll be wearing. Even if I have to walk the whole thing, I will finish that half for my dad and for all the other people whose strength is more than I can imagine.
Happy Monday? Isn't that an oxymoron? Anyway, I made some mean pumpkin cupcakes this weekend that I am dying to share. I was planning on making these pumpkin spice cookies from Peanut Butter Fingers but once I mixed the batter together, I realized I don't have a cookie sheet! Oh, the joys of being poor. So, I decided to put them in a muffin pan to see what would happen. Turns out, this recipe makes a pretty fantastic pumpkin spice cupcake! I was worried they would be dry or wouldn't cook well, but they were perfect. I think I ate like three...way to go, me!
Mix the cake mix and the pumpkin together until well blended. At this point, you can drop spoonfuls of the batter on a cookie sheet, or if you are like myself and don't have one, you can put them in a lined muffin pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes for cookies, 15-20 minutes for cupcakes. I checked on the cupcakes every 5 minutes or so, inserting a toothpick, and when the toothpick came out clean, I removed the cupcakes from the oven. I think it was at about 20 minutes.
PBF made her own cream cheese frosting, but I'm not a huge fan of cream cheese frosting or of making my own for that matter. I just used Duncan Hines vanilla frosting and it worked like a peach. Bonus points for being lazy.
I have the supplies to make this pumpkin spice smoothie and have been wanting to make it for about a week now but haven't done it yet. I think that will be my goal for this evening. I'll let you know how it goes. I can't imagine it being anything but delicious so hopefully I am not disappointed.
I've kind of been down in the dumps lately. I don't know what my deal is but I've just been feeling a little more negative than usual. I hate feeling like this because I know it affects how I interact with people. With my job, asking people to raise money for blood cancer research, you really have to be nice and smiley and sunshine and butterflies all the time, so when I'm in a negative mood, it's a little hard to turn on the charm. Shocking! I tend to be more sarcastic in this mood, which can turn people off if they aren't used to my biting tongue. I really hate people thinking I'm a negative person because I'm generally not. I swear!
Feeling like this also makes me want to eat. I had a really stressful day Friday as I was visiting schools in Marion, Ohio and I was late to all of them and I HATE being late even more than I hate others being late, especially for meetings. The icing on the cake (or the pumpkin spice cupcake, if you will) was being rear-ended by a teen in a mini-van. I got in my car to go to my final meeting, 30 minutes late (thanks, teen) and the first thing that came to my mind was stopping at Taco Bell. Then I laughed at myself because T. Bell is kind of a funny thing to crave after a car accident, right? Needless to say, I'm not one of those people that don't eat when they are stressed or depressed; I do work on anything and everything. I've been better at this but eating three pumpkin spice cupcakes was most likely due to my Debbie Downer 'tude. I'm glad I'm working out tonight to get some of this aggression/negativity out of my system. I'm also hoping all these pumpkin recipes will turn my frown upside down...stay tuned.
My dear friend Katie recently moved back to the Columbus area. Technically, she lives in Granville, but that's only a half hour away as opposed to two hours away when she ditched me to attend Physician Assistant school in Cleveland. I'm so glad she's back! We went out and had a few drinks last night and I feel like Katie and I can talk about anything and everything, no matter how much time has gone by, and be right back where we started. It's rare to have friends like that, and I'm lucky almost all of my friends are like that.
I've said this before and I'll say it again: all of my friends are amazing, but three of them have been around since we were 16: Jess, Steph and Katie. Katie and I played basketball together and the twins (Jess and Steph) and I played softball. We didn't drink in high school (no one did, right? Because that would be illegal, right? hah) and we were just good kids. We all went to OU together (not on purpose) but we didn't all hang out every single day at OU either. The twins were in a sorority and we used to laugh because we would only ever hang out back at home and rarely at OU for the first couple of years of college. We each made other friends at college (and I love my OU girls just as much) but Jess, Steph, and Katie are the people I spend the most time with since we all live here in Columbus. And I know they will be around until I take my last breath. A little dramatic, I know, but it's gonna happen.
Growing up, I never really had a female to talk to about girly stuff. My girl friends have always been there when I'm crying for no reason and I just want someone to talk to. Sometimes I have a lot of feelings and lord knows it freaks my dad out. He's a fantastic father and sometimes he will surprise me with his ability to listen, but most of the time, he'll get this terrified look on his face when he sees my hormones coming. That's when I'll go to my girl friends and they will sit there and listen, making me feel like I'm totally normal and not a crazy person. Without them, there's a very real possibility I would have spent some time in the looney bin by now.
I know I'm not the only person in the world to have awesome friends, but in my opinion, my friends are the most awesome friends in the world :) This post is dedicated to my girls. You're the best!
I'm a huge fan of TV. My co-workers joke that I watch every show on TV, which is false. I just know a lot of things. It was recently announced (and legit confirmed) that Arrested Development is coming back for 10 TV episodes followed by a movie! It's been rumor for a few years that the show would return as a movie, but the announcement that there will be 10 shows to recap where we left off with each character to set up the movie is even more exciting! It's so witty and sarcastic; right up my humor alley. I didn't start watching it until after it was canceled, but it is definitely one of the funniest shows I've ever seen.
My So-Called Life was another show that was canceled too soon. This show was on when I was too young to "get it" but I watched it again a few years ago (love ya Hulu) and it really was a great show for teenage girls, filled with drama, heartbreak and hot guys. I'm looking at YOU Jared Leto (before 30 Seconds to Mars.) Claire Danes didn't want to do a second season so the show was forced to end since she was the main character. It's a good thing she's had a pretty successful career since then or else I would be pissed! Nothing worse than an actor quitting a show to do "bigger and better things" only to never be seen or heard from again.
Jared Leto. You are hot.
My family and I watched American Dreams together every Sunday until it was canceled. The show followed a family of six during important historical and political moments in American history. My dad would tell us stories about where he was and how he remembered events that were on the show. The characters were so relatable and authentic: the dad owned his own appliance store; the mom stayed at home; the oldest son, the dad's namesake, was a star football player and later went in to the Army; the oldest daughter danced on American Bandstand and was a sophomore in high school; the youngest daughter was a star speller and know-it-all; and the youngest son had a disability caused by polio. We even bought the first season on DVD. I've been searching high and low for seasons 2 and 3 on DVD but I'm not sure they even exist. If someone finds them, please let me know!
Just writing that Friday Night Lights is no longer on TV brings tears to my eyes. I mean, every single character on this show is fantastic and watching it makes me want to live in Dillon, Texas. I want Tammy Taylor to console me after a bad day and I want to look Coach Taylor in the eyes and tell him how much I respect him. If this sounds crazy and a little creepy, then you've obviously never seen the show. I'm a freak already because I actually LOVED high school, and this show reminds me of my own high school years, albeit with more drama and better looking people (there was no Tim Riggins at UAHS.) It would've been one of the biggest shows ever on NBC if the stupid people there didn't put it on at 8pm on Friday nights. Don't you know that your target audience, me, is not home on Friday nights at 8pm? Even high school kids, who can relate to the show, are at their actual high school's football games when your show about high school football is on. Get it TOGETHER NBC. The good news is that there are rumors about a Friday Night Lights movie based of the TV show in the works (which was based off of a movie based off a book, but the TV series was the best of the three by far.) If this is true and it actually happens, I will lose my shit. Seriously.
As of yesterday, Yuengling is officially sold in Ohio! Now that you don't have to go out of state to buy the stuff, I wonder if people will drink it all the time or if it will lose some of its appeal. You know what they say, you always want what you can't have...
I mentioned this fantastic crock-pot recipe website a few posts back and this weekend I made one of the recipes from the site. I have a few picked out that I want to try but on Sunday, I decided to make white bean and sausage soup. I loooove sausage but it's not the healthiest. However, chicken or turkey sausage is a great alternative that I'm hoping to incorporate into more meals. Sunday was gorgeous but chilly and this soup definitely hit the spot. It was super easy too! I calculated the calories in the soup because I was curious, since it seems pretty low-calorie based on the ingredients, and it came out to approx. 1,510 calories for the whole thing! If you divide that by six servings, it's only about 252 calories per serving. Healthy, hearty, and delicious!
1 can white kidney beans
1 can pinto beans
1 can garbanzo beans
1 tsp thyme
2 cups fresh chopped vegetables (I used carrots, celery and broccoli)
1/2 chopped yellow onion
2-4 spicy chicken or turkey sausage, uncooked
1/2 cup rice (she used cooked rice but I used uncooked brown rice and it came out just fine)
1 quart chicken or vegetable broth
Drain beans and put in crock-pot. Chop vegetables and onion into small pieces and add to crock-pot. Slice sausage and add to crock-pot. Add rice and broth and cover with lid. Cook on high for 4-5 hours or low for 6-9 hours, until vegetables are tender and sausage is brown.
I cooked on high and ate some at about 4 hours in. Then, I turned the crock-pot to low and kept it cooking for another 2-3 hours, mostly because I was reading my nook and being lazy and also because it made my apartment smell delicious. I used 2 natural spicy chicken sausage but next time, I'll use 4 because that's my favorite part! I've had this for lunch and dinner every day since Sunday (no judging please) and the longer it sits, the more tasty, flavorful and thick it becomes. This is definitely one of those "better after re-heating" meals. Love, love, love it!
All in all, this soup was a great success! It reminds me of the jambalaya Tiff makes that I am OBSESSED with. I'm planning on making taco soup next. I said before how I'm not a huge fan of soup, but I seem to be proving myself wrong with all these soup posts. Ole!
I finally went to my first Ohio State football game of the season this weekend! I've had something going on every home game so far so this was my first weekend free to watch the Buckeyes get pummeled by Michigan State at the 'shoe.
Smiling on the outside, crying on the inside
Most people who know me, know my love for the Buckeyes, and a lot of people ask me why I went to Ohio University instead of The Ohio State University. There are a few reasons. I've been a Buckeye since birth, thanks to my dad, and I have so much respect for the tradition of the college. However, I always knew I wanted to leave Columbus for college because I've lived literally 5 minutes from OSU my whole life. I wanted to experience something else and meet people outside of my "bubble." I applied to three schools: OSU, Miami (of Ohio) and OU. I never visited Miami until after I was already in college, and the one time I visited OU was the fall of my senior year of high school with my bff Katie (who went on to be my roommate all four years) and her dad. I instantly fell in love with the campus. I loved the culture, the atmosphere, and the hustle and bustle of students going to and from class. I got in to all three schools and my dad said, "you're going to OSU, don't worry about those other schools." Seeing as how I am my own person and I have a mind of my own thank you very much, I decided on OU because I felt like it would be a perfect fit. Now, my dad knows I made the right decision for myself and is proud to tell people I'm a Bobcat.
Another reason I chose OU over OSU is OU's smaller campus. It reminds me of OSU but on a smaller scale. You can walk anywhere on OU's campus in 10 minutes. For example, this weekend I walked from the OSU track (tailgating spot) to Ohio Stadium. It took me 30 minutes to make the trip. As I walking in the rain and cold, I was thinking, "Now, if I were at OU walking from the track to the football stadium, I would be there in 10 minutes." It was so nice to be able to walk to class without having to worry about parking. It was also nice to be able to walk to and from the bars, which meant no cab fare and no drunk tank! People who went to the drunk tank at OU went for different reasons, but almost never for drunk driving.
Lastly, OU was far enough from home that I couldn't come home every time I felt like it but I could still come home if I needed to. If I went to OSU, I don't think I would've branched out as much from my UA friends (which is technically a moo point because all of my UA friends went to OU...hah) and I feel like I would've used my living 5 minutes from home as a crutch. There were some times freshman year that I thought about moving back home but I powered through, got involved in some clubs, and made friends that I would've never met had I lived at home/OSU. Now, here I am, crying myself to sleep every night because I wish I could be back at OU forever.
UA/OU homies
I do love Ohio State and really wish I was connected to OU sports the way I am to OSU. But I have a different kind of pride for my alma mater than for Ohio State. I imagine it's like how parents say they love all their children equally but differently. Everyone I talk to who went to OU has the best stories to tell, and I always talk to OU grads for hours about the bars, the food, the campus, the townies, the fests, Tony's Hot Nuts...everyone has a different memory about the same places.
So, why did I choose OU over Ohio State? OSU has a lot to offer, and people stick around Columbus long after they graduate, but nobody does college like OU does college.
Finally, I will leave you with a video about OU's football team losing their minds over their new black jerseys. It must have had an affect because OU is currently 4-1 this season! OU, Oh yeah!
