Friday, March 30, 2018

March Book Recap & Reviews

Happy Friday! I can not believe it is nearing the end of March, WHAT?! My birthday is coming up soon and I can't believe how fast this year is going by. I plan to spend my birthday bookstore hopping and eating my favorite sweets, and then going to the beach the next day. It is funny how as you grow older, the simple things seem more appealing. 

Today I am sharing three very different books that I read this month. I have to say that I really liked all three so it was a very successful reading month! Enjoy!



This book is about a young girl in Elementary school who has Cerebral Palsy. I think everyone should read this quick and entertaining book to better understand Cerebral Palsy and how it affects people. I loved the personality of the main character Melody and cried multiple times while reading this. I love this book and couldn't recommend it enough!
Rate: 5 Stars!!



This is a fictional novel about a girl in high school who get's an anonymous email from someone at her new school shortly after moving. Throughout the book you come to know several of the characters in this new school and start to wonder who it is that is anonymously emailing her about the school. I have to admit the storyline felt a little "been there, done that" but it was still a cute story. It is a short read and has a sweet ending. It was slightly predictable which always lowers my rating, but overall, it was cute.
Rate: 3 Stars!



This is such an adorable story and although I was unsure at the beginning if I was really going to like the characters, I have to say, I really liked the quirky characters in this book. This is a story about a young English man who is a restaurant critic in Milwaukee under a fake name. He is witty, relentless, and falls in love with a chef whos restaurant he may have just sank. I loved this story and how it unfolded. Y'all have to read this one!!
Rate: 5 Stars!!


As always, I want to know what y'all are reading! Comment below and share what books you are enjoying and think I would like. I will talk to you soon!

xoxo
Monday, March 26, 2018

Spontaneous Miscellaneous

Happy Monday everyone! I am so excited to be hopping on the blog today to share so many of my recent favorites with you. These posts usually come on Fridays but I was swamped Friday and just had time to sit and get my thoughts in order.

It has been a crazy week and I sat down last night as the week came to an end and thought about how happy I am. I know it sounds cheesy, but it really is important to design a life you love. God has blessed me with opportunities over the last week and I am just so happy. In high school I worried so much about what people thought of me that I couldn't really enjoy anything. Now that I am in college, and frankly, don't give a crap about what people think, I have been so stinkin' happy with what I have filled my days doing. Choose what makes you happy people, and if you don't know what that is yet, pray that God will lay that on your heart.

Enough of that sappy stuff, let's get onto my favorites!

One // I'm Running A Half Marathon!?!?!?!

So I have pretty much lost my mind because I signed up to run 13.1 miles around Disney World at 3am this November! Speaking of doing what makes you happy, running makes me happy. That sounds totally crazy to a lot of you, I know, but I love getting outside and running because I can. I know so many people who physically can not run and so I feel blessed to be able to do it. I am no where near the fastest runner, but putting one foot in front of the other, to a good song, makes me happy.
I can't wait to run the Wine and Dine Half Marathon in November. I have a few great costume ideas already. Any guesses?


Two // Senior Pictures
How beautiful is my friend Kelly? She is getting ready to graduate from high school and I was so excited to take her photos this week!


Three // Clean Juice
OH MY LANTA y'all I am o.b.s.e.s.s.e.d. with this place. Part of my half marathon training, has been making healthier eating choices and over the last couple weeks, I have lost some weight which has made me feel fantastic. I have always loved to go out on payday and treat myself to a cold drink, usually at Starbucks. However, once I decided to start making healthier choices, I decided that the sugary drinks have got to go. Clean Juice is an organic juice and smoothie place that is not only adorable inside, but also DELICIOUS. I am lactose intolerant and was so happy to find a place that makes their smoothies with almond milk. I was also so happy to find that they don't load their juices and smoothies up with any additional junk or fake stuff. It is all organic fruits and veggies. It is expensive but so refreshing and worth it.


Four // Down Syndrome Day
Wednesday was World Down Syndrome Day and how cute is this shirt I posted??  How awesome is that. Here is also one of my favorite video that a family I follow, posted on Wednesday. 
March 21st is officially one of my favorite days!


Five // Fabletics Leggings
I have seen ads for Fabletics forever and finally gave it a shot. These are the pairs I ordered, and they are really nice quality for the price. If you join and become a member you get great discounts. It costs nothing to join! I can't wait to try different running outfits from here and let you know what I think!


Six // Early Moments
If you have kids, you NEED to subscribe to the Early Moments box so your kids can receive an ADORABLE box of books to read each month. I love encouraging kids to read, and this fun subscription box is a great way to do so.


Seven // Winter Park 10k
How beautiful is this medal!! I ran in the Winter Park 10k on Saturday morning and it was SO fun. The course was beautiful, my dad was a hoot, and the medal was just stunning. I love starting my day running through a beautiful place, surrounded by thousands of other runners. So inspiring. I wasn't at all bitter that several people over the age of 70 beat me. #notbitter


Eight // Special Books by Special Kids
Oh my goodness. Y'all I spent waaaay too long yesterday watching these sweet videos. Chris Ulmer started this non-profit, where he travels and interviews kids and individuals with different diagnoses in hopes that those watching will have a better understanding of people. You will get sucked in by these awesome people. Go watch!


Nine // Midnight Sun
This movie is so cute but bring tissues!! My sister and I went to see it last night, and my eyes are swollen shut today. So cheesy but so good too!


Well there are all of my favorite things from this past week. I hope you have a happy happy week friends!!

xoxo
Monday, March 12, 2018

My New Favorite Breakfast

Happy Monday everyone! I was all set to register for my first half marathon today at Disney, but runDisney announced that the registration has been delayed, so now I don't know when I will be registering for it. Oh well.  I will be participating in the Wine and Dine Half Marathon at Disney World in November. Will any of you be running it this year?
I have started making a conscious effort to eat healthier as I train for this half marathon and this is my new favorite breakfast. I notice that when I start my day with a filling and healthy breakfast, I make healthier choices throughout the rest of the day and have so much more energy.
What is it?

1 piece of Canadian bacon, microwaved
1 scrambled egg
Everything But the Bagel seasoning (I LOVE THIS STUFF)
A side of strawberries


I promise you will feel so full and energized for hours. Yum! If this isn't filling enough for you, you could always melt a piece of cheese on the Canadian bacon in the microwave before topping with the scrambled egg. I hope you got a new breakfast idea and enjoy it.

Talk to you soon!

xoxo
Wednesday, March 7, 2018

Spring Floral Maxi


Happy Wednesday everyone! This week has been so busy but so nice also. This week is my Spring Break and although I still have to work and do intern hours in classrooms, I don't have homework pilled on top which allowed me time to watch the 3 hour Bachelor finale! What do y'all think? Although I was angry, sad, and confused a lot during the finale, I was ultimately happy with how everything turned out in the end, including the new Bachelorette announcement!!!

I will talk to y'all very soon!

xoxo
Saturday, March 3, 2018

Spontaneous Miscellaneous

Happy weekend everyone! I am so happy to get a relaxing start to my spring break! The rest of the week is crazy busy, but I am looking forward to all of it.

I have several favorite things to show y'all so let's do it!

One // Black Panther
I am normally not a huge fan of Marvel movies, but I actually really enjoyed this one! I recommend it!


Two // Peter Rabbit
My sister and I went to this cute movie and both laughed out loud several times. I know it is a children's movie but if you are a kid at heart (like me) then you will LOVE it.


Three // Spoleto
If you live in the Central Florida/ UCF area you have to try Spoleto. It is a build your own pasta and you get an awesome discount with a student I.D. I always get their gluten free fettuccini and alfredo sauce with a bunch of different toppings. My favorite part is that it is cheap, and a perfect portion. I never feel super full after and it is so delicious.


Four // New Running Shoes 
Again, if you live in the Central Florida area, you have to go to Track Shack for shoes. Whether you do a lot of walking, running, or standing, they have the perfect shoes. The best part is that they have people there to fit and find the perfect shoes for you. They are so patient and always know what they are talking about. I love this place!


Five // GU Gel
When I was at Track Shack, I asked the nice man who was helping me get shoes about proper nutrition during a run. I have my pre and post run meals set and I always feel great from them, but when I go to run longer than 45 minutes, I notice I hit a wall and am exhausted. He said it is important to fuel during a run once you reach that 40 minute point. You don't want your body to be burning muscle for energy. I got several flavors of these GU Gels to try. Today during my 8 mile run I tried the mandarin orange flavor. The flavor wasn't bad, but the texture is kind of rough to get down. Make sure you have your water with you to get it down. It set well on my stomach and really did give me a boost of energy. It was kinda freakin awesome! I am sold!


Six // Running Playlist
Y'all I need your help!!! Comment with some fun upbeat songs that are fun to run to. I need a longer running playlist and want your suggestions!


I hope y'all have a great rest of your day! I will talk to you on Monday.

xoxo
Thursday, March 1, 2018

2018 RunDisney Princess 5k Race Recap

Happy Wednesday everyone! This past week/ weekend was completely CRAZY! My whole family was running all over the place and I am happy things have calmed down, just in time for my midterm exams.. oh the joy.
Although things may have been cray cray, it has also been really REALLY fun!! My sister and I ran in the Disney Princess 5k on Friday and it was a blast. I was able to get several goodies at the Expo on Thursday without having to weave through too many of the crazy crowds. 
My sister went to a play the night before so she only got two hours of sleep before the race, not that myself or my mom got much more than that. It was hilarious the amount of mood swings we all went through between 2:30 am and 3:30 am. We were so tired and exhausted and quite frankly, biting each others heads off, than my sister got in the car and we left before she realized she forgot to get her glasses. My sister is BLIND without her glasses, so it was so funny how I had to guide her through everywhere. I tell y'all, it doesn't matter how much you prepare, or how often you do these races, that 2:30am wake up is NOT easy!!
(Perfectly describes the difference in our mood that morning, haha! Can you tell who's the morning person??)
Once we arrived at the Epcot parking lot, where the race started, we were in better spirits and excited to get started. My sister and I waited in line for half an hour to meet the princesses before the race started but the line was moving too slow so we headed to our corral so we could make it in time to start. We were in Corral A so we were sent off by the Fairy Godmother, who counted us down. Those fireworks always give me such adrenaline. 
The first mile was on backroads but it went SO fast. My sister and I did stand in a really long to meet Sully and Mike from Monsters Inc but it was SO worth it. After the first mile marker there was a water stop as we headed into Epcot! There were a few Vikings to take photos with but we passed on that photo-op.

Somewhere during mile 2 or 3 you could also stop for a photo with The Beast and Dopey but their lines were INSANE!
We did stop however to meet Abu from Alladin and Sebastian from The Little Mermaid which was great. We also stood in line to get the photo with Rapunzel and Flynn with the Epcot ball in the background. It was so pretty right as the sun was rising.
We then went hand in hand to the finish line for our dazzling medal! It is a BEAUT! This was such a fun race and I, of course, can't wait for the next one. My sister even agreed that she is pumped for this race next year!

We had a blast celebrating at Animal Kingdom the day afterwards and as always, LOVED the "Congrats!" we received from all the cast members! 

Here is the vlog I made from the whole weekend! Enjoy!

If you have ever considered doing a race at Disney, DO IT! I will be doing a blog post on the reasons why here soon, but I couldn't recommend them enough!

Have a great week y'all! I will talk to you very soon!
xoxo