How To Have a Fantastic Friday

THIS WEEK IS ALMOST OVER! 

LET THE HAPPY DANCES BEGIN!!!!!

As if this isn't cause ENOUGH for celebration, I'm going to let you in on a little secret on how to have a FANTASTIC Friday. Follow each step closely, and you're sure to have a day as spectacular as this:

1. Arrive to work and IMMEDIATELY get distracted by crises far too important to deal with the mile-long to-do list sitting on your desk. This will be extra special if you've been out of town for two days during that week on a work trip, providing you LOTS of catching up to do.
   
2. Ensure that the tour group you're expecting arrives late, therefore throwing the tour schedule (and many of your co-workers' work day) off-kilter.
   
3. Make ABSOLUTE SURE that the instructor requesting said tour - the one that you have called multiple times - does NOT call you back and let you know how many people to expect to attend this tour.
   
4. Struggle to accommodate everyone when no less than 40 people walk in your door - many of them students that need supervision - expecting a tour for normally 10-15 people. Bonus points if you can squeeze them into the small area provided for instruction.
   
5. Have the tour last much longer than expected, ensuring that you must put off the aforementioned list on your desk.
   
6. Allow yourself only a few minutes before leading another tour of visitors who have dropped in unexpectedly, name-dropping with your superiors to get a last-minute unscheduled private tour.
   
7. Expect to not touch the list for the rest of the day.
   
8. Remember that you must call the electric company to transfer your service before you move this weekend. Call said electric company, only to be told that's impossible for various reasons.
   
9. Call new apartment complex and enlist their help. Apartment Complex says to tell Electric Company that they {the Electric Company} are wrong. 'Nuff said.
   
10. Call Electric Company. Somehow make Electric Company tell you to tell Apartment Complex that THEY, in fact, are wrong.
    
11. Spend no less than one hour delivering messages between these two companies.
    
12. Spend the next hour or so looking for your keys that are missing from your desk. Breathe a sigh of relief when you learn they were mistakenly taken by a co-worker. (Note: This will be funny once you realize you're NOT stuck at work forever and no one is going to steal your car with your almost-stolen keys)
    
13. Feel the headache you've had for two days return once again.
    
14. Take your lunch break at 3pm and run the errands you been needing to run before everything in The City shuts down at 5. This must - I repeat, MUST - be done during after-school traffic and among some of the most reckless drivers in the world.
    
15. Go to Packet Pickup for race day tomorrow and LAUGH when the checker-outer asks you how to spell your husband's name. Why yes, his name IS spelled B-E-N.
    ***This may or may not be the laugh you need to get you through the impending traffic to get back to work.
    
16. Get back to work, park, and turn off the car. Crank up the car once again, then head BACK into traffic because you are given the wrong race packet.
    
17. Arrive back at work close to the time you were supposed to leave today. Accept the fact that you won't be able to leave early to go home and pack up your current apartment, and hope that you will have electricity for moving day tomorrow.
    
18. Take a look at the list on your desk and write a blog post instead.

Here's to a happy weekend! May it be filled with sunshine, warm temperatures, and cake. Lots of cake.

Work Trippin'

Hellooooo, hello!

Checking in from life on the road via work. I've been getting my PROFESSIONAL on for the past couple of days - speaking at a meeting of PR pros and then doing some alumni work in my college town. It's been busy, but honestly? I'm really loving it.

Apparently I was explaining something VERY SERIOUS that required me to do that awkward twisty-stance. But it's a fun picture nonetheless!

This morning I was able to talk to an 8am class of  sleepy college students and, despite the fact that all they wanted was to get across the street to Starbucks, they had some great questions and seemed pretty interested in the presentation (SCORE!).

I've got one more event to work while I'm here then I'm headed back to The City...but not before I stop at one of my FAVORITE places down here to get coffee!!!

I'm telling you, this city has some of the best food around. Ohhh, how I loooooove it.

Welp! I've got to run around and check out of my hotel before this next event, but I'll be back soon with the recipe for THIS DELICIOUSNESS...

Think warm, creamy, cheesy goodness with chunks of chicken on the inside. I'm hungry already!


MY OH MY. GIVE ME MORE.

Hasta luego!

Friday Fun Facts

Hey-oh!

FRIDAY AT LAST! Ohhhh the relief. I have no idea what's happening this weekend, only that we'll be staying far, far away from the noisy crowd of the St. Paddy's Day parade here in The City.

All I know is that there is a high of 70 here tomorrow and I hope to be outside loving it! There may or may not be some BodyPump involved - but weee shall seeee!!!!

Stay tuned, friends. That's all I can say.

So - moving on! - here are a few things that have rocked my world lately:


one. I tried Vietnamese food for the first time tonight. I was taken aback by the lango on the menu - but thankfully there were translations that were only half as scary! I kid, I kid. Hubs and I both ordered the shrimp hot pot (he's eaten there many times), and it was delicious: shrimp, noodles, and steaming hot rice with a side of soup. What is it about white rice that is just so...comforting and satisfying? Aaaahh good ol' starches.

two. A couple of nights ago, we were talking about various desserts and dishes that I want to make when Hubs asked, "Have you ever made a blueberry pie?" In all honesty, I don't think I've ever had a blueberry pie. I've had blueberry cobbler (I think) and something my dad called "Blueberry Yum-Yum" (catchy, yes?), but I don't think I've ever had blueberry pie.

It was right then and there that we both determined we HAD to put some of this deliciousness in our lives as soon as possible. Hubs called his mom (around, say...11pm?) to get the recipe, kind of forgetting that she MAY be asleep at this point - because, obviously, everyone stays up late like us talking about food...right? Right? {crickets}

Anyway, half asleep, she gave us the recipe and our lives were complete. Until tonight when we actually made it. And WHOA.

 

three. Next week is going to be epic. CUH-RAZY, no joke. I have a huge and important meeting on Monday afternoon that kind of makes my knees shake and my tummy flip just thinking about it. On Tuesday and Wednesday I'll head down to my college town to help out with some alumni bizz-NISS, speak at a meeting, then represent our office at a career fair before getting back here to The City on Wednesday night.

Then...on Friday afternoon, we pick up the keys to our new apartment because WEEEEEEEE'RE MOVING!

Saturday is the Color Me Rad 5k here (I recounted our experience briefly last year in this post), and you bet yer britches we'll be there, loving every color-exploding moment of it! Then we'll head back to the apartment(s) for a full day of moving our stuff to the new place!

YAY WORKOUTS FROM LIFTING HEAVY THINGS!

Saturday's sleep will be a great, great thing. Prayers for the next week will be GREATLY appreciated :)

 

 

four. On the nights when I don't make it to the gym, I like to stay in and do these Barre3 workout DVDs. I was slightly skeptical of the hype of it all, but I tried a Pure Barre class once and loved it; plus, when I found a Groupon where I could get 5 DVDs for half the price right after Christmas, I had to jump on it.

So far, I'm extremely pleased with the 4 workouts I've tried! I have one more left to try out, but there's one that I can't seem to get away from - I really love it! Barre3 moves slow enough so that you can relax and keep up, but moves quickly enough that you don't get bored with it.

I absolutely LOVE the feeling of being sore and relaxed afterward. The first couple of times I tried it, I was sore for days - and it felt great :)

If you're interested, here's a great deal via QVC. It's worth a shot if you're looking to switch up your routine a little.

five. Speaking of workouts, starting tomorrow I'm doing the 30-Day Squat Challenge. For 30 days, you work your way up to doing 250 squats. I found this challenge via a retweet from Women's Health, so I figure I've got nothing to lose by trying it out! Anyone care to join me?

Here's to stronger glutes and a firmer bum!

six. Yesterday I skipped the gym (and later did a Barre3 workout WHOO!) and opted to call my friend Jessica instead. Jessica is one of those people where, as soon as we met, we just...clicked. I don't remember the exact moment we met in college, but it's safe to safe that I really don't remember a time where we weren't friends in college! Jessica and her husband live in Georgia (for now - they may be moving soon!) and are expecting their first little bambino in the next few months!!!!!! Can we say excitement? Aaaahh I'm so happy for them!

Anyway, I'm not exactly what some would call a "phone talker," but I miss my girls A LOT and just needed some "Jessica" time I guess. We talked for almost an hour about basically everything in the world - and let me tell you, I felt better mentally than I would after any workout.

Moral of today's story: Grab your phone and go call someone you love and miss. Call them for no reason at all but just to say hello. It does wonders for your day and theirs! :)

...And now that it's officially Saturday, I believe I'll put on my jammies and hit my pillow. Sleep is gooooood :)

Happy weekend everyone!

"Better Sore than Sorry"

That's what my Body Pump instructor said in class one night.

And you know what?

She was right.

I took a walk on the WILD SIDE last night and upped the weight on my bar ever-so-slightly -- and I am FEELING IT today! Quads, shoulders, tris, and armpits {oh, the armpits}...Ohhhhh how I love the feeling of being sore!

Strangely enough, I'm not the least bit sarcastic when I say that.

This weekend was a whirlwind, to say the least. Think 4 cities in 2 days, by the time Monday and Tuesday passed (with long workdays throughout) -- it's safe to say that I basically crashed onto my pillow last night and didn't move all night.

Totally worth it though! After a successful work event on the coast Friday night (about three and a half hours from here, we arrived home a little after midnight, then headed to my parents' house 3 hours away late Saturday afternoon. Sunday we drove another hour South to visit with The Hubs's family, then made the trek back here to The City.

As tired as we were, it felt SO GREAT to be able to spend even a little bit of time with our families. Plus, this weekend was my sister's BRIDAL SHOWER back at our home church!

Home sweet home - oh yes indeed :)

Here wedding is EXACTLY ONE MONTH from today -- and I'm supremely PUMPED.


...And speaking of pumped, lately I've joined my friend Lauren in the "100 Days of Happy" project - and it's a lot of fun! Basically, every day for 100 days, you take a photo of something that makes you happy...I think, originally, it was meant for people to post on their blogs, Facebook, Instagram, etc., but we've got a group of about 4 of us going via group text and we've really enjoyed it!

Funny side note: We're all in various parts of the country, and the only one I know personally is Lauren - so BONUS POINTS for getting to know new people, ha!

It's funny how, once we started, I've started really looking forward to everyone's texts and photos and taking my own. It really encourages you to look for the "happy" in every day! Give it a try!

We're on Day 29 today - so I won't post everything, but here are some of the highlights over the past month!

This guy. He makes me so, so happy :)
Love this man!

Peanut-butter-chocolate cupcake for a Friday treat!
Huge, yet so delicious.

Cake-batter flavored chapstick!
Flavor without the calories!

After many, many weeks of dreary, cold, and rainy weather,
the SUN finally came out and warmed us up to a wonderful 63 degrees!

Beautiful sunset while out for a run one day!

The guys at work let me get on set and PRETEND to be on camera.
Aaaahh little things in life :)

Out for a run by the water on a gorgeous Saturday morning!

Mardi Gras cookies that turned out COLORFUL and DELICIOUS!
Bonus: I FINALLY baked something that was a success!

BODY PUMP!!!!
{despite my wimpy weights! #beginner =) }

And there we have it! Just a few highlights from the past week and month - what makes YOU happy every day? Give the "100 Days" challenge a try - go on, I dare ya!

I'm kind of hooked.

A Cajun Treat: Crawfish Pie

Boy do I have a recipe that's going to knock your socks off.

I'm not even kidding! Crawfish season only comes once a year - and in the South it's a HUGE DEAL. Fortunately you can usually find it frozen in the off-season, unless you're like me and live in The City and have had withdrawals for almost 3 years now!

I'm so serious when I tell you the only thing on my Christmas list last year was that my mom buy frozen crawfish for me the next time she saw it in the store.

And ohhhhh she did.

Best Christmas ever.

My tastebuds have been begging - downright BEGGING - for this Crawfish Pie recipe for months now, and last week I finally broke down, dug out the ol' New Orleans cookbook, and defrosted one of the packages of crawfish tails.

I'm saver, not a spender!

It was soooo worth it. A warm, fluffy crawfish mixture baked into a flaky pie crust -- YIKES I may have to make this again!

If you can get your hands on some crawfish {fresh or frozen}, the rest of the ingredients are really practical and things you probably have on hand already.

The trick is to get a good roux going once you start cooking. It's just a simple mixture of butter and flour over low heat until it's a nice golden brown:

Looks gross and bubbly, right? That's when it's ready! This will be the base of your mixture, and from there you can add in all of your seasonings, veggies, and crawfish!

I can't even begin to describe how this made my night. It doesn't look that pretty, but I guarantee you the taste is amazing. My mouth is watering all over again!

Mmmmm....

MMMMMMMM!!!!

Hope you enjoy this, folks. It's filled with all sorts of Cajun goodness.

Crawfish Pie

Adapted from The New Orleans Cookbook

Serves 2-4

What you'll need:

1 stick butter

1/4 cup flour

2 tsp chopped onion (or onion powder)

2 tsp garlic powder

1/3 cup chopped green pepper

2 tbsp parsley

2-3 stalks of celery, chopped

2 tbsp chopped green onions (optional)

1 tsp salt

1 tsp pepper

1/4 cup heavy cream or half-and-half

1 package frozen crawfish tails (or ~1 lb fresh crawfish)

1 frozen pie shell, thawed

Cayenne pepper, to taste

Tony's, to taste

In a heavy non-stick skillet, melt butter over low heat. Add flour a little at a time, cooking slowly and stirring constantly - DO NOT walk away, as this will burn very easily! Continue stirring until a light golden roux begins to form. Add the onion, garlic, green pepper, parsley, green onions, and celery, then continue stirring until vegetables are soft. Add salt, pepper, cayenne, cream and continue to stir.

Add crawfish tails to the mixture and cook until they are tender, which may take between 12-15 minutes. Pour mixture into pie shell and bake at 350 until crust is a nice golden color and filling is slightly firm.

Allow the pie to cool, but serve HOT and enjoy!

Who put the GLAD in GLADIATOR????

HERC-U-LEEEESSSS!!!!!

Don't mind me. I'm just jamming out to the Hercules soundtrack again.

An appropriate choice for a Monday, don't you think? Why yes, yes I do. I may have just been humming this out loud at work. But I'll never tell.

Want to know a secret, invisible internet friends?

"Go the Distance" is definitely my pump up song. All. the. way. Maybe it's the trumpets at the beginning. Or the lyrics. Or the little tingling noises in the background that give me butterflies.

It's not necessarily a song I would play to get pumped up right before a marathon (though fitting it may be!), or to wake up in the morning -- but on those days that just feel kind of "bleh"? Yep. The days where you just need a little pick-me-up to let you know that "NO you're not a loser! And YES YOU CAN do this!"


I will BEAT the ooooodds!!!! I can go the distance!
I will FACE the worrrrrld!!! Fearless, proud and strong!!!!!


Don't even tell me that doesn't make you stand a little straighter and feel better about life...and want to stand with your fists on your hips whilst the wind blows your hair back as you say, "Bring it, world. Bring it!"

All the Disney fans say YEAH!

Don't even get me started on Mulan, Aladdin, and others that we could talk about for days.

LET'S get dooowwwn to BIZ-NESS! To de-FEAT -- the HUUUUUUNNNSSS!!!!

...

I have a recipe for you today, people.

Whhaaaaaatttttt.

Oh yes. Despite the lack of posting, I've actually been quite busy in the kitchen as of late.


He was a NO ONE! {A ZERO! ZERO!}


I can't even count how many times we have had corn grits on our table since September. It was one of the dishes served at our wedding reception awhile back - and it was on our flight to Charleston the next day that I found the recipe and determined to make it once we got back to reality.

And oh, we did.

It's warm, creamy goodness that goes perfectly with crispy baked chicken (or fried chicken, if you dare!), green veggies, or really, any food at all. And it's oh-so-delightfully Southern.


...And an AWESOME ten-for-ten!!!!!


So, now, folks - I give you the GRITS of Grits & Griddles. Hope you enjoy!

YES INDEED!

Southern Corn Grits

Adapted from Zea's Restaurant
Serves 4

Ingredients:

1 can of low-sodium chicken broth

2 cups heavy cream (half-and-half will work as well)

1 can of creamed corn (or 1 cup of fresh corn)

Just under 1/2 cup of grits (NOT instant)

Dash of cayenne

Dash of Tony's

Salt and pepper, to taste

In a large saucepan, bring chicken broth to a boil. Lower heat slightly, then add cream and return to a boil. Slowly whisk in the grits, continuing to stir. When the grits are evenly mixed in, add the corn. Continue to stir and lower heat to a simmer. Add in seasonings to taste, or a touch of butter if desired.

Cook for 5-10 minutes, until grits are fully cooked. Mixture will be very thick. Serve hot and enjoy!

Friday Lovin'

Is it just me, or does it seem that every Friday gets that much sweeter as time goes on?

Today was off to a slightly not-so-hot start, but it's okay because things are COMPLETELY looking up!

It's been a weird week. But I'm a weird person, so I guess the shoe fits.

But on with the happy!

Here's what I'm loving and obsessed with this week. Maybe you'll get obsessed with them too and we can be weird together.


Vintage Glam Texturizing Powder from Sally's. People. My goodness. This stuff has given my hair a whole new outlook on life. I'm so hooked on it. If you're like me and have board-straight fine hair that has ZERO shape this will change your life. It makes your hair feel like it hasn't been washed in three weeks, but allows it to KEEP its shine and look pretty! It gives your hair so much LIFT and you can shape it as you like. I'm so terrible with my hair, but {on a good day} you can't tell that because this stuff is just...great. They put it on my head the day of our wedding and my hair held up until I washed it out. MAJORLY impressed, y'all. Usually what I do is sprinkle a little under the part of my hair and underneath the layers, tease, then smooth. It's a beautiful thing, friends.

Melanie from the Big Mama Blog, Edie from the Life in Grace Blog, and Sophie from the Boo Mama Blog. These ladies are so talented and their blogs are so uplifting and encouraging. I absolutely loved this post where Edie interviewed Melanie about her new book -- it was nothing short of hilarious and made today SO MUCH BETTER. I felt like I was sitting at the table drinking coffee with my girlfriends - only I've never met them and none of us were drinking coffee so is that even a little creepy???? . Check them out for your daily dose of happy!


And while I'm on it --- Melanie's new book, "The Antelope in the Living Room." I'll admit -- I TECHNICALLY haven't read it yet. But in approximately 37-ish minutes I will be on my way to the Family Christian bookstore, who are so graciously holding one of their last TWO copies for me. I know I'm going to love it -- just by hearing Melanie's description of what inspired her to write the book and the topics she covered, I'm crazy over it already. I JUST might crack open the book in the parking lot and just jump in right then and there. Good thing there's a coffee shop next door {!!!!!} - don't say I didn't warn you!


The How Sweet It Is blog. I could do an entire post just on my favorite blogs/bloggers, but I'm not kidding when I tell you that reading Jessica's blog is one of the FIRST things I do every. single. morning. {Except for Sundays and maybe Saturdays} She's ridiculously funny and has some of the most creative recipes I've ever seen. And her pictures? Gaaaaahhh. I could lick the screen most days.


Sprinkles and Thin Mint cupcakes. Because sprinkles make EVERYTHING better. EVERYTHING.

Oh yes. That happened this weekend. 'Nuff said.

***PLUS, since the icing was runny (oops novice icing maker), I think it's safe to assume that there were less calories in them, therefore making these babies ridiculously healthy. Yes, they were oh-so-healthy. The only thing healthier is to make ANOTHER batch. Gosh, I love eating healthy.


PITCH PERFECT 2!!!!!! It's OFFICIAL, people. A Pitch Perfect SEQUEL is happening. Please tell me you understand my obsession with this movie. I. LOVE. IT. I've had the soundtrack BLARING in my car for MONTHS now and randomly quote it all the time with Lauren. Plus --- dare I say it???? - it's going to be filmed in BATON ROUGE. A mere few hours from here! AAAAHHHH. I can't contain myself!!!! I'm desperately trying to find out how I can audition to be an extra. DESPERATELY. I'll wear a wig or cover my face or be in the background waving -- I DON'T CARE! This. must. happen. Suggestions/info, anyone?

I'll keep you posted on my findings :)

LOST. Good gracious. I won't even go into detail about it. It's so insane and I'm completely lost but totally up to speed. We're almost halfway through Season 3 and at that point where, although you realize what's happening, you have NO IDEA who these other people are and WHAT they are doing with my lovable characters!!! Plus - I have to say it -- I'm for Kate & Sawyer all the way. She may be in love with Jack, but she and Sawyer are MFEO (<---- Sleepless in Seattle reference, anyone????). GAAAAHHH just tell me what happens already!!!!! Clearly I love this show.


Happy Friday everyone! Go find JOY in something small this weekend!