Coffee in the form of Iced Caramel Lattes, good music, a planned reward to celebrate finishing, studying something that has eternal significance, food to fill the tummy and fuel the mind during last minute cramming, great friends for encouragement and much needed breaks (not the TV show this time!)… all served with a side of procrastination!
See you on the other side!
Travel days are always busy- even when the “traveling” is only 2 hours worth from Starkville to Memphis.
Wednesday was a busy day that involved finishing all my classes for the semester (woohooo!), completing a project, babysitting, and driving home! Knowing all that the day held, I pulled myself out of bed and headed downstairs even though it was the perfect stormy morning for sleeping in!
I planned on having eggs like I have the last couple days (trying to get more protein), but I just wasn’t feeling it. My belly wanted carbs… in the form of cinnamon cereal. So I went with it. Alongside my cereal, my new mug I got for my birthday filled with coffee from the keurig, 2% milk, and stevia. Thanks Mom!
The almonds and strawberries were a pre workout snack
Even in this busy day, I wanted to get a good workout in (without taking too much of the day) and make use of my new running hat 🙂 Thanks M!
I hit the Sanderson Center after class for this:
And let me tell you, my heart was pumping! It felt a lot better to ride in the car knowing I had 3 miles done.
Can you find 40 minutes to get your heart pumping? It’s not so bad if you take the Lifetime app with Army Wives on demand 😉
PS: Have you heard of She Reads Truth?! It is daily devotional for women.. I highly suggest you grab a cup of coffee and head on over there today. A new portion is beginning, with the focus on Hosea. It’s too good to miss. I posted a link on my Facebook this morning- I promise it’s so good.
I couldn’t have asked for a better afternoon/evening! It somehow happened to include most of my favorites! Mitchell and I got into Collierville around 12:30, spent some time at his grandparent’s, then headed to Booyas with my mom! (My all time fave..!)
After Booyas, we had to hit up Target! I tend to have withdrawals while in Starkville with nothing but Walmart! .. It’s rare lately that my mom and I get to go without being in a hurry so this was so much fun!! Thanks Mom
Once we got home, Marley and I went for a quick run before getting ready & heading downtown.
Majestic Grill & Melting Pot were our destinations for the evening! I enjoyed every minute of it! It was so fun to think back on old memories and laugh- It’s crazy to think we’ve spent TWENTY of my birthdays together! So thankful for my parents, grandparents, bros, and M. It feels so clique to say “blessed”… almost even seems like it needs a hashtag before it- haha!- but truly, I am.
3rd birthday together- love it.
After lots of consideration of just about every item on the menu, I decided on Grilled Salmon with a Honey glaze, Sweet Carrots, and Garlic Mashed Potatoes- combined with a few handfuls of their famous parmesan fries we all shared- perfectly satisfying.
Me and the boys
My Dad, My Mom, and I
Nana, Me, and Poppa
For dessert, we decided on two mixtures for the table. Bananas Foster (which included white chocolate and cinnamon and smelled phenomenal!) and Flaming Turtle (caramel and chocolate, too!- that actually came to the table flaming!). Our “dippers” included fresh strawberries, bananas, graham cracker covered marshmallows, brownies, cheesecake, and red velvet cake!! YUM. We washed it down with coffee. Just like I adore coffee in the morning, I love to have it after dinner.
The Melting Pot
Around here, we crack up at how long birthdays last.. it goes from one day to a weekend to a week to a month! So you probably will hear more about my entrance into the twenties before this is over..
More than ready to hit the hay now & wake up for more relaxin tomorrow.
I hope your weekend is awesome! The days pass slow, but the years go to fast.
You’re probably wondering what I meant in my last post by whitening my toenails. No, it isn’t some sort of Michael Jackson stunt… just the testing of another one of those Pinterest ideas!
My toenails are never bare. I literally take one color off just to re paint them with something new. Now, they seem to be screaming for air. They look pretty bad- extremely yellow.
Here’s the before: (they have actually improved a lot on their own since tuesday)
I don’t think the picture accurately shows just how bad they are!
Anyways, I decided to try two different ideas I have seen “pinned” at the same time.
{1} whitening toothpaste
{2} hydrogen peroxide
I simply applied each substance with an old toothbrush and let it sit for five minutes. Then after 5 minutes, applied again and let it stay until my toes had been covered for a full ten minutes!
Rinsed… &
TA-DAH! Oh wait, I don’t see much of a difference. Maybe a tiny improvement, but it looks like fresh air and bare nails are the only thing that will actually heal this nastiness!
I guess it turns out everything pinteresting can’t be miraculous.
*** An extra tip~ hydrogen peroxide is GREAT for teeth whitening. Wet your toothbrush in it, brush all over the fronts of your teeth.. with mouth open, let it sit for about 30 seconds. Then, put toothpaste on your brush and go on with brushing as you normally would! I see results in just days- promise ya.
If this reads like a college paper… It’s because it was my actual speech for Intro to Communication… But I think its information you’ll find helpful!
Enjoy… If that’s even possible on a Monday!
Would you purposely ingest a chemical you knew was used to preserve dead animals?
Due to my love for Diet Dr. Pepper, I was reluctant to believe the crazy facts I am going to share with you. The more I studied artificial sweetener and their effects, the more I realized just how prevalent they are. We are ingesting them everyday from diet soda, yogurt, baked goods and most types of chewing gum. AND it turns out, that Stevia I thought was WAY better than Splenda and Sweet’N’Low… isn’t. Cue crying as I stare at black coffee wondering how to make it drinkable!!
I want to inform you about the history and creation of artificial sweeteners, and how they affect your body in relation to both weight gain and various illnesses.
I constantly debate their pros and cons for my life; the most current health and fitness information had always interested me. I have ironically used these sweeteners for years, done extensive research, and gained knowledge from reliable sources to share with you today.
I want to start with a slightly frightening story about how “fake sugar” came to be. According to the web article “Artificial Sweeteners – More Dangerous than you ever imagined,” the most popular artificial sweetener on the market, aspartame, was discovered in 1965 completely by mistake!!
Unfortunately, many chemicals are involved in the making of this white powder; Methylene chloride is one of them; It has many uses, so we come into contact with it often. However, artificial sweeteners are the only form of it ingested. Here’s the crazy part: Prolonged skin contact with methylene chloride can cause chemical burns and dissolving of tissues in the skin. If that isn’t shocking enough, it is often used to strip paint and weld plastic together.
This is what we are coating our insides in.
Soon after the accidental invention, it became apparent that artificial sweetener could be the best thing, financially, that ever happened to the diet industry. All those involved in getting Artificial Sweeteners into our foods were more interested in money signs that human health.
One of the most appealing facts about artificial sweeteners is the fact that they are zero calorie and therefore seem like a perfect ally in the fight against extra pounds. Another plus for many people is the fact that artificial sweeteners can be used in both cooking and baking, making it seem like the most convenient change in diet to save lots of extra calories.
However, more current research argues that this is simply not true. Artificial sweeteners in our systems lead our body to believe we indulged in copious amounts of sugar…
Then, our bodies start to release leptin and insulin, instructing the body to store fat. Simultaneously, serotonin levels are decreasing; this is the chemical that lets us know we are full.
Consistently ingesting artificial sweeteners creates the perfect environment for weight gain and a greater percentage of fat, despite your greatest weight loss efforts.
The internal consequences can be even worse than extra pounds. Just 10 grams of aspartame, or other similar sweeteners, can cause medical issues. These chemicals in your body often have laxative like effects, bloating and diarrhea. On top of that, you may experience headaches, migraines, mental confusion, dizziness, and seizures.
If you can believe it, there is more.
Artificial sweeteners are now being referred to as one of the most dangerous and controversial food additives in human history.
Now when you sit down at restaraunts, determine whether you are interested in cancer, migraines, or a few extra pounds before ordering that Diet Coke. Coke products are so cerosive, they can be used for hard core cleaning. They say if you leave Coke in your toilet overnight, it will clean better than any other product on the market. Just last week, I used Diet Dr. Pepper to get all that caked on gunk out of my oven!!
Why I still think it’s okay to drink the same thing I clean my oven with… I’ll never know! But I’m working on it!
On a less scary/more exciting note, Spencer has been begging for months to make his blog debut… I figured what better day than today to introduce him! Happy 20th Birthday to this crazy guy. Thanks for always standing up for the blog when Mitchell argues that I slash to many words being a great friend. From Columbus trips in the Dud to hilarious nights playing cards in Destin, life wouldn’t be the same without ya! Keep getting sunburnt. 🙂 I hope your twenties are full of more fun (& trips back to Memphis to hang with us) than you can imagine!
Whitney, Spencer, Me, and Mitchell
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