Drink This!!

I've always been a fan of Vitamin Water, but one of their new flavors is ridiculously good.

The flavor is called "Connect" and it is a blend of black cherry and lime. It has a dab of caffeine and other nutrients. I don't really drink Vitamin Water for the vitamins necessarily...this is more about the flavor. In fact, I think I could whip up a pretty yummy margarita using this stuff. Seriously, it is THAT good.

Officially Official Officially

I am going on an Epic European Frolic with my bff Tessa!! The ticket has been booked and the planning has commenced. I've been pinching pennies to make this journey happen and I'm kind of shocked that it is actually going to take place! We'll be staying in hostels and traveling by train so I'm sure I'll have lots to share when I get back. July can't come soon enough...

We will be starting this epic journey of awesomeness in Copenhagen, Denmark and then making our way to Berlin, Prague, Vienna, & Amsterdam. I'm also very excited because I'll get to see my cousins and aunt & uncle in the Netherlands! My cousin lives in Amsterdam and is Dutch, so we will have an inside look at the city. I visited this part of my fam (my dad's sister married my fabulous uncle...who is Dutch...HI AUNT WENDY!!) on my last trip to Europe so I'm looking forward to seeing them again.

I've been to both Berlin and Amsterdam before, but wasn't able to stay long in either place so there is still plenty for me to see. It will also be nice to have a travel companion. It is SO CHALLENGING trying to get a table in a restaurant in a foreign country when you are just one sad, lonely girl. Do I seat myself? Will they bring me a check? What does the menu say? Can I read a book at the table? Gaaahhhh just give me a beer. So yes, it will be MUCH nicer to have a travel buddy - especially someone as awesome as T-Friend.

A few scenes from my '07 trip...

Eating (or at least trying to eat) raw herring in Amsterdam. Blah!!

OKTOBERFEST!!

Probably one of my favorite cities ever. Brugge, Belgium.

My cute little room in Interlocken, Switzerland.

Seriously, I love you Switzerland. Spiez here.

The London EYE. Another bff, Kris, pictured here doing the "eye" with me, will also be joining us for part of the fun. She went to London and never left. 

Any tips or hints about the places we plan to visit?

Check It

Lookie here!!! I got tagged by HotChildInTheCity to join the "Pretty Mafia". I am SO NOT preppy by any means...well maybe a little...I did go to U of R. But I definitely dig the whole mafia thing. So, without further adieu, I give you my fantabulous answers to these very random questions.

1. Who is your style icon?
I really don't have a style icon that I look up to (I'm really not fashionable at all...nor do I really care to be...it just isn't in me!). I like to look put together, but I'm not crazy about labels, fashion, and all that jazz. I do think my bff Mandy has fabulous style though!! So she wins. 

Fabulous.

2. What is your favorite socialite lit book?
I'm not sure I really understand the question...socialite lit?? A Google search didn't even help me on this one. The closest thing on my bookshelf to preppy literature is David Sedaris. If you don't believe me, go out and buy the book "Me Talk Pretty One Day". 


3. Favorite party theme?
Any party thrown on the 400 block at U of R during the 2006-2007 school year. A few themes of note: XXX-Mas, Breaking of Spring, Tanzanian Independence Day, and Trick-or-Trashed (sorry family - that sounds much more vulgar than it really was). 

4. Go to Halloween costume?
Anything DIY. I refuse to buy a pre-made Halloween costume. BORING!! I particularly enjoy costumes that involve multiple people and parts. This past year my friends and I were ice cream flavors and sprinkles (and Deuce was the banana). Put it all together and you have a banana split. 
I will never have a go-to costume because it is mandatory for me to create a new costume each year. Talk about pressure...
HOWEVER. You really can't beat the "pillow case dress" style - anything is possible with a pillowcase.

Happy banana.

5. Extravagance you cannot live without?
Hmmm...tampons?? Ok that was gross, sorry. But really - those little lifesavers are not universally available and would be considered an extravagance to some...
Superficially speaking, I'll have to go with high quality make-up, Starbucks, & my Mac.


6. Living person you admire?
Geez, there are MANY people I admire. My friends, my family, my co-workers. Sorry, I can't just pick one so this answer is going to bore you. 


8. Trait you deplore in yourself?
I HATE that I am not a morning person. Seriously it drives me crazy that I don't jump out of bed every morning ready to run a marathon and take on the day. I just have a thing for my really cozy bed. Blah - who am I kidding? It's totally mental but I just can't break it!!!

This is how I like my mornings. 

10. Greatest Achievement?
Becoming a homeowner before my 25th birthday. Pretty standard, but it means a lot! And, of course, in a more figurative sense I am very proud of my relationships with my friends and family. 




Anything else you are dying to know?! Or did those questions and answers pretty much cover it?

March Cupcakery...in April

In case you thought I FAILED at my New Year's Resolution to bake one new cupcake recipe a month, you would be wrong. I did, in fact, bake a very delicious cupcake treat in March.

I present to you...Dark Chocolate Mint Cupcakes!!

Recipe and image from here.

I ended up making these amazing treats pretty late one Tuesday night. I forced myself to git-er-done before the month changed to April. Sadly I didn't take any after pics...but mine looked a little bit uglier than the image above. What can I say? I'm not a baker by any means. 

Overall the recipe was super easy and very yummy. I also tried to use as many organic ingredients as possible...so I think that made them "healthier." I also splurged on some fabulous buttercream icing from Whole Foods that I crushed some mint chocolate in to. 

Still contemplating April's recipe...and when I will have the time to make them. As you can see - life has gotten in the way of this little blog :)

A few really random updates - just in case you are wondering.

- There is an absurd amount of pollen everywhere. It is incredibly annoying and gross. And Mr. Chips keeps rolling around in it and turning green. I need to stop letting the cats outside. 

- I've been keeping up with running and hope to run the Carytown 10k faster than any other 10k I've done (which is 3 races...I need to beat an official time of 1:00:56). 

- Brian and I went up to NJ this past weekend for his brother's wedding. Fabulous time on so many levels. I actually got to hang out with his family more than I ever have since he was on Best Man duty. I can't even express to you how much fun I had (Singing Karaoke to Ginuwine was involved). 

- I planted a ton of plants in our front yard (and got an ugly sunburn in the process). I am really crossing my fingers that these babies don't die...

- There is a Europe trip in the mixing bowl to rendezvous with one of my best friends in the entire world. This REALLY needs to happen. 

Tessa. Me. Fun.

Epic time.

We've been to Hong Kong, Australia, & Mexico together (and even survived a ridiculous expedition through the snow/ice/mud/un-human-friendly-conditions in Tasmania) so I think it is time to add a wide variety of European countries to that list. 

Look out world!

Photorific!

Some delightful pics from last weekend's 10k!
Sorry the quality is sort of off...I took them from the event website.

FOCUSING on not feeling pain. 

Going crazy for the cameras. 

More jumping. No clue who the guy in purple is...

Last year's race!

Also, it has been decided that Tristan and I will be running the Carytown 10k in May. It is the day after Strawberry Hill races, which should make for an interesting run. If you don't know what Strawberry Hill is, imagine the Kentucky Derby full of country folk. And mix in some super well dressed people too. Add one part open bar and one part alumni tent and you have a recipe for fun. But not TOO much fun since we will be running bright and early the next morning at 8am. 

Ah, well, who are we kidding...we'll definitely have TOO much fun!