Lists, Inspiration, & A New Year

I've been doing a lot of thinking and brainstorming through lists lately.  I don't know why, but my brain has just been able to think clearer in this simplistic, to-the-point method of listing.  And seeing as I've been MIA from my blog for over a whole stinkin' month (um, yikes), I figured I'd try to get back into it via this new and trusty list shenanigans.

Concerning, oh, I'd say about the past month, here are things I have done and am currently doing:

• I finished my third semester at TCU.  It was not my strongest ending academically, but sometimes it's more about actually getting past the finish line. That's all it takes to inspire me to keep going, on certain occasions. At least for me. Can you tell I'm not a big school person? I'm more of a runner.
• I got a camera for Christmas, and let me tell you, this camera is perfection. It's a Canon Rebel T3i and I'm in love. To say the least.
• I got promoted from Lifeguard in the pool of our school rec center to 1 of 11 Team Leaders of the entire facility. Big step up for little old me! I'm ecstatic that I'll be able to interact and help more people on a more frequent basis. Ecstatic.
• I also got another internship in NYC for the coming summer, this time at Eventbrite.com. I'll be organizing, attending, maintaining, helping with, and social networking for all the events for clubs, charities, etc. that the company deals with in the city. I'm. Stoked.
• I've been training for a half marathon in February with my sister. Not only have we been bonding through the physical pain and perseverance, but we both also look a heck of a lot better in a pair of jeans...just saying.
• I got a New Years kiss from a complete stranger. And I did NOT like it. No further comments on that one...
• I keep getting faced with big life decisions. Not only my own, but friend's and family's, too, that I naturally want to help them with. What is this?! Am I growing up or something? I guess it had to happen eventually.

Even though all these outstanding things have been happening to me, I've been uninspired a lot creatively. Especially in my writing, in case you haven't noticed. But then I find myself getting inspired by the silliest things. Making it to a beautiful overlook while hiking with my family. Going for 3-, 4-, 5-mile runs with my sister and our Border Collie, Charlie. Watching my brothers and interact and laugh with the rest of my family, like actually, genuinely enjoying our company, for the first time in at least two years. These things all make me happy to my core, and even if they're temporary joys, I hope to remember them and embrace them when they do occur.

That, ladies and gentlemen, is my main resolution for 2012. What's yours?

Healthful Habit

{granny smith snack}

I will be the first to admit that my sweet tooth is out of this world.  I could literally eat ice cream, preferably Rocky Road, everyday of the week and not get sick of it.  And honestly I would if I had the metabolism like some lucky ducks out there do, where they can eat anything and everything and still be a teeny little twig.


For me, though, it takes hard work, commitment, and self control to maintain a healthy lifestyle.  I can workout everyday; that's not really the problem.  See, for me, running, yoga, resistance training, or really anything else that gets my blood pumping is what keeps me functioning in the rest of my life.  Exercise, sweating buckets with music pumping full blast into my ears and body, this acts as my de-stresser.


My main struggle is commitment to healthy food choices.  Does this happen to anyone else?  So you go through your day, eat balanced and nutritious snacks and meals, get home after a long one, and you just grab anything/everything in sight to devour.  It's like, why don't we just get a bulldozer to make this food-in-mouth-shovel-fest a little easier?  I think I have these days more than I care to admit; it's so disappointing to know that all those good choices from my day just went right down the drain my throat!


I've discovered, though, a method that seriously has made a difference in my eating habits.  I'm a big to-do list person;  I love the satisfaction of being able to cross off items on my lists, not to mention the utter elation of finishing an entire day's list.  I've found making a sort of food to-eat list for my next day is extremely helpful.  I create well-balanced meals and snacks at night and follow that list exactly to par the next day.  Having things pre-planned out eliminates the whole refrigerator scan that we all know and love: searching through the fridge frantic and hungry and ending up choosing maybe not the healthiest option.  My kryptonite happens to be quesadillas, high in both fat and carbs; but if I write down salad with a side of rice, beans, and veggies, then I've found the fridge scan the next day will be much less tempting to grab the cheese and tortillas.  I promise it's just as easy to do and follow as it sounds.


I'm curious, what are some health habits you live and swear by?  I would love to give them a shot!

{a divine lunch of fresh spring greens, sauteed asparagus, apple, chopped walnuts, dried cranberries, & strawberry vinaigrette}