Tuesday, March 26, 2013

March Madness Day 26: Marriage Equality

Today I ask you to think about your life and all of the fortunate and wonderful things you have in your life.
Think about your freedoms, your rights, and your ability to love and think freely.



I ask you to think about the importance of marriage equality. Just like we should not judge a person by their gender or the color of their skin we should not judge based on sexual orientation. Today I am spreading awareness for marriage equality. I ask that you take the time and think about marriage equality and if you share my thoughts , I encourage you to make a stand for an important cause.

Sunday, March 24, 2013

March Madness Day 24: Fact of the Day

So, I love watching YouTube videos and I am subscribed to a fair number of beauty bloggers and musicians. A group of my favorite YouTubers created a channel in which they tell you a new fact of the day.

Each day is themed and the same YouTuber presents their fact on their respective days

TV and Film Sunday: Alex Carpenter or Music Sunday: Luke Conard
Makeup Monday: Tanya Burr
History Tuesday: Jim Chapman
Animal  Wednesday: Landon  Austin
Video Game Thursday: Joey Graceffa
Food Friday: Fleur
Style Saturday: Ingrid or Sports Saturday: Peter Hollens

They are putting up new facts every day for a year. Take a look and learn something :)





Saturday, March 23, 2013

March Madness Day 23: Happy Birthday Darcy!

After an amazing concert last night, I was not very happy to work on my data analysis...at school....on the weekend. Those things should never be in a sentence together.

Needless to say, Cassie and I both needed coffee, large coffee.


Side note: I have been getting a nonfat iced hazelnut macchiato recently and it is the best thing ever. I highly suggest it. 
not what I like to see on a Saturday
 After hours of crunching numbers and running more statistical tests than should be allowed, Cassie, John and I headed to Quaker Steak and Lube for Darcy's 24th birthday celebration!








We had such an amazing time, I miss that we are not able to get together as often as we would like.
Happy Birthday Darcy!

....and back to thesis once again in the morning.

Thursday, March 21, 2013

March Madness Day 21: Testing Testing 1,2,3

Very rarely are we fortunate enough to have a test moved, but today was that day. We were originally scheduled to have an exam today, but were given the option to move it to next week if we needed...so I took the opportunity. With all of the things we need to get done for thesis (we have a format check due tomorrow!) I figured it was the best plan. I am sure I will regret it later on but not today.

Otherwise my night consists of trying to get my thesis format correct. I am beginning to think that the format is actually harder than the than writing the thesis itself!

We are coming in on the home stretch  and I don't even want to begin to think about what all I have on my plate. One thing I do know for sure though, tomorrow I am going to be seeing Taylor Swift in concert and it is going to be amazing! I cannot wait :)



Wednesday, March 20, 2013

March Madness Day 20: Art

One thing about having a new house with a lot of blank walls is that you need to get a lot of art.
In case you didn't know, art is really expensive.

I follow Design Darling and she recently moved to New York City and is decorating her apartment with all new art. She posted the pictures of the art that she is getting to create a gallery wall and I was instantly drawn to this beautiful painting of a girl with braided hair. I closed my eyes as I clicked on the link, for fear of how expensive it was going to be and to my pleasant surprise the print was only $20!

As I clicked through the shop, I feel in love with these top knot pictures, so I ordered two of them. I wanted to add something to them, so after clicking around some more of the shops that Mackenzie ordered prints from, I found this beautiful bobby pin print that I think will go with the top knot pictures beautifully.

Elizabeth Mayville Print
Bobbies Print by Society 6

Elizabeth Mayville Print


Virserum Frame
Thinking about putting them in Virserum frames by Ikea in my bathroom or over by my future vanity area in the bedroom. I am so excited to have them in my home :)

Monday, March 18, 2013

March Madness Day 18: And the Winner is...

DANNI!






Before and After

I am a huge fan of the Biggest Loser and tonight was the season finale. I have been a fan of Danni's since the start of the season and tonight she won the title of the Biggest Loser. She lost a total of 121 pounds, almost half of her body!

She ended up beating Jeff by one pound!

Overall I have really enjoyed this season, it has been my favorite season since Season 11 with Hannah and Olivia.

Congrats Danni on your weight loss!

Sunday, March 17, 2013

March Madness Day 17: St. Patrick's Day

Fun Facts about St. Patrick's Day

#1 St. Patrick’s Day is observed on March 17 because that is the feast day of St. Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland. It is believed that he died on March 17 in the year 461 AD. It is also a worldwide celebration of Irish culture and history. St. Patrick’s Day is a national holiday in Ireland, and a provincial holiday in the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador.
#2 The actual color of St. Patrick is blue. Green became associated with St. Patrick's Day during the 19th century. Green, in Irish legends, was worn by fairies and immortals, and also by people to encourage their crops to grow.
#3 St. Patrick did not actually drive snakes out of Ireland; the snakes represent the pagans that he converted to Christianity.
#4 The very first St. Patrick's Day parade was not in Ireland. It was in Boston in 1737.
#5 In Chicago, on St. Patrick's Day, the rivers are dyed green. 
#6 In Seattle, there is a ceremony where a green stripe is painted down the roads.
#7 Most Catholics attend mass in the morning and then attend the St. Patrick's Day parade.
#8 Shamrocks are worn on the lapel on this day.
#9 In Ireland on St. Patrick’s Day, people traditionally wear a small bunch of shamrocks on their jackets or caps. Children wear orange, white and green badges, and women and girls wear green ribbons in their hair
#10 Many young people dye their hair green for the special day.
#11 Many people wear green on this holiday to avoid being pinched.
#12 The phrase, "Drowning The Shamrock" is from the custom of floating the shamrock on the top of whiskey before drinking it. The Irish believe that if you keep the custom, then you will have a prosperous year.
#13 Many bars in the United States, and abroad, serve green beer to celebrate St. Patty's Day.
#14 Lucky Charms, a favorite cereal brand among many, young and old, was created in 1963, with its popular mascot, Lucky the Leprechaun. Its jig is a memorable tune for many, including the young at heart:
Hearts, Stars, and Horseshoes
Clovers and Blue moons
Pots of gold and rainbows,
And the red balloon
That’s the luck of me lucky charms!
Their magically delicious!

Saturday, March 16, 2013

March Madness Day 16: Happy Saturday!

Today we were suppose to start our day at 9am...but we never actually specified in what time zone, so we woke up at 9am PST.

First order of business: INTERNET SURFING!

Second order of business : COFFEE



Third order of business: THESIS



Forth order of business: WHICH WICH


Fifth order of business: NEW STUDENT IDS




Six order of business: OZ THE GREAT AND POWERFUL



Seventh order of business: BLOG

Eighth order of buisness: BEDTIME

Friday, March 15, 2013

March Madness Day 15: Dinner with the Berrys

So, some of you may or may not know, my classmate Darcy has been married to her Irish husband (like for real Irish, not just my great great great great grandparents were Irish but straight off the boat Irish) for almost 4 years now.

When Darcy returned my notes that she had borrowed to me, she invited Cassie and I over for corn beef and cabbage with mashed potatoes.

....first of all it was DELICIOUS! Darcy made it from scratch!
...second we had a wonderful time learning all about Irish superstitions and traditions

Just in time for St. Patrick's Day :)

Here is what we learned:


  1. You cannot hang masks on the wall because ghosts will hide inside the masks and remain in your home
  2. You cannot open your windows when it is foggy outside or the "coachman on a horse drawn carriage  that collects people for death will be able to enter your home (her said the name but I cannot remember it...and google is not helping me out). 
  3. Spiders are good luck and prosperity inside your house, therefore you cannot kill them
  4. Anything with iron is good for you
  5. Guinness has iron, therefore it is fine to drink it while pregnant (apparently)
Overall it was a wonderful, unplanned evening full of laughter, good friends and plenty of laughter

Thursday, March 14, 2013

March Madness Day 14: Salmon and Rice

Hello Everyone!

If you have known me for a while you know that I super HATE fish, which makes no meat Fridays during Lent that much harder.

I have been following a 6 week meal plan and salmon was listed for dinner about a week ago. Instead of substituting, I thought I would try my hand a eating salmon again.

...it was AMAZING! I loved it! I have been missing out on so much!

So tonight it called again for salmon and I was actually excited to eat it. Thanks to Cassie, I now know how to make a super tasty salmon that is worth eating everytime!

What you will need:
Aluminum Foil
Salmon
1 lemon
1 tablespoon of stick butter/margarine
Salt and Pepper to season

Instructions:

  1. Tear off a piece of aluminum foil that is large enough to wrap the salmon in a small package
  2. Slice the lemon into slices
  3. Place the lemon slices on the aluminum foil
  4. Season the salmon with salt and pepper and place on top of the lemon slices
  5. Slice the butter into 4-5 slices and place on top of the salmon
  6. Wrap the salmon into an aluminum foil package
  7. Place on a cookie sheet and bake at 400 degrees for 15-20mins until light pink
  8. Enjoy!
Before

After (Instagram style)
It is perfectly cooked, super delicious, and best of all so easy to make. I had mine with wild rice, but feel free to add any side you want like spaghetti squash!

....salmon, it's what's for dinner

Wednesday, March 13, 2013

March Madness Day 13: RED Tour!

Today is a wonderful day! Not only is Taylor Swift embarking on the RED Tour, but she also premiered the her new music video for one of my favorite songs on the album: "22"


 My favorite part of the video:



Wishing I was in Omaha right now for her opening show, but I will see her soon enough!
8 days in fact!


it feel like a perfect night, to dress up like hipsters

Tuesday, March 12, 2013

March Madness Day 12: March Birchbox

This is by far the best box I have ever received! I am so excited about all of the products inside :)

March Madness as a theme!! How perfect!
What's Inside




Madwell for Birchbox
 Madwell for Birchbox: Emory Board: How cute is this nail file?! And its full size!


 Whish: Shave Crave Shaving Cream: Organic foam free shaving cream. It is not an aerosol, but it is already in shave cream form....if that makes sense. Also, it smells AMAZING, like blueberries!


Nick Chavez Beverly Hills: Color-Saver Sulfate-Free Shampoo:
HUGE sample and it smells like citrus. I cannot get enough of shampoo samples




 Make: Eyeshadow and Face Primer: This is the best part of the box, not only do you get a great face primer sample but you also get an eyeshadow in a beautiful matte grey!


If you could not tell already, I am obsessed with this box, I cannot wait to try everything out!

What's in your box?


Saturday, March 9, 2013

March Madness Day 9: Don't Judge Me...

So, Cassie is out of town for the weekend....aaaaand I did some online shopping
[don't judge me]
...at least I am keeping up my no soda drinking for lent!


Anchor Khakis

Lobster Khakis 


Seahorse Canvas Boatshoes

Believe in Love Sweatshirt

Seahorse Shorts

Sailboat Shorts

Anchor Shorts 
...oops I did it again 

Friday, March 8, 2013

March Madness Day 8: My Friday Night

Begin with an unscheduled [three hour] nap and follow it with romance movies, a face mask, and nail painting :)

The line up:






you should be kissed, every day, every hour, every minute 

Thursday, March 7, 2013

March Madness Day 7: Mashups!

Glee came back tonight (finally!) and they did a mashup of movie songs from two of my favorite movies: Top Gun and Risky Business!

As a tribute I thought I would also post my other favorite mashups from Glee including the one from tonight!

Enjoy!








Wednesday, March 6, 2013

March Madness Day 6: Birthday Girls


Today is a special day, it is the birthday of two wonderful ladies.

I have known Caitlin for 20 years! We met in first grade and were in school together through high school. We even went to the same college freshman year, but in order to peruse the degree she wanted she move colleges and she had done a great job of keeping in touch with me after all of these years. She is a wonderful person and she is turning twenty six today :)

Flashback! Here we are at sixteen!

High School Graduation

Randi and I met during my first round of grad school. She and I have quickly become great friends and I have loved having her as a part of my life. She just recently started a new job (that she is loving!) and she and I are finally getting our lives started after what seems like a million years of school!

At my Master's graduation :)

Happy Birthday Caitlin and Randi! I hope you have a wonderful year to come :)