And the Winner Is...

Ladies and gentleman, the results are in. The poll is closed and votes have been cast for which charity I should raise money for. 

And the winner is...

(drumroll, please)

Catholic Charities!!!

Thank you all so much for casting your votes and helping me to make this decision. Granted I only got 21 votes overall, but it was hard enough to get that so I guess I'll just go with it. Don't worry, other charities, I won't forget about you and will raise money for one of you next time. 

Now the tough part begins - the actual raising of money. As I mentioned in my previous post, I really don't know about fundraising and ensuring that the money I collect is safe and secure. While I'll be researching this in the coming weeks, I also have a lot of other stuff to focus on as well - family events, youth group, moving, career planning/research - and that's just the beginning. If anyone has more information on fundraising and can save me a bit of research time, I would really appreciate it. I might even bake you cookies for your trouble! :)

Also, start brainstorming challenging/fun/goofy things I could do to raise money! The best ideas will be featured in a future poll for votes!

Leave your comments or private message me!

Inspiration: Turning Fun Nights Into Fundraising

Earlier this summer I went to a candle party. For those of you that don't know, it's kind of like Pampered Chef or Mary Kay, just with candles. A consultant comes to your home, shows you their products, and you and your friends order what you want. I had such a great time at my first candle party that I decided to host one of my own. Not only would it be a good excuse to get friends together, but when you host a party you get host credit when people place orders - a.k.a. free stuff! I'm always up for free stuff, so I figured, "Why not?"

I had my candle party earlier this month, and while only a few friends could make it, we still had a great time. I anxiously awaited the moment where I would find out how much free stuff I would be able to get - only to find out that my party didn't get enough sales for me to get anything. I didn't realize how much you needed to get host credit!

"Not to worry," my consultant said. "People can still place online orders so you still have time to get the host credit!"

Well as it turns out, she was right. People did place enough online orders for me to get host credit. But man, did I have to work for it! No one else from my party wanted to order anything, so I had to reach out to other people that couldn't make it to see if I could convince them to buy stuff. I was scrambling all the way up to the last minute, ultimately waiting for someone to make one $7 purchase so that I could meet the sales goal for host credit. I eventually got that last sale and got to pick out my free products, but those products certainly weren't as easy to get as I thought they would be.

When the candle whirlwind finally died down, I took a moment to pause and look back on it all. I had achieved my goal - but something sort of irked me inside. And then I realized - all that time I had spent trying to get people to buy candles, I was only thinking about me, me, me. I hosted the party so that I could get free stuff and in the end I had to work harder than I was expecting to so that I could get candle products for myself. There's a lot of Is in there, don't you think?

Now don't get me wrong, I don't think there's anything wrong with buying or selling these candles or any product that's sold in a similar way. It's something fun and it's a way that we can treat ourselves and spend time with friends and family (and even meet new people). But like everything else in life, there has to be a balance. When I had to work so hard for those candles, I felt like I no longer had that balance. I spent so much time thinking about myself and my candles that I forgot about the more important things in life.

That humbling moment was an eye-opening experience for me. After I had achieved my sales goal, I found myself saying to several people, "I feel like I should raise money for a charity now." Well, I've decided to do just that. Even though I had to work a little harder to get my candles than I thought I would have to, I was in fact successful at finding people to help me meet my sales goal. I figure I can use that motivation to help other people, for a cause bigger than my candle collection.

That's right, I am officially starting a fundraising project to help a worthy organization. I'm still not sure which worthy organization I am going to raise it for just yet, but I've determined that my goal amount to raise will be $500. Some of you may think of that as a low amount, some may think it's a high amount. There are reasons that I chose this particular number and those reasons are:

1. It's a realistic sum for me. I've never really tried to raise money for anything before, so I don't want to aim for a number that's too high. Sure I have family that can help out, but most of my friends are in the same place I am - with low budgets. This is a challenging number that is still achievable. And hey, if I go over, even better!
2. It's double the amount of money I needed in sales to get host credit for my candles. In order to get the host credit, I needed people to buy $250 worth of candle products. I figured this would be a good way to represent the series of events that motivated me to fund raise in the first place. Plus candles are cool, but charities are cooler ;)

Picking a monetary goal was the easy part. Now for the first challenging part: picking a charity. This is where I need your help! I have several charities that I would love to give to, but I can only pick one! I want your votes on which charity you think I should donate to. I only ask two things with the selection process:

1. Please don't make additional suggestions. I know that there are a lot of great charities out there, and maybe some day I can fund raise for each of them. But given that this is a small starter project, I would like to keep my list as short as possible, particularly because it is already hard to choose from these charities that are all important to me (hence the voting).
2. Please don't ask me to remove any of the options.  If you don't support a particular charity, don't vote for it. Each of these was chosen for a certain reason. ONLY if you know me and my belief system well enough and know something that I don't about the organization (like they do something that contradicts my morals) may you then contact me privately. I think they're all pretty neutral options that anyone would be open to donating to, but you never know when someone might oppose something for some random reason so I feel the need to throw this out there.

If you would like to learn more about any of these organizations before making your vote, you can click on each one and it will link to their website. If you'd like to know why I chose them, feel free to ask me! I'm happy to tell you why I selected each organization, but don't have the time to spell that out here.

And the charities, in no particular order, are (drum roll, please):

• St. Jude Children's Research Hospital
• So Others Might Eat (S.O.M.E.)
• National Ovarian Cancer Coalition (NOCC)
• Ehlers-Danlos National Foundation
• Wounded Warrior Project*
• Catholic Charities

You can vote for your choice on the right-hand side of my blog - there's a poll that lets you choose from each option. I will keep the poll open until September 14th. I don't know why I picked that date specifically but I guess that doesn't really matter. So cast your votes! Once the polls close we can move on to the next step: What will I have to do in order to raise this money (or once my goal is achieved)? Should I run another marathon? Dye my hair purple? Walk around in a Gumbi suit? This is the part where I am open to suggestions so please feel free to comment or private message me with your suggestions. My narrowed-down options will be featured in a future blog post for another round of voting. I'll work on some ideas as well, so start brainstorming!

Once all that's done, the real grunt work will finally begin. I not only have to raise the money, but I need to be sure that I can collect it safely and in a way that people know I'm legit. My friends and family know me well enough to know that I'll hand over every penny I receive to the charity of choice, but if I have to reach out to strangers I want them to know that their money is secure and is going to a legitimate cause. Not to mention that even if it is just my family and friends I'd really rather not keep a collection of $500 sitting on my bookshelf. If ANYONE has more extensive fundraising experience and can point me in the right direction I would be SO APPRECIATIVE. I might even bake you cookies for your contributions.

Now that I've spent so much time writing this post, let's get started fundraising! Cast your votes! Send me your ideas! Pull out your checkbooks! And if you have a good name that I can call this fundraising operation of mine, please send that on as well! We all know how I sometimes have challenges naming things :)

* If the Wounded Warrior Project is the winner, my fundraising activity will be to train for and run a Tough Mudder, since proceeds from that event already support this particular organization. I plan on running a Tough Mudder someday no matter what (hopefully next spring), so even if another charity wins the vote for this little project of mine, Wounded Warrior Project will still get money when I run the race. Just something to keep in mind.

Real Life 103: Just Laugh At It

I might be a teensy bit behind the times here, but I have just recently gotten completely hooked on the show Friends. It might be borderline obsession, but everyone goes through that with a show at some point in their life, right? It turns out that Maura was holding out on me all four years of college and actually owns all 10 seasons, and once we moved into the apartment it didn't take me long to start watching along with her. I recently decided to catch up on the show and start all the way from the beginning...square one...Season 1, Episode 1. And now I can't stop. Maura's friend Kristen (who also loves Friends, now all three of us can bond over its awesomeness) introduced me to the term "binge-watching" - watching episode after episode of a show for hours on end - and that's pretty much what I've been doing. Such. An. Amazing. Show.

The first thing that got me hooked on Friends was that it literally made me laugh out loud. It still does, as a matter of fact. I can rarely watch shows that aren't funny, but this one easily makes the cut. I've found myself doubled over at times with how much it made me laugh, and in a busy, stressful life, sometimes you need something like that. 

But there was something else as well. I found that Friends was oddly relevant to my own life. Maybe not the exact scenarios - my roommates and I haven't sat around in wedding dresses and I haven't (and never will) bet away my apartment. Still, the underlying themes are there (English major nerd moment, woo!). For instance, take the first couple lines of the theme song:

"So no one told you life was gonna be this way

Your job's a joke, you're broke, your love life's D.O.A."

Uh, could you say it any better? Basically my life. And can I emphasize the fact that no one really did tell me (or anyone else for that matter) that real life was like this? Not saying that it's bad, but that it's really not as glamorous as any of us would have expected it to be. After talking to my friends, it seems that all of us, no matter where we're at right now, are completely clueless about life. What's going to happen next? Why is this so much harder than I thought it would be? Why am I so anxious about what I'm doing or what the future will bring? The list goes on and on...

But you know what, that song helps me to laugh about it. Friends as a whole helps me to laugh about it. We really have no idea what the heck we're doing and it must be hilarious for the fly on the wall watching us try to figure it out. I have to say, though, I may be able to sit and laugh about it now, but this has been a long time coming. I certainly wasn't of that mindset two years ago, and I definitely wasn't in the laughing mood when I first moved into my apartment back in November. 

The truth is, I was overwhelmed with the real world. It smacked me in the face. I had a hard time with it when I was living with my dad, but it got even harder when I moved out on my own. I had no idea where my life was going, no way to figure it out...and no way to deal with the anxiety. For the first three or four months in the apartment, I was having regular emotional breakdowns and honestly couldn't stop them, no matter how hard I tried. I won't bore you with what those breakdowns were about because I honestly can't pinpoint one particular thing, but to sum it all up I think it was generally being overwhelmed with real life. Some days it was so bad that I actually thought I was going insane. 

Now, to lighten the mood a bit, those of you that have seen me in recent months know that I'm back to my happy-go-lucky Heather self (again - woohoo!). I'm looking on the bright side of things and generally act like I could eat rainbows and poop butterflies (Horton Hears a Who, anyone?). So was it Friends that brought about this drastic turnaround? ABSOLUTELY NOT. 

Haha! Gotcha! Ok, maybe I didn't get you. Let's be honest, who can have their entire mindset turned around by a '90s sitcom? I'm a strange one but I'm not that ridiculous...

No, the turnaround came from re-igniting my prayer life, the support of my amazing family and friends (real friends this time, not the show), and making a conscious effort to end my complaints and improve my own mood. Where the show came in was after the important work had been done, the time here in the real world, and the timing was perfect. I had found myself in a much better place and I had something that not only kept me laughing, but that I could now look at and say, "OMG that's so true!" Take for instance, Monica's line to Rachel at the end of the pilot: 

"Welcome to the real world. It sucks. You're gonna love it!" 

Sure it's a little contradictory, but it really hits the nail on the head! I've already been through that first taste of how the real world can suck - and now I'm enjoying how awesome it is and I LOVE IT!! And I'm not just talking about the perfect times, but the not-so-perfect times as well. This is mostly attributed to the more positive outlook that I've had on everything, but Friends has helped to keep that positive outlook going. It helps me to take those ridiculous little annoyances that everyone has to go through and shrug them off. You know, those odd little moments like:

1. Running through the apartment screaming, "I HAVE TO KILL A BUG!!!!"

2. Smacking and kicking the washing machine to get it to work.

3. Finding a melted plastic spoon in the dishwasher then Googling "how to get melted plastic off metal rod in dishwasher."

Plus, by being able to laugh about the little things, we can handle the bigger tough moments a little bit better, too. The real world is filled with all kinds of painful and joyous moments of independent living that we all need to embrace a little bit more and try not to let them get to us too much. As my grandpa said, "Don't sweat the small stuff." After all, it's those little imperfections that keep life interesting and give us all our greatest stories.

So learn to role with the punches....and of course, laugh at them :)

$20 or Less: Bethesda Concert Series

Are you a music lover? Are you a music lover with a miniscule budget? Tired of investing half your paycheck into the latest "concert of the year" or over-sized festival? Well fear not, fellow budget-keepers!  Bethesda has something that you, too, can enjoy! They have a FREE summer concert series on Thursday nights!

I don't know about you, but I love when I hear the word "free." Free is just associated with awesomeness. Obviously there are sketchy free things that you should probably avoid like tattoos, haircuts, etc. But generally speaking, free = wonderful (you should see my coworkers and I bull-rush the break room when they put out free food). And I have to say, not only was the cost (or lack thereof) appealing, but the concert aspect was a draw in and of itself. I don't get to go to concerts all that often, so not only was it a welcome treat, but it was also something different to do - something fun other than going to happy hour or watching a movie in an apartment. So I rallied up some troops (via Facebook event of course - whattup awesome planning skills) and dragged a bunch of friends to Bethesda to check out last Thursday's performance - The 19th Street Band.

 

We had an awesome time. The concert was at this little outdoor area called Veteran's Park - which, if you're a Bethesda rookie like me, I feel the need to tell you ahead of time that it's not so much a park as it is a mini plaza. I was  taken a bit off-guard when it turned out to be a patio instead of a patch of grass, but that didn't change the awesomeness of the evening - it sort of gave it that outdoor cafe feeling. I'm glad I got there early and snagged a table, because the whole area filled up quickly - chairs, wall space, you name it.

I wasn't sure if the place filled so quickly because everyone else was just happy to enjoy a concert or if they knew that it was a good band performing - if it was the latter, The 19th Street Band did not disappoint. They were fantastic! To quote their website, "Their style can best be described as an acoustic mix of popular Rock, Country, Celtic, and Bluegrass songs" (the19thstreetband.com). They were really great performers and a lot of fun to watch. Plus they're a local band and have a lot of upcoming shows around the area, so I can't wait to see them again. 

As a bonus for the night, not only was the band fun, but the audience was something to watch as well. First of all, there were adorable little kids dancing to the music right in front of the band. But then there was another hidden gem - one of the restaurants in the park served beer, but you couldn't take it past a certain area on the patio. So of course, that's where all the dads were, rockin' out and clearly having a grand ol' time:

The guy in green was having the most fun of all. He was jammin':

 


If you're looking for something fun, different, and cheap, definitely check out the other groups performing for the rest of the summer. You can see the list of groups (and time and location) at Bethesda's website. Not from the area? Google your city and see if they have something similar! That's how I found out about these concerts in the first place - I just Googled "Bethesda, MD" and the rest was history!

$20 or Less: Everyone Can Afford A Little Natitude

It was early June. Two of my friends had recently gone to baseball games just a few days apart. I gazed into the distance with envy, dreaming of the day this summer when I would get to go to a game myself. But a tight budget and multiple June events demanding the attention of my wallet meant that even a baseball game seemed like a lofty financial goal. The summer always slips by so quickly, and here I was at the end of June without having gone to a baseball game. Oh how I dreamed of returning to America’s pastime, soaking up summertime with a game, a cold beer, and a suspicious yet oh-so-delicious hot dog…

Luckily, the Nationals had me covered with their amazing 5 Series.

 The Nats 5 Series was an idea born from pure genius. I love it, because it seems like it was created purely because the Nats care for their fans whose bank accounts may not be as fat as others. Sure, baseball games are relatively cheap to attend compared to other sports, but when you add up tickets and refreshments it can still get pricey. Not so with this epic deal. Last week my friend and I took advantage of series #2 of 5 for the season, finally making it to our first ballgame of the year. Needless to say, it was pretty awesome. 

So what's the main foundation behind the 5 Series? FIVE DOLLAR TICKETS, that's what! You want to know what else? FIVE DOLLAR BEERS. Given that we're talking about a sporting event, that's practically the bargain of the century. The beer is where the biggest catch comes in - you can only get particular brands (Coors and Miller Lite), at a particular stand, and before the first pitch. Still, who cares?! It's cheap! My friend and I only stuck to one beer a piece since we’re working off really tight budgets and had work in the morning, but if that doesn't matter to you then go ahead and stock up early, my friends.

Guess what – it doesn't end there! Along with cheap-o tickets and beers, an additional deal for that particular game was $1 hot dogs. Two dogs a piece to make for a filling dinner and we were all set. Once we totaled everything up (can’t forget the $2 purchasing fee for tickets), we got a ballgame, beer, and dinner (and a fun night out of course)…for only $14 DOLLARS! An entry-level 20-something’s dream…

There will be three more series this season. I will sadly be missing the next/current one since it’s going on this week and I’m headed out of town. But if you’re looking for a fun night out in D.C. then you should definitely check it out! Plus the deals change up, too. The $5 tickets and beers are consistent for each series, but some of the games also have free concerts, fireworks shows, and even food drives.  If you want to see the deals for the current series, check ‘em out here!

The Nationals definitely got it right with this deal. Keep it up, team! Your fans appreciate it!

Real Life 102: Being a Grown-Up is Confusing

It has officially been a little over two years since I graduated college, and life since then has been...eye-opening. It always amazes me how in every phase of your life, you have all sorts of older people telling you what things will "really" be like with your next step. Sometimes they're right, sometimes they're a little off, but more often than not you say, "Psht, silly Old Person, that's nonsense"  - only to eventually realize that they were in fact at least partially correct. You then quietly walk into the corner, put on your Dunce cap, and figure out what to do next.

These past couple years, I feel like I've been the dunce more than ever before - and I know that I'm definitely not the only one (far from it, in fact). Before post-grad life, everything is spelled out for you - you finish middle school, you go to high school. You're done with Brownies? On to juniors. Our successes and failures are defined by good grades and bad grades, awards (or lack thereof), and acceptance letters to schools and programs. In some form or another, everything seems, to some extent, to be laid out in black and white. Post grad life? Not so much.*

I, along with many of my friends and fellow 20-somethings, have hit a point where, for the first time in our lives, we're sitting here wondering about what comes next. We are officially the nobodies of the work force, trying to figure out how to work our way up and learn about some sort of positive contribution that we can, well...contribute (other than successfully loading the printer with paper, which can actually be a feat in itself sometimes). We wonder why our hard work doesn't produce instant results like it used to, and wonder what in the world we're doing with our lives. Where will I end up? What do I want to do in life? How do I have fun and maintain a job and bills? Why is it so much harder to make new friends?? TOO MANY HARD QUESTIONS I DON'T WANNA GROW UP!

When I studied abroad in Spain my junior year of college (and subsequently found myself ready to take on the world - oh the naivete), my friends and I went to go see Avenue Q on our trip to London. If you've already seen it, well then you're a step ahead of the game, will know what I'm talking about, and I officially give you 10 points to Gryffindor (or brownie points for life - whichever you prefer). If you haven't seen it, then 1. You totally should, it's an awesomely hilarious musical and 2. Don't worry, I'll give you a summary and will save your brownie points for when you do see it. Avenue Q is basically the grown-up version of Sesame Street, and centers around a character named Princeton and his hysterical journey to try and discover his purpose in life after college. Toward the beginning of the play, there's a song called "What do you do with a B.A. in English?" As an English major myself, when I first saw this play I thought, "That's not me! Being an English major isn't useless!" After college? Oh, how sadly true I found that song to be (at least the first part, I don't actually think that my life sucks). I suddenly found myself thinking, "Oh crap, that's totally my life right now..."

The thing is, there's tons of college prep courses and schools to get ready for university life. Sure, those courses can only do so much and college is still an adjustment, but at least there's something. There's nothing in college that seems to even attempt to prepare you for real life. Everything seems to be going pretty smoothly, then all of a sudden you leave school and wonder what in the world you got yourself into with this whole adulthood thing. This article on Buzzfeed that I found yesterday seems to sum it up pretty well: What You Think Life After College Is Like vs. Reality.



Plus, not only are you surprised by how difficult things are in your early 20s, but you wonder how long it's all going to last. When will things finally come together? Will I ever find the right career? What about my future husband? When in the world is he going to show up? How many things do I have to screw up before something finally goes right?

Luckily, Buzzfeed (in its infinite wisdom) posted another very good article that gives all of us 20-somethings a little sign of hope. It's called 19 Successful People Who Had A Rough Time In Their Twenties.

Wait...we don't have to have it all figured out right now? There's a chance for success later in life?? Who knew...

Now, I'm not saying that we should completely give up on our twenties. Not at all. We still need to do our best to figure it out and live life to the fullest. And who knows, maybe things will come together faster than we think. All I'm saying is that, if this confusing-beyond-belief period seems to drag on a little bit longer than we might like, that doesn't mean that things won't get better down the line. We "millennials" are used to instant gratification, and I think it's about time we learn a little patience and perseverance. We still have a lot to learn in life, and from what I've heard, our 20s are one of our biggest times for growth and learning. Whether it's with our relationships, our careers, our overall life plans...everything will come together in good time.

So to my fellow lost-and-confused 20-somethings out there -- chin up! All will be well, and we'll each figure everything out (or at least accept the fact that we may never figure it out) in our own time and way.

*As an added disclaimer, I obviously know that life has not been completely black and white and that everyone has their own experiences that can be exceptions. I'm just speaking in general terms on a high level, and based on how many of my peers also seem to find themselves feeling lost

The Art of Being Silly

Last week I met up with a friend for a long-overdue coffee date. We sat there for two hours talking about all sorts of different things going on in our lives: family, boys (or lack thereof), faith, you name it. There was one topic one might not necessarily expect, though - we both agreed that lately, we haven't had enough silliness in our lives.

You all know what I mean. There's having a good time and enjoying what you're doing, and then there's being plain old silly: acting like a bit of an idiot, throwing all your cares out the window, and laughing hysterically at nothing at all. Basically, being a big kid. Like those times in college when we went on a secret mission to deliver burnt cupcakes, played practical jokes on each other, and had a feather fight with a busted pillow. What happened to things like that? Why had life gotten so...serious?

Image from hdwallpapers.in

Long story short, we both felt like we needed more silliness in our lives. It's a sad realization when you feel like you've fallen into the humdrum of a daily adult life and haven't been goofy enough, then have no idea how you're going to get back into you silly ways. Luckily, I had the help of a few old friends to jumpstart me back into the game.

This past weekend I headed up to Ohio with a bunch of my friends from high school for our friend Josh's wedding. Not only was it good to be with everyone again, but my high school friends have a way of making me laugh like no one else can. They're the ones that are just flat out goofy and get me to laugh hysterically for no particular reason at all. It's pretty awesome. Combine that overall atmosphere with a few more funny people (my friends' significant others), a road trip, and 8 people crammed into one hotel room, and you have a recipe for gloriously wonderful mayhem.

So tell me...when was the last time you asked yourself (and announced to the car), "Why is that truck's butt so weird? We should pull up and ask the driver why his butt looks weird." Or the last time you argued about whether or not mandating a Despicable Me minion for every person is a form of slavery? And have you ever been proposed to with a RING POP? At a WEDDING?! Because I HAVE. That's right. Be jealous.

We all need fun and silly moments like that. And not just once in a blue moon, we need them on a regular basis. Sometimes, though, there are so many things demanding our attention that we can forget about living out our inner child. No matter what it is, it seems like everything in life requires some sort of responsibility and dedication. Some of those things are annoying adult worries that we're officially stuck with forever (like work, bills, taxes, relationship problems, bugs in your kitchen); others are more enjoyable and have a goal of improving your life (like eating healthier, working out, spending time on your hobbies [and discovering what those hobbies are], meeting new people, growing in your faith). All of these are things we need to focus on and are good to give time to in our lives, but every once in a while we need to remember to kick back and throw all cares out the window.

It's funny, though, as I've been writing this post I've been thinking, "Okay, now how can I get more silly into my life?" - basically trying to plan it out and subsequently completely defeating the point. A lot of times being silly is part of being spontaneous, and we just have to embrace it! I think that being silly isn't so much about planning (unless you're plotting an epic practical joke) but more so about being open to it at any given moment. You never know, you could walk around the corner and find yourself in the middle of a spontaneous dance party. So kick back, relax, don't take things so seriously, and remember how much fun it is to sing along with "The Mysterious Ticking Noise":

Cooking Change-Up

The longer I've been living in my own apartment, the more I've been making my food from scratch. I used to buy all sorts of prepared food...frozen dinners, boxed pasta dishes, etc. But a combination of limited freezer space and realizing that it's actually cheaper to make things from scratch helped me to modify my grocery shopping habits. The thing is, I've still been making the fastest and easiest things I have in my pantry, so my meals have gotten pretty...boring. I've been wanting to try new recipes, but they always have random ingredients that I'm never able to use in another dish. Eventually those randoms end up sitting in your fridge, wasting away, and before you know it you're throwing out all those extra dollars you spent. When you're working on a tight budget like me, hearing those wasted tasty morsels hit the bottom of the trash can sounds more like your wallet screaming in agony. Ouch.

The thing is, when you spend your time NOT trying new recipes and sticking to the basic ingredients that you know are quick and easy, you find yourself eating multiple varieties of dull chicken far too often. Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to my life. I've gotten to the point where it's about time to mix things up literally and figuratively. So I pulled out the cookbooks, opened up Pinterest, and started the search for some new recipes. This time around, though, nothing was going to waste!

I started looking for recipes where I knew I would be able to find other ways to use the ingredients after I used them in the main dish. Even if I didn't usually use the ingredients, I was determined that I would keep an open mind and find a way to work them into multiple dishes so they wouldn't go to waste (including with my crazy schedule, when I normally need to make things quickly or in advance). I was also going to do all this while being healthier at the same time. Hours later, I was still trying to find recipes I was willing to risk budget-wise. I felt like I had wasted my Saturday afternoon, felt like I wasn't healthy at all, and it all just made me completely overwhelmed. GAH. 

Luckily, I eventually realized that I was taking on too much at once, remembered I don't have to change everything up all at the same time, and decided to take baby steps. I finally settled on one recipe, found a few new (but not totally foreign) items that were on sale, made my grocery list, and walked away.

Today, I put it all into action.

I started with the grocery store. I admittedly spent a little bit more than I have been lately (and more than I would have liked), but I think I'll be able to put everything I got to good use (and hopefully not let any of it go to waste!). Then I decided to make the one recipe that I had picked out, a new, hopefully-actually-healthy recipe. Other than my quick and dull dinners (which I don't consider to be "real" cooking), I haven't done a lot of cooking lately, so it was really great to dive into an actual cooking project again. I dove into the kitchen, reconnected with my inner chef, and whipped up some......

Carrot and Quinoa Muffins. 

Carrot and Quinoa?? Who would have thought I would make something like that? Until recently, I never thought I would have. But I did! With everyone talking about quinoa these days, and all sorts of people close to me like roommates and family members cooking it up like wildfire, I decided to jump on the bandwagon and give it a try (plus quinoa stores well and is incredibly versatile, so I know it won't go to waste). These muffins were simple enough to make so that I would totally make them on a regular basis, but also required enough work to make me feel like I was actually cooking. Plus, they turned out to be ABSOLUTELY AMAZING.

I have to admit that I was hesitant when I decided to try this recipe; I thought that the muffins would turn out dry or grainy. But they're not at all! They're soft, moist, and delicious. They basically taste like carrot cake, and if I hadn't told you, you would never know there was quinoa in them. New breakfast/morning snack? I think so :)

I'm still working on taking the time to take good photos, but for now you get to enjoy a lovely pic of one of these tasty morsels chillin' on my awesome, fake, covered-to-look-like-granite counter:

If you'd like to try out these muffins for yourself, check out the recipe at the website Good Dinner Mom. You can also find it on my "Culinary Creations" Pinterest board. 

All This Writing is Paying Off

In my last post I mentioned that there were a lot of things keeping me busy, including a secret project that I'm sure has had you all going wild with curiosity. Well fear not, my friends, because it's time for the big reveal...

I'M PUBLISHED!!!!

That's right, someone else besides me has published my writing. I got the chance to write as a guest blogger for a travel website called Smarter Travel, and they posted my article yesterday. It was only 800 words and I didn't get paid, but that doesn't matter to me. I finally have something published!

I actually discovered the opportunity to write for Smarter Travel back in October. It was seemingly perfect timing since I had just come back from my California trip and had plenty to write about, so I pitched my story and they were all for it. Unfortunately, this was also around the same time that I moved into my apartment, and my life was a tad bit stressful to say the least. I tried to write my piece as things slowed down, but life was still a bit overwhelming and my writing skills weren't exactly up to par. But thanks to writing regularly again (and thanks to life feeling somewhat more normal), I finally felt ready to give it another go. I was worried about the delay, but it turns out that waiting was totally worth it. Smarter Travel was still happy to take my piece, plus I less stressed and I knew that my writing skills had improved. And overall, I'm really happy with how it turned out.

If you'd like to read my post on Smarter Travel, check it out here: The Budget Traveler's Guide to Northern California. 

Also, in case you couldn't tell by the fact that I have a blog, writing is something that I really enjoy and that I would like to continue to pursue. I wouldn't be able to do any of it without the support of my family and friends, and this piece is no different. It may be something small, but for me it's a huge step forward. For this piece I want to thank three friends in particular - Maura and Nicole, for reading several of my drafts before I sent it in; and Carolyn, who not only read it but used her stellar PR and writing skills to help me edit and improve it. It may not seem like much to you guys, but to me it meant a lot. Thanks a million!

Follow Me @hphelps31

I know, I know. It has once again been almost a full two weeks since I wrote a blog post. I'm sorry! But in all fairness, I've been a bit busy. Preparing for the high school retreat, job hunting, watching Avengers to prepare for Iron Man 3, training for a half marathon, running a half marathon...it's a lot to juggle! Plus I'm working on another little project that I may or may not tell you all about in good time, but for now, it's a secret. Cue cliffhanger.

As fun as all of this has been, it has been frustrating not finding the time to write. When I first started this weekly blogging thing at the beginning of the year, I had a hard time finding things to write about. Now I have all sorts of things that I want to write about, but not enough time! Go figure. And of course, rather than write a blog post on my Friday night in (I'm just that cool), I decided to spend my evening doing something that I'm still surprised about -- I signed up for Twitter.

Yes, it's true. I was a Twitter Resister for a long time, and I know that my fellow Resisters are probably scowling at me thinking "Shunnnnnn." But the truth is, I'd been thinking about it for so long, it was time to take the plunge.

To be honest, I really didn't want another social networking platform to keep track of. Facebook and Pinterest take enough of my time, and for a while I honestly didn't understand the point of Twitter. To me, it seemed like it was just a long line of Facebook statuses with a character limit, and that seemed more like an annoying burden than something fun to follow. But thanks to talking to my friend Carolyn who's in PR, I came to realize that Twitter has some practical purposes, and those purposes seemed like pretty good reasons to jump on the bandwagon. Here are those reasons:

1. Twitter is a fast source for news. Headlines, sports, you name it. If you follow news agencies, summarized updates, usually with a link to the full story, will pop up on your feed. It's a great way to know what's going on in the world and have all the information in one place. And it really is surprisingly helpful with following your favorite teams when you can't watch the games.

2. It's practical...and I'm a very practical person. As I look around the job market, a lot of places need someone who's familiar with social media - including Twitter. Knowing Twitter will help me broaden my skills set and make myself more marketable for jobs. Even beyond my own job search, I've realized that a lot of businesses and organizations - that I'm a part of - communicate on Twitter. By not following them on Twitter, I'm missing out on an incredibly convenient way to receive information. Plus, at the last UMD football game I went to, they were giving away prizes via Twitter and I didn't have it. Womp womp.

3. Let's face it, it's a great promotional tool. Big companies obviously manage Twitter accounts, but so do entrepreneurs and my fellow bloggers. Since I would love for writing to become a bigger part of my life, I'm hoping that some day this blog will grow to something more. What that something more is I have no idea, but I think that posting my blog on Twitter is a great way to help that growth along.

I feel like there were more reasons but I can't think of them at the moment. And don't get me wrong, just because I'm getting on Twitter doesn't mean that I'm going to completely bury myself into the world of electronic communication and social media. Those of you that know me know that I am all about face-to-face interaction and I love being around people. As a matter of fact, after days one and two on Twitter I realized that I was spending too much time on it just trying to figure out how it worked, so I made sure to step away. But social media is not a bad thing. My friend Ben Heyman, who I worked with at camp a few years ago, is a PR student who works very closely with social media. He phrases its purpose perfectly on his website (be sure to check it out!):

"I wake up excited to jump on social media. I do not value social over face-to-face interactions.  I value them differently.  I value the ability to connect with people around the globe in a new way that was never possible before.  I value the ability to learn new things, be exposed to new things and connect with new people."

-Ben Heyman, www.benheyman.com

Using Twitter, or any social media for that matter, is about using it the right way. Not letting it dominate or take the place of real human interaction, but seeing its benefits for information and communication. 

Now, if anyone can help me figure out how Twitter actually works I would really appreciate it. 

Taxi Woes

From the moment I walk into the office in the morning to the moment I leave in the afternoon, my day is typically spent sitting behind a desk. Not counting my trips to the break room, bathroom, and my walks outside, my ass is pretty much glued to that chair from start to finish. For someone like me who likes to keep busy and stay on the move, you can imagine that this can get pretty unbearable at times. You can also imagine that when my office needed someone to run a simple work errand, I jumped on the chance to get out of the office like a frog jumps on a lily pad.

Typically, when our company needs to do business in other parts of the city, the offices we need to visit are pretty accessible as most of them are near metro stations. But of course, the office I needed to visit was no where near a metro station. If I had tried to take public transit, it would have taken me over an hour each way via train, bus, and on foot. That seemed a bit excessive - especially since I was only picking up a few things and wouldn't be at the office long at all - so to keep things simple, my boss kindly offered to pay for a cab. It would still be a 20 minute ride, but that was much better than an hour. "It'll be easy," he said. "Nice and simple," he said...

I knew I was in trouble when I got into the cab, gave the address, and the cabby said, "Where??"

No, he wasn't asking because he didn't hear me. He was asking because he literally had no idea where I was talking about. You have got to be kidding me...

Not only did he have no idea where he was going, but he didn't even have a GPS in his car. So, while he grumpily called his taxi buddies to help him out (it turns out they weren't very helpful, either), I pulled up the address on my phone and told him where to go. When we got to my location, I asked him to wait and told him I would be about 10-15 minutes. "Fine," he said, "I'll wait 15 minutes." When I came out (right around 15 minutes later) he said, "I was getting impatient!" What are you complaining about, jerk? I'm paying you aren't I?? Once again, you have GOT to be kidding me. At that point I didn't even bother having him drive me all the way back to my office. I just told him to take me to the closest metro station and I would get back from there. I didn't care that I had a rather awkward box to carry and had to now traverse the city in heels (thank goodness they weren't super high heels) -- no more crazy cab rides for me.

Sadly, this is not the first poor experience I have had with a DC area cab. When I was still living at home, there were a couple times I got home late and had to take a cab from the metro back to my house -- 5 minutes away -- and the cabbies didn't even recognize the streets I was mentioning. Sigh....

Maybe it's just my imagination, but shouldn't a cab driver know the streets of the city s/he is driving in? Are my expectations too high? Maybe I'm comparing too many of my taxi experiences to the awesome taxis I took in Spain. After all, I never took cabs on my own before living overseas, so my first experiences with taxis were when I was living in Valencia -- and I have to say, Valencian taxis are pretty awesome.

While I didn't take them all that often, Valencian taxis never disappointed me. Whether I had just missed the bus or didn't want to walk back from my friends' apartment at 3 AM, they were always very handy. They were relatively cheap, efficient, and the cabbies always knew where they were going. On the rare occasions they didn't know where they were going, they had a GPS to help them along the way (fancy that, modern technology...). And for the cherry on top, the cabbies were always really nice and were so much fun to talk to in my spotty Spanish.

When I told a friend about my varying cab experiences, she mentioned that good taxis aren't just a European trend - that New York City is another place where cab drivers actually know where they're going. It turns out that once again, my expectations really aren't too high. DC transportation is just terrible as usual.



Disclaimer: Yes, I realize this post is the epitome of First World Problems. I know that there are many more worse things in the world that could happen (and are happening) than me having a bad taxi experience. Just trying to keep things a little more light-hearted.

Praying for Boston

Ever since yesterday's horror in Boston, I, like everyone else, have been trying to make sense of it all. At this point I haven't been able to process it long enough to turn my thoughts into words. So for now, I'll keep it very short.

I did not personally know anyone at the marathon yesterday. But as a runner, I feel like there is an added level of sadness on top the typical whirlwind of emotion. The running community holds a very unique and special bond, and to see that community attacked hits a certain core. Not only is it painful to see the runners that have worked so hard be affected by it, but the spectators as well. Runners need all the support they can get to push through their races, and spectators pour out all their love and support to cheer on their loved ones. It breaks my heart to see so many wonderful people affected by this tragedy, and my heart truly goes out to the victims, their family and friends, and all of Boston.

While I may be struggling to find the right words to express this sadness, I found a few things on Facebook among my running friends that seem to capture a runner's sentiments quite well:

And finally:

"If you're trying to destroy the human spirit, marathoners are the wrong group to target."

Since all of these were found on Facebook, I do not know their original sources and am unable to cite them. 

Building a Nursery

Planning. Shopping. Building. Organizing. All essential to designing a proper nursery. We had a lot of work and research to do, since it turned out that we would be welcoming 7 new members to our N1109 family.

You read that correctly...SEVEN. SEVEN BABIES.

Baby plants that is.

Ha HA! Gotcha! Get it? Babies live in nurseries...plants live in nurseries...baby plants...oh goodness I crack myself up sometimes.

Okay, let's face it, even I have to admit the cheesiness of that introduction and the lack of cracking myself up. But it was still fun, and I just couldn't resist. And this weekend we did in fact welcome seven new plant friends into our borderline urban/suburban home.

Saturday afternoon Maura and I got back from our respective activities and were trying to figure out what to do with the rest of the day. She was feeling crafty and I was totally game, but we just weren't feeling inspired. We sat at the kitchen table, each gazing into our laptops, begging Pinterest to give us a fun, crafty idea that we could finish in a few hours. An hour and two chocolate milkshakes later, we still had nothing.

Then out of the blue...herbs! Let's grow herbs! I don't remember who came up with the idea at the time or how we agreed to pursue this particular project, but we both decided that we really wanted to try and grow herbs in our 11th floor, downtown Rockville apartment. After all, we all cook with them enough, why not? After a bit more online price-checking, it was time to begin our mission. THE mission. Soon we were in the car and on the road to stop number one: IKEA.

Yes, I said IKEA. Before we could buy the herbs we had to be sure we had a place to put them. C'mon people, keep up with me here.

I have to admit, I have actually never been to IKEA before (strange, I know, but true). And may I just say, that place is HUGE. It was fun at first, winding through the pathways and seeing all the fun furniture, but after a while it got a bit overwhelming and claustrophobic - even more so with all the Saturday afternoon idiots wandering around. We weren't having much luck finding a suitable and affordable table for our babies, either.

Then, ironically enough, we stumbled across a well-priced baby changing table that would have served our purposes wonderfully. I actually thought it would be pretty awesome slash hilarious, having a changing table as a plant nursery. But just then, Maura found a nice looking shelf that seemed like an even more perfect fit that we just couldn't say no to - of course, she found it on her phone and it was at Target. So, after driving 30 minutes to get there and wandering around for almost an hour, we left IKEA empty-handed and headed back to our own neighborhood to buy our shelf.

Next stop was Home Depot (side note - I can't help but laugh about being excited to go to Home Depot - my dad dragged me there countless times as a child and I absolutely despised that store. Now I was happily prancing in to buy plants). We wandered shyly into the nursery, not too sure about what we were getting ourselves into. We gathered a handful of herbs that we thought we might use the most and Maura bought some seeds for some extra flowers. After grabbing all the necessary pots and soil  (which turned out to be for "in-ground" use - oh well, we'll see how that turns out) and nervously telling a store employee that we had absolutely no idea what we were doing, we checked out and rolled our new family members to the car.

Both of us were oddly terrified as we walked out of that store:

"I hope we don't kill them all"
"What are we getting ourselves into??"
"OMG WE HAVE NO IDEA WHAT WE ARE DOING"

Clearly neither of us are ready for human babies yet.

After picking up Chinese food and bubble tea, we came back to the apartment and built our shelf/nursery/plant holder. We then proceeded to make a mess in our kitchen as we attempted to put our little babies in their new beds A.K.A. pots.

"Need some more dirt?"
"Is this enough dirt?"
"This dirt is getting everywhere."

Dirt. Not soil. Not possibly the wrong soil. Just dirt. Two giant green thumbs right here. It was awesome :)

This is how the final set-up turned out:

We plan to fill all those shelves soon. And that black trash bag is holding the bag of dirt.

It's only been a few days, but I'll let you know how our babies are doing as they hopefully grow and don't die!

Side note 2: We actually have eight plants total now. My Opa saw my apartment for the first time and brought me a lovely orchid. Our family just keeps growing!

Returning to Morrie

Over the years, I was always a pretty good student. Not "top 5% of the class" good, but I always did well. I finished my homework, studied for my tests, and did the best I could do. But just like every other student, I had my moments - I procrastinated, didn't put full effort into some assignments, and sometimes I didn't even care enough to finish them at all.

This is what happened when I had to read Tuesdays with Morrie.

It was back in high school, sophomore year if I remember correctly, when I was assigned to read Tuesdays with Morrie. I remember starting it and actually enjoying it, but somewhere along the way I got too busy. I probably had too many assignments at once, got involved in marching band, and spent too much time sitting in the front hall with my friends after school. I started it but never finished. I'm pretty sure I skipped a good portion of the middle and read the end so I would be at least a little better prepared for my test. That's all Morrie was to me - another test to study for.

And yet, it was one of the few books that I kept from high school. It even made it onto my bookshelf (rather than tucked away in a dusty box). After all, I had enjoyed those parts of it that I did read, and I knew I wanted to come back to it some day to finish it.

That day finally came about 8 years later.

When I went to pull it off my bookshelf, I realized that the only thing I remembered was that it was about a man dying from ALS, or Lou Gehrig's Disease. As I began reading the first few pages, I was reminded that the story was also about a former student (the author, Mitch Album) that went to visit his old professor (Morrie). Mitch was a man that had gotten caught up in being successful at work and didn't have time for much else. I have to admit, I was wondering how I would be able to connect with the story. I thought it would be an entertaining read, but it never even crossed my mind that it could hold something even more valuable than a story line.

As I made it through the next couple chapters, I began to realize that Morrie wasn't scolding or lecturing a workaholic on his lifestyle choices (something I almost expected); he was simply trying to teach him the most important things he knew with the limited time he had left. The final lessons that Morrie gave Mitch are lessons that everyone can benefit from - lessons about life, love, and being the best person you can be.

While my situation in life is very different than Mitch's was at the time, I saw how Morrie's wisdom could be applied to my own life. Things I could improve on, others I think I might be doing right, and still others that I had never even thought of before. As I saw this more and more throughout the book, I realized that Morrie wasn't just teaching Mitch - he was teaching all of us, sharing his final thoughts and wisdom with a dear friend that he knew would be able to share them with the world.

Interestingly enough, there is at least one thing that Mitch and I have in common: we both spent years away from Morrie, but still felt drawn back to him. Mitch always said he would keep in touch with Morrie after college, then lost touch for 16 years until finding out Morrie was sick. I always said I would re-read Tuesdays with Morrie, but it still took me 8 years to do so. I point this out for two reasons. First, I think it's an interesting parallel. Second, I think it just goes to show what a wise, compassionate, and special person Morrie must have been. No matter how long it's been, people are always drawn back to him - and he is always there to welcome them with open arms.

Image from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tuesdays_with_Morrie

(New) Easter Traditions

Let me start by saying Happy Easter, everyone! I hope you all enjoyed a wonderful day with family and friends. I know I did! And now I'd like to tell you all a little bit about it...

Easter: Part 1

Before we actually get to Easter, let's rewind a couple days. This year was the first time that I participated in the full Triduum and went to mass each day: Holy Thursday, Good Friday, and the Easter Vigil on Saturday. I also attended something called Tenebrae on Wednesday night, which I have to admit I had never even heard of before a friend invited me to go. As much as I would love to be able to explain what all of this is in simpler terms, I'm not the greatest at explaining Catholic rituals and traditions just yet. I've only recently started to learn about and understand some of them within the last couple years, so I'd like to try and widen my own knowledge a little more before I try to explain it to others. In the meantime, here's a link that you might find helpful in learning more about it all: http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/07435a.htm

Participating in each part of the Triduum was a really great experience for me. Not only was everything beautiful, but I realized that I've reached a new level of maturity and independence in my faith. My faith has evolved in more ways than I can even begin to explain, particularly within the last few years. But there was something about this decision - the decision to participate in the masses and other scores of traditions that come with the Triduum and Holy Week - that felt particularly special. I can't exactly put my finger on it, but whatever it is, it's pretty cool.

Easter: Part 2

Obviously the most important aspect of Easter is what it celebrates - Jesus' resurrection. But there's always another part of holidays that's pretty big and important as well - family time and fun.

When I was growing up, Easter was always part of the family beach trip over spring break. As that tradition has sort of ebbed out as we've all gotten older, Easter now involves a smaller and different crowd, my future step-family. We're all pretty much grown up as well, but that doesn't mean we can't still be little kids with Easter traditions.

My future step-mom has been having Easter egg hunts with her kids their whole lives, and the tradition lives on - despite the fact that her kids are in their 20s and in high school - and will continue to live on as long as possible. Last year, I was lucky enough to be a part of this little event for the first time and let me just say - I never knew Easter egg hunts could be so intense.

The eggs were scattered all over the yard and house, and me and my four future step-siblings plowed over each other as we raced to get as many as we could. This year was no different, minus the fact that my future step-sister couldn't make it :( Competition raged, particularly to find the Golden Egg (that was actually blue) that had a $20 bill in it. Game. On.

Let me just say that, growing up as an only child, it's a bit of an adjustment getting used to having siblings. When I was growing up, I didn't have an older brother knocking me out of the way to steal an Easter egg - and now I do (I also didn't have the same older brother trying to invade my section of cookie dough with his cookie cutter at Christmas time). I didn't have siblings to compete with for the most eggs, to compare candy swag, and to trade Easter egg silly bands with - and now I do. But while it's certainly a new adjustment and I have to embrace my competitive side a little more, I absolutely love it. We may not have grown up together, but when my future family and I get together we're just a bunch of big kids having a great time and enjoying holiday traditions - and lots of tasty food :)

Elevator Speeches

As I waited for the elevator in my apartment this afternoon, a little boy (probably around 4 years old) and his mom came up. This conversation was too good not to share...

Boy: Why are we going upstairs, too?
Mom: Because that's where Nick lives
Boy: I knew that
Mom: Then why did you ask?
The little boy then proceeds to explain how when there's a fire it's better to take the stairs than the elevator. Smart kid.

Then once we're in the elevator...

Boy: Brrr, I'm cold!
Mom: Well, I told you to put your sweater on.
Boy: No, it's warm in here.

Then as I got off the elevator...

Boy: Is she leaving?
Mom: Does she look like she's leaving?
Repeat the last conversation in various versions as I walk down the hall. Too. Funny.

Kids just say the darndest things! What made this even better? He was wearing a fedora!!! And for those of you that may somehow magically remember this, this was a different little kid than the 4-year-old, fedora-wearing cutie that I saw when I first moved in. So many little people in fedoras saying hilarious things! OMG I can't handle the cuteness!!!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

This St. Patrick's Day I decided to host a few friends and take on some pretty awesome culinary adventures. Here's how it all turned out...

Mission one: Irish Carbomb Cupcakes (because I saw another blogger do this, I feel the need to say that I have nothing to do with the name of the drink these tasty little treats are named after). I made these for the first time with a friend last year and they are absolutely INCREDIBLE. Georgetown Cupcake has nothing on these babies. Made with Guinness baked into the chocolate cake, filled with a Jameson chocolate ganache, and topped with a Bailey's butter cream frosting, these cupcakes are probably the best ones I've ever made (and eaten). I once again got to enjoy baking them with a friend/roommate (because we all know baking with friends is the most fun anyone could have) and they once again turned out perfectly. Feast your eyes on the deliciousness:

 (Maybe next time I should take some more artsy close-ups. Oh well...)

If you'd like the full recipe just let me know (or you can be really fancy and check out my Pinterest. Self-marketing, woo!). Everything's from scratch so it's a bit of work, but SO WORTH IT. 

After the cupcakes were done I may or may not have sat in the middle of the kitchen floor, completely wiped. Fighting off the last bits of a cold + not enough sleep + likely dehydration and low blood sugar = cooking exhaustion. But I was not to be defeated! There was more to be done. 

After some lunch, a shower break, and some Gatorade, it was time for......

Mission two: Corned beef and cabbage. I'd never actually made this traditional dish before, but it was about time I gave it a shot. I had to make a double batch, so I ended up doing one with a point cut brisket and the other with a flat cut brisket. You can make the meal with either, but I had heard so many different opinions on which was better that I just decided to try both. I figured the whole meal would go one of two ways. It would either

1. Go above and beyond in scrumptious deliciousness 

OR

2. Turn out to be a Bridget Jones-style disaster and somehow turn blue. 

Luckily, it turned out to be the former. It even got rave reviews from all my guests. I have to say, I was pleasantly surprised by just how delectable it turned out. The flat cut was awesome, but I think general consensus was that the cheaper point cut was even better (more fat = more flavor). I also took some advice from one of my friends and flipped each brisket part of the way through cooking for better flavor, and I'm guessing that made a big difference in the positive results. I didn't get a picture of the point cut, but here's a sample of the tasty flat cut: 

(Yes I promise there was cabbage as well, it was just in a different dish)

Take all that combined with a few drinks, Boondock Saints, and most importantly some great friends, and you've got a really great St. Patrick's Day :)

Cooking is My Anti-Drug

I always get really annoyed when people post things on the internet to draw negative attention to themselves. The typical "Woe is me" Facebook status, the vague "This is the worst day ever" tweet...and just to throw in a high school flashback, the paragraph-long away messages on AIM ranting on about how terrible life is and how we're so emo (we all did it. It's OK, we can just admit it and move on). I tell you this so that you don't take the following paragraphs the wrong way. I am not an internet ranter, but I have to tell you a bit about my sudden bad mood this afternoon so that you can have a better appreciation for the happy ending to my story.

I've been in a pretty good mood lately; my typical perky and bubbly self, successfully annoying my friend and coworker with my peppiness. But we all have our moments, and for whatever reason, as I was walking from the metro back to my apartment after work today, a little thought popped into my head that made me feel a bit out of sorts. That of course lead to another thought, and then another, and another, until a swirl of negative emotion had engulfed me like a venus fly trap and I had to keep myself from collapsing in a ball of tears on the side of Rockville Pike. I won't torture you all with what the thoughts were because 1. I hate internet rants 2. I PROMISE it's nothing serious 3. it's actually all very silly and 4. this swirl of emotion was most likely fueled in large part by PMS.

Still, fast-forwarding about an hour and a half to when I had finished my errands, I found myself back in my apartment, curled up on my bed, wallowing in self-pity. I still hadn't eaten dinner, had more to get done, and I wondered how I would ever get out of this funk or feel happiness again. I figured I would just lie there, soaking up my misery, and forget about dinner for the night.....

......wait a second. Pause and rewind. I hadn't eaten dinner. Suddenly the light of truth washed over me and a glimmer of hope had returned! When I don't have food in my system, any bad mood gets exponentially worsened to the point where it probably makes my future husband quiver in fear already, and we haven't even met yet (maybe he gets an innate feeling of dread/terror that he can't trace the source of but knows he should be afraid). So I figured it would probably be a good idea to get up and get some food. I would just heat up some Stouffer's mac 'n' cheese, chill for a few moments, then casually go back to trying to figure out my life.

But then suddenly, another idea: Don't be silly, Heather. You should actually cook something. Cooking makes you happy! That's right...cooking DOES make me happy! Not only can it be oddly calming, but it would also give me something else to focus on and think about. I decided to go for it. I didn't have many bare ingredients to work with, but I had just the right ones to make a quick and easy meal. I even got to toss vegetables in the frying pan (I'm practicing a new skill)! Sure enough, I was already feeling a little better as I started to make my veggie and egg scramble, then felt much better as I sat down to eat it (while watching an episode of Band of Brothers). It was a very simple meal to make, but it was just what I needed.

(Cooking makes me almost as happy as Spongebob flipping Krabby Patties. Almost.)

So the moral of the story is - cooking is my anti-drug. I don't know why I didn't realize this sooner, especially given the fact that yesterday I excitedly accepted the challenge to prep and bake cookies in just over an hour (a challenge that I thoroughly enjoyed AND successfully completed. I know, I'm a baller). I know that some nights I'll just be too tired to cook and will let myself curl up with an insta-dinner and a glass of wine, but I think I should really try to take my stress out in the kitchen more often. I love cooking, and it turns out it's one of the many things that helps keep me sane. And all my loved ones should love it, too, since they 1. occasionally get to reap the benefits in the form of free food and 2. get a break from having to deal with my insanity. I think that means it's time to have more cooking adventures...Bon apetit!

(I just couldn't resist putting this one in here)

Ron Burgundy pic from http://losingweightinthecity.com/2012/05/serious-reach-the-beach-withdrawal/
Spongebob pic from http://awordsmithsbrainworks.com/2012/01/22/an-undefined-number-of-reasons-in-no-particular-order-about-why-i-envy-spongebob-squarepants/
Cooking with wine pic from http://www.someecards.com/usercards/viewcard/MjAxMi04M2MyZjY1ZmY0NzQ1MTBk

Embracing My Inner Old Person

I would like to introduce you all to a friend of mine:

This is my shopping cart. Yes, I have an old lady shopping cart at age 23. And I think it's awesome! I haven't come up with a name for it yet, since I'm apparently not creative at all when it comes to making up names for anything (watch out, future offspring). But Shopping Cart makes my life so much easier! If I don't have a car to go grocery shopping, it's a life saver. Even if I do have the car, Shopping Cart will still help me carry everything upstairs. Still think I'm weird? Let me see YOU lug four bags of groceries (including a gallon of milk) across a parking lot full of maniacs, then play Frogger crossing Rockville Pike, then walk back to your apartment, go up the elevator 11 flights, and around the corner to the very end of the hall. I bet you would wish you had Shopping Cart with you, too.

And that is the only part of my life that even slightly resembles being an old person..........

Okay, who am I kidding? There are actually several parts of my life that make my loved ones wonder, and sometimes make myself wonder, if I am actually 90 years old.

As many of you know, I'm a pretty active person. I love being on the move, trying new things, being around people, and I'm finally getting some semblance of a social life back now that I'm living on my own. I'm even starting the process (yes, it's turning out to be a bit of a process) of signing up for Events and Adventures, the singles activity slash dating club (well hello, Future Husband, you look rather dashing in your hiking/kayaking/skydiving/happy hour attire). But I'm all about balance in life, and sometimes you just need to take a little break from all the crazy hustle and bustle. For me, sometimes that means doing things ever-so-slightly differently than the average 23-year old.

Take right now, for example. As I write this post (actually, as I've written just about all of my posts), my Pandora station of choice is the Frank Sinatra station. I LOVE Frank Sinatra and all those crooners from back in the day. There's even a Frank Sinatra station that normally plays in the lobby of my apartment building, making it incredibly difficult to leave for work in the mornings. Instead I just want to curl up with a book in the comfy chairs in the lounge and bask in those wonderful sounds.

I also love drinking tea in the evenings. I'm drinking a cup right now in fact, a scrumptiously soothing cup of Earl Grey tea. And yes, for those that are going to point out the obvious, I realize that this blog is called Heather's Coffee Break and not Tea Break. Get over it. If I actually managed to write in the morning I would be drinking coffee. I love them both!

That's not so bad, right? Frank Sinatra and tea? I actually know several people that enjoy both of those things!

But wait, there's more...

Sometimes I would love to just be sitting in a rocking chair, on a porch, overlooking some gorgeous landscape, wrapped in a blanket AND sipping tea (or coffee). Any one of these could totally be me when I'm actually an old person:

And aside from relaxing, what about my mini panic attacks when I'm up past 11 on a work night? It's ok to worry about that, right, getting a good night's sleep? Totally normal...

I feel like I could go on and on, but 11 PM is approaching faster and faster and I'm already starting to get a little antsy. But let's face it, there's a part of me that's just an old person at heart. But you know what? I'm totally OK with that. I have fun in life, but I enjoy my down time as well. So rather than trying to fight my inner old person, I'm just going laugh at it and embrace it.

Side note for my worrisome loved ones: I promise I don't actually play Frogger on Rockville Pike. I'm a good girl and use the crosswalk (although let's be real, even that can be like Frogger sometimes)!!!

Side note 2: when I did an image search on Google for a clock showing 11:00, all of the pictures that came up were showing other times. Really, Google? Really?




Frank Sinatra photo from imdb.com. 
Tea photo from http://www.loosetealeaf.com/blog/
Rocking chair cartoons from http://www.cartoonstock.com/directory/r/rocking_chair.asp