how to…spend your last week at school.

Posted in how to, lessons, life, milwaukee by

step 1: study

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although you’ve spent most of last weekend procrastinating, you really need to just grow a pair and start studying. you’ll thank yourself later when grades come out.

step 2: ignore distractions

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when the cutest bundle of wrinkles and fur is starring you down and his eyes are calling out “play with me!! play with me!!” do everything you can in your power to resist the urge.

step 3: visit some of your favorite spots

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lake michigan. it’s beautiful. it’s your favorite. go there. soak in every bit of the moment.

step 4: celebrate

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however you reward yourself, just do it. and don’t feel bad for it…one bit.

step 5: spend time with people you care about

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never ever ever ever will you regret spending more time with people you care about.

step 6: say goodbye

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kiss ‘em. hug ‘em. tell ‘em ya love ‘em. and do your best not to cry.

step 7: hit the road, and don’t look back. 

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do what needs to be done.

Posted in lessons, life by

i have a bad habit.

actually, i lie, i have numerous bad habits.

i sleep with my contacts in.

forget to wash my face.

i cuss far to much

i press the snooze button at least 3 times every morning

i feel the immense need to always please everybody

i chew my nails when i’m nervous

i eat ice cream for breakfast

i get worked up about things i can’t control

and sometimes i drink too much

i’m not going to make some cliche statement about how i think my flaws are “what make me beautiful”. a lot of my flaws piss me right off, but alas, they stitch me together and make me who i am, for better or for worse. the thing about flaws and habits is being able to recognize them. they’re either cute and unique or they’re trouble some and need to be fixed.

this weekend, i truly have realized one of my worst habits.

i put seemingly painful or annoying things off…you know, procrastination. but unlike most people’s procrastination that stems from laziness, mine stems from something else.

fear.

i put things off that seem uncomfortable or painful because i know completing them will take me to the next step, a step i don’t know where it leads, a step i probably haven’t figure out yet, a step that scares me.

i have exactly 9 more days left until i am completely done with school for the semester. nine more days. 2 quizzes, 1 research paper, 1 group project and 4 finals away from being done. i am so close i can feel the freedom on my face. all i have to do is commit to studying and doing the work and the days will come, time will pass and it’ll all be over before i know it. yet this weekend, i literally did everything in my power to avoid doing anything associated with my school work.

i washed the dishes

walked my dog

worked out

read a book

watched the first 2 seasons of lie to me on netflix

organized my closet

grocery shopped

cleaned my kitchen

facebook creeped

twitter creeped

called old friends

drank a whole bottle of wine in one sitting

napped…ALOT

i did everything imaginable but school work. not only could i not bring myself to get up and go to a coffee shop to study i could not even bring myself to open up my book or notebook as i sat on the couch. i did so many things i don’t normally do (facebook creep?? umm not since senior year of high school. organize my closet? never have i ever. washing the dishes? not unless there’s a gun to my head.) you might be thinking to yourself i’m just a lazy pile and need a good swift kick in the ass, and well, maybe you’re right, maybe i do need a kick in the ass, but it won’t be because i’m lazy. it’ll be because i need to stop acting like my putting things off will somehow give me a better grasp on what’s to come. 

i’m a control freak. i like set plans and short manageable lists, and i like to know how everything is going to work out before it starts. honestly, your 20′s are pretty much the time of your life when things are going to be the exact opposite of this. the plans are loose and vague. lists are too short and then uncontrollably long, and very rarely are we ever really going to know how things are going to work out when we first start them. putting off difficult or trying things doesn’t make them any less difficult or trying, and it doesn’t make the future any more clear. life comes at you and it doesn’t stop for your anxiety or your worries or your fears. doing what needs to be done isn’t always easy, but it will take you to the next step, whatever the step may be. you might not have any idea of the challenges, the growth, or the joys that come, but do what needs to be done, and beautifully, and just they way they are suppose to, the steps will keep coming.

i think i just gave myself my swift kick in the ass….

what i’m reading: the big love

Posted in books, reviews by

happy friday ya’ll!!

i hope you all have wonderful plans for the weekend. after my exciting weekend in chicago last weekend. i’m planning on spending all this weekend, studying for finals. exciting i know!!

i have literally been flying through books lately. i’m averaging at least once a week, sometimes even two a week. i’m also a full time student, with a dog, and two jobs. i don’t know where im finding the time, but i am and i LOVE it!

my latest book, the big love by sarah dunn, i actually picked up for $5 from a used book store a few blocks from where i live (the upper east side of milwaukee). the reviews on this book said it had a funny, witty, sex and the city like main character so i knew right away it would be right up my alley.

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the book

the main character, allison, is a 30 something single girl who writes a witty and entertaining column about her single life for a newspaper in philadelphia. her boyfriend of 4 years, tom, is wonderful and they’re on exactly the “track” allison wants. until one day, in the midst of preparing for a dinner party, she asks tom to go to the store to get some mustard, he calls her from the store to say he’s not coming back with the mustard, oh and that he’s in love with someone else. allison is beside her self on the fact that after 4 years he could do such a thing in such a insensitive way, after all, they had bought furniture together!! then the rain turns to an outright storm, when she’s fired in order to give her column to her arch enemy from a competing newspaper. a short fling and some bad random blind dates later, and tom is back at her door step, and this time with the mustard, but what could he possibly say to her? what could he possibly want? and can allison really look at him the same way?

my thoughts

this book was a quick read. i finished it in about 2 days. books with a strong, funny, witty, and somewhat lost in life female lead are my absolute favorite books to read, mostly because those are the kind of women i relate to. allison was exactly that character. the book is written in a format in which we hear all of allison’s thoughts, the crazy, the rational, the completely dumbfounded. most books i can tell how their going to end about half way through but this book through me for a little loop at the end. all in all i loved the way it was written and the way it ended (even though i didn’t see it coming). the book ends up not only proving the importance of being in love with someone else, but also being in love with yourself.

a lovely book and quick read that will leave you with a smile at the end.

90 mi south: CHICAGO

Posted in travel by

last weekend i made the trip 90 miles south to spend some time with my mom and dad in chicago. my dad has a conference downtown every spring so me and my mom always tag along and do some of our favorite big city things while he’s off working hard.

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we make a trip to chicago a couple of times a year so we’ve done nearly every tourist thing around to do (the bean, the museums, millennium park, the wills tower, wrigley, us cell field, etc.) so usually have a few precious things we like to do.

1) shop

2) eat our faces off

3) see a show

saturday we spent most of the day with my aunt uncle and  little cousin. they live in the chicago suburbs so they just have a quick train ride to get downtown.

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last year when we went were in chicago we went to the field museum, so the museum of science and industry it was this time.

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you could literally spend all day from sun up till sun down in this museum. it is that huge!! we only paid general admission, (there are other exhibits you can pay more to see) and we still didn’t see everything.

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my favorite part, was definitely the “storms” section of the museum. they had exhibits on tsunamis, earthquakes, and even a machine that simulated a tornado. i loved it!

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after the museum it was back to the train station and back downtown.

dinner at the chicago chophouse  that night. one bottle of wine i drank all by my self later and i was quite buzzed.

sooooo, back to the hotel the parents went. out for another drink i went.

lets just say i parked it at the bar, and made friends  flirted with the cute bartender all night. turns out my tab was only $6 by the end of the night, and trust me i drank much more than $6 worth. #winning!!

the next morning i pulled myself out of bed long enough (barely) to go to mass with my mother. we had scheduled some shopping time immediately after, but i’m trying to save money and didn’t want to be tempted was way to hung over to join so i went back to the hotel popped an ibuprofen and slept for another 4 hours.

we had tickets for the sunday matinee for the book of mormon. i’ve heard wonderful things about this show and was excited to see it was in town!

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and it did not disappoint! it was terrific!! the two lead characters, especially elder cunningham, were absolutely hilarious. i will say, this show was very vulgar and had lots of profanity, i, of course, wasn’t bothered by it, but it’s not suitable for a younger crowd.

after a quick dinner i was off and back to milwaukee to get ready for monday class.

chicago is a great city, and i love being close enough visit for a quick weekend trip.

also can i just ask…when will photo booths not be fun??

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Never.

favorite things friday

Posted in baseball, food, gatsby, life by

hey ya’ll happy friday!

i hope you all have super plans for the weekend. i know i do. chicago anyone?! yes please!!!!

to kick off your weekend i’ll leave you with a few of my absolute favorite things at this moment right now..

1) the fact that yesterday was april 25th!!!

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i seriously wait all year for april 25th just so i can go around saying this allllllllllll day. seriously, such a classic.

2) quality time at the park with this little girl.

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some of you may know, i have two jobs here in milwaukee. during the week i nanny for a wonderful little 9 year old girl. in the winter time our play time consists of watching tv, but spring is finally showing its face and that means that all play time is spent at the park!!!

and i love parks…

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3) this flavor power bar

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i personally feel like the other powerbar flavors kind of taste like feet, but this one i can not get enough of. nom nom nom.

4) long walks with gatsby

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when it’s chilly out i can usually only manage a 30-45 minute walk, after that i start cursing mother nature and questioning my decision to live and wisco and just give up and go back home. but spring has sprung and that means walks with gatsby and nearing an hour+!! yay!!!

5) THIS

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if there’s two things in the world i have a love affair with it’s leo dicaprio and the book the great gatsby ( i mean come on i named my dog after it! obviously i’m obsessed). i am literally beyond excited for this movie to come out. i was actually briefly thinking of re-reading the book for the 6th time just to prepare myself for the movie. (book nerd alert!!)

6) this ice cream…well really any ice cream

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i bought this two days ago…over half gone. no shame. no shame at all.

7) the fact that in LESS than a month i will be coming to “work” here everyday. 

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it is setting in more and more everyday that i am actually moving across the country to work for one of the best organizations in all of major league baseball. i feel blessed beyond belief and can not wait for the adventure to begin.

have a lovely weekend ya’ll!!

what i’m reading: the lost recipe for happiness

Posted in books by

one of my best friends here at school is probably as big, if not a bigger, book nerd than me. she and i sit and oogle over books we have read or want to read for hours i swear. so when i texted her a few weeks ago and said i was looking for something new to read she literally brought me over a bag full of books she knew i’d love.

challenge accepted.

first on my list: the lose recipe for happiness by: barbara o’neal

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the book

the book tells the story of elena alvarez, a headstrong, stubborn chef who has faced her fair share of obstacles in life. the most apparent and life changing one, an accident in which she was the only survivor of. when the chef she’s working along side (and sleeping with) suddenly fires her, she stumbles upon julian, a hot shot hollywood director and part time restaurant owner, he says he wants her to be the head chef at a new restaurant he’s opening in aspen. while she’s very ready for the challenge moving to colorado ends up coming with more ups and downs than she can ever imagine. elena tries to fight the fears of her past while designing her future and her career, and just when she least expects it, love, happiness, and contentment creep up on her.

my thoughts 

for me to enjoy a book i usually need to be able to relate to the main character, or strong supporting character, in some way. for me, elena’s tendencies of  always needing to be the “tough girl” and always being fine on your own taking care of yourself, were all very relatable to me. her headstrong qualities and stubbornness made you want admire her, but yet want to reach through the pages and give her a hug for everything she’s been through. the story draws well on not only her blooming romantic interests, but also the new relationships she makes in the kitchen with her new staff , all of whom are very colorful and entertaining.

the biggest challenge i felt elena faced in the book was allowing herself to actually feel the feelings she was feeling instead of shooing them off and ignoring them (another thing i can totally relate to). the book had a great central message of simply allowing yourself to be happy. so many times it’s easy to get caught up in the tough parts of life, to get used to and to expect the pain. then when the miracles come along we think they can’t be true, happiness can’t just be sitting there waiting for us like a puppy for it’s owner. sometimes just allowing happiness is much harder than actually striving to achieve it.

one of my favorite things about books is how much you can actually learn from fictional characters. the lost recipe for happiness is the perfect example of this. so take it from elena: when happiness comes, allow it in. 

life is chaos.

Posted in lessons, life by

life is chaos.

complete and utter chaos.

i plan and plan and plan, and rarely do things ever go off as i envision them in my head.

i make fantasized versions of things in the future in my head, and the present is usually painted in gray in my eyes.

i convince myself that when i get some where or achieve something all of a sudden the clouds will part and everything will make sense.

that the chaos will end, and life will be purely and simply  be perfect. 

but every once in a while, through all the chaos, it hits me, that life is perfect just as it is, right now.

in this moment.

in the “sure why not” moments..

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in wisco we tailgate for brewers games in full winter apparel.

in the less than ideal moments…

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really milwaukee? really?!

in the playful moments…

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gatsby <3

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gatsby’s new friend, ranger

in the moments where everything speeds up…

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the best big brother in the world

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and in the moments when it all slows down..

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in these moments, life is as every bit wonderful and it is chaotic.

and in these moments, for better or for worse, through the lightness and darkness, everything is purely and simply, perfect. 

complicated questions. simple answers.

Posted in food, home, lessons, life by

sometimes…things aren’t what they seem.

sometimes…at first glance something looks complicated and epic, when in reality it’s the complete opposite.

sometimes…the questions are complicated and the answers are –well– simple.

sometimes…i feel like what i want out of life is extravagant, sophisticated and mind-boggling.

which is why i made brownies.

i mean cookies..i made cookies.

well that’s not true either…i made brownie cookies….cookie brownies??.. brookies?

whatever it is i made it…

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because i couldn’t decide.

like usual.

i can never decide.

i want soft and chewy.

i want gooey and chocolaty.

i want it all

yet i can still never decide.

ever.

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and whenever i can’t decide my brain likes to tell itself such a predicament must need an grand and magnificent answer of epic proportion.

i wanted a complicated thing, the wonderfulness of a soft chewy cookie and the gooeyness of a warm brownie. i can’t possibly have both. whatever will i do? this is an impossible task. i want such different things and i want them all at once. the only thing i can do really is worry a ridiculous amount about a matter that i am 100% positive i cannot achieve everything i want out of, cry a little thinking to myself my “far and above” desires will never be fulfilled and slip into a minor depression thinking i will forever go through life wanting things i can’t have and thus being forever upset and let down.

or…i could just…..make both?

both? together?

TOGETHER BOTH?!?

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which is why i made brownie cookies.

or was it cookie brownies?

that’s the answer?!

that plain and simple?!!

no long drawn out explanation and reconstruction of my daily thoughts, actions, beliefs, and overall view on life?!?!?

sometimes… what you want is complicated, and the answer to get everything you want is–well–simple.

Super Simple Brookies

1 tube of store bought chocolate chip cookie dough

1 boxed brownie mix

STEP 1: pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees.

STEP 2: press the pre-made cookie dough evenly and tightly into the bottom of a non-greased brownie pan.

STEP 3: prepare the brownies as directed on the box

STEP 4: pour the brownie batter over top the cookie dough pressed into the pan.

STEP 5: add more chocolate chips, caramel or nuts to your liking.

STEP 6: bake until a tooth pick can be cleanly inserted into the middle of the brownies without showing batter (approx. 40 mins)

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STEP 7: realize this post wasn’t just about dessert. 

excuse me, mother nature? can you take this back..there seems some winter in my spring.

Posted in life, milwaukee by

happy friday ya’ll

so depending on where you’re reading this from you may be enjoying the sweet sunshine rays and budding flowers of spring, buuuuut i’m over here in Wisconsin and in wisconsin the weather is about as bio-polar as Sybil.

given the current weather in the mid-west it makes me wish that the weather situation could be somewhat of a restaurant format.

you, know like when you order the steak well done and it comes out medium-rare. what do you do? you kindly say to the waiter, “umm excuse me, can you take this back? i ordered this well-done and this piece of meat is still moo-ing”

the waiter apologetically says, “ma’am i am soo sorry, please let me fix that for you.”

the waiter takes your plate, 10 minutes later, bada bing bada boom, the steak well-done magically appears in front of you, and usually with a discounted rate on your bill because they couldn’t get it right the first time.

what a wonderful concept.

i’d like to propose mother nature to act the same…so to mother nature i say,

“excuse me? can you take this back? i ordered temps in the mid-60′s, with moderately to partly cloudy days and budding flowers. this is 5 straight days of rain, wind and thunderstorms.”

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instead of politely responding to my request. mother nature laughs in my face. not just a chuckle but a rip roaring santa clause style “HO HO HO HO” laugh in my face.

“oh you don’t like the rain you say? why yes let me take that back for you!”

bada bing bada boom….

“this must be what you ordered!! my apologies about the mix-up!”

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well played mother nature..well played.

NO TIP FOR YOU!!!!

on a serious note tho, this weather is majorly ruining my outfit plans for a wedding i’m suppose to attend this weekend. what do you wear to a spring wedding that happens to fall in the middle of winter?!?! #confused

what i’m reading: Safe Haven

Posted in books, reviews by

true life: i love mushy nicholas sparks books.

seriously. i’ve read a handful of them and always want to hate them but always end up loving them. my most recent read. the ever so popular, Safe Haven.

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for the record right now i’m going to say i haven’t seen the movie yet so my thoughts are completely only on the book.

the book 

the start of the book seemed a bit slow to me. i’m the type of reader that needs to be tugged into the story right away or otherwise i lose interest, my mind starts to wonder, and i give up on the book. it definitely picked up and became actually very exciting into the middle and end of the book.

Katie, the main character, pops up out of no where into a small north carolina town and starts working as a waitress. as the story progresses she makes two key relationships. one with a friendly outspoken neighbor, jo, and the other with a widowed store owner and dad of 2, alex. as i’m sure is obvious, katie and alex begin to fall in love. but love wasn’t what katie was looking for or ready for. katie struggles to deal with her past that still haunts her in a very real way and also with her new feelings and relationship with alex. how do you welcome something that wasn’t what you wanted?

my thoughts

honestly this book opened up my mind to the concept of letting things happen as they should. i always feel as though i know what’s best and what’s next, much like katie did, but sometimes life (and god) come in and alters our plans. we might shake our heads and think to ourselves that it’s not part of “the plan”, but ultimately a good thing is a good thing. we can’t choose who and when people walk into our lives, but when “a good thing” does walk into our life sometimes you’ve gotta be ready to grab it even if you didn’t think you were ready for it, or risk loosing it forever.

if you’re a fan of nicholas sparks other books, this won’t disappoint. like i said it gets very exciting in the middle and ends with quite the bang as well. i read this book in 2 days. it’s a page turner and once you get hooked on the story line you won’t want to put it down. all that being said, i’m off to the theatre see how the movie matches up.

happy tuesday ya’ll!