Gifts (maybe for yourself...)

I just found this website in an instyle magazine, and I am totally obsessed now, I mean like totally obsessed. Such cute candles, soaps, scarves, jewelry, and even home decorations. It's just way too cute!

Check out the website (ShopTerrain.com) and this adorable floral neclace (my favorite piece on the website right now, though unfortunately I don't have a pic)!

I've also become recently obsessed with the boutiques on Union Street in San Francisco, especially these two cute ones (check them out!!): Seams Boutique and Atys Design

Cleanse Yourself

This summer, my mom did an amazing cleanse to get herself back on track. She's a beautiful woman, but this cleanse gave her a glow and the kind of confidence that makes everyone else feel good too when she's around, and it also made for some great mother-daughter bonding pilates classes :)

Now that I'm at school, I'm bringing some of the ideas from the cleanse to my daily routines; for example, I tend to lean towards gluten free options when I dine (cereals, fruits and veggies, brown rice and grains, etc), although a little whole wheat never hurts when I can't find a good sans-gluten option. Dark chocolate, like really dark chocolate, 75% or above, has become my dessert of choice, and I always, always check ingredients to make sure that I stay away from things like high fructose corn syrup and other chemicals. I'm not a vegetarian (I love meat too much!) but I do believe in the ethics and health benefits of free range, grass fed meat, and other dairy products too. However, here at school, such a limit on meat is hard to sustain, so I choose vegetarian options or go out of my way to find free range stuff (if you really look, it's definitely doable these days!)

Of course, I am in college, so there is obviously the occasional ice cream, pizza, or, um, liquid splurge. But that's life, and I take it in stride.

To supplement that, the active side: my mom told me something I totally buy into, a really healthy fitness routine that's totally easy to follow:

Cardio of whatever kind 3 times a week

Weights or strength 2 times a week

Yoga or stretching once a week

So, my plan for the semester is to try to stick to this and see how it goes...so far it's great, and I feel really healthy and really good each day!

Back at School!

So sorry I've been completely missing for the last few weeks, my summer was winding down and

I was on vacation (Hawaii and Tahoe with the BF) and then back to school! Now that

I'm all settled in my new suite (which is AMAZING!!), I'm back!

Some things I've learned from being back in Boston for the last few days are:

1. I am dependent on AC when it's this insanely hot

2. Having a great room and fantastic roommates (shoutout to my lovely suitemates!) makes school a bazillion times better and easier to transition from the comforts of home

3. Be on top of your textbooks BEFORE your first class; I got waaay stressed out today when I didn't have all of mine! Luckily, my bookstore has a great system and I've now got them all ordered.

4. Sangria and homecooked food is to be savored and consumed as often as possible

5. Joining a sorority was the best decision I made last year--the friends I made have been incredible since I've been back, sooo much fun to hang out with! Seriously, if sororities aren't your thing (I know a lot of people just don't wanna do that), then I totally encourage joining whatever kind of club or group that floats your boat. Makes college so much more manageable, especially if you're at

a huge one like I am.

And, finally, being in one of your favorite cities with some of you favorite people makes every day really fun :)

And, to catch up on my summer vacation, I just can't go forward with the blog without at least trying to post some pictures from Hawaii (and the breathtaking sunsets):

Now, those of you finishing your summer, have a great last horrah, and for those of you starting school, have a fabulous year and stay updated for more (and more frequent, I promise!) updates:)

Best book I've read since Harry Potter...

The Hunger Games. By Suzanne Collins. AMAZING. A-MA-ZING. I'm two chapters away from finishing the second book, Catching Fire, right now, and I'm already way too excited for the third, Mockingjay, which, yes, I have pre-ordered. They are a fantastic modern teenage approach to an almost 1984-ish idea, but with way more relatable plot lines of love and loss and freedoms and revolution. These books just make me hungry for more!

Biking!

So this summer, I'm learning how to bike, like really road bike, from my boyfriend who is obsessed with all things bike. At first I was skeptical, but after a few rides I was hooked. Now I'm the one asking if we can go ride all the time. It's such great exercise, your shoulders get pretty darn tan if you wear a tank top, and it's so, so great to get outside and enjoy the summer on these nice warm days (especially since I've been stuck inside a gym all winter in Boston where going outside means frostbite). Not only do I get to be outside and get a great workout, I get to hang out with my bf and also my dad, who picked up the sport relatively recently and just loves it. Not to mention, the scenery of so many biking spots is just fantastic (Tour de France, anyone?). The only problem? Sometimes, I forget to clip out of my pedals on time and tip over--it's kind of comical. Nevertheless, I totally recommend giving road biking a try, and do it with your girlfriends (or boyfriends), of course :)

Tanning and a BBQ

It's the middle of July--so obviously we all want to get tan! But having sensitive skin, or any skin at all, that gets burned is just no fun. I've tried tanners, most are either too much hassle or turn out wayyy to orange...euch. But recently I discovered (after following a good friend's recommendation) a self-tanner that seems too good to be true (but isn't!!). It starts working right when you put it on, dries super fast, and even gives you some subtle little sparkle so you feel like a bronzed pixie. To top it all off, it's under $15.00. Victoria's secret Beach Sexy tanner: and they also have one with SPF for all of us burn-easy girlies.

Now for the BBQ part: yesterday I made dinner for the fam, and I decided to try to actually cook something more intensive than pasta and a salad. So, I looked through some cookbooks and Bon Appetit magazines, and I found two super easy recipes that my whole family loved! I made a summer BBQ chicken marinade, and roasted carrots. Here's how (both are super easy!):

Rosemary-Lemon Chicken Marinade (From Bon Appetit Magazine):

1/4 Cup Olive oil

3 Tablespoons Fresh-squeezed lemon juice

2 Teaspoons Fresh chopped rosemary

2 Cloves Garlic, crushed or chopped

Instructions: Just mix it all together, pour it over the chicken and let sit for 20 minutes. Then grill it (or hand it over to dad to cover that part ;)

Roasted Carrots (courtesy of Barefoot Contessa of course)

1. Slice lots of whole carrots (five or six for four people, depending on how big the carrots are) diagonally so the slices are pretty big (they shrink in the oven a little bit).

2. Cover them in olive oil, salt and pepper, then lay them out on a baking sheet

3. Roast in oven at 400 degrees for 25 minutes, then season with chopped parsely .

YUMM!

I served this with wild rice, and there were literally no leftovers.

And now, I'm off to bike. xoxo

First Post

This is my first post on my first blog...so let me introduce you! It's a blog about life, all things girl. How to stay healthy, happy, and creative all while managing a busy, fabulous life. I'll be posing my fav fitness tips, recipes, tidbits about college life, and fun and creative hobbies. Enjoy! xoxo