Sunday Social

So I haven't participated in this link-up in a while but I loved this weeks questions! And I am trying to avoid doing homework so...enjoy:)
1. What do you miss most about being a kid? Oh the days of having nothing more to worry about than can your friend come outside and play.  Being a kid was so simple and stress free.  What I wouldn't give to go back to that time!
2. Did you have a nickname growing up? What was it? My friends and their families would call me Mo or Mos. Simple and nice.  And then there was my family...oh how they enjoyed torturing me with my nickname...Modog.  Sounds innocent right? No.  Not when you Dad goes around calling you Mo diggity dog diggity dog.  Yup and around my friends.  I hated it which encourage my Dad and siblings to keep calling me that.
3. What was your favorite thing to do at recess? My friends and I loved to play four square.  That was the most popular game.  That or climbing on the monkey bars.  
4. What did you want to be when you grew up? I wanted to be either a mom or a teacher.  I am no where close to being a mom and I was going to school to be a teacher, but changed my mind!
5. What was your favorite toy? I loved baby dolls and playing house with them.  Pretty sure every time I went over to my best friends house we would find any doll and play that game.  Being the mommy was the best role to play to us!
6. What is the funniest thing you did as a kid that your parents still remind you about? I was a terror child.  And my parents love to remind of that.  When I was about three we had a family friend watching me and two of my other siblings.  I believe my mom was at the hospital giving birth to the fourth Hardin kid.  So I was riding my beloved tricycle when my little brother wanted to ride.  Well I was NOT going to share.  The lady watching us came up to me and told me I had to share.  This made me mad so I slapped her across the face.  Yup sweet little me slapped her.  To this day I cannot live that story down!

Friday's Letters

Dear Kelly, Thank you for only allowing me to eat one fall cake.  You are the bestest friend evs!

Dear Cafe, Your calzone was not as good as it looked and did not make me feel all that great.  Not gonna happen again!

Dear Mamerz, Hoping the renovation is going well.  Sending many many many prayers your way!  Also I want to see pictures!

Dear Weekend, Lots of busyness and work about to happen...not looking forward to it either...other than shopping with Ashlee that is!

Dear Professor, You even just attempting to go yell at another student for whistling in the hallway just as a joke to make us laugh was the best thing ever.  I might be starting to like you...

Dear Breakfast, I ran out of my normal cereal this morning and this whole oatmeal and greek yogurt is not cutting it for me.

Dear Everybody, Have a fun eventful weekend!

Inspire Me: Healthy Week 9

These weeks seriously seem to go by super fast.  Like unwelcomingly fast.  I do not like it.  I am always which I had more time!
This week I was bound an determined to lose some more weight.  I really focused in on my diet and picked up on the cardio a lot.  And well my wish did not come true.  Seriously what is up with that?  Sometimes I get really frustrated, but am I going to let that deter me? Nope nope nope. 
 I am starting to enjoy working out and feeling the need for it all the time.  So there is some positivity here, right?
Awhile back I got an email of a recipe from my trainer for a Paleo lasagna.  So I decided Tuesday night would be a good time to try it out.  It was ok, not my fave.  I liked the sauce it made, but everything together was not the best! I would totes make the sauce in the future and put it over some yummy spinach pasta!  

Here is the recipe!

Paleasagna

• 1 white onion, diced
• 1 pound of extra lean turkey, or ground sirloin
• 1 15oz can diced tomatoes, low sodium
• 3 tbsp tomato paste
• 3 tbsp Italian spice blend
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1 pound of zucchini and/or yellow squash, cut into medallion rounds
• 1/2 cup raw goat cheese, shredded
• 2 cups Greek yogurt
• 1 head broccoli, roughly chopped
• 1 egg

Directions:

In a large skillet or sauce pan, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil and add the diced onions. Sautee on medium-high until softened, about 3-5 minutes. Add the ground turkey, canned tomato and tomato paste, spices, salt, pepper, and crushed garlic. Continue to cook all ingredients until the turkey is cooked through. Set aside when done.

In a medium bowl, combine raw goat cheese, Greek yogurt, broccoli pieces, and egg. Mix well.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Lightly grease the bottom of a 13 x 9 Pyrex glass baking dish. Place a layer of zucchini and squash rounds evenly across the bottom, making a sort of liner.Add a layer of turkey-tomato sauce on top of the zucchini. Top that with some of the broccoli and yogurt mixture, as shown above. Continue with this layering process until you have used all of your ingredients.Top the entire dish with more shredded goat cheese, if desired.Bake for 45 to 60 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to sit for 10 minutes before serving. 

Hopefully next week will prove to be a better week...I mean come on I cannot stay at this weight forever people!

Me Shy?

Yes, yes it is true.  I can probably be one of the most shy people I know...given the right circumstances that is!
I know some of you who are reading this and know me very well are thinking "What in the world is she talking about?!" But that would be because I love you and know you and know how to act around you.
Want to know what sets me off? Crowds, new people, new environment, not being able to predict the future.
So crowds...yeah hate those with a passion.  I don't know how to act in them.  I don't know if I am suppose to say Hi to everyone or just stay to myself.  I freak out in crowds and therefore try to avoid them.  Now that is not to say I won't go through a crowd to get to a quiet spot.  I will, as long as I have a bodyguard friend with me.
New people...now here is the thing, I don't know you so I don't know how to act around you.  I don't know if you like my sarcasm or if I just need to be nice and quiet.  Again anxiety comes about and I usually end up with a sour/confused look on my face.  And that ends up with people thinking I am a bitch (I promise I not!).
New environment...I hate going someplace new by myself.  I almost always bring a friend.  I just get uncomfortable and don't know how to act or who I am going to talk to.
Not being able to predict the future.  Yes I know no one has this ability (so wish I did sometimes!).  But I typically run through what could potentially happen during an event in my head ahead of time.  And if I don't think I will know anyone or have anyone to talk to or sit with, I typically won't go to an event.  
Examples of this? I won't eat in the caf unless I know someone is meeting me there.  I won't eat at church meals because I never know who I would sit with.  I wouldn't go to my high school graduation without having my best friend by my side.
See I told you I can be shy.  Want to know how I cope with all of this? It's hard but here is what I do:
Sarcasm is key...if I can make you laugh for some reason that means I am doing a good job.
Take my friends with me everywhere...they love me for this.
Act smart...I work really hard to do well in my classes and sometimes when people think I am smart they like me better... so I became smart.
All of this is to say that I'm not perfect.  I have my issues too! You may not always see them, but they are always there in the back of my mind.  Even in the safest of places, I am shy at heart.

Weekend Recap!

What was my weekend made up of?

Mac-n-Cheese

Working out

Sweet notes from friends And lots and lots of rest!!

I Believe In...

Even though the link-up started yesterday, I am still going to go with this! I have loved reading Erin's blog and love this idea!
I Believe In...
Wearing pink 
Best friend dates happening on a weekly basis...even if we live together!
Having strong and loving family support

Giving people gifts just because

My Lord and Savior Jesus Christ
Being around children keeps me young at heart

Looking presentable whenever out in public.  You just never know who you may see.  But if you don't see anyone you know while wearing said presentable outfit, feel free to wear again soon!
Being there for someone no matter what
Giving mercy and grace
What do you believe in?

Inspire Me: Healthy Week 8

2 months ago I started doing this link up.  Wow I cannot believe it has been that long! And I still love it and I still love that I am keeping good track of my weight loss.  I think that it is so awesome to have something hold me accountable to this...and this link-up definitely does!
So this week has gone SO much better than the last couple.  I was getting really frustrated with my workouts and not having time for the sleep I need.  Stress was starting to take over.  So after a good phone call with my trainer, we came up with a better plan.
I have moved the majority of my workouts to the afternoon.  Seriously this has made a world of difference for me.  I am no longer pressured by time to get my workout done.  When I walk out of that gym I know I have worked hard.

While riding the spin bikes the other day, Ash may have broken the bike!

All this being said, even though I gained two pounds over the weekend, I was able to lose those 2 pounds!! 
I love watching that number go down, and this week has really motivated me to keep going and not give up!
Also this week I tried some new foods.  I grew up in Florida where all we really ate was salt-water fish.  So whenever I have thought about salmon I thought gross.  Mom and Dad don't care for it and figured I wouldn't either.  
Well Tuesday night Ashlee grilled me some salmon to try...and I LOVED it! Sometimes it is nice to change things up and not eat chicken all the time!

Hopefully next week will be just as successful and happy:)

A Few Fall Favorites!

Fall is right around the corner and I am so looking forward to it! Fall means I get to bring out a whole new wardrobe and lots of my favorite things.  
My most favorite thing that has to do with fall is scarf weather! Seriously I think scarves are the most perfect accessory.  I mean other than hair bows that is.  But really I just LOVE them!

Another favorite? Leggings! Again in love with them! They are so comfortable and I love just lounging around the apartment in them.  Last year that was pretty much all I wore and Kylie, me suite mate, always made fun of me for it!  But it is one thing I will never stop wearing...in fact I am wearing them as I write this!

Another favorite thing? That I can walk around with a nice hot cup of coffee or chai tea and not be sweating or look weird.  I love that it warms me all up inside and makes my day so much brighter:)
My favorite candy comes out in the fall too! Candy corn and those Pumpkins that are made like candy corn? Oh how I could live on those...oh wait I did and now that is why I have to workout ALL THE TIME!

I could go on and on about what I love about fall and all of my favorites! But I thought I would just share a few:)

Crazy Dreams!

So Saturday I had one of those dreams. You know the ones that seem so real you wake up wondering if it actually happened. Yeah it was a crazy one.

So here it goes. My best friend Becky was getting married and we were all getting ready. Except we were in like a theme park kind of place.  There were so many people there from high school and camp that I got completely thrown off.

Becky also had us in some pretty awful dresses.  Think this except brighter more obnoxious blue and MUCH less fitted.  Oh and with a matching t-shirt underneath.  Didn't want to show too much skin!

 All the girls kept getting mad at me for not being ready on time. My hair just would not cooperate.  I was wanting to straighten it but that wasn't happening.  And then next thing I know I had blonde hair.  Yup I went blonde in the dream!

So as I am running around trying to get ready I see Valeria, a friend from camp was there. And she talked me through everything and tried to calm me down.  I am pretty sure she something along the lines of "Moose you got this.  Now calm down!"

After I finally got to looking like I wanted, I started looking for the rest of the bridal party.  They were no where in sight so I decided to go run around the park looking for them.  Apparently that day everyone and their mother was getting married and had the same colors.

I was running around when it started to rain. I was trying I find the girls to take pictures with. I was lost and crying and just knew I looked like a hot mess.  I finally caught up with them when they started all getting mad at me.  I ripped them all a knew one and then woke up.

Seriously crazy dream people!

Weekend Recap

Why is it that weekends have to come and go so quickly? Seriously I am sad to see that it is over! I was able to go to Virginia this weekend and see my momma and other family members! Oh how amazing it was to be able to get away! On Friday I drove 5 1/2 hours just to see my momma! And when I say it was totally worth it, that is an understatement! Friday night was interesting....we went to a Blue Grass gathering thing at the local community center.  Pretty sure the average age there was 80, so I was a little out numbered.  Mom got asked to dance several times, and she did not turn down one time.  Oh how she made the family proud!

Saturday I got woken up by the mop...I mean the dog! Chloe is seriously the cutest thing. Can I have one please?

After that Mom, Aunt Karen, Chloe, and I went on a little hike.  I wasn't told to bring tennis shoes, so I ended up going in my flip flops.  It wasn't bad at all and it was such a nice day to be outside.  The cool air plus the mountains really does something for the soul!

Saturday afternoon we went around and visited with family and said our hellos.  This weekend some of the cousins were in town, and it was nice to be able to spend time with them! I never get to see them, so I always enjoy it when I do!

Saturday night the whole family came over and we hung out and ordered pizza.  I love that we are able to just sit around and talk and not get bored.  It was really great to talk to everyone!

On Sunday I unfortunately had to head back to Milligan by 11.  Stupid classes and tests and homework.  What I would have given to have been able to stay there all week!

5 1/2 hours later I was back at Milligan and spent my night doing homework.  One good thing about coming home though? My roommate! I came home to a completely clean room (even my side)! And she left me a sweet note:) SO grateful for that girl!

Now for a busy week full of tests and papers and work! Already counting down the days till next weekend!

I'm Leaving on a Jet Plane

Not really though.  For one I don't have one, two they are scary, and three driving is just so much easier! But still I am leaving today!
As I said earlier this week I get to see my Momma this weekend!!! Seriously I have been looking forward to this day for a LONG time!  At 11 o'clock today I will be heading to Virginia with my car full of laundry and anxiousness to get there!
I totally wanted to skip one of my classes so I could get on the road earlier.  But Mamerz told me I couldn't  do that.  Something about getting our money's worth out of that class?  Yeah, that's no fun at all!!

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I am so excited to get to Virginia and see Mamerz, Grandma, all the aunts and uncles and cousins!! From what I hear I am not the only cousin coming into town so this should be a rather fun trip!
Safe travels to me and a happy weekend to all!

Inspire Me: Healthy Week 7

So I know Kristen and Raven talked about changing up this series a little bit, and I cannot wait to see where it goes, but for me I am hoping to keep it right here at getting healthy.  This is such a huge part of my life right now and a journey that is still full steam ahead.

While I am still working really hard to lose weight I am starting to see school get in the way.  I have had a test, papers, and lots of reading to do.  And staying up late to study does not encourage me to get up and workout.

This week I have not lost anymore weight, but I have not gained.  Gotta look on the bright side of it all friends!  I am totally 100% pleased with myself for maintaing.  

Since I have been sitting here at this weight for the past two weeks, I have been trying to come up with a way to motivate me some more and lose more weight.  I think I may have found a solution. 

 Carina posted on her blog the other day about a Biggest Loser competition.  If all 50 people sign up, then the first place winner receives $650 and second place $350.  Why in the world would I not jump in on this action?  So friends this is my new goal.  Win me some money so I can finally buy some new clothes!

So now I am trying to figure out how to still get a workout in, without waking up at 3 am, and still sleep, study, and make it to class.  It is not easy but I have to make it work.  And I will.  Any tips for how to make this happen? I need all the help I can get!

On Grace

We all need a little grace in our lives right? Whether we are receiving it or giving it, grace is a much needed factor in any kind of relationship.  And trust me when I say I learned this one the hard way...why does that always seem to happen?
Well let's take a little look at what grace is, because to be serious I always thought I knew what it was....and I was wrong.  
Grace is unmerited divine assistance given to humans for their regeneration or sanctification.  It is a virtue coming from God.  
I love this definition.  It is UNMERITED and it is a virtue from God! He gives us grace everyday of our lives even when we don't deserve it.  He knows we are not perfect.  He knows we will make mistakes all the time.  Yet he still gives us grace.

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I am so guilty of not giving grace where it is deserved and demanding grace where I think I need it.  How awful is that?  I started to realize this when sitting down with my friend the other night.
We are roommates and we were starting to have a couple issues living together.  Let's be honest and say I was the one having some issues.  When we sat down to talk them through and I started to actually listen to what I was saying it hit me.  I was nitpicking every little thing, and while they were things that I felt needed to be addressed, I was not giving grace to my friend AT ALL.

How could she have known those things were bothersome to me?  How could she have known what was offensive to me?  She couldn't.  But I totally expected her to and got mad when she didn't know those things!  I was asking her to fix things and do things for me, without even thinking she needed some room to do them.  I couldn't expect her to live up to my expectations.  She needed grace, and I needed to give it.
It was a big lesson for me to learn.  As much as we say it all the time it is so true, we are only human and we are not perfect.
So lesson learned on grace.  It shall be given even when it is UNMERITED in my eyes.

Do You Remember?

Today is a day that will forever be marked in the history of the United States.  11 years ago today we were attacked.

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When asked the question if I remember what was going on that day, to most people's surprise I say yes.  See I was a wee little thing back in 2001.  5th grade to be exact.  But I remember that day clearer than even field day of that year.
At the time that we heard about the planes crashing into the Twin Towers, my class was in the music room.  We were happily singing along with Ms. Red, doing what all 5th graders do.  That was until someone walked into the classroom and whispered in Ms. Red ear.
All of us could sense immediately that something was wrong.  Ms. Red was clearly upset and asked us all to quiet down.  No one knew whether they should tells us kids or not about what happened.  Maybe we were too young to know. Maybe we wouldn't understand.  But they told us anyways.
Did I have a clue as what the World Trade Center was? No.  But did I understand the importance and terror of a plane purposefully being flown into it? Yes.  Any kid knows that is not OK.
Many kids were pulled out of school that day to be with their families.  When my Dad came home that night and as we watched the news, he explained how horrible this was.
September 11, 2001 will always hold a special meaning to all Americans.  Do you remember?

Weekend Recap

Another weekend has come and gone already! I am always so sad to see them go:(  This weekend was a pretty good one filled with lots of homework and lots of good quality time with friends. Friday this girl and I spent some fun time together.

Kelly has been absolutely amazing this year and I am so grateful for her! Seriously don't know what I would do without her and I am so glad I can call her "roommate"!
We decided to go out to Olive Garden for dinner.  It is always so much fun just to sit and talk about life and everything.  We then headed to the mall and back to Milli.  Later another friend came over and Kel tried to make some cookies.  I will give her some credit and say our oven is janky...but love her heart she cannot cook! We ended up eating something like dough cookies with no flavor.
My Saturday was spent much like my past two...studying for the GRE.  Now I have learned from several other people that I need to stop stressing about this.  But seriously guys I want to do good and I know I am not a good test taker.  So I have to study at least a little!
I also got to spend some time with a pretty awesome lady Saturday afternoon.  Now the reasons for why we were meeting up in the first place I don't really want to go into.  I was needing some advice and she was seriously the perfect person to go to.
Kristal is a new RD here at Milli and she is seriously awesome.  I loved spending some time with her and getting to know her.  She is so wise and this little meeting seriously just made me want to become her new bff. No joke.
Sunday I decided that I needed to sleep in and get some things done.  This should be translated to mean I decided not to go to church.  Instead I got all of my grocery shopping done, laundry done, and lots of homework done.

Like I seriously sat at my computer for 5 hours straight studying and writing a paper.  Stupid overachiever in me!  At least my week will be a little easier? yeah probs not!
And now as much as I hate to see Monday come around, I am looking forward to this week! And it all has to do with Friday coming and me getting to see my momma!!!  5 days in counting and I cant wait!!!

Inspire Me: Healthy Week 6

Ok friends.  So as we all know it is Thursday and that means linking up with Kristen and Raven!  And we all know how much I love this link-up and how much I love getting inspired by all of you!

So this week? Probs not my best week ever.  I have not lost any weight this week, but at least I have not gained!  I am trying to stay positive about this one.  And I am keeping in mind that sometimes my body will hit a plateau, but give me some time and I will get off of it!

This week was a pretty crazy week.  Pretty stressful I might add.  I have a lot on my plate right now with school work, and add into that this homesickness and it is all a big mess.  I have cried more often then not this week.  Pretty sure there are no more tears left.

But I am learning something pretty great out of all of this.  In the past when I would go through times like this I would tend to eat my emotions.  This time...that is NOT going to happen! I am learning to channel my emotions into working out.  And let me tell you friends, that is a much better deal!

I get my anger out now by pushing my body.  Yesterday morning I went on a run.  Outside.  And I made myself run stairs.  A lot of stairs.  So worth and I felt GREAT afterwards!!

Another good thing about this week? I have been experimenting A LOT with my meals.  On Monday I made scallops! Seriously yummy.  Served with some zucchini and I was one happy girl.

On Tuesday I cut up some tomatoes, onion, zucchini, and chicken and put it in a pan on the stove.  Let it cook through and simmer for a little bit.  Seasoned it with some salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Another amazeballs meal!

So easy and SO yummy!

So what is going to keep me going for this next week? My friends closets! I am getting so excited that I am starting to be able to fit into some of their clothes!!! I really cannot wait until I fit into more.  And I am SO going to make that happen!!

I Just Want My Mom

No really that's all I want.  If someone wanted to wrap her up and send her to me that would be great!  In fact just ahead and send the whole family.  I miss them a lot more than usual these days even Ella!

You see this summer was the longest amount of time I have spent with my family at one time since I graduated from high school.  The longest before this summer? Like 4 weeks over Christmas break.  So as much as it was hard to get use to being around them for so long, I did get use to it.  And now...I am really missing them.
Mamerz is my go to person.  You know the person you talk to about just about everything? Yeah that's her.  There really isn't much from my life that she doesn't know about.

Have a problem with a friend? Call mom.  Need to sign up for the GRE but don't know which date to take it? Call mom (need to do that one!) Got a really good grade on a test? Call mom.  Stressed out? Call mom.  Have really awesome news? Call mom.
See I call Mamerz for just about everything.  And I kinda got use to talking to her EVERYDAY this summer.  I mean we lived together.  And now we talk 1-2 times a week.  I mean I don't want to be that lame college student that call her mom everyday.  But I could if I had the time and didn't care about being lame.

Fortunately next weekend I will be seeing her.  I really cannot wait for that time.  For one I just need a break from here, and also hello I get to see her! Even just for three days...it will be totally worth it to drive 5 hours for that!