College Graduation 2014

Photography By: LG Photography 

Houston's Live Stock & Rodeo Show!

Aaron & I posted up outside the grounds of last Saturday's rodeo. Of course, when I packed for the weekend I WOULD forget my cowboy boots :/ 

No worries though. I still looked cute with my little nude suede F21 flats, American flag crop top and homemade high-waisted cutoff shorts.

And no doubt, the best accessory to my outfit... my cutie of a boyfriends ;)

Austin Love

Austin, TX is not where I'm from and it's not where I grew up, but it's got my heart :)

My roommate and I currently go to school at Texas State, as I've mentioned before. We probably almost lost our lives by catching this moment, but whatever. 

I love how the strip of South Congress leads directly to the Capital building. You can barely see it in the picture, but at night it is something to see. 

That day was a pretty relaxing day soaking up the city before we hit the Spring Break nightlife crowd. Grabbing a slice at Home Slice and listening music from every corner for a mile every way you turned from SXSW. 

I love this picture. 

Spring Break Outfit of the Day

It's Spring Break and the sun is shining for me today! Finally, I get to wear shorts outside without developing frostbite...just kidding. 

This is Texas, but DAMN!

Anyway, Fedora and shoes are F21, the top is Cotton On and my jewelry is Stella and Dot. 

--------------------> HYPE me to the right if you like this outfit!

A Different Tuna Fish Recipe

This isn't your mom's tuna fish sandwich from your childhood. 

My new better eating recipe is a different twist on the tuna fish on whole wheat bread. 

Ingredients:
- 1 (9 oz.) can of solid white tuna
- 1/2 cup of bread crumbs
- 1/2 a lemon
- 1/2 cup of chopped parsley
- 1 tbs. of pesto
- 3 tbs. of chipotle mayo
- pinch of black pepper

Instructions:

1. In a mixing bowl, combine all ingredients until mixed evenly
2. Toast the bread 
3. Spread some chipotle mayo or whatever suits your taste buds
4. Enjoy!

If you have any recipes that you want to try, but don't want to take the time to prepare, let me know and I'll cook it myself and let you know how it turns out. 

Roasted Garlic Broccoli Recipe

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes at 350 degrees

Need:
- 1 head of broccoli
- 2 tbs. of extra virgin olive oil
- 1 clove of garlic
- salt & pepper

Cut your head of broccoli into bite sized pieces and then again in half so they can cook evenly

Finely mince the clove of garlic

Add broccoli, olive oil, garlic clove and your salt & pepper into a mixing bowl and spin the bowl until all contents are evenly distributed.

Pour everything onto a cooking sheet covered in tin foil

 Cook for 15 minutes or until it starts to brown to your liking

ENJOY!

Zucchini Noodle Spaghetti Recipe

    

Tonight for dinner I made zucchini spaghetti with roasted broccoli on the side.

Don't get me wrong, I loved my dinner and I thought it was delicious. It's just really odd to me to not have a dinner roll to soak up my spaghetti sauce or to eat regular noodles. Even after I ate my meal and drank a full glass of water, I'm still kinda hungry. I don't feel full and all I want is toasted with melted butter on it. This is really going to be a challenge. 

Zucchini Spaghetti

Put onto a cooking sheet evenly and set the oven to 375 degrees to cook for about 10-15 minutes

Need: 1 zucchini

Cut in half

Cut the halves in half

Slice from top to bottom into thin strips

I cooked them in the oven at 375 degrees

Served with ground turkey meat sauce and hand-grated mozzerella

No Bread Challenge for One Week!

To get fit this season, before I have to fit into a bridesmaid dress, I am going to start eating better. But, I am not one to do anything cold turkey and force myself to eat bird food, essentially. 

The last few days I have been researching the harms of eating white bread and even whole wheat bread. Sources say, "the starches in bread get broken down quickly in the digestive tract and enter the bloodstream as glucose. This causes a rapid spike in blood sugar and insulin levels" and I'm not about that life! Especially since I have to fit into this bridesmaid dress by June.

Because of these findings I have challenged myself to not eat bread or any bread products for a whole week. That includes: bread, cereal, rice, crackers, chips, pasta and so on. If you know me, you know that I eat bread constantly! 

I am not trying to lose weight by doing this, rather to feel healthy and to sort of detox my eating habits. I don't know about you, but I hate working out and I especially don't like to workout while my body is filled with fast food, soda and all kinds of other junk that usually ingest. 

This week I will not be working out because I honestly don't have time to, especially with midterms this week. Next week when I start this process over, I will start to add in workouts!

My starting weight: 110.8 lb.

Please don't mind the beer and jello shots.
I won't be drinking alcohol for this challenge.

Grocery List Included:

- head of broccoli
- zucchini
- avocados
- cucumbers
- lemons
- 2 gallons of water
- coconut oil
- parsley
- tilapia
- lemon pepper marinated chicken
- tuna
- Jamba Juice smoothie kit
- eggs
- tomatoes
- milk
- Brookside dark chocolate Goji with Raspberry
- whole cashews

- feta cheese

- apples (btw this was a stretch bc I hate fruit!)

- organic yogurt

- Naked juices

- apple juice

- Kale and Spinach

                                    Wish me luck on my challenge feel healthier!

My Golden Birthday

LBJ Museum Event Outfit

My first museum event went off without a hitch!

I was so nervous, but not for long. Especially when the attendees started to 

compliment me on my look.

I was going for a patriotic theme since my event was in celebration of President's Day.

Top #jcrew. Skinny Slacks #newyorkandco. Bag #katespade

Valentine's Eve Outfit

Sister Love

That's me (left) and my sister, Sarah (right), all dolled up from a bachelorette party we went to this weekend. She's wearing a short black-sequin dress and I'm wearing a long black dress with sheer top and sheer overlay; which you can't see in the picture. 

Everyone wore black because the bachelorette wore pink. 

We had so much fun riding in a fully loaded party bus full of brilliantly beautiful people dancing and I too got my fair share of swinging on the stripper pole!

First bar was a karaoke bar where my sister and I sang Katy Perry's, "I Kissed a Girl". The second place we went to was Houston's very own, "La Bere", a male strip club. We ended up staying there the rest of the night due to a "miscommunication" between the party bus and my sister and I...

Long story short... we got left behind. 

No worries though because there was a sea of super hotties and we were in the middle of it!

Had such a fun night and created memories with my little sister. 

After all, isn't that what it's all about?

Valentine's Day Flowers

Most people, when they think a bouquet of flowers, will think of roses or tulips or even the colorful arrangement you see when you pass up the floral aisle in the grocery stores. Not everyone thinks of a white carnation. I used to think of them as a cheap restaurant center piece or, frankly, not a good enough flower to give me on Valentine's Day. That is, until 3 years ago.

I always make fun of my long time boyfriend, Aaron, for getting me the worst stuff as gifts. For our first Christmas spent together he got me a DVD of "Despicable Me", a phone case and a relationship book by Steve Harvey... I got him an Invicta watch...( you do the math). For my birthday later the next year, he did much better and got me my first massage; although I didn't get it until 5months later! And for our first Valentine's day spent together he gave me a big, bouncy bouquet of white carnations... 

Why would he give me carnations?! Does he not like me?!

I smiled and put them in a vase of water next to my mom's flowers from my dad: 3 dozen beautifully fragrant red roses, and we proceeded to go to dinner and have a wonderful time. When we got home, all I could think of was the carnations. I complained like a spoiled brat about them because I didn't think they were flowers that I deserved (later in this rant I realized I didn't deserve flowers at all).

Over the course of weeks passing by, my mom's roses started to wilt and die. Not the white carnations though. They just kept blossoming bigger and wider. 

Finally, my mom threw away about $150 worth of roses in the trash, but my $10 bouquet still stayed blossomed. I was shocked. 

Now 3 years later, I think of this and realize that white carnations are beautiful. They symbolize 'pure love' and innocence'. I love my boyfriend and hope that he sends me white carnations for Valentine's Day this year. 

If he doesn't... we'll see if he lives this V-DAY (just kidding) 

Partition- Beyonce Choreography

My Spirit Animal

Tonight I "Yonced all on his mouth like liquor" at a dance class our friend, Cinzia, hosts and choreographs herself. This time it was to Beyonce's- Partition. By the way, I cannot explain how much I love Beyonce. Anyway, I had fun, even though I totally messed up a million and one times! 

Check it out for yourself! Let me know what you think. 

New Year. New Hair. 2014.

When I came back from the holiday break, my roommate, Sasha, encouraged me to dye my hair for the new year. She kept saying, "new year. new hair." I thought it was silly, but whatever. What do I have to lose? It's my last semester at Texas State University before I graduate with my Communications degree and after all, it's just hair. 

I have naturally really boring hair. Almost like a dirty, ashy blonde that is almost dark enough to be called Brown, but isn't. It was okay with me...not like I care about my hair color that much. Sasha basically picked it out. She said, "it would make you look edgy!" 

At first I didn't like it, but it's growing on me. 

Yeah, it's a small step in my journey to being the person I want to be (whatever that means), but I think it's a good step in the right direction; as far as appearance goes that is.