Hopin' for Raleigh

While I live in Charlotte (and I love it), Raleigh will always be my favorite city. North Carolina is my favorite state, so life is pretty good that I at least live in the state again!

Downtown Raleigh at night
I just wrapped up a visit to my favorite city and got to see (almost) all of my favorite people. Only a few friends were missing, and that is just because they live out of town (note to self: need to plan a trip to Washington DC and Nashville after graduation).

Some highlights of the trip...

Delicious dinners at Sushi Blues, Shiki Sushi, Buku, and Jimmy V's

Dynamite appetizer at Sushi Blues
Big Red (aka my car) got her oil changed, tires rotated, a bath, and a vacuuming. She is so happy and clean but tired of driving. She told me she needed a rest for a few days...

Scott's Mill Oktoberfest and family fun

Oktoberfest fun
One-on-one time with some of my best friends that I have not spent time with in far too long.

Obligatory pre-going out pic - not in a mirror, courtesy of Mom!
Recruiting at my alma mater NCSU with another one of my best friends.

Betsy and I outside of the College of Management

And enjoyed a delicious post-recruiting dinner with another good friend (ref. above one-on-one time)...

Pretty centerpiece and Michael's to-go short ribs

Look how cute and professional I am!

Butternut Squash and Chicken Pierogis

Creme Brulee Sampler - Vanilla, Chocolate, Ginger (l to r)
Meatloaf sandwiches - multiple times (at least once for breakfast, don't judge me til you've tried it). Thanks for fixing the meatloaf, Dad!

Nom nom nom.
A new camera! Hopefully I will continue to have more pictures in my blog (not taken with my HTC EVO...)

Sometimes, there is just no place like home. This was one of my more enjoyable trips to Raleigh because I got to see everyone that I love! Not that my trips are not typically enjoyable - this one was just particularly fun. Since my old room has been taken over by my brother's crap, I sleep on the pull-out bed in the bonus room. Look at what my sweet mom did my first night of recruiting!!

Yes, that is a Kit-Kat on my pillow...
It is sad that my next trip home is not until Christmas, but I hope it is another fun-filled trip. I have a lot to keep me busy (and to look forward to) from now until then, but I certainly cannot wait to get back! And hopefully more often after I am done with school.

Hoarders: Canned Goods Edition

Apparently, I am auditioning for an unannounced show called Hoarders: Canned Goods Edition. Credits belong to Food Lion, Aldi, and my father.

My Rubbermaid handy-cart post-Aldi trip filled with some of the goods
It is funny the habits children pick up from their parents without even realizing it. I make fun of my dad for having a pantry full of canned goods and making chicken noodle soup. I now have a pantry full of canned goods and made chicken noodle soup with said canned goods last week.

Exhibit A
A few weeks ago, I got some fun pantry organization supplies from Rubbermaid! A can organizer as well as a helper shelf. They have tons and tons of organizational tips and tricks on their website as well as their blog. Check it out!

I feel fully stocked for the winter (canned goods, peanut butter, pasta sauce, and toilet paper have all been purchased in bulk). Speaking of peanut butter, prices are going up! Stock up while you can. I got two jars of reduced fat Jif at Food Lion today.

In other news, with my newly built stockpile, I plan on making and eating a lot of soups! Healthy, nutritious, and filling. On tap for the next week or two:

- Beef stew (beef, orzo, diced tomato, green beans, potato, onion)
- Turkey white bean pumpkin chili from Gina's Skinny Taste
- Butternut squash soup is in the freezer - best served with sunflower seeds and sour cream on top, with a side of cornbread
- North African Meatball Stew over couscous will be next week (I use turkey meatballs instead of making my own).

I really enjoy making soup because it is easy and portable. And it is also basically foolproof. While I have not really messed anything up in the kitchen before (minus my recent kale incident - which I don't like to talk about)... soups are incredibly easy. Chop some meat up, open a few cans, toss in pot, add some seasonings, and heat until the flavors have melted. Or even easier, throw all that stuff in a crockpot and come home to a yummy smelling dinner!!

Scott's Mill Oktoberfest

This weekend I was able to go home, and had some good quality family time at a neighborhood Oktoberfest with my parents, brother, and neighbors (who really might as well be family...) Oh, and some ahhhh-mazing hot wings with homemade sauce. Nom nom.

Chatting with the neighbor kids

Oktoberfest fun

Ridin' home

Bonfire time! Perfect weather, perfect company.

Neighbor Mike, Brother Jonathan, Mom Susan

Dad Jim and Neighbor Shelly

And then came the wings!

I love spending time with my Crazy Maple Court family! That's what we call the street my parents live on... I couldn't ask for a better way to spend my Saturday night. Stay tuned for more stories about my trip to Raleigh.

Has anyone been to any fun Fall festivals yet this season? What is your favorite Fall tradition?

My favorite blogs!

While of course my #1 favorite blog is Katie's Pirate Booty... I am a huge fan of reading blogs for entertainment. So, here goes my list of favorite blogs in no particular order (except for the first one - it really is my favorite blog).

Suri's Burn Book

This is hands down one of the funniest blogs I have ever read. Some creative genius writes from the POV of Suri Cruise (Tom and Katie's daughter). While posting is not always constant (which I would love), the posts are always quality and completely hillarous. As you could imagine, Suri Cruise is probably a snotty child, and this blog completely embodies what you would imagine as her personality. She pokes fun at other celeb children in completely ridiculous manners. If you are in to pop culture, and want a good laugh, I highly recommend checking out Suri's Burn Book.

Healthy Tipping Point

Healthy Tipping Point is a healthy living blog - Caitlin is a really good writer, and has varied columns that keep me interested with topics ranging from recipes to running to restaurants. She is also a local Charlotte blogger! I enjoy hearing the things she checks out in the city.. maybe one day we will run in to each other! It is weird, but by reading other people's blogs (people who post often and/or write a lot of detail about their life), I feel like I really know them.

Reality Steve

I discovered Reality Steve about 2 years ago. He posts spoilers of The Bachelor(ette) franchise, and I love it. He also writes incredibly humorous reviews of the shows, as well as other reality shows such as DWTS. He has recently started featuring other bloggers on his site to cover shows like Keeping up with the Kardashians and the Real Housewives franchise. Keep in mind, Reality Steve has a lot of 'inside' info that may ruin the allure of the show for some of you. For me, I love the cynicism of Reality Steve's posts and the fact that he always points out the ridiculousness of the concept that is the Bachelor(ette). Of course, I still watch the shows and feed in to the hype... Reality Steve has made my viewing experiences that much better.

Faye's Book

I came across Faye's Book during one of my Bachelor(or maybe -ette?) phases in which I was obsessed with reading any and all blogs about the show. While Faye does blog about the Bachelor(ette), she tells some pretty funny stories about her life. We are in the approximate same age group/place in life, and I find I can identify with her blog (read: life) pretty well.

Gina's Skinny Recipes

Gina. Is. Awesome. This is my go-to website for any recipe. I get so excited to see her new posts! She is Weight Watchers friendly, and if you have not been to this site - GO, NOW, CLICK FAST! While her recipes are healthy, she does a fantastic job of disguising that fact. None of her recipes that I have tried taste overly healthy. She uses normal, fresh ingredients to make simple dishes. Also, her photography skills make her dishes look particularly delectable

Check out some of these blogs and let the writers know what you think! What are some of your favorite blogs?

Looking Forward

One thing I am very good at is having a pity party for myself... Currently in one now - I feel like I have been good diet and exercise-wise this week and I am getting no results. As I discussed in my weight loss journey, I need to redirect my thoughts and remember that I am healthy - and sometimes the scale does not always reflect 'health.' I jogged two miles today!

So in a public attempt to redirect my thoughts, I am going to list out a few (non-scale) things that I am looking forward to during the rest of 2011! A central theme: lots of good family time!

Disclaimer: this pic is from November 2007 - holy cow I am getting old!
This weekend/part of next week in Raleigh. Two words: State Fair. Ok, I am excited about more than that! I get to see almost all of my friends, my family, and my little brother (see above: not so little) turns 21! Hopefully he will let me celebrate with him.

I am going to Raleigh for work (a recruiting trip at NCSU), which is one of my favorite things to do (work-wise). I really should be a recruiter... I am good at it! My family happens to live in the Raleigh area - very convenient!

Also, this Friday I am taking a vacation day! Sometimes I think I forget what 'vacation' is, and while I will be doing some schoolwork... I am looking forward to a three day weekend.

I miss you, NC State!
Las Vegas. Somehow, I convinced my parents to take us to Vegas for Thanksgiving this year. I gently suggested it (read: started brainwashing) around Christmas last year, so there was plenty of time to plan and process. I am BEYOND excited. This will be my first trip to Las Vegas, and my brother will finally be 21, and something tells me my parents will be having just as much fun as he and I will be ;-)

My 24th birthday happens to be on Thanksgiving this year (24 on the 24th! This is gonna be an awesome birthday), and my goal is to not spend a single dollar on drinks (and hopefully get free dessert everywhere we go). For the cherry on top of this alcohol infused sundae, by the time I get there, I will have taken my last final (ever) and completed my last presentation (ever).

Which brings me to...

Graduation. On December 16th (65 days), I will officially have my MBA and this long journey will finally be over! I am very grateful though that my final semester I only have to take one class, and it has not been excruciatingly painful (like other classes *ahem* management science). I chose my professor wisely; the other sections have a 140 page paper to write. No thank you. Mom, Dad, start planning my baller graduation party!!! Yes, I am having one because Dad did, and mine had better be epic!

While my life is completely different than when I started this blog, I am glad things turned out the way that they did. And in 65 days I will be able to say I survived grad school while working a full time job. Never thought I would say that! It is hard for me to believe that it is mid-October. Where has the time gone?!

Thanks for letting me share some things that I am looking forward to this year. How about my readers? What plans are you looking forward to the most for the rest of this year?