If you care about equality.

Repeal Don't Ask, Don't Tell Now (DADT)

Do your part.  You should all know by now how I feel about equality for all Americans.  Don't Ask Don't Tell is just the epitome of inequality in America.  The government wants Americans to sacrifice their lives to protect the country, yet they risk losing their benefits and being discharges for being who they are.  Not to mention, they don't even get the same rights as their heterosexual counterparts.  It is truly dishonorable the way the government continues to turn a blind eye to the honorable and brave people serving to protect us.

Guys it's as simple as filling in a few boxes and an email will be sent to your senator.  I'm proud to say NC Senator Kay Hagan (yay NC!) supports the repeal of DADT. 

Oh and even if you don't like Kathy Griffin, her Life on the D-List episode from this week was amazing related to DADT.  I couldn't find the entire episode, but here is a link to the Bravo info page.  Watch the FULL ep though...it's amazing.  YouTube as well :)

Why do people hate change that does not even directly effect them??

Sunny side up please.

One meal I love and adore is breakfast.  I'm pretty much a creature of habit so I enjoy a few quick and easy go-to b-fast items on work days. I'm spoiled by my man making me a more fattening brunch on one weekend day and the other we typically go out.  These are all semi-vegetarian (if you still eat eggs) as well.

First, I [almost] always start my day with coffee

When I used to work at the hell hole that was my first job I had a sweet coffee warmer that everyone at work thought was awesome...I have yet to find somewhere to plug it in in my classroom this year...

I am good and typically one drink one cup of coffee, which is practically like 2 calories.  I recommend Jittery Joe's (Athens, GA based company) Wake N Bake coffee, which is used to brew Terrapin's Wake N Bake Oatmeal Stout .  

 You can order it here

I'm probably killing myself from the inside but I use those refrigerated, flavored coffee creamers.  What are those things made with anyway?  I use either sugar free or fat free and typically hazelnut flavored.  I'll go for one tablespoon which comes in at around 20 or 30 calories.

One of my ridiculously simple go-to bfast items is waffles with peanut butter.  

Eggo Nutri-Grain Whole Wheat waffles...let me tell you, we have tried all the organic, flaxseed, etc. etc. waffles.  They taste like cardboard.  I don't mind the Kashi ones so much though.  Two of the Eggo waffles have 170 calories and 6 grams of fat.  Another thing I just can't get into is the "all natural" peanut butter.  I've tried over and over...it just doesn't work for me!  I use Peter Pan Reduced Fat creamy PB.  You really have to measure it out or it's easy to go overboard slathering the waffles with PB.  1 tablespoon of Peter Pan is 100 calories and has 6.5 grams of fat.  We all know that PB in moderation is good fat.  I try to work out on the days I have this meal.  I really try to limit my breakfast to 300 calories MAX.  But to make it uber healthy, eat some sort of fruit with it.

One of my next favs has been dubbed the egg Mcmuffin:

There are so many ways to make this little guy.  I used to use two egg whites (around 45 calories each), fry them up and add about an ounce of shredded cheddar on top.  Then, I'd layer with about an ounce of ham.  I've tried to shy away from deli meat that isn't directly from Whole Foods deli these days.  Now I'll use: 

• Thomas' Lite Multi-Grain English Muffin which ranks at 100 calories. 
• One egg white (45 calories) and one whole egg (70 calories)
• Cheese, a slice or shredded, basically whatever is on hand (approx. 60 calories)

And voila! Around 275 calories.  I honestly would rather have my homemade egg McMuffin any day over the one from McDonalds.  Again, add some fruit (which I'm terrible about) and you're golden.

My final fav am meal is fruit, yogurt, and granola parfait:

Mine is much less granola!

Now I'm getting in my fruit.  I start with yogurt.  Greek yogurt is the best ever, but when we go to Harris Teeter, they don't have it there.  I have to get it from Whole Foods.

  This is the honey variety which I absolutely recommend for your parfait.  Serving size is 6 ounces and 250 calories.  I'd use about half of that for 125 calories.  Then I'd layer up with strawberries and blueberries typically or whatever berries we have on hand.  About a cup or so of berries (I slice mine) would put you at 50-75 calories.  Finally I top it with granola.  I love Kashi Mountain Medley granola .  It has dried fruit (which adds to the sweetness of the parfait) and nuts.  It's my favorite so far.  Granolas are packed with calories (which aren't necessarily bad...) so I only use 1/4 of a cup which totals 110 calories.  And there you go...approximately 300 calories or less.  It is super filling and so yummy!

What are your favorite healthy, quick breakfasts?

Owl times.

I love owls.  I'm not sure why.  I did a little bit of research on Wikipedia and discovered:

"In many parts of the world, owls have been associated with death and misfortune, likely due to their nocturnal activity and common screeching call. However, owls have also been associated with wisdom and prosperity, frequently being depicted as companion animals for goddesses. In Hindu Mythology, the barn owl is considered to be the vehicle of Goddess Lakshmi (Goddess of Wealth) and thus it is considered lucky if an owl resides near a house. The Greek goddess Athena was commonly depicted accompanied by an owl, and it has remained a common Western symbol of wisdom. This symbolism is evident in the frequent use of an owl in the logos of institutions such as universities and libraries.
In Japan, however, owls are symbols of good luck, mainly through a linguistic accident. The Japanese for "owl" is "fukurou", the Japanese for "hardship" is "kurou", and the Japanese for "not" is (in many cases) "fu". "fukurou" thus implies a life without hardship. Therefore owl symbols are often given to Japanese couples on marriage, because of the bird's auspicious association.
Henry David Thoreau summarized one perception of owls when he wrote in 1854's Walden, 'I rejoice that there are owls. Let them do the idiotic and maniacal hooting for men. It is a sound admirably suited to swamps and twilight woods which no day illustrates, suggesting a vast and underdeveloped nature which men have not recognized. They represent the stark twilight and unsatisfied thoughts which all [men] have.'"

 This makes me adore the owl and symbolism of the owl even more.  I'm considering an owl as another tattoo.  Here are some owl images I adore...

This is a journal but I love the combo of the tree and owl.

 I love the spots details on this one

Wish this was a sketch instead of a stamp (and obv without the word bubble)

 My favorite.

All linked to their respective Etsy sellers

I'm about to throw in the towel.

The scale is just NOT on my side (well I guess neither is control).  With my sister in town and no real consistent schedule, I've only gained weight.  I've been pretty consistently going to the gym 5 days/week and semi-monitoring my calorie intake.  I had just gotten to the point of feeling better about myself...feeling like I was toning up and not too worried about what the scale says.  I had a ton of school work to do last week so that ended up with me sitting around the house bored a lot of the time.  I know my terrible eating hasn't helped a bit.  It's still depressing.  It takes me so long to lose just 1 pound, but it is so quick and easy to gain it right back.  I can't seem to get out of the funk and really control my eating.  I'm just venting.  I know I should be trying harder and doing a better job.  There are weeks that I do try really hard and do everything I'm supposed to then don't see any result...that's when I want to completely give up.  I am starting to really enjoy salads more.  Working out is the one thing I have been really diligent about.  Gah....

Cozy up by the fire.

One thing I really want in a house is a fireplace.  There is nothing that I associate with a cold winter night more than snuggling up by the fire and watching a movie...maybe throw in some Bailey's and hot chocolate.

[DS]

 [D*S]

[trendir]

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**I just realized this post is grossly inappropriate for the heat wave that seems to be sweeping America...at least you can imagine the cold weather coming??**

Our little family.

My brain had been crazy lately.  I've been having the freakiest dreams including all sorts of celebs...Sex and the City girls, Lady Gaga, Justin Beiber (wtf??).  Last night I had a dream where I went to this bar/music venue and came in contact with a lot of people I haven't seen or necessarily thought of since high school and early college days.  It's been strange.  Maybe these are things my brain wanders to when I don't have all the school and work stress?

Another place my mind has been wandering to is our family.  I love our little family consisting of me, D, and our four pets.  I have absolutely no desire (actually it's practically a fear) of expanding our family anytime soon....or even ever?  Four years ago, I was freaked out by all the people I knew of getting married (um hello...I was only 21 then!).  Right when I progressed passed the freak out of that and got married myself, it seems like over 50% of the people I know started getting pregnant.  My facebook is overwhelmed with pictures of people's babies or their pregnant bellies (ew) or a status about how many weeks along they are or other baby/child related thing.  I'm freaked out by it.  I still feel like I am so young...with so many things to do in my life!  I haven't traveled to wine country or New Zealand!  It takes me long enough to get myself sunscreened up and packed to head to the beach for the day.  It takes all my energy to head to school, work all day, work out, and then (maybe) cook dinner.  I want to spend money on plane tickets and clothes.  D and I live in a beer centered world.  I don't want to spend my nights with baby while he goes to beer events. 

Can you picture me dealing with this in a bar? [Google images]

This is not on my life list right now.  Maybe I don't understand this "joy" associated with motherhood?  Maybe I'm cynical and come across as a baby hater.  I just am only 25 and still selfish with my personal time.  I also work with kids for my job (which I adore) and that's enough kid time for me.  Maybe one day I'll outgrow my selfishness...not crossing my fingers it won't be anytime soon.

And I'll continue to dote on friends' babies...but I may not offer to babysit ;)   

Beach bumming.

Wouldn't this be a lovely view to wake up to?

D and I had a serious convo a couple weeks ago about buying a house.  That boy is all serious about it.  It is exciting to me in a way, but I'm still a bit freaked about that kind of major commitment (financially and to Raleigh).  Anyway, my lil sis is in town and we took her out to Kure Beach, NC for the day.  We were just chilling on the beach and talking about how awesome it was to just be out there.  For the past few weeks, I've made the beach at least a weekly trip.  It's totally worth the 2+ hour trip to just lay by the ocean, drink some beers, and clear our minds.  I've mentioned to D a couple times how cool it would be if we could rent a house out there for the summer and just stay while I'm out of school.  He could drive back into Raleigh for events, etc.  I mentioned that wouldn't be too feasible if we buy a house earlier next year because we wouldn't have the cheap rent we have now.  Surprisingly, D totally threw out the idea of ending our lease in Raleigh in April or so, renting a house at the beach for the summer, and looking to buy houses at the end of the summer.  What?!  I would die.  I would totally take a month or so of the long drive to school to be by the beach for the entire weekend.  I'm definitely not going to let this idea slide ;)  Plus...I definitely think we could use the extra time to save up money for a house.  Feel free to come visit me next summer at the beach...