Baked Blueberry Oatmeal

Three guesses as to where I found this recipe... Ready, go! [hint: it was Pinterest]

TA-DA!!! Baked Blueberry Oatmeal, courtesy of "So, How's it Taste?"

As you'll notice, I improvise on almost everything, for one of three reasons:

1. I don't like (or don't eat) one of the ingredients.
2. I'm allergic to one of the ingredients. <-- this is only pecans & walnuts, but they're everywhere!
3. The store didn't have it OR it was way too expensive.

Here's the recipe, with my modifications noted.

Quarter Life Crisis, part 1

Confession: I'm 25 but I still feel like I'm 19.

Not in all aspects, of course, but in the sense that I feel like I'm still unprepared for the real world.

I'm hoping this is normal.

Despite graduating from college almost three years ago, holding multiple internships, doing some freelance work, touring the country for work, and currently having a full-time job, I still feel like the same freaked-out, insecure, (not neurotic or emotional, this isn't "The Italian Job") overwhelmed and indecisive person I was six years ago.

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The (almost) Perfect Saturday

Fall is my favorite season.  As soon as mornings have that brisk chill, leaves become crunchy under my feet, Starbucks brings back  their seasonal drinks, and weekends are dominated by football games, I'm in a perpetual good mood.

This Saturday was one of those days for me.

Josh's birthday was last Wednesday but obviously a long-distance relationship means we didn't get to see each other.  Instead, I went down to Lafayette (Indiana) for the weekend for some belated birthday celebrating and just general seeing each other.  Unfortunately, with all the weddings (two this month!) he can't keep taking off work on Saturdays, which means he had to work while I was in town.

His house is way in the middle of nowhere and his job is near Purdue's campus, so we had to leave around 8 am so I could drop him off at work.  I looked super attractive (ha) in my workout clothes.  I drove over to campus and parked at the parking garage across from my old sorority, grabbed my keys and phone, and hit the pavement.  So this is what campus is like at 9 am on a Saturday.  I always wondered who those crazy people were out running... Now I guess I know!

The southeast side of the stadium, where I ran stairs

I ended up running an hour and going almost 4 miles, including running some stairs at the stadium and the biggest hills around campus.  That was Saturday, today is Tuesday, and my calves are still killing me!  After my run, I snapped a quick pic of my old house and headed to Starbucks for some breakfast.  Now, I've been hearing all these posts on Facebook and Twitter about the Pumpkin Spice latte finally arriving-- but that's not my drink of choice.  For me, it's all about the nonfat iced salted caramel mocha. Oh. My. Gosh. I probably drank these three times a week last year when I was on the road.

Nonfat iced salted caramel mocha. Pure perfection.

I had a $10 off coupon for Old Navy so after my turkey bacon & egg white sandwich, I drove out to the mall to see what I could pick up for fall!  I drove with the windows down, because it was absolutely the perfect temperature out.  It was magnificent.  At noon I met up with my sorority little sis for lunch-- she's been in Australia studying abroad (her boyfriend lives there) for the past 7 months and is back for a year!  It was so fun to see her again, catch up on news, and reminisce about our favorite (and not-so-favorite) college memories.  Oh, and don't worry-- I got cleaned up & changed after my run!

When I picked Josh up from work, we went to a local sports bar for an afternoon of college football.  Josh got lucky and his Florida Gators pulled out a win, but my Boilermakers didn't fare so well against the Irish.  I wasn't in a very good mood after that...

BUT all things considered, it was about as perfect as a Saturday could be.  Cloudless sky, brisk weather, exercise, friends, and football.  Wonderful.

Getting Creative: Using Food Before You Move!

I am currently beyond stressed by my life.  My friend and I are going through the whole apartment hunting process, which has been a nightmare and, as of right now, continues to be the bane of my existence.  I can't even get into it without writing a novel on the subject and detailing every email sent between Kathleen/me and our agent/condo.

On top of that ordeal, I'm the Maid of Honor for my best friend, and her bachelorette party and bridal shower-- which I'm singlehandedly planning AND paying for-- is this weekend (Friday & Sunday).  PLUS my fellow admin front-desk superhero (we have super glamorous jobs... not.) is out for 3 days to attend her brother's graduation from basic training, which means I'm taking on her responsibilities as well as my own.

This is one of those weeks where I'm genuinely losing sleep, which doesn't happen too often to me.  It's hard to fall asleep, I wake up a couple times throughout the night, and then all I can think all day long is everything that's weighing on me.  While I'm in the shower, doing my makeup, at my work desk, trying to read on the L, watching TV with the roommates-- literally all I'm doing is worrying.  Not good.

Anyway... Back to the moving process.

Since I'm not sure how much longer I'll be living at my current apartment, I've decided to try and use up all the food in my pantry/fridge/freezer instead of going to the grocery store.  That means having to get really creative with my meals.

After going back and forth (and back and forth) between my freezer and my pantry, I decided to do stir-fry.  I grabbed sweet baby peas, cauliflower and heat-n-serve beef strips from the freezer and threw them in a nonstick skillet with a good amount of teriyaki and some garlic.  Meanwhile, I boiled some whole-wheat rotini pasta from the pantry until it was a few minutes shy of al dente and then tossed it into the skillet with the rest of my masterpiece.

It was a tasty way to use up a few ingredients that I would've otherwise had to throw away by the time moving day arrived!

Spending Birthday Money

A month ago yesterday, I hit the quarter century mark.  Some people freak out about this, yet in the grand scheme of things, my life is (I hope!) still in its earliest stages.

We celebrated my 25th with a big Cubs win!
From L-R: my 2 roommates, me, the boyfriend, and 2 good friends from Purdue. 

I'm not a mother, not married, but I do have a select few grey hairs.  This, in all honesty, is a relief.  The select few part is what makes me happy; my dad was salt-and-pepper around my age and his sister was completely grey in college.  I got their bone structure (ugh- save this one for another day.) but thankfully not their follicles.

Yesterday I finally spent the first half of the birthday money from my grandparents.  Well, I didn't want to see all of it disappear so I used half and then supplemented it with some additional funds from my checking account.  And yes, it took me a month to decide how best to use the money.

The truth of the matter is that I need more work-appropriate shirts.  Please don't assume I'm currently rocking cleavage-displaying, midriff-baring tops (gross!), as I assure you I'm not.  I'm actually quite good at handling the options available in my closet-- pairing a knit tee with a pencil skirt, skinny jeans with a floral top and blazer, turquoise skinny pants with sandals and a cardigan-- but I need more preppy, conservative no-brainers.  I need more button-up shirts.

Carly at College Prepster gave me the nudge I needed to browse my favorite retailer for (first and foremost) the adorable girls' necklace that will be a fun addition to my 4th of July ensemble.  From there I decided to see what color options in the Perfect Shirt were available on sale-- it's birthday money, I want to s-t-r-e-t-c-h it as far as possible!

For under $200-- including taxes and shipping-- I managed to snag the following finds:

The necklace that started it all - Girls' Bead and Star Necklace in Modern Red

Women's Perfect Shirt in Mini Gingham, in Lemon Zest

Women's Stretch Perfect Shirt, in Casablanca Blue

Women's Stretch Perfect Shirt, in Cerise

Now I'm just trying to be patient while my new presents arrive at my apartment :)

Peace

If you ever decide to set your alarm clock for an hour or two before its shrill tones usually jolt you from your slumber, I recommend you grab a coffee, come to Lakeview, and just observe.

You'll see a man, almost ready for his 20-year reunion.  Underneath the sweat-wicking tee from a past marathon and nylon shorts so short your grandmother would blush, his sun-tanned arms and legs show every muscle, every vein as he pounds the pavement at what you assume must be a world record speed.

You'll see a girl, barely old enough to begin a career.  Wearing a colorful tank with a complicated back strap combination and stretchy black pants that show every curve of her former cheerleader legs, her yoga-toned arms propel her forward at a pace that you think looks comfortable for a 4- or 5-mile loop.

Another man, probably with great-grandkids in a nearby suburb.  His t-shirt hangs off a now-bony frame and his shorts look precariously close to slipping off, and even though you could comfortably walk at his running pace, you see him pass by at the same time every day of the week.

A woman runs by pushing a jogging stroller and trailing a preschooler on a bike with training wheels.  Whether both pregnancies took a noticeable toll on her body or she had a few extra pounds to begin with, she's huffing and puffing in her husband's massive tee and basketball shorts, hoping the surplus of fabric will hide the body she hates seeing in the mirror.

All of them run to find some kind of peace.  To erase the nagging feeling they just aren't fast/strong/man enough.  To mentally escape from a difficult home life.  To forget the pain of losing loved ones.  To stop hating yourself.

Personally, I run because I enjoy the peace.  The peace and quiet of a pre-dawn metropolis.  Waking up before my roommates, before most of the city.  Tying on my New Balances at an hour most people hope to never see.  And savoring the unspoken bond that hovers around the neighborhoods, unifying all of us through one simple thing:

Running.