I'm Home from Chicago!

I'm back from Chicago and using most of today to recover from all that traveling! It was awesome to see my friend Kathryn for her birthday and get to see some things I've never seen before. The worst part was the seven hour train ride both ways by myself. Luckily, on the way there half of the trip I got to sit alone and the other half I was next to the sweetest lady who even helped me find my friend when we got off in Chicago because I didn't know where to go! 

Saturday was the big day of visiting the city - I got to see The Bean and try Jamba Juice for the first time! Yum! We walked around a lot but it was freeeezing. I got a new shirt from the three story (!) Forever 21. Later, we picked up our friend Juli from the train and headed out that night to a few bars near where Kathryn is living.

The night included: a family band, a bar full of scary looking bikers, a bouncer who could make his pecs dance, chatting with 50-year-old men and goth looking guys, dancing to Lady Gaga and getting lost trying to get home... to name a few things that happened.

All in all, definitely an experience and really glad I got to see my friends and visit the city! Never taking that stupid train again though, haha! 

Long Weekend: Heading to Chicago

Cue the radio silence: I am heading to Chicago to visit one of my best friends who recently moved there this weekend. I'll be gone for a long weekend so there will be some silence on the blog.


I'm nervous because I've never headed out on a trip solo but I am so excited to see my friend!

Please help us out: What should we do? Places we should check out? Let us know! :) Also, how should I deal with the train ride by myself? I'm definitely bringing some music and a book!

Tunes I'm Lovin' Tuesday!

Last week, I got invited to a birthday party at a bar where this band was playing. I had never heard of them before, but they ended up being amazing! Tell me what you think! I haven't found a song of theirs I don't like yet and this one is especially catchy.

 "On Top of the World" - Imagine Dragons

Cooking with the Boss!

This past weekend, my mom and I headed to the Palace of Auburn Hills for the first annual "What's Cooking Detroit Food & Cooking Expo". Okay, okay, I admit that I'm not much of an adventurous eater or cook. But the star of one of my favorite shows was going to be there! As luck would have it, I got an email about a Living Social deal to see Buddy Valastro the day after my mom mentioned the expo.

As far as the expo goes, I thought it was a flop, but Buddy was amazing! Here are highs and lows of my day there:

High: Our Living Social deal got my mom and I tickets in a decent section. As we were waiting for the show to start, a group of women came up to us and offered us tickets for seats that were much closer. We were so grateful and excited because the new seats were pretty awesome!

Low: As I was pumped about the new seats, I took out my camera that I had remembered to bring last minute. Upon turning it on, it promptly died. Wah wah.

High: Buddy was great! He was so nice and joked around just like he does on his shows. He showed us how to make a veal dish and then how to decorate cupcakes. I was definitely more interested in the cupcake decorating of course, but it was just really nice to see him live in action.

Low: The expo was not what I expected. While we were there mainly to see Buddy we walked around for a while before and after. All of the booths were jammed in the area where you walk around to buy food or find your seat before a concert or game at the Palace. There just wasn't enough room for all of the people and let me tell you... I hate crowds! There weren't as many samples as I imagined and even if you wanted one, you had to wait in huge lines that blocked other booths!

All in all, it was worth going just to see Buddy! I love "Cake Boss", "Kitchen Boss" and "The Next Great Baker"! Here are some photos I took with my phone. Not the best quality but I had to document the experience somehow:

 

Tunes I'm Lovin' Tuesday!

I've been playing this song nonstop lately. It is just so catchy and easy to sing along to. It also really reminds me of a past relationship and definitely would have been a past breakup anthem.

The video is rather strange though. Also, Glee did a really good version of it with Blaine and his brother, Cooper (guest Matt Bomer). I'll leave you with both versions to rock out to!

"Somebody That I Used To Know" - Gotye ft. Kimbra

Having a Rough Day?

You may have already seen this post buzzing around the Web, but if you haven't or need a happiness reminder on a Monday: check this out!


13 Simple Steps To Get You Through A Rough Day!

Don't let Monday get you down...

Tunes I'm Lovin' Tuesday!

I hope everyone had a wonderful Easter or Passover! Today's tune is a song I love to listen when I am running! I know rap isn't everyone's cup of tea, but I do like to listen to it when I exercise because it pumps me up and gets me to run faster.

What type of music do you like to listen to when you exercise? 

"Roman Reloaded" (Clean Version) - Nicki Minaj ft. Lil' Wayne

Why So Much Hype?

Last week, I saw "The Hunger Games" and recently started reading the book. It is great, however, it got me thinking...

Sometimes I find it strange the movies and things that get so much hype.

Personally, my favorite type of movies are comedies and light-hearted movies. Of course, I do have some favorite drama, action, etc. types of movies. But really, I just tend to get so anxious and sad on my own, so why do I want to watch movies that will make me feel depressed or scared?

I suppose part of me understands why movies like "Twilight" and "The Hunger Games" gain such a following and almost an obsession. They have action, romance, comedy and basically everything you could want in a movie. Once someone starts becoming obsessed with it in the media, it spirals out of control.

What do you think? Do you think the hype of certain movies is overrated? Do you wish other movies had more hype? Tell me your thoughts!

Tunes I'm Lovin' Tuesday!

I've been obsessed with this song for a while and it isn't going away! Enjoy this fun tune for today! I even have it as my ringtone.

"We Are Young" - fun

Eating More Mindfully

It seems much of the time I can't get through one day without a headache or stomachache. Sometimes both! While I know sometimes the problem can be my nerves or problems with my sinuses and allergies, I think a big part of it is my diet.

I try to eat healthy but most of the time I know I don't have the healthiest diet or eat the most nutritious foods. I think part of it is laziness and I simply eat whatever food is easiest to make or available to me quickly. I am really interested in learning more about nutrition and hopefully changing my diet to food that will help me feel better. Any help or ideas you have would be amazing! Here are some ideas I had to start out with to see how it makes me feel:

1. Cut out sweets and junk food. As much as I love my chocolate and sweets, I think a lot of times it gives me stomach problems.

2. Cut out processed food. While I definitely have to do some research on all types of processed foods, I know that the chemicals or additives in these foods can definitely cause health problems and just general icky feelings.

3. Eat more fruits and vegetables. Many times I don't eat many fruits and vegetables unless they are cut up and ready to eat or I order them in a restaurant. This is simply laziness and no excuse. Sometimes I do notice that eating vegetables gives me a stomachache, but I think this may just be not eating them regularly or a specific vegetable.

4. Keep track of how much and timing of what I eat. For example, some days I know I don't eat enough and that can lead to headaches or yucky feelings and some days I will eat too many snacks or sweets and that definitely causes sick feelings. I need to just be more mindful of the things I eat and not letting myself eat too much or too little in a day.

5. Drink more water. I have read many positive things about drinking lots of water because it flushes out toxins, helps you stay hydrated and helps your immune system. Perhaps when I get headaches, it could be from the start of dehydration.

Do you have any more advice for me? I by no means want to go on a "diet" to lose weight or anything like that, I just want to eat more mindfully so I don't feel bad most of the time. I may start to write down everything I eat and perhaps the way I feel after I eat to get a better idea.