i heart blizzards...

And no, I do not meant that I love huge snowstorms. In fact, given the choice I would always choose summer over winter. Always. I do on the other hand heart blizzards from Dairy Queen. Outside of the TCBY shiver which is the best ice cream treat on the planet, the blizzard is my most favorite dessert. The only reason TCBY tops DQ is my love of the white chocolate mousse that is part of their shiver. But other than that, they are the same. I have always been a lover of blizzards but lately I feel like I have become a connoisseur. I am in pursuit of finding the best blizzard. I was always a fan of the usual peanut butter cup or Butter finger blizzard. Then my boyfriend changed my world. He was sweet enough to introduce me to the peanut butter sauce they have at Dairy Queen. Now from my last post, we all know that I love love peanut butter. I have tried the peanut butter sauce with many toppings: peanut butter cups, oreos, m&ms, brownie bits, but lately my go to blizzard has been peanut butter sauce and cookie dough. I know - we are seeing a patter here. But two weekends ago, I tried a blizzard that I think has surpassed them all. Unfortunately I can not take credit for this creation. That I will have to give to my boyfriend. But this blizzard was so delicious I had to share: peanut butter sauce, Butterfingers, and crunch coat. It was delicious. I recommend everyone try it.

And to make it even better, last night I was watching tv and saw a DQ commercial. From now until Sunday, if you buy one blizzard you get an additional one for $0.25. Enjoy :)

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/04/19/dairy-queen-blizzard-turn_n_543489.html

the perfect food marriage

For me, the most amazing "food marriage" of flavors is the one between chocolate and peanut butter. There really is nothing better. I love any food that combines these two flavors - especially ice cream. Lately, I have found a new passion for testing recipes that involve combining these two delicious flavors. Over Thanksgiving, I made a seven layer bar dessert that had peanut butter as one of the layers. I must say it was a hit and they were devoured by my family. Yesterday I was watching the Food Network while I was doing some studying and I saw this recipe:

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/peanut-butter-cookie-dough-brownies-recipe/index.html

I didn't think there was anything better than peanut butter and chocolate, but this recipe seems to top that delicious marriage by adding in another favorite - cookie dough. I am yet to meet a person who doesn't love cookie dough. The best part about this recipe is it doesn't have eggs in it so there are no worries about eating the dough. I haven't tried it yet but it is definitely on my list of things to do once moving and this quarter are over. What is your favorite chocolate and peanut butter food? Or do you disagree and think there is another "food marriage" that tops this one? I am always interested to hear!

motivation...

My training is in full swing. Currently my goal is to try to run 15 miles a week in addition to one "long run" a week. The long runs will obviously increase in distance from now until August. So far it is going well, but I decided I need a reward. It is not necessarily that I need motivation to finish but I want a little something to work towards. So I think I am going to get a new cell phone. My contract is up so I have an upgrade available but rather than getting it now I am going to wait until after the race. So I decided that I not only have to finish but I have meet the goal of finishing in under 2 hours. So what do you think? Any other ideas on motivation/reward for finishing under 2 hours?

long lost relative???

“Well, when I get it the only thing that does any good is to jump in a cab and go to Tiffany's. Calms me down right away. The quietness and the proud look of it; nothing very bad could happen to you there. If I could find a real-life place that'd make me feel like Tiffany's, then - then I'd buy some furniture and give the cat a name.” - Holly Golightly

For my accounting class this quarter (integrated decision making) we had a creative writing assignment to do this week. Don't ask me what creative writing has to do with accounting because I have no idea. I am just going with it. As part of the assignment we had to write about a person with whom we have no obvious relationship and list ways that character is like you. I chose Holly Golightly from Breakfast at Tiffany's. Here is a little excerpt of what I wrote...

Holly Golightly, played by Audrey Hepburn, is the main character in the movie Breakfast at Tiffany’s which was adapted from a novel by Truman Capote. This character is someone I can relate with in my life almost 70 years after the movie takes place. Now just to be clear, I am not a prostitute nor is that a career goal of mine. I do not get paid to go on dates with men and I do not get paid to carry information for a narcotics ring from a man in prison to his contacts on the outside. I do have an affinity for Tiffany’s and I get a little smile on my face every time I see one of those special blue boxes. Parting, socializing, shopping, a love of Tiffany’s and some general flightiness are just some of the characteristics that are typically used to describe Holly Golightly. But there is so much more to the character and I think she and I share a lot of similar qualities.

Holly Golightly is a complicated character; she isn’t just one thing. Publiclly she portrays herself as a party girl – beautiful, fun-loving, mysterious, confident, witty and self reliant. But on the inside she is shy and scared and really trying to find herself. She is constantly battling within herself. There is a part of her that longs for a simple existence but there is another part that loves money and everything that money brings to her life. And I think that is where I relate with her the most. There is a part of me that is still trying to discover who I am and the direction that I want my life to take. I am hoping people won’t judge me and the person I am without really taking an opportunity to get to know me. At the end of the movie, Holly finds love and finds herself. She learns that she can be a little bit of both sides of her personality. She can love the finer things in life but appreciate sentimental value. I see a little bit of myself in all of the character traits she portrays. I love having fun and I try to be confident (although that is something I am definitely still working on) but there are parts of me that love simplicity as well.

the last song

As I said before, I love reading. I don't discriminate in genres. In fact I like trying all different types of books - mysteries, chick lit, non-fiction...I just finished The Last Song by Nicholas Sparks. I am truly a girly-girl at heart so I can't resist a good love story. And Nicholas Sparks is always good for a good love story. This particular story follows Veronica "Ronnie" Miller and the summer she spent before her 18th birthday. Her life was turned upside down when her parents divorced and three years later she still has a strained relationship with both her parents. Her mother decides to send Ronnie and her younger brother to spend the summer with their father. So Ronnie makes the journey from New York City down to Wilmington to spend her last summer of "childhood". What follows is a story of love, coming of age, heart break and self discovery. The story is told from many points of view and the end left me in tears. It was a quick read (I read it in less than a week) but the story was amazing. I am looking forward to seeing the movie (even if Miley Cyrus is in it)...

and the running has commenced...

It is going to be a very busy summer so I am starting to train now for the half marathon. According to the research I have done online, most people can train in about 12 weeks. But between weddings, moving and various trips planned for the summer I wanted to start now. Last night was my first run outside and it was amazing. The weather was perfect for an outdoor run (although it was a little windy). I am definitely looking forward to lots of evening runs while I get myself together for this race. I did decide I am going to need to purchase a watch. I am planning on using my treadmill runs to work on my speed and pacing but once I get past 8 miles I can no longer do that on a treadmill. Those runs will have to be outside for sure but I want a watch so I can make sure I am maintaining my pacing so that I can finish the race in under 2 hours (which is my goal). Other than that I am all set to get to work. I have a new pair of shoes that I am going to break out in June (thank you Santa) and other than filling the ipod I am all set. Wish me luck :)

in your easter bonnet...

Is there such thing as being too old for Easter baskets? My mom emailed my sisters and I to ask what we wanted in the Easter basket. Is it crazy that I am 27 years old and I am still really excited about the Easter basket at my mom's house. Easter baskets at our house have certainly changed over the years. As little kids they were baskets with some candy and a little stuffed animal or maybe a "beanie baby". As we got older (and were usually in Florida for Easter) we got new purses instead of baskets but they were still filled candy and gum and usually other fun things like make up and some cool "hair stuff". We always fought over the best candy and who got the coolest new purse. As we got older it was no longer Easter baskets and just one giant basket for everyone to share. So now I am looking forward to heading home and getting to enjoy lots and lots of delicious candy - peanut butter cups, and milk chocolate eggs, carmel filled Cadbury eggs, jelly beans... I can't wait! What's your favorite Easter candy tradition??

i am running 13 miles...

Last week I decided I needed to do it again. I am going to do another half marathon. I by no means think this is a major accomplishment. I have many friends who have not only ran one but multiple full marathons. I do not aspire to be a person who can run a marathon and I honestly don't think it is something I could physically do. But last year I ran a half marathon in Nashville and although it was hard (who am I kidding, it was really hard) I think I am ready for the challenge again this year. So I signed up to run one of the half marathons in Chicago at the end of the summer - giving me plenty of time to get back into running shape. Last night was my first night back on schedule and I did my 5 miles in 45 minutes. Hopefully I will be able to keep that pace all summer and finish the half in less than 2 hours. I am definitely going to be crossing my fingers and am going to need lots of motivation (maybe the promise of a new pair of shoes after I finish :) I guess now that I put this out there, there is no turning back...

some people really are disgusting...

My sister and I are moving in together in a couple of months. Yesterday we started the daunting task of looking for a new place to live. This can definitely be a stressful process so we decided to use an apartment finding service. It's so nice to be able to go in and tell someone exactly what you are looking for (bedrooms, bathrooms, laundry facilities, central air, etc...) and they can just churn out a list of places that meet all or most of your requirements and are available for lease when you are looking to move. She and I had a laundry list of things that we wanted so we were slightly nervous about what we would be able to find. We looked at 9 apartments yesterday and luckily found one that met almost every requirement we had. Now as exciting as this was for us, the real story pertains to some of the other places that we looked at that were definitely not what we were looking for. It is really interesting to look at apartments that people are currently living in. I don't mean to stereotype, but from what we say yesterday guys tend to live very differently than girls. There were multiple apartments that we looked at that had all guys living there. I have never seen so much "stuff" in my life. I am the first to admit, I have a lot of stuff - especially in the clothes and shoes category. But I am noting compared to some of these people. We went into apartments and there was just "stuff" piled up everywhere. Maybe these people are not very organized and that is why it seemed like there was so much stuff everywhere. We went into one apartment and had not one, not two, but two and half refrigerators. Who needs that much fridge space?!?! One of the last places we looked at was one of the most disgusting places I have ever set foot into in my entire life. There were dirty dishes piled high in the sink, trash all over the kitchen and an overflowing litter box in another room. This is not even an exaggeration. I know that I am very organized and neat to a fault - but these people were literally living in filth. I am not sure if it was girls or boys living there but whomever it was was truly disgusting. And if I were the owner of that apartment I would be really irritated because that place will not get rented until the current tenants move out and that place gets a professional cleaning. Gross!! Overall it was a successful day and we found a place that is going to be great. Too bad that means we have to move now...

musicals...

After writing about my love of books, I realized my dorkiness goes even deeper than a love of reading. I also love musicals. One of my most favorite things to do is going to see a show. In my lifetime I have probably seen over 20 performances but it never gets old. There are the old standbys that I could see over and over again and sometimes I do (Grease, Rent, Les Miserables, Annie). I have seen each of these multiple times and yet every time one of them comes back to Chicago I find myself rushing to get tickets. Last night I went to see Billy Elliot and someone was asking the group what everyone's favorite musical was. For me, it is a really hard choice but if I am forced to choose then I would say I have two favorites - Wicked and Beauty and the Beast. Wicked had a really long run in Chicago and while it was here I saw it twice. I really think I could see it over and over. The music is amazing. It has the types of songs that you can listen to over and over - and i do! I love the story and the production is amazing. Beauty and the Beast is definitely my other favorite. It also has amazing music and the costumes are incredible. This one holds a special place in my heart because it reminds me of being a kid. I remember seeing it with my family and being completely blown away by the whole production of it all. So with this love of musicals, the dorkiness only deepens. But I have learned to embrace my inner dorkiness and I absolutely plan to see Wicked again when it comes back to Chicago this winter!

books...

As a child and even into high school my nickname was "books". More likely than not, this was a reference to my extreme dorkiness but I like to think that this nickname stemmed not only from my love of school (hence the dorkiness) but also my true love of reading. I have loved reading and books my entire life. When I was young I memorized my favorite book The Little Mouse, the Red Ripe Strawberry, and the Big Hungry Bear, and I would recite it out loud to my younger sister when she got cranky in the car. My love of books only continued to grow as I got older and when I was in junior high it got to the point where I literally couldn't put books down. I would read while I was eating breakfast in the morning and as soon as I finished my homework I would read some more. I will give some credit to my parents for my love of reading. We weren't allowed to watch much tv as kids so reading was my outlet. My love of reading has only grown as I have gotten older. I look forward to vacations each year so I can read multiple books in a week (my record is 5) and since I commute by train to work every day so I get my reading time in a little bit each day. I will admit that I have a slight problem when it comes to my reading obsession. I can't not finish a book. No matter how much I hate it or how boring it is, I have to finish it. This strange habit of mine can be very frustrating because it takes me that much longer to get through a book when I am hating every second of reading it. Luckily for me I just finished one of these books that I didn't like and now I get to move on to something new. Hopefully I will be able to post about it soon...

that's what SHE said...

So as part of one of my classes this quarter, I have to start blogging. People that know me would say that I am not much of a talker and certainly not much of a writer so this is going to be a whole new world for me. I enjoy reading blogs and there are many that I stalk on a daily basis, but writing one of my own is definitely not something I ever thought I would do. When thinking about what to blog about, I decided my best bet was to leave it open. So that's where "that's what SHE said..." came from. This is going to be just a collection of my thoughts and opinions on anything and everything - books, movies, tv, food, weird things I see on the train - anything. I am definitely not of the opinion that my life is all that interesting or that anyone really cares about what I have to say, but here goes nothing...