When You’re Feeling Off + Life Lately

It’s finally warm!

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Thank the Lord. It got up to a steamy 76*F on Tuesday!

HI. It’s been pretty quiet on Moves and Grooves lately, but it’s been a busy and weird couple of weeks. The weirdness was mostly attributed to me feeling very “off” in my faith life — prayer wasn’t the easiest, and I felt a lot of confusion, frustration, and guilt over some things in my life.

It’s not something I haven’t experienced before, but it’s always disorienting. However, I’ve learned to not depend on feelings or be driven by them all the time. This apples not only to matters of faith, but also matters of recovery, school, life in general. It makes sense (e.g. just because you don’t feel like sharing cake with your friend doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t), but feelings can be LOUD, so it’s good to remind ourselves that feelings are just feelings. We often need to follow what we know instead.

Know that God does not speak through confusion.

Know that God is infinitely loving and merciful.

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I’m not usually a pinterest quote person, but this Bible verse made it to my phone lock screen this week

And with God, every trial just yields more wisdom and peace. Holy Week has helped too! This year, it has been profound yet beautifully simple, and now we are all so ready for Easter 🙂

Let’s catch up though!! So much has been happening.

I went to my second spin class ever at Cyc with Christina (@foodietunes) last Wednesday. Once again, Sarah Gaines, founder of Fit University, taught the class and kicked. my. BUTT. My last spin/Cyc class was last year during Sarah’s first “tribe ride”!

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Christina texted me the night before:

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And so I dragged my butt out of bed to move my legs faster than they ever do, but I still couldn’t keep up with Sarah.

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I had squatted heavy for the first time in a long time THREE days before this class, and my quads were still crying by the warmup.

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Christina: “Can we pick you up?” // Sarah: “Not up here.”

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Thank you so much, Sarah, for a great class and for being an all-around inspirational gal!

After the Cyc class, I stopped by Whole Foods to get some yogurt, and this little fella was patiently waiting outside.

Corgis are my favorite kind of dog. They’re awkward, cute, and loyal. We need more men like that in the world.

Here are a couple solid dining hall meals I’ve eaten:

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breaded fish with seasoned rice and green beans

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empanadas on Latin night + salad

And I’ve been cookin’ up some fine things in the apartment as well!

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(from three weeks ago!) the last of the chicken + beans from the bomb enchiladas I made with cheese, avocado, and roasted brussels sprouts

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meatballs (actually, just mini muffin versions of this meatloaf), brown rice, cheese, and roasted paprika asparagus

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classics with a side of anatomy

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tomato, basil, feta, pepper, and olive oil

Last Sunday, Megan and I hosted “Assisi Night” for our Catholic friends. Essentially, it was an even that we made up because we’ve been obsessed with Assisi ever since we visited during our break while studying abroad. So we invited all our friends to hang out with us for an Italian food potluck, a movie about St. Francis and St. Clare, and good ol’ fellowship.

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the oddly large “T” is actually a tau sign, symbolic of the Franciscan order

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Dinner was complete with salad, caprese, focaccia, several kinds of pasta, and many desserts. Megan and I cooked most of it, but our friends came through with lots of delicious foods as well!

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this focaccia disappeared before the event started

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my attempt at cacio e pepe

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‘Twas such a fun night!!

Sunsets have been magnificent this week thanks to the clear blue skies.

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I wish I could go to a remote place so I could see stars too! (I’m asking for a lot, I’m sorry. I am very grateful for these sunsets.)

Exams, papers, projects, summer planning, etc. is all happening still. It’s a good kind of chaos.

I hope you all have a blessed Easter or just a joyful weekend! Eat lots of carbs for with me!

So tell me:

Do you ever have to ignore your feelings and go with what you know?

Two fun things you’ve done recently.

What are you doing this weekend!Easter and Marathon Monday, baby!

 

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Fascinating Friday Links #40 + Yesterday

Yello.

You’ve answered the phone at least once in your life like that.

How has it been a whole week since 4th of July?! When did it become double digits anyway? Oh, yesterday. Huh.

Things I did yesterday: Watch my friend Sam market Cutco knives to my mother (mom bought some!), walked 4+ miles with mom, ate a killer lunch (at 4:30 PM….I’m still nocturnal, so that’s how things work right now), loaded some stuff in the car for Florida, made Amanda’s banana bread mug cake, and hung out with Daliza.

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Lunch: soft boiled eggs with salt and pepper + avocado toast + jam and brie toast. FAB.

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Not nearly as pretty as Amanda’s (I don’t think I combined the ingredients well enough) but so darn tasty!

Things I’m doing today: Reading, errands and walking with mom, video chat with my aunt and cousins, and a local Italian festival with dad, Daliza, and Michael!

I’m sorry that this intro was not cohesive, if it can even be called an intro. Just don’t mind me and enjoy these Fascinating Friday links.

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Health and Fitness

[Smart and sneaky ways to stay movin’ and groovin’] 5 Ways to Find Time For Exercise via The Blonde Ponytail

[Rev it up] 5 Easy Ways to Boost Metabolism via The Fitnessista

[Clarity on another controversial food] Is Coconut Oil Good For You? via Chelsea’s Healthy Kitchen

[Planks rock] 47 Crazy Fun Plank Variations via Greatist

[Move + groove] Burpee Partner Workout via Fit Foodie Finds + Give ‘Em Five 15 Minute AMRAP via Purely Twins + Total Body Stability Ball Workout via Run Pretty

Food for Thought

[Self-confidence ain’t easy] When Self-Confidence Isn’t 24/7 via The Lunchbox Diaries

[Love this] 11 Old-Fashioned Relationship Habits We Should Bring Back via Marc and Angel Hack Life

[Exercise is all about your personal goals] Why You Shouldn’t Feel Bad About Modifying Exercises via Purely Twins

Food for Belly

[Yup yup] Swiss Cheese Quiche Muffins with Cornbread Bottoms via Yeah…Imma Eat That

[So much goodness] Healthy Grilled Sweet Potato Nachos via Pinch of Yum

[Stunning] Heirloom Caprese with Mint Pesto via Love and Lemons

[Refreshing] Summer Zucchini Peach Salad via Peachy Palate

[Wow] An Ode to Toast: 4 Easy Vegan Combos via Oh She Glows

[Love this idea] Grilled Cherry Milkshakes via Edible Perspective

[You can’t turn these down] Brownie Ice Cream Sandwiches via Smitten Kitchen

Miscellaneous Fun

[Go New York!!!] Top 15 States Where People Walk the Most via Greatist

[Bizarre but so funny] 35 Celebrities with Twins From Centuries Ago via Distractify

Have a wonderful weekend, folks!

“Rejoice always. Pray without ceasing. In all circumstances give thanks, for this is the will of God for you in Christ Jesus.” 

— 1 Thes 5:16-18

So tell me:

What are your plans for today?

Anything fun for the weekend?

 

 

 

Behind the Scenes #25: Burgers, Fries, and Ice Cream

Thinking-Out-Loud

with one of the coolest Canadians, Amanda

1) I feel like I don’t have much to do these days, yet I still end up filling my days with things. Chores, yoga/walking, seeing friends, making appointments, getting college stuff ready, blogging, reading, watching the World Cup. None of it is really urgent and I never feel busy, but I end the day thinking, “What did I even do today and how is it already 1 AM?!”

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2) If all THAT isn’t thrilling enough, Daliza, my family, and I are kicking it up a notch (or a hundred notches) starting Sunday. We’re going to Florida! My parents have a lovely vacation home down there, so we’ll be chillin’ there for a whopping THREE WEEKS. Daliza’s excited for Disney. I’m excited for Publix— the supermarket of the South. Typical.

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Last year in Florida when I made fish tacos and started the blog. Nostalgia.

3) I’m getting closer to holding my handstand! Right now, I get really excited when I hold it for a solid four seconds. I’m basically Shawn Johnson.

4) There’s nothing quite like a classic burger. Pickles, ketchup, mustard, cheese. Mmm. Lilly, Pam, and I went to Bareburger yesterday, and I had just that. We also shared sweet potato fries, because…sweet potato fries. Self-explanatory.

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The only thing that made this a little non-classic was the fact that it was a turkey burger instead of a beef burger.

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Sweet potato fries with their three sauces— curry ketchup, ranch, and “special sauce.” It was wonderful.

5) The fact that my friends and I are all going to college next month has not hit me AT ALL yet. Lilly is moving back to California tomorrow for college, and it’s just not emotionally occurring to me that she’s going so far away for such a long time. I’m just gonna start bawling out of nowhere in a few weeks when I’m listening to a sad song or something.

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♥ I’ll miss you so much, Lilly!!!

6) The “core four” got together last night at the local creamery for some catch-up conversation and ice cream!  I love hanging out with those girls.

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Apple pie ice cream = heavenly. 

7) I bought coconut flour yesterday just to make Amanda’s banana bread mug cake. I’m dreaming about it already.

8) I haven’t been carrying out my teenage duties of sleeping a lot over the summer. I don’t know why, but my internal clock wakes me up after about 7-8 hours of sleep every morning. That’s a perfect amount of sleep for me, but I can’t help but feel like I should be sleeping in even longer while I have that luxury.

9) As I’ve been doing more yoga recently, I’ve learned that I am so NOT flexible anymore. Well, I am and I’m not. I can still do the splits on each leg, but my shoulders are getting so tight that it’s getting difficult to clasp my hands behind my back. No bueno. If I’m gonna be a physical therapist, I better drink some of my own medicine and stretch more!

10) I hope you all have a fabulous day! I’ll leave you off with words from the coolest book around 😉

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So tell me:

Do you like burgers?

How long does your internal clock let you sleep?