20 Things From My Life That I Regret (But Not Entirely)

Posted on May 31, 2016 by Alison @ Daily Moves and Grooves

I just finished a rather colorful bowl of oatmeal this AM.

Sprinkles were welcomed onto my classic bowl of banana chia egg white oats, because I’m turning 20 today! Two decades and no longer a teen. I’d say that I feel closer to fully #adulting, but did I mention that a waitress gave me a kiddie menu in Vermont three weeks ago?

giphy

[source]

I hope that all my fellow Americans had a lovely Memorial Day! The ‘rents and I took it easy. We attended our local Memorial Day ceremony, Mom and I went shopping, we all napped a bit, and some killer moves went down in honor of the fallen.

the superintendent of my high school!

salad with sautéed onions, mushrooms and chorizo (← new fave)

Memorial Day 5/30/16 Workout

5 rounds for time: 30 pushup burpees + 16 alternating weighted pistol squats

dinner was eel and Asian roasted brussels sprouts over brown rice (I LOVE EEL)

new favorite late night snack: Greek yogurt and almond butter with dried figs

In honor of twenty years since emerging from the womb, I decided to make a list of twenty things, because that seems like a socially acceptable way to subtly scream on my blog that I have turned twenty years old.

I have learned plenty of lessons in these past twenty years, but instead of listing the lessons themselves, I am sharing twenty things that I regret doing/happening (but not entirely, because they’ve taught me that I am a foolish human being who constantly needs improvement/they’ve given me the best memories). So I do not necessarily condone all of the following things, but I am appreciative that God allows me to learn from mistakes.

1) Filming a plethora of home videos of my brother and myself dancing to Pokemon songs and Backstreet Boys.

2) Showing said home videos to my friends in high school and college.

3) Having a bowl haircut.

26384_105046856185147_1998646_n

4) Complaining to my parents that I didn’t want to go to Hawaii when I was seven years old because I had no interest in pineapples (they still dragged me along, thankfully).

5) Wanting to have hamstring muscles just like my figure skating friend when I was seven years old (the dawn of body comparison).

6) Waiting until the last minute on one of my elementary school math projects and getting a terrible grade.

7) Crying and getting mad at God because I didn’t get a lead role in my middle school’s musical, Willy Wonka, Jr. I got the part of an orange-faced, green-haired oompa loompa.

8) Any and every time I stomped through the house in an unreasonable rage.

9) Begging my mom to take me to buy Crocs. And Uggs.

10) Not paying attention to directions whenever my parents drove.

11) Not reading Harry Potter (and then the heavens rejoiced that she repented).

12) The whole phase of my life when I started wearing makeup and getting interested in fashion.

268966_232106726812492_2500910_n

blue eyeshadow and 10 lbs. of jewelry

13) Not keeping up with stretching after some time off of figure skating. It taught me early on that muscles do not stay flexible forever.

14) Counting calories and finding healthy living blogs that pushed my disordered eating further (but finding healthy living blogs was ultimately fruitful).

15) Discovering my love for nut butter. A blessing and a curse.

16) Attending one high school Halloween party where there was a single handle of vodka, touchy people, and really bad lighting. But it taught me that I was not missing out on anything by not going to those parties.

17) Thinking that I did not want to study abroad because of FOMO (fear of missing out) at Boston. My friends who know what’s logical and good urged me to reconsider, and now I’m going to Dublin this fall!

18) All the times I did not engage in conversation with people because I did not think they were interesting enough or that I was interesting enough.

19) Not trusting in God’s mercy, which has plunged me into my darkest times yet ultimately brought me to my greatest joys after seeking Truth.

20) Not following politics. I need to inform myself more, but I’m also happy that I’m not stressing over the hubbub.

This was a lot more fun to write than I was expecting. And embarrassing!

Off to work now! Hope you all have a wonderful week!

So tell me:

What are some things you regret (but not really)? Can you relate to any of mine?

What did you do for Memorial Day?

Do you have any birthday traditions? Going out to dinner with the fam!

Another Embarrassing College Story for the Books

Posted on February 1, 2016 by Alison @ Daily Moves and Grooves

I’m currently typing this as I watch Grease LIVE on the telly.

giphy

[source]

Did anyone else watch? I love it, and the cast is KILLIN’ IT. Holy smokes, what can’t Julianne Hough and Vanessa Hudgens do!?

In all honesty, I could be studying right now, but I’m taking a little blogging/mental break before hitting the books again.

Thank you, Enlightened, for the tasty snacks!

Speaking of academics, I have a story brought to you by my exercise physiology lecture (of approximately 130 people).

*Professor talking about something that I’m trying so hard to understand.*

Professor: *looks toward my section of the lecture room* “Are you okay? Do you have a question? You look confused.”

*All the students in my area look around thinking, “Who? Me?”*

*Professor takes out her laser pointer*

Professor: *Points her laser pointer in my general direction* “YOU.”

*Students looking around at who the pointer landed on.*

My friend: “Alison, it’s you.”

Me: *SO CONFUSED* “Me?”

Professor: “Yes, did you have a question?”

Me: “…No.”

Professor: “Okay, yes, you can just come to office hours. Don’t worry about it. You just had a look on your face.”

*Everyone in the lecture looking at me and chuckling*

My friend: “Did you raise your hand or something?”

Me: “I DIDN’T DO ANYTHING. IT’S JUST MY FACE.”

I was too confused to even be mortified. She took out her laser pointer and pointed to me in front of the whole class. WHY. I mean, I was confused about what she was teaching, but I would have raised my hand if I had specific question. I think it’s hilarious in retrospect though.

In other news, the weather was gorgeous this weekend! No coats yesterday!

This winter has been completely wack, and I can’t say that I’m displeased.

I was displeased with being utterly “hangry” on Saturday during/after work. For some reason, my blood sugar was just not rising enough, despite my snacking throughout work. I was absurdly emotional while walking to get this lunch after work. It was bizarre, and I hated that I was letting it get to me so much, but I was too low on energy to hold myself together. #melodramatic

It was the kind of hunger that resulted in lightheadedness and weakness. Honestly, I don’t know why I felt that way, but thankfully, it was a rare occurrence. Needless to say, I was mighty grateful for this delicious lunch.

I did attend dance conditioning the day before, which was taught by my modern dance teacher. I was already kinda sore that day, but I figured it would be a fun way to move after sitting in class for a few hours. WRONG. Not that I didn’t have fun, but it was a more intense workout than I was expecting. I didn’t want to activate my lower glutes ever again after that class.

I’ve eaten a lot of ice cream this week. It had been a while since I ate dining hall soft serve, so I guess this week was catch-up.

Alrighty, time to read about exercise physiology so that I don’t look so confused in class.

Hope you all have a peachy Monday! Do the hand jive to ring in the new week (and month)!

So tell me:

Any embarrassing college lecture stories?

Did you watch Grease Live?

Three things you did this weekend! Mass, mobile soup kitchen, and laundry 🙂

I Should Be Embarrassed About These Things…

Posted on October 12, 2015 by Alison @ Daily Moves and Grooves

…But I’m not.

I’ll get to the embarrassing things in a second. Firstly, Happy Columbus Day to my fellow Americans! If you have the day off, I hope it is relaxing and filled with good people. If you’re not American or you do not have the day off, I hope it is filled with productivity and good people.

I actually have a 2.5 hour Holocaust lecture tonight because my professor took a couple days off for high Jewish holidays these past couple weeks, so we’re catching up tonight. The first half of today will involve apple picking though! I even bought a flannel just for the occasion.

Anyway, let’s catch up by sharing some embarrassing antics and moments! That’s one of the best ways to catch up, in my opinion. Here’s my end of the conversation:

I should be embarrassed that I still don’t really know how to get around downtown Boston. Luckily, I have friends who do. “Independent” is what I call myself.

shopping with my oh so beautiful and talented friend, Adrienne

I should be embarrassed that I trip on the sidewalk at least twice a day, despite wearing sneakers 90% of the time. I have a routine: trip ➔ nearly faceplant ➔ say in my head, “that didn’t happen” ➔ avoid eye contact with all other pedestrians ➔ move on.

I should be embarrassed that I still want to take a photo of my lab partner and our matching breakfasts, even though I already did the exact same thing last week. But c’mon, how cute?

awkward handling of tea bag

I should be embarrassed that I have completely finished three Costco-sizes jars of peanut butter within two months. To be honest, I am slightly embarrassed, or maybe just dumbfounded. I don’t know how it goes so darn quickly! I’ve got talent.

putting this third jar to rest the right way — with oats

I should be embarrassed that I can only hold my attention for two pages at a time when reading my Holocaust textbook. According to Rachel, I would have been a much better and faster reader if I read Harry Potter when I was younger. My human physiology textbook, on the other hand, I could read all day!

I should be embarrassed that I spent $30 on dinner on Saturday night. I went out to dinner with some friends at a restaurant called The Barking Crab (does that not sound like it’s from a comedy show?), which had the ambiance of a dive but the prices of a Ritz restaurant. Rachel and I shared the salmon and scallops, which were both amazing, but my wallet felt a little betrayed.

I should be embarrassed that I take a photo of this view every single time I work out outdoors. But it’s just so pretty!

I should be embarrassed that I nearly cried listening to this song while studying. But there was a dude sitting across from me, so I couldn’t let my guard down.

Thanks for introducing me to Sleeping At Last, Adrienne. I’m OBSESSED.

I should be embarrassed that I eat Raisin Bran. Just kidding, I shouldn’t be. Sugar-coated raisins for life.

I should be embarrassed that I was actually blogging while “hanging out with my friends”. But they were playing video games.

Men.

That’s all from me today! I hope you all find the humor in your embarrassing moments this week ♥︎

So tell me:

I should be embarrassed that ____, but ______.

Thoughts on raisins?

What was the last song that made you cry? I actually love listening to beautiful songs that make me cry.

What are you doing today?

My Questions For the World

Posted on June 10, 2014 by Alison @ Daily Moves and Grooves

Well, we’re done with high school.

Should I be crying? Because I’m actually so ecstatic that it’s over! I’m gonna miss my friends and teachers of course, but let’s be real…we’re DONE!

I guess you could say we ended our year with a bang, but our dysfunctional grade also almost messed things up again. Some people tried to have a balloon fight in school in an effort to squeeze in a senior prank, but that fell through when the principal found out first thing in the morning. Bravo, children.

We did have the water balloon fight after school in the lot, which was {legal} and kinda fun. More fun was this big ice cream mess in business calculus! I’ve told you time and again— that class is about food more than anything.

I had this ice cream at 10:30 AM, and I was off the walls. Insanely hyper.

Anyway, I got to sleep in today, which was wonderful in every way. So now I’m gonna answer some wild and crazy survey questions created by yours truly! Arman kindly asked me (yes, kindly can you believe it?) to come up with this week’s Spill It Sunday questions, so of course I said yes. I love me some survey questions! I also like Arman when he isn’t threatening to chuck things at me.

I’m answering these on Tuesday, but the link up will be Sunday! Obvi.

1) What is your happy place?

The summit of a hike. I haven’t even gone anywhere that amazing, but nothing beats that feeling of accomplishment and peace.

2) What are you wearing right now?

A t-shirt and shorts (aka my pajamas).

What a color combo, eh?

3) Cookies or cake?

Why did I ask this question?! This is a toughie. I feel like I eat cake more often, but I prefer cookies. Favorites include oatmeal raisin, snickerdoodles, and peanut butter (betcha didn’t guess that last one).

Almond-Butter-Oatmeal-Raisin-Cookies-7-of-7

Like Kylie’s Almond Butter Oatmeal Raisin Cookies…I could go for some right now.

4) Which chore/errand do you despise the most?

Vacuuming. Even though dad does it most of the time, I’m not a fan of it when I do vacuum. Moving all the furniture, the loud noise, lugging the thing up and down the stairs, maneuvering around the wire… On the bright side, it definitely counts as some daily moves!

5) What is the most daring thing you’ve ever done?

I haven’t done anything super crazy, but the one thing that comes to mind is when I went Peppercorn helmet diving in Bermuda.

[source]

The helmet dive was different from scuba diving in that you didn’t wear a suit and you basically just walked on the ocean floor (we were in a fairly shallow part of the ocean). Air was pushed into the helmet at however many miles per hour to keep the water out, and the heavy helmet just sat on your shoulders. I, being maybe 10 years old at the time, was FREAKED OUT when the guide first took me down. I started screaming in my helmet so he took me back up to the boat until I was ready to not be a chicken anymore. I wish I could find the pictures because my face is the picture of terror.

6) Brag and tell us one thing you love about yourself!

I love my public speaking ability. I definitely give credit to my dad for teaching me the tricks of the trade.

7) Now tell us one embarrassing fact about yourself.

I used to pretend to be Hannah Montana all the time. I would film myself singing her songs, pretend to be giving out autographs, try to write original songs, and make my brother take pictures of me dressed like Miley Cyrus (of the past). I don’t know why, I really don’t.

8) Name three things on your nightstand.

My prayer book, a squishy stress ball brain, and a container of cocoa butter (body butter).

9) You can ask a famous person one (and only one) question. Who is it and what is your question?

Mother Teresa: Who was the most influential person in your life?

10) Would you rather live in the breathtaking mountains or on a gorgeous tropical beach?

As much as I love a tropical beach, I would have to say I’d rather live in the mountains (hello, happy place!). To be honest, I’m thinking of Jo right now. I wanna live where she lives, because it looks like this:

[source]

Yes, please.

Have a great day, friends! If you have a blog, try out these questions and link up with Arman on Sunday! If you do not have a blog, answer some of the questions in the comments below!

So tell me:

Cookies or cake?

Beach or mountains?

Your answer to any of the other questions!

Spill It Sundays #6: My Favorite Music

Posted on January 18, 2014 by Alison @ Daily Moves and Grooves

Can I just tell you how excited I am that we have a three day weekend for Martin Luther King Jr. Day? It’s somewhat bittersweet because it’s leading us right into midterms week, but the extra day off definitely helps with some extra studying time.

I have a social life, I swear. On Friday night, I went to my school’s varsity basketball game (that we won!) and then out for a delicious sushi dinner with my best friends. ‘Twas super lovely!

Alright, now it’s time for the fun stuff: Spill It Sundays Music Edition! I suggested this theme to Arman, so obviously, I want to participate!

Head over to the big man’s world to check out what kind of music other bloggers love/hate!

All time favorite musical artist/band:

It’s too hard to pick one!!! Can I choose a top three? Of course I can— this is my blog. 🙂

1. Tori Kelly

[source]

2. Coldplay

[source]

3. Josh Groban (his old songs, not his new stuff)

[source]

A varied group for sure, but all of these artists never fail to make me move, groove, and belt out their songs. Now, this doesn’t mean that I listen to these artists’ songs all the time, but when I do listen to them, I instantly remember why I love them so much.

Favorite genre of music:

Evidently, I like a variety of genres. Some of my favorites include:

Singer/Songwriter (Tori Kelly, John Mayer, Jack Johnson, Lucy Schwartz, The Civil Wars etc.)
Alternative (Coldplay, Imagine Dragons. etc.)
Indie Rock/Folk Rock (Mumford and Sons, Young the Giant)
R&B (ZZ Ward)
Contemporary Christian (Chris August, King and Country, Audrey Assad, Moriah Peters)
and yes….mainstream Pop (Bruno Mars, Ariana Grande, and everyone else on the radio)

I’m indecisive.

Least favorite genre:

Metal. Heavy metal, light metal, I don’t know. I just don’t get it and it scares the crap out of me.

I mean…..

Musician that shouldn’t be called a musician:

Any heavy metal “artist.” Yelling doesn’t count as music.

Embarrassing music tastes:

I actually fear that my neighbors often catch me dancing around to super upbeat, feel-good songs like Mariah Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas Is You,” and more recently, Kelly Clarkson’s Christmas song, “Underneath the Tree.” Yes, I do really love that song too. I’m a dancer (and fun fact: I used to take ballroom dancing lessons), so it might not be that ugly, but that doesn’t mean I don’t make a fool of myself.

[source]

I also used to be obsessed with Hannah Montana— the show and the music. My brother was kind enough to burn and label DVD copy of an old tape of me singing her songs…by myself…to the camera.

You will never see it.

All-time favorite song:

Ironically, it’s not even by any of the artists mentioned above!

*Drum roll*

To Build a Home by The Cinematic Orchestra and Ma Fleur

I fell in love with this song when I first heard it in 2012. The teacher played it during shavasana at the end of her yoga/stretching class at the Orlando Ballet School Summer Intensive, and I started shedding tears as I laid there listening to this beautiful song. I really hoped no one opened their eyes and saw me. I made sure to ask the teacher what the song was, and then I purchased it on my iPhone almost immediately. I’ve listened to it a lot in the past 1.5 years, but I’m still not sick of it! That’s how you know it’s a favorite. It’s insanely beautiful and I’m always reminded about the blessings of my faith, family, and home when I listen to it.

Sap central right thar.

Bonus fact: I’m a huge fan of listening to music that matches my current state of mind, so I often imagine that I’m in a movie or a music video when a certain song is playing. Examples:

Driving on a beautiful day to “Best Day of My Life” by American Authors
Being down in the dumps and listening to “The Scientist” by Coldplay
Gettin’ groovy with my friends to “Let the Groove Get In” by Justin Timberlake

Don’t even tell me you’ve never done this!

So tell me:

Who are your favorite music artists?

What kind of music do you despise?

What is your all-time favorite song?

Agree that you’ve imagined yourself in a movie/music video when a certain song is playing. 😉

Daily Moves and Grooves

pray. eat. move. groove.

Tag Archives: embarrassing

20 Things From My Life That I Regret (But Not Entirely)

Another Embarrassing College Story for the Books

I Should Be Embarrassed About These Things…