Reflecting With A Little Fever

These days I do a lot of reflecting. You know staring off into space thinking about anything except what I should be doing. That's reflecting right?

No but seriously. I can't say I am (at all) where I want to be right now. Moving back home and watching all your friends move out of town and start their young lives is extremely painful. Not to mention my mom tends to rub in my face on a daily basis by saying "Are you home for dinner tonight?" I roll my eyes at her smile and politely say "yes mom!" while thinking to myself "who else am I going to eat with?" I know she asks just to be sure, but it still makes me feel lonely (not that I don't love my family, but...).

I cannot wait to see where my little life leads me so in the meantime, I find myself reflecting.. a HECK of a lot. Thinking about where I am, how I got here, the opportunities that I have been given and graciously took, and the support provided by family and loved ones. My boyfriend has gotten really good at being supportive and saying the whole "I just want you to be happy" bit.. doesn't that just warm my heart. I love you hunny. I have started a new chapter of my life and I will be damned to sell myself short. Starting today, I choose to be happy.

this is what I look like when I am happy. Hi Paigey! I know you are reading this (p.s. she is the one on the far left)

So reflecting today (while driving home from work in a snow storm... great time to staring off into space huh? I kid, I kid) about where I am currently and what I am doing, I have decided to let you guys in my head a little. I got this idea from Erin over at Living In Yellow and I thought it was so fun! So here goes.. whose with me?

disclaimer: I wrote this post last night at 11:30pm. Take note.
Currently I'm Sitting in bed writing this post watching Friends... seriously, the BEST show ever. Please come back with a reunion!
Reading my study guide for Child Life while studying for the one exam that determines whether all my hard work has paid off. Absolutely no pressure.. YEA RIGHT!
Ordering fun handbags and accessories from Thirty-One. Going broke.
Listening to Ross and Rachel argue (what's new) on this episode of Friends.
Drinking Hot chocolate with three large marshmallows. Yea, yea, yea judge all you want, but I haven't indulged in any sweets in three days so I will have three marshmallows with my mint hot chocolate!
Recovering from the dentist. You would think my hygienist had it out for me today while insisting "you have the most beautiful teeth!" Yea well I wont have any left if you keep scraping like that! hmmmm.. as I sit here loving me some three marshmallows.
Hitting my head for not filling my car with gas on my way home from work, now I have to leave that much earlier in the morning to hit the gas station before work.
Avoiding thinking about my doctors appointment tomorrow afternoon. I really really really don't want to have surgery on my neck. Fingers crossed I don't have to. DARN, now I thought about it...
Eating Well duh... three LARGE marshmallows in mint hot chocolate
Debating whether to watch the Friends blooper reel before bed. I've only seen it a gazillion times.
Getting yelled at for going to bed so late last night. Oh to have my own place and be able to go to bed whenever I want without having to sneak around my house like a mouse.
Laughing at how much you guys are going to judge me for the answer to the next topic. Please, go easy on me. It's kind of embarrassing.
Crushing on the one and only Justin Bieber. HAHA now I am really laughing because I refuse to erase that and lie to you guys. Yes, I know your all thinking "..but Courtney, you are in your twenties.." I am not crushing on him thinking I'm going to be the next Mrs. Bieber, I just really like his new music and ever since I watched Never Say Never (a quote I live by, btw) I have loved all the girly songs.
Currently saying "I can't believe I just admitted my Bieber Fever" 

and with that, this humiliated gal is off to conquer the day!

Stowe-ing Away

Happy Saturday morning! It felt so good to sleep in and enjoy my coffee this morning on my couch watching HGTV and blogging (a multi-tasker I am indeed). As I promised, here is a recap on my mini-cation I had earlier this week!

For my Christmas gift, Mike booked a 3-day mini vacation in Stowe, VT for some fun skiing! If you haven't gathered yet, I love skiing and other winter sports (who doesn't love frost bite and wind chapped faces?) no but really, the hot chocolate at the end of every day makes it so much more enjoyable.

The inn we stayed at was so comfortable it felt like home. We made it to Stowe on Monday afternoon, went skiing on Tuesday and went sight seeing on Wednesday. We were driving home saying, "where the heck did the last three days go?" Of course it went by in a flash but it was a whole lot of fun!

Ready for all the pictures? Okay, here you go!

This was the Inn we stayed in, it had such an old Austrian feel to it

such a pretty view from every angle

It took us 5 seconds to trash the room with all of our stuff (lets be real, its mostly my stuff)

It was literally like skiing down into the abyss

bundled up so much, it was -10 at the top

Our view from breakfast

Any Sound of Music fans? This is the Von Trapp Family Lodge

It is beautiful

What a view huh?

uhhh duh

Well we had to try this new limited batch of a perfect creation

We finished our mini-cation off with some ice cream while driving home.. safe? probably not.

That was one of my best mini-cations ever!

I just realized we don't have any pictures together....UGHHHH! I always try to get strangers to take pictures of us where ever we go!

Michael- Thank you for such a great three days. I love you!

High 5 For Friday

Here are some happy things that have happened this week!

1. Skiing with this guy, beautiful scenery
2. Snuggles with my pup
3. Coffee coffee coffee
4. The best pizza EVER
5. Three's a party

Whats On My Salad 2nd edition

Its Thursday, that means its another edition of #whatonyoursalad. I have linked up with Kristine from Heart Shaped Sweat to bring you another delicious salad idea.

Now I cannot take credit for this salad. I have been on vacation and there have not been a lot of salad choices on my menu. I was able to find a tasty Waldorf salad. The cinnamon pecans added a nice kick and the apples were so crisp and fresh. Like I said, I love apples in my salads! To top it off, the dressing was a tangy apple cider vinaigrette. It was perfectly delicious for a cold evening up north!

Sorry this post is so short, I am up to my neck in laundry and unpacking after I got home this morning from my few days vacation. Fear not, I will have a post up this weekend on all the fun happenings this week. Stay tuned tomorrow for a sneak peek with my High Five For Friday post!

Weekend Wrap-Up

This weekend I enjoyed family fun time outside in the snow. We also watched a lot of football which resulted in a disappointment for us NE Patriot fans, however it was a good weekend to watch football. We went to our favorite pizza place for lunch on Saturday.. best pizza in the world!

Dad and I spent Sunday morning adventuring around the woods on snowmobiles. We usually do not snowmobile, skiing is more our thing, however our kind friend let us borrow them for the day. It was a lot of fun and I can't say I hated the adrenaline and snowy wind in my face.

Where has January gone? I was looking at my goals for January and I have some work to do over this last week.

And I can't let you go without a picture of my favorite girly, LiLi.

Hope everyone had a fun-filled weekend! The beau and I are taking a couple days off from work and going up to Stowe, VT for some skiing. Stay tuned Wednesday or Thursday for a post about that!

High 5 For Friday!

Here are my five happy happenings this week...

1. I finally put a quote in my new frame
2. This bag means only one thing.. going out of town
3. Such a yummy salad
4. Hard work paid off
5. Starting to run again (huge for someone with asthma!)

linking up with Lauren for today's h54f!

What's On My Salad

I am linking up with Kristine from Heart Shaped Sweat for today's #what'sonyoursalad.

Truth be told, I used to hate eating salad. I didn't like the texture of lettuce (I have a thing with texture and food, high maintenance, I know) and I was very picky about the veggies and salad dressing that went into my salads. When I went to college, there was an amazing salad bar in the dining hall and I quickly began LOVING salads.

I really like having control over what goes into my salads. I enjoy a combination of greens, different veggies, cheese -and lots of it- I recently became a lover of goat cheese but you cannot go wrong with a nice sprinkle of cheddar, and won tons are my new go to for some crunch. I also love throwing some fruit into the mix as well. strawberries go really well with goat cheese and apples are good in any salad.

Here are the salads I especially loved this week.

this picture does not do the salad justice, it tastes much better than it looks.. promise!

Apple and goat cheese salad from a local restaurant, Tavern In The Square. It has granny smith apples, goat cheese, walnuts and a chardonnay dressing. To say this was delicious would be an understatement.

My next favorite salad recipe of the week was from a fellow blogger, Melissa from My Soul Is The Sky. You can click the link and check the recipe out, it was absolutely to die for!

I didn't have any granola so I used my trusty won tons but it was still tasty!

#whatsonyoursalad?

Jewelry, Pens, and Pictures

Yesterday was a GREAT day. My car needed to have some major work done, since I wasn't going to have a car all day, I took the day off and spent it with my Mom and Brother. My little brother, Cam, is a freshman in high school (where has time gone?) and has mid terms this week, which means he only has to go to school during his scheduled exam times.

My mom and I dropped him off at his exam and then decided to use the couple hours to ourselves to go shopping. We started at Home Goods where I was able to find some new things to spice up my room! When I moved home from college (yes, still living at home for the time being, but not complaining) I decided I really wanted to change EVERYTHING about my room. I have slowly been adding decorative pieces for personality. And if I can find anything for organization I will buy it in a heart beat because I am trying to be more organized and live simpler. I bought a new jewelry tree (I came up with that name on my own, not quite sure what to call it), a picture frame, and a desk organizer.

drum roll please.....

Jewelry Tree:

I love my new desk organizer

It was kind of a free for all and would roll all over when I opened the drawer

anxiety instantly reduced

and my fabulous new picture frame. I am not quite sure if it will be used for a picture or a quote. I am open to suggestions!

Two hours later and Cam had completed his exam and we were all starving, so to celebrate his first mid term we took him out to lunch!

The day was great, however the evening was poor when I picked up my car and saw the bill. Holy cow, I cannot afford my own car!

High 5 For Friday

I am linking up with Lauren for H54F, check her out!

1. Nice date night with the beau
2. My first yogurt experience was out of this world
3. Started my "Healthy2013" with a goat cheese and apple salad
4. My mom found one of my newborn pictures (it was in the newspaper!)
5. I am obsessed with my new *very large* pillow

Made in America

You know the song "Made in America" by Toby Keith? No? Well if not, you should listen to it! It's an amazing song. I always find myself getting teary eyed while listening to it. The reason I get so emotional is because I have a lot of friends in the military fighting for our country. I am proud to be an American and I learned a lot of American history from my Dad. He would have "Dad's American History" lesson while we were driving in the car, and eating dinner, and watching TV, and... and... really, it never ended. Because of dad's "history lessons" I learned what it meant to be proud of my country. And I cannot be more proud of this young man, fighting for our country and keeping us safe.

This is Travis and he is a United States Marine. Travis is my adopted brother. Not literally but figuratively. He is the brother of my best friend - who is also named Courtney, pictured below in the black Northface. You will read more about her in future posts, trust me - and we are all one big happy family. I remember when he was like four feet tall... it wasn't that long ago. He still seems too young to be a Marine, but the truth is... he loves his job and we are so, so proud of him. I must also brag for him - he received the "Iron Man" award when he graduated from basic training. So proud of you Trav!

Travis and Courtney (not me.. my best fried)

Today, Travis left on his first deployment. I have no doubt that he is going to do a great job and although it is going to be a long deployment for his family and friends, we are so blessed to have him keeping us safe!

We love you Travis! Be safe and come home soon!

Yeh!

I have been to my first ever Frozen Yogurt cafe! I have always wanted to go create my own frozen yogurt master piece and I finally had the chance to! Yes, these days simple things like frozen yogurt make me extremely happy.

After having dinner with my friend, Maura, we hopped over to Yeh!, a frozen yogurt cafe in Burlington Massachusetts. If you are local, you should definitely go check it out! My sweet tooth got the best of me and I opted for cake batter frozen yogurt mixed with butter finger bits and cookie dough bites with a sour gummy worm on top. I felt guilty up until the girl working told us that it is the most healthy frozen yogurt joint in Massachusetts. I obviously believed her, allowing for a guilt free indulgence. I'll just run extra today!

The Yard House

With the job search consuming my life and wreaking havoc on my ability to have fun, I decided I was going to take a night off. I went to visit Mike (my beau) in Boston last night and I was determined to enjoy myself and not even think about the future. We went to dinner with a couple friends and I politely (or not so politely) shot down any "so how's the job search coming" questions. Let me tell you, it was nice to go out and enjoy some friendly company. Not to mention, the food and drinks were delicious!

We went to the Yard House. This place was amazing! They had 200 beers on tap, which can be a little intimidating for someone (like me) who does not have a taste for beer. However between the help of the kind waitress and my lovely friends, I was able to find two fruity beers that weren't so bad.

I enjoyed my goblets, while Mike feasted on his "yard" of beer.

I feel so much better after taking a night off of stress and worrying. Laughing and joking around with friends was just what I needed. It was a great way to start off 2013!

High 5 for Friday!

1. Skiing was a blast
2. Starting the new year and my birthday off right with Mimosas
3. A clean start after putting away all the holiday decorations
4. A new hair straightener that makes straightening my hair as easy as 123
5. The cutest birthday present from my best friend

Monthly Goals

I am a control freak. I like to stay on top of things.. at all times. However, I am trying to learn how to live in the moment and be a happier person. I want to be able to say "I am the happiest girl I know." I think I have to let some of the control freak in me go in order to live life to its fullest.

Like I said.. keeping resolutions is not a strong suit of mine. I attempt to do well and keep them, really,  I do! But it never happens. I have a really bad short term memory and forget (a lot). Because of my terrible memory I rely heavily on a daily task schedule and calendar. Making lists and checking completed tasks off is what drives me to stay on top of things. Unless my resolutions are written down on some sort of list that I have with me everyday, every where I go, its impossible for me to remember them.

At this point in my life, just graduated college, job searching, I find myself getting a little lost in all the applications and stressed. I have decided to pick five goals a month that will help me enjoy life and accomplish what I have been working so hard to achieve. Yes, I will have to write these goals down somewhere I can see them each day and have the ability and satisfaction to check off each goal as I achieve them!

So with no further adieu, I give you the five goals of January:

1. Read at least 2 books. I get so wrapped up in crappy TV shows that I lose sight of how happy reading makes me.

2. Be a better driver. all my friends and family will tell you that I am a terrible driver. That is going to change.

3. Complete one DIY project: I love getting creative and working on a project.

4. bake something new. I love baking, I am not really good at cooking, so baking makes me feel like I can accomplish something!

5. take lots of pictures. I am going to have a fun month, live without reservation (to an extent) and I want to capture all those moments to share with you!!

Cheers...

... to a better, healthier, and happier year.

Happy New Year! 

2012 was an amazing year, so so amazing! I graduated college, experienced a life altering internship, and laughed.. oh did I laugh. To say that 2012 was fun would be an understatement. I have high expectations for 2013.

 I don't do well with New Year's resolutions. I rarely keep them and then I only feel disappointed in myself. Instead, I make goals for what I would like to accomplish in the next coming year. For 2013 I would like to...

• Love unconditionally, without reservations and worries
• find a job and be thankful and grateful for that job
• think positively more than negatively (something I really have to work on)
• wake up each day with motivation to be happy and productive
• get fit, lively a healthy lifestyle with good food and exercise
• and most importantly... have FUN! Being a young-twenty-something, I want to have a lot of fun and strive to live spontaneously this year. I can only get away with being young a little while longer

Not only is today New Year's but it is also my 23rd birthday! Every year on this day, I thank my parents for all their wisdom and lessons they continue to teach me. I have great parents and step parents and I would not be where I am if it wasn't for them. Cheesy... I know, I know... but it's so true!