former athlete

Me doing some sprinting!

Once upon a time in 2nd grade I met a tiny little girl named Erin. She liked stuffed animals and drawing  and we became friends. Fast-forward to today, and she is the proud owner of the blog "Shades of Gray and a Pinch of Pink." This girl got her shit together and made a blog about a year ago and it is great! She was the final push I really needed to create my own site and I know I wouldn't have done it without her.

Today she is hosting a link-up, and it's the first one I've done! It's a pretty cute idea if you ask me.

I was actually the senior editor of our yearbook my senior year, so I knew what superlative everyone got way before the school year ended. Erin totally deserved "Best Eyes," one of her irises is two colors! My boyfriend got "Best Smile"- and he never even had to endure braces like Erin and I! And I got "Most Athletic." I was a state-level runner in track and I worked my ASS off to get there, so I was thrilled! I certainly miss being that in-shape, but I don't miss working out for 2 hours a day, 6 days a week.

I thought I was muscular until I saw this photo. I'm on the right.

Categories I would win today:

1. Best list-maker

It's bad. There are lists everywhere in my house.

2. Least punctual

This is also very bad. I don't think I've been on time for anything in years.

3. Best speller

Need any editing done?

4. Biggest deal hunter

I will drive across town to get it on sale.

5. Loudest

Some people are just loud!

6. Most likely to be a cat-lady

My parents never let me have an indoor cat, so I blame them for my obsession.

7. Most likely to eat food that's been left out for 3 days

I told you I eat anything. I swear my immune system is better for it.

8. Heaviest purse

Do you need a stapler? Oh, I think I have that in here somewhere...

9. Most likely to eventually work for my younger sister

The chick is going to be successful. And she's going to need a personal assistant.

10. Most likely to tell you my real opinion to your face. Even if that means telling you that your ideas about politics make no sense.

This can lead to some heated discussions. Never a dull moment! 

Running at Penn Relays.

What would you win?

-Lola

dinner time

Me and the boyfriend were home together at a normal dinner hour tonight so I decided to use one of my million pinned recipes on Pinterest, enchiladas! I actually don't remember what food I used to make before that amazing site was invented. Actually, I made spaghetti with sauce every other day. Yay for some variety!

We both like to cook but I'm definitely the more inventive one. I'm also the only one worried about cost and nutritional value. Here are some of my challenges when making meals:

 1. It needs to be easy. If there's too many intricate steps I will never make it. Or I will attempt it and we won't eat for 5 hours.

2. It can't be too pricey. The bf and I both work in food service so we end up eating out A LOT. Like a ridiculous amount. And eating out is bad for the wallet, so when we make food at home I try to save money.

3. It needs to be somewhat healthy. Eating out is even worse for my gut than it is for my wallet. I try to avoid recipes that use a lot of bad stuff like cream, butter, frying, etc. And Dustin isn't one to chow down on veggies or fruit or whole wheat, so I have a fun time sneaking them in.

4. It has to be delish! I'm not picky. Like, to the point that I will eat almost anything. But did I mention that Dustin's mom is one of the best cooks EVER? And she never made him eat anything he didn't want to? THE KID IS PICKY! I make stuff just for me all the time, but for dinner I try to find things that he will love too.

Tonight I made "Skinny Chicken Sour Cream Enchiladas." I adapted this recipe from the blog "Skinny Mom." I was drawn in by the photos and the easy ingredient list, and by the "skinny" word. I forgot to take photos during my cooking process because I'm a n00b at blogging, but I did get some of my results shots!

The recipe made 8 enchiladas but that was way too much for two people so we only made 4. The other side of the pan does look a bit lonely though...

Yum!

Now that I think about it, I'm not sure how "skinny" the recipe really was, but they were delicious so I'd say it was a success! What's your favorite easy, healthy recipe?

-Lola

bucket list barista

Do you have a bucket list?

I have a few lists I've written down over the years, but most of my ideas are memorized by now. Something I crossed off this last year was..."Become a barista!"

I started drinking coffee my junior year of college when I had to get up early (not really that early,) look presentable, and get to an internship on time every day. This is when I finally saw how wonderful coffee could be, and I never looked back. I realized that Dunkin' Donuts was awful, Starbucks was okay, and that the real espresso bars in my city were gooooood.

When I desperately needed a second job last year I applied at a coffee shop and started learning how to make awesome drinks. Did I mention that the place also sells gourmet food, candy, cheese...and beer? Yea it's amazing.

I love getting free coffee! I started drinking soy milk a lot more at work this year too, I think it tastes better with espresso. What's your favorite coffee drink?

I'm done at the coffeeshop for this week, and off to the Mediterranean restaurant I work at tomorrow morning. Mmmmmm falafel!!

blog butterflies

Hello bloggers!

This is my first post on my fancy new blog. I actually have butterflies while I'm writing this...how lame am I? I believe that I am EXTRA excited about this because I've been contemplating this moment for way too long.

I got into reading blogs a few years ago and I was SO hooked. I had always enjoyed reading books and magazines, especially when it gave me a window into someone else's life- so blogs were like crack to me. Over the years I have been through stints where I read blogs for hours a day, and then went months without checking on any. My enjoyment was always renewed when I eventually came back to blogs.

While there's certain blogs I've been reading for years- I have hardly ever interacted with people or left comments. It was enough for me just to look and read, but now I feel like I want more. I have been dreaming of having my own blog for so long- but something always stopped me. I felt like I didn't have time, didn't have a tripod, wasn't skinny enough, didn't have enough nice clothes, had a boring life, etc. This is a common theme of my life-to wait to act until *just* the right moment. But it is stupid! There is no perfect moment to start a blog, so I'm going for it now.

It is going to take me a while to make this baby great, so try to stick with me while I learn how to revamp my blog into loveliness. I'm going to post all about my life, interests and thoughts which include but are not limited to; fashion, hair, beauty, decorating, cooking, reading, writing, photography, TV&movies, politics, tattoos, culture, love, drinking beer, coffee, music, cats, names, my boyfriend, working, family, farms, sleeping, etc.

I'm a 20-something girl with a lot to say- so keep stopping by!

--Love, Lola

P.S. My blog name is an old phrase that means "Just for fun." That's a pretty good reason to start a blog, right?