Field Day!

Im pretty sure that this picture accurately describes my day:

Or maybe this:

• TONS OF KIDS
• TONS OF WATER
• TONS OF FUN!

I am still filling in for the art teacher at the elementary school, because she broke her foot and today was FIELD DAY! Do any of you remember field day from the good ol' elementary school days? I remember it was the best day EVER! Def. one that everyone looked forward too.

Today was sooo much fun even on the other side of the spectrum as a teacher. The event that I had to run was called "Finding Nemo"...the kids had to run down to a huge bucket of water, fish out plastic fish into a small bowl, and then run back while trying to balance the "fish bowl" on top of their heads. The kids were SOAKED!

Of course, in the spirit of fun I let the kids dump the big bucket of water all over eachother after they were done with the game. They all kept saying that my event was the most fun :) And the scary fifth graders may have gotten me a little soaked too! I didn't care though, it felt sooo good because it was HOT out there!

My internet was out all night last night, it was getting late so I just gave up on it and assumed that by this morning it would be all fixed up so I could do my normal routine of oats and blogs in the pjs. Well, no such luck...

Don't you just HATE that when the little "address not found" window comes up?! Ick! But, at least my oats were good :)

• 1/2 cup of oats
• 1/2 a Naner
• 1/2 cup of skim milk
• CINNAMON!
• Maple Syrup
• Kashi Flax Cereal

After I finished that up I hit the road to go to school. Lunch was packed, of course.

• 2 Slices Whole Wheat Bread
• Deli Turkey
• Spinach
• Tomato
• Spicy Honey Mustard

I also MAY have stolen some pretzels from the regular art teacher's stash. Hey, I'm filling in for her for THREE WEEKS, I think I deserve some of her pretzels. haha.

When I finally got home OH MY GOSH I WAS DEAD TIRED!!! I swear, I can usually never ever take a nap. As hard as I try I just can NOT sleep during the day. Well, today I got home, walked straight to my room, threw down my purse, and landed face first on my bed. I woke up about an hour later with my tennis shoes still on and my sunglasses still on top of my head! haha. Good stuff.

After I woke up from my much needed nap I took a shower and ran to the grocery store for just a few essentials. Nothing too exciting because I am leaving for the beach on Saturday, so I'm trying to not buy too much food until then.

I got home and fixed up some dinner.

Veggie Burger on Arnold's Sandwich Thins with Spinach, Mustard, Ketchup, and Tomato. Also, on the side some steamed Broccoli, Cauliflower, and Carrots.

One thing that totally made my today...when I FINALLY got logged on to the Internet I found this little award that the beautiful Megan had given to me!

I think this award was just great because it is soooo fitting. Everyone in this community is just such a great support! I was so surprised at how sweet everyone was when I first started blogging and there have been some of your girls that I feel like I have really built a great relationship with! I LOVE every single one of you and think that you are all amazing, beautiful girls. I am going to pass this award on to a few girls that I feel I have really gotten close to and who have been a great support to me.

• Jenny
• Mica
• Sam
• Katie
• Baylee
• Anna
• Amy
• Janetha

Love you girls <3

Ok I have two hours to get my stuff ready and packed up for my day of art teaching tomorrow, so gotta jet!

Did everyone have a good memorial day?!

Lots of Love <3 Ems.

AHHH...

So the majority of my day was spent like this:

In front of this:

Hangin' by the pool in my STUNNA SHADES. Just can't beat it.

It was the perfect "Me Day". I started out with my favorite breakfast...eaten slowly and in my PJ's and in front of the computer with my beloved cup o' joe.

Oh yeah I may have had this little gem of a show playing in the background for an hour straight.

FUN FACT: My little sister is named Kelly because I begged my mom to name her that. I thought that if she was named Kelly she would grow up to be as pretty as Kelly Kapowski. ohhh the innocence of youth.

Also I would like to take this time to confess that I am breaking from the norm and saying that Slater is WAY hotter than Zach. But then again, I always go for the "tall, dark, and handsome" men. I mean cant argue too much with this hunky image:

YES, PLEASE!

After breakfast and a good solid hour of acid wash jeans and teased hair I headed out for a little shoppage with the momster.

I picked up a cute little sundress (to add to the collection) and a little pair of white shorts, that are OH-SO beachy. :)

Did I mention that I am going to the beach in T minus 216 hours?! (Thats 9 days for those of you who do not possess the impressive math skillzz that I do) Totally kidding, its called a calculator kids.

After tearin up the mall, my mom and realized that it was nearly 2:00! Which means we needed LUNCH! One of the only places that my mom and I can agree on for lunch is Jason's Deli. I had the "build-your-own" sandwich with turkey on whole grain and a side of fresh fruit. Sorry dears no pic!

Later in the day (after the stunnin and sunnin time) my sister and I hit the town again for more shoppin. Where did we go?! uhh TARGET...of course! She filled out an application and I browsed the bathing suits. I really think they have the best bathing suits EVER! Unfortunately I am too low on the cash flow at the moment, so they had to wait. I said a tearful goodbye and we headed on to the next stop.

I had to pick up some party favors for this little babe:

ITS THE BFF'S BIRTHDAY!! Isn't she just sooo sweet and innocent?!

What party favors did I pick up you ask? Ill give you a hint:

We are planning on a SUPER celebration that I have been resting up and preparing for all week. I picked up one of these:

Little Black Dress Merlot. The wine of choice. Love it.

I also picked up a REAL "little black dress" to rock out tonight.

SUPER PUMPED ABOUT ROCKIN OUT IN IT TONIGHT!!

After picking up these "party favors" I went back to the familia's casa to watch this little know show:

I haven't really watched the show at all, but my family loves it. I didn't really have any opinion on who I wanted to win but I just don't think that it matter anyways...if you are in the top two you will be famous, end of story.

After that it was time to head home, get in the pjs, and wrap up the "Me Day". It turned out to be quite the success and I fell so much better now!

Today will be more laying out by the pool, working hard the RAVE, and then really ravin it up for the BFF's birthday celebration.

Hope everyone has a great day!

Lots of Love, <3 Ems.

Livin' the Life...

Of an Elementary School Art Teacher, that is. In bed by 10, up by 530, packed lunches, rowdy kids, hands blue from markers...and funny thing is...I'm kinda liking it. Alot.

Not to say it hasn't been rough, but a good kind of rough...ya know? The kind of days where you come home feeling like you have been hit by a train, but somehow in a good way. A way that you know you put your time in today and you DID something worth doing. Because easy things aren't even worth it, its the hard things that make you stronger and make you who you are.

I have to admit, I was getting discouraged with the job search and losing touch with the part of me that really wanted to be a teacher in the first place. I was starting to question if it was even something that I wanted to do with my life. But now I see that I was only questioning it because it was hard, not because it wasn't what I wanted. Now I want it more than ever. I LOVE being a teacher, I LOVE the kids, I LOVE the school. It fits. Its me. I can't wait to have my own classroom.

So I know that I have missed a couple of days of blogging, but that is because I have been dead tired for the past three days. With being sick and still working every morning, I pretty much come home and crash! BUT I did take pictures of what its like to eat breakfast and lunch as a "teach".

Breakfast #1:

Banana Pancake Oats...eaten atop my flannel pj's while sitting on my bed reading blogs on the laptop.

Close-Up/Break-Down:

• 1/2 Cup Oats
• 1/2 Cup of Skim Milk
• LOADS of Cinnamon
• 1/2 Banana
• Tbsp. Maple Syrup
• Kashi Flax Cereal

Lunch Day #1

Turkey Sandwich on Wheat eaten atop my desk, with my caffeine fix (gotta have it), a note that says "your the best", and a grade book to the right.

Breakfast Day #2:

Apple Cinnamon Oats eaten atop my leopard print throw. Includes:

• Chopped Apple
• 1/2 Cup Oats
• 1/2 Cup Skim Milk
• LOADS of Cinnamon
• Kashi Flax Cereal

Lunch Day #2:

Hummus and Spinach Sandwich, Pretzels, and an Apple (oh the irony)...eaten atop my desk with all kinds of good teacher-y stuff up there!!

So there you have two breakfasts and lunches in the life of a teacher. Pretty exciting right?...ummm...

Also, like I said before, me being sick gave me an excuse to relax and rest a little. And also to catch up on my cinema. I watched Twilight...which was good, but nothing GREAT. Sorry guys, I know a lot of you are big fans. Then I watched The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. Let me just tell you, if you have not seen this movie...GO NOW! It was AMAZING. I seriously loved every minute of it. I laughed, I cried...it was great. There was one quote that I loved in the movie and when I was at school I looked up the exact wording because I could not get it out of my head.

I jotted it down, and when I was bored during my "planning" period I made it all pretty.

"You can be mad as hell at the way things went. You could swear, curse the fates...but when it comes to an end, you have to let it go."

This just hit so close to home for me, because I have a really hard time letting things go. Especially things that did not turn out the way that I had wanted them to. Sure I could be angry at how things turned out. But when its over its over, and keeping those angry feelings inside only make it worse and won't turn back time. When things end you just have to let them end and learn for next time. I think the practically reminds me of relationships that I have had in the past.

Now, I am off the enjoy the weekend!!!....uhhh...tomorrow, right now I'm ready for SLEEP!

Hope everyone has a fun and exciting weekend.

Lots of Love, <3 Ems

Go Go Go Gurrl

Good Morning my loves! I was def. a girl on the go yesterday and I could not be happier about that. Don't you just love it when you get those things that you have been putting off FOREVER done?! I know I do.

So my day started off with some breakfast and the writing/research for my last post.

Cherry Yogurt with Sliced Banana

Whole Wheat Toast with Apricot Preserves...notice the outline for my post in the background...yes I make outlines, yes I am a teacher!

After breakfast I did some MAJOR remodeling in my house. My roommate and I are turning one of the rooms downstairs into an office for me. Because currently my laptop-ing is done on the dining room table. I wish I had a before picture of this room because it was HELL! But after literally HOURS of work, look at it now:

Here are some key points to notice about this room:

• I displayed my first book that I recieved from student teaching for my classroom library on the shelves. It is Curious George and the Fire Truck, because I did a unit on fire trucks for the whole six weeks of student teaching!
• The drawers on the shelve are animal print...so is just about anything else in our house.
• My diploma is meticulously placed on the the table. I need to frame it.
• For now I am doin it Japanese style and sitting on the floor at the table, but today my mom is supposed to be bringing me a desk.

So there you have it. The fruits of my labor!

After I finished that up it was time for some FOOD!

Turkey Wrap on Italian Herb Flat-Out

After lunch I got ready and went to work to check out a new shipment of dresses that we got in!

Which reminds me...a lot of you asked about my shirt from a few posts ago (the one with the back cut-out) and I got it from the clothing store that I work at...MAXRAVE. Currently I don't think that you can order online, but you can go to maxravestores.com and find out where the closest store to you is.

When I got done with lunch I sat down to download some new music for my runs. I had been listening to the same songs over and over for way to long. I don't know about you, but music is everything when it comes to my workouts. If I am bored with the music, I usually get bored with the workout and quit sooner. If I have something fun and upbeat to listen to and hold my attention, I can go WAY harder and longer. (thats what she said!...right Brooke?).

So here are some of the new songs that I downloaded.

1. Madcon - Beggin'
2. The Dream - Walkin' on the Moon
3. Mario - All the Above
4. Keri Hilson - Knock You Down
5. Jennifer Hudson - Spotlight (Remix)
6. Ciara - Never Ever
7. Metric - Gold Guns
8. Lil Wayne - At War
9. Lupe Fiasco - Real
10. The Decemberists - Oh Valencia

There are lots more, but that is what I have currently been playing. Quite the mix. I never just listen to one genre of music. There is so much good music out there...why limit yourself?!

Last nights dinner was spaghetti at the parents house. My mom makes the BEST spaghetti, but like they say on Sesame Street "Its a SOMETIMES food". But I think that may be just about every meal eaten at the parents. haha.

This morning I am enjoying a bowl of "Banana Pancake Oats" and a laptop full of blogs.

For those of you who were wondering "Banana Pancake Oats" is just a simple recipe, but it reminds me of banana pancakes.

• 1/2 cup Oats
• 1/2 cup Vanilla Soy Milk
• 1/2 Banana
• 1 tbsp. Maple Syrup
• LOADS of Cinnamon

I plan on a run later...gotta rock the new jams! My 5k is coming up and I really wanna run it in less than 28 min. My friend Ben has challenged me, but he claims he can run it in 22 minutes. I can't hang with that...but I think he may be lying ;)

Hope everyone is having a MARVELOUS day!

Lots of Love, <3 Ems.

Wed-Nezzz-Day

Good Morning Loves! FINALLY its Wednesday right?! Does anyone else feel like this week has gone by ULTRA slow?! When I was little (as in last year) I could never remember how to spell Wednesday, so now everytime I write it I say to myself "wed" "nezz" "day", because that's how its spelled! haha. Hey, whatever works right? It the same with the word "beautiful"...that's a hard one too.

Anyway, no news yet on the job thing. But, I'm thinking its still too early. Most of the schools said they would call within a couple of weeks, and my Aunt said that sometimes she doesn't get calls until a couple of weeks before schools starts. But I am still hot on the job trial. I have been putting in applications ALL OVER!

More exciting news...I have a beach trip planned! OH YES! We are going to Charleston (my favorite place ever) from May 31st until June 6th. Only 39 more days...let the countdown begin!

Yesterday I got in a really good run. I decided to just start running and let my body tell me how far it wanted to go, I ended up doing 6 miles so I was happy with that.

Can I just tell you guys how much running has really helped me with my food issues?! It has been so good for me, because I am looking at food in a whole other way. During my ED I would look at food as something to be "scared" of or something that would make me gain weight...etc, etc. But now I look at food as something that fuels me for runs and makes my body stronger. I look at it as something that is working with me to make me a better running, not working against me. This is totally a new revelation and a HUGE step in my recovery. I have been so happy with what running as done for me. Because I want to be a better runner, I want my body to be stronger.

Still on the subject of running...how awesome is it that my roommate's new boyfriend is a rep for athletes, especially runners...and he just so happens to be a rep for Ryan Hall, the 3rd place finishers of the Boston Marathon! Maybe I could meet him! haha.

Speaking of food...I used the last of my Flat-Out Wraps yesterday! Time for a Wal-Mart trip today, I suppose.

This HAS to be my favorite lunch:

• Italian Herb Flat-Out
• Spicy Mustard
• Turkey
• Spinach
• Tomato
• Salsa
• Side of Soy Crisps

I had dinner over at the parents house last night because it had been a while since I visited. My mom made crab cakes and salad. Why is food always so much better when your mom makes it?!

This morning I fixed up the usual fruity oats.

• 1/2 cup oats
• 1/2 cup vanilla soy milk
• Chopped Strawberries
• Blueberries
• 1/2 Banana
• Cinnamon

Today plans are either running or cross training or maybe yoga...I haven't quite decided yet. But it looks like it may be a pretty day, so I will probably have to take advantage of that. Thankfully there are only a few days left of this rainy month. Then of course tonight is pool night.

Hope everyone is having a great Mid-week! Lots of Love

<3 Ems.

Nashville Tomorrow!

Tomorrow I am leaving for Nashville for the weekend to attend an education career fair! My aunt teaches down there and she got hired at this same career fair last year, so I'm really hoping that this could be my big break! I really really really need this, a good job, a new city...it would be GREAT! Everyone please say a pray for me and wish me luck, I need all that I can get!!!

So yesterday was filled with prep work for tomorrow. I printed of a zillion copies of my resume, cleaned out my car, checked my oil, pumped up my tires, and filled up my gas. Everything is a GO!

I am also excited because Lucas goes to school in between where I live and Nashville, so I will be stopping by to see him on my way there tomorrow. He has been really sick since last weekend, so I am glad that I will get to see him for a little bit. Why is it that guys convert into a 2 year old state when they are sick?! haha. I swear they would not know what to do without their moms/girlfriends/wives/sisters/etc. Women just know how to take care of sickly people! haha. I'm going to put together a "get-well kit" for him.

After yoga on Tuesday, my legs and muscles were feeling really good and stretched, so I was ready for a run! Ok, I'll be honest my legs and arms were freakin SORE from yoga!! Everytime I do yoga I get more sore than any other exercise that I do. I guess its all that bending and stretching. So I warmed up a little on the eliptical and then moved to the treadmill. Here was my workout:

• 35 Minutes on the eliptical
• 4 mile run on the treadmill at an east pace.

I got in a pretty good workout, so I was happy with that.

Yesterday for lunch I made what is becoming my favorite wrap combo:

• Italian Herb Flat-Out Wrap
• Swiss Laughing Cow Cheese Wedge
• Sliced Cucumber
• Sliced Tomato
• Spinach
• Dijon Mustard

After my day of preparation I hoped in the shower and got ready for POOL NIGHT! Yep, the Wednesday night tradition. I am really starting to sharpen up my pool skillzz.

Just look at that form! haha.

Opponent #1

Opponent #2

Opponent #3

We got beat, maybe next time.

Fast forward to this morning where I once again sacrificed my chances of living to be 130 by eating cottage cheese everyday in order to mix up my meals. But, it was worth it!

• 1/2 cup oats
• 1/2 cup skim milk
• 1/2 Banana
• 1 tbsp. maple syrup
• Strawberries, chopped
• A Few Cinnamon Mini Rice Cakes crumbled on top.

Oh yeah! And check out these awesome card that I got in the mail yesterday from Foodbuzz

They are little mini cards for my blog, and on the back are pictures of all kinds of foods and drinks. I LOVE THEM!

Alright, I still have a lot to get done today before I leave tomorrow. I am soo excited about my trip. Is it weird that I actually like driving long distances by myself?! Its a five hour drive...so I am off to update my Ipod, vacuum my car, go for a run, then workin it at the mall.

Lots of Love, <3 Ems.

Good News and Bad News

Oh yes everyone it is officially Hump Day. For those of you lucky enough to have a Monday through Friday job you are half-way there! For me however, I havent even started this week yet! I have had Monday through Wednesday off this week, but starting tomorrow I work everyday until Sunday. That is if I still have a job!! The conflict STILL has not been settled between my two jobs. I have really only talked to Rave about this, but if Stir-fry doesn't wanna work with me on the scheduling, then it will have to come down to a choice between the two. I was literally in tears yesterday trying to work it all out. Its such a hard position to be in because one job (Rave) I'm absolutely in love with and love all the people, but make no money...and the other job (stir-fry) I'm not even sure that I will like, but will make more money. What do I do?!!

I do have some more positive news however. Today I get to go see Lucas! He is playing a baseball game at a college that is only about 30 minutes away, and he gets to pitch this game, so I told him that I would definitely be there. I have never gotten to see him play before, so it should be fun. PLUS I might just get to sneak in a pic or two, Jen! ;)

Yesterday for dinner I decided to try one of the new Healthy Choice meals, after hearing Katie talking about them on her blog.

I tried the Portabella Marsala Pasta, Here is the box:

Here's the Nutrition:

Serving size: 1 Meal (9 oz.)

Calories: 270
Calories from fat: 70

Amount/Serving %DV*
Total Fat (7 g) 11%
Saturated Fat (2.5 g) 13%
Trans Fat (0 g)
Cholesterol (15 mg) 5%
Sodium (550 mg) 23%
Vitamin A 0%
Calcium 10%

Total Carbohydrates (38 g) 13%
Dietary Fiber (5 g) 20%
Sugar (4 g)
Protein (12 g)
Vitamin C (0%)
Iron (6%)

And here is what it looks like all plated up:

Review:

It kind of reminded me of a stroganoff, which I love. But I just didn't really care for this one. There was a layer of cheese on top that just sort of got this super weird texture after you cooked it. You know the type that just adheres to your fork and won't let go?! The one thing that I did like about this was that they did not skimp on the mushrooms. At first, I was going to add a little more of my own, but after seeing the meal I decided that it looked like it had plenty! Very rarely do you see a microwave meal that has plenty of any ingredient. I will probably not purchase this one again, but I do want to try some of the others. I give it a 6 out of 10.

The salad I had on the side however, is a solid DIME!

I always stick to the "colors rule" and try to incorporate lots of different colors into my salad. Nothing is more boring then a salad full of all greens. And I am just lovin the purple cauliflower as of late.

Backtracking to lunch I had my "pre-workout" fuel. I still swear by it:

Grilled Peanut Butter and Banana with Strawberry Preserves, and a few Honey Twist Pretzels on the side.

Note: While the sandwich def. gives me the fuel that I need for a workout, I would not recommend eating pretzels with it before working out. The saltiness of the pretzels made me more dehydrated during the run, and I had to drink about 3 bottles of water in one 30 minute run! haha.

I got to the gym late, which is one thing in life that I try to aviod at all costs. Because it is a college gym the later you go the more people and the less serious they are about actually working out. I had to wait for an ET, wait for a treadmill, wait to fill up my water bottle, etc, etc. But it actually turned out to be a good thing because I got in a pretty killer workout!

• 35 minutes on the eliptical
• 10 minutes on the squirrel thing?? - i did this to occupy my time while waiting for a treadmill, but this burned almost 150 extra calories!
• 3 miles on the treadmill, average pace was about 10 minutes a mile, but I bumped it up to 9 minutes for the last mile.

Speaking of workouts, I have to go get in an early one before coming home to shower and go to the baseball game :) So, Im off!

Hope everyone is having a good "Mid-Week" Lots of Love,

<3 Ems.

Overbooked

I totally think that I have a problem with thinking that I can do more than I really can. In this case it I would be talking about being two places at once. Why do I think this is even possible?!

Im sure you are wondering what I am talking about. Well, I just got off the phone with my manager from Stir-fry about my schedule for this week. Of course every shift she asked me to work I responded back with an enthusiastic "SURE!", then when I get off the phone and look at my planner I realize that I have prior commitments to my other job! I have no idea what I am going to do, I am kind of freaking out right now. Hopefully I can get something worked out.

It is such a crummy day today, so I will probably just head over to the gym and cross train instead of going for a run today. Like I said before I ran 9 miles on Saturday, and then on Sunday I did an easy run of 3 miles. I decided to time myself on the first mile, just to see how I could do. I ended up doing the first mile in 8:54!! I was pretty happy with this, even though I wasnt really pacing myself, it was just an experiment. I read in Runners magazine that you should time one mile and then add 1:30 to get your ideal 10-k pace. So my 10-k pace would be around 10:30, but I really wanna do it in less so we will just see how my improvement goes throughout the training.

I woke up this morning and had a great breakfast of some VERY fruity oats. I basically just threw every kind of fruit I had in the fridge in there.

• 1/2 cup oats
• 1/2 cup skim milk
• 1/2 Banana
• Strawberries
• Blueberries
• 1 tbsp. Maple Syrup
• Cinnamon

For lunch I had a nice melty, grilled sandwich

• Whole Wheat Bread
• Turkey
• Mustard
• Tomato Slices
• Cucumbers
• 2% Milk Cheese
• Spinach

So, I guess I just can't be mysterious with you girls because everyone is asking for details on my cute little baseball player. Well, I saw him every day over the weekend. Including being his last stop before leaving to go back to school last night :). Like I said before I dont really want to rush anything and get my hopes up. But I really like him and what girl can resist a guy that tells you how happy he is everytime he sees you and makes sure to open doors, tell you how pretty you are, and send sweet texts randomly throughout the day?! I'm pretty sure I have had a big goofy smile on my face all weekend. BUT! I dont want to jinx it, we will just play it coooolll! haha. I wont get to see him a lot until he comes home for the summer because of his baseball schedule, but its only a month away :)

Alright girls, time to get going on this day...I feel like I have gotten nothing accomplished but conflicts! haha.

Lots of Love, <3Ems.

Serving My Favorite Food

Oh my gosh! Last night was totally crazy. Starting out at a popular weekend hangout on a Friday night was def. overwhelming, but I actually liked it. I get bored so easily, so I need a job where I keep moving and always have something to do. It makes the time go by really fast, and I was done with my first night before I even knew it. I'm gonna break down the night just so I dont have a huge block of writing for you all to read through!

• We can wear whatever we want as long as it is a black top, other than that anything goes. Even with the top as long as its black it can be a t-shirt, tank top, whatever. That is AWESOME! You can even chew gum, wear your hair down, and wear whatever kinda jewelry you want.
• I get 1/2 off sushi, 1/2 off meals, 25% off alcohol, and free admission to any of their events. They have some really HUGE events like rail jams, "white" parties, magazine launches, and they have a band every Friday and Saturday.
• I got to sample all of the great food that I have never tried before!

The only bad thing is that the menu is so CONFUSING! They don't just serve sushi (which is hard enough to remember all those different rolls) but they have a full grill too AND a full bar! My trainer gave me a to-go menu and wrote little notes all over it for me to learn, just look!

Im def. going to be studying that all weekend. And probably goggling pictures of the food so I know what they look like :)

Ok anywho, before work I had to do a TON of running around, because my friend Jenni is having a baby shower today and I wanted to get her something great. I ended up going to four different places before I found a gift! After all that I came home for some lunch!

Turkey sammie, celery, broccoli, and cauliflower.

Close-Up/Break-Down:

• Wheat Bread
• Garlic and Artichoke Hummus
• Turkey
• Spicy Mustard
• Spinach
• Cucumber

When I got home from work last night I was starving, so I fixed up something quick and easy:

• Kashi Pilaf
• Bit o Hummus
• Sauteed Spinach
• Salad (not pictured)

Now on to the fun part...the fearless and fabulous Miss Jaime tagged me! Here are the rules:

The rules are as follows: List 7 things that you love, and then pass the award on to 7 bloggers that you love! Be sure to tag them and let them know that they have won. You can copy the picture of the award and paste it on your sidebar letting the whole world know…you are Kreativ! Soooo here goes:

1. My Family:

I truely am so blessed to have the BEST sisters in the world! We are all so close and whenever we get together you can bet we are laughing and having the best time. My sister Allie (middle) is 19 and we have a great friendship. We hang out together and she was one of my biggest support systems when I was going through my hardest times. She went to group therapy with me, talked to me, and was there when I needed her, more than anyone else.

And of course my parents, who are THE BEST. I am also so lucky to have two loving parents that do everything that they can to provide and take care of us all. My mom is my best friend and my dad is my hero :)

ALSO HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM!

2. My Second Family (AKA Rave Co-Workers)

This was when my manager Stephanie got married and that is all the girls. I know that I have talked about them before, but I can not say enough about how much I love them. I feel like I really found my place when I got a job there almost two years ago. I really clicked with every single one of the girls there and now they are my best friends. They also were HUGE supports when I was at my worst time with my ED. They helped me through it and they still are the first people I talk to when I have a problem or need good advice. I make sure that I tell them all how much I love them every time I see them.

And when we all get together and go out on the town?! You can BET we have fun and are the life of the party! We know how to do it right!

3. My Best Friends

First of all let me just say, I'm picky about my friends. I have had alot of friends come and go because they just are not good people for me. The friends that I surround myself with now are only the BEST. They are all the greatest people you will ever meet. They are kind, fun, and would be there for me in a flash if I needed them...and they know that I would do the same.

Thats one of my best friends, Jenie and her boy Chris. They are having a baby in less than a month! I am going to her baby shower today! She is from Korea and one of the sweetest, most interesting people that I have ever met.

Did I mention that we also have a freakin' blast together?!

4. Running

Running has also been something that I have been so lucky to discover. It really is therapeutic! It helps me think through my day, blow off steam, and energize me for all those fun times with the friends. Oh yeah, and its also freakin awesome bragging rights that I recently ran a 10k. Next up?! Half marathon!!

5. The Beach

I have been to both coasts! Above: Venice Beach, CA. (West Coast). Below: Panama City, FL (East Coast) During MTV's Spring Break last year!

No where else on earth could make me feel more relaxed and wonderful then the beach. Charleston, specifically has been like a second home to me and I hope to one day live there. Its my life goal. :)

6. Teaching

I have always had a special connection with children (maybe its because I am just a huge kid myself) And I love the rewards of teaching children something that they did not know before. Seeing their faces light up because of something that you taught them is one of the most wonderful experiences that I have ever had.

haha. Cracks me up everytime!

7. Shopping

Clothes shopping, grocery shopping, housewares shopping, shopping, shopping, shopping, I LOVE SHOPPING. Ever heard of shopping therapy?! Um yeah...its what I do.

AND OF COURSE I LOVE EVERY SINGLE ON OF YOU! I FEEL SO BLESSED TO BE A PART OF SUCH A LOVING AND SUPPORTING COMMUNITY. I HAVE MET SOME GREAT FRIENDS THROUGH BLOGGING AND HOPE THE FRIENDSHIPS CONTINUE TO GROW. :)

Wow! This took me a good hour to complete, hope you enjoyed it! Now I gotta get ready for the baby shower!

Lots of Love, <3 Ems.