Making Me Happy

there are so many things that have been putting a smile on my face lately!
-first things first: my mom is the COOLEST MOM EVER.

check out the blanket she made for my dorm room! it's so colorful and has all of my favorite tshirts. i love it so much!

-oreo birthday blast ice cream. uh.. yeah. this stuff is freakin awesome.

-getting cards from my friends at college!  of course i sent them cards back with huge kitty pictures on the front, in true Julianna fashion. ;)

-iced coffee with mocha syrup. mmmyeah.

-froyo friday. best. idea. ever. only this was my last free froyo since i worked my last shift on friday! bittersweet.

-going out to dinner with my family last night at one of our favorite places, the counter! i got a salad with organic mixed greens, tomatoes, pickles, onions, hard boiled eggs, a beef burger, and sautéed mushrooms. we also split an order of onion strings and fries. totally worth the splurge!

-this pin. country lovin'! ;)

-getting my Harry Potter and Hunger Games posters in the mail that I'm putting up in my dorm room (along with my Taylor Swift poster and a crapton of photos and quotes! i'm so excited to decorate!)!

-having a freakin' awesome breakfast this morning! cinnamon raisin french toast cooked in coconut oil (OBSESSED) with almond butter in the middle and on the top, maple syrup, and chia seeds.

-that i'm leaving for college in 4 days. EEEE!! better get on that packing though.......
what's making you happy right now?

One Week.

holy crap, guys. i'm leaving for college in a week. this is super exciting and scaring the shizz outta me all at the same time.

i have most of the stuff i need for my dorm room - there's only a few more small things i need to buy and then this weekend i'm going to start packing. wait. packing? what?

holy crap. x5000000.

is this real life?

anyway, as i was having this realization this morning that i'm leaving so soon, i started to get a little sad. a whole two months that i won't get to see my little nuggets!! (don't worry mom & dad, i'm going to miss you too. but i can't exactly Skype-pet-kitty-talk to my cats.)

my boyz

yep. cat lady for life. 

and a whole two months that i will be without a kitchen..!

special k protein cereal, a sliced nectarine, almond butter, and almond milk

then again, considering that i failed at making steel cut oatmeal TWICE this morning (yes, twice!! obviously i have issues) & had to have a cereal bowl {above} instead, i think maybe letting someone else cook for awhile is probably a good thing. 

when i started to get sad and anxious this morning about leaving, i realized that there's nothing else in the world i would rather do than go to my dream college right now. yes, i'm going to get really homesick. yes, it's going to be hard to adjust. yes, i'm probably going to fail my first paper. 

but you know what? i'm ready. there's so many things i'm looking forward to, some of which are:

• playing soccer again for the first time in over a year. i CANNOT WAIT to lace up my cleats again. 
• going to as many football and basketball games as possible. 8 clappin! 
•  diddy riese. enough said.
• taking group fitness classes at Wooden. only $25 a quarter! heck yes! (on another note- i can become a certified group fitness instructor through UCLA and teach classes as a student. you have no idea how excited this makes me!!) 
• going to Cru (campus crusade) and worshipping. i know i'm going to need that! 
• going to the Santa Monica pier (perks of living in LA, peeps)
• hopefully getting an on-campus job to make some $$ (i'm thinking second quarter would be a good time to do that!) 
• doing well in my classes *fingers crossed* - and praying that chemistry doesn't kill me. literally.
• and most of all, meeting lots of other people, making new friends, and having FUN! 

there's a lot of changes ahead,

but i couldn't be happier to have a fresh start and a bright future ahead of me. 

watch out, world. this girl is comin' atcha.

Lately {Eating, Sweating, Doing}

happy WIAW everyone!! i have so much to share with you all today! :) 

what i've been eating:

vanilla Chobani with a farmer's market nectarine, walnuts, granola, and chia seeds

nonfat latte and a coconut macaroon

another Vitality Bowl.. whoops ;) this one had acai, guarana, strawberries, banana, flaxseed, soy milk, apple juice, spinach, and broccoli and was topped with granola, strawberries, kiwis, and goji berries.

super ugly but delicious lunch! a bed of rainbow quinoa topped with baked crispy tofu, and a mix of sauteed mushrooms, tomatoes, and shredded carrots that i added a little milk, flour, and pine nut hummus to. so good!

breakfast at my new favorite cafe! egg, cheese, tomato, and avocado sandwich on multigrain bread with a side of fruit and a large coffee.

a bowl of strawberries with vanilla chobani topped with homemade granola (see below)

more homemade granola with almond-coconut milk, and a simple berry smoothie with spinach added in

another homemade 'vitality' smoothie bowl

how i've been sweating:

• saturday: bootcamp class at my gym that killed me! i was so sore after!
• sunday: easy 4 mile shakeout run
• monday: 15 mins stairclimber + upper body weights workout 
• tuesday: 9.7 mile run (i only was planning on going 6-7 but my route ended up being a lot longer than i thought it was!) 

also, check out my progress! i'm so proud of myself for working hard to include strength training in my routine and am so happy with my arms- my shoulders really pop!

what i've been doing:

• baking! i made chocolate chip scones with a milk chocolate drizzle from ina garten's cookbook:

i also made golden granola from jenna's book, white jacket required. this stuff is SO FREAKIN GOOD. 

• working. last shift on friday! :( 
• school shopping.

i've ordered all of my textbooks (EEKKKK! haha my chem book scares the crap outta me!) and gotten a few more things for my dorm room. i can't wait to move in and show you guys what it looks like! 

• watching food network. hey, if i have the time, might as well, right?!

the great food truck race + m&ms + fancy root beer. definitely my kinda night!

• having quiet time doing the #shereadstruth study every morning. i am LOVING it! 

what have you been eating, sweating, or doing lately?