Ooops

How did I forget about the photos from the end of the year picnic?! It's so strange that the school year ended two months ago and now we (amongst the group of us in the photos) are spread all across the country for the summer. Matt and Beth are married now (!!!) and living in Virginia, Blair and I are in South Carolina, Raul is in New Mexico, and Betsy is splitting her summer between Honduras and Washington. Here are photos from our picnic, before I forget about them again.

Fall's Park

Raul and Betsy

Bethany and Matt. Matt had just returned from an internship where he spent the entire semester away in Virginia. We were all  pretty happy see him (especially Bethany)!

Don't be fooled. Blair was having the time of her life.

Betsy, myself, Bethany, and Blair.

Another picnic is coming up this weekend. I just love summer picnics. If it were up to me, we would have picnics each and every day.

-K

In preparations to swim

Today I begrudgingly accompanied Blair in search of a swimsuit. Swimsuit shopping is my least favorite summer activity. I've never been a big fan of getting into any body of water larger than my bathtub. This coming weekend we are going to Rainbow Falls in North Carolina, therefore a swimsuit is necessary. It ended up being not as terrible as I had thought it would be. Blair and I both found nice suits and I got a couple of dresses as well and enjoyed a nice Italian meal afterward in celebration. It only made sense.

Dress no. 1

Dress no. 2 over the new swimming attire

- K

Exploration of Meal Planning

The house is feeling much more settled in and feeling a little more like home (as much as living on the university campus can feel like home) for the summer. Over the summer we do not have a meal plan, (but we do have a huge kitchen!) so my friends and housemates, Blair and Hanna and I have been making meal plans for the week so that we are sure to have food in our bellies and money left in our pockets throughout the summer.

 

I want to continue to be mindful of what I am putting into my body. Personally, I need to make sure that I am incorporating enough protein and iron, as well as all the other necessary vitamins and minerals from my diet alone. I've been browsing the internet for recipes, suggestions, and the like. Dorm-living, vegan friendly, and most of all - simple recipes, are key.

Burrito bowl: brown rice, black beans, tomato, avocado, broccoli

Salad with strawberries, apples, carrots, and raspberry vinaigrette

This actually turned out to be, dare I say it...fun? I believe I repeated, "We are so grown up!!!" to Blair tens of thousands of times between the process of writing out the grocery list to putting the groceries away in the kitchen. She is such a patient friend.

Here is a short list of various blogs and websites that I found especially informative as well as some recipes that I'm excited to try:

The Daily Green

• Dirty Dozen Foods
• Superfoods 
• Clean Fifteen
• Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups

MyVega
Going Vegan
Peas & Thank You
Overnight Oats

Summer break pt.1

Summer break has finally arrived! I had my wisdom teeth taken out today, so I thought I would share some photos from the past few days here at home (Indiana) and a mini-video I made from little clips that  my mom and I shot at the "family photo shoot", yesterday! Pardon the sloppiness, it's my first time ever making anything in iMovie!

getting ready to have our family pictures taken

 

[Song: 'The Winner Is' by Devotchka]

Alexander's for ice-cream (and sorbet) in downtown Noblesvile. Delicious!

Hannah and I with our selections from Alexanders

Buyer's remorse. Hannah said it was too short. I should have ignored her! It's the cutest little thing.

I made banana (some with nut) muffins from scratch last night. Mmm! I may have accidentally overcooked them a tad bit! Oops.

Spring Break

via weheartit

Spring break has finally arrived. I flew into Indiana late on Friday evening after a morning of classes and an afternoon spent with some of my dearest friends.

It is so nice to be home. When I am here (over breaks), I feel like I can really re-energize and recapture the things that may get pushed aside while I’m caught up in the chaos of school. It’s a nice breather.

This is the first time I’ve seen my dad since his heart surgery at the end of January. It’s still an emotional thing for me, thinking of my dad going through what he went through and catching glimpses of the little machine he has to sleep with next to my parent’s bed. All in all, my dad hasn’t felt as well as he is now in years. The surgery was a huge blessing, and for that, I am so thankful.

Yesterday my mom, sister and I spent the afternoon at my aunt and uncle’s house for a little party she was throwing. Then we went to the bookstore, and made our way home for dinner. It was a very nice, low-key day. Today has been a supremely lazy day for me, since I woke up feeling a little sick. Tonight we are having a small family get-together, which I am really looking forward to. My mom and dad have a lot of little activities and places for all of us to go, planned out for while I’m here. They’re adorable :)

I hope you’re having a fantastic weekend as well!