Hello, 2016

It's been exactly 1 year and 6 days since I last wrote a blog post. I guess you could say that I'm not the most consistent blogger in the world lol. I really love reading other people's posts, and I know that I would LOVE to document my life more and share more, so here it goes again. 

Truth be told, after 9 hour work days + a workout + fixing dinner I typically have no desire to even open up a computer, but I do miss writing. I also feel that when I started this blog I wanted it to be more of a fashion related blog, and as I've grown into myself more I realize that I'm just not as interested in that as I thought I was. My passion is exercise and  healthy eating, and I think it's time that I share more of that with the world! It's truly my favorite thing to do & talk about, and I would love to connect with more people in the healthy lifestyle community. So, with that being said, I'm going to try and start documenting more of my meals and more of my workouts. To get the ball rolling, I thought I would do a little survey I've seen on some other blogs!

1. What did you eat for breakfast?

Crockpot banana cinnamon steel cut oats with a dollop of peanut butter!

2. How much water do you drink per day?

I would say roughly 100oz/day..I usually drink more when I'm at work than when I'm not though. 

3. What is your current favorite workout?

I have 2 ;) Torq Cycle & Owl Fitness Bootcamp--check them out if you are in ATL!

4. How many calories do you eat per day?

I don't really keep track anymore, but I used to eat ~1300 when I tracked it. 

5. What are your favorite healthy snacks?

Sweet peppers w/ guacamole or hummus, apples w/ peanut butter & cinnamon, trail mix (I love the Sprouts California mix from the bulk bins)

6. What do you usually eat for lunch?

It varies a lot..I typically will take whatever is left over from dinner the night before, but this week I prepped a kale salad & I'm really enjoying it. Sooooo delicious. I'll include some pictures in a meal round up post soon :)

7. What is your favorite body part to strength train?

At the moment, arms

8. What is your least favorite body part to strength train?

Back

9. What are your "bad" food cravings?

SWEETS

10. Do you take vitamins & minerals?

I take biotin…trying to thicken my hair again!

11. How often do you eat out?

usually 2-3 times/week. 

12. Do you eat fast food?

Not much..I would say the only place I really go is Chick fil A 

13. Do you have a gym membership?

Yep, I have a membership at LA Fitness & ClassPass

14. How many hours of sleep do you get per night?

I average about 6.5-7, but am happiest when I have 7.5

15. Do you have a "cheat" day?

I don't really consider a day a cheat day or a meal a cheat meal. I practice the 80/20 rule :)

16. Do you drink alcohol?

That's a silly question

17. Do you have a workout buddy?

I don't always go with someone, but I have a few people (including Ben) that I go with from time to time. 

18. What is the best thing that has changed about your life since committing to a healthy lifestyle?

I'm so much happier with myself and honestly feel much better than I did when I was younger. I committed to a healthy lifestyle my junior year of college, so I've been doing it for a while now, but I feel so much more confident and happy with myself. I've also made some awesome friends through it all, I truly look forward to working out each day, & I learned how to cook some killer meals!

19. What was the last healthy thing you did?

I made Ben and I a healthy dinner of zuchinni noodles, ground deer meat, and stewed tomatoes & okra 

2014 in Review

It's crazy to think that another year has come to an end! I think 2014 has been the most exciting year for me thus far filled with many changes and personal growth. I'm so excited to see where 2015 takes me, and I would really love to keep up with this blog a little more as a way for me to document my life and things going on in general.
Here are the highlights: (I may or may not come back to post pictures for all of the fun stuff).

January:

• January was a pretty boring month (as it always seems to be). Seriously my least favorite month of the year!
• I  began my last semester of college & really stared to hit the job search hard..it was crunch time!

February:

• Snowpocalypse hit Georgia HARD! Lucky for me I was in Athens and able to get to my apartment safely without any delays or traffic, but I would be lying if I said I don't fear for it to happen again this year now that I'm in Atlanta.
• I attended the UGA Career Fair and found many great opportunities, but one that really stuck out in my mind. I crossed my fingers & did everything possible in hopes I would secure an interview. 
• I turned 22 this month and Ben and I toured the winery at Chateau Elan to celebrate! 

March: 

• Ben and I spent my spring break in Boca with family! It was a perfect half-week away and I'm looking forward to hopefully getting to do the same this year. We spent time hanging out on the beach, out on the boat, playing mini golf, and just enjoying lots of family time. 
• We celebrated my nephews first birthday in Athens with a whale-themed party. It was adorable!
•  I interviewed twice with the company that I mentioned above and on March 28th I accepted an offer with them to begin in June in Atlanta!

April: 

• April started the apartment hunt in Atlanta. I'm not going to lie..this was really frustrating as I had NO IDEA where I wanted to live/what was a good area to be in. Thankfully, by the end of the month I had secured a place and was ready to move at the end of May. 
• I presented my semester term project that consumed my life for the past 4 months. It was a HUGE weight to have lifted and once that was completed it really hit me that I was about to graduate from college. 
• One of my good friends asked me to be a bridesmaid in her wedding, and I can't wait for them to tie the knot on May 16, 2015!

May:

• I GRADUATED from UGA!! If I could go back I would absolutely relive this day again. It was such a fun day filled with celebrations and friends and family. One of my friends and I had a graduation party the next day that was a continuation of the fun. Such a great weekend!
• I attended a bachelorette party for Ben's brother's now-wife in Tybee/Savannah.This was the first bachelorette weekend I had ever been to and it was so much fun All of us still laugh when we think back to all of the fun we had. 
• I moved out of Athens and to a new area that I knew nothing about..it was a tough first week just learning my way around and getting used to not being in Athens. It took about a month, but it finally started to feel like home and I'm happy that I chose the area I did to live in. 

June:

• Ben's brother got married!
• I started my new job on the 17th. It was a big transition getting into working everyday all day long, but honestly it is so much better than having school, homework, and a part-time job all at once. The worst part I would say is having to iron clothes every week :) 

July: 

• Ben and I road-tripped to Nashville to visit his cousin for July 4th. This was my first time in Nashville and I LOVED it! I wish we would have had more time to explore and check out the city, but hopefully we will be able to go back again soon.
• I also tried Pure Barre for the first time with his cousin and honestly thought it was terrible at first. I felt so out of place and so un-flexible, but when I woke up the next morning super sore I knew I needed to try it again. I signed up for a month-unlimited at the studio in my area and really began to fall in love with it! 
• I made my first big-girl purchase and bought myself a LV Neverfull. I had been wanting one for a looong time, and knew once I started working I would reward myself. It's the absolute best bag for working/carrying my laptop and for traveling. I have used it almost everyday since I got it! 

August:

• August was a very low-key month. The only exciting thing that happened was that we went to Boca again for Labor Day weekend. We had a party to watch the Georgia vs. Clemson game on Saturday.
• Ben purchased a 3-month unlimited pass to Pure Barre for me for our anniversary, so I got to continue tucking the summer away!

September: 

• Ben and I celebrated 3 years together with a delicious dinner at Canoe. It was our first time at Canoe and we thoroughly enjoyed it. Luckily, I got to go back just a couple of weeks later with my team at work, but haven't been back since. We may have to change that soon. 
• We celebrated Ben's 25th birthday by going to see Garth Brooks at Phillips Arena. This concert was amazing!!! Phillips Arena always puts on a great show as does Garth Brooks, so it was a win-win for us. 

October:

• Spent lots of time in Athens for gamedays and I decked the apartment out in fall decorations. 
• I realized I should also start running more considering I was running a half-marathon in Las Vegas the next month!
• We also headed down to St. Simons & Jacksonville for the Georgia/Florida rivalry weekend. Although the game didn't go as planned it was a fun weekend with friends and I learned how to play Tunk..the funnest card game ever!

November:

• I jetted off to Las Vegas with one of my good friends to run the Rock n Roll Half Marathon. This reminds me that I really need to do a recap of that trip because it was one for the books. Although I am not a huge party person or gambler, I absolutely LOVED the city and would be happy to go back again. Nobody had ever told me how gorgeous the area is with all of the mountains and scenery. I think this was one of my favorite parts!
• We celebrated Thanksgiving with both Ben's family and my family and had a great time seeing some people that we don't get to see too often. 
• We took family pictures the day after Thanksgiving that we just got back this week and they are so wonderful! I will have to share some if I think about. I'm so thankful that my SIL set them up because they are some pictures that we will treasure forever. 
• My family also went to see the Lake Lanier Nights of Lights before my brother & SIL headed back to Florida after Thanksgiving. We did this last year, and I think it will be a tradition that continues on next year.  

December: 

•  I won and hosted a Kendra Scott color bar party at the new store at Avalon in Alpharetta.
• Ben and I attended my holiday work party. This was the first "fancy" holiday party we had ever been to together. It was so much fun to get dressed up and go out and have fun with co-workers. It was also nice for Ben to get to meet some of my co-workers that he hears me talk about all of the time :)
• I split my time at Christmas between being in Athens with my family and Hartwell with Ben's family. This Christmas was one of the best that I've had a while. I was able to spend time with my Mom and Dad as well as spend time with Ben's family. I am so thankful that my parents have finally finalized their divorce. They both seem to be much happier now and for that I am so grateful!
• Tonight (NYE) we are going to see Cole Swindell in concert! This will be the second time we have seen him, the first being at the Georgia Theatre in April. He puts on a great show, and I am so excited to see him perform again!

2014 has really been a great year for me, but I would be lying if I said that there have not been a lot of hard times as well that I chose not to put out here. Watching your parents go through a divorce is never fun and I cannot stress how thankful I am that it is finally over. I pray that they are both able to move forward and put it all in the past.

Here's to a happy 2015! I can't wait to see what's in store!

Life Lately

Seeing as how I have had some major life changes over the past few weeks (graduation, quitting my college job, moving) I thought I should update my little ole blog. I am hoping to stay a little more consistent with this blog and use it as a way to update friends & family on my life happenings since I don't live as close anymore.

As of May 30, I am now an Atlanta resident!! That's right, no more Athens for me. To be honest, it's really weird to not be in Athens anymore since it has been my residence since I was born. Even going back now I just don't feel like I live there anymore which is a bit sad for me. The hardest part is being away from my family for sure. I am so accustomed to calling up my mom or sister and planning something with them or going to see them and it only taking 10 minutes to get together. Now, there has to be a little more planning involved, but I am getting used to it. Luckily, they don't mind coming to Atlanta, and have actually already come to visit me! Come to think about it, everyone in my family has stayed with me in my new place except for my dad. Anyways, I am adjusting well and will be all settled in once I finally find a good gym to join. I am leaning more towards joining somewhere with workout classes since they seem to motivate me to workout more than just going on my own. If anyone in Midtown has any recommendations on a good gym in the area please shoot them my way!!

Speaking of Midtown, I begin my job there TOMORROW!!! I can't even begin to say how excited I am to start this new journey. I know most people dread starting their full time jobs after college, but I am actually extremely excited. I'm more or less just excited about the fact that there is no more homework or studying, and I am lucky to be working for a company with a wonderful work-life balance. Being my planning self, I have already made my morning commute to the office to gauge what time I will need to leave each day. I am happy to report it only took me 20 minutes to get there from my apartment. Praise the Lord! I'm sure the afternoon commute will be a different story, but we will cross that bridge when the time comes :). In true Leah fashion, I already have all of my clothes ironed and picked out for my first two weeks (I'm not joking).

So I'm sure everyone is curios what I have been doing with all of my free time the past two weeks while I have not been working and getting settled into my new place. Well, I wish I could say that I have been exercising twice a day and getting ready for the half marathon I'm running in Vegas later this year, but unfortunately that is not case. I have been exercising some, but not near as much as I wish. You see, my apartment gym is not the Omni Club, and I haven't found a good running route yet. BUT, what I have been doing a lot of is cooking and trying new recipes! I recreated an arugula salad with lemon vinaigrette similar to one Ben and I had at a local italian restaurant, began incorporating greens into my turkey burgers, made a delicious peanut butter cookie recipe that is both sugar and flour free, and last night I made a summer lentil soup by adding lemon zest and juice and cilantro. I can't wait to eat it for lunch today! I am happy to report that I have cooked dinner every weeknight while I haven't been working the past two weeks! If anyone is interested in any of the recipes I talked about above, please let me know and I will share them with you. Other than cooking, I have been doing a whole lot of cleaning and organizing of the new place. I have also done some reading while laying by the pool and exploring my new city. Sometimes it's nice to not have much of a schedule, but I am ready to be back on a schedule again. I am just so much more productive and smart with my time when I stay busy instead of having tons of free time to kill.

I think that about sums up my recent life, and I hope to stay on track updating friends and family with what is going on!

May Goals

Happy May!!! May has been a month that I have been looking forward to since last August because it's graduation time! Now that it is here, I realize that I actually have a lot more exciting events going on besides just Graduation! I also have to pack up my apartment, which isn't so exciting, but I am actually ready to get rid of some of the things here & start fresh in Atlanta.

Let's first see how April ended up for me….

4.  Buy a real piece of furniture (not Ikea) I'm excited to share my new dining room table once I move. Thanks to Ben for my early graduation present! 

9.Cut out all sugar for 2 weeks--nope…this is killing me that I can't let that stupid white granule go. It's SO hard. I have got to do better. The diet has been slacking the past few weeks & summer is coming FAST.

75. Get rid of all of my designer jeans that no longer fit

77. Have a picnic on North Campus--well, this didn't happen, but on the last day of classes Ben did take me for lunch at EarthFare & followed by ice cream from Hodgson's pharmacy :)

& now for the May goals…

2. Mail 15 handwritten notes (4/15)-- I am hoping to mail out a few more notes this month being that graduation is here & I will have the opportunity to thank those that have made an impact on my college career.

30. Graduate from UGA with honors-- May 9th here I come, magna cum laude & all ;)

76. Go to a bachelorette party-- I am headed to Savannah in a couple of weeks for Mari's (Ben's brothers fiancé) bachelorette party!

93. Walk under the Arch-- after graduation, it will no longer be bad luck for me to walk under the Arch, and I can't wait to do it!

May is going to be quite the month. We are headed off to Hartwell this weekend for a wedding, and then I actually have to study for my last two finals. I just finished critiquing my last lab report (hallelujah) & now I am ready to finish strong! 

April Goals

Happy April!!! I am so happy to welcome Easter, warm weather, & spring blooms today.

Unfortunately, I have no April Fools jokes for you all, instead I only have some April goals. I think they are better anyways ;) I have been a busy bee crossing things off of my 101 in 1001 list & I am excited to mark through a few more of those things this month! Yesterday morning I woke up and realized that I really needed to update my calendar with all of the exciting events that I have coming up in the next few months. Between wedding showers, a bachelorette party, a baby shower, and graduation festivities it's going to be a busy couple of months. OH, and we can't forget that I have to fine a place to live starting in June eeeek!! I am so excited for a move though..if only I was a better interior decorator.
Now back to those goals:

4. Buy a real piece of furniture (not Ikea)-- this is be contingent on if I find a place before the end of the month, but I actually already have something in mind. Fingers crossed it will fit in the new nonexistent place!!

9.Cut out all sugar for 2 weeks-- starting today I am saying bye bye to sugar again. Originally this is what I chose to give up for Lent, but it hasn't been going so well every since Spring Break rocked my world. Starting today though, no sugar until April 15. 

75. Get rid of all of my designer jeans that no longer fit-- this has been a long time coming, but I just can't seem to part with them. It has to happen, but is it weird I keep thinking "oh, I will keep them & wear them when I am pregnant one day" ummm HELLO that is not coming anytime soon, Leah.

77. Have a picnic on North Campus-- with the nice weather that is in the forecast, I think this would be a fun & bittersweet way of celebrating being done with college. 

So, what do we think?? I don't think any of these are crazy, but they will be fun & challenging at the same time. Lets just hope I can make them happen! Be sure to follow me on Instagram…I normally posts pictures when I complete something on my list with the hashtag LDL101in1001, so be sure to check those out! Have a great day! 

Feeling 22

I turned the big 22 last month! I know most people say that 22 is not an exciting birthday, but personally I enjoyed celebrating my 22^nd much more than my 21^st, but that’s just me :).

My birthday was on a Thursday and it just so happened I also had two tests on that day. I came home from studying late Wednesday night & walked in to find this:

(real life messy apartment going on here)

Lana & Ben had gone above & beyond and made the first hour of my birthday so special. I may or may not have teared up (#alwaysemotional). So, after enjoying a couple chocolate chip cookies & I went on to bed surprisingly without opening any gifts (Lana was asleep & I didn’t want to open anything without her..willpower I tell ya).

Thursday morning was a whirlwind of cramming for tests & enjoying sweet birthday messages. After I finished my exams, I went to lunch with my mom and grandparents which was a nice treat. For dinner, we made a homemade meal of stuffed bell peppers, opened birthday presents & finished the night off with the new episode of Scandal!

Friday I headed to the mall to do a little birthday & early spring break shopping for myself. 

& these babies were bought with some birthday money I had received. I have been searching for a while for the perfect pair of plastic frames & these were the winner!

Saturday was spent marking off #15 of my 101 in 1001 list. 

 Ben & I went to Chateau Elan for a wine tour & tasting. It was so much fun & I actually learned a whole lot more about wine than I expected to. We were also able to try out a lot of kinds we had never had before & even brought a couple of bottles home. It was a memorable experience & such a thoughtful birthday surprise.

Saturday night we went out with some friends to celebrate my birthday & Kris’s birthday because we were born so close together. Funny story—our parents actually met in Lamaze classes before we were born & we have seriously been lifelong friends since before birth!

On Sunday all of the girls went to brunch for Kris’s birthday. It was much needed after our night out!

I spent the rest of the day studying for a midterm, preparing for an interview, & enjoying the warm weather we were blessed with for one short day.

All in all it was one of my best birthdays yet & I so enjoyed getting to celebrate with so many of my friends. Twenty-two has been a wonderful year so far for me & I cannot wait to see what else is in store!

I'm Back!

Well…long time no blog over here for me. To say the past couple of months have been crazy would be an understatement! Between school being much more demanding than expected this semester (10 hours in an experimental foods lab + 12 hours of other classes), moving through the entire job search process (searching, applying, tailoring resumes & cover letters, career fairs, prepping for interviews, & finally actually having interviews), working a part time job, & babysitting occasionally it has been a crazy time. But, I am so happy to say that I have FINALLY secured a job after graduation & I will be packing up and moving to Atlanta! To say I am excited is an understatement. I knew the company was where I wanted to be after my interviews & how personable each employee was as well as how comfortable & calm I felt through the whole process. I guess you just know when you know :). I have always planned to move out of Athens after college, but I was never certain it would actually happen or that I would finally have my chance to move to a big city, which is what I have always wanted.

So, securing a job has taken a whole lot of pressure off of me & school is actually slowing down for a couple of weeks so I am thankful to have a little free time to work on other things I have been planning for a while..including some posts. I had some fun & exciting things going on the past couple of months & I have wanted to post recaps of those, so look for them in the coming weeks. I am also going to do a post on my job search process & some tips I have for those looking to find a position after college.

Sorry for being so MIA for so long, but I am happy to finally have a chance to do some catching up!