Happy Camper

In my quest to branch outside of this box I call my life, I've started my own little list of things I'll like to give a (in some cases a second) try. First up on the list? CAMPING. Ok, those of you know me can stop laughing now… this is the new and improved me and I'm trying new things!

I went camping (the tent kind) when I was younger and I'm still slightly traumatized because of it. It was definitely cold, raining, and there bathrooms were skeevy to say the least. This time around I want to do my research and find a good mix between crunchy and comfy. You know, like a rustic cabin. I like the word rustic. At least in theory :)

These places look like definite contenders:

Bear Creek Lake (Cumberland, Virginia -- about 3 hours from D.C.)

"The cozy and rustic six-bedroom lodge." Yes, please.

This doesn't look too shabby either. Room with a view!

You know I love a good beach. When do we leave??

Another activity I'd like to try.

And no camping trip is complete without a fire! Or so I've been told.

Douthat State Park (Shenandoah Valley -- about 4 hours from D.C.)

This looks a bit more rustic to me! Campy-chic.

Awesome hiking trails and views...

Does anyone have advice on camping in style?  I'm serious about going, so please do tell.  In the meantime, I'll start stocking up on these:

Tres chic. So who's in?

xoxo,

Olivia

Simplicity

Ever since I was little, I've dreamed of being an adult and living a fabulous life. See, when you're a kid, growing up seems so simple, so pure, and so easy. Turns out that while it's often fun, growing up and being independent isn't always easy. The older we get, the more responsibilities we take on, and four years out of college, I'm already feeling the burn! Between budgeting, paying bills, keeping on top of my job and working my way through grad school, I'm just feeling…overwhelmed.

To top it off, I'm constantly fighting the want vs. need battle (and often losing).  Life is one big instance of dangling a carrot in front of a donkey, only I'm the ass and a pair of new Louboutins is the carrot. I waaaant those pretty things and I deserve them, dammit!

I wish the ten year-old version of myself understood that even though I grow up to be a nice, hardworking girl, I still struggle, and still find myself wanting to storm into my room and slam the door in protest. But now instead of being mad that my parents are making me eat the rest of my gross string beans before leaving the dinner table, I'm dealing with much scarier things like 401k plans and credit card ARP. Bleh.

I know everyone goes through this at one time or another, so it's nothing abnormal. It's kinda like a quarter-life crisis, plus a couple years :) Thankfully, I'm blessed to have a wonderful support network of friends and family around me, who always help keep me in check. I've decided that over the next few months, I'm going to work on simplifying my lifestyle so that I don't feel overwhelmed by everything. I'm not exactly sure how to do that, but I'm open to suggestions if anyone has ideas!

My first step is setting up a budget (I'm awful with money, although the intention is always there). After doing some research, I decided to use Mint.com which, if you aren't familiar with it, is freaking amazing. I'm terrified of the word budget, but this program is great, and FREE! Plus, they have a blog, and use Twitter, which makes keeping on top of it so much easier. What I love the most is that the program allows you to link your checking account, credit cards, student loans, rent/mortgage, etc. to your budget account, which automatically tracks your spending. Seriously. It also reminds you when payments are due, and can track any savings to keep you up to date on net worth. This is something I really needed to see laid out, to understand where I was with spending vs. savings. And it made me realize that I just have too many bills right now to keep on top of, so hence why I'm in a new mindset of being more practical. We'll see if it works :)

Here's a sample screenshot of the Mint.com program (not mine, obviously) in action:

Pretty cool, huh?  I'm going to give it a shot for a few weeks and see how I do.  Please still let me know if you have any good suggestions for how to streamline stuff and make life easier... I need all the help I can get these days :)
 
xoxo,
Olivia

Number One Spot

As impossible as it is to believe, Cooper is one year old today!  Time flies :) 

It seems like just yesterday I was hopping on that last-minute flight to Tulsa, Oklahoma to meet the breeder and pickup my new 8 week old bundle of joy.  That was my first day as "that crazy dog owner."  It's been a quite a journey.  Here's a trip down memory lane...

Cooper at just a few weeks old.  Nom-nom!

At the airport in Tulsa, waiting to board our flight home.  This was his first time away from his litter mates and he was traumatized to say the least.  Time for sleepies. 

After almost 6 hours of flying and a connection in Atlanta, we finally made it home.  Cooper took a quick romp around the yard and then it was time for more sleepies.  He was all about sleeping for the first few days :)

For comparison purposes, here's how that doggy bed is filled out today!  What a chunk.

Just a couple more of my puppy favorites:

And who can forget the time I left Cooper in the bathroom while I ran a quick errand...

And we've had a couple other fatalities along the way...

But that's OK... at the end of the day, look who's happiest kicking back and relaxing.

Love you Coop!  Here's to ten thousand more sunsets <3

xoxo,

Olivia

Shakin'

Jilly, this post is for you :)

A few months back, I was reading Oh She Glows, and came across a link to Angela's Green Monster Movement.  Sounds scary, but Green Monsters are just smoothies made with a mix of fruits and veggies.  I was completely grossed out at first, but decided to give it shot.  I've tried a few different combos, but I like the basic "virgin" version the best.  I made one tonight for dinner, since I had lunch at 3:00 p.m. and wasn't very hungry. 

"The Virgin Green Monster"

• 1 cup of spinach (or more if you're feeling ambitious)
• 1 cup of milk (I use 1% but skim or soy works just as well)
• 1 tablespoon of flax (optional, but I always include it)
• 1 banana, sliced
• 1 scoop of chocolate or vanilla whey (alternately, any cocoa power or chocolate sauce works)
• Ice (I used 6-8 cubes)

Directions:

So easy.  You just add everything together (minus the ice), and blend for about 15 seconds.  I like to add the spinach on the bottom of the cup, then the banana slices, followed by the flax and whey powder, and finally, the milk.  This way, the lighter ingredients are weighed down by the heavier items and everything gets mixed together well.

After the first round of blending, just add the ice and blend for another 15 seconds and waaaa-la!  Green Monster goodness :) 

Keeping in mind that it is a healthy shake, I think it tastes phenomenal and definitely fills me up for a few hours.  I'm even going to out on a limb and say that it takes like a chocolate banana milkshake.  You can totally sub stuff in and try other combos -- I've also tried using cherries instead of banana, which was delicious.

If you come up with something particularly good, please share :-)

Happy shakin'!

xoxo,

Olivia

Summer Lovin'

It's officially summer, hooray! 

Sarah and I had planned a pool day on Sunday, but opted for the Occoquan Crafts Show instead.  It ended up being pretty fun!  Occoquan is a quaint little riverfront town along the Potomac.  Gorgeous to say the least, and feels like it's nestled in the mountains instead of 20 minutes from downtown DC.  Historic, too.

Confession:  I've never really been to a craft fair, so I didn't really know what to expect.  There was well... quite a mix of people.  We started off on the main strip, and one of our first stops was at Wild Bill's Old Fashion Soda Pop Co.   Gotta love an old timey soda pop company that has a website!  :) 

You buy a large tin mug (for $10-$12) and that gives you unlimited pop.  Sarah was kind enough to share with me, and we started off with Root Beer.  Sooo yum, and it didn't have any of the syrupy taste that's so common in soda these days.

We wandered amongst the vendor stalls and saw some cool (albeit random and somewhat useless?) stuff.  I got a few pictures, before getting yelled at and told I wasn't supposed to take pictures.  Oops! 

Edible bird feeder, anyone?  For realz.  And no fair is complete without an obnoxious amount of fatty food.  Everywhere!

Confession, part deux: I had a corn dog.  When in Rome...

Our last stop by was at locally famous bakery, Mom's Apple Pie Company.  Turns out Sarah and I are suckers for samples, because we had to buy an apple pie after having a just taste.  So worth it.  I definitely recommend paying this little hole in the wall a visit when in Occoquan.  Sorry, no pics... I was too distracted by the sweets.

After all of that splurging, I knew I had to drag my butt to the gym.  I've been avoiding the gym all together over the past few weeks.  That motivation I had earlier this year?  Totally shot.  It did actually feel good to get back at it, but it took a really good workout mix to get me there.  I'll post some tunes later this week, for anyone needed some jamz...

Switching gears, one of the best things about summer is the fresh produce that comes in season.  My new fave?  A spinach and strawberry salad, topped with toasted almonds.  I stole this idea from a friend's get together, and I'm in love.  I top it with store-bought sesame ginger dressing.  Light, healthy, and satisfying.  Can't go wrong!

Does anyone have other good, healthy summer options that I can try?  I may attempt some sort of gazpacho, but it scares me.  Eeek.  Other suggestions are greatly appreciated :)

xoxo,
Olivia

WALL-E

Today was a rough day, but posting this cheered me up :-)

Cooper's not a fan of the new harness I bought him last week.  Matter of fact, he'll pretty much do anything to get it off, including rubbing up against every wall he comes across.  No joke.  Here he is in action.  What a spazz monkey!

And you guys think I'm kidding when I say he gives me the stink eye!  He's perfected it :-)

xoxo,

Olivia