relaxing & studying

Long weekends are always so nice. My only issue is that I have so much to work on for school, that I feel bad relaxing. Then I feel bad for not taking advantage of my time with the boys. Then I spend less time on school stuff, which then makes me feel bad all over again. Anyway, this time I decided to relax & be productive simultaneously. :)

On Saturday, Lucien joined me outside and we enjoyed the sunshine while listening to Pandora and working on some assignments for school. It was a lovely day and being in the sunshine made me resent my school work a little less. Here's a pic of Lucien helping me with some studying.

The rest of the day was mostly spent relaxing.

On Sunday I slept in and then ran 8.56 miles. There's only 6 weeks left until the Indianapolis Health Network half marathon on Oct. 16. My training has been sporadic to say the least, but there's only so much I can do with such a crazy schedule for school. I'm trying not to feel guilty about it. Arielle tells me that this race will be my "first race of PA school" and that it's important too, even though it won't be as fast. I won't be expecting a PR, this race will just ensure that I'm not becoming sedentary.

For lunch we ate outside at Buffalo Wild Wings. We sat in the sunlight and chatted while eating. It was glorious - we stayed for almost an hour and a half (long after we finished our food!) just enjoying each other's company and the beautiful weather. Last night before falling asleep I finished some reading for school, so at least I got a little bit done.

This morning I'm currently lying in bed with my boys while they sleep. I've been up for about 2 hours and have been working on school assignments & listening to Pandora. It really makes me happy that I can work from bed - it means that I can still enjoy knowing that Justin & Lu are beside me. :) Yay for laptops!

I'm not sure what the plan is for the rest of the day, but I don't even care. I'm a happy woman. Blessed, blessed, blessed!

Everyone have a wonderful Labor Day. I'll be heading back south on the train tomorrow morning, so I'm going to enjoy every moment of today.

Shenanigans

Last weekend was my friend Amanda's 27th bday and we finally had an opportunity to take a break from studying and CELEBRATE. And boy, did we! Justin came down to visit so that made the weekend even more spectacular. Enjoy some pics. :)

Amanda (the birthday girl!!) and I. Hope you had a great birthday, lady!!

Kari, Emily, Natalie

Brie, Kassie, Amanda, and I

The old married couples :) Us with Homer & Kassie

So happy to see my love.

I LOVE this face. Best roomie ever. seriously.

Can you tell we're a little intoxicated?!?!

Not sure what we were singing, but I'm sure it was glorious. It always is.

This just makes me laugh... :)

Seriously though. Not sure if I've mentioned how lucky I am to have such a fantastic roommate, so I'll do it now. Arielle keeps me sane. I cry (out of frustration with school) about once a week, but she makes me laugh it off. She always knows when I need a kick in the ass, and I really appreciate it. We've already become great friends, and I'm just really thankful. Arielle, you ROCK! Love you!

p.s. Am I the only person who knows what a mongoose is?!?! (this one's for you, Arielle!)

Mongooses live in southern Asia, Africa, and southern Europe, as well as some Caribbean and Hawaiian islands, where they are an introduced species. There are more than thirty species, ranging from 1–4 feet in length.The mongoose has a similar appearance to the weasel, despite not being closely related. Their long sleek bodies and short fur fit them for similar ecological niches. They live in similar climates and both burrow underground. Like weasels, mongooses have short legs and tails.

Catching up

Hello friends. It's been a while. I've been busy with school, of course. After I passed the exams in my last post, I had a wonderful 10 days off to let my brain rest. It was amazing, and TOTALLY needed.

My break consisted mostly of hanging out at my friend's pool, relaxing with my boys, getting sun, reading for FUN!, and catching up on some tv. It was glorious. Amid all of that I was able to sprinkle in some BBQs with friends, a trip to Six Flags in STL with the hubby and awesome roomie, and a quick visit with Joanna for dinner, dessert, and great conversation. All in all, it was really great.

Justin & I after a day full off rollercoaster FUN!

We were soaked after riding the 'tidal wave' ride! I swear - we did NOT pee our pants!!

Okay, so I mentioned meeting up with Joanna while we were in STL and I wanted to share some pics of the delicious dessert we had. She and her hubby suggested that we hit a local spot called The Fountain on Locust. First of all, the place was really cute - apparently they've been voted into the 'Top 10 Restrooms in America'. Unfortunately I did not actually visit their restroom. I may have really missed out. My dinner was very yummy. Then I saw the dessert menu. I was very excited.

Coconut Almond Joy

Coconut Almond Joy ice cream drizzled with

our signature housemade hot fudge, whipped

cream and a chocolate coin.

Three Coins in the Fountain

Zanzibar chocolate, Vanilla Deluxe and After

Dinner Mint ice cream, hot fudge, real whipped

cream and three chocolate coins.

Dark and Sinister

Tall glass coated with hot fudge, filled with Zan-

zibar chocolate ice cream, topped with marsh-

mallow sauce and a chocolate coin.

The moral of the story is... visit The Fountain on Locust the next time you're in St. Louis. You won't regret it - believe me! Can't you see the excitement on our faces!?!?! :)