After being MIA for a few weeks, it’s time for another round of Friday Four, a fun survey I’m doing so that my readers can get to know me a little better. This week I’m talking about four things I don’t eat. This was a really difficult question because I love food and I love eating so I had to really think about things I don’t eat. I wish I could say that I don’t eat fast food or processed junk or sodas, but I am only human and I make a lot of bad food choices. I do try to eat lots of veggies, lean meat (although I do love some red meat) and I do *try* to cut out the junk as much as possible. That being said, here are the four things you’ll never (or very rarely) find me eating.

1. Miracle Whip. Ew. Just ew. I don’t know what it is about Miracle Whip but I think it’s disgusting so I don’t eat it. I almost feel sorry for Nick, though, because he ate it all the time when we started dating but since we’ve lived together/got married we don’t keep it in the house. There have been a few times that he bought a small bottle to keep for himself but I never eat it. I’m a Duke’s Mayonnaise kind of girl.

2. Cool Whip. I’m noticing a pattern with me and whipped foods. I don’t like cool whip at all because it’s a weird consistency and is way too sweet. I have, on occassion, enjoyed some homemade Chantilley cream on my desserts, because it was thicker and tasted better. There’s something about being homemade that makes everything better.

3. Liver. When I was growing up, occasionally my mom would saute up some livers for dinner because my dad really likes them, particularly liver and onions. It was the grossest thing ever as a kid, and those nights were always PB&J for dinner for my brother and me. I haven’t had the courage to try it again as an adult, so I just don’t eat it. However, I will eat livermush (it’s a western NC thing, apparently) which I think is delicious. I’m a little quicky like that.

4. Swordfish. This is more of something I’ve never eaten, and probably because I’ve always heard about the high mercury content, which is bad for you. I eat all of the other fishes, though, so maybe I just think this is a weird one to eat! I have no desire to try it, and I usually desire to try everything.

I do love going to the local farmers’ market though. It’s one of my favorite weekend activities!

And I do love taking foodie road trips! Agh, I just love food!

There is a light at the end of the tunnel! My professional paper/thesis is almost complete and my presentation/defense is this week so I’ve finally had some time to 1) actually get dressed in a new outfit and 2) to snap a few pictures of the outfits. This last week it got up to 80 degrees, which is definitely shorts weather, and I don’t wear shorts all willy nilly. But these are so comfortable, so I couldn’t wait to wear them. They’re the perfect length, as well.

I wore this outfit to class and to the office, and out to dinner with friends.

Top: Old Navy | Shorts: Gap | Necklace: Banana Republic | Bracelet: Old Navy | Shoes: American Eagle via Payless

It’s time for this week’s Friday Four, a fun survey I’m doing so that my readers can get to know me a little better. This week I’m talking about four places I have been.  Nick and I love traveling and seeing new places, and I try to write about it as often as I can. Two of our favorite traditions are 1) to take daycations, or small vacations that we can do in one day and 2) when we take long road trips, we research restaurants en route that have been featured on Food Network, Travel Channel, Cooking Channel, etc. and make sure to stop at them on our way. If you’re a new reader (or a regular that missed some of these earlier posts) please check out the following pages on my blog!

I just wrote about our Mini Vacation to Savannah, GA so I won’t include that one here, but be sure to read about it if you haven’t already.

1. Middletown, RI.

My first flight ever was for a daycation to Rhode Island to eat at Flo’s Clam Shack. This is the trip that started it all and you should read all about it and even watch my videos here. It all began because my job was sending me to a conference in Denver, CO, and I had never flown before; I’d never even set foot in an airport – hard to believe, I know! I was so scared about taking a 3-hour flight for the first time all by myself, and Nick suggested we take a short flight together before the conference so I would have some experience. He found some really cheap tickets to Rhode Island and off we went. It was a fun and exhausting experience but one I’ll never forget.

This blog post was when I first started blogging so please excuse the different sized photos and weird pull quotes; I was still trying to figure it all out.

2. Atlanta, GA.

I’ve actually been to Atlanta several times but most recently was almost two years in August 2013, right after I started graduate school. We wanted to take a daycation before I got so busy with school and we couldn’t do anything for a while. We went to The Little Tart Bakeshop for breakfast, then explored the Historic Oakland Cemetery, followed by chocolate at Cocoa Atlanta Chocolate Shop, and finally lunch at Bone Garden Cantina. Read all about it here.

3. Illinois.

Nick is originally from Illinois and still has a lot of family that lives there. We’ve taken several road trips to visit for various birthday celebrations, weddings, etc. I documented most of the last trip we took to Illinois and the different places we stopped along the way. The first was the Parkette Drive In restaurant in Lexington, KY, and then we stopped again in Champaign, IL to eat at Fat Sandwich Company, where they put everything but the kitchen sink in their sandwiches and they’re so good! Read all about it here.

4. Puerto Rico.

Nick and I went to Puerto Rico for our honeymoon in May of 2012 and I fell in love with the ‘isla de encanto’ or island of enchantment. For the past three years, I’ve been working on a page about it but I barely have enough time to get outfit photos up so it’s been really difficult to finish that post. I’ll make that my goal for this summer! Anyway, we did so many fun and amazing things like take a walking food tour, swam in the ocean in a spot that only locals knew about and then ate at a delicious road side food stand, we explored a beautiful cave, climbed a waterfall and zip-lined back down, played in the bioluminescent bay, and explored the city. I loved every single thing about Puerto Rico and I cannot wait to go back.

*All photos by me.

Where all have you been? What is/was your favorite place to visit?

It’s time for this week’s Friday Four, a fun survey I’m doing so that my readers can get to know me a little better.

Four books I’d recommend: This is a really tough one because I don’t know if I can pick just four! I really enjoy reading but I don’t feel like I have enough time to read for fun (grad school life) and I don’t really read any of the best sellers, I just read what sounds interesting. I also like reading books before they become movies; I’ve read the Sookie Stakehouse Southern Vampire Mystery novels (the books that True Blood was based on) and the Stephanie Plum series (the books that One For the Money – the movie with Katherine Heigl was based on). So, anywhere, here are four books that I’ve really enjoyed.

1. Yes Please by Amy Poehler. “In her first book, one of our most beloved funny folk delivers a smart, pointed, and ultimately inspirational read. Full of the comedic skill that makes us all love Amy, Yes Please is a rich and varied collection of stories, lists, poetry (Plastic Surgery Haiku, to be specific), photographs, mantras and advice. With chapters like “Treat Your Career Like a Bad Boyfriend,” “Plain Girl Versus the Demon” and “The Robots Will Kill Us All” Yes Please will make you think as much as it will make you laugh. Honest, personal, real, and righteous,Yes Please is full of words to live by.”

Technically I’m still reading this one but I love Amy Poehler and will support anything she does. So far this one has been very inspiring so I would definitely recommend it to any and everyone.

2. Full Frontal Feminism: A Young Woman’s Guide to Why Feminism Matters by Jessica Valenti. Feminism isn’t dead. It just isn’t very cool anymore. Enter Full Frontal Feminism, a book that embodies the forward-looking messages that author Jessica Valenti propagated as founder of the popular website, Feministing.com.

This book is terrific for anyone who is interest in learning the basic foundation of feminism or for any seasoned feminist who wants to have a reference guide. I love this book because it explains the bad-ass principals of feminism for all of us bad-ass feminists. It’s definitely worth a read!

3. Smoke Gets In Your Eyes & Other Lessons from the Crematory by Caitlin Doughty. “Most people want to avoid thinking about death, but Caitlin Doughty—a twenty-something with a degree in medieval history and a flair for the macabre—took a job at a crematory, turning morbid curiosity into her life’s work. Thrown into a profession of gallows humor and vivid characters (both living and very dead), Caitlin learned to navigate the secretive culture of those who care for the deceased.”

This is one of the most informative and thought-provoking books I’ve ever read. It made me reconsider death and how I would want to be cared for after it happens to me. Doughty has the ability to navigate this difficult subject in a way that makes it interesting and fun. It’s definitely worth a read.

4. Blindness by José Saramago. “A city is hit by an epidemic of “white blindness” which spares no one. Authorities confine the blind to an empty mental hospital, but there the criminal element holds everyone captive, stealing food rations and raping women. There is one eyewitness to this nightmare who guides seven strangers—among them a boy with no mother, a girl with dark glasses, a dog of tears—through the barren streets, and the procession becomes as uncanny as the surroundings are harrowing. A magnificent parable of loss and disorientation and a vivid evocation of the horrors of the twentieth century, Blindness has swept the reading public with its powerful portrayal of man’s worst appetites and weaknesses-and man’s ultimately exhilarating spirit. The stunningly powerful novel of man’s will to survive against all odds, by the winner of the 1998 Nobel Prize for Literature.”

This is another though-provoking read because throughout the book, I found myself wondering if humanity would really react the way they do in the book, how I would react if this situation were to happen in real life, and the chances of this situation happening in real life. I will also say that you should see the movie because it is really good! It’s as close to the book as any movie I’ve ever seen.

Bonus: The Sookie Stakehouse Southern Vampire Mystery novels

*All photos by me.

As a Christmas gift to each other, Nick and I decided to upgrade our bedroom closet and maximize space as much as possible. We’ve ordered one of those DIY-install closet systems and while we wait for it to arrive, I’ve been trying to reorganize/whittle down my clothes. I realized I haven’t worn this red sweater all winter, and as if she was reading my mind, Laura from I Do DeClaire posted this outfit.

I decided to copy Laura’s outfit and wear this one for Galentine’s Day. If you’re not familiar with this event, then you need to be watching Parks and Recreation1 Seriously, it’s okay, I’ll wait. See, wasn’t that great? 🙂 Two of my friends and I spent the day together, shopping and eating and having a great time. It really was one of the best Galentine’s Day I’ve ever had.

Laura wore knee-high cognac boots with her red sweater and pixie pants, which looked really cute on her. When I tried it with my cognac boots,I felt like I looked a lot shorter than I already am so I ultimately decided to wear my new ankle boots. I haven’t had them long but I’m already in love with them; they’re the most versatile boot I’ve had because they go with everything. EVERYTHING. But wearing them for a day out with the girls probably wasn’t the best idea considering we did a lot of walking and I haven’t really had a chance to break them in yet. Needless to say, they’re broken in now and my feet are only a little sore!

Sweater: Banana Republic | Pixie Pants: Old Navy | Boots: BP Trolley via Nordstrom | Red Bead Necklace: Target | Layered Necklace: Claire’s (old) | Bracelets: Old Navy

UPDATE: I just realized that this week’s Style Challenge from Audry at Putting Me Together is Wear an Old Piece (aka something you haven’t worn in at least 6 months). Technically, I haven’t worn this sweater since last winter, and not at all this winter – until now – so I think it counts. Therefore, I’m linking up!

Linking up with InDuffinitely Me | The Tiny Heart | Mix & Match Fashion | The Penniless Socialite | Putting Me Together