Oh yeah, you knew it was coming… Shakira’s new single in Spanish! You’re welcome.

I mentioned in last week’s Serenade that I absolutely adore Shakira. I’ve followed her ever since I first heard ‘Whenever, Wherever’ in 20o1 and even though I love her English music, I love her Spanish  songs even more. Which makes sense because it’s her native language where she can express herself best. One of the things I’ve always loved about her music is the way she uses metaphors to describe everything! Listen to more Shakira. You won’t regret it.

This Week’s Top 5:

1. Days Off.  We didn’t have class on Monday in observance of MLK, but I had a lot of school work to do so I didn’t really get the day off. However, on Thursday, I didn’t do any school work and instead slept in, drank coffee, and did a little shopping – which is good for new outfits but bad for my 30 for 30 Challenge. Oops. It was nice, though, but I had to make up for it by staying up late Friday night to finish a project before the deadline. It was definitely worth it.

2. Brownies. Probably my favorite dessert of all time, we made a fresh batch this week and they really hit the spot. Nick is going to learn how to make them from scratch and then I’ll make him bake homemade brownies all the time.

3. The Perfect Hair Bun. I love when it only takes me one try to put my hair up into the perfect bun. And by perfect, I mean there aren’t too many hairs falling loose so I only have to use, maybe, 2 bobby pins instead of 12.  There are days when I stand in front of the mirror and redo my hair so many times that my arms begin to hurt. It’s silly really, but a girl’s gotta do what a girl’s gotta do!

4. Reading Journal Articles that You Actually Find Interesting. In graduate school you read a lot. A LOT. Mostly book chapters, but also journal articles that are chosen by the professor to really drive home a topic you’re learning. Those articles aren’t always the most fun reading you do but you also get to do some research on your own and read articles that you find really interesting and you think maybe you’re one step closer to choosing a topic for your thesis. This week I read an article that discussed the fact that our society does not generally support promoting body satisfaction and body acceptance among overweight and obese individuals, yet body dissatisfaction does not motivate overweight and obese youth to adopt healthier behaviors or gain less weight. But enhancing body satisfaction among overweight and obese girls could actually promote healthier weight-related behaviors and essentially lessen weight gain. It seems to be the best of both worlds. See, interesting!

5. Grilled Cheese and Tomato Soup. It’s a perfect lunch for a chilly day. Especially when it’s made with Vermont white cheddar, fontina, chive & onion cream cheese, and then you add bacon. Yum! I think that’s all I need to say about that 🙂

Photo of the Week:

It’s been very cold this week, even the furbabies need some extra warmth when they go out for their walks. Maybe we’re overdoing it a little, but Chico is wearing his sweater AND coat! Mia has more fur than Chico so she’s only wearing a coat. We do what we have to in order to keep our babies safe and warm.

Oh, what a happy Sunday it is!

Shakira released a new single this week featuring Rihanna called Can’t Remember to Forget You. I’ve been listening to it on repeat for days on end. If there’s one thing you should know about  me, it’s that I LOVE Shakira. Love might not be a strong enough word. I adore/cherish/worship/idolize/etc. etc. her. She’s the best person in the world, in my opinion. If you don’t agree, it’s all good, just don’t tell me!

This Week’s Top 5

1. Shakira. Are you at surprised to find that Shakira is number 1 on my list of favorite things this week? Really should could be on every list but we have to be realistic, right? I’ll be honest, this new single isn’t my absolute favorite that she’s done, but it’s definitely not bad. I don’t love Rihanna, which might have some small influence on my feelings toward the song, but I’ll listen to and adore anything Shakira does!

2. Hobbies. If you search this blog back far enough, you’ll find that one of my favorite activities is belly dancing. I’ve taken a break for about a year because of work and school, etc. but classes started back Wednesday night and we jumped right into learning a new choreography! It felt good to break out the hip scarves!

3. Library. I’m a graduate student taking two online classes this semester. I’ve realized that trying to study at home is extremely distracting. The dogs always want to cuddle and/or play (and it’s really hard to ignore their cuteness), the computer has social media, the television has shows, etc. Luckily, there’s a public library near my house where I can go to study and work on assigments without [much] distraction. So, I’ll be spending a lot of time there. 

4. Nick’s Cooking. On the nights I have class in person, I have to commute over an hour and a half each way. On those nights, Nick cooks dinner and he is a very good cook. When we first met, I would make him cook me ramen because, for some reason, his always tasted better than mine. That seems to be true of most everything (except eggs… I’m really good at those). He’s a great cook and I love it when he cooks for me.

5. Sunny Afternoon Walks. With Nick and the dogs. Exercise, sun, fresh air, and quality time with the family. There really isn’t anything better than that!

Photo of the Week:

Speaking of sunny afternoon walks, we try to take  them most weekends, weather permitting. This past weekend, we brought the swanky new camera along and got some pretty pictures. This is one of my favorites!

Sunday Morning Serenade has been MIA, for which I apologize. But we’re back in full swing so I hope you enjoy!

I’ve had several songs stuck in my head all week and today I’m sharing “Break the Walls” by Fitz and the Tantrums.  I bought this album last week and have been listening to it in the car. I wish I had gotten it sooner because the whole album is really good. I recommend it!

This Week’s Top 5

1. A New Year. It’s a new year with new goals and new possibilities to be the best possible version of myself that I can be. I’m happy, and even a little excited, to prove to myself that I can meet my goals and be the person I want to be! I invite all of you to join me.

2. Frigid Temperatures. I can’t be the only person on the planet that actually enjoys cooler weather, right? Really? Okay then. The only thing that would have made it better is snow! Unfortunately (for me, I’m sure everyone else would disagree), we didn’t get any here in my neck of the woods.

3. Brunch. I love brunch; it’s my favorite meal. And it’s even better when it’s enjoyed with friends, which is what I did this weekend. I had a delicious steak frites from a lovely little French bistro in town. Stay tuned for an outfit post from the outing.  

4. New Shoes. I got several pairs of new shoes recently and, I mean, who doesn’t love new shoes?!

5. This Top 5 List. Too often I find myself dwelling on the negative things in life, like I didn’t wake up as early as I wanted to or I didn’t make it to the gym again today, etc. But when I create this list, it forces me to focus on the positive things, which brightens my mood and makes me extremely grateful for all of my blessing. I would recommend you try it, too: when you find yourself feeling down and out about something that is happening in your life, take a few minutes and try to create a list of at least 3 positives that you can appreciate.

Photo of the Week:

A delicious mug of hot cocoa and cozy blanket during the frigid temperatures we experienced here at my house thanks to the Polar Vortex. It was 9 degrees on Tuesday morning when we walked the dogs. We bundled them up big time to keep them warm, like they both wore a little sweater AND a coat. The high was about 20 degrees, so we stayed inside all day. I’m sure some of you are laughing at me because you were dealing with temps in the negative, and I would laugh at me, too, if I were you. But this was the coldest it’s been here in my lifetime, so we were cold! We survived. And I loved every minute of it!

Happy Sunday!

This week’s serenade is You & Me by Diamond Rings.

“So come on, hold me tighter,
Let’s shine brighter,
Let’s be you and me”

Love it.

This Week’s Top 5

1. Holiday parties. I’m hoping to get some outfit ideas up this week for all of the upcoming holiday parties. I’ve already had one party and I”m not sure how many more I will have this year, but the one I did attend was for my program at school and was a lot of fun. My new friends are all pretty awesome.

2. Quiet study areas in the library. It’s where I do the majority of my studying and, believe me, I’ve utilized it a lot this week.

3. Sleeping in. After several late nights in the library studying for final exams, it was the best feeling to sleep in the morning after a big exam. Only one more left and the semester is over!

4. Dinner with friends. Especially those you haven’t seen in a while, like, at least a month! Catching up is the best.

5. Getting to know new people. I’ve done a lot of that over the last few months and it’s incredibly satisfying. New people, new friends, new experiences… that’s the life!

Photo of the Week:

Just one of the many purple and gold Christmas trees around campus to celebrate the holiday season. This one is in the library. Go Pirates!

I know I’ve been missing and I apologize for my absence. With school, the holidays, and just feeling a little down about blogging, I haven’t had much time (or motivation) to post anything but, hopefully, I’m back in full swing. I do have a presentation and two final exams in the this week but then I’m off for a month-long winter break!

It isn’t Sunday but I still wanted to serenade you. Today’s song is Contact High by Allen Stone. I think I like this song so much because it reminds me that it isn’t things that make me happy, but being around the people I care about and experiencing life. So, dear readers, get out there and keep experiencing life!

This Week’s Top 5 Things (that make me happy):

1. Family. Ok, this one is kind of a given, since it was just Thanksgiving, but I’m really close to mine and I haven’t seen them as often as usual since I started grad school. It was almost a relief to get to spend so much time with them!

2. My nephew. This definitely goes with family, but I’ve always wanted to be an aunt (I know it sounds crazy) and now I have a three-year-old nephew. He’s a trip and I love him so much. He lives back in my hometown so I don’t get to see him very much either, except for FaceTime, so I love getting to hang out with him. He’s so smart and funny, he’s definitely an awesome little person.

3. FaceTime. As I mentioned above, I get to talk to my nephew a lot on FaceTime since I don’t get to see him very often, so that makes me very happy!

4. White chocolate and raspberry flavored anything. It’s the best right now and I can’t seem to get enough of it!.

5. The end of the semester. It’s almost here! One semester down, three more to go!

Photo of the Week:

Found on Pinterest

I found this on Pinterest and related to it immediately. I’m constantly reminding myself that I have to keep moving forward, especially when something feels right.

Have a great week, everyone! I’m off to study.