I’ve been listening to Shakira on repeat again this week, first in English and then in Spanish, but I figured I would give you all a break! This week’s song is ‘Hurricane’ by MS MR. I first heard it on Spotify radio but now I’m hearing it on mainstream radio, which is exciting. Every time I hear it, I’m reminded of my freshman year of college and I can’t figure out why, but there’s something about the way it sounds that takes me back.

This Week’s Top 5:

1. Snow. Snow, snow, snowy snow! This week it snowed while I was at home and classes were cancelled so I didn’t have to worry about driving back and forth for class like I did the week before. I got to stay home and snuggle up with my furbabies and drink coffee and be warm. I also got to wear and photograph a casual snow outfit.

2. Dinner Parties.  A few weeks ago we attended a dinner party. This week we hosted a small dinner party for our neighbors. It’s almost creepy how similar we are to our neighbors. We live on the same street (duh!), we have two dogs that we love and spoil very much, we even have the same wedding anniversary, among many other things. So dinner was a blast!

3. Tiramisu. I don’t normally like tiramisu because I don’t like soggy bread and that’s what it is to me. But Nick decided to make some for our dinner party and, of course, it was delicious. His layering was perfect because the soggiest cookies were on the bottom and easy to eat around. I’ll only eat his tiramisu from now on!

4. Yoga. It always makes me feel better. I don’t go nearly as often as I should. I’m shooting for three times a week and usually only make it once, if I make it at all. I attend the Body Flow class at my gym and it’s never before 9 AM so I really have no excuse. I’m gonna have to get on that.

5. Good News. Good news is always exciting. This week Nick got good news about his job, my friend got good news about her law school applications, and I got good news when class was cancelled because of the snow (see what I did there?!).

Photo (s) of the Week:

This week you get two photos! And to all of you out there that are stuck in a snowy wonderland every winter, I apologize for all of the snowiness you’re about to see. We southerners don’t get snow very often so some of us get really excited when it comes (or, at least, this one does!)

Snowy Sunrise

The morning after the snow, I took this photo in our back yard. I love how you can see the peak of sun coming through the trees, so blissful. These are my favorite types of photos to take and see – the sun shining through trees. It was cold and bright, snowy and quiet. It was just perfect. I’m glad I get to share this moment with you!

Snowy Country Lane

My parents took this photo at their house this week, which is in a more moutainous region than mine, so they get a little more snow. I think this is a beautiful photo, with the falling snow and the pop of red from the poinsettia decorations. I bet my dad didn’t realize how artistic he was being when we took it!

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!

It’s Sunday! And you know what that means? If you’re me, you have a huge term paper due 2 days and a huge group project due in 3 days. For that reason, the blog will probably be pretty quiet this week. I’ll try to get some outfit photos up around Wednesday or Thursday.

In the meantime, I’ll leave you with “Black and Gold” by Sam Sparro. According to wikipedia, it “explores the relationship between reason, spirituality, and love” but I just think it has a funky cool grove that I like. Plus, it’s about love and I’m all about love songs!

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

1. Gingerbread lattes with a sprinkle of cinnamon. Ok, let’s be honest, when I have my way with it, it isn’t just a sprinkle of cinnamon, its like 2 tablespoons! I love the spicy flavors of ginger and cinnamon together. The Pumpkin Spice Latte ain’t got nothing on this!

2. Excellent group members. Grad school is notorious for goup work. When I was still employeed and told my coworkers that I was going back, they told me all about the joys of group work. Luckily, I have AMAZING group members. We work incredibly well together and are really good and bouncing ideas off of each other until we come up with awesome work. And that makes me happy.

3. Shrimp tacos and sangria. Seriously, after a long night of classes, you just need a pick-me-up. Mine is delicious shrimp tacos and sangria from my favorite Mexican restaurant.

4. Snow. Y’all, it SNOWED in my neck of the woods on Tuesday. Can you believe it? I’ve lived in NC my entire life and it hasn’t snowed in November in as long as I can remember. Then it was back in the 70s by Friday. Craziness.

5. Warm socks. Remember how it snowed? Yeah, I’m glad I had on warm socks! I hate cold feet.

Photo of the Week:

This is the snow that had accumulated on my car when I got out of class Tuesday night. I was so excited that I snapped a quick pic as soon as I got in.

Salutations!

For today’s Sunday Morning Serenade, I’m sharing the song I’ve been listening to on repeat all week: “Stay the Night” by Zedd featuring Hayley Williams. Seriously, I’ve been listening to it over and over and, somehow, I’m still not tired of it. I love the line,”Don’t dull the sparkle in your eyes” because I think it’s great advice.

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

1. Autumn. It’s my favorite season and it’s finally here in full swing. There’s a constant chill in the air and I can comfortably wear a blazer all day. There are leaves and pumpkins and apple cider. Lots to love this time of year.
2. Booties. Yes, it’s finally boots weather. This year I’m embracing booties/ankle boots in my wardrobe. Up until now, I’ve owned one pair of gray booties that I’ve only worn a few times. I got two new pairs over the weekend so don’t be surprised if you see them on the blog very often.
3. Clean sheets. Really, there’s nothing better than clean, warm sheets on your bed. Maybe it’s just my imagination but I think I sleep better when the sheets are fresh out of the dryer. Mia really likes them, too, because she curls up right in the middle of the pile before I even have a chance to make the bed.
4. Long walks. At least once a week we try to take the dogs for a long walk around the neighborhood. Not only is it good exercise for them (and us), but it allows Nick and I time to contemplate life choices and have great conversations that we’re sometimes too busy to do during the week.
5. Mexican food. It’s at the top of my list of my favorite foods (second only to Sushi) and we just discovered a new Mexican restaurant that opened up near our house. We had dinner there last night and it was delicious. The gorditas were authentic and the pinto beans were so flavorful. It might be my new favorite place.

Photo of the Week:

Look at this beautiful sky! How could one not love nature?

The Sunday Morning Serenade series is where I present you with music and a list of happy things to help start your week off on a positive note.