Mini-Vacation Recap

My grandma came to stay for nine days last week. Her sister lives in Archibold, Ohio, home of the Sauder Village (more info on that here, if you're interested). Since my dad had that week off from work, we decided to take advantage of driving two-and-a-half hours to drop my grandma off at her sister's, and we went on a two-day "vacation" that went something like this:

Tuesday

I had originally planned on getting up at 6:15 to work on some schoolwork so that I wouldn't fall behind while we were away. Instead, I slept an extra 30 minutes because I just couldn't bring myself to so much as sit up at such an ungodly hour.
I did get a bit of schoolwork done, regardless, and even got a half-hour walk in on the beast of death treadmill. I finished packing, took the fastest shower in history (my history, at least) and ate some breakfast before starting the journey to Archibold.

Food Anxiety + My Struggle

I'm going to jump right to the point. No fancy intro, no pretty pictures, no fantastic words or elaborately thought-out scripting. Just me and my thoughts (and a few of my opinions)...

I have had serious problems with food - rather, my relationship with food - for a long time. To give you a little background; I grew faster in height and width than anyone else I knew. Being home-schooled and going to a really small church, I had two best friends who, coming from a different family with different genetics than mine, were significantly smaller than I was. I compared myself to them more often the older I got, until I was full-on bashing myself every time I saw them. I took a ballet class, and I wore a leotard, tights, and ballet skirt like all the other girls, but I felt like a whale in comparison to everyone else. I compared myself to other girls, not noting how skilled I was or how hard I worked. All that mattered to me at that age was all that mattered to me say, six months ago - and still does sometimes.

Epic Food Survey Part II

I forgot to write up a Thinking out Loud post this week... Sad day. 

Buuuuut thanks to Amanda's food survey, I don't have to miss out on all the fun! This will be a little 'replacement' in the meantime. Next week I'll be back on my regular schedule for sure.

Maybe. o.O

EPIC FOOD SURVEY

{PART 2}

[part 1 here]

Dairy

I.  Do you prefer white or chocolate milk? 

I'm not much of a milk fan, but I can tolerate it if it's in cocoa form. Chocolate, all the way.

II.  What's your favorite brand of yogurt?

I don't eat yogurt all that often either, but my mom buys the huge containers of low-fat vanilla Yoplait, and if I'm feelin' it, that's what I go for.

III.  Do you think you get enough calcium?

Probably not. Which is bad because I have low tolerance for pain so if my bones decide to break on me, I will probably die shortly after from shock alone. O.O

IV.  Where do you get most of your calcium from?

Cottage cheese.

V.  What's your favorite type of cheese?

Cottage.

VI.  What's your favorite way to eat cheese?

Low-fat, small curd, cottage form.

VII.  What's your favorite flavor of ice cream?

Vanilla with peanut butter stirred in, and chocolate chip cookie dough.

VIII.  When you make oatmeal, do you make it with milk or water?

Water.

IX.  What kind of milk do you drink?

Vanilla soy, and vanilla almond if I'm lucky enough to find it on sale!

X.  What's your favorite thing to do with cottage cheese?

Eat it; literally, I don't need to put anything in it. Alternatively, I can put it on top of or in anything - my list is long.

Meat

I.  Are you vegetarian or vegan?

In this stage of life, I am neither.

II.  If you aren't vegetarian or vegan, could you ever be?

Absolutely. I wrote up a long post ages ago about veganism and how I support it but I'm not about the animal rights movement. 

[if you decide to follow the link, be forewarned there is one photo near the end that is extremely graphic and cannot be unseen].

III.  What's your favorite type of meat?

I'm not a fan of red meat, and I've eaten enough chicken and turkey to last three lifetimes, but I suppose, depending on its form, if chicken is the only option I will take it.

IV.  What's your favorite type of fish or seafood?

I haven't had a lot of experience with sushi (read: one experience) but the one time I tried it, I was hooked. If it's good, quality sushi, it holds the key to my heart taste pallet. 

Tuna is another good one.

V.  Hamburgers or hotdogs?

Hamburgers. As I said before, I'm not a huge fan, but I cannot eat hotdogs. They make me feel icky. 

VI.  If you have a barbecue [grill] is it propane-powered or charcoal?

I don't have one, but my dad is on his second propane after the charcoal and the first propane stopped working. Funny story: dad doesn't get ties and shoes for Father's Day, he gets tool chests and recliners and grills. We spoil him well. ;)

VII.  What is your least favorite type of meat?

Pig meat; ham, bacon [so sorry, America!], pork, etc. I can't take it. I can't.

VIII.  Is there a type of meat you haven't tried yet but would like to?

I would really like to try lobster, crab, and more exotic meats like alligator and *I'm drawing a blank here*...think of the craziest animal on the planet...platypus! I wonder if anyone's ever tried that. 

IX.  What's the most exotic meat you've ever eaten?

I had calamari at Olive Garden once... 

X.  When you eat meat, is the portion bigger than a deck of cards?

Not usually, no. 

Drinks

I.  What do you put in your coffee?

Jeeze, I put a lot of different things in. Sometimes, if I'm feeling basic, I'll put a little creamer and some sweetener in, but if I'm feeling more "adventurous" I'll put in some cocoa mix, some cappuccino (go figure), or maybe some protein powder. I like to experiment sometimes. Don't knock it til you've tried it.

II.  What do you put in your tea?

If I have to drink tea: lots of sweetener. I used to be obsessed with tea, but now I can hardly stand it, in any form. 

III.  Do you like the taste of water? 

Yes yes yes. Water is my favorite (besides coffee, obviously).

IV.  Do you drink water every day?

Probably way more than I should. I carry around a 24 oz. water bottle and refill it 3-4 times a day; and that's not counting the sparkling water I drink on occasion!

V.  What's your favorite flavor of diet soda?

The kind I don't drink

VI.  Do you think you drink too much diet soda?

If never is too much, then yeah. 

VII.  Do you prefer to eat or drink your calories?

I dunno, cappuccino is really good...but so is peanut butter so you've kind of caught me in a tough spot here. I like both a lot!

VIII.  Do you drink energy drinks?

Not unless coffee counts. ;)

IX.  What's your favorite smoothie recipe?

I'm not very adventurous with smoothies (partly because my little single-serving blender broke *sad face*), but I like peanut butter, banana, almond milk, and chocolate smoothies a lot. I think that might actually count as a milkshake w/o ice cream, actually.

X.  Do you flavor your water?

Sometimes, if I have flavoring packets on hand. I've tried infusing it but my favorite is the ready-flavored Sparkling Ice bottles. Lemonade is my fave. <3

Treats

I.  How often do you eat something unhealthy?

If by "unhealthy" you mean "gloriously balanced between sweet and somewhat healthy, because food is food and as long as you don't go overboard it's all good" the answer is: every day, sometimes more than once! 

II.  Do you prefer a sweet or salty treat?

Sweet. Unless of course I'm craving something salty; in which case, chocolate does not do.

III.  What's your favorite salty treat?

It honestly depends on what I'm craving. Sometimes pretzels, sometimes peanuts, sometimes popcorn.

IV.  What's your favorite sweet treat?

See above answer.^^

V.  What's your favorite brand of chocolate bar?

I don't usually buy chocolate in bar form, so I'm gonna go with what I know from experience and say Hershey's.

VI.  When was the last time you went out to eat?

Tuesday, but...

VII.  What did you order?

...I didn't order anything because I wasn't feeling 100% so I had a bottle of water and a Larabar I had stashed in my bad for who knows how long.

VIII.  Do you tend to binge on unhealthy foods around your house?

Again with the "unhealthy" wording...

Yes. I do. When I say binge I mean eat without really thinking about it because the food is tasty. I'm getting better though! 

IX.  Chips or popcorn?

Popcorn, always popcorn!

X.  What's your favorite flavor/brand of chips?

I don't hardly ever eat chips, so I really don't have a favorite. I used to love sour cream & onion and barbecue Pringles.

There you have it: the second and final part of the food survey!

Thanks to Amanda for writing it up. Join in if you're feelin' it! :)

~JK

Back Into the Swing of Things + Epic Food Survey Part I

Ahoy! I have returned fer me...er...me booty?

I haven't really returned for anything in particular. Except maybe a 'where have you been, ya slacker?!'

Actually I wasn't expecting any of that. I haven't been gone that long. Have I?

I was MIA for a time (12 days, to be precise) because - in short - I've had a lot going on. 

In a bit more detail: I had summer camp from the 7th to the 12th, and not long after I had a funeral to attend for my great-aunt. In all the hubbub, blogging wasn't the first thing on my list of priorities. 

In addition, I had some schoolwork to catch up on; and my mom had knee surgery so I've been spending a lot of my time planning meals and searching for more exciting lunches and dinners (toasted cheese gets boring real fast). When I haven't been doing school or playing chef for my family, I've been watching Regular Show and Pokemon - both of which are on Netflix. Praaaaaise. 

In other news, Amanda has put together a food survey that I am more than happy to join in on. I think it's about time I got back into the swing of things here...

EPIC FOOD SURVEY

{pt. I}

Grains

I.  Flavor-wise, do you prefer white or whole wheat breads?
Wheat, if it's in loaf form. White, if it's in biscuit form.

II.  What's your favorite type of grain to eat (oatmeal, bread, wraps, etc.)?
Oatmeal; although I ate waaaay too much over the last few years, so I only have it about once a month now. Dry cereal has kind of become my thing nowadays.

III.  What's your favorite sandwich filling?
Peanut butter, banana, cinnamon, and honey. <3 <3 <3

IV.  What's your favorite type of bread?
Banana. No question about it!

V.  How many servings of grain do you consume daily?
Probably way too many. Grains make up most of my diet, along with nut butters and cottage cheese.

VI.  What's your favorite cracker topping?
Hummus. Usually I eat hummus with carrots and broccoli, but it's delicious with crackers as well.

VII.  What's your favorite thing to do with rice?
Put it into a stir-fry. Then eat it. 

VIII.  What brand of bread do you usually buy?
My mom buys grain from an Amish bulk store, grinds it with her Nutrimill beast contraption, and bakes most of our bread. So much better than store-bought.

IX.  What's your favorite type of cereal?
Ack. Can I only choose one?... Mother's Peanut Butter Bumpers. My brothers ate the last of it the last time I bought some!  >.<

X.  What was your favorite type of breakfast cereal as a child?
REESE'S PUFFS. There was a time when Cocoa Pebbles were really high on my favorites list as well.
Ahh, I miss those carefree days sometimes. 

Fruits

I.  Favorite fruit?
Despite the fact that the above photo is of an apple, my favorite fruits are bananas and blueberries. Blueberries are just so dang expensive, I can't buy pounds and pounds of them like I can with bananas...

II.  Least favorite fruit?
Dragon fruit. It has no taste - or at least, the one I tried didn't. It just tasted like water!
They look really cool though...

[source]

III.  Do you drink fruit juice often?
No. I used to on occasion as a kid, but I guess it always gave me 'the runs' so I steer clear of it to this day.

IV.  Do you consider tomatoes a fruit or a vegetable?
Vegetable. They will never be a fruit in my eyes.

V.  Do you think you eat enough fruit daily?
Oh yeah, for sure! I basically live off fruit. And nut butter. And cottage cheese...

VI.  Do you consider fruit more important than vegetables?
No, but I do consider them tastier.

VII.  What's your favorite citrus fruit?
Grapefruit.

VIII.  Do you like pastries with fruit in them?
I'm not a huge fan of pastries in general (they don't fill me up; and even the little ones have so much sugar stuffed into them!) but I used to be a major fan of apple turnovers. Sheesh those are good.

IX.  What's your favorite flavor of jam?
Blueberry; especially when we pick 23194 blueberries and Mom makes the jam herself.

X.  When do you usually eat the most fruit?
When I'm awake. ;)

Veg

I.  When you were a kid, did you like vegetables?
Not hardly. Unless they were canned or cooked to mush; I was very persnickety about them. Funny story: I loved Ranch dressing, and I remember one day I put together a big salad with oodles of Ranch slathered on top. I couldn't eat the lettuce, but I licked off the dressing.
I was a strange one, I admit.

II.  do you think you eat enough vegetables now?
It really depends on the day. Sometimes, no - other times, no question about it. If I have hummus on hand, I definitely eat enough carrots.

III.  What's your favorite raw vegetable?
Have I mentioned carrots yet?

IV.  What's your favorite cooked vegetable?
I really liked steamed-anything. Broccoli, green beans, corn, peas, etc. They're all good - except peppers. 

V.  What's your least favorite raw vegetable? 
Tomatoes (although science calls them a fruit, they are a veggie to me!) 

VI.  What's your least favorite cooked vegetable?
Peppers. I don't like them raw either, unless they're blended into salsa. 

VII.  What's your favorite kind of salad?
The kind with so many toppings you can't taste the greens.
But really, strawberry salad is pretty good, I think. Who knew strawberries + spinach went so well together??

VIII.  Do you buy spaghetti sauce, or do you make your own?
Buy it. It takes far, far too long to make it and it's almost not worth the effort. 

IX.  When you order a sub at Subway, what vegetables do you get on it?
Spinach, lettuce, & pickles. Done.

X.  Do you like vegetables more than fruit?
No. In no way will veg ever surpass fruit in my book.

Nuts

I.  What's your favorite type of nut?
Pureed and plopped into a jar.

Also, I really like oven-roasted almonds. Cashews are pretty good, too.

II.  What's your least favorite type of nut?
I'm not a fan of Brazil nuts. I used to love them, but they taste too buttery to me for some reason.

III.  What's your favorite type of nut butter?
Either Earth Balance Coconut Peanut Spread, or Peanut Butter & Co. Dark Chocolate Dreams.

IV.  Are you good with portion control when it comes to nuts or nut-butters?
Not with nut butters. Ooooooh no.

V.  What's your favorite recipe that involves nuts or nut butters?
Banana bread, topped with peanut butter. :D

VI.  Have you ever tried pea-butter or soynut butter?
Pea-butter sounds horrendous, and soynut butter sounds pretty good, but I can't say I ever have tried it.

VII.  When was the last time you ate nuts?
This morning, whilst licking the spatula I used to transfer homemade peanut butter from the food processor to the peanut butter jar.

VIII.  Is anybody close to you allergic to nuts?
If they are, I am unaware.

IX.  What's your favorite way to use nut butters? 
Top it on something, or eat it straight from the jar. 

X.  Do you think nuts are worth the calories?
Heck yes! Forever and always! Unless you have an allergy, in which case; no, don't risk your life.

~JK

The "Healthy" Joke, and Why I Don't Use it

At some point in your life, you've probably heard someone remark over something unhealthy by saying "oh, how healthy this is..." or "I'll have to take a nice, long run after this!" I refer to this as 'the healthy joke', i.e. one of the most annoying things anyone could say to me. 

Now, if I was a hardcore athlete or personal trainer, I would appreciate strict accountability. I am not a person who is known for persistence and self-control when it comes to regular exercise and healthy eating; but I'm not training for the Olympics. I'm a 16-year-old Average Jane, and I eat what makes my body feel good. If I'm craving some chocolate, I'm gonna eat some chocolate! But I know what things make me feel not so good, so I steer clear of those things; if I choose to eat a box of fries or a vanilla cone, it's my body and I'll pay the consequences later, but I'm going to enjoy that soft serve while it lasts!

The big question here is: why do people judge themselves based upon how healthy or unhealthy the food is that they're eating? Better yet: why do people feel the need to point out what other people are eating? First of all, you are not defined by what you eat. If you want to go out for lunch with a friend and she orders a salad, you are not "required" to order a salad yourself; if you want a Big Mac, get a Big Mac and enjoy that sucker! Secondly, you shouldn't feel inclined to take control of what someone else has on their plate (unless it's your child, in which case you are the parent and I completely respect that).

I don't think it's wrong to approach someone you're very close to (say, a parent or a sibling) if you feel their eating habits are out of control, but even then, you shouldn't blatantly point out that what they're eating is bad for them. That isn't going to do anything for them.

When we constantly bash ourselves in the presence of other people, we make those other people feel lesser of themselves. You can say "I feel so fat...but you look great!" to someone who's 20 pounds heavier than you, and you'd better believe they aren't going to think "wow, I do look great!" they're going to think "wow, if she thinks she's fat, what does that make me?"

It's the same thing with food. If you bash yourself over how much you're eating or what kind of food you're eating, the person sitting next to you with an extra drizzle of Ranch dressing very well may go home and start weighing out all of the things she now feels is wrong about her.

That being said, you shouldn't bash yourself even when you're not in the presence of others. I've said it before and I'll say it again: you are not defined by what you eat. 

You and only you can determine what is best for your body. You can psych yourself into thinking that cheeseburgers and frosties make you feel good, but in the long run, you're only being fulfilled mentally. I love frappuccinos and french fries and pizza, all of which make me feel happy while I'm consuming them, but I don't feel so great afterward, which is why I don't eat them every day. When I do, I don't sit down and think "oh crap what am I putting into my body?" "This is going to make me so sick." "I have a five-mile run on my agenda now..." 

Truth be told, I used to think those things. I used to beat myself up for every little "bad" thing I ate. I used to want to throw up every time I smelled fast food. Now, after far too many years of self-destruction and negative self-talk, I have learned that my worth is not defined by the quality of the food I put into my body. 

I have become happier than I have been in years, just by letting myself be free of the negativity that plagued my mind for so long. 

Yes, I have more "soft spots" on my body now that I have stopped being so strict on myself. No, I don't limit myself to low-carb, low-cal, low-fat foods. 

Those foods never made me happy. That life never made me happy. If salads with no dressing, raw vegetables with no salt, and glass after glass of nothing but pure, double-filtered water makes you happy, then by all means, go for it! But for me, it was only when I stopped depriving myself of what brought me joy that I really began to eat the way I should.

I don't have a perfectly "clean" diet, but I have a much cleaner mind. By being happy, and by not stressing over what I eat, my body has learned what it needs to do. If I go out for a Starbucks and I want a mocha cookie crumble, it's going in my belly. It makes me happier than choking down unsweetened tea; and you know what? I'm fine with that.

My only request is that you stop bashing yourself, and stop bashing other people. If you're having ice cream night at youth group, don't sit down with your friends and whisper jokingly "how healthy are we?", just eat your fricking ice cream and enjoy it. We weren't created to stress out over food - eat what makes your body feel good, and don't neglect what makes your mind feel good too. 

~JK

Level 16

Friday was my level-up day!
As childish as it sounds, I still get excited for presents...many of which I received.
Also, you would think I took 3947262 pictures of the event; in reality I took about three, if even than many.
I apologize in advance.

[source]

On the 27th of June, sixteen years ago, I - Janessa - was born. Since then, I've had enough cake to last me a lifetime, torn through enough wrapping paper to make my fingers bleed, and blown out enough candles to completely rid my lungs of oxygen.

This year was uber special because, in America at least, an individual's 16th birthday is a pretty huge deal. Personally, all I wanted was a sleepover with a sizable group of my favorite girls, but Mom was set on this big party that was essentially an open house. And I haven't even graduated from my freshman year of high school yet (Mom's kinda famous for overkill. ;) ). We were [eventually] able to figure out how both of us could win: I would have two parties, back to back. Actually, three, counting the "party" I had with my family...I'm not complaining. That meant a lot of hugs, a lot of food, and a lot of cards to read. :)

On Thursday, I went went out for lunch with my parents, my brothers, and my sister.

We went to a Chinese restaurant where we got the best waiter who told us his name was Jackie Chan, and kept going on about how lucky he was to serve "such a beautiful family." I got the almond chicken with white rice, which was fantastic.

After we were finished, Jackie said to me "next time your beautiful family come here, but you bring another boy, I not serve him."
If he isn't the best waiter ever, I don't know who is.

Later, we got frozen yogurt. I went all out with the toppings, and, as always, it was delish. <3

A mess of Reese's candies, chocolate covered pretzels,
mini peanut butter cups, Oreo pieces, peanut butter sauce,
chocolate sauce, whipped cream, and chocolate sprinkles.

Afterward, I opened presents from my parents and siblings. I received a multitude of owl-themed products - including a towel, a pencil holder, and a rug - and from my parents my favorite was a little owl mug that I named Clementine.

(Don't tell the others I'm picking favorites)

On Friday, before the party, I took my permit test...
...and passed! I was sweating like a horse but I had studied the book previously and riddled my mom with questions right beforehand, so I was confident in most of my answers and I only got three incorrect.
After taking my test, I had a checkup at the doctor's office (an annual thing my mom still makes me do), then from there, we picked up my friends Kaylee and Kennedi for the "pre-party."
We picked up Subway sandwiches and stopped at a local coffee house. Then we walked around town before mom picked us up to get ready for the others to arrive.

Later on, a good amount of my friends showed up for the party. I was actually really worried because - long story short - not everyone knew I was even having a party on Friday. But it worked out just fine. :)
Mom made cookies in place of cake, and, of course, there was pizza. Lots of pizza.

On Saturday, Kaylee and  Kennedi and I went to the library with Dad to find some horror movies - preferably ones that were rated PG-13 because Kennedi had never seen a horror movie before. We found Mama and 1408, then we walked to Redbox for The Purge.
[Synopsis: Mama was hilarious, believe it or not. The storyline was so unrealistic, but Lucas and Annabel are a pretty cute couple and the acting wasn't horrendous so it was worth watching. Mama was played by a man with Marfan Syndrome and there was hardly and CG involved.
The Purge was the most disappointing horror movie I have ever seen. The only scary thing was the jumpscares, and even then it wasn't as scary as I let on. We tried watching it in the dark but we couldn't do it, so maybe it's because the lights were on...
1408 was also very disappointing because - again - it wasn't scary. I was anticipating something terrifying to happen but it never did and I just want the hours of my life back that I wasted on it.]
Halfway through Mama, guests started arriving. My uncle came from Ohio to make the food: turkey meatballs, cole slaw, dinner rolls, baked mac & cheese, roasted sweet potatoes and vegetables, raw vegetables and dip, and strawberry cupcakes with lemon icing. I got 12 pinkish-red roses to compliment the table...

I received a multitude of cards and gave out enough hugs to last me a week. It was fun getting to hang out with my closest friends; it still hasn't sunk in yet that I'm 16 and I can drive.

On Sunday, Mom took me driving for 55 minutes, and later Dad took me driving for 40 (30 of those were at nighttime). I almost got hit  by a semi because you are not supposed to slow to a stop when you want to turn off a road to another road or a driveway or a bridge or anything else. Just don't stop. Trust me.
Frankly, I'm doing pretty well for a first-timer, I think. I agree with everyone who has their license now...driving is not as much fun as you think it is. I was so eager to start driving because I thought it'd be a breeze and I'd get the hang of it in the blink of an eye but nooooooo. Ohhhh no. My eyes are always darting precariously from the speedometer to the road to the rearview mirror back to the speedometer to the steering wheel to the road...'tis a vicious cycle of certain death. And I tend to "hug the white line" (Dad quote) which is better than veering to the middle of the road, I suppose. And at night I forgot to turn down my brights when a semi passed in the opposite lane. Agh. >.<  There's a lot more mental action involved in driving than I anticipated. What did I get myself into?...

And no, I don't have my own car yet. That's not something that my parents buy for me like in those early-2000s movies where the rich daughter is given a car on her 16th birthday. 1) I'm not rich, and 2) my parents and I have already discussed that I am buying my own car when the time comes; or at least a huge portion of the cost. Dad insists that if I buy it with my own money I'm more likely to be careful with it. Which is true, because I realize now that cars are not cheap. At all.

Thanks for stopping by to hear [read] me ramble on recap my weekend. ;)

~JK

Spill, it Sundays #2

I have missed two weeks in a row of this linkup.

I'm actually very disappointed in myself. No brownie points for Janessa. :(

This week, I'm NOT missing out. I said that last week, but I mean it this time. I really really truly mean it!

Watch me forget again... 

1) What is your happy place? Lost in a fictional world that emerges with the turn of a page.

2) What are you wearing right now? Jeans, a blue camisole, and white flannel. Comfort is everything. 

3) Cookies or cake? Coooooookiiiiiiies. 

[source]

4) Which chore/errand do you despise the most? Is schoolwork a chore? ...No? Okay then, washing dishes. I wouldn't mind it so much if people would throw away the extra scum that's left on their plates. It's not fun toughing a soggy piece of leftover meatloaf. *gag*

5) What is the most daring thing you’ve ever done? I traveled 500 miles away from home without my parents. For someone prone to catching homesickness, that's pretty daring! 

6) Brag and tell us one thing you love about yourself! My hair. Not gonna lie, I worked hard to grow it out, and I'm pretty dang proud of that. 

bathroom mirror pic, hoorah.

7) Now tell us one embarrassing fact about yourself. I fart a lot. Like a LOT. I've always been that way, literally since birth. The first thing I did upon entering the world was pass gas, along with a good bit of stool (as I've been reminded multiple times).

8) Name three things on your nightstand. I don't have a nightstand, but three things on my desk are a multitude of pencils and pens, a mini calendar, and a birthday present that I have yet to give to my friend (sorry, Kennedi).

9) You can ask a famous person one (and only one) question. Who is it and what is your question? Miley Cyrus. My question is "why?" I used to love that chick. Hannah Montana forever!!

10) Would you rather live in the breathtaking mountains or on a gorgeous tropical beach? Since I've never been to both, I can't really say. Although I love tropical everything, I would rather live in the mountains because it's less humid. 
Plus, I'm more likely to encounter a mountain goat.

Selfie time!

I tried so hard to look fierce, it's unnatural for me.

Usually my selfies look like I just got out of bed hungover.

~JK

10 Day You Challenge ~ Day 6

I came to the realization (much too late, obviously) that I have been doing this entire challenge backwards.
See, a normal person would look at the picture below, upon which the name of the numbered days are highlighted, and say "okay, on day one, I post one picture of myself; on day two, I post two songs..." but me? What do I do? I look at the picture and say, "ah, I get it, it's a countdown!"
Maybe I've been doing it right and it is a countdown. Hmm. I'll probably never know. Either way, day six, here I come!

Gosh, just five foods?...this is gonna be over way too quickly. How about we change 'five foods' into 'five combinations'?

1.  Various cereals and vanilla soymilk

For the longest time, I have been having at least two different cereals in one bowl. I can't remember when the last time was that I ate just one kind of cereal at one time...
Call me crazy, but it's the way of life. I am a cereal person and shall be forevermore.

2.  Cottage cheese, sliced banana, and cinnamon

[I'm well aware these are apple slices...]

A classic fave of mine. I've been obsessing over cottage cheese for a good while now, pairing it with different fruits, and bananas seem to be the winner for this combo. I've been told that apple butter is pretty good with it as well, but I haven't had the chance to try that one just yet.

3.  Rice cakes and coconut peanut butter

I cannot get over how incredible this coconut peanut butter is(!!!!). I was skeptical about it at first because Mom's good at finding weird things at the scratch & dent store; but I kid you not, as weird as it sounds(/looks), it. is. so. delicious.

4.  Ry Krisp crackers and homemade hummus
I found the crakers at (you guessed it) the scratch & dent store. I heard Amanda talking about them in one post and when I saw a box on the shelves, I decided to give it a go. Same as the rice cakes; I had never tried those before, either!
Personally, I don't like them very well plain, but they are perfect with some homemade hummus.

5.  Chai tea and cocoa powder

You know me; I loooooooove me some hot beverage in the early morning hours. I ran out of chocolate protein powder, so I've been subbing it with Carnation Breakfast Essentials chocolate powder, or hot cocoa mix. Either one does the job just fine.

That is all for today. Return tomorrow for day seven, if you so desire. If not, you suck.
I'm kidding, I'm kidding. But seriously. I'll love you forever and a day! <3 <3 <3  ;)

~JK