One Day Until....

One day until two of my favorite things in the world arrive in Knoxville.....

Yes, you guessed it.... Darren Renwick and football time in Tennessee will be making their debut in Knoxville tomorrow. I will be picking up my man from the airport and heading straight to tailgate with our friends! I can not wait! I know everyone thinks their school has the best football experience but I promise you there's nothing like tailgating and going to a game at TENNESSEE. There's such a buzz around Knoxville on game weekends and it's so contagious. Everyone at school and the hospital was wearing orange today and I just love it. I'm going to be taking some orange and white oreo balls for our tailgate tomorrow. I've heard a few of my other favorites... specifically, skyline dip and buffalo chicken dip will be making an appearance tomorrow and I'm getting hungry just thinking about it. 

I also need to take a second to brag on my future hubby. He has been playing a tournament in Nebraska this week and did well enough to make it through this pre-qual round of q-school! I'm not entirely sure what that means but I know it's a good thing and it's what he came here to do so I'm happy. Not to mention it means he will get to come back in October so hopefully I'll get to see him again then. He's here until the middle of September now by the way. 

I've been fortunate enough to have a few visitors these past few days. I love having people come see me and the new apartment!

Gracie is in for quite the shock when Darren arrives tomorrow. She really doesn't like to share me with anyone so everyone say a little prayer she will adjust easily. Mainly for Darren's sake because it doesn't sound fun to be pounced on by Gracie in the middle of the night (my dad and Leah can also attest to that- clearly Gracie has a problem). How could this beautiful looking baby be anything but sweet....

I'm planning on having a fun Friday night of studying to get things done before Darren arrives and we have a fun long weekend ahead. And maybe a little U.S. Open will be watched also... yes, definitely some US Open. 

Back to School

Sooo you might have noticed I haven't posted in awhile.. sorry! The reason for that would be that school has started again! Monday was officially my first day of 19th grade! As much as I have always loved school, I'm definitely getting ready to be out of the classroom. This will be my last semester of classes before rotations start in January. As usual, back to school has been pretty fun actually. Lots of get-togethers and hang outs before the stressfullness (I'm not sure that's actually a word) begins. Don't we look sooo happy! 

 Monday night we had our annual fraternity back to school event at Tin Roof which just so happened to be holding Bingo Night... which just so happened to actually be a lot of fun. Only in Knoxville will you find "Power T Bingo"

I'm back tracking a little here, but this past weekend I also had the privilege to see one of my best friends get married! It was such a sweet wedding and the best part was how you could just tell how genuinely happy Brad and Emily were. Melts my heart!  It was also so much fun getting to catch up with old friends! I've known most of these people since elementary school so we had a a good time catching up and getting to know everyone's significant others. 

For real, how good do these 2 look?! Gorgeous!

Photo Cred: Teri Barton

This grooms cake is awesome! It even has yard lines on the side!

Darren and Theo time! Apparently  my (almost) nephew looooves to eat all the time. No worries though, Uncle Darren is always happy for burp duty (they have another name for it in England but I can't remember what it is.... something weird, obviously)

Purr baby has been especially affectionate recently. I'm not home very often at the apartment so when I am she usually just comes and sits on top of me... however inconvenient that is for me. But she's soo cute it's hard to get mad! Little does she know that my parents are coming this weekend and will not only be taking her favorite napping bed but also bringing the dreaded black and white doggy with them. Gracie will probably spend most of her time under my bed all weekend. 

If anyone is in need a good, quick recipe look no further than these chewy oatmeal chocolate chip cookies from Iowa Girl Eats. They really could not be more simple and they taste pretty darn good! I took some to work Sunday and gave some to my neighbor for feeding Gracie while I was gone. Side note: Iowa Girl Eats is also an awesome blog to follow if you're not already. It's mainly a food blog but the writer, Kristin, is hilarious and I just love the way she writes. 

Also in the triathalon training world... I got some new running shoes yesterday! It was about time. I could just tell my old shoes had no bounce or spring in them whatsoever and it was beginning to make my feet ache. I went to a running store in town to get properly fitted because it's been a long time since I've had that done. These crazy shoes are what fit me the best! I wasn't thrilled about the design/ color on them but what are you going to do when it's what fits you best. At least wild and crazy colors are kind of a trend right now so I won't be totally out of place. I also found out at the store that the triathalon I am doing is retro style... meaning it will go in opposite order with the run being first. I am actually fairly relieved about this because I know running is going to be my weakest link and I will be very happy to get it over with while I'm fresh and won't have to dread it the entire time. 

Mizuno Wave Elixir 8

Alright people, sorry for the kind of all-over, random post today. I need to work on getting on a more regular blogging schedule now that school has started. In the mean time, random pictures from my iphone may just have to do. Hope everyone is having a great week! 

I'm TRI-ing!

Sooo my triathalon training isn't going that great. It's not terrible, but I'm feeling a little unmotivated about it. Last week I only had time to really workout one time. I hate when people make excuses about not having time to workout because I think you can always make time. But I really did have days I worked from 6:30am to 9pm and it just wasn't fitting into that day. I was also gone on Friday and the weekend so that didn't help either. Totally slacking last week has given me a little motivation for this week. Other than Monday (when I worked 6:30am-9pm again) I have worked out every day so far and plan on continuing that trend.

Another aspect of triathalon training that is slightly difficult is the fact that you're training for 3 different sports all at once. I try to just alternate and do something different every day. A few times I have gone straight from biking to the treadmill in preparation for the race more but that's not super practical with swimming. 

The main reason I'm having a hard time staying motivated about this race is that all the individual distances are pretty short. Realistically I can do each one today without any problem. It's just a sprint triathalon. Not that I think it's going to be easy or anything but it's just hard to stay motivated when I think about the short parts individually. The main thing I'm worried about is putting it all together and the fact that I've never done a race like this before (I mean seriously, what am I supposed to wear?!) I have been trying to keep doing some leg strength training in anticipation for the fact that they're probably going to feel like jello near the end. The race is on campus at UT (the REAL UT... Tennesssee) and it is nowhere near flat. There's not an area called the hill for nothing... and really the whole campus is just a bunch of hills. No doubt I'll be feeling it towards the end.

Well I'm actually getting a little more excited just talking about it! But does anyone else have any motivation ideas?? 

Walking in Memphis

Well this weekend was great, of course! Not much time spent in any one place but it was still super fun to spend time with my family. We celebrated my mom's birthday Friday night with some yummy Indian food and cake. Any night at our house wouldn't be complete without also chasing my brother's dog, Bawse, around the yard. He's so much fun and currently learning lots of frisbee and fetch tricks so it's very entertaining. He might be the coolest and smartest dog ever.

Saturday morning we packed up the cars and headed to Memphis. Packing/unpacking Peter was 100000x easier than any time I ever moved. Sometimes I'm slightly envious of guys and how much little stuff they have. After we unpacked everything we headed to one of my favorite Memphis restaurants, Trolley Stop Market. Everything there is good, but the pizza is my absolute favorite. I mean just look at it. It really can't be beat. The pictures don't even do it justice. 

A nap was entirely necessary after that meal. While Peter and Katie organized his room my parents and I took a walk around downtown and had some patio drinks at Blue Fin. It's right on the trolley line and had a great atmosphere. Oh yeah, and I was the total 3rd/ 5th wheel at everything this weekend. I guess it's something you just kind of get used to when you're fiancé lives on another continent (but not for long!)

If you couldn't tell already, food was the total theme of the weekend. So with that in mind we headed to Central BBQ for dinner. While there are a lot of amazing bbq places in Memphis (obviously), Central is probably my favorite. You just can't beat the bbq nachos there. I can't imagine ever visiting Memphis without making a stop there. 

No pictures at the next stop, but we headed for drinks at Local. That was super fun! In a super weird coincidence, we happened to run into one of my parents' friends from home in the basement at the bar. It still blows my mind sometimes when things like that happen. Like how are we in the tiny basement of a random bar in Memphis and see one of our neighbors?! Sunday morning I had coffee and Gibson's donuts (YUMMM!) with my friend, Dina, before we headed out. It was a little sad saying goodbye to Peter but I know he's going to have the best time in Memphis. As much as I loved undergrad, P1 year was probably one of the most fun years of college. Isn't his house on mud island so cute?! 

Anyway, I'm back home with my sweet little kitty now and very happy to just be hanging out on the couch. It's back to reality tomorrow with a 5:30am wake-up call. Oh yeah and I'm working until 9pm! 

Weekend on I-40

I'm heading to Memphis this weekend!! Yay! Memphis is, without a doubt, one of my favorite cities in the world. I only lived there for a relatively short amount of time but it's one of those places that will always feel like home. I'm going to school to work on a research project Friday morning then coming home and packing and headed to my parents house for Friday night. Saturday morning we are packing up a trailer and moving my brother, Peter, to Memphis for him to start pharmacy school (yeah, he basically wants to be just like me). P1 year was an absolute blast so I'm really excited for him to get to experience it all. For anyone who doesn't know, pharmacy school for UT is based out of the health science center in Memphis. Everyone has to go to school in Memphis their first year because it has all the labs and everything but then for the last 3 years a portion of the class goes to Knoxville.  I can't wait to catch up with some friends in Memphis and enjoy some of my favorite food. Memphis has a bit of a bad reputation and while it has its downsides there's always something fun to do there and never a shortage of incredible food to eat. It really is just an awesome city. We will head out again Sunday morning and then I'm sure I'll hang out at my parents' house for awhile but then  I will head back to Knoxville Sunday night. I need to get back to take care of Gracie and I'm working at 6:30am Monday morning so it will be a bit of a short weekend away for me. Lots of time spent on I-40 but it's all worth it. 

And for those of you who were anxiously awaiting the news... I'm an AUNT! (basically). Darren's sister and her husband had a baby boy on August 6th.  Theo Edward is absolutely the most precious baby ever. I know Catherine and Mike will be incredible parents and I'm just so excited to see them all again! 

Apartment: Before

Soooo I read a lot of blogs. I don't know why, I just enjoy it. Every morning I take some time to read "my blogs".  It doesn't matter what time I have to be somewhere, I'll always get up early enough to have time to drink coffee and read blogs. It's just time for me to enjoy peace and quiet before the day starts. One of my favorite things about reading people's blogs is when they do before and afters from parts of their houses.  

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How cute is that striped gallery wall?! I thought the wall was awesome before but the stripes take it to another level.

So, I figured I'd give a little tour around my apartment in hopes that these can be the "before" pictures. I'm totally loving my apartment and it's come a long way already but there are still quite a few things I'd like to do before I'd consider it completely put together. 

Dining room: I really need to find a more permanent table centerpiece but have been totally indecisive every time I go to the store. In the mean time these fresh flowers will do the trick. I also want to get a rug to go under the table, a mirror for the wall, and some sort of cabinet/hutch for the wall also. That bookcase kind of ended up in the corner on accident but fit pretty well so it can stay there for now at least. See, lots to do!

Living room: This might be the most complete room. The only immediate thing left to do is get something on the wall behind the tv. I have a picture already and have ordered a frame but it hasn't arrived yet. I also want to get another lamp for the other couch. My dad and I made that pallet coffee table last year. We made it in August in the sweltering heat and it's way harder than pinterest or any other website makes it look. It was totally worth it though and I love having something so unique. 

Sooo that striped bed in my sunroom will not be a bed for long. I've ordered an awesome cover for it on etsy to basically turn it into a couch. I plan on putting tons of oversized pillows on it and making it a reading nook. I foresee lots of study naps on it :) I'll be sure to post a picture of the cover when I get it. It's a custom order so it's going to take a few weeks and it's killing me! Possibly my favorite part of my apartment is my study area. I got this great antique desk from my parents' basement. Oh the things you can find in the Calkins basement! It also took my about 2 days to put together that bookcase by myself so I'm pretty proud of that!

Bedroom: Ok, so this is probably the room I've spent the least amount of time on. There's literally nothing on the walls and I just can't quite decide what to do. But I don't want to rush anything so I'm just taking my time with it. I definitely want to get a long floor mirror to go where the suitcases are right now.  Curtains would also be really nice but I've been having some technical difficulties with hanging them myself so I'm just waiting until my parents can come visit so my dad can help me. I might be on my own now but I'll always need my dad's help. On the plus side, this room is huge and I've just enjoyed having tons of open space. 

Kitchen:  I love my kitchen! Not too much to share here but I'm kind of obsessed with the prints. Considering how much I raved about the farmers market it shouldn't be surprising I have a farmers market print. They make a new print every year with a different picture and this one is from 2011. My friend Chelsey has an eggplant one that is awesome too. At Tupelo Honey Cafe in Market square they have all the prints on one wall and it's super cool but I don't have that much space. I got the gold foil "Hey y'all" print on etsy and just think it's a fun little one to see when you walk in the door. 

Alright, now you've seen my homey little apartment. Don't judge too hard! 

I received a lot of exciting news today and I'm not quite ready to share it yet but hopefully I will be able to soon! Hope everyone is having a fabulous week :)

Weekend Recap

First off, thank you everyone for the support about my first post! It really meant a lot and made me not feel like a total weirdo.

This weekend has been awesome in a very laid back kind of way. I worked Monday-Friday last week so when the weekend rolled around I was SO ready. I feel silly for saying this but I'm not used to working 5 days in a row. I'm used to working a lot but I usually have to work at least one day on the weekend so then I get off a day during the week. Anyway, that made the weekend seem extra sweet :) My brother, Peter, stopped by work on Friday to get caught up on his immunizations for pharmacy school. While I have no actual desire to hurt Peter I'd be lying if I said it wasn't just a little fun to stab my brother with a sharp object. 

I worked until 9 on Friday so I just came home and hooked up Darren's Wii to my Amazon prime account and watched a free movie. That thing is pretty nifty! Speaking of nifty, I got a new camera! I am so excited about it! It's been on my wish list for awhile now- ever since I went to Ireland with my friend Chelsea last year and saw how awesome her nice camera was. I got a Panasonic Lumix Gf5. I found a great deal on a used one on Amazon and just went for it. It hasn't let me down yet. The main reason I decided on this camera is because it's actually fairly small for a nice camera. The lens that comes standard on it is a little bulky but still overall a lot smaller than most.  There's a much smaller lens I have my eye on but it costs way more than I bought the whole camera for so that will just have to wait. 

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Saturday morning I went on a run on the greenway next to my apartment. It's so nice being able to step outside and walk a few feet and be right on the greenway! This was the first time I have been on it by myself because I'm a little afraid to run alone after a super freaky incident I had in Memphis running alone. I figured there would be lots of people around on a Saturday morning and I was right. Don't worry though, I still ran with pepper spray... better safe than sorry!  Then after Becky finallllly ;) woke up we headed to the farmers market for our usual Saturday morning ritual. 

If you live in Knoxville and haven't been to the farmer's market.. go right now! It puts me in such a good mood every time I go.  It's the perfect size not too big, but not too small market. They have groceries, baked goods, flowers, crafts, and more. Every since my favorite pharmacist told me about the pretzels there, I get them every time and I've got Becky hooked on them too. We head straight for the pretzel sticks and then stop next door to get the world's best (I'm not even exaggerating) iced coffee. We have discovered the secret to the iced coffee is using soy milk.  It makes it sooo creamy and just perfect. Seriously, just try it. I think the coffee stand is from Old City Java but I'm not sure who makes the pretzels. 

Seriously SO GOOD. I hardly had time to take a picture before it was gone.

Apple fritter from the same stand as the pretzel. Mouth is watering just looking at the picture again

While at the farmer's market I picked up some ingredients for homemade salsa. There's just something about super fresh salsa made exactly how you like it. I didn't get too fancy with mine and just used fresh tomatoes, onion, jalapeno, cilantro, garlic, lime, salt & pepper. I forgot to take a picture of it before we started eating it but you get the idea.

Peter and Katie came over for dinner so I made some shrimp tacos and guacamole to go along with it. The tacos would have been awesome except for the fact that tortillas kept breaking which made for a very messy dinner. I also got to see my BFF and former roommate Jenni on Saturday night which made me soso happy! Her friend lives in the same apartment building as me... such a small world!

Sunday has been totally low key. I turned in my keys to my old house and due to a weird miscommunication, I ended up not actually having to clean the house which was awesome but they threw away a few of my things so that's a little frustrating. In preparation for my triathalon I went to campus and swam a few laps. The swimming distance of the triathalon (300 yards) is so short that it's almost funny. I used to have warm ups for swim practice that were longer than that. Still though, I don't want to not prepare for it and it's a good way to get in some exercise. I plan on attempting to somewhat organize my closet for the rest of the afternoon (so exciting, I know). This whole fitting two peoples clothes in one closet isn't easy when I'm not used to sharing. Wouldn't want it any other way though!

In case anyone was wondering what the baby was up to this weekend, this about sums it up. Lazy and beautiful as usual. 

Hope everyone else had a great weekend too!!