The past 48 hours...

..have been interesting to say the least. Let me just start at the beginning because that is honestly easiest. My flight schedule was supposed to have me flying from Little Rock to Atlanta, Atlanta to Paris, and Paris to Strasbourg. I never even made it to Atlanta before things started to go awry. There was bad enough weather in Atlanta to shut down the airport for an hour so my plane was diverted to Knoxville. By the time I made it into Atlanta my 4 hour layover turned into me sprinting across the airport to make my flight. I made it, but just barely. My nerves were getting the best of me at this point, so I took some Benadryl to sleep through the flight. I awoke in Paris, dazed and overwhelmed. I had a 3 hour layover between flights and I fought so hard to stay awake but ended up sleeping in a corner of the airport for an hour! When I finally arrived in Strasbourg, they called my name over the intercom of the flight and told me to talk to the lady outside. I knew before she even asked "Est-ce que vous parlez anglais?" that my luggage was lost.
So I left the airport carrying only my backpack and a purse. To say I was freaked out was an understatement at this point. I have no phone, no house, and no one to tell what had just happened to me. I felt so scared at that moment the only logical thing I could do was go to the Syracuse Center in Strasbourg. So I went and was graciously greeted by the director here who offered me all the help he could. We attempted to trace the bags via the Internet and the only message we received is that they did not know where they were. I won't lie to you guys, at this point I went to the bathroom and cried. I was just so scared.

Later that afternoon I was picked up by my host mother who speaks little to no English. She lives (or I suppose now we live) in a 4th floor walk-up apartment. There is a small kitchen and a bathroom the share (the shower is another story unto itself), a sitting room, her bedroom, and mine. It is small but quaint. The location is wonderful though, very close to the university and several other girls in the program. Pictures will surely follow at a later time.

So yesterday was a cluster to say the least. I ate probably less than 1,000 calories because I was so upset and stressed. Today I also took no food pictures. I think it will just take me a couple of days to get into the swing of things.

My bags God-willing (and please, I am actually asking for prayers) will arrive at the SU center while we are in class. I may just scream of joy the moment we are reunited. I just want to clarify I am by no means a shallow person nor attached to many of my things. But my new surroundings are completely foreign to me so it would be nice to just have my things around me. Oh and ya know, a change of clothes.

Anyways, today our group met up for lunch in Le Petite France which is the historical city center of Strasbourg. Funny story: I thought my host mother was being polite when she dropped me off at 11:15 despite lunch not being until 12 pm. So I wandered through the streets and took pictures and whatnot to busy myself.




Beautiful and breathe taking. Moreso than I could have ever imagined. I clearly took my time and ended up sitting in front of the restaraunt around 15 minutes early. Then I see my director approaching me. He said he had just phones my host mom asking where I was! Apparently, my watch was an hour off! OY. VEY.

We spent the rest of the afternoon walking around the city, which is more beautiful than I had ever dreamed. I dear fellow program student let me borrow some shorts to sleep in tonight. I once again ate dinner with my host mom, where I am going to either rapidly improve upon my french or fall mute.

C'est tout pour alors. Je suis très fatigue.
Until Tomorrow,
~Jenn

Into the unknown

Hi everyone,
I am currently sitting at the Little Rock Airport waiting for my flight to board. I have a couple of minutes so I thought I would drop a line. No pictures today...more just a stream of conciousness. More so for me than anyone else so feel free to just skim this.

I cannot believe I am actually on my way to Strasbourg, France. This trip is two years in the making, as my parents were none to pleased when I announced at the end of freshman year that I wanted to travel abroad. Honestly, it has always been a dream of mine to live abroad, but because it took so long to actually organize and plan I never really thought this day would come.

And yet here it is. I do not really know how to describe what I am feeling right now. I think it is a good mix of anticipation, nerves, and excitement. I know just how fortunate I am to get this opportunity. Furthermore, I am completely aware that this is a once and a lifetime experience.

Although I have no idea what I am walking into, from the other students in the program, to the host family, and the classes, I am surprisingly not scared.

Moving to Syracuse from Little Rock was a leap of faith, relocating to D.C. took me out of my comfort zone, and surely Strasbourg will change me in ways that I cannot even fathom at this point.

It is amazing to reflect on how far my journey has taken me up to this point. When I was a little girl, I was not even able to spend the night at a friends house without getting homesick. Every single time I tried to spend the night out my parents would have to come take me home. Yet now, I am completely exhilirated to be going across the world by myself.

At this point there is nothing holding me back except myself. And for the next 6 weeks, I refuse to let that be an excuse for anything. Each day will surely hold a new and unexpected adventure.

This is truly unbelievable. I don't think it will really hit me that I am living abroad until I am settled in with my host family.

Until then,
Au Revoir et souhaitez moi bonne chance!! (Wish me luck!)
~Jenn

Must. Start. Packing.

So much procrastination has happened today it is unreal. Actually, I don't know that procrastination is technically the right word. It has just been one of those days where try as I might, I just have not gotten as much accomplished as I had originally hoped.

I should have assumed this would happened today, because I woke up to my friend's phone call asking me if I was awake yet. I was so confused because I purposely set not one, but two alarms to wake me in time to eat and digest breakfast before my 8:45AM Cardio Sculpt class.

Despite my late wake-up, I made what is quickly becoming my pre-workout meal. 1 slice of toast, 1tbsp almond butter, 1 small banana, dash of cinnamon. I probably should have digested more before class, that or taken a rest day before doing 1000 squats, because my legs were dragging today! I monitored my heart rate (HR) the entire way through, so I still managed to push myself to my limits but it was a struggle. The HR monitor is great because it does not allow you to have an excuse. You can actually see how hard you are working.

I downed a green monster upon entering the house because despite eating before class, I was still hungry. Guess I did work pretty hard? :) The rest of the morning was very relaxing. I laid by the pool and caught up with some high school friends.

Lunch was quite the portion of spinach. I have a huge box to finish up before Friday morning since no one else in my house eats it. I went pseudo-Mexican for this dish by topping my greens with 1/4 avocado, 1/2 black beans, hummus, and balsamic vinaigrette. Despite the odd pairing of ingredients the salad tasted delicious and I cleaned my plate.

So at this point the day took a 180. I was enjoying my all too common lunch dessert while creating my packing lists and to-do lists with my mom.I prioritized what still had to be done and figured out that I needed to pay my summer school tuition before leaving so I am not charged a late fee. So upon opening the account I realize they were trying to charge me as a non-state resident. Uh...Not so much. A chore that should have taken all of 5 minutes to complete ended up consuming my entire afternoon. By the time I got everything straightened out I was completely exhausted.

On top of the exhaustion, I had yet to mark a single other item off my to do list. Yes, I leave for France in less than 48 hours and I have not started packing! I am trying to keep my cool about this but the whole idea of packing for 6 weeks in one bag freaks me out! It is a lot of pressure but luckily I have tomorrow to really buckle down and focus.

On a happier note, while I was running in circles around my house all afternoon I almost tripped over this little guy who was waiting ever so patiently at the top of the stairs to come say hello!Just look at that face! I swear our dogs know when someone in the family is about to take a trip. Today, Boomer and Sheba were all over me. It is really sweet seeing how much they care. :) I kind of think it looks like Boom is smiling in the picture. Can you see his grin?

On a completely different note, my mother cooked me dinner! My household is a bit nontraditional in that my father loves to cook and therefore my mom is normally off the hook. (rhyme much?) Anyways, she has really been stepping up her foodie game lately (I like to think I played a small role in that, nudge nudge) and tonight she really topped herself. She whipped up a healthy version of Shrimp Scampi!
You can find the recipe here if you are interested in making this for yourself. It was a very savory dish, yet light enough that I did not feel gross and overly full like I normally do after a pasta meal. Good work mom!

With all the craziness that comes with packing and organizing life before a once and a lifetime opportunity like this occurs, I have not really sat down and thought about how drastically different my life will be in just 48 hours. Upon reflection, the major thing that stands out to me is the language barrier. Sure I have been practicing French at my university for the past year and a half, but I am no where near competent, let alone fluent. Moreover, I will be moving into a complete strangers home. I do hope we get along and that they are amiable enough. The nerves have not quite hit yet, and I don't think they will until I board my flight to Paris Friday afternoon. Until then, I am just a bundle of anticipation, anxiety, and excitement!

Until tomorrow,
~Jenn

On My Game!

Hey y'all,
So I am back and I am feeling refreshed. As you may have noticed, I took yesterday off from blogging because, well, I didn't really have anything to say. Not so today though, as I awoke at a decent hour and whipped up a fabulous, classic blogger breakfast for my friend and I. Breakfast ( yields 2 wildly disproportionate servings, mine is on the left):

• 1 cup oats
• 1 banana
• 1 cup water
• 1 cup almond milk
• 1/4 cup egg whites
• 2 tbsp flax meal
• 2 tbsp almond butter

I think y'all all know how to make oats by now, so excuse my laziness in not explaining the process. All I have to say is these were some of the finest oats I have ever cooked! I stirred them over a low heat, so that may have something to do with it, but oy! So creamy!
After an hour of digestion and a long overdue catch-up phone call from the D.C. roomie, I hit the road for some interval training. Since I took it easy yesterday (a yoga class and the elliptical), my legs were feeling oh so fresh and new. Here is the breakdown: 2 minutes running at a moderate pace, 1 minute sprint (or until you feel like vomiting), 1 minute walking x 8 repetitions.
Miles 1: 10:55
Mile 2: 11:09
Mile 3: 10:54
Mile 4: (cool down) 0.41 miles in 7:27
My beast captured my final statistics. I was very pleased with this run. I felt strong and light on my feet, which is refreshing after several days of struggles.

I had a serious reflection du jour while cooling down from my run. For the first time since I arrived home from D.C. I have noticed that I feel more like my old self again. This is obviously because I have fallen back into the active lifestyle I was accustomed to before 8 hours at a desk and too many alcoholic beverages on the weekend. This past semester will always be something I look back on fondly, but man it feels nice to have exercise endorphins again. (The fading alcohol bloat is definitely a plus too!)

For lunch today I was craving fresh vegetables (what else is new?!) but I could not decide how to prepare them. Enter my rainbowish snackplate! It contained fresh broccoli, celery, carrots, red bell peppers, and 3 tbsp of garlic hummus.

I just love all of the vibrant colors. But can we just talk about the hummus for a second? I spend a lot of money on hummus. It is obviously one of my favorite foods so I seem to always be able to justify spending $3 on a baby tub and upward of $6 on a big tub. Anyways, I was at Sam's Club yesterday waiting for a prescription to be filled and I was just wandering around the store when suddenly I found this!!!
Yes, that is a biga$$ tub, but just how big?? Well the biggest I have ever purchased to be sure!
Almost two pounds for only $5.97!! I was elated when I found this, I think some people might have even stared at me just smiling at the tub of hummus. (I am obviously not normal but I'm fine with it). Gah, I just love hummus. I know I am leaving in 4 days for Strasbourg, but I intend to put at least a dent in this jar and leave the rest up to my friend who is just as fond of the chickpea. :)

Oh yea, I also had dessert with lunch because I can! Another chocolate Vitatop with 1/2 tbsp Dark Chocolate Dreams melted on top! Get's me every time!

One last thing. I had coffee with a trainer at my gym who I have known for years yesterday. She ran the Boston Marathon last year and is quite the fitness junkie. I was telling her about my Beast and how I really love it but that it is really not suitable for the gym. She has one as well and agreed. She said that because she is so committed to getting fit that she also owns a Polar heart rate monitor. So after coffee what do you think I did?

Yea, I bought one! It may seem ridiculous to have 2 watches, but I love tracking all of my statistics and watching myself get stronger and healthier! I am committed to this lifestyle and therefore I think of them as investment pieces. Polar meet Garmin, Garmin meet Polar. I have a feeling we are all going to be great friends.

I have already tested the watch out in yoga (talk about not letting go!) last night and it said I burned 173 calories, which seems about accurate considering the postures we did. The real time to shine comes tomorrow morning in my Cardio Sculpt class! (gulp!) I'll let y'all know how it goes!

I'm off to meet one of my friends from high school for a walk around the neighborhood to catch-up. I just love friends that enjoy healthy activities! After that we are going to dinner at my favorite restaurant in LR that I used to work at!

Until tomorrow
~Jenn

5.00 Miles or Bust!

There was a new man in my life today. He sauntered in innocently enough, and then took my Green Monster by storm!
Jay Robb protein powder, which I picked up at my local Whole Foods the other day, made my smoothie extra thick and smooth. Good thing too, because I used an unreal amount of green today. My Breakfast Green Monster contained 2 large cups of spinach, 3 kale leaves, 1 frozen banana, 1 cup almond milk, 2 strawberries, and ice. I sprinkled 1/4 cup of my English granola on top for some staying power.
A small vat of coffee was also consumed. How cute is this mug? I love how much coffee it holds at once, but you have to be careful, because yesterday I drank 2 of these and wound up with caffeine jitters!

The coffee obviously gave me tons of energy and I was feeling pretty decent (not to sore) after yesterdays 5k and yoga session. So I decided to spend the afternoon outside. I started by taking Boomer, one of our family dogs, on a light jog around the neighborhood for a warm up. My Garmin says we completed 1.53 miles in 20:39. Then I did a quick wardrobe change (because it was sooo humid!) and headed out to Pinnacle Mountain, which is a just a short drive from my house.(Source) The mountain itself is absolutely breathtaking. It is one of my favorite places in the entire state. The park offers two different hiking options, an easy side and a hard side. I chose to conquer the easy side today under the premise that I would take no breaks until I reached the top! My stats:

• Acent: 1040 feet
• Decent: 1080 feet
  
• Distance: 1.25 miles
• Time: 44:48

I was pleased with my overall time. I actually made it to the top in just over 20 mins and boy o boy was I sweating. I'm pretty sure I scared some people off...but I'll just chalk that up to looking hardcore. :) Hauling butt up the mountain was totally worth it. Just look at the views from the top! (I took pictures of all four sides)




Arkansas is truly a beautiful place, and if you ever have the opportunity to explore "the natural state" I recommend you do it. There are so many great outdoor activities around here. I digress...despite the ominous looking clouds I saw at the top of the mountain I still had energy when I reached the bottom. I decided to run around the base trail for a little while and see how hard I could push myself. I ended up turning back twice because it started raining and then stopped. I felt silly for re-running the trail but I was so in the zone I just had to keep going! On this leg of the workout my stats were:
Distance: 2.25 miles
Time: 44:32
Slow, yes, but trail running is hard work, and to be honest I did not run the whole time. Instead, I found myself just taking in everything around me. It was so peaceful that I just enjoyed my time instead of worrying about the statistics.

On the way home, I stopped at a gas station for fuel because I ran out of water! Knowing how much I had just sweat, I went with some G2 to replenish lost electrolytes. This was gone in 5 minutes flat. Thirsty much?

Anyways, I arrived home right before the looming thunderstorm erupted. My body was aching after that grueling workout and I rewarded my efforts the best way I know how.
Ice, and a lot of it. Here I am in all my sweaty glory blogosphere. There is no hiding how in need of a shower I am in this picture but I am taking a cue from Heather today and embracing my not so perfect side. I could be embarrassed that I look less than perfect in this photo, but honestly, I don't care because it is the best I have felt in a long time. I encourage y'all to read Heather's post from today. It is one of the most motivating and encouraging pieces I have read as of late. If she can post something that revealing, then I can at least share my sweatfest with y'all! (Notice I am even sitting on a towel as to not get the carpet gross...desperate times... )

Following one of the most glorious showers ever, I attacked the kitchen. My Linner du jour was a veggie patty sandwich that included hummus, a laughing cow wedge, spinach, and a Dr. Praeger's patty. I seriously crave these vegetable burgers now. In my humble opinion, they are the best on the market (and I have tried my fair share.) Served alongside some carrots and more hummus for the crunch factor.

Immediately following, I popped 3 Ibuprofen to ward off the impending soreness. Along with some more icing, foam rolling, and stretching, I should be good as new in the morning! :)
Oh, and in case y'all are wondering, my final stats from all the workouts combined were:
Time: 1:50:09
Distance: 5.02 miles
Ascent: 3555 feet (which I don't think is right...huge sigh)
My Beast and I clearly still have some things to work out.


Switching gears, as you may or may not know it is graduation time at Syracuse. Many of my best friends officially became alumni today. I know they will all do amazing things in the world and I wish the best for all of them! I am sorry I could not be there in person for this momentous occasion, but I promise I was thinking about y'all all day!

Until tomorrow,
~Jenn

33:07.

Before I address the title of this post, I want to start out on a positive note. I am currently oh so relaxed thanks to my two favorite hobbies coinciding. Blogging and Snacking. Although I am not quite as much an expert in this field as one of my favorite bloggers, I think we both find our mojo when these blissful moments occur simultaneously.

In order to explain how I arrived at this place we must back up,wayyy up, to 5:30AM when my alarm blasted and woke me from a beautiful nights slumber.While pondering life one day at my internship, I stumbled upon a local 5k that fit into my schedule while I was home. In an attempt to look bada$, I signed up without realizing the start time was 8:00AM. That is the reason I was up at that horrendous hour. Note to self: you're not a morning person, so stop trying.

My pre-race breakfast consisted of large vats of coffee and 2 pieces of Ezekiel Sesame toast, 1 tbsp almond butter, 1/2 apple, and a dash of cinnamon.
I wanted to use a banana, but seeing as I froze them for my smoothies, I was SOL.
My cute little mom signed up for the race with me, and y'all, she kicked butt today! She has been working out really hard lately and her efforts were definitely rewarded today. Way to go mom!
Here we are after the race. As proud as I am of her, I cannot help but be disappointed in my time. I came in at 33:07 for 3.15 miles. Despite trying to pace myself at the start to make negative splits, I did not even come close.
Mile 1: 10:06
Mile 2: 10:41
Mile 3: 10:58
Mile 4 (0.14): 1:21
I know that I am in worse shape than when I moved to DC. It is a reality that I have accepted considering the type of lifestyle I led. My clothes do not fit the same, nor do I walk with the same spring in my step that I had when I moved there. But this is a starting point. The point from which I move forward, away from late nights out and binges, and toward new experiences and my 1/2 marathon training schedule which will begin immediately following my return from Strasbourg.

Alright, I could go on for days about my woes, but that is not why y'all are here. Onto breakfast #2, also known as the post-race meal. This little ditty contained 1 cup (too much!!) cage-free, organic egg-whites, 1 large handful of spinach, 1/4 red bell pepper, 1 laughing cow wedge, and a La tortilla factory wrap. It may not look like anything special, but it seriously hit the spot. I am making a conscious effort to eat more protein because of how hard I have been working out since I returned home. Speaking of...despite my early morning wake-up, I somehow mustered up the energy to take an intermediate yoga class from 11:40AM-1:00PM at my gym today. It was a beautiful class and I felt completely in the zone. Strong, powerful, and non-judgmental... the way one should feel when practicing yoga, I think.
The afternoon was spent running errands and job hunting. Unfortunately, I have nothing to report on this front. Surprise surprise, no one wants to hire a college kid that is just going to peace out 2 months later. I am going to try to brainstorm some more creative ways to find income...if you have ANY suggestions, please leave me a comment. I will be seriously cash-strapped after the next six weeks are over.

While running around town, I snagged the elusive pineapple Chobani yogurt. It was very sweet and definitely hit my sugar craving. I paired it with 1/4 cup raw oatmeal. Both seemed to have escaped my camera. Oh! I almost forgot! I also tried my very first Kombucha tea (grape flavor). I found it on sale for only $2.45! From what I have read via the blog world, this stuff can cost upwards of $5.00 a bottle, so I had to snag some. I won't lie though, I didn't love it and probably will not try it again. Can't win them all...

I ate dinner with the parental units tonight. It is always nice to sit down as a family (minus my sis who is busy planning a very special summer for lucky campers) despite our constant bickering. I whipped up a quick, vegetable laden meal for myself.
Dinner included a vegetable burger (Dr. Praeger's of course, he is the man!), a small sweet potato with 1 tbsp vegan butter spread, and a basic spinach salad with red bell peppers, tuna fish, and balsamic vinaigrette.
It was good and cured my hankering for vegetables, but y'all must see what Chef Bob (my dad's loving nickname) prepared for him and my mom.That's right. King Crab Legs! Look at the size of those guys! My parents adore crab and find that they save mucho dinero by cooking it themselves. I tend to eat pretty fast, so I finished my meal way before they finished picking through all that crab. While we sat around chatting (about politics if you were wondering), I made a quick dessert. Can you guess what? I wasn't kidding when I said I was obsessed. That would be a dark-chocolate vitatop with 1/2 tbsp Dark Chocolate Dreams peanut butter on top and a side of watermelon. Sweet sweet sweet!

Oh and before I leave y'all, someone wanted to pop in and say hi. He was very jealous that Sheba was introduced to the blog world before he was, so with no further adieu, bloggies, readers, and friends meet BOOMER. He is the man and I could probably write a book on just how crazy adorable this lil' guy is! (I call him lil' guy because he was the cutest puppy and oh so tiny!) Not anymore though. He weighs in at a hefty 88lbs today!
That is 88lbs of pure love though!

I'm pooped. I just finished catching up on Lost and now I am going to crawl into bed and rest my heavy eyelids.
Until tomorrow
~Jenn

Getting Lost

I swear I was productive today...at least for a couple of hours. Once I hit my peak...I crashed, right into my bed, where I have been watching LOST ever since.

Before that happened, I woke up and ate a light breakfast. Simply a piece of toast with almond butter and a hard-boiled egg. Just the whites though. We like to save the yolks around here for the puppies. It makes their fur soft and fluffy.

Anyways, I did a spin class at noon today. It has been at least 6 months since I have done a cycling class, and mon Dieu that shizz was bananas! I really went to work out the tension in my hamstrings, but go figure, they are still tight. I came home famished (and drenched in sweat...TMI? I think not), so I clearly made lunch in my towel. Priorities.
This may look bland, but I assure you it was not. Inside that little bundle of love was a magical combination. 1/2 can tuna, scoop of plain greek yogurt, a laughing cow wedge, and spinach. I inhaled it. With carrots and hummus.
After said meal, I managed to finally finish registering for summer school and contact the right people at Syracuse to make sure that the credits will appear on my transcript, alert the bank of my travel plans so they don't freak out when they see purchases from France, speak to my abroad adviser to ensure everything is ready to go, and organized my gmail! Whew.

I intended to follow all of this up with a job hunt around Little Rock, but my laziness got the best of me. Instead, I crashed big time and watched roughly 5 episodes of Lost. It is a sickness I tell ya. But, I cannot be the only one out there that thinks watching TV episodes back to back is far superior than watching just 1 a week. It always leave you wanting more, and well, I can't stand that.

Despite my kicked up metabolism, I managed to NOT snack my way through the afternoon! Dinner snuck in around 6, between episodes. I could not think of what to eat, so I went with an old favorite. Old fashioned oatmeal with apples! I photographed the ingredients rather than listing them because they were already sitting so nicely on my countertop. Those things, plus 1/2 cup almond milk and 1/2 cup water. When brought together create magic.There are oats under that flax meal and almond butter, I promise. Just look closer...There they are!

Alright, so after snacking on an unpictured FrOzEn Luna Cookie Dough Bar (aka heaven), and copious amounts of foam rolling, heating pad love, and stretching, I am off to bed. Yes, it is 9:30, but I have a 5k to run in the morning and I want to be on my game! I plan on using my race time as an indicator to plan my half-marathon training schedule when I get back from Strasbourg.

Speaking of which, 1 week from today I will be sitting on a plane headed for the biggest adventure of my life!
Until Tomorrow
~Jenn