island time.

With the end of the semester quickly approaching, it is getting pretty crazy stressful around here!! Last weekend, fortunately, I got to escape it all :) My stepmom, Amy and my cousin's girlfriend, Kara, and I all drove down to Port Aransas for a GIRL'S WEEKEND!! It was so wonderful to leave everything behind, even if it was just for 2 days.

Add caption

sunset the first night

Woke up both mornings to go for a run...I've
never enjoyed working out so much
in my life! If only I lived by a beach!!

sand writing.

our cute entrance through the dunes

AWESOME log I discovered on one of my runs. It
must have gotten washed in with the tide....
about 20 feet long, and completely covered with these
little guys!

It was a MUCH needed escape and a chance to clear my head and *breathe* before the last mad dash through classes and then finals :)
Hope your life isn't as insane as mine is right now!
-Amy

a yummy end to my Tuesday

So I really dislike Tuesdays...mainly because they are long and I usually have a million things to do. I decided to start giving myself something to look forward to at the end of my Tuesdays to help me get through the day, and today my motivation was dinner haha....lame I know. ACTUALLY, NO NOT LAME! I came across a recipe for Zucchini Fries on this loverly blog the other day and have been dying to try them out! So that's just what I did. They were super easy to make and turned out DELICIOUS! Enjoy some pics from my adventure:

"battered" up, before baked

my yummy spicy black bean cheddar burger

all finished

End product! :) They were sooooo delicious,
 and ignore the bites out of the burger, hehe

You should definitely try these! I made the "fries" with 2 zucchini but only ate 1...so if you make them for just one person, only use one zucchini at a time, and half the recipe for the "batter" :)

Happy Tuesday!
-Amy

No-Excuse November

Who knew one little 'pin' on pinterest could spark a whole blog post and motivation for something: Here's the pin that sparked it all:

Ever heard of No-Shave November?? This is most typically a guy thing, where males decide to go without shaving for the whole month...so by the time December comes around, they are sporting some mean facial hair. It would just be way too weird if girls decided to join in on this....(sorry if for some strange reason you're a girl who has insisted on not shaving your legs for a WHOLE month, ew!)...so I saw this picture on Pinterest today....it's definitely something a girl can do for a whole month and maybe even start a habit of (guys can join in too of course):

No-Excuse November

I'm deciding to set goals for being healthy and sticking to them for a whole month to prove to myself that taking care of myself is worth it. So here they are:

1. Get up 4 out of 5 school days to go the gym and get my cardio on!

2. Go to the gym Saturday morning, if I have nothing planned

3. Allow myself to take occassional naps, but only if I've worked out that day

4. Eat healthy!

So, I think these are definitely do-able!

Number 1: I've been doing this one pretty consistently since school started and have already started seeing the major benefits to it---> more energy during my day, minus 10 lbs. since school has started, and a ton more self confidence! I just want to stay consistent! So let the determination begin!

Number 2 is my fav. I usually head to the gym on Satuday mornings with my bestie and then start my day of productive homework-doing and errand-running. So, keep this up :)

Number 3 is mainly just a deal I'm making with myself. I LOVE LOVE LOVE to take naps...and who doesn't??? However, I usually feel guilty laying down before bedtime if I know I have a ton of other things I could be doing....like excercising, practicing, studying, singing, etc...but if I have gotten up early to work out, then I've earned a small nap (not longer than an hour!)

Number 4: Oatmeal for breakfast and packin' the lunch everyday :)

So, let No-Excuse November begin....accomplish my goals, and prove to myself that it's worth it!! NO EXCUSES!!

-Amy



Foodies-1; Hunger-0

So let's just state the obvious: I love food. Not just any food, but good food! Lucky for me, I have a best friend who is the exact same way. Solange and I decided to go try a new cafe for lunch today, Cafe Homestead. Everything they serve is homemade, homegrown, and raised. It was absolutely delicious...so wanna see what we got? Of course you do!

My Quesadilla Burger-
made with grain-fed beef
and homemade guac and chips!

Solange's South of the Border Burger with Sweet Potato Fries

Needless to say, we SCARFED every bite down!! Everything was so fresh and so delicous!

After our lunch outing we went to Farm Day, an event that aided in world hunger relief. There were lots of vendors and free trade craft booths set up and live music and some veggies and plants to purchase. Solange bought some mums and I purchased a 'lil rosemary plant. They were half price! hehe I only payed $1 for this guy!

The mums are almost as pretty as she is, right?

and then of course we ran our typical Saturday errands...groceries, random things from Wally World, and you know, a cupcake corer...We had a wonderful day, so much fun actually that when I got home I took a 2 hour nap!

Hope your Saturday was fun, fresh, and yummy too!
-Amy

class canceled!

2 ensemble classes canceled today? WHAT?! this NEVER happens...but it does mean one thing: MORE TIME!!! Would you believe it, I had 3 1/2 extra hours to kill this afternoon! Concert Choir had our fall concert last night (we rocked in Hebrew by the way), so we had a day off from rehearsal today and then Bella Voce was canceled due to DR. G being sickk :( that part I don't like, but hey more time to do what needs to be done. I actually got to eat on campus today. Normally I'm scarfing down my homepacked lunch before Bella Voce starts, because I usually don't have time to pick something up and sit down for lunch in one of the dining halls on campus. So I ate lunch and then headed over to my fav coffee shop on campus, CG, for a lil treat and to get ahead on some studying and online assignments for mi clase de Espanol!  It feels so good to get ahead!

It's been WAY too long since my last post, so sorry for that! Until next time, enjoy this lovely pic of me and my gals in Concert Choir after the concert last night: don't we look great? :-P

a-la "Mary-Kate"

normal smiles...boring compared to the first right? ha!

 Later y'all!
-Amy

not much of a weekend.

Well, school is definitely back in swing. This week has seriously been non-stop...and when I say non-stop I mean: getting home from classes, starting homework and not stopping homework except for dinner and practicing piano and voice rep....until usually 11 and then FINALLY bed. Yeah...no breaks, it's been exhausting. So you'd think I'm happy it's the weekend right? Well I am, don't get me wrong...but guess what I've been doing all day? yep, more homework: Spanish, writing/re-writing a dang English paper, singing, singing, singing, practicing, practicing, practicing. So, yes I'm feeling very productive and accomplished, but is it so much to ask for a little down time??

Another update: I have one AWESOME roommate :) Emily! She's been getting up with me every morning at 6 am to go to the gym with me before our classes start for the day. I made it one of my goals for the school year to go work out at least 3 days a week. Well, it's been 4+ since the first day of classes. We are keeping each other accountable and I am so thankful for what we are doing for each other! I've gotta keep my "temple" healthy :) [and so far it's paid off! one size smaller! I know right? SAWEET!]

Amid all the work and practicing I've been doing, here are some of the random happenings I manage to squeeze in to keep my sanity:

Late-night Katie's custard runs, for FREE cones :)

Trying out new recipes! (excuse the make-up-less face!)

and visit's from my baybuh! :) He definitely keeps me sane! I don't know what'd I'd do without him!

So yeah, there's a little peek into my life for now! Hope your's isn't as crazy as mine! Until next time, here are some videos of the songs I'm working on for this semester : enjoy!

Song 1

Song 2

Song 3

3 for now, 3 later :)

toodles,

Amy



wally's secret.

DAY 11:

Janna & Solange

After some spontaneous shopping this afternoon after classes at a "secret" store, we made Walmart run! Yep, these are my friends and they are 5 [obviously not really] but they love lunchables! Especially Janna!!! :) Wanna know what's even better than lunchables? Kev is coming in town tomorrow and spending the weekend with me! Yippee for long weekends! We are gonna have a super chill night tomorrow night, probably go get dinner somewhere in the Wack and then come back to cheer on the BAYLOR BEARS!!!! we're going to beat those HORNY FROGS!!! Then Saturday morning we're gonna drive up to Dallas and spend the rest of the weekend with my dad, stepmom, and little stepsister....LOTS of activities planned...too many to name right now, but no worries I'll post about them soon :) oh, and did I mention I think I might be getting a new car this weekend??? :D I love my little "goldilocks", my altima, but let's face it, it's crapping out... haha ok ok I need to get some sleep. toodles and SIC 'EM BEARS!

-Amy

pic-a-nic

DAY 9:

from left to right: me, Courtney, Janna, Shelby, Austen

Today was the back to school convocation and picnic for the school of music. The convocation consisted of a long spech (not in a bad way!) from our Dean of Music, Dean May, about this upcoming year in the music school and what to expect when being a music major <----mainly directed towards the Freshman. Dean May was in his prime tonight! His mannerisms are hilarious and yeah I think I'm going to start a list of DeanMay-isms ( list will begin below):

1. "If you don't show up to History class it's an absence, but if you don't show up to a lesson it's like DEATH" -Dean May

2. "eeeerrrrrmmm" -favorite DeanMay-ism, he tends to pause between thoughts and makes this sound when he's thinking

more to be added in the future!

nighty night,

Amy

la la la la la.

DAY 8:

snapshot from Lauridsen LUX AETERNA
 that we are singing in Chamber Singers
~edited by instagram~

I did a butt load of singing today! Between Concert Choir, Bella Voce, and voice lesson rep, my chords were hot today! I also had my first piano lesson of the semester! I'm super excited for this semester of piano, because it's an elective. (meaning, I'm not required to take it, but I want to) So, I have a little lee-way with what I'll be playing. Of course I'll be playing rep but I get to pick what else we work on :) and I may or may NOT have a jury at the end of the semester, depending on how my lessons go during the semester! Now that is awesome! Happy practicing to me!

Hope everyone's Monday was wonderful! Goodnight.

-Amy

choych!

DAY 6:

black and white shot of St. Alban's in Waco

Yippee! Went back to church today, in Waco that is! It was so so so so good to be back and to see everyone from the choir and the congregation! I sing in the choir and love love love the family that I have at St. Alban's. I've missed the service and the music :) The sermon was awesome today. Fr. Fisher preached about being a courageous christian, not a christian who lives off of fear. Amen to that! So here's to starting week 2 of sophomore year with lots of courage, and no fear. [we all know that's difficult] I mean honestly, if you sat down and looked at your day-to-day life. Is there really a day where fear doesn't arise? especially in all those little things. You know what I'm talking about! so...

Lord, help me to seek you when fear arises, so that I may continue to be courageous no matter the situation. Amen.

-Amy

5 and 6 combo.

OOOOPs forgot to post my picture yesterday, sooooo here's yesterday's and today's combined!

DAY 5:

So, I really think mirror pictures are dumb (especially when they're of yourself!)...but I couldn't think of any other way to share my find of the day! I went to Target, after I got out of classes, to pick up a couple grocery items and stumbled upon this really cute jean dress!! I've been wanting one forever and it was ONLY $24 so I had to get it :) Besides going to Target, I had a fun Friday night going out to dinner for some mexican food (my fav by the way) with Janna, Jamie, and some friends and then went to hang out with Solange at her new place!

DAY 6:

I woke up this morning and headed to the SLC with Solange around 9am. That's before it gets super packed and almost impossible to find an elliptical! Once I got home, I decided to whip up these babies so I could eat them for breakfast with some fruit in the mornings. Mom sent me the recipe this week and I figured it'd be another great option, besides my delicious overnight oats, for quick breakfasts on weekday mornings before classes! Did I mention they are super healthy too?? They are JAMPACKED with oats and oatbran and bananas and nuts and...applesauce haha so here's to a healthy breakfast!

-Amy

so do you have any quick healthy breakfast ideas?





sushi.

DAY 4:

top-The Baylor Roll
bottom-Shrimp Tempura Roll

My dear friend and prayer partner, the lovely Jennifer Atwood (she graduated from Baylor last year), came into town today and we went out to dinner together. She took me to this place called Teriyaki Park. It's a sushi restaurant in downtown Waco. I had never been before so I was super excited to try it out! I was definitely not disappointed! My shrimp roll was so good and Jenn's Baylor roll was too! This will for sure be one of my fav's in Waco now.

-Amy



fiesta!

DAY 3:

My beautiful friend Kemmerley and me

Tonight was the kick-off fiesta dinner and get together to start back up the year at the ESC (the Episcopal Student Center). I can't believe it's already been a year since I found my new family here at Baylor and since I discovered my church home away from my church home. :) I'm so completely blessed to have all these wonderful people in my life. Kemmerley and I met this time last year at the ESC and I love her to death now! There were A TON of newbies tonight!! I was so excited to see the house so full. I hope they all stick around. It'll definitely change their life if they do :)

-sic 'em episcopalians

-Amy

craving satisfied.

DAY 2:

from left to right: Janna, Jamie, me, Solange

FINALLYYYYYYYY!! 3Spoons! This is my all time FAVORITE frozen yogurt place! Yes, we have a million back home in Dallas, but for some reason none of them come close to dear old 3Spoons here in the Wack. Solange and I are obsessed addicted....I mean, let's face it, there are worse things to be addicted to right? Anyways, I have been craving my usual [vanilla yogurt with strawberry slices, mochi, pecans, and a little drizzle of chocolate syrup] all summer long and finally got my first fix of the year in last night! :)

-Amy

p.s. Day 3 coming later tonight!

new beginning.

Sophomore year has finally begun! I'm all moved in and classes started today! :) I can already tell it's going to be a great semester! So do you guys know those 365 day challenges? You know, the ones where you take a picture for every day of the year? Well, I decided to modify that idea a little bit and instead of taking a picture for the WHOLE year, I'm going to do it for every day of my sophomore year (during school). So...wanna see picture 1?

DAY 1:

(from left to right, Janna, me!, Emily)

So, turns out that Janna and Emily and I all have 9:05 first classes on Monday/Wednesday/Fridays, so we get to ride our bikes together from the 1504 to campus! :) I have been planning to ride to school but didn't know I'd get to ride with anyone else, and it was so fun this morning! Yippee.

The Low-down: So first day back you ask? Yep, went great! Woke up WAY before my first class and headed to the SLC (pronounced "slick") to get my work-out on with Emily :) and then came home and ate a yummy breakfast and headed off to class on the bike! ZOOM! I already have homework, not surprised, but I've gotta go get that done!

-sic 'em

-Amy



new place!

So I've successfully moved in! All my roomies are here and I'm getting so excited for this year! I love love love our place! My room is still in the process of being set up...waiting to get a bed to decorate (happening today)! My bathroom is totally finished and it is super cute! Hues of blue and purple make it super relaxing and it's super girly :) I love it!

Mom and the brobee are coming in town today!!

[Mom and the brobee]

 They should be here any minute! Mom's bringing some extra things I left at home when I moved and I'm going to show them around. They haven't seen the 1504 (this is what I'll be referring to the new apartment as from now on) yet and then we're gonna run around Waco for the afternoon. Then, dad and Amy are headed down to help me shop for a bed. We're going to drive down to round rock and hopefully have some luck! I'm so ready to get my room set up...right now it's all chaotic. pics to come of course!

I've got a busy busy day ahead!

-Amy

p.s. The Waco farmer's market consists of one farmer and one tent....just in case you were wondering. dissappointed :(

Back to the 254.

Well I'm all packed up...the movers come tomorrow morning and then I'm back on the road to head back to school! I'm super excited to move into the duplex I'm living in this year. Wanna see who I'm living with?? 

Janna (on the left) that's me on the right!

                         

Emily

and Jamie

Aren't they all super gorgeous! Both Janna and Emily are music majors like me and I've actually never met Jamie! She's from California. She attended Baylor last fall and is friends with Emily and is coming back to Baylor this year! I'm soooo excited to meet her!

...and so I'm headed out in the A.M. Kev is coming to help me move in and unpack. Isn't he just the best? [love you babe!] I promise to take lots of pics tomorrow of the move and once everything is finally unpacked! 'till then, Sic 'em!

-Amy

my summer in one picture.

see the sun? yeah it was 110 almost everyday out at camp this summer!

see those kids? that's who I ministered to and cared for this summer!

see how their arms are in the air? that was our method of getting them to attract snipes* This goofiness was what I was a part of all summer!

fun, fun, and fun. What an amazing God and family in Christ I have.

*snipes are imaginary creatures who are attracted to the smell of body odor...click here for another explanation :P

Stay cool y'all!
-Ames

stay tuned...

Yeah yeah yeah...I know I said I'd post about my Baybuh yesterday...but as I sat there and started typing all my lovely feelings and writing out a small summary of us, it just took way longer than I thought. So I'm here, tellin' y'all to STAY TUNED. It'll be finished soon, I promise :) Here's another pic until then.

New Years Eve 2010-Downtown Dallas at Victory Park BIG D NYE

later y'all,
Amy

i'm in love.

I am so in love. period. paragraph. the end. I'm in love with this guy:

My man, Kev.
This is my baybuh. He's amazing. See that HEEEE-YOOOOGE (huge) smile on my face? This is us at the river, or "the riffah" as he says in one of his hilarious accents, this weekend!







Yep, tomorrow's the day. I'm posting a whole post about my amazing boyfriend. It's gonna happen, so get excited! :)

-Ames

sweet treat.

Okay so a small break from the "randoms". My new favorite breakfast. The best things about it? You make it the night before, it's tasty, and SUPER healthy for you! Overnight Oats. Another awesome recipe from Fit Foodie Finds.

 I layered fresh strawberry slices in between my oats and sprinkled unsalted sunflower seeds on each layer for some added crunch. mmm mmm mmm delish!

RECIPE:

1/4 C rolled oats
1/4 C oat bran
1 T Chia Seeds
*1/2 t cinnamon
*1/2 t vanilla
1/2 C water
1/2 C milk

*amount doubled from orig. recipe. More flavor :)

1. mix dry ingredients together first, then add wet ingredients and stir
2. pour into a tall glass and place in refridge over night
3. I layer my fruit of choice in between the oats in the morning, so essentially I use 2 glasses when it's all said and done :)
4. lastly, spoon and enjoy!!

The strawberries were delicious, but I think my fav combo is oats, fresh bloobs (blueberries?? hehe), and sunflower seeds.

bon appetite,
Amy

what's your fav breakfast?
have you ever had overnight oats before? lemme know how you like them!!

random numero dos.

Random #2:

accessory of choice? EARRINGS! I love earrings! You might say I have an obsession, but hey, there are worse things to be obsessed with right?! ;) I have 50+ pairs....I'm not gonna lie...and the bigger the better. Hey, what can I say? I'm a Texas girl!

-Amy

randoms.

Okay so I think I'm going to do a couple 'randoms' about myself for a lil while...so stayed tuned and enjoy numero uno!

Random #1.

I'm an icecream kind of girl. I owe this one to my 'grandaddy' and my dad :) It definitely runs in the Lanford genes. Ice Cream can cure anything....ok ok I know that is extremely unrealistic, but if only for a lil while ice cream makes you smile :) I can seriously eat ice cream ANY time. I could have just stuffed my tummy with a HUGE thanksgiving dinner, and you could offer me ice cream and I'm SO down! Nothing to do? Let's go get ice cream! Want a snack? Ice Cream! Forget meeting an old friend for coffee...let's go for ice cream! Birthday? forget the cake! Ice Cream! Oh! and that's the other thing...I enjoy the trip more than anything. I don't usually have ice cream at home in the freezer. I like to go out for it. Braum's, froyo, you name it! I'm ready. ok I think you get the point ;)

It's a beautiful day! Go celebrate, and treat yourself to some ice cream! :)

-Amy

what's your fav treat?

**sigh**, nope scratch that. **BIG SIGH**

**pictures taken at Holley's Yarn Shoppe**
**in Dallas, TX**

bran-nanner pancakes!

Good Morning Everyone! It's not very often you get me up before 9am on a Saturday that I have nothing planned, and especially during the summer!!! But today was special because last night I bought lots of new ingredients and was seriously excited to hop outta bed to get to makin'...
Bran-nanner Pancakes!
All the credit for this recipe goes to Lee Hersh, of Fit Foodie Finds! Thanks Lee! Of course I had to add my own spin to it though, so here it is:

Brancake time!

 the dry ingredients- 

 everything all mixed together! brancake batter, minus the fresh blueberries.

 skillet pourin'. Go Mama, Go!

 don't those berries look so good!!?

 finished product: topped with fresh sliced nanner, a sprinkle of

chia seeds, and warm syrup drizzled over top!

Ta-da! Breakfast for two!

 

And oh my gosh were they delicious!!! So grainy and absolutely scrumptious! The recipe made 5 medium sized pancakes, or 4 large ones! Mom and I used fresh blueberries instead of frozen ones and they were so juicy! Thanks Lee for the awesome recipe, and for inspiring me to eat healthier! For real!

Now, off to the gym to get in my daily workout and then to the store with mom to go buy some summer reads, and lay out by the pool! It's Summah time!

later y'all,

-Amy