What's a Vacation Without _____ ?

This past weekend, a group of us went to Fayetteville, Arkansas to check out Jen's new home and to take Kathryn to state #7, since she has lived a relatively sheltered life. I can honestly say that this is one of the most memorable trips I have ever made, in a number of ways. So, here is a rundown of the weekend:

Jen and Seth arrive in Fayetteville on Friday to grab keys and to get acclimated to the city. I was busy out at the pool in Stillwater during their little adventures, so I was (of course) unable to make it. Work called. It was a good day. On Saturday at 7:00 AM, Kathryn and I departed for Fayetteville with Annie, Kyle's hyperactive (and mostly ridiculous) dog. What Kyle forgot to mention was that he had packed half a car's worth of belongings for his beloved pooch. I was shipping 3 large boxes of clothing to Virginia Tech during this trip, and these extra items made for a full car. This could only mean that Kathryn would get the opportunity to hold and comfort our fuzzy friend. She was not happy about this, as Annie is notorious for drooling and shaking during long car rides. Needless to say, Kathryn's zebra-printed purse was nearly ruined after this 3-hour trip.

Once Kathryn and I arrived, we met up with Seth and Jen, unpacked, and settled down for a bit. The four of us went to eat a nice lunch, in which I got stiffed of some change. Keep track: This is the first time this happened. Following lunch, we went back. I decided that 3:00 PM was a nice time for a run. For those of you unfamiliar with this area during the summer, it gets to 100 degrees. And Fayetteville has many, many hills. 

Did I mention there were hills?

We all met up for dinner with some friends and got stiffed of some change (we are 2/2), and I continued to catch up at a nice little coffee shop following the consumption of these good eats. I received all of my change at the coffee shop. Our waitress was also a bit water-obsessed. We only needed to take a drink before she darted from across the room to refill our glasses. It was a fun sight to see. The coffee was delicious and the conversations were great.

Sleep.

The next morning, we met Carter for lunch at the same place we ate at for lunch on Saturday. The place offers a brunch menu on Sundays. I asked for egg substitute in my omelet. The waiter didn't know such a thing existed. I then asked for an egg white omelet. Apparently, that is frowned upon and not possible at this kind of establishment. I ended up getting waffles after this conversation, where I only lost my pride and dignity. AND some change. Fayetteville went 3/4 in this little change fiasco. Good job water-crazed, coffee shop lady! And this isn't the best part...

On the trip home, Kathryn and I rode in my car. My car doesn't have A/C, and it was 100 degrees again. We stopped at a QT in Tulsa to get some drinks and to fill up our tanks. During this exchange, it appeared as if someone took Jen's car keys. We were stranded in Tulsa for 45 minutes before we ended up contacting Seth's family to take Jen and Kathryn back to Stillwater, grab the spare key, and return the key to us at the QT. This was such an inspiring act of kindness, and I am glad to have been a part of this experience. By 9:00 PM, Seth and I were able to hit the road back to Stilly. Of course, we enjoyed the sunset and a picnic in the parking lot. It was pretty romantic, if I do say so myself.

You know what? This was one of the best vacations... Period. Everything was weird. Some things were crazy. There was no structure or making sense of some of the series of events. But I wouldn't trade this vacation for the world. Thanks to those who made my last weekend in the southwest a memorable one. :)

When Change is Good!

If you haven't checked out the blog in the past day, you may not have noticed the construction! For one, the background went through some changes to make the posts pop. And the font has become more legible. How come no one told me everything was so difficult to read?!

Underneath the title, I have added a few sections: One for healthy, cheap, and odd dinner recipes created by your's truly and another for healthy desserts (as we all like to splurge sometimes... or a lot). I will continue to post new recipes and pictures as I make new, inventive meals. Last summer, I made a lot of unique, delicious, and "healthy" desserts, so I will continue to add pictures and posts to make up for my lack of experience in working with Blogger.

One of my passions is cooking healthy and cooking for individuals on a budget, as I have lived my entire life having to watch how much money I am spending. These recipes reflect these two things. Unfortunately, there are some foods you will never see me cook:

*Red meat (haven't eaten in 6 years)
*Deep-fried foods (try to avoid when at all possible & they aren't healthy)
*Seafood (I just don't like it!)

At the bottom of the dinner posts, you will find a breakdown in prices for the various ingredients. Feel free to substitute veggies, meats, spices, or sauces and comment. Sharing is caring, especially when it comes to food.

I hope you all enjoy the new additions! :)

New Home - Fall 2012 Edition

Hello, Loyal Fans!

I have some great news for you all. As you know, I have been packing, mentally prepping, and really preparing for my big move to Virginia Tech over the past couple of weeks... Well, let's be honest. I have really been doing it since the end of April! Yesterday, I received some good news on where I will be working this upcoming fall, and I could not be more thrilled. Lucky for you, I am going to give you some of the specs on this little (well, it is rather big) gem.

I have the opportunity to co-supervise in the largest hall at Virginia Tech: Pritchard! There are:

*1,100 first year students, living in a co-ed, traditional environment. Hope these students are ready for some high-energy!
*27 RAs.
*2 Senior RAs. Hope these staff members are ready for some high-energy!
*The SERVE (Students Engaging and Responding through Volunteer Experiences) living-learning community. For those of you who know me, this is a perfect fit. I worked in a service and leadership office for three years during my undergraduate days. AND I may be a bit crazy for some LLCs!
*The Thrive LLC, focused around positive psychology and StrengthsQuest. It is a brand new First Year Experience program. My Zink-Allen Staff will be happy to know that I will probably be continuing with the exercises we did this past spring.

There is a lot to be excited for. I'm excited to work with another RLC to continue building and refining who I am as a leader. (Is it too soon to call ourselves the Dynamic Duo? I don't think so...) I'm excited to work with a supervisor who I know will care about me as a person and professional. I'm excited for my new co-workers and friends. And I'm excited to move back east!

In addition to this news yesterday, I continued planning our adventure to Fayetteville. This is going to be an incredible last mini-vacation with some good people. We will see if I can manage the car ride out there with a spastic animal in the back seat.

Well, that is all for today. Enjoy the last few days of the week. You know I will be enjoying my 4-day weekend. :)

S

T-Minus 20 Days

Sorry for the delay in the posting, loyal fans. It has been a crazy few weeks of packing, finishing my thesis, and getting everything organized for the big cross-country journey. Here is an update on life:

*Thesis is finished! Still establishing a date and time to defend the beasty before I leave. For everyone who has done this, you can relate that this has been one of the biggest stressors. Communication is key, and not having successful communication has made this a difficult process. For those of you who have kept up with me over the past few weeks, you understand what this means.

*I have spent the past few days packing, and I have a lot more stuff than I first thought. I have packed 3 boxes of clothes and blankets to ship out in a few weeks, 3 boxes of books to take, and I have 2 boxes of clothes to donate. Thank you hard work, eating healthy, and working out. I will not miss those large and extra large shirts and baggy pants and shorts. In addition, I have been able to relive my time in Stillwater with the help of some of the notes, agendas, and the "little things" that have made these past few years great. I actually found some of the recruiting materials that brought me back to the few days when 20 of us were vying for a few jobs at OSU. #stressful

So, I only have around 20 days-ish left in Oklahoma. This will be one of the last times I return to the state, and it has been bittersweet experience since my last post. Over the past few weeks, I have really bonded with some of my co-workers/friends through completing online ROCs, going to yoga, heading to the pool, seeing some good and ridiculous movies, and just going to lunch in the middle of the day. More than ever, I have taken in those moments that will mean something to me for the new few weeks, months, or even the next year. Snow White & the Huntsman with Michael - Terrible movie. Some incredible quotes. "Hasn't she been dead for at least two days. Gross!" "Snow White got more action dead than she did when she was alive." And it was also really cool to help a fellow Hokie transition to OSU.

Next week, some of my closest friends will be heading out on their new adventures. I am finally getting excited (and have lost that sense of nervousness) when it comes to moving out to Virginia. I have done some research on things that are actually out in that area, in addition to speaking with some formal locals (thanks Aaricka)! Unlike Stillwater, Blacksburg has a whole foods store, some decent music venues, and mountains. I will be getting that guitar and will probably be stopping by Teavana to get some great brews.

In a few weeks, I will take my last adventure with my Stillwater friends. A few of us will be traveling to Fayetteville to help Jen in her transition. I'm not a big history buff, so I'm going for the farmer's market and coffee shops (and overall experience, I guess). Others are excited about seeing Clinton's House. Eh... What's $5.00? Let's hope for some good weather.

Alright, friends. That is it for this post. It has already gotten lengthy, but we needed to catch up on the past few weeks. Enjoy the rest of the weekend!

Hit me up on FB, Twitter (@srbusiel), or Instagram now (srbusiel). Having an iPhone changes everything! :)

S