New Year's Eve

Hello! I'm sorry for the late update, but I've been at several parties all day. Last night I went to a party with a bunch of my high school friends. It was really fun! At first it's a little awkward getting back together with people you haven't seen in awhile. But we all picked up right where we left off. I decided to bring my new polaroid camera. I was a little nervous it would get dropped or broken, but the next morning it was still okay! Everyone had a lot of fun taking pictures with it, so it was a win for the night :). The night included a whole bunch of laughs, dancing, singing, and loud music. We all acted like fools, but that's completely who we are haha. And then of course eating cold pizza at about two in the morning haha. No party would be complete without that. All in all it was a really fun night. I was so tired by the end that the floor felt super comfortable haha. Happy New Year's everyone!

Hugs <3

Lake Erie Monsters' Game

Hello! I know it's been forever since I've blogged, but I've been painting at the new house almost every single day from around 9 or 10 in the morning until 5 at night. So my days have been really uninteresting and not worth photographing. Plus my painting clothes are about the least flattering pieces I could be wearing. Then when I get home all I do is shower, eat dinner, and lay on the couch. Really boring days. Yesterday my family and I went to the Lake Erie Monsters' game. We went to dinner at Market Garden by the West Side Market. I had mushroom tacos and french fries :). The fries were really good! The tacos had a sauce on them that I wasn't a big fan of, but everything else on them tasted really good! When we tried to get to the game, the protesters for the Tamir Rice case had shut down the main entrance to the arena. It took us about 40 minutes to get around the protesters! I don't really understand why protesters have to shut down the daily activities of people who had nothing to do with the case. I feel like they can get their message across without trying to ruin people's night. Just my opinion there. But once we were in the arena, the night ran smoothly :). The Monsters won, and they had Snicker's ice cream bars. Yummm! Overall, it was a good night minus the protests :/.

Sorry I forgot to take a picture of my food before I dug in haha. Here's what remained.

Hugs <3

Cleveland Museum of Art

Hello! Yesterday I spent the afternoon at the art museum with Ryan. It was really fun! I love the art museum. They currently have an exhibition on Impressionism called Pianting the Modern Garden: Monet through Matisse. The exhibit focuses primarily on Monet's work, which I loved because my favorite artist is Monet.  The Impressionist movement is definitely my favorite style. The colors are soft and beautiful. And the way the light plays across the picture is just stunning. Impressionists were amazing at capturing the softness of the sunlight and the way it reflects on the water. I wasn't able to take any pictures in the special exhibit because it's just one of the rules. However, the first photo here is one of two Monet's from the normal part of the art museum. I took Ryan through the modern art portion of the museum first. Modern art is really something you have to learn about to understand. It's more about the concepts behind the art than the art itself. For example, Picasso attempted to show the objects in the painting from every aspect. This way he would create an experience for the viewer, not just a pretty picture to look at.  Ryan wasn't a big fan haha. But neither was I until I understood modern art. I took him to the armory where the museum has a room dedicated to medieval armor and weapons. Then we looked at the neoclassical portion of the museum with the large historical paintings dedicated mostly to scenes from the Iliad and the Odyssey. Ryan enjoyed that because he really likes ancient Greek mythology. It was a really fun trip through the museum :). I can't wait to go back.

By Monet

Neoclassical depiction of the Muses and Apollo

By Pablo Picasso

By Georgia O'Keefe

The Atrium at the art museum

This was actually done by the son of the founder of Tiffany and Co.

 And here was my outfit from the museum.

Sorry for the photo bomb, but there were just so many great pieces of art.

Hugs <3

 

Plaid Scarf

Helloo! This morning I went to yoga with my sister at the gym we just joined. For me it was much needed. I always feel so relaxed after a good yoga see ion. It just releases so much tension in my back and shoulders, and stretches my legs. I also get to center my mind and just focus on breathing. It's nice to just let things go, especially since in our lives we are constantly going and doing things. So refreshing :). I also like how our teacher today included some challenging ab exercises. That's definitely something I've been slacking on lately :/. This break I am determined to improve my arms and my abs. So lets go!! Haha I'm getting motivated even before the new year.

This is an outfit from last week when my boyfriend was nice enough to take some pictures of me :). I was really happy with how they tuned out! This scarf is soo cuddly and warm! I can't wait until it gets cooler because it feels almost like spring right now. Then I'll be able to wear this out more! Mine is from Lulu's if you want to go and purchase it as well.

 Hugs <3

Straight No Chaser

Good morning! Last night I went to see Straight No Chaser at Playhouse Square with my family. They are an all guys acapella group. They were really good! It's amazing what you can do with just voices. They were a really funny group of guys as well, especially with the newer songs they covered. They did the song Marvin Gaye and their dancing was hilarious! They dance like your average white guys haha. They have such a good humor about it though. Their soloists were amazing too! The baritone that sang Take Me to Church was amazing!! There was this family behind us though that kept singing along to the song. And it was really kind of annoying. We paid for these tickets to hear the group Straight No Chaser, not you... Please save your show for people who want to hear you. Sorry, I just had to say that. It was only for that song though, thank god! Overall it was a really great evening! I definitely recommend seeing their show if they come to a theater near you :).

Hugs <3

Star Wars: The Force Awakens

Yes, I am a Star Wars nerd/fan. Last night, my family and I went to see the new Star Wars movie, and to me it was better than I thought (wayyy better). I'm usually really skeptical when it comes to movie franchises wanting to make a new film out of an old series because most of the time they are just in it for the money. However, Star Wars was actually a really good film! I'm going to try not to leave any spoilers, so if my explanations are vague I apologize. I loved the new characters! Although to be honest, give me a kick ass heroine and I'm happy any day :). The new characters differed from the original movies in personality, and were introduced in a way that made the plot flow not randomly inserted. The heroine's backstory wasn't very original, but it did have it's twists. I thought the plot deviated from the original trilogy enough to make it exciting and not a copy cat, but had enough of the old plot line to satisfy nostalgia. It was a good mix of new story with some history repeating itself. I also enjoyed how the old characters (Leia, Han Solo, and Luke Skywalker) didn't play their younger selves all over again. For example, Han was still super sarcastic, but he had matured somewhat. I find this is what happens in a lot of movies that create another sequel to old films. The original characters still play the younger version of themselves, and it really doesn't suit the actor's age. I am really excited for the next one to come out to see if they hold up the precedent they set with this movie :).

Shirt from Francesca's Collection, pants from Nordstrom, shoes from Target.

Hugs <3

Green Smoothie Recipe

Good morning! This was my breakfast today, and doesn't it look super yummy?? I wish I had a cute straw to put in it for a prettier picture, but it still tasted good haha. I love smoothies because they are so filling and super healthy! And homemade smoothies are so much healthier than store bought ones. Usually I'll have them for lunch rather than breakfast just because I'm not a fan of big, filling breakfasts early in the morning. But I had a bunch of bananas and some avocados I needed to use up so a smoothie was perfect for today :). They also make for really pretty pictures too haha. I don't have a blender at school (although I really need to get one), so noe that I'm home I can finally try out some new recipes! I can't wait to try and make an acai bowl over break! They look so pretty, taste so good, and are really good for you too! I love experimenting with flavors and the just right ratios of all the fruits and veggies to make an amazing smoothie. It really is hard sometimes to get that perfect blend, and I've messed up more often than not haha. But I promise, this one is good! You'll need banana, pineapple, avocado, spinach/kale mix, soy milk, lemon or orange juice, and ice.

- 1 ripe banana

- a large handful of pineapple

- 1 handful of spinach/kale mix

- 1/2 an avocado

- 1 1/2 tbs of lemon/orange juice 

- 6 ice cubes

- 1/4 cup soy milk

Pour it in a glass or bowl and decorate it however you like! I used a fresh slice of pineapple :)

Let me know what you guys think if you try it out!

Hugs <3