Happy Things (and dance videos)

Posted by Nicole

Hey there! It’s been a while since I last popped in to ramble. So remember that half I ran on Sunday? I actually got some good pictures!

I’m impressed with my acting skills ;)

My brain is feeling a little crazy today, so I’m just going to mention a few things that have made me happy lately. Lots of pictures in this post.

1. Studying.  Sayyy what? Midterm season is picking up, so I’ve been doing a lot more studying. Old school with pen and paper…

And new school with a few too many Apple products.

As for the reason that studying is making me happy — you know that feeling when you know that you did well on a test? That’s how I felt this afternoon. I woke up early this morning to study for a few hours, stressed myself out, but actually think I did well!

2. Speaking of waking up early, I have been doing so well with my morning routine. Waking up at 5 AM on Sunday set me up on an early schedule. I’ve been waking up at 7:45 each day this week and I feel like I can fit so much more into the day.

Productivity makes me happy.

3. On Monday night, I went to the USC vs. UCLA volleyball game with my dance team friend Troi. I love going to the volleyball games, but I don’t love that we brutally lost to UCLA. Oh well, it was fun to sit back in the stands at The Galen Center and not be sitting on the court for two hours straight.

I can’t wait till the USC vs. UC Irvine game – then I can see my cousin play!

4. Last night, I took a study break and hung out with my old DG roomie, Charlotte. Considering this girl is one of my best friends, I have not been seeing her nearly enough this semester! It was a fun reunion to be out with my partner in crime :)

I think I’m going to force her to hang out with me again tonight.

5. On the way to dance practice yesterday, I was craving Diet Dr. Pepper sooo badly. Knowing they have it at Freebirds (Pepsi products for the win), I walked up to the register to ask if I had to go through the food line if I was only buying a soda. He handed me a cup immediately and said, “here you go, I’m the manager, it’s on me.” It was free! Can you believe that?

Freebirds, you have won yourself a loyal customer.

6. Dance practices and running have been going well (more about those in a workout post at the end of the week). Yesterday, after practice and dinner, my friend Erin peer pressured me to join her for a zumba class at her sorority. (This might just be the best type of peer pressure.) WOW… this class burned! The instructor was fantastic. There were so many squats, shakes, and crazy arm movements. I’m pleasantly sore today. I didn’t get a picture of us in action, but here’s the room we danced in.  That counts for something, right?

I think we are going to class with the same instructor tonight. I’m excited!

7. Puppy snuggles. Remember when I first introduced you to Rex/2 Chainz? The little guy has gotten bigger. Why can’t puppies stay tiny forever?

He’s still small enough to snuggle on my lap though. Fingers crossed that his growing streak is over.

8. And what would this blog be without a little bit of food? I’m still balancing out meals from the sorority and meals from my apartment.

Highlights this week— falafel and hummus, fresh fruit (Lauren, I still can’t believe you don’t like pineapple), sweet potatoes (I’m obsessed lately), banana oatmeal with pb2.

It’s been a great week with a nice balance between school, friends, sleep, dance, etc.  Speaking of… time to head to dance practice!

- Nicole

ps- I’m posting these mostly for Lauren and my mom, but if you want to watch some dance videos, here ya go.  They might not work in Google Reader.

This gives an idea of how practices generally go (minus the matching shirts)…

And some random clips from various routines!