the monthly cooking segment: yeah yeah yeah the freshmen

so even though they don't need me anymore, i still like to feed 'em.  however, i do not like to remember to take pictures of the finished products.

luckily, phil took a picture of me in the kitchen.  wearing my cute little apron.

those lucky freshmen got to eat pancakes, eggs, sausage, bacon, and fruit salad.  spoiled is what they are.

30 by 30 update: that awkward moment when march is july

hello, blogging family that i shamelessly ignore.  it's me, your negligent and sleepy friend, holly.  here are some updates for your reading pleasure.

1) in five weeks, i will be a master of students.

2) $2300/$2700.  turns out, all my dad needed to do to retire was get me to pay back this money.  :)

3) you know what?  i went to epcot over spring break and visited many countries.  so i'm going to call this a win for now.  boom.

8) i am officially changing this one from 'get something published' to 'make five food items from pinterest (check out my food board HERE).

11) i've been cooking my little heart out.  i've done 16/20.  HERE'S my most recent monthly cooking segment.

16) the marathon is in ONE MONTH!  eek.  it's in carmel.  you are super welcome to come and cheer if you want.  i'll need all the encouragement and prayers i can get.

29) i have read 70/100 books.  here are the most recent ones: a technique for producing ideas, wolverine, out of the silent planet, let go, and a diary of private prayer.

oh, hey, i turn 30 in 4 months.  no big deal.

the monthly cooking segment: 'basketball players like to eat!'

so liz and i ran 19 miles.  and then we had the entire indiana wesleyan women's basketball team over for dinner.  it was an exhausting day.  but totally worth it.  the girls are awesome, and they are now conference champions.  on to nationals, baby!  to prep them for their big game, i made three lasagnas (two with meat, one without), garlic bread, salad, strawberries, dark chocolate brownies with white chocolate chips, and peach cobbler.  let's just say no one went away hungry.

30 by 30: the one where she gets punched in the eye

nothing very exciting to report for this month's update.  five months left...quite a bit to do still.

2) i have paid $2200/2700.  not bad.  almost done.  (yahoo...i'll get done just in time to start paying student loans again!)

11) uh...15/20.  i neglected to post a monthly cooking segment, so i am going to show you three things i cooked in the last month:

eggplant parmesan.  mmmmmm.  

garlic chicken, cous cous, sauteed zucchini and squash.

post-run meal: salmon, asparagus, cous cous...monster rehab...woot!

29) i have read 65/100.  the new ones are disney cash hacks, slave to child, simply christian, the purpose-guided student, and the unlikely disciple.  mostly good stuff.  

and...that's all i can give you right now.  i am sick.  deuces.

so proud of my boston beauty

so i made a cd a few years ago for my family.  and some other randos got copies of it.  and somebody cool designed the liner and took all the pictures.  this was the cover:

ha.  oh, my, look at that baby face. (no comments, please.) and when i see my hair that long, all i can think about is how heavy it must have been.

anyway, i digress.  (as per the usual.)

so there's a song on the cd called 'ayo.'  i wrote it while i was in college for a dear friend of mine.  after listening to the cd, my brother kyle texted me and said, 'ayo should be on the radio!'  whenever i think about that, i chuckle, because ayo the person is an OUTSTANDING musician who indeed SHOULD be on the radio.  

i wouldn't say i often use this blog as a plug for stuff (mainly because my audience is definitely too small for that to be an effective use of time), but dreams are totally worth endorsing.

there's a cool website that works as a place where independent artists can showcase their stuff and raise funds for projects.  and ayo, my wonderfully talented and beautiful friend, is plugged in there to record a full length album.  um, this is awesome.

first: discover the wonder that is ayo on her website: ayo!

second: go check her project out here: kickstarter! and read all the sweet incentives for backing her.  totally cool.

third: if you like music and know other people who like music, tell them.  because she has worked her tail off for this.  and because she is insanely talented.  and because i love her.

fourth: here are my incentives for you:

if you pledge at least $10: i'll send a copy of my cd to you.

if you pledge at least $50: i'll sing and play live for you.

if you are willing to pledge more, i am open to offers.  

hit me up in the comments and let me know how you're supporting ayo!

run, baby, run. but run faster. and longer. nope, keep going...

oh, how to begin a post about training for a marathon?  as usual, a mix of thoughtful and snarky things fill my mind...

quite simply, training for a marathon is unlike anything else i have done before.  i have experienced many changes in my life in the past month, and i am interested/horrified to see what else might occur in the next three months.

here are some fun facts:

• my 29.5 year-old body is not the same as my 14.5 year-old body.  oh.my.heavens.  (yeah, my freshman year of high school was my peak running time)
• though i have been a runner for a good portion of my life, i never experienced common runner ailments...like blisters.  or chafing.  i think i am currently making up for lost time.
• after long runs, my face is literally caked with salt.  awesome visual.
• don't forget about those sausage fingers.  i look ridiculous as i raise my arms in the air while running in an effort to drain fluid from my hands.  super cool.
• vanilla gu tastes better than blackberry.  
• when running inside, i am in charge of counting laps, and liz in charge of our pace.  we have serious problems if we attempt anything different.
• i have faithfully taken a multi vitamin, fish oil, and glucosamine every day for the past month.  that is a big deal.  
• i get in my head too much when i run. 
• i eat like a crazy person when i am training.  a crazy person with a tapeworm.

do you have marathon questions for me?

30 by 30 update: the homestretch

i know i'm a couple of days behind.  whatevs.  my blog.  which is not to say i don't love all three of you who sporadically read my nonsense.

i have officially less than six months left of this little 30 by 30 experiment.  here's what you need to know:

1) i am about 3 months from finishing my master's degree.  that is insane to me.

2) i have paid back $2100 of my $2700 debt to my pops.  i'm sure he'll be glad when i cross this one off.

11) i cooked a lot last semester, but i am cooking wayyyyyyyy more this semester.  for some of the deliciousness, check HERE. that makes 14 out of 20 monthly cooking blogs.

13) i do not actually own a pet yet (although we think the mice in our vents are playing with toy cars), but i DID do some research.  turns out, owning seahorses and starfish are not for new pet owners.  and probably especially not for new pet owners who have trouble remembering to water their plants.  (don't sweat it...they both appear to still be alive.)

16) i am changing 'finish my book' to 'run a marathon.' april 21st, carmel, indiana.  see ya there.

19) i bought my bass guitar and am slowly learning it, so i am calling this a win.

29) i had a busy reading month.  i have finished 60 out of 100 books now.  here's what i finished in the past month: serenity: better days and other stories, serenity: those left behind, dr. horrible's sing-along blog: the book, sun stand still, 4 months to a 4-hour marathon, imaginary Jesus, why i teach, the long dark tea-time of the soul, the Bible, one thousand gifts, brief guide for writers, gods behaving badly, and after you believe.