new orleans: take four!

I swear today felt like the longest day of my life...but not in a bad way! We started our day off with a meal at this cute little place across from our hotel. It was called The Ruby Slipper. It's just a breakfast/brunch/lunch place and it looks like a little hole in the wall, but it was SO delicious. I had a really yummy caprese sandwich with a side salad. The dressing on the salad was like house specialty. It was some type of creole tomato something-or-other. But good golly, it was yummy.

After lunch we went and took a bus tour all around the city. New Orleans is so big. Like...I knew it was a decent sized city, but there's so much to it! So much! We sat on the top level of a double decker bus and got to listen to a bunch of historical fun facts and see so many different things. We got to see the garden district and the really cool cemeteries. We got to see all of the nooks and crannies and cute restaurants and boutiques and everything. It was really neat. When we got off the bus, the bus driver gave us beads so that was also really awesome!

After the bus ride my mom and grandmother went back to the casino...go figure. Becca and I then headed towards the French Quarter and made a stop at Café Du Monde. Of course we got beignets, and we both got chocolate milk to go along with it. It was like a funnel cake on crack aka the best thing I've ever ingested. I kind of felt 500 pounds afterwards though... But we won't go there. From Café Du Monde we headed to Foot Locker and bought some new Norts. Norts make me love my life and inspire me to work out so that was good for today!

When we got back to the hotel my mom and grandmother were ready for dinner. We had intended on going to this Italian place. We took a trolley and everything....and the restaurant was shut down. Our luck. So we walked a little farther and found this adorable little café. I don't even remember the name of it, but it was wonderful! I wasn't really hungry at all, but I got an Arnold Palmer (my fave) and some tomato crab bisque. They meshed perfectly and it was seriously the perfect dinner. Then we walked to a froyo place! But I was way too full for froyo so Becca got to enjoy that one! Then we headed back to our room.

I put legs to my inspiration and followed up my day with a run. A run. Me. ....I don't run. Ever. But I'm glad I did! I feel really good now. Even though it was on a treadmill, I ran a mile and a half straight through. That's a huge accomplishment for me! Even though that seems minute, it was like climbing a mountain. I can remember when I used to be able to run like 3 miles...not anymore! But I was really proud of myself, even if it kicked my butt.

Now, here I am. Blogging about my fourth day in this beautiful city. I love it here and part of me never wants to leave! However, it's taking a toll on my body. I'm exhausted. But I love it. So I'm going to keep exhausting myself and save the sleeping for home sweet home! Two more full days, New Orleans....bring it on!

Enjoy more pitchaaaaaas.

xoxo, Liv

day threeeeee: new orleans style

Ohhhh, day three. I am feeling it. I love vacations, y'all, don't get me wrong! But they tire me out! I feel like there is no such thing as a relaxing vacation. To me, "relaxing vacation" is SUCH an oxymoron...but I suppose everyone is different.

Anyways, I started my day today with some good, old-fashioned cardio! Well, I used an elliptical so I guess it really wasn't old-fashioned, but you know. Starting my day out with a work out was much more pleasurable than ending my day with a workout, so that was good! It kicked my butt and then I sat in the sauna and sweated even more for a solid 20 minutes! After my morning workout I came back and got ready for the day.

Today was hella hot. Like nasty, dripping sweat hot. Me, my mom, and Becca walked around Jackson Square and the French Market. I bought more stuff...go figure. I'm 99.9% sure I have a shopping addiction, but we'll get into that later. Most of the stuff was legitimate junk. Like flea market junk. But we did encounter a really neat female artist! She painted cute little quotes on stuff and I was in stereotypical white girl heaven! We then had lunch at Margaritaville which is ALWAYS a win. After walking around the market and eating the best burger of my life, we made our way to an old convent. Nuns freak me out. Yes, I'm catholic. Yes, they're admired in the catholic faith. No, I do not like them. They are scary and just...augh. I don't really know what "augh" means, but it fit. Luckily there were no nuns in the convent because I probably would have pissed myself. However, there was a nice little vampire ghost story that went along with it! If you're interested, read this blog post:
Vampire Ghost Story

After that we went into this massive cathedral and my mom lit a candle for my grandfather, so that was nice. Right outside the cathedral there was a cute little brass group playing! They were so good. Jazz music makes my heart smile more than anything else. We then headed back to the hotel and proceeded to take a good little nap while my mom and grandma hit up the casino. When they got back it was time for some more exploration. We went down Bourbon Street. Oh my. It was slightly terrifying/scarring/all things disgusting. We passed like 439248 porn stripper whatever places. I don't like to see female bodies like that. Ew. We also witnessed a dog who was trained to play dead, a fairly attractive male playing guitar, and the jazz band we watched earlier conjoined with some saxophones! The tenor player kicked some serious br-ass. Haha, get it? Oooookay.. We then decided to find some frozen drinks and an appetizer because we weren't really hungry. We went to House of Blues again and were faced with some major disappointment when we were told that they didn't have a blender. Alas, we had to forgo the frozen drinks, but we DID get some delicious jerk chicken wings. They were yummy and then we went back to the hotel.

Today was SO long. We got a lot in though. It was super fun and I feel like I got a taste of some true New Orleans culture! I'm excited to see what the rest of my week holds.

Enjoy more pictchas!

xoxo, Liv

new orleans lovin': day two!

Becca and I took day two of New Orleans by storm. Take that how you wish considering it was pouring of rain...... Okay, but really. Our second day here was pretty awesome!

We woke up this morning and lounged around for like ever. Mostly because it was pouring, but partly because we're lazy as all get out. Once we finally got ready, my mom and grandma pranced off to the casino leaving Becca and I to fend for ourselves in the city. It was a tough life full of crazies, but we made it. Actually, we didn't encounter any crazies during the first part of our day: we spent it...SHOPPING. Ah, yes. Glorious city shopping. I could literally spend thousands of dollars here and I would LOVE my life. L. O. V. E. Lovelovelovelovelove it. I really actually just love shopping and buying new things and spending money and then basking in the glory of all my new items! Sometimes thats a problem, but not today! I acquired an adorable pair of shorts and an orange/white tank from this super cute boutique. They were having a sale that you seriously couldn't turn down. Then we went to Urban Outfitters and I got another super cute pair of shorts, and tank top, and a little bandeau thingy to put underneath it! All of these purchases made me feel happy inside, but none of them made me feel as happy as the things I bought for my sweet boy! I got him a Mumford and Sons record, a guitar pick, and a t-shirt from the House of Blues! I also got myself a t-shirt from House of Blues and a sticker for my computer. :)

House of Blues was so amazing. They played great music and the architecture was so awesome! I got lobster macaroni and cheese for dinner. It was like a 5 year old's heaven for an 18 year old. It was seriously so delicious. For lunch, we ate at Huck Finn's cafe...or something like that. They had these awesome fried pickles: bread and butter pickles fried in a jalepeño batter. I could've eaten them all day and not felt guilty. Maybe I would've felt guilty when I hit that 400 pound mark, but I like to pretend sometimes that I'm invincible up against food. But for real y'all, they were good good stuff. I also had an alligator po boy. I'm glad to know that alligators are good for something besides eating peoples heads off. They taste really good, too.

That pretty much sums up my day two....shopping and eating. But then again, that kind of sums up my life, doesn't it? Oh well! No shame.

Here are some pictures to show my New Orleans lovin'.

xoxo, Liv

new orleans: day uno!

Today marks day uno of New Orleans. If you've never been to New Orleans you are SO missing out. I am literally in love with this city, and we just arrived earlier today.

Being in band for what seems like forever, I'm such a music lover. New Orleans is THE place for music. Everywhere you go there is jazz music playing; sometimes it's a recording and sometimes it's live! Plus the city life is just incredible.

Like any big city it's slightly terrifying, but extremely exciting. Walking down the street you get a glimpse of so many different walks of life. I saw a girl with multi-colored dreads, and a man looking woman who probably used to be a man at one point...or a woman...not so sure. We watched a guy perform magic tricks and witnessed a small parade that consisted of a tuba, trombone, and other brass instruments playing jazz music!

 For dinner we ate at a small little cafe. It was called Cafe Pontalba and the food was SO good. It looked like a literal hole in the wall - all of the walls were like open doors. We sat at a little corner table, and I got the seat that was like right up against the "open door/wall". From the cafe you had a perfect view of a little area of the French Quarter where there were street performers and whatnot. There was an awesome little brass group performing and I was seriously in awe. It was the best dinner entertainment ever!

At the cafe I ordered barbecue shrimp.... It was delicious, but they still had little heads..and legs..and eyeballs. I learned how to successfully peel a shrimp though so that's cool! And they were totally worth it because they were the best shrimp I've EVER had in my life. After dinner we went back to the hotel and scoped out the sauna, weight room, and pool/hottub area! It was a successful evening that is now coming to close. As our evening closes, Becca and I are enjoying some 5-star vending machine grub and some hip tunes. Here's some pictures of my day!

xoxo, Liv

motivation, motivaion, motivation

I've learned something in the past week or so; getting in shape is HARD. Hard, hard, hard. If anyone has ever tried to eat healthy, exercise, get decent sleep, etc, etc...they know what I'm talking about. I'm not a completely unhealthy individual. I'm not humongous, and I can walk up stairs without completely dying. However, my lifestyle is not what I want it to be or what it SHOULD be for that matter. So, I'm making changes!

I could lose a solid 30 pounds and be okay. But that's not even necessarily what I'm going for! I want to be healthy. I want to be in shape and actually enjoy physical activity. And even though I've just begun, I'm totally getting there! I've surrounded myself with someone who really loves physical activity, and she is such a good influence on me. She encourages me to keep pushing even if I'm exhausted! Having good influences helps more than any amount of dedication. Or at least it does for me. I am nothing without the people that surround me. So, thankfully, I'm lucky enough to have a great motivator!

The past few days I've done Insanity, bike riding. weight lifting, and running/walking. Plus I've been eating semi-healthier. There's no doubt about the fact that I FEEL so much better. So much. When you treat your body right, then your body is going to treat YOU right. My body wants to commit a very violent murder on me while I'm working out, but afterwards it thanks me. If you've never been very active or into working out and whatnot, I encourage you to try it. Physical activity has never ever been my friend...except maybe in 7th grade when I ran track and cross country. Those days are long gone though. But, hopefully they're coming back! With a clean body and mind and whatnot, I'm able to accomplish so much more. Or at least I feel as if I am, and that's enough to MAKE me accomplish more.

At UTK, I'm making it my personal goal to stay fit. I really want to run 5ks often. Like, twice a month or so. Doing something like running is so good for you, and running for a cause makes it even better! Plus, the plethora of tshirts that I would acquire is so exciting to think about! I do love a good tshirt.. 

Well, since I just started, I can't really see a change in myself yet. But I can't wait until I can! Stay motivated, y'all, because I know I am!

xoxo, Liv

sappy night #1

I have a very very big heart. I already knew this, but today really set it in stone for me. Someone I really really care about left today for the entire summer. He's a one-of-a-kind man and I'm blessed to have him as such an integral part of my life. My boyfriend literally hands me the world on a silver platter every time I see him. This summer is going to be so difficult for me without him..

Ladies, let me tell you something: if the man in your life doesn't treat you like the prize you are, then he's not a man and he does NOT deserve you. So many girls put up with so much unnecessary meanness, and it absolutely positively breaks my hard. Girls, if this is you, I've been in your shoes. I've been in demeaning relationships and relationships that were held together by something as weak as a small fragile string. It is not worth it. You need a man. A man who treats you like a princess.

My boyfriend is a very special individual. He puts a huge emphasis on the little things, which puts a huge emphasis on my smile! He knows how to be a classy gentleman. He always opens the car door for me - something that I haven't seen males do in ages. He knows how to be fun-loving and crazy. He can sing country and rap like nobody's business...all in a matter of minutes. He'll tickle me until I want to pee myself, all to get a smile. He also knows how to be cute and sweet. I get nose kisses and forehead kisses just as often as I get regular kisses. He's seriously perfect. Or at least he's perfect for me.

The boy may never ever know exactly how much he truly means to me, but I'm sure gonna try my best to make it blatantly obvious.

This summer, though I can have scattered visits, is going to be long. It's going to be difficult. But I trust him, and I know we'll be okay.

Apologies all around for sappy nights with Olivia.. They don't happen too often, but this one was needed. Here's a cute picture of us to either make matters better or worse. You decide.

xoxo, Liv

be the change

"You can do anything." "The sky is the limit" "You're gonna do great things."

All of these are things that I've heard a great deal of in the past month. Graduation is the time when everyone gives you all of the encouraging advice that they should have been giving you for the past thirteen years of your life. I've been lucky; I've always had amazing encouragers in my life. I've heard those things so frequently that I've been able to do something different with the advice: interpret it. Of course everyone is going to interpret it, but, naturally, I'm a little biased towards my interpretation. 

Everyone knows the saying, "Be the change you wish to see in the world." Am I right? Well, whether you've heard it or not, it's a great saying that has a newfound meaning for me. All of the advice I've been given the past two weeks has all mashed together and become just that; the change. Be the change. I WANT to be the change. I know I'm not the only one, but I'm determined. In order to change the big world, I have to change my small one. "How are you going to do that?" one may ask. The answer is simple: take a step back. 

I can't take full credit for this next idea, because someone proposed this thought to me. However, it's a beautiful thought and it deserves to be shared with the world. 

Look up at the stars. They look so tiny; so minuscule. They look as if you could hold them in the palm of your hand and just watch them as they twinkle. But really, stars are massive balls of fire. They could engulf things much larger than our entire planet. Have you ever tried to reach a star? It's impossible because the distance is so great. But they're beautiful. 

Whether you realize it or not, the stars do something for our world. Though they appear small in size, they provide a sea of beauty that helps embellish the night sky. The stars are a lot like us. Compared to the world, we seem insignificant and tiny. But really, we can make a difference. Be a star. Be something that looks tiny, but actually withholds something strong and powerful. Be something that people look up to. Just as the little stars withhold a burning fire, find a burning fire within yourself. Find a passion for something, somewhere. If you can find that passion, you can make a difference, and you can be the change. 

What is MY passion? This is my battle right now. However, no battle goes unresolved. 

Be the change. You are the change. I am the change. 

xoxo, Liv