Progress

Well, the long holiday weekend has almost come to a close. It was a much-needed break to get some sun, explore Austin and hang out with friends I haven't seen in a while who came to visit.

I spent the fourth of July at one of my roommate's homes off of Lake McQueeney. It was beautiful and relaxing as always!

I had the chance to puppy-sit for a friend who came in from Houston for the weekend. The puppy's name is Barrett and he is an adorable chihuahua/terrier mix…

And to top everything off, we spent Saturday standup paddle-boarding on Lady Bird Lake (one of my Austin bucket list items) and had dinner as the sun set by Lake Austin at Able's on the Lake.

Thoughts for this week:

This week, I hope to re-focus on my job searching/applying and really start looking ahead to the future. There are so many changes that will take place within the next few weeks that it's hard to wrap my head around! I have to pack up my entire house and move my stuff to Houston (which includes renting a moving van and storage unit), make sure my house is completely back to the way we found it at move-in, and tie up any loose ends with my current job. 

I ate and spent money excessively this weekend, so I really want to try to eat healthier these next few weeks and actually cook for myself instead of going out to eat. Here are a couple easy lunch recipes for the work week:

• Turkey, avocado & hummus wrap
• Sweet tuna salad
• BLT pasta salad

I also want to start using my unlimited, one-month pass to a cycling studio called Pure Ryde. I became obsessed with stationary cycling during the spring semester when a studio opened up close to campus, but I stopped going (and working out in general) prior to my Europe trip. So now, I want to make a serious effort to go with one of my friends and get back in shape.

Here's a good quote to leave you with…

~ Kelsey

Summer to-do's

I can't believe it is already July!

Summer is flying by way too fast. I still have quite a few things left to do on my Austin bucket list before I make the move to Houston. Luckily, I have a five-day July 4th weekend ahead of me to check some of those things off the list. Here are my top ten to-do's:

1. Enjoy FREE live music at Blues on the Green at Zilker Park (I'm pretty excited about next week's featuring Bob Schneider!)
2. Eat at Uchi/Uchiko - two restaurants by Austin's own Top Chef winner, Paul Qui
3. Relax on a floatie while watching a movie on a massive inflatable screen at Deep Eddy Pool (this weekend is Grease <3)
4. See the city the "weird" way on a segway tour
5. Board the PubCrawler of Austin with friends and cycle (while "rehydrating") to the best bars in the city
6. Stand up paddle boarding on Lady Bird Lake
7. Sample some of the best trailer food Austin has to offer at Trailer Food Tuesdays at the Long Center
8. Get a frozen banana masterpiece from Bananarchy 
9. Brush up on my putt-putt skills at Peter Pan Mini Golf - while also enjoying the BYOB part…
10. Take a much-needed dip in Austin's beloved Hamilton Pool

It's crazy to me that I have lived in this city for the past four years and there are still many basic things I haven't done. At the same time, I have experienced so many Austin-y things that I feel content with leaving and am truly ready to start a new chapter in a new home. On that note, this quote is definitely helping me get through everything right now. 

Until next time…

~ Kelsey