Goodbye.

If you are lucky enough to have lived in Paris as a young man, then wherever you go for the rest of your life, it stays with you, for Paris is a moveable feast.

I can't believe this month is over. I feel so different but so the same. Paris is a place that moves you. It's nearly impossible not to fall in love--with the sights, the history, the food, the people on the streets. Paris is inside me, an inextricable part of my heart and soul. Wherever I go from now on, I carry a little piece of Paris with me.

Au revoir, Paris. Until next time.

Grateful for everything.

This trip has made me truly grateful for everything.

Grateful for macarons, crepes, and paninis.

Grateful for the Metro, the Louvre, and LIDL (the French Costco).

Grateful for my friends, my body, and my mind.

But mostly it's made me grateful for my parents

who have allowed me to have this incredible experience.

The memories I've made and will continue to make are ones that I will never ever forget.

And that's more than enough.

I don't know if it's the rain or this 15 page paper,

but I'm feeling tremendously introspective today.

I love my life.

Top: Me at the Opera Garnier

Middle: Notre Dame at sunrise

Bottom: Panoramic of Paris from the top of the Arc de Triomphe

Barca via iPhone and why I'm about to have the best week of my life...

1. View from the balcony of our hostel

2. Legit spray paint on a wall--so euro

3. My polka dotted shirt!

4. In the plaza where we ate dinner all three nights

sangria and walnut cake--life doesn't get much tastier.

Friends, have you ever been to Barcelona?

Spain's city on the water is the most popular place for people from my school to go abroad.

Kate and I jetted there for the weekend.

We feel like mortal sinners for admitting this and I know my generation will collectively disown me but

...we didn't like it.

The humidity was oppressive, the city was really dirty, and it's very Americanized.

We did manage to have some fun and got to see a friend from school, so I'm very happy we made the trip.

I'm going to try to upload more photos, and I have a restaurant review planned, but I have a very busy week ahead of me so it might have to wait until next week.

You may have noticed the title of this blog post...here's what I got cookin' this week:

Tomorrow: (post-midterm...the only gray cloud on an entire week of sunshine) Shopping on the Champs-Elysees, then seeing Harry Potter at midnight (because France is baller and releases movies on Wednesdays)

Wednesday: one of our friends in our program is turning 21! And Bastille celebrations start Wednesday night.

Thursday: BASTILLE DAY. Since I missed out on the 4th in America, I plan to live vicariously through France and its independence day. Red, white, and blue, get ready!

Friday: Amsterdam!

It's okay to be jealous of me. I'm jealous of me too!

how will i go back to real life after this?

paris, je t'aime.

Sunday Gratitude

Sometimes I am just struck by how amazingly blessed I am to have my friends and family in my life.

I spent the weekend surrounded by people I love and who love me, and for that I am tremendously thankful.

Today I just wanna pinch myself. My life is full of love, happiness, and smiles.

On the Healthy Living Soapbox

The other day my best friend demanded that I teach her my healthy living ways. Now, I’m the first to admit I wasn’t always so healthy. Up until around January, working out was something I had to do because it was necessary if I wanted to lose weight. That’s the mindset that I began my fitness journey with. Jordan, don’t have that cookie! You’re never gonna lose weight if you have it. Jordan, get your booty to the gym! How do you ever expect to lose weight if you’re this lazy?!

But then something happened. Some inner working I had been longing for finally clicked, and exercise and healthy eating became something I got to do, rather than had to do. And that’s when the weight finally started coming off. I exercised everyday because it made me feel good, and I ate healthy because I needed powerful fuel to get me through my work outs.

And I’ve continued this healthy lifestyle. People comment on my weight loss a lot, and while I am excited about fitting into old clothes and looking in the mirror and thinking “Damn girl!,” I’m mostly excited that I’ve become fully committed to making healthy life choices. And I figure if I can inspire one person to do the same, my purpose is fulfilled.

So, that’s what brings me to this blog post: what is it specifically that I love about exercise and healthy eating? This was a question I hadn’t really pondered, aside from the broad “I like the way it makes me feel.” In true Happy List fashion, I’ve compiled a list of the reasons why I have become nearly obsessive with health and wellness:

1. I love getting creative about my meals. My mom always keeps the kitchen stocked with fresh fruits and veggies, and I love being able to put them together. Last week I had egg whites with avocado, spinach, and tomatoes, and last night I made myself tomato and carrot juice. Eating only fresh foods allows me to make colorful and healthy combinations.
2. That feeling when you think your heart might pound out of your chest? I live for it. I love challenging my body and finding out it is capable of doing things I never would have guessed. If someone told me 6 months ago that I would be running regularly (and loving it), I would have laughed in their faces. But now I am addicted to the adrenaline rush. Runner’s high is such a true thing.
3. It helps me sleep. My mom has terrible insomnia, and in the fall I was getting early hints of it—not being able to sleep longer than an hour, sleeping the whole night but waking up exhausted—but when I’m jammin’ on my exercise and eating healthy routine, I sleep soundly through the night.
4. “Exercise gives you endorphins. Endorphins make you happy. Happy people just don’t shoot their husbands.” Enough said.
5. I feel good about myself.

So there you have it. I'm so happy with the changes I've made, and I definitely wouldn't have been able to make them without the inspiration of the blogging community. :)

Time for some exercise!

The Semester in Review

I literally cannot believe the spring semester is over. Time sure flies.

So here's my breakdown:

This semester was by far my worst

and conclusively my best

semester I've had as a student at Cal.

Why the worst, you ask?

I battled minor depression (but I admit it, so I feel like that's a positive thing)

My beloved grandpa passed away

My three best friends were 21 and could go fun places without me

Becoming president of my sorority was in a lot of ways a huge mistake and it was really really hard on me at first (and continues to be, but I have learned to handle it better)

Why the best, then?

I rocked all my midterms/papers (earned an A on every single one!)

I finally FINALLY made exercise a part of my life. It's not something I have to do; it's something I want to do. It's helped me lose some weight, but most importantly it has helped me love my body

My sister Kendall got into almost all the schools she applied to, and I'm so excited to say she'll be joining me in the Pac 10 next year! Bears > Huskies ;)

I've begun to navigate my way around this blogging world, and I've found such an amazing support system and endless source of entertainment

But most of all, I've figured out how to be me in this world.

Despite the tears and stress of this semester, I am grateful for it all. I hope I never go through so many tough things at one time every again, but I will also be forever glad I learned so much about myself.

I am so excited about all the prospects of senior year! Lighter course load, getting a job, being 21, and making the most of the last year of the best time of my life. I am enjoying summer so far, but cannot wait for senior year to be here already.

Reasons Why This Weekend Ruled

If you haven't noticed yet, I like lists. A lot. I'm too ADD/scattered to keep track of anything on my own, so I make lists. Obsessively. And no, they don't actually help with the ADD/scattered-ness. Sue me. But here's a list of reasons this weekend knocked my socks off:

On Thursday morning (almost the weekend), I got my 6th and final midterm of the semester back. Expected a C, got 100%. That makes me 6 for 6: 6 A’s on the 6 midterms I took this semester (okay, two were A-'s, but they still count). I'm still really anxious about the papers I have to write, but I'm 4 out of 6 pages done with one!
Right after my midterm, I ate an apple the size of a small pumpkin. For those of you who don’t know me well, I really like apples. I even did my senior year final English presentation on them.
As I was eating the apple, I passed a little old man on campus who was carrying a boombox playing “Rock Around the Clock.” Pretty good omen for the weekend, I’d say.

Thursday night Jasmine and I dressed as Mickey and Minnie for our sorority's invite. We were adorable (as evidenced below).Friday, Jasmine and I declared our second major (American Studies), went to a vegetarian restaurant for dinner (ahhh so exciting for me! Literally an entire menu of food I could choose from), and spent some time in the library. I checked out books from the library for the first time as a Cal student. Big day!

Saturday was Cal Day, my favorite day of the year. We spent the day basking in the sunshine and celebrating the fact that we go to the best school in the world. It was definitely a quintessential college day, complete with shenanigans and mysterious bruises. Wouldn't trade it for the world.Sunday, my sister Paige and my parents came for lunch, and my other sister Kendall came for dinner and to stay the night with me. Food coma, but so nice to see my family and spend some quality time with them.

About to embark on my second to last week of classes! Before school is over, I'll write two more research papers, attend 24 more hours of class, and probably cry at least 3 times. But after that, only two more weeks until glorious summer!

Hope you all had a wonderful weekend as well!

be well.