Imposter!

There’s just something so nice about waking up in my family’s home and being able to groggily walk downstairs, without fear of who else I might encounter (i.e. roommates/roommates’ friends).

There’s also something so nice about being able to raid my parents’ pantry to find a new-to-me cereal. I went with the familiar Quaker brand for some lightly sweetened oatmeal squares.

Consumed: ~3/4 C brown sugar oatmeal squares with a sliced banana, cinnamon and skim milk.

Instead of rushing off to classes or meetings, I got to spend the morning just relaxing — Such as luxury! I met back up with my mom a little before lunch to tackle a big wedding to-do: choosing bridesmaids’ dresses.

For a few weeks, I thought I was going to go with an option I saw at a bridal shop near Kansas City. It’s not as though I was 100% certain this was the only dress I could imagine my girls in, but it was a really cute, fun style.

The problems began when I went to try to order the dress… Because five of my six girls live in Nebraska, it would have been very near impossible to get them to come to the actual shop. Knowing this, I had them all submit measurements to me. Then, the shop told me that they also all had to submit contracts and the girls would be held liable for bad fittings if they didn’t get professional measurements. What’s more, it was also going to be an extra $20 per dress to get them shipped to Nebraska. Unfortunately, I couldn’t even get the same style from a Nebraska retailer, because it was unique to the Kansas City story.

Basically, it all became a big ol’ mess. That’s why I decided to cut my losses and just come to Nebraska to decide on a dress from a local bridal shop.

The first store we went to only carried one brand of dresses and I wasn’t too impressed, so we moved on. The next place had racks of dresses, but I was able to narrow these down with the conditions that I wanted chiffon with an emphasized waistline.

Even still, that left us with quite a few options…

After modeling a few options for my mom (all my ‘maids were busy with school), we came upon one that just seemed “right.”

Chiffon? Check.

Emphasized waist? Check.

Available in the green hue I want? Check.

It’s a winner, folks!

With all that decided once and for all, it was time to grab some lunch from my favorite place on earth. Here’s a clue…

A generous hunk of bread? Must be Great Harvest! This delicious, Valentine’s inspired variety was “white chocolate and dried cranberry.” In other words, it was enough to make my heart stop. Still, it wasn’t enough to make my hunger stop, so I also went with half a PB&J on wheat and half a salad with dried cranberries, feta and almonds. I seriously swore I took a picture, but, sadly, it’s nowhere to be found. The good news is that a woman volunteered to take a picture of my momma and me — Unlike the lunch picture, this actually turned out!

Full and entirely happy, my mom and I hit the road for Omaha to watch my sister, Marian perform in a speech competition at Omaha Marian High School. The ride over went pretty quickly, considering I was making punny jokes about the school’s name the whole way over!

Still, I was a little upset to find that the school is full of nothing but imposters.

That other girl is SO NOT Marian.

I was also really excited to get to see my sister perform. She did both a group skit and an individual skit, each of which were awesome!

Unfortunately, she had two more rounds to go before the night was over, meaning she wouldn’t be done until 8 or 9 o’clock (and then has to turn around for her first ACT in the morning! I’m sending her positive vibes!), so my mom and I headed back home to Lincoln. Then, although it was getting colder and icier, we bundled up and braved the trails for a good run — The hardest part is just getting going!

Because the schedule of the day was a little off from my norm, I wasn’t hungry until well past my normal dinner time. But by the time I got home from the run, I was starving and ready to find an easy option. Enter freezer veggies.

Consumed: Alexia Roasted Red Potatoes and Italian Vegetables, a slice of Great Harvest Dakota bread and some Trader Joe’s butternut squash soup.

I’ve been interested in Alexia’s products for a while, so I was really glad to find this buried in my parents’ freezer. I was extra glad that the blend included white beans, which I knew would give me a little protein… The only problem was that because beans and veggies cook differently, it turned out just a little weird. If you saw my clean plate you’d know I wasn’t really complaining, though!

Now I’m thrilled to be relaxing on the couch, enjoying another easy night at home — The only way it could be better is if Dan was here with me.

Questions: Do you raid your parents’ pantry? Did you compete in any academic extracurriculars in high school?

I shamelessly raid my parents‘ pantry when I’m at home, but I am a bigger fan of stealing fruit to take back home. I hate getting back to my house only to realize I’m totally out of produce!

During high school, I was president of my school’s DECA organization, which is an association of marketing students. I was also state champ for my junior and senior years! I also was my yearbook’s editor-in-chief and was the National Honor Society historian. In other words, I was kind of a geek!