25 Things You May Not Know About Me: October 2015

Happy Wednesday friends!

I was all set to post a roundup of 25 chocolate recipes. Yummy, right? Then, I had a change of heart. We can get to those chocolate recipes at anytime. I decided to do something fun instead. Everyone likes to get to know the blogger behind the blog. I actually haven't done a post like this since June 28, 2013. I really tried to dig deep this time. So, enjoy! I'll be back with a new recipe on Friday :-)

Track Town USA

Last week, the hubby and I headed down to Eugene, OR aka Track Town USA. Eugene is where I spent 4 very important years of my life, attending the University of Oregon. People always say youth is wasted on the young. I'm finally starting to understand this. The hubby and I decided to start our morning off running the Pre Trail (named after Steve Prefontaine), which I'd never even walked before. How could I have lived there for 4 years and never even stepped foot on the trail? It's just sad, I tell you, sad.

Running by Autzen, where the University of Oregon football team plays. We picked a perfect morning for a run, sunny and cool. The trail is just about 4 miles, along the millrace that winds through Eugene and past gorgeous scenery.

I heart this view of Autzen Stadium.

A Blue Heron.

The bark is Pre's Trail. The Mackenzie River flows through the background. At this point in the run, I was seriously kicking myself for not knowing any of this beauty was here when I was.

We finished! I'll admit, we got passed by what appeared to be dozens of student athletes. It did cross my mind at this point that I'll probably never run that fast in my life :)

After we finished the run, I (of course) had to go see the ducks. I love the ducks at Alton Baker Park. Alton Baker Park is where the trail starts and ends after looping around.

 Margarita time! Sometimes there's nothing better than an early afternoon margarita.

Oh, El Torito. My favorite Mexican restaurant of all time! I'm not sure why this picture came out kind of blurry, but you get the gist of the deliciousness that was devoured after that run.

I apologize for the sporadic blogging, but I'm having too much fun to care :)

Album Review: "Bangerz"

Image source: www.wikipedia.com

Fair warning, friends. This is a highly indulgent post. I think the last album review I did was for Nickelback's "Here and Now" album in 2011. Hmmm, I seem to have a thing for reviewing music that the majority of people view as "uncool". That's ok, I'm secure enough with myself to confess to buying this album. Back to my warning- if you don't want to read a highly liberal review of a controversial album written by an equally liberal person, I'd suggest closing this post out. That's ok, you can come back tomorrow for the usual foodie posts :)

Let me begin by saying, I'm a fan of the album. Yep, sure am. Let's face it people, this girl started in the business as a child. What's the one thing you can count on children to do? Grow up. No, Miley is not the same person she was when she was 8. She is 20. Sometimes I think people grow up, become adults, and then they come down with amnesia when it comes to their childhoods. I think most 20-year old's are preoccupied with the opposite sex, booze, and partying (or was that just the 22,000+ young adults that went to the University of Oregon?). This album could have been made by me when I was 20 (you know, if I could sing or write music!). Now hold on, let me explain.

I thought I knew everything when I was 20. I'd been in college a couple of years, gathered an impressive amount of knowledge, and basically thought I was a genius. I really thought I would want to party, drink, and never grow up for my entire life. I was right, everyone else was either wrong, or lame, or both. I thought I knew what I wanted, what I liked, and that I would never change my mind about anything. Does this mindset just come with the territory of being 20? Anyways, this is the place that Miley is now, you can tell. A place I can identify with, a place I've been. I'm not there anymore, but c'est la vie.

This is clearly a break-up album. No if's, and's, or but's about it. I can see why Miley and her man had to announce their breakup prior to this release, because the album says it all. I love it. It's got a crazy hip-hop theme, but you can still find some straight-up pop on there, like "#GETITRIGHT". The album's also angry and real. For all the controversy and stunts she's pulled, the girl can sing. Yes, I watched the VMA's. Yes, I heard her. It wasn't her best performance. She sang live on "SNL" and the "Today Show" since then however, and she's sounded strong. Listen to "FU" or "Wrecking Ball" and tell me she's not talented. "4x4" was immediately added to my running playlist. It's probably my absolute favorite song on the album. The song features Nelly, and if you were to buy any songs from the album, that's the one I would pick. There's a ton of other catchy collaborations from other artists as well, such as will.I.am, Future, and French Montana.

One more thing... Miley raps. If you aren't a fan of Ke$ha, you aren't going to be fond of Miley's MC skills. I happen to like Ke$ha, and personally, I gotta give any white girl who wants to rap some credit for their bravery. The bottom line? This is pop music, people, and it grows and evolves into something more outrageous every. single. day. And just when you think you've seen it all, some whippersnapper is going to come along and make everyone say "Miley WHO?". That's just the way it is. In the meantime, I'm going to enjoy this very entertaining and catchy album.

Best Downloads: "4x4" ft Nelly, "Wrecking Ball", "We Can't Stop", "FU", and "Maybe You're Right".

Skip: After listening to this album extensively, I wouldn't skip any songs. Buy the entire album (the deluxe version!). It's worth it. Some critics say the album just sounds like noise. I completely disagree, the album is fun and very listen-able.

Seviche-Style Shrimp and Avocado Tacos

This dish is a lesson in simplicity. It doesn't take a million exotic ingredients, and all day to put a flavorful dinner on the table. This recipe is about as easy as it gets.

I was first introduced to this recipe by my mom, the summer before my senior year of college. I was living with my parents for the summer, taking Calculus at the local community college and working full time as a teller at a bank. I distinctly remember this summer for a couple of reasons:

1. That summer was insanely busy. Very little sleep was had that summer.
2. My mom was on Weight Watchers, and I was doing Slim-Fast.
3. I passed Calculus!

So as my mom was discovering Weight Watchers, she was also bringing lots of healthy new recipes to the table. Literally. This was one of them. I wasn't quite the foodie I am now back when I was younger,  so I completely changed my mom's recipe at the time. I added sour cream, salsa, cheese, onions, and shredded lettuce. And oh yes, flour tortillas.  Looking back, this could have occurred because the only thing I was "eating" all day was Slim-Fast and I was always ravenous by the time I got home. Anyways...

While all that jazz tasted delicious, this recipe really shines by the way that these few ingredients meld together. So please, resist the urge to add more toppings. Slowly put those flour tortillas back on the grocery store shelf, and pick up the corn ones. And for heaven's sake, don't omit any of the ingredients. Just trust me on this one :)

Ingredients (serves 6- 2 tacos each):

1 lb cooked shrimp, tails removed, roughly chopped
1 cup tomato, chopped
1 cup avocado, chopped
1/2 cup cilantro, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
3/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/4 cup lime juice
12 (6 in) corn tortillas

Directions:

1. In a large glass bowl, combine shrimp through lime juice. Cover, and chill for 30 minutes. Stir occasionally.
2. Heat tortillas according to package directions. Divide shrimp mixture among tortillas. Serve immediately.

Recipe adapted from Cooking Light.

Throwback Thursday!

Happy Thursday everyone! It's almost the weekend, I hope everyone's had a great week.

Technology is amazing. Today's post is brought to you by my college computer. I started school (college, that is) in 2001. That's 13 years ago. Do you remember what computers looked like 13 years? I do. This is basically what my college computer looked like:

That's right youngin's, whoop it up. I owned one of these. Needless to say, this computer went belly up, um, 7 years ago. My dad kept the hard drive from my old computer, and right before the hubby and I moved to Kentucky, he gave the hard drive to the hubs to pull my pictures off of eventually. Eventually came last night. I was amazed that the hubby was able to pull pictures from that old hard drive, and transfer them to our Mac. First of all, I can't believe Windows from that long ago was able to talk to our Mac. I thought the pictures from that computer were gone forever, which I was kind of sad about, because almost all of my college pictures, and some of my high school pictures, were on that drive. I'm sad no longer, the hubby recovered about 200 pictures last night. Let's take a look at the life of a college student in 2001:

Goofing around.

I remember this was a sorority function, but I have no idea why some people are wearing camo and some are wearing Hawaiian.

This was either graduation night, or close to it.

Graduation shots!

I think everyone worries they are never going to do shots again when they leave college...

I don't know... But I love this picture! :)

My favorite Mexican restaurant in Eugene, El Torito.

What else do college kids do? Party.

Another sorority function.

My sorority class, senior year. I have a picture from freshman year, you won't believe there's only 10 of us left after 4 years!

Here's my freshman sorority pledge class. Big difference!

I think this may have been Molly's (the girl in the middle) birthday.

Local bar, down the street from our house.

The next couple of pictures are from my high school best friend's wedding. She got married on Dec 31, 2004. This was taken on Dec 30 (my 22nd birthday), and the night of her rehearsal dinner. This is from my birthday lunch at a local Mexican restaurant, though.

I got a sombrero for my birthday!

This is at the rehearsal dinner. Pretty sure Liz is holding me up, I had a lot to drink that day. Hey, it was my birthday!

Anna, me, and Liz. We all played volleyball with Erin for 4 years in high school. Volleyball is actually how I met these girls.

Goofing off at the rehearsal dinner.

Erin and her bridesmaids.

Liz, Anna, and I goofing off at the reception.

High school friends. Lauren (on the left) played volleyball with us all through high school as well.

The whole fam! Looking quite young, I must say :)

Back at that local bar in college.

Another college pic.

Again, a sorority function. I cannot tell from this picture what the theme is. I do know I must have really liked camo in college :)

This picture is actually from high school.

Another high school picture. This group of girls travelled to Hawaii together after graduation, this picture is from our last night there.

Prom night, high school.

Halloween and my millionth time dressing up like Britney Spears. LOL.

One last college picture. This was from my sophomore year of college, 2002. Wow, I'm feeling really old after this trip down memory lane :)

Jessica's Top 10 List: My Favorite Movies

As I fell asleep last night, watching the most boring movie of all time, "One For The Money", I couldn't help but think of all the movies I would rather be watching. My favorite movies are a mix of comedy and action, with one classic movie thrown in. Bottom line, I love comedy. Love, love, love a good laugh. I know my list would be laughed at and thrown out by any Hollywood critic, but guess what? It's my list. So, neener-neener :)

10. The Longest Yard (2005)

Oh, how I love Adam Sandler. There's not many of his old-school movies I don't like. The Waterboy, The Wedding Singer, Happy Gilmore. The list is endless. I love "The Longest Yard". I love that it's about football (one of my favorite sports), I love the cameo's, I love Chris Rock, and I lurve the soundtrack. There are a few movies on my list who's soundtracks greatly enhance my viewing pleasure :) What can I say? The right song, and some action makes my heart go pitter-patter.

9. Mallrats (1995)

I can almost hear everyone going, "Huh?". I love Mallrats. I'm a big Kevin Smith fan, for one. His movies always emphasize dialogue, and I love that. Jason Lee was perfect for this movie, his comedic timing in this film is impeccable. And well, throw in Jay and Silent Bob, and it's hard for me not to like it.

8. Bad Boys II (2003)

I heart Will Smith. Here is another movie whose soundtrack done moved me to "Shake Ya Tailfeather". I first saw this on a blind date in college, and while the blind date was less than stellar and I never saw him again, I did see this movie many, many more times. It doesn't hurt that Will Smith was pretty hot in this movie, but the chase and explosion scenes are so glossy and wonderful. I just love to watch them. You can tell it's a Michael Bay film, the action scenes have the same flow and beauty as "Transformers".

7. How To Lose A Guy In 10 Days (2003)

My list is sorely lacking in rom-com's. I'm not big on romantic comedies, I prefer straight up comedy much more. Rom-com's are just so... so... puketastic. Yes, that's a word. Puketastic. Life never works out like a romantic comedy. That being said, I do love this movie. It works because of the two actors. I don't think this movie would have worked without Matthew McConaughey and Kate Hudson. The movie served up so many laughs,  that yes, a rom-com made its way on to my list. "Our love fern! You let it die!"

6. The Italian Job (2003)

Love this captivating movie. The casting was perfect in this movie. This movie started my Jason Statham obsession, and Seth Green and Mos Def brought excellent comedic relief to this action flick. Again, I love all the action in this movie. It's glossy and beautiful to take in. I don't think Mark Wahlberg gets any hotter than this movie (except for maybe "Date Night").

5. Billy Madison (1995)

Oh look. Another Adam Sandler movie. The most classic Adam Sandler movie, I think. Who doesn't love Billy Madison? With Norm McDonald and Chris Farley? This is another movie that never, ever gets old. I could watch this movie over, and over again. I'll laugh every time. "Quit looking at me, swan!" I discovered this movie in high school, and my adult-self still loves it.

4. Van Wilder (2002)

No other movie reminds me of college quite so much as "Van Wilder". There were a couple of years there where my friends and I would grab some bottles of Boones, and sit and watch "Van Wilder". I can quote almost every line in the movie. This movie was pre- "The Proposal" for Ryan Reynolds, but I thought he was hot, hot, hot! Still do actually. And I still love this movie. It's one of the only Tara Reid movies I actually do like. This might be considered a romantic comedy, but it's more comedy than romance. In my opinion :)

3. Old School (2003)

How can I not love this movie? It's the first movie my husband and I ever saw together. Will Ferrell and Vince Vaughn are a comedy dream team. This movie is when I first fell in love with Vince Vaughn. I love his fast-talking characters, and his style of dialogue. Movie scenes don't get much more classic than Will Ferrell's streaking scene. I want to watch it now, just talking about it :)

2. Tropic Thunder (2008)

This is a completely underrated movie in my opinion. I've heard from more people that dislike it, than like it. Are they crazy? Or is the comedy just a little bit over their heads? I don't know. I love Ben Stiller's action hero character, Robert Downey Jr.'s impersonation of an African American, Jack Black's drug addict, the pyrotechnics guy, etc. It cracks me up. "I'm a leadfarmer mother*#$@!". Not too mention Tom Cruise's amazing cameo! I love when he gets down to Flo Rida with his fat belly. And what about Matthew McConaughey and the TiVO box? Love, love, love.

1. Gone With The Wind (1939)

Say what? Is this completely out of left field or what?? But, seriously people. "Gone With The Wind" is my favorite book of all time. I used to read it once a month when I was a kid, so I will tell you I've read and re-read this book many, many times. I love Scarlett O'Hara. I love how strong she is, while still being a human. A human with flaws. Big flaws. That never mattered to her, how flawed she was. She had the strength to power on. I so admired Scarlett O'Hara when I was growing up. The book got me through so many hard times in my life, and gave me tons of inspiring quotes to apply to life. The movie was like a visual adaption of what had been going on in my imagination. The dresses, the landscapes, the homes. Vivian Leigh and Clark Gable were perfectly matched to the parts. I don't think anyone else could have played Scarlett like Vivian Leigh. No matter how old this movie gets, it will always be my favorite.

Is that a crazy list, or what?? Hope everyone's having a fantastic, sunny weekend :)