>Busytown!!!

>Hiiiiiii!!!!!!

How are you?????! It’s been soooo long! SO SO SO sorry for the M.I.A-ness. I’ve been soooo busy!

As you know, I had my last day in Scienceland. Not gonna lie, it was bittersweet. I feel happy because I have this ginormous weight lifted off my chest, but at the same time a huge piece of me feels missing. Maybe missing isn’t the best word, but my ‘professional life’ has been entirely research. I’ve never had another ‘real’ job.

But in the end, I know I made the right decision and I’m looking forward to my new path in life.

I need to to take a little break from Bloggerville (maybe a week) to deal with all of the craziness going on.

Here’s a taste of my life right now:

– Class 8am-4pm (straight!) for the next FOUR WEEKS!
– Finishing up experiments in lab (5-8pm)
– Last min bachelorette party planning! (Jet-setting to BOSTON this weekend!)
– Moving to a new apartment on Monday (with the Manfriend and ma sistah!)
– Working on my M.S. thesis
– Applying to PA programs
– Volunteering

And here is a recent pic (with ma new toy!) after an 8hr lecture and clinical practium (be kind – no make-up and some tiiiiiired eyes! haha):

So puh puh pleeeeeaase bear with me as I take a little bit of time off! I’m still reading your lovely comments and blogs just need to focus on the more pressing issues lately…

source

See you in a week!!!!

LOVE YOU ALL AND THANKS FOR YOUR UNDERSTANDING!!!!!

xoxox,

Lauren

>Randomness

>HOWWWDYYY HOOOO!!!!! Happy Friday, y’alllll!!!!

Whatcha doing this weekend? My No. 1 priority is finishing my Master’s Thesis. A few exciting things coming up in my neck of the woods..

1) Graduation parties
2) Monday is my LAST day in Scienceland
3) My nursing assistant course starts on Tuesday (I’m doing this to get patient care hours required for the Physician Assistant (PA) program I’m applying to)
4) The weather is supposed to be GORGEOUS!!!

What’s on YOUR LIST???

Really sorry I’ve been MIA lately, I’m SUPA busy finishing up in lab, getting ready for my big career change, moving to a new apartment, aaaaaand coordinating last min details of a bachelorette party I’m hosting! Exhausting, right?!

This post is going to be quick and RANDOM, because my photo taking has been pretty scarce lately.

RANDOM ITEM #1: A new purchase

^The Blender Bottle (I picked mine up at Whole Foods)

The night before I add:

– 1 scoop protein powder
– Frozen fruit
– Dash stevia
– 1 tsp flax seed oil (to promote absorption of fat soluble vitamins)
– 1/2 tsp xanthan gum (for extra thickness)

The reasons I prepare my smoothie the night before are:

1) To save time in the AM
2) To give the fruit time to thaw and become mush so it can be easily whisked

When I’m ready to have it, I’ll add ~1 cup cold water, SHAKE, then throw in some ice cubes.

The RESULT? Pretty good considering no blender required. Don’t get me wrong, it’s doesn’t whip up one like my magic bullet does..

But it’s a good 2nd choice for when you’re on-the-run. HAVE YOU TRIED ONE???

RANDOM ITEM #2: p90x

I’ve had these DVDs for some time now, but have done workouts other than Shoulders and Arms and yoga. Kelsey (sistah) and I did the PLYOMETRICS DVD last night, and let me tell you – it KICKED OUR BUTTS! It was sooo fun though! A nice cardio break from running and spinning 🙂

Kels post workout:

^HA!

RANDOM ITEM #3: All natural margaritas

You knowwww I LOVE me some tequila, but I’ve always questioned what’s in that supa thick triple sec I add to them to make the perfect skinny margarita. Until now…

^ALL NATURAL Triple Sec! BOOOO YA!

That paired nicely last night with Sir Patron:

TRUE.LOVE.

RANDOM ITEM #4: Old pics

Attempting to clean my room in anticipation of our move, I came across these pics from college:

^Flip cup!

^Check out my SWEET highlights! LOL

^Me posing with my BFF Alyson (redhead) and old roomie Julie

TOO FUNNY! Can’t believe how YOUNG we look. Seems like yesterday that I was in undergrad!

Well I’m gonna get back to thesis writing (you can imagine how much fun that is!)

QUESTION: What are you MOST LOOKING FORWARD TO this weekend????

XOXOX,

Lauren

>Party all night and sleep all day and throw all my problems away, my life would be eassssyyyyy

>Hiiiii!!!!! I’M ALIVE!!! 🙂

Sorry I’ve been MIA, I’ve been quite busy the last few days. Busy working on my M.S. thesis, busy celebrating the Manfriend’s birfffday, busy errand-ing, and supa busy catching up on some ZZZZZZZZs!

So here’s a recap of the last few days..And let me just say each meal here is made with the SCRAPS we have left around the apartment. I don’t think I’ve ever needed to grocery shop so badly!!!

I’ve been on an oats/protein powda/fruit kick lately, BUUUT since we’re out of almost everything I came up with this:

^1/3 cup oats (soaked in H20 overnight + 2 tbsp egg whites), microwaved, then topped with 1 runny egg + sea salt/pepper

This was DELISH! I love the taste of plain oats (I’ve missed them!) and the gooey egg made it creamy and fantastic.

I worked on my MS Thesis all afternoon then met the Manfriend for a late lunch/coffee break at my favorite coffee shop, Soho Tea and Coffee.

I had this GINORMOUS iced coffee w/ soy:


And Seth had an iced vanilla latte:

^Perdy but too sweet for my liking. I like my coffee to taste like coffee 🙂

We split a garden salad with balsamic:

And turkey sandwich on multigrain w/ lettuce, tomato, provolone, and spicy mustard:

If you are in the DC area, try out this place! Not only ADORABLE, they have great food AND serve beer/wine/cocktails!

Friday night was a designated movie night (and much needed!). We watched The Lovely Bones. Have you seen this??? I haven’t read the book so I can’t comment on that, but the movie was just — WEIRD. Was one of those that leave you feeling a little uncomfortable at the end. Know what I mean????

Saturday I slept until 12:15pm, HA! Guess I needed that R&R. I caffeinated then slurped down this Chocolate-Strawberry Protein smoothie:

^SOOO GOOD! I need more chocolate smoothies in my life. I made it with 1 scoop chocolate Designer Whey, 1 cup frozen strawberries, dash stevia, H20, ice, pinch xanthan gum (for xtra THICKNESSSS). Twas more like ICE CREAM!

Post-digestion I had a KICK-ARSE workout consisting of:

– 5 mile run around the Potomac River (*sans Ipod!)
– Abs, weighted lunges

*If you know me, you KNOW I RUN WITH MUSIC. I would rather have a disqualifying time in a road race than run in silence, haha. Saturday however, my ipod was dead and the weather was GORG so I headed out WITHOUT IT! And????? It was FANTASTIC. Not saying I’m gonna do this all the time (esp. on boring routes or treadmill sesh’s) but there was something peaceful and mind-clearing among only the sounds of good ole Mother Nature.

DO YOU EVER run/exercise without music?????

Later in the evening, Seth and I attended a roof-top BBQ at our friend Will’s amazing apartment. On the menu:

^Romaine, avocado, tomato, carrot, onion in Will’s homemade balsamic (Balsamic vinegar, EVOO, and diced fresh garlic)

Main course (most had steak, I stuck with da fish):

^Sorry for the BLURRY pic!!! Salmon and veggie kabobs, corn on the cob, and sampled some steak.

Oh, and lots of…

And an AMAZING VIEW of the DISTRICT!

Seth happily chowin’ down:

After dinner we did a little bar hoppin to celebrate SETH’s 27th BIRTHDAY!!!!!! Sethypoo, I love you. 😉 Cornball? Um, yes.

Sunday the Birthday festivities continued with dinner in the park (thincrust pizza from Pizzeria Paradiso), wine, cake and presents. Since Seth had little sleep Sunday night (had to eeeearly in the AM, he wanted a low-key night). Twas PERFECT!

I on the other hand, got a little more sleep…

^Not even kidding. Sadly 😉

Toddddayyy has been perdy good — no complaints here. I started the day with some oats/eggs (above) and then hit the gym for:

– 45min Club Strength class (total body lifting)
– Treadmill sesh (20 mins at 7:47 min/mile then 5 X 30 sec sprints at 5:33min/mile.

Was one SWEATY beast!!!!

OKKKK folks, I’m otta here. Gotta stop at Whole Foods to get supplies for tonight’s Magic soup (its rainy hurrrr so this will be delish), laundry (boo), and then Real Housewives of HOTLANTA!!! Who’s watchin???!

PS…My LAST DAY IN LAB is May 24th!!! Can you believe it???

XX

Laur

>Date night!

>Hiiiii!!!

Just a quick post to share an awesome DATE NIGHT the Manfriend and I shared on Wednesday. I planned a yummy dinner (turkey meatloaf and grilled asparagus) but Seth blew my meal out of the water with his dessert!!!

(FYI: Not sure why my pics are a little blurry. Sorrryyy!!)

Try not to drool too much…

Heavenly:

Little bit of this….

Made us get a little crazy..

Yummm!!!!!!

With the left over choc we made HOMEMADE CANDY BARS!

^Seth’s concoction: Dark choc stuffed with strawberries and caramel and topped with coconut

^Mine (the winner!): Dark choc stuffed with coconut, peanuts, raisins and topped with Better N Butter. AAAAMAZING! Sorry Seth but I toally won! 😉

Such a fun night!

Tip: Don’t melt the chocolate over direct heat or it will burrrrrn. Seth suspended the bowl containing chocolate over boiling water.

OK off to snack and watch Real Housewives…..See ya tomorrow!!!

XOXOXO

Lauren

>Gettin’ through

>Hiiiiii!!!!!

First thing’s first — THANK YOU FROM THE BOTTOM OF MY HEART for all of your thoughtful words and advice. You all rock!!!

Things have been getting better in my world. So far, I’ve told (beyond my family, friends, and y’alll) my mentor, Georgetown advisors, and NIH advisors (I’m in a joint program between Georgetown University and The National Institutes of Health, so things get a little tricky). And so far, everyone is on board! It’s crazy I imagined (crazy as it sounds) everyone screaming in anger at me (especially my mentor). But everyone has been SO SUPPORTIVE of my decision, it’s incredible.

Ironically maybe, I received several copies of my paper in the mail yesterday:

^Bittersweet, I guess.

So what have I been doing lately to get through these rough times?? A LOT of RUNNING and quite a bit of this:

^Good ole R&R. Trash TV + mags. Mmmmm.

And (despite the warm weather), lots of this:

^Hot tea. I swear it warms my soul.

Aside from lots of R&R, long workouts, and hangin with friends I’ve been in 3847028432 meeting over the last few days to discuss leaving my program. It’s a lot more involved than just “Peace out, Yo”. Ha.

To make things a little easier, I’ve been prepping my breakfasts and lunches in advance.

I’ve been on an oatmeal kick lately. Guess I need the extra carbs for brain power while facing these difficult meetings.

Night prep:

^Soak 1/4 cup oats + 1 tbsp chia seeds + 2 tbsp egg whites in 3/4 cup H20 overnight

In the morning microwave then add desired mix-ins:

^1 cup protein powder, thawed blueberries, cinnamon, stevia, dash sea salt, blob PB

Or prepare them overnight in your almost licked-clean jar of PB:

Lunches around here have been pretty standard. Although this takes 0.2 seconds to prepare, it’s still one of my favorites.

Enter, easy breasy version of Magic Soup:

^1 cup soup broth, diced tofu, and handful of whatever frozen veggies are on hand. Brown rice and beans sometimes makes an appearance. Sprinkle some cumin and red chili powder and you’re golden.

Dear Magic Soup,

You will always remain one of my favorites – no matter where I go.

Love, Lauren

Well I’m off to a Club Strength class (total body lifting for 60 mins — very similar to BodyPump) then volunteer! During undergrad I volunteered in my community a lot. It brought me clarity, stress relief, and a great sense of self fulfillment. In my opinion there is no better way to help others and yourself than volunteering. During grad school we were not allowed to have another job (paid or unpaid) so that put volunteering on hold for a bit. I’m glad to have it back in my life 😉

Have a great day!!!!!

Lauren

QUESTION: How do you PREP your BREAKFASTS and LUNCHES???? New ideas welcomed 🙂

XX

>The most difficult decision of my life

>Helloooo beauts,

How are ya? HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY to all the mamas out there!!! I miss my mama so much.…Unfortunately I’m not able to spend today with her. She’s visiting the District in 2 weeks so I’ll have to do something special for her then. Did you spend time with your mama???

Yesterday the Manfriend and I attended a CRAWFISH BOIL! I’ve been to pleeeently of lobster, crab, and clam bakes (having grown up in New England), but I’ve yet to try crawfish. Let me tell you, if you’re a crab/lobster/shrimp lover….then you will LOVE these little guys. This is a Southern tradition (particularly New Orleans) and I’m so glad I was invited. Thank you Ally and Erica!

The boil was at Erica’s place in Capitol Hill. On the menu:

^Chalkboard on door. HOW CUTE?!?!

They shipped in 120 LBS of live CRAWFISH from New Orleans!!!! I inquired about the cooking process because they were SO GOOD…

^Boil 30 lbs of crawfish + spices + corn on the cob + spiced sausage + garlic (whole clove) + mushrooms + potatoes + lemons for 15 mins = 1 batch (OF FOUR!)

FEAST.

^Ally and her BF (JJ)

NUTS. Soooo much food. Such a fantastic party. Made a lot of new friends. Great Louisiana tradition!!!!

Today I had a pretty enjoyable Sunday. It started with breakfast, reading the news, catching up with Sir DVR, then enjoying my coffee in the SUN:

^I LOVE THIS PIC. Coffee + rays of sun = PERFECTION.

To keep the summa bathing suit readiness going, I did a BOMB Treadmill HIIT workout (followed with weighted squats). AKA my legs feel like blocks! HA

Today’s HIIT workout was FAST and SWEATYYY:

5 min warm-up at 7.5mph
4 min at 8.5 mph
5 X 30-45 sec sprints at 10.5 – 10.8 mph
4 min at 7.5 mph

10 X 3 sets Clean and Press (22 lbs). If you’re not familiar with this awesome move check out this vid (scroll to the 34 second spot). It’s a great shoulder, glut, and arse move!!!

KILLER!

I fueled with a Whole Food’s Salad Monster:

^Spinach, arugula, kale, roasted turkey, egg, peppers, edamame, black beans, onions, quinoa, balsamic vinegar, and nutritional yeast. Overpriced? YES. Delish? HECK YES.

OK OK OK….the news I promised. Ahh, this is hard for me to talk about (publicly- so bear with me)…

After a year-long contemplation of my future (and future happiness), I’ve decided to leave my PhD program. Please know that I would have shared my thoughts along the way (and reached out for support) if I could. Sadly however, Bloggerville is not as small as we’d like to think and I would have been in bigggg trouble if my program found out through the Internet rather than telling them first. You understand, right?

Let me just begin by saying that I have great respect for my program (a joint Georgetown University and National Institutes of Health) PhD program in Biochemistry, Cellular, and Molecular Biology. I have obtained a phenomenal education, completed all doctoral course work (3.8 GPA! woot, haha), passed my qualifying exam, and published a paper in the Journal of Biochemistry. Therefore, this decision is not made because I could not ‘hack the program’.

I realized (over the last year or so) my passion is TREATING patients rather than working behind the scenes doing the research. Research is incredibly important, don’t get me wrong. It just doesn’t “light my fire” anymore. Once publication-driven….I guess I’ve changed.

Soooo, now what??? My goals in college were to get into a top-ranked Biochemistry PhD program, publish a lot, graduate, do post-doctoral research, then run a researched-based laboratory of my own. I still have the same love for oncology, hematology, and transplant medicine, but I want to do it from “the other side” (the patient side).

After much consideration of my options, I’ve decided to withdraw from my program, file for my M.S. in Biochemistry, Cellular, and Molecular Biology and apply to Physician Assistant (PA) programs. For those of you unfamiliar with PAs, they are practitioners that work in conjunction with an attending physician, are first-responders (like nurses), can prescribe medicine, and advise other clinicians.

So, why didn’t I do this from the beginning? Well I was originally in nursing school, but switched to Biochemistry because the sight of blood made me instantly faint. I assumed I just couldn’t practice medicine because of my fear, and therefore went into research. However, over the last few years of WORKING WITH blood, I’ve realized I’m completely over this fear. So with that lifted, I can do what I want to do. And that is working WITH patients, specifically treating cancer patients.

So do I regret my 3 years of doctoral studies? NO WAY. I have an INCREDIBLE education in Biochemistry and oncology that will be priceless in my future career. Not to mention a funded M.S. degree.

Was this a hard decision? UMMM… YES. Hard because it isn’t the easiest thing to tell your parents, family, friends, peers, and mentors that you’re leaving a fully-funded PhD program that you’ve worked so hard to get into. But I had to do this FOR ME. This is MY LIFE. And I want to wake up every day EXCITED for work.

Have you ever had make a hard decision like this??????

Thank you all for listening and I am SO THANKFUL for your support!!!

LOVE YOU ALL!!!!!!!!

xx,

Lauren

>Alright Funk, enough already.

>Hiiiii everyone!!!

I’M BACKKKKK!!!!! Thank you, thank you, thank you for your sweet comments on my last post! Y’all really made my day!!!! It’s seriously such a wonderful and supportive community in Bloggerland. I LOVE IT!!!

I am going to dedicate this post to what I tend to do when in a poopy mood, and what I DID to get me out of this terrible FUNK! We all have bad days, weeks, etc. and after all of the tears are gone, ya gotta pick yourself up. How do you do this????

For me, the last few days have been spent doing things that bring a smile to my face. Such as:

Spending time with close friends:

^Ally and I post-crawfish boil (details to come! Twas awesome!!)

Doing insanely sweat-provoking and endorphin-pumping workouts:

^Spinning kicks my arse every time. Seriously check out that SWEAT!

Splurging on nourishing meals (how I justify redic overpriced salads):

Making an (un)necessary trip to Tar-jay — just cause:

^Nothing like new workout and summer clothes to lift your spirit 😉

Letting your significant other take you on a fancy dinner date (like I’d ever say NO!):

^Rare seared Ahi Tuna

^Scallops over risotto

^Split this perfect concoction with the Manfriend (chocolate tart and ice cream over a caramelized banana)

Lounging in the sun by the Waterfront:

And staying til the sun goes down (and then some) for a riverside dinner:

^Sequoia at the Georgetown Waterfront

^Ahi tuna and avocado app

^Grilled salmon

And HAPPILY making some treats out of the INCREDIBLE GENEROUS package POM Wonderful sent me! Thank you again!!

^Shameless promotion (Manfriend’s friend Will on L, MF on R) of Blended POM Margaritas (clear tequila, splash triple sec, 1 tsp agave, splash fresh lime juice, 1/4 cup frozen raspberries, ice. Blended = Magic)

^POM margarita on the rocks (clear tequila, splash triple sec, splash POM juice, fresh lime juice, dash stevia, ice)

^POM protein smoothies (1 scoop vanilla whey, 1/4 cup raspberries, 1/2 frozen banana, splash POM juice, dash stevia, 1 tsp flax seed oil, ice, H20)….FANTASTIC!!!

And running your favorite and most scenic running routes. AND stopping at those that give you that aaaah feeling:

Let me know WHAT WORKS FOR YOU!!!!!! I’ll be back later today for a post about to the cause of my funk…and some other recent adventures 🙂

LOVE YOU GUYS!!!!!!!!!!!!!

xx,

Lauren

>100th post, MamaDukes visits, half marathon, and rough times

>Holy heck, this is my 100th post!!! Where has time gone?? Thank you to everyone that reads and comments on my little blog. It really means the world to me. Please feel free to say hi if you haven’t commented before. I’d love to meet ya 😉

I hope everyone had a dandy weekend! Mine was amazing and scary at the same time. I will share the amazing part first..

As I told ya, Mamadukes was visiting the District! We spent the weekend shopping, eating some delish food, and running a HALF MARATHON! I’ve always wanted to run one with her (at her speed so we could do it together) so I surprised her by waiting at mile marker 2. Since she was recovering from pneumonia only 2 weeks ago her lung capacity is not all there. We decided to do a walk/run and let me tell you….WALKING IS HARD!!! My back is STILL SORE! I can totally understand how people that spend hours on their feet have sore backs! OUCH!!

^Expo madness. Scored some goodies

^Pic taken at 4:45am…The time I needed to wake for the 6:30am race! Note to self: When signing up for before-dawn race, be sure it’s not 45 mins away!!

^Not in the district anymore. Course was gorg. Rolling hills among beautiful farmland

Some eats from the weekend:

^Spiralized raw zucchini with tomatoes, diced tofu, cherry tomatoes, steamed broccoli and asparagus, peanuts, and Trader Joe’s Spicy Peanut Vinaigrette. This is definitely one of my favorite meals!!! So quick, easy, and delish!!

^The only thing better than Coconut water after a redic sweat sesh is FREE coconut water! After a KICK-ARSE kickboxing class my gym was giving out these babies! Did you know that for 60 calories, coconut has more electrolytes than sports water and more potassium than 2 bananas?!

^Supa thick smoothie: 1 scoop vanilla SunWarrior protein, 1/2 frozen banana, handful berries (strawberries, blueberries, raspberries), 1/2 cup spinach, h20, stevia, 1 tsp flax seed oil, 1 tsp xanthan gum

^Trader Joe’s Chicken Vindaloo (sold in freezer aisle)…SO GOOD!!!

^One of my favorite warm weather meals! Diced apple, Kashi puffs, Trader Joe’s High Fiber cereal, lotsa cinnamon, almond milk. Yeeeee-UM.

^And SNACKS GALORE to accompany movies and good wine

^And of course I took MamaDukes to 2 Amy’s!!! Gotta carb load for the 1/2 marathon, right??? 😉 For you DCers, this is a must visit. Ranked in the TOP 10 BEST PIZZA in the US!

After the half marathon, I showed her around Capitol Hill and Eastern Market. I LOOOOVE Eastern Market. Why don’t I go more often??? They have the best furniture, pictures, jewelry, antiques, etc. etc. etc. and not to mention THE BEST FARMERS MARKET!

Feeling ravished from the half and shopping in the sun, we devoured a fantastic lunch:

^AMAZING fresh bread, turkey, swiss, lettuce, tomato, avocado

^Sauvignon blanc (Ice in mine, classssaaaay I know)

^Bowl of gazpacho that went too fast for a pic!

To escape the sun we ventured to my favorite store:

^Ahhhh. There is something about the smell of new books. I could live in that store.

To end the weekend, I took MamaSkeff to my favorite summatime spot…

The Georgetown Waterfront!!! LOVE THIS PLACE!

^I sipped an au natural margarita (clear tequila, splash triple sec, fresh lime juice, agave)

^And feasted on this glorious ahi tuna salad. Sorry for the picture quality! Sun was so darn bright!! Pictured: Romaine, tomatoes, red onions, avocado, peppers, raw ahi tuna, sesame dressing, and WHITE CHOCOLATE pieces. So good!!!

And now, the scary part…

^Need these. Flowers always brighten my day. Do you buy them when you’re feeling blue??

I have been keeping something secret from you (and most of my family/friends) for quite some time now. This is not because I don’t love y’all, but the blog/Internet world is not as small as we’d like to think. I promise to tell you more later in the week, but for now please know that if I’m not blogging, commenting on your blog, etc. it’s because I am going through a rough patch right now. I’m sorry to be so vague but I will fill you in very soon.

Thanks for your understanding. I love you all!

Lauren