SOLID ORANGE

Excuse the silence. Even though I've been working 14 hour days this entire week (yay, recruiting), this is the only thing my brain can think about:

Working in Clemson this time of year is absolutely fantastic. I get to frolic around campus during lunch and we even got to catch a glimpse of Gameday setting up yesterday.

One more sleep until my life is complete and I'm screaming my lungs out in Death Valley, cheering on my Tigers.

Clemson, I just can't quit you.

Linking up with my favorite, Sarah, for Fan Friday!

Weekend Update

I only have 3 pictures to show for this weekend. That either means I was busy having way too much fun to snap pictures, or I didn't do anything worth taking a picture of! I'd like to think it's somewhere in between...

Our firm holds an annual United Way campaign, and this year's theme was "Peace, Love, & United Way." We all got to participate in casual day on Friday and wear our themed tie-dye t-shirts to the office! We had our final celebration Friday night, which included BBQ, the Thomas Creek brewery truck, cornhole, a live auction, and a raffle! I managed to win a gift card to one of our favorite breakfast places, Mary Beth's!

Saturday night, we had another United Way event for the Young Philanthropists, which included a band, food, and drinks in NoMa Square downtown. Who doesn't love two events in a row with free food and alcohol?

On Sunday, what do you do when you realize you've made the filling for chicken pot pie but can't find your pie dish anywhere? You improvise and create a square crust and casserole!

Not pictured Sunday: the 3 hours of work I managed to bust out at Starbucks, a 2 hour nap, a much-needed haul to Trader Joe's, and another few hours spent by the pool.

This week is going to be busy busy, with my fantasy football draft with Nadine and friends tonight, a recruiting event at USC in Columbia Tuesday night, a recruiting event in Clemson Wednesday night, and hopefully a chance to breathe by Thursday!

Linking up with Sami

Shopping Spree!

I can usually go a while without buying something new, but when I do decide to loosen the purse strings a little, I tend to go a little crazy. Here are a few of my most recent purchases I thought were worth sharing!

Nike Icon Two-in-One Shorts

I've mentioned my love of the hidden compression short before, but Nike's new version is a million times better. I found a sale online and bought 4 pairs. There is nothing wrong with wearing every color of the rainbow while working out.

Initial necklace from Fifth & Mae

When I saw all the buzz about Fifth & Mae on Twitter, I just had to pick out something! This mini initial necklace is perfect (and really inexpensive) - it's my go-to necklace now!

Books and Notes from May Designs

I'm in love with these customizable notebooks and note cards! I'm always making daily to-do lists on any post-it note/note pad I can get my hands on at work, so I figured it was about time I keep my lists all in one place! I bought one for work and one for personal lists (with dotted lines inside) and couldn't pass up a set of stationery too! I love that no two notebooks are alike!

Campaign Chair from World Market

I mentioned a century ago that I wanted a new desk space in my apartment. I finally took the plunge and bought a new Mac, the Sloane desk from Crate & Barrel, and to complete the ensemble, finally found a desk chair I liked. It took over 6 months to get this space how I wanted it!

And the most exciting purchase of all...

cobble hill little curtis by kate spade

This is my newest baby. I've wanted a neutral grey leather purse for over a year and kept waiting for the perfect style. Once I saw this cutie online, and it was tax free weekend and I had a coupon, I just had to take it home with me. I love having a cross-body bag that holds everything! I keep referring to it as my child when people compliment me, and I think they think I'm weird.

Before you all turn me in to Shopper's Anonymous, I promise I spread these purchases over several months!

What have you bought lately that you're loving? (Like I need any more ideas...)

{Recipe} Grilled Shrimp and Smoky Grilled-Corn Grits

It's my second shrimp recipe in a row! This recipe is such a delicious twist on traditional southern shrimp and grits, and we gobbled up every last bite (I will definitely make more grits next time).

I love trying new recipes at my parent's house because my dad can cook part of the dish on the grill for me! If you prepare the skewers ahead of time, this recipe can come together fairly quickly! But the grits are to die for (and trust me, I've tasted my fair share).

Grilled Shrimp and Smoky Grilled-Corn Grits
from Southern Living

Ingredients
2 ears fresh corn
1 tsp. salt
1 cup uncooked quick-cooking grits
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
2 tsp. minced canned chipotle pepper in adobo sauce
1/2 cup olive oil
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1 garlic clove, pressed
1/2 tsp. freshly ground pepper
1 pound peeled, jumbo raw shrimp
16 metal skewers
1 pt. grape tomatoes
1/2 package fresh mushrooms, halved
1 small green bell pepper, cut into 1-inch pieces
1/3 cup chopped cilantro

Directions
1. Preheat grill to 350 to 400 degrees (medium-high) heat. Grill corn, covered with grill lid, 10 minutes or until done, turning once. Cut kernels from cobs. Discard cobs.

2. Bring salt and 4 cups of water to a boil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Gradually whisk in grits. Cook, stirring occassionally, 8 minutes or until thickened. Stir in corn kernels, cheese, and chipotle pepper. Cover and keep warm.

3. Stir together olive oil and next 3 ingredients in a large bowl. Toss shrimp with olive oil mixture; let stand at room temperature for 3 minutes.

4. Remove shrimp from marinade and discard marinade. Thread shrimp onto skewers alternately with tomatoes, mushrooms, and bell peppers.

5. Grill kabobs, covered with grill lid, 4 to 5 minutes on each side or just until shrimp turn pink. Serve kabobs with grits, and sprinkle with cilantro just before serving.

Weekend Update

My bags are packed for another week of work out of town (Asheville this time), but let's recap those 3 beautiful days called the "weekend," shall we?

Even though my brain has been all over the place, I woke up to this sunrise on Friday morning so I knew things were going to be just fine.

I love that my front porch provides the best sunrise view.

After a post-work Friday nap, I was ready to hit the town with my coworkers. These people really are some of the greatest. We started at Roost for some people-watching and live music, then had dinner at Lazy Goat before bar-hopping for the remainder of the evening. All good Friday nights start at 6 pm, right?

I was definitely feeling less than stellar Saturday morning, but since it was conveniently National Lazy Day, I napped on and off and then joined forces with Sarah for an all-day Scandal marathon complete with popcorn, cheese, and hummus. Sarah transported her bed to the floor, and it was fantastic.

I finally became a functioning member of society of Sunday by doing a little laundry, packing for my trip, going for a run, and even enjoying some pool time and Dan Brown's new book, Inferno.

Now it's time to tackle another week! Let's make it a good one!

Linking up with Sami!

TGIF

I have so many thoughts swirling around in my brain and I can't find a way to get them all onto paper (or screen). I'm still working on my 101 in 1001 list, which will be coming next week! And a new recipe! And some of my recent shopping splurges!

But when you're out of town for work for half the week and you're currently sleeping on one side of the bed while the other is covered with clean laundry that you are too lazy to fold, you just have to be thankful you made it to Friday.

Traveling for work isn't all that bad...

I've also had a lot of recent health issues/concerns/symptoms no doctor can explain, so my time has been spent bouncing from specialist to specialist in between that little thing called a full-time job. Prayers are greatly appreciated!

13.1

When I decided I wanted to run another half marathon, I immediately went to my old training schedule and revamped it for this race.

 October 26 is 12 weeks away!

I'm not sure if anyone reads this blog for the training/race recaps, but I find it helpful for me to be able to look back and see improvement, so I don't get discouraged before race day! Weekly recaps will now be the norm around here!

I spent Monday-Wednesday this week in Boone, NC for work, and I got to enjoy my first training run through the mountains and Appalachian State's campus. I doubt I would've gotten out and explored the campus on foot if it hadn't been for the 3 mile run on my calendar!

13.1 - I'm coming for you...again!