WEEKLY ROUND UP // 27.

- "They think their hallowed "customer" status somehow gives them the right to treat everyone with a uniform and a name tag like garbage." This article is the best thing I've read all week. 

- Science! Haters gonna hate.

- Bread bedding ... only from Japan. 

- Cinnamon Dark Chocolate Covered Protein Donuts .... do I have to say anymore? 

- Yeah, I do. Chocolate Chip Stuffed French Toast. 

- I watched all of these the other night and I don't regret it. 

- Old video, but I love this premise and I think these are hilarious. Not only the tweets, but the reactions to them.

Have a great weekend everyone! 

 

WEEKENDS // Sedona.

FRIDAY // Right after work, Mike and I started the drive up north. And by right after, I really mean that after I finished packing and freaking out, we headed out. On our way up to Sedona, I wanted to stop by Jerome since I've never been and Mike wanted to take me to Montezuma's Castle since I've never been. First up, we went to Montezuma's Castle -- which is neither Montezuma's nor a castle.

From there, we went to Jerome -- which is my new favorite place in all of Arizona. It's this small, artsy town on a mountainside. Amazing. We stopped by a winery for a wine flight and then had some delicious Mexican food before checking out all the small little stores.

Then, we left Jerome and went to Sedona to catch the sunset and enjoy some wine at the awesome private lookout at our hotel.

SATURDAY // We woke up really early -- and by early, I mean 6 am! That's insane. We had some breakfast and then went for a hike. We didn't hike very much because it started to rain and Mike "didn't want to be stuck on the side of a mountain with slippery rocks," but I think it's because we ran into some poop on the trail. However, we did hike up a little mountain. 

After our hike, we changed and grabbed some coffee and then we walked around a bunch of little shops until lunch. I had pizza and Mike had some gluten-free pasta at Picazzo's -- the menu there was almost entirely gluten-free. We left and went to another shopping center called Tlaquepaque. We went to Oak Creek Brewery in there and I had the Seven Dwarves -- a taster of 7 different kinds of their beers. My favorite was the Hefeweizen. 

After walking around some more, we went back to the room for a nap. Then, we woke up and got ready for our dinner. We went to a great restaurant called Rene's that was back at Tlaquepaque. We went back to the hotel, saw the lights and then went to bed.

SUNDAY // We had every intention of waking up early to go hiking, but when that alarm went off, I heard the rain and made the executive decision to turn off the alarm and just sleep. When we finally woke up, Mike approved of how I took the initiative since it was pouring outside and he had heard it when the alarm went off too. We packed up and got some coffee and I had a bagel before heading back down to the Valley. 

It was such a nice trip and it felt so good to get out of town and away from everything, even if it was just for a weekend. I'm kind of bummed we didn't get to hike as much as we wanted because of the rain, but that just gives us an excuse to go back up there soon. 

WEEKLY ROUND UP // 26.

This is going to be a good weekend. I'm off work all weekend and Mike and I are heading up to Sedona. I'm so excited about getting out of town and getting to relax.

- In honor of Breaking Bad being back and awesome, enjoy this:

- This is really adorable.

- Six Toxic Relationship Habits that we should all avoid.

- I cannot wait to watch this movie:

- How to get Game of Thrones hair.

- What if Disney Princesses had Instagram? Pretty funny.

MONEY SAVING TIPS - The Beverage Edition.

1) Make Your Own Coffee.

Let's do some math. I get plain coffee, so if I went to Starbucks 6 days a week, that would be $2/day so

$12 a week.

$48 a month.

$576 a year.

And that's just coffee! Who doesn't go into Starbucks on a Friday and grab a pastry too? Or a breakfast sandwich? It really starts to add up. I usually buy a pound of coffee on sale for probably $6 at the grocery store. We buy coffee pretty frequently in my house because my mom also drinks it. And guys, that $576 is just for plain coffee. If you're drinking lattes, you could be spending $960 a year.

2) Make Your Own Iced Tea.

I don't know about you, but I drink a ton of iced tea. It's calorie free (No sugar!), has caffeine, and is a nice change from water. I drink a glass of iced tea a day and sometimes more. In my family, we just make gallons of it and keep it in the fridge. My mom drinks it. When people come over, they love the option. We just bought 48 large tea bags for approximately $5. Now, if I went out and bought an iced tea everyday before work, I would be spending $3/day, $15/week, $60/month, $720/year. And we just cut that cost by spending $5 for tea that will probably last us for the next month or so.

3) Water Down Your Juice.

This is a weird one, but I really love juice. However, I think most juices are just too sweet. The sugar is over-powering. There are so many calories that I'd rather just skip it. But it's so good that I can't quit it. So, I water it down. I usually do about 25% juice and 75% water, but that's me. This helps not only with calories, but the juice lasts so much longer and you get so much out of it. 

4) Refill Those Gallons of Water

My mom keeps gallons of water until they break and we just constantly refill them. We do big trips a few times a week because we're honestly drinking that much water (Hey! We live in the desert!). 25 cents instead of paying for a new one everytime doesn't seem like a lot, but it definitely adds up.

5) Reusable Cups.

My favorite cup in the entire world is my Starbucks reusable tumbler. I take it everywhere -- to work, to the gym, running errands. This way, I'm not tempted to buy a water bottle if I'm out because I can usually just ask places for water and keep it in my cup. The only downside to these are that I have a bad habit of breaking them ... 

If you were expecting some alcohol saving tips, wrong place. I wish I knew how. Pregame before the bar? But then that takes all the fun out of it. Maybe with all that money I'm saving from making my own coffee it's okay that I like to drink at the bar. Or, not. 

ADULTHOOD.

It was recently brought to my attention that, by some standards, I'm an adult. I don't get it though. Apparently, it has something to do with the fact that I'm 23 and to some people, age is an indicator of being a real life adult.

But, doesn't being an adult mean you have your shit together? Because, I'll be honest, I totally don't. I live on my mom's couch. And by live, I mean I kind of have squatters' rights here. And, I get drunk on Tuesday nights. I forget to pay my bills on time... I could go on?

I always have assumed that adulthood meant ...
- Having your own place. No more roommates. No more mom.
- Having a "job." Like, 9-5. Salary. Benefits. What are those things?
- Bills. And paying them on time.
- Being "responsible" whatever that means.

I just feel that as an almost 24 year old (Two more months!), I should have a better idea what adulthood is like. I just look at myself and my friends and I think, "We are clearly not adults. We're all still babies."

My boyfriend tells this joke about how he was in an airport by himself and he said, "I need an adult!" and then he realized, "Oh....I guess I am one." That's just how I feel.

What is being an adult mean to you? Do you think you're an adult? Let me know in the comments!

WEEKENDS // The One Full of Biking and Drinking.

FRIDAY / After working all week, I was really excited for this weekend. Mike's parents were in town and we were going to try Don and Charlie's. They have a GF menu, which is reason enough to try out any place. The food was good and I love spending time with Mike's parents. It's very simple and totally drama free -- unlike when we're with my family.

SATURDAY / We went for a bike ride early in the morning down at Tempe Town Lake. And then we went out to breakfast at our favorite breakfast place on Mill Ave. NCounter. We went back to Mike's and saw his parents and the dogs off. And then we went out to celebrate my Grandpa's 71st birthday! I know I've said my family is a little too much sometimes, but Papa's birthday was very low key and surprisingly fight free. Then, Mike and I went out drinking because it was Saturday and isn't that enough reason to drink?

SUNDAY / Nothing cures a hangover like mustard potato salad, a huge Coke, and Star Trek: The Next Generation. And then, of course, Breaking Bad.

Photo Credit: Mike

WEEKLY ROUND UP // 25.

This week has been great. I've been biking and running all week long and I'm feeling great! The diet is a little inconsistent because I found the best ice cream -- salted caramel with chocolate. And, I've been skipping on the gym to go over to Mike's for some mid-day naps and ciders. But, oh well. Spending time with him is way better than going to the gym. This weekend is my grandpa's birthday -- so we'll be spending time with him. And Mike's parents are in town too. I hope you all have a great weekend!

- Tips for being an awesome partner. Pretty self-explanatory, but great advice.

- I have been loving the Cookie Monster parodies and everytime I post them on Facebook, I am met with crickets. OH WELL.

- Proof that my brother used to be a sweet kid:

 

- Why can't the theme song always be in Legos?

- This is my life lately:

- My mom and I have been cleaning out her storage unit, which has resulted in finding a million pictures -- okay, that's an exaggeration, but we have so many pictures. It's obscene.  I will leave you with some of the best.

Baby Mac.

A tween on vacation.

The day of my 8th grade graduation.

Also, be sure to Like Somehow Chaotic on Facebook! 

RECENTLY READ // Orange is the New Black

Orange is the New Black - Piper Kerman

Apparently, just like everyone else, I inhaled Orange is the New Black on Netflix. I zoomed through it and then I was left wanting more. MORE, NETFLIX, MOAR. So, I decided to read the memoir on which the show was loosely based. And not surprisingly, I quickly devoured that.

The book was well written and much different from the show. There are some similarities, obviously. But the show is much more dramatic -- obviously.

Piper is incredibly respectful of the women that she is incarcerated with and the juicy stories we see on the show are not in the book. What we do see are women that are just trying to get by and get past the things they have done. Piper is lucky to have a huge support system and she realizes how truly different she is than the other inmates. I know a lot of criticisms of the show have been how it's about a white woman that is on a short sentence with the intention of "growing," but the real Piper did recognize her privilege and I don't feel like it's a problem within the book. 

Should you read it? Yes! Definitely. It was a good book and if you finish the series and need more, then this is the only way to go. If you have no interest in watching the show, this is still a good book and at least that way, you won't be totally clueless when people are talking about this show. 

23 for 23 - Goal #3 - 23/50

WEEKEND // Time to Relax.

Finally. An entire weekend off of work. And no obligations. It was amazing.

Friday // After work, I had planned on going to the gym, but Mike texted me and asked if I would rather come take a nap. Uh, duh. So, I went over to his place and napped before I went out to dinner with my friends, which was so nice to catch up with them. Then, I went back to Mike's house, where I stayed for the entire weekend.

Saturday // We wanted to go for an early morning bike ride, butttttttt that didn't happen. We had breakfast and just lounged. We ran to the grocery store, made dinner, ran to Target for some seat pads for our bikes, and then watched Peep Show on Netflix.

Sunday // We were seriously going to go for an early morning bike ride, buttttttt that didn't happen. I watched Cabin in the Woods (I watched an entire movie without falling asleep). Then everyone left -- Mike went to take a practice LSAT. So, I watched a documentary about Jesus (and did fall asleep) and then I watched a few episodes of Star Trek: TNG. Mike came home, we grabbed dinner, and then we went for a bike ride - FINALLY. It was so nice out.

It was just such a relaxing, perfect weekend. And I loved spending all of it with Mike. Now, our next two weeks will be filled with more of my family and then we get to go up to Sedona to relax at the end of the month. August is turning out to be a great month.

Mike working on my bike while I just enjoy the weekend.

WEEKLY ROUND UP // 24.

I couldn't be happier that it's August. I don't know if I can mention it enough, but July was terrible. Not just for me, but for all the important people in my life. I'm so ready to make August a great month and I even have goals (!) that I want to accomplish to keep myself in check.

Enough about how terrible July was because I'm ready to move forward and talk about cool things on the internet this week!

- Isn't it time to start getting excited for that Tom Hanks movie about Mary Poppins? This should get you in the mood.

- If you haven't read the Harry Potter fanfic, do that first and then watch this webseries.

- I love cats....but everytime I'm around them, I almost die from my throat closing up. This possible cure would be awesome, but would be my starting path to becoming a cat lady.

- Will someone please buy this for me? I promise I'll do my laundry. Lol. That's a lie.

- Writing tips ... maybe I should follow some of these.

 

AUGUST ... Time To Get My Shit Together.

I really dropped the ball in July. I stopped working out regularly. I stopped eating well. I mean, I can excuse it because I had a lot of things going on, but I'm ready to move past and get everything back in order now. July was a bust, so I'm ready to make August worthwhile.

Here are my goals for August:

-  Go to gym at least 3 times a week. Ideally, I'd like to go five, but let's aim for 3.
- Run 15 miles. Total, for the entire month. I know it doesn't seem like a lot, but I'm trying here.
- Stick to my new budget.
- Bike 50 miles.
- Work towards paying off my credit card debt.
- Apply to 20 jobs.
- Sign up for a 5K.

I feel like everything is totally doable. And more importantly, here's hoping August isn't as terrible as July.

What are your goals for August? Let me know in the comments!