Peace Out MUSC....until May 18th!

FINALLY..the day has come where I will NEVER have to attend an MUSC class or take an MUSC test EVER again!!!!!!!!! Can you sense my excitement? and hence why I haven't blogged in a week. I am pretty much just soaking it all in. It is so surreal. Now I only have to make it through 6 months of rotations: 8 weeks of pediatrics here in Charleston and 8 weeks of peds and 8 weeks of acute care in Greenville, graduate, and then the ultimate test: PT Boards before I can officially practice as a Doctor of Physical of Therapy and make some MONEY!!! The past 3 years have truly FLOWN by, but I still just can't believe I am so close to graduation in May! If anyone wants to throw me a graduation party, feel free, because I will be ready to party and celebrate!! ;-) hehe

That is also what we did this weekend...celebrate! Since most of my PT friends are leaving me in Charleston, we had one last weekend all together, and we made it a FUN one!

Drinks at Closed for Business

...and Midtown

It's gonna be weird not being with this girl 24/7 ;-)

...and lastly, Cocktail Club

Kate and I with our $10 fancy cocktails

So I have 2 weeks to PLAY before rotations start...working on some paintings, attending a wedding, cleaning the house, maybe roam Charleston and do some photography... who knows what else. I'm sure it will be October 24th before I know it!

Today, I took a friend to the airport and stopped by the Tanger Outlet on my way home and visited the recently opened, Saks Off 5th, and I will just say that I foresee this being a SERIOUS problem for me. Fortunately, for my bank account and for my husband, I walked out of there empty- handed today :-( but I saw TONS that I would've LOVED to add to my closet. Especially this guy...

Marc by Marc Jacobs Turnlock Crossbody Bag

There are definitely some GREAT bargains to be found!! And this girl is a sucker for a good bargain! Will be back there soon for sure!

My Jam of the Week

Cannot get this out of my head!

Devil Knows You're Dead by Delta Spirit

Have a great week!

XOXO-

Shanana

Pumpkin Crisp...it's officially Fall!

It doesn't really feel like Fall to me until I make a pumpkin crisp. I got this recipe a couple of years ago from a friend and I have made it EVERY fall/winter/holiday since....multiple times!! It is DELICIOUS!!!

what you need:

1 can pumpkin (~15 oz)

1 t vanilla

1 c sugar

1/2 t cinnamon

1 c evaporated milk

1 package yellow cake mix

1 c chopped pecans

1 cup melted butter

directions:

-mix first 5 ingredients and pour into 13x9 or 9x9 pan

- sprinkle cake mix evenly over top

-sprinkle chopped pecans

-pour melted butter over entire pan

-bake @ 350 degrees for 1 hour

It is complete with a dollop of cool-whip :)

Enjoy!

xoxo-

Shanana

Eventful Weekend in Greenville

First of all I will apologize because I'm pretty sure this will be a pretty long post. So I went to the upstate this weekend with the intention of ONLY hanging out with sweet little Ruby, which would have been SUFFICIENT. But I also got to see 2 dear friends and spent an afternoon shopping. I wasn't quite prepared for the weather or being seen in public really. I was an idiot and didn't really check the weather either and was stuck with Jack Rogers and NO jacket in the low 40 degree weather. Yes, I am a naive Southerner and I don't really do well with COLD weather. First I will share the many ADORABLE faces of Ruby. Everytime I see her she gets bigger and bigger!!!

Snapping shots of a 3 month old, you will get some funny pictures!

She smiles a TON! Not always the easiest to capture with the camera, since I think the big Nikon and the flash kind of scare her, but I was able to get some cute ones...

She really isn't an overly fussy baby...but she has her moments. Don't we all?! The difference is, she is still adorable when she is WAILING!

This weekend she discovered her "thumb"- more like fist.

AND look at that head control! So proud of her ;-)

She is getting SO big!!

pink sweatsuit and nikes= stylin' 3 month old

She LOVES bath time!

Ruby's brothers, Byron (Mastiff) and Buckley (Black Lab).

They are soo good with her, yet I think they hate the lack of attention.

Those EYES! so sweet!

Seriously! Look how TALL this car is...

(random, I know, just had to share...)

I CANNOT wait to see this little love muffin in a few weeks! I just love her SO much!

In addition to hanging out with Ruby (and the rest of my family...I tend to forget to mention them when speaking of Rubes, haha. Oops!), I also got to see some great friends and was not going to be the idiot dressed in flip flops in 40 degrees. I easily used this excuse to go shopping on Saturday afternoon. And since I had already decided I was asking for Frye boots for Christmas this year, I figured I could maybe go ahead and get that early Christmas gift possibly?! so that I could go ahead and have my toes sheltered for this Fall weather! So that is what I went shopping for....and

Of course, looking for ONE thing, I always find TEN things that I want/need.

FALL OBSESSIONS....NEEDED in my closet!

Frye Melissa Button Boots in Fawn

Early Christmas Present?!?

It's much nicer to get these essentials early so you can wear them THROUGHOUT Fall and Winter!

Tory Burch Eddie Flats

These flats are simple, go with almost everything, and are unbelievably comfortable (even better than the Reva Flat). A must-have!

Lululemon Method Wrap

(sold out online but hopefully they will get more this winter)

Many of you know that I am ADDICTED to Lululemon and my addiction to YOGA has only made this obsession WORSE! How cute and cozy is this wrap?

Love this oversized sweater by Mink Pink

Cute and Comfy top by Saint Grace

at II Brunettes in Mt. Pleasant

Who else hates how expensive Fall/Winter clothes are!?!? I need to babysit more!

And I will leave you with one last obsession....

Everytime I drive, I discover new songs that I LOVE! And end up listening to them over, and over, and over again. Ask my husband...it drives him crazy. haha.

The entire Mumford & Sons album is amazing. This particular song gives me chills.

Mumford & Sons "After The Storm"

XOXO-

Shanana

Rubes Cubes

I'm heading to Greenville to see this little love muffin this weekend and I couldn't be more excited!! It has been a whole month since I saw her last (when this smiley little pic was taken) and that is FAR too long!

I will be taking my handy dandy Nikon so I can snap a ton of pictures of this cutie!

Yes...I may be a little crazy about this little one :-)

I also CANNOT believe that Saturday is October 1st. I am very excited about the Fall weather...as long as it doesn't get too cold for this wimp. I have so many things on my TO DO list for October that it is getting a little overwhelming. But to start things off...I have some fun plans (well 2 DIY projects) for fall/halloween decorations that I will hopefully get around to in the next week during my study breaks.

"Spirit Jugs"

Pumpkin house numbers :)

And do not be surprised if I try to do this to one of my sweet little nieces this month! Ruby may be a little young for it...but I do have another adorable niece, Mia, who turns 1 year old this month that would look adorable in this little pumpkin!

Yep! I can totally see this little face in that pumpkin ;-) hehe

Just a couple of things I am looking forward to this month....

1. more yoga teacher training

2. last days at MUSC as a PT student until graduation in May!

3. Anna Richey's wedding!

4. possibly seeing Adele in concert in ATL!!!

5. clinical rotation at Coastal Therapy pediatrics!

and last but not least

6. WOFFORD HOMECOMING!!!

Have an awesome weekend! Happy October!

xoxo-

Shana

Exploration

"Explore daily the will of God"

C.G. Jung

This quote is from one of the books I am reading for Yoga Teacher Training. And I have quickly come to love this book. It is called "Meditations from the Mat" and if you practice yoga, you have probably heard a teacher or two read from this book during your practice- it is truly inspiring. The cool thing about this book is that it is based on yoga sutras, yet the author pulls scripture and quotes from all kinds of religions- but proves that the messages are universal. It is very interesting!

I particularly loved this meditation- it speaks on "tapas", which means zeal or austerity (not your spanish appetizer! Although, I love those too!) Tapas is about having a heart of an explorer with the willingness to work hard, the desire to know oneself, and the will to be honest. In this meditation, Rolf Gates tells the story of a man who spent 20 years in prison, and once released he found a spiritual awakening, in which he set new priorities for his life. In his old life, things were predictable, yet in his new life, each day was a new adventure. This man would wake up feeling guided through his days by a loving force, with a lively desire to explore the will of God. He had the heart of an explorer and his religion was not built on rigid self-discipline, but simply built by the desire to know more. Can you imagine waking up daily with this lively desire for the day? How amazing would that be?

I, for one, am quite familiar with a life and faith that has it's ups and downs and is like a serious rollercoaster. But this is a consistent prayer of mine, to walk in God's will and that God would strengthen or in some cases re-ignite the fire in my life for knowing Him more. There are definitely days that I get stuck in my routine and am not necessarily excited about waking up and studying or heading to MUSC for class, but I am excited and open to what God has in His plans for my life. Waking up with His guidance and love gives so much more meaning and purpose and excitement into my life for the days ahead. Tapas can be a natural reaction to the events in your life- waking with the desire to explore the will of God and hungry for growth.

A dear friend also shared a devotion with me today that goes perfectly with this meditation. The devotion came from Proverbs 31 Ministry,

"A person can do nothing better than to eat and drink and find satisfaction in their own toil. This too, I see, is from the hand of God, for without him, who can eat or find enjoyment?" Ecclesiastes 2: 24-25

"So I commend the enjoyment of life, because there is nothing better for a person under the sun than to eat and drink and be glad. Then joy will accompany them in their toil all the days of life God has given them under the sun."

Ecclesiastes 8:15

Have a joyful day!

xoxo-

shana

Easy Lasagna

I think I may have a dangerous obsession with pasta. I seriously crave it way more than I should. And it makes the BEST leftovers, so that's always a plus. I have made this lasagna multiple times, sometimes for large groups and sometimes for just Nelson and I, which we end up eating it for DAYS (although I'm kinda okay with that). And I will not claim that this is a healthy lasagna, but it IS easy and it IS delicious. The BEST part about this lasagna is that you don't even have to cook the noodles- you LITERALLY put uncooked noodles down in the casserole dish, and I promise 1 hour later, they are cooked perfectly. I emphasize this because I have shared this with others and they didn't believe me..haha. So try it out yourself ;-) It works. Sorry the picture isn't the best- I forgot to take a picture of it until after we dug in for dinner! Yep... delicious every time!

Ingredients, Serves 6

• 1 lb ground beef
• 1 chopped onion
• 3 cloves garlic (minced)
• 1 (26 oz.) jar pasta sauce
• 1 cup water
• 2 cups ricotta cheese
• 3 oz cream cheese
• 1 egg
• salt and pepper to your liking
• 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
• 9 UNCOOKED lasagna noodles
• 1 cup grated parmesan cheese

Directions

1. In a large skillet, brown ground beef with onion and garlic (and any other veggies you want); drain. Add pasta sauce, water, and any spices; mix well.
2. In a large bowl, combine ricotta, cream cheese, egg, salt, and pepper and mix well. Stir in mozzarella cheese.
3. In a 13x9 baking dish, place 1 cup ground beef mixture. Lay 3 uncooked lasagna noodles on top. Spread 1/3 of ricotta filling over noodles and top with 1/3 of the remaining beef mixture. Repeat layers twice, ending with ground beef mixture.
4. Cover tightly with foil and bake at 350 for 1 hour. Uncover, sprinkle with cheese and bake another 10-15 minutes, until casserole is bubbling and cheese browns.

I don't follow directions EXACTLY- if you like it reallly cheesy, go ahead, add more cheese. I also add in mushrooms and sometimes spinach into the ground beef mixture. And thanks to my wonderful sister-in-law, April, I started to add a little kick to it by adding some crushed red pepper flakes and chili powder!

ENJOY! :)

XOXO-

Shana :)

Tuesday Birthdays in September :)

So since I am incredibly new to blogging....this is my excuse. But I have been meaning to give some birthday shout-outs to some of my favorite people but fell behind. But I figured since each of these people have their birthdays on a Tuesday in September..it will be my theme :)

So the 1st one...Sept. 6th, my little Kitty Kat turned 26!

Happy Birthday Kat!

And the following week on Sept. 13th, my E turned 26 as well!

Happy Birthday Erin!

And finallly today, the 20th, Momma Ang turns 27! (we call her momma ang because she OFTEN kept the rest of us volleyball girl in check.....she isn't actually a mother to a child YET)

Happy Birthday Ang!

AND Sweet Claire turns 28!

Happy Birthday Claire!!!

So although I probably wished you all a happy birthday in every form of communication possible....there's always another way!!! ;) I love you all! Enjoy the rest of your birthday month!