Mixed Emotions

I am officially back home in Birmingham, and I'm not really sure how I should be feeling. I am still working through all of my emotions and trying to process everything that's happened. It was nice to get away for the weekend, but now I'm back to reality and my thoughts are hitting me like a ton of bricks. I've had so much going on in my head over the past couple of days that I didn't even realize was there. This has been the weirdest week of my life. Tornadoes devastated the city I've called home for 4 years, I ran a half-marathon, Osama Bin Laden is dead, and Charlie Sheen was here and donated 1 million dollars to Tuscaloosa today. This is way too much to take in!

I'm technically a college graduate, although my graduation ceremony is cancelled. I should be happy, excited, and having the time of my life. Instead, I'm walking away from my college experience more than a little confused. I wish that I had gotten one last week with my friends and had been able to end college on a positive note. Sadly, I didn't accomplish everything on my college to-do list. It just ended so abruptly and without any closure. I have no idea what the future will hold for me. I'll be at home studying for the Registered Dietitian exam and beginning the job hunt, but I'm not exactly sure where I go from here. I am confident that everything is going to fall into place and work out the way it should, but it's still a daunting situation.

Here's where I left off yesterday:

I'm becoming a regular at Fido! This would definitely be a staple for me if I ever lived in Nashville. Yesterday, I got a Blueberry Goat Cheese Muffin and coffee to go, and ate it alongside a banana + 1/3 packet of Justin's Honey PB when I got back to the hotel room. The muffin was oh so good!

After breakfast, we finished packing and checked out. We also went to a Wal-Mart and loaded up on toiletries and baby items to donate when we got back to Tuscaloosa.

We ate lunch at Calypso Cafe. I got the Beans and Three, which came with black beans, spiced sweet potatoes, cole slaw, and rice. It was a very satisfying meal!

The black beans and sweet potatoes topped with coconut were especially delicious.

We just had to get some Pinkberry before we left Nashville! As if I haven't eaten enough ice cream in the past few days! But hey, it's not every weekend you run a half-marathon and get to go to Pinkberry! I got the lychee yogurt (It tastes like lime and was very refreshing.) with strawberries, blueberries, toasted almonds, mochi, and whipped cream. Delish!

When we got back to Tuscaloosa, we donated all of the items we bought earlier in the day and went on a  3 mile walk around campus. It was nice to get some fresh air after being in the car all day.

Dinner wasn't anything fancy. Domino's was delivered to the sorority house, so I helped myself to two slices of cheese pizza. I also had a Fuji apple to round out the meal and a little dark chocolate before bed.

Just spent the rest of the evening watching TV and taking it easy. I don't think I realized how exhausted my body was!

Apparently not, because I slept until 11 AM this morning! When I woke up, I ate a PB&B on 2 slices of Nine Grain GH bread with Barney Butter and sliced banana.

I packed up my tiny little room all afternoon and was kinda sad to say goodbye! Throughout the day, I snacked on a Kind Bar, a Fuji apple, and Archer Farms Cranberry Nut trail mix. I also made one last trip to Chloe's Cup to get my favorite specialty coffee drink. The Amaretto consists of steamed skim milk, espresso, almond, vanilla, and cinnamon.

Dinner was a Cajun Turkey Wrap from Momma Goldberg's, and I ate it in the car. It was simple, but so good. I think the fact that they steam their sandwiches makes all the difference in the world!

Sorry for no pictures today, but they just weren't that pretty!

I would like to thank everyone who has been reading my blog over the past couple of months! I know a lot of what I ate wasn't really all that exciting and didn't always have the best presentation of food (i.e. plastic bowls and utensils and paper plates). However, I do think it was realistic and was my best attempt at finding a healthy balance without having access to a personal kitchen. Sometimes the food I ate was not always what I would personally choose for myself, but I always tried to "healthify" the meals that were provided for me. I think that will always be a part of life, and it was a valuable experience. Now that I have moved out of my sorority house and will be living at home, I will be cooking more and trying new creative recipes. I've really had so much fun with this blog, and it means so much that you are reading!