25 Monday Mar 2013
Posted in Wordless Wednesday
Tags
beach, cayman islands, fruit, grand cayman, island, omelette, photography, pool, spring break, truffle, vacation, waffle
I’m in paradise.
Egg white omelette and strawberries
Patio by the pool
Truffle oil and parmesan fries – amazing!
Such a pretty beach
So pretty
Light beach reading? This is actually a really interesting book!
Waffle with strawberries and raspberries
More beach view 🙂
19 Tuesday Jun 2012
Posted in Beauty and Fashion, Thoughts
Tags
bachelorette, beauty, elliptical, exercise, fear factor, gym, loreal, pool, skincare, summer, sun, sunscreen, television
I never thought I’d say this, but sometimes I use math in everyday life. Like today, I realized that the number of cars in the gym parking lot is inversely correlated to the chance I’ll snag a good elliptical at the gym. This isn’t really math, but it still made me feel like a genius. It’s summer, people, I’m allowed to neglect using my left-brain for a bit. 😉
You see, there are the good ellipticals (Precor) that tell me I’m burning lots of calories and going really far. They also have a handy crossramp feature, so I feel like I’m going up hills outside. It’s as if they’re saying, “Go, Courtney! You’re doing great! Your choice of TV show is just so intellectually stimulating.” Then, there are the bad ellipticals. They have these pesky little screens that I cannot figure out how to use, and annoying foot petals that give me shin splints. They say “You’re so out-of-shape, Courtney. You won’t be here tomorrow because you won’t be able to walk. Also, who watches SVU while exercising? Ha ha!” I’d rather do awkward waiting laps around the gym than use a bad elliptical. Thankfully, today there were many good ellipticals open, so I got to pick. WIN.
Also, the reason I watch SVU at the gym is because no matter how exhausted I feel, the people on that show always have it worse.
It was very hot outside today – I could probably have cooked an egg on the driveway… aside from the fact that it would be totally unsanitary and a waste of an egg that I could use to make banana bread. I’m a very logical person, you know. Anyway, 95 degrees in Chicago is unusual this early in summer so I had to go to the pool after my workout!
I brought along The Diary of a Mad Mom-To-Be by Laura Wolf, which I got for free but I can’t remember where. It’s a light, easy, fun read, but not a book I’d spend money on.
I spent two hours reading, sipping a club soda with lime, and soaking up the sun. I even went in the water a few times; it felt so nice to cool off!
And guess what? I didn’t get sunburnt! It was extremely sunny and hot, but I slathered myself in L’Oreal Sublime Sun SPF 50 as soon as I got to the pool and I was good! This never happens to me: I always burn in the sun. L’Oreal sunscreen really does work, and it feels so nice and non-greasy on your skin. I highly recommend it.
After the pool, I went back home and rested for a bit. I hate to admit this, but I watched Fear Factor and The Bachelorette on TV. I don’t really like reality TV, but for some reason in summer I can never get enough of it! I feel my brain cells slowly dying as I watch this rose ceremony. Also it really bothered me that a guy on the show mispronounced quinoa. It’s “kee-nwah”, not “kwi-no-a.” That would be a total deal-breaker for me, and I have no shame about it.
I’m going out to dinner with my friend Lily tonight, so I’m off to get ready. I love how “getting ready” in summer just means throwing on a flowy dress and putting on makeup – beach hair is always a go! Expect a beauty review coming soon – I have plenty of new products to share!
❤ Courtney
22 Tuesday Feb 2011
Posted in Thoughts
I went to Fort Myers, Florida over the long weekend to visit my grandparents. Internet connection was s-l-o-w so I didn’t post while I was there, but here’s a marathon post for you to read!
We left early Friday morning and arrived in Florida at around 11. The warm sun felt so good! I’m getting sick of gloomy Chicago weather. We greeted my grandparents, ate a quick lunch, then hit the pool. There were 6 pools at my grandparents’ condo compound, and my sister and I were determined to swim in all of them. Here’s me at Pool #4…
and Pool #5… the “No Diving” rule is strictly enforced… I wouldn’t dare to even jump in!
On Saturday night, we went to a very upscale Italian restaurant called Angelina’s. I’m usually weary of upscale places because it’s tougher to find something on the menu that I like, but thankfully Angelina’s offered mushroom risotto. I was, however, taken aback when the waiter told me, “Well, that dish is mostly rice and cream, you know.”
No duh. It’s risotto. Do you think I’m stupid?
He also recommended nearly forced me to order a second entree. In Italy, you eat pasta before the main meat course, but I wasn’t in a meat mood (more on that in a bit). A big dish of $16 risotto is plenty for me.
Rudeness aside, the risotto was excellent, as was the bread (with garlic spread- yum!) and flourless chocolate cake. I like to think I’m a flourless chocolate cake aficionado, and this one was definitely one of my favorites. My only complaint was how the servers seemed to look down on me. I look younger than I actually am, but I felt as though I was treated like a 5-year-old. I’m perfectly capable of reading a menu and ordering a dish on my own.
We also went to Naples Flatbread and Wine Bar, which was great! I ordered the Hummus Trio, which came with flatbread crackers and 3 types of hummus. The sun-dried tomato one was my favorite, but they were all delicious. I especially enjoyed mixing the flavors on each cracker. 😉 Here’s Dad and I, plus some random lady eating.
On Sunday morning, my parents decided to play tennis. I’m horrible at tennis, but I wanted to enjoy the weather so I offered to be ball girl. Fetching and tossing balls turned out to be quite a workout, haha! We played until we were kicked off the court by a few angry old ladies. 
All in all, it was a great trip and it was nice to spend time with my family. I’m sunburnt (even after applying SPF 85 every few hours!) but a few days of warm sunshine was definitely needed! Of course, Chicago welcomed me home with clouds and some more snow. Lovely. 😉
Today at school, I brought home some of my ceramic projects. They’re tiny charms, and I’m going to buy some jewelry stuff to make them into necklaces and bracelets. So far I’ve made a slice of cake, a cinnamon roll, a raspberry, and 2 cupcakes. They’re made of high-fire clay and glazed with underglaze only. For some reason the brown underglaze is shinier than the other colors, so the cake charm is very shiny while the others have a hint of shine. They’ve all got holes for a chain and two little eyes. I’m working on a whale and a kitty right now!
Hope you like them, and thank you for reading! 🙂 Have a lovely day!
Courtney Em 