Whole30: Non-Scale Victories

Whole30 prides itself on Non-Scale Victories. Although scale victories are pretty snazzy (I'm down over 20 lbs in 7 months - with the vast majority of the weight coming off while doing Whole30) they are not everything! I think my proudest Whole30 non-scale victory has been my ability to get outdoors and be active.

Just this past week I PR'd and got my fastest 5K in recorded history... okay, my recorded history! But still it was a huge deal for me! I used to hate timing myself because I would be embarrassed by my pace, but recently I decided that timing would help me see progress.



There are also a ton of other non-scale victories that you can read about here! Some of my other personal favorites are: longer nails, clearer complexion, no colds over here, healthier relationship with food (i.e. not needing dessert every single night), INCREASED ENERGY (like no joke I don't even need coffee some days), learned how to cook more things, and drink significantly more water...

Now I don't live out Whole30 every single day! Just this past August I committed myself to a Whole20 to reset before the new academic year began... I made it to Day 18 and was faced with the awful temptation of a walking taco. Yes, you heard me, a walking taco. While working in Housing & Residence Life at a college, I am constantly being faced with food temptations that aren't exactly Whole30 compliant. However, one thing I have learned is that in order to have a healthy relationship with food I need to loosen the reigns every once in awhile. So, you better believe I had a walking taco BUT instead of filling it with a ton of cheese and sour cream, I filled it with salsa, lettuce, and tomatoes. Making healthier choices isn't always easy, especially when you really want that cookie. I am very particular with what I choose to eat and by making healthier food choices I have truly found freedom from food.

What is your biggest craving? Comment below.

The Newest Apartment: Post Move

So one of the best (and worst) parts of being a Live On professional is moving. When you work for Housing &/or Residence Life at a university, you will most likely have the opportunity to "live on" so you can respond to duty related incidents in a timely manner and be present to help build community. I am currently going on my seventh year of living on a college campus and I could write an entire post about the highs and lows of this journey! But today I'm sharing with you all my new space!

As a child I used to chronically move my furniture (and it drove my parents NUTS). I think I just liked change and believe it or not I was always wanted to clean and organize things [no joke: used to clean my friends' bedrooms - and would enjoy it]. Now as an adult, moving has sort of become the worst chore on the planet. I think I am realizing that I collect way too much stuff and moving four times in the past three years has definitely shown that. 

Anyways here is my new space! I can't do much in the areas of paint, furniture, and carpeting... but I have been able to add my own personal style and touch to almost every space. Today, I am giving you all a virtual tour of my bedroom, living room, guest room, and bathroom. The kitchen will be discussed in a later post, so stay tuned for that-- I'll worn ya it is nothing glamorous!

Something I want to add to this space: White curtains

The bedroom is the first room I unpack when I move. Partly because moving is exhausting and all I can think about is climbing into my comfy bed, but also because I love getting a space that seems so functional settled. I did not change my color scheme from my last apartment because I LOVE gold and navy blue together.

The bedroom layout itself is a little hard to work with. On my back wall I have three cubes that work as closet spaces and storage. They don't have doors so by repurposing my old blackout curtains, I was able to provide some style and cover up my closet.

I am also using my old food pantry that Josh built me as additional bedroom storage. I really don't know what to do with these shelves -- they were intended for food storage and now I'm kind of using it as a place to hold sweatshirts, workout shirts, and random boxes! I'm hoping to be a little more innovative with this storage space in the future -- and I am totally open to any of your ideas! (also check me out in the mirror).

The living room is the second room I unpack... mostly because Josh helps me move and I have him available to help me set up the technological devices. I had some serious Comcast issues when I moved to this apartment (literally wasted so much time on hold with them). But I am happy to report that I do not repel technology and everything appears to be working.

Not being able to hang a lot of things on the walls is killing me about this new space. I can hang a lot of my artwork with command hooks, but for my bigger pieces I have been struggling. I put a few nails in the bedroom; but I am not sure how the maintenance and damage/billing works in my new space so I'm trying to refrain from putting holes in the wall. 

I genuinely love the living room! The only thing I think I'm craving is a sectional sofa-- which is on the investment list (as soon as I graduate grad school). I think a small sectional would add so much seating to the living room, but I am working with what I have. 

Another thing I absolutely love about my current apartment is all the light. I have big windows in both my bedroom, guest room, and living room (that also has some privacy from a massive tree outside) which has really brightened up the space.

 

The guest room is kind of work in progress! It is currently serving as my space for guests to sleep, a library, garden center, home office and storage room -- I know the space is the real MVP. I opted to keep the residence hall furniture in this room so I could use the bed for storage. I am so happy I did that because I have a lot of random things that need homes, that probably shouldn't be visible to the public!

The bathroom is larger than my kitchen! It is an enormous space that unfortunately I leave relatively undecorated and empty. But if I'm giving y'all a tour of my apartment I should include the good, the bad, and the oversized! One thing I absolutely love about the bathroom is the counterpace. Its a shame that I live by myself because most days I feel like I don't even take advantage of everything this counter has to offer!

The bathroom is only equipped with a shower... so you better believe I miss bubble baths! However, there is no room for that negative complaining here! I am just beyond grateful to be settled and that I have running water. Although the bubble baths would be nice, I'm sure the next apartment/house that I will be looking into will have that amenity.

Anyways that's all for now, folks! Hope you enjoyed the brief little tour. The kitchen is to come in a future post (I promise). Have a happy Monday friends!

My Downtown

I think that I am convinced that every city has a little charm. This past weekend I explored downtown Chambersburg, PA with my co-workers! While Chambersburg might not be "my city," but it is within my on-call boundaries and I loved being able to explore it for a few hours on Saturday. 

We started the day off at Brussels Cafe. Brussels Cafe is an adorable creperie located near the North Square Market! They offer a bunch of delicious crepes/waffles as well as coffee & macaroons! Another charming aspect of this cafe is the fact that they greet and call their customers by name. I was so pleasantly surprised that the owner called out my order by saying "Alexandria." -- Definitely not used to answering to that! They also will put your orders under names that you request, so it took me by surprise when I head "John Snow" being called out for a strawberry nutella crepe! 

The aesthetic in the cafe was hands down my favorite! Down to the hard-wood floors or the chalkboard on the wall that asks you the question "What Makes You Happy?" This space was chic! You could eat inside and outside (and if you chose to eat outside- you were surrounded by gorgeous brick walls with disney murals painted on them). I definitely plan to go back to Brussels Cafe -- hopefully when I'm not doing Whole30 because that John Snow's crepe was calling my name!

After my co-workers and I finished up with breakfast, we explored the North Square Farmer's Market! There were several booths that offered fresh produce. I loved the flower shop and the zinnias were begging me to buy them! Sadly - during RA Training (check out my insta stories for updates) I am never really in my apartment to enjoy them! 

I also tried kombucha for the first time! It has been on my bucket list FOR MONTHS! There was an adorable little booth at the farmers market and I knew it was time! They ran out of their lavender lemongrass brew, so I tried their featured drink that was apple based! Thank you Undone  for providing a delicious drink with completely organic ingredients [Insert Salsa Dancing Emoji]! Also, I totally love their concept of "rawsome!"

I will be job searching in less then 9 months and I will definitely be on the look for institutions with cute downtowns that I can explore! I love supporting local business' and would much rather go grocery shopping at the farmers market over the grocery store any day of the week! 

Where's your favorite downtown scene?

Millstone and Annapolis: Caitlin's Bachelorette

Hi Friends! To start I just want to say how grateful I am to all of you who have reached out to me when I re-joined the blogosphere. Your welcome back greetings warmed my heart so much! Today I am sharing how my dear friend, Caitlin's bachelorette party went. It was hands down one of the best adventure days I've had this Summer.

We started the morning off with some Yoga, Cider Tasting, and Brunch at Millstone American Farmhouse Cidery! We really couldn't have gotten any more millennial than what we did in that two hour visit to Monkton, MD. When we first arrived I was awestruck by the beauty of the cidery -- also totally just learned that word! When we entered the yoga studio the environment was so peaceful that I knew I was going to enjoy this experience.

On a side note, I'm not the most experienced with yoga. And when I say I'm not... my favorite part of yoga is the last ten minutes when you get to "breathe and reflect" and I get to "close my eyes and take a nap." Anyways the space that was created can only be described as somewhere that truly embodied zen. The yoga studio was three floors up and you were really one with nature. There were no windows in the space, which really allowed you to hear and connect with the outside world.

I imagine that room can get quite hot during the summer months -- but boy did we luck out! Yoga was so comfortable and I enjoyed breaking in my new yoga mat. I think one of my new semester resolutions is to practice more mindfulness and strengthen my hips... because they are WEAK!  

After the yoga class ended (and my baby nap was over) we rejoined in the main cider tasting room and tried five different ciders. My favorite was the Rhuberry, which you can find here! I was extremely pleased to hear about their commitment to a sustainable craft and how they used no preservatives! I would definitely recommend going for a tasting if you are in the MD area!

After cider tasting came the brunch, which really tied the entire excursion so perfectly together. Between the brie cheese with raspberry jam to the bacon with the brown sugar glaze this meal was divine. I literally tried everything on the table (except the pate- sorry not a fan)! Still dreaming about this brunch!

Thank you Millstone for a wonderful start to celebrating Caitlin's bachelorette! I definitely hope to visit again soon! After we finished up at Millstone, we all headed to Annapolis to get ready for the evening's festivities. Once we were all dressed, we made our way into downtown Annapolis to accidently stumble upon a gorgeous festival! There were so many vendors with so many things to browse and look at!

Our luck kept going with the weather for that evening! It was a perfectly cool evening on the water and we spent a lot of time just walking around the docks of Annapolis. For dinner we went to McGarvey's! On their menu they served Half & Half (Maryland Crab and Cream of Crab Soup) and  I fell in love with the combination. I'm a little disappointed that it took me 24 years of my life to pair the two, but I'm happy to know that there is still so much I can learn about MD culture. Another highlight from dinner was that a gentlemen paid for our drinks (now before you start freaking out mom, he did not talk to us at all).

After dinner, we all walked off our seafood filled bellies by the waterfront and took cute photos! Caitlin did not wear her sash, but so many people recognized that we were a bridal party and we were getting asked right and left about the details!

We ended the night with ice-cream from Storm Bros! I ordered a scoop of the caramel truffle and it was so delicious. There is just something so wonderful about homemade ice-cream! We got so lucky that all of our plans worked out for Caitlin's bachelorette day! Still can't believe she is getting married in less then a month, but I am so excited to stand by her side as she promises forever to someone!

Cheers Cait! Also... is it just me or do all bridesmaids become your best friends! Love this group!

Friends!

One of the best things about life is who you share it with. I am beyond grateful that God has just endlessly blessed me with some of the greatest friends on the planet! To start, I'm really excited to say that this past year has been friend filled. I got to watch two of my friends get married (Bobby & Hannah), I visited my friend Matt (top picture-- the guy on the right) in VA, I hosted the annual July reunion, and went to a baby shower for Liz (top picture -- the couple on the left). There are so many exciting things happening in my friend group and I'm just really feeling grateful that I am still able to connect with my college friends a few times a year. 

Another exciting Summer happening was planning and hosting a bridal shower for my best friend from High School. Caitlin and I have been close friends since we were freshmen in High School and I cannot wait to stand by her in September as she says I do. Her shower was absolutely divine -- we hosted a bridal brunch, which included a pancake bar, donut holes, mini quiches, and lots of fruit!

No friend update post would be complete without featuring my bff, L. Lindsey and I have been so busy this summer and have been able to keep up our monthly tradition of weekending at one of our houses. We completed a Whole30 together and there is no better accountability partner than L. We also continued our legacy as sunshine twins by enjoying as much time as possible outdoors.

To end this friend post I wanted to feature my oldest and dearest friend, Amanda! I'm so grateful that I have seen her multiple times this past year (it is hard when you live 3.5+ hours away and you're both in graduate school and working full time). Amanda is loving married life and is actually on her 2nd honeymoon right now in Disney! I'm looking forward to her getting back and J and I are hoping to plan a fun filled camping weekend with her hubby this Fall. 

Y'all friendship literally fills my cup up. I wish I could spend hours writing about each of the memories I made this past year, but for now little updates will have to do!

How's The Family?

My family and I are doing wonderfully! We have been able to see each other just about once a month which is wonderful when you all live in different states. Brooke is rocking her final year at Auburn. I cannot believe she will be graduating in May! My mom and dad have also been doing wonderfully. Today, I'm going to write about two adventures I went on with my family this past year!

To start for Spring Break, Brooke and I flew to Florida and visited Universal Studios for a few days! It was an amazing sister vacation and offered some much needed time to catch up. We also literally geeked out over Harry Potter World -- which I would highly recommend to any Potter fans out there. We grew up reading the books, watching the movies, and low key pretending we were wizards so it only made sense that a little trip to Harry Potter World would be on our list of things to do.

Some of my favorite moments about our trip to Universal Studios: 
(1) We stayed at Cabana Bay which was modeled off of a famous 1950s hotel. It was clean and the theme was displayed very well.
(2) Brooke and I found a little stoop to hang out on in Harry Potter world. When we were visiting FL it was 60 degrees every day -- when the weather forecasted highs of 70s and 80s. Naturally we did not pack sweaters and pants. So, any break from the cold and wind was lovely. Also having a butterbeer and listening to the HP soundtrack was MARVELOUS.
(3) CityWalk was really cool! There were so many great restaurants and it was a nice place to relax, soak up some sun, get a few drinks, and catch up. My family and I are big Parrot heads so Brooke and I really enjoyed having a cheeseburger in paradise at Margaritaville.

This past Father's Day I surprised my dad with tickets to Hershey Park. My family and I haven't been to Hershey Park in probably a decade or more so it was really nice exploring the park with them and showing them the new rides (side note... Josh and I go to Hershey every year since I'm only an hour from the park). It was a great weekend to catch up with my parents in the sweetest place on earth.

Hey 2017

I am sheepishly trying to come up with an appropriate sentence to indicate how sorry I am that I have been MIA for the better part of the last year of my life. I really don't have any excuses other than I was just busy living life instead of writing about it. I don't want to knock any of my blog friends with that statement - I have thoroughly enjoyed staying up to date on all of your lives. However, last year I was balancing my second year and clinical year of my master's program, a bunch of new work responsibilities, new eating and exercising habits, and social/family life.

It feels like I need to do a bit of some catching up and re-introducing on the blog, so please stay tuned for posts about what I've been up to. Comment any specific questions below and I look forward to reclaiming this chapter of my life.

How To Throw a Bachelorette Party

Today, I'll be sharing on this little blog of mine some tips and tricks to hosting a bachelorette weekend...Now for a quick disclaimer: I am not the Made of Honor, one of our friends Rosie is and she has done an absolutely stunning job! So, this post is partly written with all of her ideas that came to fruition and allowed for us to celebrate the bride in the best possible way!

Set Your Budget: Setting a budget is essential for any wedding planning! We had a set amount of money that we could use and this took some pressure off the bridal party. We also made sure that the bride did not have to pay for a thing while we were there. 

Pick Your Location: Consult with the bride and choose a location that works for her! Our bride, Amanda is a beach gal and had connections to a condo in Ocean City, MD! So, it made for an easy choice. Not to mention, having beer and pizza while sitting on the beach is definitely the best way to fortify friendships. 

Decorations: After the location has been decided, you have to start thinking about decorations! Rosie made the cutest baseball score board for the condo. The wedding theme is baseball (specifically Orioles) so it went wonderfully with the theme and it created a wonderful back drop for our photo shoots.

Also, bring a selfie stick because you'll need someone to take those excellent before pics!

Activities: We planned a lot of indoor and outdoor activities for the weekend. Some of them included buoy bat on the beach. Other included checking the bride's memory, having her guess what shot represents each of us, and kissing the miss goodbye!

One of the bridesmaid's so kindly made a "last fling before the ring" scavenger hunt for one of our nights out! I'm proud to say Amanda accomplished all of these (however, I cannot confirm or deny whether she pinched someone's butt or not). Anyways, this scavenger hunt was perfect and it got the other bar/club dwellers excited about all of the fun!

Food: Planning meals out ahead of time is really important! Each bachelorette goer was in charge of bringing their favorite snack and drink! Skinny Pop and onion dip were definitely major hits. But, so was McDonalds at 3AM!

Matching Clothes: Having a uniform for the weekend was super nice (and easy)! We ordered tank tops from Etsy and you'll be surprised how flexible those designers can be! The bride is really focused on making sure we all have a choice, so before the weekend the MOH had us all take a poll and we went from there!

Overall, it was probably one of the best weekends of my summer! I didn't have a true vacation this year (or last year) so getting away for a weekend throughout the summer months is really important. I loved meeting all of Amanda (the bride)'s college friends and we definitely made memories that will last life time. 

For a preview of bach weekend, Sydney one of the bridemaids put together this awesome video from her GoPro! Feel free to check it out, here :) 

Summa Summa

Hello... I wish I could say I regret not writing in my little corner of the internet lately (30 days to be exact), but I really don't! Life has been so busy and wonderful that sometimes it is okay to unplug and just live it up. I promise I have a lot of posts drafted that will update you all on the Miss behind Radiating Sunshine. 

But, if my posts are sporadic, you can always find me on insta (alexmhons)! I usually put up pics on there fairly frequently (its way easier than pulling out my computer, uploading pics, and writing up a post). However, here are some excuses for my absence!

summer... the Summer months are critical. From May--mid-August there aren't many students on campus and at work we have countless training sessions, prep work for the RAs to return, and building preparation. My summer has been spent finish my Practicum (New Student Orientation) and getting ready for my wonderful staff of RAs and DAs to return! Oh I also can't forget summer classes (Prac and Group Counseling) I'm crossing my fingers that I'll get another pretty pair of As to add to my grad school collection. 

josh... crazy how much time boyfriends take up, but I wouldn't trade a single minute for the world! Josh and I have gotten to spend a lot of time together! We have gone out on dinner dates, went shopping for professional clothes, watched movies, went on walks, had church dates, etc! Josh has been really busy working on his Summer baseball league too. 

books... check yes to reading for fun! I have read two books this summer (The Husband's Secret and Sharp Objects). I'm almost done Sharp Objects, so don't ruin it for me O.o I don't get a lot of time to read (usually between 10:30PM-11:30PM every night, but when I do its glorious! I also thoroughly enjoy a good book and some sun rays!

friends... Over the past month I have gotten to see so many friends! I hosted the annual 4th of July Party (on the 15th of July, but who cares) with all of my college friends. I went to a mini High School reunion (its hard to believe I graduated HS 5 years ago). I also celebrated a lifelong friend, Amanda at her bachelorette weekend! I visited my closest Res. Life friend at her new university. And I am just so overwhelmed and blessed by all of the good people in my life!

hershey park... I've also been to Hershey Park, in Hershey PA twice this summer! This is definitely record breaking. I went once with my co-workers and once with Josh! Both times were so much fun and I seriously wish I had season passes so I could go every weekend. The walking alone would do wonders for my body (which will be going on a serious diet at the end of RA Training).

delicious food... and speaking of diets, I have probably been the furthest from one. I don't know why but the Summer months are always so difficult! Probably because I'm constantly going to pool parties with yummy cookout food! My favorite meal this summer has definitely been shrimp salad (not pictured here). I usually go through phases of food that I'm obsessed with and shrimp salad during this hot summer is not a bad one!

Anyways, this weekend my RAs return and life will continue to be busy! Just a warning that this little blog might not make it throughout the semester, but I'm going to give it a try. Grad School + Work + Fields + Personal Life = one exhausted Alex!

Goodnight lovelies :)

Radiating Sunshine's Pie Crust

Hi Folks! Today I am writing about the best pie crust I have ever made! Last week when I was planning my fourth of July get together with my co-workers I really wanted to make a blueberry pie for everyone! I've been a huge blueberry pie fan (since I fell in love with blueberries in Maine years ago). So, I picked up my berries and I got ready to bake. Well, long story short this pie crust recipe is a complete original. While, I was googling recipes I noticed I was missing two important things: shortening and a food processor. So, I was already struggling finding a recipe that would work.

Well, I decided to take a chance and see what I could come up with. I pulled out my KitchenAid mixer and decided to use butter and coconut oil to substitute for shortening and began experimenting! As most pie makers know, pie crusts can be really tricky. The same recipe that has been in your family for decades can suddenly turn out poorly! So, thank goodness this pie crust came out wonderfully!

Ingredients: 

2 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour

2 tbsp sugar

1 tsp. salt

8 tbsp of unsalted butter

1/2 cup of coconut oil

3 tbsp of vodka, chilled

1/4 cup ice water

Directions: 

(1) In the KitchenAid mixer (with the dough paddle), mix together the dry ingredients until they are well combined.

(2) Cut the slices of butter and begin to scatter it throughout the dry ingredients.

(3) Gently spoon in the coconut oil. Make sure the sides of the bowl are scraped down.

(4) Sprinkle vodka and ice-water into the dough mixture.

(5) Divide the pie dough into two halves and wrap them in plastic wrap.

(6) Gently roll out the pie crust to form a 4-5 inch disk.

(7) Let the dough sit for 20 minutes in the refrigerator.

(8) Pull out both dough disks and let them rest on the counter for 5 minutes (or until soft).

(9) Gradually roll out the dough to fit into the pie dish.

(10) Once pie crust is in dish and is ready to be baked rub crust with some egg yolk and sprinkle with sugar.

(11) Bake according to your pie directions!

And there you have it! This pie crust was by far one of my proudest accomplishments and makes for a perfect dessert that everyone will enjoy! Hope this recipe works out for all of you and you enjoy coconut oil as much as I do :)

3rd Apartment Reveal

I've lived in my new apartment for just about two months and it is finally starting to feel like home. I'm really excited to reveal this new space with you all. It is by far the biggest space that has been mine. I'm hoping to go into more detail of the every space at another time. So, today I'm going to give you all a little tour.

Welcome to my 3rd apartment! The door you see above is my front door and leads directly into the living/family room. I chose turquoise for this space! For the most part, when you "live in" (and work in Residence Life) your apartment comes furnished. So, often times I have to spice up the furniture I have been given (which, I view more as a gift then a problem). 

A lot of my decorations and pillows have traveled with me from various spaces and apartments. However, the wooden print that you see above my couch is from Target! I love how the colors go with the turquoise theme, but also have yellow and some warm colors intertwined. 

The kitchen is tucked in the back corner of the apartment. But, I love it! I wish I had more storage, which I think I'll write about in another post. But, it is a beautiful space that is fully equipped with updated appliances, including a dishwasher! This is my first apartment with a dishwasher and I am so beyond grateful!

Off the living room is my master bedroom! The master bedroom colors were inspired by my favorite color, navy blue! When designing this space, I wanted to go with navy blue and potentially a lavender. But, I found this gold bedspread from (wait for it) Target. 

Online it looks a lot more yellow than gold. But, I'm extremely grateful that it came out the way it did! The navy sheets are also from target and the accent pillow was picked up from Walmart to match
the black out "not so black out" curtains! 

Don't mind me in the mirror!

The bathroom was also designed to match the master! I chose the navy and striped shower curtain and the yellow/gold carpet. Bathmats are so over-rated! If I could do this space all over again,  I would have gotten a bigger carpet to cover up the entire bathroom floor.

Off the kitchen, is a hallway that leads to the guest bedroom, 2nd bathroom, and laundry closet! There is nothing to glamorous about the laundry room and guest bathroom, which most of the time serves as a storage closet (for my bike) and or an extreme clothing rack! 

The guest bedroom (i.e. Josh's territory) is quite quaint. It is still very much a work in progress. This space also serves as my craft room and office. So, yeah basically I need to find either a dresser to store all of this stuff or some way to store it all in an organized manner.

And there you have it! My 3rd apartment is definitely the biggest and the most exciting space! I'm really hoping I'll live here for the next two years, while I finish my graduate degree! But, who knows!
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