5 Awesome Things Your Local Library Offers

When my fiance and I got DVR in our apartment last summer, I started recording all the Criminal Minds episodes that aired and kept an Excel spreadsheet on my computer to track which episodes which were recorded and which episodes were upcoming, so Jonathan and I could start watching the show in order from season one, episode one (#nerdalert). After three seasons of this meticulous record-keeping and sifting through the 50+ episodes on our DVR, I had an awesome idea: the library.

Of course I always knew the library had DVDs and CDs, but for some reason it had never occurred to me that I could rent entire television seasons! It's way better than DVR because I don't have to fast-forward through commercials, and the library has shows Netflix doesn't offer (Exhibit A: Criminal Minds). That got me thinking about all the other awesome resources my local library has, and yours probably does, too! Here are five such fantastic things:

Photo via @mcstroup; design by Megan.

I am not a food blogger. This is why.

Last Saturday, Jonathan and I had a lovely picnic at a local park. His mom had given me an adorable picnic basket for my birthday (pictured top right), complete with forks, spoons, knives, plates, wine glasses and a bottle opener. The little zippered pouch in the middle is actually an insulated cooler, which I filled with a bottle of wine, green grapes, pretzel crisps, Hershey's chocolate and almonds for dessert, and a big Tupperware of "Patriot Salad," which I'm going to share to the recipe to below.

Spring has sprung!

It's time for my usual Wednesday link-ups:

First, I am loving one thing in particular this week: Yesterday, I got two pretty sweet online gift card deals: a $15 iTunes card from Best Buy for only $12, and a $10 Amazon card (for new Kindle books, of course) for only $5. That's $25 worth of merchandise for only $17, or 32 percent off!

#savvyshopper #moneyinthebank

In honor of the first day of spring yesterday, here are some spring-inspired pins to warm you up! (The first image is what I like to imagine I'll dress like as an LC next year. But let's be real ... I'm just not that fashionable.)

Source: theandrewsupdate.blogspot.com via Megan on Pinterest

Hiking the Dale Ball Trails.

Yesterday, I finally got out of my apartment and went out to the Dale Ball Trails to do some light hiking. The trails are only a few miles outside downtown Santa Fe and right inside the city limits, so they're really convenient for a quick weekend hike. (I know they're in the city limits because I saw the "End of City Limit" sign about half a mile after I missed my turn. Oops.)

I decided to start light with a loop a little over two miles. I knew it would be a good hike when I got this view only three minutes in:

I saw nine other people on the trail during my hike, so it was pleasantly private while providing reasonable assurance that someone would find me if I fell and sprained my ankle trying to hike sections like this:

Date Night(s): Rapid City

Last week, I visited my boyfriend in Rapid City, South Dakota, where he goes to school and stayed to work over the holidays. I think those four days were the longest we've spent together since last winter break! (Long distance can be tough, but I know it could be worse. At least he's not overseas.) During the time we spent together, we went on some pretty amazing dates. So if you're ever in Rapid City, here are some fun things to do (and good places to eat!):

Ice Skating

Rapid City has a fun new square downtown, complete with an ice skating rink! It was pretty cheap, too, at only $15 for both of us to rent skates and get all-day passes. After we were done skating, we went to a '50s-style diner right by the rink (I think you can actually skate up to the order window) to share an Oreo milkshake. And yes, we had two straws for one milkshake. Disgustingly cheesy, right? :)

Sorry for my squint; it was actually really sunny! We were wearing sunglasses, but we felt silly

wearing sunglasses and ice skates, so we took them off for the rink.

Good Food, Good Wine, C'mon, Let's Dine!

For most of our meals, we decided to go out and try some new restaurants. My two favorites were both located on Main Street, right across from the ice skating rink....

Newest discovery: Goodreads.

This isn't exactly a "new" discovery; I just haven't had time to post about it yet. But a few months ago, I discovered a joyous little website/smartphone app called Goodreads. And I love it. Plus, I unwrapped a beautiful new Kindle on Christmas Eve, and I can't wait to start downloading books that I've found through the great recommendations on Goodreads. (I currently have 78 books on my "to-read" shelf, and it just keeps growing!)

Source: oldfashionedreaming.tumblr.com via Megan on Pinterest

Goodreads allows me to track every book I've ever read (or that I can remember reading, at least) and rate them on a five-star scale. I can also mark my favorite genres and authors, and Goodreads will generate recommended lists for me. My favorite part is looking at my friends' lists for ideas, but I only have about six friends on Goodreads right now. So join me! It's quick, easy and free. (And I'm there, of course.) See you soon!

Travel finds: United States.

I follow quite a few travel blogs on my Google Reader (22 as of right now, but the list is constantly growing). A few weeks ago, National Geographic Traveler posted a list of 10 fun, free tours available in the U.S. That post inspired me, and I've been collecting a list of other interesting American tours I've happened upon since then (mostly through my Google Reader). Here's a short list of some of my finds:

Photo via Pinterest.

Tour an Olympic Training Center in California.

Visit the world's only Salt and Pepper Shaker Museum in Tennessee.

Stroll through the Pedway in Chicago.

Play at The New Museum in New York City.

Drive from San Diego to Sonoma on the California Missions Trail.

Waiting for Christmas lights....

I'm usually not one to get into the Christmas hype before Black Friday, but today I found some videos from last Christmas on my computer. In my hometown, there's a house two streets down from me that connects all its Christmas lights to a local radio station. And the lights dance to the music! Isn't that neat? Do any houses near you do this? I chose this particular video because, as you'll hear my sister announce excitedly in the beginning, we like this song a lot (not alot). :) 

(The video is a little long, but it gets really exciting around 2:20. If you can't spare three minutes to watch the entire thing, at least skip to there and watch it to the end.)

Warning: Video contains bright lights and rapid movement.

Newest discovery: Etsy.

As I was perusing my Google Reader yesterday, I found several posts that mentioned "Etsy." I was curious, so I asked a friend what this "Etsy" was, and she showed me immediately. It seems I was one of only a few people on Blogspot who hadn't discovered this adorable shopping site yet, but I almost wish I hadn't. To introduce me to Etsy, my friend suggested I search things like "Mizzou" and "Alpha Delta Pi." Good thing I'm saving up for graduation in December, or I'd be expecting several packages over the next few weeks. On the other hand, it's given me several ideas for decorations I can make myself for my apartment next year.

Here are some of my favorite finds:

$12.50 from bandaprints - Possible graduation present? Hmm....

 $25.00 from LilyGene - When I live in Carolina one day, I will have this on my wall.

$19 from LilSeeds - I love the Harry Potter one!

$15 from daintyhippo - I don't know how I thought to search for "book coasters," but I did,

and this was my favorite result.

$10 from BlackBaroque - I have a strange obsession with turtles, and I also love books.

There are a million other things I could have included, but I'll save those for later. Etsy away!

Extra innings.

Well, it was really only one extra inning.

But we continued our streak of let's-get-out-of-the-house-and-do-something-fun activities tonight with an Atlanta Braves game! (Btw, we did end up going out last night, so we've successfully tried something new every day this week!)


If you're ever looking for something fun and reasonably affordable to do in Atlanta, I would recommend a baseball game. The baseball stadium is pretty easily reached by both driving and parking by the stadium or taking the MARTA (we did a little of both tonight), and student tickets are only $10. So bring your college ID, buy a foam finger and practice that tomahawk!

Go Braves!

The last few days.

Quick recap of the week (so far):

All photos courtesy of Pinterest

Sunday: Poolside for several hours with the interns. I even got a teensy bit of a tan! (Quite an accomplishment for me, especially because I didn't get burned at all.)

Monday: Sushi at Harry & Sons (again)! I broke out of my California Roll/Spicy Tuna Roll shell and tried some Spicy Hamachi. Definitely a repeat dish. We walked the mile-ish from Memorial Headquarters (good for us!) and stopped for Ben and Jerry's on the way back for some ice cream on the patio. Yum.



Tuesday: Ladies' Night at Wired and Fired. I didn't participate in the pottery making because (1) I didn't want to have to ship my pottery home or pack it to Africa and (2) I spent way too much money at Express last weekend. (Thanks a lot, coupons! You are so conniving.) But it was fun watching the other girls create their various masterpieces!



Currently: We planned to visit the Opera for some 18+ fun, but it is storming something fierce outside, so we'll have to see what happens. (Luckily, we were able to hit up Starbucks right before the downpour began, so I'm happily sipping a grande, no-fat, non-whip Peppermint Mocha as I type. Just in case you ever feel like bringing me some coffee, that's my go-to drink. Just saying....)