Adios, Blogger!

Well, y'all, the time has come... this will be my last post here on Blogger! If you've been following along with my rebrand process, you'll know that I'm moving to WordPress. The bulk of my new space on WordPress is set up and I'll be making the move and import in the next few days. This way, I can start writing and posting from my WordPress platform next week! And I've already got some great posts in store for my first couple of weeks on the new site. 
Earlier in 2015, I posted somewhere about how one of my blogging goals was to move to my own domain and get rid of "blogspot" in my URL. Well, friends, it's happening! I'm super excited to finally own my blog. It's the little things, right?

Starting next week, you can find my blog at www.athoughtandahalf.com! 

I guess I should be more sentimental about leaving Blogger and moving to WordPress. After all, I did blog here for nearly 3 and a half years! While it will be an adjustment (the learning curve isn't bad, though!), and I will have to get out of the habit of typing "blogger" into my browser, it's time for the move. We'll see if that habit dies hard. 
Anyway... adios, Blogger! It's been fun. WordPress, I'm coming for you! 

The ONE Thing to Always Do When Baking Cakes

I recently took up baking and cooking, and am trying to be more adventurous in the kitchen. The Food Network is now one of my most-watched channels, and Ree Drummond and Giada DeLaurentiis are now my kitchen role models (judge as you wish).
A couple weeks ago, an episode of Giada at Home showed a delicious-looking lemon bundt cake with chocolate glaze. I immediately thought my dad would like it, especially if I substituted orange for lemon. So when I got back to Pennsylvania last weekend, I decided I'd make an orange bundt cake with chocolate glaze for my dad, as an early Father's Day treat (since I won't know if I'll be able to spend that time with my parents). 
I prepared the cake according to the recipe, and did everything right. Except for one thing:

I greased the bundt pan with shortening, but I forgot to flour it, too. And I didn't realize it until I'd already put the cake in the oven and it had 10 minutes left to bake. Big oops and hanging my head in shame. 
Fortunately my cake stayed in one piece for the most part, and I only had a few craters on top when I popped it out of the pan. But that was okay - I covered those right up with the chocolate glaze.

So the moral of the story here is: Always remember to flour your cake pans. Shortening alone doesn't always do the trick, and you can't always cover it up with glaze! Also, maybe next time I'll stick with semi-sweet chocolate instead of bittersweet. I'm still learning, right?
Have you ever made a kitchen faux-pas? What was it and how did you cover it up? 

Best Sweet Tea Ever

Aka, the only sweet tea recipe you will ever need. 
As a Southerner, it would be blasphemous to say I don't like sweet tea. No worries, there will be no such thing on the blog, today or ever. Sweet tea is a staple in my diet. It might as well be in my blood.
I'm always surprised when people say, "I love sweet tea, but I don't know how to make it right. Sweet tea is so easy to make, and it's so versatile. Once you have the basic recipe down, there's so much you can add to it to make it fancy and even more delicious. Lemon iced tea is classic. Peach iced tea is one of my favorite variations, as is mango.

Best Sweet Tea Ever

INGREDIENTS:
5 Lipton tea bags 6 cups boiling water 1/2 cup sugar or sweetener of choice (I use Splenda) Juice of 2-4 lemons (depending on lemon size and your taste preferences)

TO MAKE IT:

1. Bring the water to a boil in a saucepan (or in the microwave).
2. Add the tea bags to the hot water. Let them steep for 3-5 minutes.
3. Remove from the heat, and let the tea steep for another 2 minutes. Add sugar and lemon juice, and stir until mixed.
4. Fill your pitcher one-third full with ice. Pour hot tea mixture over the ice. Fill the rest of the pitcher with ice. Chill in refrigerator until ready to serve.

Like I said... so easy. Best enjoyed in a glass with an extra lemon slice and a sprig of mint, in the company of your best friends and family.

How do you make your tea? What's your favorite flavor?

Freedom Fit Gym Opening in Ashland, VA!

Today I'm so happy to introduce y'all to my dear friend Joel. He's passionate about fitness and personal health, and wants his friends, family and those around him to understand the importance of living healthfully. Joel is one of the most strong-willed, motivated and driven people I know, so when he told me that he's opening his own gym, I was super excited to hear more and tell y'all about it!

Joel, who is a certified personal trainer (CPT), has wanted to open his own gym since he was a teenager. He's always liked working with people and strives to help people better themselves. With an athletic background and experience working with people--he started personal training a month after graduating from college--Joel has all the knowledge and research to help his clients achieve their goals and be fit and healthy.
Did I mention Joel is also a bodybuilder and has done bodybuilding competitions? He's that awesome. 
Now, Joel's dream is becoming his reality as he prepares to open Freedom Fit Gym in Ashland, Virginia! Joel's vision for his gym is to "create a space where people feel like they can better themselves," and where they can "come to make progress." He promises individual-specific personal training at affordable prices, and tons of encouragement and support along the way.

Photo from Joel McCauley

Freedom Fit Gym will celebrate its grand opening THIS WEEKEND, May 30, with an open house, before opening for regular business hours on Monday, June 1. His space is equipped with everything needed for a full-body workout: free weights, treadmills, exercise balls, shoulder and leg press machines and more. In addition to personal training, Joel will offer small-group classes in bodyweight training and powerlifting, and customized nutrition plans. He hopes to do equipment sales, as well, for those who like to work out at home. 
"My family told me, 'If you build it, people will come,'" Joel says. "I can grow my business as long as people come to me." And they are - Joel has helped his cousin lose 40 pounds and get in fantastic physical shape. His friends and previous clients will attest to Joel's knowledge and success, too. 
Finally, Joel hopes to instill a culture of fitness in the Ashland community, and to help educate people about the benefits of fitness and living healthfully. "Now is the perfect time to get my dream started," he says. If you're in the Ashland/Richmond area, or have friends in the area, I highly encourage you to check out Freedom Fit Gym and talk with Joel! He can get anyone excited to work out and will work to help you reach your goals, no matter what they are. 
Want to learn more and follow along Joel's journey? Check out Freedom Fit Gym online at:
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After Grad School, We Need a Break

Last week, I finished grad school. I can't believe the last 10 months are over and done. It was a crazy ride with ups, downs, in-the-middles and almost every emotion I could imagine. There were laughs, tears, screams of fury, migraines, anxiety and sleepless nights, and we somehow made it out alive. 
At the graduation ceremony, our class speaker shared some specific numbers with us: in the last 10 months, we wrote a combined estimated 810 pages of research, more than 1,800 lines of code, built six professional-level websites and traveled more than 26,000 miles in January for our fly-in projects. And that's not the end of it. I can't imagine what the combined totals for our thesis projects would be. So it's safe to say that we worked our butts off this year.

photo via Katie Williamsen, Elon iMedia

It's because of all that we've done in the last year that I say... my 30 classmates and I deserve a nice break. 
Over the last 10 months, my classmates and I were stressed more often than we weren't stressed. In fact, 8 out of 10 Americans say they feel overwhelmed and exhausted in their daily lives. According to the APA, almost half of all adult Americans admit that they're concerned about the stress levels in their lives. The great folks at Chobani yogurt understand the importance of healthy lifestyles and giving yourself a break when you need it. And how perfect that National Break You Make Day, in honor of Chobani Flips, is coming up on June 3rd! Who knew? 
Today, I nominate my 30 amazing, talented classmates to take a well-deserved break and let yourselves have some "me" time. We all know how hard we worked this year, and we all joked for the last month of the program about how excited we were to sleep for 12+ hours and not stare at our computers all day, every day. Sorry MacBook, it's not you, it's me. 

photo by Katie Williamsen, Elon iMedia

To Martina, Gary, Tyler, Booker, Drayton, Caroline, Nick, Ted, BFrye, Matt, Brittany, Nia, Emily and Emily, Ashley, Lauren, Henry, Jon, Anna, Jenny, Brandon, Sam, Monique, Tiffany, Kendal, Ryan, Paula, Beth, Megan and Maria... take a break. Put your feet up. Y'all deserve it. 
And you, too, if you're reading this. You deserve a break, too. How will you take your break you make? 

Holy Guacamole (aka The Only Guacamole Recipe You Will Ever Need)

First of all, Happy Memorial Day, everyone! To all of the brave servicemen and women who work to defend this great nation of America day in and day out, and to their families -- thank you. America wouldn't be what it is without you. 
One of my favorite ways to celebrate Memorial Day with my family is to have a big cookout and dinner party with our friends. This is the first year that I won't spend Memorial Day with my family. Well, first year that I've been in the country... in 2013, I was in London, and last summer, I was in Berlin. So first time I've been in the U.S. and won't be spending the time with my family.
Cue Memorial Day party of one, please. 
For me, guacamole is a necessity on any cookout menu, especially in the summer when avocados are so fresh and ripe. While I do love topping my burgers with sliced avocado, nothing beats fresh guacamole dip with chips. It's the perfect appetizer for Memorial Day dinners.

Another reason I love guacamole is how easy it is to make. If you've got all the ingredients, there's really no excuse not to make it. Once you have it down, you can add as many extras (tomatoes, onions, peppers, etc.) as you want. I prefer mine plain, though.
Here's my favorite guacamole recipe...and honestly, the only guacamole recipe you'll ever need. It's so easy. This can easily be doubled (or tripled, if you dare) for larger servings.

INGREDIENTS:
1 large, ripe avocado 1 Tbsp plain Greek yogurt Juice of half a lime Salt and pepper to taste Other desired seasonings (I like fresh cilantro and a bit of basil)

TO MAKE IT:

1. Slice the avocado in half and discard the pit. 
2. Scoop out the green flesh and put it in a medium-sized bowl.
3. Add the yogurt, lime juice, seasonings and desired mix-ins to the bowl.
4. Mash everything together with a fork or potato masher until it reaches your desired smoothness. I like mine as smooth as possible, but it's good with chunks of avocado, too.
5. Serve as soon as possible in a serving dish with chips or dippers of choice. Garnish with a sprig of fresh cilantro. 

See? Easy. And delicious. 
What's your favorite summer cookout food?

Life Lately {almost a Master}

Happy Tuesday, y'all! Life has been an adventure lately, especially as my graduate program comes to a close. I can't believe I graduate with my Master of Arts degree this Thursday! Back in August, the director of the program (and one of my favorite professors) told us, "This will be the slowest and fastest 10 months of your lives." He wasn't kidding!
Anyway, here's a little catch-up on what I've been up to lately, aside from slaving away at my thesis project and job-searching. 
Well, okay, I do have to talk about my thesis project a little bit. Since February, I have been building an educational website about type-2 diabetes for young adults. Building, designing, writing all the content for it... the whole nine yards. I'll present it on Wednesday at our annual thesis exhibition, where my 30 classmates will be showing off their awesome work, too. Here's a glimpse of the home page of my project:

Want to follow along during the exhibition? Follow me on Twitter, and follow my program's Twitter page for updates! 
On the "blog rebrand" front, I've done some work and research toward that. I've got my colors and fonts nailed down, which helps in the design process. The domain is mine as well, and Wordpress is loaded and ready to go there. I almost changed my mind about using Wordpress, but I talked myself back into it. Talking to my blog and Twitter friends about their experiences and getting their advice really helped me commit to my original plan, and to explore my options within Wordpress (and y'all, there are thousands). I'll write more about that learning curve in a later post. But for now, here's a sneak peek at my new theme. This is not final, but you can expect something very similar to this in my rebrand aesthetic!

When I'm not working on my thesis project, job searching and applying, or tinkering with Wordpress and blog stuff, I've really embraced cooking and baking as a new creative outlet. Food Network is slowly becoming my most-watched channel, on TV and on Netflix. When I was younger, I loved being in the kitchen with my mom; in high school I started baking. Now I want to learn to cook for real so I can impress people at dinner parties. Last week I bought one of The Pioneer Woman's cookbooks and have been playing with some of the recipes in that. 

"Spread" cookie bars... with a hint of orange, for my dad!

I seriously can't believe the school year is almost over. My parents and boyfriend will be here to celebrate the end of my educational career with me. I'll be a little absent on here for the next few days while I'm celebrating and getting my next steps squared away. But rest assured I will be back next week to tell y'all all about graduation and what's next.
What's exciting in y'alls lives right now? Do you know anyone graduating this year? Are YOU graduating?

My Bucket List, Updated

The other day, I was going through super old posts way back from my first few months of blogging. Most of my old posts made me a little embarrassed that I actually wrote and posted that (but hey, it takes a little while to get the hang of it). But a couple posts were salvageable, one of which was my bucket list post. 
So today, I'm revisiting my bucket list from three years ago: crossing off and adding a few items to it. Maybe I can hit some of them by the time I'm 30? I can dream. 

On the old bucket list...

Cross-country road trip // Hah, well maybe. I have a U.S. travel bucket list, so maybe I could hit some of those places on a big road trip? Surely I could stop at Four Corners on my way to San Francisco. 
Publish a novel // I've been saying I want to do this since middle school, so I feel like not doing this would be a huge letdown. I have so many ideas - now I need to pick one and commit to it! 
Study abroad // DONE! Two summers ago, I spent a month in London with my college's English department. Oh my goodness, I'd go back in an instant. I cannot speak enough about studying abroad - if you ever get the chance, take it and go somewhere new and different! 
Go to grad school // DONE (well, almost)! I graduate next week from my 10-month graduate program. And then it's on to the next adventure, wherever that may be!
Zip line // DONE! My dad and I did this in Alaska when we vacationed there a few years ago. It was definitely a cool experience, and I think I'd do it again, especially in a place that isn't raining 300 days out of the year. Although the rain did make the line go a little faster. 
Swim with dolphins // My parents have done this and said it was a great experience. I'd say I want to swim with penguins, too, but I think that would be a little chilly for my taste. 

Adding on...

Do the Sound of Music tour in Austria // It's no secret that The Sound of Music is my favorite movie ever made. When I was in Austria last summer, I only visited Vienna
Take cooking classes // I'd really love to be able to cook fancy meals and impress people at dinner parties. While culinary school is totally out of the question, there are all sorts of classy techniques and styles I'd like to try. Maybe one day I'll take a few cooking classes and up my skills.
Learn calligraphy and watercolor // I can fake calligraphy pretty well (thanks Pinterest), but I want to learn it for real. Same with watercolor painting. It's so pretty, and combining calligraphy with watercolor is stunning when done well. And I could do all my own wedding stationary! 
Grow my own gardens // When we lived in Atlanta, my mom grew tomatoes, peppers and blueberries, and a bunch of herbs. We made fresh salsa every summer and frequently used the herbs in cooking. One reason I can't wait to have my own house is so I can grow my own fruit, veggies and herbs. Think of all the fresh and delicious food I could make!
Work for Coca-Cola and/or The Weather Channel // Talk about my ultimate childhood dream jobs. When I was younger, I wanted to be a meteorologist, but that vision changed when I realized how much I hated math and science. But you can work for TWC without being a meteorologist. As for Coke, who wouldn't love working for a company that lives to make people happy just by consuming a fizzy beverage? 
I encourage you to go back to your old bucket lists and look at what you can cross off. What would you add to your bucket list? How has your list changed?