On Thursday, my last full day in Colorado Springs, my mom and I decided to go to the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo. Yes, it’s actually up on the side of a mountain! It’s definitely a hilly zoo, but a lot of fun!

My favorite exhibit by far was the first one we saw: the giraffes! There were probably about 20 giraffes in this enclosure with a walkway going through it. You could buy lettuce to feed them, so they came right up to you!

It was very cool! I was a little sad though that the elephant exhibit was under construction, they’re one of my favorite animals.

By the way, check out the view from the highest point we were at the zoo, I’m pretty sure you can see Kansas from here:

Another one of my favorites was the River Otters! There were three in the exhibit and were playing around the whole time! They were completely adorable and definitely showing off!

Haha and of course I had to take a picture of the Moose, another favorite animal of mine:

The last place we stopped was the Ape House. There were a bunch of smaller monkeys, but I was drawn to the Orangutans and the Gorrillas. I stood there wishing that I could just quit law school and go work at an ape sanctuary. They completely fascinate me – they are so smart and so much like people.

My mom and I both really enjoyed our time at the zoo, although we did have some issues finding our way around because there weren’t many signs, and some of the exhibits up the side of the mountain were so full of foliage it was impossible to see whoever was living in there!

For dinner, my mom and I decided to try out a place that I had spotted during my last time here: Coquette’s Bistro and Bakery. It’s an entirely gluten free restaurant in Manitou Springs. We got there and parked a ways from the restaurant, so we got to walk a bit through the area. I went here with Maddie in January and fell in love!

We had chosen the restaurant because we knew it served crepes and my mom LOVES crepes! I was also pretty excited since I hadn’t had one in ages!

We both ended up ordering the Tula, which was a Mediterranean inspired crepe:

chicken, roasted red peper, kalamata olives, zucchini, spinach, feta and tzatziki

We LOVED it. I was amazing. Actually amazing, we couldn’t stop raving about it! All the flavors together were just perfect. We both killed our crepes and left full and happy! Of course, not to happy to get a little fro yo for my last night!

It was a great last day in Colorado Springs, I was sad to be leaving!

What’s your favorite animal to see at the zoo?

Are you a crepe fan? Sweet or savory?

I love being here in Colorado Springs, especially now that the weather has been great! The last two times I’ve been here were January and March, and it was definitely chilly! I wish I had a day or two more to get in some hiking! I did, however, manage to get in a short hike on Wednesday.

Our house is very close to one of the reasons Colorado Springs is so famous: The Garden of the Gods!

I hoped in the car and headed down there for a quick afternoon hike! I ended up on a trail that took me around 1.75 miles of the park, and up about 171 ft in elevation. Not too much, but it was nice and I was glad I didn’t have any problems with the altitude. It was a great time to just enjoy the scenery.

I started out in the area with some of the most famous large red rocks. This area has sidewalks and is easily accessible to any visitors who aren’t looking for a real hike. There were plenty of people out!

While I was there, I saw several people climbing the side of these huge rocks! It looked so cool, definitely something I would want to try someday! (After plenty of practice on walls…).

After that section of the park, I headed off on the trail! The higher I got, the more gorgeous the scenery! I only ran into one pair of hikers, so it was a nice, solitary hike. There were, however, plenty of “gifts” left from horses! When I was younger, we went on the trail ride through the park, which uses these hiking trails!

In this picture, the last one I took during my descent, You can see the clouds coming in over Pikes Peak! I love this mountain, and this place!

I also filmed a quick video at one point along the hike. I meant for it to be longer, but after a few attempts I discovered I’m not good at speaking. I am meant to write, not film vlogs…

Unfortunatey my internet here does not work well, so I can’t get it to load… Trust me, you aren’t missing much.

I’m sad to be leaving, I love it here so much! I also love how active I can be here: great places to walk, bike and hike! No wonder Colorado is the healthiest state!

Where is your favorite place for outdoor activities?

Do you like taking hikes (or walks) alone?

Haha don’t be too jealous, on Tuesday I begin a full-time unpaid internship… Great opportunity, don’t get me wrong, but so hard to wrap my head around working another summer unpaid and with no time for a part time job if I also want to train for the marathon… Ahhhhhh. Oh well, trying not to stress! Hence the need for this time in Colorado!

Seeing as it’s Thursday, it’s time for more Thursday Thoughts!

1. This recipe basically involves mixing whisked egg whites with applesauce and a few other things. I didn’t know you could just eat plain egg whites? Is that okay? Haha I hope so because I want to try this!

2. I’ve discovered that President Obama is stalking me. Yes, he is forming his very busy schedule around mine. Why, you ask? Well, he gave the commencement speech at a high school in Joplin, MO a couple days ago while I was in KC (Joplin is south of KC) and then he gave the commencement speech at the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs on my first day there! See? Totally stalking me. Right? I must be important…

3. These look sooooo good! I love corn bread and I think these cornbread cakes would be delicious!

4. I love reading Emily’s blog, Daily Garnish. Mostly, I love watching her adorable son, Cullen, grow up! One thing I found very amusing is that he is about 7 months old and has a full head of hair. I, however, was not so lucky as a child. Here I am on my first birthday:

Please note that 1) I am practically bald and 2) I clearly loved cake from an early age…

5. I saw this and now am dying for chocolate chip cookies with (gluten free) pretzels mixed in. How delicious does that sound? And yes, I realize there is a lot of food on this Thursday Thoughts edition…

6. My twin, Amy Lee, has called me many times over the past couple weeks. I have yet to return her phone call (okay, I tried once). I can never answer (or don’t hear it) when she calls and then I forget to call back when I have time. Fault #346: I am awful at calling people. Amy Lee, please accept this as my formal apology. I loooove you!

p.s. When I say “twin” it’s a sorority thing. Lol, for clarification.

7. My mom and I are planning on going to the zoo today. The Zoo. In the mountains. Feel free to be jealous. I LOVE the zoo!!!! 

8. I’ve not been feeling well lately with traveling and some GI issues brought on by a new prescription, so today I am going to try and only think “happy thoughts” because those always make me (mentally) feel better!

Are you a good phone person?

Head of hair or baldie as a kid?

If you are new to WIAW, check out Jen’s blog, Peas and Crayons. Jen hosts WIAW each week and it’s a great way to find new blogs and great recipes!

I knew that with sitting the car all day I would want to get in a run first thing to get out some energy! I headed straight to the gym after getting up and ran 4 miles, stretched, and then headed home to shower and finish packing.

I ate some breakfast before we left: plain Greek yogurt with stevia and vanilla mixed in, blueberries and strawberries, and a piece of Udi’s gluten free bread with almond butter.

I also stopped and got a final Café au Lait from the Roasterie! Oh how I miss that place..

Our first stop on the road was a quick rest stop to use the restroom. I, however, had no idea what was in store for me.

I saw a sign leading to the observation deck. Of course! The observation deck! In Eastern Kansas… Obviously I had to check it out.

And then I laughed (as expected) when I did. I mean, come on, look at that view:

Since fast food on the road is pretty rough for me, I just packed a bunch of snack food to eat on the trip. A few hours later my stomach was grumbling for lunch, so I had a veggie tray, and I replaced the dressing that came with it (it had wheat and soy) with some Annie’s Lite Honey Mustard. Pretty good!

I also had a few new chips that I found – brown rice snaps, and half a packet of buffalo jerky that I found at the Natural Grocers. The chips weren’t as great as I was hoping, but not bad.

I also sipped on this Chia Seed Kombucha throughout the trip:

A couple hours later I had an apple and the rest of the buffalo jerky:

Then, during the rest of the afternoon, I snacked on some of these freeze dried pieces of fruit, a few more of the rice snaps, and some grapes!

Beware of the giant hand! Right as I snapped the picture my mom was grabbing the bag to move so she get her phone out from the consul it was sitting on…

We finally made it to Colorado Springs around 6:00pm (7pm KC time) so we were hungry! After unloading, we headed to one of my absolute favorite places to eat for dinner: The Golden Bee! I forgot to take a picture, but I had what I normally get: half a reuben on gluten free bread, and a side salad.

After dinner, fro yo was an obvious choice. We’d had a long day. The best part? The place we went had birthday cake flavor! You may be thinking… um, Katie, a lot of places have that flavor. Well yes, they do. However this one was GLUTEN FREE. That’s right, no gluten. Most flavors based on any kind of cookie or cake are not gluten free, so this was a huge find for me! So of course that’s what I got!

We headed home, watched a little American’s Got Talent, and then fell into bed. I was tired!

Do you bring your own food, or eat at fast food places on road trips?

Ever seen equally amusing observation decks?

Since I’m flying from Denver back to Chicago, yesterday was my last day in Kansas City! Not gonna lie, I’m pretty sad about it! Yes, I enjoy having tons of free time, but I also love having the family around and I really do love this city!

I started off my day by… JAZZERCISE! Could you have guessed? I hope so. I actually didn’t’ go with my mom, I went to the 8:30 class instead (she goes to 9:30) because there’s one teacher I love but I haven’t gone to any of her classes yet. The class was AWESOME! They did a ton of songs that I knew and almost all the routines were new to me. Plus the instructor, Sally, was absolutely hilarious, as I was hoping.

This is my sad face when I got home from Jazzercise and realized I really am leaving!

After Jazzercise, I ran home quickly to grab some more water and a granola bar and then headed out to run some errands. I stopped at a used book store looking for some cheap finds, but didn’t see any of the books I wanted. Then I headed down to the Country Club Plaza (the first outdoor shopping center in the US!) and started off at Forever 21 and then H&M looking for some good clothes for my internship this summer.

Do you think these bracelets would be appropriate?

In between Forever 21 and H&M I ran into Barnes and Noble to use the restroom and see if they had Fever, which is the sequel to Wither, the book I reviewed yesterday.

Not gonna lie… I was pretty embarrassed walking into the teen fiction area…

And sadly, my embarrassment wasn’t even worth it. I found the book but it’s only out in hardback, which was $17.99. Um, no thank you. I definitely won’t spend that much on a book I know I’ll finish in a day!

After all my errands I was pretty hungry, so I headed to Pizza 51 to get their gluten free pizza. It’s literally my favorite thing ever to get in KC now (yes, EVEN MORE THAN FRO YO, shhhh). So I had to have it before I left!

After some more errands, my mom and I went to get manicures! My mom only ever gets clear or french (trust me, the french manicure is pushing it) but I have become obsessed with nail polish colors, so I got Barbie Pink! Or, at least I’m calling it that…

When I got home, I helped my mom make dinner (veggies and chicken) and while we were working the doorbell rang! It was my friend, Bailey’s, mom! She was dropping off a gift Bailey got me as a good-luck gift on my internship starting next Tuesday! She got me a Road ID:

It has the phone numbers for my mom, dad and brother, my name and birthdate and then one of my favorite mantras for rough runs: “Don’t You Dare Give Up.” I will definitely be sporting this during my marathon training!

It was soooo sweet of her to think of me! Thank you, Bailey!!!! And some of you may know Bailey, if you’ve checked out her blog, the Fit Philanthropist! She’s pretty much awesome. I spent the rest of my evening watching the Bachelorette and getting ready to hit the road to Colorado in the morning!

Do you ever feel embarrassed walking into certain sections of a store?

What’s the craziest piece of jewelry you own?

Anyone else have awesome friends?

I hope you all had a great weekend! Today’s my last day here in Kansas City, so I spent my weekend away from my computer and just enjoying my time in KC and with my family! If you were also off enjoying your weekend and missed any of my weekend posts, here’s a recap:

Drag Queen Bingo!

A Middlesex Book Review and an awesome movie theater

Some great quotes about having faith

Yesterday, I went on a run with my dad! The weather was pretty good (although still a little warm to me for a 1pm run), and we had a great time! I didn’t wear headphones, bring my phone, or wear my garmin! I just went out there with my dad and chatted away while we ran 4 miles around our neighborhood in KC. My dad has a route that he runs every weekend, so I just followed him!

One thing that I’ve learned since moving to Chicago is how nice it is just to walk places! Kansas City isn’t much of a walking city, we always drive to get anywhere we want, and if we go on a walk it’s just around the neighborhood.

However, I looked it up on Google Maps and discovered that Brookside, which is an area of shops and restaurants, is only a 1 mile walk from my apartment! I’ve walked there a couple times since I went home and I went there yesterday as well.

I headed back to the Roasterie to get a Café au Lait with almond milk and work on reading a book: Wither! I’d been dying to read this book since Julie on Peanut Butter Fingers mentioned it, and I really enjoyed it!

Wither, written by Lauren DeStafano, is the first book in a triolgoy she calls Chemical Garden. It is a dystopic novel (I know, I know) centered around a 16-year old girl named Rhine who is kidnapped and taken to to be a bride, far away from her home with her twin brother, Rowan, in New York. In the story, the human race thought they had developed children that would be free of all disease. However, when these children, called the First Generation, had their own children, that generation had a much more shortened lifespan. Men only lived to 25, and women to 20 years old. Which meant that Rhine only had 4 years of life left.

When she is kidnapped and taken as a bride, she befriends her two other sister wives, while vowing to escape and return to her brother. She discovers that her father in law is performing medical experiments in the basement of the mansion in which they live.

I enjoyed the book because it was an interesting story in which you get very invested in the characters. You learn to fall in love with all three sister wives, although they are all very different. Lauren DeStafano has a great way of writing about people with flaws, but also showing their good side. Even Rhine’s husband becomes a sympathetic character when we learn that he is completely oblivious to the fact that these women were kidnapped from their homes, thinking that they grew up wanting to be brides.

Now don’t get me wrong, this is definitely an easy read (I finished it in a day) and meant to be read by younger crowd. But I definitely enjoyed that after reading Middlesex before this book! I’m already dying to read the next book, Fever. However, someone correct me if I’m wrong, but I don’t believe the third book (she calls it a triology) has been published? I certainly can’t find it!

Well I hope you all have a great start to your weeks!

Are you a fan of books aimed at younger crowds, such as Harry Potter or Twilight? 

Do you live somewhere that you walk everywhere, or mostly drive?

As you all may have noticed, I’m not a very religious person. Or, at least, I don’t discuss it on my blog much at all. Personally, I didn’t grow up going to church and only went on and off during college. I don’t want to get into all my personal beliefs, but will say that I do believe in a higher being and that all things are part of a plan. Personally, I think I’d go crazy if I thought things were just random!

What I’m getting at here is that I wanted to share some of my favorite quotes that get me through hard times and remind me to just relax and have faith that everything will work out. I hope you all have a wonderful and relaxing Sunday!

Later that afternoon I went to see a movie with my friend, Helen.

We went to see the Five Year Engagement, but I was more impressed with the theater than the movie. We went the the AMC Ward Parkway theater, which I actually wasn’t allowed to go to at a certain point because that mall turned into a pretty dangerous place! However, they’ve completely re-done the theater and I was ridiculously impressed! They added a bar at the entrance and by the snack stand they had those coke machines where you can mix your own soda! We didn’t test it out, but I definitely will next time I go!

The best part was the seats. They took out every other row and put in lounger chairs. Like, legit lounger chairs. You pushed a button and it moved back so that you could be leaning all the way back with your feet up! It was really cool!

So cool, in fact, that you could totally just curl up and take a nap if you didn’t like the movie…

Haha don’t worry. I didn’t nap. The movie was pretty good, it had a lot of funny parts and a great overall message. However, I did feel like it got a little long during certain parts. There were definitely areas that dragged on that they could have cut shorter. But other than that I enjoyed the movie and my time with Helen!

So now on to the book review! Honestly, I don’t feel qualified to write this review! I’m not a book critic and this is a book that deserves someone who knows what they are talking about. But I’ll do my best! Honestly I wish I could have read this in an English class to get a little more out of it!

Middlesex was written by Jeffrey Eugenides and tells the story of Calliope Stephanides and how she (or he…) came to be, following her family history from her grandparents in Greece to her teenage years and discovery (or confirmation) that she is a hermaphrodite and actually has XY, or male, chromosomes.

My favorite part about this book was how the author developed the family history, as well as switched back and forth between Calliope’s current life and the story of her family’s past. The book goes from her grandparents living in Greece, then immigrating to Detroit. It talks about their trials and tribulations, their children, and then turns to their children’s lives, who then have Calliope and her brother. As the author moves from one generation to the next, each is still present, but no longer the main character of the story. The original characters, Calliope’s grandparents, are actually still in the book to the very end. I felt like so much time had passed that they wouldn’t be alive anymore, there was such a disparity between their home in a tiny village in Greece to the family’s home in the suburbs of Detroit, but it made me realize how much can really change just during one lifetime.

I also like that, although mentioned often by the narrator, Calliope, the main focus of the story was not her hermaphroditism, but her family and how people are formed by their families and their life experiences. That in the end, family is what really makes you who you are. At least, that’s one thing that I got from the novel!

I did find the book slow to start, but once I got further and further into it I became engulfed and it was much easier to read. I definitely recommend the book, and would say that if you have a hard time starting it, just keep with it! I am really glad I did and enjoyed the story a lot more than I expected to.

Does anyone else secretly wish they could sit in on English classes?

Ever been to a theater with seats that lounge like mine did?!

But a great thing about today? It’s AMY LEE’S BIRTHDAY!!!!! Amy Lee is my “twin” in my sorority, and honestly, she’s more like a real sister to me! I love you Amy Lee! Have a great birthday!

Remember how I mentioned a Drag Queen Bingo fundraiser yesterday? Well my friend, Bailey, volunteers with Gilda’s Club, which is a Kansas City-based organization that provides a free support community for men, women and children diagnosed with cancer, as well as their family and close friends. The fundraiser was held at Hamburger Mary’s, which actually has several locations across the U.S. They regularly do Charity Bingo nights and have raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for local charities.

We only had to pay $10 and got 10 cards, enough for 1 card per round. You could buy more cards, as well as raffle tickets and there were prizes for each round.

Our hostess was completely fabulous, with 3 costume changes and 2 dance numbers to keep the crowd entertained. She clearly was a pro at Bingo nights and it was a blast. My favorite part was when one member of the staff did Beyonce’s Single Lady dance. It’s my dream to learn that dance… I was impressed.

The next morning I was craving some veggies and I had already roasted some a couple days before, so I just heated those up and topped them with two eggs! It was absolutely delicious!

Many of you may be wondering what in the world I do in all my free time. No? Oh well, I’ll tell you anyway. I’ve been doing a lot of reading and my favorite place to read, sit and eat a snack, or just relax has been our back patio. I really wish I had somewhere like this to sit outside in Chicago! I can go to the park, but it’s just not  the same since 1) I can look like a complete mess and 2) I can run in and out of the house if I need things.

One of my favorite parts is that if I sit still for a few minutes, everything starts to come alive. I start noticing bluebirds in the trees, bumblebees, and even rabbits and chipmunks! I kept hearing a chipmunk in the bush and literally spent 10 minutes trying to get a picture of this guy for you all. Here’s the best I could do:

He was sneaky! And clearly camera shy. One funny thing about our patio is that we have three clay sculptures of children. From what I remember, my grandmother (?), gave these to my mom when she had each of us.

All three are cute, but clearly there’s one that no one wants to be:

Sad part is, I’m pretty sure that’s the one my mom got when I was born… I vehemently denied it my entire childhood. It was easier to tell my little brother that was him. You’ll all help me pretend, right?

I also mentioned the other day that I’ve been reading Middlesex, and many of you asked how I liked it so far and whether or not I recommend it. I actually finished the book yesterday so I’ll put up a review about it tomorrow and I’ll let you know what I thought of it then! It’s definitely a book I wish I had read in school, that way I could better analyze and understand it. Is it weird that I miss English class from high school? Is it also weird that I secretly wish to take (or audit) English classes when I’m older and have a little free time? (aka probably retired…). This is why I love book clubs!

Well I hope you all have a good Friday! I know I will since I’m going to see Five Year Engagement with my friend, Helen!

Where is your favorite place to sit and relax?

Are you a bingo fan? Or a Drag Queen Bingo fan?

But I love Thursday because it’s time for Thursday Thoughts! And I always have plenty…

1. My first week home I had Apple Pie Oats every single day for breakfast. On Mother’s Day when we had omelets, I had it for lunch. I am officially burnt out.

2. This quote really hit home for me. All this spring I’ve been worrying about where I want to live when I finish law school. What’s the perfect city? Where will I fit in the best, be the happiest? This quote reminds me that wherever I am I can make it home, make it the best place for me.

3. I love these wrap ideas I found on pinterest – they are great combinations that I could use to put in a wrap, or even make as a salad with quinoa or brown rice added! I think they’ll be great for brining lunch to my internship this summer.

4. I am PRAYING that Blend Retreat 2013 is at the end of May, NOT during my finals (like it was this year) and NOT the weekend of my law school graduation! I’m afraid the odds aren’t in my favor… But I so want to go!!!

5. I LOVE the Roasterie! It’s a coffee place I’ve mentioned a few times before when I’m in KC, but I love the atmosphere, they have ALMOND MILK so I can order any drink I want (aka not just tea…), and I just realized it’s only a mile walk from my house! I don’t even need to borrow someone’s car to go and read!

6. I totally forgot to mention that Girls Night Out at the Blue Bird Bistro was actually also a blogger meet up! One of the daughters in attendance was the lovely Bailey, who blogs over at Fit Philanthropist and who just got an awesome promotion!!! She kinda rocks. Oh and she met Tim Gunn. In an adorable dress. Go check it out.

7. Chelsey, I found the solution to our (okay my…) sushi-eating issues. Chopsticks that double as a fork and spoon. We know I need the help…

8. Has anyone bought Bob’s new book The Skinny Rules? I’m really tempted because I LOVE Bob and I’d love to see what he has to say! The only problem is books are sooooo expensive! I went to the bookstore yesterday and chose my book because it was under $10! Every other book I wanted (including Insurgent) was $17! I just couldn’t spend that on something I was going to finish in a day!

9. So, so very true. No one is perfect, but we all do the best we can!

Do you buy many books? Do you have a favorite coffee place to read them?

Anyone else frustrated with eating sushi in public? It’s hard to bite it in half and eating it whole is too much!