Cinco I Don't Like Mayo

Mayonnaise. Yuck. Everytime I go to a cookout or some sort of get-together, I am reminded how "weird" I am that I detest mayonnaise. Eggs, oil, and whatever other oddities they cram in that stuff really doesn't sound all that appealing to me.

So that was a random tangent, I know...but the holiday name Cinco de Mayo just flashes an image of a jar of mayo in my head. Every. Single. Time. Bleh!

Anyway! So this Cinco was a little bit (a lot) more low-key than last year's. Last year, my former roommate and I threw a fab little fiesta at our apartment with friends to celebrate the end of spring semester. It was great! It is absolutely crazy to think how much has changed in a year. We have all really gone in seperate directions and I don't get to see a lot of the people I used to, with the exception of my very close friends. That's life, I guess! In terms of this year's Cinco, I would hardly even call it festive. Oopsie. :)

Except, I did have a chance to once again improve my cooking (not baking) skills and I made a recipe out of my Trim & Terrific cookbook which I hold so dear. I had never made a mexican tamale casserole before, and I gotta say...it was pretty delish. The original recipe called for ground sirloin, but I don't eat red meat a lot, so I subbed in ground turkey - no one knew the diff ;)

Round it out with a salad, and you've got a great, healthy meal! Since when do cheesy, low-fat, high-protein, mexican and healthy go together? Now, duh! So I guess you can say that is me being cool & festive for a holiday that I'm not really even qualified to celebrate. :) Ole!

That following Sunday, me, my mom, & grandmother had a quaint little girls day in Lebanon at the Prime Outlets. Love that place! Although I didn't find exactly what I had my sights set on, I did score some major bargains at Banana Republic. I got a pair of green cargo capris that were originally $49.50 for $10.79!

Imagine these...but green. Comfy spring attire!

AND (not stopping there) - a gorgeous luncheon dress for Miss TN week for $20! Hello, someone tell me that is not amazing!? (Couldn't find a pic of that steal!)

Sad thing is, now another shopping trip has to be made so I can finish up checking off my list of "things to buy" before I head to Jackson! Oh wait, that's not a sad thing. Anywho, time is ticking! :)

Can y'all believe it's the middle of May!? Only gonna get hotter here in Tennessee!

God bless! xoxo- C

I'm BAA-AACK!

Here I am, here I am, here I am! I'm back from my 2-ish week vacay hiatus to Daytona Beach & Cinncinati (that is, two seperate trips). So here I sit at my computer, just having taken my online Math 1130 midterm review quiz (we won't talk about that), and I'm thinking...wow, what do you blog about when you've been gone for 2 whole weeks? Highlights, that's what. Highlights of my trips. Here we goooooo!

-Getting a TAN (thank you sweet Jesus for some much needed vitamin D) Of course, I used my Australian Gold SPF 8 :) p.s. sorry for blurry picture there!

-Boating/tubing on Caesar Creek Lake in OH on the 4th! I am so blessed to have met some of Ty's family in Ohio this past week. Such sweet (& hilarious!) people.

-Fabulous shopping in Cinncinati, St. Augustine, & Daytona Beach! I was able to get my pageant interview dress at a to-die-for BCBG outlet in St. Augustine on the way down to DB. It's like heaven on earth going in there! A-maz-ing.

-BEACH. Sun + ocean + family + chick lit = happy Caroline. 'Nough said.

-Going to King's Island amusement & water park in OH! I am a sucker for roller coasters and thrill rides, so this was right up my alley. Plus, we got to go with a couple of Ty's awesome cousins and spend time with them! This is a pic of my personal fave rollercoaster, the Diamondback. Rode it twice, thank you :)

There you have it, ladies and gents, highlights of my 2 trips in the last 2 weeks. Back-to-back. Haven't stopped for a second.

On another note, I have my actual midterm exam tomorrow morning, so any prayers would be awesome. Goodnight summerbugs! xoxox