My Not So Secret Amazing PUMPKIN CAKE!

This cake is awesome. It's moist. It's quick. It's NOT packed with calories. It's perfect for this time of year. It's addicting!

Ingredients:

• 1 Box of Spice Cake Mix (18oz)
• 2 Cups of Pureed Pumpkin
• 1/3 Cup Apple Sauce (1 small cup in the Apple Sauce 6 packs)
• 1 Egg
• 1/2 cup Water
• Brown Sugar
• Cinnamon & Nutmeg (Or Pumpkin Pie Seasoning)
• Cream Cheese Frosting

Directions:

• Preheat Oven to 350 degrees.
• Mix Dry Spice Cake Mix, Pumpkin, Apple Sauce & Egg at speed 1 then 2 as the mix picks up moisture.
• I slowly add the water - honestly, just judge the mixture, you want it to not be too thick but not too thin.
• At a slow speed tap in your Cinnamon, a pinch of Nutmeg or as much Pumpkin Spice as you want.
• With a spatula, I stir brown sugar into the bowl, if it's chunky - good!
• Cupcakes, loaf or bundt are the best! With a loaf or bundt grease then sprinkle flour.
• Bake for recommended time on cake box - you'll probably need to add another 8-10 minutes because it's so moist with the pumpkin.
• Remove from oven, let sit for less than 10 min then if in loaf or bundt flip onto plate to frost with Cream Cheese Frosting so it can melt down the sides and into the cake! If you're going to a party sprinkle some cinnamon sugar on the frosting.

Where Do the Day's Go?

A month has quickly, crazily and successfully passed by without my true understanding of where the days have gone!

Let's recap:

• ·      I worked as a Personal Trainer Manager for a short and sweet period of time
• ·      I was offered a position with The Cliffs
• ·      My best friend visited
• ·      I started at The Cliffs
• ·      I love my job
• ·      I have officially started to plan our wedding!
• ·      And - it's ALMOST Christmas!

God has challenged, blessed, humbled and shown me His Power in this past month… 

and all I can say is,

I am NOT jumping off of this ride!

My challenge to everyone is to make a “List.”” Not your Christmas list, but a positive list. Look back at the last month or two and write down everything good that's happened  for you, to you and because of you. It should take less than 10 minutes and it’s something you should remind yourself of whether you live with a Faith or not!

I am incredibly excited about the Holiday Season! I cannot wait to post some fun ideas for gifts and cards – I need to get back to being a BLOGGER!

My verse of the week, Hebrew 4:16

“Let us then approach the throne of GRACE with confidence, 

so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.”

PLAYLIST of the week

God Gave Me You - Dave Barnes

Run - Addison Road

Amazing Grace (My Chains Are Gone)  - Chris Tomlin

Yahweh - Hillsong United

Don't Stop Believin' - Glee Cast

How He Loves Us - Hillsong United

The Anthem - PlanetShakers

DAY 1: The New Job!

Today marks "Day 1" of the new job! While the work day was short, it was a wonderful day. It is incredibly exciting to start something "new" when you enjoy what you are starting.

Every day I will have the opportunity to go to work and continually grow in relationships with my co-workers like a normal job, but most importantly (and the reason as to why I choose this job) I have the opportunity and capability to work with people who are not healthy, have no fitness and want to give themselves a better LIFE! There will be people who I will work with who are healthy and have their fitness at a certain level - it will be great to support their goals and teach them new things, but it is the "overweight" and "obese" culture in America, in the South, that I can really help. Did you know that almost 70% of Americans are OVERWEIGHT! From that 70%, 30% of those people believe that they are "normal." For them to think that they are okay in their weight is communicating that there is an image issue in America. Normal in America is overweight - is that what we want? What breaks my heart the most is the fact that almost 20% of elementary age children are obese - that's not even including the overweight percentage.  If adults cannot make the healthy choices to avoid this issue, to change the way America understands health & fitness, then what is going to happen to these children? Do we want the next generation to have the list below by the fun age of 20?!

• Diabetes
• High blood pressure
• Stroke
• Heart attack/heart failure
• Cancer
• Gallbladder problems
• Gout a kid of arthrities that occurs when uric acid builds up in the joints. Acute gout is a painful condition that typically affects one joint.
• Osteoarthritis 
  
  

  Deep aching joint pain that gets worse

  after exercise or putting weight on it

• Sleep apnea a common disorder in which you have one or more pauses in breathing or shallow breaths while you sleep - notice that is defined with COMMON :( 

I have the opportunity to work with people every day and show them their current personal "health & fitness" and their future - negative and positive. I have the opportunity to work with them to establish goals for their health, weight and strength. Exercise programs, nutrition and encouragement are going to help these people avoid health issues that will cost thousands of dollars, costly injuries because they are overweight and then show them how life can be better (honestly, less expensive and longer) at a healthier size!

My fitness, nutrition and science training comes from ISSA, the International Sports & Science Association. It is amazing to have the education in this specific knowledge. I am very blessed to have the opportunity to use my training at Gold's Gym and I look forward to RESHAPING the Southland!

For those of you who are already content with your physical condition, yeah, congratulations! You are part of a small percentage and I encourage you to continue making "fitness and nutrition" a habit! Ladies: If you are ever looking for something fun online I like the "Tone It Up Girls" from California. They have some quick videos on their website and some good recipes. Their link is on the right side of my page as their picture.

I cannot wait for more to come! Day 1 was a success and Day 2 will start tomorrow - that's all I can honestly say about it right now!

HGTV Design Star?!

While these are not the final pictures of the apartment, in the midst of my writers block, I thought it would be nice to show how Jenn, Caitlin and I have made our apartment into a lake/coastal cottage. All of us are from the East Coast. We have all grown up on some form of water; the ocean, a river, a lake or a bay. We wanted the main floor of the townhouse to become a relaxing spot that made it more like a home!

We have put a lot more work into the space since these photos. Updated pictures will come within the next week but here are a few to show our initial work (before and half-after!) Enjoy!

Living Room - Before

Living Room - Semi Complete

Breakfast Nook - Before

Breakfast Nook - Caitlin & I Painting Lake Hartwell Map

Lake Hartwell Outline Almost Complete!

I LOVE My Hair! I LOVE This Day! I LOVE My Church!

I am incredibly entertained by that girl on YouTube with her "Affirmations"! Yes, it is something to enjoy and laugh at, but today I'm seriously debating standing on top of my sink when I get home and trying the cheer/dance with all of the things "I love!"


I had a great morning yoga session because my hair looked too good to run! So... I love my ROOM! I love my HAIR! I love my YOGA dvd!
Then I ate a wonderful breakfast with some new super tasty coffee, so obviously, love.


The drive to work was gorgeous! God used His sky for a watercolor masterpiece (not to mention the weather was perfect so I could have the windows down and I DID NOT care what my hair looked like when I arrived at work)! 
I love my CLEMSON! I love this WEATHER! And I burned a new Cd for my car so I'm just rockin' out to my current personal soundtrack.


To add to this wonderful day, I got a NEW job yesterday! 3 interviews later and I get to do something that I love. I start two Monday's from now - it is a great fit and I will tell you much more as I begin!


Finally, I LOVE MY CHURCH! NewSpring is doing amazing things in the Upstate (and I'm not even giving it the credit it deserves saying that!) Today is the NewSpring Leadership Conference at the Anderson Campus. Francis Chan, Mark Driscoll, Steven Furtick, our pastor Perry Noble, Judah Smith, Jud Wilhite and Andy Stanley are all teaching a full day "focused on leveraging your influence to preach the Gospel"! To make that news even better, for those of us who couldn't join during the day, Andy Stanley is giving a FREE night session!! So... I LOVE MY CHURCH!


More than likely, I can be found this evening on top of my sink, in front of my mirror, loving everything!

It's ALEX'S Birthday!

Happy Birthday Alexandra!! You're 21!

Today my sister turns 21 and she is such an outstanding young lady! I wish I was at home to celebrate for her and with her.

Now, it has been an incredibly great 21 years of having her as my baby sister. We haven't always enjoyed each other's company or even presence, however, after I moved away for school our relationship has changed tremendously.

She is tough and independent. She knows what she likes and is not afraid to express what she does not like. She is intelligent and looks like an exotic model. She has the curly hair everyone is jealous of and the tan to go with it.

She is amazing with kids and is going to be an outstanding teacher!

I keep forgetting how old we are. I remember playing in the sandbox dad built next to our swing set. Our fort in the woods was the coolest place to hang out on our street. We had the greatest driveway of chalk art. Our mornings were consumed with tennis lessons and then practice on the board dad built us for the garage. Wagon races down the driveway were pretty intense after the movie "Cool Runnings." My grilled cheese sandwiches were her favorite. Every summer we spent hours at the community pool hanging out with friends we would never get to see. Bike rides with or without Dad into Quiet Waters are unforgettable. Winter sledding and snow-fort building only got better as we grew older. Lacrosse became life. Her hissy-fits were common if I had a variety show or play. We had an awesome basement for playing "house" or "school" (yes, I did assign real homework!). Neither of us grew much after middle school! We knew how to get to a new volume every time we argued, Dad loved it! Thrift stores became our pirate treasures as we seemed to always find the most outstanding things together. She has a lot of nicknames; "Alex," "Al," "Calex" (thank you mom), "Alexandra Marie!!!" just to name a few. We are always in charge of getting all of the presents from under the Christmas tree and organizing them for the family. We are territorial together. Taegan is her favorite thing, EVER. She likes to text, I like to call.  

We are not twins! 

Today is Alex's 21st Birthday and I am so lucky to have her as my little sister. God definitely gave me one that would help develop my personality and make me a better person, a better sister! 

This needs to be one of the last Birthday's I have to spend away from her... 

we're trying to bring her back to the South!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY AL! You are AWESOME and I love you and I miss you!

Clemson Commercial!

Most of you know that I'm pretty stuck up when it something involves media communication... I mean it was my thesis and the library supplied me with hours of focus on the subject!

Can I just express HOW thankful and happy I am that Clemson FINALLY created a better Commercial to be aired! Our school has a lot of potential to be within the Top 20 schools in the country and that last commercial said nothing for that ranking!

Clemson Commercial

Go Tigers!

Enjoy!