Yes to Love

This post today might seem a little random, but I can't help it.  I meant to do a post about this earlier, and didn't get to it until now. The above music video is called "Yes to Love" by Stefano, and it is probably one of my favorite music/lyric videos of all time! I love how simple it is, along with all of the beautiful imagery and amazing lyrics! However, perhaps my favorite thing about the song is that I can relate so many of the lyrics to my relationship with my boyfriend Jake!

The past three and a half months I have been dating him have been the best time of my life, and I feel like, not to be cliché, the luckiest girl in the world. Honestly. He is exactly what I'd always hoped love would be like, and every time I spend time with him I am always amazed by how quickly the time flies by and how much my smile muscles hurt!

It's amazing how fast he has become my rock and how he has become my best friend. I think my love for him hits me most during all of those random moments, where he might say the sweetest thing ever, or when I find out something new about him, or when we make eye contact and smile at each other during random moments of the day. I feel so lucky to have met him last semester when we were teaching together, and can't even picture my life without him.

Today was just one of those days where all of these feelings really hit me, and I felt like sharing! And Jake, if you are reading, I hope you know how much I love you!!!!! Soooooooo much! :)

Lemon Ricotta Pancakes and Blueberry Sauce

 I absolutely LOVE pancakes, and these pancakes are definitely some of the best I have ever had! Whoever started putting ricotta in pancakes was a genius, because it makes the pancakes even fluffier and the texture is more delicious! They are also so thick and I have found that they are easier to flip. The lemon flavor could not be more fun, especially in combination with the blueberry sauce!

I first discovered this recipe from the Two Peas and Their Pod food blog, and you can access the official recipe there! The only changes that I made was to use whole wheat flour instead of all-purpose flour in the pancakes and I did not include lemon zest. When making the sauce, I actually just put frozen blueberries and applesauce on the stovetop and stirred occasionally until it was all heated through! You could add sugar if you like, although I found that our sauce was perfectly sweet!

I hope you enjoy these for breakfast or any time of day! Happy weekend!

Nutella Hot Chocolate

One of my favorite things about winter is cozying up with a warm cup of hot chocolate! There is something so satisfying about a warm beverage that is packed with chocolate goodness! This two-ingredient recipe couldn't be easier or more fantastic, since it features Nutella, one of my all-time favorite things!

For this recipe, all you need is milk and Nutella! Use two tablespoons of Nutella for each cup of milk, and put them in a saucepan on medium heat until combined and hot! Enjoy!

Happy Birthday Abraham Lincoln!

Hello everyone! Today is Abraham Lincoln's birthday, and I made him a birthday greeting video, which was part of a contest at the University of Illinois, and I won! You can check out the video below!

Like what you see? Check out the bloopers and bonus footage! And as always, thanks for watching!

Movies and Manhood

Hello! I know it has been a little while since I have posted anything, the semester is definitely heating up! I watched this TED talk a while ago, and loved it! Movie protagonists and gender are something that I don't always notice or think about, so I got a lot out of this talk by Colin Stokes! Hope you had a great weekend!

Self Evident Truths

Happy Wednesday! I know I have been posting more TED talks recently, but they are just so good and I can't help myself! I just love how informative and personal they can be, and in less than 20 minutes, I am much more informed or inspired about a particular issue. I loved IO Tillett Wright's talk today about the concepts of gender, sexuality, marriage equality, and her project called Self Evident Truths. She is a photographer with a goal of taking pictures of anyone who identifies as not 100% straight because she believes that anyone who looks at these unadulterated and unedited photographs of real people puts a human face to equal rights movement. The name for the project, Self Evident Truths, comes directly from the Declaration of Independence from the quote "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal." Anyway, I strongly urge you to watch the TED talk, but if 18 minutes is too long for you, I included a less than 3 minute version below, so you can still get a great idea about the talk and the issue at hand.

Happy viewing! As always, feel free to leave comments!

Eve Ensler: "Love Your Tree"

This is perhaps one of the best clips on body image I have ever seen! Do you have 80 seconds? If so, watch!!

Eve Ensler is the playwright for the "Vagina Monologues" and advocates for women in many different ways! She is currently involved with V-DAY: A Global Movement to End Violence Against Women and Girls Worldwide. This looks like an awesome organization, so click here to learn more!

Have an excellent and empowered week!