no day but today

I love RENT. Um, yeah, anyway :) hi everyone! I hope your Monday has started off the week well. As I mentioned ever so slightly in the last post, as much as it is nice to look back at all the places I've been, all of the food I've eaten, and the things I've done, I must make a conscious effort every day not to dwell. This past year and a half has contained some of the most exciting and life-changing experiences ever, but life certainly hasn't ended, haha. I should still enjoy every day as it comes, I can still make the most of now.

This week for instance. Why I'm loving it: 

1. It's completely stress-free, or practically. My midterms are finally over! Plus, I'm on top of all of my current and upcoming assignments. Looking forward to a regular sleep schedule and daily yoga classes.
2. My beloved graduate roommate is coming up to visit this Halloween weekend! And I finally have a costume! C, if you're reading this, I'll call you tonight with details.
3. On Tuesday my house is having a Wine & Cheese party. Paired with my extra free time, carefree attitude, and holiday enthusiasm I couldn't ask for a better occasion to celebrate ;)

What make this week and today extra special to you? Comon' I'm sure you can think of something!

It could even be something as simple as breakfast. This morning I had an amazing bowl of oats, almond milk, strawberries, banana, and almond butter. According to my wonderful raw guru, this is not the most energizing combo, nor is it ideal to digest, but it certainly kept me full all morning, even through an hour and 15 minutes of grueling vinyasa yoga  :).

By the way, if you haven't already noticed, these photos are from around my room :) the desk area that I didn't have a chance to show you before. This decorative inspiration, for example, was a gift from my Mom since she dedicated the "I hope you dance" song to me many years ago. Oh and she came to visit this weekend too! But more on that tomorrow, I promise it's worth the wait.

To make up for my rule-breaking morning meal ;) I stuck with the basics for lunch. A huge-jass spinach salad with a hard-boiled egg and tuna made for the perfect protein-veggie combo. You see, I may be eating differently than I have been, but real food is real food, and luckily, it's available in almost any part of the world.

Speaking of travel (whether we were or not, haha) I'm contributing to another blog! I will be featured on GoBackpacking.com and my introductory post is scheduled to go up tomorrow. Check it out :) And if you're following me on Twitter, I'll let you know exactly when and where. So excited!

Back to the food: a starch-based meal to end the day. Carol didn't make any veg-friendly options for dinner tonight but she did make brown rice with vegetables. So, I heated up mushrooms and chickpeas, added it to the mix, and then continued to add more and more broccoli as I cleared spots for it on the plate :). And there you have it! A day in the life of Danielle as a U.S. college student.

"The difference between ordinary and extraordinary is that little extra."