Because I was in New York this past weekend, I didn't get to post my links! That doesn't mean that I haven't been gathering all the articles I've read during the last two weeks on here though. So, for this weekend, we get double the fun! By the way, New York was beyond great, and I can't wait to go back again in two months!!

I feel like this week just flew by. Even though I've been looking forward to my trip to NYC for the NYU Stern Preview, I can't believe that it's already next week! But, before we get to it, here were a few things for this past week.

Every week I read numerous articles, snippets, tweets, Instagram posts, and many other things that I want to save somewhere, because I find them interesting, inspiring, funny, cute, etc. Lately, I've been super into Pinterest because of that, since I can quickly save the top image of whatever I'm reading and always have it link back to the original article. But, what better way to do a roundup of some of the best ones, than to post it on here?! So, going forward, I will try my hardest to publish a roundup of my five favorite things from the week. Although I definitely can't promise I'll keep it to just five :)

So this week was a bit of a fiasco in regards to recording my activity. I did both my workouts, on Monday and Wednesday. I failed at waking up early on Monday, but made up for it and did my workout after walking Zoey at night. On Wednesday I was staying at my parents', so I did it during my lunch break while working from home. Since I worked from home for 3 days this week, I completely forgot to wear my Fitbit for 2 days straight! So, I did my workouts, just failed at seeing how active they made me.

It was my mom's birthday a few weeks back, and as a celebration I decided to cook lunch for everyone. This is kind of a big deal in my family, since I'm probably the one with the least cooking skills in the house. Add to that the fact that I chose two recipes I'd never tried to make before and the fact that the Seahawks were playing at noon, and it turned into a race against time. I showed up at my parents' with all the ingredients I'd need at 9 AM. For lunch I made spinach and cheese stuffed shells with marinara sauce. For dessert, a red velvet and white chocolate cheesecake (which I'll post a recipe for separately). Not only was it delicious, but fairly simple to put together, and looked really nice!

Now that the holidays are done and I can clearly see the side effects of stuffing my face with delicious food with an absolute abandon for those weeks, I decided it was time to get serious about getting into shape. I used to be one of those lucky girls who, growing up, didn't really have to work out or diet to stay thin. I ate what I wanted and was pretty comfortable with my body. Then I turned 25. In the past two years, my body has gone through so many transformations that I don't even recognize it. Granted, I spent all of last year with my nose in some GMAT book, while eating cookies and crackers to stay awake while I studied. But since turning 25 almost 2 years ago, I just can't seem to go back to my old body. Not only have I gained weight in the most random places, but it will just not go away! So, it was time to take up a workout routine.

Everyone always talks about how there's not enough time to do everything they want. However, Laura Vanderkam challenged that belief. We think of a day as having 24 hours, 8 hours for sleep, 8 hours for work, and 8 hours for everything else. Among those last 8 hours though, the typical person fits in overtime at work, getting ready for work, breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and maybe a workout. When you stop to look at it, all your time's gone.

I remember Agapi Stassinopoulos the most. Since the summit was online only, every now and then, there were some technical issues. Agapi's session fell into that category. The video was so grainy, I could hardly make out her face. She was in a New York hotel at the time, and we could clearly hear the NY life outside. However, despite the technical difficulties, her speech was one of the sessions I remember the most. She was incredibly passionate about the subject of happiness, and clearly wanted to help others be happier with themselves.

I may have mentioned this already, but I'm an extremely picky eater. I don't eat vegetables, legumes, fruits, and many other things. Although I've been trying very hard to branch out and find healthy alternatives on a daily basis, there are a few dishes that I still fall back on. One of my favorites is salmon. In addition to actually liking salmon, I get the added benefit of it being rich in omega 3 fats and amino acids. Salmon is also an extremely easy and flexible dish to make, as prep time can take as little as 10 minutes and it can be served with a multitude of sides. For this weekend, I chose to go plain, with just some white rice and oven roasted potatoes.

During my senior year of college I walked by a ceramic painting studio at the mall and decided to give it a shot. I was surprised to find that it was an extremely relaxing experience. Since then, I've tried to go once a month, and have eventually begun working on bigger pieces. Here are some that I've painted in the past: