All Settled In

Hey Everyone! I am so sorry that it has been so long since I have posted! Between getting here, exploring beautiful Texas and starting school, I have been bussssy! I have finally got all settled in though and I thought I would share with you my new oasis :) About a month ago I moved into a 4 bedroom, 4 1/2 bathroom townhome about 2.5 miles off of campus that I absolutely LOVE! I moved in with one of my best friends from high school, Brianna, Tara and Melanie, two amazingly sweet medical students from San Antonio, Texas. A home is never really done, but making it feel "homie" is what I do best. 

Now WELCOME to my humble abode... 

Have I have always loved the color purple, so I added purple and gold accents to a black and white room. Thanks to my amazing mom and her creative eye and my handy dad, I got everything set up and hung. I would love to here y'alls feedback and your likes and dislikes:) If you have any questions on where I got anything, let me know and I will get back to you! 

So now that you have seen my cubical of love... here are some of the amenities I get to enjoy for the next year:) 

 A rad full size gym, with a yoga room (P90X and Insanity included), free weights, treadmills and ellipticals.  

 And the view from the gym is this crystal blue, olympic size pool with swim up bar and jacuzzi! The only way to relax on a hot Texas day! 

Thank you so much for reading, friends! I hope you enjoyed!

California to Texas

Hey Y'all!! So I officially made it to flat and hot Lubbock, Texas. The road trip was a long, but an eventful trek halfway across the country.
Day 1: We left San Diego at 2am and drove about 11 hours to Alamogordo, New Mexico. My best friends dad is a huge history buff, so he told us about this beautiful national park in this part of New Mexico. From the street you couldn't truly see the beauty of this place. Below are pictures of the White Sands National Park in Alamogordo, NM. 

Our hotel provided us with these sleds so we were able to hike to the top of the duns and slide down! 

Honestly one of the most beautiful sights I have seen. 

Day 2: Up at 6am to grab a bite to eat and get back on the road. After many road trip jams, long chats and pit stops we arrived in beautiful Texas. 

New Home!!! <3

After a 2 day, 1,050 mile drive to my new home I got to meet my two new AMAZING roommates and was reunited with my best friend again:) So lucky to have both of my parents to take me on this new journey. So much fun driving to new places with them. Love you both!

Can't wait to show y'all my new place!! Pictures to come. 

Sincerely, Kayla Marie 

My Last Hurrah!

So this Saturday was my last hurrah in beautiful San Diego (even thought it rained) before I leave this   coming WEDNESDAY. We had family and friends over for some grilling action, cake and games! Obviously I pulled out my flannel, jean shorts and cowboy boots for such occasion (I thought it was fitting) and the lovely Flour Power Cakery put a beautiful white shaved chocolate masterpiece together for dessert. Because of the rain we had to cancel volleyball and bocce ball outside, however we got to pull out Apples to Apples and Taboo. I am telling you, fun games and my family are an amazing combination of happiness and crying from laughing too hard.

Overall it was an incredible night of neighbors, family, old friends and new friends. I am one truly lucky women to have all those incredible people in my life that support what I am doing and are willing to send me off in such an amazing way. 

As a totally daddy's girl, we have to take a picture of us at every occasion. 

Sarah Clark. You could never tell that we are three years apart and I'm the younger one. Haha. We have known each other my entire life and even though you aren't blood, you are still the best big sister!! Love you <3

And of course the Wilbur family aka. my second family! We are only missing Brianna (best friend and roommate in Texas) and brother Zach. This family is the most kind-hearted, blessed and genuine family and I could not have asked for better! Love you <3 

I hope everyone has a happy Monday and a fantastic week! I will be at home packing up the rest of my nik naks and driving 1,045 miles to beautiful Texas! Can't wait to show you all! 

Sincerely, Kayla Marie 

Moving UPDATE!!

So we are down to 5 days till I pick up my life and move it halfway across the country! Every day, as it gets closer the more nervous and excited I get. Brianna (best friend & roommate) and I finally got introduced to our new roommates via Facebook, and so far they seem sweet! Two girl medical students.. I think this will work out nicely (: Our new home is a 4 bedroom, 4.5 bathroom townhouse just off campus enough to get away from the craziness of new freshman and frat parties. (Pictures to come once we get there) I am truly excited for my new oasis, and it totally helps that there is a full size gym and an olympic size pool... no complaints here! 

As of now most of my life is packed up and stored in the garage, so that means my room is becoming bare and plain. I still have things here and there, but sooner rather than later it will all be strategically placed in two cars and I will be starting the 17 hour trek to Lubbock, Texas. Most 23 year olds would have never came back home to live with their parents, but honestly.. the last 7 months have been nice, peaceful and definitely will be missed. Who knows where life will take me from here... and I am lucky that I got to be able to come back and spend some quality time with the two people who love me the most <3 

Also.. never mentioned my parents do custom framing! So before I left I helped them make me some one of a kind decorations for the new place. 

Lyrics from one of my favorite Christian songs... 

(bedroom color scheme is black, gold and purple) 

And a memento of where I came from and where I am going, with one of my favorite inspirational quotes! 

Thanks mom and dad <3 

Sincerely, Kayla Marie

Stir Fry Chicken

Hey there!! I hope everyone had an amazing fourth of July! This is definitely a weekend of fun family, and friend time! It was a beautiful weekend here in San Diego, and with me leaving in only 2 short weeks I so took advantage of the beach and sunshine! This summer has been quite an interesting one, (we are not used to weather below 75 degrees)  we have had some chilly nights! So this would be something to warm up your body (: And I know holiday weekends you eat all these amazingly unhealthy foods, but ohhhhhh they are so delicious. So I decided to share one of my personal favorite recipes that always put a smile on my face, is oh so delicious and is good (and warm) for your tummy! 

With this recipe I used just the veggies that I currently had in my house, but don't be afraid to spice things up a bit and add whatever you want to your stir fry! Good additions are... asparagus, red chard, snap peas, onions and any type of pepper! 

Hope you all enjoy! 

Sincerely, Kayla Marie 

Start to #betterbody challenge- DAY ONE!!!

Today marks day one to a what I am calling my 4 week better body challenge because I am moving to Texas exactly 4 weeks! The last 2 months I have been working hard, eating well and have lost a total of 15 lbs. So now I have the hard to loose 10 lbs to go and this is my journey in shedding the last unwanted weight. I am going to be on a very strict diet, strict workout schedule and NO CHEATING! I will be sharing my progress throughout the next four weeks, including my food prep, workouts, and highs and lows. The reason I am doing this challenge is to hold myself accountable to stay on track and finish the fitness journey that I have started. After I shed the unwanted fat, I am going to work hard to tone up and gain muscle where needed. I hope you all will join me and follow my road to a healthier lifestyle. 

Any comments, suggestions or questions please comment below! I would love to hear what y'all  think:) 

This video marks day one and explains a little about my goals and shares with you what foods I will be cutting out of my diet and what supplements and vitamins I will be taking:) 

Sincerely, Kayla Marie 

Lemon Chicken Cilantro Salad - Perfect for a Hot Summer Day

Living in San Diego, CA summers here can range from 75 degrees to pushing 100 degrees. On a day like today, all you want is to appreciate the weather, lay out in the sun and enjoy a light, tasty meal that will tingle your tastebuds as well as get all your healthy nutrients. I added up all the calories for this meal and it could be a light snack, or a full meal adding your protein of choice. Including my chicken, it came to 300 calories, a perfect amount of balanced nutrition to keep you full till dinner if this is your lunch of choice or through the rest of your night. So how do you make your own??

You will need: 

(makes 4 servings) 

For the salad: 

• 1/2 C. dry quinoa 
• 1 1/2 C. chicken or veggie broth (I used organic, no sodium)
• 1 Roma tomato 
• 1 1/2 avocados diced (I added in later. If you have leftovers the avocado will spoil) 
• 2 C. organic spinach 
• 1 bunch of cilantro 
• 1/4 cup green onion 
• 2-4 cloves of garlic (depending on your love for garlic!) 
• 2 chicken breasts 

For the dressing: 

• Juice of 2 lemons 
• zest of 1 lemon 
• 2 tsp. olive oil 
• 1/2 tsp. cumin 
• dash od pepper

Directions:  Make your quinoa first. Soak the quinoa in a pot in the broth for about 15 minutes. After that, turn on the heat to medium high and let the quinoa come to a boil. Once it boils, reduce heat to medium/low and let quinoa simmer. Stir every so often, and cook quinoa just until the liquid absorbs. You don’t want it completely dried out, so when there is just a TINY amount of liquid left in the pot, remove it from heat and put a lid on it. Set it aside, and make the rest of the salad. Process cilantro and spinach in food processor until finely chopped, or you can chop by hand. put in large bowl, add green onion, and garlic-finely chopped. stir.  Grill your chicken with any spices that you prefer, dice and add to mixture. Add quinoa once cooled. Add the dressing and avocado and ENJOY! (I threw all the dressing ingredients into my food processor, but you could definitely do by hand with a whisk) 

I hope you all enjoy this as much as I did! 

Sincerely, Kayla Marie 

Craft Heaven!

I am a huge decor lover! Whether it is home decorating, DIY projects, or sitting down and scrapbooking for hours. I have always been a Michaels fan, but today my whole creative life has changed. I have heard AMAZING stories about this new addition to La Mesa, Ca but didn't know how much it would change my perspective on arts and crafts. Since I am moving to a smaller city, where we don't have a Hobby Lobby, so I decided to take a venture into decor heaven. I went in for scrapbook paper and came out with a new clock, some throw pillows, scrapbook paper and many more little decorative items. If I didn't have limited space in my car moving to Texas, I would have bought the whole store! Long story short, if you have a Hobby Lobby in your town and your love to decorate or craft, this will be your new love. 

Sincerely, Kayla Marie 

The countdown begins...

Welcome family, old friends, and new friends. Today marks forty eight days till I start the next chapter in my life in Lubbock, Texas. Six months ago I graduated college and decided that graduate school was the next step in my path. My mom and I trucked across the south to find my new home. From Texas, to Louisiana, to Tennessee, we went from school to school and I narrowed it down to Texas Tech and University of Tennessee, Knoxville. Both felt like a place that I could see myself fulfilling my dreams of becoming a licensed social worker, but one felt like home. I definitely helped that one of my best friends in the world is going to law school there, but it was a feeling of warmth in my heart that lead me to Texas Tech. Now classes are all signed up for, the lease is signed and the packing begins! This California girl is taking herself to the South!

Sincerely, Kayla Marie