Cake Cake Cake Cake

Sometimes, the finer things in life are quite simple. Take, for example, a nice stroll in sunny weather, a friendly smile, puppies, and so on. All of these things are generally simple, and we see them happening day to day, sometimes going unnoticed. 

As a senior in college, I have reached the point of appreciating each day more and more as they pass by. So, on Wednesday, I decided to take someone of a "personal day." The weather was excellent, a beautiful sunny day in the high 60s, and after class, I decided to strictly do "fun."

What's more fun and enjoyable than sitting outside and eating cake? 

Nothing. 

So, I gathered up the roomies, and we came up with a plan. 

Last Resort Grill, a local restaurant located downtown, is extremely well known for it's variety of cakes and cheesecakes (among countless other menu items). Famous for their colorful mural on the outside wall of the restaurant, they have become an Athens classic. They are located on Clayton Street, and are almost always bumpin' with plenty of customers, and happy full tummies.

I mean, look at this stuff. 

I'm probably one of the biggest #foodporn Instagram junkies that you will ever meet (or read?). So, you can imagine how disappointed I felt when I learned that they do not have their own instagram account.  However, they do have a geolocation that is frequently used and provides me with plenty of instal-worthy pictures (praise!). 

The Last Resort website also features many great photos and a fabulous up-to-date website, and they also post their weekly/daily specials on their Facebook and Twitter pages. Their Twitter account seems to be currently inactive, or has been abducted by alien-creatures. 

My friends and I skipped our happy selves all the way to Last Resort in a glorious attempt to sit on the patio and enjoy a nice slice of cake.

$4.95. 

Best money I've spent in a long time. 

Chill, bro.

So, I've talked about the weather before. I spoke about my past struggles with the cold weather, and the cave-like characteristics that it brings out in me. Now, only a mere three weeks later, we're dealing with highs of 84 and lows in the 60s. Did we skip straight to summer? I was excited about early spring, but sweating bullets when I walk into class was not a part of my game plan. 

That being said, I have the perfect guide to keeping cool in this heated city. 

The first key to keeping cool is finding a pool. Most pools in Athens are gated, closed, or private. How do you get around this? Here's a wild thought: sneak in. I'm not usually one to live on the edge, but let me tell you... I get a rush from sneaking into pools. 

Kidding. Kind of. 

There are two main pools that I've found to be extremely easy to sneak into. The first pool is the Towne Club pool. This pool is part of the Towne Club condominium complex, located off of Milledge Avenue, on Springdale. I found out about this pool during my sophomore year, when I lived in my sorority house on Milledge. It was walkable distance, and had ample parking room. They also have an Instagram account that posts about their condominiums and benefits, which also shows off their pool.

 There is a gate with a code, but there are ways around it. First, you could probably hop the fence, if you were really desperate. But, I have a simpler method. I have the gate code. I am the answer you have been looking for! It's #8696. 

Fingers crossed that it hasn't changed. 

The next step for keeping cool is quite crucial. Everyone knows the best way to cool off in the spring or summer is ice cream. Well, I honestly don't really like eating ice cream in the summer. I much prefer popsicles and frozen lemonade. Everyone needs that thirst quencher to satisfy your palette. 

Now, I present you with the holy grail of thirst quenchers. 

Behold, the Sonic Slush.

 

But wait, there's more. What's better than the slush? Well nothing, except for Sonic's HAPPY HOUR.

!!!!

Sonic now offers a happy hour special from 2-4PM every day with 50% off drinks. You can also check out http://secretmenus.com/sonic/happy-hour/ to see more great happy hour food options that change daily. That's right, there's a website called secretmenus.com. Pure genius. 

So, grab your sunscreen, towel, and Sonic slush, and head to that pool. Enjoy this bipolar weather and make sure to keep cool. All for the lovely price of about $1.50. 

You're welcome. 

Boom. Bang. Pow. Hello Spring Break.

Want to hear the best motivation to get in shape? I have two right here. Spring. Break. Cue the music: Dun dun duuuunnnnn. Not only does the idea of getting into a bathing suit after 3 months of winterful bliss terrify me, but it also really instigates this whole self-evaluation. Every college girl around this time of year starts to exercise daily, if they don't already. Some people do two-a-days, and others try juice cleanses and eat celery. I am not one of the juice and celery people. 

Disclaimer: I'm not one of those people who likes to diet. I don't really believe in it. 

I have always been a firm believer in eating everything in moderation. So you want to binge and eat half a pint of ice cream? Do it. Just not every day. Everyone should do this at least once (a month..). Here's my theory though. If you're going to eat the pint, just promise yourself you'll work it off. It's all about the balance. Set standards for yourself. Half of the pint = an extra 30 minutes on the treadmill, jumping jacks at every commercial break, push-ups, whatever. 

I genuinely like to exercise. I work out often, and eat what I want. It works for me. I kick box every morning at a studio called 9Round. I started doing this in October of 2015. People had recently been talking about how great kick-boxing is for toning your body without bulking up. Then of course I found out that the VS supermodels kick-box, so naturally I had to try it. 

(I mean same. I look like that, right?)

9Round isn't your ordinary kickboxing work out. The entire workout lasts only 30 minutes, and there are no class times, so you're free to go in whenever you want (and they're open). There are nine different rounds with different types of punching backs and stations set up. Each round lasts only 3 minutes, and there are 30 seconds in between each round. I will say this, it's nonstop. You literally don't stop moving for the entire 30 minutes. Even in the 30 seconds that they give you in between rounds, you are doing exercises like high-knees, jumping jacks, skater hops, etc. 

Little did I know that when I joined this gym, that it would be so fun. I've always been mildly athletic. I played sports all throughout high school and maintained some form of athleticism throughout college thus far. But, for the first time in a while, I actually look forward to going to the gym. If I'm angry, I punch it out. If I'm excited, I go to the speed bag. Sometimes, I picture peoples faces on the bags (violent, I know, but it helps). It's like therapy. 

The other great thing about 9Round is how fast it is. You're in and out in 30 minutes, and you don't have to sign up in advance to squeeze in to a class. Wanna know a secret? I paid 200 dollars for a 4-month membership. Talk to any girl that takes classes regularly at any gym in Athens, and their jaw will drop to the floor. Fifty dollars a month for kick box training with trainers helping you, unlimited access (you can go as many times a day as you want), and it's actually fun? Blasphemy. 

It's true, really. Every morning I'm greeted by awesome trainers who are ready to make me work hard. If I even hint at the fact that I could be trying harder, or that the workout isn't hard enough, they change it on the spot. The staff actually cares about each client. They know everyone on a first name basis, and know to help you get the results you're looking for.  Be careful what you wish for... 

 They appreciate each and every customer so much. Just this morning, Torri (a fellow 9rounder), completed two full cycles today in celebration of her one year anniversary with the gym. Tony, the owner, got so excited that they instagrammed it. They love to inspire and motivate people to kick butt and get in shape through all of their social media accounts. Who doesn't love and need that morning instagram motivation? Those "fitstagrams" literally get me out of bed in the morning. 

So, instead of my normal spring break panic, I just upped the anti by going to 9Round. From October until now, I have been legitimately addicted. No diet necessary. No draining my wallet. I even dropped my normal gym membership to save money. Who needs a treadmill when you get to punch the shit out of things? 

If you're reading this two days before you leave for the beach, I'm sorry, but it's probably too late. But hey, swimsuit season is almost here so get on it and go visit my friends over at 9Round on Timothy Rd. It's worth it. 

Peace, luv, & thrillz.