Questions to break the ice / list of conversation starters

I'll be the first to admit that meeting new people at events can be kind of awkward if you're not super social. As an introvert, I really have to make an effort to meet new people and engage in conversations with strangers at events, but it's always worth it because I leave knowing a new person! Talking to new people can be difficult at first, but I've found that being prepared to talk to strangers makes things 100x easier. If the conversation doesn't naturally start or carry on, I always have some questions in mind to spark conversation and hopefully make some connections with the person. The key to asking questions is to also listen to the answers - that's how you can make a great response and potentially make connections!

So here are some of the questions and conversation starters I use in three different settings: college settings, work settings, and random social events in Atlanta. I hope these are helpful for you!

In college

• What's your major?
• What year are you in school?
• What made you decide to attend *insert college name here*?
• Where are you from?
• What high school did you go to? (If you're familiar with their hometown)
• Do you live on or off campus?
• What organizations are you involved in?
• Do you work or have an internship?
• What career do you plan to have?
• What do you do for fun on the weekends?

At work

• How long have you worked here?
• How do you like working here?
• What are some of your responsibilities?
• Where are some good lunch spots?
• How many people are in your department / on your team?
• Where else have you worked?
• Do you have any upcoming projects?

Random social events

• How'd you hear about this event?
• What do you do?
• Where are you from?
• How is the food?
• What area/part of town do you live in?
• Where did you get your *insert clothing item here* from?
• *Mention something interesting you've noticed about the event*

Do you have a go-to conversation starting question or statement? 

Please share in a comment below!

Read about the power of reaching out & networking here

Center for Civil and Human Rights in Atlanta {review}

The Center for Civil and Human Rights is located in Atlanta and opened to the public in June of 2014. However, I had not had the chance to visit this well-revewed museum until last month. My school purchased tickets for students to visit during the month of January and I went with my boyfriend and friend. It's difficult to share everything that is so great about this place because every exhibit I saw really blew my mind. We spent about two hours touring the center, but honestly that wasn't enough time. I plan to go back and view the exhibits that I didn't have time to see. Student and educator tickets are just $13!

My absolute favorite exhibit in the Center was sitting at the lunch counter (above). Once you sit down, you are challenged to put on headphones and listen to the hateful insults and experience the creepily realistic verbal abuse that many black people who participated in sit-ins experienced during the Civil Rights Movement. The true challenge is to stay calm, seated, and keep your hands placed on the counter throughout the entire experience. 

Many objects inside the museum are interactive, yet stay true to the time period.

I love the location of the Center because it's nearby other popular Atlanta tourist attractions and has a great view of our city.

This room (above) that shares information about the March on Washington was one of my favorites. If you've been to Washington D.C. and seen the new Martin Luther King Jr. monument, you can see the similarities. The room in the Center has a very large, wide screen that plays scenes from the March on Washington and the program that took place in D.C. Sitting in that room, I felt like I had gone back in time and was experiencing this historic event. They have tissues available in this room and others because the experience is that powerful and emotional for many.

Even the floors in the building display information and visuals about Civil and Human Rights!

This center is truly a gem in our city, and something that everyone should experience. It is the best museum I have ever visited, and I've been to many!

Purchase tickets to the Center here.

Read more about the Center here.

Why did you start blogging / why do you read blogs?

This post will be short because I am more interested in reading the comments and emails. 

If you're a blogger, tell me why you started blogging or what was the inspiration behind your blog? And please leave a link to your page so we can visit.

If you're a reader who doesn't have a blog, please share why you read blogs and what are some characteristics of blogs you enjoy?

These posts are always fun when people share and start conversations in the comments. I'll be sharing my answers soon too!

Recent natural no-heat hair styles

I'm not sure if I announced it here, but I set a goal to not straighten my hair until December of this year (when I will finish my master's degree). After doing the #NoHeatDecember challenge and going a few months at a time without using heat on my hair in 2014, I think that this year's challenge will be very doable. The toughest part for me was finding styles that don't take too long and that I still like wearing. I've been trying new styles each week and I'm really enjoying the ease and benefits of not flat ironing or blow drying my hair. Here are some recent styles:

For my birthday dinner I twisted medium size strands of wet hair and then used flexi rods to roll it.

Flexi rod set

Halo twist on old hair

Halo twist on old hair

Mini twists! This took wayyyy too long, but lasted for a while and was a great protective style for my hair.

How my hair normally looks 5-6 days after washing & styling it. I've been trying to stretch each style to last a week before I have to wash it again. I'll try and share other styles I try throughout the year!

Cheap healthy snacks {kale chips & banana smoothie}

Confession: chocolate chip cookies are my weakness. The kind you place & bake. It's my favorite snack and my favorite thing to pair with frozen yogurt. But I've really been trying to cut back on how often I eat them so that I can accomplish my health goals. So I browsed Pinterest for some tasty looking healthy snack ideas, and the two that sounded great to me were kale chips and a banana smoothie.

I followed these steps for baking, but changed my ingredients some. In a large mixing bowl I covered the kale chips with the olive oil then sprinkled on the following:

black pepper

lemon juice

sea salt

About halfway through baking, I drizzled on some balsamic vinaigrette.

And the final product...

So delicious!! Crispy, flavorful, and addictive. I can't wait to make these again very soon.

Whenever I go to Smoothie King, I order the "Banana Boat" smoothie. Full of bananas, protein, and ice cream. But I wanted to make a healthier version of this smoothie that still tasted great. For a late night snack I put two bananas, a few ice cubes, and 1/4 cup of milk in my NutriBullet.

Yum, and the end result!

I'm so happy that I've figured out how to make these healthy foods into tasty late night snacks because that's when I always want something to nibble on. These are perfect and easy snacks for those of you in college or busy people in general. Quick and filling!

What healthy snacks do you love?

Obsessed with these {New Balance Shoes}

For the past four or five years, I've been wearing one pair of pink Nike running shoes for working out. They were a gift and I have absolutely loved them, but it's time for a new pair of running shoes. I've been browsing around for some possible new sneakers, and I think these are my favorite. I've never had a pair of New Balance shoes, but I've heard good things about them and read some good reviews. These are the New Balance 1500v1 - Women's 1500 Running Shoes. They're bright, breathable, and seem to be well-made...I'm obsessed!

And they come in Coral! Not sure which one I like more.

If you have a pair of running shoes that you love, what kind are they?

 Let me know in a comment below before I decide what to order!

February fitness challenge {daily yoga poses}

I pinned this awesome yoga poses chart via Yoga Journal a few months ago, but I have yet to put it to use. One of my goals for this year is to attend more yoga classes and practice more often. In January I went to the two hot yoga classes I signed up for - 8 more to accomplish the goal I set. This poster has 26 fantastic yoga poses that are pretty simple so I've decided in addition to my regular exercise, I will start every morning in the month of February with one of these yoga poses. Once I get to the end of the list, I'll repeat them until the month ends.

Morning meditation is something I've been trying to incorporate back into my schedule and I think this is a great strategy.

If you decide to join in this challenge let me know!

See other fitness challenges here

My new favorite fruit smoothie {clean eating}

I wanted to share my new favorite fruit blend! I've done something similar using strawberries, spinach, and bananas. But this was my first time switching out spinach for kale, and I LOVED the results! I'm hoping to make fruit blends for breakfast at least twice a week. Normally, I have coffee, a bottle of water, and some piece of fruit.

I used one banana, a handful of kale, and a handful of strawberries. I rinsed the strawberries and kale before using them.

I included a few ice cubes for moisture and to make the drink cold.

The final result is a forest green color with some specks of red from the strawberries. It's the perfect blend of flavors and sweetness. I could drink this blend every single day. It also didn't leave my teeth stained like some fruit mixes (with blueberries, spinach, blackberries, etc.) often do. This also kept me full until lunchtime.

And I've also used the kale in other ways this week. 

I sautéed the kale in a little olive oil with onions, mushrooms, tomatoes, black pepper, and curry powder. 

I aso blended arugula and kale for this yummy salad. The salad was dressed in vinaigrette dressing and included cheddar cheese, tomatoes, strawberries, mushrooms, and a veggie burger!

See other clean eating ideas, inspiration, and posts here

What's your favorite fruit/veggie smoothie? I'm always looking for new recipes to try!

Georgia Aquarium College Semester Pass {Georgia Tech}

This past week and weekend were extremely busy, but luckily they were full of fun activities! One of the highlights of last week was visiting Georgia Aquarium where I got to see the beautiful exhibits, get a behind the scenes tour, and learn about their awesome college semester pass for Georgia Tech students!

We had an awesome tour guide, Megan, who was very knowledgable and passionate about Georgia Aquarium, which made our experience even better. I'm happy and proud to know how much care goes into keeping the aquarium operating. In the behind the scenes tour, we saw where the animals are treated (on-site), where their food is prepared, and where some college students volunteer in marine biology labs. It was all so cool.

The lobby of Georgia Aquarium is a sight by itself, and each of the exhibits offers a unique and beautiful perspective on life under the sea. We went to all of the exhibits that were open that day. My absolute favorite parts of the day were seeing the whale sharks up close and going to the AT&T Dolphin Show! It is the most impressive dolphin show I've seen, and I am so jealous of the swimmers who performed along with the dolphins.

I'm so excited that Georgia Aquarium is offering Georgia Tech students a pass to visit the Aquarium all semester long for only $31, a price perfect for a student’s budget! This deal is only for college students and the semester price is less than the cost of one general admission ticket. The semester pass allows unlimited visits to the Aquarium during the spring semester, and includes the AT&T Dolphin Tales show and our newest exhibit, Aquanaut Adventure: A Discovery Zone. This is such a great deal, and I know other Georgia Tech students will appreciate the opportunity to hangout at Georgia Aquarium for a great price!

See all the details below!

Georgia Aquarium College Semester Pass – Georgia Tech

One-Semester Pass: $31

Blackout dates: All Saturdays, March 16 –20, 2015

Students can conveniently purchase Georgia Aquarium College Semester Passes at the Georgia Tech Student Center Box Office.

Thank you, Georgia Aquarium, for inviting us to visit!

Eating in ATL {Livingston Restaurant + Bar}

Last Sunday I celebrated my birthday with my friend Alexandria by having brunch at Livingston Restaurant in Atlanta. Alexandria suggested this restaurant and we were both excited to try a new restaurant (for us) in the city. I actually pass by Livingston all the time and it's near the Fox Theatre, a major landmark in Atlanta. They offer brunch, lunch, and dinner and all of the menus look so delicious!

I love a restaurant with some history, and this place is full of history. It's named for Livingston Mims, a former Atlanta mayor who used to live where the restaurant exists today. This restaurant and another restaurant, Mims, are both part of the famous Georgian Terrace Hotel. The interior decorating of this restaurant is phenomenal and truly a blend of classic and modern southern pieces. Alexandria and I both agreed that it would be the perfect place to host a "Gatsby Style" party in Atlanta.

We started our meal with these sweet potato donuts. I mean, after reading that item it was hard not to order them! And they normally come with bacon on top, but we opted out of that. They were still so delicious and stayed true to the classic sweet potato flavor.

I ordered the French toast with a side of grits, both very tasty! I'm super picky about my French toast and I don't like when it tastes too eggy or soggy, and this toast was cooked to perfection! The grits also had a great seasoning and were thick, yet creamy.

And Alexandria ordered the lobster crepe. She said it tasted great and was very filling! 

The staff was super sweet and brought out this dessert for my birthday!

See, it's literally across the street from the Fox Theatre - perfect place to go before or after a show. I'm sure the outdoor seating with the view of Peachtree Street is amazing during warm months!

I'm so grateful that my sweet friend treated me to this delicious and classy birthday brunch! Thanks, Dria! :)

See other places I eat in Atlanta