I stayed up later than intended last night and my reason for not getting to bed early is a pathetic one. I try my best to get into bed before 10 p.m. when I have to be up at 5:30 a.m. to teach since I want to wake up feeling energetic, but last night I got sucked into the ridiculous drama surrounding The Bachelor.
I feel like I roll my eyes through half the show but it’s way too addicting and I can’t stop watching. I loved Jade on last night’s episode and think she seems like the most down-to-earth girl at the moment. And Carly cracked me up! I also had major hair envy over Britt’s beautiful waterfall braid. Why oh why do my braids always look thin and pathetic? Teach me your ways, Britt!
Teaching + Breakfast
When the alarm went off this morning, I felt the strong urge to stay in bed but since I had a 6 a.m. spinning class on the schedule to teach, I got dressed, ate a peach and headed over to the gym. Fortunately getting out of bed is the hardest part of teaching a 6 a.m. class for me because once I’m there, I feed off the energy of our little 6 a.m. crew. I love their dedication and admire the spunk and positive attitudes they bring to the bike before dawn.
After spinning, I grabbed a vanilla latte from a local coffee shop before heading home to fix myself breakfast.
I love how Waterbean Coffee gives you little chocolate-covered coffee beans with every cup of coffee you order. Such a neat touch!
Once I made it home, I chopped some veggies and sautéed onion, leftover Brussels sprouts and spinach in a skillet before adding sliced Canadian bacon, eggs (2 regular eggs + some egg whites from a carton), salt, pepper and a sprinkle of mozzarella cheese.
I topped my veggie egg scramble with avocado and ate it along with a banana. Do you guys ever go through waves of obsession with various fruits? For the past few weeks, I’ve been all about berries and apples but right now bananas are calling to me like crazy. Love ‘em so much!
Now it’s time for me to grab a much-needed shower before driving back to the gym for work. I’m hoping to spend some time this afternoon researching new laptops because my current laptop completely died on me and doesn’t seem to be savable. Unfortunately in the past I feel like I tend to select laptops that last for 2 – 3 years before they totally crap out, so I’m hoping to find a better (and longer-lasting) fit this time around. Thankfully, my desktop is the BEST and saves me when my laptop woes kick in. If you have a laptop that you would highly recommend, please let me know!
Have a great morning!
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Your breakfast looks and sounds really good. I know others have mentioned this, but I am on my second Mac laptop and I definitely swear by them. My first one lasted 7 years!! and only really stopped working due to the battery and having too many photos/docs stored on it. They also seem to not get infected like PCs do. I have heard that some blogging/editing programs don’t work as well on Macs, but I’m not sure which ones.
I will be the 900th comment to recommend purchasing a Mac. Before I had the same problem of my laptop lasting only a couple of years then ending in meltdown city (especially when a big assignment was due during college, for example. Oh how I DON’T miss those all nighters!). I still have my macbook that I purchased 5 years ago for law school (my daughter uses it now!) and my hubby has a new 15 inch macbook pro which he uses for web development and totally loves. So, bottom line is, in my experience, that Mac is totally worth the $$$,
My husband is a computer science engineer and we are an Android/PC family all the way, so I would recommend the Lenovo Yoga 2. I just got it a few months ago and I love it because it is SO LIGHT (great for travel) and SO FAST. I’m in grad school and I have class 8-2 on some days and the battery always lasts through that time, so it’s nice to not always be attached to a charger!
I would recommend looking at the specs of any laptops you consider. Yes, Macs are great but when you compare the specs side by side (hard drive, RAM, battery life, processor, etc.), then add in the huge price differences it, it’s often pretty difficult to justify Apple products.
I have been a PC owner all my life, but just recently bought my first Mac. It took awhile for me to get used to, but I love it. No regrets 🙂
http://www.mintnotion.com
I have to say that the only truly reliable and quality laptop I’ve owned thus far was a Macbook Pro. I had it for about 7 years before it started getting slower and the power cord stopped working. I’m sure it could be fixed, though. Everything else has truly only given me that 2-3 year window (an HP and Dell). The problem, I know, is that they are pricy! I’m debating saving up for a new one myself unless I can find another quality model.
Ah, I’m so glad you watch the Bachelor too!! It’s totally my guilty pleasure. 🙂 Jade does seem super sweet, I want to see them go on more dates! And your breakfast looks amazing, I’m jealous!
I absolutely love my Macbook Pro just like everyone else seems to! They are expensive but well worth it. I have had mine for 4.5 years and it is still going strong! Before this I had a Dell which died on me after about a year. I carry my laptop with me to and from school everyday in a protective case inside of my backpack and it is not damaged except for one tiny dent. Highly highly recommend a mac! Also I love the blog! I found it a few years ago when I was getting ready to travel to Europe for a few weeks. I found your post on what you brought to Europe and found it to be incredibly helpful! I have been reading ever since and love how you post very regularly. I love reading your new posts when I get home every day.
I use a MacBook Pro but only because I use it for a lot of creative things like web work and photography. Here’s my honest techy answer: if you aren’t going to use a macbook for what it was intended for..creative things, then I wouldn’t pay the hefty price for one. If you only need it for blogging and answering emails, don’t waste your money on a Mac, you’ll spend WAY more than you need to. Macs are very over priced, but creative types pay the price because of the “look” and “user experience.” (Everyone at our agency works at a huge iMac or a macbook pro, of course 😉 My husband works in IT, and he would say to just get a high powered HP or Dell, honestly 🙂 does the same thing, will probably actually have more power, more ram, more storage, just without the price of having a shiny Apple on it 🙂
I am on a banana kick too! although I have to eat them when they ripen a bit more and become spotty!
I have only ever owned a Toshiba. I got my first one in high school and it lasted until I graduated college!! Talk about a laptop that never gave up!!! As a graduation gift from college my folks got be a larger Toshiba laptop. This one has lasted me 3 years and there is no end to its power in sight! In fact my laptop from high school still works and my dad likes to install different operating systems on it for fun.
MacBook Pro all day.
Right now I’m all about the oranges. They’re just so good this time of year.
Good luck with your laptop shopping. I always take my brother with me. I tell him what I want to use it for and he points out the ones he thinks would be a good fit.
I also have a Macbook Pro and absolutely love it. I just bought a new one, but purely because my older one was slowing down with the amount of photography I was doing.
If you’re looking for something that will last you awhile, and don’t mind spending the money, I would definitely go Mac. I love that it syncs with all of my devices too. After having a Mac, I’ll never go back to a PC 🙂
Good luck with your laptop shopping!
After having two dell laptops that constantly had issues and died after 3 years or so I made the switch to a MacBook Pro and I’ll never look back. I love that it syncs to my phone and I love how it runs. My battery life is amazing compared to any other laptop I’ve had. Plus it honestly wasn’t that much more than the dells I had. I personally think it’s worth the money as long as you don’t use programs that require windows. Good luck with the laptop hunt!
That lunch looks so yummy!
i just ordered a surface pro 3!! it should be here friday..i’ll let you know what i think! 🙂
In college I had a dell laptop and it had so many issues even just within the 1st year I had it. My senior year I bought a Macbook Pro and have never looked back. 5 years later and it’s still going strong–no issues!
I’ve had a macbook for 7 years and it still works perfectly (minus a few issues with old software syncing with new apps)–Macs really are the best!
I’ve had my MacBook for over 7 years too! It still runs really well, and is actually faster than my boyfriends 2 year old Dell. The only issue I’ve hacks the same…sometimes new apps won’t sync with my older software. Doesn’t bug me too much since I have my iPhone, and I could always buy the updated software if I needed to. I don’t think I’ll ever buy anything other than Apple computers again!
I love my MacBook! I’ve had it since 2008. The hard drive died two years ago but it was no big deal to buy another hard drive and put my backed up info on the computer. It still works well!
I got fed up of laptops that only lasted a couple years so I bit the bullet and got a MacBook Pro. It has been awesome. It is great for design programs and creative things but on the practical side, it has also had zero problems. I’ve had it for almost 6 years and it’s never had a virus, never freezes, never crashes or needs to be reformatted – nothing. I would highly recommend it. Definitely worth the investment.
Do you need a full blown laptop? We use Chrome books in our family, and I can do almost everything I need to on it. The price is great, and so is its speed since I’m not having to run any software on it.
I thought jade was sweet too but if you research her she’s got a bit of a criminal past and also an amateur playboy model. not so sweet and innocent anymore huh? too bad.
Julie,
I just recently bought a Lenovo. I LOVE LOVE LOVE it!!! It was able to score a deal on a open box item at Best Buy which was even a better deal. The sales man I worked with also gave me a additional 10% off the already discounted price. Good luck on your search… I know it can be a tad frustrating.
I had a dell for 2.5 years in college that consistently had problems and eventually completely died. I replaced it with a Mac book pro and have had it for just shy of 6 years, and 3 of those years were serving in the peace corps in the Caribbean where the weather and unreliable electricity are notoriously hard on electronics. I’m about to upgrade to a newer MacBook Pro but the old one is still going strong since early 2009. Can’t beat it!
My husband is an IT professional. We always shop at the Dell Outlet Store and buy from their Latitude (Business) Line. I have a Latitude 6430u and love it!
I would love to 100% echo those who have mentioned that if you aren’t going to use a laptop for really creative things than you shouldn’t invest in a MacBook but I can only echo this sentiment 55% (I don’t know how I came up with that # haha) because I absolutely LOVE my MacBook Air. LOVE LOVE LOVE. It’s so light, and since you are someone that takes her laptop on the road to work and coffee shops occasionally, I would definitely consider it! I hope that’s helpful! 🙂
I am an avid Mac/Apple product user and swear by them! They are generally free from viruses and if you don’t load them with stuff (like any computer), they aren’t slow!
I’m loving bananas right now, too! But I’m weird and need them to be a little brown. I don’t like them too fresh haha. I had a Dell way back in the day that was very good to me. But now I’m on Macs and love them!
MacBook Pro is the only way to go!
Macbook! I jumped over to Apple laptops and haven’t regretted it at all! http://www.eatallovertheworld.com
I work for a software company and because we design products for both the Mac and PC, I can tell you that your very first commentor (Sarah at Sweet Miles) is right about the Mac. (We have both, out of necessity). For a long lasting computer experience, I HIGHLY recommend the LENOVO laptops. Wow. They’re amazing. And they are slightly more pricey than other brands, but I had mine for 5 years before it crapped out (it basically kept overheating in the end. Meaning, it worked, but would soon get too hot. It never died. But I did use it for hours on end daily.) Now I have a Dell (for work) and an Acer (at home) and they’re all right. The Dell seems sturdy enough, and I think my company got a big savings deal on a bunch of Dells, or we would have probably all kept buying new Lenovo’s.
You can also have a laptop built for you that’s pretty amazing. Two of my nephews are big time gamers and they saved a ton of money on extremely high end laptops for 1/3 of the price. They wanted and needed more powerful laptops for their gaming (high end video cards, very large hard drives and lots of RAM etc. – to make for a fast gaming experience). You wouldn’t need a laptop that powerful (unless you’re secretly playing World of Warcraft and not telling us about it. 😉 ) Theirs cost $1,000 for a top of the line machine – you could spend around $500 for the same high end laptop (custom made) but without the increased video card capabilities (that people tend to get just so it’s easier for them to precisely kill this or that monster.)
Good luck!
thank you so much for all of this info!!
Love my macbook pro it’s the best thing I own and it is so lightweight! Beautiful breakfast salad xo C
i just bought a new Apple Mac I love it my second one and I’ve never looked back, I love apple products, you never have to deal with a virus
I just got an Asus and I love it!!! I honestly had never heard of the company because my last two laptops were MacBooks and I didn’t have the best luck with them. During my research I saw a lot of positive reviews about the asus laptop and now I know why. It’s sleek and pretty lightweight for the size (15.6″) and for me I had to have the number pad on the the keyboard.
I just got a chromebook for Christmas and love it. It’s super light weight (and fits in a hobo bag) and I can do everything I need to on the go – even PhotoShop and office are available. It’s super cheap and auto syncs to the cloud of your choosing.
I am frustrated I can’t get live writer on it – and that Microsoft has really abandoned that product – wondering if you’re using something else now and if so, you recommend it? My blog post formatting has been sub par for the last little bit because editing/formatting in WordPress just frustrates me and takes way too much time.
I love my Mac. I have never had an issue with it and have had it for over 5 years so far. It was a big investment for me, but well worth it!
Lenovos are the absolute best! Of course Macbooks are great but if you’re not looking to shell out that kind of money, Lenovo is the way to go.
I had a Dell in college and currently for work and they always have problems, ugh! I have a Lenovo now for my personal laptop and it hasn’t so much as frozen once in the past 3 years.
Good luck on your laptop search!
I have the Surface Pro 3, and I’m OBSESSED! I ended up selling both my MacBook and iPad because I can use my surface as a laptop and tablet. I purchased both the keyboard (which is necessary if you’re going to use it as a laptop) and the dock, which I’d highly recommend if you plan to connect your laptop to a monitor. I still have 2 large Apple monitors in my home office – they’re now hooked up to my surface doc, so I can use the Surface Pro 3 as a desktop computer too.
My favorite feature of the surface is how they’ve integrated various buttons on their stylus with OneNote, so while you’re browsing a website or email you can double-click the “eraser” to send a screenshot to your OneNote notebook – and take notes alongside or over the image. It really feels as though you’re writing in a physical notebook, but keeps your notes stored digitally.
I swear, I don’t work for Microsoft – I’m just an organization junkie and love this stuff. 🙂 Good luck laptop shopping!
I bought a MacBook Air almost 3 years ago with all the traveling I do for work, I wanted something really light. I was also working toward my Masters, several programs I had to use for school were specific to apple. I have abused this computer, downloaded several programs for work and school and it is still a work horse. My only issue I’ve had with this computer is accidentally slicing the charger, replacement parts come at a cost! But it is well worth the investment. Good Luck!
Macbook Pro for the win! 🙂 I have always been a PC girl until my last Dell died and I was fed up with PCs. My husband is a Mac user and recommended giving them a try. So I took the plunge and got a MacBook Pro and I couldn’t be happier. It is fast, reliable, the battery life is outstanding, its lightweight (so I can fit it in my tote handbag), it is capable of doing so many things that PC’s just can’t. I really couldn’t have made a better decision.
Good luck with your search!
My husband is an IT professional. We always shop at the Apple store. Mac book is always pro.