Catchin' Up

It's been two weeks since my last post. Sorry that it's so lengthy, I know this goes against all of the rules of effective blogging, but I'm not a professional blogger and we've got A LOT to share! I really need to keep up and blog at LEAST weekly, but it's been hard to keep up while we've been trying to get settled in our new home.

Two weeks ago, Jon left for Iowa and I started Kaia F.I.T! I signed up for the 6 AM class in Davis (which is about a 45-50 min. drive). The class meets M, W, F for an hour. I went to the Monday and Wednesday morning class, and while I was definitely tired, I had wonderful days while starting my morning with a workout.  Thursday we had a Kaia "Meet n Greet." On the way home...

Here's what happened:  The stop sign is set back further than the intersecting road.  It is also at the top of a small incline, not allowing you to see what's on the other side.  I rounded the corner to go right, and there's conveniently a small ditch that my car fit perfectly in.  Jon was in Iowa. Of. Course. Thankfully I've still got AAA (thanks Mom n Dad!), so the tow truck came to the rescue.  My car was fine and I was able to drive home.  While there was no permanent damage, I was still frustrated and shaken up because I didn't know at that time HOW it happened.  (I later figured it out when we went out for supper Saturday). 

When I got home, I made Fruit Cups (a childhood FAVORITE of mine) for a potluck at work the following day.  The fruit cups were DELICIOUS.  Luckily, everyone at work thought so too.  I couldn't believe that no one there had ever had one before--it seemed to be a staple in every kids classroom when we brought treats to school growing up! 


I didn't make it to the 6 AM Kaia class on Friday, so I instead attended the 5:30 PM class--a time that fits MUCH better into my body's daily rhythm. 

Jon came home Saturday, and went right to work. I napped--because the 4:30 AM wake-ups combined with the stress of putting my car in the ditch wiped me out! We went out for supper for my birthday at the Buckhorn Steakhouse in Winters.  This is one of our favorite places to eat! On our way there, I made Jon stop at the place I wrecked and he agreed that there was no way to see the "ravine." PHEW!

For him: Beer. For her: SANGRIA! For both: Giant plate of onion strings :)

Unfortunately the giant plate of super greasy onion strings did NOT sit well in our bellies...so we got the rest of our meal to go and finished it off on Sunday after a big day at Six Flags. Jon popped a few Dramamine and was able to ride on EVERY roller coaster with me and didn't seem to have any major side affects! BIG ACCOMPLISHMENT.  Not so sure this is a great idea every time...but I appreciated the effort on his part to do one of my favorite things with me.

Sunday was a late night as well, so I decided to switch my Kaia time permanently to 5:30 PM until my schedule no longer allows me to do so.  While I loved going in the morning, my schedule doesn't require me to right now, so I decided to stick with a time that's much easier for me to manage.

I love being involved with Kaia.  The workouts are always changing, they're extremely challenging, and it's designed to accommodate to ANYONE of ANY age (I have ladies probably 60+ in my class and trust me, we're ALL getting our rears worked). Kaia offers a plethora of sound nutritional and healthy living advice.  Plus--who doesn't like a little "girl time" while gettin' your sweat on? It's wonderful to not have macho men to compete/compare with at the same time. I definitely believe in this program as the workouts and goals are attainable, it meets MULTIPLE needs of women, and I've seen (and felt) results in just two weeks!

This past week, we've been trying to get as much cleaning done as possible.  We've tried to do a little each night, make supper, and watch an episode of one of two of our new favorite shows on Netflix (recently purchased, reasonably priced, and loving so far): Dual Survivor and Surviving the Cut.

Here were our meals for the week:

Monday: Chicken Parmesan w/Salad

Tuesday: Black Bean Burgers The ladies at work had been raving about the frozen versions of these, so I had to find a fresh recipe to try and make! They were different, but definitely tasty and filling.

Wednesday: NO IDEA!

Thursday: Zucchini--yes JUST zucchini! We both had big lunches, so we sauteed zucchini in a little EVOO with dried basil. 

Friday: Pepperoni Pizza (Our goal is to eat Pizza no more than once/week, unless there's leftovers--in that case, we don't waste!  I could eat Pizza almost every night, so I set this goal when I started Weight Watchers and have maintained it ever since.)

Saturday: Chef Jon's Homemade Mac 'N Cheese with Zucchini-- We spent ALL DAY Saturday cleaning our house.

By the time we were finished, I wasn't feeling like cooking, and most of the restaurants nearby would've been closed by the time we got there, so thankfully my kind husband felt like whipping up his own version of this classic with a twist :)  Here's what he did (in his very own words):

• Handful of Whole Wheat Spaghetti noodles (the only kind of noodles we had)
• Hunk of Butter
• Handful of Cheese
• 1 Zucchini
• 1 Yellow Gourd Thing (possibly, most likely, some sort of sqaush)

Chef Jon's Directions: Boil the noodles, add veggies to boiling noodles for a few minutes when the noodles are done, drain everything, return pan to burner, turn off stove, add butter, dump noodles and veggies in pot, stir, add cheese, stir until cheese is melted and mixed in, and VOILA! Mystery dinner is served...topped with a little salt and ground pepper.

While it probably wasn't the most healthy meal...it was simple and turned out to be quite tasty :)

Why all the zucchini/squash you might ask? We've recently joined a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) Farm called Green Beginnings Farm. One of Jon's co-workers owns the CSA Farm so we've decided to join in.  It's been wonderful to have a giant box of fresh, in season fruits and vegetables delivered weekly for an extremely reasonable price.  Sometimes we know what everything is, and sometimes we don't! Here's what we had delivered this week: zucchini, some yellow gourd thing (probably a squash), kale, swiss chard, cucumbers, red onion, and some sort of delicious white plum fruit. Check out what's going on with this farm here.

Now that we have a clean house...we're off to spend the day outdoors. Until next time...

Interesting Points...

I've got plenty to write about later...especially some notes from my first day at Kaia F.I.T! Jon has the laptop and our desktop at home was acting funky last night, so I wasn't able to post.  In the meantime, I've uploaded a picture from my drive home last night...and be sure to check out  the article below :) 

Lisa Leake (From 100 Days of Real Food) is one of my favorite bloggers.  Today she posted an article from Food Babe investigating Subway's menu and food.  Please take a moment to read and consider.  I'm not saying you shouldn't ever eat there again, but knowing WHAT you're eating is key to making healthier decisions! Read this article here. 

The House

Here are a few pictures of our new residence per request of some anxious folks back in Iowa. Only have a few seconds between unpacking, cleaning, packing for Jon's trip to Iowa, and spending some quality time with him before he leaves. You must forgive the mess...promise it's almost clean!

 View of the front of the house from the neighbors yard.  

 From front door looking into the kitchen.

 From the bedroom hallway looking into living room. Front door is to the right, kitchen to the left.

From the front door looking into the living room. (Sorry about the light!!) We have a beautiful wood burning stove!

We're off to do laundry as we haven't picked up out washer and dryer yet.  Sorry about the quality of the photos--I've got more to upload but I just switched phones so they'll be up soon (like tonight or tomorrow).

After supper (swiss chard and sweet pea manicotti), packing, and some homework for Jon, it'll be an early night.  I start Kaia F.I.T. tomorrow and need to be rested up.  Kaia at 6 AM in Davis! I'll be sure to get even more photos of the house and yard up ASAP.

3...2...1...

This morning started out as I expected....a lot of excitement about heading back to Iowa...a shower...finish packing...play with Kasey...prepare snacks...hang w/Jon for a few minutes before we headed to the airport.

THEN, Jon got the news that WE'RE MOVING (assuming our potential sub-leaser's credit check is approved)!!! We'll still be living in California, but we're moving to the country just outside of the foothills :)  Jon's co-worker has moved out of state and needs someone to rent her house.  We visited a few weeks ago and loved it.  It's a 3br/2ba house with a huge yard and even space for horses.  (Pictures to come!)

The only catch is that Jon has to move EVERYTHING by himself as our sub-leaser would take over June 1 and I won't be back from Iowa until June 3! Hopefully Jon can convince a few co-workers to pitch in with the big stuff.

Thank goodness he is more than willing to do this, but I feel awful he'll have to accomplish this alone :(

For now, off to the airport to go to discuss the crazy details of the next week of our lives!

I've packed some goodies for the trip...

 Trail mix with air popped popcorn, whole almonds, sunflower seeds, dried cherries, mangoes, and craisins. (You can barely see little blue pops of color in there...yes...I've added Dove Chocolate!)

 Apple, banana, and DARK CHOCOLATE!

And a PBJ of course!

Packed and ready with my new luggage, courtesy of my hubby.

Last family pic in this teeny tiny apartment...when I return...onto bigger and better things!

Sayonara Cali...hello Iowa!

What I'm Learning...

Moving two timezones from your family is obviously a big adjustment.  In less then one week I'll be back in Iowa, my FAVORITE place on earth (barely in front of Disneyworld...), with my favorite people (minus my husband and a few friends who have moved just as far away from Iowa as myself).

I'm struggling way less with living in California than I was even a few weeks ago, but it's not always easy! My first trip back to Iowa is in a week, so I've decided to do a reflection of what I've learned during the past five months about California, Iowa, Jon, Me, Relationships, Life, and anything else!  Please note that I'm totally aware that this is from MY point of view--I did not ask Jon for his opinion, thoughts, input, or advice on this one--so it will be completely biased :) Maybe I'll ask Jon to write what he's learned later... :/

Some of them are funny, some obvious, some positive, some negative, and some serious.  This is not meant to put down California, Iowa, marriage, or anyone or anything else.  I love everything and everyone in my life for different reasons.  This is just an honest description of life the past few months!

I have to apologize about the formatting---the template on Blogger wouldn't let me outline it the way I had hoped!

1. I am in the final stage of grief. Grief from being directly torn apart to everyone and everything that's comfortable, that's happening, and that's been my life for 23 years. Grief for losing my independence--it is no longer about MY wants, needs, hopes, and dreams, but will forever be about OUR (Jon and I) wants, needs, hopes, and dreams. You KNOW this is what it's going to be when you decide to get married, and this is what you CHOOSE when you decide to get married, but now it's the real deal, and no one can really truly prepare you for marriage--the good AND the bad. For all of you non-socio/psychology minded people, or anyone who just doesn't know, the five stages are: 
• Denial/Isolation 
• Anger 
• Bargaining 
• Depression 
• Acceptance--Yes, I've been through them all, and all I have to say to being in the acceptance stage is, "FINALLY!" Being in my situation and experiencing grief is immobilizing and makes you feel trapped!! You KNOW you shouldn't feel the way you do, but you feel that way anyway.  You KNOW you want to love the life you've been give, but you just can't. The freedom I feel is absolutely liberating.
2. What it's like to be the "new" girl. I am now truly aware of how it feels, and am ever so challenged to TRY to make an extra effort to be hospitable to ANYONE who is new to an environment that I am not.  I know this one sounds cliche and I almost didn't want to add it to the list, BUT, this has been probably the hardest part for me.  I moved quite a few times throughout college, but college is a special circumstance and you really aren't the "new" girl for long. You quickly make a name for yourself. I happened to still live in my home state near everyone and everything that was comfortable, thus making my "transfers" to different colleges much smoother.
3. "Pop" is called "Soda" here, and everyone laughs at you and says, "how cute," when you ask, "would you like a pop?" Funny because I think YOU'RE cute for saying, "soda." Anyways, I thought that was only in the south?! Apparently the entire west coast calls it "Soda" too.
4. I sleep and veg for comfort.  This is something that I KNEW about myself, but that I never fully admitted before.  I allowed myself to do this (and still sometimes will, as this is what I need to rejuvenate myself), but I have tried to take on a different awareness of this action.  I've tried to allow myself to do this only when my body NEEDS it, and instead consciously make an effort to be present and explore the other hobbies, interests, and desires I love or have always wanted to try.
5. Iowa really needs to get an "In-N-Out" burger, or SEVERAL.
6. People here really don't know the difference between Idaho, Iowa, and Ohio. Come on---did you pay attention in 6th grade?! So disappointing.
7. Marriage-hardest, yet most blessed, thing I've ever done-revealing too much about myself and my character. Constantly challenging/stretching one another.  My husbands best friend told us, "in marriage, the highs are higher, but the lows are lower." Any married person will tell you this, so I won't elaborate. 
8. We live in the Bicycle Capital of America, so you must, MUST, watch out for bikers when driving. Share the road people, share the road.
9. The fitness options are much more plentiful (obviously, it's nice weather all year long with more diverse landscapes), which we've finally gotten to start exploring!
10. Having control of your money and budget (thanks to Financial Peace University) allows one to  feel incredibly empowered and blessed.
11. The food here is so delicious. And, the options are endless. The plethora of tasty and FRESH foods constantly impresses me (and my taste buds).
12. They do NOT sell French (Western) dressing where we live.
13. There are NO Jimmy John's. BOO.
14. My husband tends to stand right in front of the TV during the most intense part of the show.  I never noticed this before.  I am one for letting your spouse be themselves, but I am DETERMINED to break this habit.
15. There are sadly not very many ma 'n pa ice cream shops.  Mostly frozen yogurt. Still tasty, but not as much fun as a million flavors of malts!
16. Northern California, as much as I hated to admit it, really is beautiful once you get away from the cities.  At times, it's absolutely breathtaking. Having the ocean, the mountains, the redwoods, San Francisco, and Lake Tahoe all within 2 hours driving distance is fantastic.
17. People do not usually J-walk. And although this is for good reason, it is hard for me!
18. The shopping here is fabulous.
19. The (country) roads absolutely suck here. 
20. I desperately miss my family and friends as well as the beautiful rolling hills of Iowa and the peace that it brings. NOTHING will ever replace that.
21. My dog has at times healed my heart! As cheesy as that sounds, I swear she can read my mind. 
22. I am humbled every day at the love my husband has for me. His encouragement, his sacrifice, and his effort. I am even more amazed at the grace of God and His plan. This is THE toughest thing Jon and I have ever done. Not just being married, but the whole move in general.  It is incredible to see how and even sometimes WHY (something not always easily determined) God put us together.  We balance each other so well at times, and other times....not so much. In both circumstances, what a blessing it is. We get to rejoice that God gave us each other, and rejoice that we're forced to compromise, be flexible, and give up ourselves for each other.
23. Wine Country rocks my world. 

Very much looking forward to my trip home, the celebrations that will take place during that time, and the hugs from missed family and friends. I'm so thankful for the journey of the past five months of my life.  Thanks to everyone who has supported Jon and myself, for that we owe you big time. Will some local wine and beer do? ;) Some new adventures are coming our way, and I'm excited to get to share them with all of you!  

Supper Last Night...

Jon got to go out for a work supper (and I got the leftovers, woohoo), so I used some leftover ground turkey to make a homemade Crunch Wrap Supreme.  Yes, so incredibly NOT healthy, but any form of taco's are on my TOP 5 FOODS list.

Prior to supper...I checked out a new women's only gym where I got a free 7-day pass.  We go to a fairly "normal" gym now, but there are a bunch of meat head's that also attend and I do NOT particularly enjoy their company while working out. I went to a 45-minute cycling class last night.  It made me wish I would've completed my Group Exercise Certificate that I started in college so I could teach cycling!  The combination of getting some aerobic exercise as well as re-living my childhood (riding a bike EVERYWHERE) is actually extremely rejuvenating for me.

Tonight I'm going to attend Body Pump.  Shout out to KERF as she regularly attends these classes as well.  I'm constantly reading about her workouts so I've been dying to try out a class. This will be my first as I've never lived anywhere else that offered it so hoping I love it :)

So far I'm LOVING the new gym because I made friends on day ONE.  Nothing speaks to this girl like female bonding time.

BACK to the Crunch Wrap Supreme.  This was a Pinterest recipe (I'm pretty sure it was anyways--I get lost browsing the internet).

Ingredients:

6 large flour tortillas

6 small corn tortillas (or tortilla chips)

1 pound ground beef

1 package taco seasoning

sour cream

nacho cheese (or shredded Mexican blend cheese)

shredded lettuce

diced tomatoes

Directions:

Brown ground beef in a skillet, then add taco seasoning (according to package directions). Set aside.

Bake the corn tortillas in the oven at 400 degrees for a couple of minutes, until they are golden and crunchy.

Microwave the flour tortillas, one at a time (because they cool off quickly), for about 10 seconds to warm them up; this will make wrapping easier. You could also warm them up in the oven; just wrap them in aluminum foil and heat them up for about 10 minutes at 350 degrees.

Lay out the flour tortilla. Spoon some of the seasoned beef into the center of the tortilla. Top with some nacho cheese, or shredded cheese. Place the crunchy corn tortilla on top of the cheese/beef; spread a dollop of sour cream on top of it, then toss on some diced tomatoes and shredded lettuce.

Starting with the bottom of the tortilla, fold the edge up to the center. Continue doing this in a clockwise or counter-clockwise movement until all of the tortilla is folded over, and the filling is entirely enclosed. If your filling isn't entirely enclosed and you have an open spot, simply cut out a circle from another flour tortilla and place it on the exposed area, then wrap the tortilla again. 

Spray a frying pan with cooking spray.  Carefully place the Crunchwrap, seam-side down, in the pan. Press with a spatula and cook on medium-low heat, for about 3 minutes, until the bottom is nice and brown. Flip it over and cook for another 3 minutes. Serve and enjoy :D

This was DELICIOUS.  It was so good that I completely forgot to take a picture.  If Jon isn't there to remind me, I ALWAYS remember right after my last bite.  

I used ground turkey instead of ground beef because that's what we had in the fridge! We only had medium whole wheat tortillas which tasted delicious but made the "wrapping" part rather difficult. I had Organic Blue Chips for the "crunch" and substituted Plain Fat Free Greek Yogurt for the Sour Cream.  I am ADDICTED to this substitution for many reasons: 1)It's equally as tasty, if not better 2) Much healthier 3)Lasts longer 4) Less expensive--we buy a huge tub of it!

This is a fun recipe if you're home alone OR with family/friends/kids too!

I'll let you know how Body Pump goes.  As of right now, I'm exhausted and will need some major positive talk after work to get my butt to the gym.  Once I go I feel wonderful, but I stayed up too late this weekend watching our wedding DVD's and I STILL haven't caught up on sleep.

Hope you've all made it a great day :)

I'M BAAAAAAAAAAAAAACK!

Okay, so I went on a month long hiatus.  I'd go into the details, but trust me, you'd get bored quickly! I wanted to LIVE our life, not WRITE about it.  That is no longer the case!  I'll try to update this blog as much as possible, but as I said originally, this blog will be ever evolving.

This is the first weekend that Jon didn't have to work (WOO HOO!) so we got PLENTY of quality time together. Ha, ha, ha. I laugh, because I swear I'm cursed! Okay, I'm not cursed, but I am one of THE most forgetful people I've ever met. Guilty. Guilty. Guilty. Needless to say, this always creates road bumps, interesting trips, and funny stories. The Lord KNEW I needed someone with tremendous amounts of patience, or at least the ability to keep his mouth shut, smile, and go with the flow.

Friday we saw The Avengers! I wasn't sure I wanted to see it, but Jon could hardly wait (and as bad as movie theater popcorn is for you, I am a sucker for it!).  So off to the movies we went. Again.  The movie theater has been a popular date night for us because there are way too many extremely delicious (and fresh food) restaurants in Davis, downtown is always fun and charming to walk around, and the movie theater is convenient.  By the time we're both off of work on the weekends, there's not much left for us to do!

Anyways, The Avengers. I LOVED it.  This past week, Jon made me catch up on the superhero movies that I had NOT seen so that I could go see it.  Even if you haven't seen them all (Iron Man/Iron Man 2, The Incredible Hulk, Thor, Captain America) the movie is still great entertainment.  Unless of course you don't have a sense of humor or any sort of appreciation for your childhood (or never had a brother!). :)

Saturday we headed for the foothills in Auburn...

After a beautiful (and windy) trip, we arrived at our hiking spot that Jon had carefully planned out.  As I'm digging through my bag to get my hiking boots on, I quickly figured out that I left my socks at home.  Of course. ONLY me. So, back into town we went. Poor Jon. Not only does he have to deal with my constant forgetfulness, he gets motion sickness when the temperature changes (I am NOT kidding...I didn't believe him...but it really happens).  You can't imagine how he felt after 2 windy trips into and out of the mountains :( He's a trooper though and onto the trails we went...after of course we saw a bear cub run across the road in front of us...look closely, yes, that's his rear.

We got to see Foresthill Bridge...the highest bridge in the state of California, and the 4th highest in the United States.

And finally we made it to the trail...what a stud muffin!

Yes I know, super sexy.

After a nap and a tasty dinner, we watched The Vow followed by our very own wedding video.  If you were present at our wedding and chose to dance, we will forever have something to hold over your head. In all honesty though, it was a great reminder of how fun and special that day was. And trust me, we ALL did funny things that we didn't realize were being captured!  We also got to actually LISTEN to the message our Pastor delivered to us--and HEAR it completely this time.  We both agreed that the entire day was a complete whirlwind.

Today we went to church, heard an awesome sermon on actually LIVING out the lives God intended--not just believing or saying or agreeing with the messages we hear and read. Brunch at Crepeville, a nap, a couple phone calls to some very special Mama's, and a 10 mile bike ride followed.

Two weeks until I'm back in Iowa! Hope you all had a great weekend and got to celebrate a special Mom in your life ;)

Here's Where I Am...

I've tried REALLY hard to try and figure out how to explain where I am emotionally and spiritually in life.  I stumbled upon this article at goodwomenproject.com. With a few minor differences from my life (1. I'm not the breadwinner 2. I've moved away from everything that's comfortable to me 3. We've only been here 3+ months), the author has nailed it as close to the head as anyone else, or myself, can. I've colored/underlined statements that really stuck out with me red and colored/underlined my own thoughts that I noted in orange. Hope you enjoy!

Emotions: On Female Bread-Winners And Hard-Fought Contentment

Editor’s Note: I don’t want to add a single word to Leslie’s post below. Read it, and read it again. Share it with the newlyweds or not-so-newlyweds in your life. Leslie Lee blogs about faith, creativity, and life at leslielaughs.com and tweets at @leslielaughs. – Lauren

Right now, I’m the main bread-winner for our family.

My husband hates that I have to write that sentence.

And me?

I hate the emotional strife this sometimes leads to in our marriage.
I hate that sinking dread that precedes looking up the checking account balance.
I hate it when people think I must be unhappy because of where we are in life. (Yes, I might DO have bad days and I do get homesick...but I AM happy even though we're going through a HUGE adjustment! And, we are experiencing tremendous blessings that we WOULDN'T be experiencing in the same way if we were somewhere else!)

The thing is, I am happy, and I’m finally starting to see that this season in life is teaching us invaluable lessons that we would not have learned on an easier road. We’ve learned to fight against resistance, to push into honesty, to pursue sacrifice, and to protect each other for the world-weariness that can tear so fast so deep.

My husband is still working on his degree, and he also works a labor-intensive full-time job to help us pay the bills. I’ve graduated and am working at a great job. So, we still live in the college town that I moved to back in 2005.

Four years here has turned into… more.
Four years has turned into waiting and learning.
Four years has turned into calling this season of in-between home, sweet home.

And me and In-between? We’re BFFs now, after being frenemies for quite a while. (I'm not quite BFF's with the "in-between" yet, but working on getting there.)

Honestly, I’m surprised that I’ve learned to deal with In-between. I think the keys have been, one, learning the importance of remembering that my husband and I are on the same team and, two, realizing the power of hard-fought contentment.

The fact is that genuine contentment doesn’t come easy. For me, longing to start a family and start “putting down roots” can throw me down quick into a deep, dark hole of discontentment. Losing sleep, pounding my fists against the wall of In-between, turning God-given longings into childish whining – it can weigh me down all at once.

But eventually my fists get sore and I recognize familiar, insidious discontentment.

It seeps through the cracks in your heart, eventually making you unhappy about everything – dirty dishes, hopes, apartments, babies, cars, parties, jobs, carpet—it all gets sucked in and labeled NOT WHAT I WANT.

But by the grace of God, instead of hanging out with my NOT WHAT I WANT label-maker, these days I’m holding tight to a pieced-together, mismatched, fragile hem of hard-fought contentment.

My contentment is frayed on the edges and worn in the middle because my emotions are emotions: they can build up or tear down, they can point to issues or conceal them. They can help me identify problems, deeply feeling both the good and the bad, and they can help me listen to my intuition as a woman. But, when I take them to be absolute truth, putting my very heavy hope in what my feelings say, tightly hoarding them up into a layer of faux protection, I actually open myself up to discontentment. In-between starts to look like an attack against me and my beautifully orchestrated plans that must be God’s will.

Thankfully, finally, by God’s grace I’ve learned (I'm still learning) to make nice with In-between. And it’s a good thing too, because life is a long series of in-betweens. Life doesn’t always fall into our pre-scheduled blocks. Expectations fail and we find ourselves floundering in the In-between.

‘Arriving’ and finally getting to where you want to be in life is contrived. I think that as a culture, we usually get to one milestone and sit and enjoy it for about a second, only to quickly move on and set our eyes on the next milestone – because that next step will surely, surely make all of life better.

What we sometimes forget is how much shaping and learning goes on during these in-between times. The habits you make in the in-betweens will not magically evaporate when you get where you want to be.

So, I try hard to remember that the perseverance we’re cultivating now will serve us so much better than sitting unhappy until we get to that next milestone. We actually haven’t hit any huge milestones since we got married a year and a half ago. We’ve seen tons of sweet, small successes, and we’ve celebrated those together. We’re having fun, trucking along in this hybrid adult/college student season. Sometimes we screw up. Sometimes the valleys seem long. Sometimes we ask for help. Sometimes I love this season. And sometimes I don’t. But we’re still here, still in the college town, still persevering and learning.

And damnit, that’s okay.

Because I’ve learned that there is no arriving.

Yes, we must cultivate dreams and longings and goals, and we must work hard at them, but I am beginning to learn that the Lord will come through on those when it’s time.

And, even in the midst of His provision, every. single. season. will have its own imperfections and struggles. There will never be a flawless season in your life.

Someday soon, I won’t be main bread-winner for our little family anymore. But, guess what? Life will still be screwy then, too.

So, I say we don’t have to thrash through the In-between, pushing reckless to get to that magical arrival point at any cost, in any condition.

Instead, let’s stick to our guns. While we work hard to move forward, let’s stick to our hard-earned contentment and learn to embrace In-between.

Makin' Up Is Hard To Do

So...I completely fell off the wagon on my goal to "workout every day this week," but life threw some unexpected events at me! Plus, I wanted to spend time with Jon for his birthday.  I decided over a year ago, when I began my weight loss journey, that I would NOT punish myself for not working out.  I promised I would continue to LIVE for each day and moment, be SURE to enjoy the opportunities that come my way, and NEVER EVER sacrifice precious time with precious people.  I workout when I can and do my very best to live a BALANCED lifestyle.  Don't get my wrong, I think it's quite important to be disciplined, have goals, and get SOME form of exercise almost daily, but I can not and will NOT feel guilty for missing a day.  Instead, I'll rejoice in the day that God gave me, and get back to the gym whenever (or wherever) I can.  SO...I woke up to do a 20 Minute Windsor Pilates DVD this morning.  5:40 AM folks. I can't believe it myself! It's even more surprising because I laid in bed until almost midnight doing the following:

1) Reading "Catching Fire" (2nd book in the Hunger Games series)
2) Pinning on Pinterest
3) Downloading new apps on my phone...my NEW favorite (which apparently I'm the last one to find out about this) is the Stumble Upon app. You can specify your interests and they randomly select websites that fit your preferences.  I didn't care for some of the websites, BUT, I found a ton of sites I loved!
Check it out: http://www.stumbleupon.com/home

After work I'm heading to the gym for a 30-minute arm workout and 30 minutes of cardio on the elliptical...I'll be sure to post my workout.

It's a beautiful sunny day in Cali today and I'm itching to get out and explore this state...Hope you all have a GREAT day...it's almost FRIDAY!  I'll leave you with a video that was posted by a friend on Facebook...I hope it inspires you to keep dreaming and make. it. count.  (PLEASE disregard the girls in bikini's...it's really worth checking out!)

Three Miles

Last night I ran three consecutive miles WITHOUT stopping for the first time since at least last December.  AND, my time was 29:45...15 seconds faster than my usual!

Here was the workout:

Minutes         Speed
1-5               5
5-10             6
10-12:30      6.5
12:30-15      7
15-17:30      6.5
17:30-18      7
18-18:30      7.5
18:30-19      8
19-19:30      7.5
19:30-20      7
20-22:30      5.5 (recover)
22:30-30      6
30-32:30      4.5
32:30-37:30 4 (fast walk)
37:30-40      3.8
40-42:30      3.5
42:30-45      3


After a trip to Costco--which can usually take me hours because there's so much fun stuff to look at AND sample--I headed home to make bars for Jon to take to work for his birthday.  I'll admit it...I failed! Haha. I've always struggled with baking...it's just not my specialty although I've improved tremendously in just a year.  It was my first attempt at making Peanut Butter Finger Bars that Jon's mom has MASTERED, and they tasted way too peanut butter-y! Jon said, "they're pretty good overall...just TOO MUCH PEANUT BUTTER!" Needless to say, he was NOT allowed to take them to work today.  Oh well, the joys of being a young wife!

After our usual Monday night viewing of The Voice (which is finally airing LIVE rounds!), we headed to bed.  The run knocked me right out.

To start out my morning today:

A delicious bowl of Good'n Hearty (unsweetened) Instant oatmeal with sliced almonds, a handful of frozen blueberries (they thaw in the HOT oatmeal...and cool it down so you can eat it almost immediately), 1 Tbsp Honey, and 2 Tbsp Flax.  Yummmmm-y.

Happy Tuesday! If you know Jon don't forget to wish him a Happy Birthday!

Happy Easter!

Phew...we made it through our first holiday away from our families!!! It wasn't as bad as we thought it would be as we got to Skype with and talk with our families all day. The joys of modern technology!

Last night, we attended the Easter Vigil service at church which was beautiful...filled with WONDERFUL music to lift us up!  After church, we made turkey burgers with sweet potato fries.  We had been meaning to make this earlier in the week but plans changed.  So here's the result:

The meat...seasoned with Montreal Steak.  This is a STAPLE in our household.  We put it on almost EVERYTHING. 

Above are the toppings...minus mustard :(

The potatoes...seasoned with:

Lawry's, Ground Pepper, Cayenne Pepper, and Olive Oil.  Baked at 350 degrees for 40 minutes....if you like them crispier, cook them longer! Next time we definitely will.

Here's the end result:

Suuuper tasty :)  This will probably be a regular...even though the turkey isn't quite as juicy as beef...it's MUCH healthier!

This morning we Jon made breakfast.  On the menu: scrambled eggs, bacon (EXTRA crispy), and pancakes.  We went for an hour long walk with Kasey and she was in HEAVEN!  The weather is FINALLY starting to feel as California should. Perfect timing for Easter Sunday.  Woohoo!

Jon and Kasey sharing a doggie bone...

 Look at those eyes...HELP! ;)

I slaved away making Jon's birthday dinner....trying to simulate what his mama would be cookin' up back at home.  On the menu:  Beef 'n Noodles, Mashed Potatoes, Green Beans, Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cake, and Ice Cream (Not homemade like we'd have in Iowa, though!)

The final result!

Not too shabby if I do say so myself...it wasn't quite up to par with Mama Mac's, BUT, it was a good enough substitution considering the circumstances! Next up, dessert!

 Time to enjoy some sweets WITH my sweetie, cuddle up, and watch War Horse!  Hope you had a WONDERFUL Easter celebrating God's love and sacrifice for us and enjoying the wonderful blessing of family!

Maundy Thursday

Yesterday Jon and I both felt awful--Jon more than me--but we both had serious headaches! I don't know about him, but I KNOW that I didn't drink enough water.  After work, I worked out doing the following routine which I got from Skinny Chicks Don't Eat Salads by Christine Avanti.  I read this book last fall during the first year of my weight loss/healthy living journey.  I LOVED this book, and I'm now reading (or started reading and will finish after I finish the hunger games, lol) Skinny Chicks Eat Real Food.  I'm not a sales person for Christine, but I thoroughly enjoyed her views on eating REAL food and her concepts are so simple...creating the right portions of a protein/carb/healthy fat at EACH meal to keep you sustained throughout the day.  She offers meal plans and a few workout ideas as well.  Her workouts are "go-to" for me when I don't want to be super creative and just want to get a SOLID workout in that day.  So I'd encourage you to check them out!

I had planned on doing cardio after this, but my body was saying, "NO!" So, I listened.  I headed home and made supper...we had Mac'N Cheese...I know TOTALLY processed, unhealthy food, but this is NOT regular for us, and everything in moderation will NOT kill you!  Along with the Mac'N Cheese I made some super tasty (and SUPER easy) asparagus...it was so yummy I didn't even have time to THINK about taking a picture.  I didn't feel like firing up the grill as it was chilly outside, so here's what I did:

SUPER EASY ASPARAGUS


1 Bunch Asparagus
1-2 Tablespoons EVOO
Pinch Ground Sea Salt/Pepper (if you have it)


I preheated the oven to 400 degrees, laid a piece of aluminum foil on the baking sheet, spread out the asparagus, drizzled it with the EVOO, salt, and pepper, and baked for 20 minutes.  You can bake it however long you'd like from about 12-20 minutes depending how crunchy you like it.  You can always add garlic or parmesan cheese but I felt like K.I.S.S. (keepin' it simple, stupid).  


I rented "In the Land of Blood and Honey," but we were both too tired, so we cuddled up with our baby and got some rest!

I woke up this morning feeling SUPER tired so decided that I needed to make SURE I started my morning off with the right food!

 Ever since I nannied last summer for a couple who was from England and Australia, I've loved a good cuppa tea :)  I'll drink anything, but OOGLE over a good Earl Grey or English Breakfast tea.

I've always loved yogurt...and usually buy the plain (less sugar) and add flavors with fruit, nuts, granola, and/or honey, BUT, at work (I'm spoiled to have healthy snacks), they've been buying the yogurt above. I. AM. HOOKED.

I'd like to add a "Best Surprise Today" every once in awhile to my blog...and today's was finding this in my purse:

You might ask, "An egg?"  No, No, No!!!

Only some of my FAVORITE chapstick that I thought had been lost forever...Evolution of Smooth.  Try it out :)

It is Maundy Thursday, (or the day to remember when Jesus washed feet and the Last Supper took place), so after a quick run on the treadmill after work, we're making Turkey Burgers with Sweet Potato Fries for supper,YUMMMM (Check the recipage for the recipes tonight, followed by church!

I'll leave you with these verses for today:

"But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you,
and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;
That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise
on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust."
~Matthew 5:44-45

It can be SO hard to do this, especially when you're filled with anger, rage, or bitterness, but it IS Easter week, and let's remember how much our Lord loved US when he gave up HIS life on the cross despite all of OUR sins.  2 Timothy 1:7 says this:


"For God hath not given us the spirit of fear;
but of power, and of LOVE, and of a sound mind."