Things I've Learned Lately

• Stressing and complaining doesn't change anything.  Hard work and dedication does.
• God really does answer prayers.
• God really does yearn to have a personal relationship with me.
• I can find freedom from anxiety when I pray for others.
• Struggles and pain make smiles and laughter so much sweeter.
• I have the best sister a girl could possibly ask for.
• People can surprise you (in good and bad ways)!
• Sometimes it's okay to be selfish.
• I'm happiest when I'm in the company of an encouraging person.
• That this current season in my life has caused me to rediscover Christ and genuinely seek a relationship with Him.  Wow...talk about a transformation!  Every second of pain or hurt has been worth this realization.
• Any amount of future happiness that pulled me away from this relationship with Christ, would not be worth it.  I would rather be struggling and seeking Him, than happy and thinking I can make it without Him (because how meaningful is that?).
• Simple acts of kindness can make an exponential difference in someone's day.
• People will let you down.
• Every day is a new day; a new chance to get it right.
• God is so gracious to me.

Ramblings

I sure haven't posted in a while!  To be honest, things feel a bit stagnant, so I guess I haven't been sure what to post about. 

I went and looked at the studio...it was sooo tiny.  I don't know why, but for some reason when I went inside it, I just felt depressed.  It wasn't exactly what I had in mind, and I just started to worry that I would be so lonely there.  I am still trying to keep an open mind and consider moving down there, I just don't want to rush into it.  Ideally, I would find a great roommate who wanted to live in that area.  That way, I would have some company and less of a financial commitment.  Oh well...time will tell, I guess.

On a happier note, my sister and brother-in-law are pregnant with their second child!  We find out the sex in two weeks!  I am SO excited for this new addition to the family and the joy that I know it will bring.  What will it be...boy or girl!?!

This past weekend was a nice blend of fun activities and down time.  Saturday was Amy's birthday.  I swung by her apartment on my way to the gym and decorated her car with balloons.  ;)  She met me at the gym and we took Step and Centergy together.  Talk about a workout!  We both definitely got our sweat on and earned a Starbucks drink as a reward.  After coffee, we crossed the street to get pedis together.  :)  Later that night I went to the North service at church and hung out with some of the girls afterward.  It was a nice evening full of company of people that I love.  Sunday morning I went to the South service at church.  Jonathan Martin spoke, and his message really touched me.  I spent most of Sunday relaxing until I went to the mall with my mom.  I have been really wanting to get some new boots for fall...so I decided to splurge a little.  I got two pairs of boots that I love...annnnd at a great price!  It was definitely a successful trip.  After the mall, I headed to the Gabbert's house for growth group.  As usual, we enjoyed great food, conversation, and fellowship.  It was a nice way to top off the weekend!

I don't know about you guys, but I have been loving this fall weather!  We have been blessed with crisp, dry days.  Today on my way in to work, I went through the Starbucks drive thru and got a Skinny Caramel Macchiato.  Only 100 calories, and such a treat!  Now, I am at work and feeling anxious for it to be 4pm!  The second half of the day is pretty slow, and I'm feeling eager to get to the gym and workout.  Power class, here I come!

I'm like a little kid in a candy shop!

Wow!  Time sure is flying by.  Sorry I haven't updated in so long!  I have been keep busy. 

 

I have big news: I recently decided that it's time for me to spread my wings and move out.  The idea has been in the back of my head for a while now, but I was always planning to live at home for about a year to save up money and take my time deciding where I wanted to move, if I wanted to rent or buy, etc.  However, with circumstances being how they are, I just feel a need to kind of give myself a little space and maybe start a new adventure during this season of life.  Once I decided that I did want to rent downtown (and not in Gresham or Happy Valley or anywhere inbetween Gresham and Portland), I started researching on Craigslist.  It was a bit overwhelming- Portland is a BIG city!  But I narrowed it down and decided I wanted to live in the Nob Hill district (near NW 23rd).  Well, as luck would have it, my family owns a complex in that area and one of the studios just had a vacancy!  Ideally, I would like to have a one-bedroom.  But, since my family owns the complex, they wouldn't make me sign a contract (most buildings in this area make you sign a twelve month contract).  This way, I can see if I even like living downtown and if I want to stay down there.  If not, I can easily move back or find a new alternative.  If I do like it, but decide I want a one bedroom, I will be able to take my time looking for one that I really like, and not feel rushed.  So, I am going to look at it after work- in just TWO hours!  Ah.  I am excited, but trying not to get my hopes up.  Here's to hopeful new beginnings!

A Weekend of Fun

Well, I had a very busy, lovely weekend!  It was one of those weekends that after your weekend, you need another weekend to recover from it! 

Friday night I went out to Hillsboro with Alexa to go to a party at Annie and Roland's house.  Their house was packed and I hardly knew anyone, but it was still fun.  I had a great time hanging out with Lex and Annie.  Alexa left on Saturday to head north up to Seattle.  I am a bit bummed that she's not staying around Gresham, but I am so excited for her and the plans in her future!  I'm thinking I'll have to make a trip up there soon!  :)  Needless to say, Friday was a late night...I crawled into bed at about 2am.

Saturday morning I woke up, had some breakfast, and decided to go to the gym and take Centergy.  I haven't taken this class in a long time, but I really love it.  It is a class that utilizes yoga and pilates techniques for a great full-body strength training exercise.  It incorporates a lot of balance, stretching, and abdominal strength.  I would recommend this class to nearly anyone.  It just feels so great.  After class I went to the store and bought an extra large muffin pan.  It makes bigger muffins, not more of them.  With my new lemon blueberry muffin craze, I have been wanting to make them bigger!  Mmm mm.  I went home and showered and then met up with my dear friend, Amy.  We had a great time catching up over steaming cups of coffee at Starbucks.  I rushed home, baked my super-sized muffins, threw some stuff in a bag, and headed out the door to meet up with Brittany and Marin.

The three of us girls had plans to drive out to the hoppin' town of Mosier, OR to spend time with Cora.  I have to say, the drive out toward The Dalles is SO unbelieveably gorgeous!  We got to Cora's around 6:30pm and she already had dinner made (she was a fantastic hostess all weekend!).  She'd prepared salmon cakes which we put atop a bed of lettuce.  I have never had salmon cakes before - they were delicious!  The whole weekend consisted of a lot of eating and drinking, laughter, and great conversations. 

On Sunday, the girls stretched me to be slightly crafty when we made lavender sachets.  Cora already had dried lavender which she'd gotten from the landscaping outside her condo and she had cute patterned fabric squares that were already pre-cut.  All we had to do was form the squares into whatever shape we wanted and do a little sewing, then stuff them with lavender.  It was such a simple craft and we had so much fun making them.  These girls inspired me to be a little more artistic and creative.  The weekend was full of fresh, orchard-grown grapes, beautiful blooming flowers, the scent of lavender...it was all just so relaxing and spa-esque!  Being out in that part of Oregon, surrounded by such stunning nature inspired me to want to live more simply and utilize the beauty around me. 

That evening, we reluctantly packed up our things and headed back home.  I had to quickly get in my car and head to Growth Group.  It was encouraging hanging out with everyone and spending time in the Word, but I found myself being quieter than usual.  I felt lost in my own thoughts and distracted by some of my emotions.  Our church is doing a series called "The Art of Marriage" so as you can probably imagine, it is sometimes difficult for me.  Nonetheless, God is teaching me and I know my heart is responding. 

Every morning brings forth challenges for me, and I am so incredibly thankful for the amazing, caring friends God has blessed me with.  These girls have given me so much support during this season of my life.  I have learned more and more to value these friendships and to take the time to tend to them.   

So here we are...Monday!  The start of a new week.  This is Day One of my nutrition plan and I am so excited to be doing it again.  After work (we're having a slow day, so I'm blogging from the department!), I am going straight to the gym to take Power with Britt.  That class is a KILLER workout.  Last week when I took it, I was sore until Saturday.  Hmm...I think that shows that my poor muscles need to be lifting more!  =P  After I get my sweat on, I'll be heading straight to Greg and Jenn's to babysit my sweet little nephew, Tate, while they go to Growth Group.  Talk about a busy, yet fulfilling day!

Well, I think that's enough for now!

Jessica Marie

Confessions of an Emotional Eater

Well, this Monday marks the one month finish line for the nutrition goals I set for myself.  Buuut, I have to be honest with you guys, and mostly with myself: I did not feel that I was successful in completing this task.  =/  The first two weeks, I did great!  This shows me that I can in fact do this, and that it's not impossible.  But, the final two weeks were more difficult for me.  I have thought about this, and think there are several reasons why.  First of all, I don't like to tell people I'm on some sort of strange eating plan because I don't want them to look at me like I'm a weirdo or some girl with a complex.  Second, it's really hard to socialize and go out with people when I can't eat most things on a menu (in particular, on a happy hour menu).  This is especially difficult because I never did my research to find out what kind of alcoholic drinks I can consume, and still stick to my plan.  Third, I have found that lately I am a bit of an emotional eater.  This was my reason for starting the nutrition plan in the first place.  I was sad, and felt like my relationship with food was very unhealthy so I wanted to change it up.  However, in the past two weeks I found myself having hard days, and trying to use food as a comfort.  When I think about it, it is so silly!  Eating a cookie and cheating on my nutrition plan only exacerbates my frustration!  When will I ever learn!?  =P

 

For the two weeks that I was very diligent, I noticed that this had a drastic impact on me.  I didn't overeat because while the food I was eating still tasted good, it wasn't so amazing that I just kept eating and eating - therefore, I stopped when I was full.  I also didn't think about food as much or over-analyze what I was eating.  Since when I'm following this plan I know I am eating healthy, nutritional food, I didn't feel the need to monitor how much I was eating or feel guilty if I did eat something.  While these things might sound minor or silly to some, they are very big improvements for me and ease my mind so much of a lot of needless worry.  But now I feel like since I haven't been following my plan 100% in these final two weeks, I feel extremely guilty and think about it way too much.  I'd say that right now, I'm following it about 85% of the time.  So, I have a new plan of action and hope for support!

 

I am going to start my one month of clean eating...completely over.  I will start on Monday, October 3rd.  Before then, I will research what alcoholic beverages I can have so that when put in the situation, I wont have to worry about it (however, in the past month I have avoided all alcohol).  Until Monday, I will continue eating good but wont be 100%.  When Monday comes - the challenge is on.  I will not cheat and I will report to you guys more frequently on how I am doing.  I really want to do this, for me.  I want to feel better and I know that when I am eating clean, I do.

 

So here's to me and this challenge I am determined to complete.  Monday it will start, and this time it will be a success!  I'm sorry I haven't been better this time around, but hey, hopefully I'll be able to teach you guys a thing or two from my difficulties and show you how to be successful!  Woohoo. 

 

Happy Friday everyone!  Enjoy your weekend - play hard, have fun, and take a step toward healthier living - one day at a time!

 

Much love!

Ramblings

I know I said in my last post that my next blog would be about how my new nutrition plan has been making me feel...well, this post isn't about that!  I had a slow moment at work last Thursday and wrote a blog which I emailed to myself.  I intended to add to it and include that subject, but well...life got busy and I haven't had time!  Since some of you are feeling a bit neglected, I decided to just post this unfinished blog for now.  I have A LOT of thoughts, ideas, and just things in general that I want to share.  I'll try to post again soon to get more of these things out of my head, and into actual words.  So, again, this post was written last Thursday, so the things it refers to are from the week prior...

Well, I must admit, I've been in a bit of a slump lately.  =/  I (as well as the rest of my family) got sick with the stomach flu.  It has made it so I haven't been making it to the gym and as a result, I just kind of feel...BLAH.  Even if my nutrition is still going pretty good, I just feel kind of icky and lazy.  The last time I made it to the gym was on Sunday.  Britt and I worked out together then went across the street to Starbucks to formulate some kind of weekly workout plan.  We came up with a schedule that we thought would be a good foundation, but I haven't been able to go at all this week.  The plan is to run about three times a week, take a core class, a Ride class, and a Power class at the gym.  I feel like I need to start integrating some strength training into my routine.  What do you guys do when you feel like you're in a fitness slump?  I need to turn it around...fast.  I feel like my strict nutrition plan is a waste if I'm not exercising.

 

Most of my blog so far has focused on the nutrition and fitness aspects of my new goals.  I feel like (for the most part) I have those under control and want to work on some of my other goals. 

• God.  I seriously need to start consistently reading my Bible.  I think I'll start with just fifteen minutes in the evenings and see where that takes me.  I have a feeling that once I get started, I'll want to spend more time in the Word.  I know I could seriously benefit from it.  I had to find a new growth group to join this year.  I'm proud to say that I was actually proactive about this and went outside my box to join a new group.  Last Sunday was our first meeting.  I'm optimistic that God will do good things during my time with these individuals.
• Volunteer.  I haven't figured this one out yet, but it is definitely something I want to get the ball rolling on.  I guess I'm just not sure how?  I'll need to do some research in this department.
• Socializing.  I have definitely been hanging out with more people and getting out of the house more lately.  Sometimes I feel the urge to just stay home and be alone, but I've been making a conscious effort to get out and do things.  I've spent time with a lot of different people in the past two weeks, and have thoroughly enjoyed their company!

I must admit, this is a rough road for me.  I have my moments of weakness and self-doubt.  It has become apparent to me that I need to become better at handling these moments.  I so lack the eternal perspective that I know would make this all seem so small.  I know there are much bigger problems in life, and I know that our worldly problems will only last a small time...but sometimes it's hard to really grasp this and apply it to our mindset and lives.

Fall Cooking

Hello, hello!  I was saying in my previous post that I needed to stay busy last weekend.  Well, I definitely had a busy weekend...and week! 


I was honored to be a part of the beautiful wedding uniting Bekah and Eleazar.  At the rehearsal dinner there wasn't much I could eat, so I snacked on veggies and had dinner at home.  I was also able to follow my nutrition plan at their wedding.  This took great self-control!  Bekah's sister made three different types of cake balls that looked AMAZING.  But, they also had a chocolate fountain with tons of dipping options.  So I was able to have fresh cut pineapple and strawberries instead. 

On Saturday I got to hang out with my dear friend from Oklahoma, Kat.  She was in town for the wedding, so her, Carlee, and I went to Seaside.  It was the most beautiful day I've ever seen at the Oregon coast! 

We ate out for a lot of meals while she was in town, and I learned that it is definitely possible to order from menus and still avoid wheat, dairy, and sugar.  It just takes a little altering and sounding extremely high maintenance when you order.  Oops! 


Monday I met Annie and Alexa downtown for Happy Hour at a fun little place.  I had hummus with veggies and loved seeing those girls.  We sat outdoors and chatted until it started to cool down, then we crossed the street and enjoyed some Starbucks and some more wonderful conversation.  Monday was one of the best days I've had in a long time!


This last week I spent a lot of time researching recipes and baking!  I baked wheat-free, dairy-free, no sugar added lemon blueberry muffins.  They were awesome!  Everyone that had them loved them. 

I also found a recipe for apple cookies.  I've never heard of them before and they had great ratings so I decided to try them out.  I made a few adjustments to the recipe and included them below.  I will admit, I did eat one because I really wanted to know if they were any good and worth baking again.  :)  I thought they were wonderful!  My nephews were over so I let them each have part of a cookie...they definitely seemed to approve!

I've also had requests for the pumpkin cookie recipe that I bake a lot in the fall and winter.  I have to give my sister credit for these as she was the one to first discover the recipe and bake them.  If you are a fan of pumpkin things...you MUST make these cookies! 


LEMON BLUEBERRY MUFFINS
Makes about 9 regular sized muffins


INGREDIENTS

• 1/2 cup fresh or frozen blueberries
• 1 cup blanched almond flour
• 1/2 cup  oat flour + 2 teaspoons
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
• 2 large eggs, whisked
• 1/2 cup unsweetened light coconut milk
• zest from 1 lemon
• 3 tablespoons lemon juice
• 2-3 droppers full vanilla Stevia drops, adjust sweetness to taste

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350˚F with the rack in the middle.  Prepare muffin pans with liners. 
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together almond flour, oat flour, baking soda, and sea salt. 
3. In another bowl, combine eggs, coconut milk, lemon zest, lemon juice, and stevia. 
4. Combine wet and dry ingredients.  Gently fold in the blueberries. 
5. Fill muffin pans about 3/4 full with batter.  
6. Bake muffins for about 20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out virtually crumb free.

SPICED APPLE COOKIES

Yields 3 dozen

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup shortening
• 1 1/3 cups packed brown sugar
• 1 egg
• 2 cups sifted all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1 cup chopped walnuts (optional)
• 1 cup apples - peeled, cored and finely diced
• 1/2 cup grated granny smith apple
• 1 cup raisins
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1 1/2 cups sifted confectioners' sugar
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 1/2 tablespoons half-and-half cream

DIRECTIONS

1. Beat shortening and brown sugar together until light and fluffy.  Beat in egg and blend thoroughly.
2. Stir together flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg.
3. Stir half the dry ingredients into creamed mixture.  Stir in nuts, apple, and raisins, then stir in remaining half of dry ingredients and milk.  Mix well.
4. Drop from tablespoon 1 1/2 inches apart onto lightly greased baking sheet. Bake in a preheated 400 degree oven for 10-12 minutes. Remove cookies to racks and while still warm, spread with glaze.
5. To make Glaze: Combine powdered sugar, butter, vanilla and enough cream to make glaze of spreading consistency. Beat until smooth. Spread on warm cookies.

ICED PUMPKIN COOKIES
Yields 3 dozen

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 1 1/2 cups white sugar
• 1 cup canned pumpkin puree
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
•  
• 2 cups confectioners' sugar
• 3 tablespoons milk
• 1 tablespoon melted butter
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, ground cloves, and salt; set aside.
3. In a medium bowl, cream together the 1/2 cup of butter and white sugar.  Add pumpkin, egg, and 1 teaspoon vanilla to butter mixture, and beat until creamy.
4. Mix in dry ingredients.  Drop on cookie sheet by tablespoonfuls; flatten slightly.
5. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes in the preheated oven.  Cool cookies, then drizzle glaze with fork.
6. To Make Glaze: Combine confectioners' sugar, milk, 1 tablespoon melted butter, and 1 teaspoon vanilla.  Add milk as needed, to achieve drizzling consistency.

I have more I want to share, but I think this post is already long enough!  Stay tuned for my next post about my thoughts on how this new nutrition plan has affected me.  Hope you're ready for fall!  The weather is coming whether you like it or not!  Get in the mood and enjoy it by trying out these fun, fall recipes!

Until next time!
<3 The Baking Blogger

Temptations!

Alright, I have a confession to make - NO!  I did not eat a piece of bread - but I am afraid I might have gotten myself in a little over my head.  Seriously...this blog is about me!?  I am not that interesting!  I was sitting here, fingertips on keyboard...with a blank mind.  Moments before I realized I had a serious case of "writer's block," I was bragging to my mom that my blog was going to be so amazing I might just want to quit my job now and become a stay at home blogger.  (It has a nice ring to it, doesn't it?)  Now, I'm having second thoughts.  I'm not sure my stay at home blog would thrive with only one follower.  And we all know who that would be...my mother. 

Moving on!  Yesterday morning came all too early (as it always does...I hate waking up at 5am).  I stumbled out of bed, showered and got ready, and headed downstairs for breakfast.  I walked into the kitchen and looked around...homemade scones!  Err...pretty sure those have wheat, dairy, AND sugar...let's try the fridge...chocolate milk!  I'm proud to say that I resisted these temptations and settled for a lovely bowl of oatmeal with blueberries and raspberries.  For lunch I heated up my quinoa and had some chicken with it (it was great!). 

After work my lovely running partner, Brittany, met me at the gym.  We had a quick, but efficient, workout.  I love my runs and workouts with Britt.  We definitely get our sweat on, but it's also a great therapy session.  Between the two of us, there is always plenty to talk about.  I am so lucky to have a running buddy that can keep going like the energizer bunny, but I'm even luckier that she is a wise woman with great advice!  Love that girl.  :)  Dinner was simple, but delicious!  Pork, salad, and wonderful sweet corn!

Today I realized that I need to have some healthy snack options.  After I took the new "CORE" class at the gym (it was a killer thirty minute ab workout in which I was literally dripping sweat on my bench...I'm not one of those girls who "glistens"), my mom and I got pedicures, then went to Freddie's to pick up a few things.  Let me just say, it's hard to shop when on this nutrition plan!  Even in the "health food/gluten free/organic aisle"!  My mom and I were both laughing at how almost every item I picked up...I couldn't eat.  I did have some success though, and I'm actually excited about what I got....

Tomorrow is Bekah and Eleazar's wedding rehearsal/dinner and then on Friday they're getting married!!  You guys might have to cut me a little slack on the nutrition for their wedding dinner...but I'll do my best!  It's going to be a fun weekend...I can tell!  I just have to keep busy, and stay on track.  :)

I still need to pursue the volunteer thing, and get into a daily routine for reading my Bible.  Does anyone have suggestions for either of these things?  Where to volunteer?  What's your favorite book in the Bible?  I love hearing from you guys!  ((Shout out to my momma!))  ;)

Sincerely,
The Stay at Home Blogger

Day One!

Well, today was the first day of my new eating plan.  I had oatmeal with part of a chopped up nectarine and some blueberries for breakfast...yum!  Then I made some iced black peach tea.  I hate to admit it, but I am a caffeine addict and get terrible headaches that usually turn in to migraines if I don't have any.  Since I'm going dairy-free, my usual lattes are no longer an option.  :(  For lunch I cooked a new recipe I'm excited to share with you!

Quinoa and Black Beans

Ingredients

• 1 teaspoon vegetable oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped (I just did 1 1/2 teaspoons of diced)
• 3/4 cup uncooked quinoa
• 1 1/2 cups vegetable broth
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 cup frozen corn kernels
• 2 (15 ounce) cans black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Directions

1. Heat the oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir in the onion and garlic, and saute until lightly browned.
2. Mix quinoa into the saucepan and cover with vegetable broth. Season with cumin, cayenne pepper, salt, and pepper. Bring the mixture to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 20 minutes,
3. Stir frozen corn into the saucepan, and continue to simmer about 5 minutes until heated through. Mix in the black beans and cilantro.

Nutritional Information

Amount Per Serving  Calories: 76 | Total Fat: 1.5g | Cholesterol: 0mg 

I added a little bit of diced up avocado to top mine off.  I thought this was great!  I'm a bit of a baby when it comes to spicy food; this definitely had a bit of a kick to it, but wasn't too spicy.  I thought the flavors were great!  For someone who isn't going dairy-free, they'd probably enjoy some cheese and/or sour cream on top.  This was plenty for me for lunch, but if you're cooking for a bigger eater, this might be more of a side side dish!  The recipe makes about ten servings (yikes!) so I have lots of leftovers to pack for lunches and eat this week.  Here was the final result:

For dinner, I had a green salad with veggies and chicken on top with Annie's balsamic vinaigrette (yummy!) and a small fruit salad.  Not a bad first day!  If you cook the quinoa, let me know what your thoughts are!

New Beginnings

Hello!  Most likely, if you're looking at this, you already know me.  So I don't really need to explain why the past few months have been difficult.  To put it delicately, they have really gotten the best of me.  I feel like I've lost sight of the girl I once was- happy, carefree, and excited about life.  The new stresses, pressures, and adjustments I've been facing seem to really be taking their toll.  I know that these things are part of growing up, but I know that I can handle them better.  I've come upon several different ways in which I intend to do this.  I'm hoping to use this blog as a bit of an accountability to stay on course.  I don't intend to use this blog to publicly display my emotions during my journey of healing.  But I do hope that this healing will become evident. 

Here is a partial list of some of the changes I'm looking to make:

• A wheat-free, dairy-free, no sugar added nutrition plan.  A friend recently told me about the success she had when doing this, and it really inspired me.  My current plan is to do this for a month (I started today) and go from there.  I imagine that after this first month I will add in some things that I want (like my lattes!!).  But, I want to try and do this for a month before I make any further decisions.  I have found that when I eat clean, my body feels better and I feel better.  I'm very conscious of what I eat and lately have been eating terribly and it really affects my moods.  This will not be an easy month!  But I'm planning on sharing this journey with you - and some yummy meals - and just maybe you might get inspired as well!  A book that I recently read that made a significant impression on how I think about food is This Is Why You're Fat by Jackie Warner.  I normally wouldn't do this, but I highly recommend this book.
• Consistently run at least four times a week, outdoor when possible.  I am a running freak.  It keeps me sane, healthy, balanced...it is my therapy.  Without it, my moods are also very different.  Lately my runs have not been as consistent; when you combine this with an unhealthy eating style, you can only imagine how poorly I've been feeling!  I did just run Hood to Coast for my second time at the end of August.  Let me tell you, it was incredible!  Something about that event is just so inspiring and intoxicating!  The picture below was taken right before my second leg.  It was a late, hard, hilly run!  (Yes...I know I look like a nerd!)

• Fill my time with productive things.  I just joined a book club that my dear friend, Alisa, is organizing.  I have been reading like crazy lately, and I look forward to what this group might teach me!  This one seems like a stretch, but I really mean it...I want to volunteer.  I don't know exactly what I want it to be, or where, but I really think it would be a good way for me to meet new people and serve.  I also just want to be open to being more adventurous, stepping outside my box, and doing new things.  I want to go hiking, on bike rides, line-dancing, explore new parts of town, and try out new coffee shops.  I want to get off my sad bum and get moving!  So if any of these things (or others) appeal to you, please let me know...let's make a date!

• Deepen my relationship with Christ.  I want to make reading my Bible and going to church more of a constant in my life.  When I am doing these things, they lift my moods and really encourage me when times are hard.  Currently, I am reading a book called The Power of Letting Go by Pam Vredevelt.  She is a Christian author and it has also been helpful in my healing process.

Thank you to those of you who are going to follow me on this new journey!  I appreciate the support and look forward to hearing from you.  If you have ideas, advice, encouragement, recipes...I'd love to hear them!  So here we go: Cheers!  To health and happiness!