Favorite Posts From 2012

Take a dip in the "P.S. Wish You Were Here Hot Tub Time Machine" and travel back to words and pictures from 2012! 

10 Simple Rules : Do you ever wonder how to pray? I do. I always wonder if I'm saying the right words, if I am being selfish in the way I ask for things, etc. Here are 10 simple rules on how to pray.

At The Cross : With everything you do in life, do it at the cross. Start and end, at the cross. Bring your worries, doubts, questions, prayers, excitement, everything. He brought it all there & we should, too. 

Suit Up : Our failures come about when we try to be something that God doesn't want us to be.

Challenge : Small changes lead to surprising rewards. 

On Being Found : As you grow older, you often don't notice when the game has started. You long to hide in your safe place because you don't want the reality of life to find you. The reality of bills, pressures, homework, relationships, work, routines. Where are you hiding? 

Be You : It is quite silly to think about being someone other than yourself. You are wasting each day away trying to impress people, do things that deep down you know aren't making you any happier, going through the motions just to please other people. Go ahead, start YOUR LIFE. Do the things YOU want to do.

Bringing The Tent : Failing = Learning.

Cauliflower Crust Pizza : It's not delivery, it's…

Oatmeal Pancakes : Breakfast, lunch, or dinner - you pick! 

Fall Chopped Salad : Most popular recipe featured on my blog. The perfect salad for any occasion and a hit among many! 

My Getaway : Thank you, Blanche Lake. 

Where To Now? : How did you know where you were suppose to live? How did you know that where you are is where you are suppose to be? On the flip side, do you think that we will truly understand why we are where we are? 

Journey to 30

I decided to do the Whole30 after learning that omitting certain foods from my diet, mainly soy, were proven to help my current health issue. I was initially planning to start on May 1st, but after buying and reading the book, I couldn't wait to start! I've talked to a couple people about journeying with me through these next 30 days, whether that be joining me or encouraging me, and I extend those invitations to you, too!

While anyone can do the Whole30 program for free (everything is on their website), I highly recommend buying the book. I brought it with while my car got an oil change, and was more than impressed with the tips, guidelines, and recipes that it provided.

What is it? "It is a short-term nutritional reset, designed to help you put an end to unhealthy cravings and habits, restore a healthy metabolism, heal your digestive tract, and balance your immune system." www.whole30.com

Basically, for the next 30 days I will be eating whole foods only. I will say YES to: meat, seafood, eggs, vegetables, fruit, and natural fats. I will say NO to: sugar, alcohol, grains, legumes, and dairy.

Why am I doing it? I want to understand more about my body and the foods that are meant to fuel it. Like I said earlier, I want to see how my body responds when I don't feed it processed, packaged foods, and see if it nixes my current "health halt" for good. Participants have said that they reported "consistently high energy levels, improved athletic performance, better sleep, improved focus and mental clarity, and a sunnier disposition." - www.whole30.com

When will I start? Tomorrow! My meals for week 1 have been planned…

 my grocery list has been made…

and prepping will be underway once the shopping is done. 

How will I do it? "It will be hard. You will not be perfect. Don't even try to be perfect. No one is judging, no one is keeping score, and there are no penalties for admitting that this is hard, you are struggling, and you need help. Be patient with yourself, because real change takes time. Be kind to yourself, and celebrate even the smallest of victories, because a series of small victories is all it takes to change your life. Finally, know that it's not 30 days---it's one day. One meal. One bite. Do this one bite at a time if you have to, because it's for the most important and worthwhile cause on earth---you." The Whole30: 30-Day Guide to Total Health & Food Freedom

Check back each week as I will be documenting my weeks with food pictures (yeah…I'm going to be that girl), discuss how I am feeling and if I'm noticing any changes both mentally and/or physically!

I'm Not Moving!

The phone call came in between applying my foundation and curling my eyelashes. I knew it was “the call” the second I saw MOM appear on the screen. Heartbroken and weeping, I hung up to phone and buried my head in my hands. My Grandpa had left us. I would have crawled in bed for the night, clinging to memories and stories, but I had a visitor en route from MN to CO whom I was over-the-moon excited about seeing. After all, it had been 20-ish years! 

How do I juggle these emotions when they are more opposite than black and white? How do I balance being so happy yet so sad? How do I grieve the death of my grandpa yet the birth of a new relationship? HOW DO I KNOW?

I can't forget the unknown of where God wants me to be in Minnesota when I move back…in 2 months. The uncertain feelings of “am I doing the right thing?” and “am I applying and interviewing to the right places?” is consuming my thoughts more than I would like them to. Is there Tylenol for a constant month-long headache?

My Grandpa was a do-er; a man who didn’t wait around for things to get done because he knew very well he could check them off the list himself. He built benches and flowerpots and playhouses for his granddaughters. He assembled cooling pads out of used wine corks and napkin holders that held up better than the rest of them. My Grandpa used his hands more than his credit card, something we should all pen down in our book of life. 

Bench made by my Grandpa on display at his funeral

He was a man who donned many hats, one of which was a cheerleader for his grandkids. Whether he was in the stands or miles away, he was with us through the ups and downs of our lives. My aunt shared a story at his funeral where my grandpa attended my cousins softball game. He got scolded repeatedly from the umpires because he wanted to sit behind the dugout and the rules clearly stated that spectators needed to be in the stands.

“My granddaughter is playing and I want to sit here and watch her. I'm not moving!”

Battle Lake Turtle Races from Peterson Family Reunion

He never moved. He didn’t care that the “rules” said he couldn’t be there because who made these “rules” anyways? He was there for support and encouragement and the peanuts. He was there because he wanted to be. 

I wonder where I got my stubborn ways from….?

I’ve prayed for clarity and direction. I’ve prayed to be trusting and obedient and compliant. I’ve spent time hearing words from my aunt, best friends, sister-in-laws and brothers, all reminding me that everything works out and go where I want to go, not where “they” tell me to go. I've opened my e-mail to read words that I swear were sent to me because the timing of them were more than perfect. 

From Brave Girls Club:

You know where you want to be, and even where you are meant to be....but YOU are the only one holding you back from taking the first step towards that place Sometimes you just have to jump...you just have to take that leap....JUMP....even if you feel like you aren't ready. We can make a million excuses for all of the reasons why we aren't ready...why it isn't the right time yet, why we aren't up to the challenge, why we don't have time or why we just don't have what it takes to EVER do it, but really.... all we need to do is take the first step, the first leap....and then keep going. It won't be much different if we wait. It will still be the first scary step, the first scary leap....but if we wait, we might never do it. YOU KNOW it's time. . Don't hold yourself back anymore.....take the leap. If you don't like it...you don't have to keep going....but chances are, you will. Bliss will fill you up and you will feel so on track!

So where am I at? Well, I still have a headache. I still cling to God and journaling and loved ones. I still have no idea what my move back to Minnesota looks like. I still can't get over that the man I've prayed for is now the man I call my boyfriend. I still get a pit in my stomach when I think about leaving Denver. I still have an aching, fragile heart over the passing of my Grandpa. 

What do I know, though? I know that I am deserving of happiness, no matter what “they” say or the “rules” say. I want to go where I want, do what I want, be with who I want, because I know I am deserving of so much. We all are. If we all lived life according to how others think we should live, we would most likely end up like THIS.

My Grandpa lived to be 88 years old. 65 of those years were spent married to my Grandma. During that time, they grew their family by having 5 children who went on to marry, giving my grandparents 17 grandchildren and 14 great-grandchildren. My Grandpa served in the navy, enjoyed woodworking and traveling, and never listened to what "they" had to say. If I can leave my time on earth saying all those things, than I don't want to listen to them either!

First Lady Status

Being that I'm on my last Spring Break while living in Colorado, I wanted to stay here and explore some new places. Last Saturday, I went to Phillip S. Miller Park to try out the 200-stair "mini-incline" and stopped at Daniels Park before driving back north to Denver.

Phillip S. Miller Park

Daniels Park

Horseback Riding at Del's Triangle Three Ranch

On Monday morning, Nicole and I grabbed some coffee and hit the road towards Steamboat Springs. We found a cozy cafe downtown to eat lunch before heading to Del's Triangle Three Ranch for horseback riding!

We were the first to arrive in our group so we walked around the ranch doing normal things like trying to talk to goats, getting educated on how you know when a horse is sleeping and trying on different cowboy hats because, come on, you gotta look the part when riding through the mountains. Yee haw!

Strawberry Park Hot Springs

Next stop was Strawberry Park Hot Springs about 20 minutes from Steamboat. This place was by far one of the neatest things I have experienced and I'm so excited to bring a guest there again this weekend! Nicole and I quickly made friends with 3 boys (all under the age of 10) while "double doggie daring" each other to see how long we could last in the cold pool. Cold as in ABSOLUTELY FREEZING, SHOULD BE ILLEGAL, cold pool. 

 

Everything about the day was perfect. From the scenic drive to horseback riding to enjoying ourselves in the hot springs, I couldn't have asked for a better getaway with Nicole…and my new boy, Abe!