MOAR!

Do you ever just sit back and realize that your life is finally falling into place? Or at least that you love the direction it’s taking and you can take a deep breath, relax and keep pushing on for more! I got a job with a dream of a company, I have a wonderful boyfriend who just got the sweetest dog!

In other news, I need to stay the fuck away from baby blogs! Since everything else in my life seems to be coming together, I seem to be dreaming big! Which means that all of a sudden I have an entirely unrealistic mental list of things I want RIGHT NOW THIS SECOND, like a baby, a husband and a house.

…um V, let’s just get through one full week of work at your new job first? And then maybe be dating your awesome man for a year before you go wishing you had more? YEESH.

I find it really fascinating that as soon as you get what you want, you start wishing you had more. Obviously, we wouldn’t have as many wonderful developments in life without this constant striving for more, but I could do with a little more enjoyment of what you have in the moment. 

So that's my current goal! Enjoy exactly what I have right now more than wishing I had more. Because life is currently pretty damn amazing. If you had told me six months ago that right now I would have a loving boyfriend (who is gainfully employed at a job that he genuinely enjoys?!) with a sweet puppy, and would be starting a new job in marketing at a company whose perks somewhat resemble those of freaking Google?! I'd tell you that you were smoking some high-quality crack cocaine. 

I guess it just goes to show that when you take big, scary chances in life, and push beyond your comfort level, it can be incredibly rewarding!

An Irresistible Offer

For the first time in my adult life, I am relatively unemployed… and loving it!! Anyone who knows me would never expect to hear those words grace my mouth, but it’s true!

After close to four years of working at the devil’s house, as my dear friend Candice calls it, they offered me something I could not resist – a severance package!!! To give a little bit of background, my sister worked for this company for about a year and a half before I was hired. I ping-ponged back and forth between loving working there and absolutely hating working there! About a year ago, the fired 10% of the company, and my sister was one of those who was let go, with no notice or severance.

After taking the day off (my boss was really understanding, everyone knew that Karlye was my sister and we would spend quite a bit of time at work together), I realized that I needed to get my skinny ass in gear and finish my degree so that I would be prepared should the same fate await me! I doubled up in classes and finished my last class for my bachelor’s degree about a year later.

The company offered the severance just ten days after I finished my degree, and the Thursday prior to that? I was at my parents house telling them how frustrated I was working there, and felt that I had no choice but to start looking for employment elsewhere. Can you say perfect timing???

It was sad to leave, but so refreshing. My outlook on life exploded with positivity and I was so excited at all of the possibilities! I let myself enjoy a few weeks of fun in the sun & enjoying summer with the carefree abandon of a kid – except I have money and I can legally drink!!!!

Somehow I also managed to snag the most wonderful, caring, attractive and awesome boyfriend I could have ever imagined (and boy did I try to imagine a fantastic guy!).

However, the job search left me pretty disillusioned. The only ‘legit’ job offer I received was for a customer service rep position that would have had me battling north county traffic every morning and night, and getting paid pretty poorly for the pleasure.

And THEN I discovered Lyft!!! It’s a ride-sharing service, similar to cabs, but eleventy-hundred times awesomer, and about 30% cheaper. Plus, I build my own schedule, get to meet interesting people, and drive around the city as a glorified tour guide? Heaveeeeeen!

Although, the last few days I’ve found myself feeling anxious and stressed; and I think it’s because this is the most unorthodox job I’ve held as an adult, living on my own, with big scary bills to pay. And the uncertainty makes me feel vulnerable, which isn’t always comfortable!

That being said, I can’t imagine a better scenario, while I try to figure out what on earth I want to do with my life. The wonderful new man in my life has a job that he truly enjoys, and I’d be flat-out lying if I said that didn’t intimidate me at least a little. But then I remind myself that I’m on my own journey, and it’s not like I’m freeloading! I’m making my situation work for me, and being positive about the whole thing… not to mention industrious! When push comes to shove, you just have to work with what you’ve got.

A single girl's manifesto

As a single girl looking for love, it is all too easy to believe that what worked for someone else will work for you. And for every story you hear from a happily paired off friend, you have another opportunity to put unfair expectations on a future dating prospect, and of course you create an opportunity to be more disappointed than you would have been otherwise.

And it makes it even harder to remind yourself that any man who drops you faster than a burning match isn’t the type of person you want to spend the rest of your life with.

Obviously this was spurred by an encounter with a guy, or rather an anti-encounter? What do you call a situation when a guy totally ignores you? When I met him, the circumstances eerily echoed those of a friend of mine who has been with that same girl for over a year now. I really think that it led me to have unrealistic expectations. I think I wouldn’t have been nearly so jazzed about him if I had just met him in a coffee shop or at a comedy show or something unrelated.

So, happily paired off people, please stop telling me your love stories and giving me unrealistic expectations…

Not really!! I love love stories; they give this single girl hope. And unrealistic expectations… Until I meet the right kind of guy that makes them entirely realistic.

Right?!

May

The time has come… for another attempted month of no spending! I wasn’t successful last month that I tried this, but I’m giving it another try!! Only paying basic bills & groceries for all of May… we will see how this goes!

I’m going to be moving June first, so this is a good time for me to buckle down & save as much as I can. I just got back from Iowa, where I GRADUATED. WITH MY BACHELOR’S DEGREE! I can’t believe I am so close to being finished. I’m officially done by the end of the first week in June, but I made the cutoff to walk in the ceremony this past weekend.

And then I move on to my Masters! I’m not really sure which one I want to do yet, but I’d better figure it out. I heard there’s a waitlist for the school I want to attend.

I’ve been going to Crossfit consistently for the last two weeks. It’s still fairly intimidating, but I just try to go into it as humbly as I can, and remind myself that everyone standing around me was once as clueless as I am now. And that someday in the future, I get to be the awesome person encouraging a newbie! I can’t lie, that’s probably my biggest motivator for learning all of the movements. Offering encouragement and teaching others is so rewarding. I just love making sure people don’t feel bad for not knowing everything! I always loved doing that when I was learning how to swing dance. Swing dancing is one of the few things that I have ever had a natural affinity for. Anytime I dance with someone new & they ask how long I’ve been dancing, my reply always shocks them! It’s a pretty great feeling, but I do still understand that dancing is HARD TO LEARN. So when I’m in a group class and get partnered with a guy who is clearly new & he apologizes, I tell him not to! I tell them that everyone was new once, and anyone who makes them feel bad for learning isn’t worth paying attention to.

I used to train people at work all the time, but we haven’t been hiring as freely, so I haven’t had a new hire shadow with me in probably two years! What a bummer.

May is an exciting month for me; I flew to Iowa & graduated, then stayed for a few days to visit with Mom & family. Then I’ll be apartment searching the this weekend, going to Las Vegas for the christening of the daughter of some dear friends, who recently surprised me by asking me to be her godmother! You could have knocked me over with a feather when they asked! Thankfully, the third weekend this month is a 3-day weekend, so hopefully I will be able to find a place & move in that weekend. That would be ideal!

Adventures In Dating... online?!

I have officially done that which I thought I never would… I am officially an online dater.

I’ll admit, I have had friends that tried online dating and never really found success, and as a result I determined that I wanted to meet someone a little more organically than that. I figured I will live my life, and do the things that are most important to me. By doing that, I’ll meet someone who either loves some of the same things I do, or I’ll meet someone who recognizes that I am passionate about the things that I love and respects that.

Well, after two years of single-dom (Okay, technically I’ll hit two years next week, on Friday I think? I feel the need to celebrate that J it has been an amazing two years!) I think I have clearly demonstrated that theory definitely doesn’t check out. A few weeks ago, I took the plunge & chose Eharmony. I chose this site because I have heard a ridiculous amount of stories about guys on free dating websites that only want one thing – if ya know what I mean! After researching the different websites, I figured Eharmony was a good place to start. I like that they have such a lengthy questionnaire to help match you. I don’t like that you can see who has viewed your profile, or that others can see when you have.

How am I supposed to stalk men if they can see I’m stalking?! Also, it feels like instant rejection when you see that someone viewed your profile, but didn’t contact you. It would be nicer if they didn’t automatically bring you to the page that shows all of this upon login!

I was SO nervous to try online dating, but I wanted to date more – since I NEVER get asked out in real life. Like ever! Well, let me tell you. When it rains? It freaking pours!! Since signing up for online dating, I have met two (– not one but TWO! –) men in real life & gone on dates with them! How crazy is that! Since signing up for online dating, I have gone on more dates with men I met in real life than men I met online. I sincerely prefer meeting men in real life. Although, I must say that it is nice to get all of your must-haves and deal-breakers on the table before you even consider dating. It might feel impersonal and judgmental, but the reality is that many of these things are incredibly important!

I’ll never forget how I felt when my ex-boyfriend told me that if we had a child that was gay he would always maintain that being gay was wrong, and a choice that they made. And I found that out when we had already been together for over a year!!! I was completely horrified. That is something that can happen regardless of how you meet someone, but the lesson that’s been underscored for me (in the whole two weeks I’ve been online dating) is that you need to be clear and upfront about your needs. If something is a priority to you, you should make it clear pretty early on.

the perks of being a wallflower

 

The perks of being a wallflower has always been one of those books that I truly meant to read, but somehow never got around to it until after I saw the movie. Typically, I prefer reading the book first. You get the true version of the story that the author wanted to get out there, and you can pick up on nuances in the movie that you would otherwise overlook. It makes you feel like one of the cool kids because you know what's coming!

Thanks to seeing the movie first, I spent much of the second half of the book wondering if the big reveal would happen soon, and eventually I started wondering if it would happen at all?!

After seeing the movie and reading the book, I can't help but wish I had read it in high school. Or middle school. I wonder if the words of wisdom that Bill gives our main character about participating, and getting out of your head would have sunk in. I have always been a thinker and a watcher, and I have felt on numerous occasions that opportunities passed me by because I was so busy thinking about the best course of action that I never took any at all. I wonder how different my middle and high school experiences might have been. I almost think I just would have been sad that I didn't have a teacher like Bill in my life!

Overall, I loved them both! This is so rare, but from what I gather Chbosky was heavily involved with the making of the movie, so I strongly suspect that he is to thank for that. Either way, both were beautifully executed.

True story...

Hello,

My name is Vanessa...


...and I am an Essie-aholic.


Whew! Does it feel good to get that off my chest!

Seriously, I don't know how I made it through 20-something years without knowing Essie existed. They offer so many different colors, and go on so perfectly! I love that if you smush your nails before adding topcoat, most of the time (depending on severity!) it fills in by itself! I can tell you that my first Essie love was Clambake - such a perfect pop of orangey-corally-red!

 

My next love was Turquoise & Caicos! A flirty and tropical aqua according to their website.

 

And the truth is that my love has continued, at $7.45 per bottle until I can now proclaim myself the proud owner of nearly two dozen bottles! [I don't even want to do the math :(] A few are doubles because I live in paranoid fear that Essie will discontinue some of my favorites. Like Set in Stones!

 

Let me tell you - you have not LIVED until you layer this baby over one or two coats of Chinchilly! I know it seems like it might be pretty bland, but I promise you will never get so many compliments on your nails (I'm talking people who I've worked in the same building with for three years who have never spoken a word to me, talking to me in a full elevator to find out what nail polish I'm wearing! And then stopping me again two weeks later to show me that she's wearing it!), and you will feel so effortlessly put together!

 

My final secret to perfect nails? Seche Vite! It can be pricey, and smells chemically when you put it on, but keeps me chip-free for a full week! OH and - it also makes your nails rock hard within about 30 minutes. This nail polish habit of mine is easily one of if not the biggest source of chemicals in my life... But it's so pretty!

Just do it, already!

I swear this post is about motivation, not accidental pregnancy!! [Pleeeease tell me you get that reference?!]

I’ve been doing a lot of thinking about how to self-motivate better lately. I am probably the worst self-motivator when it comes to things like homework, and working out, both of which I have been wanting to change! A big factor that I’ve noticed is that how my morning starts dictates a lot about my day. I, like many people, have struggled with actually getting out of bed when my alarm goes off. More often than not, 30 minutes after my alarm is shut off you will find me still snuggled under the covers, checking Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram, Gmail, C.S. Lewis quotes app AND the weather report... Basically, anything I can think of to put off getting out of bed for just a minute longer.

And more often than not, I find myself lethargic all morning, despite getting a solid 8 hours of sleep, and waking up gently with my awesome alarm clock (it lights up slowly about 15 minutes before you really want to get up, then at the programmed time starts making chirping and nature-y noises! Such a calm way to wake up!).

My theory is that if I start making a few changes, I will be setting myself up for a more productive and satisfying day! The first change is getting out of bed as soon as my alarm goes off. I haven’t been much of a snoozer in the last few months, but I have been lazy. From now on, up as soon as the alarm goes off, and make my bed after I turn the light on. For some reason, making my bed is my most disliked chore – I think it has something to do with the feeling of why bother, since you’ll be messing it up at night! But, I know I feel better when I have made it, and there is no chance I’ll get back in if I’ve made it already!

Next, I’ll be drinking a full glass of water as soon as I get up, before eating breakfast. Think about it – 8 hours is a loooong time to go without water! Dehydration can make you sluggish and lethargic – two things I’m trying to avoid.

I’m also going to do 5-10 minutes of stretching each morning, while simultaneously focusing on some goals – daily and/or long-term! Since I’m working out three times a week with Crossfit, I wake up most mornings a little creaky & stiff. 5-10 minutes really isn’t that much time to spending stretching out those tight muscles, and getting my circulation going. Since I know I’ll feel like I’m wasting time if that’s all that I do, I will use those minutes to focus on some goals for the day, or week. Focusing on goals on a regular basis increases the chances that those goals will come to fruition!

And of course – good music!! I love music, you can find me listening to Pandora on my phone just about every free minute I have, and even when I’m at work! I have different channels for different things, for example, when I’m getting ready for bed I love my Iron & Wine channel. I used to listen to Iron & Wine a lot when I had trouble sleeping, so now I associate it with sleeping. If I’m trying to power through homework, Zero 7 is a good station. If I’m trying to get pumped up for the day, it just depends on my mood! Today the winner is a station based off of the song Mama’s Broken Heart, by Miranda Lambert. I’m feeling the country tunes today!

If I'm not using Pandora, I'm usually on my Stitcher Radio app! It's seriously awesome. They have a huge variety of shows, but I usually focus on the paleosphere, and storytelling like This American Life!

Also, I had my first coffee in 71 days?! I got two shots of espresso from Starbucks, and added my own concoction I brought from home – coconut milk, vanilla, cinnamon, honey and some of the spiced vanilla sugar I got in Colorado. Oh and gelatin! Gotta sneak it in somewhere. I’ve missed coffee a lot! I did get a pretty gnarly tummy ache when I got about 2/3rds of the way through it. I guess my stomach got used to no caffeine! I’m feeling much better now – and so motivated. Hopefully, that continues throughout the day!

New beginnings!

I had my first Crossfit Fundamentals class on Monday! Nichole DeHart is our coach & it’s a relatively small class, just four of us total. There was an intern (Jake, I think?) helping out as well. We started by stepping outside for brief intros and to set expectations. Two of the other newbies live within walking distance – jealous! It made me realize that I’m probably one of the lower-income members. Not that that has much relevance, but an interesting observation.

The first thing we did was get on some foam rollers and roll out our quads and T-bands. My T-bands are always so tight, so that was a great way to start. We moved on to the “erg’s” or rowing machines. I’ve used a rowing machine before, but my form was a little lacking! We did some lunges without weights, then grabbed barbells & did some with. I find that doing lunges with weights helps my form a lot! The easiest way for me to bear the additional weight was through proper form, so that’s pretty cool.

In preparation for push-ups, we all got into plank, which always makes me glad I’ve done so much yoga! I’m pretty weak, so after a few normal push-ups, I moved to a variation, using a barbell at about 2.5 feet off the ground. The other girl in class did the same. I was able to complete so many push-ups this way! By the end of each set I was definitely struggling, so I know it wasn’t too easy.

The last thing we did was a short 12-minute workout. AMRAP (As Many Reps As Possible – look at me, pickin up on CF lingo already!) 60 seconds rowing, 60 seconds pushups, 60 seconds reverse lunges with weights and 60 seconds rest. We did three rounds, and I loved it! I know this is a total baby, beginner crossfit workout, but it was a fantastic way to start. I felt challenged, but not discouraged.

Nichole has a such a personality! You can tell she is a happy, positive person – which I love! It is so important to surround yourself with positive people and is something I’ve been working on.

Odd sidenote – I was doing dishes this morning, and I was slouching so much I could see my shoulders curving inward in my peripheral vision. I’ve decided from now on, if my shoulders are in my peripheral vision, I’ll automatically shift them back to encourage better posture!

Weekend!

This was my Saturday morning! I met up with a friend of mine and one of his friends at Richard Walker's Pancake House in downtown San Diego. I don't recommend it for anyone that doesn't eat gluten! What you can see in the bottom part of the picture is a sliver of some preeeeetty terrible gluten free pancakes. Oh, excuse me, according to their menu they are 'gluton'-free. I guess I should have had low expectations!

 

Photo credit to James Gregg of the Union Tribune

After breakfast, we walked down to the USS Midway Museum. Right next to it, they were having the unveiling ceremony for The Kiss statue. It depicts the iconic picture of a sailor kissing a nurse when they found out that the second World War was over. Once the mayor was finished with his speech, they remarried 9 couples who had been married during or after WW2, they had all been married for close to 70 years! Then The Swingin' Blue Stars, a group of women who perform songs in the same fashion as the Andrew's sisters, performed. Jeff and I danced during their whole set - so much fun! There was a photographer (James Gregg) from the Union Tribune who got our names, but I'm sure you can imagine my shock and delight when I found out that the picture of us that you see above was on the second page of the Sunday paper! It was also on the slideshow on the front page of their website. Since it won't stay there forever, a nice friend of mine sent me the link to the story itself.

***

Today, I hiked Corte Madera with some friends of mine. It was gorgeous!! Almost 7 miles round-trip so almost all of us had camelbaks to stay hydrated.

I wore my favorite workout shirt! Buy one here!

It was a beautiful hike and I definitely see myself going again. Although - I'll be sure to reapply sunscreen more frequently!! Someone got herself a gnarly shoulder sunburn. I say it was worth it.

Regret

Regret can be a powerful tool. Some people aim to never have regrets. I, on the other hand, have many. I strive not to dwell on regrets in life, but to experience them as joyfully as possible, and learn from them.

The particular regret that brought you this post is related to my ex boyfriend. Oh, who am I kidding – he IS the regret! Haha okay, not entirely but that I stayed with him for so much longer than I should have. I knew that our relationship wasn’t going anywhere for much longer than I’d like to admit, but I let my fear of being alone (and the fact that I didn’t want to hurt him) get in my way.

So, the regret is in reference to someone that I worked with. I didn’t know him at all; we just worked on the same floor. All I knew was that we were attracted to each other, and I had never felt attraction to someone when I was in a relationship with someone else. It scared me, and I have always been faithful so I shut it down. I didn’t talk to him, and kept my eyes glued to my phone if we were passing each other in a hallway. That was... gosh, 3 years ago?

I guess when that happened, I really should have taken a closer look at myself, and why all of a sudden I was feeling attraction to someone other than my boyfriend when that had never happened before. A closer look would have told me it was past time to let my ex go, so that we would be free to find the right people for us. About six months ago, I reached out to this co-worker that I hadn’t ever talked to, and was summarily ignored. Totally sucks!

But, the moral of this story, the knowledge taken from this regret is that I need to do what is right for myself, even if it is terrifying. Especially if it is terrifying.

Paleo Potluck in Barrio Logan

So late last week, I stumbled across a new Paleo San Diego Facebook page. I squealed in excitement, liked it as quickly as humanly possible and started perusing the page. Since it is relatively new, it took me all of a minute to realize that they were planning a Paleo Potluck the next Tuesday and anyone was welcome to join. I knew right away that I wanted to go, so I clicked the button, invited the roomie and texted her to let her know we had plans for that Tuesday!

I was SO nervous; I baked blueberry mango muffins (no pictures because they were gobbled up! And Aly and I ate all of the ones we made this weekend!) belatedly realizing that according to the Facebook page, almost everyone that had posted something said they were bringing sweets!

Well – too late by the time I noticed! I snacked on some leftovers before I left just in case. Aly came home and helped me get the muffins out of the tins and in the to-go case, and off we went!

I was really relieved that they had been awesome enough to post a picture of the entryway on the invite – so thoughtful! I was so pleasantly shocked at the amazing space that the potluck was held in! I guess being a white girl that grew up not too far from Barrio Logan meant that my expectations were pretty low, but WOW! I have to remember to tell my parents – they would have loved it! 

 

(Photo found here!)

Anyhow, it was a really cool gallery/workshop space. You could see that there were several workshops where people work (although no one was working just then!) and then a main gallery space, which was where we ate and mingled.

My first alcoholic beverage of the year was a Nor Cal Margarita! It was worth it :) And, I just about DIED when I realized that George Bryant – as in Civilized Caveman! – was there!!! We got to chat for a while, and he was so friendly. I was awkward, per usual! Lord knows I can be awkward like nobodies business! I think I was so awestruck for a minute because his website (amazeballs if you were wondering) was my first introduction to Paleo a little over a year ago, so it was a bit surreal.

He pointed out the fact that it’s a bit silly that Aly and I have culinary backgrounds and yet both work in online finance. Perhaps it is time to branch out into something new… It’s definitely an idea to think about.

Oh, and there was no shortage of food, sweets or otherwise!

And I’ve come to the realization that I need to learn how to take photos, like for realsies, on a big girl camera :/ Anyone feeling generous? Haha. But really?

Whaaaa? I swear I thought I posted this already!

Well, my goals for January were to complete a Whole30, use Paleo Trail to keep myself on track and to push my comfort zone.

I definitely set my sights high this year, and fell with a resounding thwack! right on my face! A few weeks ago, I read something somewhere (maybe on this girl's blog? we both fell off the Whole30 bandwagon the same weekend!) that reminded me that above all, we need to allow ourselves a little grace from time to time. So, I think that's the real goal that I accomplished in January - allowing myself a little grace when I feel like I deserve anything but!

It was definitely a good reminder of how important it is to not get caught up in the fervor of late December's goal-planning, and keep your feet firmly planted on the ground.

I'm excited, and nervous to say that I'll be checking out a crossfit gym sometime this week! I was supposed to go this afternoon, but of course I don't want to get anyone sick! It's expensive, that's for sure, but worth it, I hope.  

Oh! And my spending freeze wasn't successful either :(

Sick day!

Well, by the time I was ready for bed last night, I could tell I had something coming on. I tried my usual tricks – drinking tons of water with lemons squeezed into it, doubled up on my probiotics, and ate cinnamon mixed with raw local honey (I usually just eyeball it, probably around one tablespoon of honey with ½ tablespoon of cinnamon. I prefer it to be a pretty thick paste, so adjust the ratio to suit your preferences!).

Sadly, it didn’t work! It took me about an hour and a half to fall asleep, partially because I was so angry at a certain coworker of mine who repeatedly comes into work incredibly sick because they ‘can’t afford not to work’, which is really just a subtle way of saying I prioritize my financial needs above your health!

So mayyyybe I’m still a little upset about that – but I’m not angry anymore which is saying something! I was terribly upset to miss out on an informational session at work about Toastmasters. I’ve been looking forward to it for weeks – and the one time I get sick just has to be that day! Ah well, luckily my friend Charlie is already a part of it so he said he would fill me in. That’s the other part of it! Charlie and I were going to grab dinner at True Food, catch up and maybe go dancing. I was so looking forward to it, but I don’t want to expose anyone to this so I’m quarantined for the time being!

My doctor apparently doesn’t work on Wednesdays, so I decided to make what the Internets have dubbed as ‘Nature’s Flu Shot.’  

You need the following:

Juice from 6 lemons

1 clove of garlic

2 tsp ginger powder

2 Tbsp honey

3 Cups pineapple juice

¼ tsp cayenne pepper

Blender or food processor

Blend it all together, store in a glass container and drink 1 cup four times a day until you feel better. I wanted to use fresh ginger – even went to the store, but they were all out! I also had a hard time finding pineapple juice, so I got frozen pineapple chunks instead.

It definitely packs a punch, and it’s a bit surprising when you are drinking it! It tastes sweet at first, then the garlic flavor hits and then the heat creeps in at the end! I also added lemon zest from three of the lemons – there is no WAY I was about to waste the zest from 6 lemons! I froze the zest from the remaining three in individual plastic wrap packets.

I realized that I had all of the makings for bone broth, so I tossed some beef, chicken and turkey bones into the crockpot and filled it with filtered water. I also added all of the cloves from a head of garlic, and some shallots. I meant to pick up celery, carrots and onion at the store but my sick brain completely forgot! 

***

Well, my sick brain also shut down shortly after writing this! I woke up this morning feeling worse, so I called my doctor (a really awesome doctor who is open to homeopathic remedies!) who unfortunately, wasn’t available! They were able to schedule me in with another doctor in the same practice so I’ll be going in shortly.

I’m thinking this is a cold, or sinus infection. I guess I’ll find out soon enough!! I just put my bone broth into jars, and I gotta say… that stuff doesn’t exactly smell good! I’m hoping without the bones, once it cools down it’ll smell better J

  

Denver

Lights in Larimer Square

I successfully completed almost two thirds of my first ever whole 30 when I slipped.

I went to Denver for a long weekend - a trip I had planned months prior to deciding I'd do a whole 30 - and ate out for every single meal. I did great at first, but then relaxed with my ordering, and accidentally ordered some ahi sliders that were in burger form (why on earth I thought this would be in any other form, I'll never know!) with who knows what mixed into it, coleslaw on top and some soy based glaze.

The next day I was perfect! Then the next night I ordered lamb sweetbreads. I think I was so thrilled at the thought of organ meat at a restaurant that I completely overlooked the fact that they were fried. As in battered, and fried!

I was so hungry and they looked so delicious, and I was embarrassed if I'm being perfectly honest! So I ate them.

Which naturally opened the floodgates. It didn't help that my friends were thoroughly encouraging me to give it up already, and just enjoy myself for one weekend.

Donut holes from Jelly Cafe

So then I had delicious creme fraiche gelato with Mexican chocolate ice cream. And went nuts yesterday with a breakfast of four made to order gluten free donut holes: lemon custard, jelly filled, creme anglaise and chocolate anglaise. Then a late lunch/early dinner of tomato braised meatballs with burrata cheese and grits finished off with more gelato. Oh and coconut milk-based salted caramels that were thoroughly disappointing!

My downfall wasn't traveling, it was traveling and spending time with friends with whom I hadn't clearly communicated what a priority this was for me.

And so I reset! Jan 23 is the beginning of my second Whole30. I plan on making it last until March at the very least, and I also plan on not telling people of the date that I'm shooting for. If I leave it open-ended then perhaps I can avoid the ahh but that's only 2 days from now just enjoy yourself argument. I was going to reset today, but forgot that the breakfast/lunch food for today that I had frozen before I left has butter in it!

Either way, I am really committed to sticking to this. The rumbling of my tummy after the debauchery of the last few days tells me that I was on the right path!!

On a positive note, while I did indulge in sugar, dairy and a little gluten I was successful in not drinking alcohol or caffeine!

I think this is a good experience for me. When I considered doing the Whole30 in January, I figured that it would be a good challenge to do it when I had travel plans. Now I know that I either need to not travel on a Whole30, or I can travel on a Whole30 but I need to effectively communicate that with the people I will be around. it is also a bit of a lesson for me in knowing my limits. I took on a LOT this January with my ambitious 36 in 2013 campaign!

I also broke my spending freeze - an $18 purse at Target! I think I actually want to return it, but regardless, the spirit of the exercise was still violated. I think I'm just going to let my January spending freeze die a quiet death, and pick up on my spending freeze plan in March! I certainly don't plan on purposefully going out with the mindset of shopping, but I don't want to be discouraged by failing so much in my first month!

So here's to grabbing my goals by the horns and dominating!

Oh, procrastination...

I really should be doing homework so that I can enjoy my nice, long weekend off of work.

So naturally, I am writing instead! Being new to blog-writing, but as a long-time blog reader is an interesting experience. I know that the blogs I enjoy reading the most have a pretty solid mix of serious posts and funny posts, make good use of photos and also post fairly regularly. Blog reading is my most frequent time-killing activity, and always leaves me inspired to do more, give more, be better and encourage others to do the same. That is, as long as they post often! This is the most common denominator amongst my favorite blogs. 

So, I'm making an effort to keep that same balance present on my page, but it is really hard for me to be a judge of my own work. Most days it is also really hard to override the judgmental voice in my head telling me that every part of this is an exercise in arrogance! 

But, I'm sticking with it, because I am enjoying it so very, very much :)

In other news, my roommate and I are dealing with the aftermath of termite tenting. Well, for now it's just me since she is visiting family up in Nor Cal. But, she will be home soon and will be dealing with it, too! As I stated previously, I am definitely a hippie, so the thought of exposing myself to such a large concentration of chemicals does not make me happy! I don't care how much proof you have that the chemicals don't leave a residue - you are NUTS if you think I am not going to spend the next few days deep-cleaning the apartment while I spend nights at my parent's house. It's a chemical that kills bugs for Pete's sake! I know that the tent increases concentration, etc but I'll be cleaning for my own peace of mind. 

I started with gathering all of the items that need to be washed, blankets, pillow covers etc. Basically, anything that wasn't in a cabinet or drawer I plan on washing. Perhaps even what was in the drawers (that just depends on how OCD I am about the whole situation!), but for now I'll just be doing the immediate needs. 

So, I was told that I would need to be on the premises for the gas and electric company to turn the gas back on. And that they would arrive between 10AM and 6PM. Yep. an 8 hour window! I waited for a few hours and then remembered lunch plans so I left a note letting him know where the key would be & when I returned he was relighting the pilots. He did let me know that unfortunately, there was an issue that prevented him from relighting the water heater. Even more unfortunate is the fact that this is the same issue that was 'solved' back in June. Sadly, the current owner is just about completely unresponsive to fixing anything.

The good news is that we are doing all of this ridiculousness because we are very close to having a new owner for the building (and really, I hope it isn't possible for them to be worse than the current owner!). The bad news is that I just have to wait for a response from the property manager. Thank goodness, my wonderful parents are happy to have me stay with them for another night, and then they are taking off for Toronto and I'll be house and cat sitting again.

36 in 2013 - Go big or go home!

I am a HUGE fan of goal-setting! One tip that I picked up from listening to Dean Dwyer's podcast on Stitcher Radio is to start small. If you want to be a stand up comic, start by telling jokes to groups of friends (good friends - the kind that will NOT laugh politely at un-funny stuff!) & slowly work your way up to going to amateur nights etc. Starting out with the big steps means that it is much easier to fail, and much more difficult to recover from.

So, in the spirit of starting small (while still going big?), I'm going to be picking a minimum of 3 goals for each month of 2013. I have to stick with the goal until the end of the month, at which point I can continue it if I want to, but I"m not obligated. Here are my ideas so far:

Smaller Goals:

- Complete all homework at least one week in advance

- Do the Whole30 and/or 21 day sugar detox

- Use Paleo Trail to track food daily

- Wake up early

- Prioritize quality sleep

- Learn Sewing Basics [Home Ec studio or Sew Hut]

- Go through my entire wardrobe & sell unworn/unwanted clothing

- Finish and practice Success Principles & Loving What Is

- Spending freeze on alternating months: Jan, Mar, May, July, Sept, Nov

        -Exemptions: Travel plans Jan 18-21 limited to food and fun experiences

- Call Crossfit Invictus to schedule a time to check it out

- Try one workout from Pinterest board per month

- Only go on FB with a purpose, or occasionally to see what others are up to

- Don't eat soy products. [Starting now, keeping it going as long as I can!]

- I am thankful for _____. Today, I accomplished _____. [Complete as often as I can before bed]

- Learn more about blogging.

- Pay for professional layout.

- If cleaning up my diet doesn't improve my skin, I will go see Dr. Noel.

- No Shampoo for all of January!

I've been using the baking soda/vinegar route since 12/27, and I can't lie - it is a bit rough to get used to! I'm not comfortable being in public if my hair is still wet because the vinegar smell is present until it dries, but it's not too bad. Today I went to work with it wet, because I simply ran out of time! The main differences I have noticed include needing to wash it more often because it's getting greasy faster, and it's fairly dull. I'm sticking with it for all of January to let my scalp adjust and hopefully it'll work out!

     

Year-long Goals:

- Break Habits:

       Crossing legs

       Speaking negatively/Making fun of others

- Improve Posture

- Use Paleo Trail to track food

- Make Random Acts of Kindness a part of my life [Started this already! I had a gift card for a coffee shop, so  I ordered my coffee, handed the card over & when he tried handing it back to me I told him to keep it and pay for other people's orders! He looked at me like I was nuts but it felt amazing!]

- Push my comfort zone

- Happiness/Positivity Jar Project! [I found this one on Pinterest - shocker! Throughout the year you write down good/happy events & experiences and put them in the jar. At the end of the year you open it and go through it all.]

At this point, I'm committed to Whole30 for all of January so that's the number 1 goal. I will be using Paleo Trail to keep me on track (and maybe identify any problem causing foods?). I sent in a request for more info about Invictus last week (I'm anxious just THINKING about it!!), which is far, far outside of my comfort zone. I haven't heard back from them, so I'll be reaching out to them in February. Doing the Whole30 in January is going to be rough enough without adding that to it!

January Goals

- Whole30

- Paleo Trail

- Push my comfort zone

I'm planning on coming up with additional goals as needed throughout the year, which works out since they will be relevant! You may be wondering why I didn't make this a 26 by 26 or 30 by 30 list. I don't have anything against them - in fact I think a 30 by 30 sounds awesome! Maybe that will be what I tackle next? A sort of a bucket list. I chose 36 in 2013 because 3 tasks per month seemed like a good number.

So, this is my second day of super clean eating, and the only thing I am suffering from is lack of caffiene! I decided to do a combo of the Whole30 and the 21 day sugar detox, as well as giving up coffee. I don't think coffee is bad on it's own, but I end up running behind schedule and stopping at Starbucks instead of making my own. This is bad because if I'm at Starbucks, the only thing I want is a soy latte, and first of all it's soy, second it's vanilla soy so I know it's full of sugar + additives.

I tend to be an in for a penny, in for a pound type so I figured if I'm limiting my food options, I may as well go big or go home!!