This Is What I Look Like

This is what I look like: 

a family fishing trip, 

Dad making homemade bread on the first day of school, 

grilled steak for Saturday night dinner with the grandparents, 

spending a lot of time on the phone with my mom once I moved away, 

Brodie barking his head off every time someone rings the doorbell, 

my brother asking if I was finished hogging the bathroom in the morning, 

the four of us all on the big couch watching a movie together on a snowy Sunday afternoon, 

a girl's shopping trip to the mall in Albuquerque, 

heartwarming movies that we all made fun of, 

hunting for Easter eggs on a camping trip in the snow, 

a sunburn, 

deer and turkeys in the yard, 

all of us running through the airport trying to make our connecting flight, 

pretty roses I got after my dance recital, 

hauling a full load of horses up and down I-35, 

spending the night in the tornado shelter, 

reuniting with old friends, 

bringing Primo the spider plant back from the dead, 

eating the best cinnamon roll ever made on the morning of my college graduation, 

murder mystery board games, 

the floating trampoline in the pond, 

random parties in high school calculus class, 

so many field trips, 

my first day of teaching, 

spending a whole day in bed reading a book so good I couldn't put it down, 

a surprise phone call on Christmas morning, 

and so much more. 

My life is me, but my life is also my family, friends, and acquaintances. Lives entwined. 

Me, today.

*I was inspired to write this post by a paragraph in the novel I'm currently reading, "The Secrets She Keeps," by Deb Caletti. 

Recipe Review- Eggplant Casserole

I didn't feel like cooking on Friday or Saturday, so I made this new recipe a little later than planned. I made Eggplant Casserole for dinner last night, and I really liked it! It reminded me of lasagna, only eggplant was used instead of noodles. I served it with a chicken breast, and it made for a wonderful meal!

*Quick note: I didn't realize until right before I was planning to cook this that it was a crock pot recipe. The recipe below can be done in a crock pot on low for 6-8 hours, or it can be done in a 400 degree Fahrenheit oven for about 30 minutes.

Eggplant Casserole

1 oz Parmesan cheese, grated

2 cups cottage cheese

6 cloves of garlic, peeled

1 egg

1/2 cup packed fresh basil leaves

3 cups jarred marinara sauce

1 large eggplant, trimmed and sliced into 1/4 inch rounds

1. In a food processor, process cheeses, garlic, egg, and basil until combined and smooth.

2. Spread a thin layer of marina (about 1/3 cup) over bottom of casserole dish (for oven) or crock pot. Arrange one-third of eggplant slices over sauce, overlapping edges. Spread half of cheese mixture over eggplant and then spoon 1/3 of remaining marina evenly over top. Repeat with another 1/3 eggplant, half of cheese mixture, and 1/3 of sauce. Finish with remaining 1/3 of eggplant and sauce.

3. *Cook for 6-8 hours on low in the crockpot, or 30 minutes in a 400 degree oven. 

Serves 6

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Life Isn't Perfect

Life isn't perfect, but it has perfect moments.

My Favorite Apps

I love going through the app store and seeing all of the new, popular apps guaranteeing me a better life if I download them. I download and try a lot of them, but then I get bored and delete them 90% of the time.

It takes a lot for me to keep an app, and keep using it often. I thought I would do a roundup of my favorite apps that I use regularly, and that I have stuck with for at least a year:

YouVersion

I love this app! I prefer to hold a physical Bible in my hands when I can, but sometimes it's just easier to be able to bring it up on my phone at a moment's notice. My favorite feature is that it allows me to keep switching the passage I'm reading to different translations. I don't know how many translations this app has available, but there are a lot (including ones I've never heard of)!

She Reads Truth

I love the devotionals from She Reads Truth. So inspiring and encouraging. The app helps keep me on track reading the new post every day, and gets me connected with an amazing community of women reading God's Word.

Audible 

I have been obsessed with audiobooks since I was a little girl. I had to have one playing while I went to sleep when I was younger, and I still have one playing most nights even now. Audible makes it so much easier to get new audiobooks, to get them cheaper than anywhere else, and to get them immediately. I usually try to limit myself to 1 book per month, but the past two months I've gotten 4 books because I was so excited about these particular books that I couldn't wait!

Beachbody on Demand

My favorite way to have more than 500 workouts ready to stream or download to my device (for those times when I don't have good internet) at any time. I have done so many of these workouts, and I want to do more! They're addicting, and the best news is that Beachbody keeps coming out with new, amazing programs so I never get bored!

Charity Miles

This app is incredible. You just turn it on any time you're walking or running or moving around, and it tracks your miles. A lot of apps do this, but the best part about this one is that you get to choose a charity you want to support, and for every mile you log with the app you earn a quarter for your charity. As of right now, I have logged a little over 372 miles, earning about $93 for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. How cool is it that all I had to do was turn this app on to get money for this wonderful charity organization when I was going to be walking or running anyways?

DuoLingo 

I haven't used this app for a whole year yet, but I love it! It's free, and you can use it to learn a foreign language. I'm using it to learn German, and I enjoy it! The lessons are broken up into manageable, organized sections, and I'm hoping to not be completely lost when I'm around native German-speakers this fall.

Bejeweled Classic

I love this game! So simple, yet so engaging. I love to have this app on to keep my fingers busy while I'm listening to a podcast or tv show.

Sudoku

Another favorite game/puzzle. I love that I can actually do sudoku puzzles- they make me feel accomplished and smart! ;)

Five Books Friday

1. Continuing with this theme from the last few weeks, here's my favorite devotional from the week:

Shaun Niequist writes, "I have always, essentially, been waiting. Waiting to become something else, waiting to be that person I always thought I was on the verge of becoming, waiting for that life I thought I would have.

"Some people spend their entire lives waiting. Days pass, people come and go, relationships wither, opportunities disappear - all because they had their eyes focused on the horizon, waiting for something better. If we wait for the life that we thought we would have, we miss the life right in front of us. That would be a sad legacy indeed.

"It is hard to just be happy in the now, especially if now doesn't look like you had hoped or planned. When planted, the seeds of discontent will grow into full-fledged bitterness and despair. How much better to look around at the now, be content with all that God has given, and thank him for the blessings he has provided.

"Let God take what you thought life would be and give you a new focus. Contentment will get you there."

I loved reading this! I have always been terrible at being content with the here and now. I'm always moving, switching jobs, and looking forward, hoping that whatever comes next will be better or maybe even what I've always hoped for. This has definitely kept my life from being boring, but I need to work on being more content before taking my next leap at whatever opportunity comes my way.

Also, if you haven't read any of Shauna Niequist's books, I highly recommend them! Try these two:

2. Speaking of books, I know that I said I would have that novel I discussed last week finished by today. Sadly, that did not happen. I did make considerable progress on it, but I didn't think it was worth sacrificing my sleep to stay up last night and finish it just so I could write here that I did it. It did get a little better a couple hundred pages in, but I don't think I really needed to stick with it. I'm going to finish this particular novel just because, but going forward I'm going to adopt a new rule.

If I'm reading a book for fun, I'm going to require that it be entertaining and worth my time. I'm going to give each book 50 pages, and if I don't want to keep reading it at that point or find out what happens, then I'm going to move on.

Reading a book for fun should never be boring! We do have to read boring books from time to time for many reasons throughout our lives, so when we get time to read for the sheer pleasure of reading, it should be fun!

3. I just finished a cute little book on Wednesday called "Every Wild Heart." I gave it a try because it was about a girl who loves horses. I'm a sucker for a good horse story. This one wasn't bad, but it wasn't phenomenal by any means. I really want to read a phenomenal book! So many books I've read in the last couple of years have been average at best. Where are the really great ones hiding?

4. I bought a new personal development book on Wednesday. I've heard mixed reviews about it, but it's been getting so much buzz (and it was in the "gift for the grad" section at the store) that I just had to give it a try. I'll be posting my review within the next couple of weeks.

5. I received an incredibly thoughtful gift on Wednesday- two new books! Books make the best gifts, and these two are so perfect because of all of my upcoming adventures! I can't wait to dive into them and be inspired!

Update

I wanted to write a post that was a little bit more about what's going on with me currently.

I am officially on Day 18 of sticking with my Bright Line Eating Plan. If you don't remember, that means not crossing the four bright lines: no sugar, no flour, no snacking, and eating reasonable portions at mealtimes. 

I am also doing intermittent fasting because it works really well for my super-slow metabolism. I have successfully not eaten before 11 am or after 7 pm (with the exception of one evening when I didn't get dinner done in time, so I ate it at 7:15ish) for the past 17 days. 

Victory!

I have been too chicken to get on the scale through all of this, though. I know I need to eventually, but I don't want to see the number that I think I must be hovering around. 

I can't really tell if I lost much weight yet. I do feel less bloated, but my pants aren't any looser I don't think. I also don't think I've had more energy from cutting flour and sugar from my diet. I wish I did! I still have cravings for sugary foods and bread, mostly, but they are fleeting, and I have been able to distract myself from all of them so far. 

I want to be more intentional about the way I structure my days. I want to use my time better and stop letting myself be so easily distracted by the tv and the internet. Today I wrote out specific goals I want to accomplish each week. A week is a small enough time period that you can't waste too much time, but long enough that if you have a bad day or something comes up, then all is not lost. 

So I will report back how that goes after my first week. Maybe I should do a small, manageable, weekly goal in every area of my life. I really do want to get better, but that reminds me of interesting article I just heard about in the New York Times. 

The article is called "It's Great to Suck at Something." The author, Karen Rinaldi, talks about how much she loves to surf, but that she will never be good at it. Rinaldi writes, "By taking off the pressure of having to excel at or master an activity, we allow ourselves to live in the moment. You might think this sounds simple enough, but living in the present is also something most of us suck at. If we accept our failures and persevere nonetheless, we might provide a respite from the imperative to succeed and instead find acceptance in trying. Failing is ok. Better still, isn't it a relief?" 

I don't consider myself an expert in any subject. I have moderate abilities in a few different areas, but I can't think of something that I absolutely love that I am completely terrible at. Still, it was interesting to read Rinaldi's perspective, and I do agree with her that we need to find acceptance in trying. 

So maybe it's ok that I suck at time management and I always run out of hours when I have so much more that I want to accomplish. Or maybe it's just that I suck at prioritizing my tasks. Or maybe I suck at balance or scheduling, because even if I do the highest priority task first, I spend way too much time at it and run out of time for everything I was supposed to do after that task. 

The point is is that I'm going to be ok with that. I am going to persevere, but if I fail trying to complete my goals for the week, that's ok. There's always a new week and another chance to try again. 

The Difference Between Motivation & Determination

I think this is an important distinction to make today:

Motivation: the general desire or willingness of someone to do something

Determination: firmness of purpose; resoluteness

You hear the word motivation a lot in the health and fitness industry. People think it's what they're lacking, and that if they just had enough motivation, they could start working out and eating healthy. People will use it as an excuse: "I'm not motivated to do that today. Maybe I'll be more motivated tomorrow."

Motivation is illusive and fickle. Motivation is why so many people start and stop and start and fail on their journeys to a healthier lifestyle. Starting a new workout program or nutrition plan is exciting and novel in the beginning, but after a couple of weeks, the novelty is gone, and so is the motivation. It's just easier to go back to old habits.

Determination is what you need to succeed! Determination is not a fleeting feeling. Determination is a decision. Determination does not come and go based on your mood, your energy, your stress levels, or anything else that can sway your motivation. Determination is a constant. Once you have decided that you are determined to succeed, nothing can stop you.

So there you have it. Motivation is a feeling. Determination is a decision. Are you going to decide?