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?

It's Getting Harder to Be Skinny

A study done by York University and funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research in late 2015 just came to my attention. This study analyzed date from 36,400 American adults and concluded that people in the 1970s and 80s could eat more and exercise less, while still avoiding obesity, than we can today.

Scientists are trying to pinpoint the different factors contributing to the rise in obesity beyond just diet and exercise. The depressing fact of the matter is that although eating less and exercising more may result in weight loss, more studies are showing that these methods are ineffective at sustaining weight loss in the long term.

According to the study, "weight management is actually much more complex than just 'energy in' versus 'energy out. That's similar to saying your investment account balance is simply your deposits subtracting your withdrawals and not accounting for all the other things that affect your balance like stock market fluctuations, bank fees, or currency exchange rates.

"Our body weight is impacted by our lifestyle and environment, such as medication use, environmental pollutants, genetics, timing of food intake, stress, gut bacteria, and even nighttime light exposure."

Maintaining a healthy bodyweight is now more challenging than ever, apparently.

I feel like I'm fighting a losing battle. As I have mentioned in previous posts, I have radically altered my diet in an effort to lose weight. I am on Day 15 of the "no sugar, no flour" plan. I don't plan to give up on that any time soon, but I have to wonder if it's worth it. Will I ever be able to reach a healthy weight, where I can feel good about how I look, and be able to stay there long term?

Her Time

Her Time

She has been feeling it for a while now - that sense of awakening.

There is a gentle rage simmering inside her, and it is getting stronger by the day.

She will hold it close to her - she will nurture it and let it grow. 

She won't let anyone take it away from her.

It is her rocket fuel and finally, she is going places.

She can feel it down to her very core - this is her time.

She will not only climb mountains - she will move them, too.

Somewhere near Mt. Princeton, Colorado, 2012

Savory Saturday- Spinach & Artichoke Quinoa Casserole

I did not have much success with my new recipe this week. I tried a recipe for Spinach and Artichoke Quinoa Casserole because I love anything with artichokes in it (or at least I thought I did). I thought this dish had potential because it was full of garlic, onion, spinach, artichokes, and lots of yummy cheese. It really fell flat, though. It wasn't disgusting. I ate my serving of it, and it was a pretty filling dinner. I don't know what happened to all the flavor, though! I couldn't taste anything except the quinoa...

I threw away all of the leftovers and I will be deleting this recipe, never to be made again.

Spinach and Artichoke Quinoa Casserole

Ingredients:
1.5 cups of quinoa, uncooked
2.5 cups water
1 large onion, thinly sliced
6 large garlic cloves, minced
1 tbsp olive oil
2 cups milk
1 tbsp corn starch
2 cups artichoke hearts, coarsely chopped
11 oz package spinach
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, shredded
3/4 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
1/2 tsp ground black pepper

Directions:
1. In a medium pot, add quinoa, water, and a pinch of salt; cover and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cook for 12 minutes and set aside.
2. Preheat large skillet on medium heat and swirl olive oil to coat. Add onion and garlic, salute until translucent, stirring occasionally.
3. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F and spray 9 x 13 inch back dish with cooking spray. In a small bow, whisk together milk and cornstarch. Add to skillet with previously cooked onion and garlic. Also add artichoke hearts, spinach, Parmesan cheese, 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese, quinoa (fluff with fork before adding), and pepper. Stir until cheese is melted.
4. Transfer mixture to a prepared baking dish, level and sprinkle with remaining mozzarella cheese. Bake uncovered for 25 minutes. Serve hot.

Five Thing Friday

1. I was listening to a new podcast called Happier in Hollywood, and I was so happy to hear them do a segment on bullet journaling. They were right, that a bullet journal is an amazing thing because it can be absolutely anything you want it to be, and it's uniquely yours. I love my bullet journal! I get to flip the page to a new, blank page full of possibilities, and write anything at all that I feel like writing. I like to plan my time, make habit trackers, doodle, write random lists, record income and expenses, set goals, and more in my bullet journal. I don't know why it took me so long to try something like this! I've wasted so much of my life buying regular old planners! ;)

My weekly spread for this week, and a hippo :)

2. Speaking of planning, meal planning is such a wonderful thing to do. I bought this handy-dandy magnetic "What to Eat" pad online a few months ago, and I finally used it this week! I got to plan exactly what I'm cooking and eating and when, and then make a grocery list from that so I had exactly what I needed, and no extra food that won't get used this week. This has made life so much easier! I'm excited to plan next week's meals on Sunday!

3. My favorite devotional that I read this week was written by Sheri Rose Shepherd. She said, "Every day, every moment, we have a choice. Will we choose to walk with God and follow his example and commands? Or will we choose to walk in the other direction?

"When temptation to sin presents itself, we have a choice. Walk with God, or head into sin. God doesn't force us to do the right thing, he gives us the choice. We have the free will to walk with him or to walk away. In every moment of this day, God graciously gives you the choice to walk with him."

4. In my free Facebook community, we have been doing a mini, "kickstart your happiness" challenge based on Gretchen Rubin's "The Happiness Project." We are striving to improve our energy, as well as our overall happiness. We've been talking about sleeping more, exercising better, tackling nagging tasks, organizing our surroundings, and simply acting more energetic. It's been a fun challenge! I hope everyone taking part in it this week has liked my daily tasks and ideas to help them have more energy. 

Please send me a message if you are interested in joining my Facebook community for support, encouragement, motivation, and fun challenges as you strive to become happier and healthier.

5. I am currently reading a novel that has started off a bit slow. I'm a little over 100 pages in, and I started it in March. I am declaring here and now that by the time I write my Five Thing Friday post next week, I will have it finished. I will review the book as one of my five things, and I will decide whether it was worth it to persevere and keep reading. In the future I might try to stop wasting my time on sub-par books. It can be difficult to find a really amazing book, though!

I read a book this week that was recommended on the "What to Read Next" podcast. The host said this was the best book she had read this year, if not in the past five years! I decided I needed to read it myself if she was giving it that kind of review. It wasn't bad. But that's about the best review I can give it. It was definitely different than anything I've read before, so I guess that's a good thing to broaden my reading horizons.

Anyway, I'm going to take this week to finish the novel I started in March, and to think about how I want to approach books like this in the future.

The book I'll finish this week.

The highly recommended book that was distinctly odd. 

May Recap

May was a crazy month! It began with my last week of teaching at Colorado Northwestern Community College, then transitioned into moving craziness. Once I got all of that sorted and all of my stuff safely piled into a storage unit awaiting my return to the US after my year of European adventures, I started a new summer routine.

Throughout all of that, I did my best to keep up with the happy habits that I decided to track throughout the month.

As you can see, I did pretty well. I slacked off the most between the 12th and the 18th. I don't normally care for excuses, but in all fairness, that was when the last of my stuff in my Rangely house was going into boxes and becoming inaccessible until I could get everything unpacked once I got to Mancos. I had 17 perfect days during the month, which I guess isn't that great since it's only 55%, but that's still 17 great days that I had!

I wasn't sure until today if I even wanted to do a tracker for June, but I finally decided that there are several things I do want to accomplish every day, and doing a tracker makes it easier to not have to write them all down on every day's to-do list. I set it up a little differently, so we'll see if I like it better.

As for whether these habits actually contributed to my overall happiness, I'm not sure. I had so many other things going on and so many transitions, that I'm not sure I could really tell if they made a difference. I can definitely say I'm much happier now than I was at the beginning of the month, but I think that's just because that daunting move is behind me and I don't have to go back to Rangely to teach for another year come August.

I can say that I do feel accomplished and like I'm making a little bit of progress every day that I can check all of those boxes, though. I'll take that as a win!