Easy Breezy Sunday

I meant to take a million pictures this weekend so I would have an awesome picture-filled blog up for you all to read. Alas, this did not happen. So you'll just have to imagine my weekend instead. 

I also have to say that when I am out and about amongst family and friends, I am always surprised by how many people comment on this blog. It's a little scary to write whatever I want and put it out there in to the internet world, so thank you very much for reading. I know that once you put yourself out there in to a space like this, you open yourself up to judgement and criticism. However, with keeping true to the theme of my last post, I'm working on being my complete true self. This blog is my complete true self. I have to be okay with not everyone loving me. Thanks for sticking around!

This past Monday Kyle had an unfortunate accident and his car is no longer able to be driven.  

{Only a car was injured in the making of this unfortunate incident.}

  I took Kyle to work in the mornings (which made me feel fancy because I got to drive in to official downtown). While we both have been a little sleepy, we found that we actually enjoy riding together in the morning. I really enjoy chatting with him on the easy breezy commute in. And let's be real, it also kept me from never being late to work. :) Kyle got a car from his dad this weekend to use until we figure out what car Kyle will be getting, but we also decided that we might keep up the riding together thing every so often. He took the bus home and said it was actually very easy and not bad at all. It definitely helps that the bus stop is literally at our house.  A couple of the cars that Kyle is looking at are manual so Kyle is also driving his dad's old car to get a refresher on driving a stick shift and to see if that's something he could deal with long term. We did a lot of practice driving today and it was actually pretty fun. A few nervous moments but it's like an adventure every time you get in the car!

One day this week I was feeling stuck in a food rut so I decided to stop by this new place that opened on Mckinney Ave. called Origin Natural Food. They serve "take-away" food that is prepared and packaged fresh, ready to be microwaved! All of their food is gluten free and they are also paleo friendly. I had paleo meat loaf with a side of sweet potato salad. As you can see in the below picture, I mushed it all up together and it was fantastic! Please go try their food. You won't be sorry. They have awesome coffee choices and a salad bar as well.

 

 I have to admit that being gluten free is a little rough right now. I am very happy that everyone is so much more aware of it and there are so many more options for me to eat. However, since it seems to be a craze right now, many people roll their eyes at you when you tell them that you're gluten free. Oh, you're one of those hipsters. Did you ride your vintage road bike up here? Trust me, I don't choose to be gluten free. I have Celiac's disease and it makes me horribly ill. Honestly, if I didn't have physical (usually immediate) side effects, it would be hard for me to maintain my gluten free diet. I want a donut!!! Just one big regular glazed donut. That's honestly the only food I miss.

We went over to my mom's house to have dinner this evening to visit with her, Tom and my grandma. {I may or may not have had two pieces of gluten free cake! My trainer at the gym tomorrow is going to wonder why I'm running so slow.} She has my wedding dress and I got to try it on for the first time since picking it out. Let me tell you, I have been having wedding dress nightmares for about two months now. Last night I dreamed that when I put on my dress, it was purple and only went down to my knees! Luckily, when I tried it on tonight this was not the case. I was worried about it fitting because when I went to order it, the assistant was of very little help when figuring out the size. I have a wide variety of measurements apparently so they gave me like 5 dress sizes that I could order. I randomly picked one and luckily it fits!! Kyle did not see, don't worry.

I apologize for the rambling nature of this post, but alas, this is my life right now. I hope this finds you enjoying the tail end of your weekend and you feel rested and ready for Monday!

Delete it

Sorry to have gone MIA for so long! We've been busy and tired and I just haven't had a whole lot to say. Work is busy and I'm in a "put my head down and get through it" mode. We've been busy with our wedding stuff and family wedding stuff and life! I'm hoping to have some more engagement pictures to share soon! 

Instead of talking about horrible things happening in the world lately....

Let's talk about how hard it is to be a lady for a second.

Then let's talk about how hard it's probably not to be Kim Kardashian. 

Yes, people are talking about how big she is getting with her baby bump. Honestly, she is. I think she should embrace it. I think it's her come uppance  for letting magazines report for years that she wears a size 2. I've been in a lot of stores and tried on a lot of pants and there is no freaking way in any universe that Kim K has ever gotten size 2 pants around that butt. NO FREAKING WAY. Khloe has always gotten crap for being the "bigger" sister but ya know what? They're all more normal-ish looking women than your average (probably really hungry) celebrity.

 

 

What the whole "k" bunch should have been doing from the get go is saying "yes we have curves and that's okay." Because they're all still absolutely beautiful. What an opportunity to stand up for girls and say you don' t have to look like you're about to die in order to be beautiful. 

Getting more in to exercise and cleaning up my diet has shifted my focus. I think about how good I feel and how much stronger I'm getting. Of course there are still days (okay, a lot of days) that I look in the mirror and want to change something because I'm a girl and I can't help it. I will always be my biggest critic. But then the next day I can look in the mirror and see a muscle showing through that I haven't seen before. 

I'm never going to have the stick thin boyish model figure. I'm not built that way. But I can tell you that I never had abs. Now I do. I never used to have that dip at the top of my shoulders. Now I do. I never used to have little dimples in the back of my upper back. Now I do. I never used to have any definition in my legs. Now I do. 

A year ago I couldn't do ten girl push ups. Now I can even do some real ones. A year ago I couldn't run one mile. Now I can run 5. Haven't tried to run more than that yet. Boring.

For every "I'm not good enough" thought in my day, there's another "I feel good or strong or healthy or loved" thought. 

Progress. Not Perfection.

I feel really comfortable in my own skin lately. I feel comfortable in my life. Kyle and I were talking about this the other night.  It came up when I was questioning whether or not to delete a "friend" from facebook. Kyle asked "Does it/he/she add negativity to your headspace?" Yes. "Delete". I feel like that's kind of what I'm doing in my whole life right now. Does whatever add to my life in a positive way? No? Deleted.

 On the opposite end of the spectrum, I have been actively seeking things that do add to my life in a positive way. See activities above. I'm loving having my bike in working order again. Kyle and I have been spending some major weekend time on our bikes. Since we don't really have windows in my office, I have found that I majorly miss the sun. I usually bring my lunch and eat at my desk so I don't see/feel the outside air until the end of the day! ( I know I could eat outside or walk or something but it's a hassle to take my food and I usually catch up on my blogs at lunch because I've switched up my morning routine). I've added drinking more water and way less diet coke (I sleep better!). I've changed up my mornings to add more sleep.  I'm actively trying to invest in my friendships that add to my life and get rid of those that don't.

 Does whatever add to your life? No? Delete it. 

Honeymoonin and Engagements

When Kyle and I started thinking about what we wanted to do for our honeymoon, we knew we wanted to do something different (We have both done the beach thing). Both of us have always wanted to go to the Pacific Northwest and knew that this was a great chance.

My mom's fiance,Tom, has been very generous to offer us use of his timeshare connection. We will be staying in Lynden, WA. It's about two hours from Seattle and about one hour from Vancouver, B.C. Even though we will be a little late for whale watching season, I'm still pretty pumped to be within driving distance to the San Juan islands.


 

 

 We are fully aware that it is going to be cold and that it is going to rain. Rainy days happen to be our favorite :) I'm hoping for some legit fall colors since we get robbed of a real fall here in Texas every year.

 We're taking our engagement pictures next week and I'm prettyyyyyy excited. Of course I'm a girl so now my head is spinning with "What am I going to wear?!?!"

So I did what any girl does when she feels lost these days.....

Pinterest.

These are some of my favorites for inspiration. 

 And of course... some kind of dress + boots!

Breakfast Recipe

I've been looking for something new to add to my breakfast rotation for awhile. Funny thing is, I never ate breakfast growing up. My mom tried, don't worry. Honestly, eating too early made my stomach hurt. Might have been the gluten intolerance but alas, hindsight is 20/20. I drank a glass of chocolate milk (Nesquick lovers unite!) every day until college. No joke. I don't drink regular milk anymore ( probably should give up dairy all together but I'm not ready) but I still like nesquick in my milk substitute from time to time. 

I can't imagine going without breakfast anymore. I guess your stomach gets used to it? If I don't have anything, I'm ready to chew my arm off by 10am. I guess my body adapts to food fast (maybe everyone's does?) because I've gone through lots of breakfasts/morning snacks. They get to the point where they just don't keep me full for very long. I'm a protein girl but protein bars/ shakes don't even hold me over anymore.

In an effort to enjoy my "oatmeal" but trade straight carbs for protein, I tried out the ever-so-popular in the blogosphere "Oatmeal Minus the Oats". It's not exactly oatmeal, more like porridge but I still give it two thumbs up.

 

 Ingredients:

1.5 tablespoons milled flaxseed

1/2 cup almond milk ( or milk of choice)

1/2-3/4 cup egg whites (depending on how much you want)

1 small banana

Stevia (or natural sweetener of choice)

Directions: Slice the banana thinly. You can mash it first if you want, but it will be easy to mash once it heats up anyway. Combine ingredients in small saucepan over medium heat. Stir until mixture reaches desired consistency.

 You can add extra toppers as desired. I prefer cinnamon + peanut butter. But fruit and nuts would be good too.

This breakfast has definitely found a spot in my rotation!