Anybody there?

Whew, I have been a terrible blogger lately. In all honesty, I have just either been busy or exhausted. You can probably just try to come to terms with fewer blogs between now and Christmas. Please take a tissue to wipe your tears. I'll try to do better than I have been lately though.

We have been busier at work lately and it wears me out! Working one on one with kids for the majority of work day hours is completely exhausting. There is no "Here kid, do this worksheet" in my job. I take my hat off for those of you with children. I feel like there aren't enough hours in the day to do all that I need to do already and I am only a mother of two needy cats.

 

I've also been trying to find my sanity by reading. Here's a couple of my favorites lately...

 Super short, super fast read but I really enjoyed it. I felt like I really related to the main character and that most girls would. Even though I couldn't relate to every experience discussed in the book, I found myself nodding along and giggling to her inner monologue.

 This is the second book in the Mara Dyer series...I think I read this one in about two days. There were definitely times in this book where you can tell it is a YA book..."Hello characters! You can't put 1+1 together yet?!?" But overall the series is really addicting. Super great for a quick, mindless, fun read. I hate when you finish a book and know you have another year to wait until the next one comes out.  I put book release dates on my iphone calendar. No joke.

Second tip in keeping your sanity:

 

 Exercise. For the most part it really helps me zone out and de-stress. Although there are some days when I wake up and mentally debate about which I need more..Sleep or exercise. Sleep won this morning. If I work until 5 or later, I know I have to do it first thing or there is no way it'll get done after work.

And lastly, but not least, while trying to maintain your sanity.. I recommend...

 Pie. The above is what my Thanksgiving pie should've looked like. It actually looked nothing like that but it tasted delicious! Turns out it's hard to make pie without a mixer. If you are looking for an amazing pecan crust though..let me know!

 

Long Time No See!

Hi there! Sorry for the long absence. I don't really have a good excuse. I just felt kind of off last week. My work outs were lacking, I got way behind in house chores and just overall had a blah week. This past weekend was pretty relaxing though and helped me get back in the groove somewhat. We got caught up on our chores and had some time for fun.

 

I'm still lacking in motivation this week for whatever reason so I was really proud of myself for completing my work out today.

 

 

 

I really just wanted to nap.

 

I am super pumped about having a short week this week! No huge Thanksgiving plans but I'm excited to eat some food and hang out! I'm hoping to get the Christmas decorations up this weekend.

 

Some of my favorite things lately.....

 

1.Last week I tried out this new "fast" food place on Greenville called Start. I put fast in quotations because while they do have a drive through and are set up like a fast food place...they serve fresh, organic fare. Think salads, wraps, burgers with grass fed beef, sweet potato tots/fries, fruit, hummus + veggies etc.  They also offer gluten free options for the wraps and burgers! I had the spinach and strawberry salad though because it happens to be one of my favorite meals. So good!

 

 

 2. We did get out last Saturday night and went to see The Perks of Being A Wallflower (it was my turn to pick). It was excellent! Even Kyle loved it.

 

 

 

 3. I finally got a new phone! Having sound is not overrated.

 

 

From My Heart to Yours

I am ashamed. I am embarrassed. I am scared.

No, not because Obama  was elected President, but because of people's reactions to this outcome. I went into this whole thing thinking that I wasn't going to react, write a post, or be involved in any banter. I am still trying my very best to do that. However, I feel the desire to pour out what is in my heart right now. It is your choice to read this or not. This post is for me.

 There is negativity on both sides but I will be really honest right now about why I cast the vote that I did. 

I fully respect your right to believe what you believe, to pray to who you pray to, to pray for what you pray for. I wish that you felt the same. My hopes and dreams for this country is that we can be a shining example for unity in diversity. That we can create laws that protect people and embrace people's rights as humans. That you will be free to follow your own morals and guidance and I can follow mine. This is what makes America what it is. If we can embrace our differences, learn to respect each other and work together, we will have the opportunity to build such great strength.

I cast the vote that I did because I don't believe in going backwards. I don't believe that anything in the Constitution should be added or changed to take things away from people. I don't believe this would be what our founders had in mind. 

Some scream "Jesus" while simultaneously screaming words of selfishness, hate, stereotypes and falsehoods. Please ask yourself if this is really what Jesus would have done. You don't believe in abortions or easy access to contraception but you also don't want to contribute to helping people raise kids they can't afford. You want people to pass a drug test to get welfare and foodstamps. Who feeds those kids? You want to restrict people's rights based on who they choose to love...what makes this different than restricting rights based on the color of someone's skin or the sexual organs in their bodies? 

I want to live in a country where you are free to practice your religion, teach your children what you believe and practice what you preach. I want to be able to do the same. I want to live my life the way I believe that Jesus, Gandhi, Mother Teresa and St. Francis as well as many others have and will. I want my children to grow up with respect for people who feel differently than them, who never feel the fear and sadness of persecution, who will give their shirt off their back instead of clinging to their own wallets, who will love beyond the boundaries of race, gender, religion and sexual preference.

I believe in hope, kindness, perseverance, equality, and strength in diversity. The hope of our country lies not with the president. It lies here on the streets among us and how we treat each other.

I am a  daughter, friend, girlfriend, teacher, reader, thinker, student and dreamer. I am a Christian. I am an American. I am a Texan. Most of all, I am a human.

Halloweenie

Happy Halloween! Kyle colored/crafted that lovely pumpkin picture at work today. They work hard :) Okay, they really do.

We were all pumped up to have trick-or-treaters this year but alas, we only had two groups. Major bummer. So instead, we ate snacks and watched the Rob Zombie version of Halloween on tv. Thanks Lesley and Brian for coming to hang out with us!

 

Getting older kind of stinks. I wish I was out trick-or-treating. It seems like a lot of people didn't have many visitors this evening. Is the concept dying it out? Is it just not safe anymore so everyone  goes to churches or something? It's really sad. If I was braver, we could've gone to a haunted house or something but I am a halloweenie.

It's funny because I remember being little and playing house or school or whatever pretend game...and everyone fought over who got to be the sixteen year old (Like we couldn't have more than one!) That was the THE age to be. Then when you are sixteen, everyone can't wait to be eighteen...and then twenty-one...and then so on and so forth. Then one day you wake up and you're twenty-five. Your friends are married with children and you are like wait...where did the time go? I know that feeling must only get worse as you get older. It's still really bizarre. It feels strange to be an adult, to live on my own, to be at an acceptable age to get married, etc (officially out of the "we got married young" category). In my head I'm still sixteen (and according to strangers on the street)!

Super

Tuesday. Tuesday. Tuesday. I am particularly happy this Tuesday because I have tomorrow off. Usually I feel meh about days off in the middle of the week but for some reason a day off to break up my work  week sounds perfect today.

My eats haven't been too extraordinary this week so no WIAW this week. I have been majorly lacking in the meal planning/grocery shopping department lately. I swear Kyle and I go to the grocery store almost every day. I just haven't been very inspired or energetic :)

I am actually super excited that the election is next week. I am slightly terrified at how close it is in all honesty. I have my own super strong opinions but I am so super tired of how amped up people get. Facebook, you have created a monster where everyone thinks whatever they're saying is the most important thing ever (says the blogger).  Honestly, people just believe the most ridiculous things. I read it on the internet, it is definitely true. 

"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances."

 

That pretty much sums up who I'm voting for and why. People get hateful and downright mean. I think it's great that you believe strongly in something but we are all people and we need to learn how to coexist peacefully. In elections, wedding dress sample sales, in check out lines in December, in Twilight midnight release lines and  on half-price coffee days at Starbucks (okay, that one's not real).

 

"Super" seems to be my word of the day. I super hope you have a super day and are all super snuggly in your super safe house.  And let's all calm down, okay? Super.

The Real Story

I am so exciting that I blog on Saturday night! That's how I know I'm getting old. Okay, so I really wasn't ever the party all weekend type. I'm a homebody by nature and so is Kyle. Both of us together doesn't really help things. I will admit to you, blog land, that this is not where I saw my life when I was in high school though.

Kyle and I knew each other in high school because we had mutual friends (and he briefly went to my church), but we weren't really close friends or anything until my senior year-ish (Kyle was a grade ahead of me in school. We  went to different schools though.) I will readily admit that I didn't have  the best impression of him. I knew that a lot of girls liked him and he was hot so I figured he must be a jerk (Don't judge people like this! People thought that I was a B* because I was quiet. My mom used to tell me that you can be pretty or quiet. You can't be pretty and quiet. You're welcome for sharing that, Mom!). Honestly, I can't even remember how we became better friends... I think the usual emo ways of the early 2000's : myspace,xanga, aim. I know it wasn't until the summer after my senior year of high school when he was home from school. I was still hesitant to have much to do with him because he was in his wild phase (my high school perception) and I've always been as boring as I am now. I always thought he was way cooler than me so he must be crazy and exciting, haha. Some people are naturally "cool". Kyle is, I am not. He will deny this to this day but that doesn't change it. It's why all of my friends asked about him back then. That summer was my only attempt at being more wild ( I felt like I should try it, like a rite of passage or something.."Those were my crazy years." Only mine is "Those were my crazy 4.5 weeks") All of that to say, I decided to give the whole "go after a bad boy" thing a shot.

We almost dated or something. There used to be stages of dating..like talking-->going out-->exclusively dating. Or something like that. Is it still like that now? "Oh did you hear? So and so are talking" I think you probably would've classified us as "talking."

Either way, we were pretty close friends for a bit. I was still hesitant. I could see parts of him that I really liked but I could tell that there were other things going on with him that were beyond me. A sort of distance. I didn't really know much about it at the time. There were a couple of incidences that I didn't know much about until we started dating again a year and a half ago. Things that meant a lot to him that I didn't even know I did. I was just myself. My attempts to be "wild" failed miserably. After one particular bad judgement call that sealed the deal on the end of my wild and crazy days, we went our separate ways. I thought that my previous impressions of Kyle being just an overall bad person were right on target and thought that he really never cared much about me at all.

Fast forward six years. He randomly posted something on Facebook about Brand New and I commented on it. We chatted from there and he invited me to hang out. Honestly, I am not sure why I agreed. I DID want to know what he had been up to and thought "Why not."

Best decision ever. I realized pretty quickly that he wasn't the same guy from so many years ago. Are any of us? Not that he was exactly a different person but we had both conquered some demons and did some growing up (as hopefully everyone does in 5ish years). All of the things that attracted me to him then were still there. We have been pretty much inseparable ever since. We are incredibly similar and no one knows me quite like Kyle. 

It wasn't until about a month after we started dating (for real this time) that we shared our different perceptions of our beginning and demise the first time. I thought I was a blip on his radar when actually I had made quite the impression (thats the correct boyfriend answer right?). The first  go around wasn't meant to be timing-wise, but it had to happen exactly how it did for us to end up in the place we are now. I will never forget how I felt when we finally put our different pieces of the puzzle together. It's the first time I have really ever felt like there are powers at be and things that happen that you don't have control over. Things will be how they are meant to. If we didn't have the deep feelings for each other (that neither of us knew about from back then) than I don't think we would have let each other in so quickly. He was recently out of a long-term relationship and I was not in a looking-for-a-boyfriend spot.

But alas, here we are. With two cats no less! You would think the cats were my idea but both were actually Kyle's. He turned himself into quite the cat guy! Although I think it's really that we both just really love animals in general. Cats worked for the apartment situation he was in when we got them. I can't imagine being anywhere else with anyone else. I get to hang out with my super hot very best friend every day who means a lot to me (and has for a really long time)

Disclaimer: I asked Kyle recently about how much about him he was okay with me sharing on this blog and he gave me a lot of freedom. I thought I would test those boundaries tonight with this entry. I hope I didn't embarrass you too much!

A Few of My Favorite Things (And Mayhem's)

I apologize for my blogging break lately. Over the weekend people commented on my blog (in real life) and it made me feel weird about it for some reason. Yes, the whole point of blogging is for people to read it but in an effort to be really honest and myself, I try not to think about it while I'm sitting on my couch typing it (like I am now). It's kind of like watching Social Network and then immediately checking your Facebook. Weirds you out right?

 Anyways, it's Wednesday so you know what that means! I know that talking about your food is kind of weird but its actually a really good accountability check for myself and I love seeing food blogs on the ones that I read. I'm a foodie! And a stalker blog reader.

I was talking to Kyle earlier about how I always feel like I eat 5,000 times more often than him but then he pointed out that he eats a couple of huge ( calorie dense) meals and I eat lots of lighter meals. So I only feel like I'm eating a lot more than him. Unless I'm out to eat, I rarely have meals are over 400 calories. My eating actually looks like breakfast, lunch, snack, dinner,and one more snack (Bob Harper *I think that's his name* says you should go to bed hungry but who seriously wants to do that?!?! It's miserable. Please don't do that). I also make sure to eat back the calories I lose when exercising to make sure that I never eat less than 1,200 a day. I've tried not to weigh myself too often since I've started working out more lately because my weight fluctuates a lot and as I  gain muscle, I gain pounds on the scale. I  don't want to freak out about these little fluctuations so I just check myself in the mirror and see how my pants fit. If you're a guy reading this you are thinking "blah blah blah. where are pictures? blah blah blah." If you're a girl, I know you can relate.

I decided just to post a bunch of some of my eats this week so far:

 Typical breakfast of coffee/gluten free oatmeal + chia seeds+peanut butter. Kyle also fixed me some eggs on Monday. Love him. Monday night's dinner was pork roast + potatoes.I LOVE sweet potatoes. I usually eat the whole potato, skin and all. I baked a sweet potato for me and a regular potato for Kyle. Last night we had chicken/green beans/carrots. It looks like I have tiny portions in the pictures above but I really just have really big plates. 

Today's lunch was some leftover chicken/ apple/greek yogurt. My snack was a protein shake with light soymilk. My lunches pretty much always include and apple and greek yogurt. You like what you like!

So there you have it! I promise I will write a serious non-food related post really soon. Probably tomorrow!

But for now, Mayhem is enjoying his favorite things....

  

   A piece of trash, a string toy that Kyle made and a green bean.

And I'm off to relax and watch a few of my favorite and Halloweenie shows... 

Weekly Work Outs:
Monday- Jillan Michaels dvd
Tuesday- 3 mile run
Wednesday- 2 mile run + elliptical ( I only did 2 miles because I sped up my pace and my knees needed a break) I'm not going to tell you how fast I went because I am SLOW! But I'm getting there.
Thursday- either off or Jillian DVD in the PM
Friday- Long run + weights of some kind