So this is the new year...

... and I don't feel any different.
Just kidding. I do. Those are just the opening lines from a DCFC song I like a lot.

Yes, yes, 2014 has arrived whether I like it or not. 2013 was a pretty good year for me. I learned more about myself, I got back in to school and I've more or less accepted my situation and learned to embrace it and make the best of it. Not like it was bad to begin with, I just feel residual impulses to be constantly moving, because that's all I've ever known. But I am happy where I am and who I'm with. I'm happy with my work and school situation. I'm happy and grateful everyone I love is still alive, so it's never that bad, is it?

Even though my situation was good, I'm trying to make it better in 2014. I set resolutions. Real ones. That I am committed to keeping. No. Matter. What. See, one thing I learned about myself in 2013 is that I don't give myself enough credit. I am capable of great things. But I've never accomplished anything way super significant because I get lazy and unmotivated. But not anymore. New year, new me. (Well, still the same me, but with enhanced motivation!)

So, here they are.

First, I will eat better in 2014. Not like my diet is terrible, but it's a far cry from the awesomeness it was a couple of years ago. Carson and I got stocked up on neat kitchen appliances for Christmas, so now I really don't have any excuses. Hello, green smoothies and delicious, nutrient dense crock-pot meals, I will devour you! Mostly this resolution has a lot to do with me not being lazy when it comes to my self-care. I feel better when I eat better, and I know this, so I have to do this.

Second, I will get back in to yoga in 2014. Again, nothing compared to where I was 2 years ago. It's sad watching my flexibility and strength wane! Besides consulting my multitude of books on a regular basis, I intend to make use of online resources like no one's business. Plus, I thought of something fun and challenging to do (in January at least. I'll probably be ready for a switch up come February). For January I decided to do one more sun salutation a day than I did the day before. I started on January first with one sun salute, and I will keep adding so that on the last day of the month I will do 31 sun salutations. If you would like to see how I progress with that particular resolution (and what I decide to do the rest of the year to keep me on track) you can follow my yoga blog.

Third, I will be participating in a Spending Fast in 2014. I found the inspiration for this resolution here. This girl and her blog seriously rock. I get so many awesome money-saving tips from her page that I decided to completely throw myself into her get-out-of-debt strategy. I'm not the worst spender in the world but I could be much better with my money. By far my biggest challenge will be to not buy little trinkets and nail polish from work (I have a small fixation with nail polish. That's all we're going to say).

Did you set any resolutions you'd care to share? Good luck and best wishes for 2014!

May Commitments

I'm seriously considering making this a monthly thing.

April is over and I have to admit that I fell a bit short on my commitments for the month. I managed to clear out and organize some things, and that was nice. I also kept my stress in check! Which is my biggest challenge in life, so I can't beat myself up if I fell a little short in other areas. And I think I only had one cup of coffee the whole month (that must be some sort of personal record). Easter screwed up the sugar cutback, but thankfully all of the candy is gone now!

Blossoms on a tree in my boyfriend's backyard

In May I will:
Exercise more: For real this time. I'm considering buying a bike so I have something fun to do in the afternoons (or even the mornings, if I'm feeling ambitious!) I think I'll shoot for 2-3 days a week at the local fitness club.

Be more food conscious: This can tie back into cutting back on sugar, but I want to implement overall consciousness in all of my food choices. I want to buy more local produce because the farmers markets are going to start up again soon. I'm also going to cut WAY back on my soy intake. I found this article the other day and it blew me away. I'm all about sustainability and soy is definitely NOT sustainable. I do have my own organic seeds, and I'm okay with planting and eating those, but for the most part I'm going to read labels like crazy. And use skim milk from the local dairy in my protein shakes instead of soy milk. (Speaking of protein shakes, this stuff is awesome!!)

Read more books: Self-explanitory. I had two books that I had been leisurely reading for almost a year and I finally worked through them. I didn't want to start anything new knowing I had books that needed to be finished. But now they're read and I can move on to new treasures.

Blooming bluebells

I think I'll leave it at that for now. I find that if I give myself too long of a list I won't get any of it done. I need to work on sprouting new habits instead of tackling issues all at once. And I think these things go well together. The first two do anyway. Reading just makes me insanely happy. If I think of anything else that might fit, I'll add it later on in the month!

I hope your May starts out fantastic!

Saturday March 31, 2012

On this day in eastern Idaho, the sun was out and warm and offered the first hints of spring. I think it got up to 72 degrees F in Pocatello, where I was spending the day with my boyfriend. I needed a perfect day like this. Badly.

I slept in. That's a feat in itself! Since it was so warm, I was able to wear a skirt for the first time since moving back to Idaho! I was so happy to get my legs in the sun and feel my skirt fluttering around. I have to say, I looked really cute. And my guy even wore his nice buttoned shirt! We took a walk downtown and we poked around in some stores. After our walk, we were pretty hungry, so we tried a pizza place by his house that we have never been to before. It's called Bigfoot Pizza and we had heard good things about it. The pizza was MASSIVE! The toppings were stacked on and it made me feel like we really got our money's worth! We got a half & half since I'm veggie and he's not. I gotta say, the old cliche is true: opposites attract. My half was covered in veggies, while his had a bunch of meat.

We took the pizza back to his house and watched The Boondock Saints 1 & 2. I missed out on those movies when they were new and popular so I decided to play catch-up with him. I really enjoyed the movies! And my pizza! And my company!

Days like this are always a bit monumental and very memorable for me. People think that you have to spend a ton of money and have all these grandiose plans to have a good time. The bottom line is that that is just not true! My man and I walked downtown, we window shopped and browsed stores without spending a dime, but still enjoyed the atmosphere. We looked nice for each other. We soaked up the sun. We watched DVDs he already owned. The only money we spent was on the pizza-- food, sustenance, a necessity of life. AND we even got the daily special, so it was a couple dollars cheaper than it would have been. We enjoyed the day, and each others' company fully without making a big deal of things or blowing a bunch of money.

When it comes down to it, it doesn't matter how much money is spent. The only things that matter are the memories and feelings, the bonding and building of relationships, that are cultivated during the time we share with others.

my latest gripe

Congress has pissed me the hell off. I know, I know, Congress has a lot of problems. But this particular one struck a chord with me today. A deep, primal chord.

Click here and become outraged.

I read about 4 different articles this morning, all on the topic of how tomato paste on frozen pizza is counted as a serving of vegetables in public schools.

..........!

Okay... first of all, tomatoes are FRUITS. That's silly, considering the gravity of this proposal, but still a little, uhm, ignorant. Second of all, you need at least a half cup serving of anything for it to count as a serving! [the link above addresses this] Not 2 tablespoons of processed paste, ridden with sugar additives and sodium.  Really, how pathetic is that?! Third of all, I thought the goal was to make school lunches HEALTHIER, not bring them to a screeching halt!

We all know I'm a health nut. Nutrition is vital to a happy, healthy life. We wouldn't survive without food; eat REAL, WHOLESOME FOOD!! As adults, we know this. We've read enough, we've eaten enough junk to make us feel like shit, we've seen what can happen when diets lack essential nutrients. Kids have a different perspective entirely. They are vulnerable and 100% subject to the effects of negligence. IT'S NOT FAIR! It's cruel to dupe kids into believing that frozen, cheese pizza is healthy for them. What sort of adults is that mindset going to breed? I'm terrified.

Since I don't have kids of my own, I'm very protective over my nephews and niece. I told my nephews today how incredibly lucky they are to have a mother that makes them meals, from scratch, every single day. They get to snack on dehydrated apples and homemade fruit roll ups and apple sauce. Being home schooled, they're not forced to eat the processed, frozen, high sugar, high sodium foods that are pushed on public school kids.

This issue really, truly makes me very sad. Children are the light and future of this world. To see their needs and rights being bought out by Congress and Big Money lobbyists is cruel, terrifying, and rage inducing.

marmalade

 Last week my family and I picked a bunch of plums from the tree outside. Today Laci and I made plum jelly. I think we cut something like 230 plums today and used half for jelly making and froze the other half to use in smoothies over the winter. We're pretty new at canning and making our own treats, but it's so much fun and so rewarding. 

Drizzly goodness

Isn't that color gorgeous? I can't wait to try my hand at more homemade goodies!