Listening for the Happy Sounds...

So, here it is late August and I'm trying to get my butt in gear and keep a commitment I made to myself. You know, doing the blog thing. Problem is, I'm distracted. I'm always distracted and having A.D.D. doesn't make it any easier....oh, look at what I found on Pinterest. You can check it out here.  So my friend, Tiffany, you know the one from Texas that I wrote about here. She just made the leap into Facebookless-land. Not sure if it's a real place, but she jumped off the social bandwagon, began blogging again and it got me thinking...don't I have a blog somewhere out there in the vast internet? Oh, yes, I do and I've abandoned them. Sorry to those of you with abandonment issues, it's the A.D.D. I promise. Promptly after reading her latest entry, I headed back here to write.  

And while deciding what to write about I found myself thinking that life would be much better as a hobbit. Random thought, I know. Hobbits  are not up for surprises or much excitement and are creatures of habit, with the exception of Bilbo or Frodo. Those Baggins' always ruining a good point. However, my life is a stark contrast to a hobbit in the Shire. I'm always in a constant state of upheaval as a military spouse. I make no point to hide that, but it's not my entire identity. I also, try not to dwell on the "perks" of this insane lifestyle. We move every 2-3 for $hits and giggles, it seems my husband is always in a foreign country and that's the normal part of my life. Then I began to question myself- do I long for a "normal" life like so many of my childhood friends?  Yes, er No. Maybe so? Anyways, here I am trying to hold myself accountable and maintain a sense of accomplishment for reaching all my goals, whatever they may be, that I can eventually end up in a happier place with myself; spiritually, mentally and physically.

So currently this is what's going on with me...

...and I challenge all my blogging friends to post a "currently" as well. 

Until next time.

A New Journey for a New Me…

Back in late February I began a new adventure to better health and started Whole30. I cut out all wheat, sugar, artificial ingredients and all of the other non-approved foods on Whole30. I read “It Starts with Food” and learned the science behind the foods making me feel not so good. I stocked my kitchen with healthy foods and enjoyed creating new dishes that would nourish me. I began to enjoy the simplicity of very few ingredients in my meals and their flavors. I went from snacking all the time to only eating 3 meals a day once on Whole30. I wasn’t bloated anymore and the weight that I had gained since our move to NY was magical melting off without stepping foot into a gym. I was proud of myself and the transformation that had slowly began to take shape. I had even talked a good friend into joining me on the Whole30 journey and had the support of another friend who was in her third week when I began. 

Then wham…

 21 days in and I caved.

I had burnt my dinner, had a pity party and threw away 21 days of feeling wonderful; all for a couple slices of pizza and an ice cold beer. I justified my lapse in my Whole30, so I could partake in the St. Patty’s Day festivities. I made my traditional Irish Car Bomb Cupcakes to share with my neighbors, cooked up a delicious Guinness Corned Beef and cabbage dish in the crockpot with roasted fingerling potatoes on the side. The corned beef and cabbage was amazing, but I soon wished I had a sweet potato instead of the little fingerling potatoes . 

I remained off program for almost 2 weeks and felt awful all over again. My face broke out. I began suffering from “allergies” and any OTC medicine I tried, failed to relieve my runny nose and sneezing. Also during that time, I was back to snacking 24/7 and the weight I had lost was slowly creeping back on.  It really put a damper on my mood and this endless winter wasn’t helping.

However, my body was still craving the whole foods and sending me “signals” of what it really needed. Last week, I began eating half Whole30/half processed. The meals I ate on plan made me feel better than I had when I ate whatever. Lesson learned-I wasn’t as satisfied as I thought I’d be eating a slice of my favorite pizza or a bowlful of homemade mac & cheese. 

I woke up this morning determined to begin another Whole30/Paleo journey. I know there will be days that I’ll have temptation and times that Paleo friendly food isn’t available, but I’m going to do the best I can. So here I am, day one (again) and wondering why I stopped at day 21. I know that no one’s perfect and we all have our weaknesses. So try again I must. 

Some of my most favorite Whole30 creations:

*Sweet Potato and Apple “hash” cooked in coconut oil alongside golden raisins, coconut flakes and pecans.

*Apples chopped up and cooked in coconut oil with a bit of cinnamon to go along with scrambled eggs at breakfast.

*Cuban Pork Tenderloin with a sweet potato, Craisins (oops, they’re not unsweetened), apple & pecan “hash” alongside roasted broccoli. 

Leftover Pork Tenderloin sliced and served with sautéed green beans, cashews and orange segments.

Perfect side dish for anything-Brussels Sprouts with bacon 

*Grilled Chicken with cashews, snow peas, broccoli, orange segments and golden raisins.

*Steak & Fried Eggs with sautéed spinach, mushrooms and cherry tomatoes.

*Grilled hamburger smothered with mushrooms and onions, baked sweet potato and ‘burnt’ green beans.

*Omelet topped with pico de gallo and avocado served alongside bacon, blueberries and oranges.

*My go-to lunch: Grilled Chicken Salad with hard boiled egg, bacon, avocado, cherry tomatoes, EVOO, Frank’s Red Hot, Red wine vinegar and salt & pepper.

Where are we now?

Last time I blogged (which was in May- Eek!) was about our upcoming move to New York. We left Kansas in October and headed for the newest place we'd call home. 

Well, we're here and enjoying all the things to do in the North Country. We made a trip to Old MacDonald's Farm and it seemed like Kansas was trying to call us back.

 Clay and I took a trip up to the 1000 Islands and Alexandria Bay area and saw Boldt Castle. We enjoyed the scenic views and ate lunch in a pub down by the bay. 

 Boldt Castle

Clay and I enjoying the views in Alexandria Bay.

 We discovered Dano's Pizzeria and enjoy their pizzas. Our two favorites are the Luna pizza and the Buffalo Wing pizza.

 While visiting 1000 Islands, we fell in love with the Saint Lawrence Red wine from the winery there. 

We've had more snow in 2 months than we ever had in Kansas and there is more still to come. We've been to Syracuse a few times, took a day trip to Lake Placid and Saranac Lake in the Adirondack Mountains. So far we're enjoying New York and looking forward to more adventures as a family.

We have a BIG ANNOUNCEMENT!

It appears that our time in the Land of Oz will soon be over. My husband had orders dropped last month and as soon as he's finished school for his new MOS, we're moving. You heard that right. We're moving and the Army is sending us to...

Fort Drum, New York

We have about 5 months left in Kansas before we make the 1350 mile trek to upstate New York. We're excited about planning weekend trips to Canada, NYC and discovering all that New York has to offer. It's also bittersweet for us, since Kansas was our first duty station and we only have a few months to enjoy it with some great friends we've made while being stationed here. But as they say, it's never goodbye, because our paths with eventually cross again.

I'm not sure what we'll miss the most about Kansas, but this family is ready for their next adventure!

Let's Go Treasure Hunting!

Who doesn't love a good treasure hunt? When our family vacationed in Colorado, we had a blast looking for dollars hidden inside the cabin. Well, I recently stumbled upon a really cool treasure hunting game.

Geocaching is real treasure hunting with a gps device. It involves finding the "cache" or container and then logging it on your Geocaching.com account.

Geocaching takes basic treasure hunting to another level as an outdoor adventure and family friendly activity. There are tons of caches hidden worldwide and even a few virtual ones to log. There's also different degrees of difficulty and there are also "trackables" (game pieces) that get moved from geocache to geocache until they reach their final destination. Geocaching even has it's own terminology and acronyms.   

I am so excited for our family to start geocaching and have some fun on the weekends. This is a family activity that we can enjoy where ever the Army decides to take us and we can plot caches along the way while on a road trip. Embrace your inner-adventurer and look forward to outings off the beaten path. Check back as I share our family's first Geocaching trip! 

Currently....

I stumbled upon a teaching blog Oh, Boy 4th Grade that had a neat little thing featured each month called "Currently". It sums up everything you're currently doing/thinking/feeling and I love the idea! So, this is currently what's going on with me. 

But, just as I finish uploading the picture, it began to snow. So currently we're all snuggled on the couch watching it snow! 

I suggest you check out Confessions of a Teaching Junkie for a tutorial, so you can all share what you're currently doing! 

What are you currently doing? 

Starting off Spring Break in Colorado...

So, we left the Flint Hills of Kansas and traveled to Divide, Colorado for Spring Break and celebrate my husband's return from Afghanistan. We've rented a cabin for a week and have enjoyed breath-taking views since we arrived. Our 492 mile journey included.... 

 

Giant wind turbines along highway 70 in western Kansas. These things were huge and there were hundreds of them.

A train speeding alongside the highway.

More of the giant wind turbines.

Clay was on a mission to arrive at the cabin before sunset. 

We stopped once for food and fuel. 

 Colorado State Line

Our first glimpse of the Rocky Mountains

Clay was hugging the white line on the drive up the mountain.

Pikes Peak and North Pole Exit

 Pikes Peak

 Dinosaur Resource Center in Woodland Park

(Making a stop here this week.)

Hoarders on the move. lol

Colorado Moutain Brewery on the way into Colorado Springs. 

(Stopping here for dinner one night.)

We ate at Red Robin for dinner our first night in Colorado.

Yum!

The living room of the cabin and our view for the week.

We have some awesome hosts! So far we have found $13!

One was hidden in the beam in the middle of the ceiling.

 Our view of Pikes Peak from the front porch.

 Living room

 Living room

Looking out from the loft 

 Chris and Ayden's beds in the loft upstairs.

 I'm in love with this kitchen!

 Master Bedroom

 The really neat sink in both bathrooms.

Loving this view!

Front porch 

A view of the hottub. 

I was afraid a bear was going to walk up last night while we were in it.

 Sunrise on Pikes Peak

 Ayden playing with the toys he found.

Chris watching cartoons while we cook breakfast.

We can't wait to see what adventures await us in Colorado!