The Non-Social Media Edited Version of Life

Lately I have felt challenged and I keep looking for the lesson in this time of my life and wasn’t really able to pinpoint the lesson until now.......I think.

In the last month I’ve been through deaths, grieved, felt unappreciated, been faced with unplanned expenses, spent countless hours in traffic, allowed myself to be let down and have struggled with deciding where my life plan should be directed next.  Last week I told  Aaron about how I really just felt like I was being challenged and I couldn’t figure out why.  

The day after we had this conversation I was in Target after a frustrating visit with my mechanic feeling pretty defeated.  I was stuck in a long line but that really didn’t bother me, I wasn’t in a hurry.  A younger worker came over and offered to help me and the few people in front of me at another register.  This worker had a visible physical disability, not that it means anything, just an observation.

The worker checked out two people in front of me, one man and one woman.  Then it was my turn.  When my transaction was over the young man looked me straight in the eyes and said, “God bless you.”  Had it been Christmas time, or had he said it to everyone, I wouldn’t have thought twice.  But it is not Christmas time and he only said it to me.  And then when I got in my car this song came on:

I think my lesson for now is that I’m supposed to know that no matter how large my challenges seem at the time, I am not alone.  I grieved, but not alone by any means.  I may feel unappreciated by a few, but those who appreciate me outnumber them by far.  Aaron took care of the tires for my (still relatively new) car and I have a job and a home at the end of those long hours in traffic.  I can choose not to be let down and I am lucky to have woken up this morning with another day to contemplate “what next”.  I also realize there are so many others with life challenges greater than mine, but I know too, that they are not alone.

I didn’t write this post for sympathy, certainly not.  I just feel as if in the social media world everyone only wants to present their very best.  Their accomplishments, their best “selfie”, how awesome their kids/pets/family is.  There’s nothing wrong with that, heck 95% of the time I fall into that.  But it’s not real life.  This is real and I feel like I owe it to people who support me and this blog to be real, so thanks for keeping it real with me folks!  

{Via}

Meal Plan Monday!

This weekend was much busier than I anticipated but that just means it was productive, which is always great!  I managed to grab dinner with some wonderful friends, listen to a band play with other friends at the park near our house, plan this week's meals, get the oil changed on my car, go to Ikea, grocery shop, clean the house, do laundry AND put it away, address nearly all of our wedding invitations and harvest these delicious veggies from our garden!

PS: We think our cantaloups are actually watermelons. Different but not disappointed in the least!

This all might explain the tinniest hint of a sore throat I feel coming on but I'm hoping it's nothing some orange juice and a good night sleep wont cure!

Last week a friend requested that I share the recipes for the meals I post here on the blog.  I honestly have always had every intention of doing this (hence the recipe tab) but just haven't gotten around to it.  So this week I've included the links to the recipes (but they haven't made it to the tab yet) I use and general recipes for meals that I tend to "wing".  Here's what's for dinner this week!

Monday:  Whole Wheat Pasta with Zucchini and Yellow Squash in a Vodka Sauce

Cook the pasta per package instructions.  While the pasta is cooking, dice the yellow squash and zucchini and saute in a hot pan with olive oil until tender.  I use Wolfgang Puck's Vodka sauce from a jar because I usually cook this meal on nights when I need to get dinner on the table fast, and that keps it easy.  Once the noodles are cooked and strained top with veggies and heated sauce.  Serve with a side salad and enjoy!

Tuesday: Savory Stuffed Sweet Potatoes and Side Salad.  I use Jenn's recipe from Peas and Crayons but I'm making her nachos version twice baked potato style instead.  Basically cook your sweet potatoes like a baked potato and top with all the nacho style goodies.  You should check out her blog, it's full of awesome food goodness. I realize stuffed sweet potatoes sounds crazy but I'm telling you they are so so so delicious and filling too.  Seriously. 

Wednesday: Breakfast for Dinner, one of Aaron's favorites.  Turkey bacon, Toads in a Hole and fresh fruit.

Thursday: Slow Cooker Lemon Pepper Chicken with Potatoes and Salad

Friday: Taco Salads.  Chopped romaine topped with black beans, tomatoes, avocado, cooked and spiced ground turkey, salsa and cheese.

I hope you have a most excellent week!

High Five for Friday!

This week I welcome Friday with arms wiiiiidddeeee open, TGIF!  Linking up with Lauren for my High Five of the week:

1) I got an unexpected check in the mail from completing Jury Duty last week!  I knew you got paid if you were there for more than one day if you are on a trial but I did not know you still got paid if it was simply a two day Jury selection.  Unexpected money? Score!

2) Our passports came in the mail!!!!!!! Bahamas bound in 99 days! They came 3 weeks and six days after we applied for them and we didn't even pay to have them expedited.  That's pretty on target with their 4-6 week estimation, in case you are needing to apply for one anytime soon and were wondering.

3) I am obsessed in love with this song right now.  Ok, maybe obsessed is actually the better word.

4) Last week I told you about how Sun Warrior sent me some free samples of their protein powder.  Well the verdict is in and I love the Vanilla!  I've added it to my list of things to get while running errands this weekend.  It tastes great and it agreed with my body completely.  I'm sold.

{Via}

5) Our garden is almost officially out of control.  Everyday I'm out there I see something new and we've been harvesting at least 3-4 yellow squash a week.I have a feeling we will have produce coming out of our ears in the next few weeks.  There are a ton of tomatoes on our plants, ears of corn, cantaloups, carrots, yellow squash, green onions and zucchini so far.  We're just waiting for the cucumbers now.  This has been a very rewarding project!

I hope you have a wonderful weekend.  I'm off to run some wedding related errands and then I'll be deep cleaning our house.  After the thunderstorms this week, last weekend's cleaning has sadly not survived the dogs and mud puddles.

Meal Plan Monday!

Smashing my elbow on the door jam of my car must have impacted my brain because I'm just now realizing that this post never posted on Monday.  Fail.

But really, I did a number on my arm. No joke.

This past weekend was THE best.  The park near our house had a movie night on Friday so my Mom, Niece, Aaron and I headed over there for Wreck it Ralph.  It was such a fun time! There were so many families there from our community, with blankets spread on the grass while all the kids ran around and played until the movie started.  My niece was an absolute doll. At 17 months, she sat on either my lap or Aaron's through almost the entire movie and then fell right to sleep near then end.

Movie Night!

On Saturday, Aaron and I finished demolition on our old brick patio. We removed roughly 1,000 bricks (which equates to about 500 squats and explains my sore legs).  Lucky for us, people from Craigslist came and took all of the bricks off of our hands!  This was really my first experience with giving things away on Craigslist, and an experience it was, that's for sure.  Aaron rewarded me for my hard work by taking me out to dinner and then we headed to the outlets for new running shoes.  Too bad the power went out when we were ready to pay so they closed the store.  After a bit of a debate we were finally at least able to put our items on hold.  Maybe we'll go back.  Maybe not.  The Nike people were pretty rude about the situation, as if we control the power. Marley pretty much sums up how we felt after our looooongg Saturday:

A year old and still such a lady.

Then on Sunday we had an awesome summer rainstorm.  I love summer storms and we could really use the rain.  We also picked up some things for the wedding and made arrangements for the Tuxedos for the men.  I'm pretty excited about what the guys will be wearing. They are all going to look so handsome!  We finished Sunday with dinner down the street at my brother's house to celebrate my Mom's birthday a little early.  All of the food was great and it was a nice way to end our weekend.

Back on the meal planning bandwagon, here is what we're eating this week:

Monday: BLT Salsa Wraps
Tuesday: Greek Pasta Toss
Wednesday: Teriyaki Chicken Bowls
Thursday: Tilapia Fillets with Taboule 
Friday: BBQ Chickpea Turkey Burgers (still haven't made these!) with Roasted Veggies and Salad

High Five for Friday!

Happy Friday, it feels good to be back! I'm linking up with Lauren as usual for my High Five worthy (plus two bonus) moments from the week!

1) I took an unknown needed break from writing this week and it was actually kind of nice.  As I wrote about in this post, I'm trying to make a point of enjoying the little moments of each day even more and I think I've done a pretty good job.  On my little writing break I ran after work with the girls, enjoyed an evening in the front yard relaxing and playing fetch with them too, checked some wedding tasks off my "to do" list, started reading The One Year Bible, had dinner with my Aunt, Uncle & Grandparents and worked in our garden.  All of it was great.

Maya lives for fishing ice cubes out of her water

Marley, completely embarassed by what I decided to wear on our run. She can't even look at me.

2) My Simplified Date Book from Emily Ley that compliments my Simplified Planner came in the mail this week.  As high tech as the world has become, I still nerd out over paper planners and organizational tools.

Happiness

3) Last week I wrote to Sun Warrior to see if I could get a few samples of their products.  I really do not eat a lot of meat or protein so I've been looking for something to fill that void.  I've read great things about Sun Warrior, and after less that awesome side affects from whey protein powders, I wanted to give Sun Warrior a try since it is plant based.  I emailed them on Friday and when I checked the mail on Thursday my samples were waiting for me, pretty awesome service!  I'll let you know how it works out and what I think about it.

4) I'm officially a fan of Audible and the book The Help.  Remember when I told you about how I wasn't happy with the book The Snowman? Well, Audible allows you to "return" your audio book, even if you listened to the entire thing, and get a new one! How great is that?!  So, I got a credit for The Snowman and used it to get The Help.  Probably my new favorite book.........next to the Harry Potter series of course. 

5) I brightened up my desk space at work this week. I spend a lot of time there so I figure I'll do more happy work surrounded by happy things. Seems logical right?

Happy Desk

6)I did not get picked for a jury this week! Thank goodness. I kept saying I wanted to be on a trial just for a change of pace but when it came down to it, and the trial was dealing with assault charges from a violent street fight, I decided it probably was not for me. You know since I despise violence and confrontation.

7) After 17 days of work Aaron is finally getting a few days off just in time for the weekend (we think).  I wish I had a photo of his dirty face when he comes home from fires but he'd probably be so mad if I posted it here (or anywhere for that matter) Maybe one day, probably never. Lol. We don't really have anything planned, but I'm just looking forward to having him at home because that's a rarity around our house this time of year and I'm sure Maya & Marley are tired of me having conversations with them like I'm some crazy woman. 

I hope you have an enjoyable weekend! We're suppose to get rain, which would be amazing because we need it badly. Plus I love summer rainstorms. Duh.

High Five for Friday!

TGIF!  Linking up with Lauren for my High Five of the week:

1) I met up with one of my great friends (and bridesmaid) this week for dinner.  We treated ourselves and had sodas with dinner.  When it's house brewed Root Beer how could you not? So delicious!

2) I also cashed in on my free Slurpee on 7/11 from 7/11.  This is actually the first time I've ever participated but when some co-workers were headed out the door on a quest for free Slurpees I couldn't pass up the opportunity, especially after the crazy work morning I'd had.  

3) Aaron, a co-worker and I are all signed up for the Half-Marathon at Disneyland this January!  I'm pretty sure this asthmatic just feel into the deep end of the crazy pool, good thing I know how to swim! In all seriousness though, I'm really excited for this and will more than likely be discussing my training and what not occasionally on the blog here because I know everyone would just love to read about how the girl with asthma managed to run 13.1 miles. <------Sarcasm.

4)  Have you tried Chobani Flip yet? No?  Don't feel bad, neither has the Best Half because I may or may not have eaten them all while he was gone.  I had the Almond Coco Loco and the Key Lime Crumble on separate days as part of my breakfast.  Almond Coco Loco was my favorite of the two but Key Lime Crumble wasn't bad either.  I definitely see myself buying these again in the future and maybe sharing next time.

5)  This is one dedicated dog.  Whenever Aaron is gone Maya stakes her claim by the door after dinner and waits for him to come home.  She will literally stay there until Marley heckles her enough to move or until we go to bed.  This routine lasts every night until Aaron comes home, the longest stent being 20 days last summer.  I captured this photo as she was waiting for Aaron this week while he was on a fire in the mountains near our home. The good news for us is that the fire is now basically out.  The good news for Maya is that her favorite human was able to come home a few nights this week.  The amount of love an animal can have for a person is really amazing.  Every time I watch Maya  reunite with Aaron I get the biggest smile on my face because you can literally see her joy. Then there's Marley.  She's another story entirely that I'll share when I capture her reunion with Aaron on video sometime.

I hope you have a wonderful and safe weekend!

For the love of Music

Fun fact you might not know about me.  Despite being artistically challenged in almost every way possible, I love music, there's just something calming about it to me.  Even more, I love discovering new music.  I listen to music during most of my waking hours and always have something playing at the house when I’m cooking or cleaning. 

Whenever I’m playing something new Aaron will ask where in the heck I found out about whatever it is I’m listening to and 90% of the time my answer is “Pandora”.  I know people have strayed away from Pandora because it supposedly limits your listening to 40 hours a month and you have to pay if you don’t want commercials.  Well here’s the thing, I listen to Pandora all the way to work, all day at work, and all the way home.  That means I average 50 listening hours a week or 200 hours a month.  I’ve never been cut off at the 40 hour mark and the 30 second commercial here or there doesn’t really phase me, so for now I’ll stick with what I know.  If the 40 limit ever in enforced I might switch over to iHeart Radio. Maybe.

Here are a few, new to me, bands I’ve discovered recently and thought were worth sharing.  I hope you enjoy!

 

The Trews

Highway of Heros

 

Ishmael & Maggie

 

The Oh Hello’s  

Hello My Old Heart

 

Trees

 

Needtobreath 

Something Beautiful

Meal Plan Monday!

It was a busy weekend for those in our house.  I spent Saturday moving the last of my sister's things from my parent's house in San Diego to her new apartment in Pasadena.  The drive was actually much better that I thought and her apartment is beautiful.  We got to drive through Old Pasadena on our way to make some furniture donations and it turns out my sis lives pretty darn close to the Rose Parade route.  How cool is that?!  Any who, I made it home around 4:30 and after
 a long day of driving I opted to relax inside where it was cool, rearrange the roses we got last week and catch up on some of my shows before an early night to bed.

I can't get over how they just keep opening and still look amazing after almost a week. I'm basically

obsessed with these, but you have probably already guessed that by now. Ok, I'll stop. Maybe.

Aaron worked overnight on a local fire Saturday so on Sunday morning I got up a deep cleaned the house before grocery shopping.  Lucky for me, Aaron got to come home for the evening on Sunday so we enjoyed a nice dinner and harvested some goodies from our garden.  Speaking of, check out the fruits/vegetables that are setting on:

I can honestly say that growing our own garden has been one of the most rewarding things I've helped  create at our home. I am so excited that our plants A) survived and B) they are actually producing!

In terms of food, here's what we're eating for dinner this week.  I apologize for the repeats but some things got pushed from last week because we did not get to eat them for one reason or another :(

Sunday: BBQ Pork Tenderloin with Coconut Sticky Rice and Salad

Monday: Baked Chicken and Asparagus and Salad (Clean Eating Magazine Cookbook)

Tuesday: Crock Pot Rigatoni 

Wednesday: BBQ Turkey and Chickpea Burgers with Corn and Fruit Salad (Clean Eating Magazine Cookbook)

Thursday: Apple Grilled Cheese with Spring Salad (Clean Eating Magazine Cookbook)

Friday: Loaded Clean Cobb Salads

Here's to a happy Monday, make it awesome!

High Five For Friday!

I must admit I’ve been carrying quite the heavy heart this week after the death of the 19 Firemen on the Yarnell Hill Fire.  With Aaron, both of my brothers and numerous friends working as Wildland Firefighters it strikes pretty close to home.  I can’t say that I love Aaron more since Sunday because with a love that knows no bound, that’s impossible (he’s probably been wondering why I’ve been smothering him all week).  But, I can say I am much more consciously aware of what we have and how frequently I find myself taking that for granted.    So, I’m going to try to slow down a bit.  Spend more time in the real world and less time in the social media world.  More time cooking wonderful food in the kitchen, more time in our garden, more time outdoors with our dogs and more time with my phone in my purse than in my hand.  I don’t think that will change things here on the blog but if I see it going that way I’ll be sure to warn you.

Have no fear though; I was able to find a few things we can High Five about on this Friday for the link up with Lauren:

1)      We ordered a sample of the flowers for our wedding to make sure they were as beautiful as we were told they would be.  I’m so happy to say we were not disappointed at all!  The roses came incredibly well packed, were very fresh, opened when we were told they would, were very fragrant and looked BEAUTIFUL! I’m so happy!

2)      Our garden is pretty out of control these days.  It has been so fun to watch the plants we started from seed mature. I can’t wait until I start seeing some fruits and vegetables on them!

3)      We made some more progress this week on wedding related things.  I’d love to share what these are for but I can’t just yet.

4)      I actually found something in my closet patriotic to wear on the 4^th of July!  I spent part of the day at Aaron’s fire station and then part of the day poolside at a friend’s house.  It was overall a relatively mellow day, just the way I like it!

5)      I also got a sweet deal on the hair and face products I frequently use.  Hair care was buy 2 get 1 free and I had a 20% off your total purchase coupon for the rest. Score!

I hope you have a great weekend, be safe and stay cool!

Tasty Tuesday!

If I'm being entirely honest, Aaron did all of the cooking last week.  I ended up getting home after 7 each night so having meals prepared in the freezer for Aaron to throw together made our nights a little less chaotic.  I wish I could say I'm excited to be back in the kitchen this week but with this heat wave, standing near the oven doesn't exactly sound inviting.  We've got to eat though, so here's what's on the menu:

Monday: Spicy Chicken Wraps on spinach tortillas with shredded chicken, lettuce, tomatoes and hot sauce with a side of watermelon.

Tuesday: Pork Tenderloin on the BBQ with Coconut Sticky Rice and Salad.

Wednesday: BBQ Turkey and Chickpea Burgers with Grilled Corn and Fruit Salad.

Thursday: Grilled Chipotle Chicken Kabobs with Roasted Veggies  and Pineapple.

Friday: (In the event it cools of like they say it will) Baked Chicken Asparagus Casserole with a Side Salad.

Hopefully I'll be picking produce from our backyard instead of the grocery store soon!!!!

Corn, Cucumbers, Yellow Squash, Zucchini, Tomatoes, Watermelon, Cantaloup, Onions, Lettuce, Jalapenos, Anaheim Peppers, Habaneros and Tabasco Peppers! 

The Heros In Our Hearts

I had your standard Meal Plan Monday post all ready to go but in light of yesterday's tragedy I didn't feel comfortable posting as if it didn't happen.  The tragedy needs to be acknowledged, those firefighters deserve to be acknowledged, whether it be all over the news or here on my little blog.

 The love that firemen and women have for what they do is crazy, and the love that that their families have for them is equally crazy.  Loving them is worth it though. I'm proud to say I know this love that at times is accompanied by fear.  These firemen and women are some of the most passionate, reliable, dedicated and selfless individuals you'll ever meet.  The passing of those 19 firefighters is every fire family's worst nightmare coming to life.  I can't even imagine the devastation felt by those on the opposite end of the dreaded phone calls. I'd like to ask those of you who read the blog to say a prayer for those we lost, their families, their friends and for all of their fellow firemen and women who continually risk their lives to protect us.

May God be with our newest 19 Angels in heaven.

{Via}

Meal Plan Monday will make an appearance this week on Tuesday.