I like it pure and raw... Aaaaand Inspiration Board Time! Goals for 2012

Someone didn't want to get out of bed today... It definitely feels like Friday...

I have discovered two wonderful things! First up are Cuties! These are wonderful mini seedless oranges that they have at my grocery store. They are super easy to peel, and great to take on the run. I approve. :-)

Unfortunately in this picture, I was peeling and for the first time cut through an actual slice instead of in between, and got the juice everywhere. No bueno...

Next up... Pure and raw local honey!!

I had an epiphany to study the benefits of buying local honey, and I came across this little gem in my nearby Drug Emporium. Pure and raw local honey made just up the road from me actually. Good as an anti-inflammatory, healthier than your average store-bought honey from China or Indonesia or whatever the crap they get honey these days, tastes way better, you support local economical growth, and much more. On their website I read that after harvesting the honey from the hives, the only filtering they do is through a cheesecloth, so you still get all the benefits of the actual pollen in your honey. I'm addicted! I have it on toast with almond butter, in greek yogurt, or in tea most commonly.

If you are able to buy local, please do. It helps out local small businesses, and 9 times out of 10 it is much healthier for you and probably (depending on what it is and the time of year) cheaper too. This is definitely approved in my opinion, and I'm sure I'll be a frequent buyer of this lovely treat.

On another note... My dad killed two deer this season (Sorry vegetarians!) and graciously gave me enough deer to stock up my entire freezer. I have tried hard not to let the deer sausage (that was my dad's insistence- I don't really like sausage, not to mention it's bad for you, but he insists it's the greatest thing since beer... Meh, I could live without both personally, but whatev. :-\ ) run off my frozen veggies and smoothie ingredients, so Muscle Man and I have been getting creative with the deer. One result was our stew from the other night. I bought a bunch of fresh veggies from the store and basically we sat down and said, "Ok, now what do we do with it?" Well, THIS lucky girl finally got a Crock Pot for Christmas!! :-D  *I know I'm getting old when I get excited about a household appliance for Christmas* So we decided on a wonderful stew!

Carrots, onions, celery, baby red potatoes, venison, garlic, basil, a lot of parsley, a little cilantro, beef stock, and water. Put it in the crock pot for 8 hours and...

Voila!! Beautiful amazing stew!!

For the record, it tasted phenomenal. Muscle Man is quickly learning to enjoy my culinary creations. :-)

And to round out my accomplishments for the New Years break (yes, I know this post was delayed... I think you'll live :-)... *drum roll*....

My Inspiration Board!!

I decided this would be a great idea because in some form or another I have always kept something around to remind me of what my long term goals were, or had something where I would stick inspirational quotes/pictures, but I needed a central location. Well, after seeing the initial idea from Fitnessista for an inspiration board, I decided that was exactly what I needed! I'm a huge scrapbooker as it is, so this was actually perfect for me! And I made sure to leave plenty of room so I can add to it as the year goes on. Perfect! I couldn't be more happy with it.

Starting the board... Yes, I have wayyyy too much scrapbooking stuff... But I think it's good for the soul to have a creative outlet. :-)

You can barely read it, but the little saying up near the left top says "Make the most of every moment" and I'm all about that! I try to remember that with everything that I do and every opportunity that I get.

2012 Goals

*Finish with UCA- I got my bachelor's degree in Marketing from there, but before I get my master's or decide on another degree, I have to finish paying them off and decide which test I want to take. I am considering getting my MBA (Masters of Business Administration) but the more active I get and the more I start getting into food and nutrition, I am starting to feel like my real passion is helping people find their way when it comes to exercise and nutrition and see past all the lies in the fitness/nutrition industry today. This is my biggest goal for 2012: To find my way career wise.

*Reach Goal Weight- While this is specific, it encompasses so much for me. Yes, I am finally within reach of being able to reach my goal weight. I have lost about 45 pounds, and I plan to lose 55 more, which is completely doable in a year. But it is NOT just about the scale- I plan to continue changing my relationship and perspective with food and activity. Food is not something to be restricted and hated- it is something to be loved on a healthy, whole level. I want to continue to explore new recipes, try new fruits and vegetables, and learn to fuel my body without all the junk food. I want to find out what my body's potential truly is. And with exercise, I want to move every day. Whether I'm running, doing Crossfit, trying a new class, weight training, or just taking a walk on a beautiful day, I want to get out more and just move. This is totally doable, and this is the year it will happen. I have decided.

*Take a Big Trip for my Birthday- I turn 25 this year!! That is huge! At least to me it is. :-) I wanted to make the most of my birthday this year since I am a quarter of a century old. ;-) So I want to take a trip somewhere in the US. Washington to see my ultra-running uncle, Florida to see family, New Mexico to see a friend, New York to see friends, I don't know... Just something! I have not decided yet, but I know I want to do it. I also want to go skydiving, but I didn't want to make that one of my goals just in case I make this trip a big one. :-)

I felt that the "Challenges" portion of my board was very important. It is a list of things that are not necessarily goals, but they are daily or weekly reminders of things I needs to be working on or practicing. I love this list, and I am putting this board where I can read this list daily.

2012 Challenges

* Read at least one book a month
* Write one sentence a day in your journal about something memorable that happened that day- We tend to only focus on the big things that happened in a year, but what about all the small things? Life is mainly made up of the small things, as they happen every day whereas huge milestones happen maybe once to a few times a year. And I want to learn to be more grateful for even the smallest of things, so I am going to write at least one sentence a day about something that happened that day that is worth remembering. It can be as small as "Finished a great book" or "Beautiful weather today" or "Jonas told me how special I am to him and it made me feel so loved." Just something small! It takes next to no time, and you can write as much or as little as you want. That simple. Imagine how "feel-good" that would be at the end of the year? :-) I know I will realize that much more how blessed I truly am.
* Build your savings account!
* Don't be afraid of change.
* Be creative! Have fun! - Everyone should enjoy some kind of fun or creative outlet. For me, exercise/running is my energy and stress outlet. For my creative outlet, I scrapbook, paint, read, write, write music, or any other DIY I can get my hands on. It's just fun, pure and simple. And I love anything that's good for the soul. :-)
* Worry less! Just enjoy!
* Do something for yourself. - Yes, it is SO important to give back and be generous. With me, that's not hard. I LOVE helping others and putting others first. But so much to the point that I get frazzled and stressed. Well, it's because I don't ever take time for myself. Go for a walk on a beautiful day just because I want to, take a bubble bath, read a book just because I want to, fix a recipe just because it sounds fun, that kind of thing. Something that you do just because... Well, just because you want to. Pure and simple. :-)
* Challenge yourself constantly! - Do not become complacent or lost in the every day. Set new goals, reach higher, push yourself and others. Do it just because it's fun!
* How do you want to be seen? - This is huge for me. Do you want to be seen as caring, creative, strong, hard working, laid back, what? Whatever it is, however YOU want to be seen, that's who you want to be, and that's how you should act. Your habits have to match your goals if you want that end result. Period.
* Support, encourage, and motivate people as often as possible.
* Be happier with who YOU are.
* SMILE MORE! :-)

Center of the board has encouraging pictures, phrases and words. Things to push me. I have the runner, as well as the toned body. And I love the words I was able to find. I especially loved pairing up the woman doing a plank, and below it (even though you can't really read it in the picture) says: "No more wimping out on your workouts." How true is that?!? Now THAT is something so many people need to see when they wake up in the morning or at least on a daily basis! And by the 3 point plank at the bottom it says: "What will you gain when you lose?" Love it!!

I am extremely happy with how my board turned out. NOW the key is going to be the action to follow it up. Who's with me?!?

And on a final note for Friday, I leave you with the below picture... I don't how many of you are familiar with damnyouautocorrect.com but it's amazing. Hilarious! It is pretty much guaranteed to make me laugh, and partly because I myself am often a victim of unfortunate (and sometimes embarassing) autocorrect mishaps. Enjoy!

Love it. :-)


Any thoughts on my goals and challenges for the year? I would love your input or thoughts!

What are some things that you like to get locally?

Have you ever had a crazy embarassing autocorrect?

Have a great weekend!!

2011 in Review- What a year!

I was going to post 2011 Review and 2012 Goals all in one post, but I did not realize how big of a year 2011 was for me until I started going through the pictures. So today is 2011 in review, and tomorrow will be 2012 Goals and the unveiling of the inspiration/vision board!

I decided at the beginning of 2011 that I would not have resolutions, but instead 2011 would be "a year for rebuilding." I wanted to work on my life, and start on the right path. I found out quickly that change and getting life right does not happen overnight. It does not happen in a year even. But every small step counts. Every small decision leads to a bigger life, remember? :-) So anyway... Although I may not have accomplished the huge goals I had, I did exactly what I wanted to do: I got myself on the right path. I have learned so much, and have so much to be thankful for. It's amazing what all can happen in a year, and yet at the same time we look back and wonder what we did and how it went by so quickly. Quite the paradox. My 2011 in review is a mixture of highlights, and funny random pictures I took along the way that are worth noting. Enjoy. :-)

I saw this in Wal-Mart on my way to a women's retreat. Yes, that's right, onion rings, generic Little Debbie snacks, a HUGE block of cheese to go with the hamburger buns, AAAND an "As Seen on TV" T-Core Workout machine!! Because all of that goes so well together. And in a month, they're going to quit, saying that machine doesn't work for crap. 1) Probably doesn't. 2) Can you expect ANYTHING to work when you're eating like that?!? Ugh.

Saw this on one of my many road trips, and it was too random to pass up. Emergency Milk Transport??? Really?!? hahaha

March 5th, 2011- Ran my first 5K! On the race shirt, the front has the race info, and the back has wings and says, "Cuz that's how I roll!" I love it!!

This was me and Jessica at the beginning of the race waiting to start. It was extremely cold, and windy, and wet. The first race I had ever ran period, much less in those conditions, and I think you can tell from this picture. haha

On a more somber note, that picture/race above was exactly a month before she was diagnosed with breast cancer. One of the most heart wrenching, life-altering things that can happen, especially to someone so young. She went through one full round of chemo and radiation, had the double mastectomy, and still has active cancer cells. She has refused a second round though, and is instead doing it the all-natural way, according to Crazy Sexy Diet and Dr. McDougall's cancer fighting through holistic means. She is doing great, feels great, has lost almost 30 pounds already, and is slowly but surely fighting this. We will see in a few more months just how well it turns out. I'm sure I will keep you guys updated.

Moving on...

May 19, 2011- My brother and two cousins all graduated high school! Here they are along with my aunt. Man, it is crazy how time flies... I am 24, and already I catch myself using phrases like, "Kids these days..."; "When I was your age...."; and "Man, I remember you when you were just this big!" Uh oh... I'm one of those people now... Le sigh...

May 21st, 2011- The very next day after my brother's graduation, my mom got married!! Through the years, I admired her integrity when it came to dating. It is NOT easy being a single mother of 2 in a small town on a teacher's salary, but she did a phenomenal job. She kept integrity as a woman in her dating life, she raised us with proper morals and values, and ALWAYS put her children first. I'll admit, I played guard dog when it came to her finding a husband, but turns out this man is great: Godly, caring, and I could not have asked for a more supportive, generous step father for me and husband for my mom. This picture is a picture of her wedding cake, done by a friend actually. She did such an amazing job with it! She also made 3 kinds of cupcakes: coffee, peanut butter, and red velvet. I know, sounds interesting... I was skeptical, especially because I'm not exceptionally fond of cupcakes, but they were AMAZING!! I've decided said friend is doing my wedding cake as well. She just doesn't know it yet. :-)

I only have a picture of the cake because I was in the actual wedding, so no pics of the bride. :-( I do have a picture of the church wedding reception though! :-)

My mom and her new husband Martin!

Next was the weather: Arkansas is horrible about tornados every year, but this year floods came with it. You couldn't drive anywhere because of not just flooded roads, but flooded land in general. Whole towns were flooded with several feet of water. It destroyed a lot around here. This picture is from the White River state park. That roof you see? Is actually a gazebo that is usually on completely dry land. In the part of the park there were cabins that were completely flooded, and the dock was completely trashed just from flooding alone. It's amazing what mother nature can dish out sometimes...

One of the most important things I learned this year: The importance of NOT dieting, but eating healthy, whole foods. You don't have to be rich to eat healthy food. Just be vigilant about reading food labels, make even the smallest changes to be healthier, and you'll see a difference. Pick fresh when possible, visit your local farmer's market, shop grocery sales and in-season produce, things like that. There are so many little steps you can take to become a healthier you.

One of my favorite parts of the year...

July 9th, 2011- I got to go to the family lake house for the first time in a few years!! It's on Lake of the Ozarks in Missouri, and it is BEAUTIFUL!! This was my getaway weekend, and I'm so glad I took advantage of the opportunity. This is a picture of my brother and my mom's dog Foxy. She is probably the biggest purebred pomeranian you will ever see. As is tradition, we were taking a ride on the party barge around Lake of the Ozarks. Gorgeous day, time with family, a leisurely boat ride...

You can't beat it!

My grandpa and brother and I went out in the early mornings and checked the trot lines out on the lake. Usually I would sleep in, but as I get older, I'm realizing the true value of moments like this, so I went along. And I'm glad I did. :-) I got to spend quality time with them, and we got some nice catfish!

The view from my window at the Lake House while I read. How much more peaceful does it get than that?!? I make sure to savor moments like this. Soak it all in, take a deep breath, and just relax in the beautiful silence and scenery. Marvelous.

Me and my brother decided to ride back to Arkansas together (it's about a 7 hour trip), and I let him drive my car. He was beyond stoked... The 18 year old boy gets to drive the coveted new Honda?!? OMG I think I lost my mind... But we had a blast, and we don't get these brother/sister moments very often, so we took our time driving back, goofed off, listened to music, talked, and just enjoyed every minute of it.

Remember the goofing off I was talking about? This would be one picture of it. My brother is a ham. This is at the top of a lookout on Hwy 7 up in the Ozark Mountains. If any of you ever come through Arkansas (which is rare, I know...), you HAVE to drive Hwy 7 just for the view if nothing else. And for Nelly's Quilt Shop, for some of the greatest homemade jams and honey you've ever had. Ok, now I'm sounding country, so I'm going to move on...

August 11th, 2011- I won a cookoff at one of the huge radio stations here in Arkansas, Alice 107.7! It was awesome... I won using my mom's quiche recipe (Amazing, trust me), and this is a picture with Heather, DC, and Poolboy. If you were from Central Arkansas, this would be a big deal. :-) haha  I won a Weber grill, and my dish was feature at a local restaurant for a week. Pretty cool!

August 12, 2011- I got to see Casting Crowns for the third time for my birthday!! I love them... If you like Christian music, check them out. They have amazing lyrics, and their sound is great as well.

August 27th, 2011- This year, I started volunteering for Big Brothers Big Sisters, and this is a picture of me and my little sister at the zoo, which was one of our first big outings. I'm sure you will see more pictures of us over time. I love to hang out with her!

August 14th, 2011- Me and this wonderful man started dating. One of the great things about this was I found someone great for me once I stopped trying so hard. Once I started living my life for myself and I started doing what made me happy and becoming more of myself, THAT is when I found someone great. We cook together, go hiking together, we both love to work out, we both want to own a business someday, and we both just love trying new things together. We been together almost 5 months now, so we shall see what the future holds... :-)

October 22nd, 2011- Remember Jessica that I told you about? This is me and her at Race for the Cure. The team was called "Jessica's Walkers for Knockers"- pretty cool, right?!? :-) She still had no hair because of chemo, and she had to wear a face mask because her white blood cell count was so low, but she insisted on being at the race since we were walking for her. She is a fighter!! I love her, such an inspiration...

This sign was at Race for the Cure... OMG I love it... hahaha

Me and Jonas on his birthday- I took him out to eat at Benihana! It's sushi and hibachi, and he had a blast.

I had a great Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years thanks to both my family and Jonas' family. Looking at these pictures and thinking about the holidays has really made me realize just how truly blessed I am. Things can never be "perfect" and there will be hard times, but we should all sit back, take a deep breath, and realize just how truly blessed we are.

Thanks for tuning in, and look for my inspiration board and 2012 goals post tomorrow or Friday! Happy New Year!