I'VE MOVED MY BLOG!

Hi! If you've found this I want you to know I've moved! You can check out my blog at www.feelingwholeheartedly.com

Thanks for reading!
Samantha

a facebook promise...

My husband was out at a happy hour with old friends the other day. He was catching up with one of his old buddies and they were both so floored by how much had happened in each other's lives in the nine or so years it had been since they had seen each other.

College, jobs, cross country move, marriage, kids, another big move... and so on.

The two of them are not friends on Facebook so they didn't know any of this about one another. At the end of the conversation, his friend started to say that he would "add him" but cut himself off mid thought and declared that he never wanted to be friends with Brett on Facebook. It was way cooler being friends and catching up in real life.

Just some food for thought.

Who can you reach out and reconnect with? Who could you de-friend (mutually of course!) and promise to catch up "old school style" with?

serial for breakfast...

DO IT.

NOW.

LISTEN.

www.serialpodcast.org

Last week, my Brother-in-law introduced me to the podcast of all podcasts. I was hesitant to listen but I had a perfectly brewed cup of coffee in hand so I thought, "why the hell not?" Before I knew it 8 hours had gone by... it was dark outside.

Serial is a podcast where they unfold one nonfiction story, week by week, over the course of a season. The host and producers of this show have a remarkable commitment to in depth reporting and truth telling and have promised that no matter how long it takes they will get to the bottom of it.

Here is a description of season one of Serial taken from their website:

On January 13, 1999, a girl named Hae Min Lee, a senior at Woodlawn High School in Baltimore County, Maryland, disappeared. A month later, her body turned up in a city park. She'd been strangled. Her 17-year-old ex-boyfriend, Adnan Syed, was arrested for the crime, and within a year, he was convicted and sentenced to spend the rest of his life in prison. The case against him was largely based on the story of one witness, Adnan’s friend Jay, who testified that he helped Adnan bury Hae's body. But Adnan has always maintained he had nothing to do with Hae’s death. Some people believe he’s telling the truth. Many others don’t.

Sarah Koenig, who hosts Serial, first learned about this case more than a year ago. In the months since, she's been sorting through box after box (after box) of legal documents and investigators' notes, listening to trial testimony and police interrogations, and talking to everyone she can find who remembers what happened between Adnan Syed and Hae Min Lee fifteen years ago. What she realized is that the trial covered up a far more complicated story, which neither the jury nor the public got to hear. The high school scene, the shifting statements to police, the prejudices, the sketchy alibis, the scant forensic evidence - all of it leads back to the most basic questions: How can you know a person’s character? How can you tell what they’re capable of? In Season One of Serial, she looks for answers.

The story is INSANE. I feel INSANE. Maybe I am. It has completely consumed me. It has me thinking, analyzing, and questioning EVERYTHING and you know what? It feels so good! Believe me when I tell you that Serial will challenge you. It's by far the most exciting fuel I've fed my brain in a while and I absolutely had to share it with you RIGHT NOW!

Now go listen (like, seriously, right now) so we can discuss the case together! This is such a thoughtful and quality production but they need our support for a second season. If you dig season one and can spare any small amount, they are asking for donations (BONUS: it's tax deductible.)

 

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ten years later...

Please allow me to set the stage for this one...on the TV in the background is my original DVD copy of the classic teen movie Can't Hardly Wait. I've got a Third Eye Blind pandora station on blast. Next to me on the floor is a box FULL of old photos and keepsakes from my school days. We are stepping back in time people! I couldn't think of a better way to put myself in the right mood to write about my upcoming 10 year high school reunion. So here we go!

The Olentangy class of 2004 was a wild bunch! At our core, we were genuinely a good group of kids. Some of us partied, most of us did stupid shit, and a few of us got into to [big] trouble but we were just kids being kids. What we all had in common was that we all left Olentangy as high school graduates. Some went off to college and some didn't. Some branched out and left Columbus, others didn't. Some of us stayed in touch, some didn't. What does that say about us? What does that say about our experience? Maybe something...maybe nothing...

My high school reunion is next week and I'm getting mixed reviews when I ask people how they feel about it. Some are eager and excited but not many. Most roll their eyes or bitch and moan about how much they're dreading it (but they will still go for fear of missing out.) WOAH... this makes me feel like a total geek! Maybe I'm more excited than I should be but I grew up here, I went to the same school K-12, and for the past five years I've lived a thousand miles away, so for me, my high school reunion represents a long overdue homecoming.

The mixed reviews have me thinking. Are high school reunions becoming obsolete? Are they just another opportunity for us to showcase our amazing lives? Is that a bad thing? I'm not sure. We don't need reunions to be able to catch up anymore because we have Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, yada-yada-yada, and if I want to know what someone is doing or contact someone, I can do so pretty easily. Are people less excited for these things because of Facebook?

Well, I still think face-to-face interaction still means something and when it comes to deciding whether or not you will attend your reunion I say YES! Maybe you're not sure if you want to go because you're feeling bad about your current situation. I'm almost 30 and what do I have to show? I need to lose 10lbs! STOP. Everyone wants to put their best selves forward and I get that but guess what? You're probably not the only one feeling "behind in life" and you're certainly not going to be the only one who has gained a smidge of weight. Get over it, go, and enjoy catching up with old pals.

Some people won't want go to prove a point. They may suffer from the "f*ck those homies, they made my life miserable" syndrome. Hey man, its cool! I can relate. I'm not saying I loved EVERYONE in our class either but don't let that stop you from going if you secretly want to.

No matter what your attitude is about your class reunion, go if you can. Throw on some pukka shells, dust off your old Sublime, Everclear, or Dave Matthews albums, and break into your parents liquor cabinet (if you haven't replaced all of it with water.) Let's get together and laugh about all the trouble we got into and remember the days when life was easier. Of course, we didn't think it was easy then but compared to adult life (at times) high school was cake.

Looking forward to catching up, class of 2004!

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intelligence...

Have you ever been intimidated by someone because of how "smart" they are? 

Fall quarter of my sophomore year in college, Brett took me to a party that his fellow students in the Honors Tutorial College were hosting. Most of these kids were valedictorians with perfect SAT scores and at school on full rides.They had majors like physics engineering, astrophysics, and others I can't pronounce or explain. I was terrified about how I was going to interact with these people. I was a TV and film major. I wasn't on the same level at all. (<---calling myself out on the nasty negative self talk)

I got into a conversation with one the geekiest dude at the party and I'm not joking... I couldn't understand ANYTHING he was talking about. When he stopped speaking long enough for me to get a word in I stuttered and told him I recently saw, and fell in love with Sweeney Todd, the musical. What?! Why did I say that? He had no idea what I was talking about and immediately excused himself to get a drink. I never went to another event with Brett and that gang of master minds again.

No one ever told me I was stupid. I got above average grades and into a great university, but I was told several times throughout school that I "didn't test well." It was then I decided that because of my test scores I was dumb, and for the rest of my life I would be unable to have conversations with “smart” people. I went off to college armed with common sense and with the mentality that I was a "feeler." I feel a lot. I can write and sing and awkwardly move my body to express my emotions but I can’t have conversations about politics or global warming. I’m just not as smart as the people who study those things and I never will be.

This ludicrous way of thinking has completely limited my growth by steering me away from studying certain topics that I've deemed above me. Blah! As I approach my very, very late twenties, I ask myself, why not? Why can't I have an opinion on global warming? I don't have to be an expert to engage in meaningful conversation. If I'm curious, I can read or ask questions. Reading and asking questions has never made anyone stupid, right?

Never count yourself out of something. We all have something uniquely beautiful to bring to the game. (Tweet) The only limitations we have are the ones we place on ourselves. If you have something to say, say it. 

making it happen...

Our weekend was perfect.

Saturday morning I laced up and went for a five mile run down a path connected to my neighborhood. Overcast skies, a cool 60 degrees, and it was quiet. The path is cut between tall grass, overrun by wild flowers, and runs parallel to train tracks. I couldn't help but smile as the train conductor waved to me as he passed by. Is this real life?

I returned home to find my little one and my husband in a tickle fight on the couch with cartoons playing on the TV. We made breakfast and shared a pot of coffee.

The sun came out, full force, and warmed us up to the point where we almost didn't need a jacket. We packed up the family and headed to a local farm to pick out a couple of pumpkins and snap a few fall photographs. After all, we've lived in Texas for five years! We had some fall festivities to catch up on. 

When we got home we put the babe down for a nap and we sat outside with a beer on our deck. The weather could not have been more perfect. We noticed the previous homeowners had planted all of the necessary ingredients for a kick ass salsa so we blended up a hot-as-hell, face melter kind of batch and enjoyed our hour of alone time together.

Both sets of parents stopped over to say hi. This warms our hearts so much. It's so wonderful living near family. We've missed this. 

Our Buckeyes played a night game so we lit a fire and cuddled up with some blankets on the couch. We stayed up late drinking brew, biting our nails, and cheering on our team. We must have looked at each other one-hundred times and said out loud, "I can't believe we made this happen."

We did. We made this happen. And in short time too. Let us be an example that you can have the life you want. You just need to be ok with getting a little comfortable with the unknown. Not knowing when, where, how. Just doing everything in your power and trusting the rest will fall into place. It will. 

reflection...

Woah... it has been one year since I was admitted to the hospital for what would be one hell of a difficult, yet exciting week to follow. I wrote the following post from the World's most uncomfortable hospital bed and thought I would be released that afternoon. Little did I know that the Universe had other plans. Reflecting on my message from this post, I was preaching flexibility before I even realized that I would need to be EVEN MORE flexible for what the next few days had in store. I have never found the right words to describe that grueling week as we anxiously awaited the birth of our daughter. I had never experienced as much fear or as much excitement within such a short period of time, but holy shit was it ever the greatest test in patience, positivity, and trust. While we would have rather not been involved in a car accident we were able to leave the hospital with the cutest, sweetest, silliest little baby on the planet and for that... I am grateful.

__________________________

Just when I thought our baby was tucked in so tightly that we may very we'll surpass our due date... BAM! My husband and I were rear ended while we were out for lunch and groceries yesterday.

I was in shock. I grabbed my belly and just started crying hysterically. If you've ever been rear ended when your car was at a complete stop you know time somehow warps and everything is suddenly in slow motion... Until your head and arms go flying forward.

At 38 weeks pregnant, the thought of not knowing how the baby was affected had us incredibly shook up. My neck was tingly and my head was throbbing. I couldn't get the baby to move. We called my doctor and she sent us straight to the labor delivery unit at the hospital. Wait? Are we going to have our baby right now?!

We got checked in and hooked up to the monitor.. our baby had a strong heartbeat. THANK YOU!!

::insert deep yoga breath here::

Because I started having contractions, most likely from stress, I needed to be kept 24 hours for monitoring. We both checked out great and we didn't need to be induced or have an emergency c-section.

Sixteen hours later and maybe five hours of sleep. No real strong or consistent contractions and no sign of labor. I should be released later this afternoon if things stay the same.

What this has me thinking about is how agile I needed to be, and was, with my birth plan yesterday. I had to drop the disappointment of potentially having to be induced. I had to stop blaming the woman who was riding us too close on the road. And I had to stay calm. This further reinforced how important it is to be flexible, in your body and mind, a concept I first learned through my yoga practice.

Things may not always go as planned. I really do believe it is still important to believe in the possibility that it can and will go your way. Have confidence in your goals while being willing to accept when you need to tweak the plans.

Will I still have my perfect, drug free, natural hospital birth? Maybe! Maybe not! My new plan is to be present and breathe deeply. I know I'm in great hands and I am capable of making the right choices for me and my baby. However it happens, all that matters is that I'm holding my little muppet in my arms at the end of the day.

__________________________

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it's all lining up...

Spot on.

It's all lining up. Job hunting is in full swing. We're taking the necessary steps towards selling our home. We scour real-estate sites for homes in our price range in our desired locations. We are having discussions about what needs to happen to relocate our family.

The right people are heading my way. We need this to be true. We are using every connection we have to network and get resumes in front of actual recruiters and hiring managers. It can be hard putting yourself out there and asking for support but we are doing it.

The right things will be said. Friends and family have been supportive. I think they may still be a little worried that we are rushing the process and they may find it insane that we are even thinking of moving Marley and I to Ohio before Brett. However, everyone so far has offered their support and positive thoughts and that is exactly what we need right now.

I will be a total love magnet. I love this. What a great reminder to always be doing, acting, and saying things from a place of love.

Unfolding. I don't know what will happen or where I'm going to be living in couple of months. Hell, I'm not even sure whats going to happen later this afternoon. I am however, totally trusting that what I put out into the universe will soon come to fruition. I have faith that things are lining up and soon we will see the obvious path that we should take.

Stunning perfection. In the end, I know everything will have worked out exactly as it was supposed to.

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farewell for now...

Won't miss...

1. Lizards

2. Humidity 

3. Palm sized cockroaches 

4. Hurricanes

5. Houston traffic 

Will miss...

1. Friends

2. Friends

3. Friends 

4. Friends

5. Friends

6. Friends

7. Friends

8. Friends

9. Friends

10. Friends

11. Friends

12. Friends

13. Friends

14. Friends

...

10987. Friends 

10988. Friends 

Do you get it? 

We've made the most incredible friends here in Texas. Nothing can replace them. They are our family. They have been here for us during our highs and lows. There are no words for how deeply we will miss being close to them. I moved here not knowing a soul and I'm leaving with the most badass list of people in my heart for eternity.

Everyone I've met here has played an important part in shaping who I am today. From the bottom over my overjoyed heart, thank you! Thank you for the memories, the laughs, and the cries. 

We may have one thousand miles between us but distance doesn't matter when you have what we have. 

Cheers, Houston! 

the cool down...

There is always one very special day each year in Texas when the brutal heat breaks and cooler temperatures creep in. Today is that day and I write this post from outside in my backyard as I inhale this beautiful breeze with a welcoming smile.

This is my fifth September in Houston. My last actually. This change in temperature this time of year, although brief, always stops me in my tracks and reminds me of change. A change in seasons for sure, although in Houston we could easily have temperatures back in the upper 90s next week. But as I sit here and reflect on the previous five years of my life and take in the epic changes that are taking place in my right now, I take solace in knowing change is... oh, so good.

We require change in order to live exciting and fulfilling lives. We need to make space for newness while appreciating what we already have. What I have now is so special and what lies ahead is also so special. 

I am who I am due in part to the experiences I've had up to this point in my life. All that lies ahead, as unknown and as scary as it may be, will play a role in who I continue to become. 

Hello, change. I'm ready for you. 

Someday...

Someday...

Someday I'll work a job I don't hate. Someday we'll take that three week vacation. Someday I'll fit into my skinny jeans. Someday I'll live in my dream home. 

Ready for this?

Someday doesn't exist. Someday is an excuse. Stop waiting for someday to happen and make shit happen today.

It can be absolutely terrifying to recognize you're living a life you're not completely satisfied with. You will make decisions and choices that threaten what seems to be a comfortable life you're living but remember comfort isn't always what it's cracked up to be. Comfort breeds stagnation, stagnation breeds boredom, and boredom is some sort of twisted version of hell.

Make someday today. Take a step, even if it's small, towards what it is you want. 

fear factor...

For as long as I can remember I've had a fear of walking outside of my house and coming face-to-face with a wild lion or tiger. I'm usually met with laughter and eye rolls when I share this. However, my fear may have just been rationalized! Check this out. 

We all have fears. Some rational but most irrational like mine. What happens when we live our life in fear? We miss out... on A LOT. We avoid situations, make up excuses, come down with "the flu" at all the right times.

What are you afraid of? Has your fear prevented you from doing things you want to do?

Have you heard the phase, "Do one thing a day that scares you?" I've been using it for years as a way to check myself in situtaions where I immedately want to run in the oppostie direction. I'm incredibly stubborn, so when I tell myself I can't or shouldn't do something I usually must prove myself otherwise. Next time you find yourself in a situation that brings up feelings of fear try (just try!) confronting instead than running.

I'm 99.9% sure my big cat encounter will never happen but have you seen The Hangover?

 

bring it...

If it won't come to me... 

I might just have to go to it.

It was 100 degrees here in Texas today. Students are back in school and friends back home and in cooler climates are posting pictures of themselves in sweaters and pants. Ick. The thought of pants. I've lived here for five years and I still can't get used to not having four seasons. 

Today, I made a photo collage to help calm some of the uneasiness I've been feeling.

Here are a few of my fall inspirations.

And then...

I got the following message in my inbox this morning:

So that means I should go shopping, right?!

perhaps...

"The future is called "perhaps," which is the only possible thing to call the future. And the important thing is not to allow that to scare you."

 

- Tennessee Williams

We all experience periods in our life where we genuinely do not know what is going to happen next. Sometimes they are long, drawn out amounts of time and sometimes they are quick, fleeting moments. Either way, it still manages to scare the shit out of us and that's OK.

Breathe deep. You have everything you need right now. 

hey, want to be my friend?

Do you remember meeting your first friend?

No, not your cousin, or someone your parents introduced you to on a play date. Like the actual first person you met and befriended on your own. I remember mine. Her name was Bethany and we met in the bathroom on our first day of kindergarten. I'm positive she would remember that day as well as I do. Our school was built in the early 1950s so it smelled a little old but it was charming. The bathroom had red brick walls, the shortest stall doors imaginable, and smaller than average toilets [so we didn't fall in.] I believe it was fate that brought us there at the same time and the deicison to become friends was as simple as asking, "hey, want to be my friend?"

This has me thinking...

Can meeting new people still be as simple as it once was? As adults, how much are we missing out on by not being open to meeting new people, or trying new things? Can we put a little FOMO (fear of missing out) back into our lives like we had when we were kids? Can we just say "YES" even if we're a little unsure of ourselves or potential outcomes? What are we afraid of? Or are just OK with what we have in our lives and don't feel like we need more?

That sounds terribly boring...

I challenge you to be a go-getter. Be adventerous. Be social. Be brave enough to at least try. Say yes to someone or something this week. It doesn't have to be complicated and doing so could create memories that last a lifetime.

Bethany and I circa 1994... And yes, those are water ballons in our suits. What 8 year old girl didn't do that?!

Bethany and I at our high school graduation in 2004. 

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on being intentional...

The room was buzzing and full of yogis. More than a one hundred bodies tightly tucked, mat-to-mat. People hugging, laughing, holding hands, dancing.

As class began, we were asked to set an intention.The purpose was to focus us on how we are acting or who we were being in that moment. It is important in yoga because when our minds begin to wander (and they often do) our intention can bring us back to our mat. When you put 100 people in a room something pretty amazing happens. Individually, we had our own personal intentions, but collectively, we were all there to celebrate unity and community. The once empty room held together by four walls suddenly took on a new identity. It was our job as a community to intentionally breathe life and intention into the room, and into each other.

I laid on my mat between two stong, beautiful people. During savasana we held hands. At the beginning of class we were all just sweaty strangers. But now they were me, and I was them. We were all one. Setting our intention to practice as a community brought us together. Now it is our privilege to take this practice off our mat and into the world.

Setting intentions for everything we do is vital. If you live your life without purpose, you're just a boring bag of bones. When we are clear on what we want or where we want to be we can act accordingly. We can cut out the bullshit getting in the way of us living our dreams.

Check in with yourself. How are you feeling? How do you want to feel? What is good in your life? What isn't? Choose an area of you want to focus on and consciously think about it every single day until you achieve what you set out for. 

I would love to hear from you. What intentions are you setting for yourself today?

 

Putting yourself out there...

Lately, I've been in the business of putting myself out there! I've actually started a very small business. As if I don't have enough on my plate. This full time mom gig is 24/7 (no breaks, no joke) but it is so important to me that I have something I can call my own.

I took my small business to it's first gig this past weekend. I spent weeks getting product ready and packaged, and practiced what I would say and how I would set up my shop. I was nervous. Will they like my stuff? Will they like me? What if no one buys anything? I'm never going to break even on this.

Fear of judgement and failure have a way of sneaking into my subconscious when I'm doing something new. It can be hard to ignore these feelings but I remind myself they are normal. As a matter of fact, I have learned that if they aren't there, I'm not doing it right.

Before I left for the market my husband kissed me on the cheek and told me he was proud of me for "putting myself out there." It was just the reminder I needed, the moment I needed it. Damn right, I'm putting myself out there! I can't make my dreams come true by doing nothing.

How are you putting yourself out there, this week? What actions can you take on a goal you've been sitting on for a while? Let's get a little uncomfortable and be a little unreasonable in going after what we want.

If you're not putting yourself out there, you're missing out.

Debuting SOAK Shoppe at the 002 Houston Magazine's Summer Market

The event was great! I met tons of new people and had several buyers. I'm very excited to see where I take this next.

feeling whole30...

Alright, alright, alright, I am a little behind with the spring cleaning. It is time to get my act together. I'm not reffering to cleaning house. I'm talking mind, body, soul clean up time! 

Reflecting on the past eight months, it really shouldn't have come as a surprise that I had hit a roadblock. I was working out harder and harder to shed the remaining baby weight but kept eating like I was pregnant. All of the workouts in the world won't help you if you're eating junk. Emotionally, I hadn't been feeling great either. When you don't feel good in your body, you can't feel good in your mind.

It is time for another round of Whole30. I achieved so much success a few years ago when I tried it and felt so incredibly empowered that it wasn't a difficult decision to do it again. I started on a Tuesday. If I waited until the following Monday I would only be delaying feeling better about myself. So... I prepped my house on a Monday and I started on a Tuesday! (you can buy the book here)

Day 1: Woke up excited and ready to take on the challenge. Dinner was so yummy I could do this forever. I was watching Mad Men and really wanted more to eat. I determined I was "first world hungry" which means you're not physically hungry, you just want more food. Good distinction.

Day 2: I kept myself busy with errands and packed almond butter in my diaper bag. Never be unprepared! Brett came home "hangry" and we got into an argument over who could season sweet potato hash better. I ate about 400 nuts and then went to bed.

Day 3: I woke up and my stomach already feels flatter. Brett seems a little depressed. I'm not sure he is going to make it. I'm still nursing and my milk supply seems to be taking a slight hit. I've decided I need to snack more.

Day 4: Holy sh*t, this sweet potato breakfast is delicious. I think I'll have this every morning for the rest of my life. Feeling tired in the afternoon so I made myself a cup of green tea.

Day 5: Brett is not going to quit Woo! We invited a few of our friends over for dinner. Since it is hard for us to eat out right now this is a great way for us to remain social for 30 days. We grilled steaks and I made baked sweet potato fries and roasted brussel sprots with butternut squash. Yum.

Day 6: Didn't... plan... well. hungry, hungry, hippos over here.

Day 7: I FEEL AMAZING. Brett noticed a change in my body (score!) and I'm feeling extra creative today.

Day 8: truckin' along...

Day 9: didn't make enough food last night for Brett to have lunch to take and he left his wallet at home. I met him for lunch and it was surprising easily to order grilled chicken breast with double veggies.

Day 10: is my breast milk Whole 30 approved? Don't worry... I didn't.

Day 11: Brett quit. Cue music...Here I go again on my own...

Day 12: Brett decided not to quit! I don't know if I could do this alone. Either I am developing an eating disorder or is my body is finally learning that it doesn't have to be eating all of the time. I didn't realize I skipped lunch until bedtime. My stomach feels empty.

Day 13: Every commercial on TV is for food...

Day 14: I stayed up late last night watching a Naked and Afraid marathon. Whole 30 doesn't seem so rough now. I took selfie body shots on day 1 and again this morning. I don't see a whole lot of difference but I FEEL it. I'll be weighing myself tomorrow morning (against the advice of Whole30 creators)

Day 15: 7lbs in 2 weeks. Soild. Saw an Oreo commercial that almost put me over the edge...

Day 16: I'm so tired of eating ground meat that I would honestly rather not eat.

Day 17: I have a horrible headache. Not sure if it is food related?

Day 18: Went to a friends's house for a July 4th BBQ and survived without tackling the dessert table.

Day 19: Went blueberry picking (ate a ton of berries) and had friends over for dinner. The same friends who came over on Day 5 and are super supportive of our clean eating.

Day 20: OMG I WANT A PIZZA SO BAD.

Day 21: If this were Naked and Afraid we would be finished today... but it isn't.

Day 22: My face looks and feels thinner. I haven't lost any more weight since last week which pisses me off because I feel like I'm starving. I realize this is not the goal of Whole30. What am I doing wrong? I remind myself this isn't just about losing weight. This is about clean eating, conscious eating. I can endure. We're almost there.

Day 23: homemade sweet potato chips are the only thing getting me through this.

Day 24: I ate too many pecans. I can't wait for next Thursday. I'll be eating cake for breakfast.

Day 25: Ordered from our favorite noodle place. Instead of noodles or rice I requested double chicken and double veggies. Why haven't we ordered from here the past few weeks. This was awesome!

Day 26: Ran into a friend at the grocery store and she said I looked really good. I know it's a little vain but compliments like this on Whole30 help! Weekend tradition of having friends over for dinner. Made fajitas and guacamole with homemade sweet potato chips.

Day 27: See photo. Bought this. My absolute favorite adult beverage. 3 days and it will be mine. I stored it in my daughter's closet so I wouldn't be tempted. #momoftheyear

Day 28: I'm feeling a little blue. Not going to look too much into this. I'm sure it's because we are so close to finishing. I wish I could take a pill and sleep until Thursday, wake up and eat cake.

Day 29: Time couldn't move slower if it tried.

Day 30: this video pretty much sums up how I'm feeling today.

We did it! It was so great having my husband as a compainion on this journey. I couldn't have done it if he was going to be eating cheeseburgers every night while I dined on spinach and ground beef. I've learned so much about myself and my relationship with food. I was able to distinguish actual hunger from what I call "first world hunger." More importantly, I feel empowered! I put down the wine bottle and sugary desserts for 30 days, y'all! I have a mean, mean sweet tooth so this is a BIG deal. In the grand scheme of things, this was a minor feat, but it has proven my ability to exercise control in any situation.

My husband, Brett, had a different experience being at work and going out to eat with co-workers a few days a week. In the beginning, he was avoiding social situations all-together. He dreaded having to make excuses for why he was doing this and didn't want to have to face the menu to make new and different choices. A little over half way he realized that he enjoyed making better decisions at restaurants and didn't feel like he needed to make excuses for eating healthy. For the record... you can order grilled chicken and veggies practically anywhere you go!

I lost 11lbs and several inches. I'm pleased with the physical results and more jazzed about the confidence, control, and self-discipline I gained. If you're on the fence about trying Whole30 my advice is to go for it! Don't view it as a diet! It is a life style shift and it can help you make healthy, life changing decisions about what you eat. It isn't about cutting out junk forever, just 30 days. Trust me, I'm about to dive head first into a piece of cake right now and then I'll happily, and powerfully decide to get back to eating healthy. It's totally ok to have the fun foods... just in moderation!

And that ladies and gentlemen, is our experience with Whole30.

Must share favorites sorry, I don't really "do" measuring.
Sweet potato breakfast (pictured)- diced and roasted sweet pototoes with ground turkey, sautéed onions, and green peppers. Seasoned with S&P, paprika, and cinnamon. Topped with a fried egg.

Spicy Chilli for a week- bacon, 2lbs ground beef, jalenpenos, red and green pepper, onion, garlic, carrot, diced tomatos, tomato paste, chillie powder, S&P. Top that sh*t with an egg for breakfast oran avocado   anytime.

Chicken Nuggets- grab your favorite nuts (I used pistachios, cashews, and pecans) and grind them in a blender or vitamix until they look like breadcrumbs. Cut up chicken breast into bite size chunks. Beat two eggs in a bowl. Place nuts in another bowl and season with S&P and maybe some red pepper flakes. Dip the chicken pieces into the egg mix and then roll and cover in nuts. Palce on a baking sheet lined with parchment and bake for 30mins.

Mango Banana Ice Cream- frozen organic mango chucks + frozen banana in a food processor. Boom. Ice cream. Kinda.

Chicken Fried Veggies (pictured)- My take on Chicken Fried Rice. Pan fry diced chicken with EVOO. In separate skillet sautee carrots and green peas. Scramble 3 eggs and once the veggies are cooked to your liking pour in beaten eggs. As soon as the eggs are cooked toss veggies into the cooked chicken skillet. Done!

Jerkish Pork- For the seasoning: blend off black pepper, allspice, cloves, cinnamon, paprikia, salt + fresh hot peppers, garlic, onions, and a little bit of apple cider vineager with EVOO. Buy a Vitamix. Best thing ever. Skewer the pork between pineapple and grill that DELICIOUSNESS.

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