A Letter to the Daughter I Hope I Never Have

Daughter,

I write this to you because I am scared. I am terrified of the world you will be born into. In my few years, I have learned that life is hard for everyone but more so for women. Why women? Well we have asked that question for so many years. I doubt there will ever be a satisfying answer.

I write this to you because I am mad. I am fierce. We are viewed as Man’s lesser counterpart. Weaker. Slower. Dumber. This angers me because it means we have to suffer. I have seen your grandmother shed so many tears. I am certain that her heart is broken from all the tears that have flooded her eyes. I am well on my way to a broken heart with all the disappointments, failures and betrayals I have dealt with. So many tears have fallen from my face that it hurts, Daughter.

I write this to you because the World will force you to see what I have seen, go through what I have gone through. Sure, those things eventually force you to be strong. I believe they have made me strong to a degree but I want for someone else’s daughter to be roughened by those things. Not you, Daughter. Maybe I am a coward but I know that a greater portion of your life will consist of suffering, and I do not wish that upon you. Maybe I am selfish but I know that I don’t want to experience any further anguish from seeing you suffer.

I want to protect you. The only way I can do that is by never having you.

With Love,
A Daughter

Runners Are Weird

I don’t know if it’s just me or if this is generally true but runners are kinda, sorta weird. I had a random “Oh…!” moment when this occurred to me. I started thinking about the group of runners I was first exposed to–my high school cross country team. Honestly, the majority of them were truly weird. Then I thought specifically of my brother, who was also in the xc team and is a great athlete. My brother…of course I view him as weird–each and every one of my siblings is! Next, my neighbor who runs around the block. He’s weird, for sure.

Then there’s myself. Am I weird? You know, what? I think I just may be.

Seriously, who actively strives for a combination of obscene mileages and paces? Or gladly beats the sunrise to cross off a ridiculously long run while everyone is just waking up–rain or shine, cold and heat. Who loves carbs? Who in the world says “fartlek”? Most importantly, who works out strapped with snacks and GU?? Myself. Runners.

Yeah, we aren’t a normal group of people. We are adventurous. We are dedicated. We are strong. We are runners.

Running has been such a critical part of my life. It’s made me weird but that’s ok. I’m thankful for it.

Dude.

Runners are weird.

 

Monday Run Day–Fail Edition

I think I need to read this book…
It’s Monday Run Day and I have no mileage to report for August 13-19. Also, I have no excuses. I really don’t. I simply just didn’t “feel” like running. As terrible as that sounds, I don’t plan on beating myself up over it. I run because I like to run and I like to challenge myself with it. I do it when I feel like I need it. Apparently, I didn’t need it this past week.

My body is all rested up–needless to say–and I think some good miles are going to be racked up this week. I’m looking forward to it!

Accent Challenge

What happens when you have an office to yourself and nothing to do at work?
You complete the Accent Challenge, of course.

So…am I allowed to count this as my first official vlog?! I’m going to go with yes!

ENJOY and have a great day!

Beat the Heat Tip

Fall is coming up soon but this summer has been a pain and I wouldn’t be surprised if the relentless heat and humidity stick around for a while. Keeping well hydrated is important. I tried out this little iced lemon trick to spice up my water.

I sliced up a lemon and placed the slices in a muffin pan, lining the bottom of each cup with a slice of lemon. I did my best to take out most of the seeds.

Then pour water over the slices and fill the cups.

Place in the freezer until they’re all frozen.
Set the pan in a warm, shallow bath of water in the sink so they can thaw just enough to slip out of the cups. You can also let them sit out on the counter for a while. When they have thawed out enough, use a toothpick or fork to pull out the “lemon cube.” I stuck a knife into the pith, right below the zest layer of the lemon. This gave me a better hold on the whole lemon cube.

Store the lemon cubes into a container so they’re ready to use whenever you want to throw one in a drink.

I love this idea so much! I use the lemon cubes when I want a refreshing drink of water at home.

They’re also so convenient when I’m on the go. I throw a lemon cube along with some regular ice cubes into my blender bottle to help me beat the heat. Fancy drinking right there!

Fun fact:  I also added in about half a packet of stevia to my blender bottle, and the faint lemon taste and sweetness made me feel like I was drinking lemonade. Super yummy.

Give it a try!

WIAW First Timer

It’s What I Ate Wednesday over here…finally! I was supposed to do this a long time ago but time got the best of me.

WIAW is kind of like a food diary for a day. You keep track of what you consume once in a week. It’s a good way to get creative with your foods and note changes that you make in the kinds of foods you take in. “[WIAW] is about celebrating one of the glorious things we all have in common:  we all eat!” Check out Peas and Crayons for more thoughts about WIAW.

This is a day’s worth of meals from last week. I was on the road and out of town with Kyle on this day, too, so let’s see how I did!

I started my day out with a powerbowl of a breakfast:  rolled oatmeal, cottage cheese, raisins, a little bit of milk and cinnamon. Sounds like a crazy combo but I love this for breakfast. I usually stir in some almond butter and honey to it also. Talk about yummy…

I had another small meal like 1-1/2 hour later because I had to get some more food in me since I knew I wouldn’t be eating again for a while, and I had a big day planned ahead of me:  shopping and baseball. How great of a combo is that?

So I had this leftover homemade chicken tortilla soup. I topped it off with some black corn tortilla chips.

It was gonna be a long hot day so I made sure to start drinking plenty of water early in the day. To keep extra hydrated, I added some chia seeds to my water. The stuff works.

Finally we were on the road. Coby…always sleeping…

I was smart enough to bring along a PB Dark Chocolate Kind + protein bar. I had this yummy snack right before arriving at the mall–after about 2-1/2 hours of being on the road. I was already hungry by that time! Forever hungry… This did the trick, though, and held me over for the entire 3-4 hour shopping trip.

The mall we went to was awesome! It was overwhelming…in a good way. If there are three floors in a mall, it’s a good mall. I hadn’t been to a mall as big as this one since I lived in Los Angeles–like 13 years.

When you find and purchase a gorgeous dress from the first store you step into, you know it’s going to be a glorious shopping trip. This adorable dress was the first thing that caught my eye and I fell in love with it. So happy I got the chance to wear it just this weekend, too.

Huge mirror in Chico’s. I had way too much fun! Also, side note on the matching Molina shirts:  Kyle and I were so adorable. We got so many comments in the mall about our shirts. Most of the time I was like, “…what?” and then I would look down and be like, “…oh yeah.” Good times.

I was sad that I had to be pulled away from shopping but it was time for the rest of the day’s activities and time for food!

We went to Hard Rock Cafe. I had gotten the nachos from there before and loved them so much. Best nachos ever–in the world–right along with crab nachos from Joe’s Crab Shack. I tried to be good, though, and I ordered a goat cheese chicken salad sandwich sans fries and with a side of steamed broccoli. 

It sounded promising and most definitely looked like it when the waitress set it down in front of me. It was all good until I took a bite from it and realized I didn’t like goat cheese. Ugh…the taste was so not pleasant to my taste buds. I did my best to scrape off as much of the goat cheese as I could but it was in vain. I couldn’t even touch the second half. Bad choice. Good choice:  I helped myself to Kyle’s leftovers–he got the delish nachos! That slightly made up for the unfortunate order I had placed.

We were off to a Card’s game after dinner. I was so tired by now, though, I just wanted to go home to shower and sleep. The game was the main reason for going, actually, so our day seemed like it was far from over.

After the game, I wanted one last treat to call it a day. Kyle and I got some slushes from Sonic. I had a medium cranberry-lime slush–one of the best slush combo’s ever.

Longest day ever! But I give myself a pat on the back for eating quite clean even while on the road. Yay!

First WIAW done. That wasn’t too bad. What a good way to start off August!

Happy first of August Everyone!

Weekend Recap

Ahh I’m so bummed I missed yesterday’s PowerMeal Week Round 4. Next week, next week.

My whole weekend was spent in Mt. Rushmore!Just kidding. I have yet to visit. I’d love to some day, though. This was taken in a museum under the St. Louis Arch–I’m not quite certain about it’s relevance to the arch or St. Louis, though. I’ve been to this museum twice and I never read the history; just take pictures and look at the displays.

So yeah…I got to spend the weekend in the St. Louis/St. Charles area with my brother. I hadn’t seen him in a long time so it was an overdue visit. He apparently turned into a self-proclaimed photographer over the span of time that I had not seen him. His new toy, a Nikon, was on his person the whole time. He recently got it so he’s still been learning how to work it.

Big brother had never seen the St. Louis Arch so that was a must see on his list. We got a little turned upside down heading to it but we got to it around sundown.

It was such a lovely day to visit the arch.I green!

My brother looked so pro taking shots of the arch with his Nikon.

I always like taking pictures of the arch whenever I go visit. I got some good ones. I’m sure my brother took all the awesome ones, though.  This one was my favorite. I got some sweet line work going on.
Night time made it interesting to take shots of the arch but this one was pretty cool.

One of my favorite parts about taking trips is the hotel life:  big comfy bed, tons of pillows, free breakfast and pools/hot tubs! I got a chance to hang out in the pool and swim some laps. Cardio, done. The hot tub at the hotel was so amazing, though! I thoroughly enjoyed it. It was a good way to unwind.

It was such a fun and tiring weekend! I got to spend time with my brother, catch up with some friends I hadn’t visited with in forever and visit the arch once again. Good times. These twinsies are super sweet!

All good things come to an end, though, right? Well, not all the time. Back to work and all that fun stuff for now, though.

Tomorrow is the last day of July. Summer, come back!! But you know what that means… it’s July Foodie Penpal Reveal Day! Yay! See you tomorrow for that one.

Anything fun and exciting happen to you this weekend?
Has it been a good Monday thus far?

Oh, America…

It was such a lovely day for baseball yesterday at Busch Stadium. Well, it was kinda hot and a little gross but since it was an evening game so it wasn’t incredibly bad.

Kyle and I only stayed till around the 6th inning. We had a long drive ahead of us and a walmart run to make. Also, it was kinda hot…. The Cards ended up beating the Dodgers 3-2 in the 12th inning.

For anyone who enjoys people watching, being at the ballpark is a nice post for just the occasion. I couldn’t help myself but I was just entranced by a family of five sitting a couple rows ahead of us enjoying the game. Now, before I go on, I know–we all know–that obesity is America’s number one health problem. I know that when you go to the ballpark, most Americans will enjoy a few overpriced beers and franks. I don’t know why, but it still shocks me to see when people who are overweight/obese scarf down the very items that have gotten them where they’re at weight-wise.

Back to this family, every single member was clearly over a healthy weight range. I’ve seen families like this before; it’s nothing new. Sometimes they’ll blame it on genetics or that they are big-boned. More often than not, it’s the lack of exercise and the unwholesome diet they consume that is the problem.

What really struck me was seeing the shape of the youngest member in this group, with the chubbiest of cheeks, chubby hand dimples, round pot belly…it was all there. Relatively speaking, she looked more overweight for her height and age group than a couple older members in the family. Start ’em out young, huh?

Seeing this bothered me so much. Why are you starting her out with this kind of destructive lifestyle at so young an age? I began to think about how it felt like for the little girl to be at her weight when most of her schoolmates are most likely within an appropriate weight range. I could imagine her running out of breath easily out in the playground–or worse, not even having the energy to play.

I continued to watch in disbelief as the girl so sweetly asked her dad for the bag of cotton candy sitting next to him. Without hesitation, he handed her a bag full of sugar and food coloring. The girl happily enjoyed about 2/3 of the bag, licking her fingers and all.

True, but sad story, folks.

I’m not sure why, but observing all this was just too much for me to handle. I honestly don’t know why it stirred up so much in me. It was probably pity. Pity for the poor girl who will probably have some serious health problems if nothing is done to better the quality of her food intake. She’s so young…

This whole scenario made me value the effort I put into living a healthy lifestyle. It confirms that this is the best way for me to live my life. I just wish America would realize the importance of eating foods with nutritional value and the great impact exercise could have in one’s life. It would make a huge difference.

Oh, America…

PowerMeal A Week Round 3

It’s Sunday! Time for a dose of PowerMeal A Week!

I’ve seen some awesome recipes from checking out the link ups of recipes on PowerCakes‘ site. Definitely need to try some of them out!

This week I made a turkey sausage and bean chili. I made this once before and I guess it was so good that I got a request to make it again for dinner on Thursday.

Side note:  Does anyone else eat turkey sausage? I kinda love turkey sausage now. I originally had been wanting to try chicken sausage and when I couldn’t find it at the grocery store, I settled for turkey sausage. It’s so delish! I have yet to try some chicken sausage, though. I’ll find some and come up with a recipe for it eventually!!

When I originally made this meal, I served it on top of some yummy rice. The rice was complimentary to the chili and it tasted so good. So I’ll include a quick how-to-cook rice in here. This is how my momma taught me! You guys are special…

I used white rice but since then I bought some brown rice. Use brown rice.

Start off by “frying” or browning a cup of rice in a medium saucepan using EVO. Throw in any tomato, onion, garlic, cilantro you may want to use to give the rice flavor. Cilantro is awesome in rice, by the way.

After the rice looks “toasty,” add in anywhere from 1-1/2 C to 1-3/4 C of water. Quickly bring the water to a boil. Stir in salt or any other seasonings like garlic salt.

Lower the heat to a simmer and cover. Cook at a gentle simmer until the water is completely absorbed and the rice is tender. About 10-15 minutes.

Boom. There’s your rice.

You probably want to start working on the rice before starting on the chili.

For the chili, use whatever beans you’d like. I’ve used black, pinto and black eyed peas. I’ve thrown in some garbanzo beans aka chick peas to the mix as well. Having all those varieties of beans makes it easy to mix it up a bit every time you make this dish.

I used this turkey sausage.

Again, delicious.

To start off, cut up slices of the sausage. I used about a little over half a sausage link. I could’ve used more, though! Add in as much sausage as you’d like. Dice some tomatoes and onions. Throw these and the sausage onto a pan heated with EVO and cook for a few minutes.

Then you get crazy with all the beans you decide to put in. I used a cup each of black and black eyed peas in this recent batch. Add in a cup of corn. Stir it all together.

Yum. Now here’s one secret ingredient. Ready for it? Once you see the juices in the pan starting to simmer, add in this baby.

Trust me on this one. I used 1/2 C of it according to my taste preference. Use as little or as much as you’d like. Stir in some garlic salt along with it. Let it simmer on low until it’s time to serve it!

Check out this end product. It’s sooo good, I’m telling ya!

This is what my plate looked when I first prepared this meal with rice.

Yeah, yummy.

This is a pretty simple and quick meal to make. The chili takes less than 20 minutes to prepare. Try it out for sure and don’t forget that secret ingredient. You can thank me later.

Happy Prepping-Your-Meals-for-the-Week Sunday!

I Am Unbreakable

CrossFit Women nailed it. This is an awesome piece that provides me with motivation to keep kicking but living the healthiest lifestyle I can possibly live. It gives me an incentive to even step up my game. It’s a good way to start the weekend–start it off strong!

I Am Unbreakable

By: Lucas G. Irwin

Most people don’t understand, but you’re ok with that. For you, training is not a hobby or a social activity; it’s a way of life. Those around you say that you are obsessed, taking it too far and possibly insane. They can’t understand why you won’t eat birthday cake, why you bring Tupperware full of chicken to a party or why you go to sleep early on a Friday to rest up for a Saturday training session. But you don’t care. Their accusatory tones, sarcastic remarks and insults are merely cotton bullets firing at a titanium wall of perseverance known as YOU.

You know, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that any negativity that surrounds you is fueled purely by jealousy. Jealous that you are capable of unconditionally committing to something that most cannot stick to for more than a few weeks as part of their yearly resolution. Jealous that you gladly embrace a level of pain, discomfort and fatigue that others cringe at the idea of suffering a fraction of. Jealous that you take time to count carbs, protein, fats and calories while they count their chicken nuggets to make damn sure their 10 piece isn’t a 9 piece. In short, they’re Jealous of YOU.

Ironically, all the comments, nagging and questioning that is meant to break you down a little, does just the opposite. Every negative word reminds you of how special and uncommon your mechanical allegiance to training really is, in turn, pushing you harder. So bring it on! Let them call you obsessed, crazy or insane and watch you get stronger with every word. The only one who can slow you down is yourself. As far as the rest of the world is concerned, you are both an immovable object and an unstoppable force……

YOU ARE UNBREAKABLE.