Daydreams

Sometimes I have daydreams at work of quitting my job and going to school full time to learn how to become a RAW chef. I read daily raw blogs and I am so inspired by people that get to spend all their time creating amazing food and teaching people about the wonderful transformation that can happen when you start to go RAW. I think this maybe the next step in my life and I am just letting the Universe guide me. I do get very excited by reading these blogs and realizing that there are people out there living the life I would like to live one day.

But I am not sure that 100% raw is for me yet. I hate to admit it that I do get weepy if I don’t eat meat at least once a month. I know this is not that much meat to eat but I would like to be able to get over this issue. I also still crave cheese and sometimes even bread type items. I am slowly cutting these items out of my life and replacing them with amazing RAW foods but it is a slow process and one that I am excited about but also taking my time to balance everything out. I don’t think this type of large life style change can happen really quickly. I want long term new habits to form so this is a process.

I am going to a very interesting Design lecture at the University of Washington tonight. I don’t normally go out during the week but I am making an exception for this event. I am working very hard on bringing in more meaningful hobbies into my life. I want to experiment and live life. Part of this living is me going out and trying new things. So tonight is a venture into a new world of design for me. It is an architecture and space lecture about boundaries and nature. Everything else is pretty good and calm. I have been running every night and am starting to crave the feeling of working out again. It is still cloudy and wet here in the northwest which I must admit is starting to get me down. I love Seattle most of the time but right now it is just too dark and makes me long for the Deep South or LA area. I need sunshine, warm air and t-shirt weather!

New lessons to learn

The last two weeks have been non-stop fun. However, this week I am learning a very tough and needed lesson. I quickly let sugar back into my life and within a week I am feeling it so strongly that I physically hurt. I am exhausted and just straight up tired. My energy level is normal it's just the pain in my body that is causing me issues. All that has changed in my life was the introduction of sugar in a non essential way. argh! So I have been really increasing my raw food and veggies in hopes that this will allow the sugar to leave my body sooner. I am taking it easy and just allowing myself to really feel this pain and discomfort so that in the future when my coworkers bring in donuts everyday for a week, I can back away and say no.

I did buy new work out shoes this week and had a wonderful workout last night in them. It felt like I was jogging on clouds! I also bought some super hot boots and my first ever pair of skinny jeans! This is the first time in 10 years that I am wearing non baggy clothing. I feel so happy to see my body shrinking. I am also very happy at how my confidence level is starting to allow me to wear clothes that actually fit and show off my best assets.

I have also been filled with much love for all my new girlfriends in life. I have been having the best time getting to know them and be able to be a part of their lives. I feel like every week I learn several lessons and this week is no different. Besides not eating sugar, I am learning to call and check in with my girlfriends. Even if it is just for 5 mins. I have never been a phone person and growing up with mostly men, I never really learned the importance of a female support group. This is one of those issues I have wanted to tackle and change because as I get older I can see the importance of this support group and of being in the habit of checking in with people. So I have been working on this with my wonderful friend Jennifer. We have been checking in with each other every evening, discussing how our days went and what kind of food choices we made. She is also very excited about eating better, getting healthier and eating more raw foods. At first I felt weird calling someone to just talk but now it is becoming second nature and I look forward to our calls. It is so nice to have a partner during this new growth phase in life.

Loving so much this morning

It is sunny here in the Northwest and I can feel Summer starting to come slowly to this part of the day. I love Fall when the leaves start to drop and the evenings get dark and cozy but there is something even more magical about the Spring. We are up to 12 hours of day light now with many more to go. The Mountains all around me are clear and snow covered. I love how soft the light is on my drive to work and how when I jog at night now I am not in total darkness. I have been out three nights in a row jogging! I am feeling so much better! I have even finally stopped coughing. So now I have no excuse not to run. I even downloaded an app to help me keep track of steps and distance for my run. This will help me to increase both my time and distance as I now take steps to push me further ahead. This morning as I settle into my desk and check all my blogs that I love to read in the morning, I am starting to see a common theme. Self love for your body! What a great message this morning. I have such a complicated relationship with my body but a deep love for it. I think even after being sick for so long and even with the knowledge of my spine condition, I love my body even more because it is bouncing back so well. My body almost has a mind of it's own. Even when my mind wanted to throw in the towel and give up because I was in so much pain my body refused. And now my body is loving the exercising so much it is rewarding me with easy weight loss and strength. I am starting to tone up all over my body and I can even eat whatever I want now. No more are the days of stomach issues or easy weight gain. Now I am hard pressed to not lose weight or feel ill. My body is rewarding me in so many ways because it is in love with what is changing on the inside and outside. Of course I am rewarding my body with RAW foods, small portions and lots of water. I am rewarding it with wonderful cashmere and cotton. I am rewarding it by showing off instead of hiding. And most of all I am rewarding my whole self with LOVE! Tonight will be day 4 of jogging and 18 days closers to getting in the habit of jogging every night! I will get there.

Truly Blessed

This weekend was one of those weekends where I felt like I was in a french movie. Everything was beautiful, perfectly timed and just the right tempo to keep me happy and fulfilled all weekend long.

It started with ladies night on Friday night at one of my new favorite places in Seattle, Moshi Moshi. With it's sparkling Cherry Tree in the middle,the wood interior that bring earth tones to a comforting level and a bar tender that can make a non-alcoholic taste better than any alcoholic drink I have ever had, it was the perfect night. Let's not forget the wonderful women I spent the evening with! They are my partners on this journey of change that I am so excited about. I truly feel like a butterfly coming out of my cocoon. And a blessed little butterfly at that!

Next was my women's meeting on Saturday morning that then turned into an afternoon spent with a new friend while walking around the SUNNY, perfect Seattle day. I am so excited when I make new friends and this one is a great addition to my life right now. We made plans to do things together. One of my goals for this year is to take the eating part out of spending time with people. I want to do things with friends, learn about things, create new interests and hobbies. I want to walk and talk with them, take a class with them or go somewhere with them. I just don't want it to be all about food or drinking. I want it to be about exploring this wonderful city and experiencing life in a new way. This new friend has the same desire in life and I have a feeling that a new best friendship is about to be born in my life!

Saturday afternoon rolled into Saturday evening where I met up with another good friend and we caught up after not seeing each other for months. She has not seen me since I started my new improvement kick and was blown away by the changes. Cut a little(a lot) of hair off, get a new wardrobe, find the perfect makeup and add a little self confidence and bam! you have a new and beautiful lady! I had not thought that I had changed that much but she was blown away. So we spent the evening catching up and catching the eyes of cute people in one of my other favorite places in Seattle.

Sunday morning I did what I love to do every other Sunday morning. I met up with another good friend for breakfast. My friend works for three hours on Sunday morning and then picks me up for a leisurely Sunday morning adventure. He is one of my best friends and in many ways is my rock that I depend on. I was home before the afternoon and then spent the rest of the day getting ready for my week. I made a RAW dinner and cleaned my room.

It was truly a perfect weekend for me. Everything flowed so easily and perfectly. I had so much energy and was just so grateful to be exactly where I am at right now. Plus, Spring is finally starting to come around to the Northwest and that makes every cell in my body happy. The days are longer and warmer. There is nothing that beats it staying light until 10 at night during those warm summer months!

Moving forward and enjoying the present

My heart goes out to Japan and all the people suffering from this whole experience. What a terrible thing to happen to such a wonderful place and group of people. But I know that the amount of love coming from everyone will help them to move forward and change how we deal with nuclear energy, disaster preparations and everything else. Please donate, pray or do whatever you can for these strong and wonderful people. They need everyone support.



In other news, I had the most wonderful weekend! I broke down last weekend and finally went to the doctor to get on some antibiotics. It has taken a few days but by Friday I was finally feeling like being social and not just going home to bed so I went out with some new friends! What a fun night!!!! I spent the evening with like minded people. discussing traveling, food, wine and other area's we are passionate about. It was a great way to kick start my weekend.

Saturday I finally broke down and bought a new cell phone. Mine broke on Super Bowl Sunday and I have been without a phone since. I love my new phone and being able to be in touch with my friends again. I even went on a surprise shopping trip Saturday evening with a friend and bought some much need new additions to my wardrobe. I am finally ready to move beyond my much loved Hoodies. I think at this point I maybe just too old to wear hoodies to work. Of course it could have something to do with my awesome job at a large corporation, where I am actually in a position of being very successful and happy. So I bought a couple of new tops and some cardigans in a new style that looks amazing with my new body.

Sunday I usually lay low and prepare for the week. I tend to check in at work and get everything prepared for the week. This Sunday I did spend some time with my mom and catching up with old friends.

This week at work has been filled with laughter and happiness. And I even have started to run again at night. I tried last week to get back into it but my lungs prevented me from getting very far. This week will be different. I feel like my body and energy level are finally on the same page and I am getting that excited feeling about working out again. I really, truly missed it.

Last nights dinner was a success

Last night I made my first meal using Kelp noodles and it was such a wonderful success I wanted to share it with you. And to top it off, I had so much energy after the meal and I feel amazing this morning. I am so used to after eating feeling groggy and not great that I am always surprised when I eat a meal that actually makes me feel incredible.

Spicy Asian Almond Sauce with Kelp Noodles

--I put a couple of handfuls of almonds (or any nut you would like) in a blender
--I then added some sesame oil and chili oil
--Soy Sauce
--Fresh Ginger
--Fresh garlic
-- A bit of water to make the sauce less like peanut butter and more like a sauce
-- a tiny dash of honey

I blended all this up in the blender for about 3 or 4 minutes. It tasted amazing! I did not even miss the peanuts which is usually the sauce I like to use when making a recipe like this.

Kelp Noodles-
These need to be drained and rinsed a couple of times. I then filled a large bowl up with cold water and lemon juice. This takes the crunchy/ squeaky sound out of the noodles that appear if you don't do this step. I let them soak in the lemon juice/ water for almost an hour. I then rinsed and drained them several more times.

Then I put the noodles and any veggies you might have in the house in a large bowl and poured the sauce over them. I added a little extra sauce because the noodle have no taste at all and they will soak up the sauce nicely. For this dinner I put in Red Pepper, Carrot, Arugula and tomatoes.

This dinner was so easy and delicious. Because the sauce was an Asian influenced sauce it worked nicely with the Kelp noodles which are very similar to Asian glass noodles. I was thinking for my next recipe I am going to try a nice Mushroom sauce with the noodles and veggies.

Next time I will also try to take a photograph! I wish I remembered this last night because this meal was truly incredible. I am now starting to understand how eating RAW is actually a lot easier than I realized.

Feeling better!

While the antibiotics are working on my illness, I have been battling with a stomach ache like you would not believe.

Today I worked from home which is a wonderful aspect to my job. I can work from anywhere. This allowed me to go to the store to stock up on probiotics to help my stomach and digestive system deal with the antibiotics. I had a probiotic smoothie for lunch and I will be having a RAW kelp noodle dinner full of veggies. I am hoping this will help me get a full night of sleep tonight. The pills really seem to hit me hard between 12 and 4 am when my stomach has become empty yet I have this large pill dissolving in my system.

But I am feeling better in my sinus and lung area and my energy is finally coming back. Which means I can start up again and go running on a more regular basis. I don't know why I waited so long to go to the doc but I am very happy I did. I missed running everyday. I had no idea how much this one activity has changed my life but it has. The change can be seen in my body, mind and even spirit.

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For dinner I made the Kelp Noodles with an Asian style almond sauce, red peppers, carrots and arugula mixed in. It was so good! I feel the best I have felt in a month! YEAH for RAW dinner!!!!!!

Finally getting better!

Yesterday I finally broke down and went to the doctor. I simply am not getting better and it has almost been a month now. So I am now on meds and not super happy about it but hopefully I will be feeling better soon.

It was sunny yesterday and I was able to work from home. I enjoyed sitting next to the window looking out at the Sound and seeing the sun. I looked at the weather this morning and it will now be raining for the next two weeks straight! I am so grateful I can work from home and was able to enjoy yesterday. I was too sick to go outside much but just being able to sit next to the window was good enough for me.

I have a new friend and we went shopping together this weekend. I don't love shopping or having to get dressed up but after reading my new hero/blogger's blog post last week I decided to take the Change your Style, Change your Life challenge. Well, it was not a challenge from her end of things but I decided to make it one for myself. I do want to change the way I dress. As my body tones up and I get healthier I want to feel confident in how I dress and what I look like. This blog written by Sally could not have come at a better time in my life. It is giving me confidence and ideas to change how I dress.

I recommend her blog to anyone ready for a change in life or just wants to dress a little bit differently.

My new friend gave me so many idea's of how to bring more color into my life. It was a wonderful day spent with a new friend that is quickly becoming a hero in my book.

LA is calling......

Last night I went running which means I am 20 days away from having this become a habit again. It was a good run. Not as successful as a couple of nights ago but it still felt great.

I had a very successful day yesterday in all area's of my life. I was put on the spot to show off a side project at work and I rocked it! My new job is becoming something I adore. I like the work and I like how much growth there is right now. I am also able to start moving into new marketing areas which is what I am truly passionate about. So I arrived home last night feeling great.
But the best part of my day was receiving a call from a very dear friend that I do not get to see enough because he is always on world tours. He has just settled into the LA area and we made plans for me to come spend some time with him in May!!!!

I adore this man. He is a true soul mate and I can't wait to go visit him. We are going to go paddle boarding and do other fun outdoor adventures. We are even going to go to a outdoor hot spring. I can't wait to see him!

So my dear friends in the LA area... I will be coming to visit in May.

While I was running I decided that this trip was going to only happen if I could use it as a reward for building up my running 5 to 6 days a week. I want to use this trip to motivate me to work out more and just keep enjoying life.

Follow up

So last night I was finally able to go running after more than two weeks away. I was not looking forward to it as I knew it would feel like I was starting from scratch again....But you know what happened?
I ran further than before I got sick. It was very interesting and sort of strange. I was expecting to only run a short distance and then have to walk but every time I started to feel like stopping I seem to break through to the runner's high and just kept going.

Today I am a bit sore which I think is actually a good thing. I felt so good last night and I slept great! Today I feel amazing!
Tonight I have an event to attend so I will be unable to run but Wednesday I will be back on the plan. I am still sick but I think working out might just allow me to kick this cold for good.

So my lesson from this experience is to not let fear get in my way. I was scared to go running after being away so long but I was pleasantly surprised at the outcome. This is true in so many areas of life.
Right now is all about me becoming fearless, learning to love my feminine side and learning a life full of positive things!