Reflecting on 27... planning for 28.

Today is my 28th birthday.

What a year this has been; I feel like I should be turning 30 instead of 28. When I was getting a massage the other day and talking with Diane (the best masseuse I have ever met) and we were just reflecting on the last year and the journeys we have both been on. When I look back at who I was a year ago and where I am now I see so much growth. I feel so different than I did a year ago. This year has brought me many things emotionally, spiritually, physically, and I honestly feel like my childhood is over and I'm a legit adult now. There's no escaping it or tricking myself into thinking "I'm still young." No, I've moved into this space in my life where I make my own happiness and I'm 100% responsible for all of my choices. I can't blame anyone for anything that happens because I call all the shots now. It's liberating, scary, and wonderful.

I think as you grow up you go through all these stages. First your a child - learning and growing and wanting to be on your own so badly and then you hit those teenage years where everything is new and you get your first taste of freedom. You start making your own decisions and learning from them good or bad depending on what path you choose to take. Then you're in your early twenty's. You turn 21 and you can drink legally and walk into any bar you want. Then you have your own apartment and you start really taking care of yourself by paying for more and more things. You move away from depending on your parents and a few years later you graduate college and you get your first real job. Then things like insurance, cars, and toilet paper have to start being paid for and you struggle. It's that time when you really learn to budget - you learn what it takes to actually LIVE your life. Gradually, you get the hang of things and hopefully you start saving and planning and working even harder. Then you wake up one day and realize that you're actually an adult. You have created your own life and you either love it or hate it. I see so many people wish to be young again, to go back to high school and not have responsibilities but I personally have never felt that way. Instead I'm enjoying every moment of "adulthood." I love being married to my best friend, I love being able to pay my bills and still have money left over. I'm so thankful for the opportunity to move across the country and then back again 3 1/2 years later. I'm thankful that this next year will be one where my dreams really do take off. I feel completely grown and not for one moment do I wish to be "young" again.

If I've learned anything in 28 years it's that life is hard work. Relationships come and go and you learn from each one of them. I'm not the same person I was one year ago and I'm happy about that. I finally put away being angry with my younger self - health wise I finally gave up the excuse that it is anyone else fault and instead I now accept that I am the only one in control of my life. I don't depend on my parents at all anymore... if anything it's now me that can help them when the time arises. It's so strange how roles in life can reverse but I think that is the ultimate sign of growing up. I feel like this big revelation would normally be reserved for the big 30th birthday but I just can't help but feel that this is what it would be like. Instead of looking back and determining things I should have by now or should have done I'm just looking forward at what's next in life. I am happy. This year was a really good year...

Aging isn't as scary as I used to think it was. Some years are better than others and I have to say... 27 was a great one. I will take the lessons I learned and keep them with me forever. I promise to keep working hard and to create the life I've always wanted. God really blessed me by giving me the tools to do this - by bringing the right people into my life. Thankfully I've always had my eyes open and waiting for these things... I trust myself and listen to my gut when it tells me "these people are good for you" "these people are bad for you" etc. Make the right choices, pick the right people to surround yourself with, work hard, and watch your life turn into everything you have ever wanted it to be. Oh and give all the Glory to God. He will continuously bless you and guide you forever. I have no delusions about where my blessing come from. I am nothing without him.

I hope to never stop growing... to never stop learning. I plan on making 28 an even better year filled with firsts and lots of love. It's already the best birthday I have ever had. If I cry this year - it will only be tears of joy.


XOXO

Maybe we should all go to Colorado

Right now I'm at Disneyland with my husband but I have had this post ready for awhile and I figure today is as good as any...

In October we took a trip to Denver, CO to visit some friends and explore the city. I've heard great things about Denver and it's been on my must see list for awhile. I was not disappointed. It was one of the most fun filled vacations we have had in awhile. Usually when we travel it's just Chad and I off on our own but this time we had so many friends in the area that we were busy meeting up and exploring with them the entire time! The weather was absolutely fantastic - we just couldn't have asked for a better trip.

We spent 3 Days in Denver and Chad played two shows while we were there. Here are a few photos:

It was a fantastic trip. Some other highlights were Voodoo Doughnuts and Casa Bonita. Yes, the one from South Park. With the cliff divers and all you can eat Mexican food. Chad literally squealed and made us promise to take him to eat there after we visited Red Rocks. It ended up being the funnest time I've had in awhile. Blackbarts cave was better than expected and there was a huge arcade and just tons of fun stuff to do. The food is barely decent so don't go there for that but if you're looking to pretend your 12 again this place is for you! Cliff diving shows every 30 mins y'all!

Thanks for the good time Denver! 

XOXO 

Day 2 & 3 - The Redwoods, Pacifica, & San Francisco

I can't believe I'm actually getting to experience and see everything that I am. I have always loved to travel and I have wanted to take a long road trip across the country and more specifically drive the entire West Coast from WA to CA. Actually getting to do it feels like a dream. I keep taking moments out of the day to just stop and look around and thank God for all of these blessings. I met/married the love of my life, I've had the best jobs, I've moved across the country, I've traveled, and well I just keep getting all these things that I've always wanted. Don't get me wrong - I've worked hard for these things but wow, I feel so undeserving. Granted I am still overweight so it ain't all roses over here people. I understand that everyone has issues and problems but I think everyone has blessings too. Celebrate those good moments in life and try not to dwell on the bad. 

Now, let me jump off my soap box and get back to traveling! We left Crescent City on Saturday morning and quickly got to our first stop: the Trees of Mystery in Klamath, CA. It was only 16 miles away from where we stayed but driving those 16 miles... and hell the rest of the day was breathtaking. I'm probably going to overuse that word during this trip so, please feel free to leave alternates for me in the comments section below. 

This tree had ten other trees growing out of it! This picture sucks but it was absolutely amazing.



I have no idea how I'm going to hold all this and baby one day...


How freaking cute is my dog... she did NOT like the SkyTrail though. It is a gondola ride up to the top of the mountain through the Redwoods and she shook the entire time. We held her close and kept telling her that she was pretty. That did the trick.

After we got back on the ground we made our way through the forest back to the gift shop and on the way there were a lot of neat wood carvings. Here is the only picture I took of them - Chad got a lot more on his phone but I'm to lazy to send them to myself. Ugh I suck.



We were in the woods for about two hours which had us getting into Pacifica, CA late that night -which means 9PM for this old girl. Once we checked in we were walking to our room when this lady came up with her dog and said, "Oh your dog is so cute - would you like this jacket for her? It is too small for my dog and she would look adorable in it!" So, that's the story on how Olive got her new San Francisco jacket! I wish I was so cute that people would just walk up to me and give me things.



The next day we got up and walked around the little beach town - found a Christmas store and I FINALLY found a Pomeranian ornament and the first of many vintage tea cups for my new collection - then we found a dog friendly brunch spot at The Surf Spot. It was delicious and a really BIG place. They had a volleyball court, stage, fire pit, and even gluten free dog treats. Olive ate moss off of a tree in the Redwoods so I stopped the waitress from explaining what they had in them midway as I do not need to know all the ingredients. Just give her the damn treats so she will stop trying to eat my bacon! Olive was not impressed apparently:



After brunch I tried to watch the Seahawks game - that was a fail so then we went into the city to take a few pictures with the Golden Gate Bridge - Alcatraz - and the Full House house. There was a weird mist/haze around the bridge and I couldn't get a good shot on my phone but I got a few on my real camera I might upload later. Below is the Full House house... people live there - they painted it gray and they have packages waiting for them.


And then one of my dreams came true and I saw Alcatraz Island! I wish we could have taken the tour so badly -- next time for sure!



Then it was time for Chads show at Brainwash Cafe!



It was a great show and they had YUMMY food. If you follow me on Instagram you can keep up with all my workout and food eating there... @crazythoughs

Once we got back to our hotel Chad wanted to go to the beach for a late night walk so, I put on as many layers of clothing as I could and wore my fancy water shoes. I am so fine.



We had to climb down a rock cliff to get to the beach but it was worth it. It was freezing but absolutely beautiful. I love the beach.



That about covers the last two days!

Up Next: Long Beach, CA & Disneyland

Road Trip Day 1 - Crescent City, CA

I'm currently on the road with my husband and Pomeranian driving back to Mississippi for the next ten days! Well, at this exact moment I'm in our hotel in Crescent City, CA trying not to fall asleep at 7pm. I wasn't planning on blogging the entire way but I think I changed my mind. It's so fun to document the trip this way so, each day (or every few days) I'm going to try and post some pictures from my phone and try to keep my mom posted on my whereabouts.

Yes, MOM - I'm alive - the cars are fine -Olive is fine - we ate and I brushed my teeth. 

For those of you who don't know - We have been living in Seattle for over three years now and while we love it - it just wasn't home. Mississippi has pulled us back with it's sweaty hands and surprisingly we are pretty HAPPY about it. I don't want to hear about why Mississippi sucks - it doesn't and if you think it does then move somewhere else. We are SO excited to get back home - plant some roots - and start a business. Anyways, currently we are on an 11 day road trip driving down the Pacific Coast Highway and then across the bottom of the country back to MS. Chad is touring which you can read about here and tomorrow we will be in San Francisco for the weekend! We aren't driving crazy amounts each day but instead taking our time and making a vacation out of it. This drive is something that I've always wanted to do and I'm so excited to get to do it! 

Now, time for some pictures and then I'm going to bed. Getting up at 4am SUCKS. 

I'm too lazy to turn this picture the right way so tilt your head to the left. Chad had the best idea EVER for the road trip: Walkie Talkies!!! We are each driving our cars and Olive is riding with me and these have been AMAZING so far. They are quick, fun, and make it feel like we are riding in the same car. Cell phones are so overrated. 

The drive today was from Kirkland, WA to Crescent City, CA  about 530 miles - it was absolutely beautiful. We left a little after 6AM and got to our hotel right after 3PM. These cell phone pictures are crap but I almost died taking them so you're welcome: 

We had been up since 4am - excuse the hot mess. I have no idea what face I was making... this could have been the moment Olive put my car in Neutral while going 60MPH though. Don't even start with me on the, "Put her in a carrier" debate. Everything was fine... nothing to see here.

 When she's not trying to kill us she's pretty dang cute. 

Once we got to Crescent City we unpacked and headed to the beach to watch the sunset. California has the best sunsets... I can't ever get enough of them.

Completely missed but you get the idea... 

That's a Lighthouse!!! I'm obsessed with Lighthouses in case you didn't know. After that I turned around and someone was enjoying the wind blowing through her hair. She was so stinking cute looking out into the ocean like that and then the next thing I know Chad picked her up and told her that, "Everything the light touches is yours."  

Too bad the Sun was setting. #Burn 

Up next: San Francisco, CA  

Eating: Low Carb

I know, I know, it's the middle of the holiday season and I'm not being perfect right now with my low carb eating; but I've been getting a few emails asking about my eating habits. So, I thought I'd write a big long post about it. Just kidding- it's going to be pretty boring as I eat a lot of the same things over and over.

I'm not a nutritionist so don't think I know anything but I do know my body and what has worked for it. For me it's low carb as much as I hate to admit it because who wants to admit that living a life with less carbs in it works? Not me but it's true. I feel better, I lose weight, I have energy (after the dreaded first 3 weeks), and surprisingly I eat less calories naturally because carbohydrates usually have more calories in them than protein. I also get fuller quicker and I stay fuller longer - those yahoo articles are right about protein being more filling than carbs. Who knew?! Anyways, I've been eating like this for six months now with one cheat day each month. Okay, so it's more like the dinner the night before cheat day and cheat day it's like Christmas Eve and Christmas. You have to open one present the night before because you're so excited right?! Exactly, moving on here are some examples of my typical breakfast, lunch, snacks, and dinners. #dontjudgeme

BREAKFAST

Eggs... so many eggs. They fill you up and are great for you. I don't care if you think the yolk is bad I eat at least 2 of them a few times a week.

Bacon... I go in waves of eggs and bacon for breakfast but I've been eating less bacon lately and more egg. Any kind of meat is good for breakfast so I sometimes switch it up with sausage, steak, and veggies. But most of the time it's just plain ole bacon and scrambled eggs for breakfast.


Protein shake... I've been drinking these a lot lately instead of eating a meal for breakfast. I make them at work with hot green tea, a scoop of PEScience, and a few cubes of ice. Shake it all together and I swear it tastes like a warm chai latte.

My favorite protein powder: SELECT Protein Chocolate 
Why: LESS THAN 1 CARB a scoop! Rich and creamy tasting! 110 Calories! 24 grams of Protein! It's the best I've tried yet. Oh and you can always get 50% off any purchase if you use code Melina50 (She's one of their Athletes)

Low Carb Pancakes...I'll post my personal recipe soon but you can google them as well. Basically just eggs and mashed bananas or cream cheese with disgusting "sugar free" syrup. I hate that syrup but it's decent enough to manipulate myself into thinking I'm eating real pancakes with syrup. I do like the after feeling with these pancakes vs real ones - I'm never bloated-gross full with them. The way I feel now after I eat a lot of bread is horrible compared to how I good I feel after eating a bunch of meat and veggies.

That's pretty much all I eat for breakfast but other options you might like are veggies in your eggs, cheese, meats, smoothies, etc. (Told you I'm boring) 







LUNCH 

Salad... I eat a few different salads but I'm sure someone not as picky as me would have even MORE options but this is what I do: taco chicken, taco beef, pepperoni, tuna, and steak loaded with cheese, and any other veggie I want usually on top of spinach. I don't like salad dressing so I always eat my salads dry. (Yes, I know I'm a freak but I think you're a freak for eating a slime like texture all over your food.) 

Breakfast... see above for example. If I end up drinking a protein shake for breakfast sometimes I will eat eggs and bacon for lunch. It's quick to make and yummy. Oh and I guess I should mention that I'm really lucky and work like five seconds away from my apartment so I come home every day for lunch. If I couldn't do this it would limit a bunch of my cooking options.

Meat/Cheese/Protein shake... I really like summer sausage and cheddar cheese. Both are low carb options and feel like I'm cheating my butt off but I'm not! Finish up that with a cold chocolate protein shake in my Vitamix and it makes me think I just had a full fat milkshake. It's my favorite guilty but innocent lunch.

Leftovers... Anything I cook for dinner fair game the next day.


DINNER

Beef Pasta (without the pasta)... So I used to really love Hamburger Helper and one day I tried making it from scratch instead of a box. Turns out it's super easy and all you need is a packet of Brown Gravy Mix / 1lb beef / pasta and some water and milk. Then when I started doing Low-Carb I thought - HEY, what if I replace the pasta with green beans. Cue life changing moment and my new favorite comfort food.

Lasagna... with pepperoni layers instead of noodles! It's so greasy and cheesy and good I might have squealed while typing this.

Pork Rhine Crusted Chicken Tenders... It's so good I don't even know where to start. Crush up some cracklings and put some Tony's in there - bread those chicken tenders and bake or fry them up. Top with cheese and bacon if you really feel like getting sassy.

Salads... Just like the lunch ones.

Spinach Crust Pizza... my Gluten Free friend turned me onto this one. Who knew they actually do have some tasty food and no Gluten sometimes means no Carb! In this case it you use spinach, eggs, and cheese in place of dough so it is Carb free!

Protein and Veggies... you name any combo and I have probably eaten it. Chicken/Steak/Fish every green vegetable under the sun any of those low carb options make GREAT dinners.














SNACKS

Questbars... Low Carb and dangerously delicious. I should probably cut back on these guys but they are just so yummy.

Fruit/Veggies/Meat/Cheese/Peanut Butter... I eat any of these for snack. It's all good.

Protein Shakes... see above. I love PEScience.


And that just about does it - pretty boring and very repetitive but I like it. I average 1700 or less calories a day / 35 or less Net Carbs /120+ of protein. This is what has been working for me - I think you just have to figure out what will work for you and until you do just keep trying everything. I always say give each new thing a month then move along if you aren't happy. Remember to love yourself along the way and know that no matter what it is in life just keep trying until you get it. Never give up and you won't ever fail.

I'm currently driving across the country with my husband and dog but trying to low-carb it the entire way. It's my birthday in a few days and those are automatic "cheat days"so no guilt here! I hope you got everything you wanted for Christmas!

XOXO