Remembering Today

I couldn't let Memorial go by without commenting what it means to me. My husband is in the Army. My dad is retired Air Force. My cousins are in the Navy and the Army. My brother-in-law just joined the Army.

This day is more than war movies, more than the flag we fly, more than the barbecues, the hot dogs or the hamburgers. Today is the day we remember our fathers, mothers, sisters, brothers, wives or husbands who chose to serve our country so we could have the freedoms we so often take for granted. We also remember those who we don't know who chose to forever change their lives for the good of this country we call home.

I, for one am grateful. So today, when we go into a grocery store packed with food, today when we freely state our opinion, walk around with our arms bare, and faces uncovered, when we turn on the faucet, drive our cars and live in peace, we remember those who have served for a cause greater than themselves, the cause which isn't free, so thank you, whoever and wherever you are, for fighting for our freedom.

Wild 4 Day Weekend

As I write this, my butt is crying out in protest of sitting on a hard chair. My knees are bruised, and my pride is a little bit too. What inspired this masochism? Well. It's fun! As I had written a few posts back, I got a dirt bike. Now the process of learning to ride. It looked so simple. Not so much.

Next time I go ride, I won't do an intense circuit training the night before. Yea, I was ALREADY sore!!

Even though I had gotten my bike a couple of weeks ago, I hadn't been able to go learn with anyone. But finally, FINALLY my new friend who is a seriously good rider took me out. Turns out there's quite a bit to learn about riding. Starting the bike is a feat on it's own. You basically have to bring your knee almost up to your chin (I'm only exaggerating a little) then kick down really hard to get it started, while holding the clutch, the break, trying to balance, and giving it enough gas so it wouldn't die. The throttle (gas) is super sensitive, so it took me a while jerking around on the bike to kind of master it. Then there's the hand break, the clutch, the foot break and the shifter. Both the foot break and the shifter are used with your feet, which is a little scary either feeling for it with huge, thick boots (kind of like snowboarding/ski boots) or daring to peek down while riding to locate it.

I am proud to say, that I only fell a couple of times. This lovely bruise pictured above (the picture truly doesn't do it justice) was when I was riding over some little hills, and I was feeling a lot out of control, and sure enough I accidentally wrenched on the throttle, hit a bump wrong, got bucked off and literally went flying. That was the fun part. The landing.... while not as bad as I was afraid, was not so much fun. Go big or go home right? I was glad for my first fall, so that I could get that fear out of the way. I've had worse tumbles snowboarding. After lying there for a minute getting re-oriented, I got back up and was ok!

After a little break, I actually rode back and forth on a less bumpy trail, and even got to 2nd gear! You gotta count the little victories. I did start to learn to fall a little more gracefully, as well as learn how to correct the bike when I felt like it was getting out of my control. Man, it is heavy! And mine is considered light! I was really thankful for my helmet, and chest protector. Next investment will definitely be knee pads!! Turns out there's a lot to think about while riding. You have to learn to use your whole body to balance, sit forward on your seat, grip the bike and steer with your legs, keep your arms relaxed, and most of all not let it all get to your head! There were times when I'd be doing fine, and start doubting myself, and I had to just breath, relax, put on my game face and tell myself "I can do this!"

After getting beat up for a couple of hours (time really flies out there!) , I was exhausted, and the soreness was starting to set in. I had bruises on both knees, my arms and I'm pretty sure my butt will never be the same. Despite the bruises, (which I iced that night- like a good girl) it was definitely my butt (which I also iced, haha) that was in the worst condition the next morning.

All in all, it was SO much fun. Learning something new is always intimidating for me. I'm so AFRAID of failing. It's embarrassing when people see me fall. I had to accept that learning means falling along the way, and even when you get good, you still fall from time to time. Which is kind of a metaphor for life in general. I think everyone is afraid of failing, or looking bad. Our lives are not defined by the number of times we fall, it's how we handle it afterward by getting back up, dusting ourselves off and trying again. Even for those who it seems always get everything right, they fall from time to time too. Part of being human is making mistakes, learning from them and getting better. Letting fears of what might or might not happen, only hold us back from the achievements we can accomplish if we just set our minds to it.

My friend kept telling me to look farther ahead when I was riding. I was looking right in front of my bike at every rock worrying that it might make the bike tip. She said you'll go where you look, and you have to look farther ahead so you know where you are going. So it is with life! If we look at the situation we are in right now, worrying about it, we aren't looking ahead at the bigger picture of where we are going. Instead of worrying about little bumps in the road, we look ahead to where we are going and plan accordingly.

I'll end with this quote I recently stumbled upon:

"You never know how STRONG you are... until being strong is the ONLY choice you have."

Oh summer... where are you?

So it's the end of May here, and still, the temperatures are in the 50's one day, then nearly 80, and then right back down again. What is up with that?

Despite my last two posts, I don't sit around eating cake all the time!

One day it's cool enough for a good soup, and the next, I don't even want near the stove. Today was supposed to be warm and sunny, so I finally made a delightful chicken salad for dinner. Kudos to my friend Sara for introducing me to Galeo's Miso Sesame dressing. While you can't buy it here, you can on the website. I did give a bottle to a friend who has a friend who owns a gluten free store locally. So maybe it will be coming to Idaho!

Galeo's Chicken Salad
(note: I did copy this off of a recipe on the website, but changed it just a bit)

1/2 pink lady apple, diced
1/2 head shredded green cabbage
1 c. shredded carrot (I went the easy way and bought some pre-shredded organic carrot)
1/4 c. chopped walnuts (easily found in the bulk section)
1 c. chopped cooked chicken (you can either use leftover chicken or buy the pre-cooked grilled chicken strips. I get mine at Costco)
Add Galeo's sesame dressing to taste!

Next time, I think I'll add some red cabbage for more color, maybe some raisins, and some cracked pepper.

I made this based on my tastes, less apple and less walnut, more carrot. So play around with it to suit your liking! :)

Lovely Lemons

I am so, so excited about today's post. Little lemon kick? Yep. Better than boring lemonade? Absolutely.

Let's start with the dessert I made the night before, shall we?

This, I am in love with. LOVE.

(Disclaimer: This dessert is in no way low fat, low sugar or low guilt! It is excellent for sharing with company, because you could easily devour it alone!)

Lemon Ripple Cheesecake Bars

For the crust:

1 c. all purpose flour

1/4 c. sugar

1 tsp finely grated lemon zest

1/16 tsp salt

1 stick (1/2 c.) unsalted butter, cut into 1/2 inch pieces, chilled

For the lemon part:

1 tbs. plus 2 tsp. cornstarch

1/2 c. cold water

2 large egg yolks

3/4 c. sugar

1/4 c. fresh lemon juice, about the juice from one ripe lemon

(I added a little extra for a more tangy flavor)

1 tsp. finely grated lemon zest

For the cream cheese part:

20 oz. (2 and a half bricks) 1/3 fat (or fat free) cream cheese

1 c. sugar

2 tbs. all purpose flour

3 large eggs at room temperature

1/4 c. sour cream

1 tsp. vanilla extract

Step 1: Prep

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees and position a rack in the center. Butter a 9-inch-square nonstick baking pan. I used an 8 x 11 and that turned out fine too.

Step 2: Make the Crust

In a food processor, or with a pastry cutter mix the flour, sugar, lemon zest, salt and butter until a soft, crumbly dough forms. Press the dough evenly over the bottom and a scant 1/2 inch up the side of the pan. Bake the crust for 20 minutes, or until golden and firm.

Step 3: Make the Lemon Part

In a small bowl, dissolve the cornstarch in the water. In a medium sauce-pan, whisk the egg yolks with 3/4 cup of the sugar and the lemon juice. Whisk in the cornstarch mixture and cook over moderate heat, whisking gently, until the sugar is dissolved and the lemon mixture is hot, about 4 minutes. Boil over moderately high heat for 1 minute, whisking constantly, until the mixture is thick and glossy. Strain the lemon mixture into a heatproof bowl. Stir in the lemon zest and let cool.

Step 4: Make the Cream Cheese Part

In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, beat the cream cheese with the remaining 1 cup of sugar until smooth. Beat in the flour until blended. Add the eggs, 1 at a time, beating well between additions. Add the sour cream and the vanilla and beat until the batter is smooth. Pour the cream cheese batter over the crust and smooth the surface with a spatula.

Step 5: Put it all Together!

Dollop the lemon mixture on the cheesecake batter and carefully swirl it into the batter; take care not to cut into the crust. (Here it is, just going into the oven!) Bake the cheesecake for about 40 minutes, or until golden around the edge and just set. Run the tip of a knife around the edge to loosen the cheesecake from the side of the pan. Let cool on a wire rack for 1 hour, then refrigerate the cheesecake until thoroughly chilled. Cut into 16 bars and serve.

There was a little bit of spatula licking here and there... so I knew this was going to be fantastic!

Rewind to the meal.

I don't eat much pork, but this recipe for Southwest Pork Cutlets from Women's Health Magazine piqued my interest.

I seasoned the pork with this seasoning called Dillo Dust (randomly sent to us with an order from LaRue tactical in TX) which is basically celery salt, sugar, paprika, chili powder and garlic powder. I browned both sides, and then added the carrots and some minced garlic on highish heat so they slightly caramelized. I put the lid on and cooked on low to finish cooking the pork Served this with some rice pilaf on the side.

We also had a colorful green salad made from Romain lettuce, spinach, halved grape tomatoes, diced avocado, sliced mushrooms, clamata olives and cucumber topped with a sprinkle of fresh Parmesan cheese and fresh ground pepper. Served with Galeo's miso sesame dressing or a homemade lemon salad dressing.

Lemon Salad Dressing

3/4 c. olive oil

Juice from two ripe lemons

4 tbs grated Parmesan cheese (I just used the stuff from the bottle for this)

1/4 tsp salt (I skipped this)

freshly ground black pepper

1/4 tsp sugar

dash or two of paprika

1 garlic clove, peeled (I halved mine for more garlic flavor)

Place all ingredients in a jar. Shake it up and store in the fridge for about 24 hours before serving.

I was a little unsure about how this would be, but it was citrusy and light. Lovely!

Mowers and Miles

It's been a busy couple of days.

First, let me introduce the remnants of the cake that I made. You can see that it had been demolished before I remembered to take a picture of it, but you can see that everyone LOVED it! (Including me!) Definitely making that again!

I hadn't been eating a very good dinner lately, either too tired, too lazy or too bored to think of anything quick and easy. One day I ate canned ravioli with popcorn. No, it wasn't worth it. Well, the popcorn was. Orville Redenbacher's Natural Flavored popcorn has all of the flavor (butter, salt and pepper and lime and salt are my favorites) without the artificial flavoring, or fake butter taste. Mmmm mmm!

I did one night, however, whip up this yummy mushroom and spinach omelet. Omelet's are kind of a big deal at least to me, because I'm not very good at making aesthetically pleasing ones. To my credit, I am getting better. First, I cooked some mushrooms, then threw in some chopped spinach and wilted it just a bit, then I added 4 scrambled egg whites, cooked a couple of minutes, then added a sprinkle of flaked Parmesan cheese, and a wedge of broken up Laughing Cow cheese. Folded over the omelet and viola! Super, duper good.

On a side note, the grass in the front lawn was long enough for a jungle, so I went out and bought this mower. Exciting, I know. Mowing the grass is actually kind of a sneaky way to get in a little workout as well! Sorry the picture is a little grainy.

This Friday, I decided to try a new pizza place down the street, Garbonzo's Pizza. I got the Garbonzo's original: pepperoni, sausage, mushrooms, green peppers, onions, tomatoes. I changed out the pepperoni and sausage for chicken and pineapple. It was super good, good ingredients, sauce and of course, the CHEESE. Mmmm! The only thing I didn't like, was they put fresh tomatoes on the pizza, after it had been baked. Next time I'll leave off the tomatoes.

I hadn't been running since Monday and not eating great, not sleeping great I knew I needed to give my body a kick start. It was kind of cloudy and threatening to rain, which seemed like a good excuse to stay in but Hunter was so eager to go, I couldn't disappoint. I planned to just take a walk about 3 miles around the neighborhood, but I still set up my Nike + on my iPhone so I could track my pace and mileage.

If you don't have one of these, I highly recommend getting one. You can either buy the sport kit with includes the part to plug into your iPod, or just get the chip use it with the program already on your iPhone. You can make a cartoon of yourself and save it to your screen saver. When you're consistently running, it will run and give positive encouragement. When you've been slacking, it will sit around and yawn and stretch or play with a paddle ball saying things like "I'd like to go for a run, but my hands are tied up!" I think it's a hillarious way to remember to go running, and stay motivated.

Just a little background on my running history. It started when I took P.E. summer school my junior year of high school, and our teacher was an avid runner. In fact our final was to run 2 miles in 20 minutes. That seemed like forever! Nonetheless, after running/walking 5 days a week in class for an hour, it was an easy feat, coming in at about 18 minutes. Since then, I've been into it more at times than others. Last summer, I ran my first 5k, and went on to even finish a 10k. I've done another other race since then and have come to really enjoy it. Plus, it's a great way to exercise my 90 lb golden retriever with endless (and I mean ENDLESS) energy! Hence, a picture of my pooped out doggie after today!

Ok, back to the run. It was windy and attempting to rain, but I figured that I should just get out and go. So I started walking and listening to my iPod. Man, it was kinda cold with the rain blowing, and a light rain in my face. About half a mile in, my muscles were warmed up, but I was still cold. I was feeling pretty good, so I began a light jog. I've noticed that I take a while to get my gait and my pace at a good place, and Hunter was keeping up right next to me. :) So we continued the whole way, and the wind and drizzle actually let up for the remainder. Good thing too, because right when we got home, it started to rain a little more seriously. I'm so glad I went!

Stay tuned for the feast I'm making tomorrow for my favorite adopted family!

A day of firsts

I've been meaning to mention more recipes here, but lately I have been blah when it came to trying anything new. My work was having a birthday luncheon and I wanted a chance to showcase my baking skills, so I volunteered to bake a cake. Super! Wait. What cake am I going to make that doesn't contain 1,000 calories a serving, but still tastes super good.

Luckily, a while ago my friend Sara made this impressive angel food and Heath bar cake for a birthday. I knew that would be the perfect choice. There was only one tiny concern: I'd never attempted to make angel food cake. Surprise, I know. I bought two boxes, just in case. Luckily, I got it right the first time!

I get home, and realized that the bundt pan I bought was slightly smaller than what was required for the entire box, so I just poured the remaining batter in a loaf pan. Luckily, my guestimations came out just right. Tah dah! my first angel food cake! I had already wrapped it up before I took the picture, but you can see it isn't burned and after a little coaxing, came out in one piece! If I remember, I'll take a picture of the final product tomorrow.

I do, however have a picture of the remining batter baked in the loaf pan. A (not so) mini strawberry dessert with a bit of real whipped cream. I am enjoying it as I type. Mmmm!

And speaking of fresh fruits, I got my very own first gardening book today. "Starter Vegetable Gardens" by Barbara Pleasant.

For a little change I tried making some slow roasted sweet potatoes to go along with my (whole wheat) spaghetti and broccoli dinner. I decided to try it after reading this blog. Surprisingly easy:

1 sweet potato cut into thick slices
1/2 tbsp olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

1. Preheat oven to 350 F. In a bowl, toss potatoes in oil, salt and pepper.
2. Line a baking sheet with tin foil. Lay the potatoes flat on the sheet.
3. Bake for 30 minutes, then turn oven up to 400 F for an additional 20 minutes.
4. (p.s. remove the potatoes from the sheet when you pull them out of the oven, or they'll stick!)
Mmmmm!

So there you have it: a day of firsts. :)

April Showers bring May flowers

My husband, Jeremy, loves to send me big bold bouquets of flowers. Bless his heart!

3 cantaloupe

Question for the day: have you ever gotten 3 cantaloupe, and proceeded to eat them all by yourself? I have. Most of 2 down, one to go.

Busy, busy reading

So my mom sent me this book. I'd heard of it before, and had always wanted to read it. I'm glad I waited until now that I'm married, because I bet I'll be able to understand and relate to it much better.

This book reviews the ways people express and understand love. Can't wait to see how Jeremy and I fit in to this. :)

Another read and review: The Hunger Games

I told you I had book ADD. This book snuck to the front of my reading since I borrowed it from a friend.

The Hunger Games sort of reminded me of The Giver and Fahrenheit 451, which also takes place in the future about a civilization living under strict government rules. It is the first of a series of three books.

This book is about a civilization called Panem in the future on the North American continent. The US, Canada, and Mexico cease to exist after all but destroying themselves by war.

Panem is divided into 12 districts surrounding the Capitol. Each district has a certain industry, such as factories, gem mining, agriculture, etc. Actually there were 13, but the 13th district disobeyed strict rules made by the government and was destroyed. The main character, Katniss is from district 12, one of the poorest districts, whose industry is coal mining. When her father is killed in a mining accident she is able to help her family survive by sneaking out of the district boundaries to go hunting and gathering.

To remind the remaining districts the dire consequences of war, they introduced the Hunger Games. A boy and a girl called tributes are chosen once a year from each district, 24 in all to fight each other to the death until only one is remaining and named the winner. All of this is televised for the whole civilization to watch.

Tributes from the wealthier districts are actually trained for this event, and it is a great pride for the families to have their child selected. For the poor districts, this is an immediate death sentence. The winner and his/her family is rewarded with a life of luxury.

For a week before the Hunger Games, all the tributes are waited upon hand and foot, given the best food, clothing and training. At the beginning, there are opening ceremonies glamorizing the tributes. In a way it reminded me of the Olympics ceremonies.

Katniss and her teammate Peeta are overwhelmed by being so spoiled by rich food and attendants at their beck and call. But there is still an overwhelming nervousness of what is to come. They have an advisor, you could call him, who was a previous winner of the games from district 12. He is all but useless to Katniss and Peeta, since he is bitter and drunk all the time.

Somehow, he manages to give them useful tidbits from time to time before they are released into a huge "arena" which seems more like a giant stretch of wild land. Cameras watch their every move and announcements can be made for all the players to hear. Each night the pictures of the fallen players are displayed on a large screen over the arena. Each district has "sponsors" who can send supplies to the players need during the game.

Katniss is able to survive with a few supplies provided, and goes as far away from the starting point as she can get. She is very good at hunting and gathering from her experiences before the games, and is able to use a bow and arrow and climb trees exceedingly well.

She is able to avoid much of the violence at the beginning of the games, by running and hiding. After a brief alliance with another player ends when that player is killed, there is an announcement that if the final two players from a district remain, they will both be named the winner. Katniss and Peeta eventually team up and against the odds, become the final two players. They are waiting to be released when the announcement is made that only one can be the winner. When they outsmart the game, they are both declared the winners, but the Capitol is not happy that they have been tricked. Stay tuned for book two: Catching Fire.

This book is about survival, and the relationship she has with Peeta, and the other players. I would give it a 5 out of 5, and would read it again. Can't wait for book 2!

Review for True Colors

First of all, doesn't this title just automatically make you think of the song "True Colors" by Phil Collins? Or am I the only one.

I would give this book a 4 out of 5. I'm a tough critic.

True Colors is about 3 sisters: the oldest, Aurora, the middle, Winona and the youngest, Vivi Ann.

When this book begins, the girls' mother dies. Vivi Ann is much too young to understand why their mother isn't coming back. Their father is inconsolable, and never pulls out of it.

Skip to 10 years later. Aurora is married with two kids, Winona is a successful lawyer in the small town they live in, and Vivi Ann is living with their dad on their ranch that is barely keeping above water.

Although Winona is successful in her career, she struggles with several things. She is overweight, and has never been in love. She is jealous of Vivi Ann who is the town belle, beautiful and vibrant and charming. I felt Winona's jealousy and disliked Vivi Ann myself for being so charmed never with a care in the world.

Vivi Ann is the only one who seems to be able to obtain their father's approval. She takes care of him and helps with the ranch and teaches 4-H. She meets every week with her two sisters at their favorite bar to talk and catch up.

Everything changes when Dallas Raintree moves to town. Winona has taken over the responsibility of hiring a decent ranch hand after Vivi Ann proves to be unable to hire one who will stick around, much less do any work. Winona interviews Dallas, and although he scares her, he seems to know how to work so she hires him as the new ranch hand.

Meanwhile, Winona's childhood friend/lifelong crush Luke comes back to town. To Winona's disappointment, he falls madly in love with Vivi Ann. Winona is too self-loathing and stubborn to admit to Vivi Ann (who goes through men every 5 minutes) her feelings for Luke. Instead, her jealousy festers, driving a wedge between them. Aurora, who takes a back seat in this story, tries to keep the peace, but all Winona can see is Aurora taking Vivi Ann's side.

When Winona discovers that Vivi Ann, although engaged to Luke, has been having a secret affair with Dallas, she cannot wait to get the cat out of the bag. She immediately tells Luke, and her father. Both are devastated. Their family has quite a history in this small town, and there is nothing that their father cares about more than appearances.

Vivi Ann and Luke break up, and despite the disapproval of the whole town, she marries Dallas, and they have a son. Dallas and Vivi Ann are madly in love, continue working on the ranch, and make it successful with riding events on the weekends.

Winona and Vivi Ann have been split completely apart by the betrayal, and when Dallas is accused of murdering a woman in town, Winona refuses to be Dallas' lawyer. Every one in town thinks Dallas did it, including Winona and their father. We come to find out that Dallas had a long criminal history, and he doesn't deny being involved. He feels like the system is so against him, that anything he does or says will only he held against him.

So Dallas goes to jail, and Vivi Ann is beyond heart broken. The final nail in the coffin for any remaining relationship between Winona and Vivi Ann. Aurora also all but disowns Winona for refusing to help Dallas in his trial. Appeal after appeal after appeal are put in for the release of Dallas, but to no avail. Each denied appeal crushes a little more of Vivi Ann's spirit. Dallas can't stand to see this happening to Vivi Ann, refusing to see her and finally divorces her, thinking she will move on.

Another 10 years later, Aurora is divorced, Winona is running for mayor, and Vivi Ann is preoccupied with running the ranch and raising her son, Noah, who never knew his father. Noah is often getting in fights with the other kids who make fun of his Native American heritage and put him down for his murderer father.

Despite the odds against them, Winona and Noah develop a friendship while he is working for her during the summer. One afternoon they are invited to go boating with Winona's neighbor and his daughter. Noah falls for the neighbor's daughter Cissy over the summer and begins to pull out of his teen angst. He eventually asks for Winona's help to release his father from jail.

The story ends after one more dissappointing appeal, when Winona is able to identify the true killer and Dallas is finally set free. The three sisters are reunited, as well as Vivi Ann's broken family.

Though I think the story was dragged out a little too long, I could appreciate the ups and downs that made it relatable to the ups and downs in life. I was plesantly surprised by the way the author was able to conclude the story with a realistic happy ending that lead to a closer family.

I like to ride my BIKE!

Meet my bike. My dirtbike. My KTM dirtbike. My 2009 KTM 105 dirtbike.

(Hear "Eye of the Tiger" playing in the background? I thought so.)


"It's the eye of the tiger, it's the cream of the fight
Risin' up to the challenge of our rival
And the last known survivor stalks his prey in the night
And he's watchin' us all in the eye of the tiger"



Yeah! That's me in those tough looking boots and helmet! Recently I have gone mad. Stark raving mad!! It was time to do something only a crazy woman would do. I'm going to learn how to dirtbike. YUP. Heaven help us all.

Today, I learned how to start it. Big deal, I know. I haven't gotten the rest of my protective gear yet, so I gotta stay stationary in the garage. Soon, I'll be riding through the open dirt road! Yee-haw!

Top 5 Reasons I Like to Run Races

5. Getting cool T-shirts
4. Guilt-free carb load-up the night before
3. Runner's high
2. Good feeling of soreness
1. Running with awesome friends!!

Wonders of a Woman's Purse

The Purse. Every woman has one. Whether she uses it or not may be another story, but for most of us, it's a necessity.

For me, BUYING one is no joy. I personally think some purses look so weird, that it just makes me want to run to the shoe store for comfort. (I guess that goes to show where my priorities are!) So I will waste no time giving advice I don't have about purchasing a purse.

I like to call mine the black hole. Since I refuse to spend more than $50 for a purse (and even then, I'm not sure I've spent THAT much), mine is basically a single compartment that I throw everything into, not like this expensive cotton candy colored Juicy Couture bag above. Like my contrasting picture of a black hole and cute purse?

One day, I'll learn how to integrate pictures into my blog instead of just sticking them at the top. There's a lot of things I'll do one day, right?

Anyways, my purse the black hole. I'm sure everyone can relate to how impressive it is how much stuff we can cram in there. The older we get, the bigger our purse gets. Until it practically (or literally!) turns into a diaper bag, or perhaps a picnic basket.

Since I like making lists, I decided to do this one about the contents of my purse. I was googling to find a picture of a purse, and came across article upon article about what every woman should have in her purse. Some of them were sort of lame and forgettable, but this one seemed to be a little humorous and relatable.

Ok, onto the contents of MY purse:

(in no particular order)

-Sunglasses: hard to believe about 2 years ago, I hated the things. It bugged me feeling something on the bridge of my nose.

-Gum: sometimes I carry a few flavors for variety. My favorites are Trident Peppermint, Extra Strawberry Banana, and 5 Solstice.

-Hand Sanitizer: I don't consider myself an extreme germaphobe, but there isn't much I dislike more than feeling like my hands are dirty.

-Kleenex: This one makes me feel like I'm turning into my mother (hi mom!) because she always carries these packs around. No wonder! You always need a kleenex at the most inopportune times.

-Orange pen: Life is too short to write everything down in black or blue. Sometimes I have a black pen, if I know I'm going to be writing a check.

-Chapstick/Lip gloss: How is it that I end up with 8 different kinds in there?

-Tide pen: I am that messy eater that is lucky to make it all day without spilling something on myself. These things work great, even on grease.

-Tanning goggles: Before you judge me! I do occasionally go to tanning beds, but the majority of the time, I stick to the mystic tans. Shout out to Planet Beach!

-Ocean Spray or Crystal Light individual drink mix packets: Annoyingly enough, I just learned that a serving size is half a packet as if storing an opened packet in my purse isn't going to end badly. Luckily, I carry a...

-32 oz. water bottle: Compliments of Nalgene. No seriously, there are perks to working at a packaging company.

-Assortment of Drugs: Hah. No, I don't sell, nor carry around illegal drugs. Just a few tablets of ibuprofen, allergy medicine, heartburn medicine (for my poor honey) to get by in a pinch.

-Hair band/bobby pin: You never know when you'll need them.

-Tampons: Every woman's necessity. Nothing wrong with a woman's cycle, you prudes!

-Floss/Toothpicks: I actually didn't know they were in here, until I took inventory. Another thing you only need if you don't have on hand!

That was actually a pretty short list compared to some days, but there you go, a peek into my life via purse.

Finding My Own Confidence

Body image, body image, body image! Some people blame the media, the modeling industry, fast food, soda, boredom, working too hard, working too little. There's always an excuse, and always 5 pounds to lose.

People say that women dress for eachother. How true. I know I am not alone when observing other women's bodies, clothes, hair, shoes (OH SHOES!!), pants sizes.... The list goes on and on and on. We are constantly comparing ourselves to other women, strangers and friends alike.

In a recent Newsweek article titled Is That Fat Girl Me? this constant comparison between women is discussed. A study done by a neuroscientist shows 9 men and 10 women pictures of overwight people in swimsuits. The women showed a change in the part of their brain involved in self-reflection. This is same change common in brains of bullimics. What calls to some to extreme action scientists think might be an abnormal development of the brain which controls impulive behavior. It truly is an interesting combination of nature vs. nurture and I highly recommend reading the entire article

In today's media messages, a healthy hefty man is acceptable, while the female standard seems only achieveable through airbrushing, or plastic surgery. "The result is a culture in which women are afraid of even a little fat" so it's no wonder that from a young age, we learn to hate our bodies.

For me, I have always been at a healthy weight. When I gained a few pounds, it would depress me. I would work out really hard one day, and then be tired for a week, and be dissappointed when I saw no results. I simply gave up before I ever gave myself a fair chance. I would feel hopeless, like I would never lose it (even though it was never hard), people didn't like me as much. Can you believe that? All that over 5-10 pounds?

I have to say that watching The Biggest Loser was kind of an eye opener. While I think the rigarous exercise may not be the healthiest way for the contestants, I realized how good I have it. Just listening to the contestants psychological problems, thinking they could never do it then seeing them transform really was inspiring. Each day is an opportunity to take care of your body, and the better you take care of it, the better you feel.

It also made me realize that I needed to relax about my own issues and fears, to just work every day to be healthy, and not worry so much about a number on a scale. My mom always taught me how to eat healthy, so I wasn't worrying about breaking an addiction to fast food or anything really unhealthy. My weakness is that I have an enormous sweet tooth, which is where I know I have to be careful, but learning that all bites taste the same has helped me realize that I can have my cake, and I don't need a huge piece to be satisfied.

Each year I do the M'lis Detox under the supervision of my friend who is a trained distributor of the product. I know that there are a lot of dangerous detoxes out there, so when doing a detox, you definitely need to know what you are getting into. They may not be for everyone, but the reason I do it, is it feels good to kind of recharge and get in tune with my body. I re-learn to pay attention to my body signals, when I'm hungry, when I'm bored, when I'm thirsty, as well as being more conscious about eating healthy whole foods. The more that you cut out excess sodium and sugar, the less you miss and crave it. That is a great place to be.

All my life I've been fairly active, my favorites being dance and pilates.
My favorite at-home workouts are the 10 Minute Solution Pilates Series, and both of the Jackie Warner (from Workout! on Bravo) weight training DVD's.

When I married my husband, he taught me the importance of weight training. Oh yes, he is a drill sergant when it comes to weight training me! No mercy! But he has taught me to believe in myself, and push a little more to gain that strength.

I have always kind of been into running, but having short legs I never could run very fast. Last year, I trained for my first 5k which was the Women's Fitness Celebration. After running a whole 3.1 miles I realized... I CAN do this! I went on to running most of a 10k that October. I'm getting ready to run the Race for the Cure 5k this Saturday. Thanks to my faithful Pearl Izumi running shoes, I'll be shin splint free!

More than ever, I am learning that my worth or success can't be based on what anyone else may be doing. As long as I'm progressing on my own path, that is what makes me happy.

No matter what, there will always be someone taller, skinnier, bustier, prettier, whatever. No one is perfect, no matter how they may seem.

Organic worth it?

I hope all of this rambling makes some sense in my decision to support organic milk.

Ok, so to be completely honest, I'm not huge on most organic products. I'm just not. There, I said it. Most of the time, I just want to be cheap and save some money.

A 2009 article from the TODAY show Organic food: Is it worth the money? brought up some interesting points.

-Basically, it was a compromise to buying organic. Things that you take off the peel are ok to go non-organic: such as kiwi, oranges, mangoes, corn, onions and peas to name a few.

-If you're eating the skin, apples, cherries, strawberries, spinach, then you might want to think about organic. Reason being the the pesticides are right there on the skin, which means right into your body.

Well, if the FDA says it's ok, it can't be that bad, right. This is a pretty controversial issue. There are a lot of things that aren't illegal that aren't necessarily good for you. Fast food, junk food (I always think Twinkies which would last through a nuclear disaster), soda, alcohol, coffee, cigarettes, you get the idea.

You know how many organic fruits and vegetables I have in my fridge: zero. I wouldn't say I'm proud of that fact. For me, there's a higher priority that I find it is worth spending the extra on.

According the article, there's the foods worth considering: milk, beef, poultry. Now that is a little more important to me. While produce is treated with pesticides, the afore mentioned is often treated with hormones. Somehow, that seems a little more scary.

Let me introduce you to Monsanto Company. They are an agricultural biotechnology corporation. Maybe you've heard of them, but maybe not.

More likely, you've heard of rBGH. It is a growth hormone that increases the milk production.

Claims of this hormone causing cancer have yet to be proven. Anytime you add something unnatural to food, which then passes into your body probably isn't necessarily good for you. It is known that rBGH mimics effects of estrogen which can cause females to enter puberty earlier, and lower sperm count in males.

(Side note: you CAN purchase non-organic milk without rBGH, however it doesn't take into consideration treatment or use of pesticides.)

Depending on who you ask, who is sponsoring the survey, you'll get two opposite answers. The weird thing is, unless you are asking a large dairy company or Monsanto themselves, pretty much anyone else completely disagrees.

What I think rBGH boils down to is money. More milk = more money. I'm not a huge conspiracy theorist. However, it's been shown time and time again that large corporations aren't doing anything that doesn't benefit themselves. These large dairy companies, not to mention Monsanto is making millions of dollars off of shortcuts that aren't healthy for the cows, or humans.

It gets better. Hormones can contribute to mastitis, which is an infection of the udder. In order to avoid losing milk (read: $$$), they just keep right on milking the infected cows. Nice. Plus, what comes with infection? PUS. Say it with me: EEEWWW!!!

If you think that's scary, now we're going to talk antibiotics. Antibiotics? Good for making sick people (and animals) better. Bad when they are given to animals, which are then unnecessarily transferred into humans. An overload of unnecissary hormones can cause our bodies to be immune to them, which could mean trouble when we get sick.

On the Organic Valley Website you can read about the 6 reasons to buy organic milk.

So all these things about organic milk sound great! Where do I go buy some? Until you get to the grocery store and realize it is twice as much. Forget it! Right? Wait just a minute.

Here are some reasons why it costs more:

The more you produce, the less you have to charge right?

-Without growth hormones, the cows don't produce as much milk.

-All of the feed and grazing areas have to be organic, which means no pesticides or chemical fertilizers.

-Organic farms are often smaller, family owned establishments, instead of massive "factories".

I don't know about you, but I'm willing to support the family man versus a large corporation.