Little Bits of Happiness

Today is Monday. And it's one of those Monday's that everyone seems to be having a "mood".  These are the days I try to be the most grateful for what I have.  Those little happiness's that make me turn my frown upside down. Here are five little things that made this week great.

1.  This post card

(Because now that I'm no longer a vegetarian - I can find the humor in it PLUS who doesn't love mail)

2. This site

(Because you need a little Christian music to lift your spirits, plus it's no longer blocked at work.) 

3. This picture

(Because 278 day till I marry my best friend, plus it means working on save-the-dates)

4. This face

(Because those eyes make you love him more each time you see them.)

5.  This can huggy

(Because it's a inside joke that's wrapped around my new favorite tea)

Smiling yet? What made your week? 

My left hand just got heavier....

Hi people it's been awhile since I've blogged. Life was pretty boring in between then and now....haha not really but I was being super lazy and super busy. Is that an oxymoron?!

I'm here now with some exciting news. I'm sure you know this already since I've broadcast-ed it on every station, had a plane write it in the sky, created a clothing line embroidered with the fact that I'M ENGAGED to my best friend!!

Road trip with Charlie

My kite and I have been dating for almost 5 years, so it's no surprise that this girl wanted to settle down. I wasn't even shy about it--I was apparently not getting any younger (I know it shocked me too). So the story starts out with us going ring shopping in April and I don't care what anyone says this is way more fun than you can ever imagine. We tried on pretty rings and by we I mean ME while my kite just repeatedly telling me they were pretty. Until we saw a few they were just so gosh darn beautiful I had to be dragged out of the store kicking and screaming.

Now flash forward a few months...with me waiting patiently as possible.The weekend started with my Climate Cycle ride. Which is a 125 mile bike ride to Indiana Dunes and back. This year, after discussing it with some of the organizers, I decided since I didn't train hard enough and didn't raise even close to my fundraising goal that I would just do the 62 mile back from Indiana. It was a tough choice, it sorta left me feeling like I failed. But something was better than nothing. So 62 miles it was....ready or not.

Father's day morning and 15 miles into my ride, I checked my phone and got a message saying that our new little nephew was on his way. He wasn't due for another week, but as his father predicted, he was ready to be a father's day present. That made the rest of my ride exciting, because I thought baby kite would be here by then. I made it to Chicago later that afternoon. It was long but not one bit as bad as I thought it would be, in fact I rode much faster then previous years. So ride success. And thus begins the wait of baby kite. 24 long hours later and our little nephew Carter Liam was born the next morning on his daddy's birthday.

Best present ever I'd say. He is absolutely AMAZING and perfect!

Here is little Carter Liam at 6 days old.

While mommy and baby Carter rested that night my kite and I went to my folks house for dinner for a belated father's day celebration.  It was a normal casual night and on the way home we stopped and got some late night ice cream in our town. It was a beautiful summer night, so when we got home, we took the dogs for a long walk. Came back and cuddled with the dogs.

The clock hit 11:11pm and my kite asked me if I'm going to make my daily wish. Umm of course, I have two wishes I wish for at any chance I get. (1. Lose 20 pounds and 2. Get engaged to my kite. Guess which one I chose that night?) After making my wish silently to myself, my kite asked what I wished for. I told him, "Pfft..I can't tell you, it won't come true then." and my kite being romantic out of nowhere said,  "What happens if I can make it come true?!" and pulled a ring from behind him and asked if I'd marry him.

My reaction was "SERIOUSLY?!" and then "YES". I was beyond thrown off from the whole weekends events and timing.

 Look at this BLING, because I honestly can't stop looking at it! Totally worth the wait.

The funny part was afterward, much like after I open presents he tells me what he "WAS going to get me."  My kite told me that he was going to propose for the past two weeks but got nervous each time. So ladies and gentlemen please give him an AWWWW!  That's our story and I'm totally stoked to marry my kite!

Two weeks later and I have not wasted anytime with planning. So stay tuned for crazy wedding planning updates. This shit just got REAL!

Wedding planning. 

Step It Up

Finally it's been 15 days into the Paleo Challenge. Two weeks down, Six weeks to go! It feels good to be at the quarter-way point. So far things have gotten so much easier physically, BUT mentally not so much. I never went this long without a Larabar. I catch myself thinking about treats, like CAKE. I don't even like cake that much, I'm more of a ice cream gal. But my gosh if you were eating a piece of cake in front of me, I might threaten your life for it. Hence why I haven't been invited to birthday parties lately!
Also, this no alcohol thing is really making my friends seem less funny. Sorry friends! You may want to step up your game a bit.


A few new things...

Sunday was a great day. My kite and I did the Children's Memorial Hospital-Step Up for Kids. Which is a stairclimb of 80 flights of stairs in the Aon Building. It was a great event. I did it last year, but this year my kite did it with me. He really was a great support, pushing me through the whole thing. I'm so glad we did this together. I was 4 minutes slower this year from last year, I blame squats. I blame everything on squats.

Thanks to my friend Tami who recommended Door to Door Organics. Which is produce co-op delivery service. I ordered the bitty box to see what it was all about. My first delivery came on Thursday and was waiting for me when I got home. It was perfect. The organic romaine, might have been the best lettuce I've ever eaten. Check out the link when you can.

This weekend was topped off with a wonderful purchase. I finally got a food processor. I can't believe I lived this long without one. We walked into Sur la table randomly, which by the way I would marry this store if I could. It was so amazing there, I had to be dragged out of it-kicking and screaming. But before I left I found the perfect food processor in my favorite color...envious GREEN!

This week was jam packed with Paleo Foods. And I was on a BigAss Salad kick.

I started the week with fried eggs with cabbage, bacon, pear and spinach.

I experimented with a couple of things. I fried some plantain chips in coconut oil. They were beyond delicious. You definitely need to try this if you miss chips at all. Now I want to try bananas next.

I also experimented with making some coconut butter. I have to admit I have never tried coconut butter, but I've been hearing such great things about it, I had to try it. I found NomNomPaleo's recipe. Which by the way is one of my favorite food porn sites. And took this out for a spin. My first batch involved me breaking a wooden spoon, but my second batch came out so much better. It was less woody.

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For emergency protein this week. I made some spicy chicken thighs in the crockpot. And they came in handy. I paired it with a few kalmata olives and some EVOO for a snack.

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For breakfast this week I made a veggie quiche with cabbage, onions, and mushrooms. Mmm.

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My bitty box came with the perfect sized yams, which I ate with the quiche on WOD days. Perfect with a little ghee and some cinnamon.

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I marinaded some lime chicken for the grill, but I couldn't get the grill to work, so they were broiled. Good, but needed that char flavor. I paired with acorn squash and salad.

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I also marinated a bunch of steak, so I had the same meal twice this week. Grilled steak with greek green beans and you guessed it. Salad.

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I made a version of individual Meatza's from the cookbook Well Fed. I made one with leftover sauteed cabbage, mushrooms, bell pepper, and onions. And added leftover chicken breast and bacon crumbles. For my non-paleo kite, I made his with cheese, chicken breast, bacon crumbles, and BBQ sauce. I loved this and want to try other versions ASAP.

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I made the best BigAss Salad this week. Because I couldn't get enough salad, seriously. I used organic romaine lettuce from my bitty box. I swear I Mmm-Mmmed the entire time. The best part was I used what I had in the fridge and it worked.

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And I ended the week with my favorite comfort food. Chicken Noodle-less Soup. The simplest thing EVER. I usually add avocado and lots and lots of lemon. Greek Style baby!

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And while my Chicken soup was simmering I decided to experiment with making some almond butter in my favorite appliance (shhh..don't tell the espresso machine). Nuts, a pinch of sea salt, and tsp of light evoo. BAM. Delicious! Thanks for the idea Sgt. Friday!

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While I was doing all of this 'slaving in the kitchen', I caught my kite being all handy n' shit. I know I was shocked too. I thought things just magically fixed themselves. But apparently guys do actually fix things when you're not looking!

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That was this weeks eats. Now on to week Three. Stay tuned.