Food & Photos

It's here! You are now looking at my reading material for the rest of the month. (Well, I'm actually about half-way through it already because I skipped some parts. They said I could.)

I'm getting more excited for the Whole30, which as I wrote in this post, I'll be starting Jan. 2. I'm still looking for anyone who is interested in joining. It's not just about "dieting" and weight loss, but also about the lifestyle benefits. Not only is Whole30 designed to increase energy, it also helps with a whole list of other issues (like inflammation and diabetes). So if you want to give it a whirl with us (Nick is joining me, as well as several of my girl friends), you are cordially and officially invited. It lasts for 30 days, so come on, who can't try it?! :)

If you are skeptical and want to see how it goes for Nick and me, just keep checking my blog as I plan to post plenty of updates. (Especially when I'm struggling!) I'll try to get Nick to add some thoughts/guest posts too, so you can get a guy's perspective.

In other news, if you haven't seen them yet, my engagement pictures are here! I have posted some of our favorites to a rather "protected" Facebook album (to guard against those who have been a little too stalkery). If you can't see it, just shoot me a message and I'll add you to the viewers.

And speaking of photos, I think I found photography bliss. This is now on my "I kind of want this really bad" list. :)

Life Revelations, a Few Years Later

Sometimes things get worse before they get better.

Sometimes they get a LOT worse.

I somehow got sucked into looking at old Facebook posts tonight on my profile. Thanks to the wonder of the timeline, it's easy to go back a few years and look at the silly things you used to write. Mixed in with the silly is the occasional meaningful post, or the post with an underlying message that the average reader wouldn't catch. But you know what's there, you lived the raw emotions, the moments of desolation, the secret fears.

I covered a lot of ground in the past 3+ years. Emotional roller coaster after emotional roller coaster. There were the highest highs and the lowest lows, and looking back, I remember many moments where I felt utterly lost.

I felt the most lost when I lived in Colorado and when I first moved back to Iowa. I know because I remember. I was reminded of that tonight when I crossed a few posts that said things to the effect of, "I wish I could figure out my life."

Okay, we all wish we could figure out our lives, because who really has it all together? But sometimes we're more lost and confused than other times. And that was my season, Denver to Clinton, I was so lost. That was the lowest of the low, when I hit rock bottom. I remember constantly thinking, where am I going and what am I doing? Life felt like a wilderness and I was wandering across it, not even sure if I was headed in the right direction, parched and looking for shelter.

One of the biggest things I learned was that life can take the steepest of downhill plunges before it even begins to get better. Looking back on that wilderness now, it seems so far away. Now, on this side where things are starting to make so much more sense and I have less of the "what am I doing?" feeling. Now it's like I can see again. And with 20-20, I know the past was the way it was for a reason. There was desolation, but there was also life and growth. The sand of the wilderness shaped who I am, who I am becoming.

Now I know that life sometimes reaches the point where you think you've come to the end of all things. Sometimes it feels like you've sunk so low you'll drown beneath the weight of everything crushing above you. Sometimes it feels like the wilderness is endless.

But if there is one thing I've learned, it's that life does get better. Maybe it takes months or years, but eventually we come to the end of the wilderness. And if we've learned all we needed to, we'll come out refined, purged, wiser, and able to see the path before us.

Here's to finding that path and following it wholeheartedly. Here's to remembering that when the worst comes, sometimes what's better is just behind that distant horizon. Here's to remembering that the wilderness is not endless.

The Non-New Year's Resolution Resolution

I do not make New Year's resolutions. Ever. I actually hate them. I hate them because there's a stigma associated with them: they are temporary, lots of people set them, and no one keeps them for more than a week.

So rather than join the crowd and set myself up to fail at my resolution and thus feel guilty, I never set resolutions.

That is why, even though this "resolution" will start in January, it is not a New Year's resolution. It's an "I'm going to start as soon as the holidays are over" resolution. And one that is not going to be dropped in a week because I have to do it for 30 days. And I will.

So what's this resolution?

In January, I and some other individuals will be kicking off the Whole30. You can click that link and find out all about it. I originally heard about it through my friend Cami, who recently completed her 30 days. Today I ordered the book, and I'm really excited about getting started.

The biggest thing I'm looking forward to is actually feeling healthy again. After moving back to Clinton, I've felt like I've been slowly dragged down into a pit of unhealthiness. And though I've tried to stay active, sitting at a desk all day and then feeling wiped out in the evening hasn't helped.

So that's my resolution, and now it's your turn. I'm inviting anyone else who wants to try the Whole30 to join me in this resolution. The best way to get through anything challenging is with friends by your side. So, let's do this together. So far Nick has agreed to join me, and my dear friend Jessica will also be starting Whole30 in January. (I'm also working on getting my mom to join.)

My plan is to start Jan. 2, 2013. I'll be blogging throughout the 30 days, both to share my experience and keep myself accountable. If you are going to join in, please leave a comment here or on my Facebook page. I'll be keeping up with all of you as well; hopefully we can share ideas, support, and encouragement.

Also, if you're joining, consider taking before pictures and/or measurements so we can compare those to the end result and celebrate our successes! If you have a blog, let me know and I will link to it so we can all share our thoughts and experiences.

Why I Love Halloween [Belated]

For those who couldn't tell by my three costumes this year, I love Halloween. It's been one of my favorite holidays since childhood.

Me as Katy Perry on Oct. 31, 2012.

After having conversations about why some people don't celebrate Halloween, I felt the need to evaluate why, as an adult, I still have an obsession with the day.

One of my favorite things to do as a kid was to play dress-up, and not just on Halloween. I had a whole chest full of old clothes, hats and scarves that I would dig into on a near-daily basis. Looking back, that was probably the beginning of my clothing obsession.

Playing dress up in what also served as a Halloween costume. (Circa 1989)

Trick-or-treating in a re-purposed costume with my parents' god-daughter. (Circa 1995)

Halloween just compounded my love for creating outfits, stepping into character, and spending a day marauding around neighborhoods seeking treats. (I won't say when I stopped trick-or-treating, but in my defense, I took children door-to-door with me.) And let's face it, that love never really left. So besides "dressing up" in normal clothes every day, Halloween is the one day (or more often, week) a year I can go all-out.

Lord of the Rings night at youth group, and another re-purposed costume. (2003)

First Halloween in college. (2004)

So I had to face the fact that some things never change. And because of that, Halloween is also my dose of nostalgia. I like feeling like a kid again and I like the idea of feeling like a kid again, of doing something I have always loved.

I've also always chosen to focus on the lighthearted side of Halloween. It's a day for dressing up, carving pumpkins, asking for (or as an adult, handing out) candy, and spending time with the kids in your family.

Halloween 2008. Michael was Frodo and I was a fairy. Recognize the wings? :)

Halloween 2009 with my friend Liz.

Halloween 2010 with Margaret and Emily.

Halloween 2011 with my mom.

And as an adult, Halloween has also become more about the creative aspect. I love designing costumes, doing makeup and seeing the finished product come together. This year I got to put together three different outfits because of different events and parties. And, not only did I get to put together my costumes, I also got to help Michael and Nick with their costumes and makeup. So just know, if you ever need costume/makeup help, I'm your go-to girl! ;)

Nick and I as pirates on Oct. 27, 2012.

Michael as the Joker (did his makeup!) and me.

My vampire getup made an appearance at work for a costume contest on Oct. 26, 2012.

What are your thoughts on Halloween? Did you participate in Halloween festivities this year? Any costume ideas or pictures you'd like to share?