one less thing on my bucket list.

a few random thoughts... followed by an actual update on my life!

i'm not a huge fan of makeup... but i'm not a snob when it comes to brilliant words of wisdom. no matter where they come from. ;)

this was on my bucket list until a few days ago...

and i got to see it all first-hand.

the sunrise made this so much better!

can you guess who that is?

and of course... i can't forget about my new school!

ta-da!

now i just have to RIDE in one.

obsession

i've been having a recent obsession with harry p.
i think it's acceptable, because i never really obsessed about anything during my childhood...

Source: youtube.com via Alyssa on Pinterest

what i'm up to this month...

you know when people go through phases?
the years that i would only wear my hair in a ponytail...
or braids...
or that i haven't had the same hair color for over a year since my sophomore year of college...
like the time i went through my i-must-have-a-jeep-or-i-will-die phase? (oh wait... that one's still going...)
eating a bell pepper every day for lunch.
learning to play the guitar...

i am a creature of habit, while also being very fickle. 
how does that work?

but speaking of "phases", my mom has been doing some research on cold thermogenesis. 
my mom is definitely the expert on this (she has been doing most of the reading. i have mostly acted as the devils advocate here...) but what sounds like a ridiculous idea, actually is starting to make sense in my head. 
i mean... who in their right mind would ever take an ice-bath? i won't mention the fact that i tried it once when i was a freshman in college... it didn't last very long. cold showers i can handle! especially when it likes to linger around a very mild 100 degrees here...

why cold thermogenesis?
from what i have leeched from my mother, we are "programmed" to store fat during the summer, and burn it off in the winter. well... historically that has been the case. the problem with our current society is that we no longer are subject to our environment. we artificially create our environment. so the fat that we store in the summer... stays in the winter. and then packs more on the next summer... we never get that "hibernation" effect (you know, like bears in winter?) 
so what do you do? 
i know you're just dying to know what all this crazy talk actually means...
beyond the fat loss potential of cold thermogenesis, there is another "side effect". 
think of michael phelps... and swimming in cold water... or maybe the fact that lance armstrong has a gigantic fridge in his house where he exercises on his bike. is there anything significant about these two athletes? they seem to have tapped into some kind of superhuman "power" that enables them to be the best. according to dr. kruse (a neurosurgeon who is one of the main proponents of CT) there is a connection! check out this link for more info. 

more of my own observations to come! 
and i just might try this out... (but it might take some more convincing. i really like my hot showers...)

The Complete Cold Thermogenesis Guide
http://home.trainingpeaks.com/training-and-nutrition-plans/preview.aspx?planid=33738&af=trainingpeaks3%20
Doing this daily will speed up fat loss and recovery. It can enhance athletic performance. That is why Michael Phelps and the other Olympic swimmers train in 50 degree pools. Also Lance Armstrong trains in an industrial size freezer that he had installed in his house. Notes: COLD THERMOGENESIS (CT) This should gradually be added to the Leptin Rx reset protocol (not everyone will need this). CT training should be done at sunrise or after dinner. CAUTION: If you have a serious health condition, please consult a medical doctor before beginning a CT regimen. Immediately stop treatment if you experience light-headedness or a pale pink to white coloration of the skin. Cold Thermogenesis Benefits: Lower body fat Increase hormone levels Reproductive fitness! Fertility Reverse diabetes Cut food cravings Kill fat permanently Strengthen adrenal function Fix thyroid disorder Super immune function Deep sleep Pain management Sense of well being and better attitude Cut visceral fat first Promote cessation of eating disorders BEFORE every CT session: Eat a high fat and/or protein meal Immediately drink 16-32oz of ice cold water. DO NOT drink more than 32oz. Face Dunking: What you need: skin thermometer, a timer, ice, and a bathroom sink or larger bowl. Remove make-up or facial products Get the water between 50-55 degrees Dunk your face into the ice water and hold as long as you can Record time and dunk again Continue for the next two weeks and work your way to using less breaths DO NOT let your skin temperature fall below 50-55 degrees Compression Shirt & Ice: Lay down flat on your back Place a 20-40 lbs block of ice on your torso (whilst wearing compression shirt) Try to extend your time 5 minutes a time until you get to 60 minutes You will notice your skin is pink to cherry read and numb in places If you can complete the 60 minutes- remove the compression shirt and place the bag of ice directly on the skin *Note: If you develop cold urticaria at this time, this is a sign you have high levels of tissue and serum omega six content. Stop the experiment and adjust your diet until you have a blood omega six to three ratio that is below 10 to 1 using a ketogenic paleolithic diet. When you can tolerate the skin being covered for one hour with pink to cherry red skin you’re now ready for the Cold Tub step! Full Body Immersion with Ice: Fill the bathtub with cold tap water Wear socks, gloves, and a knitted cap to keep the heat in your body Add 20 lbs of ice to chest and abdomen When your body is use to the ice you can remove the socks, gloves, and cap DO NOT let your skin temperature fall below 50-55 degrees Stay for 45 minutes Continue daily 2-5 times a week Full Body Immersion with NO Ice: Jump into a pool, lake, or hot tub from the neck down Stay for 10-20 minutes Pay attention to skin color.

good luck! and stay cool! (literally)

camping. on steriods.

i'm never one to back down from a party. especially when i can be the hostess.
or so i thought!

after getting out of the bakery today with 15 loaves of bread, 65 hamburger buns, and spending my arm and part of a leg getting hamburgers and enough oranges to feed an army... i started to wonder at my sanity of agreeing to get food for (at least) 50 people to go camping this weekend. 
hmmmm....
i'll give you my answer when i get back. 
good news: i got 4 free loaves of bread today!

my shopping list for the night:
think bulk and you've pretty much hit the nail on the head. 
that and enough food to feed 50 people for 3 days. i don't know about you, but it sounds like a costco run is in order! and winco. oh winco, i love you! you make shopping for parties so much easier. 

other news:
i was feeling bipolar the other day... and this happened.

this.

to this.

i figured it was far too long since i had been a blonde... and that it was time to bring it back. (not to mention i was ready for a new adventure in hair! yes, i did it all by myself. well... with the aid of my younger sister.) 

hopefully i'll stick with this one for a while. i've decided hairstyling is an expensive hobby. and i'd rather keep my hair...

only very rarely does this happen.

i am up before 7.
with no alarm.
(i just won't admit to the fact that my "fitted sheet" stopped fitting around my bed last night... and i can't sleep when my feet start playing with the bunched-up stuff at the foot of my bed...)
so here i am. 6:30 am. on pinterest. surfing the web. all nice and bundled up in my blankie because going back to sleep wasn't an option.
i need some tea or something...


but i think that breakfast will have to do!
on a whim i packed some pumpkin puree... (i can't ever really explain why i do things like that sometimes). i mean, we're camping. well... ish. in my mind there is nothing "camping" about what we do every year for a week at payette lake. we stay at a condo. and then we bike down to the campground... i tend to think of this as a little sinful. ;)
nevertheless... it does have its benefits.
like a full-on kitchen. and no bugs in my food! (there are definitely times that i relish the taste of ants... but not now. actually... probably never.)


when i was packing all the food to come up here, i found a mysterious bag from winco. with numbers 1747 written on the twisty-tie. looks promising! so i packed it. and found out that it was indeed pancake mix! 
this morning... i was craving pumpkin pancakes. these were... adequate. definitely not up to snuff... as far as pumpkin pancakes go. if you want a REAL recipe. check this one out.
i know i've probably raved about it before. but my raving does not do it justice! 
you. must. try. it!

 and it even looks divine! 

(pic courtesy of two peas and their pod blog)

i'm melting.

i found the man that i want to marry.
no kidding.





his voice melts my soul. (basically to the same degree that i end up in a puddle on the floor when i hear josh groban or michael buble sing...)


:) 
have an awesome week!

swirling tides

you know that feeling you get when life is changing? 
it's like standing in the middle of a river. 
you can feel the current pushing you forward... or you can fight it and try and walk upstream. 
(i don't usually recommend the latter)
i have this theory:
life is going to work out.


i get so caught up in the fast-paced lifestyle... that i forget to stop and smell the roses that are blooming all around my house...

i keep thinking that everything has to be done NOW!
there is no time to breathe. to think. to do anything other than stress about life.
but you know what?
it's all going to be ok.
so sit back. 
breathe.








i have a slight obsession with this song.
:)

the garden. 
my mom didn't get the memo that slavery was abolished...
at least it gives me something to do while i am looking for a job. (any takers?) my dad says that i have "slave labor" written on my forehead. 


speaking of change, my mom talked me into doing a diet... (shhh! you can't tell anyone...)
being an exercise physiology major, i personally find all of these things fascinating... so i am considering this more "research". 
it's all about becoming "leptin sensitive"
so what is leptin you ask?
it is a protein hormone that plays a "key role in regulating energy intake and energy expenditure, including appetite and metabolism." thank you wikipedia for that flash of inspiration...
basically. if you are "leptin sensitive", you don't get hungry. it's a natural appetite suppressant. 

basically... the mouse on the left is you without leptin.

i'm kidding.

there are 5 basic rules to this "leptin reset"

(the foodie in me died a little when i read this.)

rule 1:  never eat after dinner.  

rule 2:  eat three meals a day.  

rule 3:  do not eat large meals.  

rule 4:  eat a breakfast containing protein. 

rule 5:  reduce the amount of carbohydrates eaten.

if you want to read more in-depth about these rules see here.

what i've learned is that WHEN you eat is much more important than WHAT you eat. (this is only partially true... but you will need to do a little research on your own from here on out.)

suffice it to say, when i get munchy around 9:00 every night, the rest of the family packs up and leaves the room. ;)

the basic way of eating follows the paleo-diet. if you've never heard about it, just think caveman. if you didn't have a wal-mart down the street, and instead lived a million years ago, what would you be eating?

and then you eat it. 

and ONLY that.

which is all fine and dandy until you drive past the chinese buffet... 

self control might need to undergo an overhaul as well...

so we're still in the intial stages of this "experiment".

i'll keep you updated.

only 4 more weeks to go...

--------------------

if you would attain to what you are not yet, you must always be displeased by what you are. 

for where you are pleased with yourself there you have remained.

keep adding, 

keep walking, 

keep advancing.

saint augustine