10 weeks – beating the craving

10 Weeks - Babe 2

It’s hard to believe that I only have 3 weeks left of my first trimester, and I have to keep reminding myself that I’m allowed to talk about the fact that I’m pregnant! The Lord has been especially gracious to me in that I haven’t experienced any sort of real “morning sickness”. At the very beginning of the pregnancy I felt queasy randomly, but it was mostly from the cramping that comes with my uterus expanding so rapidly (sorry, guys). I’ve pretty much leveled out, and I now only feel sick if I see or smell certain foods that I really happen to not want at the moment. I’m so thankful for this, because being a personal trainer, I can’t exactly take off of work or work from home if I’m sick. I just miss clients if I’m not able to make it. So glad not a whole lot of that has happened!

I have a story to share with you. I haven’t experienced many strong cravings, but one in particular is pretty humorous… now. :)

About a 2 weeks ago, I had finished up with a client one day and had some free time before my next one. Had a super strong craving for a breakfast chicken biscuit from Chick-Fil-A. Looked at the time, and I had about 10 mins to get over there before they stopped serving breakfast at 10:30a. So, I rushed over, and got in the drive-thru line with a few minutes to spare. But by the time I got up to order, it was 10:32. I ordered anyway, and the lady behind the speaker informed me that they were no longer serving breakfast. I explained that I was in line before 10:30, and she apologized but said that they stop breakfast promptly at 10:30. Y’all, my eyes started welling up with tears. She then asked me to hold on for a second, and started talking to someone in the back. After she came back, she said that they do have one left that I can have, and I proceeded to complete my order, delighted. After rolling up my window and driving over to pay, I thought to myself, “I almost just cried over a chicken biscuit. I am emotionally invested in a chicken biscuit.”

Moral of the story, my new rule of thumb for fighting the unhealthy cravings is this: if I’m not going to cry by not getting to eat it, I try to pick a healthier option. Even if it’s not the healthiEST, a smoothie is still healthier than the milkshake I might want, and will satisfy that sweet tooth. I’m absolutely not as strict on my diet as I used to be. Cheat meals are happening a lot more often than I would have ever allowed for myself before. But for the most part, I’m still choosing whole, nutrient packed foods over junk. Still prepping meals (correction, Ryan is prepping meals like a champ) and eating them every day (cooking ahead of time helps!). If this is really difficult for you, know that you are not alone. There are other pregnant women fighting that urge along with you! Remember that you are growing a child, so their health is greatly impacted by your health. That motivates me to stay strong most of the time. A lot of times it’s easy to trash our own bodies because for some reason we don’t value them as much as we should (we are stewards of these great gifts God has given to us!). But when it comes to the health of your child… now that is a good motivation to keep yourself clean in what you’re putting in your body in a moment of weakness.

What have been your craziest cravings? What did you do about it? Do you have a game plan in how to resist those unhealthy urges? I’d love to hear your input!

10 Week Update:

How Far Along: 10 weeks

Total Weight Gain: Haven’t weighed myself… I’m the worst at that because I don’t really believe in weighing more than once a month (don’t do it, y’all!).

Maternity Clothes?: Nah.

Stretch Marks: Nope.

Sleep: Ehh, could be better.

Best Moment of This Week: Seeing Jurassic World! Yep, my life is that exciting.

Miss Anything: My memory. I’m told it never comes back. I’m sorry, you guys. I have no idea what’s going on ever.

Movement: Nope.

Food Cravings: I really wanted that brisket sandwich from Oklahoma Joe’s in KC Monday night. Still want it today.

Anything Making You Queasy or Sick: Please don’t talk about gross things around me. Especially food or body parts.

Have You Started to Show Yet?: I think so! I’m popping out a bit. Still just feel fat, but for someone who’s not used to having a stomach, I def feel like I look different. Ryan thinks so, too.

Gender: ??

Happy or Moody Most of the Time?: I’m losing my “hold your tongue” filter. Someone said something rude to me the other day, and I straight up told them that it was rude and walked away. Haha… kinda not sorry about it.

Looking Forward To: Fall! I’m already over summer and it’s only June.

the biggest race of our lives

It’s been quite some time since I’ve blogged consistently, but I feel that this special announcement is a good reason/motivation to start back up again.

Baby Announcement

We are pretty thrilled to announce that we have a sweet babe on the way! I am 9 weeks as of yesterday, so we are still very early in our journey. We had a blast telling our families over the past couple of months, and they will be SO very relieved that they can now share the news with others!

My plan is to document my pregnancy here on this blog. Posts will consist of everything from a simple milestone documentation, to tips and lessons I’ll learn along the way. I’m excited to journey through this pregnancy while sharing struggles and victories, and hopefully encourage others that staying fit and healthy during pregnancy is possible and doesn’t have to be torturous!

So, here we go for the first set of questions:

How Far Along: 9 weeks

Total Weight Gain: None (though it sure feels like it already!)

Maternity Clothes?: Nope, not yet. But am I complaining that my daily work attire is stretchy pants? Not at all. Advantages to being a personal trainer.

Stretch Marks: None

Sleep: It’s off and on. Sometimes I sleep hard, other times I’m waking up every hour. Constantly feel like I could take a nap throughout the day, though.

Best Moment of This Week: Last Friday we had our first ultrasound and got to see the babe! Looks like a little gummy bear right now, but that heart was flickering strong!

Miss Anything: Working out hard without it feeling hard. I for real am out of breath after climbing a flight of stairs. I feel lame. Reminding myself that I’m growing a person.

Movement: Nothing I can feel. Although babe is supposed to start moving its limbs this week! Jus’ swimmin’ around.

Food Cravings: It changes almost daily. The only REAL cravings I’ve had so far are 1) Romaine lettuce with Olive Garden dressing, and 2) Chick-Fil-A Chicken Biscuit. But for real, that biscuit sounds terrible right now. Sometimes I don’t know what I want to eat until it’s in my mouth (you can pray for Ryan).

Anything Making You Queasy or Sick: Greasy foods have made me sick after eating them this week. That’s a new thing.

Have You Started to Show Yet?: Close friends are telling me no. But you know that you know your body. I feel like I look bigger. Not “showing”, just fatter. :)

Gender: What are you, baby??

Happy or Moody Most of the Time?: Uhhh, I’m not weepy at all, but I feel like I could afford more patience in my life.

Looking Forward To: All of you knowing and journeying with us! Thanks for sharing in our joy.

advent

Greetings, after a long, unplanned hiatus. :) The past several months have gone by so much faster and were so much fuller than I expected, but in a good way. Lots has happened since July, but I don’t have time to tell you about that now. You can check all of that out in our Christmas letter that I’ll post soon. For now, I have a super fun advent project I’d like to share with you. If you haven’t prepped for advent or have never walked through December in this way, I encourage you to do so! It’s an incredible way to remember God’s promises from the Old Testament into the New, and what the anticipation of the Messiah means for us. If you want an advent guide and don’t know where to start, I recommend this study, Sacred Christmas, written by a friend of mine who you will just love. You’ll be a little bit behind as advent starts on Sunday, but it’s still worth it.

I’ve never done the advent candles before, but I love symbolism, so I decided to put together some candle jars this year. I’m not finished with them yet because I need to go buy some small floating candles that will fit in the mason jars. When finished, they’ll have some greenery and cranberries floating around with the candles.

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Next, I wanted to make a countdown ’til Christmas calendar. I found this super cool piece of wood at Hobby Lobby of all places. Decided to apply some chalkboard paint to it, which, I mean, just makes everything so much better.

P1040092Also, pink pencil.

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Since the wooden piece was basically just a slice of stump, I nailed a sawtooth hanger onto the back.

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That embroidery hoop with the string is our Christmas card holder this year. :)

Lovin’ this little wall here. Also, we got our Christmas tree today! We are full on Christmas in this house. Let the holidays commence!

from blue to green

In 6 short days we leave for Ireland! I truly can’t believe it. Life has been on fast forward for what seems like all year. We had our last trip meeting today, and it just hit me that this time next week I will be in one of the most beautiful places on earth! God is good. You can read more about our trip here. If you would like to give towards our trip and our team’s efforts, you can do that here.

We got to meet the pastor we’ll be working with over Skype during our meeting today, and I am so excited about what God has in store. They are extremely busy receiving 2 other teams before we arrive within the next few days, and definitely have their work cut out for them. Keep them in your prayers as they are the ones on the ground long after we come and go from Sligo. If you’d like a copy of the prayer calendar for their church, let me know and I will gladly get it to you!

 

As you’ll remember from my last post, Ryan and I got to spend a week in Destin with his family. It was such a relaxing time, and really great quality time with the fam. We both felt really thankful for the trip this year. It was perfect timing, and a break we know is purely a gift, enjoying the Creator’s work and worshipping him for his beauty. While there, I made one of our cousins follow me to the shoreline during sunset so I could snap those incredible colors behind her pretty face. Here are a few we came out with:

 

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And I handed her the camera and had her snap one of me too. Sometimes I like to pretend I’m still a dancer.

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You can find more photos from our trip here.

We’ve had a summer full of adventure, and still have so much ahead of us! Stay tuned for some photos of green grass and excited Americans. :)

beach work

The weather here in Destin has been so perfect. Last year we had a week full of storms, so we have fully enjoyed the sunshine and clear water this time around.

I’ve gotten a few great workouts in, and wanted to share one with you! Here’s a full body workout you can perform almost anywhere with using no other equipment but your body! Let me know if you give it a try!

You’ll perform each of these exercises for 50 seconds a piece. If you don’t have a watch, just do 10-15 reps of each. After each exercise, sprint for 20 seconds (10 seconds in one direction, 10 seconds back… try to pass your starting position in the last 10 seconds of your sprint for a challenge!).

Start out with a Squat and Calf Raise. Watch those knees and make sure they don’t pass your toes. Keep your chest up.
Work for 50 seconds, then immediately go into your 20 second sprint.

Squat and Calf Raise

 

Next up is a Star Jump Burpee. Same thing as a regular Burpee, but jump up into a Star Jump on the way up. Again, work for 50 seconds and then go right into your 20 second sprint.

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Hold a Plank for 50 seconds. Make sure your hips are low and your back is flat. Also, keep that neck in neutral. Immediate sprint following.

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Next is Explosive Lunges. You’ll do 25 seconds on one leg leading, then 25 on the other lead. Jump for height, and try to land as softly as possible, watching that knee to make sure it doesn’t pass your toe. Follow it with the sprint!

Explosive Lunges

Go right into a Reverse Pushup. This pushup is for your triceps, shoulders, and back. You’ll start with a tricep pushup, keeping your elbows in to where they are brushing your sides on the way down. Hold it there, and keeping your hips as low as possible, drive through the palms of your hands and push your body backwards, towards your feet. From there, move back into the plank position and start again. And of course, follow with your sprint!

Reverse Pushups

After that one is a Hamstring Walk. Start on your back with your arms at your sides, and lift your hips. Walk your legs out, taking about 3-4 steps out, and then back in. Follow with a sprint!

Hamstring Walk

And finish it up with a bicycle crunch. Instead of making big circles with your legs like a typical bicycle movement, try pointing and reaching that straight leg hard. Hold for half a second and switch. Jump up and finish the set with your sprint.

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Take a 60 second – 2 min break and start again, 2-3 times total. Make sure to drink tons of water before your workout!

 

Here’s a couple yoga poses just for fun!

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june-ness

Well, hey there. As you’ve figured out through reading this, I have not died. June did give me a run for my money, though. I don’t know why I always forget how crazy June is. Ryan and I are all over the place most of July, so this June was especially busy with preparation for our absence. But I did survive June, and am living to tell about it.

As I type this I am in the car driving (actually, Ryan’s driving) to Destin, FL. Thanks to having a husband in IT, I bring you this post. Ryan’s family goes to Florida every year on the July 4th week, and we are blessed to hop on board with their tradition. I am looking forward to running on that white beach tomorrow morning.

Here’s a rundown of our June adventures. This month we:

  • Said goodbye to 2 sets of friends moving away
  • Hired a new admin & preschool director for the Downtown Campus (my workplace)
  • Had an all-day training for CARES (the Apartment Life ministry we’ll be starting in Oct)
  • Helped some friends that are already a CARES team host an event for their residents
  • Hosted our first Downtown Campus Prayer & Praise Night
  • Hung out with one of my dearest friends (& bridesmaid in my wedding!) who is a brilliant photographer living in Chicago
  • Hosted a reception for some friends that got married in Puerto Rico last month (and baked 8 dozen cookies for it)
  • Celebrated a few birthdays for friends & family
  • Rearranged the office, and Ryan built more pallet walls to accommodate
  • Planned Houston 1:8 (with our awesome site leaders) to be ready for me not being present for half of it
  • And my dad accepted a job in Orlando & my parents are moving this weekend!

Not to mention, you know, work and teaching classes. :) Told ya June had me busy. I’ve also moved most of my personal workouts to the morning time at 6a because it seems to be the only time I can actually get a good workout in with my schedule. If you know me, you know that the fact I can be aware enough of what’s going on that early in the morning, and can make it to the gym and move in a coordinated manor as to perform exercises is almost a miracle. People can change, y’all. And God’s grace is pretty impressive in my life at 5:20a as of late.

Here are some pics to go along with some of our June-ness. I’ll let you know how Destin is (Ps. It’s going to be fabulous).

Carly, our new admin:

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Office Rearranging:

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Ryan, the popcorn man at our friends’ CARES event:

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Our cousin, Kate’s birthday lunch with the girls at Rainforest Cafe:

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Praise & Prayer Night:

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Peter & Karenie’s Reception: DSC_0369

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DSC_0372Guys… you HAVE to try these Cookie Butter Cookies. You won’t regret it.

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Hope y’all have had a super fun summer so far! I’ll be back with photos of sand and water, and maybe even a yoga pose or two and a beach workout. :)

ribs & babies

Summer is officially in session, which is kind of blowing my mind. We had our first Ireland trip meeting today, and I can already tell that this team is going to be super fun, which means the trip is going to be awesome. I feel like so much has been going on that I haven’t really thought much about the summer. But now that we are in June, it’s all starting to hit me. All at once.

Last Monday we partied it up with Ryan’s family for Memorial Day. Unfortunately the weather was super overcast and it ended up raining for majority of the day, but that didn’t keep us out of the pool and hot tub. We had a great time and ate some awesome food.

Speaking of the food, Ryan participated in a competition against his uncle and one of his aunts for a rib cook-off. The rest of us thoroughly enjoyed getting to feast on delicious ribs and vote on our favorite. They numbered the ribs: 1, 2, and 3, and had us vote on our favorite without knowing who made which kind. You guys, my huz won! For real. He worked so hard on these things and spent a day reading up on the whole process that goes into making the perfect ribs. He even made his own barbecue sauce, which we thankfully had leftovers of and used on everything we ate.

Here are some pics of our fun:

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Last night we got to babysit for our good friends, Josh and Jamie, and spend time with their sweet boys, Noah and Levi. These kids are just the cutest! We had a lot of fun playing, feeding them dinner, giving them baths, and getting them ready for bed. Just call us the baby whisperers.

DSC_0227clearly underwhelmed at my attempts to get them to open their mouths.

DSC_0231what a little heart breaker. (Levi)

DSC_0260those eyes! (Noah)

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So fun. These little guys have the best personalities, and it’s so great to watch them interact with each other. We had a blast. Can you believe they’ll be 1 soon? Crazy!

We’ve had a great week, and are looking forward to what’s to come! We’ve got Destin, Houston 1:8, Ireland, and a weekend getaway with my fam in Arkansas all happening in the next couple of months. Oh, and you’ll be hearing from me soon about a new endeavor we’re about to take on in the Fall with Apartment Life! Stay tuned for more adventures of the Butterfri (can’t remember who exactly came up with that one, but I’m lovin’ it).

#geekout

This weekend we went out on a date with the theme pulled from the good ole Jar O’ Dates. I admit I was a bit nervous when I read a popsicle stick that said #geekout. I had no idea what to expect. Ryan is really good at planning dates for us. Just sayin. Even with a geeky theme we had a crazy fun date.

We geared up and drove downtown, me having no idea where we were going or what to expect.

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When we made it downtown and were driving around to park, I kept noticing all these people dressed up in costumes and totally decked out in a ridiculous variety of themes. It then dawned on me that all of these people were headed to the same place we were headed to, and I asked Ryan if he’s taking me to a nerd-fest. His answer: “Hahahaha, pretty much.”

Comicpalooza. That is what it was called. If you are interested in joining in on this craziness, they are there til tomorrow (Monday). It is really great people watching and we had a lot of fun (that I definitely was not expecting).

But I want to share with you the highlight of my day/week/month/possibly year. Like I said, I had no idea what we were doing at Comicpalooza, let alone if I would enjoy any part of it other than the people watching (we really like people watching). BUT God in His sovereignty, and Ryan in his keen planning saw it fit to guide me over to a booth that held Cary Elwes. Now if you don’t know who this is, shame. But I will be kind to you and tell you that he played Westley in The Princess Bride. If you don’t know what The Princess Bride is, I can’t help you. All I can say is don’t tell anyone you’ve never heard of it and go watch it right now. And then buy the book and read it. Because it’s just as fabulous.

So some celebs were sitting behind a booth with a line feeding straight out. Well, they put Cary behind a curtain and let 2 (groups) in at a time – one meeting and talking to Cary and the other paying and getting their stuff ready to meet him. While Ryan and I were in the paying portion, Cary gave me the Westley look. Oh, you know what I’m talking about.

This one:

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Yep. I am not making this up. Ryan stood there and witnessed the whole thing. He couldn’t even be mad at him because the guy is so dang nice (he was just jealous Cary didn’t look at him like that). ;) Cary called us a lovely couple and chatted with us about Batman and how we think Ben Affleck is going to do in the new role. He joked about our matching shirts and told us if we keep it up we’re going to be wearing matching sweatsuits pretty soon. That 5 min conversation was pretty much the best it could have been, and we both might still be a little starstruck. But who cares. Freaking Westley, y’all. DSC_1101

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It wasn’t until after we walked away that I had this realization: “I am one of them.” All of these nerdy people walking around and geeking out… I quickly became one of them, and I didn’t even care. I am nerdier than I think I am.

Here are more pics for your pleasure and enjoyment. You can view even more of our fun on Facebook.

DSC_1089my real question here, other than “why?” is, “what mom volunteers to dress their daughters up as mermaids and then push them around on a pallet jack all day long?”

DSC_0014Ryan’s caption: “I bet he hasn’t done a Beast

DSC_0042stormtroopers in kilts

IMG_8720catching Ryan in all his nerdy-ness, taking a picture of swords

After we left the nerd-fest, we headed to Frank’s Pizza to stuff our faces with greasy goodness before our next destination.

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We then headed to Sundance Cinemas to see the new X-Men movie! Guys, this movie was so great! Best one since the very first. And if you’ve never been to Sundance, we highly recommend it. The atmosphere is awesome, you get to reserve your seats online (so no racing to the theater!), and they have a bar there, as well as the regular popcorn, soda, and candy. The best part? They serve Cloud 10 ice cream. Yep. And you can take it all in the theater. The seats are paired in twos with a bigger space between your seat and the next pair. So nobody is all up in your bizniz, AND you get to have ice cream. Win.

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We had a lot of fun on this date embracing our inner nerd and sharing fun experiences that will make the best memories.

What’s your secret nerdy love? Hobby, celebrity, place/destination, interest, book, etc. Embrace it for a day and #geekout!

spartans, samoas, & saying goodbye

As they saying goes, when it rains, it really does pour. This week has been straight up crazy, y’all. We have so much packed into our lives right now that I feel like I’m fighting to keep up!

Friday morning I helped some of my friends load up a Uhaul for their out of state move. We sent them off the right way on Tuesday evening with a Pedal Party. This crazy cart of fun is one of the most ridiculous and hilarious things I’ve ever done with some of the most ridiculous and hilarious people. We had a super great time to say the least. So sad to see them go!

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Friday afternoon I whipped up these bad boys: homemade samoas.

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For real, these taste just as delicious as they look. But before you pull up that link, I have to warn you that these are some of the fattiest, sugariest heaven-in-your-mouth cookies I’ve ever made. They are not healthy one bit. I have to give a shout out to the huz who helped me ice these things so I wouldn’t be late to our gathering. These cookies did not disappoint.

I made those cookies for a NYC team trip reunion we had Friday night. It was really fun to get back together with these awesome people. This really has nothing to do with this post, but here is a picture of my friend Evan taking a picture of the food. He made some delicious Italian dish I’d never heard of that he was super proud of (he had the right to be proud… it was fabulous).

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That night, I had to leave our gathering a bit early to meet my friend, Mary Beth for a mini road trip! She conquered the Spartan Super on Saturday, and I spur-of-the-moment decided to go with her to be her chauffeur, because you are like super dead after one of these races. The Super is 8+ miles (this one ended up being 9) with obstacles. She did an incredible job, and I am so proud of her! Totally killed it.

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Meanwhile…

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I sat in my camping chair and stuffed my face with a chicken wrap and talked to people around me. Haha. It was actually really fun to be on this side of the race. I’ve done 2 of these races now, and it was a lot of fun for me to sit back and experience the hype of people both starting and finishing, and watching them accomplish hard trained goals. I just love these races!

Here are some of my favs I snapped during Mary Beth’s last few obstacles!

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She did such a great job, and I am so proud of how hard she trained for this thing. Way to accomplish your goals, Mary Beth! Being at this race got me itching for another. There might be some of this in my near future…

That’s all I’ve got for now! I hope that you have had some fun and maybe something crazy or spontaneous in your week. Go find some adventure in your life today. Oh, and let me know if you try those cookies! :)

lighter than air cake | gluten free

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Yesterday we celebrated Mother’s Day. I must say, I did not realize (or appreciate) the impact my mom had on my life until well into my adult years. I think we all go through the phase in adolescence where we try to downplay the influence of our parents, and magnify areas we feel they should have done better in parenthood. It not only took me moving out of their house to appreciate their intentional pursuit of Christ in raising their kids, but several more years after that until I realized how unique my upbringing was. I’m so thankful for my mom and how even as a young child she taught me truths about who God is and who I am. I learned so many fundamentals as a kid that many of my friends are trying to learn now in adulthood. It’s a culture shift, and my mom built that into my worldview from as far back as I can remember. I have a hard head and did my share of “soul searching” and rebelling in ridiculous pride, but her steadfastness in her surrender to the Lord in her life and mine is what paved the road for my own pursuit of Christ’s heart. I am forever thankful for her long suffering and relentless trust in God’s goodness.

This is my all-time fav pic of my mom (on her wedding day).

Linda-Wedding pix_0001I mean, talk about hot mama!

Since my family lives in Missouri, I don’t get to celebrate many holidays with them except for the big ones (Thanksgiving or Christmas). That kind of sucks since my fam is the best ever, but it’s not as bad since Ryan’s family all live in Houston, so we do get to celebrate with them.

Ryan’s grandma and one of his cousins are celiac, so they’re not able to eat gluten. For most gatherings someone usually picks up a gluten free dessert for the 2 of them from the store. But for occasions that recognize either of them personally, like Mother’s Day or their birthdays, I like to do a little something special for them. Most of the rest of the family are health nuts anyway, so I decided to bake a gluten free cake for our Mother’s Day celebrations.

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As you can see, it was a big hit. I got the recipe from this blog, if you want to try it! It’s so moist, and I was asked several times if it was ACTUALLY gluten free, because you can’t taste a difference!

The only things I changed were that 1) I made it 3 layers vs. 4, simply because I only had 3 cake pans. Same batch portions, the layers were just a little thicker so I baked them for just a little bit longer. Because I did only 3 layers it left more icing, so 2) I iced the entire outside of the cake. 3) I also added a little bit (probably 1/4 cup) of mini chocolate chips into the icing and mixed it up before icing the cake. We also had some strawberry ice cream to eat with it, which complimented the cake really well!

This week has been kind of crazy, and I’ve been all over the place, but I’m just reminding myself that summer is not very far away, which means vacation is not very far away. We’ve got some exciting things planned for the summer and I can hardly wait! Hang on, friends, we are so close!

I will leave you with an image (or 2) that reminded me of how strange our world is this weekend. I took lots of pictures at the Houston Art Car Parade on Saturday, but these 2 really stuck out to me.

DSC_0530zebra stilts lady

DSC_0474 - Version 2and Jesus on a scooter

Enjoy your week, and have a happy Monday (it is what you make it)! ;)