Well it's been over a month since I have done any blogging, even more than that since I've done anything not about photography...so that's what I'm going to do!
I really haven't had a free moment to sit and write things down. That's a lie, I have had time to sleep, and a few moments of laziness where I laid on the couch....but I had no energy whatsoever to type up my current life happenings. But it's all good because things have finally slowed down and now I have time to catch up : )
I truly had an amazing September and October full of photography. I felt my skills growing with each shoot and I am so thankful for all the fun sessions I got to experience. I am starting to feel the nervousness and pressure of the photo shoots be replaced by letting loose and having fun...which is how it should be. I also had the opportunity to shoot 4 weddings with my cousin's wife Brooke who owns Brooke Michaelson Photography. They were all fun and unique experiences and Brooke had a lot of great tips to share with me which I am very thankful for. She's awesome. We work really well together and I still have all those wedding photos to go through and post. Hopefully in the next few weeks I can do that.
I had an AWESOME time in Portland in the beginning of October when I went to visit my college roommate Lydia. It was a very good idea for me to take a short break in my photography rush to get out of town and relax. I will definitely be doing that again next year. I have lots of photos from that trip that I need to get caught up on and I hope to do a separate post about that this week : )
In my hectic summer and fall I was finding myself eating what I could find when I was hungry and not putting too much thought into it. I really noticed in Portland that I was feeling weighed down, tired, and unhealthy. While I was getting work outs in, I wasn't feeding my body very healthily. I did some reading while I was on vacation and decided to do an experiment when I got home. I wanted to eat only whole foods until Thanksgiving. No processed food or refined sugars. I wanted to see how I would feel after just one month. I made Thanksgiving my end point because we are going to Florida to visit Jason's family then and I wanted the freedom to eat what I want when I get there. Let me tell you....it's been a little over two weeks and I feel like a new person. I am not bloated anymore, I feel a huge weight lifted off me, I have more energy, and I am happier. It is even better than when I went gluten free because I am cutting out even the processed products that were gluten free. I think my attitude towards eating different is better this time because of a few reasons. 1) I am trying to focus on what I CAN eat instead of what I can't...this is obviously a better plan because coming from a place of deprivation is never good. There really are SO many healthful things I can eat, it's awesome. 2) I have been doing lots of reading and research about eating a clean diet. I figure if I have evidence and reasons behind eating a certain way, I am more likely to stick to it. So far I feel amazing and I haven't had any cravings for things I used to eat.
I am trying not to focus on my weight because feeling better is a gift in and of itself and I know if I continue this lifestyle (not a DIET...and lifestyle) I will eventually get to the weight I want to be. I just need to be patient.
Another change I am trying to make this time around is including my husband in the process more. He has always been supportive of whatever weight loss kick I am on (and there have been many in our 5+ years together) and will eat whatever I make or buy. But I started to realize that in addition to going along with what I want to do...it will help me if he reads up on things and gets educated right along with me. That way if I want something that's not healthy, he understands more why that's a bad idea. Weight loss is a sensitive subject in most marriages I think, and men especially don't want to hurt their wives feelings when it comes to weight so they will go along with whatever the woman decides, even if that means falling of the wagon. My husband is blessed to have an insane metabolism (insert jealousy) and can eat whatever he wants...pounds of ranch dressing, white bread up the wazoo, etc. But those sorts of things just kind of settle around my mid section and don't go away. If we approach this as a team, I know we will have more success in making positive changes in our eating. Regardless of our weight, eating healthy whole foods is the best thing for both of us.
So while it's only been two weeks...I can't even describe the changes I feel adequately. I feel great. So great that I no longer look at our trip to Florida as the end point of this experiment but rather a challenge to continue eating this way even while we are traveling. Sure, there will always be special occasions and times where not so good foods will creep in, but that's all they are, special occasions, not invitations to fall off the healthy wagon. I know it won't always be easy, but I have confidence that I can stick to this positive change. I hope to have new, healthy, whole recipes to share with you soon : ) I haven't been taking pictures of food recently but I plan to start.
In other news, Jason's big trial is finished and he has moved onto his next case which at this moment is a little less time consuming. I am super thankful for that because that means I have gotten to spend some time with him a few nights this last week. I missed him so much! I am majorly looking forward to Florida so we can really have time to reconnect....and of course see our family we miss : )
Other exciting happenings recently are: we refinanced our house which brought our house payment down to an awesome monthly payment and makes us more excited to stay in our house longer and save money. Also my mom got engaged to her boyfriend George when they were visiting Arizona a few weeks ago. She was totally surprised and I am very happy for them. I am glad my mom was able to meet someone that makes her so happy.
Jason and I are looking into winter trips and can't seem to decide on where we want to go and how much money we want to spend. This is supposed to be our adventurous time (pre children) so we don't want to hold back but we also have other financial obligations to consider (boats, home repairs, car repairs, etc.) so hopefully we can pick a destination that is both exciting and doesn't break the bank. Stay tuned.
I am trying to keep up with my friends and now that I have a little more free time I can make that happen. This coming weekend I am heading up north with two friends from high school and we are staying at a resort, drinking wine, getting massages, and doing other girly things. I can't wait : ) Our friends Dana and Andy just had a baby in September and we are having them over tomorrow night for dinner. Should be fun! For those of you who I haven't seen in awhile, I hope to very soon. I miss you all!
Well I better get going, this blog post was done solely because I am avoiding cleaning out my closet. It needs it majorly and it's going to take several hours. I think I have avoided it long enough and I better hop to it. No more excuses! : )
I hope to blog more now that I have more free time. I miss it!
Until next time...
