Good morning, beauty.

Good morning, beauty. Welcome back to what's begun.
hello, darling.
your life is not your life
your love is not your love
your things are not your things.
only illusion of thought. If we think it, it must be true.

Nothing belongs to you truly. It just happens to be there while you are.
everything is a gift. nothing though, can stay. enjoy it fully while you have it
tomorrow it could be gone away.
I can buy land but its really not mine. It was here the whole time. & only people decided it could be bought.
I can marry a person but they are really not mine. even children that I bear aren't mine for the keeping. they are their own. they are each a bubble person. set to float off and discover in some appropriate amount of time.
the only thing I even have influence on is what I say and what's in my head.
mine, my life, what do I want. - all words and thoughts that are really imaginary.
so much of it is just what you tell yourself. and nothing more.
oh the freedom to know none of this belongs to you.
the weight is lifted and strain is demolished. worry is non existent
being tiny is good,
having nothing is good.
detach, detach, for nothing in this world is owned by you. nor does it matter at all.

Fear: Real life

One time. a few years ago- I was out for a run in an adjacent neighborhood to where I lived at the time. This was during the day. I was just running along as I usually do and then I felt something hit me HARD in the back/side area of my body. It hurt but it was just shocking. this happened simultaneously as a car drove past me. At first I thought that the mirror hit me. I was slack jawed. I turned toward the affected side of my body a second after it happened and I had stopped in my tracks. and noticed it; On the ground- an egg was broken on the street right behind me. an egg had hit me and somehow bounced off and hit the ground. Realizing that I was just egged, while running in the middle of the day was more than mortifying. Its your worst fear multiplied by ten. As a bigger girl I was always afraid what people would think or even say out loud when they drove past me when I was out for a run. But to actually be egged. was so deprecating. I was afraid, scared, and wanted to burst out in tears immediately after I put together what had happened.

i was scared and all by myself when that happened. I remember thinking they'd be coming back. But now thinking about that experience I hardly remember that it happened to me. its faded and now its almost like a dream, or that it happened to someone else.

the point is - fear of something happening to me while running or doing anything else is a very real thing. It always had been.



I don't know if I'm an especially weak person but I do know that more often than not - in new situations ( and I'm tending to find myself in more and more of those lately) I am very afraid.

Being someone's mom, A new job, newer more challenging classes in college, the prospect of grad school, the possibility of traveling across the country to run a race. trying out to play on a semi professional sports team all frightens the pants off me.

but not doing it all because I'm afraid of what some person might think of me? let it stop me? that would be so much worse.

maybe I'm not smart enough, fast enough, or a good enough person.  but I would never ever know for sure, unless I tried. I think that's why I'm doing it.

there is something so beautiful about being scared. pushing it aside. and doing it anyway. Something about how its hard to breathe. How your legs can barley hold you, how your heart is racing.  That is what living is. knees knocking, cold sweating, shit your pants feeling. That's how to know for sure you're alive.

I don't like the no fear shirts (remember that, 90's kids?) or the fearless bracelets. Its a nice idea, but its not real. If you aren't doing what scares you, then what on earth are you doing?

We are so much more than our fears- I read once that Your largest fear carries your greatest growth. That we shouldn't just go through life but Grow through life.

 I also think that if we do it right, we wont run out of things to do that frighten us. I don't think its a one and done deal. I think we need to stop denying fear. its a real thing. let it happen and then do it anyway.

 (oh and to sum up the story at the beginning, after that happened I ran down to the pond, grabbed a pretty big rock and finished my run with it)

xoxo

-josie

A letter to my daughter

I have had the urge to write this letter for some time now.
To Adeline, from the minute you were born I could see so much potential in you.

I love both of my children equally, but I think there are a few things daughters ought to know.

I have felt the urge to write this ever since you were born. Hopefully, I'll always be here to talk to you about important things but if not - I just want this to stand as a record of thought. I'm going to include any thing relevant here that I can think of-

To my darling daughter, Adeline.

You are a beautiful creation of God.

You are strong, smart and able.

I hope you explore your talents and shoot for the stars in your endeavors someday.

You don't have to make all the mistakes yourself in life, it is possible to learn from others and save yourself the hardship.

There are more important things than popularity, all you need is a few good friends to be prosperous.

There is a difference between what you need and what you want.

School is so important, do the best you can in high school because college is so expensive.

If you love a boy- wait until you are 25 and your prefrontal cortex is fully developed before you get married. If you are right for each other- you'll still be there when that happens.

Please wait to have sex (seriously, its not something that every one is doing even if that's how it seems). We'll talk about this in depth later.

Always wipe from front to back. If you don't. you can get a UTI. If you have to pee, don't hold it- you can get an infection from that too.

Don't worry about what you'll want to do for work someday, it takes time to find your passion sometimes, it will come to you. you will have plenty of opportunity to explore it.  

with time, you'll learn your gifts and be able to apply them.

Don't worry about what your friends are doing, just do what you're doing.

You are unlimited in the things you can learn or be skilled in. Girls are scientists, girls are doctors, lawyers, engineers. What ever it is that you are passionate about- pursue it! 99 % of success is just showing up and working hard.

don't get a credit card, save your money instead.

It's a fact that the if the money from the average "first car purchase" was invested it was accrue nearly a million dollars by the time you'd reached age 65.

It's totally okay and normal to feel weird, awkward, different about your life and body sometimes. Even if you don't feel smart, beautiful, strong, radiant and capable(you are, by the way) at the moment, its something can be eased into. I think it might be just a transition over time. Appreciating yourself. you are all those wonderful things and have incredible potential.  

No matter what you do or where you go- your father and I will always love you. There is nothing you could ever do or say to undo that.

 

The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams. – Eleanor Roosevelt.

 

There came a time when the risk to remain tight in the bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom. – Anais Nin.

 

 When I stand before God at the end of my life, I would hope that I would not have a single bit of talent left, and could say, ‘I used everything you gave me’. – Erma Bombeck.

 



life without a cellphone

For the past few days I quit using my cellphone. I'm still keeping it around because I can call 911 in case of emergency without it being tied to any carrier or service.

I gotta tell you, I love it. There is something so awesome about being a little less accessible in a world of instant gratification. I'm digging it and feel more at peace every day. :)

I keep a little moleskin book in my bag where my phone used to be where I can do a little writing when I want to. Everyday a little more. Its just a good time. I think I'll get a home phone when I get paid. a cheap 30 bucks a year deal.

I'm done with the debt culture. I'm not a fan. :)

-Josie

tattoos

Let's talk about em.

If they aren't on your body they aren't your business and probably have little or nothing to do with you.

That is all.
You are clear to continue to move about the cabin.

Love, and deep warm regards,
Josie

theothersiderun

The darkness creeps over the sky and I leave it all behind
Out into the night I go. Invisible except when illuminated by the street lamps.
The music I listen to is the music of the night. My feet silently swooping in for a landing and then a hushed
Thwap, thwap, as it takes off again. Over and over.
My rushed inhales and exhalations. Keeping time with my feet.  Frogs chirping away in their triangle fenced in ponds
My bones are swift and sleek and strong I know deep inside my body how smooth I am going.
The bones in my foot attach to the pavement and guide my body through my motion.
The outside of my body ripples and reverberates with each connect and disconnect from the earth.
I turn a corner, how good it is to be out here in the dark. I smell a clean laundry smell wafting out of people’s homes.
Soon, the lilacs will bloom and the night air will be thick and sweet.
If only everyone could know this peace. This feeling. I know I’m not a bird or a deer or gazelle but when I’m out in the night,
I am.
I fly like a bird, no one can see me and no one is watching but I do, I can go so silent. I can swoop so quiet with my feet going fast and silent, like an owl.
I can bound, I can push powerfully up a hill. I  am a wild animal in the night.
How good to be out. The happiness I feel in my everyday life is reflected and magnified as I run around my home and then finally, turning and going back to it. Welcoming it back. Thankful it waited for me there. I change back into a human on the front step and I am happy for this night. I welcome the miles I may go until I sleep.

Muffins for that face

I was thinking about muffins yesterday.

They're basically a little capsule of delicious items baked into a hand holdable portable food product.
First off- health wise.. almost all muffins can be hellish little crap foods land mines.

But I'm a revolutionary and I wanted to change all that. so I did. and now I'm going to share that with you.

What is a muffin made of? the breakdown - its pretty easy/basic

Fat: butter or oil in most cases. it store bought muffins ( averaging in the 650 empty calorie range) this is usually where the  cheap hydrogenated trans fat area is at.
Needed because: makes the muffin nummy and moist, just how you like it Mrs. Hines.

Dry ingredients: like flours provide structure for the muffin - in store bought or boxed muffins this is where the enriched white flour comes in. no fiber, no nutrients.

Leavening: usually in the form of baking soda or power, makes the muffin rise all fluffy and nice - like.

Goodies: you know what I'm talking about - the good stuff. this is what makes the muffin come alive. fruit, nuts, spices. anything that your little heart can dream up goes in here. Caution: many store bought mixes and muffins use artificially colored fruit pieces or artificial flavors in here.

Now - Here's what I did. I swapped out a few things to make some vegan muffins that will melt your face off. and ill even include a picture, the recipe and the caloric and macro nutrient breakdown. THAT is what we in the business call, a "win".
I hope your ready.

I replaced the fat in the recipe with a whole, ripe avocado and a very ripe mashed banana. - When these are very ripe they are nice and sweet on their own so I only needed to add 1/2 c of sugar. I added 1 TBSP olive oil just for good measure, 1 TBSP lemon juice and the zest of one small lemon and 1/4 cup almond milk to round out the wet ingredients. For the dry ingredients I used 1 1/2 C whole wheat flour ( fiber and protein) - but you could sub any other flour you like. oat, barley, ect. 1 t baking powder, 1 t baking soda & 1/2 t salt.
for the goodies I cleaned out my fridge and pantry I used to great success: 1/4 cup roasted pecans, 1/2 Cup dried unsweetened cranberries and 1/4 cup roasted milled flax seed.

Mix the wet with the dry. then add in the goodies. Keep an eye on it if you find it a bit too dry add some more milk. a little too wet add  little flour. Bake in a coconut oil sprayed muffin tin - makes 12 perfect muffins that pop right out. 400 degrees for about 20 minutes until they bounce back when you tap the tops and they begin to turn golden brown.

1 Ripe avocaodo mashed
1 ripe banana - mashed
1 TBSP olive oil
1/2 c sugar
1 tbs lemon juice and lemon zest
1/4 c almond milk
---
1 1/2 c wheat flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking power
1/2 tsp salt
----
1/4 c pecans
1/2 c dried cranberries
1/4 cup crushed flax seed

bake at 400 degrees F for 20 minutes.
don't let your husband eat them all at once.
they are awesome!

Calorie count per muffin:
119

5 grams of fat - only one g is saturated
NO cholesterol.
19 grams of carbs.

  PEACE! <3 Josie

Santa: what I want for Christmas.

I was going pee the other day and someone hung up a white board in the ladies room that was a cute little Santa and list that a person could write what she wanted in marker on the open lines. Cute idea. On the list many different women wrote: Diamonds! Coffee! Money! New car! ect.. the list goes on. I took the marker, and wrote "More for the less fortunate" and left ( I washed my hands too, don't worry guys).

My husband and I aren't getting each other presents and I hope we never do.(I might write him a poem or something) It seems a waste of money and extra stress around the holidays isn't something I'm ready to sign off on yet. We do so much for each other the rest of the year, Christmas is more like a break than anything else. More than anything for myself I want/wish that actual important things were done on Christmas. Please leave the lead filled dollar store toys at the store, don't bring them here. More importantly its hard to ignore as I get older the common gift wrapped garbage people give each other year in and year out. It's nice to give but to what limit? I understand finding a perfect gift, something that someone needs is ideal but when it becomes something just to be something to give I find it ridiculous. A waste of time and money. There are people severely in need of what I would throw away. I wish that people would just think before they recklessly buy and buy and consume and stomp people to death on black friday for more material crap. I like doing things for others but I think that Christmas is terribly overdone. Think about whats more important than that stupid thing you were going to buy. Maybe its that local kids have warm clothes, enough blankets, or proper school supplies. How about the people and families that will be hungry all year, not just on Christmas. Instead of obsessing over a certain thing you absolutely must have could you donate that time or money and make someones day better? someone who's not you? I'm just saying - think about it. Its sickening that we as Americans actually go into debt over the holidays trying to cover all the holiday expenses that aren't even necessary. less is more - think about it.

Thanks stupid little bathroom sign. you made me go on a schpeel. I'm sure there will be more to follow.
peace <3 Josie

Wendys - in your face.

"Wendy's® is the real choice in fast food. We deliver quality fresh food with real ingredients that provide the best tasting fast food at wendys.com"

That is a direct excerpt from Wendys dot com. Why am I talking about Wendys? I'll tell you why. 
I'm going to have a baby in a month or so and I was driving home this afternoon when she started kicking me that she and I needed food - NOW. it was more like. "get a baked potato for us now or I will bust out of you like the predator and get it myself." So I headed to Wendys to get a tato that was already made for me to avoid a predator induced death by my unborn child. I don't know how many choices one gets at wendys but for sure I know you can get a bacon and cheese, broccoli and cheese or a sour cream and chive potato. The two cheese options come with oozey nachos cheese, not real type cheese. So I opt for the chive and sour cream baked potato - to me that's got to be the best choice on the menu. I asked for real shredded cheese on it and got ready to chow it down.
I never use the butter they give you because I know its not real butter. Almost all the ingredients on the label mention the word hydrogenated which is code for, "this is trans fat". So I avoid it. I looked at the sour cream this time though.. I noticed the third out of many ingredients was corn starch. THAT threw me as crazy. why is there corn in my sour cream? there is pretty much no reason for that. and the ingredients list went on and on. so I didn't use it either. It did spawn this blog however. The chives I assumed were real. But what about the cheese and what about the potato? Now I had to find out. So I think I'll try. 

The potato, for now - I found most happily to be not genetically modified (whew!) Gold star for that one and I would have lost money if I'd bet on that. Good to do your own research. Because GM potatoes have been proven to cause tumors and cancer in the lab rats that ate them. and then the rats died. pretty mean, right?
anyway! on to the rest-- 

Quality fresh food and real ingredients. - Thats what they proclaim. Obviously I know wendys is a fast food restaurant but touting that type of talk *fresh* food, *real* ingredients. means real food then. okay. So their butter is not butter but a menagerie of hydrogenated oils. and their sour cream has modified corn starch (GMO), artificial flavor, preservatives and synthetic citric acid in it(also most often made with GMO ingredients). 
none of those things should be in what we know as butter and sour cream. Wendys is already punching themselves in the face as far as I'm concerned. 

check it out -

I know what your thinking. "I'm just a city girl/boy and don't know what butter or sour cream is made of" don't worry little ladies / gents. I'll tell you: Butter is made from the cream of whole milk and sour cream is made from the cream of whole milk and a culture - much like something you'd find in a yogurt. That means butter has one ingredient ( sometimes two if salt is added which is okay) and real sour cream has two ingredients. 

now check out the ingredients that wendys puts its name on. The same people that state that they provide the best quality food and real ingredients - wouldn't that just be butter and sour cream? and not the crap that's shown above? Yeah something doesn't seem quite right about all that. If they cant even provide quality butter or sour cream. Where do you think they get the potatoes from? Where do you think the meat is from? I bet its really high quality. Or not.  Trans fat - unlike butters saturated fat does not occur in nature. It is created by men in laboratories. The major danger of Trans fat is that it double times our cholesterol  because they raise the bad cholesterol and lower the good cholesterol. This leaves us in a pretty bad place - we will still burn off trans fat. IF we're active enough and consume a small enough amount. But it could do serious damage to our bodies in no time wreaking havoc on our cardiovascular systems. The FDA has deemed trans fat pretty much evil which is great but here's a little known fact - there's still tons of it in our food system. This fake butter from wendys is a prime example. It says zero trans fat per serving. That means its just got to have less than half a gram per serving. So its still Trans fat and it can still negatively affect your health. Keep in mind everyone does this and If you aren't watchful you could easily consume plenty of trans fat at every meal without really knowing it. You wonder why you can't get your cholesterol in check or your weight down. you've been eating healthy. Well look at what I tried to do. have a baked potato. not fries, not a burger, a baked potato! and I'm here to tell you this food isn't really food. Its just crap created to fool us. We spend lots of money on it and its absolutely ridiculous. We need to be our own watchdogs. 

Break it down. 

whats in real cheese? MILK, and rennet (enzyme found in a baby cows tummy) *aww* and salt. 

whats in my wendys baked potato cheese? - Cultured Pasteurized Milk, Salt, Enzymes, Artificial Color,

Potato Starch and Powdered Cellulose (wood pulp, a very cheap filler) (to prevent caking), Natamycin (natural mold

inhibitor). CONTAINS: MILK.

yeah. yummy right? 

then we've got the what should be in butter. just cream and salt. wendys butter contains - Liquid and Partially Hydrogenated Soybean Oil (trans fat), Water, Salt,Hydrogenated Soybean Oil(trans fat), Vegetable Mono & Diglycerides, Pectin and Sodium Alginate, Artifcial Flavors and Citric acid (gmo). 

Not even any milk or cream or anything in there. Wow Wendys that's about as real and quality ingredients as you can get. I would think real cheese, butter and sour cream would be an improvement on the real food front. 

Don't believe this real food nonsense wendys and gosh knows who else is trying to make you believe. Open your eyes a little wider. What you eat determines how you live. The quality of life is directly tied to your diet and food intake. Don't believe me? Change how you eat and just see how your life changes. That's right people - I'm asking you to actually give a shit about yourselves. Aren't you worth it? 

Fight the system. 

love Josie 

Getting there

Good morning! The sun is out and it is so good to see. (it's been cloudy for a few days here in Minnesota.)

I am feeling pretty strongly about something this morning so I thought I'd come on here and get it out.

Potential - full potential. Whatever that translates to you will be attainable if you want it bad enough. I am under the impression that very few of us even realize a fraction of our full potential. So often we are bogged down or reminded that all we're currently doing is enough or maybe even too much. Everyone seems to have limits but I am certain that many of them are just put there in our minds as a roadblock to full potential. I want to point out that I have many goals. To maintain a healthy relationship with my family, to keep myself and my husband happy and healthy for the rest of our lives together. To raise a small handful of happy, well rounded and smart children into adulthood and to buy a house that we can thrive in. I would also want financial liquidity, not wealth but I would like a job that validates my education and with the resulting income could help our family live well.  These are my goals and they are always there and always a priority with me. They never go away and these goals are chiseled into the back of my cerebellum, dictating my every move throughout everyday.

I do not have all of these goals accomplished, many of them are in motion. I don't have to complete them to achieve happiness because I am already happy and already okay with that. But I have an inner desire to strive for more and that is what my goals are about. putting them down here just solidifys them even more for me. to read them and know I am making them happen is a powerful thing for me to do and I recommend it to anyone.

Speaking of writing down serious inner desires. Even If and when I complete all of my above mentioned goalage -- I don't feel that I will be at full potential. It will be like when you go for a ten mile run and you get back to where you started like your car or your house and you know you've got more to give. You don't want to just stop there- you want to use it all and not waste any of your energy. You're already out here your already dressed and sweating. You may as well give it all you've got cause your gonna have to wash these clothes anyway.

I want to announce that after I have our daughter I want to train to become a faster runner. I love running. I will always enjoy it. I want to get faster because There are some amazing races that are a once in a lifetime experience that I want to do before I turn 30  These races have very strict qualifying times and you have to be fast. One of them is the Boston Marathon, the other is the New York City Marathon. After I do those I want to run - swim - bike a full Iron man triathlon before I'm 35. I'm turning 27 next month. I will use this blog as a medium to showcase my training and it probably won't be pretty but it will serve as a reference and hopefully inspiration for my son and daughter should they ever want to do something similar.

Josie Evans getting to Boston, New York City and Iron man will prove that absolutely you can shun the non believers in your life and maybe even in your own head. Its October 26th 2013. I'm 26 years old, one time slow marathon runner. currently obese (stats to come after baby is out), currently 7 months pregnant with what they tell me and I'm sure will be a beautiful Adeline. Looking at my gorgeous 4 year old son Dominick and just trying to freeze this moment in time. I know I will succeed because I can see it in my mind.
People have done much more amazing things than running fast.
Running isn't even really amazing, I think its funny when people describe it that way. It's really really great. Not amazing. :)

I hope you are all ready to see some serious things happen.(and hopefully it can spur goals of your own to surface) Once Addie is born I'll get all the starting stats and we will go from there. I'll show you that when we get there.

Until then friends, go kick some major ass, you have about a 2 month head start. I can't wait to catch up :)

hugs and kisses
-Josie Evans

K

I had a Daughter once - It was you. I knew you when you were still a baby. I watched you blow out the candles on your second year birthday cake. I helped you conquer your fears, you were afraid of walking in the super market, you didn't want your feet to touch the ground. You were afraid of the water, the beach, the vaccum cleaner, and many other things. I read and sang to you every night. Brought you everywhere with me, you called me mom. I defended you from quack doctors and therapists, taught you how to plant flowers, put you on the bus to pre-school and cried. I would have jumped off a cliff for you in a second. You may never read this. But it broke my heart to leave you, I think when your are older we will be able to talk about it. I wish I could have taken you with me but that was not possible. I saw you this year after almost 4 years of absence. It thrilled me that you remembered me and were happy to see me. Every day I miss you and every day I think of the future- that you will grow up and may want to know me. I know that you are happy where you are. But I know you will not be a child forever and when you get older no one will be able to hold you back if you want to seek me out. I will be here. I will be 100% percent ready for you and there will always be room in my heart for you. Ive allways loved you and will never stop. :) -Josie

Cut the line

Hello Everyone. I hope the week as been good to you. Every day is a new start. I had a moment today I'll share. I have had increasingly negative experiences with a person who i used to be friends with. Basically I've always known this person is a negative source of energy. But for some reason I've always assumed that the person would turn around one day and be different, nice maybe. Today I deleted them out of my phone and to me that’s a symbolic thing. Every day is a gift to me and every day I will improve. Today is no different. I don't wish any unhappiness on anyone but I refuse to be less happy because of my interactions during the day. I know only I can control how I react - no matter what happens to me. The air feels fresher when you let go and cut the line from someone that can't control you anymore. It may seem silly but my life is mine and I won't allow anger or even negative feelings I had for someone control me. Just taking them out of my phone eases my mind. A very small step to many but to me it’s the midst of a glorious revival. :) They who anger you - control you. And it is the truth. Don't be afraid to let it go. Sometimes there is nothing to gain by hanging on for no reason. If someone or something doesn’t improve the quality of your life. Let it go- life is not long enough to harbor ill will and when its directed at me I am now more than happy to move on to people that are a benefit to me. One person can't fix it. It takes two. I am happy to learn that. Free it up people. -Josie

two beautiful women

Two beautiful women

Galloped up a hill

Their red manes flowed in unison

The beauty that surrounded them was absorbed into their skin

Green grass, still water, warm sun and cool breezes filled them with each step

They ran because it was what they felt like doing – there is nowhere to be but there

When they had their fill of nature’s beauty of trees and their new air- they retired for awhile

A welcome rest follows and will undoubtedly repeat itself once again

Delving into my childhood

Even though I'm about to be a mother of two. I usually feel like I'm still a kid myself, when I'm not working, getting my education. paying bills/rent and making sure that actual kids are fed :)

I fell asleep last night thinking about how awesome yet maybe unconventional my childhood was.

My family never went to Disney world, or Wisconsin Dells or took a trip to the ocean.
our first (and only, so far) family vacation was when I was 18 years old.

We did kick a ton of ass though. We played basketball all evening until the sun went down. When one of the kids got hurt we knew we couldn't leave them, we'd drag their limp body home for inspection.

I could operate nun chucks, wrist rockets and butterfly knives before I started middle school.

We used to shoot icicles with wrist rockets.
we rode everywhere with my dad on his motorcycle.
we climbed every tree, explored the woods, watched out for each other, caught a million bugs, toads, tad poles, frogs, snakes, turtles and crayfish.
We filled fanny packs with frog eggs and forgot about them.
It was dog eat dog in our house - nobody had to make you come home on time to eat dinner. get home on time for dinner, because it’s on the table at 6, if you aren’t here to speak for your food no one will do it for you.
Punishment was fairly sentenced and you deserved it. We didn't run the house, our parents did.


We kids were strategists first. No matter what we had a plan and even if it worked or it didn't we HAD a plan.

Most peoples' childhoods ready them for a normal functioning adulthood.
My childhood had no Disneyland, sailing expedition or grand canyon. But, if a plane went down with all four of my brothers and sister in it, there would probably be four survivors. We could survive nuclear holocaust, maybe even a zombie apocalypse if we had to.

Regular adulthood has been pretty easy so far. I don't know what we trained so hard for. :)

Escape from Facebook - riding the blue pony.

Gooday to you. And also to you.

I had a few funny thoughts today so I think I'll share them.

Last month I deactivated my Facebook account. No big deal, I just didn't enjoy it and I thought it was taking up a lot of my time I could be using to do other things. So I deleted it. A lot of good and expected things happend after I deleted my account and one surprising thing. I'll share them with you now, as they all make me smile.

* I use my free time for getting stuff done, and when I'm done with that I actually relax. I don't incessantly scroll and check up on other peoples lifes

* I feel free to partake in any activities I want without have to take pictures or other wise document what I am doing or plan to do to gain attention for whatever I'm doing.

*"keeping up" with Facebook doesn't matter any more.

* I have my cell phone put away and its not dinging away with a notification every four minutes.

* I talk with my Husband about things that we want to talk about, not just about whats happening on Facebook.

* I don't have to read about people who have it pretty good complain about their lives every single day or sometimes multiple times a day. People are never that brash or annoying in face to face or phone contact. Common sense kicks in when they would actually have to verbalize the ridiculous shit they post on a news feed 100's of times a month.

* The best expected things are that I am less stressed, my life is simpler, happier and its pretty darn good. I complain less and enjoy more. There's no one to really report to so I find myself living more in the moment.

An unexpected consequence of getting rid of my facebook account is the countless angry mean looks and awkward encounters I've had with NUMEROUS people. Its funny really. I was wondering "Why is that person being so weird, or looking at me all mean?" This after a friendly approach on my part. It was hilarious when it dawned on me that they thought I had deleted them from my friends list or something. when actually I disappeared because I deleted my own account. Pretty much the weirdest and funniest thing of my day. You'd think there would be more important things to get riled up about!
Don't get cancer over it. :P
Peace out.
Good day babies - may the force be with you. and also with you.

Life is like a box of chocolates.

I'm starting to become convinced that ingenuity is a lost logic or art form. It’s becoming extinct because we have a tool for every task and gone is the way of one tool with many uses.
Sometimes we don't have all the tools for all the jobs. We need to realize that job A requiring tool A isn't the only solution. Thinking outside the box is what made us human. Imagination, inventing new uses for old things. These things sparked our entire evolution as a species. Think about that for a moment and translate it into your own life. Maybe you don't have all the tools, Maybe nobody gave them to you. you can't find them all, or your missing one. Maybe someone you know has all the tools and they aren't even using them! You don’t NEED all the tools to get your jobs done. I bet you already have a few things at your disposal that you don't even use right now. :) Whatever it is. don’t wait for the perfect tool to get your work done. You might never get it, or it might be a long way out. go a different way around, use whatever else you've got and you might just find what you only had to work with worked much better than the things you wish you had.

My husband is my prime example.
This guy was playing softball and slid into third while running full kilt (seems silly I know but he couldn't help it, he was so excited). He busted open his leg pretty good and I patched him up on the field so he could finish playing. I knew he needed to get cleaned up once we got home or he would get an infection. After his wound was clean I tore apart our linen closet looking for the biggest band aid we had, we had to cover his owie otherwise sleeping for him would be difficult. So we had little kid band aids and grown up band aids, I would need about 30 of those so that was out. and there I saw it, a box of big ass maxi pads. I mean, what’s a pad really than just a huge band aid? so with some Neosporin and athletic tape here is how my husband slept his first night a softball legend:

Sometimes we think we need a wound care kit when the whole time we could have used a maxi pad to get the same effect.
Thanks Jon.

<3

I'm sure

that I'm intterupting a good day in progress. I won't take up too much space or time.

I just thought maybe someone somewhere might need encouragment no matter what it is they are going to attempt to achieve today, this week, or this year. I hope everyone knows that whatever it is you want to get done - it is possible. People who tell you otherwise say that because THEY think they cannot do something and so they put that into their mind that just because THEY cannot do something that you cannot do it either. And thats how it starts. just one person thinking they can't do something, thats "too hard" or what have you. This ball has been rolling too long. and more of us need to realize that just we can do even very difficult things. So many things deemed "impossible" are actually just very difficult and can be done. Please don't limit yourself. The kids are watching.


Be true.
YOU can do it.

Better Recognize

Good day,

I hope I'm meeting you in the middle of a good morning.
I wanted to stop by this week and create a short blog about gratitude.

So often I know I and other people are always mentally and sometimes verbally aware of the things we don't have - or goals we haven't achieved. In a way its a good thing to be aware of where you stand when your trying to accomplish goals. But, constant mind-wind on that same topic can get a person to thinking more about what they don't have done than what they do have...

There are plenty of things and places we just aren't at at this moment, as we know you can only be so many places at once. But where you are right now is something to recognize and be thankful for. Where ever you are is still a place in space and its good you're here. For one moment its nice to clear your mind and just appreciate whatever it is you've got. Be thankful, be grateful you are where you're at. Because wherever that is- is a good place to leap up from. Even if or when you feel down low.

There are a lot of things I don't have personally, some I want, some I don't want. Some I know I will get there eventually. For right now at this very moment while I'm typing this and you're reading this I hope you sit quiet think for a moment- in this exact time and space, are you grateful for what you have right now? Or are you taking it for granted. family, health, love? are you making the most of it. Pay attention to your right now, this day will only come once. Make the most of it my friends.

-Josie

Make it happen

Normally, I don't advise trickery.


But in cases of health and fitness, or potential health and fitness- I advise it, it works.
most of how we get our exercise and decide what we eat is all about our minds. - It's how we relate to our fitness and food intake.

We've talked about goal setting. If you have a dream and you make a plan to get there and then follow it - that moves it from the dream or wish category right into the goal spectrum.
that's good.

Ways to convince yourself to help you reach any goals & some examples I can give you of what I do...

{An immediate goal of mine is to improve my physical health and increase my level of fitness.}

Things I really do:

Construct a dream board.
* Make a bulletin board into a dream board you will see everyday. cram it full of all the things you would like to see happen in your life. look at it every day. study it, add to it-  and draw power and inspiration from it. It's an evolutionary thing that can change as your goals do.

Put inspirational posters up where you know you need them.
*To get myself to run in the morning I put print outs of things I know will get me fired up to get outside I have one on my bedroom wall. the first thing I see when I open my eyes and also have a poster in my bathroom (everyone has that one spot in the bathroom they stare at in the morning when they pee. That's where my poster is at) They can say anything but most of mine say things like "If they hate you now, just wait till you're done." and "Wake up, the pavement misses your feet".

The Fridge.
* cut out a picture of something that motivates you could be an athlete or someone that holds the ideal of what you're going for. Cut it out and tape it to the fridge. it will help. I write notes also. on the fridge about eating for fuel and not emotional domination.
Mix and match whatever works for you best.

Know yourself
- you know yourself best. I used to say I was going to run in the morning but never wanted to actually put my running clothes and socks on when the time came. So I launched a

preemptive

strike on myself. - I went to bed every night in all of my running clothes socks included- and I got used to it. The result was i only had to get up put my shoes on and go outside. and i managed to run basically every single day for about a year.

You know yourself best so launch as many

preemptive

strikes as you need to to make sure you get your business done.

Oh, another BIG one for me is not buying what I know to be junk food at the store. I just don't buy it at all. Then it's not in my house. Its kind of a win-win for me.

That's all for now.
Thanks everyone for reading.
Have a secret weapon or trick you use against yourself for the greater good? Leave it in the comments :)

Tasty TASTY num nums

First of all, Good morning.

Second - LOOK at that.

What is that? Its a Homemade pear and caramelized balsamic onion flat bread. Delicious and good for you.

It can be made with any store bought or home made pizza dough. I prefer the whole wheat kind at Trader Joe's. I'll tell you how its made and then give the nutrition breakdown. * Quick side note: all ingredients to make 2 BIG cookie sheet size flat breads totaled under 10 bucks purchased at my local Trader Joe's. That's a tasty dinner, nutritious and not expensive. It keeps well in the fridge - and is nummy eaten either hot or cold.

----

So! Here's the deal. 1 bag of dough per large cookie sheet sized flat bread. Spray a cookie sheet, or round pizza pan, or put the dough on a dry baking stone.

- spray hands with olive oil (you've washed them already, so this is totally cool)

use your hands to press the dough evenly as possible to cover the whole surface that you will bake it on. Thin crust will be crispier - thick crust will be chewier. *If you take the dough out of the fridge an hour or so before you begin it will make this process much easier :)*

-after your dough is all pressed out nice, cut half a large white or yellow onion and dice it, saute the onion until soft and translucent (5 minutes roughly) watch it, stir it. don't let it burn. add 2 TBSP balsamic vinegar to your onions. Let them caramelize a bit and then take them off the heat, they're done.

Assembly; for the pear/onion gorgeous flat bread layer on your whole wheat pizza dough just sitting there waiting for you:

A mist of olive oil over the crust followed by sliced pears, your camelized onion mixture, 1/2 cup each of crumbled feta and 1/2 cup crumbled bleu cheese. Put that bad boy in the oven and bake it at 400 degrees until its bubbling and the crust is slightly brown on the edge and bottom. take it out. slice it into squares or slices. Whatever makes you happier - a cookie sheet size flat bread should yield about 24 complex, balanced, mouth watering pieces.

so to sum up the flat bread ingredients are:

Whole wheat pizza dough

Olive oil

Balsamic vinegar

Onions

pears

feta cheese

blue cheese

BOOM - that's it.

- We also modified this and created a Sun dried tomato flat bread on garlic/herb pizza dough and took the pears out of the equation.

It's the same exact thing but we just swapped the pears for Sun dried tomatoes and the whole wheat crust for a garlic and herb one. It was just as easy but had a different but equally delicious flavor profile. The possibilities are really endless with this method. :)

Breakdown:

each slice contains 190 calories

11 grams of fat,

30 grams of carbs (derived mostly from whole wheat dough and the pear)

7 grams protein

A couple pieces of flat bread and a big salad would make for a well balanced lunch or dinner. If you give this flat bread a try I'm sure it will be a big hit- it is one of my new favorites. :)

Eat real food.
If it has a face or comes from the ground. Eat it. - If your into eating stuff with faces (understandable), go for it.
If it was created in a lab, blasted with hydrogen, chemically altered. DON'T eat/drink it.
Your body doesn't know what to do that that garbage - franken food. Do your self a favor and abstain from even buying that crap.

- Question. You ever see a Cheetos tree?
No. that's right - its crap. Your body can barley metabolize it.
feed your body REAL food and see what happens. You will be amazed.
If your already on the eating real food road - you know how awesome it is. *high effin five*

There's no magic anything people. Move your ass and fight the system.
Until we meet again - eat well, be well. Rock it out.

-Josie