Happy Earth Day!

When we moved to Kansas City last August, I instantly realized that I had taken western North Carolina for granted. Since moving back, I've made more of an effort to get out and enjoy this beautiful part of the country I'm so blessed to live in.

The weekend after we put Athena to sleep, we went to Joyce Kilmer Memorial Forest and hiked the trail there. It's an easy two loops totaling 2 miles. From the USDA Forest Service site: This forest is one of the Nation’s most impressive remnants of old-growth forest. The forest contains magnificent examples of more than 100 tree species, many over 400-years-old, and some more than 20 feet in circumference and 100 feet tall.  

There are some other trails that branch off of the main trail, but we decided to go back and do those once the trees leaf out. Oh! I almost forgot! There are all these warnings posted..."This is an old-growth forest. Beware of falling limbs and trees." This is NO JOKE. We watched a tree fall not even 15 minutes into our hike. If our hearts weren't already pumping from the hike, they were then!

Canopy shot - trees just starting to leaf out

My boys

Q: Why did the Fungi leave the party? A: There wasn't mushroom. 

Trillium grandiflorum

Not So Brief Life Update

Hello friends!

So a lot has gone on in the last six months.  I don't think I mentioned it but we moved to Missouri in August for a job my husband took.  Unfortunately, the job hasn't worked out, so we'll be moving back to North Carolina in...oh, about a month.  I'm excited but still sad to leave all of the friends I've made here.  There are some nice folks in the Midwest!

There are really only three major items taking up my thoughts right now.

1. Jobs
I was able to get two part-time jobs here.  One at REI and one as a froster at Nothing Bundt Cakes.  I have to say, the best thing about moving out here was that I was allowed to try some things I hadn't had the opportunity to try before.  One of the things I really enjoy is when I get a little sick of REI, I have NBC to break things up.  And vice versa.  Frosting has been really fun.  The people I work with are great and it's nice to just chill at work and frost up some cakes!

2.  Our Fertility Journey
Many people already know what's been going on so I'm not going to shy away from this subject.  I'm also of the opinion that these things should be talked about.  Well, let me clarify.  If you prefer to keep it to yourself, great.  But for me, it's helpful to talk to people about what we're going through.  And I hate having this feeling that I shouldn't talk about it because it's one of "those" subjects.  I don't know...maybe it's just all in my head.
Anyway, I realized last night that this month (assuming I'm doing my math right) marks three years of us trying to conceive.  We were seeing a specialist in NC (did one IUI that didn't work) and now we're seeing a specialist here.  We're set to do another IUI soon.  I'm currently taking fertility pills (letrozole) and an injectable (gonal-f).  That was pretty scary...injecting something into myself.  Never had to do that before!

It's been interesting to note the differences between the two specialists.  The one in NC is all about getting you pregnant as inexpensively as possible.  Seriously.  The doctor said that.  The doctor here, however, is very thorough.  Which is good and bad.  Good: they've covering all of the bases.  Bad: it's costing WAY more.

I guess I should back up here.  I haven't explained why we haven't been able to get pregnant.  That's partially because I don't really know.  The only thing that's popped up in all of the tests is that I have low ovarian reserve.  From the time I saw the doctor in NC to the time I saw the doctor here, my AMH level dropped from 0.98 to 0.74.  If you're interested, check out this site: http://www.fertilityassociates.co.nz/information-for-gps/amh-explained.aspx.  You can see from the graph that I'm in the red zone.  EEK!

*Side note: I just read this..."Very low AMH, usually considered AMH below 1.05 ng/ml, has been associated with extremely low pregnancy chances and many IVF centers flat out deny treatment to women with such low levels of AMH."* 

Oh such a rollercoaster.

I had an ultrasound on Monday and they saw 4 resting follicles in my right ovary and 6 in my left.  For an average woman, they like to see 12 in each.  So that gives you another comparison.

I go back on February 3rd for another ultrasound and more blood work.  Keep your fingers crossed for us that the IUI works this time.  I'm not sure I can emotionally handle any more procedures so this might be our last shot.

And funny thing.  It just goes to show that you never know what life has in store.  Expected to get married straight out of college...got married at 28.  Expected to have kids fairly easily...might not have any.  I think the faster I can come to terms with that, the easier things will be.

3.  Athena      
My rottweiler turns 11 on Friday.  WOO!  But she hurts and basically hobbles to her next spot and lays down.  It breaks my heart.  I love that girl.

So that's my life in a nutshell right now.  I didn't intend on leaving on a sad note.  And really, it's not.  We're going to have a party for her and we're all going to have lots of treats to celebrate her turning 77.  ;)

Take care all!

Let's Get Physical!

I was pleasantly surprised the other day when I received an email from a great friend saying, "Hey, wanna do the 30 Day Shred and Turbo Fire with me for the month of July?"  Uh, YEAH!

I've come to the conclusion that Weight Watchers is just not for me.  I just can't do the tracking thing.  I know it's important, but I just can't bring myself to do it. 

Our schedule is M, W, F 30 Day Shred, T, R, S Turbo Fire with Sundays off.  So far so good.  I missed a couple of days when we were traveling for July 4th, but I've since made them up.

Want to join us?  It's never too late!  

Out with the old

I've been doing a bit of purging lately.  Purging of blogs that is.  The majority of the blogs I frequent are mostly about food.  And I admit, I have found some really good recipes, but nothing I can't live without.

Yes, I enjoy the blogs and I enjoy being in the kitchen, but I feel like I need to focus on healthier things like gardening, reading, and finishing up my half-finished crafts.  And let's face it, I have tons of cookbooks that are crying out for my attention.  Not to mention Pinterest will for sure keep me up to date on the latest recipe craze.

Disclaimer: I did hold on to a food blog that I particularly like.  Come on, I have to have some fun!  :)

If any of you know of any good healthy food blogs, I'm all ears!

Keep those appointments

Well, I've done some thinking.  I have another blog where I was posting about my workout and weight loss adventures.  Except that it was boring and I didn't keep up with it.  So I've decided to just detail my "adventures" here.

First off, I joined Weight Watchers.  I've heard lots of great things about this program and I saw it first hand the first week when I lost 2 pounds.  Unfortunately, the second and third week I gained some back.  Disheartening and annoying to say the least.

I started Turbo Fire again and the first week was great; felt like I really put my all into it.  I have noticed two things with weeks 2 and 3:

1. Time management - I have a difficult time getting up in the morning to workout and on that same note, I also find it difficult to do it at the end of the day.
2. Energy - I don't have the energy in the morning to really put my all into it.  I can also say the same thing about my evening workouts.

This post was going to be much longer but I cut a bunch out.  Why?  Because I feel like I whine about this all the time.  The solution is simple!  If you want it bad enough, you'll do it.  It's all on me...no one else.  I can't complain about not feeling/looking my best when I don't put the work in.  Life isn't a cake walk...it's going to take some effort on my part.  :)

Here are the solutions I came up with for my two issues:  

1. I am making an appointment with myself at 5am.  Made my appointment this morning.  I wasn't late and I didn't cancel!  *I've officially done 3 morning workouts!*
2. Uhhhhh...the solution to this one is to get your advice.  :)  What do you do to boost your energy before a workout?  I have no energy in the morning but I can't eat a full meal right before a workout.  Banana?  Clif Bar?  Toast?

I love my little town.

I said to my husband this morning, "It's days like yesterday that I really love where we live."  He agreed.

Yesterday was the 15th annual Greening Up the Mountains festival.  From downtownsylva.org: "This annual spring festival, named for the way the “spring green” creeps up the mountainsides, began as a celebration of Earth Day and has now evolved into a celebration of our local economy, sustainability, and traditional heritage crafts."

Sadly, in my 6 years here, this was my first year partaking in the celebration.   We started with the Greening Up the Mountains 5k where we got these awesome shirts:

We then headed over to the festival where we entered a raffle to win a 55 gallon rain barrel...and WON!  I'm so excited.  The trash can rain barrel we made just didn't hack it.  In fact, last weekend it busted up the side so we were in dire need of a new one.  I'll post pictures later when we have it set up.  In the meantime, here are some other pictures from the GUtM festival:

I wasn't quite sure what to think of this rack(?).  And they had several.  I giggled a little bit.

 Lunch was YUMMY!  Indian fry bread topped with lots of yummy stuff.

Doing my part to save the planet.  Are you doing yours?

We couldn't leave without getting some kettle corn.  :)

This used to be the county courthouse until a new building was built several years ago.  They recently did a major renovation and now it's the public library.  It's amazing in there.  Especially compared to where the library used to be housed.

I had to get a picture of this beast.  His name is Jake.  His brother Elwood was at home.  He's the biggest pitbull I've ever seen.  

That night we went out to Soul Infusion aka "The Tea House", hung out with friends, ate good food, listened to some jam bands, and sampled some great brews out of Tuckaseegee Brewing Co-op's kayakerator.



Here's to good times and great friends.

The Ho-Hum Lunch

Lately I've gotten kind of tired of the same ol' stuff I bring to work for lunch everyday.  Sandwiches = boring.  Leftovers = blah.  But really, I just don't feel like I'm getting the nutrition I need.  Nor am I creative enough to do it on my own.  Thank goodness for Pinterest.  ;oD  I know, I know. "Here she goes about Pinterest again.  *sigh*"

But seriously, I get some wonderful ideas and find great new (to me) websites on this site.  One of which is this one:

Source: easylunchboxes.smugmug.com via Nicole on Pinterest

It seems like it started as a site for lunch ideas and then grew to where they're now selling lunchboxes.  I don't know.  What I care about is the variety of lunches.  And yes, obviously some (most?) of these are geared towards kids, but I think they can be great ideas for adult lunches too.  What I plan on doing is going through them starting with the first one.  The first one has cherry tomatoes...I don't particularly care for tomatoes (on their own) but I figure I need the great things tomatoes can give me that Fruit Roll-Ups cannot.  I don't buy Fruit Roll-Ups but I'm sure you understand the point I'm trying to make.  I also need to use up the rest of my grilled tofu, so I'll be packing that instead of the chicken strips.

Anyway, enough of that.  I just thought I'd share this site with my wonderful readers.  :)

Have a good lunch break!

My new love: my juicer

My sister got me a Black and Decker juicer for my birthday back in November. 

Partially because I was intimidated, partially because I misplaced the owner's manual and couldn't figure out how to disassemble to prewash the darn thing, & partially because I didn't have a juicing recipe book (I know, I'm lame), I didn't juice until this week.

So when Santa Claus brought me The Big Book of Juices, I was ready to try my hand at juicing.

This thing is insanely heavy...must be the type of paper they used.  At any rate, I've made 3 or 4 juices from it and they've all been really good.  Granted, I'm doing the beginner juicer's plan so it's been mostly fruit juices.  Today I made one with 1/4 cucumber...interesting, but still tasty.  Tomorrow calls for 1/2 of a pineapple (I'm just going to use some frozen chunks I have), 1 apple, 1 celery stalk, & 3 carrots.  Definitely a little more adventurous.

The reasons I like this book: tons of recipes, breakdown of what the juices help with (digestion, skin, immunity etc.), information on different fruits/veggies and how they should be prepared (they recommend citrus be pressed rather than juiced), and in the back there's some plans...like the beginner's plan I mentioned, juicing plan if you've been sick a lot lately, weekend fasting plan, etc.  They also list juices that help with lots of different ailments like acne, anemia, etc.  Those are the only two I can think of right now.  :)   

The thing I've been leery about is upping my pesticide consumption.  If I had all the money in the world & lived next to a whole foods grocery store, I'd buy organic.  When I was buying the items for my juices this week I was confronted with my first dilemma: organic cucumber for $3-$4 or the non-organic for mere cents.  I went non-organic. 

Because of my fears, I decided I'd make a fruit & veggie wash I had heard of.  1 cup water, 1 cup white vinegar, 1 tablespoon baking soda, & the juice of half a lemon.  You spray it on, leave it for 5 minutes, and then wash your fruit or vegetable.  I have NO IDEA if it actually works, but it certainly calms my mind a little.

I'll leave with this tip to keep in mind: If you decide to make this wash, remember that vinegar + baking soda = BIG MESS!  I forgot until it was too late. 

Good news & bad news...

Had a bone scan on Monday.

Nurse to Nicole: Now make sure you continue to drink lots of fluids & empty your bladder often.  The radiation is excreted through your urine & we don't want the radiation sitting in your bladder next to your ovaries.
My thoughts: Greeeeeeeeeeeeaaaaaaaaat.

Remember my hip MRI?  They had to take x-rays while they were sticking the needle into my hip joint to inject the dye.
Nurse to Nicole: Now, because of the nature of where this is, we're not going to be able to protect your ovaries. (by placing a lead thing on my belly)
Nurse proceeds to take 5 million xrays while they place the needle in my hip.
My thoughts:  Greeeeeeeeeeeeeeeaaaaaaaaaaat.

At any rate, I got the results today and I don't have a stress fracture, but it's on its way there.  I'm to only do swimming or cycling type exercises for two weeks.  After two weeks I can test it out slowly and if I feel any pain, stop.  The doc said 1 month at first but then saw my reaction and switched to two weeks.  I have another follow-up with him in a month.  At least now you won't have to listen to me complain about my ankle all the time.  :)

You are beautiful

Isn't it funny how one (me) feels they need to lose weight to wear workout clothes??

We struggle with this type of issue at work more often than expected...someone's working out in questionable attire (jeans, non athletic type shoes, etc.) but do we approach them?  What if they really don't have workout attire?  We definitely don't want to discourage fitness & wellness.