We all make mistakes

Happy Friday!

I'm sure you're very curious to hear how how I'm doing with my whole 30 challenge, maybe more so after you read the title of this post. Last weekend I was in Anaheim for the Natural Foods Expo and I cheated. At first it wasn't on purpose. I ate some seasoned peas (the other flavors had noodles and nuts) so I thought that was fine until I read the bag and saw it had sugar in it. I shouldn't have assumed, I should've read the bag before taking a sample. I was running around the expo with my friend Krystal, sampling so many things. She is paleo too but not doing the whole 30 challenge so she can eat things that I can't. I think I was on a high from seeing her (our schedules are both so full we don't see each other as much as we'd like to, and it was a big deal that we were both out of town at the same event so we were excited to see each other) that I wasn't 100% paying attention to what I was eating. I think I ate chocolate covered coffee beans? Something was chocolate covered. Believe it or not I still said no to other things but I did try some kind of PB that was delicious. One night at dinner I had a bite of veggie lasagna that was doused in cheese.  Also, I found out Jeni's Splendid Ice Cream was at the Expo and I freaked out! I've only been one time in Columbus but it was AMAZING! So obviously I cheated on purpose and tried a sample of the 5 flavors they had.

I'm not proud of my cheats, but I think it's important I'm honest with myself and everyone else following my progress. I started my challenge over this past Monday. Today is day 5 for me. I've talked to some people who think I shouldn't start all the way over, but maybe add days at the end. Personally, I wouldn't feel right about saying I finished knowing I cheated. Danielle has been so good and hasn't cheated it all so I definitely owe it to her to finish the right way.
My favorite meal this week was probably the meal I found out I could have at in n out, which I also made at home the next two days in a row. This is how you order it: Double meat animal style, hold the spread, extra mustard and protein style. So there is no bun, it's lettuce instead, and they mustard fry the burger and grill the onions. I think it had pickles too! It was really delicious.
Ok, almost one week down. Go see how Danielle is doing! She should be blogging later today.  I'll make something in the crockpot next week. I keep saying that but I really will. :)

Whole 30: Week One

Here is a summary of how my week went!

Day 1: My favorite meal was my lunch (which I had again for dinner), Carne Asada, green peppers, onions topped with avocado.
Day 2: My favorite meal was dinner. I had chicken with spinach, broccoli, peppers, asparagus topped with cherry tomatoes and avocado.
Day 3: My favorite meal was my lunch! I made scrambled eggs, ground beef, onions, peppers topped with cherry tomatoes and cilantro.
 This is the day I started to get into a routine of drinking lots of water with lemon and going on walks to clear my head and try to focus on the challenge. At this point I was still a little sad I couldn't just eat whatever I wanted. Prior to this challenge pasta with pesto was my go to meal. If I had no idea what to eat or I was just too hungry to cook, I would make pasta. For me it's an easy out (not that I'm proud of that) and makes me not really work at putting together a meal that is going to fuel my body. Something I love about this challenge is the fact that if I eat, I know I'm eating good things. If I am too tired to eat and I skip a meal (that isn't ideal) at least I'm not filling my body with unhealthy food.
Day 4: My favorite meal was breakfast. I made steak, 2 over easy eggs, a clementine and hot water with lemon. I got to go on two different walks Tuesday and I loved it!
Day 5: My favorite meal was dinner, but I will talk about that in a minute. Today was the first day I tackled eating out. It was my friend Jeri's birthday so her, Analisa and I went to breakfast. I ate an apple before so I wouldn't be hungry. Analisa gave me all of her fruit from her meal. It was really sweet of her! Waseam's birthday is tomorrow but he's going out of town too so we celebrated last night. Two outings in one day! Dinner was AMAZING. Our waitress was so sweet and understanding of my requests. I had a burger with onion, tomato, pickles, avocado spread and it was all on a bed of lettuce. I had a side salad with tomatoes. It made me really appreciate the people that don't make a big deal out of specific requests and the fact that she was so willing to help me. The restaurant we went to was hosting a karaoke night and I love music and listening to karaoke!
Day 6: My favorite meal was lunch/dinner. My boss picked me up at 8am so we could head to Anaheim for the Natural Foods Expo this weekend. It's a huge event that I'm honestly so thankful to be a part of. I love traveling and especially with a company I love. I had a banana for breakfast. We spent a couple of hours setting up our booth and I tried to stay hydrated as much as possible. I had some pistachios and pineapple for a snack. We finished at 3pm and I was feeling pretty lightheaded from not having any substantial food yet. For a late lunch, early dinner, we went to a local mexican restaurant. I ate steak, grilled peppers, onions and tomato. I put a bunch of guacamole on my food. It was really good! I think you see a theme here, I enjoy steak, onions and peppers. I had that a lot this week. Next week when I'm home I plan on using my crock pot for at least one meal. I'm really excited. I think next week will be better.
Danielle, thank you so much for being there for me this week! We talked so much and it really helped. Also, Waseam was a great help too. I was cranky the first couple of days and he never was mad at me for my bad moods. I think it's getting better although being away without access to a blender or refrigerator for 4 days will be a whole different obstacle to tackle. It'l be a little rough but I'll make it work!
Go check out Danielle's update coming tomorrow! Can't wait to start week 2 with you Danielle. We can do this!

Whole 30 Challenge

Happy March 1st!

My good friend Danielle (you can find her Here) and I made up a running and abs challenge last summer and were feeling up for a challenge for this month. Danielle suggested the Whole 30 challenge (you can read more here) and I told her lets do it! I don't feel that I can explain it perfectly so I included the link if you're interested in learning more. It's all brand new to both of us but we've been researching blogs, forums and turning to other friends who have been eating Paleo regularly. I know for sure we are staying away from grains, sugar, beans, alcohol, white potatoes and junk food. I am really looking forward to this month because I should probably already be eating this way anyway. I LOVE brownies, oreos, potatoes, cheese and plenty of other things that I shouldn't love as much as I do, but I'm learning I should start to eat those things in moderation. My metabolism is really good but I'm starting to realize that my food choices will affect me later in life, even if I can't see it now. A couple of my family members have diabetes and I don't want that to be part of my life. I want to stay as strong and healthy as possible. I know the I have the power to make smart choices and I'm thinking this challenge will really open my eyes to cleaner eating. I want junk food to be a treat and not an easily accessible option for a snack. I want to fuel my body with food that will make me feel good, give me energy, and not weigh me down. I don't know if I've ever gone a month with french fries or sugar, ok let's be honest- I definitely haven't. That's what I love about this challenge. It's going to be hard and I love accomplishing something difficult. Danielle, thank you for suggesting this and supporting me! Both of us will blog every Friday of March to let you know how things are going. Check back soon. 

Happy 2014

Happy 2014! Obviously I'm not the best at blogging but I really am trying to make a better effort this year. By a better effort I mean that I'll try to blog at least twice a month. That seems pretty reasonable, right? Let's hope so!

Recently I've been trying to reach out to local photographers to talk to them about photography or shadow them on a shoot. So far I've been unsuccessful at getting anyone to meet up with me, but that's ok. I won't give up trying to reach out to people. I really admire when people have their own business and I'm also fascinated by how they got to that point in their life.

I'm also trying to get better about posting whatever I feel like saying. It's hard not to compare myself to other bloggers when I read their posts and admire their writing skills. I just tell myself that someone out there likes the way I write and relates to me (whether this is true or not) in some way so I need to stay true to how I am.

Here are some old pictures from Indiana. I LOVE INDIANA.

Engagement Session with Jenny & Kyle

I had the pleasure of photographing Jenny & Kyle early this month! This session was very special to me for a couple reasons. First, I've known Jenny and her family for 7 years now so it was great to photograph someone I already know and love! Second, I live in California and Jenny & Kyle in Indiana, so I am very thankful and happy they chose me when they could've gone with someone local instead. Thank you so much Jenny & Kyle. You're both great and I wish you the best!

Visitors

I LOVE having visitors. It's that time of the year where people pretty much visit back to back to back. My sister and Kayla were here over Easter, and my friend Scott came for a couple days. Dawn and Brock will be here at the end of the month, and then Brittany and Lexi at the end of May. Lots of memories will be made which I'm so thankful for. Along with that, tons of pictures will be taken. I'm going to catch you up through pictures and short captions this morning. Enjoy!

Tamara, Kayla and I took these donuts and used them for milkshakes. Mine was a little too sweet so I only finished half but it was definitely fun to try something new!

 

This picture was taken at Mt. Woodson (Potato Chip Rock) in Poway, CA. The hike was 7-8 miles roundtrip (depends which trail you take). It took us 4 hours to complete and we spend about an hour at the top taking these pictures and helping other people take pictures. This rock was the most fun part of the hike for me because we got to be creative and take silly pictures. 

Exploring San Diego

I'm sorry it's been so long everyone! It's definitely been a busy couple of weeks. Waseam's mom came to visit last week which allowed us to try some restaurants in San Diego that we've never been to before. Personally, I see eating as an experience and love the journey in discovering new treasures. First, Adam's Steak & Eggs in Mission Valley. We went for breakfast on Waseam's birthday last Thursday. Look at this cinnamon roll. It doesn't look like your traditional cinnamon roll, but you just have to believe me when I saw this is the best I've ever had! 

This restaurant had the curved back chairs that I like. I don't know what it is about them, but I'm a fan! Overall, I had a great experience at Adam's Steak & Eggs. 

Sarah and I tried out Influx Cafe in Mission Hill on Broadway. My muffin was really big and my caramel latte was delicious. I think it's the best latte I've ever had. I actually can't wait to go back for another! The building was smaller than I expected and  it was pretty busy when we went but luckily we got a seat!

Third, Fig Tree Cafe in Pacific Beach. We sat on the back patio that had plants/trees everywhere. I loved the feel of the place. I had a hard time deciding what to get because everything looked great. Usually I choose breakfast (my favorite meal!) but today I went with the Caprese Panini on Focaccia and a side of tomato soup. I'm not sure if the picture is that exciting-- but my bread was so warm & soft, and this only shows half of my sandwich. Waseam was happy to help me finish what I couldn't eat.

Looking back on this post I realize how much I explored different areas of the city the past couple of days. I'm happy about that! Here are some random photos from the past week. Enjoy!