A Delivering Journey

I know I don't usually post things about food, but I just HAVE to share this recipe! It's my new favorite thing ever! AND it's healthy with all natural ingredients! I don't really have exact measurements because I recreated this from something I ate at a restaurant, but it's really an add-what-you-like kind of recipe! The biggest thing is to add the "secret" ingredient. I say "secret" because I've never had any with this ingredient before. Ok, so I bet you're wondering what it is, right? GUACAMOLE!!! Now, this is more of an avocado lover's recipe, but MAN it's delicious! So here's what you need:        (this is a 1 or 2 person recipe, so double, triple, or            even quadruple depending on how much you want or need) 1 large, ripe cubed avocado (it's okay if it's a little under or over ripened, too) 1 roma tomato, chopped - you probably want them a little smaller than what I did in ...

As if life wasn't crazy enough, I have shingles now... Thursday night, I noticed I had a bump on the back of my head. I didn't think anything of it at first because I thought it was just a pimple or something? I don't know... Later that night, as I was laying in bed I noticed that the bump really hurt since I was laying with the back of my head on the pillow. I decided to ignore it and tried to go to sleep. The next morning, I got up and the bump felt HUGE! It was definitely a big knot at that point. Not having hit my head or anything, I couldn't figure out what it was! So I started feeling the back of my head and I noticed that there was a second bump starting to form. I immediately knew what it was. Back when I was 16, I had shingles on the back of my head and they were AWFUL! Back then, it also started with a mysterious knot on the back of my head. By the time it got big enough to be alarming, I went to the doctor, but it was too late. The bumps/blisters had ...

If anyone has been on Pinterest for any significant amount of time, you've probably seen a TON of things about coconut oil, right? Yes. You've probably seen something that looks kind of like this: Well, I think you all know how I feel about coconut oil ...I'm totally willing to try ANY coconut product as well as alternative uses for it! So, I broke out my jar of extra virgin coconut oil (EVCO) and decided to try the one about softening hair and clearing your skin... I should have known better, really. I have SUPER sensitive skin that is very temperamental, but I figured this would work because 1. it's natural, and 2. so many things have sworn by it! I want to hurt whoever started the rumor that EVCO is good for "clearing skin". It may work for you, but here's what happened to me... I BROKE OUT - majorly. Not just the little, unnoticeable pimples, either! I had those miserable, deep ones that HURT! It was so awful! Not only that, but I used it...

I got to spend Valentine's Day with the love of my life, and it was perfect! We had to go out of town because Randy had a conference to go to on the 15th, so I went with him and we celebrated Valentine's Day Wednesday, Saturday, & Sunday! SO awesome! I love that man SO much! Here are some pictures from our trip... We also went to an AMAZING botanical garden! We loved it!  Randy and I both love flowers/plants/gardening, so this was really special. This picture and the one below were at the Japanese Garden. Randy took me to a Japanese Garden as part of our first date! So we just HAD to see this one! Then, we had THE BEST pizza I have ever eaten in my life! WOW! I love my sweet husband SO much! He is the best!!! Here's the card I got him (minus the handwritten message).  For the record, I believe in loving ALL year long, but it is nice to have one day (or a few days in our case) where we celebrate it a little bit more...

Oh! Hey there! Sorry it has been forever since my last update! Life is ridiculous right now, as you might expect. Alright, I guess I'll break this down into categories... Hospital: The day I was admitted. The little hair buns were so my hair stayed out of the way of the electrodes and it helped when it came time to dissolve the glue! The hospital was a crazy experience. I was there for the full 5 days and I only got to sleep for 8 hours between Monday at 7am and Friday at 2am. You have never felt true exhaustion until you have been awake for 26 hours after having slept only 7 hours total in the previous 3 days. What's even worse was they only let me take a 1hr nap at that point. I seriously almost cried. Actually, I think I did cry...That was Thursday afternoon. It was rough. It didn't help that every day, at least twice a day, they were making me hyperventilate for long periods of time and flashing crazy strobe lights in my eyes. NO FUN! They finally le...

So I guess now is the final countdown. I'm going into the hospital in less than 48 hours, and I won't come out for at least a week. My mind doesn't even know how to handle that right now! I was going to be checking in at 7am, but it turns out they'll have a few other people checking in at that time, so my doctor's assistant gave me the option of coming at noon so we wouldn't have to wait around for a "first come first serve" check in or however they decided to arrange us. I think they said they only have one or two people to glue the electrodes to heads and whatnot and get you set up, and the doctor doesn't even get there to see you until 10 and it's just a nightmare...so it just worked out better. AND since I can't wash my hair for a week (because I'll have 40ish electrodes glued to my head) I have to wash my hair and dry it just before I go to the hospital so it won't be quite so icky...but let's get real - It's ...

I have some amazing friends! Like most [happily] married people, Randy is my best friend, but I also have some sweet girl friends who have been unbelievably supportive during this difficult time. For this post, I'd like to talk about one friend in particular.*** Her name is Taylor and we have been friends since the 7th grade. We met in the new believer's class at church, but we didn't really become close until our sophomore year of high school. That's where these pictures come in... Anyway, I've always felt like the dynamics of all of the "groups" back home have changed so dramatically since everyone graduated and left (or didn't), but Taylor and I have always been able to catch up as if we never spent any time apart no matter how long it has been since we talked. I love her friendship, her heart for the Lord, her honesty, her deep, authentic compassion, her laughter that she will almost always give you, and so many other admirable qualities. I...