Wednesday, March 31, 2010

health conscience??

Lately, well really since Matt and I got married in 2008, I have been wanting to learn about being more health conscience. Just a little background for some of you... In 2005 I found out I was allergic to yeast. This is more typically known as a candida allergy. This cuts out pretty much most grains, which are not all bad for our bodies. So, with this allergy I am always looking for alternatives and things that can improve my health. Along with this, during the years of 2005 to 2008 both of my parents have gotten -- and beat, wohoo!! -- cancer. My mom battled with breast cancer in 2005, my dad had a rare stomach cancer in 2007 and then prostate cancer in 2008. Let's just say it was a wild, crazy, scary time for our family, but a time when we were thrown into the arms of the true Healer, our loving Heavenly Father. It was crazy to me to think that my parents battled with cancer, because both of them were generally healthy and in good health.... so, I often ask myself, was it what we ate?? Now, we didn't eat unhealthy, but to look at all the preservatives and plastics and toxins that were being consumed through our food or that our food was being stored in was scary. So, I have been very interested in trying to be more healthy and going back to just the natural things before their were preservatives and plastic :)


In the past week I have learned about two things that I am very excited about... Quinoa and Brown Algae.

quinoa1.jpg

This is Quinoa (pronounced "keenwah"). It is known as the "super grain," but is actually not a grain. Quinoa is a seed related to the spinach family. It is a great replacement for the candida diet (great for me :) ) and other grain allergies. Quinoa is easy to digest and high in protein and fiber. Quinoa tastes a little like rice, but is a bit softer. There are many quinoa recipes, but I am excited to use it as a rice substitute, or just to eat plain :)


Here are a few of its benefits:

- contains all 9 essential amino acids that build muscle

- contains high values of magnesium with relaxes the muscles and blood vessels

- contains high levels of fiber

- contains manganese and copper that act as anti-oxidants


kombu.jpg

This is Kombu, better known as dried brown algae. Kombu is a sea vegetable (kelp) that helps eliminate our bodies of dangerous toxins. It also reduces symptoms of hypertension, gout, asthma, eczema, and rheumatism. (I was particularly interested in this product because I have Raynaud's Syndrome which is a phenomenon having to do with low blood circulation in the fingers and toes. It can also later turn into Lupus, rheumatism, and other diseases, so I am always trying to keep my eye on it. :) ) Kombu can also help inhibit breast cancer, which is also of particular interest to me because of my mom. Basically to use the Kombu you throw the dried rods into a pot of boiling water when cooking things like rice or noodles, and the food absorbs all the nutrients. Throw out the rods after and eat the noodles or rice :)


I hope that this encourages you to try either Kombu or Quinoa. Even though these things may taste "healthy" I really believe that you can acquire a taste for them. If it is good for you, why not try it!! :) More recipes and information can be found here for Kombu and Quinoa.

Now, just how to get my sweet husband to eat these???

Monday, March 29, 2010

surprise!!

I have the sweetest husband in the whole world... for my birthday he flew my sweet sister Andrea to Texas to spend the weekend with me! It was so, so great to have her here and I was so surprised! So surprised that I cried at the airport when I had to take a double-take because I saw her and thought, "what is she doing here!!" It was so good to see her and spend the whole weekend together. Thank you baby for sending Andrea down here to spend the weekend with me... We had so much fun!! Love you Ange, cannot wait for you to come again. :)

More to come on DNow later.

Thursday, March 25, 2010

"eat my powder!!"

We are finally home... it feels great to be back :)

We had an unbelievable time in Silverthorne, Colorado with my family. Silverthorne is a really sweet town and is a great central location between the mountains. We were so lucky to be able to ski Copper, Keystone, and Breckenridge. It was so much fun! This was Matt's first time to ski, so I was a little nervous about how he would like it. But, he did AMAZING and I was so proud of him. By the end of the first day he was going straight down the mountain!! The whole time screaming "eat my powder!!" Way to go baby! Matt and I joke that my parents are "world travelers" because they LOVE to travel, so it was fun to be with them because they do vacations really well. :) It was such a sweet time to be with my family and so fun to see Drew and Matt bond more as brothers. Here are a few pictures from our trip (sorry about the long line of pics, I don't know how to make a slideshow... if you can teach me, leave it in the comments section. Thanks!)

It was really hard to leave because of this...
and this...
welcome to silverthorne, colorado :)
matt on the plane showing how excited he is to ski for the first time!!
one day we walked around the historic town of Leadville... we couldn't miss the MU basketball game, so we stopped for lunch in the historic Leadville Tavern. Most of the furniture was transported by covered wagon in the 1800's from St. Louis!! Whoop, whoop.
getting ready for our first day out on the slopes!
it was really cold our first 2 days
this is how matt came down the mountain... crouched position and straight down!


matt said he wanted to come back and ski ASAP, so he bought me a really cute ski coat as the "down payment" :) He is so good to me.
This is where I sat the 3rd day :( Luckily it was beautiful and sunny
we also celebrated my 23rd birthday... it was so great to be with my parents, drew, and matt. Matt got me an ice cream cake...Mmmm!
drew and matt, sad to leave
someone's cute dog in their shop
the reason we were stuck in Denver for 24hrs.
matt relaxing on our hotel bed after a long 6 hrs. at the airport

it was so great... we hope to go back soon!!

Wednesday, March 24, 2010

stranded...

This spring break matt and I were very blessed to be able to travel to Silverthorne, Colorado with my sweet family. We had a blast skiing, relaxing and just being grateful for the time with my parents and brother Drew (Andrea was on a missions trip to the Bahamas). More to come on the trip and pictures...

BUT, at this moment, we are still in Denver and stranded at a hotel. We arrived at the Denver Int. Airport yesterday at 3:30 and stayed for just about 6 hours. We got to our gate and waited while our plane circled outside for about 45 minutes until it was safe for it to pull in. Then, we were informed the plane was being checked because it was struck by lightening during its previous flight and may not be suitable to fly. An hour and a half later, we are informed the plane is not suitable for flying and we waited for another plane... meanwhile, the snow keeps falling harder. While waiting, the current plane is being covered first with freezing rain and then snow. De-icers not working. All flights cancelled. Then starts the mad-dash of all passengers (all in fact very angry and frustrated) to rebook a flight and find a hotel, many of which are full for the night. Result= 5000 people sleeping in the airport.

I am grateful we got a flight and we were one of the lucky ones to get a hotel for the evening... however, the shuttle ride to the hotel was anything but a party bus. Nothing like riding about 40 minutes crammed into a bus of cold, tired, angry people :) Did I mention that I hurt my knee skiing (getting a doctor's opinion on Thursday) so I spent all 6 hours in a wheel chair, being pushed around by my sweet husband?? Yes, it was quite an evening. :)

Around 6:00 pm the man at the airport told us he was sure we would be getting out of Denver that evening... well, here we are, almost 24 hours later and $76 poorer (the airline did NOT comp. our stay at the wonderful Renaissance Hotel here in Denver) and still not home :( Our plan is to get out of here tonight on the 4:40 flight and safely home by 9 tonight. Some people's flights have already been cancelled and rescheduled for 7 pm THURSDAY night!! UGH, we really would like to leave today!! :)

I know it sounds like I am complaining, and maybe I am a little, but I am so grateful we were under the Lord's great and might wing of protection last night. I would rather have stayed here in the hotel than flown through the horrible snow storm. I am also so happy to have such a wonderful husband who let me sit inside in my wheelchair while he waited for about 45 minutes for our shuttle. :) We really couldn't stop laughing about all that was happening! Oh, what a night.

Please be praying we make it back tonight safely. We trust the Lord will be taking care of us. Also, please be praying for the FH's DNOW weekend this weekend. Rally is tonight, and sadly, matt will not be able to join in the excitement. We are praying hearts are transformed and turned towards Christ.

Monday, March 8, 2010

and the angels will rejoice

"Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Does he not leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it? And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders and goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, 'Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.' I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent." Luke 15:4-7

Don't you just love this picture of Christ, our Shepherd who goes out to find us and bring us back to him?? I am so grateful that the Lord first pursued me and always welcomes me back with open arms. He is so good to us.

When Matt and I first moved here it was a bit of a struggle for me to get adjusted to the "Texas way of life," but we have adjusted and the Lord continues to bless us and call us to Himself. When Matt took the job at Fielder it only opened the door to more stretching and learning (mostly for me... high school students scare me just a little bit :) ). But, seeing these kids fall more in love with the Lord, the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, our provider and redeemer, has been such a joy to watch. And has made our being here even more of a confirmation that this is where the Lord has us for the time being. Thank you, Father, for your sweet reaffirmation of your presence and provision that I need so often.

Last night and today, Matt and I rejoice and praise the Lord because one of the students who comes to hang with us on Friday nights accepted the Jesus Christ as Savior!! What a blessing to take part in God's work. I pray that he is only the first in many to experience the love, hope, peace and joy of Jesus Christ, who redeems us from our sin and makes us a new creation.