One down, a lifetime to go

Here we are a year later…I will have to give the first year of marriage a solid 10 out of 10. I wasn’t 100% sure of what to expect going into this whole marriage business…who really is? You never really know what it’s going to be like until you move in with that person and start living your life together. Being married is definitely an adjustment, but an easy change for the most part. During our anniversary dinner we talked about what one thing we would change about each other during the past year…It was hard to think of anything, but we finally decided that I needed to make sure I rise off the dishes before I put them in the sink…and Frank needs to stop looking at the TV behind me with the Lion’s football game on during our anniversary dinner (I was nice enough NOT to bring up holey underwear!)! Ha! Nooo…he didn’t watch the game, but I did notice his eyes wandering in that general direction a time or two right when we sat down. I’d say if those are our biggest complaints for the past year, we are doing rather well...obviously still in the honeymoon phase :)

Unfortunately, we all have those people in our lives that knock marriage and talk about it like it’s the worst thing in the world….Frank and I can’t really figure that one out. Maybe we are still young and a little naive in our marriage, but we think being married is pretty much the best thing ever. We are happier than we have ever been, and we have so much fun being together. I’m not going to say that everything is perfect and lovely and easy 24/7…but I would venture to say it is like that…most of the time.

There is one woman I know who is the type that always talks smack about marriage, and last week she had the audacity to say “I give you guys 10 years”…In her defense she was totally joking and that’s just how she is, you can never take her seriously. But it still sort of took me by surprise that she would even say something like that jokingly…it was actually pretty rude now that I’m thinking about it. I mean, what do you say in response to that? Do any of you guys have people in your lives that have negative views of marriage? Does it make you uncomfortable?

I’ll stop talking about marriage now. With one year under our belt…we obviously have a lot of learning and growing still to do, but I’m thrilled that we’re super happy where we are at now :)…and can’t wait to see what the years hold ahead of us.

1 year :)

Frank doesn't know I posted these online....shhh!

Cake in yo face!

This Saturday we’re leaving for Costa Rica and we’ll be there a week. This week is probably going to drag at work, but that’s okay, because there is a huge light at the end of the tunnel. A light that includes a rainforest bungalow with hammocks and fruity drinks, and monkeys swinging through the trees….ahhhhhh….5 more days…

Trying Paleo

Along with working out at the crossfit gym with Frank lately…we’ve slowly been changing our diet. It’s called Paleo (or Caveman diet/Zone..they are all pretty similar). Basically you cut out all processed foods, gluten/starches, legumes, dairy, sugar, to name a few. Eat lots of veggies, eggs, grass fed/organic meats, fruits/berries, nuts. To make it easy, you knock off the bottom level of the food pyramid (breads and grains), and the dairy. I’ve still been eating a little dairy now and then…creamer in my coffee, and very limited cheese. And of course we have “cheat” times where we’ll eat a pizza and dessert! We’re trying to limit those cheats to just once or twice a week. So far we’ve been doing this about 4 weeks and feel great. I’ve actually been cooking Paleo dinners for about a year. Now we’re getting a little more serious about it.

I didn’t just walk into this blindly, though. I researched a ton online, read a book about it…and I’m still researching...it all made sense once I understood how our bodies process different types of food. I’ve had a really hard time eating veggies, pretty much my whole life. There were about 3 or 4 veggies that I would eat, and I did not eat them often. Same with fruits and fish. The past couple of weeks I have been forcing myself to try all sorts of different foods, and I am realizing that they aren’t as bad as I thought, and I actually feel a lot better eating them! This whole way of eating has been a wake-up call…I’ve realized that I can do without breads, pastas, and sugar. Yes, it tastes really good…but doesn’t really make me feel all that great. Just in the past few weeks my energy level has shot waayyy up. I no longer get drowsy in the afternoons at work, I feel great after eating a high protein breakfast every day (I would skip breakfast a lot before), and I just overall feel a lot healthier.

Frank is really reaping the benefits of this. He has trimmed up a ton and looks great! I’m really proud of him and I’m glad we’re in this together and supporting each other.

We’ve tried all kinds of new recipes lately. Just last night I made these (but used spinach instead of zucchini): http://everydaypaleo.com/2011/06/03/family-style-frittatas/ . It’s a breakfast meal, but we had all the ingredients on hand so we had breakfast-for-dinner. The leftovers went in the fridge and tasted really good reheated in the morning.

Just thought I’d share. Sometimes I think we’re a little crazy but it really has made a world of difference. Last weekend I did cheat quite a bit with my beach trip. Of course, this weekend I’ll probably indulge a little too since I’ll be in TX for my friends shower and wedding planning. Wedding cake tasting? Yeah, I can’t quite pass that up! And I'm sure a few celebratory drinks will had to celebrate her birthday too :). For the most part, however...I think we'll be sticking with this.

Happenings

So it’s been nearly a month since I’ve updated and I’ve pretty much accepted that’s the way it’s going to be. It’s been busy as usual since Frank got back from Ukraine. Our house is a mess because we’re constantly coming or going…and the laundry piles just keep getting bigger! Luckily Frank is home today (he’s off on Mondays) and apparently he’s already done 4 loads of laundry-woohoo!

I’ve started working out with Frank at the Crossfit gym he’s been going to the past year or two. This is the first time I’ve worked out regularly…hmm…pretty much since high school. Yeah, it’s been a while! I’ve done a little here and there but it’s been more like running, Pilates, etc…nothing this intense. So far it hasn’t been too bad- but I’m still in the “elements” phase which lasts about a month. The workouts are shorter and easier than what everyone else is doing. I know I should enjoy it while I can, because they are going to get a lot harder as time goes by!

This past weekend I went to Gulf Shores, AL with some friends for a girls weekend. It was so nice to get out of Montgomery for a few days and relax on the beach and eat some yummy seafood! We had a great time :). I forgot my camera so this is the only photo I took (with my phone)...hopefully I'll have more to add later once the other girls get theirs uploaded.

Frank and I have been talking about going to Costa Rica ever since it fell through for our honeymoon last year…so guess what? We’re going for our first anniversary! I booked my ticket last week and we’ll be in Costa Rica from Sept 3-10^th. It’s sort of a birthday/anniversary present to ourselves since we didn’t buy each other gifts…we’re bad about that stuff. Instead of gifts we’ll be making memories together in Central America!

At first I was thinking about doing the west side of Costa Rica, there are a lot of beaches and it seems like the place that most people go. But after some research, I have decided we are going to probably spend most of the time in the southeast side (the Caribbean side). It’s less touristy, better weather this time of year, lots of natural beauty. I found all these little bungalow’s in the rainforest close to the beaches (http://tierradesuenoslodge.com/). So far the plan is to start the trip off in Puerto Viejo, explore the rainforest, and maybe take a 2 day trip to Panama and go to Bocas Del Toro (some islands off the coast of Panama that look awesome). Before we leave I also want to raft the Pacuare River, I read that it is one of the top 10 rivers according to National Geographic….I’m super stoked!!

This weekend I’m heading to Wichita Falls for my dear friend Cathy’s wedding shower. So excited to see her and also be able to celebrate her birthday with her this year :)