i believe
Day 18 of the 30 day challenge simply says: my beliefs. So….
- I believe that finding true love is the world’s greatest gift
- I believe that when people are mean to you they’re merely projecting their own unhappiness with themselves onto you
- I believe water is the best thing for your body
- I believe that America will no longer be a world power when my children are adults
- I believe our current diet is going to lead to health problems of epic proportions later down the line
- I believe Felicity was the greatest TV show ever
- I believe that money doesn’t buy happiness but it can help make you happy
- I believe bad things happen to good people for no reason
- I believe in God
- I believe in the death penalty
- I believe the government has no right to tell a women what she can or can not do with her body
- I believe Keith is the perfect man in this world for me
- I believe that while marriage is the single best thing that has happened to me it is also the hardest
- I believe you can accomplish anything you set your mind to
- I believe we will one day be able to cure modern-day diseases only to have them replaced by others
- I believe there is life outside of Earth
- I believe that an eyebrow wax can do wonders for the self-esteem
- I believe that good food can change your outlook on a bad day
- I believe I could eat sushi everyday for the rest of my life and be content
- I believe dogs are the perfect pet
- I believe sometimes crying is the only thing that helps
- I believe it totally okay to still sleep with a teddy bear when your thirty
- I believe that teaching is the most underpaid and undervalued profession in our country
- I believe you have to stand up for the things you believe in but you also need to respect people who disagree with you
- I believe hard work does pay off
- And finally…I believe that believing in yourself is the most important of all!
What do you believe in?
highs and lows
Day 17 of the 30 day challenge is to discuss the highs and lows of this past year. I can honestly say that last year [2010] was not a very good year. At all. So let’s get to it:
The Lows: (I would rather disucss these first and then end on a high note)
- I had a bursa sac develop in my left knee that caused me to drop out of the NYC Marathon that I had trained to so hard to qualify for. I had the bursa sac drained yet that knee still plagues me with on again/off again pain.
- I had a horrendous kitchen accent and chopped my left pinky 95% off. I had extensive surgery and lots of physical therapy. I had another blog, Healthy Living With Kelly, that I had to end it because I was one handed for many months.
- Those 2 incidents caused me to lose myself completely. I was so depressed. I had gone from being a really good runner to someone who couldn’t even tie her own shoes or take a shower alone. I had no use of my left hand for months and I was so broken and truth be told I am still healing.
The Highs:
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I learned a lot about myself and what I thought was important. I learned that there is a lot more to me than just being a marathoner.
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My relationship with Keith deepened even more so than I thought it could. I had to lean on him and trust him more than I had ever allowed myself to.
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Keith and I took an amazing vacation to The Grand Canyon and I felt like I was looking at God’s creation firsthand.
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I started this blog as a way to break away from what I thought blogging should be like. I looked at this as my second chance to be real.
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I turned 30 and I am embracing it.
music and food
Day 16 of the 30 day challenge is to give my opinion on mainstream music. I am not really sure what to say here…um…I like it. haha! I know some people say that modern music isn’t like the classics but I think any creative talent deserved to be celebrated. I mean have you ever tried to rap? That is talent. I think sometimes modern-day artists rely too heavily on synthesizing their voice (not sure how to explain that but think Brittney Spears) but they can still sing a hell of a lot better than me. I am not a big fan of using profanity when singing but I control what I listen to so if I don’t like it; I don’t listen. I think it is important to police the music you let your children listen to especially at young and impressionable ages. I think music can be a powerful form of expression and who am I to say what is and what is not good. You know? What one person thinks is horrible one person might find powerful and life changing. That’s what makes the world go round.
Speaking of modern-day music…has anyone seen The Voice? Holy cow…that show is awesome! Keith and I saw the premiere last week and were instantly hooked!! And Javier Colon is amazing…like “I want him to sing me to sleep every night” amazing. Check it out…it comes on tonight after The Biggest Loser on NBC.
Okay switching gears really quickly here but I need to share a recipe with you. Speaking of life changing…this recipe is balls to the wall awesome! I was craving hummus this weekend but I was happily lazing in PJ’s and did not want to go buy any so I figured why not make it. I didn’t have any chickpeas but I did have chickpea flour and the powers of google (seriously how did people live without the internet before??) I found a hummus recipe on Bob Red Mill’s website. Score!
Roasted Red Pepper Hummus adapted from Bob Red Mill’s recipe
3/4 cup Garbanzo bean flour
2 1/2 cups water
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup tahini
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/4 cup chicken broth (can use vegetable but I only had chicken broth on hand)
1 tsp cumin
salt and pepper, to taste
2 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 jar roasted red peppers (packed in water)
Bring water to a boil over medium heat. Whisk the garbanzo bean flour into boiling water. Cook 1 minute stirring constantly. Turn heat down to medium low and continue cooking 5 minutes. Let cool.
In the bowl of the food processor, puree the garbanzo mixture, roasted red pepper, garlic, broth, tahini and lemon juice until smooth. Then add cumin, salt, pepper and slowly pour the olive oil through the feed tube of the processor.
Cover and let sit at least one hour at room temperature. Mixture will seem runny but it will thicken to a perfect consistency…don’t freak out. Store in the refrigerator and go to town! haha…we’re on our second batch in less than a week! haha!
share the love
Day 15 of the 30 day challenge is to list your favorite blogs. I read quite a few blogs and would love to share with you the ones that I check every single day. Now this is just a sampling and for more the blogs I read be sure to check out my blogroll tab!
- My friend Allena has a blog, called a Gurley Gurl, where she shares her life and the cute antics of her little boy Trent! Seriously you will not read this blog and not smile at the cuteness of her little man!
- Nancy blogs at Spiffykerms and is the most stylish person I know! Seriously if I ever win a bunch of money I am heading to Canada to Nancy’s closet. She does her “outfits of the week” on Fridays and I drool every single time!
- Tara, a fellow Texan, blogs at Dashing in Pearls and is adorable!! She just gives an honest portrayal of her life and you will not be able to read and not fall in love with her! (Eve if she is a Red Raider!)
- My dear friend Katie blogs at Making Food and Other Stuff and she is a gem! She lives in Arizona for a few more weeks (she just got her Ph.D. in Biology and is moving to Wisconsin to be a college professor) and I am going to visit her next month so we can spend 2 nights hiking and camping in the Grand Canyon. This is my second time to go to Arizona to see Katie and I am thrilled!
- Ashley blogs at Edible Perspective and she is pretty much an amazing woman! She and her husband just bought their first house and they are remodeling it themselves. Pretty awesome guys!
And of course there are a tons and tons of wonderful blogs out there! In the comments section list your favorite blog and link to it! Let’s share the love!
I would also like to say I am so proud of our troops and military and THANK YOU from the bottom of my heart for everything you and your families have sacrificed for our country. I know our fight against evil terrorist forces is not (and sadly will probably never be) over but in light of recent activities I am so thankful and humbled for the lives lost to protect mine.
What Kelly Said 