Tuesday, December 17, 2013

CSD Cleanse :: Holiday Style

::via::
Or is it?!


Today marks day 14 of my vegan Crazy Sexy Diet cleanse!  It's crazy{sextdiet} {heyoo!} to think 2 weeks are already down and I've only got one week left.  I've been flying through these first 2 weeks pretty much without even giving it a second thought.  It's interesting to me how when I was first contemplating the cleanse through the holidays, I would run through the holiday parties/social events I'd have and it seemed so intimidating.  I've had about 5 Holiday parties/friend dinners + 1 Broncos game + co-hosting a girlfriend Christmas party this evening and secretly, I haven't missed the cocktails, cookies or cheese platters at all.  Crazy, right?  I KNOW what I'm about to say doesn't make sense, but this thought came to me last Sunday after Sara and I had 6 people over to the house to watch Sunday night football.  After everyone left I thought "Man.  I like my friends more when I'm sober."  What does that even mean?!  I have no idea.  I think I was referring to how I remember so many more one-liners and you catch the little things people do, or don't say when you just sit back with warm cider and watch every one else enjoy their brandy + warm cider and let loose.  It's entertaining to say the least.

It was important for me to do this cleanse for a number of reasons.  { first } It seemed impossible not to drink or over-indulge in food over the holidays.  I wanted to prove that little voice wrong.  Also, I was sick of the excuses I was telling myself.  "I'll cleanse the first week in January!  Wait for the holidays to be over!  Detox then!"  I was beyond ready to jump into it and leave the excuses be.  { second } I've been eating out and indulging in an adult beverage or 7 way.too.much. since we've been back from Washington.  I would eat and drink to my hearts content simply because I  SO excited to be back around my friends and family. I wouldn't even realize I'd almost put back an entire bottle of wine in a few hours.  All moderation was thrown out the window and that really bothered me.  { third } A few years ago, my dear friend Tim showed up at all our events; Christmas Tree decorating, Fakesgiving and various dinners in between and didn't drink a drop of alcohol at any of them.  Of course at the time I was like  TIM.  WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU.  YOU ARE PREGNANT AREN'T YOU.  And he replied so simply by saying "Beth.  My entire life, whenever someone has offered me a drink I've taken it.  I'll survive a holiday season without any alcohol."  That quote of his has been hanging out in a little corner of my brain for a few years now and it hugely stuck out to me when I was debating starting this cleanse between Thanksgiving and Christmas.  { fourth }  There is a reason the vegan lifestyle is so appealing to me.  Not just because eating meat (sa-eriously) grosses me out, but also because my body just doesn't react well to dairy.  I wouldn't go as far to say it's an intolerance, but I just doesn't process it well.  When we lived in Bremerton, we were rockstars at meat + dairy in moderation.  We never ever (everever) brought it into the house (unless we had guests) and when we went out to dinner, if we felt like a meat entree, we got a meat entree!  But those times were pretty few and far between.  Here however, it seemed like each and every time I'd meet friends for drinks + brunch + lunch + dinner I was eating either meat or diary saying "Oh whatever, it's just this one meal."  But one meal a day for a few weeks in a row really added up and I just didn't like how much of it I had been eating and most importantly how I'd been feeling.  { fifth }  I had gotten pre-e-e-e-e-ty dependent on coffee.  Raging headaches if I hadn't had a cup by 11:30a, huge mood swings, feeling just all around lethargic.  One of the most liberating things to come from this cleanse so far has been freeing myself of the coffee dependancy.  The direct hand off of that has been I've been drinking herbal teas like a BOSS.  I bet I go through about 3-5 different bags of tea each day, and I can usually get between 2-3 cups of tea from each bag.  Do the math.  I will go back to enjoying a cup of coffee when this is over, but maybe just a cup a day?  A cup every few days?  Every few weeks?  We'll see, but I will put fourth so much effort not to go back to a cup or 3/day.

Kris Carr recommends that every 7 days on the cleanse, you do an all juice + smoothie + tea detox day.  I got pretty {un?}lucky with my first detox day because I had a really gnarly stomach flu.  I didn't even have time to miss regular food, because even a juice that I'd usually take down in 4 minutes I would have to force myself to drink over like 2 hours.  Yesterday was my 2nd juice + smoothie detox day, and I felt like it went really well!  I had a slight upset stomach during the evening, but after reading more about it late last night, turns out it was likely just toxins being released, whichhhhh was the whole point of the detox day.  They aren't the easiest days to get through, but isn't that really the point?  To go outside your box and push yourself to do something you know you are fully capable of doing?

Wow.  I feel like I've been going on { and on and on } about this when all I had set out to do was say weeeee I'm on week 2 and 1 week to go!

The cleanse is up on Christmas Eve, which couldn't be more perfect timing.  We always go to my uncle Joel's for Christmas Eve dinner in California, and I'm already looking forward to a bowl of his noodle soup and a glass of what I know will be a lovely and local glass of wine.

Monday, December 16, 2013

HAPPY THANKSGIVING

Ha!  JUST when you thought you were done reading all those annoying lovely Thanksgiving recap posts, you wised up and clicked this post.  I like to keep you on your toes.  Keep things fresh.  Keep things original.  And if telling you all about my Thanksgiving vacation 9 days away (!!!!) from Christmas isn't fresh and original while standing on our toes, than I don't know what is.

Great use of grammar there, Beth.

So.  Without further adieu, Thanksgiving 2013!

This happened.


And a little of this happened.


And this happened to happen (!!!!!!!) { The right + middle photo almost got me kicked out of Lion King by some snotty usher.  The same snotty usher also cock blocked me from getting a bottle of water at intermission, so naturally I felt it was my duty to piss her off, too. } { beteedub; HOW cute are my parents?! }  { beteedub2; don't let the coffee fool you.  They weren't to keep us alert during a late evening show.  They were to sober us up after a 3.5 hour happy hour prior to the late evening show }


Some of this happened.


A lot of this happened.


And naturally on Black Friday morning, this happened. { we all have our own ways of celebrating Black Friday.  Let's keep judgement to ourselves, yes? }


trottrottrot Then trot trot this happened trot!


Let's not forget these happenings that happened!


Ahhhh happenings are so happenin'.

Ugh I'm annoying myself.

Stay tuned for my California Christmas Recap scheduled around Valentines Day 2014!

Tuesday, December 10, 2013

Beet That.

Speaking of Instagram, a few months ago I started a 2nd Instagram Account!  I wanted a space to document all my juices, smoothies, fruit + veg obsession love without annoying the shitake out of my regular Instagram followers.  So!  If you are looking for an Instagram account with far too many photos of fruits, vegetables, juices and way more hashtags than socially acceptable, look me up at beet_that!


Monday, December 9, 2013

Insta{nt} Replay.


^^^ stunning leafs / stunning frans!


happy halloween / celebratory salads dolled up oj with mary ^^^


^^^snowy range + my happy place / tranquility


sunsets are my love language / all the drinks were needed for that manic monday ^^^


^^^ throwin' it back to stacey and clinton / last hh wo+men standing!


bremerton dreamin' / gooooooo broncos! ^^^


^^^ sunsets are my love lang----yeah ok you get it / don draper obsession!


juice me! / thursday mornings ^^^


Friday, December 6, 2013

Life List.

Things I've been doing lately that haven't included blogging:

Forgot to blog.
Spent the week with my family in California.
Visited wineries.
Drank wine.
Laughed my arse off.
Tasted wine.
Helped my mom make an epic Thanksgiving meal.
Proceeded to eat leftovers for days after the holiday.
Realized I drank so much wine and indulged on so much food not just over the Thanksgiving holiday but since we've been back from Washington and decided to do my all vegan, no caffeine, no refined sugar and no alcohol cleanse until Christmas.
Contemplated if doing a cleanse during the holiday season is the most ingenius or stoopid thing I've done in a while.
Obsessed over reading the Divergent Series.
Ob. Sess. Ed.
Speaking of obsessive things; Cuties.  Hashtag Can't Stop Won't Stop.
Ignored each and every "Gift Guide" blog post that's popped up on my feed.
Averaged 9+ glasses of tea per day.
Basically glued my tacky Christmas slippers to my feet.
Watched as Hunter cringes seeing my tacky Christmas slippers are BACK IN ACTION.
Enjoyed Carrie Underwood's Sound of Music on NBC.
Promised to start blogging more regularly.

Wednesday, November 20, 2013

Wednesday Rambles.

I thought about writing a Sweet Season post, but didn't look forward to getting halfway through, running out of things to say and abandoning it.  I  also thought about writing a Currently post but, didn't look forward to getting half way through, running out of things to say and abandoning it.  So instead?  I ramble.  Lucky youuuuu!

I'm trying out a new coffee shop in our neighborhood, Tenn Street Coffee.  I've got a piping hot cup of tea next to me and am wondering if the shelfs after shelfs of books are for check out?  Borrow?  Purchase?  Visual stimulation?  All of the above?  We spent the past weekend in Denver enjoying seeing old friends, new brunch places, feeling back at home at big tailgates, and soaking up the deliciously warm fall weather.  We had a 24 hour trip up to Snowy so Hunter could brew some brew and I could wrap up a few projects I had started.  We got back to Denver last night and ran straight to Root Down for a scrumptious dinner with Hunter's dad!  There are a dozen reasons why it's one of my favorite restaurants in Denver, but they point back to so many fun happy hours/dinners/brunches with so many fun friends over so many fun years.  I was thrilled at the chance to share it with two people who had never been there before!  This morning I busted out 3 miles....not the best and not the worst run I had ever had, but the temps were high and that is what kept my spirits up until the end.

I've been thinking a lot about the past, present and future.  Thinking back to so many situations that directed me right here.  Right now.  With Hunter.  Happy as a clam at high tide.  Slightly unemployed, slightly thriving with freelance work.  It's always a trip seeing people you worked with in a big time corporate setting for 5+ years.  I am a firm believer in the phrase "Different strokes for different folks" and while I understand that disciplined 9a-5p setting works for most...lots in fact!  it's just so blazingly clear to me that it just isn't my cup of tea.  I'll take a morning filled with blue skies, enjoying a post run banana on the porch with the pooch, whipping up a few green smoothies + a salad + QT time with that boyfriend of mine and enjoying my own cup of tea on my own terms.

Good lord that was corny.

But true!

I leave on Monday for a week in California and couldn't be more excited.  I truly think my mom takes some sort of hosting holiday crack pill because that woman does not miss a beat when it comes to providing a warm, friendly and delicious holiday week.  I'd be lying if I said I wasn't also thrilled about early afternoons spent playing cards at the wineries, but I'm equally thrilled to enjoy earlier mornings helping my mom get all the food prepared, tables set and drinks poured.

I'll miss the opening weekend of Snowy Range's ski season as they open the day after Thanksgiving, but I'm just not ready to give up the holiday's with my family yet.  My loud, insane, hilariously beautiful family.

I thought about including some photos I've snapped recently but I'm keeping with the theme of random. NOT including photos in a post is extremely random, so there you have it.

Happy Wednesday, my friends!



Wednesday, November 13, 2013

I need a life.

Because I can not stop laughing at this.

::via::

Tuesday, November 12, 2013

Life Doesn't Have to be Perfect to be Wonderful.

Long drives, overnight shifts, speed dating in the form of catching up with friends, giggles beyond belief with Charlie and Chloe, 100% living out of a suitcase, fulfillment in the form of aggressive hugs and walks down memory lane.  This is what life is made up of right now.

It is beyond entertaining to attempt and explain to friends what our plans for this winter are.  We have a few balls up in the air right now and really have to take our schedules week by week.  Allow me to entertain you a bit with what our schedules have been made up of the past month or so.


Ball in the Air #1
We will be back up at Snowy Range Ski Area to work through the winter.  I'm able to tag team with the Main Marketing Man { unofficial official title } and work hand in hand with him on all things design/marketing.  In addition to helping out with day to day plowing/working in the snow cat/misc jobs,  Hunter has worked so immensely hard to open up a brewery at the Ski Area!  Snowy Range Brewery, or as I like to call it his dirty little mistress, officially opened up mid-season last year.  I don't think any of us, as a matter of fact I KNOW that none of us were prepared for the success and positive response to his brewery.  The first time we put a keg on to sell it was gone in 45 minutes.  The weekend we'd put another one out for sale?  Gone in an hour 15.  You guys, this beer was flying out of the keg.  It was so encouraging seeing people so enthusiastic about the brew, but at the same time it was like OHMOTHEROFPEARLWEARERUNNINGOUTOFBEERTOSELLANDWEARERUNNINGOUTOFITFASSSSST.  Solution?  More than double our brew capabilities.  Simple.  ; )  He's started brewing the beginning of November and the goal really is to get AS much beer in kegs as possible before the ski area opens the day after Thanksgiving.  We have about 7 beer recipes down, and are looking to add a few more this season!



Ball in the Air #2
Hunter accepted a job at a hospital in Denver that will put him {us?} there at least 3 nights a week.  We are still figuring out if it makes most sense for me to come down to Denver with him, or stay up at Snowy/Steamboat while he's working.  We were lucky enough to be warmly welcomed back by Sara, who we lived part time with last winter in Denver, so we are having slumber parties with her the days/nights that we are in Denver.  It's such a blessing because rents in Denver are out-of-control right now and financially and location wise it really is amazing to get to stay with her.  Plus?  Endless entertainment.  She had me almost throwing up with laughter the other night while we were brushing our teeth together.  We were loosely talking finances, and she says to me mid-brush "I'm so sick of not being rich.  If I was rich I'd be like. Here.  Have some chocolate."  Something about the hand gesture she did when announcing people can have the chocolates and the absolute randomness of it...man it was one of the best things that had happened to me in a while.  It reinforces the fact that there really were missing puzzle pieces in my soul when we were in WA.  I'm finding these missing puzzle pieces in afternoon mimosa dates, weekly lunch girly dates, and evening giggle sessions.  Without question I left a very large piece of my heart in Washington, but I'm enjoying piecing together those missing puzzle pieces here in CO/WY.



Ball in the Air #3
Steamboat!  Steamboat is kinda our happy place.  This is where we go to decompress, take all the steam showers, hot tubs, hot springs, juice bars, grilling out time we need.  Before the Denver job came up, we were planning on splitting our time 60/40 to Steamboat/Snowy.  We still want to get here as often as we can slash when our schedules allow.  Because.......well we still like to play around and have fun, and Dreamboat is the place to do just that!



I loved this quote that I saw on Pinterest this morning.  It hit so very close to home because is life perfect right now?  No.  Ideally we'd have our own home.  Ideally we would have a little bit of breathing room between Hunter's shifts/working at Snowy etc.  Ideally we'd have our closest friends AND family a phone call away from an impromptu dinner party.  But is life wonderful?  Man alive.  I not only feel like the luckiest girl in the world to be living this crazy ping-pong life with Hunter, but I feel like we are defining the word wonderful right now.

::via::


Monday, November 11, 2013

Instagram Rejects.

I really can't be upset about the 3 hours spent in the car 3-5 time a week when this is what I get to look at.

Anywhere from 3 to 12 to 48 months between seeing these faces together, and I couldn't be more thrilled!

 Heather's husband's hilarious empty-the-liquor-cabinet ways Part 1...

 ...and Part 2!

One last one only b/c I love these girls so very much.  And clearly I have no shame.

Leaves make my heart happy.

Clearly.

My really weird/sad attempt at dressing up as the Evil Witch of Sleeping Beauty for Halloween!

Most people you know splurge on mango juice and cherry tomatoes in the wee hours of a morning accompanied by a hangover, right?

Dreaming big with this hunk!

Hint: I think I'd like the bedroom window to face here.

I mustache you a question.  More like I windmill you a question...

City o City....I can't quit you.

I had to get my eyes dilated on Thursday and had to rock these shades.  Wiley was feeling left out.

I made an epic 45oz juice Friday, and these golden beets stole the show!!!

Taking a picture of Sara taking a picture of me { and a painful 5 year old commercial I'm in }

YOU ARE MINE.

 Denver kinda rocks Part 1...

 ...and Part 2!

Going on a bear hunt!...aka getting antsy//bored while the adults are looking at the house construction.

Sunday, November 10, 2013

Remember that time Hunter and I lived oceanside for 7 months?



I do, too.




a.k.a. I'm really missing Bremerton and my Washington Family this week!

Saturday, November 2, 2013

Thursday, October 31, 2013

My life summed up in 2 Buzzfeed clicks.

19 Horrifying Vegan Problems / #8+#11 NAILED it.

The Troubled Life of a Tall Girl / "So do you play basketball...?" F.Y.L.


Both of these popped up on different friend's Facebook pages today, and I barely held it together in the coffee shop I was laughing SO hard.  I wish they had included the frequent reference of "Amazon Woman" { seriously, how can people NOT understand how offensive that is?! } and the awkward hug with people shorter than you as they basically get a free motorboat without even having to ask for it.

Ahhh....life is funny.

Wednesday, October 30, 2013

Hug a child today.

I am sentimental.
I hold on to moments/things/people.  
   > Probably for too long.
I am sappy.
I am nalstalgic. 
I am emotional.
  > Often to a fault.

Sometimes I try and keep these under wraps.  Keep them to myself and not make a big deal of  it.  But sometimes they come out.  Sometimes I tear up over driving past the first place Hunter took me out to drinks.  Sometimes I rubberneck a little too far and want to rush up and hug old apartments I've lived in, old coffee shops I frequented, favorite restaurants I've dined at with my finest friends.  Then again, this is from the girl who cries without fail at Folgers commercials day after day.  { I can't help it!  THEY ARE SO SWEET. }

Sometimes I see videos pop up on youtube with the line of "Children's Hospital Performs Katy Perry's Roar" and I just know I'm screwed.

We lost my little cousin 4+ years ago to brain cancer.  Diagnosed at the age of 6, passed away days after her 8th birthday.  Exactly 14 months went by from the day we found out about the cancer, to the day we lost her to the cancer.  I could go on for hours about this little girl, but I'll save that for later.  I had the most amazing support system through it all {Karley, remember when you and Robby surprised me at Morgan's benefit?!  I could never forget that moment! } { Also, my aunt and I worked together at the time, and our coworkers really came together to support her and I during that impossible time. }, though I will say, one of the biggest things I struggled with during her diagnosis was sharing her story and hearing "I just couldn't read your update this morning because it was too hard to see."  "I couldn't deal with seeing something so depressing."  Oh really?!!  Because my family chooses to not only click the link but write the update article and chooses to deal with seeing a 6 year old sick with cancer day after day.  It's not a choice.  It's life.  I was angry that for them it was as simple as not clicking a link to have to deal with the pain of reading what was on the other side of that click, where we were had to face head on with this tragedy.

I can see now I was projecting my anger and frustrations at those responses { ok maybe I'm still a little bitter }, and it was our journey to process, not necessarily theirs.  Though I will say...it bugged the shit out of me.

So!  When I saw this video, I knew it wasn't going to be easy to watch.  I knew it was going to be sad and bring up old feelings/memories, but I knew I would be the biggest hypocrite if I chose not to watch it for fear of what I'd see.  So I clicked, watched, and cried { howled, in fact } but I'm so glad I did.  


Pretty amazing, yes?




I haven't talked about Morgan much on my blog, simply because it all happened before I started writing this little ditty.  If you care to read more about our little angel, here is a link with the story and a video I refer to every few months.  I watch the video mostly to see Morgan's smirk but also to keep the memory of that difficult time alive.  I learned and grew so very much during those 14 months, and it was such an important time in my life.  It brought our family closer, and ripped us apart at the same time.  It was the most real and raw experience for me to date.



Love you, Morgan Dawn!

Tuesday, October 29, 2013

insta{nt} replay.

I've put the breaks on my instagram posting the past few weeks, but here are a few recents I'd love to share!


^^^ oregon sunrise / subway romance


totes coates instamoment! / fruits of linds labor ^^^


^^^ broncos, beer and my babe / dreamboat sights


a perfect day with mary, friends and thousands of laughs / my mountain man. mine ^^^


^^^ we tolerate fruits and veggies ; ) / two lucky pennies in one day?!  #imma'bouttogetlucky


my forever friends / mother's input on our mouse issue #sendneedlesandyarn ^^^