Pineland Farms Here I Come! (and Nathan too!)

Well last week Nathan and I officially started our training for the Pineland Farms Trail Race! I am very excited to be able to run the race again! This time I am starting two months before I did last year so hopefully I can get a better time and not have knee trouble.

I have decided that this year I am going to run the same race as last year, which would be the 50km. The reason I choose to do this and not up my game and do the 50 miler is because I am not sure that I could get enough training with school.

I also just found a really cool website that is getting me even more excited to train! This website helps to keep track of milage and routes that you do. I already keep track of my workouts but I am a little disorganized and this will help big time! For anyone else who would like to check it out here it is:  http://www.endomondo.com

Might I also add that my parents are the faces of the 50K? Check it out! 

If you go to the Pineland Tail Race website and click on the 50k you will see these two cute faces. :)

http://www.pinelandtrails.com/races/50-km/

Natural Remedies

Just a little bit ago I thought I was going to be very sick. 

I have been hearing a lot about a severe stomach bug going around and 

I do NOT want that by first week of school. 

So I have been obsessively washing my hands and keeping my hands away from my face, etc. 

Even with all that I still felt sick very suddenly... 

Just like that stupid bug. 

Then! Da da da da!!! 

I remembered that I have ginger! 

Ginger is just about the best thing for a sick stomach. 

That is why people say to drink ginger ale.

 Although, 

ginger ale does not have a high enough concentration of ginger to work really fast. 

Thankfully crystalized ginger does! 

You can find it in any heath food store and it really works wonders!

(This is what the bag looks like)

(And this is what the ginger looks like)

As soon as I felt the sickness coming on I took 

two big chunks and within five minutes I felt fine again. 

Normally I only take one chunk but this time I felt like I might need the extra chunk!

Now I have to warn you that it has a very strong flavor and is hard to eat at time, 

but it is worth it. (Trust me I HATE it!)

Fortunately,

most packages like this one have the ginger sugar coated.

I know, I know... sugar. 

But if it helps this good I will eat it!  

Now that you know, go buy some and never be sick again!

Quick One!

In late morning yesterday my mom

 and I went to a ski down on the railroad bed!

 At first I was not too keen on going that early because when we woke up it was -14 F! 

Brrr!

 Once we got going, even though I stopped a lot, we warmed up fast! 

Later in the day, 

due to too much coffee,

I decided I wanted to go snowshoeing.

By then the sun has warmed up so it was about 22 F.

Whoo!

Happy New Year!

Happy 2013!!! :) <3

(I know this is late and I know that I have not posted for a while but late is better than never!)

     I have been thinking about my future a lot lately. I know I am young and I am basically just starting this long journey but YOLO so I want to live it right. I have been hearing YOLO a lot lately and at first  I was really annoyed by it. I thought it was stupid, but I only thought it was stupid because of the way people were acting. Most young people think that it means you should go out get as drunk as you can so you can do stupid stuff and become Legend... wait for it... dary! (sigh) For me I take it and think, woah, I really am only going to live once... Well, I guess that means I need to take care of my body so I can make that "once" a really long time. I take the complete opposite meaning of most people. I like life, I have fun living by being active and taking care of myself.

     A lot of people think I am unobservant, and with small stuff they are completely right. However, I can see the big picture crystal clear. I see what happens to people who do not take care of themselves. The last half of their life they are constantly battling their first half. What I mean by that is when people are in the 45 to 55 age rage they start to "feel" old. They feel old because the first half of their life they abused their body more than it could take. The only reason they did not feel it then is because youth has  a funny way of tricking us into thinking we are not hurting our bodies.

     The reason all of this has to do with my future is because lately I have realized that when I turn 50 I want to still feel 25. I look up to my parents with the highest of respect. They are 54 and 53 and they still setting personal records with running! Its hard to think that almost four years ago MY dad, the exercise and health freak, had a heart attack. It was a wake up call and ever since my dad, mom, and I have been taking care of our bodies. My mother lost her father from a sudden heart attack, my dad had one, and one of my grandmothers has had multiple. So in short I am at high risk already. I can not afford to hurt my body and stress my heart (mind you I already have a premature atrial contraction). So my heart needs a break.

     So to summarize I want to live a full, long, happy, and healthy life. Anyone with me? :)

Yummy Carrot Chips!

I found this really yummy recipe on Pinterest!

Because of the rain today is the perfect day to spend in the kitchen!
I made a few altercations to this recipe, but I posted the original so you can try it both ways!

Firstly slice the carrots very very thin. This allows them to dehydrate and become crispy! 

Then it is best to have bowl with olive oil. You do not need a lot of olive oil because a little bit goes a long way. Then dip the carrot slices into the olive oil. 

The slices can then be laid onto a cookie sheet. It does not matter how close they are or if they overlap. Because they dehydrate they shrivel up! Then sprinkle salt on to the slices.

These are now ready to toss into the oven. 

I set my oven at 400F because one of our heating elements does not work... 

I let them bake for 12 minutes.

Once the buzzer goes off you can take them out and enjoy! 

I find that you do not want to let them cool too much or they do not taste as good.

I tried to get a picture of them coming out of the oven, 

but my mom needed the oven after me and I was letting all the heat out...

NOTE: I tried three different baches to find what I thought was the best recipe. 

So if you are not completely happen with the way the first bache came out experiment! 

I experimented with out thick the slices were and the oven temp.

I hope you try and enjoy this! 

Let me know if you tried anything different! 

I am always open to new things!

Now, my mom also made something super yummy! 

She made a lasagna that you use zucchini instead of pasta.

This is great for all of us gluten free people!

 This is the recipe!

Another note is that my mom also use summer squash like the zucchini!

I hope you enjoy both of these yummy dishes! :)

Friendship :)

This post is a responds to a text I received from a friend last night. This is the text:

"That moment when you look at old pictures and wonder what ever happened to all of us.. why do we barley talk now? We are nearly strangers to one another when once we were the closest of friends.. I miss the way we all use to be.. I know we grow.. but why did we have to grow apart?"

Sadly, this is a part of growing up (or old). When we leave high school and move away its often no easy to always be thinking of who you left behind, because life moves fast and its hard to keep up. This is because as you grow older you gain more responsibility.  With more reponsiblity, the less time there is to do what you need to do.
So when we move away we start to learn more and more about ourselves and what we want to do with our lives. With some people they find that they want to do something completely different that their original plan. Then they might change that plan a millions times before they find exactly what is right for them. Other people know right from the start what they want to do and they go out and get that. The great part about growing old is finding yourself. People say you do that in high school, but I disagree. I say you find yourself after. In high school there is so much pressure to be one thing or another. There is also always someone there to hold your hand and help you through. After high school, theres so much less pressure. Its almost like you get to breathe your own air for the first time! Does that not feel awesome! I certainly thought so! However, if your a homebody, that fresh air might just suffocate you! That's okay though! That just means your not ready yet, everyone gets ready in there own time, some faster than others and some slower. As long as you go at your own pace you will be just fine. So for those of you who loved that first breath you will enjoy no one there to hold your hand and helping you. This relates back to responsibility. Some people love it and they seem to have all the time in the world.
Now your probably wondering how that last paragraph has anything to do with friendship? Well I'm getting there...
So, lets say your at the point in your life when you have just graduated high school. This is when YOU as a member of the human species start to change into the kind of person you will be for the rest of your life. It may not seem like it at the time, but that is only because this change takes a really long time. By that I mean this change can take years! Again, this is different for some people. Some only take a few years, others can take there whole life.
Alright, now this is where I tie this into friendship.
So after high school everyone moves, leaves, goes to college, and/or just changes in general. So what happens to all those friends you left? Well, for one, they are NEVER forgotten. It may seem that they forget about you, but it only seems that way because they are caught in their new responsibilities. Time seems less and less while the responsibilities are like rabbits in a breeding frenzy!
There is also the notion that your friends have changed so much they are not the same or maybe they do not like you anymore. WRONG! This change is the one thing that makes you go back and want to spend time with your high school friends! Yes, the change is good, even great. However, when you go through a change there is always that part of you that wants to go back. This is where your high school friends help. As soon as you are with your old friends every part of you that has changed goes back to your old self. You start talking, acting, and just be a goofy like old times! Its like an addiction. When you have not had it in a long time you really really want it/need it! Unlike most addictions its safe to go back! When you do go back the first two minutes or so feel a bit weird because it does take time to transition back to your old self but then once you do... hold on tight because your going down memory lane!
So do not feel bad that you have grown apart, because as soon as your back together its like you never left. It's just a natural part of life that everyone eventually goes through. <3

A Storm Is Coming

Listen to the rain by the sea.

The pounding as it hits the surface.

A storm is coming.

Off in the distance the waves crash violently to the beach.

They stamp and beat the rocky shore.

A storm is coming.

Winds whip around every corner.

Trees brake in its mighty strength like trivial sticks.

A storm is coming.

Hear the faint sound of thunder in a far off place.

See the lightning dance across the dark sky.

A storm is here.

This picture was taken this morning. I woke up to the sky looking gray and sad. Then the sun tried to peek through. I took a couple pictures of it in color but I feel this one did it the most justice. The poem I wrote just now. I can still here the rain on the roof and it just made me want to write. I love storms. I like excitement, energy, and change. A storm is all of those. Excitement because you never know what might happen next. Energy because so much is happening all at one time. Change because its something new and a little change is never a bad thing. Storms scare some people, for good reason too, but not me. If I could I could be out there right now standing and enjoying every second of it (until I get cold). <3