2 Months of Married – When I Knew He was “The One”

Last weekend we had the opportunity to celebrate our marriage with our friends and family in a California reception – nearly 2 months after our intimate beach wedding on the west coast of Florida. Side note: I highly, I mean HIGHLY, recommend a small wedding ceremony for various reasons…but that’s for another blog post all together.

Long story short, putting my dress back on and celebrating again made me start to reflect on when I “knew he was the one”. The honest truth is that I’m not sure anyone ever “knows” for sure . In a world plagued by divorce it seems you can’t predict the longevity of any relationship anymore. BUT, this is what I do know and what made me confident that this was the man from me:

1. It was different. From the start, everything about the relationship was different than what I’d experienced before. It felt natural, unforced, like we got each other, easy. Not something that didn’t require work, but there was an ease to it.

2. I was different. Like I mentioned in “A Month of Married” I approached the relationship different than I had any other. Read up on that one if you want more info, but in short, I left my flawed ways behind and decided to pursue this relationship slower, let him lead it, held off on going “public” (i.e. on social media) with it, and allow it to progress in an unforced way.

3. We were ready. There is just something to be said for 2 people who are individually whole. Neither of us were looking for someone to mend our broken hearts, heal our past, put us back together, be a rebound, or “complete us”. We were two independent, whole, mentally healthy people who were both at a point that we were ready to welcome a partner into our lives.

4. He’s was a man. No, I don’t mean gender…I mean, yes he is a man by gender but what I’m saying is, he behaved like a grown man. From the beginning that is, it was like the best first date of my life! Backstory: we met online…yep!…a product of the internet! If you’ve ever tried this before you can probably relate to the anxiety of trying to track someone down, you’ve only seen pictures of, in a restaurant [that’s dark] and hope they ACTUALLY look like their pictures and you don’t make a blubbering fool of yourself. Yeah, that’s enough to make you want to stay home with your Ben & Jerry’s now isn’t it?!? But instead, this man waited outside by valet for me which meant I totally got to bypass all that anxiety, hense a really comfortable setting from the get-go. The relationship has continued like that! Ladies, make sure your man takes care of you! I don’t just mean paying the bill, I mean like he looks out for your best interests and is careful with you. Guys, seriously women will melt if you genuinly behave like this!

5. He pursued me. I’ve touched on how I approached the relationship differently already but this was one area I really tried to give up control. I let him call the shots! When we talked, texted, went on dates, first said the “L” word, even down to choosing the ring and proposal. It was all driven by him! It was months before I sent the first text I think! No, I didn’t sit back like a sad puppy waiting to be talked to (I didn’t have to, see #6), but I did let him initiate our relationship progression. I am a firm believer that this is the ONLY way dating really “works”.

6. There were NO games. We didn’t play games with each other. I didn’t have to wonder if he was interested in me – I knew, I knew he wanted to chat with me, see me, and be in a relationship with me. Facts are facts, men go after the woman they want. If he’s not pursuing you, save yourself the trouble of wondering how he feels about you and move on. My husband was very clear that he was interested in me and wanted to pursue me…I never sat there trying to interpret his words or read between the lines. I didn’t have to, he showed me! Can I get an AMEN?!?

7. The future wasn’t off-the-table. Ok, no I didn’t make an album of what our kids would like with with our faces, but when the future came up it wasn’t quickly dismissed. We didn’t talk about the future until we were ready to go there but we did plan events and holidays together and it was never a consideration of doing those significant things seperately.

8. He checked in. Nooooo, he didn’t need permission to do things without me! What he did was even better. He’d just do a quick check on my schedule before planning something that might interfere with our time together. He thought of me! It’s not like I was going to tell him no, but him taking the time to make sure there were no conflicts meant the world. It was thoughtful and let me know that I was a priority.

9. We waited. Yes, we are one of the few couples that waited until marriage to have sex. Was it easy? Heck no! Did it add value? Without question! You see, when you’re not having sex while dating you build a totally different type of bond. You have to learn to communicate, you can’t turn to sex to mask or solve problems, and you’re not inclined to stay in a bad relationship because of the physical connection. What it did for us was allow us to build a relationship that was stronger than a physical connection could make us. And it made our wedding night and honeymoon just that much sweeter! 😉

10. He loves me in my gym clothes. Every girl dreams about the first time a guy will say I love you, and I wasn’t one of those girls who had heard it a lot. I will never forget the first time he said it! It was a Sunday, there was a basketball game on TV, we had just ate dinner and I did the dishes, hair was a mess, I was in my gym clothes, with NO make-up on. We cuddled on the couch and he gave me a little squeeze and said, “You know I love you right?”. If you could have seen the look on my face, I never would have expected it that night. It meant the world that on just an ordinary night with no fuss, no make-up, and just because that’s how he felt he told me. I knew at that moment, that no matter what I had his heart…and he had mine!

It would still be over a year after the ‘L’ word before we were engaged but these are all the things that added up to me knowing I had a guy worth spending the rest of my life with. I’m sure there are others but these were my highlights. Bottom line: Keep an eye out for when it’s different, then you’ll know!

Homemade Hummus

I love finding ways to make store-bought items at home! It allows me to control the ingredients and make a healthier version. I made this hummus recipe and it was delish! Really simple, super fast, and really tasty.

Hope you enjoy!

Ingredients
– 1 can chickpeas
– 2 tbsp EVOO
– 1 tbsp garlic
– spice to taste, I used:
— paprika
— salt
— pepper
— cheyenne pepper

Directions
Blend all ingredients in a food processor until smooth. (highly technical, I know!) 😉

I like to pair this with gluten free pretzels. They have a little extra crunch to them and the combination is delicious!

Quinoa Pizza Crust! Whaaaaattttt?!?!

During a trip to the farmers market this weekend I learned another way to use quinoa and I’m so excited to share! We all know how bland it can be but the benefits of this superfood are too good to pass up. It is high in protein, fiber, amino acids, iron, and other essential nutrients. It is also gluten free so if you suffer from gluten intolerance this is a great substitute. But, back to what I learned this weekend! I learned that you can use it make dough…pizza dough, pancake dough, even meatless meatloaf! Who knew?! Now as a pizza lover you can imagine I was thrilled to learn of this healthy alternative to traditional dough.

Hubs and I decided we had to try it and I’m happy to report that we both really liked the taste! The consistency is very similar to a normal crust. It’s hearty, doesn’t crumble in your hands, and can hold all your traditional pizza toppings too! The flavor truly does resemble traditional pizza crust. Let me tell you, as pizza enthusiasts, we’ve tried many different methods for making a healthier alternative, we’ve even tried almond flour. What we found with other methods is that it’s grainy, falls apart, and you just can’t deny that it doesn’t taste the same. So we’d always end up adding more regular flower and less of the healthy alternatives so really we were just back to normal pizza dough. But this time, we were pleasantly surprised to feel like we could enjoy the taste of pizza…just a much more nutrient dense version!

So, for anyone who enjoys pizza as much as we do, here’s the recipe! Enjoy!

Quinoa Pizza Crust: Makes 2 14in. pizza crusts
2 cups cooked quinoa
1/2 cup gluten free flour
3/4 cup water
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil (evoo)
Spices to taste, I used:
salt, pepper, rosemary, onion salt, garlic salt, & oregeno

Pre-heat oven to 450 degrees.
Blend all ingredients together in a large bowl, food processor, or mixer.
Place on a floured surface and roll into a ball.
Divide in 1/2.
Lightly oil and flour your pizza stone/pan you are using to cook the pizza.
Firmly press dough on to pan, gently kneading it towards the edges.
Place crust (no toppings yet) into the oven for 5-10 minutes and allow to firm up.
Remove from oven, add desired toppings and return to oven for another 15 minutes or until crust is firm and cheese is melted.

Topping recommendations! These of course are totally up to your taste but we used fresh spinach, uncured organic pepperoni, mozzarella cheese slices, cooked chicken, and of course pizza sauce and a sprinkle of shredded mozzarella.

Insanity:Max30 Update

I just finished month one of Max30 and let me tell you it challenges me every day! It’s been a month of mentally getting through some tough workouts and beating my last max-out time. A month of telling myself I can keep going even when I want to stop. ShaunT knows how to bring it and I’m finding my endurance is up, my strength is improved, and mentally I’m reaching new limits that I ever thought I was capable of before. While my “stats” haven’t changed much, I’ve lost some inches in my waist and I’m looking leaner than day one, and I’ve actually increased the circumference of my arms (not a ton ladies, don’t worry you’re not going to bulk up) but they are looking more shapely and strong! I have to be honest, I need to key in on my nutrition a little better so during this second month that will be a priority.

Today, I revisited T25’s Total Body Circuit. If you’ve ever tried this one, you know that it is one of the most difficult workouts in the T25 series and today I made it through with my greater ease than ever before. Now, it is still not easy but my endurance is WAY up after a month of Insanity:Max30 and I felt much more accomplished! It was so fulfilling to see progress in a workout that previously whooped my B-U-T-T!

I followed Total Body Circuit with Ab Attack and made it through that whole workout too! Endurance has never exactly been my strong suit so I’m finding complete satisfaction in really pushing to my max and overcoming those mental blocks of doubting how much I can do. I make progress everyday and I’m committed to finishing this program at the end of this month!

Below are my day one and 30-day progress photos, stay tuned for my final results!

Benefits of Morning Workouts

I’ve recently taken to the habit of waking up early to get my workout in before heading off to work. Trust me, this has NOT been easy! It took quite a while to even set my alarm early and finally give it a try. The first week was AWFUL adjusting to it, but there was no denying the benefits so I continued the habit into the next week, then to the next, then to the next! It’s been a solid two months now and I can confidently call it a habit. It’s not always easy, some mornings take a few more snooze hits than others, but it is awesome to be done with my workout for the day, before my day even really starts.

Here are just a FEW of the benefits of a morning workout:
1. It gets your mind ready for the day. No more getting to work and still feeling sluggish or waking up while meandering through your inbox. Some of the most successful people share the common thread of morning workouts, with consistent reports of improved focus and productivity.

2. It jump-starts your metabolism and gets you burning calories before any are consumed. A faster metabolism increases energy and helps burn stored fat more productively. Similarly, it jump starts the day’s water consumption as by the end of the workout, I’ve already consumed a minimum of 25oz of high quality h2o! That’s a great start for the day and keeps my hydrating throughout as my body continues to crave water.

3. Exercise increases endorphins which helps improve your mood. Who wouldn’t want to start their day on a positive note?

4. It frees up your evening. Now, when I get home from work I can CHOOSE where to invest my time without having to set aside my evening hours for working out and cleaning up. I can spend time with my husband, walk my dog, make a nice dinner (or go out for dinner), visit with friends, get involved at my church, or just hang out and relax! All of which got pushed aside when I had to squeeze in an evening workout.

5. It increases confidence. Ok, so the truth is that your confidence is likely to improve with working out period. BUT, consider for a moment the benefit of feeling accomplished, pushing through a difficult workout, and challenging yourself to get better each morning. What if you could GO IN TO your day with confidence rather than ending it with an increased sense of pride? I find I carry myself proudly after a morning workout. I’m ready to go! Excited to tackle the day! More intentional about where my attention is focused. It just feels better!

There are obviously many more benefits but those are my top 5! So, if your contemplating implementing this habit for yourself, especially if you’re not a morning person (like me!), here are a few tips to get your started:
1. Get to bed at a decent hour…I’m still learning this art.
2. Lay out your workout clothes. Ok, I can’t lie, sometimes I even sleep in them! Hey, a girl’s gotta do what a girl’s gotta do!
3. Fill your water cup the night before. I add a little electrolyte mixture to my water, to help wake up my body a little more in the AM.
4. Have your workout program ready to go. I use DVD workouts in my home, so I have the DVD out and by the TV or in the DVD player already.
5. Prep your recovery drink the night before so all you have to do is blend and pour.
6. TRY to lay off the snooze…I’m still learning this art as well!
7. If the snooze button is getting the better of you, sit up, tell yourself how great you’re going to feel when you’re done and remember how much time you are going to have in the evening.
8. Get out of bed and JUST DO IT!