my week in pictures

Tuesday morning I got up and did my 2.25 mile walk around the neighborhood, despite the disgustingly muggy weather (due to another hurricane pushing rain into AZ). #operationweightloss #beinghealthygettingbetter

Then my favorite pair of shoes broke at work. #sadface

Dad filled sandbags to guard against flooding issues in this second wave of mega storms being predicted. #monsoonseason #ifyearepreparedyeshallnotfear

Wednesday, they put up a valiant fight against the water, but we were kind of fighting a losing battle. #whenitrainsitfloods

Double rainbow over the Mesa Community College Red Mountain campus that evening.  #beautyamidstthestorms

Went to CVS with Mom Friday after work and watched a master couponer (Mom) in action: 12) 14 oz bags of M&M's for $1.25 each!  #amazing

I have Paris set as one of the cities that shows on my weather app.  I torture myself everyday looking at it, wishing I were there.  It's especially difficult when I see weather like this.  I'm tired of summer and ready for it to be over.  I'd also like a vacation please.  I am feeling the need to run away from life right now.  My stress and anxiety about money and my decreased income are getting the best of me right now. #beinganadultishard

Went to Walmart last night with Mom, Dad, and Julia.  Julia needed to stop at the bank beforehand.  This is her, using the ATM from the backseat of the Nitro.  LOL!  #awkward #bumshot

While there I tried on and bought two shirts that were size LARGE!  That made me do a little happy dance in the dressing room.  #operationweightloss #slowandsteadywinstherace

Favorite quote from church today. #highcounselorsundy

First attempt ever at making fried chicken tonight for dinner.  #success #impressedwithmyself

anti-candida diet

I've been wanting to go to a Naturopathic doctor for a little while.  Fist because I had some health issues I wanted to see if I could get some help with, and secondly because I want to start to get an idea about what I'm going to be doing once I'm done with the naturopathic program.   A couple of weeks ago I finally did.  One of the patients that comes in to see Dr. Hallows (the chiropractor I work for) told us about the ND she had started seeing and had a lot of great things to say about her, so I called and made an appointment.  After talking with Dr. Bishop about different symptoms I've been battling and health goals I wanted help in reaching, she looked at my lab report from last year, asked lots of questions and we discussed a lot of things.  She decided to draw some blood and do some more/newer lab tests on my hormone levels and to get a clearer picture on what's going on in my body.

I went back in last Wednesday and we went over the results together.  Some of my hormones are a little off balance, but nothing too alarming.  However, it is enough to cause a little concern about a few things.  We discussed doing hormone treatments, but Dr. Bishop said that's something she doesn't really like to do, and I don't want to do it either, if possible.  We talked about my results, my history, and the symptoms I had and she said it sounds like I have an overgrowth of candida in my gut.

What is candida?  It's a yeast/fungus that can get out of control in the gut.  When it does, it affects the stomach and intestinal linings and then allows toxins to leak out into the body affecting hormone levels and other bodily functions.  It is normally found in the body, but when things get out of balance, they kind of take over and cause a lot of issues.  Such as:

-Skin and nail fungal infections
-Chronic fatigue or fibromyalgia
-Bloating, constipation, or diarrhea
-Autoimmune diseases like thyroditis, rheumatoid arthritis, ulcerative colitis, lupus
-Difficulty concentrating, poor memory, lack of focus, ADD, or brain fog
-Eczema, psoriasis, hives, and rashes
-Irritability, mood swings, anxiety, or depression
-Vaginal infections, urinary tract infections
-Severe seasonal allergies
-Strong sugar and refined carbohydrate cravings

Out of that 10 symptom list, I currently am struggling with eight of them.  Before contemplating more drastic measures, my doctor and I decided that trying the anti-candida diet for the next 30 days would be a good first step.  If this really is my issue, than this diet should clear it all up!  These little yeastie-beasties thrive and flourish on sugar and carbs, so for two weeks I'm attempting to starve them by staying away from the things that they feed on.  Then for the next two weeks I will continue the diet, but will add in an herbal supplement that will go in and kill off all the bad yeast.  Then I can work on reintroducing good probiotics back into my system.

Here's the basics of the diet:


NO
-Sugar, or sweetener of ANY kind (stevia is the only sweetener allowed, but sparingly)
-Alcohol (luckily this one isn't a problem for me)
-Gluten, and most grains
-Fruit (only allowed 1/2 c. of berries each day)
-Potatoes and corn
-Dairy
-Peanuts and cashews (these nuts can carry mold)
-Mushrooms
-Vinegars
-Yeast (for obvious reasons...)

YES
-Vegetables (all kinds!)
-Meat (beef, chicken, turkey)
-Fish (not shellfish)
-Nuts and seeds (except peanuts and cashews)
-Herbs and spices
-Oils (coconut, olive, flax)
-Sea Salt
-Herbal Teas
-Eggs
-Wild rice, quinoa, amaranth (but limited)

So...it's a very healthy diet.  I had a mental tug-of-war with myself over reintroducing meat into my diet in order to do this, because I can't survive on just vegetables and nuts for the next 30 days.  I finally decided that I'm going to treat this like the Word of Wisdom and eat meat sparingly.  Every couple of days I'll do something, but I'm going to try to stick mostly with the veggies, beans, nuts, and the limited carbs like wild rice and quinoa.

I've already tried several new recipes and vegetables.  I discovered I like rutabagas, but dislike parsnips.  So far I've lost 5 pounds!  I'm holding out really celebrating this because my body usually lets weight go pretty fast in the first week when I start something new, but then it creeps back on.  So, the next 30 days will be interesting...

fall has...flung?

They say, "Spring has sprung," but what happens when it's fall?  Is it flung?  I'm not really sure.  But, I'm ready for it to be fall.  All the rain we got today made me REALLY crave fall.  So, since my class tonight was cancelled, I decided to decorate!

On Friday my boss closed the office because it was his birthday, so I didn't have work.  Mom and I ran a couple errands, one of which was to JoAnn's.  She found this adorable little hedgehog and I had to buy him!  He's so cute and I knew he would love to live in my pumpkin patch.  Faith named him Humphrey.

Today I pulled my fall boxed out of the shed (which, thankfully remained mostly dry from all the rain today).

Humphrey loves his new home!  I went to CVS and bought $20 worth of candy to finish my pumpkin patch.

I love fall!  As much as I love living in Arizona, and I really do, I do miss the fact that we don't have a real Fall here.  There really is no crisp autumn air, no brilliantly colored leaves crunching beneath your feet, or the smell of wood smoke from people's chimneys.  But, it is a herald that summer is almost over and cooler weather is on the way!

I have several things I want to do, or make this fall that I'm really looking forward to:

1. Schnepf Farms Pumpkin and Chili Party and their Farmer's Market and Flea Market Saturdays

2. Aunt Jeri and my cousin Rachel are coming down in for a weekend visit in November

3. Almost Raw Vegan Pumpkin Pecan Cheesecake (I want to make this!)

4. Sweet Potato Cinnamon Rolls (vegan) - I want to make these too!

5. Butternut Cranberry Bake - I will be making this as well!

6. Pumpkin Maple Cornbread Bake Bean Casserole - will be making this!

I also have a couple classes that are half-semester classes that start next month (and one in November) that I'm really excited about: Herbal Remedies, Aromatherapy, and Comparative Healing Techniques.

I have a feeling it's going to be a good Fall!

the hundred-year rain

Today was one for the history books.  At least here in Arizona.  The powers that be (aka the local meteorologists and other news entities) have been forecasting a big monsoon storm for the last several days.  All week it kept moving farther and farther back, and I was kind of skeptical as to how "big" it was really going to be.  This has been a very dry monsoon season this year and most of the rain that has been forecasted the last couple months hasn't really materialized.

Well, it materialized this morning!

About 2am I woke up to some thunder and lightening and soon after heard the rain.  And it kept raining.  But I went back to sleep.  When I woke up at 6am to go to the gym it was still raining!  Hard.  Thanks to all the moisture being pushed our way from hurricane Norbert.

I hesitated about going out in it, not knowing how back the roads were going to be, but I went.  They weren't too bad, as I went up the street a couple miles to the gym.  When I got back home Julia was up getting ready for work and Mom was up watching the news.  Holy cow!!

I was so thankful I didn't have to worry about driving into Phoenix to go to work!  All the freeways were underwater due to flash flooding.  It was crazy out there!  

Last night at dinner Dad made a comment about how low the water level in the pool was and mentioned needing to fill it up.  Needless to say, after this morning there is no longer a need to!  The back porch became a lake, but no water came into the house, thankfully.  We only ended up with a small area of the back porch roof that had some leaking/water damage, and my leather chair which has been sitting out on the back porch as there is nowhere else for it to live right now, sustained some water damage.  But, those are both minor things compared with what a lot of other people are dealing with after today's storm.  

The rain cleared up about 11am.  It stayed kind of overcast for another hour or so, but then cleared up.  There was a forecast of more rain this afternoon and evening, but so far we haven't seen anymore here.  

Today was the wettest day in Phoenix on record.  Ever.  On average we get 2.71" during the monsoon season (June, July, August) every year.  Just today alone the airport reported 3.78"!  Chandler got over 5" and Mesa was over 4.5".  Here at the house we got at least 4" because that's how much the pool water level rose!  Crazy!  

I drove to and from work without any issues, thankfully.  Gary, one of the massage therapists that works at my office wasn't so lucky.  His car got flooded and stalled out on him on his way in today.  A lot of school around the Phoenix metro area closed today, or had delayed starts.  My biology class was cancelled this evening.

I'm so thankful for the rain!  We needed it so badly.  I know lots of people are dealing with the after affects of all the water, but it's hard to complain about something that is such a blessing.  

kartchner caverns

Julia and I just got home from a quick roadtrip.  Today's adventure: Kartchner Caverns!  I've been wanting to go down and see these caves for a while, it just took till now to be able to work it into the schedule and convince someone to come with me.  

We were up bright and early to make the 2.5 hour drive down south.  We stopped and got McDonald's on the way out of town.  

Once we were out of town we ran into a slight delay: car fire on the side of the road.  By the time we got there it had been mostly cleaned up, but the emergency vehicles were still there.  

We finally made it to the park!  It's a very nice facility.  Beautiful desert grounds, with a Discovery Center that has a gift shop and a little cafe attached to it.

We had reservations for the 11:20am tour, but we made really good time and when we got there the lady at the ticket window offered us a couple spots on the tour that was leaving at 9:40.  Awesome!  They don't allow anyone to take anything into the caves on the tour.  They're really protective of the cave, which is awesome becuase it's kept it in almost pristine condition and mostly undisturbed.  The tour we did was for the Routunda Room and the Throne Room.  There's a third room: the Big Room, but it is closed off until mid-October due to a population of bats that live in there and have babies right now.

After the tour, we walked through the Discovery Center looking at the displays and information plaques they  had up.  Very cool!  Then, watched a 15 minute video about how the caves had been discovered and eventually made into a State Park.  Then we had lunch at The Bat Cafe.  We sat outside, enjoying the cooler weather down south.  I had an over-mayonized chicken salad sandwich and Julia had an over-cheezized personal pepperoni pizza.  It was...adequate.  Then we walked around the Hummingbird Garden that they have.

 Then we left.  We saw this guy on our walk back to our car:

On the drive back we saw some interesting things.  A line of military helicopters flying east:

 Then this extremely LONG train with car after car loaded with military vehicles traveling west with us:

 We stopped at Picacho Peak for gas.  We saw the HUGEST PACKAGE OF FIREWORKS EVER!  In fact a large portion of the gas station gift shop was full of fireworks.  I'm not really sure why.  We couldn't figure it out...unless people there get really into Labor Day??  Anyways, this package was bigger than I was and was $600!

There was a DQ attached to the gift shop, so we each got a blizzard to finish the drive home.

One of the fun things about the cave is the story behind the naming of the Throne Room.  In this room there is the largest column (stalagtite and stalagmite connected) in Arizona.  It's as tall as a 5 story building and it's called Kubla Khan.  Here's the story:  When the guys who discovered the caverns back in 1974 we exploring and trying to keep their discovery a secret so they could keep it as undisturbed as possible until they could determine the best way to let others see it (eventually the state purchased the property and designated it a State Park), they let a few close friends in on their discovery just so they could tell someone where they were going, so someone knew where they were and could get help if they ever didn't come back.  One of the guys they told was a fellow student and the U of A who was a literature major.  He would come up with the guys and sit outside the entrance and read for hours and hours while they were down exploring.  One of the things he read at one time was the poem Kubla Khan by Samuel Taylor Coleridge about the leader of the mythical, mystical underground kingdom Xanadu.  They decided to use the code name Xanadu so as to not give away what they were doing and where they were.  When they discovered the massive column they named it Kubla Khan and said he was sitting on his throne.  

Kind of a fun story!  When we got home and told mom this she said, "Are you kidding me?!  Yesterday was Xanadu Day!  That's funny!" 

What is Xanadu Day, you ask?

Xanadu Day is August 29th.  It's the date of my parent's first date and, yep.  You guessed it.  On their first date they went to see this movie:

"Xanadualbumcover" by scan of LP. Licensed under Fair use via Wikipedia.

I think it's awesome and really cute that they still celebrate this day and remember when it was.  This movie is a family favorite and we watch it often.  The soundtrack is pretty awesome.

back to school

Fall semester has begun!  

This semester I am taking: Biology 181, the lab for the nutrition class I took over the summer, Food & Culture, Meditation, Aromatherapy, Comparative Healing Techniques.

My Bio class is Monday and Wednesday with the lab on Wednesday.  In between lecture and my first lab this week I hung out with these guys in the science building lobby:

I'm excited for this semester.  Wish me luck in biology!

farmer's market

Decided to give the Gilbert Farmer's Market another go this morning.

I went a few years ago with Katy (Smith) Bowen when we were roomies.  Today I went with Julia.  It's held every Saturday morning in downtown Gilbert from 7-11am.  We got there right after 7am and walked around to all the different vendors (about 15).  We sampled some of the local food offerings: vegan baklava, marinara sauce, local AZ desert honey, gourmet oatmeal, and nut toffees.  Everything was delicious!  I decided to purchase the oatmeal.

I really liked the sample I tried.  I hope I'll still like it when I have a whole bowl of it.

One of the main reasons Julia and I wanted to go to the farmer's market was because of the food trucks that supposedly are there every week.  However...we got there and there was only one there.  Instead of the five that are listed on the market's website.  And it wasn't either of the ones that Julia or I wanted to try out.

Lame.

So, Julia looked up where the specific food truck she wanted to try out was, and on their Facebook page they said they were parked down by the Sam's Club over by the Gilbert temple.  We left the farmer's market and headed over there.

Only to find no truck!  It was nowhere to be found.

By this point, we're both starving, so we scratch the whole food truck idea and went to Over Easy for breakfast instead.

I love this place!  Julia hadn't been before, so I got to introduce her to the deliciousness that is...the waffle dog:

I tried their chiliquiles.  Not even a little bit vegan, but so good!  I love everything at Over Easy.  I've never ordered anything that I didn't love.

All in all, despite the food truck frustration, it was a good morning and really fun!