WHOLE 30

We did it. We took the plunge down the rabbit whole of Whole30. A no sugar, no dairy, no gluten, no legumes, no processed food of any kind way of eating. I bought the book It starts with food over a year ago. I read it. I was excited and I was totally overwhelmed at the thought of starting it all. So I put the book back in the drawer and let all of the information stew in my brain. I knew I would do it someday but I just couldn't muster up the gumption to do it then. Thanks to some interest from another friend in my ward my fire was lit again in April and I committed the month of May to Whole 30. I even convinced Chris to tag along for the ride. Which he did so happily (hashtag: I am going to DIE before June comes)

We are currently 10 days in, do I LOVE it? No. Not today, but ask me tomorrow, that might change. :)

The crazy thing about it all is that the food we are eating is good food, tasty satisfying food. Here is a little glimpse at a few of my plates from the past week.

Look pretty good right? Maybe even mouthwatering.

But let's be honest for just a moment. If I eat one more egg for breakfast I might barf. Tonight I made a pan of sweet potato fries sprinkled with cinnamon, what I really wanted to make was a GIANT batch of my chocolate chip cookies and then proceed to eat the entire bowl of dough before it even made it into the oven.

Week 1 was surprisingly easy as far as the cravings went. Would I have like to have ice cream with the kids, sure, but saying no was no big deal. My only complaint week one was how much time I spent preparing meals. Meal Prep is serious business with Whole 30 and I spend at least double my normal time in the kitchen preparing food.

Week 2 has kicked my butt so far. My fire is dimming and I am really tired of eating veggies for breakfast. My body is missing carbs and sugars and easy energy sources and I haven't really seen any of the promised benefits. But I am almost half way there and we all know I just love torturing myself to accomplish something I don't think I can do. (hashtag: I hate running and I signed up for a 10k)

So here is my pro's and con's list so far

Pro's

I am eating much healthier
I have zero guilt or regret about the food I am putting in my body
I have been pushed to branch out and try new recipes
My kids are eating healthier too by default


Con's

Eating this healthy is SO expensive. We spent half our monthly grocery budget on the first weeks shopping trip alone
I feel like I am cooking ALL THE TIME
I am tired...really really tired
Eggs for breakfast for 10 days in a row... yeah that's old
I can't eat cookie dough right now

So there is where I am at. The good news of it all is I hear the best part is yet to come. I think if I can make it 4 more days I will finally start seeing the beauty of it all and the Pro's list will grow exponentially.

I'll keep you posted.

xoxo- Jill

A forever event

I was lucky enough to be able to fly home for my sister Jenny's wedding in April. It was the first time  I have ever gone on a trip by myself since Kaden was born. I didn't anticipate how much anxiety it would cause. I had never left this set of big blue eyes overnight before and even though she was in the very capable hands of her daddy my stomach was still in knots all day long. 

 I made a quick stop at the library before I headed to the airport and stocked up on 3 new books to fill up all the alone time I would have traveling from coast to coast. 

 It was so fun to have some time to spend with just my sisters and family. We made sure to get our nails ready (shout out for 6 dollar stick on nails!... no seriously they are the best) and spent Thursday doing lost of last minute store runs for all the small details that were still needed. 

 We got up bright and early Friday morning and headed down to Provo to set up for the pre-wedding reception. We stopped at Costco on the way down to pick up fruit and flowers. It was a pretty tight fit with all the reception/wedding/Costco items and poor Heather had very little wiggle room.

We spent all afternoon hanging lanterns, placing table clothes and creating the perfect "Tangled" scene for our very own Rapunzle and Flynn Ryder. Hanging 50+ lanterns from the very tall church ceiling proved to be a challenge, but we pulled it off, with no time to spare.... and I needed time! We rushed to Aunt Betty's house down the street to get the bride ready. I worked like a mad woman but she was still about 15 minutes late to her own reception. We gave it a good try.

Saturday was THE BIG DAY! I curled and pinned and applied lipstick...and then reapplied...and reapplied. I filled two entire memory cards with pictures. It was such a good day. The weather was perfect, the bride was beautiful, it was a happy day and I was so glad I could be a part of it.

So moment of truth... I was terrified of Jenny's hair. It is so long and beautiful...and thin and fine and SO healthy that it doesn't hold a curl AT ALL. Originally she sent me a picture of this masterfully done braid with intricate loops and curls and things way above my talent level and her hair's capabilities. I told her I wasn't sure if I could create the exact picture but that I could create something beautiful, and then I just prayed I was right. :D Luckily with a lot of product and time we got some pretty good curls to hold and well, she is just so beautiful it didn't really matter what her hair looked like.

How lucky I am to be a part of this group, forever. It is such a beautiful truth, families are forever. I am so grateful to be a part of this eternal family and to have started my own eternal family just like Jenny did on this day. 

The trip ended all too soon and I was off on another plane back home. Leaving Utah has to be one of the hardest things for me to do. There are just so many people and things there that are dear to my heart. Distance has made my heart grow fonder...and my tear ducts overused.

Friends from Home

When I heard our good friends (and Layton neighbors) the Dickman's were moving out to the East Coast I was selfishly quite happy! It felt like a tiny piece of home was coming our way. They were headed to NC which put them only 2 hours away... which feels like our own backyard compared to being in Utah. 

We finally found a weekend to get together and they came up to stay for a couple of days. 

Taycee was in heaven with Stevie here. They played non-stop and had a hard time going to bed at night because they couldn't stop giggling together. Friends, together, at last! 

a giant bubble bath with swimsuits on

They left too soon, and we can't wait for our next visit!