ohdeardrea

VISIT FLORIDA: A List Of The Best Family Friendly Activities In South Florida

2017-06-21T12:30:00.001-04:00

Hi, friends!

It's been a while since I've done a 'Things to Do in Florida guide' -- but the timing seemed right with a lot of you guys traveling here -- and even emailing me about looking to move here, too. Well, you guys know we love Florida. There's nowhere else I'd really live here in the States. I mean, I love California, too, but they don't have the tropical fruit we have :)
The list is really endless here in South Florida -- I could have easily made a list of 50 things to do here, but let's not overwhelm with detail – here's a list of our favorite family friendly things to do in South Florida (and none of the them cost a million bucks).

The Frost Science Museum | Downtown Miami, Florida
It's new and amazing. We waited a month after the opening to finally check this place out and it was well worth the wait. From the aquarium, to the planetarium, to all the wonderful exhibits, this place is SO rad! We spent a few hours there -- but could have easily spent the entire day. The planetarium show was by far the best one I've ever seen. Not only did the place feel exciting and fresh but it's also perfect for kids and adults. It can be hard to go to museums that are geared toward kids without getting bored yourself, but this place really is for everyone.
Also try:
The South Florida Science Center in West Palm Beach or
The Fort Lauderdale Museum of Discovery

Fairchild Garden | Miami, Florida
Looking for a tropical adventure? Go to Fairchild. I've been a member of this place on and off for the past decade. I would visit weekly when I lived in Miami. There are so many amazing tropical trees to explore here. Be sure to check online before you head out because they host a lot of events, almost all family friendly. Oh, and the (newish) butterfly space is amazing. So big! There's so much to learn and enjoy.
You can also explore:
Mounts Botanical Garden in West Palm Beach or
The Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens in Boca Raton

Young At Art Museum | Davie, Florida
Have kids? Love art? This place is the best. Honestly, even if you don't have kids, this place still is worth checking out if you're into art. You can learn about color theory, abstract art, modern art -- all manner of art-related info. Not to mention the rotating exhibit has been amazing every time we've visited!

Everglades Outpost | Homestead, Florida
There are a lot of animal-themed road stops in Florida, but Everglades Outpost is one of the very best. Every single one of the animals here has been rescued. Everglades Outpost is a small, family owned animal sanctuary, with some pretty intense large animals: tigers, bears, wolves, zebras, hundreds of alligators, and more. Come hang out and visit, or even experience a more up-close tour with a chance to feed these rescued wild animals. If you're ever heading to Homestead, this is a must-stop. (I'm going to do a whole other post on this place. It was just too amazing not to!)

The Beach | Everywhere in South Florida
The beach is sort of a no-brainer. We have some of the most beautiful beaches anywhere. You really can't go wrong, just head east toward the ocean and have your pick at any of them. Some of our favorites are: Palm Beach, Juno Beach, Delray Beach, and Crandon Park in Miami.

Riverbend Park | Jupiter, Florida
Have you ever wanted to canoe side by side with real Florida alligators? Riverbend Park is such an awesome experience -- it feels like a mixture of Jurassic Park and FernGully. Have a leisurely day as adults or take the kids to explore Florida wildlife. Pack a cooler with a few snacks and some water and have yourself an entire day in natural Florida.

Vizcaya Musem + Gardens | Miami, Florida
Vizcaya is a national historic landmark right in the heart of Miami. Escape the heat inside this beautifully detailed mansion or explore all the charm of the outdoor gardens overlooking the water. This place feels like a whimsical fairytale.

Perez Art Museum (PAAM) | Downtown Miami
Modern and contemporary right in Downtown Miami. Rain or shine, this is a great place to visit. While this place isn't specifically a kids' museum, modern art is fun for people of all ages. Don't forget to ask for a kid pack when you check in the door. They have sets for different ages. Spend your time looking at modern art while your kiddos explore by your side with their own artfully inspired and fun to-do list.

Fruit + Spice Park | Homestead, Florida
This place is great year round, but if you have to pick one time of the year to visit, then choose mango season. There are hundreds of varieties of fruit trees to enjoy here. The rule is: you can eat anything as long as it's fallen to the ground; no picking fruit off the trees. We usually pack a small pocket knife (to cut open mangoes) and a towel for the mess that's soon to follow -- then eat our way through the magical food forest.
All right, friends! There ya go -- my favorites! If you have other places you'd recommend, feel free to leave a note in the comments :) Oh, and of course: Check out my favorite vegan and healthy places to eat list HERE. Enjoy your exploration days!

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of VISIT FLORIDA. The opinions and text are all mine.

Pictures Of Recently Enjoyed Things

2017-06-20T11:13:00.001-04:00

rainy, happy days.

in between the rain showers, she made a friend. And named him chocolate. also, it's ten million degrees out and she's wearing too many layers.

exploring palm beach.

sometimes I really like these shelves. I never change them though, just my attitude, haha.

beach day. a cloudy beach day, but still a beach day. grateful for it. oh and does anyone else live the water bottle life? We carry at least one (but usually two) everywhere! Never the plastic ones though! We do love love these made by fressko ones!

attacking me.

more rain. some pink.

acas dates in Miami

(our favorite vegan Miami places)

well, this is a pretty room.

and I love these flowers. I think here a type of purslane... but I could be wrong.

I asked her to help me clean the house and offered her an allowance. She did help me. The next day I told her, "I gotta pick up the house and we'll read a book after" next thing I know I hear the dishwasher being emptied and I walked in, and she's like, "I emptied the dishwasher are you happy!?" And I'm like, "yes of course. thank you so much! you didn't have to do that!" then Marlowe responds with, "so can you double my allowance now? I need 5$ more dollars" hahahaha.

Did I post this yet? I made a friend. He didn't eat my face off.

Alright friends! The sun is shining, gonna get off this computer box thing! The new website should be up tomorrow! weeee! :) Happy Tuesday!

Florida Summer: It's An Adventure

2017-06-18T22:40:00.001-04:00

*this post is sponsored by Bota Box.

How was your weekend friends?!

It's STILL raining here. THREE WEEKS of this silliness. Maybe more. I know, I know. I probably complain every summer about it-- and I just need to learn to get over it. And I think for the most part--- I have been pretttttty good about it... it's just this three week stretch driving me insane. But even in this stretch, we've been going here, there, everywhere--- trying to make the best of it.... in raincoats. Or at least with a trunk full of raincoats, just in case.

We got a few hours of sun here and there this week. Followed by torrential downpours... and then more sun. On and off, back and forth. And we have now, three times(!) made our way to the beach to try to get in a bit of sun and fun before the rain strikes up again.

And one time this week? We actually got a bit! Maybe only 30-40 minutes or so, but I'll take it!

We (especially I) always enjoy going to the same beach-- it's been my favorite for years. It's basically the spot I know I can go to run into friends (for me and for Marlowe). It's easy, not hassle, and quiet. And lately we've seen a lot of friends there-- but often time's its a quick, "Oh hey, you're just getting there?! We're leaving soon!" kind of run in--- but still, it's cool. This week (month really), I've tried to make it a point to actually text my friends and check in and make plans. And this past week? Well, it seemed like a good adventures week to try to get everyone out of the house in a quick rain break for some food, sun, fun, and wine. Well, food, fun, and sun for the kids.... wine for the adults. I texted some lady friends and said, "hey beach dinner date. grabbing take out from the super market, packing boxed wine, meet us at the beach" --and, well... my friends thought this was a brilliant idea. Maybe crazy with the rain... but brilliant. Brilliantly crazy.

Getting to the beach was easy. I had went to WF's early that day and picked up a bunch of pre-made veggie sushi (super fancy, I know). And then later, when it was almost dinner time, I shoved the food, a blanket, a sheet, and a Bota Box(ed) wine into my bag. Parked the car, piled out, and started setting up.

Looks perfectly amazing right? Blue skies, food ready, wine ready, a blanket to relax on...

Friends came, more food came, and with it came the clouds, haha. Ohhhhh Florida summer, it's an interesting adventure. But we decided we wouldn't let the clouds dampen our party (not yet anyway). (and yes, the pun was intended on that one).

And so the food came out, the wine was poured, and the kids played while we spent time enjoying Florida summer the best we could.

Also, can I say that Bota Box wine is great for a lot of reasons-- but my number one favorite reason is that it's actually a natural + environmentally friendly boxed wine. Like, get this, not only is the entire thing recyclable, but also: the bags are BPA + BPS free. ANDDDD it's created 85% less landfill waste than traditional glass packaging. And made with 100% post-consumer fiber and printed with VOC-free inks on unbleached recycled paper. All that + more.

Wine for the ladies + Alex (not pictured, cause taking the picture, duh) and water for the preggo. Sorry, Emily, you get to wait a few more months.

And sheer bliss and freedom for the kids who just ran amuck with absolutely no care or worry for the clouds that were 100% looming behind them and ready to let loose.

It's just that--- the rain is inevitable here. And, I mean, we need the rain, obviously--- it gives us life. And as much as I complain or have complained about it, I know that I have two options: whine and be miserable about something I have no control over OR enjoy all the moments in between and during the rain and make the absolutely best out of it. So wine over whine won this time.

Looks adventurous, right?

We didn't finish our dinner at the beach--- we quickly drank our glasses of wine, packed up the food, ran to get the kids, and quickly made our way to the car.

Or.... Emily went to grab the kids and I picked up seashells-- same difference ;)

And we headed out... and turned the party inside. We came back to my messy home (it's a balance between perfectly clean and a completely disorganized show lately) and opened the wine right back up and set the to-go dinner back out on the coffee table to enjoy the evening a completely different way. The rain came down and we were cozy inside, with wine, food, and friends. And you know, it was good. Really good.

I guess thats the thing... (You know theres always a metaphor in there somewhere). You can't plan everything that happens, but if you're daring enough, you sure can have an adventure, no matter what comes your way (even the torrential downpours).

I hope you guys made the absolute best out of your weekend. We sure did. It's been busy over here, but it feels awfully good. <3<3

*this post was sponsored by our friends over at Bota Box.

What Marlowe Eats - Meal Ideas For Feeding A Vegan Kid

2017-06-15T22:43:00.001-04:00

Friendsssss, how are you?! I think I'm falling asleep at desk right now. I haven't been this tired in along time. I've been busy, but I don't mind. I'm feeling pretty accomplished today-- my website is almost done, photos are being taken, travel is coming soon! All good things.

I have a lot of thoughts about blogging and social media lately and I'm not sure where or when to ever share them-- or if I even should. But maybe? Do you guys even care about those thoughts? Or NAH? Thats one of my things--- I'm not ever really sure why you guys wants to see (unless you specifically ask). So I just share all the random photos, and thoughts, and travels, and whatever.

The food stuff is weird too-- cause I feel like I used to share so many recipes and things-- and then I got burnt out with the cookbook, and then I was sick-- so sick and could hardly eat anything, let alone make recipes and things. And so now I often feel so removed from the food blogging world-- like a whole new group of food bloggers came around and I'm like, "here are my crappy iPhone, low light dinner pics, guys!!! ENJOY!" Hahaha.

I don't know. Honestly, I think I want to start sharing REALLY simple food things. Some full on recipes, sure, but also just more basic how to's-- more for the peeps just starting off in the cooking realm. And then you can go to food and wine or whatever else for some complicated stuff, cool? Cool. Haha.

Alright friends. I'm going to write out captions for these really fantastically low lit grainy iPhone photos and then organize some more stuff and head to bed ;) I hope you guys have an amazing and delicious weekend! Cheers!

and and ps. speaking of the cookbook, it's only 11$ right now on amazon!!! Crazyyy! I'd suggest buying a few for friends-- you can't beat that price!

yellow curry. This one was obviously cauliflower heavy.

mish-mash. sometimes, I'm like "UGH--- you east SO many carrots" but then I remember how I didn't even carrots as a kid and I'm just grateful that even though her vegetable of choice, day in and day out is carrots, she really does eat a good assortment of stuff and I should NEVER complain about her food stuff. I would have starved as a kid if this was my food-- and Marlowe? She chose everything in this bowl to eat. Topped with our favorite easy to make miso sauce lately.

sushi sushi. she could eat it everyday-- and basically has this week. And she set up the table so nicely for us! Decorated hers with a strawberry :) These were a bit messy cause I made them, not alex ;) Mine are made with cauliflower "rice" cause as I just mentioned in the what I eat food post-- I think I'm going to work on lessoning my grain load :)

hummus + veg, guac + chip picnic.

I've made this pasta a few times this month. It's the mushroom one in the cookbook--- and its SUCH A HIT with everyone who tries it. Even my pickiest (very non vegan) friend came over the day and gave it praises. It was a big deal. Hearty, vegetable-y, and delicious!

pretty standard still. cauliflower mash, pies, tofu, and kale chips.

she asked for rice and bean tacos. I said fine, but you need a vegetable. she opted for kale salad. no problem.

hummus + carrots. the other veggies are for me. she won't go near raw peppers. As I mentioned in some post (I think?!1), we're trying to stay away from canned products. I'm sure we'll buy them sometimes, but we haven't bought any for a few weeks now-- we've been making hummus from scratch and it's been so good! We just make a REALLY big batch so it's worth the work ;)

black bean burger, avocado, some sort of carrot + greens salad. (it's a purple carrot). black bean burger recipe is in cookbook.

marlowes favorite daal (recipe). aloo gobi (recipe in cookbook), brown rice.

some sort of veggie curry thing-- a quick meal for the kids on our last getaway.

chickpea salad tacos. she'll basically eat anything in a tortilla. I have a recipe for these on my blog and in my cookbook-- but we've started making them completely different since cutting out more and more processed stuff--- at first I thought there was no way Marlowe would eat the new recipe-- but I was wrong. She tried it and loved it instantly! I've got to make a new recipe!

Alright friends! I'm so tired! Thanks over and over again for sharing this space with me. You know, thanks for being my friend ;)

Fifth Time's A Charm

2017-06-13T21:30:00.000-04:00

Hi friends!

I'm tempted to write, "hi pals!" just to mix it up a bit... but who needs that? Do you? Or are we could with continuing the, "hi friends!" theme of every post? You guys are my friends right?

Heh.

So, speaking of friends... here are some moments with some of my favorite friends. I know I say it over and over, but Claudia was truly one of the first blog friends I made on ohdeardrea. Realistically, I had made blog friends prior to her-- but that was with a different blog--- not via ohdeardrea. Through ohdeardrea? She was my numero uno. And I'm constantly grateful for it.

Since I have known Claudia she has moved 5 times. I've visited 5 different houses that she has lived in, in two different states. And each house (home) has been equally and insanely inspirational. One of the things I've liked about Claudia, is that like me, she doesn't follow trends. She's always just decorated or dressed however she seems best. And it works. It always works.

A mishmash of happy stuff, thrown together to create inspirational magic.

I appreciate inspirational magic. I think a lot of us do :)

I'm grateful that I have been able to visit each one of these homes in the past five years (or so) that I've known her. If I missed a home, then it would have meant that I went too long without seeing her.

And I'm grateful to be inspired by her space each time I visit and each time I head back home.

Thats a serious selfie if I've ever seen one.

and a serious shelfie too ;)

mornings are always nice. We switched from HOT mornings to cold ones, to warmish spring ones.

And of course, it's always so amazing to see these two girls grow up together. Not once have that had a fight or even a little quarrel. They get a long so incredibly well-- they always always have.

I think a giant picture of me should go above the mantel, don't you?

taking pictures of each other. I gave Marlowe an old point and shoot I had. Maybe Marlowe should do her own post soon :)

I wonder where they get it from? I take a lot of pictures... but my picture compared to Claudia's? Ha. Claudia takes 20 for every one I take. If not more ;)

I love this space. Oh how I would love a room with nothing but windows :)

You know, her pouring vodka into a glass and me inside with my sunglasses on... we're cool moms, heh.

"chilly" mornings with these two hairy guys.

I want to kidnap her.

smoothie hangouts.

I've decided I should travel more.. just so I have more photos of myself. I take so many more selfies while away. No idea why. But hi. also, it's totally like claudia and I are in a picture together. Hi claudiaaaaa!

And pizza. It seems like pizza has become a tradition. And broccoli, cause: health and stuff.

Alright friends! I'm going to answer some emails and see if I can find some terrible reality show to watch after. I hope you guys are having a great week! It seems like the rain might be finally stopping here-- let's hope so! Cheers!

What I Eat - An Update To My (Post C-Diff. | Gut + Body Healing) Diet

2017-06-12T00:14:00.005-04:00

How are you guys?! Good weekend? I hope so! We ended up with some sun today (Sunday)--- and Marlowe ended up at the beach for a while, but I was stuck to my desk all day. Did I tell you I'm updating this website? Like, switching it over to a whole new site... for the first time ever?! Crazy. So I've been work, work, working on that. Part of me doesn't hate the tedious-ness of it... and actually enjoys it. (I'm weird, I know) Though I wish I could be playing with my kid and/or at the beach instead ;)

But soon enough... right? Right.

So you guys often ask about what I'm eating. I obviously share What Marlowe Eats all the time.. but I rarely take photos of my own food... though to be completely honest, we do eat A LOT of the same food. We're both trying to eat more salads around here. Well, to be fair, when I say "we are trying" I mean... "I am trying.. and I am making her do it too"... obviously. And I often add hot sauce to my food. Realistically, this is probably not the best idea since bottled hot sauce is high in sodium (even the most natural one), but we all have our weaknesses. I find it pretty amusing that I have to be careful with foods like salads since c. diff, but I can eat a pile of hot sauce (or other hot foods) with basically zero problems. I'll never fully understand my gut... obviously.

So let's chat about my recent diet (changes/etc.)... yeah?

When we last left off, I was adding fruit (A LOT of it) to my diet and trying to transition to raw. Some things changed. Some haven't (read my last two food posts here and here).

I never made it to being fully raw. And I don't intend to anymore.

So here are my thoughts:

1. I think going completely raw would be AMAZING and REALLY beneficial to my health.
2. I like cooked food WAY too much and find it emotionally difficult to fully switch.

That's the gist of it.

When I became vegan I liked cheese (and all dairy) way too much, and couldn't emotionally let go of it either, but I did eventually make the switch there. So who knows what will happen. Maybe nothing. Maybe I'll switch one day.

I'd like to be fully raw. I think it would be really great, but I don't think I want (or need) to do it enough to the point where I actually switch.

So now, I just try to eat as raw as possible. Some days I do eat fully raw, but often times I don't.

BREAKFAST:

Breakfast always starts the same. A LOT of fruit. I have stuck to my high fruit diet. But I've cut back on the bananas a bit... not for any particular reason other than, I like pineapple + oranges much more, so I'd rather eat more of those. I've switched from eating about 8 bananas for breakfast, to about 3 bananas + half a pineapple, + more fruit.

The ONLY times I have problems with the pineapple is if my stomach is not clear and empty.

Note: Pineapple doesn't actually cause heartburn. It's the combination of pineapple + leftover food mixing in your stomach acid that causes the indigestion-- do not be confused! Seriously--- if you don't eat pineapple because, "it causes heartburn", then I suggest try it out for yourself. Eat pineapple on a completely empty stomach (in the morning, after your bathroom visit) and see what happens (hint: nothing happens, you enjoy pineapple).

In the morning I eat:
-pineapple, oranges, + whatever fresh fruit is around
-acai bowls
-green bowls
-smoothies + smoothie bowls (if you're wondering: the only difference between a smoothie and a smoothie bowl is that a smoothie bowl is MUCH thicker, in a bowl, usually with toppings, and eaten with a spoon like a treat).

My favorite smoothie recipe is HERE.

LUNCH:

recipes: super easy tempeh lettuce wraps with my favorite miso dressing.

noodle + raw veggie salad with the same miso dressing + raw vegan spinach soup.

recipe: my new favorite kale + avocado salad.

hodge-podge--- black bean burger (in cookbook), baked plantains, and a salad with just a bit of lime for dressing. // spring roll -- could eat them everyday.

For lunch I also try to eat raw or mostly raw. Sometimes I don't, but more times than not, I do. I enjoy trying to eat a raw lunch. Sure, sometimes it's frustrating, but often it's like a fun challenge. Also, for you guys who have been following me, you know I'm NOT a big salad person-- so it's been nice trying to create salads I actually love. (like this one)

Lunch is different everyday depending what I'm in the mood for and how much time I have to spend in the kitchen. To be honest, often times I end up eating a second meal of fruit-- out of pure deliciousness and convenience.

How I see it: I should try to eat as raw as possible for my health. And I have no excuse to not eat raw during lunch. The only time I usually end up eating cooked food (for lunch) now is when I'm starving and theres nothing but cooked leftovers made or if we're out of the house and there's not a lot of raw options. I still try to eat as low fat as possible--- but more on this below. And we try to get in a good portion of greens for lunch. Oh and greens for breakfast too-- all smoothies have at least a handful of greens added in. Upping the greens has been a priority lately.

In the afternoon I eat:
-salads
-lettuce wraps
-spring rolls
veggie noodles or grain noodles with raw veggies
-sometimes (but rarely) I'll make a raw soup, but this is never satiating... so I end up eating a second meal to follow.
-more fruit

DINNER:

recipe: yellow curry

(steamed veggies and white rice-- this was boring, we didn't know what else to make + a miso mustard sauce)

(soup recipe)

Dinner is usually my one cooked meal of the day. Sometimes I eat raw, but more times than not, I give in to cooked food-- because I think its delicious and I usually want something warm and comforting by the end of the night.

But the thing is... I do feel really good eating mostly raw. I definitely feel better after lunch than I do after dinner. The heavy fullness(vs. the satisfying light fullness) after dinner is definitely noticeable and draining. It's just hard on my digestion to eat heavier meals. When I first got c. diff (think a week out of the hospital-- and for MONTHS later), I knew that 15 minutes after eating I would have to lay down and I would feel ILL for at least an hour later. I don't have anything like that now--- but I do still notice the difference in side effects after different meals. So, would I feel better eating raw food for dinner instead of cooked food? Physically: YES. TOTALLY. But emotionally: no, it was HARD to try to go all raw. I would usually get about half way through my dinner and then want to cry. I would then take my raw zucchini noodles or whatever I was eating and heat them up half way through my meal. I don't want to force myself to do anything that feels bad-- physically or emotionally, so I just do what I can each day.

Also, I have to consider that I'm making Marlowe dinner every single night. I mean, she's a growing kid, she's gotta eat too, right? So I don't really care to make two different meals every night for dinner. That would be nutso. So I try to stick to high vegetable, low fat meals for dinner.

For dinner I eat:
-loads of soup (tomato soup, pureed veggie soups, and miso soup all the time). Marlowe basically asks for miso soup every single day. I end up making it at least once, maybe twice a week. I don't mind because it's SO EASY. Seriously-- she's even made it before. And with the extra veggies I consider it a nice healthy meal, with the added (gluten free) grains, it's more filling to be considered a real meal.
-we also eat a lot of curries with grains. Grains change from rice noodles, buckwheat noodles, brown rice. I like black rice a lot though and should be making it more. The two photos of rice posted above are deceiving because we almost never eat white rice--- but those where the photos I remembered to take when it was light enough outside to take them. Like this recipe or this one. There's also a few recipes in the cookbook too (we omit the oil now).
-a super veggie filled pasta dish. But instead of wheat noodles we now use brown rice noodles. And/or I often make zucchini noodles--- but I definitely steam them instead of eating them raw. Sometimes I like to do a mix of brown rice noodles + the zucchini, since the texture of the zucchini noodles isn't actually like real noodles. Marlowe won't go anywhere near a zucchini noodle--- and this is fine with me.
-My ultimate comfort food is a steaming hot bowl of noodle soup or a giant Indian meal now. I don't even really miss pizza anymore.... I swear. Crazy, but I swear!

What I probably shouldn't eat but sometimes eat anyway:

Oils + fats: So as mentioned, I try to do a high carb, low fat diet. I can eat a lot of fruit in my diet with ZERO blood sugar problems (trust me, I've had my blood work done a few times recently and it still comes back great), because I keep the fat intake VERY LOW (almost all the time). This is very hard to do when eating out. Restaurants aren't known for the low oil, low salt food. Restaurant food is LOADED with hidden fat + sodium. I don't plan to switch back to a high fat diet anytime soon, if ever. I learned first hand that high fat food is NOT easy to digest. And after a lot of research I have zero desire to add oil back into my diet ever. Does that mean I never eat it? No, I definitely end up eating it when I go out, but at home, I don't. We cook without oil now.

Please note: I don't restrict Marlowe's fat intake at all-- but I do make sure that she's getting fat from natural, unprocessed sources. I do restrict mine a bit-- but this is to keep my blood sugar in check--- and so far it's 100% working. This all being said-- I still have a weakness for tortilla chips--- as does she--- she ends up eating fried chips + guac probably once or twice a week.

Corn: Speaking of corn chips-- I freaking love corn: tortillas, popcorn, just good ole' corn kernels, whatever. But I can say that my body does not process it anymore. I've been able to keep myself completely gluten free with no problems, but I do give in with corn from time to time. I think I am going to try to switch to just lettuce wraps instead of the tortillas. But yeah, corn has been a tough grain to give up.

Grain in general: I was mostly grain free for a while-- but lately I haven't been at all. I keep going back and forth on whether I should make the switch back. I might for a while just to test it out. For now, I try to keep grains to a minimum. Honestly, it's not even the rice thats the problem-- I could give up rice forever without shedding a tear (some of you rice lovers are offended by this hahaha) but it's the noodles. I love rice + buckwheat noodles so much--- all noodles. But I have noticed that my ringing gets a lot louder when I eat heavier meals high in grains and/or legumes.

Legumes: I don't eat legumes often. The exception is Indian nights when we make daal or the occasional chana masala. And when we make a batch of hummus. I'd say I eat a legume dish about once a week. Like I said, I feel better without them.

Tofu: I don't seem to have problems with fermented soy (miso/tempeh), but regular tofu is on the fence right now. I eat it occasionally. Maybe I'll cut it out. Maybe I won't. But I know I should.

Final thoughts:

-I still can't and won't eat gluten, nuts, high fat foods. I get this buzzy, vibrating feeling from time to time (I have for the past two years) and I still can't pin point exactly what it is. It seems to maybe be an allergy thing. Like, I accidentally had cashew milk the other night and had the buzzy feeling for about two days until it finally went away. I don't know, it's strange and I'm strange I know. All I know is I'm doing my best to take care of myself while filling my physical and emotional needs. Food is tough man, it's not only something that can fully nourish and heal you, but it is also something that can make you terrible ill and be emotionally challenging for sure. Giving up so much food after c. diff was hard, really hard. I don't want to go back to eating candy bars for breakfast or anything like that, but I do miss eating without too many second (and third) thoughts.

-I'd like to go grain free-- or consume even less grains, but to be honest, I'm not in a place to try to deal with that right now. Hopefully soon though. I know I would feel a lot better completely cutting the grains from my diet (or at least substantially reducing grains) and I'd like to work through that.

-I really enjoy the high fruit lifestyle. It's not only convenient, but also delicious. I feel A LOT better eating mostly fruit. The downside is the cost. (Hence all the bananas). But I could seriously eat an acai bowl for breakfast everyday for the rest of my life and be happy. Fruit makes sense--- it's SO easily digestible. And after c. diff, easy to digest food is what my body needs to absorb nutrients and not be overworked.

-I feel so much better being mostly raw. I don't think I'll ever be completely raw, but I know better than to say "never". Never say never, right?

-I haven't had eggs in a long time. And to be honest, I don't miss them at all. I added them back in my diet after the whole 'lack of protein' fear got shoved in my face while being sick. And I was so sick and so scared that I tried it. (In real everyday life, there is no such thing as a protein deficiency by the way.) I mean, it's cool, cause we had our own happy chickens, but eating eggs didn't make me feel better. I started feeling significantly better when I went mostly raw and with a lot of fruit. Fruit makes sense--- it's so easily digestible.

-I don't think anyone really knows what the "perfect human diet" is-- we are SO far removed from any sort of natural life. We're all different--- we come from different places, climates, growing zones, etc, etc etc. I still do believe that all humans should be, at the very least, mostly vegan. I mean, yeah, cause I care about animals, but mostly for their health. I would never tell anyone what to eat-- I think we all have to find our own balance and do our own research. But without much debate, raw food, IS natural. No one can argue that raw food is the most natural food option there is. This is why I choose to incorporate more and more raw food in my daily life. I strive to be as natural, unprocessed, and close to earth as possible.... within moderation. Noodles, tortillas, rice pepper wraps, and miso don't grow on trees, but I eat these things anyway. All I know is that I've come a LONG way from a candy bar and french fry junkie that ate pizza nine times a week. I butchered my body for a good chunk of my life, and I don't want to do that anymore. I'm not in anyway the perfect image of health... but I'm trying everyday <3<3

I probably missed a lot and have a lot of typos in this. It's past midnight (two hours past my preferred bedtime). But if you have any questions, please don't hesitate to ask. The only reason why I even did this post was because I was asked too. I totally wouldn't have thought do it anytime soon otherwise. I'm grateful when you guys suggest posts you'd like to see--- it gives me ideas :) So thanks!

Have an amazing, delicious (and maybe noodle-full) week, friends!

Just For Fun-- A Quick Playa Del Carmen Video | Where We're Headed Next | Happy Weekend!

2017-06-08T20:41:00.000-04:00

Hello friends!

How are you?!

A video!? Fun, right? Just a few snippets that Celia (CeliaDLuna) took while we were in Mexico together. I normally tense up in front of a camera (hence why videos aren't a regular thing), but not as much when I'm with Celia. No idea why, but I'll take it. You can see more of our adventure here. (where we went cave exploring here and where we stayed here)

This week has been raining like crazy-- but a really good week. We've been back and forth to Miami THREE times-- each day its own adventure. Rain or shine, we hit the road. And hey, today the sun came out again! Only for a little bit, but still. It felt like magic.

I've been busy busy busy--- in between all the adventures (and emails email emails and endless computer to do lists) I've been planning a summer trip-- we were going to do a big three week trip to Colombia but planning got hard-- so we're just heading north to visit my mom in Massachusetts instead. Nice and easy. And then we'll be hitting the road to make all of Marlowe's dreams come true.... Yes, we're going to Canada. That's totally every six year old's dream destination, right? It wasn't initially planned-- but we were thinking of the cool places we could visit from Massachusetts, and Canada really isn't too far away-- only a 5 hour drive or so. So why not?! So we're making our way into Burlington VT for a quick stop. Then Montreal for a few days. Then we figured, well, hell, lets go to Toronto (none of us have ever been there), and then drive through Niagara Falls, and into the Catskills.... but then we added NYC to the list. I don't have anything particular I want to do in New York, I really just want to see friends! Aka, we could just keep adding places forever, haha. So yeah, it just sort of easily came together without me having use much energy at all. Now I'm just searching for hotels and book marking all the places I want to eat at ;) OH! And two days before this whole trip? Well, I'll be in Chicago! A quick weekend trip to a music festival. Crazy, I know. (Oh, and there are a few days left open in July to rent our home if you guys want to be down here :)

I mean, I ALWAYS prefer to visit somewhere tropical over somewhere northern, but a good mix up is nice too. It's rainy season in the tropics anyway ;)

Anyway, things are good here. Tropical, rainy goodness. I'd love to be in Mexico again, or eating my way through Indonesia, or visiting family in Colombia, or basically anywhere amazing... but really, home is really good too right now.

Rain or shine, I hope you're having a great week friends. And I hope you have a better weekend ahead of you!

Thanks for being here :)

In The Mountains

2017-06-06T22:17:00.000-04:00

Happy tuesday/wednesday, friends! How are you?! It's POURING here in South Florida. Well, in West Palm Beach. It was overcast, but nice in Homestead (down south) today. I'm SO glad we got away to enjoy a bit of sun and sweat outside, I would have been too antsy otherwise.

Did any of your see my live story today on Instagram? I almost died. Well, I almost died of live-fear. I was totally safe and not scared in the alligator pen. Also, as I type this I'm kind of like, "wait who am I? Talking about being in an alligator pen!? I sound like a bad-ass, guys. Don't I? hahaha.

I cannot wait to show you pictures from today. It was so much fun. A much needed (somewhat local) escape. You need the escape sometimes, you know?

We also needed Asheville. I'm so so happy that we decided to do this last Asheville trip. We don't do a lot of spur of moment, last minute-ish trips. I'm totally happy to do them-- but we just typically don't! I mean, this was hardly spur of moment. But it felt that way because the idea came up, and without a second thought, we said, "YES." As many of you know, Florida is the land of flat-ness. I guess, you never realize how much you miss the mountains until you're away from them for 10 years. I do miss them. I miss being a late teen, and taking long drives through Vermont and New York. I used to love those solo drives--- now I'm happy to do a solo drive, but a drive with people can be even better-- sometimes ;)

Before we even went up there, I told Claudia, "we should go on a hike" --- and so we did ;)

And they did too. I wouldn't really call Marlowe and I the athletic type ;) but we both like a good hike-- thats for sure.

And they went off to explore.

Windblown.

In a tree.

The wind comes and Claudia is so graceful and elegant looking....

.... and then here I am all like, "waaaaboom"

Another thing I realized is that even though I do love mountains-- I am totally more partial to tropical mountains. I really am a tropical, warm loving, juicy fruit eating kind of girl. I think that's why Guatemala has my heart tied up so tight. I can get both the warm love and land of delicious tropical fruit ANDDD mountains. But hey, non tropical mountains are pretty rad too ;)

my favorite girls--- with mouth full of apples. *SQUEEZE*

They were cold when we hit the top. I told them to take shelter from the wind... take a load off. and so they did...

And then I was a really good example, and went over the rock wall to take a photo on a ledge. Contrary to popular belief, I do not have a fear of heights... just a fear of flying. And as Alex pointed out today, I have no problem going in a pen with loose alligators, but I'm terrified of planes. We all have our things, you know?

And back to the bottom of the hike we went. It was a super short hike.. one part of me wanted a longer part. The other part of me was like, "is it time for tacos yet?" (it was time for tacos).

Before we left I went to sit over here by myself to take a photo of the flowers--- then I saw all these tiny microscopic bugs and paid no attention to them... until we got in the car and I realized I was COVERED in them. And then I realized that they kept taking little bites of me. Those stupid jerks. It was a long, painful car ride until the taco place. I totally forget the name of those little bugs, but man, they were a pain. Apparently they don't bite on person or suck your blood or anything.. they just bite things until they find food (plants). I'm not a plant. They learned this. And then the running joke is always--- why does Drea love nature so much if nature hates her? I don't know guys, I don't know. One day nature might love me too. Hopefully.

Alright friends. The rain is coming down hard and I am sleepy! Crossing my fingers we get some sort of sun tomorrow! <3<3 Hope you're having a great week!

ps. some of these photos I stole from Claudia. You can see more of her photos HERE. <3

Life After C. Diff (Two Years Later)

2017-06-04T16:00:00.000-04:00

Putting this behind a cut... because unless you have c. diff / know someone who has c. diff. /or are someone who is really curious about my current state of health (or partial health) this is reallyyy long...

I get emails everyday about c. diff.

Everyday.

More and more people are getting it. More and people are suffering with it, dying from it, and many, like me, are searching everywhere possible to learn how to recover from it.

With almost every email I start off the same, explaining I can only offer my own experience and personal advice--- that c. diff is different for everyone, depending on a lot of things:

1. the strain of c. diff acquired.
2. how long you had c. diff before being properly diagnosed
3. how much the c. diff had grown before fighting it
4. how good (or bad) your gut flora was when you got the c. diff
5. if you had dormant viruses living in your system that you may not have been aware of
6. your age
7. your prior health
8 etc etc etc.

There is no magic cure-all from c. diff and the problems it creates in your body. Doctors know this. Scientists know this. And I've learned this first hand.

I want to also say that if you're reading this and worried as all hell, you can get better. And you will! The first thing you need to do is rebuild your gut. The c. diff can't thrive in a healthy gut. If you rebuild your gut, you will see that the c. diff won't return!

My recovery was not fast. And it was not easy. As many people learn, recovering from c. diff is not only physically hard, but incredibly emotionally difficult as well. Even today, two years later, I consider myself as someone still in the process of healing. But I was bad, really bad. When the c. diff hit my body, not only did my gut suffer, but my entire system crashed, leaving me in really poor shape.

Am I a lot better than I was two years ago? OH YES. VERY MUCH YES. I'm healthier, happier, and even stronger too. I'm still thin and unable to put on much weight (no matter how many different diets I've tried). I still have A LOT of lingering side effects. And my colon? Well, it's still pretty damaged and incredibly sensitive to a lot of things. Someone else I met recently described post c. diff life best: I am now someone with no reserves. No extra weight, no extra energy for the nights without sleep, no extra immune system (though it has gotten a lot better in the past 6 months or so) for when viruses are lingering, etc etc. I work with what I have and I am cautious with my body now... because I have to be.

As I sit here, two years later:

-My stomach is cramping. Thankfully, this isn't a constant anymore. This is an occasional thing that happens when I eat certain foods or randomly from time to time without warning or noticeable triggers. This usually happens from eating foods that I know my body now no longer tolerates. I am now that person that I once would side eye-- the person with all the allergies. I was once completely allergy free (with the exception of dairy). I am the person who once ate bread daily--- now I am the person who has to triple check ingredient lists. Is it nut free? Gluten free? Corn free? The person who has to wonder if my body will be able to tolerate drupes (one seeded fruits) this week-- or the pollen from mango trees. I had both corn and soy this week. Either of the two could be the reason for the cramping and constant bathroom trips. Or maybe something else. I don't know. But two years later, my stomach still has a mind of its own. On the day to day, if I'm very careful with what I eat, my stomach is okay. My bowels are mostly regular now. But my digestion is completely different. With c. diff I went from going to the bathroom 15+ times a day, to about 7 times a day, and now I'd say it's about a regular three times a day, unless I eat something my body couldn't tolerate. My body now deliberately expels anything it cannot handle. I no longer drink alcohol. I can't. I want to, but I can't. Alcohol induces vomiting and diarrhea about half a day later. So does nuts. And sometimes corn. I just have to be painfully careful. I say painfully, because emotionally, I hate to be the one who has all the food allergies. I'm now *that person* who has to care about what goes in. I don't like to feel that way, but at the same time, I've learned first hand that if I'm not careful, I will pay. And I learned I can't get too cocky. Too many times I've thought, "Oh I'm sure I can eat this now"-- and tried-- and ended up with intense stomach problems, in bed for two days. I've learned it's not worth it. I'd rather be cautious and feeling well.

-The diet I feel best on is the high carb, low fat diet. After a year and a half trying a high protein and high fat diet-- without gaining weight, I switched to a high carb (high fruit), low fat diet. My body has felt significantly better with this switch. This switch felt very extreme for me, especially since I never ate excessive amounts of fruit before, but it improved my health, digestion, and mood significantly. I still eat A LOT-- but I always have. After excessive reading on different diets, this one makes sense since fruits are so incredibly easy to digest--- and with that, my stomach/colon has to do a lot less work.

-I still haven't gained my weight back, but that could be due to the lack of bread, alcohol, and processed sugar in my life. Those things used to make me gain weight. Now I don't have them, its cool. Though, thanks to this diet + a new habit of weight lifting, I do feel stronger. My weight bothered me A LOT in the beginning. Jokes about how "not being able to gain weight isn't a problem" bothered me. I felt self conscious that people were looking at me thinking I was too thin and weak. It doesn't bother me anymore. I feel stronger, and thats what matters. I do think I'll gain a bit more weight back, I just think it's taking longer than planned.

-Emotionally I feel great. Now. I was so scared and so sad before. I felt so lost and confused. And/but the reality is, everyone is lost in terms of c. diff and gut health. Yeah, scientists are studying gut health. They are researching and finally recognizing the world of our diverse and important micro biome-- but we're still SO far from real answers in this field. After dozens and dozens of useless doctors and tests attempts, I gave up and let go and learned to manage my gut problems without doctors. Sure, my gut is no where near perfect still-- but it's so much improved. I work on the things I can work on and I've learned to let go of the things I cannot change. And mostly, I'm just thankful to be alive--- and doing so much more than I was doing a year ago and even more than two years ago when I got diagnosed.

-The ringing in my ears is LOUD-- almost drowning out any other sound around me. Something I acquired just two days after finally being admitted into the hospital. Not one doctor could offer advice on this. And so two years later, and I have yet to find any sort of cure for this-- other than mindfully doing my best to ignore it. This seems to get worse in times where I eat heavier foods/foods that my stomach doesn't tolerate well.

-Same with my teeth grinding. This seems to be related to my stomach issues. This problem seems to be much more noticeable during the times my stomach flares up. This also started in the hospital and is still a pretty regular problem. Doctors and dentist have offered the suggestion that maybe it's stress... but I do it even in times of absolute zero stress. Like I said, it seems to be mostly stomach related. On the nights I go to bed with a stomach ache, I wake up with a head ache and a mouth full of cuts and scratches on the side of my cheeks and on my gums from grinding.

-My hydration problems are better. Some of the people emailing noticed this strange side effect too--- a constant dehydration problem.. I'm not sure what it is. most doctors seemed to not recognize this at all when I would complain of dehydration despite drinking a lot of water. I had chronic low blood pressure issues after the c. diff. and every doctor told me it was because I was dehydrated. I would explain to them how I was constantly drinking water (60-90+ ounces a day) and they seemed to think I was lying about this (why would anyone lie about drinking water?) and told me to drink more water. This problem is gone-- it eventually went away on its own.

-My chronic fevers went away. I had ups and downs in my health for over a year. It was frequent in the beginning. A chronic fatigue feeling with constant joint pains, fevers, and overall ill feeling. It went from happening more than not, to about a third of the month, to a fourth of the month, to only a few days a month. I don't get the intense fevers, but I do get a general ill feeling/fighting off a virus feeling a few days a month still. I'm still hoping this will continue to get better and go away over time. I'm really hoping to combat this completely. I can't pin point if this is hormonally related or not, since my cycle has not been regular since getting c. diff.

-Heart palpitations/ night sweats /chills /tingling feeling: that basically all went away with my chronic fevers. Like I've said-- I had A LOT of strange symptoms flare up when I got sick with the c. diff. It makes sense why so many doctors tried to diagnose me with lyme. My body was all over the freaking place. My limbs will still get numb/tingly every once in a while, otherwise all this weird stuff has improved.

-Dizziness / vertigo /overwhelming brain fog - this has gotten SO much better. It was so bad that I wasn't driving for months. Gosh it was bad. It was slowly getting better over time, but I didn't see significant improvement with this until I switched my diet to a high carb/ high fruit diet. I still get really dizzy when I need to go to the bathroom (read more below), but otherwise this is much better.

-My joints no longer hurts. Usually. My joints ache when the humidity is high-- but its mild and totally bearable. When. I first got c. diff there where points where I could hardly walk my joints ached so bad. I definitely do not struggle with this now.

-My colon and I have become really close (half joking). Unfortunately. It feels crazy to be so in-tune with a part of my body-- but I can really notice the difference in certain things now. Before c. diff I didn't have to give a second thought to needing to use the bathroom, but now I feel really good or really bad depending on the state of my digestion and the fullness of my colon. If I need to go to the bathroom, then I NEED to go to the bathroom. I feel really ill/nauseous/ and hot until I clear my bowels. It feels like a mini fever or hot flash in my body to the point where I feel like I could throw up when I need to go to the bathroom. Similar, but no where near as intense as the feeling when I first had frequent bathroom trips with the c. diff.

-Gas and bloating: Still got it. Don't you love how c. diff is basically a big game of TMI? Well... okay, so the gas: I do get super gassy--- my colon still gets like a giant balloon of air. Luckily, the gas is completely odorless. It's just embarrassingly loud. I had a lot of SIBO like symptoms for a while-- they would come and go, but that seems to be completely under control now. The foods (on my yes list) that cause me the most bloating are (not surprisingly) cauliflower and broccoli. I do eat the from time to time, but cautiously, chewing well. But yeah, in the morning (especially after rough nights of stomach problems) there are giant air bubbles moving in my colon. I can push down on them, and they just move around and come and go. I'm thin, so these gas pockets are actually pretty visible on my stomach. It's really kind of silly looking. Luckily it doesn't really hurt that much anymore, I just have to remove the gas from my colon and I'm good. When it is painful, I just chug a lot of water (think 4-5 cups) until the gas can pass. Yay TMI.

-More colon stuff: I mentioned it, but my colon does act up from time to time with no rhyme or reason. During the flare ups, I have all the symptoms of colitis. Not sure if thats a permanent after symptom of c. diff, but maybe. It's not super frequent though, thankfully.

-My immune system is functioning much better. Basically everyone I have talked to has suffered from the undeniable side effect of completely lacking any sort of well functioning immune system after c. diff/antibiotic use. After c. diff I caught and fought everything. I'm so happy to say that my immune system (minus the allergy problem) is doing SO much better.

-I no longer take supplements. Mostly. I do carry and take probiotics when I'm traveling for extra caution. I add spirulina to my food still-- yes for extra iron + protein, but also, because I've really grown to like and crave the taste of it. I take the occasional b12 supplement, because I'm vegan. I'll take some extra vitamin C when theres a virus going around. But on the day to day, I don't wake up and worry about what I need to take. I don't *need* to take anything anymore.

-I still feel frustration at the doctors visits I had and the lack of help I received. And I try to remind each person that emails me with the same complaints that they are not alone in this struggle. Doctors are human and the science is not there yet and beyond their (and our) current understanding. It literally hurts me to think about the other people who are going through this struggle too. I know what it's like--- I've been there. It was painful and repeatedly broke me. I've slowly put together many of the vague undiagnosable symptoms Ive had for myself and have been able to handle most of them.. and I do my best to work through and function well in the symptoms that are still present. Because thats all I can do.

If I had to guess, I would say that the c. diff + antibiotic I took (clindamycin-- followed by flagyl and vancomycin for the c. diff) woke up a strain of EBV that I didn't know I had. I think that this is what gave me a lot of these really odd and vague symptoms. Again, this is only a guess on my end-- but it seems to make sense, as a lot of EBV symptoms seem to line up with symptoms of lyme (which a lot of doctors told me I might have). While some of the doctors I met with still might say they think I have lyme, I don't think I do. I also still have no idea if I did catch something viral in India or here at home. It's pretty possible, but given that so many of these symptoms have been chronic and long term, the EBV guess makes more sense than anything to me. I don't know. And maybe I'll never know, but I got to the point a long time ago where I stopped caring about what I may or may not have, just a long as the path to healing is present.

Overall, I'm grateful to feel how I feel. I have stupid high standards for myself and I would not in anyway say that I am *thriving in health*--- but I do feel more and more healthy every day. I look back and I can remember parts of the c. diff nightmare and I still can't believe all that I went through. The word 'nightmare' can feel extreme, but I think so many people would agree that suffering from c. diff (and the problems that arise from it) is in fact an intense and terrible nightmare. I wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy. It's also crazy to say it, but I also think most would agree: c. diff is a good lesson in life and health. C. diff forced me to really look at my health, diet, and life in a completely different way-- in a way I wouldn't have done otherwise. I am now very mindful of each and every moment I live and breathe. I understand my body now more than ever before. I take care of myself and no longer run my body unnecessarily to the ground. I take extra care to treat myself well (as well as the people who chose to be in my life). My life is thriving again two years after c. diff. And I am forever grateful for that.

If you're looking for more of my c. diff posts, you can check out:

what to eat and avoid after c. diff.
my c. diff supplement list.
a few c. diff friendly recipes I've posted
and a diary of my food experience and healing

I hope some of this info helps some of you or your loved ones. Again, I'm not an expert by any means, I'm just sharing my own experience and healing trial and errors. <3<3

Snippets Of Laura's Wedding

2017-06-01T10:48:00.000-04:00

Hi friends. How are you? I had planned to post an update on the whole c. diff post healing thing this week, but since my current health state is sort of a mess, I thought I should hold out another week. I'm not sure why that makes sense to me, but it does.

I was pretty much useless all day yesterday. Well, most of the day. The first part started out okay but my gut got worse and worse as the day went on. But whatever, lets talk about that another day. Other than my up and down health, life has been pretty good.

So onto the wedding yes? To be honest, one of my biggest regrets was not snapping more pictures. But you know theres always the thoughts on being present. Which I mean, it's super easy for me to stay off social media, but for me, For the past 15 years+, being present with a camera in my hand is what I love most, haha. But I get it. Laura did opt to have no one take photos during the actual ceremony, which I totally appreciate. I kept my phone down (obviously during the ceremony, as I was in it, but also for a good chunk after too). I took significantly more pictures than I did at Brittanys wedding (per her request) and but significantly less than I would have liked, haha. I don't think Laura had a preference regardless, the keeping he phone down was for me. Also, I was half functioning so I was trying to reserve any little bit of energy I had to enjoy the people around me.

I've noticed that--- my picture taking and instagramming use in general significantly declines when my health declines. I mean, this blog too I guess. Once upon a time I blogged five days a week here. And the biggest reason... maybe the only reason for me slowing, has been my health. I don't like it. I feel less and engaged and more disconnected. And thats now how a shared public space should feel. I feel a bit stuck on how to work on it, especially when my health is so very obviously still up and down. But I hope to. And/or I hope to really gain my health back and have this space feel better again too. Again, I digress.

Fancy little people.

cheers.

I wish I took more photos of the tables all set up--it's hard to really see it in this one photo, but they were so pretty!

my mama + my kid and our flowers.

Marlowe hanging with the ladies. Some of you asked where we all got our dresses-- and to be honest, I don't know! Everyone got them from everywhere. Laura said: "gold sequins." I said, "what about rose gold sequins?" she said, "yep. that works too" and we all ended up with a variety of different gold and rose gold sequin dresses. It worked out quite well. My dress was not exactly cheap, but I've already put it to use a few times and plan to use it even more in the future. Amanda (miss maid of honor) had a two piece look (SO pretty!), but I donut think they actually sell it anymore-- it was also from the same store though. and miss marlowes dress was from tutu dumonde. I was worried that it wouldn't match close enough with the details of light purple, but I think it actually was quite perfect :)

when I walked into the day before to help set up Laura basically was like, "drea is going to set everything up to be pretty" that was my unofficial official job. Which really meant I would put a few things here and there-- but the tables mostly looked beautiful because of all the tiny details laura and I had designed early and Amanda had helped decorate and then finally, Desiree (laura's wedding planner-- she's eco friendly too!) had helped finalize the day of. She was a boss.

Selfie with my lady. Seeee same makeup, just a swish of extra bronze eye shadow.

happy details.

best wedding gift? Maybe. We brought laura and adam two trees for their home. A lychee and a loquat tree.

two of my favorite people.

chatting with the ladies again.

pretty farm sunsets.

she was hungry.... and so me grabbing a giant bunch of grapes off the cheese plate made sense. naturally.

I don't love this photo. Realistically, I'm too picky with photos of myself. But it's really the only good quality, non iPhone photo I have of us. grateful for laura's photographers for snapping one of us. ps. long hair and sequined dresses = a hair tangly nightmare.

I love these two.

I thought miss Marlowe would be heading out much earlier than she did. But she ended up having a great time dancing. I told her, as long as she wasn't whiny or grumpy, she could stay as late as she wanted. She danced for a bunch of songs and then asked to go home to bed :)

the playlist was basically 90's dance tunes by the way ;)

Alex and I stayed to the end, collected some succulents, and then headed back to the hotel to change into something a bit less fancy and then headed downtown to the after party. I was feeling awful, but told myself I would at least make it till midnight. I think I made it till 1 or 2 am. I was quite proud of myself. Laura looked GORGEOUS in her after wedding outfit. I wish I had taken a picture of her. I danced less there, as admittedly, it can be very hard for me to loosen up and dance now that I don't drink, but it was good spending time with friends and just being out. I haven't been dancing since New Years and before that I think it was since halloween.

Once upon a time Laura and I would go out dancing twice a week. I miss those days. I miss feeling well enough to even do something like that. Now, well, I'm just grateful that I've known her this long, she's definitely more like family than anything. Grateful that I could experience this at all.

Love you Laura. Love you adam. Indian dinner or noodle dinner soon, okay?

Wedding Prep Love

2017-05-30T13:00:00.000-04:00

I've got a bit of a photo overload for you guys... so many happy little details to Laura's wedding. It doesn't feel like it was almost two months ago. At all. It was great--- honestly, it was the wedding I would have liked for myself, had I completed planning one. The only difference is that when Alex and I were planning a wedding it was going to be down south (yes, more south)--- we were looking at an organic vegetarian avocado farm in homestead. That obviously didn't happen-- but its okay, because I got to have the joys of a farm wedding because of Laura (and Adam too... couldn't have done it without Adam, haha).

I've broken up Laura's wedding into two posts... because again... photo overload. This one has a bit of everything.. while the next one is more of a sparkle overload :) I hope you guys enjoy these little snippets as much as we enjoyed them :)

I told Laura, go for cacti. Flowers are expensive, and cacti make great gifts. My only regret was not snagging more of the center pieces on my way out haha.

This photo is a pretty accurate description of what the day before looked like. We headed out the venue before the rehearsal dinner to start setting everything up. We looked like this.

Miss Marlowe joined us shortly after.

After the rehearsal we all headed back east to downtown.

Marlowe and I hung out for a bit but headed out long before everyone else. I wasn't feeling great and I wanted to get Marlowe to bed at her normal(ish) time because I didn't want her to be a jerk for Laura's wedding day ;) Happy to say that not only was she not a jerk, she was awesome and had a great time the whole weekend.

Instead of going back home we headed to newish hilton west palm beach. See my thinking was: "oh, we'll stay the weekend and so we can enjoy the pool and the entire property and maybe I can even do the morning yoga before the wedding! yada yada yada." -- but of course, thats not how weddings work-- especially when its one of your best friends in the whole world getting married. So we basically checked in super late and went to bed without enjoying the first day there at all.

Butttt we did wake up to some fruit, vegan cookies, and great weather! (Thank you hilton-- too sweet).

Marlowe and I headed downstairs where we grabbed smoothies and green juice and hung out by the pool for a minute to enjoy them before the wedding hustle. I'm happy to say that not only did I get to enjoy the wedding-- but I did Get another two hours or so to lounge here before check out :) Marlowe pretty much keeps begging to go back... maybe soon. And maybe I'll actually do the yoga next time ;) Maybe....

We then grabbed coffee for the bride to be and headed back upstairs to give it to her. I then placed a flower crown on her head and made her wear it. Because I'm a great friend like that ;)

Slowly the rest of the ladies started making their way in. Laura handed out sweet gifts, champagne was opened, and prep took place.

Marlowe was pretty much back and forth all day. She had a great time enjoying the pool and what not-- cause she's 6, so what prep does she really need? I mean, realistically, my hair is the only thing that needed prepping. My makeup was the same-- as my day to day life + a goof finger swish of eyeshadow for good luck. Haha.

We're both so serious when hair time comes ;)

So much lace. So many sparkles.

We look like a really tough girl gang.

Miss Marlowe-- so elegant with the leg cross ;) Her cute little dress was from tutu du monde. I originally got my dress for Brit's wedding in France. And was more than happy when I could reuse it for Laura's wedding.

sparkle girl gang.

We then headed off to the limo for the ride out west to the farm :)

Just after leaving Marlowe looked at me, so excited to be in her first limo ever. It was the sweet thing. And again, crossed legged and so dainty.

About thirty minutes later the giant sparkle party arrived at the farm... ready for photos and ready to celebrate Ms. Laura (and Adam too.. can't forget about Adam, haha ;) It was amazing. I can't wait to show you the rest of the little details. Marlowe and Alex danced a ton. There were llamas.... sort of.

Alright friends... it's currently Monday night and well, as you know, it was a rough weekend for me, but I'm excited to say that I need to pack up a few things (ie a bathing suit and dress) to head off on another mini staycation tomorrow. This time beachside... and hopefully with a few coconuts too. I still feel terrible, but I mean, I won't feel worse laying by a pool or beach than I will at home, right? Right. I hope you guys are having a good week <3<3

ps. all the profreh photos were taken by Laura's friends: so many moments. All the rest were taken by my handy iPhone ;)

Around Here

2017-05-29T11:00:00.000-04:00

Home has been good lately. If I'm completely honest, my stomach has been having another down week. It's been both physically and emotionally. I actually wrote a really long post the other night on life two years after c. diff--- the symptoms still present, whats gotten better, etc. etc. It's scheduled to go live this week. For the most part I feel pretty good, it's just that its still emotionally hard when my body slips back again. But thats okay. I'm hoping that whatever is going on now passes-- and passes quickly. If I had to guess it might be hormonal-- my hormones have been a bit weird since I started working out, but I don't know. I really don't know. We'll see.

We've been doing little home projects around here. The weather has been decent. The garden is growing. Things are good. I just gotta get good again too.

Smoothies with my colorful super hero.

I don't think they'll ever get tired of building legos.

fruit pie in bed.

super professional painting prep, haha.

going deep blue this time around. First time re-painting her room since we moved in.

Sometimes homeschool looks like this. #weloveoranges

a morning hangout spot outside.

No matter how often I moved this room around, I never loved it. I think I finally love it.

leftover cacti from laura's wedding (photos coming soon <3<3<3) and bromeliads.

Sometimes our counter looks like a colorful and delicious cluster f*ck.

My bookworm.

Freshly cleaned sheets. New fav. detergent. ps. Cleancult is offering you guys your first bag free, just use code DREA17 at check out :) Weee. I know you'll love it too! It's all natural of course--- just clean stuff, no nasty chemicals :)

when you look like a tropical explorer in your very own yard :)

I hope you guys had a great weekend. We were entirely homebound with me feeling this way-- but we're hoping for some downtown by the beach and pool tomorrow. Fingers crossed that that cures everything.

Turn On Tune Out?

2017-05-27T07:00:00.000-04:00

*This post is sponsored by Best Fiends.

I've mentioned meditation and mindfulness a few times on the blog-- especially lately. I don't necessarily sit and meditate regularly. I should, but I don't. (One day, k?) But I do mindfully make it a point to take some time to myself almost daily. This 'time to myself' looks different from day to day depending on my mood. Sometimes this means just sitting outside in the sun (sans Marlowe) with a meal. Sometimes this means picking from one of the many books on my 'must read list'. And sometimes this means picking up my phone and playing a puzzle game. Yep... guilty of playing the good ole' puzzle games on my phone... and claiming it's meditative... but hear me out, okay?

Maybe it sounds crazy-- but for me, simple game playing has been a source of sanity for the past.. hmm... 10+ years or so. The game changes from time to time--- (and as technology changes), but for as long as I can remember, I've loved to tune out from the outside and stare at a screen to play some sort of puzzle game. Anyone remember that little snake/pong type game on the first screened cell phones that came out? That was a constant for me, haha.

And now, even as someone well into her adult years, well, I still like to whip out my phone and turn off my mind (just enough) to play games. My game of choice the past few months has been Best Fiends. Challenging enough where I'm not bored and letting my mind overthink everything else. But easy enough where I'm not working my adrenals and stressing myself out over nothing.

Have you guys cued in eye rolls yet? Seriously, let me keep going... it's just that, meditation and "quieting the mind" doesn't always have look like a crunchy, dreadlocked person sitting crosslegged and OM-ing for hours. Sometimes 'quieting the mind' just means turning off the internal worrisome dialogue/noise and focusing on ONE thing.

And I say, if a game can help you do that, then why not?

I like to think that I've advanced quite a bit in terms on mindful living-- truly enjoying each moment of my day and life--- and noting the hard times and the emotions that comes with it and then moving past it. But I can't say that I'm always amazing at quieting the noise in my mind. It's getting better for sure, especially in regards to high anxiety situations-- but sometimes I still struggle with it like anyone else.

So from time to time, my meditation of choice is a phone game. My game of choice lately? Best Fiends. I was suggested to try it, and I got sucked right in. It's a color/pattern matching game where you build "a team of Fiends" to defeat slugs. Side note: it would be great if I could have a real team of Fiends to defeat garden slugs. Maybe one day, right?

It's just that I don't always want to lay or sit there with my eyes closed. Sometimes that does nothing for me. And sometimes I just don't want to read a book. Paragraphs or pages will go by... and then I'll stop and realize, I've read absolutely nothing-- I'm just skimmed my eyes through the motions... as I let my mind stills tress about something else. So for me, during those hard times, I quiet my mind with a game.

I'm not going to lie, Marlowe and Alex tell me I'm crazy, but jeez, it just feels good sometimes. A few minutes here or thee when I need to TUNE OUT.

Oh, I should mention the game is free. I would totally never pay for my tune-out addictions, haha. So yeah, if you want to try it for yourself, there's no loss or payment involved :) You can download it HERE, totally free on your phone (or tablet). And the first 100 readers who download the game (again, free) will get 5$ worth of gold and diamonds for free (these come in handy in the game, haha).

ps. maybe silly, but Best Fiends just launched a "boot camp" event that you can watch and play. There's a load of in game events + challenges too! Check it out! :) Hooray! Check out a video: HERE :)

Happy quiet time, friends!

pps. my other top trick for tuning out? Put your phone in airplane mode, guys! Seriously. I do this A LOT lately.

My Super Easy + Minimal Makeup Bag + Routine

2017-05-24T11:58:00.005-04:00

I'm embarrassed to say that I've been holding off on this post for over a week now because I've had hopes of maybe-possibly adding a video to the post. But today I told myself that I should stop kidding myself--- the video is just not going to happen right now and the post should go up regardless. You guys have been asking for my makeup list lately-- and I have to tell you, it's not exceptionally exciting. Or maybe it is... because it's so incredibly minimalistic. I use three to four products daily. That's it. As you guys know I always try to keep everything as natural as possible... and vegan too. I can't honestly say I've looked into any of these products recently. These are the brands I started using years ago and fell in love with. And unless someone tells me otherwise, I'm pretty sure they're completely vegan and pretty natural :)

Oh and if you guys are interested, this post is supppper old, but mostly still relevant on the beauty products I use daily/often. So yeah, lets talk make up, cool?

The one thing I do every single day before leaving the house is coloring in my brows. I get a lot of brow comments on the insta stories and previously snapchat (sorry, I left you, snapchat)--- my brow shape is OKAY-- sort of lacking on the ends (90's over-plucking anyone?), but the real magic trick is a good eye brow pencil everyday.

I use this eyebrow pencil. The company also makes this, no sharpener required option, but I prefer the one that I have to sharpen myself because I feel like it lasts longer and I get more bang for my buck. I don't mind the super easily, hardly noticeable step of having to sharpen a device myself, haha.

The next super easy thing I do everyday is smear on some cream blush-- no fancy tricks or brushes here. I just take my good ole' pointer finger (preferably a clean finger) and blend some blush on my cheeks. I've tried most of the colors this brand makes and I've gotta tell you, you can't go wrong. I like to use a cream blush because it's SO easy to use and blend. But I'm not against a powder blush either. Recently I switched back to the cream and I've been really digging it. I also like it because you can use it on your lips if you want too :)

If I'm leaving the house and want to step it up a bit then I use a liquid liner. I personally feel like this makes my face look substantially nicer, haha. I don't use it to go to the gym or beach or anything like that-- but if I'm going out around town or to dinner, I do prefer to give me eyes a bit of a lift with a cat eye :) I've tried a few different liquid eyeliners, but I feel like the tip of this one has been the easiest and cleanest feel and look.

I sometimes, but not always use a pressed powder. I guess it depends on the time of the month. For the most part my face is usually pretty clean-- but about a week a month I get some break outs and cover it up with this. I do have a concealer too, but I maybe use it three times a year/almost never. It works great, but I just don't really need it daily. I like this pressed powder a lot-- it only comes in four colors too, so it's pretty easy to match-- you just use more or less depending on your skin tone.

blush compact / liquid eye liner /concealer /eye brow pencil (or this option) /pressed powder

So yeah, easy easy! There's not a whole lot in my makeup bag. Outside of that I always have a pair of tweezers on me. I do thread about 3-4 times a year, but I pluck strays often. And well, chin hair problems are real, ya know? I also carry floss on me. I know, guys-- my makeup bag is THE COOLEST haha.

So there ya go--- my super easy, minimal makeup routine :) Hope that helps you guys or at least answers your questions :) Have a wonderful day!

photos by my friend Brittany :)

To The Island! (Culebra, Puerto Rico)

2017-05-22T22:25:00.004-04:00

Hi friends! How are you?! I'm attempting to type this, but I gotta tell you I just sliced up my thumb pretty badly about...well... five minutes ago. I currently feel like I should treat myself to some ice-cream or something, haha.

Puerto Rico was a lifetime ago now. It was a good little getaway. Though the best part for sure was hanging out with my friend Christine. She was in my dream last night... so it felt like a good time to finally post this post. Ya know? If you ever find yourself around San Juan and want to do an adventurous overnight island trip... well... this is a good one.

When Christine first told me about Culebra, I was hesitant. I didn't really tell her that I was hesitant, but I was. For a few reasons... 1. it just seemed like a lot to ferry us all the way there for one night and back. 2. ferrys are not really my and Marlowe's friend (so many tears on the last one we went on--- from both of us). 3. Butt-early wake up call? Mehhhhh.

Butttt I am always down to try an adventure and it was something Christine really wanted to try... so I was in. And we continued to chase the sun.

We woke up early... really early. I don't even remember what time. Maybe 4 am. Maybe. We threw a sleeping Marlowe into the back of car and headed east --- about an hour drive to the port. There we had to wait in line to buy tickets for the ferry to Culebra. The first ferry doesn't actually leave till about 7 am or so--- but the whole ticket buying thing is sort of a process. I made friends with a few people in line while Marlowe and Christine parked the car and looked for coffee. The wait itself wasn't too bad. The people were nice, the weather was decent. The only problem was that when the sun started to rise the bugs started swarming and biting... a lot.

But we were happy. And excited. Nervous, but excited.

hi friend.

Christine was super nervous that we wouldn't actually be able to get on ferry-- apparently a common problem. She's missed it twice now. But we did it. And I convinced Marlowe (and myself) that the trip would be smooth and nothing like our last ferry experience. Luckily for us, it mostly was good and calm. Marlowe colored, took photos, and just hung out. We were good.

We had no idea what to expect when we arrived to the island. Not much was open-- our Airbnb host didn't really give us real directions to the house-- so we sort of just wandered, trying to figure out what we were supposed to do. On our very hot and painful walk we realized more people than not were zooming by on golf carts and we thought, "F*ck it. Let's see if we can rent a golf cart too."

And so we did. Never have I ever driven a gold cart-- but man, it was actually pretty fun. And made the whole island experience exponentially better.

Sooner after finding ourselves a golf cart we found ourselves tacos.

The place was super cute and had vegan options so we were super happy.

The island was hot. But I had no complaints there. Id rather somewhere be too hot than too cold. We enjoyed our time in the sun a lot. Up and down this little town on a golf cart. From one end of the island to another.

We basically shuffled ourselves back and forth to the beach.

Christine had mentioned flamenco beach a few times. And again, I was hesitant. I was *so sure* that would be the touristy beach-- that we would step onto it and there would be a million tourists crowding the space. But I was wrong. I mean, yes, there were tourists-- but the island was never swarming or crowded with tourists. The beach was still clean, open, and really really beautiful.

We even found vegan ice-cream... so yeah, life was good.

and papayas.

sunc tans and sunshine.

more golf cart rides.

For food we basically went to the same two places. There were apparently a few more vegan friendly restaurants on the island-- but neither were open the days we were there. Thats the thing about island life-- you never really know. You just have to cross your fingers and hope for the best. I don't remember the name of our favorite spot but it was owned by this older couple who spent most of their life living on the island. The owner sat down with us to tell us stories about his life and the island. And awe warned us of killers beers and wasps--- something we were not expecting. He said that was the only thing we should worry about on the island. After that we stayed far away from bushes haha.

We weren't on the island long-- but it was an amazing adventure. Even with the GIANT tarantula we found outside our door and the 30 million mosquitos inside our Airbnb. Haha. I'm glad Christine convinced us to go. It was worth it.

WE arrived back to the mainland as the sunset the next night. And just like we arrived, we all crawled sleepily into the car. Marlowe fell asleep and that was that. Another adventure under our belts. Something to remember for a long long time.

Because What You Wear Matters

2017-05-21T23:07:00.000-04:00

So some of you might remember that I vowed to only buy earth friendly clothing this year. I wanted items that were sustainable, organic, eco-friendly, etc.

I've stuck to it. It's been hard at times, but I've done it.

It obviously and absolutely helps to see more and more companies emerging with conscious clothing. I remember a discussion with my mom the other day where she brought up, "well, I'm not going to eat my clothes so why does it matter if they're organic?" Well, because it matters.

It matters how things are made, how the fabrics are produced, who made them, etc. It all matters.

I cannot even begin to describe how much I love Matter clothing. Socially conscious, SO many organic options, sustainable, and best of all: the most comfortable (and amazing) slow fashion.

You guys know me-- I'm not dressing to impress everyday. I just want to look nice, put together, and of course: be comfortable. I'm so happy that Matter fits all those must have categories AND my conscious clothing vow.

Seriously. Look at these pants. LOOK AT THEM. THEY ARE AMAZING. Okay, I'll stop yelling at you, but seriously.... The most comfortable pants ever--- and so easily dressed up or down (this would be dressed down for me. aka normal day.). You could totally wear these with a nice chunky heel, nice shirt, pretty necklace, and boom, be dressed up too.

I don't really have reasons to dress up (not complaining) so I'll happily wear them every day with my normal tops and slide on shoes.

But seriously. So cool, so comfortable, and so nice. It's basically wearing clothes that feel like pajamas, while looking extremely nice. I swear. And so many colors too. I'm probably going to buy the white ones next (and never wear them while eating... or cooking... or doing any of my normal activities because I'm a slob and spill on myself constantly).

The greedy side of me would also like this jumpsuit, this top, and these pants too.

It's just that, I want to always make every purchase count. I want clothes that are versatile and will work whether I'm here in Florida or somewhere far away. I want clothes that can last through the seasons--- seasonal seasons and the unnecessarily fast moving clothing industry seasons). Clothes that do no harm to the earth and to the people who make them.

I don't know, I'll never be perfect. And every single purchase I make for the rest of my life may not be perfect, but I do know that every little effort makes a difference. And I'm so so so grateful to see so many companies popping up with amazing options. I'm forever grateful that I found Matter this year. Their clothes are long lasting, multi-seasonal perfection. I can't wait to wear these pants everywhere (get used to seeing them in a lot of photos, haha). Looking forward to slowly filling my closet with more thoughtful pieces from Matter as my wardrobe needs :)

Looking for some nice new pieces? Check Matter out for sure. You will not be disappointed :)

I hope you guys had an AMAZING weekend. Ours was really good-- exhausting in the good way. Lots of sunshine, dirt, sand, and laughter. You know, the way weekends should be :) Happy Monday, friends!

ps. doing a giveaway this week on the blog with these guys. Keep an eye out for that!

photos by my friend, brittany de jesus--- who I went canoeing with today and ended up in many bushes and trees with.

shoes/sunglasses/ both hat and shirt were thrifted <3

Outside. NOW.

2017-05-18T22:30:00.000-04:00

We had one of those days yesterday where we just needed to get outside.

Needed.

Really.

The week has been a great week. But after days and days of tackling (much needed) tasks inside, well, we were antsy. I can last about two days inside before I start to lose it. Hence my total disdain for winter. And my total disdain for rainy season too.

Marlowe and I sit outside every single morning to eat breakfast. It's become an accidental ritual. It started out of necessity. Cold food and a chilly air-conditioning system blowing overhead (even set to 78 degrees) created a need for our small framed, very tropical thriving bodies to head outside in search of heat. And so every morning, no matter the state of out appearance, or how crazy it might look we grab our smoothies or acai bowls and make our way to the porch (or lately right tot he sidewalk) to enjoy our meal.

But this isn't enough outside time. Not by any means.

After three + days of being cooped inside (with the exception of one dinner out of the house) --- we broke. We tackled all our morning to do lists and drove west for something new. Anything new.

Alex suggested the everglades. I bit my tongue to all the downer thoughts I had about the place. And held my breath as we stepped out of the car-- in preparation for the swans of mosquitos I anticipated.

We sprayed on natural big spray (you know, the good home made stuff) and made our way down the path. And much to my pleasant surprise, the bugs never came. The trees provided enough coverage from the sun. And for whatever amazing reason, a breeze actually blew across Florida. We were thankful.

We explored the little details of nature.

And we made a friend. I named him... a name I already forget. Good friends, I know. I think he was hiding from his own kind... because not too much longer after this trail. We found another. Which led us to about, 2,000 of his friends.

(what most of our photos look like. me: on the look out for alligators. her: probably picking up a rock). And we spent the next hour or so exploring the grasslands. And every not so cautious step I took, I held my breath and hoped to not here the crunch of a giant new grasshopper friend.

For whatever reason, I'm the only one of the three of us who can deal with bugs (except roaches), snakes, rats, etc. Give me something weird, I'll hold it. (That can be taken the wrong way.... let's move on).

I'm grateful we picked up and went. Nothing extraordinary. Not some grand, life changing adventure. But something good. Definitely something good.

Homeschool has been going pretty well, but these are the moments I'm especially grateful for it. When we can just pick up and go. That she can actually spend time with Alex now-- They're schedules don't completely clash-- she can spend an entire day-- or days with him. We can learn from text books-- and real life adventures.

Still working on that life balance. And for sure, this week and month has turned into a busy one... basically overnight. But sometimes you just gotta get up and get the heck outside--- and hope you don't throw the whole balance thing too much off kilter.

Hope you guys are having a killer week. Inside and out. Hope you find sunshine... and lots of friends too. <3<3

Thoughts On The Road

2017-05-16T11:30:00.000-04:00

*this post is sponsored by Toyota

We knew our Asheville trip would be short when we began planning it. Alex mentioned one of his (and my) favorite bands were playing up there-- and without hesitating I said, "lets plan it." We looked at the plane tickets-- and to be honest, the prices weren't bad. But still I threw out the suggestion of, "maybe we should drive it." But you guys know, I've been a road-tripper. I've talked about how I spent countless miles on the road throughout my life. The reason I haven't in the recent past decade has mostly been in part to my new(ish) found motherhood. And even with a kid who complains about a thirty minute drive south, the suggestion of, "maybe we should drive it" made sense. Twelve hours in a car does not scare me, in any way-- especially driving north with a new Corolla. And after our west coast Florida trip going really well, I was even less nervous about the trip with the family.

You know, I don't have a big bucket list-- there are a few things (three or four really) that I really want to do in the next ten years. And maybe it's crazy, but one of them is actually a road trip--- a tremendously long one through another country-- or through a few countries. Is that crazy? Or weird? Honestly, I've been trying not to speak too quickly on plans (you guys have seen me do it often), but it seems that two of my four bucket list plans might happen this year. One of them being that massive, multi country road trip (through Central America, if we're going to be a bit more specific). But for now, I got a bit of my road trip love tank filled this month.

It only took us a day or so to agree that driving was our better option. I'm not sure if I mentioned it on this thing or not, but I purchased a new Toyota this past month. And it's been a total dream. I had the same car for the last 10-11 years or so. But finally making the switch to Toyota was one of the smartest decisions I've made for myself and my family. Safe, reliable, and comfortable. Oh, and equipped with a sunroof too. This is key. I learned a sunroof makes life feel like a permanent vacation.

So when Toyota reached out this month and asked if we wanted to test out the new 2017 sport Corolla, I of course said yes. I had already fallen in love with my Toyota-- I knew that the new Corolla would be a dream to drive up to Asheville.

Through sunrise, sunset, rain, and shine, it totally was.

For our trip, we both decided that a 4-5 am wake up and leave time was best. We hit the road long before commuter traffic and watched the sun rise over small towns and orange groves.

The first part of our drive didn't seem terribly long. But I sure was excited to get to our first big lunch break. We were surprised at how fast we made it through the first bit of our trip. Traffic was fast, the roads were empty, and we whizzed through Florida with no problems at all. And if you've ever road tripped through Florida--- well, then you know how completely tedious and un-fun this trip can be. So for us making it through so easily, well, we were happy.

I had never been through Savannah before. I've been told time and time again how much I would love it. And well, I can’t say I loved it, because we didn't really spend enough time there, but I did enjoy the few bits we saw.

For lunch we stopped at the vegetarian place, The Sentient Bean. You very helpful folk of the internet recommended it.

I should learn how to sit up straight, ya?

After our lunch we decided to do a quick drive through town to explore the buildings and trees. And when you look up and see loquats out the sunroof of your car? Well, thats magic. .

The prettiest buildings for sure.

We then hit the road once more. Alex stole my sunglasses and miss Marlowe actually passed right out in the backseat of the car. Like me, she's not a car (or anywhere) napper. So this was a big deal.

Not long after Savannah, we started reaching mountains. And rain. Not a lot of rain, but rain. I drove half of this trip. Alex driving the other half. When Alex wasn't on the wheel, he was asleep. While I know it's not the case, I did often feel like I was the only one awake in the car. I didn't mind. I had the satellite music all to myself. And well, if you know me personally, then you know my musical taste is everywhere. A little bit of rock, a little bit of slow jam r&b, a little bit of freestyle dancing disco. All of it.

The sun came out as soon as we hit Asheville. It felt like "Welcome to Asheville" sign.

For me, the road means freedom. An almost endless possibility to explore. I mean, sure, we're locked in by oceans, but outside of that, the path is almost endless.

It's just that I have a constant picking feeling that life is too short-- that my life is too short. I don't know, after illness, my fear of a shortened life is high. But with that unfortunate fear comes a strong desire to do more--- I never want to miss a minute of exploring, adventure, and happiness. So when the option of fly vs. drive came up, for me, I knew that driving gave us the option of more exploration.

We did a lot in Asheville. We had an amazing time with our friends. I knew for sure that one of the days I would want to spend on a hike. I guess the thing is, I never realized how much I could miss mountains until visiting Guatemala last year. But apparently it's actually a thing to miss massive mounds of earth ;)

I can't wait to show you all the pictures from our Asheville adventures :) I also can't believe how big these two girls are getting.

Snacks. Roadtrips are substantially better (and messier) with snacks.

Our last day was filled with more rain. But we welcomed it before heading out.

The way back? Well, it was much longer. Instead of the (smart) 4 am wake up and leave plan, we decided to to take it slow-- but maybe a bit too slow. Not only did we take off to a really late start, but we also decided to long-explore our ways right to Atlanta. Of course completely forgetting that an entire highway was down. Well, this certainly put a bit more adventure into our adventure, haha. About 9 hours later we realized we had only made it about 4 hours into our drive. Maybe. MAYBE. Haha.

But thats what it's all about, isn't it? You can't plan for everything and anything. You can plan for a bit, but the rest of it, well, thats the fun part. Really, whats the point of living, if you can't go with it-- and enjoy all the unplanned nonsense of it all?

Also, whats the point of anything if you don't take the slow scenic route... and you never find a place with goats living on a roof top garden? haha.
Or better yet-- find a market that has everything and anything. Banana flower shopping? Check.

We ended up stopping at a cheap motel on the way home. When it came to go straight through or take a minute to rest, well, rest always wins now. The journey can wait. And it did. We watched the sunset over Atlanta, drove a few more hours before checkin in for the night.

The next day we made it home safely, unpacked, and felt tired, but new.

Thank you Toyota for letting us drive the new Corolla half way up the country and back home. We felt safe, comfortable, and so very happy.

oh ps. Maybe it's because I'm the best, least obnoxious mother ever, but every time we spend a day getting in and out of the car I find myself (loudly ) singing "ON THE ROAD AGAINNNNN" -- I thought it was absolutely hilarious that only one after hitting the road, the song actually came on the satellite radio. Marlowe was so not happy. Hahaha. The best, right?

What's On My Bedside / What I'm Currently Reading (Self Help / Homeschool / Cooking Books)

2017-05-15T14:31:00.001-04:00

Hi friends! How is your Monday? Mine is dirty. And unorganized. But not bad.

Right now Marlowe is doing a bit of homeschool next to me while I get a bit of work done on the computer. Trying to still find the balance of getting everything I need to get done, done. You know? I thin I'm actually going o put together a little FAQ page specifically for c. diff. As most of my emails have unfortunately shifted from single mom-dom to c. diff recovery. And I totally don't mind getting emails-- I do enjoy it, you guys know this, but it might be easy to have a place to point to all the information. You know? Usually I just ramble on about all the things that help me and link a few books that helped me along the way.

One of the perks of getting sick was finding my love for reading again. My reading life paused for a bit of time-- but it picked up a lot in the past two years. I mostly read books on nutrition or self help type books, but every once in a while I mix it up with something else.

My bedside table usually only has a three book queue on it, but I found some books that made me VERY excited during some recent bookstore stops :)

What I'm Currently Reading

10% Happier --
I read through half of this book within a day or two, then got caught up with life and projects and slowed down bit. But then I forced myself to get off the computer last week and really start reading again-- and this was the first book I went back to. It's basically a story on how Dan Harris (tv reporter) found his way from hectic overthinking to a calmer, more focused life through meditation. I feel like I'm not doing this book justice in my description of it, but I have to say this was a book I thoroughly enjoyed. Not only could I relate to the story, anxiety break downs, constant self criticism, process of wanting to find usefulness in meditation, etc. but I would think it would be a helpful tool for anyone wanting to discover meditation for themselves. This was also in some way or another the start of me working on conquering more fears/ advancing even more in terms of completely overcoming my anxiety.

Some Thoughts On Relationships --
A really good, common sense (that we often forget) book on relationships. All types, not just romantic. A good read for people who might struggle to really flourish in the world of intimate relationships.

Creative Schools --
I am SUPER excited to dive into this book. I think it might be the next one I pick up. I squealed when I found this book in the bookstore a few weeks ago. I had no idea Ken Robinson had written it. If you haven't heard of Ken Robinson, he is the guy who gave the most popular Ted Talk to date-- one of my absolute favorites. The whole talk is on whole schools kill creativity and we need to re-think our schooling process. I can't wait to start this one.

The Homeschooling Handbook --
I started this book when I knew I was ready to pull Marlowe out of school and homeschool. I got about an 1/8th of the way into this book and then pulled her out of school, haha. So we might not actually homeschool her next year. It's complicated--- but in a good way. More on that later. But regardless, I'm looking forward to finishing this book during the summer. Whether we homeschool next year or not, we plan to do it again in the future and do it part time at home, just like we always have. We'll see. But yeah, if you're considering homeschool, (from what I've read so far) this is a good, straight to the point, easy to read book on the process. Breaks it down by types of homeschooling, laws by state, common sense things to think about when it comes to homeschool, etc.

Burma Superstar --
A cookbook! Do you guys read cookbooks? Haha, I do! When I have time to spare-- it's like a magazine for me. Something casual to enjoy reading through in my spare time. Burma Superstar was my favorite stop in San Fransisco. I dream of going back. I should mention that this cookbook is not a vegan book-- which for me is fine, I like the challenge of veganizing things :) And/but there are vegan recipes if you guys want those too :)

Alright friends! I'm off to keep organizing this house. I moved Marlowe's room around for the third time this month. But I think I finally like it! Going to get this house in shape today and tomorrow so that I can hopefully kick my feet up and read some more by the end of this week :) If you guys are reading any good self help type books or homeschooling books that you'd recommend, please comment and let me know! I'm always looking for more books to read! Andddd I'm actually going to go buy this book right now (per suggestion) to add to my must read soon pile :)

ps. Speaking of meditiation/mindfulness/self help/whatever-- I am going to do a post on self help stuff soon. How I started working out/my goals for meditation/ etc soon. (Many of you were surprised I'm going to the gym now, haha. I don't blame you!) If you have specific questions, do feel free to ask! K, bye!

pps. You can see my last book list HERE-- though I think I like this current set of books much better :) And you can see my more food/gut health book list HERE.

Happy Friday!

2017-05-11T23:51:00.001-04:00

How are you friends? How was your week? It's currently 20 to midnight which means I am up waaaaaay past my bed time. Though...realistically... I probably say that 6 nights out of seven. Which means that midnight is actually probably maybe my real bedtime. I think I need to accept that I cannot get myself to bed earlier.

The FaceTime app is currently open on my computer (I just finished up a chat with my mom) and theres a little bug buzzing around me. It's making my head and face do all sorts of funny things. Which is normal-- but also slightly amusing because I keep catching glimpses of myself doing said funny things on the FaceTime screen.

I closed it. We're done with that now.

This week has been good for me. We've been working hard on fixing up the house. We ended up painting Marlowe's room navy on a whim. I like it, but overall I'm in a constant fluster with her room. It's such a pathetic and petty problem to have, but the door arrangement + the middle of the wall moulding drives me insane. I can't put things anywhere without them looking awkward. I'm thinking about switching out the yellow hutch in the hall way and putting that in her room. I don't know, why am I even writing these thoughts out loud? The sound so silly.

Things are good. Did I mention I'm planning a trip to Colombia? It was going to be a big three week family trip, but now I'm thinking of shortening to a week, maybe two. Instead of three stops, maybe one or two. I don't know. I can't commit to making any part of the trip right now. All I know is I'd like to go to see my grandmother.

I am excited for the next few months though. Excited for the future in general. Happy and present in the now too though. I'm not in a state of waiting for the future and dreading the future. I'm truly happy now andddd looking forward to the future.

I mentioned that I'm working on changes on this blog. I just ant to connect with you guys more. When I met with the peeps to do the blog change they asked, do you want to focus more on community aspect or the commerce aspect (the exact wording of the question has escaped me). It was an easy answer--- uh, yes I would like this to continue being my business where I can support my family, but from the brining to the end of it, I want this space to be community first-- that is my focus. I feel like you guys do know that about me-- but I hope you guys always continue to. This space means a lot to me. I do get asked often how I grew my blog, and I alway shave to answer that I really truly got lucky with this space. And I hope as I make the little (mostly physical changes with this space), you guys become even more inspired by it. I know I'm excited to make the little shifts (I might even buy myself a real camera this year)-- and I hope that excitement can roll over to you. Lots of little changes this year to roll into one giant, positive adventure.

Alright friends, I hope that whats you're doing or plan to do this week-- that you enjoy and make the best out of every present second. Just as I told Marlowe this morning--- even if you just stop, sit, and listen to the birds and the sounds currently going on around you for five minutes, and do NOTHING else, that is something. It's really something. Just feel it.

I just keep going back to the idea that if you're not genuinely amazed by the existence of your life (and all our lives) then what are you doing? Not to sound all crunchy and rainbow like, but All these freaking particles, atoms, gasses, etc to create world we live in? It's pretty freaking cool when you step back and really think about it. So yeah, if anything this weekend-- if you have nothing else planned, maybe just sit and listen to nature for a second and think about how cool it is that you can actually do that. Alright friends thats the end of my mushy inspirational life pep talk. Have an amazing weekend!

I have a few posts lined up this week-- some travel stuff, books I'm currently reading (theres a lot of them), and hopefully my (ridiculously small) make up post you guys have been asking for will be up too!

Happy Friday!

door mat / pants in top photo / shoes in top photo / pants in bottom photo

That Time We Got Picked Up By A Stranger in Mexico And Went To Her House And Then Took The Bus And Met Another Stranger On The Street And Went To His House... And It Was Amazing

2017-05-09T22:00:00.001-04:00

Longest title ever, right?

So yeah, I've basically made it a thing to look for someone to give me a Mayan abdominal massage any and every time I've been to a Mayan region (yucatan + guatemala). And I've succeeded in finding this massage: twice. You can read about my first experience with a mayan abdominal massage HERE.

Maybe it's crazy to want someone to try to push all your organs into place. And maybe it's crazy to be picked up by a stranger and go to their home for said organ-pushing treatment. Which one is crazier? I'm not sure. I guess the thing is we hear "stranger-danger" all the time. We have it as constant fear in our heads. And on top of that we put these negative thoughts that 'anyone and everyone is out to get us' into our children's heads. And for what? I mean, sure there is bad in the world-- a crap ton of it (I live a few miles away from trump), but I think it's safe to say that most of us are not corrupt and evil, ya?

The reality is, I'm not to scared of any of it anymore. Like I said, I'm conquering my fears. And I'm stopping to ask myself if my fears are useful. Are fears useful? Sometimes. But worrying about every turn: it isn't. I'm smart. And I think it's even safe to say that I'm actively intuitive. I'm deliberately cautious, but without too much of a set back.

So yeah, I wanted this massage. And I met enough people and asked enough of the right questions to finally find an abdominal massage on this trip. The sweet woman who knew how to do it was a masseuse by trade. She said we could come to her house for the treatment. She was kind. And a mom, like both Celia and myself. We asked the best route to get to her house from our hotel and she offered to meet us. A few days later, on our day of our appointment Celia and I took a cab to an empty plaza where we waited for our new stranger-friend. It was oddly chilly this day. It felt like it would pour a cold rain any minute. We were picked up and taken to her home.

We each received our massage, she offered each of us tea. We paid her the requested amount and left a very generous tip for her kindness.

I wish I could have offered her more.

I can't say the thought of danger never crossed my mind. Sure, it did. I think it's only natural. Especially once you become a parent... but like I said, not everyone is out to get us. Realistically we could have been just as dangerous to her as she could have been to us. She didn't know us either. With each treatment, the other was unattended in the home she opened up to us. But in my experience, I've found nothing but complete overwhelming generosity in so many other cultures--- something a bit more of a challenge to find here in in the states. But I believe this can be more fear than lack of kindness on our part.

Did I tell you about the time I left my bank card in an atm in a random market in guatemala? I didn't even know I left it there. About ten minutes later an older man came up to me and asked, "Andrea?" and I took a step back-- I was so lost and bewildered wondering, "but how does this man know my name?!" And as I responded, with a hesitant nod, he smiled and handed me my bank card and tells me he found it in the machine. Not one extra penny taken out. He went to the machine for himself, found my card inside, and found me shortly after. He could have used it. He could have left it there or thrown it out. Instead he came to find me and return it to me.

Kindness.

It's everywhere.

After our massage the woman offered to drive us back to our hotel. We told her were were hoping to go downtown. And so she took us to a local bus stop and said it would just be a few stops away. Only 11 am and our first stranger-adventure was under our belt.

We jumped off the bus and jumped into a restaurant for some nourishing food. That was my biggest mistake after my first experience with the massage--- I binged on tamales and tequila--- and felt, well, absolutely terrible after. This time around I was determined to fully nourish and detox my body. Cold smoothies and hot soup it was. And it was surprisingly delicious. We paid our bill and decided to make our way to our next adventure.

Which started just a few feet away--- when I looked down to find the most ridiculous dog ever. The tiniest little thing, with his stupid tongue just there, dangling out. I made such a fuss over this dog. I needed to be his friend-- and lucky for me--- he seemed to be amused, as well as his owner. His owner, another stranger was just a feet away from the restaurant we were in-- in another restaurant with the very same name and decor. You know, one of those situations where the restaurant opens two of the same places, right next door. Why? I don't know, but they do it. And he was there, ordering the same smoothie and soup we had just ordered. Fate, for sure.

We shared stories of adventures and writing. We took photos with the dog. And he invited us to come check out his place--- because "it was filled with so much positive energy" --- or something along those lines. There was nothing but genuine excitement from all of us in finding and meeting each other. Like I said, this trip was nothing but inspirational and wonderful.

We toured his new home, an ex yoga retreat. And this was the last photo taken on my phone, before our new stranger friend accidentally dropped it, breaking the camera part, forever. This was followed with about thirty minutes of us face-timing ourselves to try to figure out what was wrong with it, thirty million apologies, and a bit of rain too. We ended the visit with an email exchange and a promise he would reimburse me if the cell phone company didn't replace the phone. (they did). We said our goodbyes-- and "maybe see you laters." I hope to see him one day again--- with a better cell phone case.

The rain came and went. And we explored the town (city?) some more.

And away from the main tourist strip, we really enjoyed our time. Happy details and kind, kind people everywhere.

We stopped for coconuts and coffee. This was maybe the only place we were treated with a hurried un-kindness. The French waitress had no time for us. Wherever her anger was coming from, she took it out on us.

But Celia and I got to sit and talk about this. How our day was truly unwinding. How the world is filled with so many types of people. And how we shouldn't-- and couldn't let one miserable person spoil our time----that our experience as a whole was amazing regardless--- that people as a whole could be amazing---- that not everyone is bad, mean, whatever.

Yeah the rotten or miserable people are out there. But they are not the majority.

You know, I'm not saying we should all just start popping into strangers cars and homes--- though if you think about it we totally are a generation who has not only started doing this but also embraced it (uber, lyft, airbnb, anyone? haha). But I guess the moral of my story is that the good people are out there.

Be smart. Be kind.

What Marlowe Eats- Meal Ideas For Feeding A Vegan Kid

2017-05-07T23:00:00.004-04:00

How are you friends?! I'm good. Really good. Health is iffy-- but mood and excitement are good. I don't know-- I'm always trying to be excited about my current state without being preoccupied by my health. It's a hard balance. I mean, for the most part, my health is a lot better than before-- but it still never feels completely right. Today I really had this feeling though-- like, "no more excuses, I'm eating really well from here on out. Yes, by most standards I eat really well all the time-- but when I travel I do eat a lot of food that I know does not agree with my body. And then I make the vacation excuse. And then I feel like garbage and struggle to get back on track. So I don't know, I need to make it a point to stop making the excuses and just eat well. Easy to digest-- oil free-- delicious foods. Ya know?

Alright, I'm going to stop rambling-- I'm going to go ahead and finish up this post, crawl into bed and read a bit before I fall asleep. I hope you guys had an amazing weekend! On to the food...

veggie tomato soup with brown rice

we've been doing a lot of sushi lately!

we usually make a separate roll for marlowe-- and when we don't, well this happens: little finger holes from pushed out cucumber rolls haha.

mish-mash--- sautéed potatoes, carrots, cabbage, peas and rice.

lunch looks like this sometimes. apple slices, carrots, cauliflower, corn chips, and guacamole.

cauliflower mash, stewed cabbage and chickpeas in a ginger sauce, black beans.

veggie seaweed rice bowl. (mmm craving this now)

broccoli and tofu scramble.

tofu, peas, and collard greens.

acai bowls. she usually likes hers plain. what a weirdo.

miso soup.

fruit bowls for breakfast.

Alright friends-- hope you guys have an amazing week! I'll be back tomorrow :) Cheers!

A Life Update. Right On! Etc.

2017-05-04T12:51:00.003-04:00

Hey friends! How are you?!

We're home sweet home from our trip to Asheville. It's good to be home. I just wish the weather was cooler-- like it was in Asheville, but whatever, home is nice too. We had an AMAZING time in Asheville. Seriously, such a good trip. I can't wait to share photos, etc. All of us enjoyed it immensely--- Marlowe, Alex, and myself too. Claudia + family are good people. Really good people. I think Claudia was actually one of my first real life friends I made from this blog. Maybe my second--- but I think the first. Either way, I'm so grateful I met her through this space.

I sent off a meme to some friends the other day-- it was a Seinfeld one where jerry is putting his hands up to a guy saying, "sorry, I have three friends, I'm good" (or something like that) and sometimes I feel like that. I don't know it's weird. Because I actually enjoy meeting new people and making new friends (it's now one of my favorite things) but sometimes I still go back to that old feeling of, "no no this is good." I can't describe how I could possibly feel both things, but I do. Maybe it's that the people who finally do push through my hand up gesture get stuck in this bundled up feeling of, "man I have good people in my life"-- does that make more sense, or is that more confusing? Who cares.

I've said it years ago but I almost always leave Claudia's inspired. This year I think that happened more to Marlowe and Alex more than it happened to me. Marlowe came home putting on more accessories and wanting to wear sparkles. And Alex? Well, one day back and he was like, "I need to go buy some more plants and pots." Right on, Alex. Right on. I want to fix up stuff, but I'm still hesitant to buy more. I looked at the cart filled with stuff and had this overwhelming anxiety about the purchases. Which is good--- it really means I'm sticking to this buy less / more minimal thing. I mean, the purchases did make it home-- I didn't fight them, but I'm still okay with it. It means that I'm okay in either situation (mine or his). I'm just happy I've moved more to the side of, "nope we don't need to bring more STUFF home."

Speaking of Alex, for those who've asking, things are okay. Bordering on good to very good. Well, the truth is, things were never bad. But things are getting better I'd say. The reality is, I'm happy no matter how life unfolds, but right now I am currently happy to keep walking a path with him. I mean, no matter what, the path will obviously be with him, cause you know, we're still family with Marlowe. But right now I'm happy to be family and see what more WE can do together. I'm not sure how this new path unfolded. It just felt like I looked up and there was a switch. I saw him coming out of his shell more-- finally. And for me, it's not ever that he's not good enough. He's got great qualities and so many good things-- but for me, I just want to be with someone also striving for more--- and that seems to be happening more now with him. I want to be around people that push me and inspire me to be better. And I've been that person for Alex for a long time, but I want to be with someone who also does that for me. Now it feels like he's breaking out and away of the rock wall keeping him in and opening up to see potential everywhere. Maybe. I don't know. I'm not in his head. I can only speak to what I see and feel. But yeah, you guys know me--- I'm sort of all over the place and just working on moving forward in the best way possible with everything.

Alex joked that he would be the happiest person ever if I could send out a weekly newsletter to him--- one where he could see what I'm striving for each week, what foods I'm testing out or avoiding, new goals, life changes, etc. Haha. It's not a terrible idea. I know I do whirlwind through life and it can be hard to keep up with all my thoughts and actions ;)

But speaking of which, I think I am actually going to start up a newsletter. Maybe not weekly or anything. People keep pressing me to do it-- not only for other life updates but also as a way to keep up with new blog posts and other things like air-bnbing our house or book news or whatever. You know? It won't be happening soon, but I am hoping to move forward in something like that this year. Speaking of air-bnb-ing our house. I've opened up some dates in june-july. And october on. So if you're looking to do a Florida vacation, well, our house is your house. You can sign up for Airbnb HERE. And see our listing HERE.

So yeah, life feels exciting and fresh right now. My stomach is a total mess from our trip, but I'm totally not surprised. That tends to happens when I eat out more, etc. I'm going to spend this week taking care of that as well as a lot of other life details: fixing up the house, getting some requested posts done (more natural living stuff), planning trips, etc.

I hope you guys had an a amazing week and have an amazing weekend planned. I'll mostly be here getting stuff done-- but I am looking forward to that :) Happy Thursday, friends!

Right on.

Inspiring People (Sometimes You Can Do It With Vegan Tacos)

2017-05-01T22:59:00.000-04:00

Do you like tacos? I hope so because this post has more photos of tacos than any other post ever has (on my blog anyway). I don't eat corn since I got sick, well not very often anyway. It's not that easy on my belly. But when I travel? I make an exception. (I've had a total of six tacos on this Asheville trip). Also, I only know of one place around me that uses non-gmo corn--- so theres that too. But yeah, when I travel: it's game on.

It feels like forever ago since I was in Mexico. Celia and I didn't plan to be in the Yucatan the same time as a vegan festival-- but life just magically worked out that way. So yeah, when life gives you a vegan taco competition at the hotel you're staying at--- you go (obviously).

And so we did. The festival itself was sort of okay. It was sort of strange because it had promoted a three day food, yoga, and music shin-dig, but none of the days had actual music. Celia and I were very confused by this--- but felt reassured that we weren't crazy when at least twenty+ of the people we met brought this up too. But whatever--- I don't care because personally, I only came for the tacos.

tacos from the sweet people of los veganautos

I mean, I didn't come here to write only about tacos--- or only show you guys pictures of tacos (though lets be real, that would probably be completely okay too!). I wanted to talk about good stuff--- stuff that undoubtedly might be a bit vain-- but makes me feel really good.

I've already written about how I always come home refresh and inspired after travel (so many times!). It makes me feel alive to meet so many new people with so many amazing ideas. But one of the things I've loved (very much) about travel lately has been the opposite thing--- the realization that I too have been maybe inspiring people in my journeys. You guys know I've never been a pushy vegan-- trying to shove it down everyones throats etc. Do I think everyone should be vegan? Yeah, it would probably be a really good considering the global damage meat consumption is causing. But I know thats not the reality. The situation is what it is and all I can do is my personal best. But yeah, even if I'm not standing on a platform yelling for everyone to be vegan, it feels good to know I've made some sort of difference in peoples lives. Every time one of you guys has emailed me or commented (here or on another social channels) saying I've helped you with diet or lifestyle or changing to veganism it feels great. Really great. Like I am making some sort of difference. It's truly one of my favorite things about blogging--- if not my favorite thing.

Lately during or after traveling I've seen the impact of my lifestyle on others. How--- I don't have to convince anyone of anything. That I can just do what I want (like eat ten tacos) and people can see that a life filled with vegan tacos might actually be a good (great) idea. That maybe vegan tacos are actually substantially better (and more delicious) than animal tacos. I mean, it totally helps when you're feeding people really delicious vegan options of course. (There are pretty bad vegan tacos out in the world too-- trust me, I've tasted them, but we're focusing the good ones in this post, okay?)

Not only have I left inspired on the last two trips that I've been on (Mexico and Puerto Rico), but the people I traveled with have come back from the trip with a new inspired view on food. (I love love love you Christine + Celia). My best friend Christine (I've known her 17-ish years) now makes ginger shots daily, juices often, and has made changes to her diet. Celia now makes smoothies with fresh fruits and veggies everyday. No where on our trips was I like, "hey guys. You're doing it wrong, you gotta do life this way"-- I just did what I did, answered questions when asked, and somehow, very thankfully, inspired others in a small way. And gosh, thats rad.

I guess the thing is--- it's hard to change your life around. You guys know that I ate like crap growing up. The closest thing to a vegetable was a french fry. I didn't start making smoothies almost completely veggies and fruits overnight (and mostly raw too). You know? I didn't actually start caring or making ANY changes until I was at least 22 (an entire decade ago). And yeah, my health took a major plunge with the c. diff, viruses, etc etc thing two years ago-- but I am alive and doing substantially better. I can't imagine the shape I would be in if I didn't eat the way I ate and change my diet even more after the hospital. Even now (especially now?), I work on myself, I make changes as necessary, I try new recipes or new foods often. In everything, but especially in health, I'm working on working on. My goal every single day that I wake up is to improve myself. Whether it's with my diet, food, knowledge, insight, attitude, whatever.

Just one little thing of improvement every single day.

Those little things add up...

and sometimes the first step starts with tacos.

Honestly the best tacos ever. Doesn't mater if you're vegan or not. They are they best. I literally dream about them. Also--- I wrote this post almost a week ago... and now, Monday, I woke up to a text hearing that this place is closing. RIP charley's vegan tacos.

I went into Mexico expecting a relaxing time on the beach. Left there happier than I could have imagined, braver than I thought I could be, and not only finding inspiration everywhere, but also inspiring others.

As humans I think we often forget that every single action we take-- no matter how big or small creates a shift and makes a difference. Every purchase we make is important. Every word we speak (or type) is important. Every step forward we take is important not only for our own lives, but the lives of the people around us.

I just want to keep growing...

and hopefully inspiring others along the way.

Thank you guys so so much for being here. Whether you're here everyday or just pop in from time to time, I'm grateful to share this space with you guys. Hopefully sharing bits of ideas and inspiration here and there--- as you guys certainly inspire me too. I am grateful.

photos of me by: miss celia d luna.

Complete + Balanced Meal Recipe: Kale + Quinoa Salad (Vegan. Gluten Free, Nut Free, Oil Free)

2017-04-26T21:31:00.002-04:00

Hi friends! How are you?! Hungry? It's currently 4:59 pm and I'm hungry for dinner. I'm not gonna lie to you, Marlowe and I tend to eat dinner on the very early side. I sleep better without a super full belly and it gives us time to have a snack if we're really wanting it later, haha.

But now lets talk about lunch, shall we? Well, I guess salads could be dinner too-- though I normally like to go for something warm for dinner. But yeah, are you guys salad people? I'm not. Anyone who bought my cookbook can easily see that salads are not a huge part of my life. Though I will say they have been growing on my lately. I guess the whole trying to go mostly raw thing has helped that. I mean, how do you go mostly raw an ignore salads? I guess if I really did eat only fruit it would work-- but I don't know, veggies are cool too. I'm rambling about nothing right now. The point is, I'm not a big salad person--- it has to be a really good and well developed salad for me to enjoy it. You can't just toss a bunch of stuff in a bowl and be like "this is your salad"--- that will not work for my taste buds. Everything has to blend and balance together.

This salad does that. Not only is it well balanced in flavor, but also from a nutritional standpoint. I am in no way one of those people that believes we need to be pumping protein into our guts with every meal--- I honestly think we over do it with protein in our culture, but whatever. This salad is packed with protein for those who are looking for it. It has loads of healthy fat + healthy omegas + a delicious amount of carbs for energy too.

You know to be completely honest though, if you're worried about food combining, maybe this isn't the perfect meal because it does have the cooked root veggies with the raw greens. But outside of that, I think this is a really, really good meal. We've had it three times in the past week or so. Even Marlowe likes it (though we keep out the sweet potato and tomatoes for her).

This recipe is also completely oil free. I told you guys away ago that I was switching to the high carb, low fat diet (HERE and HERE). But that in no way means NO fat--- it just means less fat-- and only completely natural fats--- no processed oils around here anymore. (Ahem, except when you place a bag of chips in front of me. They are still my weakness--- but ahem, outside of that NO oils in my kitchen cooking. Okay okay, and yeah, when we go out to eat I'm sure I'm eating oil, but again, I do the best I can when I can, so if I'm making food at home, I avoid).

This recipe is also great for a week of meal prep. I like to make a big batch of potatoes + a big pot of quinoa and then toss everything together for lunch. You can also make the dressing ahead of time-- since there is a good amount of lemon, the avocado shouldn't brown too fast. But you may want to eat it within 30 hours or so. You'll probably find that you have most of the ingredients at home. I've written down a lot of great substitution options though if you want or need to sub something out :)

After you've made it, you can eat right away or it's super easy to pack for lunch out or whatever. It's light, but filling and will leave you feeling great after, not heavy and tired. Promise. So ya ready to make a salad that doesn't suck? Cool, lets do it!

You'll need:

-1 head of kale, washed and chopped (small to medium pieces or strips)
-2 cups baked sweet potato cubes -- for this I chop up the potato and bake in oven on a sheet tray (no oil) until tender. sub: butternut squash, delicata squash, carrot.
-1 1/2 cup cooked quinoa
-1/2 cup goji berries. sub: raisins, dried cherries, dried cranberries
-2 cups diced tomato (optional)
-4 avocados
-1 1/2 tablespoons mustard (we love this brand. But any good quality organic + natural mustard will do. Marlowe always asks to eat it plain with a spoon--- I think thats gross, haha).
-3 tablespoons lemon juice
-1 teaspoon mustard seeds (for an extra kick-- optional)
-salt + pepper to taste

How to:

-smash one of your avocados in one bowl.
-add lemon juice + mustard and blend well
-add salt and pepper to taste
-cut your remaining avocado into cubes
-in a large mixing bowl add kale, quinoa, goji berries (or dried fruit), and avocado
-pour on dressing and mix and massage until well combined and kale has softened
-add in tomatoes and sweet potato (I used a white sweet potato, nom) and toss
-add another sprinkle of salt and pepper if you'd like, or a touch more lemon.
-tada a well rounded and balanced salad for a happy mouth and gut!

Really, you could just blend the dressing with kale and then add everything else--- but I like to add the other stuff in there to make it soft and blended in more. You might want to consider adding in the sweet potato before you mix the dressing to smash it up in there. Or you might want to consider adding the avocado chunks after blending, so you can have more whole big pieces, if you fancy that. Play around with it! The key is having the acid + savory-ness of the dressing + the bitterness or kale + the sweetness of fruit + potato. I think you guys will be quite happy with this recipe-- whiter you're making it for lunch, as a dinner side, for a party, or for meal prepping your week :)

Alright friends! I'm off to eat more healthy food.... and probably some chips too. Because: balance ;)

I hope you guys enjoy this recipe! If you'd like to see more salad-y stuff like this, let me know! I make food everyday and eat a lot of food-- sometimes I just don't think to document and post about it. So if you're wanting to see more of certain style of food or a specific recipe, just ask!

You can see more recipes HERE and HERE
and more mostly raw vegan recipes HERE

Alright friends! Have an amazing night/day/whatever!