That. Was. So. Fun.

Do you remember those moments as a kid where you were just having fun? The moments where nothing else mattered but playing outside all day.  Moments where you didn't want the day to end. Moments that you call to mind every now and then, and they never fail to bring a smile to your face. Thankfully I have had quite a few of those moments in the past 30 years, and thankfully those moments keep coming.

 I remember being on a 4 wheeler all day long and getting so muddy that I had to wash off with a hose before I was allowed in the house.

There was the time when we discovered a game that combined bumper cars, lacrosse, and basketball....yes...it's amazing as it sounds.

Genius people actually invented a place where there is wall to wall trampolines...yep...it's really true.

Or that time when I was holding on for my life in a raft in the middle of the Nile river....and a few moments after this photo was taken I had to be rescued by a kayak!!

My most recent crazy fun, I'm a kid again, moment came while I was vacationing with a friend in Dubai. We decided to ride dune buggies in the desert.....and it was as awesome as it sounded. We each hopped on one of these....

 Yep, it was incredible. Basically, we each had our own dune buggy and we followed a leader around the desert. My favorite part was when we were riding along the top of a dune and I saw the leader disappear and then Brittany would disappear, and I knew I was getting ready for fly down the dune. It was a great roller coaster ride in the middle of the desert. Multiple times I caught myself laughing out loud out of pure joy. I would quickly close my mouth because of all the dust.....but you get the picture. After it was all over, Brittany and I climbed out of the buggy, high fived, and we haven't stopped talking about how awesome it was.

Here's to many more pure joy moments

Well, Here We Go Paleo

If you are tired of people talking about Paleo...you do not have to read this blog, promise. I've been tired of people talking about Paleo for a while now. These days my rebellious heart (or my pride) keeps me away from bandwagons....or at least I try to stay away from them. Don't get me wrong...I have tried my fair share or fad diets....but I always hated it. I have never been the skinny girl, and years of trying and failing have kept me just plain frustrated. I told myself just eat everything in moderation and you'll be fine, but if you have ever seen me around a plate of cookies or cupcakes or ice cream or chips and salsa, me and moderation barely know each other at all.

Fast forward to a few weeks ago when I finally got disgusted enough with myself to give Paleo the good ole college try. I don't really know what finally flipped the switch....I just got too tired and mad at how I looked and felt (I understand that there are insecurity issues there...but let's save that for another day).  I started out with this book....

This was just cheap on amazon...so I read through it. It gives a really simple overview of why eating this way is important and helpful, and gives lists of good foods and bad foods, and then gives lots of recipes to try. I read it in like 20min guys....not a big deal...and then I took the plunge.

I began eating only meat, fruits, veggies, and nuts (excluding peanuts...which still makes me a little sad). Yall....I'm telling you the truth...within 3 days I felt 200% better. Take it from a fat kid who loves food....I felt amazing and was truly surprised by it. And I've felt good ever since I started it. Truth. Truth! Now this thing takes planning (which is NOT my strong suit), and sometimes I have to eat grilled chicken out of Tupperware while everyone else busts open a pizza box, but it. is. OK.  Annnd, me being me....I've cheated a couple times (what can I say, it happens) and guess what happened....I got totally sick. It's amazing how your body reacts to bad food....once you've started pumping it with good food. Plus, its major motivation not to cheat.

Sooo, I'm super new at this...and still looooove a good cupcake, but here are a few things I've learned:

This is my best friend. You just throw healthy food in...leave for hours....and it's cooked when you get back. What a magical concept.

This is almond flour....and it's what you need to make bread-like things without using grains (which are a Paleo no-no). It makes really good muffins and banana bread, and makes you feel like you're still normal.

Dates. Praise Him for dates. I've always thought they were normal and fine, but after cutting sugar, these things taste like straight up candy....and I get really happy about it. Also, they're everywhere here in the desert, so the sweet tooth can go to bed at night.




I am in no way an expert in this, probably never will be, but if I can stay at this almost a month and still have motivation to keep going.....I promise ANYONE can do it. Take it from the girl who's inner fat kid won't quit....I promise you can do it.


All that said, if this new flavor ever makes it to my part of the desert, you better believe I'm letting the fat kid out to play and just dealing with the stomach ache:

The Desert Makes Me Sneeze

All throughout high school (and maybe middle school), I took allergy medication every day. You bored with this blog yet? Real life stuff people. It just became one of those routine things that I didn't really think about.

That all changed when I went to college. With all my new found freedom....I forgot to take my allergy meds. I know, responsibility at its best. Thankfully, it didn't matter that I forgot them....because I didn't have any more allergy symptoms!! No more sneezing and sinus pressure. Call it what you want, but I mainly contribute it to being in Wilmington, NC, which I firmly believe is one of the best places on earth.

The interesting/funny thing was that as soon as I went back home....I would start sneezing. It got to be comical to me at least. I would go home and within an hour I would sneeze a couple times, and my mom, being the great person she is....would walk into the room with a glass of water and an allergy pill. This pattern continued after college to the present...whenever I went home....the allergy meds started back as well.  The super funny joke that I came up with was that I was allergic to my own house. Oddly enough, my mom never thought it was that funny.

Fast forward to me living in this new little part of the desert. Over the past few months....I've gotten repetitive colds and more sinus headaches than ever before. After 30 years of life...and nursing school, I finally decided to try the ole allergy meds again (education at its finest). Start breathing easy mom....I'm allergic to another place besides the house!

Asian Adventure 3: Thailand!!!

Yall, I've saved the best for last. If you are looking for a vacation spot....look no further...book a flight to Thailand right now!! I'm serious, it's one of the best places in the whole world....I would not lie to you about this...go now!! We started out in Phuket...which is right by the beach.  Now my heart will always belong to the Outer Banks....but tropical beaches are a very close second (honestly, they might be tied). Our resort was crazy and it was a great spot to relax after some busy days running around Asia. We also did a tour of Phi Phi Island. Get ready to get jealous!!!

Is this real life??

This is why I let Brittany do all the planning...she never lets me down

Banana and Nutella is all you need to know!!

Our final stop (sadly) was Chang Mai. We had some friends here and it was so great hanging out with them. They were great at showing us around. My favorite day was spent hanging out with some elephants and tigers....the joy in my heart that day was indescribable....that sounds dramatic....but it was true. We also spent Thanksgiving there with a lot of other Americans. There was no oyster dressing or ice cream and topping....but I definitely didn't go hungry (I know yall were worried).

Up close and personal...don't worry mom...we didn't take this pic

They can even paint!!

pure joy!!

mango sticky rice....it will change your life

my thanksgiving plates....clearly I'm not the type to be shy around strangers

Last meal was BBQ, mac and cheese, and hush puppies....are you kidding me Thailand?!?! Be my friend forever!!

I was so thankful for this time. It is amazing some of the things I get to do...I hope I never get used to seeing awesome places. There are so many new places in the world to explore....but I hope Southeast Asia and I cross paths many, many times.

Asian Adventure Part 2: Vietnam and Cambodia

Our next big stop was Vietnam. I haven't really explored Asia much up until this point, but I loved it! It was green and there were fruits and veggies everywhere. One of my favorite things was just riding around on a motorbike running errands. I felt like I was in a video game!! We also did a boat tour on the delta. We stopped different places along the water and saw different cultural things...it was really fun!!

Seriously...it was so much fun!!

Our next stop was Cambodia. I really had no idea was I was getting into...but I absolutely loved it!! We went to Siem Reap, which is known for having really ancient Hindu Temples. We spent a day exploring them. Brittany thought I was ridiculous for taking more pictures of trees than of the temples. Yall, the desert is all one color...so seeing green and vegetation just gets me excited these days. It was beautiful. In the town of Siem Reap there are so many outdoor cafes and restaurants. I love being in places where people live their lives outside. I know that seems weird....but it's such a good change of pace from my normal(?) life.

I get a little crazy around so much grass

Seriously...look how pretty it is!!!

Ankor Wat....the most famous temple

seriously I took 29270485704 pics of this

We also visited a silk farm....did you know it was made from worms??

If you can believe it...there is still more vacay to see...the best is yet to come....man I really need to get back to Southeast Asia!!

Asian Adventure Part 1: Hong Hong, Macau, Singapore

This past November (yes I'm still blogging about 2014, but the catch up game is about to be won), I was able to go on quite the epic getaway. This life is weird and hard, but it has taken me to some of the best places in the world...and for that I will be forever thankful. I've also been blessed with some good buddies. I know I've said this before, but I have the best friends in the world...seriously...I'll enter them in any competition. Anyways, my go to travel buddy these days is Brittany. If you wanna watch two people have way too much fun....put us together. We have gotten pretty good at this take a vacation thing....really because Brittany does all the planning and I just run around acting like a 12 year old. It works people...and I'm convinced it could make a killer TV show.

Anyways, the Asian Adventure covered 6 countries....so clearly this is gonna need to be a series. I met up with Brittany in Hong Kong....and it was a sweet sweet reunion that consisted of a lot of laughter a couple Starbucks cups. Hong Kong has to be one of the quietest cities I have ever been to. No car honking, no yelling....I couldn't believe I was in a big city.

I loved the Hong Kong harbor and watching all the boats

I love the Olympics...that is all

We found really cool coffee mugs!!

While staying in Hong Kong, we decided to hop over to Macau. It is a 45min ferry boat ride from Hong Kong. It made for a busy day....but why not add another country to the list?? Macau is known as the Las Vegas of Asia...and it did have its fair share of casinos....but they also had pandas.

There was a slightly unfortunate restaurant incident. I ordered chicken and veggies...and that is exactly what I got (head and all)....I did my absolute best to keep a straight face and choke it down....lets just say I did not have a clean plate....and I got a Dairy Queen blizzard afterwards.

On our way to the next destination, we had a long layover in Singapore. I've got one word for you....malls. There is a lot of them. They are huge and themed and overwhelming...but there is also an Outback in one which was thoroughly enjoyed. Part of our layover meant spending the night in the airport...but as you can see....at least one of us (not me) is a professional at doing.

The rest of the adventure only gets better...so stay tuned!!