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Friday, December 7, 2012
Yet, Another Change!
Monday, November 19, 2012
DIY All-Natural Detox Drink
This past weekend I came across a bunch of information on all-natural detoxes. I love to eat healthy and I am mildly obsessed with learning new ways to improve my health as well - so of course I jumped right on this! We are constantly (consciously and unconsciously) putting bad toxins into our body. We do this by eating processed food, drinking alcoholic drinks, and even just breathing the air in our environment. Every once in awhile we need to flush that stuff out of our bodies. This drink - along with a healthy diet and good exercise - can do just that.
I must warn you... if you don't like the taste lemon, then you probably won't like this beverage. I, however, love lemon. After one glass of this, I felt energized and wide awake. I was excited about this new invention that I tweaked myself so I thought that I would share it with you all.
I began with these four ingredients and you can find them all at your local grocery store (I found these at Wal-Mart).
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| 1/2 c. Diet Sugar Free Cranberry Juice, 2 whole lemons, 8 bags of TAZO Zen green tea, 10-12 mint leaves, and 64 oz. of water |
I first began by boiling the water in a saucepan. While I was waiting for the water to come to a boil I started slicing the lemons and removing all of the seeds. I poured the sugar free cranberry juice in the pitcher and I squeezed 1 whole lemon in with it. I kept the slices in the pitcher for looks. You can throw them away if you so choose.
At this point the water was just coming to a soft boil. I squeezed the rest of the lemon juice into the water and added the mint leaves.
Next, I added the tea.
I removed the tea bags, poured the tea mixture into the sugar free cranberry juice, and voila!
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| I drank mine over ice, but it is also delicious served hot and in a mug! |
You have a delicious, calorie free, all-natural, energizing detox drink! You are supposed to drink 64 oz. of this a day- for three days-, along with an all-natural diet (much like the PRISM-Phase 1), and a mixture of cardio (run/walk) and stretching (yoga) for best results. You cleanse yourself of the bad toxins in your body and shed a few pounds while doing it!
Sunday, November 18, 2012
Don't Let The Noise Of The World Keep You From Hearing The Voice Of The Lord
I lost my way for awhile and I allowed my own excuses to blind me from my faith. Over the past year I discovered things that I did not like in my church and I let those outweigh the things that I do like. I let politics and worldview's shake me.
What I love about my faith is that my God is forgiving. I don't feel judged or shunned like I thought I would. Instead, I feel as though I was given a second chance - and to rejoice in that. The traditions that are instilled in my church - like mass on Sundays, the advent season, receiving communion, and the smell of incense on holy days - are all things that make me feel connected to the presence of something greater. I love that.
I realized today that my faith had been shaken for the past year. I lost my way from the path that I set out on, but I was lead right back to my roots, morals, and beliefs. I am a firm believer that God has a plan for everyone. With that being said, I think that my struggle has ultimately made me a better person. And I feel like I am now exactly where I am supposed to be.
Wednesday, November 7, 2012
An Update On A Very Busy Life
It has been too long since my last (first) post and my family has been on me to update my blog - so here you go guys!
The last few weeks have been very busy, fulfilling, and crammed with many new memories. About the time that I started this blog, I also made a list of several goals that I wanted to accomplish. I was feeling like there was something missing in many areas of my life, so I began to work on them. Little by little, I am filling those holes in. With that being said, I feel like I am truly making progress. Here they are and an update on how they are going:
Minimize my anxiety:
I am a MSW Intern at a local Community Mental Health Center. It did not take me long when I first began my clinical's to discover that I have anxiety. Very. High. Anxiety. I have always been very confident about my career path, but when I was faced with actually having a client's life in my hands I began to question my abilities.
I know that I am my worst critic, but I did not understand how I could help a 45 year-old mother who is addicted to marijuana overcome her suicidal ideations. I am merely a 23 year-old intern, who has never had any children, I don't use drugs, and I have never wanted to end my life. So, how can I possibly help someone if I can't relate to their problems? This is where my anxiety came from. I had a lot of self-doubt which caused me to worry. And then over-worry. And then have an anxiety attack. I would be so exhausted from my anxiety that I would literally come home, eat dinner, and go to sleep. My body would ache, my head would ache, and I was constantly on edge.
What I have learned over the past month, however, is that this is normal. Everyone doubts their abilities as a new professional and you learn to just roll with the changes. I may not be 45 years-old, or have children, or abuse drugs - but I do have the training to help them. After I realized this, my anxiety has began to diminish. Sure, it is still there, but I do not have the chronic worries anymore. I am rebuilding my confidence.
It is amazing what deep breathing, exercise, long baths, and self-care can do!
Get Active:
I love to exercise. I always have, and I always will. It is a way for me to clear my mind and focus on myself. However, my husband and I moved at the end of May this year and I fell out of my routine. It has taken me some time to adjust to this big change in our lives and it has taken me that much longer to begin exercising again.
My goal has been to exercise 3 to 5 times a week. So far, I am meeting the bare minimum! I signed up for a competitive volleyball league and so I am forced to work out at least every Monday. I have also been filling in on a coed volleyball team every now and then, so that is helping too. The other days I am either walking around campus or going on a run-which I love to (I am just not very good at it). My goal is to work my way up to running a 5K.
Check Things Off My Bucket List:
In my last post I included my "Fall Bucket List". I have been busy checking them off one by one and I am having so much fun doing it! I have learned that if I try to plan these things, they usually never end up happening. However, if I am asked spontaneously to do them, then it never fails.
The first thing on my bucket list was to run a 5K. I quickly learned that I can't just say I am going to get up today and run 3.1 miles - I actually have to train for it. So, I have been running; some weeks more than others, but regardless I am running.
The next thing on my list was to go to a pumpkin patch. I was lucky and actually crossed two things off from my list because it was a pumpkin patch AND winery. There is a little place called 'Pome on the Range' which is about 10 miles Southwest of my hometown. I went with my parents and younger sister last weekend and we had a blast. We drank wine, sampled cider, took many pictures, walked through rows and rows of apple trees, enjoyed the perfect fall day, and admired the few pumpkins that were left.
"Buy tickets for the Trans Siberian Orchestra's 'The Last Christmas Eve'" was the final thing on my Fall Bucket List. After my mom read my first post she did not spend any time ordering the tickets. We are planning on going on December 9th and I will make sure to blog about it later!
As you can see the last few weeks have been very busy, stressful, exhausting - yet fulfilling. I am finally making time for things in my life that I had been needing to do for a long time. That is a truly wonderful feeling. I have been taking advantage of the opportunities that are being thrown my way, rather than turing them down due to homework on my lack of motivation. I cam across a quote today and I thought that it was very fitting for this post. So I will leave you with these words:
The last few weeks have been very busy, fulfilling, and crammed with many new memories. About the time that I started this blog, I also made a list of several goals that I wanted to accomplish. I was feeling like there was something missing in many areas of my life, so I began to work on them. Little by little, I am filling those holes in. With that being said, I feel like I am truly making progress. Here they are and an update on how they are going:
Minimize my anxiety:
I am a MSW Intern at a local Community Mental Health Center. It did not take me long when I first began my clinical's to discover that I have anxiety. Very. High. Anxiety. I have always been very confident about my career path, but when I was faced with actually having a client's life in my hands I began to question my abilities.
I know that I am my worst critic, but I did not understand how I could help a 45 year-old mother who is addicted to marijuana overcome her suicidal ideations. I am merely a 23 year-old intern, who has never had any children, I don't use drugs, and I have never wanted to end my life. So, how can I possibly help someone if I can't relate to their problems? This is where my anxiety came from. I had a lot of self-doubt which caused me to worry. And then over-worry. And then have an anxiety attack. I would be so exhausted from my anxiety that I would literally come home, eat dinner, and go to sleep. My body would ache, my head would ache, and I was constantly on edge.
What I have learned over the past month, however, is that this is normal. Everyone doubts their abilities as a new professional and you learn to just roll with the changes. I may not be 45 years-old, or have children, or abuse drugs - but I do have the training to help them. After I realized this, my anxiety has began to diminish. Sure, it is still there, but I do not have the chronic worries anymore. I am rebuilding my confidence.
It is amazing what deep breathing, exercise, long baths, and self-care can do!
Get Active:
I love to exercise. I always have, and I always will. It is a way for me to clear my mind and focus on myself. However, my husband and I moved at the end of May this year and I fell out of my routine. It has taken me some time to adjust to this big change in our lives and it has taken me that much longer to begin exercising again.
My goal has been to exercise 3 to 5 times a week. So far, I am meeting the bare minimum! I signed up for a competitive volleyball league and so I am forced to work out at least every Monday. I have also been filling in on a coed volleyball team every now and then, so that is helping too. The other days I am either walking around campus or going on a run-which I love to (I am just not very good at it). My goal is to work my way up to running a 5K.
Check Things Off My Bucket List:
In my last post I included my "Fall Bucket List". I have been busy checking them off one by one and I am having so much fun doing it! I have learned that if I try to plan these things, they usually never end up happening. However, if I am asked spontaneously to do them, then it never fails.
The first thing on my bucket list was to run a 5K. I quickly learned that I can't just say I am going to get up today and run 3.1 miles - I actually have to train for it. So, I have been running; some weeks more than others, but regardless I am running.
The next thing on my list was to go to a pumpkin patch. I was lucky and actually crossed two things off from my list because it was a pumpkin patch AND winery. There is a little place called 'Pome on the Range' which is about 10 miles Southwest of my hometown. I went with my parents and younger sister last weekend and we had a blast. We drank wine, sampled cider, took many pictures, walked through rows and rows of apple trees, enjoyed the perfect fall day, and admired the few pumpkins that were left.
"Buy tickets for the Trans Siberian Orchestra's 'The Last Christmas Eve'" was the final thing on my Fall Bucket List. After my mom read my first post she did not spend any time ordering the tickets. We are planning on going on December 9th and I will make sure to blog about it later!
As you can see the last few weeks have been very busy, stressful, exhausting - yet fulfilling. I am finally making time for things in my life that I had been needing to do for a long time. That is a truly wonderful feeling. I have been taking advantage of the opportunities that are being thrown my way, rather than turing them down due to homework on my lack of motivation. I cam across a quote today and I thought that it was very fitting for this post. So I will leave you with these words:
Once You Begin To Change, So Will The World Around You.
Thanks for reading,
Ashley
Some of my memories from October 2012
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| Date Night with my husband |
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| At a wedding reception with childhood friends |
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| Pumpkin Patch and Winery |
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| At the pumpkin patch on a beautiful fall day |
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| At my brother-in-law's football game |
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| Road trip to Western, KS |
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| Remembering loved ones |
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| Celebrating Duke's 2nd Birthday |
Friday, October 5, 2012
A Season Of Change
This might be the social worker in me, but over the past couple of weeks I have observed that as the seasons change - so do people's behaviors. I work at a community mental health center so I see it all. At our agency, the waiting room has gone from a few - to a full house. At the school's, the kiddos have begun to act up and get into more trouble. At the hospital's, there are more people getting sick and hospitalized. And in my classes... procrastination has finally sunk in.
I spent last night in Lawrence with my mom and younger sister. We spent an hour and a half at Dunn Bros Coffee talking about this. What I discovered is just this: the season change makes you change. You might change unwillingly by getting sick or unconsciously isolating yourself in the evenings because the sun goes down earlier, or you might make a change willingly.
For me, I discovered that the season change has made me want to better myself. It makes me want to take advantage of this time we have and just do more. I think that this could have been caused by a combination of things - a recent death in my family, knowing that this is my "last" fall in Eastern Kansas, or because fall is my favorite season (but for the sake of this post - we will blame it on the season change). What I found out though, is that there is so much that I want to do, but I tend to make excuses in order to put them off.
Like many of you, I too, have a busy schedule. I work (unpaid, might I add) at an internship, go to school full time, try to take on the duties of being a new wife, juggle schedules to try to hang out with my friends, take care of my dog, and squeeze in sister time as much as possible. Needless to say, I have become the queen of saying "Oh, I will do this later". In reality though, what if there isn't a later? I think that life is too short to put things off until another time.
So as my mom and I drove back home in the dark last night, we made a "fall bucket list" on the back of a Kohl's receipt. It is nothing extraordinary, but it consists of things that I have wanted to do for a long time. Things in which I always say I will do next year when I am not quite as busy. Things in which next year rolls around and it is just as busy - so they are postponed until the next year. Here it is:
So, let the season change spark something in you. Grow, learn, and keep living each day; but while you do it, take time for things in your life that you want to do. Live for the moment, rather than the next moment. Take advantage of every opportunity that is thrown your way. Make a bucket list, do something you haven't ever done before, and change for the better.
Thanks for reading,
Ashley
I spent last night in Lawrence with my mom and younger sister. We spent an hour and a half at Dunn Bros Coffee talking about this. What I discovered is just this: the season change makes you change. You might change unwillingly by getting sick or unconsciously isolating yourself in the evenings because the sun goes down earlier, or you might make a change willingly.
For me, I discovered that the season change has made me want to better myself. It makes me want to take advantage of this time we have and just do more. I think that this could have been caused by a combination of things - a recent death in my family, knowing that this is my "last" fall in Eastern Kansas, or because fall is my favorite season (but for the sake of this post - we will blame it on the season change). What I found out though, is that there is so much that I want to do, but I tend to make excuses in order to put them off.
Like many of you, I too, have a busy schedule. I work (unpaid, might I add) at an internship, go to school full time, try to take on the duties of being a new wife, juggle schedules to try to hang out with my friends, take care of my dog, and squeeze in sister time as much as possible. Needless to say, I have become the queen of saying "Oh, I will do this later". In reality though, what if there isn't a later? I think that life is too short to put things off until another time.
So as my mom and I drove back home in the dark last night, we made a "fall bucket list" on the back of a Kohl's receipt. It is nothing extraordinary, but it consists of things that I have wanted to do for a long time. Things in which I always say I will do next year when I am not quite as busy. Things in which next year rolls around and it is just as busy - so they are postponed until the next year. Here it is:
- Run a 5K
- Go to a pumpkin patch
- Buy tickets for the Trans Siberian Orchestra's "The Lost Christmas Eve"
- Spend a Saturday at a winery
Make a blog
So, let the season change spark something in you. Grow, learn, and keep living each day; but while you do it, take time for things in your life that you want to do. Live for the moment, rather than the next moment. Take advantage of every opportunity that is thrown your way. Make a bucket list, do something you haven't ever done before, and change for the better.
Thanks for reading,
Ashley
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