300.

i'm almost at a year without fast food! (technically day 300 was on december 20th, but the holidays happened.) i'm so excited to almost have reached my goal of one year. and it didn't begin that way, to go an entire year, but i'm so glad it is going in that direction.

i doubt i will head out to a fast food restaurant on day 366 and order something i used to eat. i have enjoyed this healthier lifestyle and i really crave better things now. part of me thinks i will feel bad about eating fast food again, when or if it happens. but i don't see that as something awful. it was really a guilty pleasure, convenient and quick fix. it really is all about eating things that are better for you, even if that means taking the time to cook something healthy instead of instantly gratifying yourself w/ something that is bad for you.

so day 365 is in sight. the end of february will be a celebration for sure. what a goal to reach! 

thank you all again so much for all of the encouragement. you can do this too!

as we head in to 2014, what will your new goals be?

happy new year!

chicken bog.

remember that time i had three different kinds of chicken bog three days in a row?

let me explain.

friday: my across the street neighbors were selling chicken bog tickets a few weeks ago for a church fundraiser. church chicken bog is always the best. so of course i purchased a plate. there was chicken and sausage in it. 

just the way i like it :)

saturday: i went to a family reunion. there was no way i could have known what kind of food would be served. low and behold, chicken bog. however, this was not your average chicken bog. it had so many different kinds of meat in it. some of which i still don't think i know. i can tell you that there was chicken, sausage and deer meat in it for sure. it was the absolute best chicken bog i have ever tasted in my life.

sorry not sorry.

sunday: parents provided dinner for youth group sunday night. chicken bog, w/ just chicken (in case you were wondering). it was delicious. and the best green beans were served along side of it.

i only realize now how ridiculous chicken bog three days in a row sounds. 

and tomorrow night i'm going to the 15th annual oyster roast at the Florence Museum.

mmm mmm good :)

250.

it has now been 250 days since i last ate fast food :)

i am so close to a year!

at this point, it feels like i won't really ever want it again.

though recently i went into a wendy's w/ some people and got a salad, yet the smell of those fries made me want some.

of course i didn't get any.

and i just don't think they would taste the same.

i depended on fast food to fill this hunger void quickly which just equalled long term nastiness, but now i've replaced that void w/ things that are so much tastier and so much better for my body.

one of the best things about not eating fast food is feeling so much better and having more energy.

as much as i love fries i love chips, and now i replace them at lunch w/ either a salad, grapes or clementines (which i lovingly refer to as fruit crack!)

and at night when i'm craving something salty and crunchy i make popcorn w/ coconut oil. 

or i buy the plain kind from the store and put some lemon pepper seasoning on it. 

nothing.like.it.

when a year rolls around at the end of february 2014, i'm not so sure i'm just gonna run back to those golden arches.

i almost never want to have it again.

but ask me that in three days and i may say something different :)

to anyone who thinks they can't do this, let me be the first to tell you that you can! 

fast food is not what you need it's what you want, in that moment.

choosing healthier options will always be what you need and better for your body and your wallet in the long run.

it will be hard, but it will be worth it.

fall.

fall is my favorite time of year. specifically the month of november. it's the month of thanksgiving and my birthday, which equals lots of time with loved ones. it also means a lot more of baking treats for people will be happening.

cold weather is the best weather. you get to layer up, wear boots, jackets and scarves - one of my favorite accessories. 

soups and hot drinks are best when it's cold out. and you can always dream of seeing snow this time of year, as the weather gets colder. 

the leaves changing color are amazing. i find it hard not to stop and pick up each one i see. odds are, if you open up a book from the shelves in my house, leaves from previous seasons will be stuck in between the pages.

there is just something so magical about the fall. it always feels like anything is possible. i don't know why i think that way, i just do. maybe it's the hope of something new.

i love how we can see visible signs of the seasons changing. something we can't always see at first when it happens to us. we change and we grow. and if we are fortunate enough, we have God to guide us and teach us along the way. 

200.

200 days since fast food.

i decided a few weeks ago that i am going to go for a full year without it.

at least.

and i'm over half way there :)

not only do i feel better and look better, but it's nice to not spend money on a bad meal as well.

it's kind of crazy.

but a good crazy.

i love to cook and this pushes me to do more and choose healthier options when i do eat at restaurants.

if i can give it up then so can you :)

Dum Dum

if you know me then you know that i love music and i love to dance. 

one of my favorite songs is a collaboration between Lecrae and Tedashii called "Dum Dum." 

so imagine if you will how excited i was to see that the dance competition show So You Think You Can Dance featured that song on their show tonight!!

I screamed :)

Without further ado...

procrastination & a camping trip.

so there's this thing called procrastination that i am really good at :)

i desperately need to clean my bedroom.

while i go do that i'm gonna leave you w/ a few photos from my weekend camping trip at huntington beach state park.

beach bums :)

feet in the sand - always a great feeling.

beautiful sunset sky colors.

prepping dessert around the campfire. 

150.

it has been 150 days since i last ate fast food.

you may be wondering what i mean by fast food.

to me that consists of certain restaurants that may or may not have golden arches, crowns, stars, cows or  a little red headed girl w/ braids in her hair in their logo.

i just felt gross from eating so much of it over the 3 months prior to stopping.

it was a decision that needed to be made and i love a good challenge :)

it's a new discipline.

the first week was so tough, but i really have not craved it since.

keeping it real though, i miss french fries the most.

what have you given up to create a healthier lifestyle for yourself?

hello again.

i was out of town for the past week. that's my excuse for not blogging. 

my youth group, four other leaders and myself were on our senior high trip called Fun in The Son.

the location was Jekyll Island, GA. still not fully rested :)

for today, i'm sitting at the museum desk one more time.

it's our last day open to the public until our new facility opens downtown in February 2014.

i used to think it would feel bittersweet, but i'm ready for the move.

new and exciting things are happening and i'm so glad to be a part of it all.

wishing you all a great saturday!

about me...

i love Jesus & laughter, people & baking, kids & crafting, music & cooking, instagram & thrifting, fellowship & work.

i enjoy taking pictures of anything and everything. 

grew up in a small town - no serioulsy, population about 1000 :)

i'm a night owl & normally never on time.

people say i'm silly & i think they might be right :)

stay tuned for the normal, random and honest experiences of my life.

PS - i can't believe i finally started this thing!