“Each Cup is a Story, Unfolding with Every Sip”
As humans, every New Year’s Eve comes and we all have big hopes for the coming year. And rightfully so. Even if last year was great, we want next year to be even better. At least I do. We set goals and resolutions in order to help us, “live our best life!”
Also as humans, the daily stresses of life always pile up, getting in the way of some of the goals we might have set. I’m sure I’m not the only one that thinks that there are simply not enough hours in the day. Along with our daily stresses, our poor eating habits might sneak back up, our gym date is first skipped a few times a week, and then, inevitably, it’s cancelled for good, and our old routines fall right back into place. As thoughts of the present day race through our minds, and the plans, fears and anxieties for tomorrow cannot be silenced, a well-rested night is simply out of the question.
To begin our day, the alarm clock rings and the snowball effect continues.
There has to be something we can do about this right? I mean the chaos that we call life.
Maybe we can’t call out of work or skip our kids football practice tonight or automatically turn the “Check Engine” light off, but we can take care our ourselves a little bit better so that we can give back and be the best for others.
After a long day of work, reaching for a glass of wine or any alcoholic beverage might be your favorite answer. And you aren’t alone. That first drink doesn’t seem to be the problem. It’s the glasses/bottles/cans that follow, the second, third, fourth or beyond, sipped close to the bedtime hour that might be.
A study out of Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research suggests that alcohol can have a large impact on your brain while your trying to sleep to prepare for tomorrows challenges.
In the study, they suggest that at first, yes, alcohol will help you fall asleep sooner and may even help you sleep through those first few hours. It is the second half of your sleep that is affected. Heavy drinking near bedtime may cause you to toss and turn in those last few hours of sleep that you have. Have you ever woken up an hour or two before your alarm clock was supposed to ring and not been able to fall back asleep? This might be why.
The next day, you wake up groggy, unable to concentrate and maybe even a little moody.
“Moody? Who? Not me. I just haven’t had my coffee yet.”
I’m sure you’ve never said that. Yeah, me neither.
This is the recipe for another stressful day.
I want to introduce you to an easy, cheap and natural swap to that last alcoholic beverage to facilitate a better nights sleep tonight. And even if you don’t drink alcohol this is a perfect addition to your nightly routine. Maybe Monday won’t be so dreadful after all!
There are few things more soothing than a hot cup of tea, especially in this cold January month. Chamomile tea is made from the chamomile herb, which comes from a flowering plant from the daisy plant. I have been drinking this tea for the past few weeks before bed and have never slept so good in my life. No more tossing and turning for me. Tomorrows stresses can wait.
Not only can this tea possibly help you sleep better but it is also reported to help fend off the common cold through its antibacterial properties too; just in time for flu season!
My favorite is the TAZO: Calm Chamomile. Along with chamomile flowers it also contains hibiscus flowers, spearmint leaves, rose petals, lemongrass, blackberry leaves, turmeric, peppermint leaves, sarsaparilla root, lemon balm leaf and licorice root.
As the box reads…
Try drinking any variety of chamomile tea 30 minutes before bed tonight and you will be out like a light! (You can find the tea bags at most of your local grocers.)
(Side Note. Just an FYI, drinking chamomile during pregnancy or for those on blood thinners is not recommended. So mommy’s-to-be, I’m sorry I don’t have an answer for you.)
Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. Matthew 6:34
Happy Sunday and Good Health!
Happy 2013
Hi there! Happy Saturday! I hope 2013 has been wonderful so far!
Just 7 more weeks and I be will finished with my internship and then ready to study for and pass the RD exam! It is such and amazing feeling. Currently, my mind is still spinning from the amount of information I have taken in (and stored somewhere hopefully!) these past few months. This is one of the quickest programs in the nation but you better believe we are not discounted a single concept!
Dustin and I had a wonderful end to 2012. Thanksgiving came and left just as fast. I was disappointed that I wasn’t able to be with my mom in the kitchen for the third year in a row now but hopefully one day Dustin and I will be able to figure out our schedule so that I am; that is one of my favorite things to do. You all know that I cook often but that doesn’t mean I’m a great or even good cook. I still have a lot to learn and the only way to learn is by spending time in the kitchen with those who do know! Nothing better than chopping, shredding and dicing plus conversation with the ones we love!
We were able to spend a lot of time with Dustin’s family over Christmas break, which was awesome. Dustin’s parents could and should write a book titled, “How to Live a Happy Life.” As the stresses and pressures of life enter our daily worlds, somehow they manage to disregard the negative and always focus on the positive (must be where Dustin gets it from ;)). They are the type of people that you feel better just by being around them. They are such a blessing in my life.
Some of our holiday festivities…
Christmas eve with Dustin’s grandmother.
Christmas eve with my sisters.
With my mom and sisters at the Fox for Atlanta Ballet’s Nutcracker;
my favorite holiday Tradition.
Christmas night in the mountains.
Dustin and I rang in the New Year a little differently this year. In years past, NYE parties were penciled in months in advance. This year, however, we celebrated the closing of 2012 and the welcoming of 2013 on our couch, with a home cooked meal, watching the Clemson vs. LSU game because I had to work New Year’s Day. We were able to share many laughs, memories and conversations, just the two of us. We discussed our accomplishments of 2012 and our expectations for 2013. We were and are given so much and have so much to be thankful for.
As for 2013, I am trying to leave my schedule as open as possible right now. You all know that these past 3 years have been a whirlwind, in an incredible way of course! They have been educational to say the least. My plans as of TODAY 😉 are to graduate in 7 weeks, dive heavily into studying for the RD exam, take and pass the exam to obtain my registration (wahoo!!) and take my time in finding the job that is right for me. If Dustin has taught me anything, it is that no amount of money can buy happiness; we must find happiness in each and everyday and working the wrong job won’t allow for that.
We spent our New Years Day evening on the beach…
Certainly a first, hopefully not a last!
At Mayo, a part of the internship is an Elective Week where we get to choose to spend time wherever we want. I have selected (an been accepted back) by an incredible Nutrition Journalist in the Atlanta area. She has authored a nutrition book (check it out), writes a column for the AJC, appears on many television segments and the list goes on an on. She is such an inspiring lady and I know that I will learn more than imaginable working with her in two weeks.
Some of you may not know that before I returned to school to complete my nutrition degree, I graduated with a Communication Arts (Broadcasting/Journalism) first. It was during my broadcasting internship that I decided I wouldn’t be happy reporting the news for the rest of my life, but health? Yes, I could do that. Unfortunately for me, all of the health reporters I studied were either RDs or MDs. Back to school for me! My time at Mayo has really pulled out my love for nutrition communications/ journalism again. I guess that’s pretty obvious considering I started this blog about 3 years ago, months before I returned to school, spending a lot of my time writing about nutrition. Funny how life works, isn’t it?
These next seven weeks are going to be no less busy than the earlier months considering we have three large projects due the week of graduation. However, I’m going to try to keep my head screwed on straight because I know March 1 will be here before I know it!
I hope you all are having a wonderful first weeknd of 2013. I pray this year is a blessing to each of you!
Good health!
Life Lately
Hi friends! Holy moly! Long time no chat! I certainly miss you. Only five posts since starting my internship back in July, and one of those was a guest post written by the hubs. Weak. So weak.
So much has happened, even since my last post when I was just finishing up my food service rotation at Mayo. To date, I just finished my first of two clinical rotations covering everything from cardiology to hepatology to oncology. Needless to say, I have learned more in the past seven weeks in my clinical rotations than I think I have in my entire life. Mayo is such an incredible place. I am currently working with a research team of three doctors, my director, and myself conducting nutrition related research at the Donna 26.2 marathon in February.
Anyways, enough about me and on to bigger news! Since my last post, the hubby accepted a job scouting for the Seattle Mariners! I am so happy for and proud of him. Since signing his contract he has been on the go, go, go non-stop. It is the perfect scenario and opportunity for him. God certainly had a plan all along but we all knew that. While things still remain uncertain for the future, a little more of the plan has been revealed. Remember when I was leaning heavily toward the Bastyr internship…in SEATTLE? Ha! Life is funny!
Another funny story. A few days before Dustin was offered the job, I ordered him a Nike “HAIRitage” shirt. As I was looking through all of the players faces, I had NO idea on which one to order. So, like any baseball expert would do, instead of picking best player, I picked the one with the craziest hair: Randy Johnson of the Seattle Mariners.
It came in the mail just a few days after Dustin accepted the job with the Mariners. So ironic.
Also since my last post, in other HUGE news, my brother married his beautiful wife! We spent an amazing weekend in Charleston, SC. If you’ve followed this blog at all you know that family is of utmost importance to me, and rarely is my ENTIRE family under one roof. In Charleston, that happened. It was incredible. To me, there is seriously nothing better than hearing the laughter, conversation and happiness of family radiate throughout one house. I absolutely love coming from a large family and extending it through marriage is a true blessing. God truly blessed my brother and family, bringing my brothers new bride, Jodi, into our lives.
Life has been pretty routine down here: work, gym, dinner, sleep. Cooking for one is an adjustment; I even wrote a post on cooking for one way back when. Little did I know I would be soon taking my own advice. Lots of baked/broiled veggies, veggie burgers and small amounts of tofu have been my go-tos.
Yoga and Bodypump are keeping be busy at night. Without the pups, long walks have haulted. They are staying with Dustin’s parents until Dustin gets off the road. The amount I am currently working, left too little time to fairly care for my sweet pups. I seriously miss them everyday. I keep telling Dustin they are going to forget who I am. He promises they won’t.
Wild. Things. I think to say they are having fun would be an understatement.
I’m working tomorrow but have today off, so I plan on enjoying this time, working a little this morning (preparing for my bariatric rotation starting Monday), yoga in a few hours, grocery store and then beach! No complaints here!
I hope you have a happy Saturday too!
Good health!
Faith
“Faith is not believing that God can, it’s knowing that he will.”
Throughout these past few years, very few things have been constant in my life. Becoming a young wife; living in Orlando; living with other couples; graduating college; Dustin leaving baseball; going back to school for a second degree; living in a very familiar, yet completely different town; becoming a vegetarian/vegan; knowing Dustin as a student and not a student athlete; again, being a wife; being a dog owner; becoming a yoga instructor; completing a marathon; moving to Jacksonville; interning at Mayo and the list goes on and on…all still seem very new to me. However, there is one thing that has been steady this entire time: God’s love, guidance, and protection for me.
Honestly, I have no idea what tomorrow holds. Where will I work once I pass the RD exam? Will Dustin accept a job away from Jacksonville? So many questions run through my mind on a daily basis. The only certainty in that is that I will be a Florida resident until March 1, after that, who knows where, what or when?
One day last week, as I was leaving Mayo, a bolt of joy rushed through my mind. All I could think about was how much I loved my life. Over and over, one sentence rolled through my thoughts, “God is so good.” While I sat in Statesboro just a few months ago, again clueless of what tomorrow would hold, God knew exactly where He was sending me and why. What have I done to deserve this amazing life? Nothing. What have I done to deserve a husband that loves me more and more as the days go by? Nothing. What have I done to deserve a life of happiness, accomplishment, and affection? Absolutely nothing. I have done nothing but accepted Jesus into my heart; He did it all. By his hands, I am healed.
Last summer, if you followed along then, you may remember reading that one of my summer goals was to read the Bible in 365 days. While I didn’t meet this goal exactly (365 days have gone by and I’m still reading), this goal at least got me reading more. Monday through Friday I wake up about 15 minutes earlier than I would to spend time with God, reading his words and talking to Him about this life. It’s amazing the clarity that I am able to receive in just this 15-minute time span. There, I am able to gain strength to face the day because I know, without Him, I am not near strong enough. It’s amazing the peace He delivers even when life is so confusing.
Anyways, just wanted to share my tid-bid on faith; He’s pretty incredible. I hope all is well your way. This is my last week in my Food Service rotation… wow, time is flying! I head to Austin, Texas this weekend to celebrate a dear friend as she ties the knot in just a few short weeks!
Have a wonderful night!
Good health!
To Write or Not to Write
Hi there! Happy Tuesday. I have the day off, besides a meeting this morning, so I am catching up on house work, sleep, projects and am about to take the pups for a beach walk… they are so excited they can’t stand it! It looks like it is going to rain but I guess it’s okay to get wet at the beach!
All is well down here, still busy, finishing up my last two weeks in the Food Service rotation of the internship… and then on to Clinical! Last week I planned the lunch for the entire Mayo Cafe… an exciting yet nerve-racking experience.
As you could imagine, I wanted everything to go perfectly…and it did for the most part. I was extremely happy with the turn out. I even pleased the vegetarians, something hard to do (I would know ;-)) I did serve many meat dishes but had multiple vegetarian options too, considering the theme of my meal was the Mediterranean region.
Other than staying busy at Mayo, studying, cooking, working out and exercising the pups, that’s all I’ve been up to. I keep going back and forth whether or not to continue to write this blog, but I’ve decided that I don’t have to make a definite decision. I will write when I can and won’t when I can’t. I apologize for the randomness of that but even though I enjoy writing so much, my focus right now is doing my best and giving my best at Mayo. I hope you all have a fabulous week!
Good health!
I like to move it, move it.
It’s Friday! Whaoo! This week was awesome while at the Clinic, but as I mentioned earlier, not to good on the health front. No exercise + Messed up eating patterns = An unhappy Ashley.
I totally get it now. I used to get so frusturated when people told me that “they didn’t have time to exercise.” My answer was no, you don’t want to have time to exercise. And while I still believe that 95% true, I now understand that while we may be able to make the time (if we honestly want to), exhaustion plays a larger role in failing to exercise… for me anyways. Running on five hours or less of sleep sucks all motivation I may have had to workout into the wind. Next week my schedule is a little different, so I will definitely be taking full advantage of my morning workouts again. On that note, I want to give you a guest post, written by my incredibly driven, over-achieving, never tired, full of energy, highly motivated husband to give you his take on exercise. Maybe he can spark a little fire in you, like he has me for the past six years. His passion for exercise is similar to mine for nutrition, just to give you a heads up 😉 While I was drinking mimosas on our wedding day, he was doing this…
Here goes…
Fitness and exercise are two things people usually have a love/hate relationship with. People want to be fit without having to exercise. Some people love running or lifting weights, while others despise it. Some people hate it but still do it anyway. I want to tell you that you can enjoy your fitness regimen and reap the benefits of it as well.
Here’s the key: you have to tailor your workouts/cardio with activities that you enjoy doing and also that work best for you. For me, I love intense, heart pumping workouts. Because of this, I try to keep my rest low when working out while the keeping the intensity high. I enjoy lifting as much weight as possible and pushing my body its utmost limits, therefore, that’s what I do. Some people may hate running or hate lifting heavy weights. My advice to these people is DON’T DO IT! You don’t have to in order to stay in shape. It’s your workout: your in charge of it; if you don’t like doing extensive amounts of cardio, find something alternative, it’s as simple as that. For example, tabata training (4 minute fat blasting cardio that has shown equivalents to jogging for up to 45 minutes) would be a better choice or… If you enjoy running and hate lifting weights then run more and lift less.
The point I am trying to make is really just to be active. Find something that you enjoy doing and go do it. You will feel better each and every day; meeting your exercise/activity goals will give you a sense of accomplishment.
And now to those of you who often find yourselves saying, “I just don’t have time to workout or run.” Yes you do: your health should take priority in your life, if not, the time you saved by not exercising will be taken away come the end of your life. Make it a goal/priority to do something active every single day: whether it be jogging/walking with your dogs, yoga, a fitness class, weight lifting or a vigorous workout, just find a way to be active.
Would you fill up your car with gas if it was low? Yes. Would you go to the grocery store if you didn’t have food? Yes. In that same respect, shouldn’t we work the muscles in our bodies (remember your heart is a muscle) in order to keep them properly running as well? Yes.
Find a way to be active even if its just something as simple as taking the stairs instead of the elevator or parking in the “cheap seats” at the grocery store and walking a little further. Some days you are able to do more than others, but as long as you’re always doing something your body will thank you. You owe it to yourself and your well being to be active and take care of yourself. I’ll leave you with 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 to think about as well.
“Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.”
Time for me to get busy, right!? Anyways, I hope that helps bring you the motivation you need to get back on track like it does me. Have a wonderful, wonderful weekend!
Good health,
Busy as a Bee
Hi friends! Just checking in.
As you can tell, things are extremely busy but I’m loving every moment of it…okay, okay so maybe not my 5:30 am report time (that’s a 4 am wake up call!) but I’m learning so much, meeting so many incredible people and trying to take it all in at the same time. Between weddings, bachelorettes, and Mayo, my sleep habits, or lack there of, are struggling slightly, but as time goes on I know I will get into a routine and things will continue on perfectly. When I was in high school my mom would say, “Ashley, you just need to get some sleep.” My response was always the same, “Mom, I’ll sleep when I’m dead.” Now I see why she told me that…to prepare for times like these! My response now, “I’ll sleep in eight months?” No, really, I’m going to work on this 🙂
Haha, an old and cheesy picture but it sure would feel nice to curl up in those PJs right about now 😉
Workouts have been slacking greatly too which really disappoints me (squeezed one in Monday, had to skip yesterday, thirty minute dog walk today), but again, once I get into a routine, things will fall into place again. A 3:30 am workout just isn’t going to cut it right now when I am not able to hit the pillow until 11 pm. Maybe next week? Coffee and tea have become mandatory as you could imagine.
Myself and the two other interns went to dinner with the older class of interns Monday night and it was so comforting to hear the words, “You can do this!” as they explained that it was overwhelming for them to begin with as well, but with time, we will figure it out. I already knew that but isn’t it funny how when someone else tells you something it’s so much more believable?
Anyways, just wanted to let you know that things are going well; it’s hard to believe the amount that I have to learn in the next 7-8 months but it will be done! I am loving my field more and more everyday 🙂 Hope all is well for you too! Talk to you soon? I hope!
Good health!
Day 1 = A Success!
Day one at Mayo was certainly a success, although I am definitely going to have to get used to this whole schedule thing again (haha, I say that after only one day)! The 4:45 am alarm came pretty early this morning but since I was excited about the day, I seemed to bounce right out of bed. After a 45 minute workout (I think I’ve told you that I CAN’T workout at night or it simply doesn’t happen), breakfast,a shower and coffee, I was out the door and Mayo bound. 🙂
Today was simply an orientation day (for all new employees, not just dietetic interns) where we learned all things Mayo; it was awesome to be surrounded by other people who are as excited about their given opportunity as I am mine. I finally got to meet the two other interns as well and am beyond thrilled to know that I will be in good company 🙂
Along with the massive amount of information that I learned today, I also learned something else: that I have no idea how mom’s do it. Since arriving home (after running a few errands first) I have cleaned our house, cooked dinner, made breakfast for tomorrow, walked the pups, fed the pups, got the mail and now it’s already almost 9 pm and I still have to do a little studying before my head meets the pillow. No I understand the quote, “living for the weekend.” I also understand, now more than ever, the importance of working a job that you love because if not, you will spend the majority of your life doing things that you don’t want to do. And I certainly don’t want to do that.
Anyways, just wanted to check in…I hope your day was spectacular as well. I have another orientation day tomorrow and then it’s time to dive in to the nutrition realm! I’m beyond excited.
Good health!
So Long Summer Break
Good morning and happy Sunday!
Not sure if I ever thought this day would come, but today marks my last day of my “summer break” and tomorrow marks the start of a career I’ve been working toward for the past few years. I am beyond thrilled to start my internship at the Mayo Clinic TOMORROW morning at 7:30 am.
The past few months have been nothing short of amazing, as Dustin and I got to spend time in various cities with family and friends and just enjoy life. I’m excited to get back on a schedule and continue working toward my goals.
As summer vacay comes to a wrap, it’s time to get my ducks in a row and prepare for what the next eight months hold. First stop: COSTCO.
Nothing helps me feel more prepared to take on the week (and excites me) more than a fully stocked kitchen…
Dustin and I were members at Costco back in the baseball playing days, but when we moved back to GA we never rejoined. I guess there is something about living in FL and us being members there? Who knows. We felt the time was right and made our way back to that mosterous place since it is just a few miles from our house. Since Dustin and I eat relatively the same foods every week (minus veggies), grocery shopping there makes sense. There were only a few items that I had to run in Publix for, like unsweetened Almond milk and Ezekiel bread, but other than that, we were good to go. We even found a few goodies there too, like the center picture above. I’ve been wanting to make Stuffed Grape Leaves for a while after enjoying them so much at the St. Augustine farmers market, but when we saw them at Costco, they looked too good to turn down. They would be so easy to make though: grape leaves, brown rice, tomatoes, red peppers, olive oil, and a few more ingredints: I think I can handle that.
Anyways, today I plan on listening to North Point Community Church Online, running a few more errands to prepare for tomorrow, enjoying a long run with the hub and pups, and maybeee laying on the beach for a few hours. We will see what all gets done. Have a wonderful and blessed Sunday!
Good health!
Happy July!
Hi friends… sorry for my absenteeism! Life is busy but grand 🙂 Just wanted to check in and let you know that yes, I am still alive, just still trying to get organized, situated, and spending time with my brother and Jodi, while they are visiting us here in Jax. Oh yeah, and we finally got the Internet today too!
Here are few photos of our fourth of July fun!
Cullen and Jodi biking through Ponte Vedra Beach.
Have a great weekend! Talk to you soon!
Good health!
Hungry for More 
