Cranberry & Water Are Better Than Drugs

Today I have been the ultimate NON-picture of health: I talked on my cell phone while driving, I didn't eat until 9pm at night cause I ran out of time, I cut short social situations, I parked as close as possible to buildings to save time and my heels.......(but on second thought I did get in a 3 mile run and 2 hours doing yard and house work....)

....however the other day I was pretty darn proud of my health treatment choice. Now this is probably TMI (Too Much Information), but I am incredibly prone to UTIs (urinary tract infections). Really UTIs have been pretty regular friends of mine throughout my entire life aka I'm oh so fortunate to have a visit from a UTI every year or so. Individuals that are predisposed to UTIs have to be even more careful about getting regular fluids to flush the system, not sitting in sweaty or wet clothes after working out/swimming, monitoring hygiene and potential negative exposures in the lower region, using caution and cleanliness about sex, etc. UTIs tend to be bacterial, which the good news for that means they can readily be treated with antibiotics.....however I swear to you that antibiotics are not necessary.....

Now a few interesting facts of note: 1) when I was a vegan I never had issues with UTIs at all 2) I'm so in tune to my fabulous friend that I can usually feel it coming on before it gets too incredibly painful and 3) even with my regular visitation, the last time I went to the doctor to be diagnosed/treated for a UTI was almost 15 years ago.

How do I get rid of it you might be wondering? Well its a combo of:

Image from here.

AND

Image from here.
And one more thing, but it's even more TMI and I'll explain in a bit.

Who needs antibiotics when all I have to do is drink a full bottle of pure cranberry juice and a TON of water? Works much faster in my case, as I'm almost always fully recovered within 8-12 hours. (The extra trick is to, uh, rinse the general "exit" area with water, so that you're flushing the system internally via increased fluid intake and also "flushing" away from the urethra. I know, you really wanted to know that, but I swear it helps and it makes you pee even more.) ;)

This all came up because I woke up on Tuesday having to urinate constantly and with general discomfort. Sometimes if it's just starting I can ward it off by seriously increasing my water intake, but 5 large glasses of water later I hadn't felt much improvement. Hub, always the trooper in these situations, headed to the store for some cranberry juice and some back up Gatorade (although it has lots of sugar in it, which you want to decrease sugar with infections). By 1pm the bottle of cranberry juice, 5 more glasses of water, and half a Gatorade had been consumed......and by 2pm I was back to regular. Over the last few days I've continued to monitor fluid intake to keep the system flushed out and have been more mindful of my preventative behaviors.

But I always prefer a situation where I can avoid the antibiotic, especially when an easier fix is so readily available. I can't guarantee it'd work for you, but if find yourself with a UTI coming on, it's at least worth a shot.....

Confessions

One of my Army spouse gals just wrote a post on Confessions and asked some of the rest of us to join in, so I thought I'd oblige her, even if it's just cause I miss her and even if many of my recent confessions might be more like environmental downfalls ;) Haha. The other fun part of this is that it reminded me of when hub and I were getting married...I sent him an email with a list of the things I was afraid of having someone else know about my daily habitats and living tendencies!

So without further ado, a list of my recent and maybe past confessions:

1) My green journey has taken a somewhat dive: I've turned on the AC at night, we forget to use our tote bags almost 90% of the time, we use paper towels, my tampons aren't organic and I failed at the Diva cup, the food garden feels like more of a hobby than a necessity, I scrubbed the shower with harsh chemicals two weeks ago, and (sigh) hub has sprayed chemicals on some of our weeds. I'm not entirely sure what's happening to us....I still love the planet, I still want to be sustainable, we still make strides more than many, but I think living in the South sort of disenfranchised my heart a bit to feel like it's going to make much difference. Although it's not that I don't care....because I most definitely do.

2) I have to take a daily shower, and usually it happens at night in order to save time in the mornings. Plus somehow I feel like it keeps my sheets cleaner for longer, since I go to bed clean then. ;) (Although side note: for the last few years I've become a night time sweat-er....so I'm not so sure how well this theory works anymore!)

3) When people ask for a word to describe oneself, I almost always choose eclectic or contradictory. I'm a small town girl with big city tendencies. I'm a hippy chick from a log town. I love all things international yet with nationalistic pride. I'm big on peace and anti-war, yet believe in the need for our military and its troops. And all this also transfers over to my professional life. People tell me that my resume is impressive and it is, but I also have had a lot of very different jobs already. My main professional experience could be said to fall into social services, teaching, and research...but in a whole host of areas. I tend to like to work in the fields that I am most passionate about---adoptions, teaching, health, social justice, independent living skills, career and educational advancement, Latinos, international relations, environmental exposures, literacy, and veterans. I honestly expect to see a continual evolution of my professional fields....but who knows maybe I'll actually find a niche.

4) When I'm stressed (or PMSing), I clean and organize my surroundings like a maniac. When my surroundings are ordered, it makes the rest of life feel manageable too. I also like it to be quiet rather than loud for the same reasons. However this all also means that I'm not always the most wonderful person to live with.....

5) As much as I'm big on saving the dollar signs, when hub and I go on vacation we absolutely love to eat out. I'm not sure if this is because we want to soak up as much of the local flavor as possible, if we're just super lazy, or if it's because as kids we rarely ate out on vacays with our families....but regardless if we're away-from-home we're almost always in a restaurant if we have the budget available. This was incredibly apparent when we were down in our hometown over the long weekend: dinner out two nights at hubs favorite restaurants in town, evening pre-football game pizza and a separate lunch out with hubs fam, breakfast at our favorite lil country diner, pie with one of my gals, and at least two trips out for coffee. Beyond the dollars....my waistline also shows the effects.....

6) Since getting married, I have this irrational fear of putting on weight. I'm not sure if it's because a) my body type within my fam is predisposed to obesity b) the fact that hub is an incredible hottie and I feel I have to try to keep up c) the fact that hub has gotten a lot thinner in the last year d) that I feel I need to represent "health" since that's what I teach e) that I find it uncomfortable to sit when I feel extra inches piling up on my waist or f) that I'm too cheap to want to buy a whole new wardrobe if I do go up a size. Regardless of the reasons, in the last 2-3 years I feel a lot of internal pressure to stay the size that I am. This size is healthy for my body size and bone structure, but ironically it's also much thinner than where I was for several years in my life.

7) This last month I feel like I'm 30ish...in a good way, although it also makes me wonder if I'm selling out. I ordered the Pottery Barn bed, I'm researching a trade-in for my vehicle and paying off hub's truck, I'm planning on buying a new/used wedding band, we're talking about where we could take a "real" vacation in the next three years. Without getting overconfident (cause we're never certain!!), finances feel like they're failing into place a bit more. Hub and I pretty much function independently financially, each covering separate things, but I've reached that spot where I could actually completely function comfortably and financially solo... and its sort of a nice spot to finally have arrived at. However I feel guilty because I'm noticing a tendency to fill my life with "things" (albeit increased quality) and I'm not sure that's the direction I want to be moving in. Yet, it also means that my giving is increasing and for the first time ever I'm signing up for regular monthly giving to my charities of choice. This is something I'm still thinking on....and in the meantime hub's snapped me out of my 30ish facade by bringing up the idea of having his friend move in to an extra room... ;)

8) Three things are always on my heart even if I don't always let them consistently into my mind: adoption, equitable distribution/social justice, sustaining God's creation. In the midst of getting caught up in society's expectation of the World, sometimes I forget about the expectation of the Word and of the items that have been placed on my heart.

9) Of the new vehicles I'm looking at getting, they're all SUVs/crossovers. Although I'm being incredibly mindful of gas mileage, I'd really like something that would allow for me to haul both dogs and non-furry passengers. We're in the research and information gathering stage still and will need to sell off my Honda. Multiple little stages still, but the vehicles currently in the running: Subuaru Forester or Outback, Toyota Rav4 (prob with 4wd), or the GMC Terrain/Chevy Equinox. Feedback is always greatly appreciated.

10) Today I attended a training/retreat for the new job and one of the sessions I attended was about the five love language types as I've always wondered what my types actually are. Big surprise my LEAST love language is gifts aka I'm not a fan of receiving THINGS. ;) And then it was an almost even 3-way tie for the top scores of service, quality time, and touch. Touch has been a big one, as my family has always been big on giving love via touch but hub hates touch, which was an incredibly hard adjustment for me to our marriage (and still is at times.) Ironically even after almost 6 months back in Oregon though, I still have to mentally give myself permission or think about hugging or touching other people aka family and close friends....

Okay and a couple quick links:
I LOVE Flower Patch Farm Girl. She speaks to my heart. She's walking toward a Christ centered life. She's an adoptive parent x3. She's now a foster parent. She's a farm girl. She loves JCrew. She's hilarious. And most of all she's real. And she just posted a link to a video that her husband and her are in for their church that I think is great message to all of us. (They're Cory & Shannan...listed bottom right.)

If you want to know what it can be like for an adoptive parent, truly, really....then this post is fabulous. Adoption isn't always pretty....just like being a parent isn't always pretty, but even through the hate, the confusion, the extreme disruptive behaviors that can occur at times, kids need someone who is steadfast, who is full of love unconditional, who can compromise, who can give....and it ain't easy.

Be good, be real, be true, be confessing ;) Enjoy!

What I Am Into This Summer 2011

I just found this neat idea via SortaCrunchy and thought I'd attempt to use it although somewhat in retrospect. ;)

Hub and I are at home on the coast for the long Labor Day weekend, soaking up the slowness of our coastal days and just in time when I needed a break from feeling that I'm being overtaken by work. We attended our high school civil war football game last night, have gorged oursevles on several of our individual favorite hometown restaurants, and took the dogs on a beautiful beach trip this noon. It's hard to believe how much Labor Day weekend marks the transition from summer to fall here in the Pacific Northwest, but it's nice to feel that we're getting a final break before the rest of the madness that autumn will bring with it.

What I Am Into This: Summer 2011

On My Nightstand: Finally finished the Help, LOVED Winter Garden, enjoyed Dog's Purpose and The Dirty Life, and am now reading Crossing the Heart of Africa. Still have yet to finish Louisiana Women.

Also on my nightstand but not touched yet are,

Want To Read:
The Story of Stuff, Radical: Taking Back Your Faith from the American Dream, Deep Ecology, Where Men Win Glory, Mountain Beyond Mountains, and there are a few others

T.V. Show Worth Watching: Well last week we finally broke down and hub installed Direct TV with DVR, which means that NFL Sunday is about to take over the family room but that I also can watch fabulous episodes of my guilty What Not to Wear pleasure and fun things on HGTV. Other than that we're still wrapped into Netflix Instant episodes of Rescue Me aka male soap opera hour ;).......Oh but I did just find this interesting (albeit disturbing) show on OWN called Superskinny vs Supersize or something like that--might use it in class actually.

Movie I've Seen (in our out of the theater):

Honestly limited here as I've taken on my father's inability to sit through a whole movie..... This summer we saw Captain America in theatres---enjoyed it. And we just watched Ghost Town, which I thoroughly enjoyed.

In My Kitchen: We've had green beans and zukes coming out our ears, and the veggie bin in the fridge hasn't been empty all summer. I've given in and admitted to now loving salmon, so hub's salmon cakes are much relished when we're willing to fork over the cash to make them. Other favorites from the summer include the maple/coconut flake/cream cheese frosting carrot-cake hub made me for my bday and the pasta salad I made for lunch the last few weeks.

In My Ears: Newly in love with Citizen Cope and Florence & The Machine has been my summer love. Other than that I feel like we're mainly tuning into the country radio stations in the car or in the kitchen.

Newest Blog/Internet Reads:

The newest bloggers I've found are the ones mentioned in my previous post: SortaCrunchy and Keeper of the Home. Although most my internet reads these days have to do with VA news and related websites, or links from the organizations I "follow" via FB. The funniest blog post I saw this summer was definitely from The Bloggess....hub and I have seen numerous large metal chicken decor items and I swear I might just have to get one for our yard...And I've also recently loved this fabulous reminder from one of my favorite bloggers, Flowerpatch Farmgirl.

What I'm Looking Forward to Next Month:

Hopefully organization of schedule and resources.

Hub starting school.

Employee benefits & extra paycheck.

Delivery of our new bed!

Feel free to join in!

August is Drawing to a Close

This month of so much busyness is slowly coming to a close... We're heading over to a friend of mine's tonight to BBQ with her and her boyfriend, also allowing the gents time to watch football on TV and hopefully give us ladies time to chat openly. Its been a slow morning, which has been exactly what I needed after the past week. I'm pretty sure that hub's off hiking, which while I'm sorry to have missed the opportunity to go with him, I'm pretty sure that on this day he needed some time in the woods with just him and the dogs. Waking up to an empty house and no dog licks was just another moment of appreciation for the mornings when I do wake up to hub's and the dogs greetings.

The new job is going well although somewhat confusing. Its a new position without any groundwork really having been laid and with the potential upcoming displacement of control that some others have previously had. It has been and will more than likely continue to be an interesting transition of power, expectations, and assessment. I'm hopeful to be able to increase program development, but first have to bridge some of the lower-level issues and concerns. And somewhat related to this same topic: I just had the joyous opportunity of fielding the Army Reserve Recruiter at my front door, which left me in a position of attempting to network for my new job and also trying to communicate hub's disinterest.

The summer term wrapped up on Wednesday evening however and Thursday I finished grading finals and inputting grades. A portion of September will be used preparing for Fall Term, especially since I'm happily teaching double the load of what I've been teaching. The nice thing about my current jobs is that I feel (for the most part) that I'm well-suited for both of them, and ta-da, I have benefits on the way! Yea for again having health care! Not that we usually need it, but it's nice to have at least for emergency situations. Additionally the increase in finances will be nice. We can finally pay off the truck, save money for at least 4 months of living expenses, and I can start really hacking away at my graduate loans.

A few additional things as of late:

--I just finished reading a book suggested by my cousin, A Dog's Purpose. Hilarious and sad all at the same time, and an amazingly fast read. If you love your dog, it's a must-read.

--A week late, I finally finished The Help, with mixed reviews on my part. I felt the book could have been equally as good with at least 100 less pages, and many parts of it broke my heart over the fact that racism, stereotyping, and social injustice are still so equally practiced throughout our nation today. The fact that in some ways we have come "far," yet the reality that there is still SO far to go....is just so sad. Ironically the topic of judgment came up frequently during my trip home this month and it actually came up in separate conversations with very different people. I have a horrible habit of becoming much more judgmental of all others the more insecure I am in my own life, and somehow the older I get the worse I am at forgetting the "plank in my own eye" when I focus on the "speck" in another's. Definitely something for me to be working on, especially as I move into my new position, where stereotyping and judgment is very much practiced at times.

--Next month's book for club is Crossing the Heart of Africa by Julian Smith, if you care to read along. It was my pick and I hope it turns out to be an alright read. I found it originally at Powell's in the airport, always have a love for Africa, and its by a Portland author.

--Hub and I are in the market for a new bed. I know, I know....the environmentalist and non-consumer-oriented part of me feels incredibly guilty! Didn't we just buy a new bed a year or so back you ask? And unfortunately the answer is yes....and unfortunately I strongly dislike our Ikea bed and hub strongly dislikes our Ikea mattress, never mind the fact that the slats under the bed have had issues for over a year encouraging the mattress to fall through...... Ikea's cheapness we've come to realize is great for some things and was a great fast fix when we needed it, but it wasn't the smartest purchase I've ever made. Even though I'm ashamed to admit I fell into the buy and dump consumption, I'm not going to lie...we're ready for some quality AND I'm pretty positive we can sell what we have for re-use on Craigslist. SO...we're focusing on quality of products. I've been eyeing the Sumatra Pottery Barn bed for two years, and a new cheaper II version was released in the last year. When we moved in we received a 10% off coupon for PB in the mail, which I'd intend to use to further reduce the cost. The reviews on the bed are mixed (solid but soft wood--easily can scratch) and hub and I have made several trips to check it out. It's definitely more sturdy and of a style that should be fitting for years. Hub also got a coupon off the internet for a local mattress store. (My "green" focus tends to be health considerations, hub's latest focus is local.) The mattress is made by a local company, made from about 90% USA materials (including recycled components), is guaranteed for 15 years, and the box spring should be able to be ordered to specification. We tested them out last weekend....and seriously had fun flopping and rolling on about 10-15 different beds! ;) We still haven't made any final decisions or attempted any orders.....but my PB coupon is only good until October! ;)

--The garden continues to grow although I, ahem, made the wrong choice on chopping the lettuce back and it died. We're also having issues with the zukes and pumpkin plants dying off, so I'm not expecting too many more of either category. The kiwi continues to go crazy, although without any fruit on it this year. The turnips will not be returning to the raised beds next year as they've taken over everything, and the tomatoes are just now starting to turn. Most our berries are done, the carrots are harvest ready, and Roxi decided to explore amongst one lower bed and flattened the rest of the onions.... Honestly we need to get to work on the rest of the actual yard....as it's starting to look like renters live here ;)

--This month also marked dropping money on two big but necessary purchases, which are some of the ones that I refuse to accept anything but quality: tires and bras ;) The car got decked out in 4 new 85,000 mile tires for a good price from America's Tire Company (cost comparison put these 85k tires at the same cost as 40k tires from Les Schwab, which is the company I've gone with in the past). And the "girls" got decked out in splurges from Nordies---now yes, $50-80 a piece is a lot to spend on one lil item of "clothing," but there's nothing quite like a legit bra that makes sure your boobs are covered and where they should be in perkiness and location! Honestly, a good appropriate bra especially with a proper fitting, in my belief, is the foundation for any outfit and only helps make sure that a gal looks her best. I'm sure my thoughts on boobs and bras, could be an entire posting in itself however, but here's an article on it from TLC Style. ;) Uh and awesomeness: have old still functional bras that you want to pass on? Send them to the Bra Recyclers!!!

I suppose that's mainly it, although Heather at Townsend House, just shared this blogger and I love her to bits: Keeper of the Home and she had this post Because Sometimes I Get Tired of Healthy, Natural Living  at Simple Organic.

Hope everyone has been well! Besos y abrazos!

And Full Swing Continues

At this point I'm pretty sure that June and July were months of hesitation because August was going to be packed! So many amazing things this month and also some incredibly trying times too.

Our whirlwind trip with our friends from Chicago was packed and full of minimal hours of sleep. It was amazing to have them here and our two hubs were seriously ecstatic to spend so much time together. Beyond floating the river, we also took them over to the family beach house:

Their week trip wrapped up with a trip to Multnomah Falls and dinner out at one of our favorite funky Cajun restaurants here in the PNW. They both appear to be PNW converts, even if they have to stay living in the windy city.

The week during their stay included a breakfast with another visiting friend and was the bridal shower for my gal N, which went off wonderfully well. The food, decor, guests, and games all intermingled well, and it was wonderful to see the bride-to-be feel the love and appreciation from all of us in her life. She's an amazing woman who gives so freely to others and has dedicated her life to helping other people improve their situations, thus it was a total honor to be able to coordinate an event to let her know how much people adore and respect her for who she is and for who she will become. That week also marked the completion of my online training.

The end of that whole week marked a difficult time emotionally for me, as several realizations about my own life situation and marriage took place. Somewhere in there I celebrated my 29th birthday, marked by an entire day of purposely doing just about absolutely nothing. Hub was wonderful due to the fact that amidst his own frustrations and hesitations, he did still shower me with respect and care. This year he made a carrot cake that included coconut maple cream cheese frosting and took me out to dinner for sushi. The year 28 transitions easily into 29.

After a few days in which I needed to be present in Portland still, I attended my volunteer training session for the Portland to Coast event, met up with my bride-to-be for some good conversation and wedding related shopping, and then stopped by Granny's for a few hours on my way out of town to my parents. And let me tell you---a few days on the coast attending church, socializing with some of my dearest high school pals, a further drive down the coast to visit with another like-family gal and her kiddos, and love and support from Mom and Dad is all enough to mend one's soul and strengthen one's resolve and pride. Late night conversations with two of my dearest gals curled up on a bed just like we were 16 again did much to restore my belief in life time friends and in the beauty, compassion, vision, and pride in myself. These are the types of moments that Hollywood lives for and that we're lucky to have appear in our normal existence. After four days at home, I headed back to attempt to make my own house again feel like a home.

This last week has been filled with date-like moments with the hub among a whirlwind of other events. We hosted our neighbors for dinner. Wednesday was the last teaching session of the summer and this Wednesday is the final exam. Thursday I interviewed for the new part-time position, was offered the job on Friday, and I start training tomorrow. Thursday evening was the first book (& wine) club and it lived up to every bit of my hopes and expectations (even if I didn't quite finish all 500 pages of The Help). I am loving this group of gals and hope that the ties continue to grow over the coming months. Friday the hub and I spent a great afternoon downtown together which included buying him new (locally produced from Keen) hiking boots, checking out potential new beds and mattresses (Ikea was not a good idea on that account), and concluded with happy hour at Jake's Crawfish (AMAZING drinks and cheap, delish food). Saturday was filled with a full day's float down the Clackamas River with my family, hub's friend, and another couple friends of my cousins. It was a BEAUTIFUL day (we just finally broke 90 degrees for the first time this summer), and I ended the day with a girls dinner out with a visiting friend and her other Portland gals.

Amongst the craziness, my visit home left me restored and for the first time in a long time, I went to church two weeks in a row. Hub and I attended a new church last evening with my cousin and her husband. Spiritually he and I are in different places, but for the first time in a long time I walked out of a new church service feeling like I could be at home there. One thing I've been coming to realize is how difficult it can be to remain steadfast in the midst of uncertainty and newness, yet there are definitely some places I'd like to get back to, even if they are just places and values that are deep inside of me. I'm constantly in awe of God's provision this summer, as each time we've started to feel any sort of a pinch financially, a new financial opportunity has presented itself. Amongst the uncertainty I keep remembering to give and it seems that God continues to provide. I've started to pray again, a bit more regularly, and while I feel that my life is maybe in a period of editing and revision, I am hopeful that some of my old tendencies and beliefs will be returning. Especially as life heads even more into a period of full swing.

If there's one thing that most of you long-term readers have probably noticed, its that my blog gets really quiet when my internal life and thoughts become uncertain. So much for authenticity, eh? :) Although that's probably as authentically me as possible--pull it in and pull it home til it greats straightened out again. Please know that all of you regular readers (that I'm aware of) and friends, were definitely crossing my heart and mind in the interim---hope that y'all have been well!

Life is in Full Swing

So much for those weeks with hints of dissatisfaction about life feeling too slow. The last two weeks haven't had much "free" time whatsoever, but much of it has been pretty enjoyable! So until I have time to officially write a legit post, some pictures and quick updates:

Granny's Officially ONE HUNDRED!

Party went off fabulously and she had over 100 people come by the open house to greet her. She stood for about three hours in the reception line and was still going with more energy than most of us even after the family BBQ that followed her official party. :) Other highlights to her birthday included a tour of the OSU Beaver football stadium and a meet-n-greet with their head coach (she's an avid sports fan!), and a trip to the beach house with family and her visiting prior exchange student who is here from Costa Rica. No doubt all her celebrations will continue throughout the entirety of this month. We are so blessed to have her!

On Tuesday afternoon I had an amazingly perfect afternoon visit with a friend of mine from high school who I have remained in contact with off and on. She just had her second baby and lives within 20 minutes of us, so I headed over with a few things for her and the kiddos. The visit and her girls were amazing---no facades, just us, catching up and being ourselves. It was the perfect afternoon.

On Wednesday hub and I picked up his friends from Chicago. It's been a whirlwind trip so far but one highlight occurred on Thursday afternoon when we floated the Clackamas River:

A few other escapades in the days since then and many to-dos crossed off the list. The to-do list is finally almost under control however :) On my heart and mind the last few days: the 31 lost lives in the helicopter crash in Afghanistan yesterday.

And now I'm off to host the bridal shower!

Hope y'all have been well!