EARTH!

Who doesn't love it? I sure do. The nice thing about being green, is that it also can improve your health. One more perk (to me) about moving back to Iowa City, is that everything around the University is in walking distance. I take the bus to work. Some days it gets old waiting for the bus, but it feels good to be one less person driving to work everyday, and while I understand this isn't possible for everyone I know there is more we can all do.

A University program called liveWELL put together some ideas on how to be kind to our Earth and ourselves at the same time. And so I will like to share them.

• Cooking at home. Make sure the meal contains at least one colorful vegetable.
  
• I am sure lots of you already cook at home, which is awesome! The goal then is to 'green' up your meals. This entails checking the ingredients on what you buy.
  
• Shop local! This is a major investment for your health as well. Typically things that are local are also in season. That means they did not travel miles, therefore less fossil fuel was used to get them to your table. Also, they are much fresher which = more nutrient dense. Really, everyone wins when you buy local produce.
  
• Bulk purchasing and bulk preparation. Bulk preparation is good for your health in that it helps you have better control of your portion sizes. Bulk purchasing ensures that less packaging is being used. Another plus is that buying is bulk is also a great money saver. Woohoo!
  
• Drink more water! Most of us mistake hunger for thirst. Take a reusable bottle to work and start drinking more water. Your body will love you for it.
  
• Use reusable containers to pack your lunch, bring cloth napkins and your own silverware.
  
• Take the stairs! Great for your health and you will be saving the energy it takes to run the elevator. 

So, there you have it. Some ways to get healthy and treat our Earth kindly. 

"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change 
the world. Indeed, it's the only thing that ever has."- Margaret Mead

What to (hair) do?!

Okay, I'm stuck. I do not know what to do with my hair. I have an appointment tomorrow and I seriously debating one of these routes.

1. Cut it all off.
2. Go darker.
3. Bangs?
4. Stay the same.

I always told myself after the wedding it would all be gone. Well let's face it, the wedding was nearly 10 months ago and my hair hasn't gotten any shorter. That's for sure.

Why am I having such a hard time? Well, partly because I feel like I will never be able to have hair this long again. Seems silly, I know. So here I go. A list of pros and cons on long hair.....

PROS:

• Easy to pull back, and this may be just me but I think a long ponytail is much prettier.
• Being called a mermaid princess by your niece. I was thrilled on that one. Who doesn't want to be called/compared to a mermaid princess?
• I feel like it gives me more options for dolling myself up.

CONS:

• It takes forever and a day and a half to dry. For real.
• Okay, this one isn't really a con for me but I feel terrible for the girl cutting/coloring it. Well, never mind I guess it is kind of for me too because of the cost. It cost more to color, cut, shampoo ect....
• It's always getting caught in things. I feel like I lose it everywhere. It gets caught and ripped out somehow every day on the bus.
• Even if I do something with it, it usually ends up pulled back anyways.

So, my friends what should I do? Any suggestions? Help! I am just plain bored with my hair.

Cooper is getting a..........

Finally after weeks and weeks of waiting Nate and I are ready to make it blog official! Cooper is getting a........

YARD!

Finally, no more confinement to that awful leash! He will be free to run as he pleases. Nate and I are buying a home. We are finally through the approval process, we have a home picked and if all goes according to plan we will be moving in July. It works perfectly with our lease, but I am not going lie and say we didn't wish we could move sooner. But, we couldn't be more excited. 

So, that's it. Our big new is we are growing up just a little bit more and becoming homeowners!

Tissue Paper Bouquet

Last weekend one of my bestest friends, Megan got married. It was a ton of fun. She was absolutely stunning, no shock there. I made a tissue paper floral bouquet for her rehearsal and I wanted to share it with you. It took a little bit longer than anticipated but after all day Sunday and Tuesday evening it was finished. And wa-lah there you have it!

I've been thinking...

YOU MADE IT TO THE NEW BLOG!!!

Yet, another post this week. Yay me for making time to post! Now, to bombard you with a couple of my thoughts.

1.) A new blogsite. I believe I am about to move this blog. Infact, I know I am. I have been contemplating it for awhile, just because I am not to fond of the fact that our name is listed in the title this one.

So, click here to be taken to the new blog, and pretty puh-lease follow us there. I will be deleting this one soon, so I don't want you to miss out on anything. Also, you can enter your email address to recieve updates of when I publish. Plus Nate and I have a pretty awesome announcement and ya-ain't-gonna-wanna-miss-it!

2.) Information is power. Hopefully our friends and family are reading these posts, even if they aren't publically following. Therefore, I have asked Nate to do an occasional post about Chiropractic. I love it. He loves it. We both love all of you, so we feel it's important to give you the facts about Chiropractic healthcare and the awesomeness it has brought to our lives. I can honestly say I have never felt better!

So, please if you have any questions for him about Chiropractic ask away! Nate is ready for it.

3.) Just wanted to let you all know how excited I am for Easter. It's only the best holiday ever! Now only if all the candy wasn't so good.

4.) Writer's workshop. Not sure if you read my post on the rule I broke yesterday, but more of these may be coming. I have joined a writer's workshop and the goal is to do a post every Thursday from a set of writing prompts that is sent out weekly. It sounds fun to me. So hopefully you won't mind.

Alright, enough random thoughts. Click here agian for the link to the new blog, and have a wonderful blessed day!

The Rule I Broke

I was a pretty darn well-behaved child. Well, at least the way I remember it. Nate even laughs about it when he sees pictures and videos of me when I was younger. Always smiling, listening and quite the helper. Now as an adolescent and as an adult...well that's a different story for another day.

I have always had this innate instinct to please people and do what is right. I knew right from wrong. What I should have known however, is to never listen to a silly boy.

I was probably around five-years-old at the time. I was at my daycare providers house, whom I adored, playing with my two best friends Brett and Matt. Brett, the son of the daycare provider, was truly my best friend when we were young.

I grew up in a small Midwestern town. So, we knew neighbors and everyone trusts one another. A couple days or maybe a week earlier we had gone to a neighbors house to play while at daycare. Totally supervised and allowed.

Well, on this particular afternoon we decided we wanted to go back to her house to play. I remember we were standing outside looking towards the house and Brett said with ease, "Let's just go". I however hesitated and said maybe we should ask your mom first. The boys however reassured me that we could go and it would be just fine. After all who would notice three missing children, right?

So, we went, played and just had an overall great time. That was until we started heading home. Brett's Dad met us about halfway there, and boy could I tell we were in trouble. They explained how long  they had been looking for us and the panic we had caused.

Our punishment? Time out on the couch. It doesn't sound harsh, but I do believe this is the first time I was ever really in trouble. I was so ashamed and embarrassed. After, we were released from the confinements of the couch I just sat there. Brett and Matt urged me to come back outside to play, but I just couldn't move.

I hated that feeling. The disappointment. I sat there beating myself up. I knew what was right and wrong. Oh, and what about when my parents find out? How will I face them? Now, I am not even sure if my Mom knows this story. They never said anything to me, and boy was that a relief.

That was how I learned to trust my instincts, follow the rules and to never listen to a silly boy again.

Follow By Email

Happy Hump Day! We made it halfway through the work week. Yay us! 

Please note the new addition to this blog on the left. You can now enter your email so that you will recieve an email whenever I publish a new post. I had some interest in this, so I thought I would go ahead and give it whirl!

Just couldn't do a post without adding a picture of my precious bubba. So go ahead, stay updated on the Lueth family happenings if you would like, AND give this little guy a scratch on the nose while you are here!



A Walk in the Park

I always love when my niece and nephew come for a visit. Oh, and of coarse I love seeing my brother too. They came to see me on Saturday and we took a little trip to a local park.

Ahhh the life....After being pushed up a steep hill.



Even Cooper had a good time. It was a much needed walk for him. As I mentioned a while back in a post, when Nate is gone Coop and I get very little sleep. He turns into my protector at night and furiously barks to keep me safe. Unfortunately for him this goes unappreciated. This walk and time at the park was just what he need to be to worn out to play the part of guard dog extraordinaire.