Beautiful Redemption

As many of you know, my birth mother passed away earlier this month after a 15-month battle with brain cancer. I had emailed with her over the past 5 years and was blessed to have met her and her son last September. I got to tell her the words I had longed to tell her my whole life, "thank you". I thanked her for giving me life and making a brave decision for me at a young age. I blogged about meeting her in this post. I'm beyond thankful that Nick and I were able to be with her family at her visitation and funeral. Getting to know them, learning more about the impact Julie made on the world, seeing so many photos of her life, it all was so healing for my soul. 

It may be hard to understand if you aren't adopted, but there is just a feeling many adoptees have of not fitting in, "being abandoned" to put it harshly, or left behind in some way. I'm thankful to have great loving parents, but I did have some of those feelings growing up too. NOT that it was anyone's fault at all, it was just there in the background. I came to know Christ in college and felt so much more at peace knowing God had been there ALL along and that I was never alone, and all of the ups and downs would serve a purpose for Him. Being with Julie's family that week though, and feeling how accepted I was into their family, was so redeeming for me. They even listed me as one one of her children in her obituary and had me sit with her kids during her celebration of life service. I'm still in awe and can never explain how amazing it felt to have that honor. To have her rights eliminated when I was born, yet to be called her child in the end is such a beautiful picture of redemption of that little life. I'm SO grateful for their love and kindness, which I can only imagine is an expression of Julie's heart. 

Fun similarities:

• Our faces. Seeing pictures of when she was younger had me in AWE. We look so similar in some photos! I love it. I have literally grown up my whole life wanting to see someone to looks like me:) She's right there!

• We both have step-dads named Joe
• She was a elementary school counselor --> My internship in college was counseling, and I had some school counseling experience in that internship. 
• She was in Girl Scouts and was a troop leader for a very long time (13 years I think?) --> I was working for the Girl Scouts when we started emailing a few years ago. 
• She named her kids Alyssa and Michael. Many people think it's neat that my name (which Julie didn't know until we emailed a few years ago) kind of combines their names. 
• Her sister taught at my elementary school. We may have passed each other in the hallway. How wild to think of that!
• I grew up in the Des Moines area, and got married in Ankeny (Iowa) --> Julie grew up in Ankeny and got married in Des Moines. 
• Talking to one of her friends at the visitation, we realized (stay with me here) my manager at a retail store in MN a few years ago is one of Julie's good friend's sister. Woah! That was fun to realize. 

This is one of my favorite pictures from our time there. (Nick, me;), Alyssa, Michael, Julie's husband Scott, Julie's sister Amy). {Apparently, I got the short gene!:)}

I also learned that Scott actually dated Julie while she was pregnant with me. So it was neat to realize that he's known me from the beginning too! 

During the slideshow with photos and memories of her at the visitation, I kept nudging Nick when I saw pictures where I could see my face in Julie's. I could see myself in her wedding photos so much! 

A fun selfie with Nick, Alyssa, Michael and their cousin:)

Alyssa, Michael, myself and Nick

The girls - Julie's sister, Amy and (my "half" sister:)) Alyssa. They both have been so sweet and loving to me as we've gotten to know each other. I cherish these girls! 

Love her - she went above and beyond to welcome us and help be sure we felt comfortable and included. I wish we lived closer together! I pray the Lord continues knitting our hearts together.

We also got to go out on Julie & her family's boat on the lake they live on. She had told me how much she enjoyed it in our emails over the years, and being able to be in her house and on her boat with her family, was really incredible. What a beautiful place too!

 Y'all know how I love my dogchild, and meeting Julie's was so neat too. I loved petting her, loving on her as I know Julie did so much. 

I could get used to boat time on that lake! It was such good casual time too, to share stories and get to know her family more. It all was so good for my soul to know Julie, hear about the difference she made on lives and the community around her, and get to know the people she surrounded herself with. It challenged me to reflect on the difference I'm making, and the purpose I'm serving in this one life. I'll always wish I had more time to know Julie here better on earth, but I am so grateful for the way the Lord has poured blessings into this situation. He is the Creator of the most beautiful love stories, and this is surely one. 

Today's Pinspiration:

This poem was chosen by Julie's sister Amy, and was read at the funeral. It will always make me think of Julie, how many people she loved and uplifted, and how full her dash was on earth. What an inspiration to us all!

(Source)

25 Days on the Whole30

Happy Saturday, friends! I can't believe I haven't had sugar/cookies/chocolate/processed foods in the last 25 days. That's wild! I honestly would have thought it would be HARDER than it has been. Don't get me wrong, it hasn't been easy, but once I was in a rhythm and got the hang of what foods to go to, it has made it much more manageable. 

I thought I'd put together lots of the foods I've been eating. The photos aren't all great, but I thought it could still help any of you on the whole30 or considering it to see what foods have helped me. This website it a great resource if you're considering it too.

I enjoy the way my body has been feeling digestively. I haven't had as much bloating eating these foods. I've had a few busy weeks and could keep up with a busy schedule well too. I've still been tired, and had fibro pains, etc., but overall, I've had fewer headaches to treat. 25 days of eating this way hasn't cured me of anything ;) but I do fee my body operating "cleanly". I also truly appreciate food more eating this way. While eating fruit and certain foods, I have specifically thanked the Lord for providing these tasty foods in nature. Foods of the ground are delicious! The Lord has provided awesome foods of the earth, and I've appreciated them much more when I'm not running to desserts, chips, and other processed foods.

5-Ingredient Spaghetti Pizza Pie. A friend recommended making this when I asked for recipes/tips as I started the whole30, and I got SO many tasty meals out of this dish! I even froze a few extra servings so I could eat them when I was in a pinch for a quick meal. I highly recommend it! If you've never tried spaghetti squash, you're seriously missing out :) Go get yourself one! Pasta from the earth! Gluten free too ;)

Spaghetti pie with sautéed asparagus

Spaghetti pie for another meal with eggs and fresh cooked garlic green beans. 

Breakfast: Sliced apple with almond butter and hard boiled eggs. 

2 clean (sugar free, compliant) turkey hot dogs - I was thankful to find these at sprouts to have an easy meat to add to quick meals. I whipped up mashed sweet potatoes (made with vegetable broth, ghee, garlic, salt and pepper), sautéed garlic asparagus, and mixed mustard with dill relish to dip the hot dogs in. I also made twice this much when I made this (and most others throughout the month) meal, to have leftover the next day for lunch and maybe even again for dinner the next day.

Tuna salad with tomatoes and cucumbers. I made my own dressing (since every dressing I've seen this month has sugar in it!) using olive oil, salt, pepper, garlic powder, and mashed up avocado to make it creamy.

Crock pot chicken & carrots over a baked potato. To make the chicken, I added a package of frozen chicken breasts to the crock pot with some baby carrots, water, and spices. I cooked on low all day and shredded with forks when I got home. 

Added salsa and enjoyed it! We had leftovers of the chicken and carrots I ate by themselves with veggies on the side for a few more meals. 

I loved this salad when we were in Chicago eating out. It was an avocado salad with tomatoes, onions, and I just added olive oil they had on the table with salt and pepper as dressing. They thankfully had meat I ate too, so I took leftovers which helped a TON with my meals in Chicago.

Baked sweet potato with salsa, scrambled eggs, and sliced roast beef from the store (check the ingredients, some just have beef, and seasonings like salt and pepper. so good!).

I did roasted vegetables this past week and will do them again! So good and easy once you chop everything up:) 

We marinated chicken and baked it, and I added it over a salad and added the roasted veggies with olive oil, salt and pepper. It was so good.

A favorite breakfast many days - cinnamon sliced apple with almond butter or sunflower seed butter (it's much cheaper and I really like it!).

This is my "potatoes O'Brien"- I microwaved the sweet potato for a few minutes to cook it through, diced it, chipped onion and bell pepper, and a little bit of squash I had left from the roasted veggies. I put them all with olive oil, salt and pepper in a pan and sautéed them for a while until they looked like this. I made fresh green beans with garlic, and salmon (I used frozen and microwaved it since I didn't have much time) with lemon juice, salt, pepper, and garlic powder. 

Another meal with leftover potatoes o'brien, green beans, with two eggs. 

The chili I made early on has been amazing for leftovers too. I had a few bowls frozen, so I've enjoyed them reheated when I didn't have any ideas of what to make. 

I've had the chili over shredded lettuce like this a few times - it's like a taco salad! So tasty. I've enjoyed it on top of a baked sweet potato many times too. 

A recent snack. I also eat lots of fruit after or between meals as needed - kiwi, pears, peaches, tangerines, grapes, etc. 

I did also find sugar free bacon at sprouts (though it wasn't at another sprouts we tried, so it varies) I ate with veggies and eggs too. We've also made hamburger patties wrapped in Prosciutto to add flavor and that was good for a few meals too. Mixed nuts (though no peanuts) have been great when I need a quick protein pick me up too. Get creative to change foods up and make them taste good!

I hope this might help any of you needing ideas, or show you how delicious it can be eating good foods! I used to eat sandwiches for lunch, so this food has been so much fun to eat and look forward to:)

Today's Pinspiration:

Foods have a bigger impact on our lives and our health than we realize y'all. We put foods into our bodies many times every day. Are we putting foods into our bodies that are helping our body or harming it? It's up to us!

(Pinterest Source)

Exploring Chicago

We got to enjoy Chicago last weekend for Nick's cousin's wedding - it was a great trip! Here it is in photos (buckle up, there are quite a few:)):

The happy couple! They had a beautiful garden wedding - it was such a neat atmosphere. 

We ate amazing food at the reception restaurant (90 mile Cuban cafe). It was such a blessing! This was the one weekend I was worried about on the whole30, and this food made it so much easier. They had delicious beef medallions, chicken and veggies we were able to take leftovers of, which helped provide many meals for us in Chicago! Thank the Lord for that food. This was an avocado salad they had too - so good! I used olive oil and salt + pepper as the dressing (I haven't found a dressing yet without sugar, so this is my go-to).

After we enjoyed food and company, we all went over to an archade bar which was seriously fun. Pacman, foosball, air hockey, old school pinball machines.. what's not to like?!

We got to enjoy a Cubs/White Sox game with some of his family Sunday. It was great, and the Cubs won! 

 

Wrigley is beautiful every time. It's just an experience to be in that stadium. 

My whole30 snacks at the ball park:) I had a sliced apple or pear (can't remember which. Or maybe it was an orange?!) too - yum! 

I loved the views from our seats. 

In the upper left corner of this photo (above the tree line), you can see a couple of sailboats sailing on Lake Michigan. It was so cool to watch them sail by while watching the Cubs game!

I took a video of everyone singing Go Cubs Go - the best tradition when we win at Wrigley! Here's the link to the video if you don't see the video.

We ate dinner with Nick's fraternity brother (also named Nick:)) and his girlfriend at Umami, which was delicious! I had a burger (no bread) with caramelized onions, a side salad and pickled veggies to share. They had looked up some options for me to help know where to eat out. It was so thoughtful, and they made a great choice! 

The Nick's at their place ;) 

Movie in the park on a Sunday night. So charming!

 I loved seeing the buildings around town. The ivy covered ones are my favorite! 

Our first airbnb experience was great - the place was so nicely decorated and well kept! 

 Monday was our open day to explore the city - and explore we did! This was inside of Eatily, where I grabbed an apple to enjoy with my almond butter, and a cold glass or orange + mango juice (no sugar added;)). It hit the spot! It was a neat place to explore - we were glad our friends recommended it. There is lots of italian foods for those who can eat them! Even fun treats like Italian chocolate and gelato.

We walked all around downtown! 

Chicago river running through downtown

The courtyard of a beautiful vine-covered church

The magnificent mile. We were getting quite exhausted by this point;)

THIS is where we shared a moment with a celeb family ;) haha, we saw Giuliana and Bill Rancic with their son in front of this building! Here's a pic of them from a while back in case you don't recognize the name:

All of us were standing in the general area (we were figuring out which public transportation would get us home on our phones) when I realized who it was. When they walked by us, G had big sunglasses on, but Bill didn't seem like he was being too discreet- he had Duke over his shoulder making him belly laugh. It was really sweet! I get star struck anytime I see anyone like that, but it made me realize they were just trying to be a family on an afternoon walk. A cool moment:) 

 The beach of Lake Michigan was neat to see too! I hadn't seen it before. The place we spotted the Rancics was across the street from this area. 

 Enjoying tasty food at the end of our long day back at our airbnb. Leftovers from the wedding with a side salad I grabbed at a convenience store (I tossed the dressing and just used olive oil - we couldn't find salt & pepper haha, it was still fine).

Today's Pinspiration:

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