Sunday, August 23, 2015

Day 1 Paleo!

I have decided to start a paleo diet after doing lots of research and realizing that this diet is simply foods that we were meant to eat! I'm not doing this for any other reason than to be healthy and feel better because I am eating all natural foods. 
For those of you that don't know what paleo is, it is also known as the cave man diet. You stick to plant based and animal based foods and take out anything that is not natural.
I feel strongly about eating clean especially in college when you are constantly on the go. It's important to have natural energy and to not make yourself sick over the endless amounts of pizza, sweets and take out food that is so available to you when in college.

This morning I made healthy paleo pancakes and wanted to share the amazing recipe with yall. 

All it takes is 1 banana and 2 eggs (ground flax seeds or plain oatmeal is optional).
You mix together the banana and eggs to get a soupy texture. Then, you fry them on a skillet! So easy and so yummy! I also used honey as syrup. I decided to use ground flax seeds because it's good for your digestive system! 

I plan to keep yall updated on my paleo/health journey! 

Love, Alyssa 

Friday, August 14, 2015

End of Summer Blues

As the last week of summer approaches and I am drowning in before school stress, time crunch on organization and the process of moving out of one living space into another, I have been filled with thankfulness for all this summer has given to me. I have experienced and learned so many things in the past three months that will be with me forever.

I’ve learned that independence is a gift some people can’t easily receive.
This summer allowed me to transition from depending on my mom for money to slowly becoming financially independent. I have ran into many money obstacles this summer and in the midst of utter chaos I was taught how to be wise with spending. The biggest blessing I have yet to receive in my life was the opportunity to live in a home for free… No rent. This opportunity not only helped me reach my savings goal but has also softened my heart and humbled me in ways I can’t express. Working two jobs, maintaining a healthy lifestyle and trying to keep myself sane during times of loneliness are things that I never would have thought would be blessings. Every time I went home I saw people that would be so far deep in their mess that they really don’t know how to escape it. They just can’t seem to get out of their parents house which can be such a struggle for some people and I realized that it is difficult to grow up fast but it is also the best thing that could happen to me! The challenges I’ve faced this summer were not impossible to overcome, which has given me a confidence in myself that I’ve never had before.

Living four hours away from my friends and family that I have spent my whole life with was not as hard as I anticipated. Of course my heart would start to break and I would ache to be with the people I love but that was a sign that I just needed to take a quick visit. I have come to the realization, as hard as it was for me to understand, that everything is changing. My relationships, friendships and lifestyle will constantly be changing and as difficult and strange as it gets, I have to be okay with that! When you put your entire heart and soul into people that are going to change it only leaves you dry and empty, no matter how much you love them. Letting go of anyone has always been a struggle for me. It’s one of my downfalls that I have had to come face to face with many times in my life and it has never been an easy process. This summer has taught me that God has given me specific people that I won’t have to let go of but our relationship will never be what it once was. No matter where I’m at in life there are friends I can call that will always answer. I have become so reliant on God and His plan for me that letting go has become easier on my heart.

All the fears that tried to follow me over this summer have been defeated solely by the experiences I’ve had living in Denton and becoming so independent. A verse that I have probably seen before but I read in a different light came across me the other day… “but perfect love casts out fear” 1 John 4:18.

I hope each summer for the years to come will help me overcome any fear of mine. I’m overwhelmed with the amount of blessings I’ve received in people, events and out of God’s love. I’m ready to take on this semester with a new head on my shoulders.

Thursday, August 6, 2015

Dallas



The past couple of days were spent exploring the city of Dallas with my mom and sister. Our short lived family vacation came with lots of laughs, stories and discoveries and it was time well spent to say the least.


Day 1: After driving to the wrong airport and to 3 different parking lots I finally found my mom and sister. It would have been way too weird if we had an easier way to meet up with each other. We got to our hotel to unload, which was the Hyatt Regency located right next to Reunion Tower in downtown Dallas. Our suite had a beautiful view of the city and an entire dining room area connected to it. We got ready and headed to Klyde Warren Park to eat at the food trailers for an early dinner. Though the heat was taking a hard beating on us, I still enjoyed the company of the city buildings surrounding us and the catch-up conversation of the two people that mean the most to me. We walked around the park and rode the trolley, which only went around the block, before we headed back to the hotel to watch dramatic reality TV together. My mom got us snacks and wine to enjoy as we laughed and mocked the lives of the people starring in “Bachelor in Paradise.” I think we laughed until we fell asleep that night.


Day 2: I woke up around 7:45 AM and shared coffee with my mom while we chit-chatted about our separate lives. It was so strange to me to be sitting with my mom early morning in a hotel, catching her up on my endless stories that go in my life and then listening to her every day life. The woman I came home to every night, who raised me, I now have to keep her up to date with phone calls and short visits.I love it though... If I could keep those moments somehow I would go back to them every single morning. My sister woke up and the three of us got ready for our day. We found the most delicious southern breakfast place right in the middle of downtown and devoured endless amounts of carbs together. After, my mom took us to the Bank of America building to show us the 64th floor (where she use to work) and the underground city beneath the building. I couldn’t stop thinking about how I now live 40 minutes away from this city that holds so much adventure. After breakfast we headed to the Dallas Zoo. We spent the entire day walking around admiring the animals and our company. I had no idea that going to the zoo would be so much fun! The three of us girls can find the “funny” in just about anything so even as the day got hotter and our attitudes grew cranky, we still laughed at ourselves. That’s the best part about being with my mom and sister… We are all one big mess but being messy together makes life more enjoyable. After feeding giraffes, playing with monkeys and watching a dinosaur puppet show (of course Mollie’s idea), we grabbed an early dinner and headed back to the hotel.

“Night two of the dramatic premiere of this season’s Bachelor in Paradise.” Oh yes, that’s right, another night of drama. What are the odds that we plan a two night vacation together on both the nights our favorite reality TV show is premiering? We are THAT kind of family. After the show ended we went over to Reunion Tower. It was about 9PM and we were on top of the city. The lights sparkled through the dark of the night and we watched the city buzz below us. It was beautiful and I felt so lucky to be living in such a beautiful city. We took lots of pictures and explored all the tourist-y things the tower had to offer. We went back to our hotel and watched TV, drank wine and ate chocolate together quietly. I wouldn’t be able to enjoy such relaxing time if I had a huge family with a bunch of boys in it. It makes me appreciate my small, happy family.


Day 3:

We packed our things and got ready for our departure. Before we split my mom drove us around the neighborhood she lived in when she was in her early 20s. She showed us the house her and my dad lived in before they got married and all the cool hangouts back then. I was grumpy and in a bad mood while we were driving around but it was cool to see how my mom’s life, when she was about my age, is 40 minutes down the street from where my life is today. I created a bad mood for myself because I think I wasn’t ready to be apart from them again. I love living life here and getting to see them every once in a while but it hit me on this trip that this is it! Our tight knit trio is now only together on visits and holidays and I live a busy separate life from them. The travel bug in me wanted to plan trips everywhere with them. On my drive back to Denton I kept thinking of us three cuddled up in hotels in Australia, Spain, California, New York… Just living life together before we split. God has given me a special gift with my mom and sister. I know our lives are separate but we always find a way back to each other, laughing and joking about the same things. Praise the Lord for endless family blessings!


Sunday, August 2, 2015

Heavy Heart

I use to think it was normal to feel down or depressed. ‘Everyone gets sad, everyone needs to numb the pain somehow. Bad things happen to all people so you ride the wave and it eventually will pass, that’s how life works, right?’ As I’ve distanced myself from the town I’ve grown up in and have become independent, I feel like I am running away from the murky waters that everyone I love is drowning in. When I visit home it’s as if I’m standing at the edge of those waters begging people to grab my hand but I am too weak to pull them out. I am weak, it’s true! I don’t know how to drag people out of their mess but something inside of me aches to every day. Lately, my heart has been heavy with the burdens of loved ones and as much as I want to tell these people my thoughts I can’t seem to get them out vocally so I’ll try it here...

A letter to the broken:
Waking up gets harder and going to sleep becomes easier. Conversations with people you have known your whole life are empty. The drunken social gatherings isn’t a weekend hobby anymore but the only time you are comfortable. Or, the thought of being surrounded by anyone feels like hard work that you are too burnt out to give. It’s not normal, I don’t know why it has ever been perceived by society that these shifts in emotions and demeanor in a young adolescent’s life is normal. I have encountered too many people that are more comfortable with being broken than they are with seeking joy. You may read this as entirely too cheesy and emotional but it has never been so clear to me how many people are in a place of despair that believe it’s where they belong.
My very best friend said, “if something were to happen to me, if I died tomorrow, I would be totally fine with it.” Someone I care about very much said, “I just can’t wait to meet someone that loves me as much as I love them.” I wanted to grab their faces in those moments and shake them. I wanted to scream at the top of my lungs, “I wouldn’t be totally fine with it!”... “I love you as much as you love me, hell... I probably love you more!” But I didn’t say a thing. I am one person and the way I love them will not give them the light they are so desperately searching for.
Love yourself my dear friends! Find that thing that makes you happy like no other mere human being can fulfill. Leave and go places you’ve never been before that will cause you to distort the way you have always looked at the world. For some reason leaving is a way of discovering yourself and maybe you will discover that your heart is indeed broken and it’s time for you to fix it. PLEASE forgive yourself, forgive others, otherwise the bitterness inside of you will consume every aspect of your life.
I can’t stop thinking about what I can do or say but there’s nothing. I truly believe that The Lord has a plan for everyone and I am trying to fit my way into everyone’s plan but I am learning maybe it’s not my place. I can’t wait to see these people I love come to a place of peace.

I’m praying for light in the dark places of this world.