Life Update

2017

I am not one to get into New Years resolutions because I think you should always be striving to be the best version of yourself year round.  However, I felt extra inspired this new year and made some small resolutions for myself.  These include cooking more, limiting social media usage, and journaling everyday.  Writing clears out my head, because my mind is always running a million miles a minute.  This is what brings me back to my blog.  In 2015, I started my blog to share mine and Cory's travels, but I didn't keep up with it in 2016 because we didn't travel anywhere.  Instead, we moved to Hawaii!  Many people keep asking me how we ended up in Hawaii and what life is like here, So I thought I would share with you all.

What brought us to Hawaii

Cory applied for a teaching position with Teach for America on a whim and he got accepted.  For those of you who don't know, TFA is a teaching program aimed at giving students from low socioeconomic statuses the same chance at succeeding in life as students who come from more privilege.  While Hawaii seems like paradise, it has problems just like any other place around the world.  The school that Cory teaches in has all of the same problems as a school would have in an inner city, except that it is in rural Hawaii.  The town has all of the same problems that an inner city has except for gun violence.  Hawaii has strict gun control laws.  Crazy how that can be beneficial.  Okay, I'm not here to get political, but I couldn't resist.  Life for Cory is definitely stressful, but one of his career goals was to work with students who are struggling and really need the help.  It helps that we live in a beautiful place filled with adventure to help Cory cope with the stress.

The Move

Boy what a stressful move this was! Cory got accepted in TFA at the end of April and he had to be at Institute in June for cultural training.  That gave us a month to sell all of our furniture and move out of our apartment.  I picked up a second job serving to help save up some money to help us move.  I lived with my parents for two months until Cory and I finally got our apartment set up in Hawaii.  Working 60+ hours a week the whole summer was life-draining and stressful.  There were times when my anxiety took over and I questioned if going through all that stress and lack of sleep was really worth it.  (It was)  After a long summer apart, Cory and I were so excited to be reunited with each other in our new home.

Home

After six months of living here, it is still surreal to call this place home.  The word home to me is more of a feeling rather than a place, and I can honestly say that I have felt so much more at home in Hawaii than I ever did living in Nebraska.  I have completely fallen in love with Oahu.  Everyone back in the mainland said that Hawaii is super expensive to live in and it would be really hard.  It is just as expensive as living in a big city in the mainland and it all boils down to how you budget your money.  We don't eat out nearly as much as we did in Omaha, nor do we waste our money going to bars every weekend, partially because there isn't a big bar scene close to where we live,  Cory and I both believe experiences are far more valuable than possessions so it works our that that our favorite ways to spend the weekend are mostly free! (Hiking and water activities)  I love so many things about Hawaii, so I think the easiest way to share them is by making a list so here it is:

-Hiking

-Beautiful weather year round

-No utility bill (we don't have AC or heat)

-Friendly people

-So many yummy Asian restaurants

-Poke! (raw tuna)

-Snorkeling

-Last but not least, surfing!                                                         

I never thought that I would fall in love with surfing.  For me, the thought of surfing always terrified me for some irrational reason.  I honestly thought that I would have spent more of my time hiking, but I have fallen in love with ocean activities.  

Some highlights of living in Hawaii for me is seeing the humpback wales jump in the bay that we like to snorkel at, kayaking to China man's hat and climbing to the top of it, taking a meditation class at a Buddhist temple, and learning how to surf.

China man's hat

Mu Ryang Sa Buddhist temple

Obviously everything isn't sunshine and daisies so here are a few things I find frustrating/don't like:
-Cockroaches
-TRAFFIC
-Feeling of disconnect from the mainland, although sometimes its nice to be in our own little world
-Being away from family and friends.  I miss my parents dearly, but I know they love that they have have a pretty good reason to vacation to Hawaii.
-Most of all:Toby, Hermione, and Chipotle.  In that order.

The things that I love outweigh the few things that I dislike and that is what makes Oahu so special.  I have learned so many things about marine life, Polynesian culture, and myself!  Getting out of Nebraska was the best thing to ever happen to us.  It has encouraged and inspired us to have an even bigger sense of adventure in the world.  We have explored so much of our island, but we still need to do some island hopping!  This summer we are planning a backpacking trip throughout Southeast Asia.  Stay tuned to hear about our adventures!

      

Stepping Outside of Your Comfort Zone

Traveling in North America

Okay so I know to some of my friends this post is a no brainer, but I want to inform all of my other friends about hostel living!  I feel like everyone in their 20's should stay at a hostel at least once in their lifetime while traveling.  I stayed in a back packers villa in Switzerland with my dad when I was a kid, but other than that I have never really stayed in a hostel.  Back in August, my friend Mallory and I did a little weekend trip to Chicago and she suggested staying in a hostel.  I thought, what the hell, why not.  This was the best decision I have ever made and shout out to Mallory for booking it.  Side note: She did book the wrong night so we didn't have a place to stay for the first night, which I still think is hilarious.  Very typical.  Luckily my friends Nick and Danny just moved to Chicago so they let us sleep on their couches which we are eternally grateful for.  I needed to add that little story in because it makes me giggle when I think about it.  Anyways!  The hostel in Chicago was perfect! It was in Greek Town and just outside of downtown.  It was perfect because the hostel was right next to the train, so we could just hop on the L or just walk to downtown. It was only 30 dollars a night with breakfast included.  Our room held 8 girls and they were all so nice!  I did felt bad for our roommates, because one night we didn't get back until three in the morning. whoops..  I couldn't imagine how expensive a normal hotel would cost in downtown Chicago.  Plus, you wouldn't get to meet anyone.  How boring.  I got to talking with this girl from England, and she mentioned that she was traveling all throughout America and was only staying in hostels.  This got me thinking and I started doing research.  I had no idea how many cities in America had hostels.  I just figured they were in the big ones like NYC and Chicago.  I also thought it was mainly a European thing.  After that weekend, I promised myself that when I'm traveling, I will stay in a hostel if possible.  

link to the Chicago hostel website 

New York/Canada

    A couple weeks ago I visited my friend Kasey, who moved to Syracuse about two years ago.  We thought a two day trip to Niagara Falls would be fun because my trip was just a short four days. Of course we wanted to stay the night on the Canadian side, so it was the perfect opportunity for us to stay in a hostel.  Side note:  They searched our car crossing the border.  Kinda intense! Anyways, we had so much fun! We met some awesome people and had an amazing time in Canada.  It felt like every other person in our hostel was from England or Germany.  We were really the only people from America that were staying in there.  I felt like I was back in Europe!  Our hostel was super close to the falls, and you could even rent bikes through them!  We didn't do that because it was waaaaay too windy and cold. Everyone was so nice and it was so much fun getting to know new people.  We even gave a guy from South Korea a ride to the falls on our way to go hiking.  Compared to the hostel in Chicago, this one was a little bit nicer because it was smaller.  I am now in the mindset that when I am in a new city, out of country or in the U.S, I will stay in a hostel.  I haven't had any bad experiences yet, so I don't see why not.  You can't beat a place that offers free breakfast, a place to sleep, and a place to meet interesting new people.   Pretty much I wanted to share my little weekend travel stories with you, so maybe some of you will step outside of your comfort zone and stay in a hostel on your next trip, whether if it's in the U.S. or overseas.  You won't regret it!  

Link to the Niagara Falls hostel website

"Travel while you're young and able.  Don't worry about the money, just make it work.  Experience is far more valuable than money will ever be."

Europe in a Nutshell

Europe Adventures!

So Europe was AMAZING! Every time I go back to Europe, I am left speechless and in awe.  It never ceases to amaze me.  I had planned on blogging while I was in Europe, but I was enjoying myself too much to bring myself to my laptop.  I do keep a travel journal with me, so I did keep up with that.  I don't even know where to start about our Europe trip so I'm just going to go over my favorite parts.  We started out in Paris which to my surprise, ended up being my favorite city.  I had been to Paris as a kid, but it was just go to to Disney Land so I don't remember much of the city.  I feel like every person I talk to has some sort of negative connotation about Paris whether if its about the "rude people, public transportation, or street vendors (reasonably so).  We didn't experience any rude people.  As long as we attempted to speak French (and failed miserably), people were willing to help. And my word of advice to avoid street vendors and pick pocketers: Don't look like a dumb tourist, ignore them. and everything will be fine.  Our first day in Paris started off kind of slow because the airlines lost our luggage. Typical.  After we got all that sorted out, we checked into the hotel, explored the city, and got ready for our dinner in the Eiffel Tower.  SO COOl.  The next day we got breakfast at a cafe.  We met the nicest Canadian couple at breakfast and we ended up enjoying our meal with them.  They ended up giving us their museum passes which was SO NICE. Then, we hit up all the major sites like Notre Dame and the Lourve.  (My favorite part about Paris)  That pretty much took up the whole day.  We spent hours in the Lourve.  It was so crazy to see all of the people crowding around the Mona Lisa.  In my opinion, there are so many other spectacular artwork  to see in the Lourve so you shouldn't waste your time at the Mona Lisa.  It was still very cool to see though.    The next day we hit up Versailles which was also a day long activity.  We met so many nice and interesting people in Paris.  My favorite part about Paris was the food, and  all the artwork and architecture.  It felt like a dream walking around this city.  I could not believe we got to experience this beautiful place.  I know I am returning to this beautiful city in my future.  Our next stop: London!

London

The train ride from Paris to London was only a couple of hours.  Our train didn't end in King's Cross station but it was right next to it so naturally I had to get a picture at platform 9 3/4.  Our hotel was in the theater area of London which was perfect because Cory surprised me with tickets to Lion King on Broadway! We got a bite to eat before the show and we tried some fish and chips with a London Ale.  We met some really nice people in the pub and at the show!  The next day we did a muggle tour throughout London, which was awesome, and then we rode one of those big red buses and got some site seeing done. My favorite thing we did that day was the muggle tour and the London Tower.  I find castles and fortresses so fascinating.  The next day we went to the imperial war museum and then we watched a debate in Parliament! That was another highlight of London.  London is such a cool city with SO much to do.  I would love to come back during football (soccer) season.  The underground system is extremely easy to navigate.  You pretty much have to be an idiot to screw it up.  They only down side to London is the exchange rate sucks and everything is so dang expensive on top of that, and it was FREEZING. Oh, and traditional English food is terrible.  We always try to soak in as much culture as we can when visiting other countries and I was not a fan of English food.  It all gave me a terrible stomach ache.  Other than that, I really enjoyed this city!

Amsterdam



Amsterdam was so much fun! I want to revisit this city with a bunch of friends because it is truly a city that never sleeps.  It is filled with so much culture and night life.  The hotel Cory and I stayed at was right outside of the red light district, and we should have stayed in a hostel because it would have been nicer.  Oh well, at least we know now.  It was smelly and dirty and you could hear EVERYTHING that happened in the hotel.  On our first day we went to the sex museum and then went on a boat tour throughout the city's canals.  We checked out the red light district which was very interesting to see.  I have very torn feelings on the red light district but it was pretty cool to be in the heart of, in my opinion, one of the most liberal cities in the world.  We ended up going to a bar and enjoying some beers with these German guys we met that were around our age.  In Europe it is expensive to drink water with your meal which kind of sucks,  but it is extremely cheap to drink alcohol.  The four of us ended up talking to a local from Amsterdam but he was kind of crazy.  He said Cory and I should be institutionalized because we said we wanted to adopt kids in our future.  He ended up buying a round a jager, then he angrily left.  We enjoyed the rest of the night with those two German guys.  Good thing Cory and I had a good buzz going because we actually slept really well in our crappy hotel.  The next day we took a bus tour and went to the Vincent Van Gogh museum.  I would highly recommend going to this museum.  It was so beautiful.  Beside the Lourve, it was my favorite museum I have been to in Europe.  Then, we went outside of the Anne Frank house but we didn't go inside because it was a three hour wait just to get inside.  I wish we could have rented bikes and biked around the biggest bike capital of the world, but Cory can't ride a bike very well so he was too nervous to.  Next time!  There is truly no other city like Amsterdam between the history, the nightlife, bikes, red light district, and their famous "coffee shops". ( The coffee shops are marijuana smoke lounges)  Where our hotel was, there was pretty much one on every street corner, just like a Starbucks in the U.S. Next stop: my motherland (Germany)

    

Bayreuth



My family lives in a city called Bayreuth, located about an hour away from Nuremburg.  It is the home of Richard Wagner, and it's famous Opera House.  It was so nice to be reunited with my family.  Cory and I went to the disko one night and I had a little too much fun.  The next morning, I was feeling rough but Cory, my cousin Shannon, and I headed to Munich for a random day trip!  When we got to Munich, we found out that it was the birthday of the city so there was a huge festival at the Marienplatz.  We climbed 300 stairs of this church tower and got this amazing view of the city with the Alps in the background.  Then, we headed to the hofbrauhaus and enjoyed some beers and pretzels.  We met this really nice Brazilian couple and had a great time!  The next days we just relaxed with my family and I got to enjoy all of my favorite foods.  I felt bad for Cory, because he doesn't speak any German and most of my family only speaks German.  I felt all sorts of nostalgia going back to Bayreuth, and it was sad to leave but our trip wasn't quite over yet!

Tubingen

My friend Julia was an amazing host and it was the perfect way to end our month long Europe trip.  Her town is a university town with so much history.  Her town is also extremely environmentally friendly.  The citizens are encouraged to bus/bike instead of drive.  The bus system was very easy to use and the buses run pretty much all day and all night long and come about every 10 minutes.  That is my dream to live in a city like that.  I wouldn't even own a car. Julia and I were exchange students and we have kept in touch over the years.  It is crazy that we can go a year or so without seeing each other and when we do finally see each other, we pick right back up where we left off.  It was so much fun visiting her!  We went on multiple hikes to different castles, and we even hiked to a German monastery village.  The other days Cory and I took on her town while she had classes and we all went out to the bars and discos a bunch.  All of her friends got Cory on a good level one of the nights and I think he had too much fun.  Every bar in Germany turns into a big dance party at about 1230, and they stay open until about 4 in the morning.  They all love house music too.  I always have SO much fun when I go out in Germany.  It is also ridiculously cheap to drink in Germany.  Cory bought two beers and a shot a jager for only 3.50!  My favorite hike was when Cory and I took a train to a different village and hiked the Swabian Apls to this beautiful castle with a beautiful view.  I was so sad to be leaving Germany but it was the perfect trip with the perfect person.  To not be so home sick, I brought home about 50 Euros of chocolate.  Oops.  



Travel Day of Hell

It was cheaper for us to take a train from Germany to Paris and fly out from Paris instead of flying out from Germany.  It seemed easy enough.  We were wrong.  When we got to the central station in Paris we bought our subway tickets to the airport. Right as our train was about to arrive, they announced the train station would be closed for at least a few hours because a man had died on the tracks.  We thought okay, we will just refund our tickets and take a taxi to the airport.  We stood at the taxi line and this guy had us walk about 10 minutes away from the train station and we were both thinking this is super sketch but a French family was with us so we kept following this guy.  It wasn't a real taxi company, but some people trying to scam travelers and they tried charging us 180 Euros! We demanded that he let us out of the cab and after a little bit of back and forth yelling, we finally got out of the taxi.  We walked back to the bus stop outside of the train station, thinking well we can just take the bus to the airport. The only bus that showed up had people hanging out of the doors because it was so packed.  The real taxi companies in Paris were on strike so we were literally stuck in the middle of Paris.  People were missing their flights because of the underground being closed and taxis being on strike.  Luckily our flight was the next day and we just needed to get to our hotel.  We met this British girl around our age who was trying to get to her hotel next to ours.  This very friendly guy who worked at the airport finally told all of us to follow him and we jumped the barriers to get to the train and we caught the last one for the night.  The wheel of of 50 pound suitcase broke on top of all of this.  I was carrying the big suitcase because Cory had been lugging it around all day and his arm was dead.  When we reached the walkway to our hotel, I wanted to cry but I gave myself a pep talk and told myself "city Stacey doesn't cry".  After 6 hours of being stuck in the middle of Paris, we finally made it back to our hotel and we made our flight the next day with no troubles.  Despite all of this, Cory and I still adore the city of Paris.   

This was the most amazing trip and I am so thankful Cory and I were given this opportunity to go and explore these different countries and cultures for a month! Thank you to everyone who gifted us to help fund this trip as a wedding gift.  We are so thankful!  Cory and I both believe experiences are far more valuable than possessions so thank you so much for helping this experience happen!  We are even more eager to travel the world together.  We are already planning our next trip abroad.  They say that traveling leaves you speechless then turns you into a storyteller but I am honestly still left speechless.  I can't wait for what adventures lies ahead for Cory and I to tackle!

Wedding

May 30th, 2015 

So I haven't posted in awhile and that is because I was getting ready for my wedding, then I was out of the country for a month!  I am just getting back into the swing of things back in Omaha, so I decided to do a post with some updates!  This post will mainly be about the wedding.  I will do a following post about Europe.  The wedding was absolutely PERFECT!  We had been getting so much rain in the month of May, I was getting nervous for the wedding day because it was an outdoor wedding.  Anyone that knows me well, knows that I spend as much as my free time possible outdoors, so I really wanted an outdoor wedding.  The day ended up being gorgeous.  The sun was out and shining with no cloud in sight and it was in the 70's with a slight breeze.  Getting ready was so much fun!  Alli brought mimosas while we all got our hair done at the salon, then we finished getting ready in the castle.  (We got married at the Joslyn Castle)  The ladies we given the master bedroom to get ready in, and the boys had to get ready in what used to be the servants' room.

Getting ready

The Ring Puggle

The ceremony was so much fun and it went by so fast.  I guess our minister forgot to tell the audience to sit down so everyone had to stand for the whole thing.  Whoops.  Good thing it was only about a 20 minute ceremony.  Toby (our dog) was the ring bearer.  We called him the ring puggle.  He looked so handsome in his pink bow tie.  When Chad was getting the rings from Toby and handing them to Cory, there was a mishap and the rings got dropped.  It was pretty funny and very typical for something like that to happen in the wedding.  After the wedding we did our pictures, and then headed off the the reception which was at the Marriott in Regency.  We pre gamed a little bit in a hotel room and then had our grand entrances.  Everyone did so good on theirs! They were all super funny.  Cory and I tricked everyone else out by entering in through a different door than the rest of the bridal party and we danced through the whole reception.  At the end we met with the rest of the bridal party and had a dance party for the entire song.  Our song that we came out to was the Space Jam theme song. (awesome, I know) Then we did the typical reception things like the speeches, cake cutting, father-daughter dance, mother-son dance, and our first dance.  My dance with my dad was "I Believe I can Fly."  When I was a kid, I used to make my dad dance with me in the living room to this song during the credits of Space Jam.  Can you sense a theme here?  Cory and his mom's dance was Mamma by Boys 2 Men, and mine and Cory's first dance was Leather and Lace by Stevie Nicks and Don Henely.  

Dropping the rings.... oops

/

The rest of the reception was a bunch of dancing and then some karaoke.  That pretty much turned into a dance party with Cory having a microphone singing all the lyrics.  We also had a photo booth at our reception which everyone loved.  Cory and I only got to go in it once because we were having so much fun dancing.  It was an open bar so I think its safe to say everyone had a good time.  Cory and I had a honeymoon suite which was very romantic.  If I had one advice to give to future brides, I would say don't stress about anything.  That is exactly what I did and I had the time of my life.  Which is the way it should be.   The next day we hung out all day with Giz and Chad (maid of honor and best man).  I actually ended up having to take Cory to the ER because he had an infection that was spreading so its safe to say I had to put my wife duty to the test right away.  After we got back from the hospital, we relaxed then we got ready for Europe! Everything was absolutely perfect and it was such a happy day filled with love.  I'm going to try not to bombard this post with wedding pictures, but its so hard not to! Here are a few of my favorites! Hope you enjoy them!

Outdoors and Mindfulness

Hello Everybody! I hope everyone has been soaking up this beautiful weather we've had in Omaha these past two weeks. I know I have.  I have spent most of my free time outside. (shocker) Last weekend I spent my free time playing kick ball with a bunch of friends.  We played for like two hours and the game got pretty intense.  It was so much fun though.  Then the next day we all played four square.  Again, for a couple hours.  It also got pretty intense.  It was so much fun playing the simple games I played as a kid.  I guess I am just a big kid at heart.

  Cory was on spring break that following Monday so Cory, Toby, and I went hiking! We checked out Hitchcock nature center which is about 30 minutes outside of Omaha.  It wasn't too shabby.  I invested in some hiking boots which actually came in handy on the hike due to it being so muddy and hard to walk up the hills.  Cory struggled because he only had tennis shoes.  The trail difficulty surprised us which is awesome because living in the Midwest, its hard to find hilly hiking trails.  I used to bitch out how there isn't anywhere good to go hiking in the Nebraska area so I never would go hiking.  I am so mad at myself for not being able to experience these trails sooner but I am happy that one day I woke up and thought to myself I could do nothing and be miserable or get up and do something and make best out of the situation I have.  Option two has worked out for the better so far.They are nowhere close to hiking in the mountains, but this is what I have for now, so I will find the silver lining.  We all went hiking for about three hours.  Toby had SO much fun but he was pooped the rest of the day.  Cory was also exhausted toward the end of the hike.  I told him he better start getting used to it because we will be hiking in the mountains in Europe!  I am so glad we checked out Hitchcock nature center.  It is definitely a place I will be hiking again in the future.  Sidenote: I've noticed since I started blogging that I have found hiking to be something that is a passion of mine and something that makes me truly happy.  I can't wait for the trees and flowers to bloom so my hikes are even more beautiful than they are already.

"In all things of nature, there is something of the marvelous." 

                                                        

Loess Hills with Meow and Giz

So the following Monday, Mallory, Giz, and I headed to go hiking in Loess Hills.  It's about an hour outside of Omaha, but it was totally worth the drive.  We we literally the ONLY ones there.  We never encountered another person.  We were truly disconnected to whatever was happening in Omaha, and we were fully immersed into mother nature.  It was nice to check something new out for me.  We hiked for about a couple of hours.  We all packed a little snack and we found a quiet flat space in the shades and ate our food and talked for about an hour.  We also practiced some mindfulness and meditated for a little bit.  If felt really peaceful to meditate in the woods.  We then headed back to the lake where our car was parked and Giz found bones! We think they were deer bones, but it was so cool to find! It just shows how few people have been hiking to where we were.  Since we meditated in the woods it got me thinking to my last post and how I was doing 21 days to less stress.  I have found so many positive changes in practicing mindfulness for 21 consistent days.  I thought now would be an appropriate time to share.  Side-note: 40 days with no alcohol is still going strong!

Bones in the woods

Practicing Mindfulness in the woods

Mindfulness finds:

1. More energy

By eating a mostly clean diet, and not consuming any pop or alcohol, I have found I have so much more energy.  Normally if I only got six hours of sleep a night, I would feel really groggy the whole next day.  This hasn't happened! It's awesome!

2. Happier

By eating clean, and practicing mindfulness I have found that in general I am happier.  I wake up in a good mood, and go to bed in a good mood.  I have also found that I am more positive about things. Who doesn't like being in a good mood all the time? 

3. Less Stress

Now I know the whole point of doing 21 days to less, is in fact, to stress less.  It has actually worked. Normally little things that would have annoyed me and put me in a bad mood the rest of the day, hasn't annoyed me.  If something does annoy me, I have just let it go a lot sooner than I normally would have.  If I am being stressed, I know what coping techniques work to help me get out of it. 

4. Self Learning

I have learned so much more about myself by practicing mindfulness.  I have learned to fully think things through before you speak.  I tend to say whats exactly on my mind which sometimes isn't the best quality to have.  I'm trying this thing where I actually think before I speak. Haha

5. More time/Money

Okay this kinda goes with me giving up alcohol for Lent.  But I have saved SO much money!  I also have more time in my days due to me not going out and being hungover the next day.  I actually do the hobbies I like doing like running, hiking, and reading.  I feel so much more productive and I am being productive.  I mean, I planning to get married in two months! Eeek!

It just feels SO good to treat my body well and to see results so soon!

I hope everyone enjoys the beautiful weather outside and have a wonderful week!

Season of Change

Okay so we all know it is the season of Lent and people tend to give up things until Easter.  I myself am not too religious but I love the idea of giving something up to better yourself.  I know, that isn't the true meaning of Lent but this is what I'm using it for.  (Sorry God..) Also, side rant on what I believe in: I do believe in a God, but I don' think that there is a right religion and I am accepting of all.  I also firmly believe in treating the Earth with respect and enjoying Mother Nature.  I believe in being in tune with your body, mentally and physically.  Just a little insight on what I think :) To each his own.  So I decided to give up alcohol for Lent. Yes, I said it, ALCOHOL.  I am trying to get more fit and this is one of the things holding me back.  When I tried to give up alcohol for health reasons for one month, I didn't really get a lot of support, considering when you hang out with your friends you mainly hang out at bars.  I feel like since I'm giving up alcohol for Lent, I will receive a lot more support.  So on Fat Tuesday I headed to the Crescent Moon with a bunch of my friends and had a blast! I drank a little too much and had a wicked hangover but it was worth it.  Those rum buckets are just so dang delicious.  Alli, Asiha, and I always have a blast on Mardi Gras.  Last year, Asiha and I danced on tables.  It didn't quite get to that level this year, but we all danced with this older guy that was a dancing/drunk fool.  It was hilarious.

So I said goodbye to alcohol for 40 days! Woo!  I am also doing 21 days to less anxiety.  This started on Monday the 23rd.  Pretty much everyday for 21 days you are supposed to do 21 minutes of meditation, 21 minutes of physical activity that elevates your heart rate, and eating a clean diet.  I am journaling what I eat and do throughout the day.  You are supposed to cut out alcohol, coffee, pop, and anything processed.  Being on day two its going really well!  I love this idea, and my friend Giz actually got me to do this with her. She also recommended this yoga app called Studio Yoga.  I highly recommend it.  It breaks down the the classes for beginner, intermediate, and advanced, AND it breaks down the yoga sessions like yoga for runners, quick yoga fix, or yoga for back pain.  I have been pretty much using this everyday and I already feel so much more energized and healthier.  I also bought this book for Cory for Christmas and its called "The Little Book of Mindfullness"  He uses it to meditate and I have been using it too... Sorry Cory.  A HUGE shout out to Giz for introducing this 21 day to less stress to me and for that yoga app. You are my hero!

Yoga Studio App

10 min a day to less stress, more peace

 
 















I would love to hear about some things people are doing to better themselves whether it is for Lent or for other reasons!

Have a wonderful week!

Outdoor Adventures in January?

Howdy! (I'm trying different greeting phrases)

So the weather in Omaha has been so beautiful so I have been taking full advantage of being outside in my free time.  This weekend, I went on a 3 mile walk around a lake with my friend Mallory and my pup Toby.  I am obsessed with my pets and I try to take Toby on as many adventures with me as possible.  In need to invest in a kitty leash so I can start taking Hermione with me! Just kidding. (Kinda)  I saw this quote and I thought it was very applicable to me: 

"The journey of life is much sweeter when traveled with a dog."

We walked on the lake like badasses.  Not really, we saw people ice fishing so we decided if they can go on the ice, we could too!  The lake also holds 5k runs so we found some monkey bars and other little obstacles along the way.  Of course we had to revisit our childhood and play on the monkey bars.

Walking on water

 Fontenelle Forest 

 

"In every walk with nature, one receives far more that he seeks."

My days off from my job are Mondays and Tuesdays and on Monday the weather was almost in the 60's! Mallory also tagged along on this journey and we went to Fontenelle Forest and hiked for about 4 hours.  It was so nice to be totally disconnected from everything and just enjoy the beauty of nature.  We didn't even see a single person while we were hiking which made everything seem even more serene.  Because there were no other hikers, we had to climb over fallen trees that hadn't been cleaned off of the trail yet.  We thought it was fun because we got to act like we were in our own little obstacle course.   I even did a tree pose on a tree. Clever, right?  We actually found little bits of history along the way which I thought was super cool.  We came across the site of the 1846 Mormon ferry crossing.  I love anything involving history.  I mean, I'm marrying a history teacher for goodness sake.  After climbing over fallen trees, coming across of flock of turkeys (is that what you call it?), wiping out due to a combination of mud and clumsiness, and losing track of time while maybe getting a little lost, we came across this beautiful sunset along the Missouri River.  It was the perfect end to a perfect day spent outside totally disconnected from the hustle and bustle of the everyday grind of work and routine.  I used to think winters in Nebraska were kind of ugly due to everything being so dead and brown, but after this hike my mind was changed.  I got to experience the beauty of winter and I am really glad my eyes opened up and I was able to see this.  I'm also glad I got to experience this in good company with Mal.     

 

           Tree Pose on a tree

"There is a sunrise and sunset everyday and they are absolutely free. Don't miss so many of them."

Alongside with my outside adventures in nature, I have gone on multiple runs outside.  I can't bring myself to go to the gym INDOORS when it is so beautiful outside.  After experiencing the beauty of mother nature, I am ready and energized to take on the work week and get things accomplished!  "Make your anger so expensive that no one can ever afford it and your happiness so cheap that everyone can get it for free from you." With that being said, have a wonderful week!

- Your favorite barista, Stacey