Thursday, December 31, 2009

Peace Out 2009!

Soo.. I am reading facebook status about 2009.. some good some not... and I think to myself what would my status be about 2009 and my instant reaction would be... Jessica is ready for 2009 to be over and excited to start 2010!.... Then I look back at what my 2009 has been filled with and I reevaluate!!

2009 and was a really good year for me!! There are so many things I am thankful for in 2009!! In January I got to surprise my best friend Jerome in Kansas City! In February I had my first real Valentine! In March I went to Texas with my Bestie, Holly to our friends wedding!! In April I went to my first Yankees game! In May I made the decision to start training for a half marathon!! In June I did my first 21 day Kathy Freston Cleanse!! In July I went to Colorado to visit my friend Susan! In August I discovered my love for Green Smoothies!!! In September I ran my first half marathon!!!!!!!!!! In October I was in the wedding of the decade and turned 25!!! In November I had an all vegan Thanksgiving meal!! In December I got a new job and moved to Omaha!!! And this is the short and condensed version of 2009!! WOW!! 2009 really was an amazing year of personal growth!!!

As I close an amazing 2009, I am preparing for an amazing 2010 and I think of one of my favorite quotes by Marinne Williamson....

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”


Happy New Year!
Green-Teen

Monday, December 21, 2009

10 in 2010!

2009.......... What a year!!! As the year is quickly coming to a close it is time to think about another new year full of growth!!! I was checking out facebook a couple weeks ago and the AMAZING Kris Carr had a status about working on her new years resolution and her infamous vision boards!!! She was going to try to narrow it down to 10 things in 2010! What a brilliant idea!! I loved it!!! Soo I began to think of the 10 things I wanted to put on my vision board. Sooo.. of course I shared it with Lindsay and we shared our lists and both pulled something from the others list!!



So my 10 in 2010 are:
1. Become a REAL vegan!! In the The Kind Diet (Which I can't wait to finish) Alicia Silverstone talks about how she was flirting for years.. Saying she was a vegetarian, but would have bites of her friend's steak... So the last couple months, I have wanted to be a vegan but have just been flirting.... Sooo... No more aspiring to be a vegan.... I am taking the amazing plunge!! (Great Side note: I got a couple gift cards to Whole Foods for Christmas, so I am super excited to stock up and get started!!!)


2. Do a random act of kindness once a month!! (I got this one from Lindsay, and it is the one I am most excited about!!) Pay for someone behind you at a drive-threw... But gift cards to hand out to those who may look like they need it.. :) Post any other ideas!!!


3. Money, Money, Money... Budget and Save! Anyone who knows me, knows I love to just spend money whether i have it or not! ha ha... So my goal for 2010 is to begin to be debt-free and save for a Toyota Prius!!


4. Run a half marathon with out stopping.. Lincoln Half.. May 2nd... Here I come!!!! :) I am VERY excited for this because Lindsay's sister and my sister have decided to run it with us!!

5. Thankfuls!! This summer Lindsay told me about this motivational speaker, Mary Kay Mueller, that had came to her school... (Mary Kay wrote the book, 8 to Great.) When Lindsay told me about, I could feel this amazing energy through the phone!! One thing Lindsay had told me about was "Being Thankful". That was one of the 8 pillars to success and happiness. Mary Kay suggested you write down three things everyday that you are thankful for that day! I just feel in love with this idea!!! I began doing it for about 3 weeks and it was so AMAZING what had happened!! When things would happen I would find myself saying wow! I am thankful for this!! I began being so much more grateful for things!! Unfortunately, It only took a couple nights of forgetting and being busy and I got out of the routine and had stopped doing it. Sooo.. I am super excited to began the thankfuls again!!

6. Faith!! God has always been an important person in my life, and without him I would be nothing. Unfortunately I have not always had God on the top of the priority list. So in 2010 I want to find a church and really get back into my faith to help me live out the plan God has laid out for me!!!


7. Letters, Emails, and Cards.. oh my!! There is nothing better than getting that special card in mail!! So at least once a month, I would like to send a card, email, or card to someone that I wouldn't normally send one to, but who is a special part of my life!!



8. Go Green!! Like I had mentioned in "My Story" my friend Travis had me watch an Inconvenient Truth which had changed everything for me! This documentary is a controversial documentary on the theory of Global Warming. Whether you believe Global Warming is happening or not.. There is really no arguement for why we should not throw away things that we can reuse?? (exception: biohazards) Soo.. for the last 4 years I have been flirting with actually going green. I have been such a HUGE earth advocate, but I am ashamed to admit that I have not always acted on my advocate-ness... So this year I really want to focus on reducing, reusing, and recycling!! I want to start my first compost pile as well!!!



9. Volunteering!!! I have had some great volunteering expierences so far in my life and I look forward to some great volunteer expierences in 2010!!




10. Blog it up!! I got started on it early, but here I am!! I have loved my blog experience thus far, and can't wait to continue it through the new year!!



Vision Boards.. I had mentioned a little bit about them at the beginning. Kris Carr just recently wrote her blog about vision boards, Check it out at http://www.crazysexylife.com/!! She posted it December 24, 2009. She has three amazing little vision board stories I encourage you to check out!! So I am super excited about my first vision board!!! I would love to hear what you have on your vision boards and new years resolution lists!!!!

Luckily I am stuck in a blizzard so I am hoping to work on my Vision Board this weekend.. I will post pictures when its done!!

Happy Holidays!!
Loves!!
Green-Heen

Sunday, December 20, 2009

My Story

I grew up being very athletic! I was in gymnastics when I was young, and went on to play volleyball, basketball. I also ran the mile in track and did shot and discus. So in high school I was soo active that I could eat, eat, and eat and never gain a pound!! I had this beautiful stomach that was semi-defined!! AND the kicker is.. I thought I was BIG!! I have a bigger bone structure, so I was like a size9/10 sometimes 11/12.. So when all the other girls are 3-7's and you can't share clothes, you feel fat!! So when I graduated my eating habits stayed with me, but my active lifestyle went to the curb!!

I went to college in a smaller town of about 6,000ish.. There wasn't a lot to do there, but go out to eat!! I spent 4 and 1/2 years eating!! Runza! Magic Wok (best chinese ever!) Ron Don's (McDonalds) Coffee Shoppe!! Taco Bell!! Tacos and More!! All of my favs!!! mmmmmmmmmm!!!

In high school my skinniest (thank you mono) was about 155... graduated college at 215ish.. Yeah.. that is about 60 pounds ladies and gentleman.. And the kicker is, after college I got up to about 230!! Sooo That is 75 pounds!!!!!!!!!!!!

The last 6 years have been a weight roller coaster! I would go on working out spurts.. I would go on healthy eating spurts.. I would ride my bike to work spurts.. I did the weight watchers thing a couple times... but the key word is SPURTS.. Everything was just a mini phase!! I would even take "before" pictures.. I have many sets of them!! There was a time my sophomore year in college where I had got back down to 190.. That was a great time for me!! I had a major confidence boost!! But, don't worry.. I put that weight back on real quick!! ha ha!!!

Along with this battle was the confidence issues!! I ALWAYS felt like the "fat girl"!! We would go to the bar, or parties and guys would come up to me.. and then ask me what my friends name was.. or tell me my friend is really hott!! LIKE REALLY!! Who does that??!! Anyways! ha ha!! I spent a lot of time feeling ugly! Well, I felt pretty from the neck up! ha ha!! I couldn't share clothes with my friends and roommates... I didn't really have any cute clothes because I was the awkward size that no one had clothes for me! I was too big for the normal sizes, and to small for the plus sizes.. So yes, shopping was never a fun adventure! Luckily I was spending all my money on food so I never had any to go shopping!! ha ha!!

This blog and my story isn't just about food and weight i promise!! ha ha!! There are some good things that came out of my college days!! There are a lot actually!! The best thing of all was getting a job working with individuals with disabilities!! I was soo lucky to find my passion for life so young!! One great thing was the friends I made while I was there!! Another great thing was the "voice" I discovered! I found my advocacy voice!! The voice that drives me to have passions and stand up for what I believe!! My friend Travis had me watch a film about 4 years ago that I believe was a turning point in my life!! We watched an inconvienent truth!! This film really just made me AWARE of the bigger picture!! And it was that awareness that has been driving me to continue to be a better person ever since!!

The next stop in my journey was in July of 2008.. My best friend Lindsay (you will hear her name quite frequently!!) told me about a book she had read called Quantum Wellness by Kathy Freston... Lindsay told me about the 21 day cleanse and about how she had decided to become a vegetarian on July 5th!! (Side note: Lindsay is such amazing person and mentor and I look up to her soo much!!) So when Lindsay said she was going to be a "vegetarian" I was thinking all kinds of things... I could never do that! Why would you do that? What are you going to eat?? Seriously?? Would you have to eat tofu?? I don't even like salads!! Sooooo.. Yeah!! All kinds of thoughts of craziness were going through my head... BUT Lindsay is such an amazing person that I knew there had to be something good behind this.. Soo I listened, and I am soo glad I did!! I went out and bought Quantum Wellness, and this was another great turning point in my life!! On August 16, 2008 I too became a vegetarian!!

At first I ate very healthy, I was losing weight and looking great! Feeling like a million dollars!! LOVED IT!! Then.. my diet began to consist of cheese.. some sort of starch (potatoes, noodles, corn).. pop..and chips... Sooo then I began to become the most unhealthiest I had ever been!! It was here that I got up to my heaviest of 230 pounds!! My mom jokes that I was a "funyun" vegetarian!! I was tired ALL the time!! I had headaches!! I was sooo lazy! I never wanted to do anything!! When I would go to my parents house I just wanted to sit around and watch and not particpate which is the opposite of who I really am!! I was getting sore throats and colds all the time!! I was just an unhealthy hott mess!!!! ha ha!!!

Well, don't worry! Lindsay saved the day AGAIN!!! In May of 2009 Lindsay went to a local Raw "cooking" class!! She learned about Green Lemonades and the world of raw foods!! Lindsay would read a book and then tell me about it and I would run out, buy it, and read it!! So we read Raw Detox Diet by Natalia Rose, Juicing Fasting and Detoxing by Cherie Calbom, and Green for Life by Victoria Boutenko!! Lindsay and I began the Kathy Freston 21-day cleanse on June 8, 2009.. Lindsay and I also decided to run a half marathon in September.. So the training began!! (I know this is MY story, and I keep saying WE, but Lindsay was such a major part of this story.. it really was WE!!) So we bought juicers and blenders and the love for greens began!!! WOW!!

This is where I began to really expierence life!!! What was I doing before!??? After some short lived detox headaches.. I was like how was I living any other way?? How was I letting food control me soo much that I was able to expierence life?? My headaches I was having - GONE! My tiredness - GONE!! Laziness - GONE!!! OMGosh!! It was just the best ever!!! I had gone to visit my best friend Susan in Colorado in July. (Side not: Susan has always been a runner, and had a great body and has always encouaged me to run/workout and wanted me to feel great and have the energy she had.) I went out to Colorado to visit her, and had confidence and this energy I had never had before!!! We went hiking on a mountain! We went up the gazillion stairs at red rocks! We walked EVERY where.. and for the first time in a LONG time I wanted to keep going!! I didn't want to stop... I wasn't feeling like I just wanted to "hang out" inside.. I WANTED to be this active!!! It was the best!! This is just feeding my drive for more!! I want this for my life!! I want to feed my body for this energy!! I almost feel like a crack addict!! I NEED more green smoothies!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ha ha!!!!!

Sooo.. Lindsay and I DID run the half marathon!! Mind you Lindsay had her appendix out 13 days before we ran!!! YEAH! I told you she was amazing!! We did not run the entire thing.. We ran straight to mile 7 and then walked and ran to mile 12 and then ran the last 1.1 miles! Another great feeling in my life to cross that finish line!!!


Weight Update: I have a scale that weighs light.. so when I started it said I was 225. I was down to 185.. but thanks to thanksgiving, moving, and christmas I am 190! ha ha!!

At this current moment I am an aspiring vegan as I try to be as vegan as possible, but things are crazy as I just started a new job and so I do what I can when I can!! ha ha!! I am also not eating super healthy right now.. I have my green smoothies in morning.. and then its down hill from there!! But like I said I just moved to new city, started a new job, and now the holidays.. So January 4th is my vegan launch date!

I am soo excited to have this blog and to have the chance to share my journey and hopefully inspire others to feel this great!!!

Loves!!
Green-Teen

Saturday, December 19, 2009

Welp! This is my first blog!!! Super excited!!! Up until recently I had not gotten into the blogging revolution. On facebook they have a blogging type option where you can post "Notes". Which I had gotten into this past fall. I had been posting notes titled "Green Smoothie of the Day".

Until recently I hadn't read many blogs. My friend Kortney showed me a couple she was following and they were awesome!! Kortney also recently started her own blog which is amazing!!! So with some recent exposure to blog I became hooked!!




So, a couple weeks ago Kris Carr, who is an amazing cancer susrvivor you can check her out at crazysexylife.com or crazysexycancer.com, had posted a status on facebook about working on her new years resolution. She was going to work on 10 things in 2010! I LOVED the idea!!! So I am currently working on my list of 10! One of them I am putting on the list is start a blog! I decided to start early because I wanted to blog about the process of picking my top ten! AND, I just couldn't wait to get started!!!





So last night I was super excited to get started and so I created my blog profile. Well, it came to the name of the blog and I was thinking different ideas... Peace, Love, Vegan.... Peace, Love, Green.. Teeney gone green... Teeney's vegan journey... none really were jumping out at me... So i started thinking of my goal of this blog. Which is to share my journey of becoming vegan, going raw, going green.... So then I began to think of my favorite quotes and inspirations, and one of my favorite quotes is "Be the change you wish to see in the world" by Mahatma Gandhi.... So I pulled from that and got Be the GREEN you wish to see... I love it!!! :)

So that is a little bit of the journey of how this blog came to be!!! I am going to post my story tonight or tomorrow which will give you some insight on my journey up until now..

Loves!!
~Green Teen