Fresh Air

Last weekend ( yes I am a week late on this post) Ryder, Sheldon, & I decided to do a little exploring. We packed our lunches & got us the fresh air we were craving! We went to Lake Thunderbird here in Oklahoma. The water looked pretty orange from the clay, but we were just there to do some trails & sight see; so the water wasn't a problem for us.. Hope everyone has a great week!

Pizza made at home [Gluten Free]

Ryder & I had been craving pizza big time lately. We decided that Saturday night we would make it happen. It was simply divine! We made enough for leftovers which is always a huge bonus. Cold pizza= amazing.

Ingredients

• Udi's gluten free pizza crust (came with 2, so we made both)
• Mozzarella cheese
• Pizza sauce
• Fresh basil
• Turkey pepperonis 
• Tomato
• Olive oil 
• Mushrooms

First, lightly brush the crust with olive oil. Next, add sauce. Then, add: cheese, tomato, mushrooms, pepperoni, & lastly basil. Bake at 350 for 10 minutes. 

So easy, delicious, & a healthy alternative to greasy take out pizza. 

Happy Monday! 

Race Recap

A couple of weeks ago I ran Rock & Roll Dallas half marathon. It was such an awesome race. It was a beautiful course with great volunteers & encouraging spectators.

After running a full marathon last November, this half marathon seemed like a piece of cake! I have never enjoyed running so much. I beat my goal time & my personal best half marathon time.

If you have even the tiniest bit of a desire to run a race, I encourage you to sign up for one! I know running can be intimidating, but there's always that option of walking if you get tired. Seriously, people on the course do not care what you are doing.

Do something crazy! :)

Happy April 1st!

P.S. if it seems like we have a ton of layers on, it's because the weather was in the THIRTIES!!

My Husband: The Rockstar

If you know Ryder, you know that he is such a hard worker and strives to be the best version of himself, all of the time. He is such a talented & passionate person. He LOVES the sport of triathlon & is always doing everything he can to improve himself. Whether its's riding his bike outside in 30 degrees weather (then thawing out painfully afterwards) or waking up at 4am to get his workout in.. I admire him so, so much!

Ryder applied to be an ambassador for an awesome company, Base Performance. They offer supplements for triathletes, cyclists, etc. Ryder is officially an ambassador for them! I'm so proud of him.

Check out Ryder's bio on their website & also check out their products.

http://www.baseperformance.com/content/ambassador-ryder-clayton/

Happy Weekend!

Gluten Free Oatmeal Muffins

I found this awesome recipe the other day & tried it out yesterday. They were so easy & tasty! I modified the recipe a little bit & this is how it went..

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 cups oats (oat flour)
• 1 tbs baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 cup almond milk
• 1 egg
• 2 packets of truvia
• 1 tbs olive oil
• 2 ripe bananas (slice & dice into small pieces)

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350F.
2. To make oat flour: place oats in food processor & process until very fine. 
3. Whisk together all ingredients.
4. Grease a muffin tin or put in cupcake liners. Makes 12 muffins.
5. Bake for 25 minutes. 

Enjoy! :) Let me know if you try the recipe out! 

Weekend in review..

This weekend was great! My parents came to visit us & we got to show them around our new 'stomping grounds'. On Saturday the sun was out & you didn't even need to wear a jacket. It was so refreshing! We took them to Oklahoma City to Bricktown to site see & eat dinner. (BBQ never ceases to disappoint us.) It's always nice to recharge & have a good visit with family. Now on to laundry & other fun adult stuff. :)

Have a great week!

Here are a few pictures of the weekend..

Inspirational

Inspirational is one of the many characteristics I could use to describe Killer Boobies. This blog is written by a woman that is battling breast cancer. Reading her blog has certainly made me appreciate my health & life in general. She was a normal, healthy, exercising 25 year old. Yes, TWENTY FIVE. Her blog is brutally honest, but also comical. It's easy to think that something like cancer couldn't happen to us, but unfortunately no one is exempt from the terrible possibility. If you get a chance, check her blog out. You won't regret it!

killerboobies.wordpress.com/

Spring Time Wishin'

I LOVE this time of year. The weather is starting to warm up, the sun is out, & bright colors are back in the wardrobe. As always, Frock Candy has some really cute stuff going on. Here are a few of my picks for Spring time... I don't know how your weather is, but ours is just beautiful day! Happy Wednesday!

Fitness Monday

Health & Fitness is a huge part of me & Ryder's lives. It's become something that is just so part of our every day, that it's just habit now. Ryder has several triathlons scheduled for 2013. I have a half marathon coming up & also a full marathon in the fall. I will add another race or two in between those.

This is a bit of what my exercise looked like last week..

M: bike 1 hr
T: run 45 minutes & yoga 30 minutes
W: bike 30 minutes & strength
T: swim 45 minutes & run 45 minutes
F: yoga
S: run 20 minutes
S: 1 hr bike

I encourage you to get moving! You don't have to run a marathon to make a difference in your health.. Just move! Happy Monday!

It's Friday!

Oh, Fridays are just always so good. I even remember loving Fridays as a kid. Something about my hubby coming home & knowing that nothing but fun awaits us! I've been cleaning today & just made some oatmeal cookies for a special, healthy weekend treat! It will be a pretty low key evening, just the way we like it.. Watch a movie & cooking at home. Perfect after a long week. However, Saturday night is going to be date night! Can't wait.

What does your Friday night look like?

Feels like spring

I forget every year how refreshing something as a springtime day can be.

Sun shining, clouds spreading, wind in my hair, & having no cares.

Winter is so beautiful, but it has a way of making your head cloudy.

When the sun finally comes out, it makes you forget what you were ever even worried about.

Second Wind Coffee House

The hubby & I LOVE, LOVE coffee. We also love trying out new coffee shops. We ran across a really neat place called Second Wind Coffee House. It's super trendy, but best of all it's for a great cause. They are a nonprofit coffeehouse from First Presbyterian Church of Norman that is staffed by volunteers. There aren't prices, you choose the amount you want to donate. They support charities, local artists, & the community of Norman. We loved the coffee & admired what a cool cause it was all for. So many great people out there that put others first; it's awesome! So if you are ever in the area, check it out! You won't regret it.

God gave me YOU..

Oh this song.. It just melts my heart. There isn't anything better than unconditional, time-stopping, drive each other crazy sometimes love.

Life lately...

Life lately has been good. Full of changes; just how we like it. We have been getting acquainted with Oklahoma, while managing to sneak a trip or two back to Austin. (Oh just a fun city.) Have an awesome weekend & Happy March 1st!

Currently...

I got this *currently* post from Danielle.. 

Loving how beautiful it is outside! 

Drinking a protein shake. 

Reading Pre: The Story of America's Greatest Running Legend

Needing to fold laundry.

Stressing over ..who cares! We are all much to blessed to be stressed. 

Excited for our weekend. 

We are getting to start our weekend a little early this week! So excited. It's definitely the little things in life. 

Sweet baby (dog), Sheldon

I am sure you are so curious to where all of the wonderful pictures of our pride & joy are.. Well look no further! This dog is crazy, but so sweet. He sure makes us happy.

Oh & notice how awesome his beard is. As Ryder says.. "Fear the beard."

The unexpected

It's funny for me to look back & see how so many things have changed. I remember knowing what age I would graduate college, get married, start a family, etc.

But boy, oh boy; my sweet husband & I have enjoyed/experienced that life is much too unpredictable to have a perfect time line. On Christmas we were talking about where we thought we would be next Christmas & we both just giggled over it because we didn't even know where we would be living in January. We weren't sure if we were going to move to a different apartment in Austin or if we would make a drastic change & move to Oklahoma.

But I tell you what, this unknown & unpredictability has been amazing. There isn't anyone else in the world I would rather do this life with then my better half. It's been such a lesson of what is most important in this precious & short time we have here on Earth.. It's so funny, but sad to me how people get so consumed with having the best car or the fanciest house. Don't get me wrong, I don't think success should be looked down upon, I just think it's so important to remember that these things are so temporary & there are so many other valuables to be treasured that do not have a price tag.

"For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." -Luke 12:34

Easy, healthy cookies

Ryder & I find it very important to fuel our bodies with healthy food. That being said, I love a good dessert every once in a while. My sister in law sent me a recipe she got off of Pinterest for oatmeal cookies. Seriously, easiest cookies ever. All you really need is oatmeal & bananas; which are always in stock at our apartment.

Ingredients:
1 cup oatmeal (I used old fashion)
2 cups water
2 ripe bananas

Optional add ins:
1 tbs agave nectar
1 tsp cinnamon
Sprinkle of sweetener (I used truvia)

Directions: Prepare your oatmeal. Dice up the bananas & mix it in with the oatmeal. Then put your add ins into the oatmeal. Preheat oven to 350 and bake for 15-17 minutes; depending on your oven.

So delicious & guilt free!

Do it yourself Valentines

I have seen variations of this type of craft, so I decided to try it out & make one for Ryder for Valentines Day.

I used $1 paper from Target, cut out small hearts, & wrote different things on each heart. Anything from "you pick the movie" or "date night". It was really fun making up ideas to put in the jar. The jar was a mason jar I have been using as a glass. I used some rope we ready had, wrapped it around the jar, & added the "love jar" sign.

Using the leftover Target paper I also made a garland. Super easy & cute.

I am all about finding something unique without spending money. Win-win situation!

Valentines Day #5

On Valentines this year we sat at dinner counting up the number of Valentines Days we have shared.. 5! It's so hard to believe. Our first one we shared spaghetti in my parents backyard (which I'm sure my mom cooked and not me). Time sure does fly. I am looking forward to many, many more Valentines days with my best friend and soul mate!