In the midst of applying to teaching jobs, I have the joy of playing with this guy.

Weekends have provided moments of relaxation with both friends and family. Last weekend was spent with Tim’s family in Lincoln City. We celebrated Laura’s (Tim’s oldest sister) birthday, played cards, ran like kids on the beach at night (there’s something so liberating about running as fast as you can!), and simply enjoyed each others’ company.

Tim’s mom makes THE best Strawberry Ruhbarb Pie! The candles spell out “24″

I LOVE YOU, JULIA!!!

Why I love Tim so much, captured in a picture

Of course “Summer Moments” have to include food! I made Tim dinner lats night, and after adding one layer on top of another, this creation in a bowl was formed.

First important note before I go into the ingredients–this is a very filling meal. I would suggest making a smaller bowl Becca was STUFFED (in a good way) last night!

Layers (from bottom to top):

1) Spinach
2) Quinua
3) Sweet potatos
4) Zuchinni/ Stir-fry peas
5) Black beans
6) Avacado

Finally, top it all off with some Tomato, Basil Marinara Sauce. Oh my, this was so gooooood!

“Summer Moments” are always good when there’s healthy, colorful food to enjoy it with! This could actually be really good picnic food.

Lastly, I thought I would share with you what my daily eats look like. Here’s a list of what I had today…

7:30am Bowl of cereal (low-fat granolla)
9:30am 1/2 iced coffee (shared it with Tim…we both needed it!)
10:30am 1 organic plum
12:00pm Larabar (pre-run fuel)
2:15ish Green Monster–post-run recovery (included 2 small bananas, 1 Tbl Chia Seeds, 1 cup Almond Milk, 2 handfuls of spinach, 4 ice-cubs)
3:15pm 3 pieces of dried mango
6:00pm Veggie Sandwich with Carrot Frieds (and there may or may not have been a piece of dark chocolate for dessert)

All together now.

That is one DE-LICIOUS dinner! Tim enjoyed the same meal, except with sweet potato fries!

Next post will about my training plans for my next 1/2 marathon in October…”The Dressler Half.” Oh yes! Tim and I are putting together our very own 1/2 marathon!!!!

I’ve gotta show you a close up of these babies!

Tim’s grandparents have been so gracious in sharing their garden’s delights with us this summer. Blueberries, rasberries, green beans. lettuce, and (oh my!) the strawberries!!! I regret not showing you the HUGE bowl full of strawberries that were delivered to us.

So how did I incorporate BLUEBERRIES into my day? Well, if you noticed in the picture above (it’s the blurry part), I BAKED!!!

I revised a couple recipes to come up with these wonderful, “BLUEBERRY, LEMON OATMEAL MUFFINS”. And yes! They tast just as amazing as they sound.

Blueberry, Lemon, Oatmeal Muffins

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

1 cup flour (I used White, Whole Wheat)
1 cup oatmeal
1 Tbl baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/3 cup sugar (I used Raw Cane Sugar)

Mix the above dry ingredients in a medium sized bowl and put aside. In separate bowl, mix the following:

1/2 cup canola oil
3/4 cup vanilla almond milk
1/2 mashed banana
1 tsp vanilla extract
Finely grated zest of 1 lemon

Now gently fold in the wet and dry ingredients. Be careful not to over mix. Finally, add in the main ingredient! The BLUEBERRIES!!!

1 1/4 cup fresh blueberries (preferrably from your grandparents’ garden!)

Fill each muffin cup three-quarters full. Bake 20-25 minutes, until a toothpick or knife inserted in the center of one comes out clean.

Oh, and I had company while baking today

This is Jasper. I’m nannying him this summer, so you might see more pictures of him! He’s 14 months old and soooo precious!

The blueberry fun doesn’t stop here! Jasper and I proceeded to the park once the muffins were out of the oven, and we had a picnic. However, I was rather lonely while eating my Raw Almond Butter, Agave, and Banana sandwhich, because of this…

When I finished my sandwhich, I enjoyed the sounds of the park (my favorite!) and read some of this book.

Yay! Jasper woke up! And guess what he had for lunch??

BLUEBERRIES!!! He’s obsessed!

He’s so handsome.

It was a lovely day. Berry picking with Jasper tomorrow at Sauvie Island. Happy summer eating to everyone

And I’m a bit excited to be back!

The last few months have been a journey, to say the least, experiences that have given me a tougher skin and a more kind and patient heart. Some of my adventures included…

writing too many lesson plans to count…

reading To Kill a Mockingbird for the THIRD time…

graduating from my Masters in Teaching Program at Concordia University…


(picture is from undergrad graduation, but I just like it so much!)
saying goodbye to friends who are leaving Portland…

saying goodbye to 3 very special Sophomore, American Literature Classes that I student taught in…

celebrating 1 year of marriage!!!!!…

(we went on an INSANE hike…in the midst of my huffing and puffing, I think I grunted out “Happy Anniversary.” We both laughed!)

applying to so many teaching jobs that I started loosing count over a month ago…

interviews…

making rasberry and strawberry jam from berries that came from Tim’s grandparent’s garden…

bike rides…

BBQ with friends…

watching Tim play soccer (there might have been some World Cup games that were watched on espn2.com as well!)…

boating with the Life Group (Bible Study) and waking up the next morning with whip lash from falling into the water…

going to Washington D.C. to visit one of my best friends…

and learning how to wait patiently for God’s plans in the Fall.

There’s actually a lot more that went on, but I think a list that was any longer might make you want to stop reading!

As far as my life right now!!?? Well, I’m using the summer to (miss Cananda) apply for teaching jobs around the Portland area. It’s a job in itself, seriously. In the meantime, I’ve recently started nannying for an adorable 14 month old boy named Jasper. The family lives in my neighborhood, so it’s biking distance!

Some things I’m still doing…

…drinking Green Monsters

…falling more in Love with Timmy

(This is a picture from our boating trip)

…eating lots of fresh foods (which comes with lots of experiments!) Oh, and of course eating dark chocolate

…running (but not as much. i’m enjoying cross training stuff, like yoga, biking, and walking)

…loving Portland, but missing my family

What do I hope to accomplish soon???

FIND A TEACHING JOB!!!

What am I looking forward to???

ROADTRIPPING TO MONTANA WITH MY BEST FRIENDS TO BE IN ANGELA’S WEDDING

Can’t wait to catch up some more as I reflect on my summer, food, being outdoors in Portland, and a lot more (I’m assuming!)

JESUS LOVES YOU!!

While I really want to keep blogging, I know that if I did the posts would be rushed, sloppy and done without as much care as they should be. I don’t want this blog to turn ugly!!! So, I’ve made a very important decision…

I’m going to take a break from blogging.

Now that doesn’t mean I’m quitting!! I’m just going to finish my Student Teaching and focus all my energy there, and then come back for the summer!!! And oh man am I going to have some amazing things to post for the summer…

Races

Eating Raw

More yoga

Cooking experiments

Smoothies galoore!!!!

And fun in the sun!!!!

So I’ll let you all know when I’m going to be back (probably through Facebook). So don’t completely forget about me yet!!!

I’ll see you in the SUNSHINE

JESUS LOVES YOU!

I started my morning off with a banana and almond butter and some Coconut Water. Coconut water is a new find for me–it’s pretty much the natural version of gatorade without all the extra sugar. Here’s a little piece of info from a website that sells Coconut Water.

ZICO [Coconut Water brand] contains the five essential electrolytes your body needs to keep nerves firing, muscles moving and to help manage stress. One ZICO has more potassium than a banana – 15 times more than most sports drinks – to prevent cramping and promote recovery. Drink ZICO before or during a workout for the natural energy you need for optimal performance. After a workout, ZICO replenishes and re-hydrates you to speed recovery.

After breakfast I went to pick up my friend, Tina, who also ran the 1/2 marathon. Keep in mind that it’s 6am right now…ick.

So how did the race go?

It could have been better. But finishing any race is better than not racing at all, right? My goal was to beat my first 1/2 marathon time which was 117 minutes (average 9 minute miles), but the first mile that I started running, my left quad was shoot pain through my leg I noticed that it was sore yesterday, but didn’t think anything of it. This is a reoccuring pain/injury…it stems from my soccer days when I didn’t stretch properly or treat injuries the best.

Since you already know that I finished the race, I’ll let you know it wasn’t an easy one to finish. At mile 7 I even put the thought in my head that I may not be able to finish this race…but I truged on, having to slow my pace down I had the energy to run, but my leg was dragging. Oh frustration!

My time: 2 hours and 4 minutes

Not terrible, but I had it in me to do better. I had to stop about 4 times to stretch my leg. At least there’s the summer–more 1/2 marathons!!!

I still feel happy to run though! And yes, I wore my “Smile Jesus Loves You” shirt!!!

I’m going to rest my leg up…and I say leg because my right leg feels GREAT!!! (oh frustration…again!) Maybe I’ll run my own 13 miles

Thank you for everyone who prayed for me this morning! You kept me going until the end.

Do you have any injuries from the past that haunt you?

Do you every measure yourself…your worth…by what you can do? I do. My frustration grew into a realization that I need to get over this. Not just today. Not just in that moment when I felt pathetic in front of Tim. But I need to overcome this in my life.

What defines you?

Is it your intelligence? Your athleticism? Your witty humor or ability to communicate well with people? Your job? Your looks? Your clothes? Your body?

This past week and a half I haven’t been able to run because of my ankle. I expressed in some other posts that this was frustrating for me, but I’ve failed to express to you how it has been affecting my days…

I can blame it on a lack of endorphines. I can blame it on my new transition into Student Teaching. Or I can blame it on my lack of sleep and busyness. But that wouldn’t be honest.

This past week I did not love myself.

I could feel God tugging at my heart trying to convince me otherwise, but I’m stubborn. I always tell Tim, “I need my exercise. It allows me to be my best person.” But what if I couldn’t exercise anymore? Does that mean I’ll never be happy?

Defining happiness…

Is it based on what you do? Or…is it based on the PERSON inside?

This past week I defined my happiness by my ability to be athletic. To run. I could feel myself slowly loosing all my training and strength. I felt like less. Running is who I am! Right?

Wrong.

Today I ran for the first time in a week and a half. Yes, I’ve lost some of my endurance, but I have not lost my passion for being outside and running. I feel free!

REMINDER! I run for the LOVE of running.

I can’t let WHAT I DO define my happiness.

I wanted to share this with and let you know that I’m still going to work on this. Pray. Talk out loude about this with Tim. I would love to hear your comments on this…do you ever get frustrated or mad with yourself? Are there times when you don’t feel worthy?

The rest of today and tomorrow, I’m going to focus on what does make me happy. One thing…you guessed it!

I hope you all had a fabulous Easter weekend! I spent the day with Tim’s family in Tacoma, and it’s always nothing but pure relaxation at his house. It was kinda a teaser because we had to leave so soon

Anyway, God is goood and He loves you so very much!!!

I wanted to let you all know that I’m sorry for not posting this past week. I’m adjusting to student teaching, but I hope to post a couple times this week. I’m so honored that anyone would read this blog, that I really really want to stay consistent with this!

Couple updates…

1) My foot/ankle has not healed completely yet. Whenever I think it’s better, I try running or something that involves more pressure on my foot, and it starts to hurt again. Please pray for my foot! I’m wondering if the 1/2 marathon this weekend is the best thing for me, which makes me really sad considering all the training I’ve done…

2) I LOVE teaching!!!

3) I’m still drinking those Green Monsters!

4) I really need to go grocery shopping tomorrow!!

Well, I hope you all have a blessed week!

Love, Becca

Julia and I at Christmas This is Tim’s little sister (and my sister!!!) I love having a bigger family when you married!!!

I love you, Julia! I miss you already!

Last weekend I did another 10 mile run and it KILLED ME!!! My legs were throbbing in pain–it was time for a new pair of shoes. Unfortunately, I injured myself before the new shoes could make a difference. Nothing major–I have a bad left ankle from soccer, so it’s easy for it to get stiff and then turn into a pain that runs up my leg

Well, the good news! I got a new pair of running shoes!!!

The not so good news…I attempted to run on my bad foot too soon. I would come home FRUSTRATED with myself. I knew that taking a couple days off wouldn’t affect my training greatly, but I was stubborn. Sometimes I just NEED to run…ya know? So here’s the lesson I learned this week…

Any run is a good run.

(Early morning run…not the prettiest picture, but I was still happy to run!)

Even if some of my runs included walking, I was out there! My injury also helped me focus on other aspects of my body that I’ve been neglecting lately, like cross-training, stretching, and yoga Here’s what my week of working out looked like:

Sunday: 10 mile run
Monday: 35 minute run (shouldn’t have!) + 35 minutes of yoga and stretching
Tuesday: Speed workout (REALLY shouldn’t have! I thought that if I got home sooner the pain would end sooner…real smart, Becca!)
Wednesday: 20 minute run/ 20 minute walk (I had to walk home…too much pain.)
Thursday: rest day (lots of stretching)
Friday: Speed workout with Timmy!
Saturday: 33 minute hill workout (oh my!)
Sunday: 7 mile run (my legs were SORRRRE!)

Sad news…the rocky trail at Forest Park hurt my foot/ankle again. So I need to rest for a couple of days. I’m hoping to ride my bike. I went running with a friend this morning, and when we were done (both of us in pain for different reasons), I said, “I guess any run is a good run.” And if I said that out loud, I need to BELIEVE it!!!

I’m very proud of my body and its accomplishments up until now, and I have full FAITH that with a little rest and realistic thinking, my 1/2 marathon is going to be great (just a couple weeks away!)

And to answer the question to the last post…should I run a marathon in October? Well…I think I’m going to shoot for it!!! What that means is, I’m going to train, increase my mileage, and just see how my body handles it. So one day at a time! I also want to train with Timmy, and he may need a little break from his track season.

Preview for next post: What’s the perfect running shoe for you? I’ve been reading up on this, so I thought I would share some fun facts.

Also, I bought this book recently…

I’m not converting to being raw by any means, but I find a lot of truth in eating foods in its purest form–just the way God created them! So I’m excited to get familiar preparing raw foods. Those will be some fun posts to read I thinking I’ll do some reading/ research now and do most of my experiments this summer (some before then too!)

Hope everyone’s spring break was restful! I start student teaching tomorrow!!! Blessings on your week.

Plan out your workouts and meals for the week!!!

So I’ve been thinking…since I’ve trained so well for the 1/2 marathon that’s coming up, and starting to feel really comfortable running long distances…maybe now is the time to train for a marathon…I have my foundation set. And since Tim is going to be done with track in May…we could train together

What do you think? Should I train for the Portland Marathon in August October???