One Day Road Trip

On Friday, my dad's grandmother Gordie passed away. She was 93 years old and lived a great long life. I was very eager to hear about the plans for the information about the service so that I could make arrangements. My dad and his entire family live in West Texas (Big Spring), so it would be great to see everyone and to celebrate her life.  My dad let me know on Sunday night that the funeral would be on Monday at 2. That was not what I was expecting, but I was off Monday, so I decided I would go. My mom made me go to bed at a decent hour so I wouldn't be falling asleep on the way there.

I left at 7:15 AM yesterday on my 4 1/2 - 5 hour drive to middle-of-nowhere Big Spring, Texas. Of course, I got some Starbucks before I left :) Coffee is a life saver. I made extremely good time at almost exactly 4 1/2 hours. I changed and met up with my family--I hadn't seen that side of the family for about a year (some even longer) and I was excited to fellowship with them. We all headed over to the funeral home to gather together before the service. My great grandmother looked so peaceful and it made me glad that she is in a better place. My grandma asked me to sing for the family, so I sang Amazing Grace by Chris Tomlin.  It's crazy, I've been singing in front of them for years and I still get nervous, especially yesterday.

After we all met at the funeral home, we went to the graveside for the service. It was very short and sweet (grandma said that's the way she would have wanted it). My dad, two uncles and my grandma sang Victory in Jesus and it was delightful. It's as if she was in the room celebrating her own life. It was so wonderful. Now, I don't have many memories of my great grandmother, but hearing everything about her, I wish I had more. She was an awesome woman and her faith in Christ is inspiring. Heaven was definitely celebrating because they got an awesome new member :) I'm so glad I was able to make it!

I then, drove back home after the funeral. NINE HOURS IN ONE DAY. It's not that big of a deal, but needless to say, I was tired when I got home. It was such a fabulous day. God has blessed me in so many ways, and I am awed in a new way every day.

Amazing grace,
How sweet the sound
That saved a wretch like me?
I once was lost, but now I'm found.
Was blind, but now I see. 

'Twas grace that taught my heart to fear
And grace, my fears relieved.
How precious did that grace appear
The hour I first believed. 

My chains are gone, 
I've been set free.
My God, my Savior has ransomed me.
And like a flood, His mercy rains
Unending love, Amazing grace. 

The Lord has promised good to me.
His word, my hope secures. 
He will my shield and portion be,
As long as life endures. 

My chains are gone, 
I've been set free.
My God, my Savior has ransomed me.
And like a flood, His mercy rains
Unending love, Amazing grace.

The earth shall soon dissolve like snow, 
The sun forbear to shine.
But God, who called me here below,
Will be forever mine.
Will be forever mine. 
You are forever mine. 

Week of Smoothies

After going to the grocery store to buy some necessary ingredients (most common) for smoothie making, I decided to get busy making smoothies. I've only made four this week...but that's pretty good, I think. I will post the recipes and opinions of all the smoothies I've tried below. Enjoy!

Weight Loss Smoothie:

• 1 Tbsp Chia Seeds
• 1 Scoop Whey Protein Powder
• 1/2 Medium Banana
• 3/4 C Almond Milk
• 3-5 Ice Cubes

I ended up using an entire banana because it wasn't sweet enough or thick enough. It still tasted a little mediocre, but it was alright. It wasn't very sweet and it had a weird texture. The chia seeds (if you're not used to drinking things with them included) have a very weird texture. But, over all, it was alright and I finished it! 

Banana Goodness:

• 1 Banana
• 1/2 C Frozen Raspberries
• 1/4 C Other Frozen Berries
• 2 Whole Strawberries
• 1/2 C Low Fat Vanilla Yogurt
• 1/2 C Ice (crushed) 

This smoothie was sooo much better than the previous. The yogurt thickened it up and made it a better consistency. The mix of berries was really good and refreshing. Just a tip--if you use ice...get it crushed from the refrigerator instead of crushing it in the blender...not a good idea. Also, cut the strawberries up before tossing them in. Again, this was really yummy. 

The Invigorator:

• 1 tsp Lime Juice
• 1 Tbsp Honey
• 1 Handful Spinach
• 1 Apple (red or green, doesn't matter)
• 1 Pear (medium sized)
• 1 1/2 C Ginger Tea 
• Boil 2 C water. 
• Grate 1 inch of ginger root
• Add grated ginger into boiling water
• Put a lid on top and let boil for 15 minutes
• COOL it before making smoothie
• Ice (as much as you need) 

This smoothie was pretty good. It had a weird texture too, but the taste was good. It was really sweet and I liked that. You could taste the pear and apple and there wasn't an overpowering taste of spinach. I would make it again. It filled me up and I wasn't hungry for like six more hours. Good stuff. 

Breakfast in One Smoothie:

• 1/4 C Quick Cook Oats (not instant)
• 1/4 C Nuts (I used pecans)
• 1 Ripe Banana 
• 1 C Frozen Fruit ( I used Blueberries)
• 2 1/2 Tbsp Low Fat Vanilla Yogurt
• 1 C Vanilla Almond Milk

Okay so I really did like this one, it just took a few sips to get used to the texture. The pecans made it a tad bit bitter but other than that it was pretty good. It didn't fill me up as much as the others so I made 2 eggs to go with it. Good breakfast for me! 

Of all four of these recipes, I definitely think the Raspberry Banana Goodness was the best. The Weight Loss Smoothie was the worst tasting, but it was the best for you in nutrients. Overall, I wasn't disappointed and had a good time! I would recommend that you try them, just for fun :)

Short Haired Woes

So, on my 101/1001 list, one of my biggest goals is to grow my hair out longer than I ever have. To me, long hair is to my collar bone. To girls with long hair, that's short. For my friends and family, it is not weird for me to grow my hair out and then chop it all off. To me, hair is hair and it will always grow back.

But...

I really want to grow it out. I miss all the things I could do with my hair and how if I was a lazy bum, I could just put it up in a ponytail. Most of all, I miss having my hair braided. The most I can french braid with this short bob is my bangs. Although, that's cute, it's not the same!

One tiny problem-my hair grows as fast as molasses. I do get it trimmed every couple of months so that it will grow faster, but, I need to just be patient. Obviously this virtue can be applied to all aspects of life, haha.

So this is just a boo-hoo post about how I'm sad I have short hair.
Dont' get me wrong, it takes me no time to get ready (hair wise), but I just miss the hair. Wish me luck. I can get bored of what my hair looks like in the growing phase and often chop it all off again. Hopefully, I can make it this time!

Smoothie Addiction

Jamba Juice.

I felt like that needed it's own line. A friend of mine, Allyce, told me about Jamba Juice a couple of months ago. I tried some fruity smoothie and I didn't think it was that great, so the next few times she asked if I wanted anything, I passed. Three days ago, I was driving around the shopping center I work at and decided to pull into Jamba Juice.

**You see, I have recently found my blender and decided I am most likely going to start making my own smoothies and juices (I am also getting a juicer). Not only do I want to make them because I want to be "healthier" but, it's cheaper to do it yourself than to spend money elsewhere. **


I went inside and decided I was going to try something I normally wouldn't. I tried the Apple N' Greens smoothie. Mind=blown. That smoothie was so incredibly delicious. I also got a free energy boost that has no caffeine. OH. EM. GEE. It was green. Usually, if something is a weird color, I'm not going to drink it. I took a baby sip because I was kind of afraid of what it would taste like. I found my soul mate :) (that sounds incredibly dramatic, but it was just that delicious).

I went back to Jamba Juice again that evening before work and then yesterday before bible study. I'm addicted. Therefore, I did some research and recipe searching and when I was at the grocery store today, I bought stuff to make my own smoothies because $5.72 a smoothie is TOO MUCH for this poor girl. I'm going to make a homemade smoothie in just a bit. Hopefully it's delicious. Even if it isn't, I'm going to post the recipe and pictures to prove I tried it. Without pictures, life is not validated.

Wish me luck! I'm being resourceful!
January is turning out to be pretty great so far.

New Year...

I have not blogged in almost two months. It feels a little strange finally posting something. I could write this post on all the unrealistic New Year's Resolutions I have, but that's just idiotic. But, as a start, I did change the layout and template of my blog :D

With the new year, a lot of things have changed. I will no longer be attending UTSA as a music education major. I will be going to SAC in the spring (hopefully) and then transfer to the University of Incarnate Word (fancy?) to get my bachelor's degree in Music Therapy. It's a major change and I'm kind of nervous...actually really nervous, but super excited.

Music therapy is a beautiful field and you should go look it up :)
It's not that music education isn't important, because it totally is. But, I have such a larger passion for this field than education. It's teaching in a different way. It's changing lives in a much more dynamic way. After meeting a music therapist last January, I became adamant on finding out more information.
UTSA doesn't offer the degree AND I don't want my degree to read UTSA on it. Some people love the school, I'm not one of them.
I have had issues with some aspect ever since I started back in 2008.

I will give more details when they are more solidified.

On to the resolutions and all that jazz:
I've decided to make more realistic resolutions than I normally do. I have a million to-do lists and I feel like it's time to actually finish one!

1. Write in my journal at least once a week.
2. Blog at least 4 times a month (I don't have a million followers, so just to keep it real)
3. Follow an average workout plan for at least 3 days a week. (I don't want to be like, INSANITY, because I'll do it for 5 days and then stop)
4. Say something nice to someone every day.
5. Spend time in God's word every day.
6. Be more Positive. (difficult).

So that's it folks. My resolutions are out there! I also want to continue fulfilling my 1001/101 list. I need to update that too. So, here is to 2013! *Clink*