Playing Hide & Seek with Passion

Do you ever feel like a plastic bag
Drifting throught the wind
Wanting to start again

Do you ever feel, feel so paper thin
Like a house of cards
One blow from caving in

Do you ever feel already buried deep
Six feet under scream
But no one seems to hear a thing

Do you know that there's still a chance for you
Cause there's a spark in you

You just gotta ignite the light

And let it shine
Just own the night
Like the Fourth of July


Now, I am not a huge fan of Katy Perry, but these lyrics seem to embody my feelings on life over the last 10 years or so.  I've mentioned in previous posts about waiting for life to begin and wondering when it would happen...but suddenly, I have a new philosophy!  I say suddenly, but it's been brewing for a while and was finally just realized last week.
 
For the last year, I have been focusing on buying a house and all that that entails: building my credit, saving money and looking...and looking...and looking...and looking for the perfect house.  I almost feel like I've set a record because I have literally found 8 houses that I was extremely interested in...only to find out that every single last one was under contract.  This road of seeming disappointment after disappointment has lead me to looking at life through a new pair of glasses...after all, when God closes a door, He always opens a window, right?  But sometimes, that window maybe in a different room or on a completely different floor, right!?!?!?
 
Last week, I was invited to spend a day at Lake Lanier Islands Resort during our annual manager's conference and the president of our division gave a speech that, in short, was about one thing - Passion.  While most speeches of this nature are geared towards inspiration and happiness, I didn't react the way most would...at least not at first.  Throughout the rest of that day, I was actually sad & a little depressed...oh yes, it was no fun...and this feeling continued until the next day.  Why was I sad and depressed?  Simple - because I no longer knew what my passion was...and the realization of that fact was quite depressing.  So I began to ask myself...what is my passion...or better yet, what are my passions?  Some of my passions are obvious, such as music, helping others, creating art; but others have been buried for many years...what is this buried passionate treasure?  Travelling!
 
As a child, I remember having conversations with my Dad where he would ask me what I wanted to do when I grew up and my answer was always the same:  I want to go everywhere!  He would say "But where do you want to visit?", and again I would respond "Everywhere!"  Until a week ago, I had not thought of that memory in many, many years, and the realization of said memory has sent me on a quest of travel exploration :)
 
Since relinquishing the idea of purchasing a house, I'm very much at peace...which in and of itself is a huge relief.  In addition, I've been able to focus on tons and tons of travel research and have already planned my first trip & think I even have my 2nd one figured out.  I was also given the amazing opportunity today to stay at a gorgeous resort in Kona, Hawaii for 7-days - for FREE - all I have to do is get there!!!  This is so amazing since I've ALWAYS wanted to visit this amazing state :)  In addition, the "villa" sleeps 10...which means that I need some other people to go with me!!!
 
Looking back to the beginning of the year, I remembered that I've already begun to visit places I've never been before, so I plan to end the year the exact same way.  In 2011, I've been to Nashville, TN and Gulf Shores, AL; in the future, I plan to go to Washington DC (shhhhh, please don't tell my niece, it's a surprise for her!), a cruise to the Bahamas (with my sister in tow) and maybe the Hawaii trip if I can swing it...if not, I'll shoot for the beginning of 2012!  Oh, and I'll be heading to Vegas the end of July for a work trip :)
 
Now I feel I can stop playing hide and seek with my passion and shout from the rooftops...I found you!!!  Now, get out there and find yours too :)

30-Day Nutrition Challenge

For the last several months, I've been endeavoring to figure out which foods do not agree with my body. Like alot of people, I have been plagued with digestion issues most of my life, and have just always dealt with them and assumed that it was a normal part of life. Last year, I started keeping a food journal & then in February, I started documenting digestion issues. While this is not the most pleasant thing, I have been able to notice a pattern...which is exactly what I was hoping for.

I've now discovered that dairy just does not seem to agree with my system...and this fact pains me almost as much as the digestive issues since my favorite food of all time is Mac and Cheese :(  While researching how to eliminate dairy from your diet, I came upon this 30-Day Nutrition Challenge to Remove Gluten, Dairy, Caffeine, Sugar and Alcohol and thought I'd give it a try...after all, it's only 30 day, right?!

First off, the alcohol will not be an issue since I don't drink :)  Woohoo...I'm already 1/5th of the way there!  Secondly, I broke myself of caffeine about 8 or 9 years ago; yes, I do occasionally have caffeine, but it's usually once a week or less.  My only exception to this is tea; but luckily, green tea (which I drink every day) is allowed...and this makes me super happy!  The next item is sugar:  I've been working  for the last 4-5 months to reduce my sugar intake...other than natural sugar in fruit...so I feel like I'm already on the right path with that.

Since discovering my body's reaction to dairy, I have been weining myself off of it...though not happily, I know it's necessary for my health.  (Side note:  oddly enough, cultured dairy products such as yogurt and sour cream do not seem to have any adverse effects on my system)  Next we come to the most difficult part of this whole experiment...the gluten...or in other words...wheat!  Now, if there's one thing I heart more than almost anything else...it's baked goods...bread, crackers, pretzels, cupcakes, cereal...I love it all!  BUT, I can do anything for 30 days, RIGHT???  I sure do hope so!

You may be asking, what can you eat and what can't you eat?  This follow-up article to the one listed above goes into great detail...good stuff.  Basically, in a nut shell:  all vegetables, fruits and meats, rice and quinoa are all acceptable.  Thankfully, I do love rice and rice noodles - so I do plan to try spaghetti with rice noodles...ymmm!  I have quinoa, but have not had the chance to try it yet...no time like the present :)

So, if you're just not been feeling the greatest lately, why not try this challenge with me?  After all, it's only 30 days!  Here's to nutrition...Happy May!!!