These Are My Confessions

So, I guess I should tell my side of the story so no one freaks out and thinks Alex's post is a real confession. Yes, it's true we've been trying to eat healthier for the most part but we're far from perfect.

When Alex and I decided we wanted to start eating healthier, we went into it together because we knew that neither one of us was strong enough to do it on our own. So we made a sort of pact to always look out for the other, especially when the temptations were strongest. You know, sort of how missionaries do. Marriages work the same way. I guess if anyone knew how we'd been eating for the last couple of years, they'd know just how unhealthy our diet really was. But we were both in denial then, and probably would have said we were just fine.

A truth about health that I've learned recently is this: You don't know that you're not healthy until you get healthy. And in this country, I believe many are under the impression that what you eat doesn't matter as long as you exercise. I've come to realize that it matters more what eat when you do. Actually, I think it does matter all the time, but far be it from me to judge anyone on this matter since I myself will probably struggle with food craving for the rest of my life.

Anyone who's known me in the past, knows what a fitness guru I used to be. I mean, I used to do regular morning workouts before attending 3-5 hours of physical dance classes (and that didn't include the hours of kinesiology, somatics and all other classes that required papers and asessments of sorts) per day and still found time to teach hip-hop, pilates, yoga and children's ballet classes at night. I must have been crazy. I don't know how I managed then because I definitely wasn't eating as well as I am today. I remember getting sick a lot and pushing through it.

I guess somewhere between getting married and having two kids, I've somewhat let that go. But in the past I will admit I struggled with mild eating disorders of which I don't care to detail much. All I know is that these days, I want to regain my health the right way. The way I lived when I was a single college student was terribly unbalanced. The way I was living after getting married wasn't all that much better. It's true that if you don't find a good habit to replace the old bad one, that you'll just replace it with another bad one. In essence, I feel that's what I did.

That said, we've just both come to an awareness that eating Raw and Vegan as much as possible is actually an immune strengthener, cleanser and fights disease better than any prescription or over-the-counter drug on the market. We've also tried hard to allow the scriptures to guide us so as not to let this particular gospel hobby consume our lives so much that we become extremists about it. Our main guide is D&C 89 as the revelation does address the fact that even though the "flesh of beasts," is "ordained for the use of man," that it is in fact, "pleasing unto him that they should not be used," with the exception of winter, cold and/or famine. This can be found in verses 12-13. I've slightly paraphrased. Since this is just our family blog, I don't find it's necessary to cite sources formally. Anyways, because of these scriptures, we've toyed with the idea of whether we should have a traditional thanksgiving dinner or not since technically we don't live in snow right now and even though our economy is in trouble, we aren't quite living in a famine. At least not yet. But that is another long story I won't go into right now.

Our main reason for wanting to eat more Raw and Vegan actually began with our son. Since we've made this transition, we've noticed huge improvements in Orion's strength, energy and overall health. His reoccuring skin rashes have completely faded and where he normally gets flare-ups, his skin has healed quite nicely. His frequent wheezing and sneezing has all stopped. We've all had slip-ups but because we try to support one another, we don't wallow in our guilt as tends to happen with most people who attempt to diet with the latest fads. Of this, I myself am guilty.

Our addictions to food are so different. Alex craves the more meaty things. I crave for sugary, refined carbs. Emphasis on sugar. Oh and let's not forget chocolate. It's not that we don't allow these things into our lives anymore, but we've basically tried to eliminate buying them when grocery shopping. So we don't have them regularly, but on occasion we have splurged. In any case, our eating habits are so much better than what they used to be.

So I've rambled long enough. I like writing I guess. But back to the main story:

Even though we've both enjoyed higher energy levels and better overall feelings of wellness, we've had our moments. These last couple of weeks we'd been completely Vegan and almost about 60% Raw, or so I thought. A couple days ago, I went to the store with Alex and was ever so tempted to indulge in those melt-in-your-mouth Lindt Chocolate Truffles. With Alex's persuasive rhetoric, I put a bag of milk-chocolate truffles back on the shelf and tried to convince myself that I was being wise for "taming my flesh."

Fast forward a few days: I was havin' a pretty good day yesterday and was wanting to take the kids for a stroll to this little clothing store near our house to buy a new shirt or earrings or something. Naturally I check our account online to see if we can afford to spend a few bucks on something not deemed a necessity. Since the birth of our little girl, Alex had pretty much taken over the managing of money. We used to do it together, but I was finding it difficult to stay on top of. The point is, I don't think Alex thought that I ever checked our balances online anymore. Because I hadn't in a while, he had good reason to think that. So on this particular day, I check the account and I didn't have to scroll down far before I saw maybe 3 purchases with the words In-N-Out right next them. Hmmmm. I know I didn't go to there. I was at home without a vehicle for the past few weeks. And there was no way that I was going to believe that my cute husband was going there just for lettuce, onions and tomato on a bun. He normally gets veggie sandwiches from Subway where they have more veggies to use.

Shortly after figuring it all out, he gives me a call to say he's headed to lunch. He usually calls while he's not knocking doors, so I expected as much. I reassure to him, "Something healthy right?" He says, "Of course! Why wouldn't I?" So I ask slowly, "Not In-N-Out right?" At this point, there is a hesitant pause followed by, "No," an even shorter pause, "Why?" And then I proceeded to tell him about my discovery. I don't think I would be exaggerating if I said he sounded like a 2-year-old who'd just gotten caught with his hand in the cookie jar. The apprehensive chuckle said it all.

I wasn't mad. I guess what made it so funny was that here I was at home, actually struggling with my own sugar and chocolate cravings, wondering all the while why I couldn't be as strong as my husband. He even finds ways to coax me out of splurging on something I know I won't feel good about later. That's a good salesman for ya.

His excuse: "If you knew I was splurging, you'd want to do it too and I didn't want you to have a reason to. I was trying to be your strength."

My answer: "But you were cheating without me!"

I mean, we actually discussed going there once all together as a family. But he was the one to talk me out of that one too, all so he could go and indulge in it by himself. And not just once mind you.

Me: "It's like you were cheating on me with beef and cheese."

Alex: "Well, atleast you were good for a long time."

I guess I can't argue with that. Even though he went behind my back, he still put up a great facade for self-discipline. I guess there are worst things to be addicted to. I'm just grateful my husband's biggest problems are burgers. His love affair with In-N-Out Double Doubles aren't enough to keep me away. You should have seen the expression on his face though when he got home to face his wife. It was the biggest Huntington grin with the brightest flushed cheeks I'd ever seen on him. I know his efforts. I know he's human. I love him anyways. Hun, the only thing you should feel sorry for is not taking me with you. :O)

Once a cheater, always a cheater...

So, anyone who's been following our blog lately knows we've been "really good" at eating healthy. I mean, we've been vegan, and almost completely raw. Well... I have a bit of a confession to make honey. There's this certain fast food chain that I really grew to love after my mission. You see, I had never eaten there before my mission simply because there was no restaurant branch, or whatever you call it, in South Dakota. In fact, even after my mission, I didn't really get to know this place until I went to California with you, because they didn't have any locations in Utah either. Any guesses as to what restaurant it is yet? Well, I was so struck with the simplicity of their menu, and the "deliciousnicity" of their cuisine, that every time we went back to California, I just had to partake. Sometimes more than five or six times per visit.

My addiction grew. It grew strong. When we would drive home from California, I found myself going to this restaurant in L.A., then three hours later in Barstow, then an hour later in Vegas. And if I wasn't on the verge of throwing up, we'd top it all off with a morsel in St. George. Yep, I was hooked. Badly. When I went down to Laughlin, NV to sell preseason just before we went to Philadelphia, I think that I had dinner there every night. Forgive me sweetheart, addictions die hard.

Now, we've been vegan for a couple of months. And dear, this is something that you need to know, so please forgive me. But for the past couple of weeks, I've been cheating on you with fast food. I lament to say that I can't truely call myself a vegan. Not after the slip-ups I've been having. At first, I thought it was harmless. I'd drive past and look through the windows. My concience would eat at me but I'd justify it. "Hey, it doesn't hurt to look." Next, I found myself circling the mall parking lot just to get a little closer. I'd even crack the window a bit to see if I could get a waft of the sweet, enticing, tantalizing scent. It was like a narcotic.

This downward spiral continued for a couple of weeks, until at last, I could take it no longer. The green juices and green smoothies were wonderful, but my heart was elsewhere. For too long I had allowed myself to aimlessly wander on that dangerous precipice of temptation. I had actually believed that I could be the exception to the rule. The next thing I knew, I found myself in a parked car, alone. Alone and in a battle that rivaled the Akhaian invasion of Troy. My mind was a flurry. "I can't do it", said one part. "But you must! This, THIS, will make you happy!", exclaimed the other. She asked for my money, I handed it over. $8.08. I had sold my happiness for the measley price of $8.08! And what's worse is that I actually hadn't sold it, I had been sold! I was miserable, but as I partook, I couldn't help thinking, "Oh, this is soooooo good."

I think that as part of my repentence process, and the confessions that are included, you need to see this.

I know that you're probably furious with me for all of this. I think of the humiliation that you must feel. This whole time, we've been talking to people about how wonderful it is to eat healthy and nutritious. And behind you're back, I've been eating these. Now, before you get too distraught, you should know that it's only been three times. I know that doesn't excuse my actions, please forgive me.

I think that you may need to sit down before you read this next part. I've been bad. The other night, I told you that I had to go out and meet one of the technicians so that I could pick up a contract that he had. If you remember, I actually took our children. Little Chrysalis, so innocent and sweet, had already fallen asleep by the time I saw the acute angle on the sign, and the brilliant, yet sinister colors that accompany it. Orion on the other hand, was awake. I know you think that I'm a good example to him, that I show him the ropes. I'm sorry Lig. On this occasion, not only did I partake, but I actually gave Orion some to. I've corrupted our little boy. He didn't have any of the burger, just some of the fries, but I know that it was unacceptable regardless. I hope that you'll forgive me.

I promise to you Ligia, if you'll forgive me, take me back, and help me overcome this ferocious addiction, I will not return to this place of corruption. I love you, and I love vegetables and fruits and sprouts and all of these wonderful healthy foods. Please forgive me, and please help me.
Love,
Your Husband Alex

Our First Little Garden - Part 1

So here is Alex working this little box of soil that was dry and hard as a rock. And no, Alex did not do it all by himself. I actually got dirty too.

He was worried that these little plants might not grow in Arizona because the dirt was so sandy. I kept telling him they wouldn't have sold them at walmart if they didn't. So here's to experimenting. We bought some starter plants and some seeds as well. So we'll for sure have some fruit to enjoy before we have to leave.

A Cherry tomato plant and I think the small one is a bell pepper.

Jalapeno pepper and Cilantro plant and some different seeds.

Some Collard Greens and two more Tomato Plants. Wish us luck and a little bit of good weather.

And then we stopped in Utah for a couple of days. . .

. . . to visit some family. For those from my side of the family who may not know, this is Clark Kimble, Alex's 24 year old cousin. Back in July, he went into the hospital with some sort of sickness no one really knew much about. All he knew was that he felt really sick and his eyes were turning yellow. Poor guy.

So it turns out he may have been attacked by some sort of virus that caused his liver to malfunction and he needed a new liver right away. He's had a liver transplant and still remains at the hospital. So the picture below shows what this poor guy has been through. Warning: It is a little gruesome. He has only recently been able to start eating foods again and has had an arduous recovery, but so far, things seem to be getting better. He's got a long way to go still and needs every prayer towards his continual healing. Anyways, his family has kept a really nice blog to keep record of the whole experience and I've attached it to my blog so you can check out Super Clark if you wish to send him well wishes. I post this to share with those who may not know this guy and also to document the experience for myself.

Clark's Incision. This picture is pretty mild compared to some others up on his blog. I guess it's something I don't want to forget. It was a little tough seeing this kid who happened to be my sister's age. I can't imagine what I'd do if I had to see any one of my younger siblings go through such a trial. Or my children. My heart goes out to Rhonda and her family. This experience sure puts life into perspective though. It just reminds me of how fragile our lives are and how we really need to strive to live up to our full potential because you never know what the road ahead has in store.

So this was us visiting Clark at the hospital. We didn't think to take a picture with Clark. He was still in a pretty critical condition then. But Rhonda snapped this shot of us on her phone. From Left to Right: Me, Orion, Alex, and Elliot. I feel so short. Ha ha.

And then while in Provo, we hung out with my sister. So here are some shots of Aunt Gio goofin' off with her niece and nephew. She had a bit of a gimpy ankle at the time so the love sac is great for romping around with kids and just laying there.

Orion taking Gio's nose.

Goofin' off. How I wish we still lived near one another. Even if Auntie does get exhausted after having my kids for only 4 hours while we unloaded and reloaded trailers. "I didn't sign up for motherhood yet Lig," says she. Well you can rest assured I'll throw this in her face the day she has her first child. In all seriousness though, we will miss living so close to you G.

The Travels Continue

So our days in Sioux Falls came to an end and then there was more driving in store for us. Halfway between Sioux Falls and Salt Lake, we made a pit stop at quite a monumental place. At least it was special to us and worthy of being documented so that our kids could know in the future of the meaning of such a place.

A couple blog posts back, I attached a link to a video where Gordon B. Hinckley gives an account of three young men who crossed the sweetwater river carrying the pioneers. One of those men who happens to be Alex's relative crossed the very river that runs alongside Independence rock, where we made our stop. Now, if you've ever played Oregon Trail as a child, then you know that Independence Rock was the landmark you were eagerly awaiting to get to, and hopefully before July 4th (Independence Day, hence the name). This was to assure you would be able to cross the mountains before the frost came. So on our LONG trip by car (and I'm being facetious) we finally made it to Independence Rock and decided to climb it. It seems like such a silly thing to do, I know. But there is something mystical about reaching the top and gazing over the entire plain where the river runs through. I can't ever imagine what it must have been like to cross these plains on foot. And I complain about traveling in a nicely air-conditioned car, with gas stations available every few miles. But putting that aside, it was one of those moments when you just felt connected to the past, present and future. You know, miles of road behind, ahead and all around. Symbolic of our trial that is this earth I suppose.

Here is a little about the landmark,

Alex trying to live up to his ancestor's strength.

thinking he is the king of the world.

Another view alongside the rock.

And here are my babies at the top.

Yes, I climbed the rock carrying my little girl. I actually did it barefoot cuz flip flops aren't exactly the best climbing shoes. It was amazingly easy to do with no shoes. Don't ask what I was thinking. All I know is Alex talked me into climbing up after he and Orion did. The girls were feeling a little left out I guess.

Here are the boys climbing the rock. Boys will be boys.

While At Grandma's. . .

While in the beautiful South Dakota, Alex was hard at work on his mother's roof and so that left the rest of us to enjoy each others' company, learn some new things together, and visit the nearby parks.

Cheryl shows us how to make some delicious Vegan pizzas with all fresh herbs and tomatoes right out of her garden. I so admire her dedication to growing her own veggies and such. I long so much to be able to do this for my family all the time. Moving around and living in apartments makes this rather difficult. So here we are out in Cheryl's garden, decorating our pizzas with all things freshly picked. From left to right: Alex, Cheryl, Me, Chrysalis and her cousin Josephine.

Chrysalis bug.

My happy little girl.

At this fun park near Cheryl's house, Chrysalis has some fun.

Cheryl teaches me how to harvest Basil. I didn't do much of the work but I watched her pick it, and dry this paricular batch to use as a seasoning.

Such dedication to all her precious plants.

Alex realizes this job is gonna be gruesome.

A before shot. But I didn't get any of the after shots. Maybe I'll get some photos from Cheryl.

First destruction of the old roof.

The new roof materials arrive.

The yummy vegan blue cornbread that we gobbled down. I think Cheryl thought this would last. Silly lady.

A fuzzy photo of Alex and Orion at the Sioux Falls little cliffs. A fun little break.

Alex's cousin Blake, taking some measurements.

Cheryl gets a new awning in her backyard.

Orion plays with Cody's kids.

At the end of each day (or usually in the middle of each day) Grandma gets some very much needed rest. Cheryl, Alex took this photo. Not me. He insisted. Grandma sure knows how to work hard.

I love her laughs. Hope you all enjoy as much as I do.

Daddy takes the kiddos on a little bike ride. They absolutely love it. A family from our Bloomington ward gave us the bike carrier for free. Alex really wanted one too, so it's perfect.

A Day at the Park and some Butterflies

I LOVE butterflies. So I had to share this on my blog. With my newly acquired skill of making wipey cases and hooter hiders, I made this fun little matching ensemble for my little girl and myself.

Can you blame me?

So after the the big birthday bash, we all went and spent a night at Grandpa's house of which I took no pictures. Dumb me. Then we moved down south to Grandma Cheryl's. She needed quite a bit of housing problems fixed of which Alex and some of his cousins were so generous to help. While we stayed there for three weeks, we did a little exploring and went to this beautiful butterfly house like I'd never seen before. The biggest, most beautiful and exotic looking butterflies were everywhere. It also had a fun playground for kids right next to it. Orion and Chrys had a blast. And if anyone knows me, they know how much I love butterflies. They are the prettiest things ever and I was so excited to have them fluttering all around me. So this first picture is Chrys on her way to the butterfly house.

The cute shoes she got from Heather Morris that finally fit her little feet. These are the only shoes for some reason that she doesn't kick off. She must really like them. Guess she knows good shoes when she sees them.

Some pretty flower shots.

This huge jungle gym that Alex had to climb with his son.

They had fun.

Grandma Cheryl with Chrys.

My cutie pie in a cute dress she got from Brittney Porter.

All those hungry butterflies.

Orion getting ready to go inside. Not so sure about it. But he loved it.

Of course, here is Chrysalis next to a bunch of Chrysalises.

He wasn't so sure about them landing on him, but he eventually got to liking it. He has no fear of spiders but he gets nervous around butterflies. Go figure.

Some more pretty flowers we saw.

I loved the color of this one.

And of course, here are some pretty flutterbies.

These pretty shiny blue ones were my favorite. They were about the size of my hand.

The baby chrysalis' up close. I'd been stressing out about living out of a suitcase and moving from place to place that visiting this place was just the therapy I needed. It was a very pretty and uplifting day. If you're feeling stressed, please go to a butterfly house. Enough said.

On a side note: I just now realized that my last post was my 100th post. How fitting.