Rhew The Nation -- The Pacific Northwest -- Part 3

I am a Southern girl, and right now, the South is and has been battered by Hurricane Florence. If you can find ways to donate money, time, or supplies to the people of North and South Carolina, Deek and I would greatly appreciate it!

Jensen Ackles and his wife Danneel are planning a trip to the Carolinas to help. You can get more information on Danneel's instagram.

With all this destruction and devastation happening in my part of the country, it's nice to travel back to the Pacific Northwest, Deek's part of the country, and remember the fun we had there. If you'll recall, we travelled by car across the nation, nearly coast to coast. We had great adventures along the way and then stopped in the PNW for a week to spend time with family and friends.

Deek's wonderful parents wanted to take us on a cruise tour around the Columbia Gorge. They originally wanted to do a dinner cruise, but since I'm lactose intolerant and Deek and I are on keto, they switched to a brunch cruise because we could eat more!

The boat -- The Sternwheeler

Someone cut Bigfoot's head out of the picture. LOL!

Ready to ride!

Amazing scenery!

I adore Deek's dad. They are so much alike--funny, thoughtful, and so loving!

That evening, we had dinner with Deek's best friends from childhood. He has known these men most of his life, and I love how their friendship has survived and thrived despite the miles and all life can throw at people.

We caught up with them and their lovely wives, laughed, and reminisced. I am truly amazed that Deek and his friends survived childhood with all the stunts they pulled. LOL!

The three amigos!

The next day, our last full day in the Pacific Northwest, Deek took me on a date to our favorite Chinese restaurant again to get the amazing beef schezwan we cannot find anywhere else.

So yummy!

And yes, I'm wearing a huge sweater in July because it's cold in the PNW...

That evening, his parents threw us a big going away party. We had tons of friends and family show up! It was lovely to see everyone and get to hang out with people who have come to mean so much to us. And y'all, let me brag on Deek's parents. They really put out an amazing spread and kindly opened their home to a bunch of people they didn't know. All for us. We are so incredibly grateful! <3

Christine--the officiant at our wedding!

Deek has known these two amazing women for a very long time!

My favorite part of this picture (besides Angie's lovely face) is Deek's mom grinning in the background! I loved how much fun she and Deek's dad had with our friends!! <3

Paula Brotherton, folks. She makes me laugh until my sides hurt.

And she's an amazing real estate agent in the Portland area!

We love these folks. 

We've vacationed with them and always have such a fun time together!

And in the blink of an eye, our time in the Pacific Northwest came to a close. After a tearful goodbye to our friends and family, we headed on back toward the East Coast. But since we'd done the northern route many times, we decided to try our hand at the southern route--Vegas, Tombstone, Area 51, Roswell. Yeah, it ROCKED! Stay tuned for more on the southern portion of our trip across America!

Rhew The Nation -- The Pacific Northwest -- Part 1

So, Deek and I traveled across the country, almost literally from sea to shining sea. But we stopped our travels to hang out for a week in the gorgeous Pacific Northwest and visit with family and friends. We used to live there, and while we love our life in the South, we do miss so very many things about the PNW.

Like family! <3

Deek has the most amazing parents, and I'm so blessed to be part of their family!

Like friends!

I adore Christine's whole vibe--just a super cool person all around! <3

Like Portland.

I *really* love Portland.

We arrived at night and immediately went to eat at Deek's favorite restaurant. We'd saved our keto high carb day especially for that place!

He may be a little excited! LOL!

The next day, we decided to explore our little town to see what had changed since we lived there. In the two years since we lived there, several different places have come and gone--some for the betterment of the town and some not. And while we were out, we *had* to eat at our favorite Chinese joint. We've tried and tried to find Schezuan beef as good as this in the South, but we have not been able to. :(  

After two years of waiting...

Of course we got Dutch Bros! 

Come to the East Coast, please!!

And we took a little boat ride.

The PNW has lots of water! ;) 

The next day was the 4th of July! It's the second year in a row we've spent the 4th with Deek's parents, despite living 3,000 miles apart!! How cool is that?!?

Deek and his dad. Love these two awesome guys!

Waiting for the parade!

Holy crow! Our little town has grown a lot!

We could hardly walk through the festival because the streets were *so* crowded!

This is how I always look at this man--with complete adoration!

I am the luckiest woman in the world! <3

And...there's a theme.

I so love Dutch Bros!

Fireworks!!

The next day, Deek's parents took us on the OMSI jet boat ride in downtown Portland. They wanted to take us to the touristy places we never got around to going to when we lived in the PNW. OMG, we had such a good time!!

Ready to ride!

Got a little wet.

I'm glad I brought a sweater because even though it was mid-summer, it was cold on the water!

I'll be honest, it's something I've never been able to get used to about the PNW. I'm a Southern girl, and it's always hot in the summer. I mean, you might as well walk around on the face of the sun. If you take a boat ride, even the wind it generates is hot. So, this coolness at the beaches and on the water in the PNW throws my mind for a loop. I can't quite wrap my brain around it or get used to it. Who brings a coat to the beach in the summer? Even in a swimsuit, you're likely to burn the blazes up on a Southern beach in the summer. ;) 

Someone's engine caught on fire, so our jet boat became a rescue ship! 

Our captain paused the tour/adventure to tow the man and his family back to shore. 

We were glad to be of assistance!

Now we're getting soaked!

My favorite part of this picture is Deek's mom's smile. Makes my heart so happy! <3

Why did I bother to fix my hair?? Haha!

Speaking of hair, after the jet boat ride, we headed on over to get my hair dyed. We had a blast chatting it up with "Hair Chick," as we call her, and I walked away with awesome purpliness!

Sporting the purple look again!

Stay tuned! We had plenty more adventures in the PNW before we headed back to the East Coast via the southern route!

Unexpected Life Changes

So, I recently wrote about our new eating plan, and I'd intended to do post on the oil cleanse method, which has revolutionized my skin. But life had other plans. Unexpected plans.

My great uncle J.H. passed away. In April, he'd been diagnosed with kidney cancer, and by June, he was gone. While it wasn't quite as unexpected and out-of-the-blue as my PaPa's death, it was still so fast. Too fast. When PaPa died, I wondered if it would have been easier to have known and have had some warning. But now I know. You're never ready. We're never ready to let go of the people we love.

J.H. was my Mema's (grandma) brother. So, he's technically my great uncle, though I've only ever called him Uncle J.H. Uncle J.H. and Aunt Bobbie. Their names have always flowed together as one, like Mema and PaPa. I *still* say Mema and PaPa, and it's been almost a year. I can't think of one without the other, and the same goes for Uncle J.H. and Aunt Bobbie.

Y'all, I've always admired Uncle J.H. He carried himself in such a stately manner, like if you looked in the dictionary under "Southern gentleman," you'd find his picture. But he was also down-to-earth, always asking about other people and being genuinely interested in their answers. He was one of a kind, and the world--our family--has truly lost another bright light.

Deek often comes up with these great analogies for things, but at first, you don't see the connection. So, he always starts with "Hang with me for a minute." I'm going to say that now. Hang with me for a minute, and you'll see where this is going...

This morning, I envisioned our family like a Light Bright picture (see...hang with me here). Does anyone remember those? I think they actually still sell them.

Each member is a light that makes up the amazing picture that is my family. And slowly, over time, some of those lights go out. MaMa (my great-grandmother), PaPa's brothers and sister, cousins, PaPa, and now Uncle J.H. Sometimes lights come into the picture, when babies are born or when people get married, but never in the same place as the lights that went out. Those are not replaceable.

This Light Bright picture of our family is ever changing. One image is not more beautiful than the next, just different. But when you're like me and remember the original picture--the one with everyone who's gone--you miss it. You yearn to see it, and them, just one more time. 

But the truth is...that's not the original image, is it? That's the new picture that changed when the people before us--PaPa, his brothers and sisters, Uncle J.H.--lost their own loved ones. The image I feel is the "original" came only when other lights faded. I bet PaPa and Uncle J.H. missed their "original" Light Bright family pictures too. I bet they stood where the rest of my family is standing today...mired in grief and sadness. Missing. Longing. Wishing.

Yet PaPa and Uncle J.H. kept shining. And we should too. Instead of thinking their light has gone out, we should imagine it has been transferred--to the rest of us. It's up to us now to shine as brightly as we can. This family Light Bright picture may not be the one we remember, but it's beautiful too. It's infused with the lights of so many generations. 

It's a legacy. A proud, deep legacy.

Life Changes

Hey y'all! It's about to be summa, summa, summa up in here! WOOT!! I am so freakin' excited! Give me a hot day over a cold one any day of the year! ;)

Throwback to our honeymoon after the 2nd/Southern wedding!

Speaking of throwback and the 2nd/Southern wedding, Deek and I just celebrated another anniversary! Let me tell you, life with this man just keeps getting better and better. Every day I think I can't love him any more than I did the day before, and yet, I do! He is my dream come true, and I adore him epically!

And now... 

More in love than ever and having a blast!

And if you needed more proof that my hubby rocks, may I present his latest "just because" gift to me...

OMG! YES!

House Stark forever!!

Okie dokie, now let's talk about some changes that have been in the works.

Eating: For the past five years or so, I've struggled with my thyroid and adrenal failure. Before Deek, I lived a *super* stressful life, and living that way for so long has lasting effects (see my posts about that here and here).  If you know anything about thyroid problems and adrenal failure, you know it's almost impossible to lose weight.

I'd had success with South Beach and paleo in the past, so Deek and I gave those a shot. We worked out and we ate right and...nothing. I might bounce down a pound or two, but it would always come back. Many times, I'd look at my husband and say, "Screw it. I might as well eat pizza and Coke every day for all the good this diet is doing me!"

I still think pizza may be the most perfect food ever invented...

Also, I had been having pain in my stomach every time I ate. Back in January 2017, I had a stomach virus, and my tummy has not been happy since. A doctor said when your stomach goes through a trauma like a bad virus or something like that, it can take up to two years to fully heal. Think of it like this...if you break your arm, you put it in a cast, and it heals. But your stomach is never "off duty."

Enter keto. I'd been reading about it a lot and considering it for a long time, but everyone said, "Don't do it if you have a thyroid problem. It will shut your thyroid down!" So, I stayed away, but it kept creeping up the back of my mind. One day, I told Deek I was going to devote some time to really studying this eating plan and see if it would mess my thyroid up even more.

Confession, I freakishly love to research. I mean, I *really* love it. I need some kind of job where I just research stuff for people. Anyhoo, I found a way to make keto work with the thyroid. After Deek and I discussed it, we decided to give it a try.

Y'all, I am losing weight! It's slower than most keto people because of my thyroid and adrenals, but it's happening!!! I had this pair of shorts that did not fit me in April. I'm talking about I looked like a sausage being stuff into casing--that bad. But I wore those shorts yesterday, and they were super loose. What the heck??

But more than that, I *feel* good. My stomach does not hurt at all anymore, and I have energy like crazy. Now, I'm not a doctor (check with professionals if you're considering a diet change), so y'all take this anecdotal story with a grain of salt. But man, it's changed my life!

In addition to eating keto, I do HIIT workouts, tabatas, and interval running.

I spoke to my mom yesterday, and she decided to do keto also. She said she's losing weight and feeling great. She said "Keto even works for old people." LOL! She's not old BTW. ;)

Ain't she purty? And definitely *not* old.

Since this blog post is already super long, I'll save my next change for my next post. In that, I'll be talking about my new facial regime (it's not for any sales company). I make it at home, and it's revolutionized my face. 

I'll leave you with this recent photo of me and Deek doing what we do--having fun together. Until next time... 

It's you. It's always been you, and it'll always be you!