Zevia Giveaway!!!

Now that summer has officially started, I'm hoping to start grilling out more.  I have some pretty tasty grill recipes (maybe I'll share a few with you all later), but sometimes I struggle with choosing something to drink.  Not much can beat an ice-cold soda on a hot day, but I'm not a fan of all the calories in the sugary drinks.  I try to stay away from the diet sodas because of the health risk associated with artificial sweeteners and truthfully I dislike that "fake sugar" taste.

Recently I had the opportunity to sample a selection of products the beverage company Zevia and I must say that I was really impressed.  This all natural, zero calorie soda is sweetened with stevia, a plant that is 100x sweeter than sugar.  While I liked all of the flavors, my new favorite is the Grapefruit Citrus, which I drank after a killer trail on a dusty, desert trail near my home.  The Grapefruit Citrus was light and refreshing...it actually tasted like grapefruit, which I appreciated.  It was not overly sweet like many of the other "citrus" sodas I've tried in the past.  I'm also a big fan of the Grape flavor.  I loved grape soda when I was a kid, and this totally took me back to those days.  Another bonus of this grape soda is that it is actually clear...so no sugar, no weird ingredients, and it won't leave purple stains (my mom would have been so excited).   

Anyway, I'm a fan and think these drinks make great, healthy drink options for the 4th of July.  Thanks to the folks over at Zevia, I will be giving away a coupon for a free 6-pack of Zevia.  Just leave a comment telling me which flavor you are most interested in trying and I will randomly choose someone on Friday, July 1, 2011.

Running Project

So, I'm starting a new running project.  I'm going to attempt to run everyday for a year...starting tomorrow!

New Year’s Resolutions

While I like the idea of resolutions in general, I find that I have a hard time committing to a New Year’s Resolution.  Resolutions are too broad for me and there are too many aspects of my life that I hope to improve upon to choose just one resolution.  Plus, I always feel like a resolution requires a plan and I’d have to develop at least five detailed plans to cover myself, so I tend to make New Year’s lists (sometimes I’ll make a birthday list, but I didn’t do that this year, so a 2011 list it is). 

The amazing thing about my lists is I usually accomplish most of what I put on the list.  Even if I tuck the list away and don’t look at it until the next year, those ideas get in my mind and somehow I end up being able to cross through a lot of things by the end of the year (and seriously, what is more satisfying then crossing something off a to-do list???)  Additionally, since it’s just a list, I don’t feel too bad if there are things on the list that I didn’t get to, if they are still important to me, I just add them to the new list.  So, I thought I’d share my new list with everyone! 

Emily’s 2011 To-Do List

1. Run at least one trail marathon (maybe an ultra marathon).
2. Have at least one adventure with each of the important girls in my life-be warned ladies.
3. Get married.
5. Find a job that I find more personally fulfilling.
6. Sweat everyday.
7. Have at least one international adventure.
8. Drink more water.
9.  Clean up my diet…more good stuff, less bad stuff.
10. Write some good books.
11. Sell at least one magazine article.
12.  Pay off credit cards.
13.  Meditate everyday.
14.  Give love and kindness.
15.  Live in the moment.

Happy New Year!

What I'm Reading Now...

One perk of spending 40+ hours traveling by car from New Mexico to Missouri and back again is that I had some time to do some serious reading. I finally finished The Four Agreements by don Miguel Ruiz. This book has been on my nightstand forever. It’s a great book and very easy to read, but I felt like I really needed time to read, re-read, process, and practice the material in the book. For those who haven’t read it yet, it is a sort of guidebook to living a joyful life and is based on four basic principles.

1. Be impeccable with your word.
2. Don’t make assumptions.
3. Don’t take anything personally.
4. Always do your best.

Ruiz spends a good deal of time explaining that each of us is living in our own dream and we have the power to direct our dream however we choose – very empowering stuff. Oddly, it reminded me of a saying that one of my teachers from high school would always say, “It’s your world, I’m just living in it.” I think Mr. Birk had a good argument there:)

It’s a deceivingly simple concept, but I’m going to do my best to be mindful of these agreements and put them into use in 2011. Here’s to a joyful new year!

Happy Holidaze

As a teacher, I am lucky to get an extended holiday break.  I really needed that break this year, but instead of lying low and enjoying some time off, I decided to pack it as full as possible.  Winter break kicked-off with a visit from my favorite baby brother, Pete, and his lovely wife, Erin.  They flew to Farmington after enjoying a few days in Las Vegas.  We (me, JD, dad, Erin, Pete, and the two dogs) loaded into dad’s car and took a little road trip up to Mesa Verde National Park.  It was a nice trip and I hope we can have many more adventures together!

Next, we (me, JD, dad, Erin, Pete, and the two dogs) loaded into dad’s car and took a long road trip to Missouri/Illinois to spend Christmas with our families.  It was great to be “home” for Christmas.  We were able to spend time with all of our parents and most of our brothers and sisters.  The thing I love most about Christmas at home is despite the hectic schedule of trying to celebrate Christmas with several sets of parents, I always feel very emotionally full by the time I have to leave (unfortunately, that also make leaving very hard).

JD and I added to the excitement by announcing our wedding plans to friends and family.  We have been talking about getting married for a long time, so it was fun to finally let everyone know about our plans!

So, 2010 is ending on a high note and it looks like 2011 will be a very exciting year!