july favorites

Can we take a moment to acknowledge how fast this summer just seems to be zipping by?  It's almost the end of July?!?!  And usually this would send me into a dizzy thinking about everything on my "summer to-do list" and what must be prepared for this upcoming school year, but I'm learning how to relax.  How to soak up life.  How to enjoy the little moments and not get caught up in the to-do's and the things I tell myself I should be doing.  

Today I wanted to share with you some of my lovely favorites for this month! 

You guys, this book....there are no words for the love I have for it.  I mean, where else can you listen to an incredible woman's intimate and touching stories, be filled with wisdom, AND learn some amazing recipes???  I have cried and laughed my way through Shauna's other two books, Bittersweet and Cold Tangerines.  This book taps into my heart for cooking, the love for creating, and sharing that with others.  I've always been intimidated with having people over for meals, and I second guess everything I do.  She has urged my heart to think otherwise and push myself so that I become more comfortable hosting. 

I will forever by grateful for She Reads Truth.  These ladies know what they're doing! I can't tell you how many times I want to read my bible, a plan, something...but have no idea where to start.  Not only are their words powerful and leave me in awe every time, but all I have to do is click on a plan and I have it with me wherever I go.  I've found myself reading my bible in my car, waiting for appointments, and love that God's word is with me wherever I go.  This current study is truly inspiring me! 

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I stumbled upon the Holistic Science Co. at the Little Italy's farmers market lat month and fell it love.  This company is local, made in San Diego, and everything is plant-based and handmade.  At the market I was talking with one of the women who actually makes them and she was so helpful and informative. Lately I've been trying to switch over my skincare to plant-based, free of parabens and other harsh chemicals.  What I love about this is that it hydrates my skin without leaving me oily (and it smells amazing)!  I use this is a moisturizer in the morning and throughout the day, and a spritz before bed instantly calms me.  It soothes the skin and replenishes it, which is perfect after I've been out in the sun or exercising! 

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 I've been on the hunt for a good, supportive sports bra for a while...and let's just say that the "ladies" keep growing and need a little help.  I'm not the type to spend a ton of money on workout clothes, but a sports bra was something I knew I would be willing to because I would get my moneys worth and I would get a ton of use out of it.  Enter Lululemon.  Again, I don't buy much there, just basics.  I went in thinking I was going to get the Ta Ta Tamer because I'd read so many great reviews, however after trying it on, it just didn't feel that great.  I like my sports bras to be racer back, and it wasn't (although you could make it that way).  So the lovely associate had me try on their Energy Bra, and it was love at first fit.  I love this bra!  Talk about comfort and support, I want to wear it all of the time !

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Now that the sports bra issue is covered, I've been dying for a good workout.  For some reason, I've been slightly more unmotivated than usual to workout.  Maybe it's the pregnancy.  And running is great, but I need strength training and hard workouts in order to feel my best.  A new yoga studio called Yoga Six opened up right by our place, and they give you 6 free classes to try within two weeks.  I LOVED this option versus other studios that give you a week free.  The moment I walked inside I was greeted by the nicest receptionist, and the manager happened to be standing right next to her.  She caught wind that it was my first time visiting them, so she gave me a tour of the studio and a brief background on them.  I just fell in love with them.  The first class I went to was a Sculpt class, and the instructor was so accommodating to give me modifications since I shouldn't be exercising on my back any more.  Yoga is a passion of mine.  I love that my body, mind, and soul all get a workout and I feel so refreshed and strong after every class! 

a lesson learned from mango

It is a beautiful thing when God can take one small act to help you realize where you have been struggling.  Sometimes it is as though we are walking along a blinded path, doing our own thing, without acknowledging His power, His grace, His love and how that should look when we live it out.  On our cruise, God definitely used one of these moments to show me where these hard crevices were forming in my heart, that needed some dusting off.  

When you're on vacation, it is easy to think about yourself.  Where are we eating at?  What time do we need to be here?  Did you save a seat for me?  Me. Me. Me. Me. Me.  And I soon realized that it wasn't just on vacation that I was thinking about myself, it was everywhere.  Almost as though people owed me.  When our boat docked in Ensenada, we originally weren't planning on getting off, but later decided we needed a good stretch and wanted our sea legs back.  So we wandered off into downtown Ensenada, where the streets are strewn with woman and children begging for money, offering to sell you chicles, fresh fish laid out at the market, vendors luring you into their pharmacy, offers for alcohol, and waitresses enticing you into each and every restaurant.  On occasion we would see some people from our cruise line.  And one family in particular was trying to take a picture with our boat in the background.  I was going to keep walking until Daniel urged me to go and offer to take their picture.  I hesitated.  I liked our path, our plan, and what we were doing.  But I offered, they accepted, they smiled so bright, and all of a sudden it was as though my heart slowly started warming up.  When did helping others all of a sudden seem so hard? 

On our way back to the boat I saw a vendor with the largest mangoes I have ever seen.  So we stopped off and I watched them artfully carve it in front of me and filled my mouth with the freshest mango I have ever had.  Soon enough I became so full.  And as we rounded a corner, a child with his little sister and mother wanted us to buy chicles from him.  We declined and he immediately pointed to my mango.  Instantly I asked him if he wanted it, he shook his head vigorously, and as I handed it to him it was as though I had just given him the greatest gift in the world.  His smile lit up the whole corner.  And it was then that God showed me the lesson I needed to learn, and re-learn over and over again.  We get so much more out of helping others, giving them what they need, then when we receive something.  It feels like a Christmas saying, but why am I not focused on it now.  My heart was filled with so much joy I felt as though I floated the entire way back to the ship.  From that moment on whenever we saw a family or couple trying to take a picture, we stopped whatever we were doing and offered to take it for them.  It never fails how appreciative they are, and how that kindness just passes from them to you.  I have lots of things to work on in my life, and right now I'm trying to find ways to help others in authentic instances, to try to meet others needs, and to think less of what I need from this world.  So, thank you mangos! 

weddings + ode to marriage

In LaFuze fashion I am behind in posting this, but we also jetted from one trip to another.  After we debarked our cruise on Friday morning, we gassed up, and hit the road for Big Bear to attend Daniel's cousin's wedding.  We don't like wasting any time!  This was actually my first time going to Big Bear (and I feel so crazy saying that since we are only 2 1/2 hours away).  What a gorgeous, quaint, lovely town filled with character, charm, and beautiful views.  The weddings was held at an estate and we stayed with family two doors down in a barn house.  Our weekend was filled with large family breakfasts, people sprawled everywhere, setting up for the rehearsal dinner, preparing to move the wedding due to a lovely little thunder storm, strolling in The Village, and of course so much laughter and love that your heart felt like it grew two sizes in everyone's presence. 

Weddings have a way with me.  It never fails that as soon as the wedding march begins, those tear ducks just burst open, and the sentiments keep rolling.  This ceremony was a bit nontraditional, as the bride walked down to Led Zeplin, but the sentiments remained.  Tear-strewn vows were lovingly stated, and it just reminded me how much love two people really have for one another.  I remember saying my vows with uncontrollable shaking hands, the tears that burst the minute it was time to walk down the isle, and the head tilted smile I gave my husband at our first glance through the "walk".  

Daniel's grandparents stole the show during the reception during the dance to see which couple has been married the longest.  As the DJ kept calling out years, this kept raising a thumb telling him to go higher, until he finally reached it...56!  They have been married 56 years.  And to this day, it just blows me away.  Such love.  Coming from a family sewn together through the divorces, it is always an encouragement to see marriage live.  The see love live.  To see two people love each other so much that they will love for better or worse.  Marriage is a beautiful thing, and what makes it that way are couples who are a testament to the faith and dedication it takes to make it work.  Because there will be hard times.  There will be many "sorrys".  But for every sorry there is I forgive you.  Weddings have a way of reminding me that it isn't about the small things, the things we wish our husbands would remember (putting their socks in the clothes hamper :) )...marriage is about LOVE.  And I love my husband with a deep passion that continues to grow more and more each day.  It always seems to catch me off guard to think that we have been together for almost 10 years now, that we are having a baby, that our marriage is about to take on different obstacles, and that we have gotten through the sorry and I forgive you, and will go through 100's more.  Marriage is sacred, and I hope that one day my children will be looking at us in awe as we dance away while the DJ keeps calling higher numbers for the years we have been married.  I want my marriage to be a testament to the love and respect that marriage is, and that my husband knows how grateful I am for such a God-loving husband.  

our cruise getaway

There is something beautiful and refreshing about vacations.  For us, we have noticed that taking the time to get away at least once a year for a fun trip is essential to our marriage.  We need that time to breathe, relax with one another, get back into sync, decompress, and just readjust.  There are lots of "big things" going on in our life right now, and taking a trip helped us talk about these as a couple, a team; and just dream about our future.  

This year a friend suggested we take a cruise, which we had never done before, and when the dates matched up perfectly with the husband's vacation schedule-it was as though the stars aligned.  We visited Catalina and Ensanada, kayaked, took a gold cart tour of a town, ate way too much food, watched entertaining shows, were blown away by the wind, got sea sick, and took lots of cat naps.  Yes, we napped on vacation.  And it was blissful.  Things leading up to this cruise were very stressful and crazy, so once we were on the boat we were so happy to take a breath and just let it all go.  Throughout our trip we didn't talk about work, about any stressors in our lives, and instead we laughed together and just loved one another and escaped from reality for just a bit. 

And in LaFuze fashion, we went from one vacation off to another!  We ported back in Long Beach Friday morning and drove straight to Big Bear for a family wedding (which was gorgeous).  I'll be back tomorrow sharing the exquisite pictures from there!  

virtual {coffee date}

Good morning friends!  I'm so excited to be launching Saturday morning coffee dates and I hope you enjoy while sipping on a cozy cup of Jo'! 

Photo c/o Pinterest

If we were having coffee together I would share with you that this morning started out very frustrating and was turned around by one smile.  Isn't is miraculous how one smile can really change your whole attitude?  I was supposed to go to bootcamp, and after driving down to the beach I noticed that no one was there.  The location was moved and I wasn't told.  I decided to make the most of my morning so I went on a run when I got home, and on my run I saw a woman running in front of me who turned around when she saw me with a big, bright smile on her face and she said "morning!".  It was at that moment that I smiled, and all of the frustrations from the morning vanished.  I was out of my selfish thoughts and moving forward to making the most of my day.  I was so encouraged to tell everyone I saw on my run "good morning" with the biggest smile, spreading that joy. 

If we were having coffee together I would tell you that today I have to say goodbye to my nearest and dearest friends before she moves to northern California.  Our friendship started our freshman year.  We were roommates in college, she was my maid of honor, we have shared life in a very special way.  And I'm filled with so much happiness as this move is such a blessing for her and her husband, but at the same time I'm saddened that our coffee dates, hikes, long talks, nail painting, and wine and cheese time will now happen when we visit one another.  It is rare to find a friendship like ours. 

If we were having coffee together I would tell you that we are jumping for joy over here because we leave on a cruise on Monday!!!  Daniel was able to get a good chunk of vacation time off, the first time in a couple of years.  He is beyond thrilled to not have phone service where work can call and wake him up at 6am every morning.  I'm excited to sit, relax, and just connect with my husband.  We scheduled a kayak tour in Catalina and I'm most excited for that.  Plus, my passport finally came yesterday (I still hadn't changed my name after 4 years of marriage) so we can cross off that stress factor and start packing!!!  

If we were having coffee together I would share that we are looking for some place to live and it has left me with a huge mix of emotions.  This summer I was planning on turning our guest bedroom into a nursery, gutting out the closet to make room for baby, and begin decorating.  We've known we would need to move soon, it just seemed to sneak up on us very quickly.  These past few weeks I have witnessed so many woman of faith talk about courage, about taking a leap of faith and really living life. Moving is scary for both of us, since it is something we haven't really had to do.  Thinking about where to live, where to raise our family, where to build a community all crowds my mind.  And we've had so many very serious and hard conversations about everything, but we are constantly encouraged by God's grace to take a leap of faith and know that He will provide for us no matter where we end up.  I am encouraged to ask for God's grace to give me courage, courage to do what others might think is crazy, courage to stand up for myself, courage to believe God will provide! 

high five for friday

Can I just say that I'm more than a little happy that Friday is finally here!  This week seems like it zoomed by and I'm slowly putting the pieces back together.  As I look around my house I can see remnants from our life...more so the unfolded laundry still sitting in the laundry basket.  This summer I'm nannying three sweet girls, and I was very fortunate for a morning where I could turn the alarm clock off and not be anywhere until late morning.  Sometimes I think we need to listen to our bodies and what it is trying to tell us.  My mind was telling me all the things I should be doing but my body was begging me to stay in bed, relax, and catch up on sleep.  My body was right!  Here are some of the top moments of the week:

1. I successfully went to two bootcamps and finished this workout.  It looked much easier than it turned out to be, and in the end I did 4 rounds.  By the way, if you are looking for a good blog was great workouts, this is the one! 

2. The girls and I ventured out this week to see Despicable Me 2.  Priceless!  I think that I enjoyed it more than them :)

3. Daniel and I met some dear friends and went to our first outdoor summer concert.  There were food trucks, picnickers galore, a cool breeze, and great music filling the air.  It will definitely be one of many! 

4. Bread & Wine is now finished and sitting in my kitchen, and all I have to say is this is a book that will forever stay with me.  A friend came over for dinner this week and I pulled it out to make enchiladas.  I felt as thought I was cooking along side Shauna, calm and peaceful, filled with her wisdom, and put love into that dish.  (And it was phenomenal!)

5. Today I was able to visit a good friend up in Temecula and get some baby time in. She just had her second, Carson, and he was beyond adorable!  Trying to get that practice in now!

summer mexican quinoa

I feel as though there should be a sixth love language to add to the other amazing five, and if there were I would deem it "cooking".  For me, cooking is definitely one of my love languages.  I love making something out of basic ingredients, creating sweet goodness to nourish our bodies, and sharing it with others.  These experiences are meant to be shared, to cook for others, to love on others, and to create a sense of community around food.  It is no question that I love food, and this love for cooking is something that has been building up in my over the last couple of years.  My "happy place" is the kitchen.  There is a profound sense of peace that overcomes me when I'm in this place, my element. 

Daniel, on the other hand, sees food as fuel.  He could care less at times about how fresh the ingredients are, which are organic, or even if it was homemade.  He loves to eat, not cook.  

So, we have learned to compromise over the years.  Cooking is exquisite, but with it comes time-lots of time depending on the recipe, time to prep, time to clean up, time to cook.  And we don't always have this time.  So we have worked on compromising the amount of time spent on creating meals.  And it has challenged me to make easy and quick meals without sacrificing nutrition, health, and taste.  

The other night something magical happened in our kitchen.  I had an idea and ran with it, and it turned out amazing.  The best was that everything was ready within 25 minutes and clean up was minimal.  The husband smiled all throughout dinner, just from the taste but also because he didn't have lots of dishes to do afterwards.  And we learn from these moments.  These moments where we have compromised to help the other person, to love the other person, and we quickly remember this meal as a perfect weeknight meal that we both love.  

We are big fans of Daily Garnish's mexican quinoa with black beans, but I didn't want to cook a whole lot.  I was ready to chop.  And in the summer the last thing I wanted was a stove top full of heat to add to the summer heat.  So I created our own version of "mexican quinoa" with fresh, delicious ingredients, that all were prepared while the quinoa was cooking.  And right there in the kitchen, something magical happened! 

Summer Mexican Quinoa

Ingredients:

1 c. dry quinoa, rinsed

2 c. water

1 red bell pepper, diced

1/2 red onion, diced

2 c. diced cherry tomatoes

1.5 cups corn

2 limes, juiced

1 Tbsp. cilantro

1 avocado, diced 

1 can black beans, rinsed

1/2 tsp. salt

1 tsp. chili powder 

Directions:

1.  Combine water and quinoa in a saucepan over medium heat, cover, and cook for 15 minutes.  Fluff with a fork when it is done cooking. 

2.  While the quinoa is cooking, chop the bell pepper, onion, tomatoes, and cilantro. 

3. In a large bowl, combine bell pepper, onion, tomatoes, corn, black beans, and cilantro.  

4.  Add the cooked quinoa, salt, chili powder, and lime juice.  Stir to combine well.  Stir in diced avocado before serving. 

We served ours with quesadillas, mine made with an Ezekiel tortilla and monterey jack cheese.  Enjoy!! 

14 & 15 weeks

Second trimester is officially in full swing and all I think I can sum it up with one word: bliss.  Yes, pure bliss.  It's like the clouds have lifted and I can see the heavens!  Those dark clouds of nausea all day long, feeling like a zombie, wanting to curl up into a ball at any time of the day, looking at food and wishing it actually tasted better than how it made you feel and yet you force it down because it will be your saving grace to tide over your ever-upset stomach. Yes, second trimester sure has treated me well!  

I'm beyond thankful that I'm feeling great.  The only things that have caught me off guard is this new found insomnia.  This girl just isn't tired when it comes to bed time, and then I end up tossing all night long, not falling into a good sleep until 2am.  There's no body aches or anything contributing to it, just a mind that is on overdrive at night time.  I'm going to try drinking chamomile tea at night time as well as taking a warm bath to see if that helps because I'm left exhausted the following day. 

This past weekend I ended up getting my first maternity outfit.  Everything has still been fitting me, which I've been so thankful for, but there was a maxi skirt and tank top at Target that were so soft and luscious, they basically had my name all over them.  And they did not disappoint.  I also bought a white top which I'm wearing during 15 weeks, the other one was getting a little bit tight.  I'm still waiting for the belly to "pop".  Maybe it has?  I just can't tell. 

I plan on writing more about exercising when pregnant, but I wanted to share how that has been going for me.  I'm still able to run 3-4 days a week, although my pace has slowed down and I'm getting winded a bit easier.  I go to a bootcamp one day a week at the beach and have been able to keep up.  Modifications are made for plyometric moves as well as abdominal moves.  70% is the new 100%.  My instructor told me that you don't want to be winded because your baby's oxygen is caught off as soon as yours is.  So, working out at a 70% intensity level is what is best during pregnancy.  Sadly, I've found it more difficult to exercise because I'm so tired in the mornings due to the lack of sleep and am feeling a bit unmotivated.  I did swim laps last Friday, which is something I haven't done for a good 5 years.  Holy smokes!  What a workout.  I only swam for 30 minutes, and boy was I tired (and so sore the following day).  That is something I definitely plan on keeping up with during this pregnancy.  

Each day we pray over our sweet baby boy, and I just can't find words to express how much I love these moments.  We pray for his development, his health, for him to love God with all his heart.  

Next steps: registering!  And I'm already completely overwhelmed with just where to register.  I'm hoping to nail that down by the end of the week but any suggestions would be so lovely!